OV's Spurs Dubs breakdown

[Obstructed_View]

Okay, boys and girls, here we go. Never in the history of the league have two teams had this kind of winning percentage this deep into the year. In this day of the instant news cycle, it's safe to say that this is, if not the biggest regular season NBA game ever, at least the most overhyped. I'm fairly certain that the only person who really knows this game's value sits at the head of the Spurs bench wearing a scowl and no tie.

The Warriors, contrary to the belief of many casual observers, are not just a three-point-shooting team. Can they fill it up from distance? Absolutely. Is Steph Curry inhumanly good to about 60 feet? Oh yeah. Those things are not the reason they're nearly unbeatable, but they're good for bloating their point differential. The Warriors win primarily with the same philosophy the Spurs have: Play solid defense, don't make mistakes, utilize the fast break, capitalize on the opponent's bad decisions. They have a roster full of guys who can score in the paint, who can run the floor and pass, and who can hit jumpers. Oh yeah, they're all above-average defenders.

The Spurs' philosophy has always been to play the percentages. Play smart, don't take risks, secure your rebounds, get back on defense. Share the ball, trust your teammates, get the best shot possible, don't foul. Those rules are always followed, and it makes them very tough to beat. It makes it even harder for teams like the Warriors, who feed on your mistakes.

A note about getting back on defense. A staple of Spurs defense for years, which severely limits a team's fast break, this is the philosophy that killed the seven-seconds-or-less Suns teams. The only tweak to this strategy is that you have to pick up Curry at half court and set your pick and roll defense an extra ten feet from the basket. Every time you fall asleep, he's going to launch a shot, and he's going to hit 40 percent of those. Tony Parker's defense has been superb this season, and he's the key. You can put Kawhi on him at times just to frustrate him, but Tony has to pick up the slack or it means free points for the Dubs.

Will Curry get past Parker? Of course. That's why you have teammates. If you play to keep him from getting past you, he's open to shoot. I'd rather funnel him to the paint and let the front line deal with him. Just don't give up the open jumpers, especially the ones worth three points. If he hits one with a hand in his face, there's nothing you can do about it. Curry might be able to hit enough contested jumpers to win this game, but you can't win four out of seven that way, so just stay at home and play smart.


Don't go small


Matching their small lineups would be a mistake. Taking your bigs out plays into their hands, as their small lineup is, if not better, more used to playing together. The Spurs have a three guard lineup that can be effective, but Kawhi needs to be the power forward, and you probably need Aldridge, Diaw or West as the center. Duncan's lack of mobility and outside shooting could be a liability. This lineup can be massively effective, but should only be used carefully and kept together based on effectiveness.

Post them up


The Dubs have a team full of amazing defenders, and they like to go small because of the boost in their offense is so effective that teams have to match up with them. The trick is not to. Punish them every time Bogut is off the floor. They have defenders that can be exploited by good post players, and the Spurs have a number of them. With Duncan, Aldridge and Diaw, the Spurs should make sure they've got at least one post-up threat on the floor for most of the game. Leonard has gotten good enough in the post to cause fits for them in small lineups.

Run


The Spurs' passing on offense should keep the defense on the move, but make sure to press the advantage on live-ball turnovers or long rebounds. A jump shooter that's worried about getting scored on isn't concentrating on his shot. A jump shooter with tired legs from defending the fast break isn't as effective.

Don't play their game


In other words, don't get into a three point shooting contest with them. There are no words to describe Steph Curry. Watching him shoot, it's hard not to wonder if he got hit by lightning getting his sneakers down from a power line. You can't compete. Don't. A bad shot is a turnover, and turnovers put the ball back in his hands. Maybe three guys in the league can compete with Curry from outside if they're having a hot night, and one of them is Curry's teammate. If Danny Green, who is one of the other two, is on, you feed him the ball, but counting on hot shooting should never be part of your game plan, and it hasn't been part of Pop's for a long time.

Take open shots


This one will ruffle the feathers of the "long two is the worst shot in the league" crowd, but the best way to disrupt the Warriors' defense is to hit your shots, and no team is better built to hit midrange jumpers than your Spurs. A made two is so much better than a missed three, and if you've already got an advantage in the post and can hit open jumpers, you open up the lane for layups.

Make them work


Yet another strength of the Spurs, passing up good shots for better shots. Against the Warriors, the only thing worse than a bad shot is a bad shot without making them play 20 seconds of defense. Consistently make them work on defense and their offense suddenly becomes less deadly.

Take advantage of their bench


The Warriors are a pretty deep team with pretty amazing players, but the best players are their starters and their small lineup, which is mostly starters. The key to taking advantage of their bench requires an even better bench. Oh, look! The Spurs happen to have exactly that.

Can the Spurs get blown out? Probably, though they haven't been blown out a single time this season. If their jumpers rim out like they did against Cleveland and Detroit, they will probably find themselves further behind against the Dubs. They're going to come out with a ton of adrenaline with their crowd screaming. Once you weather that storm, you just go to work, do what you do and reel them in.

[tonight...you]

Good effort, good write-up brother.
I enjoyed the read and you've given me food for thought.

Kudos.

[raybies]

10/10 tbh +1 and this

[ElNono]

solid writeup, thanks, although I think if there's a game where we're going to see Pop putting out there a variety of small ball lineups, is this one. we'll see.

[BillMc]

Really nice read. Well done. :bobo:flag:

[will_spurs]

Good job. Their "weaknesses" are known are basically not called Curry, Thompson or Green.

[ElNono]

Attack Raymond with LMA relentlessly... dude is overrated :hat

[Cry Havoc]

Harass the FUCK out of Curry. Don't double him because he'll chop you up with passing, but hard aggressive hedges with quick rotations back and no switching unless there's absolutely no choice.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Attack Raymond with LMA relentlessly... dude is overrated :hat

:tu

[YGWHI]

Good read. Thanks!

Post them up

The Dubs have a team full of amazing defenders, and they like to go small because of the boost in their offense is so effective that teams have to match up with them. The trick is not to. Punish them every time Bogut is off the floor. They have defenders that can be exploited by good post players, and the Spurs have a number of them. With Duncan, Aldridge and Diaw, the Spurs should make sure they've got at least one post-up threat on the floor for most of the game. Leonard has gotten good enough in the post to cause fits for them in small lineups.

If Pop wants to play at a relatively slow pace, our post up players are the keys. I'd love to watch LMA/Diaw in the post against Green, also Kawhi against Barnes.

Kawhi's one of the most efficient post-up players in the league right now, top #2....Hopefully, he doesn't listen people here saying he needs to trot to the corner and wait there most of times...and he stays aggressive on both ends all game.

[Leetonidas]

Spurs don't need to go small to match the warriors imo because Diaw and West are smaller PFs with the quickness to recover. I actually want to see how the Spurs handle their death lineup. I think Aldridge/Diaw/Leonard/Manu/Parker is a good counter to that although you probably want Green in there for defense. I also wonder how something like Manu/Leonard/Anderson/Diaw/Aldridge lineup would fair due to their size and passing. Will be an interesting game for sure and I'm certain well see some lineup changing by both teams to feel each other out

[BillMc]

Attack Raymond with LMA relentlessly... dude is overrated :hat

I agree with this. Get him in foul trouble trying to slow down the bigger LaMarcus.

