Game 4 adjustments: Why the Spurs still have a chance.

[TDfan2007]

The first two games of this first round series saw the disappearance of the well-oiled offense that characterized the Spurs' regular season, and instead we witnessed a Bizzaro Spurs offense that featured hesitation, sloppy passing, and very little urgency. In game 3 the Spurs seemed to figure Dallas' defensive scheme out by simply taking what the defense gave them, but they came up short thanks to some improbable shot making by Ellis and Carter. The Spurs have figured out how to properly attack Dallas' defensive scheme, but they still have some problems to solve if they want to come back and take control of this series.

Who is going to guard Ellis?:
-The Spurs strategy for defending Ellis thus far has been to sick Leonard on him and go under every screen. Going under those screens is the right strategy, but I'm not sure that assigning the task to Leonard is the way to go. As many on this board have pointed out, that strategy drastically reduces Leonard's ability to wreak havoc on the passing lanes. The other issue with the gameplan is that it wastes Green's ability on the defensive end. Green is a fantastic isolation and transition defender, but he struggles with close outs and absent-mindedly sagging off of his man. Switching Leonard onto Marion (a player who he can space off of) and putting Green on Ellis would play to both players' strengths.

How are you going to defend Calderon on the Pick and Roll?:
-The solution to this one is easy, which is why I'm so surprised that it's even an issue. Calderon is not much of a threat to penetrate and score, so the big who hedges on the screen must take away the pull up jumper.

Somebody put a body on that man!:
-Samuel Dalembert absolutely destroyed the Spurs in game 3 (can't believe I just typed that...). Dalembert continues to kill the Spurs on the offensive glass, and his length is giving Timmy problems on the boards. Whoever is guarding Dalembert needs to be hyperconscious of him whenever a shot goes up. If Dalembert continues to essentially match Timmy's production, then there is absolutely no way in hell that the Spurs will win this series.

Paging Tony Parker:
-Tony Parker erupted in the first quarter of game 3, then inexplicably disappeared for most of the remainder of the game. Parker isn't exactly a game-changer defensively, so if he's not relentlessly attacking the Mavericks or trying to make plays for his teammates, then he's not going to be very useful on the court. If Parker doesn't have the conditioning to go full force for the required 38 minutes, or if he's injured, then he needs to defer to Timmy and Kawhi.

Do you continue with Mills, or do you play Cojo?:
-Patty Mills was a tremendous spark off the bench for us in the regular season, but so far in this series he's been nothing short of terrible. Playing sieve-like defense and unable to hit the broad side of a barn from downtown, Mills has really hurt the Spurs during his court time. Joseph brings a level of defensive ability that Mills can't match, and he's more than capable of running the offense. However, he's not much of a threat to score, which could hurt a team that has been plagued by spacing issues for a majority of this series. As long as Manu is coming off the bench as well, I'm all for putting Joseph ahead Mills in the rotation.

Dallas has given the Spurs a much tougher challenge than anyone could have expected, mainly due to Carlisle's brilliant coaching and several Mavs playing over their heads, but the Spurs are still the better team. With the right adjustments, they should be able to right the ship.

Spurs in 6.

[dallasmaverickslose]

The first two games of this first round series saw the disappearance of the well-oiled offense that characterized the Spurs' regular season, and instead we witnessed a Bizzaro Spurs offense that featured hesitation, sloppy passing, and very little urgency. In game 3 the Spurs seemed to figure Dallas' defensive scheme out by simply taking what the defense gave them, but they came up short thanks to some improbable shot making by Ellis and Carter. The Spurs have figured out how to properly attack Dallas' defensive scheme, but they still have some problems to solve if they want to come back and take control of this series.

Who is going to guard Ellis?:
-The Spurs strategy for defending Ellis thus far has been to sick Leonard on him and go under every screen. Going under those screens is the right strategy, but I'm not sure that assigning the task to Leonard is the way to go. As many on this board have pointed out, that strategy drastically reduces Leonard's ability to wreak havoc on the passing lanes. The other issue with the gameplan is that it wastes Green's ability on the defensive end. Green is a fantastic isolation and transition defender, but he struggles with close outs and absent-mindedly sagging off of his man. Switching Leonard onto Marion (a player who he can space off of) and putting Green on Ellis would play to both players' strengths.

