Stop sending help against Lebron..

[HarlemHeat37]

As everybody knows, Lebron is one of my top 3 favorite non-Spurs players and I constantly defend him, tbh..

I don't agree with Pop's decision to send help all game..

- Lebron isn't a chucker, he's looking to pass before shooting..he's a team player..it's evident through the first 2 games that he's waiting for doubles and deferring to teammates..he has yet to dominate the Spurs in 1 on 1 situations..

- Miami's shooters are hot, they're getting wide open looks all game..Ray Allen was useless against Indiana, he has had a resurgence with all these open looks..Mike Miller is getting great looks, as is Chalmers..

- The Spurs perimeter defenders don't understand how to double..Leonard is a good help defender, Green and Manu are occasionally good helping, but overall, the Spurs perimeter players are too slow to recover to Miami's shooters, either due to lack of speed, or poor positioning..

Would you continue sending help against James or allow him to win the game alone?.

[TheRemix]

giving up at 2 is better than giving up a three..

[gnsf0946]

damn, when you have to agree with Harlem you know shit hit the fan :bang

[chrhawk]

Coming into this series I actually thought this would be a large part of Pop's gameplan. They should especially play James as a passer to start the game, his tendency is to look to get his teammates going early.

Pop should tell his perimeter players under no circumstance do you leave their shooters. NONE.

Harlem what do you think of potentially the Spurs playing James as a passer them start doubling him in the fourth quarter?

[crc21209]

As everybody knows, Lebron is one of my top 3 favorite non-Spurs players and I constantly defend him, tbh..

I don't agree with Pop's decision to send help all game..

- Lebron isn't a chucker, he's looking to pass before shooting..he's a team player..it's evident through the first 2 games that he's waiting for doubles and deferring to teammates..he has yet to dominate the Spurs in 1 on 1 situations..

- Miami's shooters are hot, they're getting wide open looks all game..Ray Allen was useless against Indiana, he has had a resurgence with all these open looks..Mike Miller is getting great looks, as is Chalmers..

- The Spurs perimeter defenders don't understand how to double..Leonard is a good help defender, Green and Manu are occasionally good helping, but overall, the Spurs perimeter players are too slow to recover to Miami's shooters, either due to lack of speed, or poor positioning..

Would you continue sending help against James or allow him to win the game alone?.

Let LeBron try and win the game on his own IMO. Back when the Spurs were playing the Suns back in 05' Amare Stoudemire had some 35-40 point games if I remember correctly. He got his, but they lost the games. I disagree with helping so damn much as well. I say let Kawhi/Green play him 1 on 1 and if you are going to bring help bring it from the inside with Tim or Tiago, not guys from the perimeter. Stick to the shooters at all times..

[ALVAREZ6]

I started a thread on the same subject and agree. Stop sending help ALL GAME LONG. Especially when Allen and/or Miller are in the game. In fact if they are, basically don't ever save for some cases where it may be worth the risk. It's basically suicide to double Lebron because he's tall, athletic, great vision and perfect at passing. You double him, I guarantee the following occurs: he won't panic and he will find the open man with a perfect pass. Every time. You can't force Lebron into a bad pass via doubling, unless his teammates are positioned terribly.

A few times to send help is fine, but if you're going to double as de facto strategy whenever Lebron gets the ball on the elbow or low block, eventually the Heat will murder you.

[UZER]

Said this same thing in several threads. Let him get his ala Amare. Stay home on the wings.

Sad part is, Pop is a stubborn man so we'll prob see this all series.

[KaiRMD1]

Pretty much what iced the game against us, too many open threes. Let Lebron take a contested two over an open three.

[TD 21]

Agreed. They have too much shooting and not only that, they were due for some serious regression to the mean (it also helps that they're able to play their preferred small ball for long stretches against the Spurs and will continue to, so long as Splitter keeps up his playoffs long Bargnani impression). Predictably, Allen, Miller and now Chalmers and Bosh, can't seem to miss.

Even with this strategy, James is going to get around 20. If they're going to spot their shooters 10 wide open threes, plus the few difficult ones they're inevitably going to make per game, it becomes too much to overcome.

[AFBlue]

Agree...adjustment for game 3, whether from the start or at half, will be to play him more straight up.

