Zach Lowe: "Parker could be unplayable vs Dubs?" "Pop played fake lineups ..."

[spursistan]

He says it is tempting to throw out the game last night..Spurs were on their heels for first time this season..Parker got decimated on D and could be virtually unplayable vs them..Draymond defended Kawhi pretty well on few possessions.. Pop started to "play fake lineups" when the game started to get a blowout feel to it (too much Simmons/KA) ...

around min 30..

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=14654596

[RD2191]

Yup. I mentioned this in another thread. Parker being extremely limited against the Dubs not the article.

[Nathan89]

Same goes for Patty Mills which is why I wanted to trade him for a bigger pg.

[HarlemHeat37]

Yep..as I said in my other thread, they scored on virtually every possession directly involving Parker as a primary defender, and they clearly made it a purpose to go after him..

Mills, as well, although that was expected, he's having a relatively poor season..

[RD2191]

Same goes for Patty Mills which is why I wanted to trade him for a bigger pg.

Should of found a way to keep Cojo tbh.

[Kawhitstorm]

Put Parker on Barnes & let him try to go for 40, he has actually been struggling since his ankle injury as you saw last night. Patty can only play when Barbosa is on the floor b/c Livingston will eat him alive. Manu would have to play quality 20 minutes just like the 2014 OKC series when Patty/Marco were unplayable & Porker was getting eaten alive by Westbrook.

Pop didn't even bother playing CoJo until Porker got injured but he has no choice but to unleash Simmons/Kyle (or Rasual) for 10 minutes per each against the Worriers.

The only way the Spurs come out on top (besides Softridge showing up) is if Danny becomes a legit threat on offense like the (2013/2014 playoffs) b/c he's going to have to play 30 minutes.

[SAGirl]

Both got Tony/Patty got shredded and may be unplayable unless they are on fire offensively and taking care of the ball. In a game where they were both not scoring, turning the ball over, and getting attacked every time they were on defense, it would have been better to indeed see more KA and Simmons than even we saw, but Pop was just gathering data and film on his team for this one.

I don't even think Simmons is a decoy at all. Pop likes him and the situation we are in, he may need to come to the rescue some games. Kyle is a project. On the one hand Pop plays him, but he's in a short leash. Pop likes him enough to give him chances, but not enough to give him extended playing time, he's basically inconclusive.

[Nathan89]

Put Parker on Barnes & let him try to go for 40, he has actually been struggling since his ankle injury as you saw last night. Patty can only play when Barbosa is on the floor b/c Livingston will eat him alive. Manu would have to play quality 20 minutes just like the 2014 OKC series when Patty/Marco were unplayable & Porker was getting eaten alive by Westbrook.

Pop didn't even bother playing CoJo until Porker got injured but he has no choice but to unleash Simmons/Kyle (or Rasual) for 10 minutes per each against the Worriers.

The only way the Spurs come out on top (besides Softridge showing up) is if Danny becomes a legit threat on offense like the (2013/2014 playoffs) b/c he's going to have to play 30 minutes.

This is the only thing we can try. Ideally we would put a bigger pg on Klay, Lma on Barnes, Kawhi on Dray, and Green on Curry. Switching all Curry and Dray action seems like a must with how prolific Curry is with any space these days.

[apalisoc_9]

Put Parker on Barnes & let him try to go for 40, he has actually been struggling since his ankle injury as you saw last night. Patty can only play when Barbosa is on the floor b/c Livingston will eat him alive. Manu would have to play quality 20 minutes just like the 2014 OKC series when Patty/Marco were unplayable & Porker was getting eaten alive by Westbrook.

Pop didn't even bother playing CoJo until Porker got injured but he has no choice but to unleash Simmons/Kyle (or Rasual) for 10 minutes per each against the Worriers.

The only way the Spurs come out on top (besides Softridge showing up) is if Danny becomes a legit threat on offense like the (2013/2014 playoffs) b/c he's going to have to play 30 minutes.

Do you think hell play danny 30 minutes? :lol

[Nathan89]

Danny showing up isn't enough. Were going to need the entire team to show up.

[objective]

The smartest thing Kerr could do is not attack Parker the rest of the regular season. Just rope-a-dope Pop into thinking the matchups still work enough to keep playing Parker. Then attack Parker and Mills nonstop in the playoffs.

by the time Pop realizes that he can't play Parker or Mills, it'll be 2-0 or 3-0 and the series will be over.

[HarlemHeat37]

Put Parker on Barnes & let him try to go for 40, he has actually been struggling since his ankle injury as you saw last night. Patty can only play when Barbosa is on the floor b/c Livingston will eat him alive. Manu would have to play quality 20 minutes just like the 2014 OKC series when Patty/Marco were unplayable & Porker was getting eaten alive by Westbrook.

Pop didn't even bother playing CoJo until Porker got injured but he has no choice but to unleash Simmons/Kyle (or Rasual) for 10 minutes per each against the Worriers.