[MVPCues]

Very nice op. The only other thing I might mention is manage minutes early to keep fresh guys in for 48. Make dubs work hard the entire game to wear them down.

[Mr. Body]

Great take. This game is dangerous - the Spurs start really slow and this is at GSW. The Spurs could go down big early.

[Brazil]

Nice read OV

[Obstructed_View]

Spurs don't need to go small to match the warriors imo because Diaw and West are smaller PFs with the quickness to recover. I actually want to see how the Spurs handle their death lineup. I think Aldridge/Diaw/Leonard/Manu/Parker is a good counter to that although you probably want Green in there for defense. I also wonder how something like Manu/Leonard/Anderson/Diaw/Aldridge lineup would fair due to their size and passing. Will be an interesting game for sure and I'm certain well see some lineup changing by both teams to feel each other out

Agreed. I think that Parker, Mills, Manu, Leonard, Aldridge would be an absolutely killer small lineup for the Spurs.

[Obstructed_View]

Great take. This game is dangerous - the Spurs start really slow and this is at GSW. The Spurs could go down big early.

Given how hyped the Warriors and their fans are for this game, it's even money that the Spurs will go down big early. I don't think that's a big deal. The key is to play smart from the opening tip, and that lead will be gone by halftime.

[GSH]

Top notch analysis and write-up. :toast

This is a game that really begs for Danny Green to be his old self. Transition defense is a big factor against the Warriors, and Danny is (or can be) one of the best solo transition defenders I've ever seen play. Missed 3P shots give the Dubs opportunities to get out and run, so if he's clanking 3P shots, it's going to put a lot of pressure on the Spurs to stop their fast break onslaught. The Spurs really need the old Danny Green.

Steph Curry's EFG% goes WAY up when he's shooting 3 pointers. He's shooting 55% of his shots from beyond the arc this season, compared to about 42% for the rest of his career. He's also shooting over 21% of his shots at the rim, compared to about 15% for his career. Those two things together are largely responsible for his transformation from dangerous guard to league MVP. Guarding Curry starts with running him off the 3P line, and ends with meeting him at the rim. Any shots he takes in between are a win - even if he makes them, you've forced him into a much lower EFG% situation. When the Spurs do foul him, foul the shit out of him. He's a great FT shooter, but his and-1's pile up a lot of "bonus" points. And limiting the Dub's points per possession, IMO, is key. (As Charles Barkley likes to say, "See if he can get his ass up of the floor and make the next one.")

Running against GS is important - but who's going to do it? Like it or not, Tony can't get out in front of a break much anymore. Danny on a fast break is a disaster. Kawhi gets most of his fast break points off of turnovers - that he causes. That means Manu, Patty, and Simmons are going to have to come out running at every opportunity.

One other thing that might help the Spurs get some fast break opportunities - David West. I noticed when he was in the staring lineup that when he gets a defensive rebound, he comes up looking to make a longer outlet pass than any of the Spurs other big men. The other bigs come up looking for the safe, nearby ball handler. But West's passes consistently wound up farther down court than anyone else's. The opposing defenders can't outrun the ball, and those longer starting passes are good opportunities to get numbers on the Warriors, and pick up cheap points. Even when it doesn't, it forces defenders to run that much harder to get back into the play.

Boris creates a lot of mismatches in the post. He's big enough to bully smaller defenders, and a good enough ball handler to go around and under a lot of bigger players. But I agree that LMA in the post is a key to the game. The Spurs are going to have to pay attention to their spacing, and make sure that they leave Aldridge room to operate. If help comes against him, it needs to come from distance. And when they do double him, even briefly, he's going to have to make the right pass early.

Tim hasn't been playing especially good lately - it's no secret. The Warriors are likely going to be helping off him, and daring him to knock down shots. He needs to knock down some shots. I would love to see him with 8 points in the first quarter. Not just because of the points, but because it would force them to abandon their game plan. It would also be great if he can dig into his lifetime bag of tricks, and suck out some early fouls on Bogut. His ability to meet Curry in the paint and at least alter his shot is also important, IMO, because the other guys on the floor are going to have to stay home. Sean laughs about Tim's waist-high blocks, but that ability could be big against the Warriors. I'm not willing to believe that Tim has lost that much between last season and this one. This game, they need him to look better than he has lately.

[GSH]

Harass the FUCK out of Curry. Don't double him because he'll chop you up with passing, but hard aggressive hedges with quick rotations back and no switching unless there's absolutely no choice.

:tu Huge.

[BillMc]

Top notch analysis and write-up. :toast

This is a game that really begs for Danny Green to be his old self. Transition defense is a big factor against the Warriors, and Danny is (or can be) one of the best solo transition defenders I've ever seen play. Missed 3P shots give the Dubs opportunities to get out and run, so if he's clanking 3P shots, it's going to put a lot of pressure on the Spurs to stop their fast break onslaught. The Spurs really need the old Danny Green.

Steph Curry's EFG% goes WAY up when he's shooting 3 pointers. He's shooting 55% of his shots from beyond the arc this season, compared to about 42% for the rest of his career. He's also shooting over 21% of his shots at the rim, compared to about 15% for his career. Those two things together are largely responsible for his transformation from dangerous guard to league MVP. Guarding Curry starts with running him off the 3P line, and ends with meeting him at the rim. Any shots he takes in between are a win - even if he makes them, you've forced him into a much lower EFG% situation. When the Spurs do foul him, foul the shit out of him. He's a great FT shooter, but his and-1's pile up a lot of "bonus" points. And limiting the Dub's points per possession, IMO, is key. (As Charles Barkley likes to say, "See if he can get his ass up of the floor and make the next one.")

Running against GS is important - but who's going to do it? Like it or not, Tony can't get out in front of a break much anymore. Danny on a fast break is a disaster. Kawhi gets most of his fast break points off of turnovers - that he causes. That means Manu, Patty, and Simmons are going to have to come out running at every opportunity.

One other thing that might help the Spurs get some fast break opportunities - David West. I noticed when he was in the staring lineup that when he gets a defensive rebound, he comes up looking to make a longer outlet pass than any of the Spurs other big men. The other bigs come up looking for the safe, nearby ball handler. But West's passes consistently wound up farther down court than anyone else's. The opposing defenders can't outrun the ball, and those longer starting passes are good opportunities to get numbers on the Warriors, and pick up cheap points. Even when it doesn't, it forces defenders to run that much harder to get back into the play.

Boris creates a lot of mismatches in the post. He's big enough to bully smaller defenders, and a good enough ball handler to go around and under a lot of bigger players. But I agree that LMA in the post is a key to the game. The Spurs are going to have to pay attention to their spacing, and make sure that they leave Aldridge room to operate. If help comes against him, it needs to come from distance. And when they do double him, even briefly, he's going to have to make the right pass early.