[Gkm]

the defense is far for been the problem. the ofense was horrible, lots of turnovers, and not easy shots, parker couldnt go in the paint.

even with a blowout the heat was only 70 points by the end of the third, so the spurs turn a lot of times and couldnt get a basket to save their lifes.

[timvp]

Disagree. The halfcourt defense is working pretty damn well. The easiest way to lose against the Heat is for LeBron to go buck wild. If you make him rely on teammates, they may still beat you but at least it's more challenging.

Maybe if Wade and Bosh were playing well you'd live with LeBron getting all he can eat. But with LeBron far and away the biggest threat on the floor, I believe it's the right move to shade your defense towards him.

What needs to improve is the recognition of who you can leave, who you can't, who needs a quick rotation and who you close out soft on.

Game 2 was about the offense collapsing, IMO. The turnovers and then the quick shots got the Heat some easy buckets in transition and semi transition and that was enough to beat the sputtering Spurs offense.

Don't fix what ain't broke, IMO.

[LarryDavid]

I agree. Stay home on the shooters.

[fubarcrew01]

As everybody knows, Lebron is one of my top 3 favorite non-Spurs players and I constantly defend him, tbh..

I don't agree with Pop's decision to send help all game..

- Lebron isn't a chucker, he's looking to pass before shooting..he's a team player..it's evident through the first 2 games that he's waiting for doubles and deferring to teammates..he has yet to dominate the Spurs in 1 on 1 situations..

- Miami's shooters are hot, they're getting wide open looks all game..Ray Allen was useless against Indiana, he has had a resurgence with all these open looks..Mike Miller is getting great looks, as is Chalmers..

- The Spurs perimeter defenders don't understand how to double..Leonard is a good help defender, Green and Manu are occasionally good helping, but overall, the Spurs perimeter players are too slow to recover to Miami's shooters, either due to lack of speed, or poor positioning..

Would you continue sending help against James or allow him to win the game alone?.

Co-sign.. Also don't pull Danny if he's giving you everything on offense and defense

[2centsworth]

As everybody knows, Lebron is one of my top 3 favorite non-Spurs players and I constantly defend him, tbh..

I don't agree with Pop's decision to send help all game..

- Lebron isn't a chucker, he's looking to pass before shooting..he's a team player..it's evident through the first 2 games that he's waiting for doubles and deferring to teammates..he has yet to dominate the Spurs in 1 on 1 situations..

- Miami's shooters are hot, they're getting wide open looks all game..Ray Allen was useless against Indiana, he has had a resurgence with all these open looks..Mike Miller is getting great looks, as is Chalmers..

- The Spurs perimeter defenders don't understand how to double..Leonard is a good help defender, Green and Manu are occasionally good helping, but overall, the Spurs perimeter players are too slow to recover to Miami's shooters, either due to lack of speed, or poor positioning..

Would you continue sending help against James or allow him to win the game alone?.

This is the Adjustment. Wade again admitted he was tired and Lebron is playing exhausted. Make those guys beat you and shut down the rest. I think Lebron and Wade wear down. Green and Kawhi got this.

[crc21209]

Disagree. The halfcourt defense is working pretty damn well. The easiest way to lose against the Heat is for LeBron to go buck wild. If you make him rely on teammates, they may still beat you but at least it's more challenging.

Maybe if Wade and Bosh were playing well you'd live with LeBron getting all he can eat. But with LeBron far and away the biggest threat on the floor, I believe it's the right move to shade your defense towards him.

What needs to improve is the recognition of who you can leave, who you can't, who needs a quick rotation and who you close out soft on.

Game 2 was about the offense collapsing, IMO. The turnovers and then the quick shots got the Heat some easy buckets in transition and semi transition and that was enough to beat the sputtering Spurs offense.

Don't fix what ain't broke, IMO.

You basically can't leave any of their shooters though. Chalmers, Allen, Miller, and Battier can all shoot. The only guy you could possibly leave is Cole and he doesnt even play much. Everyone knows LeBron would rather pass than shoot so why help him out by sagging on him and letting him better see his open shooters?

[2centsworth]

Disagree. The halfcourt defense is working pretty damn well. The easiest way to lose against the Heat is for LeBron to go buck wild. If you make him rely on teammates, they may still beat you but at least it's more challenging.

