What exactly will everybody be watching vs. GSW?

[HarlemHeat37]

Outside of the result, what are you interested in seeing? The result is largely irrelevant IMO, it's just the 1st game of the regular season series..both teams will be playing hard, but still, it's just 1 game..

Not trying to discuss "keys to the game", btw, this is strictly about what you're interested in seeing in the "game within the game"..

1- The type of success Aldridge, West and Diaw will have at exposing the Warriors' interior defense..I know they like to give up the mid-range shot, but they're also 2nd last in the NBA at giving up points in the paint..they're also very poor at defending PFs, so far, this year, IIRC..

2- The tempo..

Warriors: #2 in pace, #1 in transition points
Spurs: #23 in pace, #6 in transition points allowed

Very interested in seeing which team will be able to dictate the tempo

3- Defensive assignments vs. Curry

Will Pop show his hand in game 1? Will he keep Parker on him? If yes, will he mix it up often?


What sub-plots of the game are you most interested in seeing?

[Obstructed_View]

I'd like to see the Spurs win in order to get closer to the 1 seed, but aside from that, there's nothing to learn. Spurs need to be healthy and playing well during the playoffs or none of this matters.

[Vito Corleone]

I'm watching Denny Green vs Spurs big men
Spurs transition defense.
Who Kawhi is guarding and how they do.
What kind of energy both teams have.

Biggest thing I'm watching

How the Spurs 2nd team does and how Kerr handles them.

[ElNono]

Especially with Tim out, I definitely want to see how LMA steps up (or not)... He's had half a season to acclimate, he's done generally a great job, but these are the kind of games where we'll need him. I already know that because Tim isn't going to be next to him, the interior D will suffer a bit, but I want to see an aggressive LMA on offense out there, tbh... West is a rugged, gutsy guy, but obviously limited by his age, I know he'll bring it within his limitations...

Frankly, I already have my mind set that Tony is going to guard Curry most of the game. I don't think Pop is going to give Curry free practice time against Danny/Kawhi in the regular season. Maybe in the 4th quarter, if it's a close game, we'll see Kawhi taking on him.

And lastly, I wanna see how Pop deals with potential postups on Patty when the bench is out there, and whether Kerr goes to that at all (he might not want to play that card this game).

[HI-FI]

I'd like to see the bench get a lot of burn, for Pop to not push the starters too much. Win or loss doesn't mean much to me for this game, I'd just like to see the Spurs get valuable minutes and experience.

[Cloud786]

1). How the Spurs will primarily defend the curry-green PNR. Do they hard hedge and try to recover? Do they switch and force to beat you? Do they trap and let green dictate the play?

2). How successful the Spurs will be in stopping transition plays?

3). Can they establish the post with LMA/Diaw/Kawhi and play inside out effectively?

4). How do they match up defensively with golden state's death lineup?

5). Can our bench outplay theirs? Their main x-factor is Iggy's energy, defense, and outside shooting. I want to see the Spurs neutralize him.

6). I am interested in seeing who Kerr has Curry guard. We have to go at him and tire him out. It likely will be Parker or Green. If he's on Parker, he has to take advantage. Multiple David West screens are what I want to see. If he's on Green, then run him through multiple screens. Making him play defense will be key.

[apalisoc_9]

Mainly Aldridge..Ive seen the spurs play vs the warriors minus aldridge already.

[Spurtacular]

If the Spurs can clamp down at the defensive end, tbh.

[100%duncan]

With Tim out, this is quite a sneak peek of what's to come in the future.

1. LMA rising to the occasion.
2. TP vs Curry.
3. Kawhi vs Curry.

[100%duncan]

Especially with Tim out, I definitely want to see how LMA steps up (or not)... He's had half a season to acclimate, he's done generally a great job, but these are the kind of games where we'll need him. I already know that because Tim isn't going to be next to him, the interior D will suffer a bit, but I want to see an aggressive LMA on offense out there, tbh... West is a rugged, gutsy guy, but obviously limited by his age, I know he'll bring it within his limitations...

Frankly, I already have my mind set that Tony is going to guard Curry most of the game. I don't think Pop is going to give Curry free practice time against Danny/Kawhi in the regular season. Maybe in the 4th quarter, if it's a close game, we'll see Kawhi taking on him.

And lastly, I wanna see how Pop deals with potential postups on Patty when the bench is out there, and whether Kerr goes to that at all (he might not want to play that card this game).

Why is everybody saying this though? Pop put Kawhi on Curry's ass last april.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Apart from a few already mentioned ones, I'd be interested to see if Pop will try putting Patty on Klay to chase him around screens. It worked against the Clippers and Redick, but Klay is even better and taller. Spot up shooters who run around screens are a very tough cover for Green and Klay is currently top 3 at scoring this way I think.

Obviously the two most important things to look for are defending the Curry-Draymond PnR and LMA scoring on Draymond.

[aal04]

- Our worst defender marking the league MVP.
- Draymond Green - most underrated player in the NBA. even after his FMVP. Hes a triple double point forward who plays DPOY level defense.

[spurraider21]

who does tony guard?

can LMA score on green to punish their small lineup?

[Kikoluna]

Who guards curry. I sure hope it's green or Leonard. Something tells me pop is going to think with his heart and have Tony cover him.

[Dancelot]

- Our worst defender marking the league MVP.
- Draymond Green - most underrated player in the NBA. even after his FMVP. Hes a triple double point forward who plays DPOY level defense.
I don't think Draymond won FMVP, you're thinking of Raymond

[Fireball]

it will be 4:30 in the morning ... I will be lucky to keep my eyes open and watch two teams constantly run from one side of the court to the other ... just get the win dammit

:sleep

[100%duncan]

I don't think Draymond won FMVP, you're thinking of Raymond

:lol

[313]

I'm looking for Tony to hold his own on Curry. I'm looking for boban to continue his stellar play, especially if he finds himself out there against Warriors small ball line up. I'd like to see Kawhi get out of this slump, maybe having a repeat performance of last with 5+ steals, 25+ points.