Tim hasn't been playing especially good lately - it's no secret. The Warriors are likely going to be helping off him, and daring him to knock down shots. He needs to knock down some shots. I would love to see him with 8 points in the first quarter. Not just because of the points, but because it would force them to abandon their game plan. It would also be great if he can dig into his lifetime bag of tricks, and suck out some early fouls on Bogut. His ability to meet Curry in the paint and at least alter his shot is also important, IMO, because the other guys on the floor are going to have to stay home. Sean laughs about Tim's waist-high blocks, but that ability could be big against the Warriors. I'm not willing to believe that Tim has lost that much between last season and this one. This game, they need him to look better than he has lately.

Great write up too.:toast Nice thread here guys.

I like your point about West and the outlet passes. Also, LMA is probably key to this whole thing. No way Green should be able to guard him. And he's quick enough on defense to get out on the perimeter if needed.

[littlecoyotecoin]

Good read. Thanks!


If Pop wants to play at a relatively slow pace, our post up players are the keys. I'd love to watch LMA/Diaw in the post against Green, also Kawhi against Barnes.

Kawhi's one of the most efficient post-up players in the league right now, top #2....Hopefully, he doesn't listen people here saying he needs to trot to the corner and wait there most of times...and he stays aggressive on both ends all game.

No one said "most", dumbass. You were already owned on that. Don't try to reincarnate it.

[SAGirl]

Thanks for the points, as they give us things to look out for.

I think Pop will keep the rotation short. It will be interesting to watch how he plays his bigs. We know what our guards can do but how will the bigs work it out will be interesting. Pop will match whatever they are doing, or I don't know Pop. We won't see experimental lineups unless things are out of hand.

We have a good chance against them, but some streaky guys we have will need to pull through and ultimately it may even depend on whether we can make shots. I think Dubs is the kind of team you can't come in with a cold start, trying to get back from behind against them on the road is almost unheard of.

I am concerned about Patty vs. Livingston matchup, but our bench overall is better than theirs.

[quentin_compson]

Good thread. :toast

I hope our guys won't get carried away and try to run with the Warriors. Slowing the game down would likely benefit the Spurs. The difference in pace between the two teams is huge, and getting to be the team that gets the game to be played at its pace, respectively, could be key.

[DBMethos]

Solid takes, thanks. Agree with our guys needing to stay aggressive all game long. We match up well with them, but only if the effort is there. That said, you know they're fired up for this one. Bench mob needs to run a train on 'em, especially when Curry sits.

[thiste]

We need to tire Curry. Tony will have to have a good game and Pop rested him for a reason. I think it'd be good to have some physicality from the bench as well, we'll need a good game from West/Simmons/Patty.

[Fireball]

Normally you do not wish your weekend to end ... but the championship games tonight and our game tomorrow, well Sunday, just go away!

[buttsR4rebounding]

Great take. This game is dangerous - the Spurs start really slow and this is at GSW. The Spurs could go down big early.

Would be a big help if Danny Green picks this as one of his Hot games. Him draining a couple of 3's early really makes the Spurs task much easier.

[All Mighty Janitor]

Would be a big help if Danny Green picks this as one of his Hot games. Him draining a couple of 3's early really makes the Spurs task much easier.

That's unlikely for an away game :(

[Supreme_Being]

Thanks for posting. Quality posts like this are few and far in between these days.

[Biggems]

The problem with GS is, they shoot well from everywhere, even the FT line. So we cannot really use the Hack-a strategy in this game.

Best bet, make them take really long 3s, by crowding the line.....or make them settle for mid-range jumpers. Also, everytime they drive to the basket, put them on the floor.

Also, with this team, we cannot overpass. We have this habit of overpassing, turning away solid looks, and then either turning the ball over or missing a last second shot. Ball movement is essential, but we cannot get carried away. If the first pass gives an open look, take it. The worst culprit is Boris. He turns away so many open shots and it is quite frustrating, especially when he has a hot hand. One player who we won't have to worry about turning away shots is Simmons. He is the closest thing we have to a Black Hole on the offensive end.

I wonder if the let them get theirs (Curry and Klay) and shut everyone else down strategy could work. I honestly feel that 10 years ago, it could have been quite effective. However, in today's game, where it is more wide open and the defense gets no love from the Association as far as rules go, I just don't see this strategy being as effective.......at least against the Warriors anyway.

I also wonder if we will get to see Boban. I doubt it, as he is a bit slow to react, and GW is filled with faster paced players. I can see Bonner having an impact though, with his outside shooting and hustle.

I see this being a high scoring game, even though our D has been great all year. With that being said, I hope we can get about 80 out of our starters (KL - 20, LA - 20, TD - 15, TP - 15, DG - 10)....Then, about 35-45 points from our bench, led by Manu and Boris of course. That would give us 115-125 for the night, which sounds about right in a game versus the Warriors.

I am going to give us the W.......123 - 119

[itzsoweezee]

The thing I'm most worried about are the Warriors' illegal screens. They do it constantly and have become really good at getting away with it. They make it really hard for the guy guarding curry to recover

[skulls138]

The problem with GS is, they shoot well from everywhere, even the FT line. So we cannot really use the Hack-a strategy in this game.

Best bet, make them take really long 3s, by crowding the line.....or make them settle for mid-range jumpers. Also, everytime they drive to the basket, put them on the floor.

Also, with this team, we cannot overpass. We have this habit of overpassing, turning away solid looks, and then either turning the ball over or missing a last second shot. Ball movement is essential, but we cannot get carried away. If the first pass gives an open look, take it. The worst culprit is Boris. He turns away so many open shots and it is quite frustrating, especially when he has a hot hand. One player who we won't have to worry about turning away shots is Simmons. He is the closest thing we have to a Black Hole on the offensive end.

I wonder if the let them get theirs (Curry and Klay) and shut everyone else down strategy could work. I honestly feel that 10 years ago, it could have been quite effective. However, in today's game, where it is more wide open and the defense gets no love from the Association as far as rules go, I just don't see this strategy being as effective.......at least against the Warriors anyway.

I also wonder if we will get to see Boban. I doubt it, as he is a bit slow to react, and GW is filled with faster paced players. I can see Bonner having an impact though, with his outside shooting and hustle.

I see this being a high scoring game, even though our D has been great all year. With that being said, I hope we can get about 80 out of our starters (KL - 20, LA - 20, TD - 15, TP - 15, DG - 10)....Then, about 35-45 points from our bench, led by Manu and Boris of course. That would give us 115-125 for the night, which sounds about right in a game versus the Warriors.

I am going to give us the W.......123 - 119I agree with the win but that score is too high unless it goes to OT. I have to believe DG will show up defensively and LA defensively and crashing the boards, some offensive boards too.

[spurs10]

Okay, boys and girls, here we go. Never in the history of the league have two teams had this kind of winning percentage this deep into the year. In this day of the instant news cycle, it's safe to say that this is, if not the biggest regular season NBA game ever, at least the most overhyped. I'm fairly certain that the only person who really knows this game's value sits at the head of the Spurs bench wearing a scowl and no tie.