How are you going to defend Calderon on the Pick and Roll?:
-The solution to this one is easy, which is why I'm so surprised that it's even an issue. Calderon is not much of a threat to penetrate and score, so the big who hedges on the screen must take away the pull up jumper.

Somebody put a body on that man!:
-Samuel Dalembert absolutely destroyed the Spurs in game 3 (can't believe I just typed that...). Dalembert continues to kill the Spurs on the offensive glass, and his length is giving Timmy problems on the boards. Whoever is guarding Dalembert needs to be hyperconscious of him whenever a shot goes up. If Dalembert continues to essentially match Timmy's production, then there is absolutely no way in hell that the Spurs will win this series.

Paging Tony Parker:
-Tony Parker erupted in the first quarter of game 3, then inexplicably disappeared for most of the remainder of the game. Parker isn't exactly a game-changer defensively, so if he's not relentlessly attacking the Mavericks or trying to make plays for his teammates, then he's not going to be very useful on the court. If Parker doesn't have the conditioning to go full force for the required 38 minutes, or if he's injured, then he needs to defer to Timmy and Kawhi.

Do you continue with Mills, or do you play Cojo?:
-Patty Mills was a tremendous spark off the bench for us in the regular season, but so far in this series he's been nothing short of terrible. Playing sieve-like defense and unable to hit the broad side of a barn from downtown, Mills has really hurt the Spurs during his court time. Joseph brings a level of defensive ability that Mills can't match, and he's more than capable of running the offense. However, he's not much of a threat to score, which could hurt a team that has been plagued by spacing issues for a majority of this series. As long as Manu is coming off the bench as well, I'm all for putting Joseph ahead Mills in the rotation.

Dallas has given the Spurs a much tougher challenge than anyone could have expected, mainly due to Carlisle's brilliant coaching and several Mavs playing over their heads, but the Spurs are still the better team. With the right adjustments, they should be able to right the ship.

Spurs in 6.

I am all for switching Kawhi and Danny's defensive assignments. It seems to make more sense that way.

Also, I think we need to shut down Mills for the remainder of this series. Give CoJo some burn. If we somehow make it out, give Mills another shot in the second round, splitting minutes 50/50 with CoJo.

[SpursRock20]

This needs to be sent to Pop

[dallasmaverickslose]

Also, why did we have such ease playing the Mavs in the regular season, but suddenly they're our kryptonite?

[Mugen]

they're only down 2-1, no shit they still have a chance tbh.

[TDfan2007]

they're only down 2-1, no shit they still have a chance tbh.

Obviously. Title was mainly aimed at the cliff jumpers.

[Mugen]

Obviously. Title was mainly aimed at the cliff jumpers.

why bother tbh

[Darius McCrary]

why bother tbh
because tbh

[Capt Bringdown]

Mills or Cojo?
In other words, doomed.

[Prose]

i agree with you.
THIS IS WHAT WORRIES ME...for spurs to win tony must be best player on court. Tony is tired after (emotionally/physically) deep finals into june followed by willing france to the european championship...also why has boris reverted to fat ass lazy scared to shoot boris :(. why is Jeff Errors playing at all? Matt Bonner should take those minutes.

[siraulo23]

I still have no idea how ellis gets to the paint at will when the spurs go under the screen, spurs are doing a bad job, if leonard is gonna continue going under he's got to work harder and stop ellis first step... I agree green is the man for the job, but im not sure the spurs can keep him on the floor, spurs need a playmaker

duncan is also to blame, he's played poorly (by his standards) defensively on the perimeter and protecting the paint and his rebounding has been sub par

[TheGoldStandard]

Pop: Stay the course, it'll eventually work..

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Consistency will only take you so far but when adjustments need to be made on the fly well it's our undoing.

