Best Spurs lineup to counter Golden State tbh

[freetiago]

PG- Manu
SG- DG
SF-Kawhi
PF-Diaw
C- Aldridge

then defensively I would change the matchups

Green-Curry
Manu-Kl:loly
Diaw-Barnes
Kawhi-Draymond
Aldridge- Ezeli/Bogut/Iguodala (vs small lineups)

The lineup has a good combo of ball movement/shooting/post up abiltiy/rebounding/defensive versatility. One thing I would do with this lineup specifically is have Green and Leonard switch every Pick and Roll. This would still have Leonard on Curry who hes capable of guarding and Danny on Draymond who can't do anything if he isn't left wide open. This takes away the 4 on 3 opportunities that Golden State thrives on. Curry will always have an elite perimeter defender on him. If Golden State decides to go small then Diaw/Aldridge will eat alive whoever has Iguodala/Barnes/Draymond on them due to size. Forward this to the Spurs coaching staff tbh.

[DenialTwist]

https://soundcloud.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/ep-30-haralabos-voulgaris-thanksgiving-best-bests-w-joe-house

Bill Simmons and Haralabos talked about the spurs best lineup against the Warriors. But they said offensively, they don't know how the spurs will contend with the warriors fast pace and high three point percentage shooting considering the spurs have a different strategy this season with LMA and all the mid-range shots being taken. They did mention Diaw being the best bet in a small ball lineup but said Parker is the question mark.

[apalisoc_9]

It wont be a single lineup. Golden State has all tools to play mutiple styles of basketball and we saw last year they are going to play with Bogut-Draymond if the situation calls for it or Draymond at center if the situation calls for it.

The first game in a potential series will dictate who adjusts. Golden State will most likely play small ball in the fourth, if the spurs can punish them..Golden State will play with Bogut-Draymond and in that kindnof lineup this will be the ideal lineup

Parker or Manu depends on who is playing well
Green or Manu depending on who is playing well
Leonard
TD
Aldridge

However, if the spurs get manhandled with small ball in game 1..

Parker/Mills/ Ginobili depends on who is playing well
Green/Ginobili depends on who is playing well
Leonard
Diaw/Leonard
Aldridge/Duncan depending on who is playing well.

The changes will be in the frountcourt position. The Backcourt will be about who is playing well.

[tbdog]

One, Green cant get Diaw, and you must always think of cross matchups. I rather leonard posting up Barnes than Green. Although Diaw posting up barnes is a big mismatch.

[apalisoc_9]

https://soundcloud.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/ep-30-haralabos-voulgaris-thanksgiving-best-bests-w-joe-house

Bill Simmons and Haralabos talked about the spurs best lineup against the Warriors. But they said offensively, they don't know how the spurs will contend with the warriors fast pace and high three point percentage shooting considering the spurs have a different strategy this season with LMA and all the mid-range shots being taken. They did mention Diaw being the best bet in a small ball lineup but said Parker is the question mark.

Their biggest and most mainstream mistake is the idea that the spurs are going to move on and play different basketball is. Sure the starting lineup changed and they have a different system, but the ball moving team of two years ago is still there..Manu and Boris are the catalyst of that system.

What the spurs have done with the addition of LMA is add another option in terms pf style of play.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

Kawhi
Green/Manu
Diaw
lame
Timmy

Spurs lose because Draymond abuses lame. the only shot in frozen hell is if the offense can simply outscore.

[freetiago]

One, Green cant get Diaw, and you must always think of cross matchups. I rather leonard posting up Barnes than Green. Although Diaw posting up barnes is a big mismatch.

1) Yes he can. Draymond Green offense is shooting wide open 3s or layups when no one steps up to stop him on 4 on 3s. If you think Golden State would post up Draymond on Danny 10+ times a game or base their offense of it they won't. I would rather have that then Curry chucking contested 3s.

2) Those are defensive matchups. Spurs can't control who Kawhi is being guarded by, but it will likely be Barnes anyway. Golden State will still matchup position wise defensively with that lineup with Curry/Thompson taking either of Green/Manu. Draymond will still likely cover Diaw while Barnes covers Leonard.

Any lineup that features Bogut/Ezeli is a win for the Spurs. It makes it A LOT easier to guard Curry. You can just trap him and dare Bogut/Ezeli to shoot and if they drive they're pretty slow so the big (Aldridge) could likely hard show on the pick and roll and still recover to contest Bogut/Ezeli at the rim.


The reason I also don't want Patty or Parker in the lineup is because Curry will torch them. There is nowhere to hide them this year. It worked in 2013 when Barnes was a rookie but he still put up 20 a game. No I don't want them attempting that again.

[100%duncan]

A lot imho.

Patty-DG-Manu-Kawhi-LMA
Patty-DG-Kawhi-Bobo-LMA ( imho bobo can handle the quickness of their small ball)
Patty-Manu-DG-Kawhi-Duncan

Insert Porker for Patty if he has a good game.

[aal04]

No. we dont counter GSW, we make GSW counter our bigs, which they cant. LMA, Duncan, Diaw, Kawhi. Bogut is a walking cripple. draymond green can only guard forwards. The only adjustment id make is Kawhi on Curry on defense.

[Ditty]

I don't know if it's just me, and hopefully I don't jinx anything but Draymond Green always seems to play and shoot pretty shitty against the Spurs. He only shot 27% against us last year, and averaged only 8 points a game. The year before that he only averaged 5 points per game. I know he's not much of a scorer and Spurs seem to do a good job containing Thompson & Curry that the Spurs will give themselves a chance to win if they play decent basketball at least. Maybe that's one of the reasons we have played the Warriors pretty good the last few seasons.

[100%duncan]

No. we dont counter GSW, we make GSW counter our bigs, which they cant. LMA, Duncan, Diaw, Kawhi. Bogut is a walking cripple. draymond green can only guard forwards. The only adjustment id make is Kawhi on Curry on defense.

We couldn't play both tim and lma at the same time that much, they'd burn us with pnrs.

[tbdog]

1) Yes he can. Draymond Green offense is shooting wide open 3s or layups when no one steps up to stop him on 4 on 3s. If you think Golden State would post up Draymond on Danny 10+ times a game or base their offense of it they won't. I would rather have that then Curry chucking contested 3s.

2) Those are defensive matchups. Spurs can't control who Kawhi is being guarded by, but it will likely be Barnes anyway. Golden State will still matchup position wise defensively with that lineup with Curry/Thompson taking either of Green/Manu. Draymond will still likely cover Diaw while Barnes covers Leonard.