Ultimately i just want an entertaining game though, win or lose.

[Cry Havoc]

I want to see how the Warriors respond to the Spurs punishing them inside. I seriously do not believe they have an answer for LMA or Diaw.

[spurraider21]

I don't think Draymond won FMVP, you're thinking of Raymond
you're both thinking of iguodala

[SpurPadre]

If we can win the rebound battle, limit second chance opportunities, and get most 50/50 balls without TD. I'm also looking to see if LMA will look for his, especially in the fourth.

[SouthernFried]

The 3 point shot.

It's what wins games for Golden state. Take that away...and we win. If we can't stop that, we lose.

Golden state is #1 in 3 point % at 42.4%
SA is #2 in 3 point % at 38.5%

But, here's the bigger point...

Golden State is #2 in 3 pointers attempted at 30.2 per game
SA is #26 in 3 pointers attempted at 18.5 per game.

What happens on the 3 point line, will decide the game. Stop that, and we can beat them. Either Decrease the % they make, or Decrease the number they take. Either way will probably work.

So, I'm interested in seeing how Pop chooses to handle this.

[313]

Outside of the result, what are you interested in seeing? The result is largely irrelevant IMO, it's just the 1st game of the regular season series..both teams will be playing hard, but still, it's just 1 game..

Not trying to discuss "keys to the game", btw, this is strictly about what you're interested in seeing in the "game within the game"..

1- The type of success Aldridge, West and Diaw will have at exposing the Warriors' interior defense..I know they like to give up the mid-range shot, but they're also 2nd last in the NBA at giving up points in the paint..they're also very poor at defending PFs, so far, this year, IIRC..

2- The tempo..

Warriors: #2 in pace, #1 in transition points
Spurs: #23 in pace, #6 in transition points allowed

Very interested in seeing which team will be able to dictate the tempo

3- Defensive assignments vs. Curry

Will Pop show his hand in game 1? Will he keep Parker on him? If yes, will he mix it up often?


What sub-plots of the game are you most interested in seeing?I read an reticle a couple months ago on how different paced teams faired when going against each other. Unsurprisingly, when two high paced teams faced off, the pace of the game was high and vice verse for when slow paced teams faced each other. What was interesting was that every time a fast paced played a slow paced team, the slow paced team dictated the pace of the game.

I wish I could find the article to be more specific, but that was the gist of the article. It bodes well for us today, if it holds true.

[aal04]

you're both thinking of iguodala

oops my bad. Always think its Draymond with his D on LBJ

[MultiTroll]

How much will refs let phaggot Curry do his offensive push off to get free? b. Will Popped pull Parker off him if he is toasting Frenchy?

How many minutes for Boban? How effective and will refs screw him?

Will West and Draymond Green get into it if Green tries his cheapshot bullying bullshit?

How many of Kwas offensive possessions (or not) will be Kobme style / 4 Dumb? That being either he forces shit up ball hog style and/or Pop orders all other 4 players to stand around while Kwa isos. Difference between being "aggressive" on O and being Kobme Dipstick.

[Em-City]

Transition d
Can patty survive?
Simmons on curry? Would probably get lost on every pick
Do we make Barnes & iggy beat us?

[aal04]

I like Boban against any low BBIQ bigs. GSW isnt his playground though. Theres too many smart players on the court.

I dont even see the point of testing out TP on Curry to start. We have far far too many terrible starts this season and cant afford to be slow out of the gates against GSW.

Play Green/Kawhi on Curry from the get go imo.

[Brazil]

The tempo for sure

When trend was for NBA teams to push up tempo after Spurs 2014 success and Warriors 2015, Spurs took opposite direction this year and went back to slower tempo, defense first state of mind to basically counter Warriors... So yeah tempo, shoot out game or not, under over 100 points... More than the win or the loss what kind of score we will see some 115 110 or some 95 89

[kjhip1]

I'm interested in seeing what our defense looks like against this team, now that Timmy is out. Additionally, how will pop counter when they go small. I would love LMA and Diaw trashing Raymond in the paint. Again though I hope they saw what curry and Raymond did to Cleveland with regards to PnR. We have got to close out on the shooters and if steph brings it in the lane, maybe David west gives him a physical foul. We have got to be physical with this team to beat them, I want some nasty!

[From Downtown]

it will be 4:30 in the morning ... I will be lucky to keep my eyes open and watch two teams constantly run from one side of the court to the other ... just get the win dammit

:sleep
Same,gotta concentrate to not fall asleep first

[Chinook]

I want to see who the fourth big is going to be. People are assuming it's Boban, and it would be interesting to see him against one of the best benches in the league (if not starting), but I'm kinda hoping it's Anderson with Diaw starting. Kyle is a very good one-on-one scorer, and unless the Warriors put Iggy or Green on him, I think Kyle will have the advantage over his match-up. And he seems to be a good mid-range and post scorer, so it still fits with the Spurs' philosophy to punish small-ball.

And defensively he makes more sense against the Warriors' small-ball. An aggressive hedge against a Curry PnR would allow Anderson to use his length to bother Curry's shot. Sure, Steph probably drives with relative ease, but that's not what he wants to do typically, so if you force him to beat you that way, it gives the team more of a chance to prevent GS from running away with the game. With Kyle being a good shot-blocker and rebounder in his own right, I also don't know if the driving lanes will be more exposed than they would be by having Marjanovic out there.

[TheDoctor]

Why is everybody saying this though? Pop put Kawhi on Curry's ass last april.

Yes, but that was a must win game. We were fighting for a Playoff spot. For tonite Kawhi and Danny may guard Curry on switches but I agree with Nono. Parker should be the one guarding Steph most of the game.