The Warriors, contrary to the belief of many casual observers, are not just a three-point-shooting team. Can they fill it up from distance? Absolutely. Is Steph Curry inhumanly good to about 60 feet? Oh yeah. Those things are not the reason they're nearly unbeatable, but they're good for bloating their point differential. The Warriors win primarily with the same philosophy the Spurs have: Play solid defense, don't make mistakes, utilize the fast break, capitalize on the opponent's bad decisions. They have a roster full of guys who can score in the paint, who can run the floor and pass, and who can hit jumpers. Oh yeah, they're all above-average defenders.

The Spurs' philosophy has always been to play the percentages. Play smart, don't take risks, secure your rebounds, get back on defense. Share the ball, trust your teammates, get the best shot possible, don't foul. Those rules are always followed, and it makes them very tough to beat. It makes it even harder for teams like the Warriors, who feed on your mistakes.

A note about getting back on defense. A staple of Spurs defense for years, which severely limits a team's fast break, this is the philosophy that killed the seven-seconds-or-less Suns teams. The only tweak to this strategy is that you have to pick up Curry at half court and set your pick and roll defense an extra ten feet from the basket. Every time you fall asleep, he's going to launch a shot, and he's going to hit 40 percent of those. Tony Parker's defense has been superb this season, and he's the key. You can put Kawhi on him at times just to frustrate him, but Tony has to pick up the slack or it means free points for the Dubs.

Will Curry get past Parker? Of course. That's why you have teammates. If you play to keep him from getting past you, he's open to shoot. I'd rather funnel him to the paint and let the front line deal with him. Just don't give up the open jumpers, especially the ones worth three points. If he hits one with a hand in his face, there's nothing you can do about it. Curry might be able to hit enough contested jumpers to win this game, but you can't win four out of seven that way, so just stay at home and play smart.


Don't go small

Matching their small lineups would be a mistake. Taking your bigs out plays into their hands, as their small lineup is, if not better, more used to playing together. The Spurs have a three guard lineup that can be effective, but Kawhi needs to be the power forward, and you probably need Aldridge, Diaw or West as the center. Duncan's lack of mobility and outside shooting could be a liability. This lineup can be massively effective, but should only be used carefully and kept together based on effectiveness.

Post them up

The Dubs have a team full of amazing defenders, and they like to go small because of the boost in their offense is so effective that teams have to match up with them. The trick is not to. Punish them every time Bogut is off the floor. They have defenders that can be exploited by good post players, and the Spurs have a number of them. With Duncan, Aldridge and Diaw, the Spurs should make sure they've got at least one post-up threat on the floor for most of the game. Leonard has gotten good enough in the post to cause fits for them in small lineups.

Run

The Spurs' passing on offense should keep the defense on the move, but make sure to press the advantage on live-ball turnovers or long rebounds. A jump shooter that's worried about getting scored on isn't concentrating on his shot. A jump shooter with tired legs from defending the fast break isn't as effective.

Don't play their game

In other words, don't get into a three point shooting contest with them. There are no words to describe Steph Curry. Watching him shoot, it's hard not to wonder if he got hit by lightning getting his sneakers down from a power line. You can't compete. Don't. A bad shot is a turnover, and turnovers put the ball back in his hands. Maybe three guys in the league can compete with Curry from outside if they're having a hot night, and one of them is Curry's teammate. If Danny Green, who is one of the other two, is on, you feed him the ball, but counting on hot shooting should never be part of your game plan, and it hasn't been part of Pop's for a long time.

Take open shots

This one will ruffle the feathers of the "long two is the worst shot in the league" crowd, but the best way to disrupt the Warriors' defense is to hit your shots, and no team is better built to hit midrange jumpers than your Spurs. A made two is so much better than a missed three, and if you've already got an advantage in the post and can hit open jumpers, you open up the lane for layups.

Make them work

Yet another strength of the Spurs, passing up good shots for better shots. Against the Warriors, the only thing worse than a bad shot is a bad shot without making them play 20 seconds of defense. Consistently make them work on defense and their offense suddenly becomes less deadly.

Take advantage of their bench

The Warriors are a pretty deep team with pretty amazing players, but the best players are their starters and their small lineup, which is mostly starters. The key to taking advantage of their bench requires an even better bench. Oh, look! The Spurs happen to have exactly that.

Can the Spurs get blown out? Probably, though they haven't been blown out a single time this season. If their jumpers rim out like they did against Cleveland and Detroit, they will probably find themselves further behind against the Dubs. They're going to come out with a ton of adrenaline with their crowd screaming. Once you weather that storm, you just go to work, do what you do and reel them in. Thanks for this write-up! I love many of the key points about posting them up and not playing their game. I too believe LMA will be a big difference maker and see lineups that include him with Boris and Kawhi as formidable. This will be the first of four and will be a great game I'm sure. Like you said, I expect us to go down a bit at first and bear down and right the ship by the half.

[EVAY]

I agree with this. Get him in foul trouble trying to slow down the bigger LaMarcus.

:tu

The Dubs are not the same team without Green.

[Obstructed_View]

:tu

The Dubs are not the same team without Green.

True, but great defenders aren't usually foul prone. Going at the best players' strength isn't always a good idea. A better idea would be to instantly post up with any big who gets on anyone OTHER THAN Green. You can go at him with Aldridge for sure, but if the goal is to punish the small lineup, he's the strongest link in the chain.

[YGWHI]

Kawhi should just trot to the corner and wait


No one said "most", dumbass. You were already owned on that. Don't try to reincarnate it.

Are you the guy who said he should stay in the corner "much time"? That makes a world of difference...

Also, since Kawhi's shooting horrible from 3 (7-21 in the last 7 games) that idea doesn't sound especially brilliant.

33 3FG% vs 53 FG% 1.07 PPP 92.5 percentile in post-up plays, just for reference, LMA 46.7 FG% 0.94 PPP 75.1 percentile

[littlecoyotecoin]

Are you the guy who said he should stay in the corner "much time"? That makes a world of difference...

Also, since Kawhi's shooting horrible from 3 (7-21 in the last 7 games) that idea doesn't sound especially brilliant.

33 3FG% vs 53 FG% 1.07 PPP 92.5 percentile in post-up plays, just for reference, LMA 46.7 FG% 0.94 PPP 75.1 percentile

You're an idiot. He's the best 3 point shooter on the team. He's still, despite your protest about the "last 7 games", the scond best shooter in the entire NBA.

And, yes, I said "much" and "often", and NO ONE said "most". You're creating a poor persecuted strawman. NO ONE said most of the time. You can't produce a single person, much less "people".

You were referring to me, and you can't read. And, there is a "world of difference" among those words.

Kawhi should be behind the arc much of the time, and often, as one of the most potent three point shooters on a team that isn't exactly stacked deep with them, but also has lots of post up threats beyond just himself.

I understand you have some sort of crusade to get him more post ups, and he's a good post up threat. But, he's not Shaq.

[littlecoyotecoin]

Are you the guy who said he should stay in the corner "much time"? That makes a world of difference...

Also, since Kawhi's shooting horrible from 3 (7-21 in the last 7 games) that idea doesn't sound especially brilliant.

33 3FG% vs 53 FG% 1.07 PPP 92.5 percentile in post-up plays, just for reference, LMA 46.7 FG% 0.94 PPP 75.1 percentile

And, you quoted Chinook who did not say "most" as you have attempted to claim twice now. In addition, it's out of context, and sounds like he may have been speaking about certain situations or even have been being sarcastic. If he was being sarcastic, I am not surprised you missed it. You have difficulty with black and white. But, he nor I said "most".