Any lineup that features Bogut/Ezeli is a win for the Spurs. It makes it A LOT easier to guard Curry. You can just trap him and dare Bogut/Ezeli to shoot and if they drive they're pretty slow so the big (Aldridge) could likely hard show on the pick and roll and still recover to contest Bogut/Ezeli at the rim.


The reason I also don't want Patty or Parker in the lineup is because Curry will torch them. There is nowhere to hide them this year. It worked in 2013 when Barnes was a rookie but he still put up 20 a game. No I don't want them attempting that again.

No, I meant Draymond Green cannot guard Diaw. It is not a matchup he can guard. Leonard really should be used on the hot man, mainly Curry. Also you can to a certain extent choose who will guard Leonard and they call it cross matchups. It is when the offender then has to guard his defender due to the pace of the game. That is why it can be handy for Leonard to guard Curry, which means sometimes Curry is forced to guard Leonard which is a huge mismatch.

And Bogut isn't the one who is picking for curry, it is draymond. Which makes the trap extremely hard. But I totally agree, you want one of their centers to be on the floor, and the only way you can make that happen is to have LMA/TD/Diaw dominate Draymond offensively, and guard him defensively. This will force Bogut or Ezeli on.

[spurraider21]

duncan had no problems being a force against OKC in the '14 WCF, against Miami in '13 and '14. He'll find his way.

even in '13 vs the warriors, duncan averaged 20/10 in that series with splitter closing games defensively

[Kawhitstorm]

[QUOTE=freetiago;8287360]1) Yes he can. Draymond Green offense is shooting wide open 3s or layups when no one steps up to stop him on 4 on 3s. If you think Golden State would post up Draymond on Danny 10+ times a game or base their offense of it they won't. I would rather have that then Curry chucking contested 3s.

Curry gives up the ball early enough to Draymond that the defense doesn't have a chance to put a body on him so he usually has a straight line drive to the basket. The Cavs tried to mitigated that by having Mozgov help off Iggy to protect the rim but that was defeated when Iggy made enough open 3s to make them pay. So you're basically giving up 2 points to Draymond or a wide open 3 to Iggy, choose your poison. Draymond can actually postup & he ALWAYS gets the offensive rebound/put back when he misses.



2) Those are defensive matchups. Spurs can't control who Kawhi is being guarded by, but it will likely be Barnes anyway. Golden State will still matchup position wise defensively with that lineup with Curry/Thompson taking either of Green/Manu. Draymond will still likely cover Diaw while Barnes covers Leonard.

To start the game, it will be Barnes b/c he's the starting SF but Iggy is the one that's going to guard Kawhi in the 4th quarter.


Any lineup that features Bogut/Ezeli is a win for the Spurs. It makes it A LOT easier to guard Curry. You can just trap him and dare Bogut/Ezeli to shoot and if they drive they're pretty slow so the big (Aldridge) could likely hard show on the pick and roll and still recover to contest Bogut/Ezeli at the rim.

The Warriors essentially stopped playing Bogut when the Cavs kept trapping Curry so the solution would be not to play Bogut/Ezeli.


The reason I also don't want Patty or Parker in the lineup is because Curry will torch them. There is nowhere to hide them this year. It worked in 2013 when Barnes was a rookie but he still put up 20 a game. No I don't want them attempting that again.

Barnes in the 2013 playoffs was playing as well as he's right now. Parker has to make Curry work on defense for the Spurs to have any chance (he outplayed him during their first meeting last season which resulted in a Spurs win). Manu can't play more than 25 quality minutes in a high paced game. Patty can play spot minutes when Barbosa is in the game.

[rasuo214]

Who ever has Curry on him needs to wear Curry out defensively whether it's DG, Parker, Patty, Manu or Kawhi. Don't let Curry rest on defense.

[Kawhitstorm]

No, I meant Draymond Green cannot guard Diaw. It is not a matchup he can guard. Leonard really should be used on the hot man, mainly Curry. Also you can to a certain extent choose who will guard Leonard and they call it cross matchups. It is when the offender then has to guard his defender due to the pace of the game. That is why it can be handy for Leonard to guard Curry, which means sometimes Curry is forced to guard Leonard which is a huge mismatch.

You guys must have missed their matchups last season but Diaw had a tough time posting up Draymond (dude is stocky as fuck & has a 7'3' reach). Kawhi guarding Curry is also pointless b/c he will get screened out. It's better to put him on Klay & have him make calculated gambles. Besides, unless the Spurs are forcing turnovers/missed shots the cross match won't be an issue if they have to inbound the ball after a made basket.



And Bogut isn't the one who is picking for curry, it is draymond. Which makes the trap extremely hard. But I totally agree, you want one of their centers to be on the floor, and the only way you can make that happen is to have LMA/TD/Diaw dominate Draymond offensively, and guard him defensively. This will force Bogut or Ezeli on.

I completely agree w/ this.

[freetiago]

No, I meant Draymond Green cannot guard Diaw. It is not a matchup he can guard. Leonard really should be used on the hot man, mainly Curry. Also you can to a certain extent choose who will guard Leonard and they call it cross matchups. It is when the offender then has to guard his defender due to the pace of the game. That is why it can be handy for Leonard to guard Curry, which means sometimes Curry is forced to guard Leonard which is a huge mismatch.

And Bogut isn't the one who is picking for curry, it is draymond. Which makes the trap extremely hard. But I totally agree, you want one of their centers to be on the floor, and the only way you can make that happen is to have LMA/TD/Diaw dominate Draymond offensively, and guard him defensively. This will force Bogut or Ezeli on.

That's why you switch the pick and roll with Green on Curry and Leonard on Draymond. It makes the Draymond/Curry pick and roll pointless since it just puts Leonard on Curry. Curry won't be getting off 3s since he won't be gaining room off a pick as people try to chase him over. If they aren't generating offense off the Green/Curry pick and roll they might just send in Bogut/Ezeli to set the pick which would be a good thing.



duncan had no problems being a force against OKC in the '14 WCF, against Miami in '13 and '14. He'll find his way.

even in '13 vs the warriors, duncan averaged 20/10 in that series with splitter closing games defensively

You're comparing defending Westbrook who has bad shot selection and a semi-broken jumper at the time to Steph Curry. Duncan got destroyed in games 1 and 2 vs Golden State in 2013 since he couldn't step up to contest the Curry 3 ball. If he did contest the 3 then Curry just blew by him for the layup and got near 50 point games. When Splitter came back in game 3 Mark Jackson went with 2 bigs who had no offensive game in the starting lineup which made GS much easier to defend so Duncan could step up and stop the 3 coming off a pick with Splitter in the back defending the paint. If the Spurs can force Golden State to play 2 bigs like that they could win but Golden State will not go big anymore. They don't have black coach tbh.