The only way the Spurs come out on top (besides Softridge showing up) is if Danny becomes a legit threat on offense like the (2013/2014 playoffs) b/c he's going to have to play 30 minutes.

Kerr has repeatedly said he hates the strategy of diverting from their game plan to exploit a potential mismatch, tbh..he was asked about it, re: the Memphis series, last year, and again vs. Cleveland..

He won't stubbornly go to Barnes too much like Jackson did in 2013..he'll probably stick with Curry + mix it up with the other taking turns vs. Parker/Mills..

[Kawhitstorm]

This is the only thing we can try. Ideally we would put a bigger pg on Klay, Lma on Barnes, Kawhi on Dray, and Green on Curry. Switching all Curry and Dray action seems like a must with how prolific Curry is with any space these days.

Pop can essentially put Manu on Klay, Kawhi on Draymond & Danny on Curry if he want to roll w/ the 2014 OKC lineup. If the Worriers have the "Death" lineup: Diaw on Iggy & LMA/West on Barnes; if Bogut/Ezeli/Speights are on the floor then Tim.

[Kawhitstorm]

Kerr has repeatedly said he hates the strategy of diverting from their game plan to exploit a potential mismatch, tbh..he was asked about it, re: the Memphis series, last year, and again vs. Cleveland..

He won't stubbornly go to Barnes too much like Jackson did in 2013..he'll probably stick with Curry + mix it up with the other taking turns vs. Parker/Mills..

Either way it means Patty/Tony aren't in the middle of the fire.

[SAGirl]

Put Parker on Barnes & let him try to go for 40, he has actually been struggling since his ankle injury as you saw last night. Patty can only play when Barbosa is on the floor b/c Livingston will eat him alive. Manu would have to play quality 20 minutes just like the 2014 OKC series when Patty/Marco were unplayable & Porker was getting eaten alive by Westbrook.

Pop didn't even bother playing CoJo until Porker got injured but he has no choice but to unleash Simmons/Kyle (or Rasual) for 10 minutes per each against the Worriers.

The only way the Spurs come out on top (besides Softridge showing up) is if Danny becomes a legit threat on offense like the (2013/2014 playoffs) b/c he's going to have to play 30 minutes.
GSW is much better as a team than OKC. They are a lot smarter, when they push the ball in transition inevitably there is a mismatch somewhere. Whoever Parker was on attacked him, scoring on him or getting doubled. GSW due to the intense level of competition has kept getting better and at this poi t they recognize the mismatch, go to it immediately a d pass immediately out of a double team. There is no hiding Tony or Patty. I don't know which game you watched.

[Ice009]

Should of found a way to keep Cojo tbh.

I was thinking of asking the question during the game last night. If the salary was the same between Mills and Cojo, who would Spurstalk posters pick between the two. Even though Cojo can't shoot 3s like Mills, I would still have to go with him easily. He really could have helped last night.

[Kawhitstorm]

The smartest thing Kerr could do is not attack Parker the rest of the regular season. Just rope-a-dope Pop into thinking the matchups still work enough to keep playing Parker. Then attack Parker and Mills nonstop in the playoffs.

by the time Pop realizes that he can't play Parker or Mills, it'll be 2-0 or 3-0 and the series will be over.

Curry torched Tony in the previous matchup before the "Kawhi Game" where he was also meh but the Worriers were sloppy just like the Spurs were yesterday & Kawhi feasted on it.

[313]

Yep..as I said in my other thread, they scored on virtually every possession directly involving Parker as a primary defender, and they clearly made it a purpose to go after him..

Mills, as well, although that was expected, he's having a relatively poor season..
Has the Patty Mills experiment been a failure tbh? I mean, I guess not since his one good season he was key for us winning the ship. But it almost feels like we wouldve been better off letting him walk and get paid somewhere else. He was never a good defender, and he hasn't been the surprise, offensive scorer we saw in 2014 regular season. Last year we could chalk it up to him coming off an injury, and we saw a slight glimpse of promise in our short playoff run, but he's been otherwise a new negative.

With Parker getting older, it wouldve been nice to have a nice PG prospect on the bench being groomed.

[Kawhitstorm]

GSW is much better as a team than OKC. They are a lot smarter, when they push the ball in transition inevitably there is a mismatch somewhere. Whoever Parker was on attacked him, scoring on him or getting doubled. GSW due to the intense level of competition has kept getting better and at this poi t they recognize the mismatch, go to it immediately a d pass immediately out of a double team. There is no hiding Tony or Patty. I don't know which game you watched.