[100%duncan]

Yes, but that was a must win game. We were fighting for a Playoff spot. For tonite Kawhi and Danny may guard Curry on switches but I agree with Nono. Parker should be the one guarding Steph most of the game.

Well it was but NOP game was also a must win and Pop sat Splitter that game.

[Old School 44]

How their others perform (outside of Green, Thompson and Curry)?

Guys like Livingston, Ezeli, Iggy, Barbosa, Speights...usually someone like this goes off.

[TheDoctor]

Well it was but NOP game was also a must win and Pop sat Splitter that game.

Brittle Golden God sat himself tbh.

[Splits]

- Curry's mouthpiece rotation. I don't mean the direction in which he flips it in his mouth. I mean how many mouthpieces he goes through each game and when he replaces the one he has gnawed. Each quarter? Every time he checks out?

- Raymond's chapstick situation. Typically when people breathe exclusively through their mouths, their lips tend to chafe. Thousands of years ago the neanderthals did not have the luxury of chapstick, and Raymond seems to have fairly healthy lips. What brand is he using?

[Robz4000]

-How LMA plays both in big and small lineups
-How Pop handles Curry
-If the Spurs can get away with Manu/Simmons guarding Thompson this year with how mediocre he's looked
-How the Spurs' smallball contends with theirs

[ElNono]

Why is everybody saying this though? Pop put Kawhi on Curry's ass last april.

Last April we were on a tight fight for seeding, and Tony was banged up. Different scenario now.

[AFBlue]

I want to see how the Warriors respond to the Spurs punishing them inside. I seriously do not believe they have an answer for LMA or Diaw.

More to this point, I want to see if Pop deliberately attacks and stays big, or if he decides to play along with the small ball lineup. For me, the early indicator is if Pop goes to Boban early or elects to use the Diaw/West lineup.

[AFBlue]

I want to see how much Simmons is used against that dynamic backcourt.

I want to see if Anderson is used as a small-ball four combating Green.

And I want to see Boban. Because, Boban.

[Chinook]

It will be interesting to see if Pop puts Green on Curry and Kawhi on Draymond. It would be similar to what he did against the Thunder in the 2014 WCF. It would be Pop essentially saying, "Okay, you can try doing the 1/4 PnR all you want, but then you're just going to be putting Kawhi on Steph."

There aren't really any good ways to counter that. GS could just go one-on-one, but Curry already knows Green can guard him in iso situations. They could post Draymond up on Leonard, but as we all know, Kawhi's actually a good post defender, and letting Draymond fill up on post attempts is a great way to force the Warriors the slow the pace and lower their efficiency. Running a 1/3 or 1/2 PnR makes it even more obvious that switching is the right choice. A 1/5 is harder to switch, but you don't fear the center roaming nearly as much, even though Bogut is a good passer for a big. So then you just have mismatches in Parker on Klay and LMA/West on Barnes. And so long as the Spurs cover up the three-point line, neither of those guys is going to beat you by themselves.

[NASpurs]

I wonder if Pop is going to give Curry the Steve Nash treatment by putting Parker on him . Sure he'll go for 40 points but as long as everyone struggles, it'll be more manageable.

[100%duncan]

Last April we were on a tight fight for seeding, and Tony was banged up. Different scenario now.

We also are in a tight fight for seeding. It's not like Kawhi is a new defender with new tools, he's the same, curry's the same.

[look_at_g_shred]

Transition D for sure. If LMA will be a factor. How the team responds to pressure from the crowd. Can Kawhi continue his MVP case.

[SpursFan86]

It will be interesting to see if Pop puts Green on Curry and Kawhi on Draymond. It would be similar to what he did against the Thunder in the 2014 WCF. It would be Pop essentially saying, "Okay, you can try doing the 1/4 PnR all you want, but then you're just going to be putting Kawhi on Steph."

There aren't really any good ways to counter that. GS could just go one-on-one, but Curry already knows Green can guard him in iso situations. They could post Draymond up on Leonard, but as we all know, Kawhi's actually a good post defender, and letting Draymond fill up on post attempts is a great way to force the Warriors the slow the pace and lower their efficiency. Running a 1/3 or 1/2 PnR makes it even more obvious that switching is the right choice. A 1/5 is harder to switch, but you don't fear the center roaming nearly as much, even though Bogut is a good passer for a big. So then you just have mismatches in Parker on Klay and LMA/West on Barnes. And so long as the Spurs cover up the three-point line, neither of those guys is going to beat you by themselves.

Great points - I saw someone bring this up on Twitter the other day and thought it made a ton of sense. I know everyone thinks the best way to slow them down is putting Kawhi on Curry, but stopping the Curry/Draymond PnR should be 1st priority. If Diaw/Aldridge is guarding Draymond, all it takes is a nice screen and Curry gets the matchup he wants. As you said, Green should be able to keep up with Curry in iso situations. He has a penchant for losing his man at times, but considering Curry is usually the one with the ball in his hands + the fact it's fucking Steph Curry, one would hope Danny wouldn't struggle with losing him off the ball.

Surely Pop has thought of this...question is how much (if at all) we'll see him utilize it in tonight's game.

[SpursFan86]

Anyways, I think the pace will be a huge factor. When a team has as potent of an offense as GS does, and a shooter like Curry, the last thing you want to do is create more and more possessions (read: opportunities for them to score). Not to mention they're much more dangerous in transition than they are in the half-court. If the Spurs can dictate the tempo and play to their usual pace, that bodes well for them.

It'll be interesting seeing whether LMA can exploit Draymond. Draymond is an elite post-up defender, but Aldridge should have no problem getting his shot off considering he has 4 inches of height advantage.

I'm hoping to see the Spurs dominate the boards if the Warriors go small. If they're playing Iguodala/Barnes/Draymond, there's no reason Kawhi/Diaw/Aldridge or Kawhi/West/Aldridge shouldn't be able to secure a sizable advantage in terms of rebounding.