Maybe if Wade and Bosh were playing well you'd live with LeBron getting all he can eat. But with LeBron far and away the biggest threat on the floor, I believe it's the right move to shade your defense towards him.

What needs to improve is the recognition of who you can leave, who you can't, who needs a quick rotation and who you close out soft on.

Game 2 was about the offense collapsing, IMO. The turnovers and then the quick shots got the Heat some easy buckets in transition and semi transition and that was enough to beat the sputtering Spurs offense.

Don't fix what ain't broke, IMO.

Wade and Lebron admitted to being exhausted. Keep up the quick pace and double occasionally just to mix things up. Lebron got so tired Green swatted his crap.

[TheGoldStandard]

Pop has mental lapses and over thinks his shit. We kept doing this in GS series and it almost fucked us up. No double teams, just let Lebron shoot his shit and get tired, let him carry the load and limit everyone else. I hate that we left them open for so many open shots and we were okay with it. No timeouts, no adjustments. The worse thing is that with all that shitty play we could have won this game.. We led by 3 late in the 3rd and then for some reason Gary Neal starts running the point while Tony is in the corner and Manu is coming over to help.. It's stupid offense. Tim played like shit, Tony played like shit and Manu was scooping manure all game long.

[siraulo23]

@ timvp, i agree with shading lebron, but only the bigs should help when he's posting up, the spurs help all the way from perimeter where chalmers/allen are one pass away, imo thats not gonna cut it, you leave those shooters open theyre capable of hitting a huge %

their offense collapsed but it was more spurs not being able to defend the lebron/chalmers pnr that blew this game open

[therealtruth]

Let LeBron try and win the game on his own IMO. Back when the Spurs were playing the Suns back in 05' Amare Stoudemire had some 35-40 point games if I remember correctly. He got his, but they lost the games. I disagree with helping so damn much as well. I say let Kawhi/Green play him 1 on 1 and if you are going to bring help bring it from the inside with Tim or Tiago, not guys from the perimeter. Stick to the shooters at all times..

I agree. Lebron averaged 39-8-8 in '09 and still lost. Might as well give it a try.

[2centsworth]

I agree. Lebron averaged 39-8-8 in '09 and still lost. Might as well give it a try.

especially since he's crying about being tired. Giving him rest and letting Allen & Miller shoot open 3s is a misstep.

[therealtruth]

giving up at 2 is better than giving up a three..

Exactly I would rather give up a contested 2 than an uncontested corner 3.

[therealtruth]

Pop has mental lapses and over thinks his shit. We kept doing this in GS series and it almost fucked us up. No double teams, just let Lebron shoot his shit and get tired, let him carry the load and limit everyone else. I hate that we left them open for so many open shots and we were okay with it. No timeouts, no adjustments. The worse thing is that with all that shitty play we could have won this game.. We led by 3 late in the 3rd and then for some reason Gary Neal starts running the point while Tony is in the corner and Manu is coming over to help.. It's stupid offense. Tim played like shit, Tony played like shit and Manu was scooping manure all game long.

The stategy caught the Heat and Lebron by surprise in game 1. But I don't think it's going to work anymore.

[T Park]

Disagree. The halfcourt defense is working pretty damn well. The easiest way to lose against the Heat is for LeBron to go buck wild. If you make him rely on teammates, they may still beat you but at least it's more challenging.

Maybe if Wade and Bosh were playing well you'd live with LeBron getting all he can eat. But with LeBron far and away the biggest threat on the floor, I believe it's the right move to shade your defense towards him.

What needs to improve is the recognition of who you can leave, who you can't, who needs a quick rotation and who you close out soft on.

Game 2 was about the offense collapsing, IMO. The turnovers and then the quick shots got the Heat some easy buckets in transition and semi transition and that was enough to beat the sputtering Spurs offense.

Don't fix what ain't broke, IMO.


Agree 100%. This was on Parker,Duncan, Manu and Leonard all being terrible offensively.

If they all made 25% more of their shots spurs win.

[jmanu20]

Disagree. The halfcourt defense is working pretty damn well. The easiest way to lose against the Heat is for LeBron to go buck wild. If you make him rely on teammates, they may still beat you but at least it's more challenging.