Worriers were getting mismatches b/c they were feasting off turnovers & running on missed shots (there were a lot of bricks) which is what OKC did when they backdoor swept the Spurs in 2012. If the Spurs can't control the pace & keep the turnover number to a minimum then they have no chance. It's impossible to have floor balance/cross match when your point guard is handing the ball to the other team.:lol

If you look at all their losses/close calls, the Worriers committed more & just as many turnovers as their oppositions. The last thing you want is to give them more possessions as they lead he NBA in points-per-possession but they had 11 more possessions yesterday:lol (Tim should help in the pace department along w/ calming down the team).

Tbh, I feel like you need a true PG like Chris Paul to beat them b/c he's very good at dictating the pace along with making Curry work on defense. He's also not a liability on defense either.:lol

[313]

The smartest thing Kerr could do is not attack Parker the rest of the regular season. Just rope-a-dope Pop into thinking the matchups still work enough to keep playing Parker. Then attack Parker and Mills nonstop in the playoffs.

by the time Pop realizes that he can't play Parker or Mills, it'll be 2-0 or 3-0 and the series will be over.
It's not like we have someone to replace mills/parker, so what would they gain by doing that?

[tholdren]

Lol I bet pop doesn't play parker..... not. Any spurs fan knows pop lives and dies with a lineup come playoff time.

[daslicer]

Since Kawhi has been drafted the Spurs have always lost to teams in the playoffs that have athletic shot blockers or athletic mobile bigs. Thunder in '12 had Ibacka, Heat in '13 Bosh who was athletic and mobile granted not a great shot blocker, '15 Clippers with Jordan. Warriors don't have any of those type of bigs granted Bogut is great low post defender and Green is athletic and mobile but is undersized.

[rasuo214]

I've been saying the Spurs will need to go big with a Manu/Danny/Kawhi/Timmy or West/LMA lineup. Simmons, Anderson and Butler off the bench and only playing Parker/Patty sparingly.

[YGWHI]

Lol I bet pop doesn't play parker..... not. Any spurs fan knows pop lives and dies with a lineup come playoff time.

Agree. Pop lives and dies with Parker against tough matchups instead of trying to run the offense throught other players...at least for some quarters in a game to gain experience.

He didn't limit injured-Parker's minutes in last playoffs and will never do it. Not sure why people say "at some point he'll"...No, he won't.

[T_L_P]

Yep..as I said in my other thread, they scored on virtually every possession directly involving Parker as a primary defender, and they clearly made it a purpose to go after him..

Mills, as well, although that was expected, he's having a relatively poor season..

They had like 5 guys who scored on him. He is unplayable against a smart team like GS because they know to just go at him non-stop.

[MultiTroll]

Yep..as I said in my other thread, they scored on virtually every possession directly involving Parker as a primary defender, and they clearly made it a purpose to go after him..

Mills, as well, although that was expected, he's having a relatively poor season..
Even on the plays he was not the primary on the eventual scorer, Parker figured in.
Green and other would pass right over his short ass when they had the ball. Not sure how he ended up on Green, zone I guess, regardless did you see all the whip passes made right over his ass?

[Spurtacular]

Same goes for Patty Mills which is why I wanted to trade him for a bigger pg.

Good luck finding a better option at $3 mil per season.

[Kawhitstorm]

Do you think hell play danny 30 minutes? :lol

He played 30 minutes per while throwing up bricks against the Cripples.:lol

[Kawhitstorm]

Good luck finding a better option at $3 mil per season.

Schroder is on his rookie contract & Bud likes 3 point chuckers so perfect swap.:wakeup

[SpursforSix]

I was thinking of asking the question during the game last night. If the salary was the same between Mills and Cojo, who would Spurstalk posters pick between the two. Even though Cojo can't shoot 3s like Mills, I would still have to go with him easily. He really could have helped last night.

Now, it's an easy choice...Cojo. But at the time, Mills had just come off some amazing performances. I remember people saying he was a "must re-sign". But obviously, Cojo is the better PG.

[SAGirl]

TBH against GSW they may need to be on a shorter leash than Anderson who had 7 points, 4 tbs,,2assists 2steals in 15 mins, a better line than LMA, but yea HE was the one in the short leash.

[dabom]

KA was worse than Tony if you can imagine that.

[SpursforSix]

KA was worse than Tony if you can imagine that.

No, I can't really imagine that.

[Spurtacular]

Schroder is on his rookie contract & Bud likes 3 point chuckers so perfect swap.:wakeup

Why would Atlanta make that trade?

[RD2191]

I was thinking of asking the question during the game last night. If the salary was the same between Mills and Cojo, who would Spurstalk posters pick between the two. Even though Cojo can't shoot 3s like Mills, I would still have to go with him easily. He really could have helped last night.

I made my choice when Rivers abused Mills in the 1st round last season. Cojo was just wasting away on the bench for some reason.

[Kawhitstorm]

Why would Atlanta make that trade?

Buds LOVES 3 point chuckers & Schroder/Teague can't co-exist.:rolleyes

[Spurtacular]

Buds LOVES 3 point chuckers & Schroder/Teague can't co-exist.:rolleyes

ATL would have to want to play undersized Mills at the two for 30 min plus a game. I doubt they'd do that.