Lastly, I'll be looking to see how Tony plays while Bogut is out. It seems he's really affected by intimidating rim protectors (obviously this is the case for basically everyone, but Parker seems especially neutered when going up against guys like Ibaka/DJ/etc.). If they try playing Draymond at center, I want to see if Parker can exploit that and live in the paint.

[DarrinS]

If Tony can defend anyone. Or, does our best player have to expend tons of energy chasing their best player through endless screens.

[Nathan89]

How many easy baskets we can get in the paint is a big deal to me. Either through penetration or passing to bigs on the move.

[Spurs da champs]

Diaw is gonna be key imo.

[BillMc]

it will be 4:30 in the morning ... I will be lucky to keep my eyes open and watch two teams constantly run from one side of the court to the other ... just get the win dammit

:sleep


Same,gotta concentrate to not fall asleep first

It will be 5:30 here. My strategy will be to go to bed early and get up for the game rather than staying up all night.

Get the coffee fellows, we can do this! Too big a game to miss. :bobo

[SpurSwag]

3 things I want to see:

1) How Lamarcus plays against Draymond and Bogut. I think a huge key to our success against them depends on Lamarcus being able to punish Draymond when they go to their small ball line up, and hopefully we see some of that tonight.

2) How we defend the Steph-Draymond pick and roll. As I'm sure everyone knows, that is the absolute key to Golden States success and if we can contain it for the most part, we should be fine. I feel they are at their toughest when Draymond is dispalying his full versatility between hitting 3's and geting the ball in the 4-3 situtation that they constantly create through the PnR and whipping to the corners for 3.

3) What Pop decides to do defensively in terms of matchups with Klay, Steph, and Barnes in the starting line up. The more I think about it, the more I think Pop will start with Parker on Curry and see how that works. Because ideally, parker can keep up with Steph which woudl avoid us having to get weird with matchups and having Parker guard barnes.

[gambit1990]

i'm looking forward to seeing our team's demeanor... how aldridge plays in a big game without duncan... always look forward to seeing kawhi, manu. hopefully simmons gets some nasty ass dunk. i'm also interested in how they're gonna guard us.

[Nathan89]

Also want to see GSW's switching plan on defense and how successfully we deal with that.

[Solid D]

I will be watching the Spurs' transition D.

[Chinook]

Also want to see GSW's switching plan on defense and how successfully we deal with that.

Yeah, I want to see how that works against a team that have six legit post players, three of whom are playmakers from that area. The Spurs are the only team I can remember seeing having a post-to-post play where a guy backing down his man passed the ball to another guy backing down his man. Like if you have a mismatch where Kawhi is posting Steph. The Warriors bring Green over to help on that, so Barnes has to sink to cover Green's man LMA. So then Kawhi passes the ball out in a high-low to LMA who's sealed Barnes.

So you have Bogut and Klay trying to zone the perimeter, Curry and Barnes sealed by bigger guys and Green running between them like a chicken with his head cut off. Bogut's to stopping anyone out there, and there's no rim protection at the basket. About as open of a driving lane as you'll see. And even if Draymond forces a miss, you know who's getting that rebound.

[SAGirl]

Personally, the big rotation.
I don't think Pop is being CIA Pop. Tim has looked slower and been off. He hasn't looked right for a few games now. He could probably play but not optimally and if he wasn't going to be optimal in this game, why play him. You can only beat GSW playing your best and he wasn't going to do that at 50%. We'll see a lot of Lamarcus at the 5 probably and he's the one that will need to bring it. We are not winning this game if Lamarcus doesn't play like a star.

After that, athough I don't think he will play, I am curious whether POP will use Anderson for some minutes. He has somewhat of an advantage over other big s like Butler and Bonner in that he can handle switches well and has been good defending the PNR. On the other hand, he has limited experience as a 4. POP has played him more as a perimeter player and he might be overmatched, but if you want to know for sure if he is, this is the game to find out.

[From Downtown]

It will be 5:30 here. My strategy will be to go to bed early and get up for the game rather than staying up all night.

Get the coffee fellows, we can do this! Too big a game to miss. :bobo
Yeah I'll do the same
Luckily enough I've been sick the past two days so I won't have to go to school tomorrow (even though I would have watched the game anyway :lol)

[ElNono]

We also are in a tight fight for seeding. It's not like Kawhi is a new defender with new tools, he's the same, curry's the same.

Not really. Last season we were anywhere from 2-6, and generally only picked up the pace after the all star break.

But, we'll see. I'm not saying Tony will pick him up all game (IIRC, Curry plays more minutes), but I think Kawhi/Green coverage on Curry will be sporadic. I could be wrong.

[Chinook]

Not really. Last season we were anywhere from 2-6, and generally only picked up the pace after the all star break.

But, we'll see. I'm not saying Tony will pick him up all game (IIRC, Curry plays more minutes), but I think Kawhi/Green coverage on Curry will be sporadic. I could be wrong.

Yeah, I agree with you. If anything, they'll do it to make it harder for GS to cross-match Klay on Tony. And Parker's defense is streaky, so it could end up being that he plays Curry well.

[quentin_compson]

The clash of styles will be interesting. Who will win the "battle of paces"? Will the Spurs be able to dominate with a big line-up or will it be the other way round?

[SAGirl]

I want to see who the fourth big is going to be. People are assuming it's Boban, and it would be interesting to see him against one of the best benches in the league (if not starting), but I'm kinda hoping it's Anderson with Diaw starting. Kyle is a very good one-on-one scorer, and unless the Warriors put Iggy or Green on him, I think Kyle will have the advantage over his match-up. And he seems to be a good mid-range and post scorer, so it still fits with the Spurs' philosophy to punish small-ball.

And defensively he makes more sense against the Warriors' small-ball. An aggressive hedge against a Curry PnR would allow Anderson to use his length to bother Curry's shot. Sure, Steph probably drives with relative ease, but that's not what he wants to do typically, so if you force him to beat you that way, it gives the team more of a chance to prevent GS from running away with the game. With Kyle being a good shot-blocker and rebounder in his own right, I also don't know if the driving lanes will be more exposed than they would be by having Marjanovic out there.