[TheGoldStandard]

I still have no idea how ellis gets to the paint at will when the spurs go under the screen, spurs are doing a bad job, if leonard is gonna continue going under he's got to work harder and stop ellis first step... I agree green is the man for the job, but im not sure the spurs can keep him on the floor, spurs need a playmaker

duncan is also to blame, he's played poorly (by his standards) defensively on the perimeter and protecting the paint and his rebounding has been sub par

Leonard goes under the screen ellis has the lateral quickness to get by him, Tiago is spaced out because of Dirk and Tim is slow as dirt.

[Budkin]

How effed up is it that there's a thread talking about whether the Spurs have "a chance" to beat the 8th seed? Frustrating as all hell.

[RD2191]

How effed up is it that there's a thread talking about whether the Spurs have "a chance" to beat the 8th seed? Frustrating as all hell.

It's really pissing me off. Especially after investing so much emotion and time on this team. Didn't miss a game all season. Sure I'm a new fan and older fans have gone through a lot more but either way this still sucks.

[spurraider21]

the spurs have a chance because 1 win and its an even series with HCA... you cliff divers are hilarious :lol

[dallasmaverickslose]

the spurs have a chance because 1 win and its an even series with HCA... you cliff divers are hilarious :lol

[G-Dawgg]

Hate to say it, but the way the Spurs are playing, they'll probably get beat in 6..

[jyra]

How are you going to defend Calderon on the Pick and Roll?:
-The solution to this one is easy, which is why I'm so surprised that it's even an issue. Calderon is not much of a threat to penetrate and score, so the big who hedges on the screen must take away the pull up jumper.


This is much easier said than done because Dirk is the main guy setting the pick. So you really have to pick your poison there and I think sticking with Dirk is definitely the right choice.

[Capt Bringdown]

LOL, Spursball making Calderon look like an unstoppable force of nature.

[Kidd K]

Fuck it. Game 4 can be summed up simply:

The Mavs have just woken the dragon. Spurs win by 16 in game 4 and by 22 in game 5

[EVAY]

LOL, Spursball making Calderon look like an unstoppable force of nature.

But that is what our game plan almost always is. We let the folks who are not that great a threat get everything they want, believing (based on some experience) that if we can stop or limit the stars, the role players will look better than they almost ever do, but they won't be able to win with their stars less than at the top of their game.

Ya know…sort of like other teams do with us by focusing on Parker and Duncan and saying "beat us with someone else".

It may or may not always work, but it is rational, at least.

[EVAY]

I was struck today in the presser, when Duncan was specifically asked about Parker disappearing in the second half (the reporter wasn't that blunt but that is what he meant), and he said that they had talked about it today and that "we (i.e. the bigs) have to do a better job setting screens for him because they were jumping screens in the second half and getting on him before he could get around them". (not verbatim but the jist of his statement).

I had a couple of reactions…I didn't notice an adjustment that Dallas made in the second half on the screens, but I had company and so was paying less attention than normal, especially in the second half. But I have noticed in some games in the regular season that some of our bigs are a lot better than others at setting screens.

Did anybody notice this or do you have it recorded to see if Duncan was right?

My fear in the next game would be that our bigs could get in foul trouble trying to set better screens and getting called for a moving one or something.

[rwb]

Pop: Stay the course, it'll eventually work..

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Consistency will only take you so far but when adjustments need to be made on the fly well it's our undoing.


Exactly. The Coach of the Year is being outcoached by Carlisle. That's one thing that has always driven me crazy about Pop is his stubbornness. I truly hope he makes me eat my words. I wouldn't mind it at all.

[jack0fspeed]

The Spurs are doubling Dirk on the catch a lot of the time. At this point in his career, that's probably too much respect.

[cd021]

Start Mills with Parker.

Green comes off bench and guards Harris.

Harris is averaging 13.3 ppg, 4.7 APG, 53% FG in 25 MPG

Mills is a much more of a threat on offense, forcing Calderon to guard and potentially opening up the Spurs offense.

[dallasmaverickslose]

Start Mills with Parker.