Why did you quote him? Not sure.

Again, "most" has a quantitative attribute. It implies a preponderance, majority, greater than 50%, which, no one ever stated.

And, the most mind-numbingly stupid part of your argument is using 33% 3point% to compare to his ppp for post-ups.

You had to cherry pick the last seven games to make ppp lower? What would have happened if you used the last EIGHT games, lol. He's shooting .478 on the season.

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/3-points/sort/threePointFieldGoalPct

.333 for the last seven games is comparable to his post-up number. It's not even convincing if it were his actual realistic percentage. But, .478(3)=1.434. Even if he can't maintain this pace, it's better than .333, surely. Very untruthful of you.

.333(3)=.999 vs 1.07 even if he was shooting .333, which he has only for a few games is negligibly close. So close, using the last EIGHT games probably wreck your premise.

But, 1.434 not negligibly larger than 1.07. Considerably.

Then, you drop the 92.9 percentile in post ups, meaning 7.1% are higher than him. That's good.

Why didn't you post his 3 point % percentile? Because there is only ONE GUY ahead of him, J.J. Reddick. Which means he's in the 99 percentile area, and makes the post up number look like shit in comparison.

All that being said, it still doesn't mean he should only be shooting threes. He should be posting up, as dictated by team opponent, individual defenders on him, who he is playing with on his team, if he's on minute restrictions on back to backs, etc, etc, etc. That is what the coaching staff is for, or Kawhi's decision making in the moment. This is not even mentioning the need for spacing the 3 creates.

But pretending him shooting the 3 is some sort of sin just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. If he may need to post up a little more, it definitely isn't a lot more, and especially not at the expense of his 3 ball. It may have to come at the expense of another player's shots in some games. There's only one ball. We stacked.

People already over-reacting to Tim's demise because he's acquiescing shots, taking a back seat on offense.

[YGWHI]

You're an idiot. He's the best 3 point shooter on the team. He's still, despite your protest about the "last 7 games", the scond best shooter in the entire NBA.

Small size sample? 7 games-33 FG%...that sounds like a pretty serious slump shooting.

He had a slow start against the Cavs, but it wasn't surprising that his best play in the first half was a post-up against Shumpert, and he picked up in the second half after getting to the line in the 3rd quarter...he's a post-up player and his confidence is there when nothing works for him.

Now, his 3's aren't falling so he needs to stay aggressive, attacking, getting to the line...parking him in the corner won't help him get out of his slump.



Kawhi should be behind the arc much of the time, and often, as one of the most potent three point shooters on a team that isn't exactly stacked deep with them, but also has lots of post up threats beyond just himself.

I understand you have some sort of crusade to get him more post ups, and he's a good post up threat. But, he's not Shaq.

Just good? Those FG%/PPP/percentile in post up plays are insane, elite...he's one of the best and most efficient post up players in the whole league.

But it's ok, keep him in the corner missing 3's instead of playing him to his strengths...that will help the Spurs a lot tomorrow night.

[littlecoyotecoin]

You must be trolling. That's some stupid shit.

[YGWHI]

If he was being sarcastic, I am not surprised you missed it. You have difficulty with black and white.
:lol Yep, he was sarcastic...ok.



Then, you drop the 92.9 percentile in post ups, meaning 7.1% are higher than him. That's good
Just good, right?


Why didn't you post his 3 point % percentile? Because there is only ONE GUY ahead of him, J.J. Reddick. Which means he's in the 99 percentile area, and makes the post up number look like shit in comparison.

Because he can't hit an ocean from 3 now...while his post-ups still look great.

[littlecoyotecoin]

:lol Yep, he was sarcastic...ok.



Just good, right?


Because he can't hit an ocean from 3 now...while his post-ups still look great.

Compared to 99th percentile, yeah. 92 is just good. But, I'm done with this conversation. Good luck to you.

[Chinook]

Are you the guy who said he should stay in the corner "much time"? That makes a world of difference...

Also, since Kawhi's shooting horrible from 3 (7-21 in the last 7 games) that idea doesn't sound especially brilliant.

33 3FG% vs 53 FG% 1.07 PPP 92.5 percentile in post-up plays, just for reference, LMA 46.7 FG% 0.94 PPP 75.1 percentile

Kawhi is getting a lot of post looks off action. And he's still scoring 1ppp off his threes. So it's not like it's bad. Anyway, I don't get the point of your post. Parker playing well has made the offense so much better than it would have been had he been a spot-up guy like Mills. Kawhi can pick his spots, get good touches in the flow of the offense and exploit mismatches. If anything, the Spurs aren't using Parker enough, though that's because he can't handle the wear and tear anymore. Make no mistake about it, though: If Tony were in 2013 form, Kawhi would rightfully be on the backburner offensively. A guard getting into the paint is just better for a team than any iso play could be.

[YGWHI]

Kawhi is getting a lot of post looks
His post-up Freq says otherwise.


Parker playing well has made the offense so much better than it would have been had he been a spot-up guy like Mills.
Is this related to...nothing? Not sure since when if someone wants the Spurs post Kawhi more that means Parker should be replaced by his backup or get a spot-up shooter role.

Just for the record, "more" doesn't mean "every possession"


A guard getting into the paint is just better for a team than any iso play could be.
Maybe, but if the other guy was #2 in whole league in PPP on isos...

https://twitter.com/OleReigstad/status/682319453044998146

It would be reasonable to consider the idea of feeding him more in the post and a bit more than 12 FGA per game like in the last games.

[GSH]

The problem with GS is, they shoot well from everywhere, even the FT line. So we cannot really use the Hack-a strategy in this game.


But... they don't shoot that well everywhen.

I ran a bunch of stats based on shot clock - if I tried to post all of it, it would make your eyes bleed. But the bottom line is, the Warriors are the best in the league in the first six seconds of the shot clock. But from the middle of the shot clock to the end, they're mere mortals. In fact with 4 or less seconds left on the clock, the Dubs shoot a lowly 23.5% from the 3P line, compared to 29.3% for the Spurs. (In the month of January, the Warriors end-of-clock 3P% is only 14.3% - among the worst in the league.

The Spurs, on the other hand, own the middle-to-end of the shot clock. When there are between 15 and 7 seconds on the shot clock, the Spurs FG% is a league-leading 49.7%. And their 3P% is also league-leading at 42.1%. Now... if you want something really eye-popping - in the month of January, the Spurs have been monsters in the middle of the shot clock. Their FG% between 15 and 7 seconds left on the shot clock has been 55.3%. And their 3P% has been a staggering 57.1%.

The most amazing thing to me was that with 7-4 seconds left on the shot clock, the Spurs out-shoot the Warriors. The Spurs FG% in that part of the clock is 50.2%, compared to 43.1% for the Warriors. The Spurs 3P% is 47.9%, compared to 37.9% for the Warriors.