[QUOTE]

Curry gives up the ball early enough to Draymond that the defense doesn't have a chance to put a body on him so he usually has a straight line drive to the basket. The Cavs tried to mitigated that by having Mozgov help off Iggy to protect the rim but that was defeated when Iggy made enough open 3s to make them pay. So you're basically giving up 2 points to Draymond or a wide open 3 to Iggy, choose your poison. Draymond can actually postup & he ALWAYS gets the offensive rebound/put back when he misses.



To start the game, it will be Barnes b/c he's the starting SF but Iggy is the one that's going to guard Kawhi in the 4th quarter.



The Warriors essentially stopped playing Bogut when the Cavs kept trapping Curry so the solution would be not to play Bogut/Ezeli.



Barnes in the 2013 playoffs was playing as well as he's right now. Parker has to make Curry work on defense for the Spurs to have any chance (he outplayed him during their first meeting last season which resulted in a Spurs win). Manu can't play more than 25 quality minutes in a high paced game. Patty can play spot minutes when Barbosa is in the game.


Again that is why you switch the pick and roll with Curry/Green. It won't create a 4vs3 scenario when Curry gets trapped like he does vs every team in the NBA. If Draymond plays in a 4vs4 scenario vs a 4vs3 like he does 99% of the time he will look very mediocore. It doesn't matter who Iguodala is guarding in the smallball lineup. Barnes will have to cover one of Diaw/Leonard either way with the lineup I put up which is where the mismatch is.

[Kawhitstorm]

PG- Manu
SG- DG
SF-Kawhi
PF-Diaw
C- Aldridge

I'm not sure about Diaw b/c he looked like shyt defensively this season. Tony at PG then playing Kawhi at the 4 might be the best lineup to counter the Warriors "Death Squad" unless Diaw can dominate Barnes in the post: Curry/Klay/Iggy/Barnes/Draymond


then defensively I would change the matchups

Green-Curry
Manu-Kl:loly
Diaw-Barnes
Kawhi-Draymond
Aldridge- Ezeli/Bogut/Iguodala (vs small lineups)



Defensive matchups against the Warriors are complicated b/c they can just make whoever LMA is guarding set screens for Curry. So you can't necessarily hide him on a specific player.



The lineup has a good combo of ball movement/shooting/post up abiltiy/rebounding/defensive versatility. One thing I would do with this lineup specifically is have Green and Leonard switch every Pick and Roll. This would still have Leonard on Curry who hes capable of guarding and Danny on Draymond who can't do anything if he isn't left wide open. This takes away the 4 on 3 opportunities that Golden State thrives on. Curry will always have an elite perimeter defender on him. If Golden State decides to go small then Diaw/Aldridge will eat alive whoever has Iguodala/Barnes/Draymond on them due to size. Forward this to the Spurs coaching staff tbh.

They can defeat this strategy by not having whoever Kawhi is guarding NOT set the screen. Instead of Draymond, it could be Iggy. Diaw hasn't been able to eat alive Draymond in the past & LMA has looked awful in the post this season. Barnes is their weaklink on defense & will most likely be guarding Diaw instead of LMA so that would be their best option.

[Raven]

we don't need to counter them, they need to counter us.

[Kawhitstorm]

we don't need to counter them, they need to counter us.

You can only say that when you are the better team, tough guy. They have the ultimate trump card in Curry who can force line-up changes 3 minutes after tip off. Imagine Tim trying to guard Curry on a switch:lmao.

[Kawhitstorm]

Again that is why you switch the pick and roll with Curry/Green. It won't create a 4vs3 scenario when Curry gets trapped like he does vs every team in the NBA. If Draymond plays in a 4vs4 scenario vs a 4vs3 like he does 99% of the time he will look very mediocore. It doesn't matter who Iguodala is guarding in the smallball lineup. Barnes will have to cover one of Diaw/Leonard either way with the lineup I put up which is where the mismatch is.

Again, they WILL NOT USE Draymond to set screens for Curry if Danny or Kawhi are on him. They will simply have the guy that LMA is guarding set screens (Iggy/Barnes/Klay/Livingston) & just have Draymond spotting up instead of being the playmaker.

[freetiago]

Who ever has Curry on him needs to wear Curry out defensively whether it's DG, Parker, Patty, Manu or Kawhi. Don't let Curry rest on defense.


we don't need to counter them, they need to counter us.

http://shelflifetastetest.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/benjerryvanilla-jpg.jpg




QUOTE=freetiago;8287326]
PG- Manu
SG- DG
SF-Kawhi
PF-Diaw
C- Aldridge
I'm not sure about Diaw b/c he looked like shyt defensively this season. Tony at PG then playing Kawhi at the 4 might be the best lineup to counter the Warriors "Death Squad" unless Diaw can dominate Barnes in the post: Curry/Klay/Iggy/Barnes/Draymond



Defensive matchups against the Warriors are complicated b/c they can just make whoever LMA is guarding set screens for Curry. So you can't necessarily hide him on a specific player.



They can defeat this strategy by not having whoever Kawhi is guarding NOT set the screen. Instead of Draymond, it could be Iggy. Diaw hasn't been able to eat alive Draymond in the past & LMA has looked awful in the post this season. Barnes is their weaklink on defense & will most likely be guarding Diaw instead of LMA so that would be their best option.

If Aldridge is being guarded by a big then the big setting a screen isn't a big deal since he can trap and the still recover vs Bogut/Ezeli. It also depends on him being able to score well enough on Draymond that they don't try to play him at C vs Aldridge. If someone like Barnes or Iguodala sets the screen it shouldn't be a big deal since they're small and much easier to move around. You defend the play straight up with Danny chasing Curry over the screen to stop the 3 and the 2 bigs in the paint will be there to contest the drive.

[Raven]

You can only say that when you are the better team, tough guy. They have the ultimate trump card in Curry who can force line-up changes 3 minutes after tip off. Imagine Tim trying to guard Curry on a switch:lmao.

we already know DG is going to guard him, there is no secret there. we have the upperhand in the frontcourt, they have it in the backcourt. There is not much to discover about this matchup, honestly.

[Kawhitstorm]

If Aldridge is being guarded by a big then the big setting a screen isn't a big deal since he can trap and the still recover vs Bogut/Ezeli. It also depends on him being able to score well enough on Draymond that they don't try to play him at C vs Aldridge. If someone like Barnes or Iguodala sets the screen it shouldn't be a big deal since they're small and much easier to move around. You defend the play straight up with Danny chasing Curry over the screen to stop the 3 and the 2 bigs in the paint will be there to contest the drive.