As to the bolded sentence, if they put Iggy or Green on him, yes he's neutralized but if they prioritize Anderson like that, someone else can have a field day, which makes you think Kerr would rather let Anderson score on his midrange jumpers and post up whoever, which he can do.

Kyle has been good as a 4 with West or Boban. Diaw and him are too similar and undersized to pair up. I think that is where Pop erred against the Lakers. Kyle can play his role if he has a center who will truly box out and occupy space like West did when paired with Kyle against the Cavs.

I completely agree with your post. My concern is how little Pop has played Kyle as a 4 through the season and surprisingly Pop has done that in marquee matches like Cavs and one game against the Grizzlies. He might be the best 4 we have against guys who like to shoot from range, truly spread out bc he can handle switches better than Boban, Bonner, Butler and he can close out on shooter without fouling them or get completely blown out bc he understands angles when you close out. Pop has also had him guarding guards a lot through the season (even PG in garbage time) and as you point out, he has defended Pnr well and he can hedge and recover as well as bother passes and even get deflections or steals bc of his wingspan. His being a-positional is an advantage.

I though he would have been perfect against Ryan Anderson from the Pelicans for example and that game Diaw was absolutely horrific. He might have lost us that game together with Patty' s terrible defense. Kyle did a good job in a few limited minutes on Anderson but Pop didn't trust him at the time, he was in a very short leash early season and Pop stuck with Diaw and he sinked us. Butler wasn't particularly good against Pelicans either. For Butler to help you, he has to be hitting shots and he's streaky.

I know I am the only one here who pays attention to these details, but after that game, Anderson saw minutes at the 4 against Suns and Grizzlies early season bc Diaw was again loafing. After the Ryan Anderson experience, now Pop had little patience with Diaw and he was benched. Against the Cavs, Diaw was not executing on D and we were behind in a close game at home. Anderson again at the 4 and we made a short run. In general Pop wants to stick with Diaw but it's revealing that against truly spread out benches is when we have seen Anderson as a 4 and when we do, Diaw is benched.

Pop's reluctance to split the bench up means we still see Diaw in the bench. And we saw Diaw pair up with Butler and Kyle in the bench and they could not rebound. I think Diaw and Anderson are too similar and to be at their best they need a center. Bc Anderson is the newcomer here, again he will sacrifice for the team. The best pairing is probably Boban/Diaw, unless like you say Pop starts Diaw and pairs West with Kyle. It will be interesting to see how Pop plays them.

[All Mighty Janitor]

-Who they guard Kawhi with; will they mess with their rotations to put Iggy on him? even if they do, can Kawhi punish him.
-will they attack Curry with Parker? if Parker isn't being guarded by Curry (probably will be Klay) will they run green off screens to get curry moving on D?
-Will they move Bogut on to LMA? Will LMA be able to play him in the post?
-Most importantly, will they call the GOD-DAMN MOVING SCREENS. that would be nice.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

i'll be sleeping or something. Not worth watching a loss and then showing up to class groggy, tired AND pissed tomorrow.

[Fireball]

It will be 5:30 here. My strategy will be to go to bed early and get up for the game rather than staying up all night.

Get the coffee fellows, we can do this! Too big a game to miss.

Of course I will sleep before as well, but I guess I will be quite eager for the game and therefore might have some problems to get the necessary sleep ...

[Chinook]

That is certainly an SAGirl special. It has a lot of good insight in it, and it's long as hell :lol. I wonder what would happen if Kyle started for Duncan. Would it encourage the Warriors to go to micro-ball (Green at C)? If so, I think it's Drive-and-Kick City with a couple of stops to refill on post-ups. If not, then it almost completely eliminates the issues with using Kawhi on Draymond, and the Spurs would still have better rim-protection out there. In the very least, it would be fun to watch.

[Nathan89]

It will be interesting to see if Pop puts Green on Curry and Kawhi on Draymond. It would be similar to what he did against the Thunder in the 2014 WCF. It would be Pop essentially saying, "Okay, you can try doing the 1/4 PnR all you want, but then you're just going to be putting Kawhi on Steph."

There aren't really any good ways to counter that. GS could just go one-on-one, but Curry already knows Green can guard him in iso situations. They could post Draymond up on Leonard, but as we all know, Kawhi's actually a good post defender, and letting Draymond fill up on post attempts is a great way to force the Warriors the slow the pace and lower their efficiency. Running a 1/3 or 1/2 PnR makes it even more obvious that switching is the right choice. A 1/5 is harder to switch, but you don't fear the center roaming nearly as much, even though Bogut is a good passer for a big. So then you just have mismatches in Parker on Klay and LMA/West on Barnes. And so long as the Spurs cover up the three-point line, neither of those guys is going to beat you by themselves.

Besides helping to nullify the pnr which is the start of GSW offense it will also make it more difficult for Green to stand at the top of the key looking for cutters and Curry and Klay running around screens for open threes. Kawhi will be able to pressure him and he'll probably end up turning his back towards the basket.

I doubt Pop will try this on the first game though.

[TrainOfThought5]

Kyle anderson, boban and simmons.

[DAF86]

I would like to see if Pop will match Golden State's smallball or will try to punish them by staying big.

[Seventyniner]

I also want to see if Pop will send 2-3 guys (Aldridge, Leonard, West in that order) to the offensive glass. It might seem suicidal to potentiall give up a lot of fast-break points, but it's a good way to counter a small lineup and can even help on transition if the Warriors have to have 4 guys in the paint on defense as soon as the shot goes up.