[Kawhitstorm]

Now, it's an easy choice...Cojo. But at the time, Mills had just come off some amazing performances. I remember people saying he was a "must re-sign". But obviously, Cojo is the better PG.

It isn't Patty's contract the fucked it up, it's PORKER!:bang

[dabom]

No, I can't really imagine that.

The warriors got everything and the Spurs got nothing while he was on the floor. It's disingenuous to say he got that statline not in blowout time.

This is what it really looked like





7:20
Kyle Anderson enters the game for Boris Diaw
31-41



7:20

31-42
Shaun Livingston makes free throw 1 of 1


7:09
Tony Parker lost ball turnover (Draymond Green steals)
31-42



7:01

31-42
Shaun Livingston bad pass


6:56

31-42
Marreese Speights loose ball foul (Kawhi Leonard draws the foul)


6:43
Kawhi Leonard makes two point shot
33-42



6:30

33-44
Klay Thompson makes two point shot (Shaun Livingston assists)


6:30
Kawhi Leonard shooting foul (Klay Thompson draws the foul)
33-44



6:30

33-45
Klay Thompson makes free throw 1 of 1


6:11
Kyle Anderson makes 14-foot two point shot (Kawhi Leonard assists)
35-45



6:01

35-47
Klay Thompson makes 2-foot two point shot (Draymond Green assists)


5:37
LaMarcus Aldridge makes dunk (Tony Parker assists)
37-47



5:26
Warriors Full timeout


5:26

37-47
Stephen Curry enters the game for Brandon Rush


5:26
Patty Mills enters the game for Tony Parker
37-47



5:20

37-47
Marreese Speights misses 15-foot jumper


5:20

37-47
Warriors offensive team rebound


5:20
Kyle Anderson loose ball foul (Draymond Green draws the foul)
37-47



5:20

37-48
Draymond Green makes free throw 1 of 2


5:20

37-49
Draymond Green makes free throw 2 of 2


5:11
Kawhi Leonard misses 17-foot two point shot
37-49



5:11

37-49
Marreese Speights defensive rebound


5:00

37-51
Stephen Curry makes 10-foot two point shot


4:54
Kyle Anderson misses 4-foot jumper
37-51



4:50

37-51
Marreese Speights defensive rebound


4:43

37-53
Shaun Livingston makes driving dunk


4:24
LaMarcus Aldridge misses 19-foot jumper
37-53



4:24
Kyle Anderson offensive rebound
37-53



4:22
Draymond Green blocks Kyle Anderson 's 3-foot jumper
37-53



4:20

37-53
Klay Thompson defensive rebound


4:11
Danny Green shooting foul (Draymond Green draws the foul)
37-53



4:11

37-54
Draymond Green makes free throw 1 of 2


4:11
Manu Ginobili enters the game for Patty Mills
37-54



4:11
Jonathon Simmons enters the game for Danny Green
37-54



4:11
Rasual Butler enters the game for Kyle Anderson
37-54






Getting outscored 13-6 and eye test proved it too. Stunk up the place. It was an 10 point deficit and turned to a blowout with him on the floor.

Kid was trash. Don't say his end of game statline like he had any fucking effect on the game.

[dabom]

TBH against GSW they may need to be on a shorter leash than Anderson who had 7 points, 4 tbs,,2assists 2steals in 15 mins, a better line than LMA, but yea HE was the one in the short leash.

Stop being a joke sometimes.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

LOL fans are hilarious. So the Spurs should get taller PGs so they can defeat Warriors.

First six minutes of the game Parker is 2-3 FG and penetrates and dishes for a Aldridge miss and Kawhi airball. Kawhi gets beat backdoor in for GSW possession and makes two poor passes that are stolen to set the early tone.

[SpursforSix]

It isn't Patty's contract the fucked it up, it's PORKER!:bang

Word. Just word. I was coming around on thinking it wasn't that bad but if he really is this big a liability against the one team when we really need him...

[Kawhitstorm]

ATL would have to want to play undersized Mills at the two for 30 min plus a game. I doubt they'd do that.

Millsap is their point forward, all Patty has to do is chuck away especially w/ Korver's decline. Schroder is a career 32% three point shooter & he's attempting 5.4 per 36.:lol

[SAGirl]

KA was worse than Tony if you can imagine that.
He as not and you know it babe. Besides the point is Kyle is a 22 yr old inexperienced youngster who put up a better game than both LMA and Tony. That was pathetic from vets and former all-stars. But if you feel like trolling, Da-Boom away in deaf ears.

[Kawhitstorm]

Word. Just word. I was coming around on thinking it wasn't that bad but if he really is this big a liability against the one team when we really need him...

Tony simply feasts on mediocre PnR defenders (i.e. Love/Drummond) & can get exposed on D if teams make it a point to attack him consistently.