That is a lot of "ifs", Draymond was able to guard Marc Gasol 1-on-1 in the post so I don't see why he can't guard LMA who look underwhelming when Tiago was guarding him 1-on-1 in 2014. Draymond has a bigger wingspan than Tiago & is stronger.

Why in the hell would Iggy/Barnes setting the screen be that much easier than Draymond?:lol Curry doesn't need much air space to get his shot off so as long as a competent player is setting the screen it more than enough for him. Even if he get chased off the line, I'm not sure who is going to be guarding the two Warriors players camping at the 3 point line when the "two bigs" are chilling in the paint waiting on Curry:downspin:. All of the players in the "Death squad" lineup shoot at least 40% from 3. There is a reason you see Curry cake walking into the paint or Iggy shooting practice 3s with no one around him in a real game.:lol

[Kawhitstorm]

we already know DG is going to guard him, there is no secret there. we have the upperhand in the frontcourt, they have it in the backcourt. There is not much to discover about this matchup, honestly.

Danny guarding him while he brings up the ball doesn't mean shit once he gets screened out at the 3 point line.:lol LMA will be guarding Curry more than anyone so pray he can turn into a decent PnR defender by May.:madrun

[freetiago]

That is a lot of "ifs", Draymond was able to guard Marc Gasol 1-on-1 in the post so I don't see why he can't guard LMA who look underwhelming when Tiago was guarding him 1-on-1 in 2014. Draymond has a bigger wingspan than Tiago & is stronger.

Why in the hell would Iggy/Barnes setting the screen be that much easier than Draymond?:lol Curry doesn't need much air space to get his shot off so as long as a competent player is setting the screen it more than enough for him. Even if he get chased off the line, I'm not sure who is going to be guarding the two Warriors players camping at the 3 point line when the "two bigs" are chilling in the paint waiting on Curry:downspin:. All of the players in the "Death squad" lineup shoot at least 40% from 3. There is a reason you see Curry cake walking into the paint or Iggy shooting practice 3s with no one around him in a real game.:lol

The point of the lineup is to discourage GS from playing the small lineup since the Spurs will have more mismatches to exploit and an easier time guarding the pick and roll if they can switch it. Barnes/Iguodala aren't anywhere close to Green/Bogut at setting screens since they are much smaller and never set screens. The lineup is based on them going to Bogut/Ezeli, Green frontline. Aldridge will have a much better chance then Gasol at scoring on Green since he doesn't have the Euro cuck gene where he refuses to score over 20 points and constantly tries to make the pass. He will also be surrounded by shooters unlike Memphis who have one of the worst shooting teams in the league who made it easy to help Green out defensively. Iguodala and Barnes also aren't shooting 40% from 3 and Klay will probably pull his usual disappearing act like he does in the playoffs.


http://blacksportsonline.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/klay-fouled-out.jpg

[Richie]

I don't think you can out-smallball the Warriors. Have to try and make them keep Bogut/Ezeli on the court.

[rasuo214]

Test out the Big Lineup in the regular season (test it with Patty as well since he's a better 3P shooter) and try out different rotations and see what works. We know Kawhi and Danny will be key but we need to see where Parker, LMA, TD and others will be able to fit in as well. Ultimately I think Parker or Patty will need to start because it'll be a bit much asking for Manu to take on a huge role and Diaw seems like an obvious plug into the SL.

So something like Parker/Patty, DG, Kawhi, Diaw, LMA
Bench unit Patty/Parker, Manu, Anderson, West, TD.

Mix in some Patty, DG/Manu, Kawhi, Diaw, LMA/TD.

[ceperez]

PG- Manu
SG- DG
SF-Kawhi
PF-Diaw
C- Aldridge

then defensively I would change the matchups

Green-Curry
Manu-Kl:loly
Diaw-Barnes
Kawhi-Draymond
Aldridge- Ezeli/Bogut/Iguodala (vs small lineups)

The lineup has a good combo of ball movement/shooting/post up abiltiy/rebounding/defensive versatility. One thing I would do with this lineup specifically is have Green and Leonard switch every Pick and Roll. This would still have Leonard on Curry who hes capable of guarding and Danny on Draymond who can't do anything if he isn't left wide open. This takes away the 4 on 3 opportunities that Golden State thrives on. Curry will always have an elite perimeter defender on him. If Golden State decides to go small then Diaw/Aldridge will eat alive whoever has Iguodala/Barnes/Draymond on them due to size. Forward this to the Spurs coaching staff tbh.

I agree with the lineup you have. Diaw and Aldridge though need to start taking more 3's.

[ceperez]

Who ever has Curry on him needs to wear Curry out defensively whether it's DG, Parker, Patty, Manu or Kawhi. Don't let Curry rest on defense.

Absolutely essential!!!! Must have Curry work... if Curry is on Green.... we may be toast!

[ceperez]

I don't think you can out-smallball the Warriors. Have to try and make them keep Bogut/Ezeli on the court.

That's not really an option, Warriors know already what their most potent lineup is and they will make maximum use of it.

The problem with LMA is whether he can guard the perimeter. He has to lose a lot of weight if he needs to do that.

[SAGirl]

That's not really an option, Warriors know already what their most potent lineup is and they will make maximum use of it.

The problem with LMA is whether he can guard the perimeter. He has to lose a lot of weight if he needs to do that.
I think Pop went the opposite of what you suggest. Lamarcus is very strong at this point, and they play him spotted up, but Pop also is having him play close to the basket through the hi-low and he's been aggressive on O boards.

Not sure how the whole LMA evolution will look in March-April, or even January when we first encounter GSW, but I think his role is a work in progress, and may even evolve as we encounter all these small ball teams through the season. Due to rim protection Pop is already having to split Tim/LMA probably a whole lot more than anticipated.

[Raven]

Danny guarding him while he brings up the ball doesn't mean shit once he gets screened out at the 3 point line.:lol LMA will be guarding Curry more than anyone so pray he can turn into a decent PnR defender by May.:madrun

sure man.

[YGWHI]

I don't know if it's just me, and hopefully I don't jinx anything but Draymond Green always seems to play and shoot pretty shitty against the Spurs. He only shot 27% against us last year, and averaged only 8 points a game. The year before that he only averaged 5 points per game.

Hopefully his struggles continue since Boris isn't playing his best defense this season....Anderson and Morris ate him alive.

[ceperez]

Maybe David West needs to take out Curry in the same way that Robert Horry took out Steve Nash.

[UZER]

Play zone D

[DMC]

Spurs won't show against the GSW early. They will probably lose by 15 or more. They aren't ready for prime time yet and if they were, they wouldn't show it.