Green comes off bench and guards Harris.

Harris is averaging 13.3 ppg, 4.7 APG, 53% FG in 25 MPG

Mills is a much more of a threat on offense, forcing Calderon to guard and potentially opening up the Spurs offense.

Do you realize how pitiful our guard defense would be with both Parker and Mills starting?

[therealtruth]

But that is what our game plan almost always is. We let the folks who are not that great a threat get everything they want, believing (based on some experience) that if we can stop or limit the stars, the role players will look better than they almost ever do, but they won't be able to win with their stars less than at the top of their game.

Ya know…sort of like other teams do with us by focusing on Parker and Duncan and saying "beat us with someone else".

It may or may not always work, but it is rational, at least.

Yeah but NBA players are too good to leave wide open and not expect them to hit shots. You can certainly focus more on the stars but you can't give no effort on the role players.

[hater]

Calderon is the smartest player in the building, shit, smartest man in the building, yes even more so than Pop.

really good pickup for Dallas IMO

[chazley]

People are getting way too antsy (predictably). Stay the course. The Mavericks have played really well, give them some credit. But the Spurs haven't played a single good game so far. The 4th quarter of game 3, we finally showed the necessary fight and energy needed to beat the Mavs. Vince Carter hit a shot that maybe had a 20% chance of going in over a 100-shot sample, it's important to keep that in mind when we talk about any drastic changes cause we should be up 2-1. Our backs are against the wall, it's not a must-win but it's a game where we will see what the Spurs are made of. Championship teams win huge games like this on the road.

This talk of taking away Patty Mills needs to stop. He's been a stud for us all year, you don't give up on him this quickly. He has the ability to spark a team to a playoff victory and I'm confident we will see the real Patty Mills moving forward.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

The first two games of this first round series saw the disappearance of the well-oiled offense that characterized the Spurs' regular season, and instead we witnessed a Bizzaro Spurs offense that featured hesitation, sloppy passing, and very little urgency. In game 3 the Spurs seemed to figure Dallas' defensive scheme out by simply taking what the defense gave them, but they came up short thanks to some improbable shot making by Ellis and Carter. The Spurs have figured out how to properly attack Dallas' defensive scheme, but they still have some problems to solve if they want to come back and take control of this series.

Who is going to guard Ellis?:
-The Spurs strategy for defending Ellis thus far has been to sick Leonard on him and go under every screen. Going under those screens is the right strategy, but I'm not sure that assigning the task to Leonard is the way to go. As many on this board have pointed out, that strategy drastically reduces Leonard's ability to wreak havoc on the passing lanes. The other issue with the gameplan is that it wastes Green's ability on the defensive end. Green is a fantastic isolation and transition defender, but he struggles with close outs and absent-mindedly sagging off of his man. Switching Leonard onto Marion (a player who he can space off of) and putting Green on Ellis would play to both players' strengths.

How are you going to defend Calderon on the Pick and Roll?:
-The solution to this one is easy, which is why I'm so surprised that it's even an issue. Calderon is not much of a threat to penetrate and score, so the big who hedges on the screen must take away the pull up jumper.

Somebody put a body on that man!:
-Samuel Dalembert absolutely destroyed the Spurs in game 3 (can't believe I just typed that...). Dalembert continues to kill the Spurs on the offensive glass, and his length is giving Timmy problems on the boards. Whoever is guarding Dalembert needs to be hyperconscious of him whenever a shot goes up. If Dalembert continues to essentially match Timmy's production, then there is absolutely no way in hell that the Spurs will win this series.

Paging Tony Parker:
-Tony Parker erupted in the first quarter of game 3, then inexplicably disappeared for most of the remainder of the game. Parker isn't exactly a game-changer defensively, so if he's not relentlessly attacking the Mavericks or trying to make plays for his teammates, then he's not going to be very useful on the court. If Parker doesn't have the conditioning to go full force for the required 38 minutes, or if he's injured, then he needs to defer to Timmy and Kawhi.