Maybe if Wade and Bosh were playing well you'd live with LeBron getting all he can eat. But with LeBron far and away the biggest threat on the floor, I believe it's the right move to shade your defense towards him.

What needs to improve is the recognition of who you can leave, who you can't, who needs a quick rotation and who you close out soft on.

Game 2 was about the offense collapsing, IMO. The turnovers and then the quick shots got the Heat some easy buckets in transition and semi transition and that was enough to beat the sputtering Spurs offense.

Don't fix what ain't broke, IMO.


Allen/Chalmers/Miller had a combined 8 threes. Lebron only had 17 and didn't even really get going until the 4th quarter. Spurs lost by 19.....I think it's safe to say the current strategy is broken. I think going the Amare 2005 route would be worth a try.....let's see what happens when the Heat shooters have to score after putting the ball on the floor.

[TheGoldStandard]

The stategy caught the Heat and Lebron by surprise in game 1. But I don't think it's going to work anymore.

They over did it in the 2nd half and the offense was garbage.. I'm upset right now but we played crappy these two games for different reasons and tonight it cost us.

[jmanu20]

Let LeBron try and win the game on his own IMO. Back when the Spurs were playing the Suns back in 05' Amare Stoudemire had some 35-40 point games if I remember correctly. He got his, but they lost the games. I disagree with helping so damn much as well. I say let Kawhi/Green play him 1 on 1 and if you are going to bring help bring it from the inside with Tim or Tiago, not guys from the perimeter. Stick to the shooters at all times..

Yep, and the Suns in 2005 probably had twice the shooters that the current Heat do.

[2centsworth]

This is why Pop makes 6mm/yr. Heat shot 53% from 3 and 51% overall. Got to get those %s down.

Plus, you're basketball blind if you can't see Bron and Wade are wearing down after the 3rd year in the finals and carrying a team. Wade just shows it a little more. Bosh decided to shoot Jumpers.

[timvp]

[/B]


Allen/Chalmers/Miller had a combined 8 threes. Lebron only had 17 and didn't even really get going until the 4th quarter. Spurs lost by 19.....I think it's safe to say the current strategy is broken.

How is it broken when LeBron just had two of his worst games of the last two years? The Spurs held Miami's offense in check in Game 1 and the Heat were at 61 points with 15 minutes remaining tonight.

Even with the Heat raining down threes and getting about eight minutes of garbage time, they still only scored 102 points.

I'm much more worried about the offense, tbh. Will the Heat's role players shoot as straight on the road? We'll see but I'd rather find that out then to have LeBron explode.

This isn't Amare, this is the best perimeter player since MJ.

[2centsworth]

How is it broken when LeBron just had two of his worst games of the last two years? The Spurs held Miami's offense in check in Game 1 and the Heat were at 61 points with 15 minutes remaining tonight.

Even with the Heat raining down threes and getting about eight minutes of garbage time, they still only scored 102 points.

I'm much more worried about the offense, tbh. Will the Heat's role players shoot as straight on the road? We'll see but I'd rather find that out then to have LeBron explode.

This isn't Amare, this is the best perimeter player since MJ.

He's getting tired. Bron: Get me out coach, let green take him baseline, green blocks his shot, can't finish uncontested layups.

[TD 21]

It may not be broken, but it was never going to be sustainable. Hoping great and very good three point shooters (who are due for progression to the mean) are going to continue to miss wide open threes, is just plain stupid. The fact that they mostly got away with it in the first 81 minutes of the series doesn't change that.

[timvp]

He's getting tired. Bron: Get me out coach, let green take him baseline, green blocks his shot, can't finish uncontested layups.

LeBron is tired because the Spurs are making him go 1 on 3 (and sometimes 4) when he gets the ball on offense. You let him go Amare and he won't sweat.

[TDfan2007]

LeBron is tired because the Spurs are making him go 1 on 3 (and sometimes 4) when he gets the ball on offense. You let him go Amare and he won't sweat.

I think a mixture of coverages would be nice, ala what Phil used to do with Timmy back in the day. Let him go wild then all of a sudden start throwing double teams at him in the second half when the role players aren't in rhythm.

Honestly, I'm not sure, and I agree with your post to an extent, but even in Game 1 Miami shot a great percentage. The Heat's shooters have proven that they'll hit wide open 3s, so why tempt it?