Bottom line, the later the Spurs can push the Warriors in the shot clock, the better chance they have of winning. And the same goes for playing transition defense. I was surprised at some of the numbers, but it says that the Spurs can, indeed, beat the Warriors with defense, by keeping them in check for the first 6-9 seconds of the shot clock.


As for FT shooting, the Spurs actually shoot FT's better than the Warriors, as a team. (.790 Spurs vs .754 Warriors) Golden State has several players who shoot FT's very well, but most of the roster is pretty pedestrian. Bogut is only shooting .414 from the FT line, and Ezeli shoots .532. Even Draymond Green only shoots .674 from the stripe. It may not justify a hack-a strategy, but it does say the Spurs should use their fouls liberally against those guys.

[GSH]

Here's one more set of stats that might help calm some nerves among Spurs faithful. Below are stats from the Month of January, which represents how the two teams have played most recently.

It's no surprise that the Warriors kill opponents with the fast break. But the Spurs have killed their opponents just as effectively in the paint. Plus... the Warriors give up a lot of points in the paint.

What might be surprising to most is that the Spurs' overall FG% in January has been better than the Warriors' - and their 3P% has been only 1 percentage point worse. Also, note that while the Warriors get most of their fast break points off of turnovers, the Spurs haven't been turning the ball over much lately. In short, the Spurs have been doing EXACTLY what they need to do against the Warriors.

Month of January Stats for Spurs and Warriors

Point Differential
Spurs +18.0 Warriors +12.4

FG%
Spurs 50.5% Warriors 49.4%

3P%
Spurs 41.8 Warriors 42.8

Turnovers/Opponent Points Off Turnovers
Spurs 10.9/13.6 Warriors 13.3/17.3

Points In The Paint/Opponent Points in the Paint
Spurs 45.1/39.2 Warriors 44.8/46.1

Fast Break Points/ Opponent Fast Break Points
Spurs 11.2/11.0 Warriors 20.8/14.6

[maverick1948]

No Timmy and one other Spur will sit for the game. Boban or Ray is are the likely choices. Bonner will be active because of his experience. GS can play offense but I dont think as highly of their defense as some do. We have played the easy schedule so far but so have they. GS has the top scoring team, but are 18th in defense. Spurs are in top 3 of 8 of the 21 offensive stats. GS top 3 of 9. On defense, Spurs are in top 3 of 13 of the same stats on defense. GS? 4. We can win with solid D. Our offense will not change that much. Match ups of GS will dictate how we do. If we force them to cover Aldridge and West in the middle, then they lose the transition back on their offense. Both historically, dominate Bogat. If Bogat is playing we have an advantage there. Draymond Green will have to cover the other of our bigs. Putting Diaw in the mix, we have a player who can run the offense and whoever defends him will have to do it all over the court. With his abilities handling the ball, he presents a problem. Leonard, Green and Parker will be licking their chops on offense as GS has to either double team or get killed inside. We have to cover passing lanes on D and keep the fast break points to minimum. Curry will get his points. He is starting to look like a younger Kobe and chucking up more shots to get his scoring trophy. The rest of the team has to be controlled. If we play D we should be able to stop the others as we won't be giving them easy shot off Curry. This is how we should play against the Warriors. Slow down Curry and stop the rest of the team.

[Spurtacular]

Switch on screens. Dubs like to get people open on movement. Minimize the effect of their interchangeable parts.

[BillMc]

But... they don't shoot that well everywhen.

I ran a bunch of stats based on shot clock - if I tried to post all of it, it would make your eyes bleed. But the bottom line is, the Warriors are the best in the league in the first six seconds of the shot clock. But from the middle of the shot clock to the end, they're mere mortals. In fact with 4 or less seconds left on the clock, the Dubs shoot a lowly 23.5% from the 3P line, compared to 29.3% for the Spurs. (In the month of January, the Warriors end-of-clock 3P% is only 14.3% - among the worst in the league.

The Spurs, on the other hand, own the middle-to-end of the shot clock. When there are between 15 and 7 seconds on the shot clock, the Spurs FG% is a league-leading 49.7%. And their 3P% is also league-leading at 42.1%. Now... if you want something really eye-popping - in the month of January, the Spurs have been monsters in the middle of the shot clock. Their FG% between 15 and 7 seconds left on the shot clock has been 55.3%. And their 3P% has been a staggering 57.1%.

The most amazing thing to me was that with 7-4 seconds left on the shot clock, the Spurs out-shoot the Warriors. The Spurs FG% in that part of the clock is 50.2%, compared to 43.1% for the Warriors. The Spurs 3P% is 47.9%, compared to 37.9% for the Warriors.

Bottom line, the later the Spurs can push the Warriors in the shot clock, the better chance they have of winning. And the same goes for playing transition defense. I was surprised at some of the numbers, but it says that the Spurs can, indeed, beat the Warriors with defense, by keeping them in check for the first 6-9 seconds of the shot clock.


As for FT shooting, the Spurs actually shoot FT's better than the Warriors, as a team. (.790 Spurs vs .754 Warriors) Golden State has several players who shoot FT's very well, but most of the roster is pretty pedestrian. Bogut is only shooting .414 from the FT line, and Ezeli shoots .532. Even Draymond Green only shoots .674 from the stripe. It may not justify a hack-a strategy, but it does say the Spurs should use their fouls liberally against those guys.

Nice analysis.:toast And I think we've got the defenders (especially on the wing) to extend the shot clock.

It will be interesting to see if the absence of TD encourages Curry and company to drive more to the rim.

[SAGirl]

GSH and maverick1948 very nice analysis.
Although ppl will make noise of us going "smaller" instead of staying true to our "big" lineups... we will only have 3 reliable bigs and no true center. I suspect we will see some Kawhi at the 4.

Maybe we don't see Boban as much as we thought we would. I think there are some minutes he could play against certain lineups... but not many. I tend to think we see Boban with Diaw and not LMA. It could be LMA/West, Boban/Diaw.

Keeping perspective and the big picture?

1. Its a RS game, not playoffs. If there are some guys that you want to see in this context, this is the time to do it.

2. Foul trouble with such a short big rotation could be an issue. Remember Lamarcus got in foul trouble in the 3rd Q against the Cavs.

3. Anderson, Butler, Bonner on ice just in case.

[Chinook]

His post-up Freq says otherwise.


Is this related to...nothing? Not sure since when if someone wants the Spurs post Kawhi more that means Parker should be replaced by his backup or get a spot-up shooter role.

Just for the record, "more" doesn't mean "every possession"


Maybe, but if the other guy was #2 in whole league in PPP on isos...

https://twitter.com/OleReigstad/status/682319453044998146

It would be reasonable to consider the idea of feeding him more in the post and a bit more than 12 FGA per game like in the last games.

Listen dude, I'm having a hard time feeling like you're arguing in good faith here when you do things like cut off a quote half-way to make it a strawman for your argument.

Anyway, since there's no reason to go point-by-point now, I will just say that Kawhi's getting the ball at the rate he should, and frankly this idea that he's not a big enough part of the offense is antiquated and just plain lame. Like all Spurs, he will have games where he just takes over, and he'll have games where you feel like he could have taken over if he had gotten more touches. That happens with all Spurs, though obviously the good games happen more to stars. The team will obviously defer to Kawhi, and they'll do so in big moments, like the fucking NBA Finals. So I don't think it's a concern that Kawhi will be frozen out of any big games.