[YGWHI]

Why is everybody saying this though? Pop put Kawhi on Curry's ass last april.
IIRC Pop didn't put Kawhi on Curry all that game, at least not in the first half.
691390292549734401
691385653464948737

[YGWHI]

It will be interesting to see if Pop puts Green on Curry and Kawhi on Draymond. It would be similar to what he did against the Thunder in the 2014 WCF. It would be Pop essentially saying, "Okay, you can try doing the 1/4 PnR all you want, but then you're just going to be putting Kawhi on Steph."

There aren't really any good ways to counter that. GS could just go one-on-one, but Curry already knows Green can guard him in iso situations. They could post Draymond up on Leonard, but as we all know, Kawhi's actually a good post defender, and letting Draymond fill up on post attempts is a great way to force the Warriors the slow the pace and lower their efficiency. Running a 1/3 or 1/2 PnR makes it even more obvious that switching is the right choice. A 1/5 is harder to switch, but you don't fear the center roaming nearly as much, even though Bogut is a good passer for a big. So then you just have mismatches in Parker on Klay and LMA/West on Barnes. And so long as the Spurs cover up the three-point line, neither of those guys is going to beat you by themselves.

Against the Thunder Pop put Kawhi on Westbrook to prevent the 1-3 pick and roll but both, Westbrook and Durant were guys Kawhi had defended successfully before in regular season games.

For the same reason Pop won't post Kawhi against Green, I wouldn't put Kawhi defending him, those two situations aren't favorable Spurs matchups.

[YGWHI]

1). How the Spurs will primarily defend the curry-green PNR. Do they hard hedge and try to recover? Do they switch and force to beat you? Do they trap and let green dictate the play?

2). How successful the Spurs will be in stopping transition plays?

3). Can they establish the post with LMA/Diaw/Kawhi and play inside out effectively?

4). How do they match up defensively with golden state's death lineup?

5). Can our bench outplay theirs? Their main x-factor is Iggy's energy, defense, and outside shooting. I want to see the Spurs neutralize him.

6). I am interested in seeing who Kerr has Curry guard. We have to go at him and tire him out. It likely will be Parker or Green. If he's on Parker, he has to take advantage. Multiple David West screens are what I want to see. If he's on Green, then run him through multiple screens. Making him play defense will be key.

[Nathan89]

691385653464948737

Spurs are going to miss Cojo in this game.

[Chinook]

Against the Thunder Pop put Kawhi on Westbrook to prevent the 1-3 pick and roll but both, Westbrook and Durant were guys Kawhi had defended successfully before in regular season games.

For the same reason Pop won't post Kawhi against Green, I wouldn't put Kawhi defending him, those two situations aren't favorable Spurs matchups.

I mean, Lebron is quite a bit bigger than Draymond and more athletic. I don't really think Draymond has any physical advantage over Kawhi, seeing as they're both 6-7, 229 officially. If that's not a match-up Kawhi can win, then I don't think he's an all-time defender. I do think he is, so I'm good with trying it. But I hope the Warriors agree with you and scrap their offense to let Draymond try to win the game by backing down Leonard. I really hope they do. And it should be obvious to you that the Spurs don't dictate whether Green guards Leonard. So unless you're saying that you expect Kawhi to not post up in this game, I don't know what you're going to expect.

[YGWHI]

I mean, Lebron is quite a bit bigger than Draymond and more athletic. I don't really think Draymond has any physical advantage over Kawhi, seeing as they're both 6-7, 229 officially. If that's not a match-up Kawhi can win, then I don't think he's an all-time defender.
More subtle? I wonder why I'm not surprised at all. Sure, you said "I do think he is, so I'm good with trying it"


And it should be obvious to you that the Spurs don't dictate whether Green guards Leonard. So unless you're saying that you expect Kawhi to not post up in this game, I don't know what you're going to expect.
Kerr will put Green on Kawhi all game? I expect Harrison to draw the assignment of guarding Kawhi...I'll enjoy to watch Kawhi posting over Barnes if Pop gives him that chance.

The "whole" post.

I mean, Lebron is quite a bit bigger than Draymond and more athletic. I don't really think Draymond has any physical advantage over Kawhi, seeing as they're both 6-7, 229 officially. If that's not a match-up Kawhi can win, then I don't think he's an all-time defender. I do think he is, so I'm good with trying it. But I hope the Warriors agree with you and scrap their offense to let Draymond try to win the game by backing down Leonard. I really hope they do. And it should be obvious to you that the Spurs don't dictate whether Green guards Leonard. So unless you're saying that you expect Kawhi to not post up in this game, I don't know what you're going to expect.

[Chinook]

More subtle? I wonder why I'm not surprised at all. Sure, you said "I do think he is, so I'm good with trying it"

:lol You say that as if it's not the entire point I was making. Kawhi on Draymond is not in the Warriors' favor, or at least it shouldn't be. Both Kawhi and Green have checked bigger, stronger players up and down the court. And again, even if it's a draw or slightly in favor of Green, taking the ball out of Curry's hands in favor of a post-up is like completely ideal.


It's obvious to you that Kerr will put Green on Kawhi all game but I expect Harrison to draw the assignment of guarding Kawhi...I'll enjoy to watch him posting over Barnes if Pop gives him the chance.

Dude, seriously, what planet are you from? I NEVER said Kerr was going to put Green on Kawhi. In fact, the quote you selected in assuming the opposite. That Kawhi checks Green in no way means that it's the other way down the court, hence me saying that the Spurs don't get to choose who guards Leonard. No way they play their PF on a three and leave a small to check LMA or West. And since you have a hard time believing it, I want Kawhi to post up Barnes. I just don't want the offense to revolve around that, because the Warriors are pretty experienced handling teams trying to post them up. It's only going to work if the the Spurs are smart about it.

[YGWHI]

:lol You say that as if it's not the entire point I was making. Kawhi on Draymond is not in the Warriors' favor, or at least it shouldn't be. Both Kawhi and Green have checked bigger, stronger players up and down the court. And again, even if it's a draw or slightly in favor of Green, taking the ball out of Curry's hands in favor of a post-up is like completely ideal.