I think our biggest issue is idiot perimeter players ball watching and sagging off of their man too much (Neal, Manu, and Tony especially).

[jmanu20]

How is it broken when LeBron just had two of his worst games of the last two years? The Spurs held Miami's offense in check in Game 1 and the Heat were at 61 points with 15 minutes remaining tonight.

Even with the Heat raining down threes and getting about eight minutes of garbage time, they still only scored 102 points.

I'm much more worried about the offense, tbh. Will the Heat's role players shoot as straight on the road? We'll see but I'd rather find that out then to have LeBron explode.

This isn't Amare, this is the best perimeter player since MJ.

It's broken thanks to the easy looks from 3 the Heat's shooters received. LeBron is a great passer and easily finds open shooters every time when the Spurs send help. This happened some in Game 1 also, the Spurs won that game largely because of only committing 4 turnovers (versus 16 tonight). 102 points is too many for Spurs championship basketball in my opinion.

Yes, LeBron isn't Amare. Although his jump shot has improved since 2007, it still isn't always reliable, and I think he still has a greater influence on a game when he is able to get others involved. Therefore, I'd live with a 40 pt game from LeBron if it means his shooters have to step out of their comfort zone a little bit and put the ball on the floor.

As was already mentioned previously, LeBron lost a series where he averaged 39.

[SpurPadre]

LeBron is tired because the Spurs are making him go 1 on 3 (and sometimes 4) when he gets the ball on offense. You let him go Amare and he won't sweat.

Of course it would make him sweat. A player expends alot of energy making those over-the-top, razzle-dazzle dunks he likes to throw down and then have to go back on defense to defend TP, one of the fastest players in the league. On that note, people aren't saying they should give him the red carpet treatment, but make him work hard down low and if it means free throw attempts and/or and ones, then so be it. But that's much more preferrable than giving Miller and Allen get all the shots they want from the perimeter. Stay home on the shooters and that will cut down on their smooth ball movement.

[2centsworth]

Of course it would make him sweat. A player expends alot of energy making those over-the-top, razzle-dazzle dunks he likes to throw down and then have to go back on defense to defend TP, one of the fastest players in the league. On that note, people aren't saying they should give him the red carpet treatment, but make him work hard down low and if it means free throw attempts and/or and ones, then so be it. But that's much more preferrable than giving Miller and Allen get all the shots they want from the perimeter. Stay home on the shooters and that will cut down on their smooth ball movement.

Kawhi is making him work even when he has no help. Mix-up the coverages.

[mercos]

I would definitely not change the strategy for the first half of game 3. I want to see if Miami's roll players can replicate the success they've had thus far in this series on the road. Game 3 is a huge game for both teams, and I'd rather have Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers shooting than Lebron James. If they knock down shots in the first half, I would consider sending less help.

[therealtruth]

I would definitely not change the strategy for the first half of game 3. I want to see if Miami's roll players can replicate the success they've had thus far in this series on the road. Game 3 is a huge game for both teams, and I'd rather have Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers shooting than Lebron James. If they knock down shots in the first half, I would consider sending less help.

It's a gamble I would rather not take. It doesn't have to be black and white. The Spurs can mix some zone in there to confuse them. Again we don't even yet know that Kawhi's individual defense isn't good enough against Lebron. If we force Lebron to shoot maybe he shoots very inefficiently with Kawhi's length bothering him.

[phxspurfan]

Stop leaving shooters wide open. This was like regular season defense. Horrible and would lose 9/10 games.

[spursmvp]

First post on spurs talk here...

Does anyone remember how the pacers played D on lebron? Was it straight up? Because ray and MM stunk it up for the most part of that series.

[Brutalis]

James is going to do what he does. Sending help on him is pretty much fucking our defense up. Notice how the switches and rotations turn into mismatches? Pop needs to let James go. Either he gets his or they keep bombing from long range. OP is right here.

[2centsworth]

First post on spurs talk here...

Does anyone remember how the pacers played D on lebron? Was it straight up? Because ray and MM stunk it up for the most part of that series.

Vogel played Lebron straight-up, but made the Lebron in the post adjustment. I didn't watch every game but I think Indiana mixed-up the D from there.