[Nathan89]

That is a lot of "ifs", Draymond was able to guard Marc Gasol 1-on-1 in the post so I don't see why he can't guard LMA who look underwhelming when Tiago was guarding him 1-on-1 in 2014. Draymond has a bigger wingspan than Tiago & is stronger.


Marc is soft as shit. Barnes was able to guard him. Also Draymond's wingspan is .75 inches less than Splitter and his standing reach is 4.5 inches less.

[skulls138]

Spurs more built for playoff basketball and have great perimeter defenders. Parker is x factor IMO, can he supply enough offense and defense to not be a hindrance. Duncan will be effective, never underestimate, logic need not apply.

[Kikoluna]

Whatever you do....don't play parker.

[cjw]

While Bogut is a pretty good player in a vacuum, you want a lineup that forces GS to play him and Ezeli big minutes vs. having Draymond at the five. That can be done by either attacking the hoop (no shot blocking) or posting up with LMA/Tim/Diaw (though Draymond should match up better with him). This effectively pushes one of their wings, whether it be Barnes, Iggy, Livingston, Thompson, off the floor and impacts spacing and gives Duncan someone to defend.

As tbdog mentioned, Diaw posting Barnes plays huge into Spurs favor, as would him having to defend either LMA or Duncan if both are on the floor.

[skulls138]

Whatever you do....don't play parker.One thing about Parker, he always gets a chip on his shoulder when playing other star PGs and outplays them.

[NameLess Scrub]

Spurs won't show against the GSW early. They will probably lose by 15 or more. They aren't ready for prime time yet and if they were, they wouldn't show it.

I'd think this. Pop might use the games to experiment. If they lose they lose.
Hopefully those games do not decide seeding for the Spurs.
Can't beat the Warriors if you don't get to them, like last season.

[HarlemHeat37]

I'd say it's pretty accurate that there's a 0% chance that Pop shows his cards in the first matchup, like DMC said:lol..

[Cry Havoc]

I think Duncan needs to be a part of the weaponry against any small ball lineup. He just makes our defense better, period, and on offense there is perhaps no better player in the league at dealing with smaller defenders than Duncan.

No one outside of Bogut stands a CHANCE to deal with Timmy on the block. I don't care how good Green is on defense. He's undersized and overpowered by Tim. Tim on the block against any small ball lineup would mean 2 instant fouls for anyone GSW wants to throw at him. He's just too smart working against smaller players. I wish we could have seen Rodman try to guard prime Tim, because I think he would have instantly gotten ejected by the time he got rang up for his 4th foul 2 minutes into the 3rd quarter. :lol

[Yuixafun]

I remember a clip after a Warriors game, where Draymond Green was being interviewed and an opposing player intentionally meandered into the view and shoulder bumped Green in passing.

Draymond stops talking stares after the guy, starts, but then stops again to give another stare, before resuming the interview.

I say that to say this... I wonder if we could get West to nudge him and see who wins the sumo match that ensues.

Draymond Green has become as much a part of the success of the Warriors as Curry almost.

There was a report I read thay said something like... "He has internalized the most winning parts of the game. The hustle, the grit, the defense, making the right play at the right time."

I loved that notion "internalizing the most winning parts."

That's how I tell myself to approach any task now.
Sharpen the tools that will get the job done the best.

[Brian Windhorst]

We always talk about it but has Pop -ever- used a lineup with Manu as PG along with two wings? Other than when we were short on PGs?

[HarlemHeat37]

We always talk about it but has Pop -ever- used a lineup with Manu as PG along with two wings? Other than when we were short on PGs?

Game 6 vs. the Thunder IIRC..I could be wrong, but I remember a lot of Ginobili/Green/Leonard throughout the 4th and OT..

[HarlemHeat37]

The peripheral fan reaction is going to be interesting if these teams meet in a series, tbh:lol..

Spurs will have went from: 1. boring team that everybody hated and cheered against 2. beautiful basketball and the heroes that everybody cheered for against the villainous Miami Heat 3. slower-paced, more antiquated team that everybody will cheer against vs. the beloved, historically entertaining Warriors team:lol

[Cry Havoc]

The peripheral fan reaction is going to be interesting if these teams meet in a series, tbh:lol..

Spurs will have went from: 1. boring team that everybody hated and cheered against 2. beautiful basketball and the heroes that everybody cheered for against the villainous Miami Heat 3. slower-paced, more antiquated team that everybody will cheer against vs. the beloved, historically entertaining Warriors team:lol

You think the Spurs would be the crowd favorite against GSW?

[DMC]

I'd think this. Pop might use the games to experiment. If they lose they lose.
Hopefully those games do not decide seeding for the Spurs.
Can't beat the Warriors if you don't get to them, like last season.


I'd say it's pretty accurate that there's a 0% chance that Pop shows his cards in the first matchup, like DMC said:lol..

Steve Kerr knows this too. He's very savvy when it comes to how to play certain teams. He knows Pop and the Spurs very well. He'll exploit the fact that Pop won't show his hand.

[HarlemHeat37]

You think the Spurs would be the crowd favorite against GSW?

No, definitely not..Warriors are the first dominant team I've seen in a long time that isn't really disliked by anybody outside of the fanbases of rival teams(Clippers, Spurs, Rockets, maybe Cavs)..Miami was hated by everybody, the Spurs were hated for being boring and "dirty", the Lakers were hated by everybody that wasn't a Lakers fan/bandwagoner, etc..

The style of play the Spurs will be playing in the playoffs is going to be unappealing, too, IMO, especially in contrast with the Warriors..they are probably the most entertaining team the league has ever seen..

[Pako]

There is a reason why Pop is changing the playing style of Spurs. A lot of in and out offense. At the start of the season, we started making a lot post up moves so that we can be comfortable and effective by the end of the RS. This will slow down the pace as well. No one can stop Curry individually so we need a good team defense and that can be achieve by slowing the pace. We need to impose our will to win against GSW not the other way around. Once our offense start clicking, I like our chances against GSW.

[Brian Windhorst]

Game 6 vs. the Thunder IIRC..I could be wrong, but I remember a lot of Ginobili/Green/Leonard throughout the 4th and OT..

Yeah but wasn't TP "injured" in that game? This is only further proof that Pop doesn't view it as a realistic option unless we're in dire straights. God knows why.

[Kawhitstorm]

Marc is soft as shit. Barnes was able to guard him. Also Draymond's wingspan is .75 inches less than Splitter and his standing reach is 4.5 inches less.

We are talking about the same LMA that got his ass handed to him on defense by no other than Z-Bo:lol. Gasol isn't soft, he's just a reluctant scorer ala Diaw.