[dabom]

He as not and you know it babe. Besides the point is Kyle is a 22 yr old inexperienced youngster who put up a better game than both LMA and Tony. That was pathetic from vets and former all-stars. But if you feel like trolling, Da-Boom away in deaf ears.

Tell me his statline like it means shit. He was the worst player on the floor last night. The worst 3 minutes of the game. Serious. Go back and watch it.

[SAGirl]

Tell me his statline like it means shit. He was the worst player on the floor last night. The worst 3 minutes of the game. Serious. Go back and watch it.
I did babe, and you should research LMA and Tony.

[dabom]

I did babe, and you should research LMA and Tony.

You're defending KA's night while he was the worst player yesterday. Makes sense. :wtf

[dabom]

I wonder what K... thinks about KA yesterday.

[SouthernFried]

I don't think Kerr is much worried about mixing it up just to not show his hand to Pop. Not worried at all.

Mills and Parker are just short and slight of build. I like Mills. Just the GS matchup is a tough one for both of them and we might have to change lineups just for GS...unless TP and Patty become offensive threats. Simmons, Kyle, Green, Kawhi, Butler...we do have some options here without blowing up the team. Cleveland fired its coach after the same type of loss to them. I think San Antonio might be able to handle the adjustments that might be necessary a little better than that.

Or, it could be that GS is just that damned good that it really doesn't matter. Of course, we could always trade LMA for Jimmy Butler...if someone could convince the Bulls :lol

[SAGirl]

You're defending KA's night while he was the worst player yesterday. Makes sense. :wtf
He played poorly but this was a very big game fir a young guy who is out of the rotation. He messed up a couple of plays that were terrible but it was not the entirety of his playing time. Meantime the others are Nba champions and former all-stars who looked like shit. Comparatively speaking they are not in the same league. That Kyle was able to put that stat line in this game despite his mistakes is a positive. There is no positive for the other two. It's gloomy there. At least Kyle can improve. Tony cannot grow or get younger. And LMA, he's overall been a concern.

[Kawhitstorm]

LOL fans are hilarious. So the Spurs should get taller PGs so they can defeat Warriors.

First six minutes of the game Parker is 2-3 FG and penetrates and dishes for a Aldridge miss and Kawhi airball. Kawhi gets beat backdoor in for GSW possession and makes two poor passes that are stolen to set the early tone.

Bruh, Tony was a no show after the first 6 minutes & the 2nd turnover on Kawhi was b/c of a terrible entry pass.:lol Kawhi was also overplaying Klay b/c he had his eyes on Curry & even then it was just a 4 point game.

Kawhi knockdown a 3 to make it a 10 point game early in the 3rd quarter then the Worriers ran a train on Porker (& Patty) who didn't do anything productive (Zero points & 2 turnovers) after the first 6 minutes of the 1st quarter.:lmao

[dabom]

I'm gonna end the discussion here. He was bad and I hope he never gets minutes against GSW unless it's a blowout. Pop is going to do that in the future. FYI.

[SAGirl]

I don't think Kerr is much worried about mixing it up just to not show his hand to Pop. Not worried at all.

Mills and Parker are just short and slight of build. I like Mills. Just the GS matchup is a tough one for both of them and we might have to change lineups just for GS...unless TP and Patty become offensive threats. Simmons, Kyle, Green, Kawhi, Butler...we do have some options here without blowing up the team. Cleveland fired its coach after the same type of loss to them. I think San Antonio might be able to handle the adjustments that might be necessary a little better than that.

Or, it could be that GS is just that damned good that it really doesn't matter. Of course, we could always trade LMA for Jimmy Butler...if someone could convince the Bulls :lol
My take defensively when the time comes in the postseason Pop will cook something up, but if they are going to be off the ball,not doing much offensively then Pop will need to go to some other guys. The time they are there they will need to be used offensively and take care of the ball. If there are going to be sequences when they are exploited Pop will have to sub them out or we will loose. The whole point is that they cannot be hidden.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

I'm gonna end the discussion here. He was bad and I hope he never gets minutes against GSW unless it's a blowout. Pop is going to do that in the future. FYI.

Hey coach. If you believe that Parker shouldn't play against GSW can you please post your starting five and your rotations? I'd really like to see your roster.

[dabom]

Hey coach. If you believe that Parker shouldn't play against GSW can you please post your starting five and your rotations? I'd really like to see your roster.

Yeah I was talking about Kyle anderson not porker buddy...

[SAGirl]

I'm gonna end the discussion here. He was bad and I hope he never gets minutes against GSW unless it's a blowout. Pop is going to do that in the future. FYI.
He's been playing in blowouts anyways... so I don't know why it bothers you so much. He played here bc Timmy is injured and we may see him again so long as we need him. Hopefully he improves. It's not like I am wishing anyone to play terrible. in this particular past game, guys with larger roles played worse, and yea let's just leave it at that.