In general, the Spurs offense works best when they aren't looking to Kawhi to force anything. One of the biggest reasons why he's a great post player is because he is not getting too many of them. He can be selective on his match-ups, and he can get post plays off good movement and not just as a first option. Parker getting the touches he does is good for the offense so long as they're drives, because that collapses the defense in ways that allow other players to be open. Doubling out of the post does that too, but it's not as predictable, and the passing angles aren't as well-defined. Trading that out for a player who would play better in a Kawhi-centered scheme would hurt the other players significantly. And no, I'm not saying you are advocating trading Parker. I'm talking about why Parker's touches are good for the team (meaning better than Leonard's at this point).

I just don't get it. The Spurs have a top-three offense (I think), with Kawhi is the leading scorer a Parker who is giving us hope that he'll be worth is contract and an improving LMA, and you're still complaining about the balance. It's absurd.

[313]

no switching unless there's absolutely no choice.
Major key tbh Curry does a lot of his work on switches

[Obstructed_View]

The thing I'm most worried about are the Warriors' illegal screens. They do it constantly and have become really good at getting away with it. They make it really hard for the guy guarding curry to recover

Carlos Boozer set illegal screens like crazy with Utah, and Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins have been doing it forever. If the Spurs haven't figured out how to play through it by now they don't deserve to win.

[r0drig0lac]

Switch on screens. Dubs like to get people open on movement. Minimize the effect of their interchangeable parts.

[FromWayDowntown]

solid writeup, thanks, although I think if there's a game where we're going to see Pop putting out there a variety of small ball lineups, is this one. we'll see.

I agree with this. Much has been said about Pop not showing his hand this early, but the flip-side of that is that a game like this one -- if you take away any real urgent need to get a win (which was advanced a lot by the results from other games over the weekend) -- becomes a real life laboratory for Pop to try combinations in spurts, to look at individual matchups for brief periods of time (Can Simmons be an irritant to Curry? Can you get away with Parker/Mills on Barnes if you need to put a wing on Curry? Can Aldridge guard Green for stretches?), and to tinker with small tactical things just to see what they look like. Pop will seemingly always put process over results at this stage of the season and taking advantage of the opportunity to do those things in a live fire environment is about the Pop-iest thing of all Pop-y things.

It will frustrate the living shit out of a lot of Spurs fans (particularly if the Spurs lose), but it's absolutely, positively puro Popovich.

[YGWHI]

One of the biggest reasons why he's a great post player is because he is not getting too many of them.
It have been naive on my part to think he was good because of his talent and his great post-moves.
If that's the formula for success, the Spurs should post Danny a few times too, just one or two possessions per game, and he'll turn into a post-up beast.

I'm wrong for thinking that a young post-up player needs the reps and handling double teams in different game-situations, to get better.


I just don't get it. The Spurs have a top-three offense (I think), with Kawhi is the leading scorer a Parker who is giving us hope that he'll be worth is contract and an improving LMA, and you're still complaining about the balance. It's absurd.
Well, it's also absurd that the Spurs have one of the best post-up players in the league with the lowest post freq.
About being selective on matchups, someone can see the absurdity in having a low start in a quarter and don't go to Kawhi in the post when he's guarding by Kobe or Harden for long minutes.


Listen dude, I'm having a hard time feeling like you're arguing in good faith here when you do things like cut off a quote half-way to make it a strawman for your argument.

Get it. Quote the whole post.


Anyway, since there's no reason to go point-by-point now, I will just say that Kawhi's getting the ball at the rate he should, and frankly this idea that he's not a big enough part of the offense is antiquated and just plain lame. Like all Spurs, he will have games where he just takes over, and he'll have games where you feel like he could have taken over if he had gotten more touches. That happens with all Spurs, though obviously the good games happen more to stars. The team will obviously defer to Kawhi, and they'll do so in big moments, like the fucking NBA Finals. So I don't think it's a concern that Kawhi will be frozen out of any big games.

In general, the Spurs offense works best when they aren't looking to Kawhi to force anything. One of the biggest reasons why he's a great post player is because he is not getting too many of them. He can be selective on his match-ups, and he can get post plays off good movement and not just as a first option. Parker getting the touches he does is good for the offense so long as they're drives, because that collapses the defense in ways that allow other players to be open. Doubling out of the post does that too, but it's not as predictable, and the passing angles aren't as well-defined. Trading that out for a player who would play better in a Kawhi-centered scheme would hurt the other players significantly. And no, I'm not saying you are advocating trading Parker. I'm talking about why Parker's touches are good for the team (meaning better than Leonard's at this point).

I just don't get it. The Spurs have a top-three offense (I think), with Kawhi is the leading scorer a Parker who is giving us hope that he'll be worth is contract and an improving LMA, and you're still complaining about the balance. It's absurd.

[Chinook]

It have been naive on my part to think he was good because of his talent and his great post-moves.
If that's the formula for success, the Spurs should post Danny a few times too, just one or two possessions per game, and he'll turn into a post-up beast.

Please tell me that you're seriously not having a hard time figuring out what I am saying. The reason why Kawhi is so efficient in post touches is because he doesn't just post every time down the floor. He does so when he's on a hot streak, against a mismatch or after there's a lot of movement to get him the ball in good position. Increasing those attempts will almost inevitably lead to a drop in efficiency.

[YGWHI]

Please tell me that you're seriously not having a hard time figuring out what I am saying. The reason why Kawhi is so efficient in post touches is because he doesn't just post every time down the floor. He does so when he's on a hot streak, against a mismatch or after there's a lot of movement to get him the ball in good position. Increasing those attempts will almost inevitably lead to a drop in efficiency.

Kawhi's great post-up player, even against bigger guys, we saw him in the post against LeBron in the last game and it was a beautiful play, so nice moves.

Exploiting Kawhi's favorable matchups in the post against small/shitty defenders is a great thing.

Thinking that the efficiency of a great post-up player will drop if he's taking more attempts is ...not that good.

If someone says there is a correlation between the numbers of touches and that type of post-up players' efficiency, that's just a subtle negation of how good that player is in the post.

[Obstructed_View]

Please tell me that you're seriously not having a hard time figuring out what I am saying. The reason why Kawhi is so efficient in post touches is because he doesn't just post every time down the floor. He does so when he's on a hot streak, against a mismatch or after there's a lot of movement to get him the ball in good position. Increasing those attempts will almost inevitably lead to a drop in efficiency.

If that's the case, then he's really not the MVP candidate that so much of the world has him made out to be. At some point we have to find out, don't we?

[spurraider21]

If that's the case, then he's really not the MVP candidate that so much of the world has him made out to be. At some point we have to find out, don't we?
Why would that prevent him from being an MVP candidate?

[Chinook]

Kawhi's great post-up player, even against bigger guys, we saw him in the post against LeBron in the last game and it was a beautiful play, so nice moves.

Exploiting Kawhi's favorable matchups in the post against small/shitty defenders is a great thing.

Thinking that the efficiency of a great post-up player will drop if he's taking more attempts is ...not that good.