Dude, seriously, what planet are you from? I NEVER said Kerr was going to put Green on Kawhi. In fact, the quote you selected in assuming the opposite. That Kawhi checks Green in no way means that it's the other way down the court, hence me saying that the Spurs don't get to choose who guards Leonard. No way they play their PF on a three and leave a small to check LMA or West. And since you have a hard time believing it, I want Kawhi to post up Barnes. I just don't want the offense to revolve around that, because the Warriors are pretty experienced handling teams trying to post them up. It's only going to work if the the Spurs are smart about it.

Like me? I've said before that I want the Spurs to play Kawhi in the post more often but it doesn't mean "in every possession" or "put Kawhi in the post and just run the offense through him all game"

[G-Dawgg]

I want to see a lot of ball pressure on Curry. He is a good dribbler, but I'm not convinced that he is especially good at protecting the ball. I feel like he can be susceptible to turning the ball over if pressured. Also, the more pressure that is put on him the more their offence is disrupted. I would like to see him have to work hard to get into their offensive sets.

[Chinook]

Like me? I've said before that I want the Spurs to play Kawhi in the post more often but it doesn't mean "in every possession" or "put Kawhi in the post and just run the offense through him all game"


You're struggling with semantics. I'm not saying that I don't want Kawhi to post up every possession. That's so obvious, I don't need to say it. But I don't want the Spurs to fall into the trap of thinking you are going to beat the Warriors by straight-posting them up. That's a strategy GS is VERY used to having to defend. So if they can get Kawhi good position without letting the help get there, that's awesome. But this isn't a game for the Spurs to prioritize giving Kawhi the ball down low.

[TD 21]

Personally, the big rotation.
I don't think Pop is being CIA Pop. Tim has looked slower and been off. He hasn't looked right for a few games now. He could probably play but not optimally and if he wasn't going to be optimal in this game, why play him. You can only beat GSW playing your best and he wasn't going to do that at 50%. We'll see a lot of Lamarcus at the 5 probably and he's the one that will need to bring it. We are not winning this game if Lamarcus doesn't play like a star.

After that, athough I don't think he will play, I am curious whether POP will use Anderson for some minutes. He has somewhat of an advantage over other big s like Butler and Bonner in that he can handle switches well and has been good defending the PNR. On the other hand, he has limited experience as a 4. POP has played him more as a perimeter player and he might be overmatched, but if you want to know for sure if he is, this is the game to find out.

I was more interested in seeing the big rotation with Duncan. Without him, it figures to become more predictable by default.

I suspect he goes Anderson over Marjanovic, though if they get in a big hole early, he could end up going 11 deep.



The Warriors so called "lineup of death" is being over hyped for the simple fact that they don't use it that much. It's their ace in the hole, but it's not nearly the fixture people seem to think it is. They do in fact have two true centers in their rotation. In a playoff series, especially if it's apparent that the Spurs have the upper hand, I'd expect them to lean more on it and other small ball machinations though.

[DPG21920]

I'm really only interested in a few things, 2 of which we will see & 1 we won't:

1) Danny Green. This is the type of game he should be up for. I'm chalking a lot up to DG getting different looks, but also some bordem perhaps. Anxious to see with Stephs improved game if the DG/Kawhi combo still gives them trouble. Esp since Curry is basically only taking 3 pointers now. Currys last 5 games: 99 FGA with 67 of them coming from 3. Spurs defend the 3 well & that's basically all Curry shoots.

2) Lineup of death & what SA does. Go big & let LMA punish? Wildly experiment & see what works with unconventional lineups?

3) Zach Lowe brought this up & it ties into #2: How much does Tim factor in against the Lineup of Death? We won't see that tonight but an interesting question for sure. Can he stay on the floor? Can the offense work with him?

[Mugen]

How they defend Leonard tbh. I imagine Barnes/Iggy and probably some Raymond on him. They've theoretically got some guys to throw at Kawhi that could neutralize him in a playoff series...

[lilbthebasedgod]

I usually watch my computer screen play the game.

[spurs10]

I am looking forward to this 'game within a game.' I'm going to pay a lot of attention to the match-ups. I believe Tony will stay on Curry a lot, as EN said I doubt Pop is going to give him practice against Kahwi. I do think we can win this game and should damn well try. I think Diaw and West can be big for us tonight and will be especially interested in how we deal with Draymond Green.
:flag:

[Arcadian]

Who's going to play like a faggot, and who's not?

[Mugen]

Another thing I'll be watching is the lack of black people in the lower bowl of the Oracle. Lacob and Co. have really managed to gentrify the games to make sure to keep out all the locals of one of the blackest parts of California, and make it so only the elite of Silicon Valley can afford the games now that the team is good.

Yet, in Spurs games you still see fat mexican people peppered (no pun intended) throughout the first few rows....

Another reason why the Spurs are a classier organization and still the model franchise in sports tbh....

[turkish spurs fan]

i m here guys.

WE WILL WIN. YOU WILL SEE

[MI21]

I am interested to see how the Spurs handle the early part of the first quarter. As we all know, the Warriors jump on teams early thanks in large part to there very handsy defense igniting transition opportunities.

I would like to see the Spurs keep it simple early and protect the ball. A little less adventurous movement may lead to a few less baskets, but if it can keep the crowd and the Warriors from playing at pace, it's worth it.

[benefactor]

Another thing I'll be watching is the lack of black people in the lower bowl of the Oracle. Lacob and Co. have really managed to gentrify the games to make sure to keep out all the locals of one of the blackest parts of California, and make it so only the elite of Silicon Valley can afford the games now that the team is good.

Yet, in Spurs games you still see fat mexican people peppered (no pun intended) throughout the first few rows....