LMA is a career 37% shooter against Draymond: http://bkref.com/tiny/W1bxj

[itzsoweezee]

The lineup that will kill and that popovich hasn't played a single minute this year is:

Aldridge-Ginobili-Leonard-Green-Mills

I'm praying we will see this group on the floor together this year.

[Nathan89]

We are talking about the same LMA that got his ass handed to him on defense by no other than Z-Bo:lol. Gasol isn't soft, he's just a reluctant scorer ala Diaw.

LMA is a career 37% shooter against Draymond: http://bkref.com/tiny/W1bxj

Gasol has some of the softest offensive game possible. He doesn't back people down like Diaw.

That's what happens when you just give it to a guy and say go to work. You have to have better ball movement and player movement to get players in better situations.

[Kawhitstorm]

The point of the lineup is to discourage GS from playing the small lineup since the Spurs will have more mismatches to exploit and an easier time guarding the pick and roll if they can switch it. Barnes/Iguodala aren't anywhere close to Green/Bogut at setting screens since they are much smaller and never set screens. The lineup is based on them going to Bogut/Ezeli, Green frontline. Aldridge will have a much better chance then Gasol at scoring on Green since he doesn't have the Euro cuck gene where he refuses to score over 20 points and constantly tries to make the pass. He will also be surrounded by shooters unlike Memphis who have one of the worst shooting teams in the league who made it easy to help Green out defensively. Iguodala and Barnes also aren't shooting 40% from 3 and Klay will probably pull his usual disappearing act like he does in the playoffs.


Kerr has made it obvious he isn't shyt about making adjustment on the fly. Putting Bogut on Tony Allen isn't something Pop would have done b/c he fuckin' stubborn along w/ putting Barnes on Z-Bo. Iggy/Klay set PLENTY of back-screens to free up Curry which is how he ends up w/ WIDE OPEN shots when the entire defense is trying to stop him. They simply use Bogut/Draymond b/c they want the PF/Cs to switch onto Curry. It's not Rocket science.

As far as Klay, he went off in Gm 2 (2013) when the Spurs were trying to blitz Curry & ever since then Kawhi has been his main defender. You don't want to light the house on fire b/c once he gets going dude can't miss (the guy scored 37 in a quarter for a reason):

iDkZ6bXtFDY

If Iggy's shooting isn't a fluke then this is what's going to happen:

VDh9FDdtLUg

[Kawhitstorm]

Gasol has some of the softest offensive game possible. He doesn't back people down like Diaw.

That's what happens when you just give it to a guy and say go to work. You have to have better ball movement and player movement to get players in better situations.

Gasol didn't look so soft when he was going up Tim in a couple of postseason series unlike LMA in 2014. LMA is the one bitching about not wanting to play center meanwhile Gasol was DPOY. One of the reason Gasol struggled against the Warriors was b/c there was no room to operate in the paint since nobody was guarding Tony Allen/Jeff Green. It's not like Gasol hasn't sonned LMA in the post including this past postseason:lol:

LvPqiuIWN1U

[Nathan89]

Gasol didn't look so soft when he was going up Tim in a couple of postseason series unlike LMA in 2014. LMA is the one bitching about not wanting to play center meanwhile Gasol was DPOY. One of the reason Gasol struggled against the Warriors was b/c there was no room to operate in the paint since nobody was guarding Tony Allen/Jeff Green. It's not like Gasol hasn't sonned LMA in the post including this past postseason:lol:

LvPqiuIWN1U

Did you even watch that video? Jumpshots and running across the lane avoiding all contact.

[Kawhitstorm]

Did you even watch that video? Jumpshots and running across the lane avoiding all contact.

LMA standing like a flag pole not being physical:lol

[SAGirl]

We always talk about it but has Pop -ever- used a lineup with Manu as PG along with two wings? Other than when we were short on PGs?
Not in recent times. I am not an oldie so i don't know about the old championship teams and what not, but I don't know why Pop would, since Tony was so young and explosive at the time then too.

Pop did it to close out the WCF because Tony was injured, but it wasn't for much. Tony famously played through his injury and was sucking, as you can imagine, but still Tony played a half. Then Pop kept Cojo or Patty as much as possible in the second half, and only had Manu by himself as the ball handler for a few minutes.

I think Pop would try to avoid that scenario, the ball pressure if you are the only ballhander that can handle the pressure on the floor is a lot and Manu is old.

[TD 21]

I'm not sure about Diaw b/c he looked like shyt defensively this season. Tony at PG then playing Kawhi at the 4 might be the best lineup to counter the Warriors "Death Squad" unless Diaw can dominate Barnes in the post: Curry/Klay/Iggy/Barnes/Draymond

Surprisingly Pop has mostly went away from Diaw as the small ball PF this season, which is bizarre, since that's a part of his value and it'll especially be so against the Warriors.

Also, this team is not built to play significant stretches, let alone a series, flooded with small ball. They only have three quality wings (one of whom can't handle significant minutes), their PG's can only play together in certain match-ups and three of their best nine players are PF's.



We always talk about it but has Pop -ever- used a lineup with Manu as PG along with two wings? Other than when we were short on PGs?

He can't, at least not for long stretches. This team only has three quality wings and he's clearly trying to limit Ginobili to around 20 mpg, which means his minutes have to come while Leonard/Green rest. This is also the reason why it's difficult to play Leonard at PF for long stretches.


As far as the rotation against the Warriors, since it'll probably be difficult to play Duncan and Aldridge together for long stretches and they can't afford to limit Duncan to being a bit player, he and Diaw need to consume Wests' minutes.

Parker and Mills can't play together (Livingston would abuse either in the post) and they obviously can't afford to waste minutes on Anderson or Butler. This means a strict three wing rotation, which also means little to no Leonard at PF. This is partially why an upgrade on fourth wing is necessary, to unlock more lineup possibilities.

That said, similar to the '14 Finals, I think staying big and always having dual post up threats is the way to go. They're not out small balling this team; they have to beat them by playing to their strengths.

Also, similar to the match-up with the Heat, if the Spurs are clearly winning the battle of conventional ball, I expect the Warriors to lean more and more on small ball lineups, particularly their preferred one.

[SpursFan86]

In terms of combating their small-ball lineup (Curry/Klay/Iggy/Barnes/Draymond), I think Parker/Manu/Green/Kawhi/Aldridge is our best bet. Hope LMA can exploit Draymond in the post, and that Kawhi/LMA can dominate the boards against Barnes/Draymond.

I do think a Manu/Green/Kawhi/Diaw/Aldridge unit could be effective as well. Gives us mismatches at both PF and C (Barnes on Diaw, Draymond on Aldridge), and we'd have a huge advantage on the boards.