[SouthernFried]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Butler getting more minutes. He's shown he still has legs and a fire in his belly. Simmons and Kyle too.

Time for the coaching staff to earn their keep getting them ready :)

[SpursforSix]

My take defensively when the time comes in the postseason Pop will cook something up, but if they are going to be off the ball,not doing much offensively then Pop will need to go to some other guys. The time they are there they will need to be used offensively and take care of the ball. If there are going to be sequences when they are exploited Pop will have to sub them out or we will loose. The whole point is that they cannot be hidden.

I'm not sure what he can "cook up" to deal with what we saw last night. Curry gets shots at will. If you double team him, he finds the open man. They all do. Just have to hope that the Sours really just played that bad las night and the Curry and company don't have 4 out of seven games when they shoo like that.

[phxspurfan]

Having watched the Spurs since 2000, I agree. I noticed how badly burned Parker was on every play vs Curry. He's not fit to play D on him, and I figured before the game Pop would go with Danny and then Kawhi late game. But maybe thats the playoff strategy.

[peacemaker885]

Spurs have to match their scoring. You can't defend Curry (the way he's playing this year) no matter who you put on him. Curry is an anomaly. Kerr says that the fact that Curry "can pull up from 35 feet" opens up the defense and makes it extremely difficult on the opposing team. GSW is playing a different kind of game because of Curry. Spurs have to match their scoring.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Bruh, Tony was a no show after the first 6 minutes & the 2nd turnover on Kawhi was b/c of a terrible entry pass.:lol Kawhi was also overplaying Klay b/c he had his eyes on Curry & even then it was just a 4 point game.

Kawhi knockdown a 3 to make it a 10 point game early in the 3rd quarter then the Worriers ran a train on Porker (& Patty) who didn't do anything productive (Zero points & 2 turnovers) after the first 6 minutes of the 1st quarter.:lmao

And the next possession the real defensive player of the year Green shuts down our MVP candidate on an easy post and then a minute later Parker is able to get to the rim and drops it to Kawhi that Kawhi misses and sails out of bounds.

[dabom]

Terrible pass. 3 feet away from the rim through 2 defenders. Shoot the fucking ball. :lmao

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Terrible pass. 3 feet away from the rim through 2 defenders. Shoot the fucking ball. :lmao

"Good to Great"

[RD2191]

And the next possession the real defensive player of the year Green shuts down our MVP candidate on an easy post and then a minute later Parker is able to get to the rim and drops it to Kawhi that Kawhi misses and sails out of bounds.
Real dpoy? Who has the trophy? Salty old fuck.

[midnightpulp]

This is a huge problem since Tony has always been one of the key weapons against GS. He has actually outplayed Steph over the years more than Steph has outplayed him (of course I don't expect that currently, but if Tony can't be good for 15-18 points against them with the occasional 25 point burst, then it's game over).

Solution is to start Manu at point and just pray it works and he holds up (Tony off the bench could present a match up problem for the taller and slower Livingston). That's not going to happen with the loyalty factor and all.

It's going to take some outside the box lineups to challenge this team.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

If Tony is awful in a potential GS series, I still can't see Pop benching him like he did during 2014.

Look at the Clippers series last year where Pop stubbornly played Parker more than Belli/Mills who were on fire. Pop is almost loyal to a fault when it comes to playoff rotations.

[Kawhitstorm]

And the next possession the real defensive player of the year Green shuts down our MVP candidate on an easy post and then a minute later Parker is able to get to the rim and drops it to Kawhi that Kawhi misses and sails out of bounds.

All that amounted to a 4 point lead for the Worriers b/c there is this thing called "live ball" turnover which wasn't what Kawhi committed.:sleep

Porky/Patty were handing the ball to Curry as if he was a full back & lighting the house on fire before vacating to the bench.:lol

[TheGreatYacht]

Only players that played worse than Parker were Manu, Anderson, and Green. Right off the start Kerr put Klay on Parker and Curry got to rest on Green.... If Green isn't going to do shit, he needs to sit. Spurs can't afford to have a dead body on offense and allow Steph to get a breather. Start Manu or Simmons, I prefer Simmons.

If this is how Curry will work to get his points, I like my chances.
691851755609550848

[SAGirl]

This is a huge problem since Tony has always been one of the key weapons against GS. He has actually outplayed Steph over the years more than Steph has outplayed him (of course I don't expect that currently, but if Tony can't be good for 15-18 points against them with the occasional 25 point burst, then it's game over).

Solution is to start Manu at point and just pray it works and he holds up (Tony off the bench could present a match up problem for the taller and slower Livingston). That's not going to happen with the loyalty factor and all.