Do you continue with Mills, or do you play Cojo?:
-Patty Mills was a tremendous spark off the bench for us in the regular season, but so far in this series he's been nothing short of terrible. Playing sieve-like defense and unable to hit the broad side of a barn from downtown, Mills has really hurt the Spurs during his court time. Joseph brings a level of defensive ability that Mills can't match, and he's more than capable of running the offense. However, he's not much of a threat to score, which could hurt a team that has been plagued by spacing issues for a majority of this series. As long as Manu is coming off the bench as well, I'm all for putting Joseph ahead Mills in the rotation.

Dallas has given the Spurs a much tougher challenge than anyone could have expected, mainly due to Carlisle's brilliant coaching and several Mavs playing over their heads, but the Spurs are still the better team. With the right adjustments, they should be able to right the ship.

Spurs in 6.

:tu

[The_Coyote]

Two words: Attack Nowitzki.

[ElNono]

they're only down 2-1, no shit they still have a chance tbh.

[Slippy]

Only minor adjustments are needed. The Spurs controlled game 3 with a lot of positives to build on.

Kawai still has room for improvement and they need to maintain a lid on Harris's impact.

[cd021]

Do you realize how pitiful our guard defense would be with both Parker and Mills starting?

I understand that but if Parker stays in Calderon's area code he shouldn't go off like Game 2. Ellis has actually been an inefficient scoring the ball (20 ppg on 18.7 FG).

Having Leonard guard Marion and crowd the paint and encourage him to take jumpers (similar to Dallas' strategy against Parker) I'd start Mills and hopes he gets going offensively. Calderon would have to guard a better offensive weapon which could open things up for Parker and ,in turn, Duncan.

Putting Green on Harris should help stop Harris and bring their bench down to earth. Playing more with Manu, Diaw and Beli give Green a good opportunity to knock down a couple of shots.

[RD2191]

Shuffling the starting lineup will only give the Mavs more confidence. Tbh.

[Ditty]

The first two games of this first round series saw the disappearance of the well-oiled offense that characterized the Spurs' regular season, and instead we witnessed a Bizzaro Spurs offense that featured hesitation, sloppy passing, and very little urgency. In game 3 the Spurs seemed to figure Dallas' defensive scheme out by simply taking what the defense gave them, but they came up short thanks to some improbable shot making by Ellis and Carter. The Spurs have figured out how to properly attack Dallas' defensive scheme, but they still have some problems to solve if they want to come back and take control of this series.

Who is going to guard Ellis?:
-The Spurs strategy for defending Ellis thus far has been to sick Leonard on him and go under every screen. Going under those screens is the right strategy, but I'm not sure that assigning the task to Leonard is the way to go. As many on this board have pointed out, that strategy drastically reduces Leonard's ability to wreak havoc on the passing lanes. The other issue with the gameplan is that it wastes Green's ability on the defensive end. Green is a fantastic isolation and transition defender, but he struggles with close outs and absent-mindedly sagging off of his man. Switching Leonard onto Marion (a player who he can space off of) and putting Green on Ellis would play to both players' strengths.

How are you going to defend Calderon on the Pick and Roll?:
-The solution to this one is easy, which is why I'm so surprised that it's even an issue. Calderon is not much of a threat to penetrate and score, so the big who hedges on the screen must take away the pull up jumper.

Somebody put a body on that man!:
-Samuel Dalembert absolutely destroyed the Spurs in game 3 (can't believe I just typed that...). Dalembert continues to kill the Spurs on the offensive glass, and his length is giving Timmy problems on the boards. Whoever is guarding Dalembert needs to be hyperconscious of him whenever a shot goes up. If Dalembert continues to essentially match Timmy's production, then there is absolutely no way in hell that the Spurs will win this series.

Paging Tony Parker:
-Tony Parker erupted in the first quarter of game 3, then inexplicably disappeared for most of the remainder of the game. Parker isn't exactly a game-changer defensively, so if he's not relentlessly attacking the Mavericks or trying to make plays for his teammates, then he's not going to be very useful on the court. If Parker doesn't have the conditioning to go full force for the required 38 minutes, or if he's injured, then he needs to defer to Timmy and Kawhi.