[spurraider21]

i agree with timvp, echoing my comments in other threads. our D is fine, and actually had us in this game deep into the third, but our offense hit the crapper, and turnovers led to either transition buckets, or mismatches due to forced switches when they push the pace. parker, ginobili, duncan, leonard all strugged offensively in different ways

[2centsworth]

i agree with timvp, echoing my comments in other threads. our D is fine, and actually had us in this game deep into the third
Fools Gold, Spurs shooting 80% from 3 had us close.

[jesterbobman]

I would help a little less, but the primary concern is the offense only having 16 assists in back to back games. Ball movement hasn't been as good.

I hate the small ball sets with Kawhi at PF though. The Heat force you to match up weird, but I'd rather have Splitter/Diaw out there and be slow rather than Neal helping off. Our small sets seem to hurt both D and O, as we run a lot of screen action and having 2 bigs helps that work better.

[spursmvp]

Vogel played Lebron straight-up, but made the Lebron in the post adjustment. I didn't watch every game but I think Indiana mixed-up the D from there.

I see. Yea I remember at the end of game 2 against the pacers, paul george just backed off of lebron daring him to shoot. It seemed to confuse lebron for two possessions in a row causing two TO's. Maybe we can try that and have Kawhi back off of him with everyone else staying with the shooters. Now if he hits his fadeaways like he did against the celts in game 6 a year ago, I guess there's not much you can do.

[2centsworth]

I would help a little less, but the primary concern is the offense only having 16 assists in back to back games. Ball movement hasn't been as good.

I hate the small ball sets with Kawhi at PF though. The Heat force you to match up weird, but I'd rather have Splitter/Diaw out there and be slow rather than Neal helping off. Our small sets seem to hurt both D and O, as we run a lot of screen action and having 2 bigs helps that work better.:tu

[2centsworth]

I see. Yea I remember at the end of game 2 against the pacers, paul george just backed off of lebron daring him to shoot. It seemed to confuse lebron for two possessions in a row causing two TO's. Maybe we can try that and have Kawhi back off of him with everyone else staying with the shooters. Now if he hits his fadeaways like he did against the celts in game 6 a year ago, I guess there's not much you can do.

The formula is to beat the crap out of him when Wade and Cole are on the floor and dare him to shoot when Allen and Miller are on the floor.

[DeadlyDynasty]

I'ma hafta go with Young Hus on this one, as much as it pains me to say it. Daring LeBron to go apeshit on you should be the last viable option. He's not the mentally fragile player of 2011 anymore...dude is a stone-cold killer now and is just waiting to activate Godmode. Keep him as a distributor and hope like hell the 3's aren't falling--besides, defensive rotations are something that can be remedied mid-series, especially with Leatherface at the helm.

[therealtruth]

We got to play Lebron like we played Steph Curry. Unlike Steph Curry he's looking to drive more. But the same principles apply. Help on him with the bigs but don't overhelp and give the shooters air space. We were getting killed by the Warriors shooters till we cleaned up the help defense.

[MilesTeg]

That's my feeling too... but honestly, this isn't like they're not seeing the same thing as us. This isn't like Westbrook and Durant making dumb mistakes last year, this is the Spurs game plan. And I know we'd like to think we know better than Pop, but it's just not true.

[100%duncan]

I've been saying this all series long too tbh. And even before that. Lock down the rest of them and let Kawhi handle Bron mano e mano.

[InK]

If Spurs lose game 3 and the Heat shooters don't cool off in first half of game 4, then ye, let Kawhi go one on one with Bron. But not before.

[Mugen]

I don't like sending help on him when he's on the block. I like the shading of the defenders when he's coming off a pick or driving from the top of the key.

[Axe Murderer]

How is it broken when LeBron just had two of his worst games of the last two years? The Spurs held Miami's offense in check in Game 1 and the Heat were at 61 points with 15 minutes remaining tonight.

Even with the Heat raining down threes and getting about eight minutes of garbage time, they still only scored 102 points.

I'm much more worried about the offense, tbh. Will the Heat's role players shoot as straight on the road? We'll see but I'd rather find that out then to have LeBron explode.

This isn't Amare, this is the best perimeter player since MJ.

It's not like Miami's role players are Ryan Bowen, Eric Dampier, and Tony Allen. Chalmers, Allen, and Miller can all shoot if you leave them wide open.