It's going to take some outside the box lineups to challenge this team.
I definitely think Tony will have to limited in minutes and when he's there, he's going to have to work on offense to tire Steph out, and Pop will have to live with Steph jacking shots. Just strategy wise, a strategy to run Steph for a bit on both ends. Other than that, if you have Tony off the ball like they did when offense went through Kawhi and LMA at times, you can't play Tony.

I thought Simmons did well. Simmons of course is such a jacked up guy, and is running all over that he's either going to make a great defensive play or foul someone. There is no in control with Simms. But he was unsettling, and he did rattle them out bc he was so unpredictable in switches he did and offensive fouls he drew. Pop likes him obviously. He played as many minutes as Kawhi this game, and I think he will play in the playoffs. He has talent. You just hope he can control his TO and FO but it might be a bit like Manu for Pop. You have to live with some bad plays bc you can't tone him down. It is precisely his energy play with makes him unsettling for others to deal with.

[Kawhitstorm]

Only players that played worse than Parker were Manu, Anderson, and Green. Right off the start Kerr put Klay on Parker and Curry got to rest on Green.... If Green isn't going to do shit, he needs to sit. Spurs can't afford to have a dead body on offense and allow Steph to get a breather. Start Manu or Simmons, I prefer Simmons.

If this is how Curry will work to get his points, I like my chances.


It's not a secret the best defense against Curry is picking him up full court (ala Nash/Bowen) but the Spurs were turning the ball over so much & bricking shots they didn't even get a chance to setup their defense.:lol Kawhi essentially picked him up at halfcourt when he ripped him 3-4 times last season.

[sasaint]

Only players that played worse than Parker were Manu, Anderson, and Green. Right off the start Kerr put Klay on Parker and Curry got to rest on Green.... If Green isn't going to do shit, he needs to sit. Spurs can't afford to have a dead body on offense and allow Steph to get a breather. Start Manu or Simmons, I prefer Simmons.

If this is how Curry will work to get his points, I like my chances.
691851755609550848

Against The Dubs bench Green. Start Kawhi at the 2 and Rasual at the 3. Only matchup disadvantage is Tony on Curry. But at least Tony will make him work on D. Curry cannot be "hidden" on Kawhi or Butler.

[TheGreatYacht]

It's not a secret the best defense against Curry is picking him up full court (ala Nash/Bowen) but the Spurs were turning the ball over so much & bricking shots they didn't even get a chance to setup their defense.:lol Kawhi essentially picked him up at halfcourt when he ripped him 3-4 times last season.
Simmons has the energy to do it, and he's strong enough to abuse Curry's scrawny ass on offense. Caldwell-Pope showed the blue print.
Mills can pressure full court, but he hardly does it and when he does he blatantly flops and let's his guy open half of the time :lol

[Kawhitstorm]

I definitely think Tony will have to limited in minutes and when he's there, he's going to have to work on offense to tire Steph out, and Pop will have to live with Steph jacking. Just strategy wise, a strategy to run Steph for a bit on both ends. Other than that, if you have Tony off the ball like they did when offense went through Kawhi and LMA at times, you can't play Tony.

Tony is going to play his regular season minutes (b/c Patty is even worse:lol) but won't see his minutes go up in the postseason as is customary when the rotation shortens. Besides, Klay is going to be the one checking Tony & Curry is going to be ball hawking while hiding on Danny.:lol


I thought Simmons did well. Simmons of course is such a jacked up guy, and is running all over that he's either going to make a great defensive play or foul someone. There is no in control with Simms. But he was unsettling, and he did rattle them out bc he was so unpredictable in switches he did and offensive fouls he drew. Pop likes him obviously. He played as many minutes as Kawhi this game, and I think he will play in the playoffs. He has talent. You just hope he can control his TO and FO but it might be a bit like Manu for Pop. You have to live with some bad plays bc you can't tone him down. It is precisely his energy play with makes him unsettling for others to deal with.

The atmosphere was too jacked up for Simmons who plays his best when he is calm & not overzealous. Simmons got too hyped while LMA on the other hand was shook.:lol

[TheGreatYacht]

Against The Dubs bench Green. Start Kawhi at the 2 and Rasual at the 3. Only matchup disadvantage is Tony on Curry. But at least Tony will make him work on D. Curry cannot be "hidden" on Kawhi or Butler.
Duncan/West
Aldridge/Diaw
Leonard/Butler
Simmons/Green
Parker/Ginobili

.. Patty before the shoulder surgery used to kill Golden State. Now he's become a liability and is just too small to guard Livingston or Barbosa. This is where Joseph's defense is missed, as bad as his chemistry with Manu was

[SAGirl]

Tony is going to play his regular season minutes (b/c Patty is even worse:lol) but won't see his minutes go up in the postseason as is customary when the rotation shortens. Besides, Klay is going to be the one checking Tony & Curry is going to be ball hawking while hiding on Danny.:lol



The atmosphere was too jacked up for Simmons who plays his best when he is calm & not overzealous. Simmons got too hyped while LMA on the other hand was shook.:lol

Simmons plays like this in big matches. Its not the first time, although this one was over the top. I believe it did get to him, but instead of making him wilt, it amplified his nervousness and energy. I would rather have that and so would Pop. Kyle got rattled making a few bad decisions offensively. This is the first game of this magnitude for them. Honestly I prefer they make mistakes of aggressiveness than passiveness. Remember Simmons is in the rotation and playing, Kyle is in and out and has not played in big games for a while. All things considered they did well. I posted that in a review I did of the game. To me the positives, other than what we learned about the team, what they learned about themselves, is that the rookies and young players got experience as well as Butler in a big game. Who knows?

