Why the F did they wait so long...

[exstatic]

...to match Diaw on LeBronze? It's perfect. He's big enough to hold his ground in the post, and quick enough to stay in front.

[therealtruth]

...to match Diaw on LeBronze? It's perfect. He's big enough to hold his ground in the post, and quick enough to stay in front.

It's a good move.

[playblair]

agree less splitter more diaw/blair.........................

[DejuanorwhatDude]

I think they held him out of Game 2 or 3 bc of a precautionary thing about his back.

[Rogue]

don't think fatass is fast enough to stay always in front of Lebron. it's good to use him as a temporary method against bron at the defensive end but you need to get him out before the Heat make adjustments reciprocally. without facing any help defese Bron would eat the fatass alive

[Gkm]

before the series start i thought he would be a great factor defending lebron, but it never happen until today

[resistanze]

He's definitely not quick enough to stay in front of LeBron...but the combination of the team shadowing LeBron + LeBron being a mental midget makes Diaw perfect for the job.

[Mugen]

Biggest benefit of Diaw on LeBron is that Kawhi can guard Wade. The resurgence of Wade these last two games is the most troubling thing for the Spurs heading back to Miami. I'm not sure if he can keep it up but I'm confident Kawhi can slow him down.

Neither Kawhi nor Boris can slow LeBron one on one but the help defenders make them interchangeable guarding James. Plus Boris takes away LeBron's only offensive advantage against SA: post ups.

Gotta hope that Wade/Bosh come back down to earth and Lebron doesn't start getting hot from outside. If that happens, then the Spurs have a very good shot at closing this thing out.

[boutons_deux]

yep, I hope Pop regrets not using Boris a lot more in the MIA series, and hope to see more of him next year. good passer, solid big/post defender, good BBIQ, too bad his rebounding is weak.

[Jenks]

Diaw has the feet to stay in front of Lebron and the size to stop him, but can't close out on the jumpers. Putting him on Lebron sends the clear message that they're going to give him the jumper but not let him get near the rim. I like it, until Lebron starts hitting from the outside, when they'll have to adjust again.


Biggest benefit of Diaw on LeBron is that Kawhi can guard Wade.Diaw is going to play their best wingman - even if it means playing a chubby, the Spurs will suck it up.

[coyotes_geek]

Love the job Diaw did last night, but let's slow down with that "quickness to stay in front of Lebron" talk. It's the 5 foot cushion Diaw was giving him that kept Diaw in front of Lebron, not Diaw's quickness. Diaw guarding Lebron only works when Lebron isn't hitting, or isn't taking, the wide open jumpshots the Spurs/Diaw are giving him.

[TJastal]

Diaw has surprised me this series with his nimbleness. If the guy was actually toned and in excellent shape and not looking like some couch potato on a potato chip eating binge he'd probably be one of the best defenders in the league, and most versatile.

[Cry Havoc]

Diaw has surprised me this series with his nimbleness. If the guy was actually toned and in excellent shape and not looking like some couch potato on a potato chip eating binge he'd probably be one of the best defenders in the league, and most versatile.

This isn't news, actually. If you recall back when Phoenix was a power with Nash/Amare, they routinely put Diaw on Tony Parker with the same gameplan -- limit drives, use length to close out on jumpers.

[Chinook]

...to match Diaw on LeBronze? It's perfect. He's big enough to hold his ground in the post, and quick enough to stay in front.

Diaw guarded him in Game 1 with horrible results. Even though James only got 0.5 PPP, the defense kept getting out of position because Diaw was getting blown by.

I said in the perimeter-defense thread that most of that is on Diaw for not being engaged. When he's on, Diaw is one of the most versatile players in the league. So I don't blame Pop for "waiting" to put Diaw on James, but I'm glad he went back to it for Game 5.

[TJastal]

This isn't news, actually. If you recall back when Phoenix was a power with Nash/Amare, they routinely put Diaw on Tony Parker with the same gameplan -- limit drives, use length to close out on jumpers.

Whoever is getting paid to be the spurs athletic trainer is dropping the ball. This person outta be overseeing Diaw's daily exercise schedule and meals, 24/7. Hell, if I was Pop/Holt I'd have an additional physical fitness trainer hired on @ 40k/yr just for this purpose.

[#2!]

I was surprised to see Lebron even attempting to work in the post when Diaw was on him. High post, low post, faceups, backtobasket - all of them are bad ideas when going against someone with Diaw's size and experience defending down there. I imagine that anytime Diaw is on Bron for the rest of the series that he will be exclusively starting out behind the arc.

I realize that the Spurs have been executing a gameplan for this the entire series, but if I'm Miami I take my chances testing Diaw's athleticism instead of allowing him to defend where he's most comfortable.

[Spurs Brazil]

Diaw was great yesterday, his defense was solid

[joeSpurs]

Don't want to show all your cards in the first game. I think Pop was keeping this for later in the Series. I don't think LeBron is consistent enough shooting the jump shot. Also, it is great to give Miami different looks of defense. Make them think a little bit, make them have to adjust and doubt themselves.
We just need to make LeBron or/and Wade miss a few shots in a row to start doubting themselves.
The Spurs need to play Game 6 like if it was game 7. Keep the game very close and try to close it out in Miami.
Good luck boys ... Make Spurs nation proud.

[tesseractive]

Whoever is getting paid to be the spurs athletic trainer is dropping the ball. This person outta be overseeing Diaw's daily exercise schedule and meals, 24/7. Hell, if I was Pop/Holt I'd have an additional physical fitness trainer hired on @ 40k/yr just for this purpose.

Diaw is a grown adult. The team shouldn't have to hire someone to follow Boris around and yank food out of his mouth.

He's a smart player, he's really useful at times and he's a big upgrade over having to play the Turd Towers, but Boris doesn't seem to have the same commitment level that our best players do. If he worked as hard on his shooting and his conditioning as someone like Tim (or Kawhi, Danny, etc.), he could easily have been an All-Star multiple times. Coaching can help some, but at the end of the day, he has to be the one to take responsibility for himself and make that commitment. Or not, and live with the results.

[ducks]

Kawhi was doing a good job but james now has adjusted to his long arms more

[m33p0]

I think they held him out of Game 2 or 3 bc of a precautionary thing about his back.
read this before any of you go on a rant. it will save you a lot of time.