Do you continue with Mills, or do you play Cojo?:
-Patty Mills was a tremendous spark off the bench for us in the regular season, but so far in this series he's been nothing short of terrible. Playing sieve-like defense and unable to hit the broad side of a barn from downtown, Mills has really hurt the Spurs during his court time. Joseph brings a level of defensive ability that Mills can't match, and he's more than capable of running the offense. However, he's not much of a threat to score, which could hurt a team that has been plagued by spacing issues for a majority of this series. As long as Manu is coming off the bench as well, I'm all for putting Joseph ahead Mills in the rotation.

Dallas has given the Spurs a much tougher challenge than anyone could have expected, mainly due to Carlisle's brilliant coaching and several Mavs playing over their heads, but the Spurs are still the better team. With the right adjustments, they should be able to right the ship.

Spurs in 6.

Good write up! Like one poster mentioned I wish we could send this to Pop.

I just have a bad feeling that Pop will continue to keep Leonard on Ellis strategy. Though I still have alot of hope we will win this series, and we will bring it tomorrow night it's crazy to say that tomorrow is a must win. Go Spurs! :flag:

[cd021]

Shuffling the starting lineup will only give the Mavs more confidence. Tbh.
Green has scored 9 points in 60 minutes. The Mavs could and should ignore him and focus on Duncan and Parker.

The idea of starting Mills over Green (and having Green match-up against Harris off the bench) make some sense. Mills can shoot off the dribble (particularly in p&r where we he could do some damage with Calderon having to fight through a Duncan or Splitter screen) and is as good of a 3pt shooter as Green.

put Kawhi on Marion and have him sag off and play the passing lanes. Live with whatever Ellis does, so long as Dirk doesn't go hard.

[moisaenz]

Spurs got to win on the road...

[EVAY]

Sustained energy and passion for 48 minutes would be novel and probably enough to get the win, tbh.

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

the spurs have a chance because 1 win and its an even series with HCA... you cliff divers are hilarious :lol

Watch all the pathetic cliff hangers come crawling back if the Spurs win Game 4.

[313]

Could you imagine if TP had the wind to play a full game. Dude would average like 40.

On topic though, we need to make Tony's man work just as hard as their making Tony work on the defensive end. They're running Parker raggedd because they know he'll get tired.

I agree with all your points, but i don't think mills should get totally benched this series, just split some time with cojo. Also Kawhi and Danny should be playing 40 minutes per game idc idc idc

[DarrinS]

Still waiting for Green to have a good game. He needs more than 13 minutes though.

[Malice]

Why is a 1 seed making adjustments to an 8 seed? Yea...exactly.

[Gervin44Silas13]

this team needs to wake up.....period!!!!!

[said7]

Splitter is making Dirk his bitch.

[Spurs_Be_Beastin']

I agree, Spurs don't need dramatic changes, they just needa wake up, that buzzer beater had to hurt them Tbh.. That had to have been their wake up call for these playoffs.
if these are the true #1 seed Spurs I know, we won't lose another game this series.

[DesignatedT]

Like Pop said, Dallas is playing like it really means something to them. We're playing like we could care less. That's the difference in the series.

[Leetonidas]

I really have no idea why Green wasn't on Ellis to begin with. DG has always been good at locking down smaller players whereas Kawhi is more apt to guarding big SGs and SFs/small PFs. Hopefully Pop pulls his head out of his ass on that one

[EVAY]

Like

Pop said, Dallas is playing like it really means something to them. We're playing like we could care less. That's the difference in the series.

This. No fire in the belly for the Spurs. And Pop's 'wanting some nasty' is weak to me right now, too. I don't see much fire from him either. It's like they are all so busy being "too cool to get rattled", that they can't remember that their season ends if they give up two more games to Dallas.

[dallasmaverickslose]

I really hope we crush them tonight. I know so many Mavs fans that have been talking crap nonstop after game 3 despite the fact they only won due to a miracle.