[SilverSpur]

Who ever can block a three point shot.

[Kawhitstorm]

Surprisingly Pop has mostly went away from Diaw as the small ball PF this season, which is bizarre, since that's a part of his value and it'll especially be so against the Warriors.

Also, this team is not built to play significant stretches, let alone a series, flooded with small ball. They only have three quality wings (one of whom can't handle significant minutes), their PG's can only play together in certain match-ups and three of their best nine players are PF's.


The X-Factor is going to be Diaw b/c if Pop plays LMA/Diaw against the "death squad" Barnes has to check him in the post so as long as he can play passable defense he can stay on the floor & take advantage. Z-Bo was able to play passable defense for 3 games so it's possible.

[AFMadison]

I disagree. I think it should be the current lineup

Tony
Green
Kawhi
Aldridge
Duncan

Defensively

Kawhi guards Curry
Green on Klay
Tony on Barnes
Aldridge on Draymond
Duncan on the big

Put our best defenders on Curry/Thompson. Curry would guard Tony on D and hopefully if Tony is on his game he can tire Curry out by constantly running through screens. Same goes for Danny with Thompson. I don't mind pulling LMA out of the blocks to guard Draymond, and leave Timmy down low to contest shots. I would try to force Barnes to matchup with Tony. Hopefully it would take them out of their groove offensively. Also let Aldridge bully Green down low. Try and force this small lineup to play big.

On the bench
Patty guards Barbosa
Manu on Livingston
Diaw/Kawhi on Iguodala
West on Speights
Boban on Bogut/Ezeli

[SAGirl]

I disagree. I think it should be the current lineup

Tony
Green
Kawhi
Aldridge
Duncan

Defensively

Kawhi guards Curry
Green on Klay
Tony on Barnes
Aldridge on Draymond
Duncan on the big

Put our best defenders on Curry/Thompson. Curry would guard Tony on D and hopefully if Tony is on his game he can tire Curry out by constantly running through screens. Same goes for Danny with Thompson. I don't mind pulling LMA out of the blocks to guard Draymond, and leave Timmy down low to contest shots. I would try to force Barnes to matchup with Tony. Hopefully it would take them out of their groove offensively. Also let Aldridge bully Green down low. Try and force this small lineup to play big.

On the bench
Patty guards Barbosa
Manu on Livingston
Diaw/Kawhi on Iguodala
West on Speights
Boban on Bogut/Ezeli
It is going to come down to who can impose their will. No one can out small the small ball GSW. Cavs gave them fits at times with superb perimeter D combined with their bigs crashing the boards and defending the rim well. They just ran down Lebron bc he had no help offensively.

A short measure of small ball will be played with the bench, but we have to play to our strengths.

Tony is bound to be on Curry at times, bc he'll get screens it doesn't matter much, and Tony needs to wear him out on the other end to a degree. You can't wear out Kawhi the entire series on Curry. He's an MVP player and will figure him out eventually, or the coach will. You have to give him different looks.

[daslicer]

Mills
Kyle Anderson
Butler
Bonner
Boban

[AFMadison]

It is going to come down to who can impose their will. No one can out small the small ball GSW. Cavs gave them fits at times with superb perimeter D combined with their bigs crashing the boards and defending the rim well. They just ran down Lebron bc he had no help offensively.

A short measure of small ball will be played with the bench, but we have to play to our strengths.

Tony is bound to be on Curry at times, bc he'll get screens it doesn't matter much, and Tony needs to wear him out on the other end to a degree. You can't wear out Kawhi the entire series on Curry. He's an MVP player and will figure him out eventually, or the coach will. You have to give him different looks.

I agree. Tony will have to play some on Curry (only in the 1st half of even that), but mainly I would try to swap out Green/Leonard on Curry.

[HarlemHeat37]

Kawhi is the only clear offensive mismatch the Spurs have vs. the Warriors, it wouldn't make any sense to waste his energy guarding Curry, especially since Steph can effectively run around screens all game..

[ceperez]

Kawhi is the only clear offensive mismatch the Spurs have vs. the Warriors, it wouldn't make any sense to waste his energy guarding Curry, especially since Steph can effectively run around screens all game..

No. What Kawhi can take away from Curry is much more than what Kawhi can do scoring over Warriors better defenders (i.e. Igoudala, Green).

[HarlemHeat37]

No. What Kawhi can take away from Curry is much more than what Kawhi can do scoring over Warriors better defenders (i.e. Igoudala, Green).

It's really easy to eliminate a defender if the offensive player(Curry) is capable of shooting on the run and playing through screens at a high level..it's a complete waste, especially since none of the other Spurs offensive players have a mismatch(not to mention, who knows what Parker and Ginobili would look like in May)..

Kawhi has routinely dominated Iguodala and Barnes, in the past..

[mingus]

Depends on what lineup the Warriors are using, they like the Spurs are flexible.

I disagree with people saying the Warriors can't be beat if the Spurs go small against them. A front court of LA/BD/KL (I'm thinking small as having TD out of the lineup and LA playing center), would give the Warriors small ball lineup of DG/HB/AI problems. Defensively, sag off of AI or HB--whichever one Diaw is guarding. Offensively, pound the ball inside using out lineup size/strength advantage. The mismatches we have against them (and other small ball lineups) are way more exploitable now that we have Aldridge, who has more mobility and is less a defensive liability than Tim and a lot more talent offensively than Splitter, who couldn't take advantage of small ball on offense.

Whatever lineups we use, the Spurs have size/strength advantage on GS and so expect us to play a much more old school "boring" style Spurs game, whether we do it going small or big.

EDIT: by "old school" I mean basically where our offense starts from the post instead of the perimeter, and we rely on ISO post ups where we run 4-downs for LA, BD, and KL instead of just TD.

[TD 21]

The X-Factor is going to be Diaw b/c if Pop plays LMA/Diaw against the "death squad" Barnes has to check him in the post so as long as he can play passable defense he can stay on the floor & take advantage. Z-Bo was able to play passable defense for 3 games so it's possible.

Barnes is a stout post defender, but Diaw should still be able to post him for profit.

Aldridge and Diaw are going to be crucial in this match-up because at least physically, both should have mismatches.


I agree with Harlem, in that the Spurs can't afford to have Leonard expend so much energy defensively chasing Curry. Maybe in the last 5-6 minutes of the game, but that's about it. Besides, Leonard has clearly been in Thompson's head (who's confidence can easily be shaken) since he became the primary defender on him, in game 3 of the '13 series.

[Keepin' it real]

best lineup vs. Golden State ...