Another reason why the Spurs are a classier organization and still the model franchise in sports tbh....
http://s1.totalprosports.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/dancing-spurs-fan-bollywood-nba-fans.gif

[024]

LMA vs Draymond Green. If the Warriors can go small with Green at center and not be punished for it, then they will control the game and series (if the two teams meet).

Also kind of curious to see how Diaw matches up with Green. I expect to see a lineup of Diaw, Leonard, Ginobili, Green, and Parker at some point against the Warriors small ball.

[SAGirl]

That is certainly an SAGirl (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=49524) special. It has a lot of good insight in it, and it's long as hell :lol. I wonder what would happen if Kyle started for Duncan. Would it encourage the Warriors to go to micro-ball (Green at C)? If so, I think it's Drive-and-Kick City with a couple of stops to refill on post-ups. If not, then it almost completely eliminates the issues with using Kawhi on Draymond, and the Spurs would still have better rim-protection out there. In the very least, it would be fun to watch.
:bobo
No problem. I catch (and retain) many bits of information, and sometimes if something picks my interest, I'll rewatch a sequence. I was curious for example why Pop subbed Diaw out in the Cavs game and I re-watched some minutes from him, noticing some things that let me figure it out. I tend to get off topic a lot bc I have accumulated and retained many bits of information that are sometimes relevant or marginally relevant to a topic. (and here I am going to go off topic with a cliche.. Typical female mind).:lol

I like to read others views too. Very often there are things I missed myself, or just didn't pay attention bc I was looking at a different player when I watched the game.

[SAGirl]

I was more interested in seeing the big rotation with Duncan. Without him, it figures to become more predictable by default.

I suspect he goes Anderson over Marjanovic, though if they get in a big hole early, he could end up going 11 deep.



The Warriors so called "lineup of death" is being over hyped for the simple fact that they don't use it that much. It's their ace in the hole, but it's not nearly the fixture people seem to think it is. They do in fact have two true centers in their rotation. In a playoff series, especially if it's apparent that the Spurs have the upper hand, I'd expect them to lean more on it and other small ball machinations though.

It is less predictable I think. With TD, you know Timmy will play. How long and which matchups is decided in the flow of the game, but if he was healthy he was playing.

Without TD, now you have some flawed guys and some decisions to make. Maybe in the end Pop plays 11 guys. You are right. Personally I want to see Kyle, but I don't think he will play. I think Pop stays very strict with a tight rotation, and we see some Boban with Diaw bc West will likely start, and Diaw will need help with bench rebounding, and rim protection. Manu and Diaw play really well with Boban and Boban is sufficiently impactful to force the other coaches' hand to adapt.

We just give away too much with Diaw/Kyle, Diaw/Butler or even the very unlikely Diaw/Bonner.

If there is foul trouble on any big, that is where I think we see Kyle and that may not happen.

[MI21]

I am interested to see how the Spurs handle the early part of the first quarter. As we all know, the Warriors jump on teams early thanks in large part to there very handsy defense igniting transition opportunities.

I would like to see the Spurs keep it simple early and protect the ball. A little less adventurous movement may lead to a few less baskets, but if it can keep the crowd and the Warriors from playing at pace, it's worth it.

FAIL

8 turnovers in the first quarter, this shit was predictable as fuck. Lucky to still be in single digit deficit.

[benefactor]

FAIL

8 turnovers in the first quarter, this shit was predictable as fuck. Lucky to still be in single digit deficit.
They'll clean it up. Not being down by 15 is the best part of it.

[MI21]

They'll clean it up. Not being down by 15 is the best part of it.

Agreed, but having a simple 3-4 TO quarters make this roughly a tie game, disappointing because if I know that GS, particular Curry and Bogut come out handsy as fuck, you can beat the Spurs know :lol Gotta handle that shit.

[ElNono]

Especially with Tim out, I definitely want to see how LMA steps up (or not)... He's had half a season to acclimate, he's done generally a great job, but these are the kind of games where we'll need him. I already know that because Tim isn't going to be next to him, the interior D will suffer a bit, but I want to see an aggressive LMA on offense out there, tbh... West is a rugged, gutsy guy, but obviously limited by his age, I know he'll bring it within his limitations...

So this was a bust, which was not unexpected. Although I do think the negative can be diminished by having LMA and TD together, where TD can organize the defense better under the basket and LMA can be involved in more than just posting up (hi/lo, etc). But LMA will need to be much, much more aggressive.


Frankly, I already have my mind set that Tony is going to guard Curry most of the game. I don't think Pop is going to give Curry free practice time against Danny/Kawhi in the regular season. Maybe in the 4th quarter, if it's a close game, we'll see Kawhi taking on him.

This turned out to be largely true, as expected. And as expected Curry largely took advantage. Pop experimented a lot this game, which makes sense: we're the 'newer' team, while GS pounded us with his established lineups and plays.


And lastly, I wanna see how Pop deals with potential postups on Patty when the bench is out there, and whether Kerr goes to that at all (he might not want to play that card this game).

This turned out not to be much of an issue, IIRC. Manu took on Livingston, and he didn't really post him up. What was very crappy was the rotations when a warrior would cut to the basket. Lots of tape to watch there.

[TD 21]

It is less predictable I think. With TD, you know Timmy will play. How long and which matchups is decided in the flow of the game, but if he was healthy he was playing.

Without TD, now you have some flawed guys and some decisions to make. Maybe in the end Pop plays 11 guys. You are right. Personally I want to see Kyle, but I don't think he will play. I think Pop stays very strict with a tight rotation, and we see some Boban with Diaw bc West will likely start, and Diaw will need help with bench rebounding, and rim protection. Manu and Diaw play really well with Boban and Boban is sufficiently impactful to force the other coaches' hand to adapt.

We just give away too much with Diaw/Kyle, Diaw/Butler or even the very unlikely Diaw/Bonner.

If there is foul trouble on any big, that is where I think we see Kyle and that may not happen.

What I was implying was exactly what played out, which was West doubling as the backup center (before garbage time).