If someone says there is a correlation between the numbers of touches and that type of post-up players' efficiency, that's just a subtle negation of how good that player is in the post.


If that's the case, then he's really not the MVP candidate that so much of the world has him made out to be. At some point we have to find out, don't we?

I'm really trying to figure out what's so hard to understand about what I am saying. I have NEVER-FUCKING-EVER said Kawhi is not a great post-up player. But ONE of the reasons why he's so efficient is because he is selective. Curry is the best shooter that's ever lived, but he's not leading in 3PT% because he's NOT very selective with his attempts. This idea that shot-selection affects success rates shouldn't be debatable.

Anyway, my general point was that the Spurs should ride with Parker as long as he looks like he can still go, and they need to give LMA a lot of touches to get him acclimated. Both of those things are working out now, and Kawhi is STILL the leading scorer. So no, it doesn't make sense to "find out" what happens when Kawhi is the overwhelming top-dog in the offense, because the Spurs dog need that now, and they can just deal with it in the future is that ever comes to fruition.

[Obstructed_View]

Why would that prevent him from being an MVP candidate?

It sounded to me like the argument was not to give him the ball more because suddenly his value to the offense goes away. I'm sort of in the middle of the argument because I think he could get the ball as often as he wants and he's gotten good enough that he knows what to do with it.

[YGWHI]

Kawhi is STILL the leading scorer.
Being the leading scorer has nothing to do with posting him more often. Too hard to understand?

Again, he's one of the best post-up player with the lowest post-up freq, that doesn't make sense if the Spurs want to play him at his strenghts.

[YGWHI]

Sorry, the whole post.


I'm really trying to figure out what's so hard to understand about what I am saying. I have NEVER-FUCKING-EVER said Kawhi is not a great post-up player. But ONE of the reasons why he's so efficient is because he is selective. Curry is the best shooter that's ever lived, but he's not leading in 3PT% because he's NOT very selective with his attempts. This idea that shot-selection affects success rates shouldn't be debatable.

Anyway, my general point was that the Spurs should ride with Parker as long as he looks like he can still go, and they need to give LMA a lot of touches to get him acclimated. Both of those things are working out now, and Kawhi is STILL the leading scorer. So no, it doesn't make sense to "find out" what happens when Kawhi is the overwhelming top-dog in the offense, because the Spurs dog need that now, and they can just deal with it in the future is that ever comes to fruition.

[Chinook]

Being the leading scorer has nothing to do with posting him more often. Too hard to understand?

Again, he's one of the best post-up player with the lowest post-up freq, that doesn't make sense if the Spurs want to play him at his strenghts.

He's the second-best three-point shooter in the league. Seems like he's doing just fine on the perimeter. So you're either talking about taking the ball away from the other players or reducing his most efficient and most beneficial way of scoring.

[YGWHI]

He's the second-best three-point shooter in the league. Seems like he's doing just fine on the perimeter. So you're either talking about taking the ball away from the other players or reducing his most efficient and most beneficial way of scoring.

-He's in a 3-point shooting slump.

-He's a post-up player.

[Chinook]

-He's in a 3-point shooting slump.

-He's a post-up player.

Looks like you want to limit Kawhi an awful lot. He's a complete scorer, and he's scoring well in the role he's in now. Parker and LMA are also scoring well. These are just things we know.

[littlecoyotecoin]

-He's in a 3-point shooting slump.

-He's a post-up player.

He's no more a post up player than a 3 point shooter. Because you choose to look at his last 7 games with blinders on doesn't change the fact he's still the scond best in the league. What's our record in his horrible shooting slump?! Oh, yeah. 7-0. There is no need for drastic change. One could argue that his threat from outside puts pressure on defenses not to double post players like Diaw and LMA when he's in the game...leading to...victories.

At the end of the season, your last seven game shooting slump rationale will look silly, as he probably will not remain in that slump throughout the remainder of the season. It's almost a perfect example of over-reaction. The second best 3 point shooter in the league has a 7 game slump and you shit your pants and want to revamp the offense.

[Seventyniner]

He's no more a post up player than a 3 point shooter. Because you choose to look at his last 7 games with blinders on doesn't change the fact he's still the scond best in the league. What's our record in his horrible shooting slump?! Oh, yeah. 7-0. There is no need for drastic change. One could argue that his threat from outside puts pressure on defenses not to double post players like Diaw and LMA when he's in the game...leading to...victories.

At the end of the season, your last seven game shooting slump rationale will look silly, as he probably will not remain in that slump throughout the remainder of the season. It's almost a perfect example of over-reaction. The second best 3 point shooter in the league has a 7 game slump and you shit your pants and want to revamp the offense.

You're trying to rationalize with a player fan. You and Chinook have seen how well that has worked...

[littlecoyotecoin]

You're trying to rationalize with a player fan. You and Chinook have seen how well that has worked...

Of course you are correct.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Obstructed_View awesome awesome write up my friend :tu

Hopefully we get a post game one if you're up for it.

[Obstructed_View]

But ONE of the reasons why he's so efficient is because he is selective.

Selective means he's in charge of deciding what he's going to do. I was under the impression that people thought the coaching staff was deciding when and how he touches the ball.

[YGWHI]

You're trying to rationalize with a player fan. You and Chinook have seen how well that has worked...
A guy is a player fan because he wants a player gets touches in the post? :lol

It's not surprising that in this game, most of Kawhi points came from post-up plays, Barnes, Klay, Iguodala couldn't defend him once he got the ball in the post.

Unlike Chinook and lilcoyote, I would have liked to see more of his post-up game in the first half instead of going away from Kawhi's favorite spots.
At least, it would have given us a chance in the 2nd quarter.

[Obstructed_View]

Obstructed_View awesome awesome write up my friend :tu

Hopefully we get a post game one if you're up for it.

Here it is: The Warriors are the best team in the league, and it's not as close as three games in the loss column.

I turned the game off with about a minute to go in the first quarter and did something else. I'm still at the angry stage because I want Pop to take a regular season matchup seriously for once.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Here it is: The Warriors are the best team in the league, and it's not as close as three games in the loss column.

I turned the game off with about a minute to go in the first quarter and did something else. I'm still at the angry stage because I want Pop to take a regular season matchup seriously for once.

THANK YOU

So sick of all these awful "It's only a January Game" crap. Last night's game was definitely cause for concern. I just can't see any way the Spurs can beat GS (especially without HCA) unless LaMarcus and Kawhi have a legendary performance consistently throughout the series.


It is what it is, but the Spurs looked completely uninterested last night and overwhelmed.

[Obstructed_View]

THANK YOU

So sick of all these awful "It's only a January Game" crap. Last night's game was definitely cause for concern. I just can't see any way the Spurs can beat GS (especially without HCA) unless LaMarcus and Kawhi have a legendary performance consistently throughout the series.


It is what it is, but the Spurs looked completely uninterested last night and overwhelmed.

Strangely, Lamarcus looked just like he's looked in almost every big game of his career, and Tony Parker looked as bad as the people who dislike him say he's always been. We'll see how they do in the playoffs, but Pop seems to shrink from games like this, and that sends a terrible message to the team.