The resident geniuses here at Spurstalk would insist the lineup must include Boban and Simmons.:lol

[mingus]

Hasn't DG been the better defender on Curry anyways?

Kawhi doesn't guard 1s that well. He's better suited to guarding SGs and SFs because of his length, size and hands. If there's one thing KL doesn't have, it's great foot speed. He's got enough of it to guard SGs and SFs at an elite level, but he's struggled against PGs in the past. I'd imagine he'd guard Klay 80% of the time, the other 20% on Curry to give him a different look.

[cjw]

I do think a Manu/Green/Kawhi/Diaw/Aldridge unit could be effective as well. Gives us mismatches at both PF and C (Barnes on Diaw, Draymond on Aldridge), and we'd have a huge advantage on the boards.

Why does everyone think a Diaw lineup would give the Spurs a huge advantage on the boards? He has one of the worst rebound rates among bigs in the league (10% last year, and even worse this year). Compared to centers, he's only above guys like Bonner, Kaminsky and Bargnani and adding in PFs, he's bottom ten in the league amongst bigs.

Yes, it helps that Duncan and Leonard grab a bunch of rebounds with him on the floor, but we've seen how the team gets killed on the boards without TD or Aldridge in.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics/_/position/c/sort/reboundRate/page/2/year/2015
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics/_/position/c/sort/reboundRate/page/2/year/2016

[Aztecfan03]

One, Green cant get Diaw, and you must always think of cross matchups. I rather leonard posting up Barnes than Green. Although Diaw posting up barnes is a big mismatch.

Just because diaw guards draymond, that doesn't mean draymond would guard diaw. The warriors get to choose who their players guard.

[SpursFan86]

Why does everyone think a Diaw lineup would give the Spurs a huge advantage on the boards? He has one of the worst rebound rates among bigs in the league (10% last year, and even worse this year). Compared to centers, he's only above guys like Bonner, Kaminsky and Bargnani and adding in PFs, he's bottom ten in the league amongst bigs.

Because he'd be going up against Harrison Barnes at PF...?

Kawhi/Diaw/Aldridge vs. Iguodala/Barnes/Draymond - you really don't see rebounding being a noticeable advantage in that situation?

[cjw]

Because he'd be going up against Harrison Barnes at PF...?

Kawhi/Diaw/Aldridge vs. Iguodala/Barnes/Draymond - you really don't see rebounding being a noticeable advantage in that situation?

Barnes is just as good a rebounder as Diaw. Heck, Steph Curry rebounds as well as Diaw.

The advantages come elsewhere - agree that the Spurs have to dominate on the glass, but Diaw's not the key to that. That's not to say he's not essential to combating small ball. The ideal situation is if you can somehow keep Aldridge and Duncan out there for some minutes together.

[tbdog]

Just because diaw guards draymond, that doesn't mean draymond would guard diaw. The warriors get to choose who their players guard.

I am not sure who in the warriors could guard Diaw. They might have to trust Green. But Diaw backups Green down far easier than I have seen, and is nifty enough to beat his aggressive defense. Warriors have been forced to double Diaw last year.

[ceperez]

The best guy to defend Curry are guys with quick hands. Just look where Curry how he takes the shot. He takes them like a girl, so the release point is very low. That kind of short seems to have more accurate for the following reasons (1) More strength (2) more stable being released lower and finally quicker release from a dribble. Mr Curry has invented a new way of shooting that'll be the norm in a couple of years.

[Raven]

Play zone D

worst take ever

[ThaBigFundamental21]

No. we dont counter GSW, we make GSW counter our bigs, which they cant. LMA, Duncan, Diaw, Kawhi. Bogut is a walking cripple. draymond green can only guard forwards. The only adjustment id make is Kawhi on Curry on defense.

This right here! Exactly what I was going to say.

[cjw]

No. we dont counter GSW, we make GSW counter our bigs, which they cant. LMA, Duncan, Diaw, Kawhi. Bogut is a walking cripple. draymond green can only guard forwards. The only adjustment id make is Kawhi on Curry on defense.

I'd love a third 3 and D wing to throw against them should Kawhi or Green get into foul trouble, but I think you alternate Kawhi/Green on Curry to keep both fresh. Some Patty on him trying to draw charges could work for a few possessions, or even some other non-conventional defenders - just not long stretches.

If Klay gets hot, you can focus more attention to him but it's more important to force him off the three point line as the defense does well and stick with him. He's going to get his, but you live with that - he's not the shooter or facilitator Curry is. I'd rather have Manu and Parker on him and the other wings, than being anywhere close to Curry. The other guy you need to keep away from Parker is Livingston, who will body him up over and over again. I like Manu against him.

[ceperez]

Read this:

http://hardwoodparoxysm.com/2015/11/27/the-pocket-pass-five-things-the-san-antonio-spurs-do-better-than-anyone/

[toki9]

Simmons / Green / KL / West / Aldridge

[DAF86]

For crunch time where the Warriors would most likely play:

Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Iguodala, Green.

Spurs should play:

Mills, Manu, Green, Kawhi, Boris.

And let's see whose basketball is more beatiful.

[cjw]

Read this:

http://hardwoodparoxysm.com/2015/11/27/the-pocket-pass-five-things-the-san-antonio-spurs-do-better-than-anyone/

Great article, thanks

[freetiago]

Spurs should be paying me tbh. Pop starting Kawhi on Raymond like I said he should.

[AFMadison]

Spurs should be paying me tbh. Pop starting Kawhi on Raymond like I said he should.
I said the same thing tbh

[RD2191]

Nice call, OP.

[HarlemHeat37]

OP with the goods, as usual..

[dabom]

OP doesn't have a PG in his lineup. I give it a C plus. :tu

Better than Midfaggot though. :lmao

[spurraider21]

we don't need to counter them, they need to counter us.


http://shelflifetastetest.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/benjerryvanilla-jpg.jpg
:lol op with the goods

The leonard on green matchup for pick and roll purposes was a resounding success. Biggest surprise was TP actually showing up like that defensively

[freetiago]

:lol op with the goods

The leonard on green matchup for pick and roll purposes was a resounding success. Biggest surprise was TP actually showing up like that defensively

I'm growing more comfortable with the idea of Parker on Thompson. He's become much better at getting to and finishing at the rim but when he has a mismatch he pretty much just posts up and shoots a fade away over his left basically everytime. Only 1 time did he even attempt to take it in vs Mills and he easily scored a layup

[Kawhitstorm]

The X-Factor is going to be Diaw b/c if Pop plays LMA/Diaw against the "death squad" Barnes has to check him in the post so as long as he can play passable defense he can stay on the floor & take advantage. Z-Bo was able to play passable defense for 3 games so it's possible.

:king