Everytime a great team goes down, it's always the role players who are quiet. The Pistons did it to the Lakers in the 04 Finals, Spurs did it to the Suns in 05, and Lakers in 03. If the role players are quiet, they'll lose confidence and then it becomes 1 on 5. While Lebron has not been his usual self the first two games, you can't expect that to continue.

[DarrinS]

Disagree. The halfcourt defense is working pretty damn well. The easiest way to lose against the Heat is for LeBron to go buck wild. If you make him rely on teammates, they may still beat you but at least it's more challenging.

Maybe if Wade and Bosh were playing well you'd live with LeBron getting all he can eat. But with LeBron far and away the biggest threat on the floor, I believe it's the right move to shade your defense towards him.

What needs to improve is the recognition of who you can leave, who you can't, who needs a quick rotation and who you close out soft on.

Game 2 was about the offense collapsing, IMO. The turnovers and then the quick shots got the Heat some easy buckets in transition and semi transition and that was enough to beat the sputtering Spurs offense.

Don't fix what ain't broke, IMO.


Like Pop said, 10 of 33 is 10 of 33.

[spurraider21]

Fools Gold, Spurs shooting 80% from 3 had us close.
They had something like 60 points midway through the third. Our D kept us in it

[rmt]

Defend Lebron and Wade straight up. Leonard (Green) is young - he can play as many minutes as Lebron (Wade). Stay home on the 3pt shooters. For god's sake, stop biting on Wade's pump fake (I'm talking to you, TD) - let him shoot. Let Lebron have his - he'll tire or choke at the end of the game, and the shooters will be out of rhythm. Pop needs to apply the PHX rule.

[jmanu20]

It appears most here are favoring the 2005 Amare approach. Yes, they only had 61 pts midway through the 3rd, but consistently allowing open shooters played a huge part in that 33-5 Miami run.

Kawhi is doing a good job defending Lebron straight up. Take away his passing options and make him into a jump shooter as much as possible. A very young Pacers team played him this way and took his team the distance (may have won the series if not for Vogel's stupid move in the last possession of game 1).

[spurspokesman]

Disagree. The halfcourt defense is working pretty damn well. The easiest way to lose against the Heat is for LeBron to go buck wild. If you make him rely on teammates, they may still beat you but at least it's more challenging.

Maybe if Wade and Bosh were playing well you'd live with LeBron getting all he can eat. But with LeBron far and away the biggest threat on the floor, I believe it's the right move to shade your defense towards him.

What needs to improve is the recognition of who you can leave, who you can't, who needs a quick rotation and who you close out soft on.

Game 2 was about the offense collapsing, IMO. The turnovers and then the quick shots got the Heat some easy buckets in transition and semi transition and that was enough to beat the sputtering Spurs offense.

Don't fix what ain't broke, IMO. This and maybe have duncan play like a power forward and not a shooting guard smh.

[timvp]

In reality, using the Amare 2005 approach on LeBron would turn into the Hakeem 1995 approach. Even if you single-team LeBron, he's still a good enough passer to find open teammates -- just like Hakeem was still able to find teammates in 1995 even though he wasn't getting doubled. It worked on Amare because Amare doesn't know how to pass.

I know as Spurs fans we like to change everything after a playoff loss but after the defense worked really well in Game 1 and worked really well again for a vast majority of Game 2 ... and even that collapse in Game 2 was more due to the offense dying, IMO.

Stick to it again in Game 3. You can switch it up in the second half or the fourth quarter if the threes are still raining down but to go away from it for no really good reason would be a mistake, IMO.

[T Park]

If Duncan and Parker had even a decent night shooting the ball, this isn't even an issue.
The defense can't be relied on to hold a great team like Miami to peanuts while the offense is terrible.

[DarrinS]

Game 2 was more about turnovers and shitty offense than it was about the Spurs defense.

EDIT> 19 points off 17 turnovers.

[monkeypunk]

In reality, using the Amare 2005 approach on LeBron would turn into the Hakeem 1995 approach. Even if you single-team LeBron, he's still a good enough passer to find open teammates -- just like Hakeem was still able to find teammates in 1995 even though he wasn't getting doubled. It worked on Amare because Amare doesn't know how to pass.

I know as Spurs fans we like to change everything after a playoff loss but after the defense worked really well in Game 1 and worked really well again for a vast majority of Game 2 ... and even that collapse in Game 2 was more due to the offense dying, IMO.

Stick to it again in Game 3. You can switch it up in the second half or the fourth quarter if the threes are still raining down but to go away from it for no really good reason would be a mistake, IMO.

This. In the past, Pop has been prone to over react and make adjustments that cause us to try to play the opponents game. Starting Manu last season, etc. We can only hope that he has learned his lesson and that he sticks with what got them there in the first place.

Dance with the date you brought, Pop! Those other bitches are fools gold...

[phxspurfan]

Or, how about changing up the defense on him just like they are doing with Parker? Change it up (single coverage with multiple different guys like KL, Diaw, Splitter, and some double teams) once or twice a quarter, go zone, even try hack a birdman once or twice just to mess with their shooters rhythms.


And go KL single coverage down the stretch to avoid leaving Ray Allen wide open.

[Budkin]

If Duncan and Parker had even a decent night shooting the ball, this isn't even an issue.
The defense can't be relied on to hold a great team like Miami to peanuts while the offense is terrible.

Seriously... 10-33 from the big 3 and this was bound to happen.

[beallionaire]

Let bosh shoot all day, kawhi will hash it out with lebron and get his inside help from timmy and tiago. If Wade shows up then he shows up. DONT GIVE ALLEN OPEN 3s

[smaka]

At the beginning of game 3, I'd start with the same defensive strategy as in first two games. Imo there is a good chance their shooters are way less confident at taking (and making) 3's in away games. And another important thing - containing Wade in first half. If Spurs are able to do that, I like our chances even better, because he was visibly exhausted in both 2nd halves.

[TheGreatYacht]

Let bosh shoot all day, kawhi will hash it out with lebron and get his inside help from timmy and tiago. If Wade shows up then he shows up. DONT GIVE ALLEN OPEN 3sTwo guys that must never be open are Ray Allen and Mike Miller. I don't mind daring Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, or Chris Bosh "The Bostrich" to take an open shot.

[mingus]

The Spurs should have 4-downed the hell out of Miami on offense when it was clear that Manu & Parker weren't going to bring it. Too much perimiter stuff. Got to feed Duncan more. It's a matchup the Spurs have to try and exploit as much as they can. The defense was fine for the most part. It was their turnovers and missed shots leading to easy buckets that translated to easy points for miami, not really their bad d.

[milkyway21]

The Spurs should have 4-downed the hell out of Miami on offense when it was clear that Manu & Parker weren't going to bring it. Too much perimiter stuff. Got to feed Duncan more. It's a matchup the Spurs have to try and exploit as much as they can. The defense was fine for the most part. It was their turnovers and missed shots leading to easy buckets that translated to easy points for miami, not really their bad d.

sad thing is, they didn't and unable to do that in most part of game 2 :(

[TD 21]

Stick to it again in Game 3. You can switch it up in the second half or the fourth quarter if the threes are still raining down but to go away from it for no really good reason would be a mistake, IMO.

But there is good reason to go away from it, as I explained in post #32.

I'll add: If the Spurs role players are going to be outplayed by the Heat's, then they've got no chance in this series. And the way they're defending them, they're giving their role players a good opportunity to do just that.

[siraulo23]

Huge stretch to end the third quarter

64-62 Miami,

- ginobili turns it over driving towards traffic
- Miami in transtion, open 3 to ray allen 67-62 Miami
- TD post fade away miss shot
- chalmers/james pick and roll, easy layup for james 69-62 Miami
- TD deep post catch, made 1 FT, spurs off rebound parker floater, 69-65 Miami
- Neal mistake overhelping, miller 3, 72-65 Miami
- TP contested pullup, missed wide open gary neal, team rebound
- TD passes the ball out of bounds
- Chalmer/James pnr, chalmers floater and 1, Miami 75-65

Basically this is when the game got away, spurs have to make some adjustment on chalmers/james pick n roll, take care of the ball and be more focus to dissect miami's over aggressive defense

[Tuddy]

Packing the paint was the right strategy cause they were down a shooter. Battier wasn't hitting all playoffs and Miller hadn't played so might as well pack the paint until they started hitting 3's. Next game they'll be playing Lebron straight up a lot more.