Everyone assumes Pop will not go deep in the rotation, but we have to look at this team and recognize that this deep rotation has come forth and saved us in games, including Boban and Kyle in a Timberpups game that LMA and Tony were terrible. WE just don't know. Our depth is a strength and Pop has to figure these guys out.

[Kawhitstorm]

Simmons has the energy to do it, and he's strong enough to abuse Curry's scrawny ass on offense. Caldwell-Pope showed the blue print.
Mills can pressure full court, but he hardly does it and when he does he blatantly flops and let's his guy open half of the time :lol

Simmons is going to get called for bogus fouls b/c he's a scrub & Patty would get leveled by a pick.:lol Besides Kawhi, Danny is the only one that has earned the respect of the refs & has the ability to hound Curry. In any case, Draymond is probably going to bring up the ball if Curry is being pressured constantly so Kawhi/Danny have to just meet them at halfcourt & dare Draymond to dribble w/ Kawhi in a defensive stance.

All of it would be futile if LMA is milk-carton status.:lol

[Kawhitstorm]

Simmons plays like this in big matches. Its not the first time, although this one was over the top. I believe it did get to him, but instead of making him wilt, it amplified his nervousness and energy. I would rather have that and so would Pop. Kyle got rattled making a few bad decisions offensively. This is the first game of this magnitude for them. Honestly I prefer they make mistakes of aggressiveness than passiveness. Remember Simmons is in the rotation and playing, Kyle is in and out and has not played in big games for a while. All things considered they did well. I posted that in a review I did of the game. To me the positives, other than what we learned about the team, what they learned about themselves, is that the rookies and young players got experience as well as Butler in a big game. Who knows?

Everyone assumes Pop will not go deep in the rotation, but we have to look at this team and recognize that this deep rotation has come forth and saved us in games, including Boban and Kyle in a Timberpups game that LMA and Tony were terrible. WE just don't know. Our depth is a strength and Pop has to figure these guys out.

:pop:We're talking about the same Pop who refused to play a championship proven player (CoJo) when the guy in front of him was the worst player in last year's postseason (Porker).

[Kawhitstorm]

Duncan/West
Aldridge/Diaw
Leonard/Butler
Simmons/Green
Parker/Ginobili

.. Patty before the shoulder surgery used to kill Golden State. Now he's become a liability and is just too small to guard Livingston or Barbosa. This is where Joseph's defense is missed, as bad as his chemistry with Manu was

Patty used to kill the Worriers when they had Jarrett Jack/Dick Jefferson but they have been replaced by Livingston/Iggy, not to mention David Lee being addition by subtraction on defense.:lol

[MI21]

I expect Parker to be better offensively with Duncan in the lineup. Spurs fans are quite blind to what Timmy brings offensively outside of raw numbers, particularly his work at the horns passing the ball, setting screens, being in the right spot as a decoy around the paint, offensive rebounds etc.

I realise it was an awful game, but the Warriors are a pretty great team and these things happen. As Spurs fans, I would suspect that a lot would understand that results like this do not define a matchup - the Spurs have absolutely smashed teams in a game and then the next game, been belted themselves. It's almost like some of you have forgotten the 13 Finals (fair enough, lol), 05 Finals, 12WCF, 14WCF etc etc

It happens and I would hazard a guess it will happen again. (That said, as Spurs fans we have seen that shook look, scaredy cat face from a few players... and LMA was looking that way :( )

[From Downtown]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Manu at PG against then at some point

[LongtimeSpursFan]

:pop:We're talking about the same Pop who refused to play a championship proven player (CoJo) when the guy in front of him was the worst player in last year's postseason (Porker).

Let me see if I understand you. You are telling the basketball world that your high basketball intelligence based off numerous postings on a sports forum would advocate starting a 3rd string PG in place of starting PG?

[Mikeanaro]

And the next possession the real defensive player of the year Green shuts down our MVP candidate on an easy post and then a minute later Parker is able to get to the rim and drops it to Kawhi that Kawhi misses and sails out of bounds.
Kawhi is the real deal, Green is just lucky to play with Curry and hack other players without a whistle.

[Sean Cagney]

:pop:We're talking about the same Pop who refused to play a championship proven player (CoJo) when the guy in front of him was the worst player in last year's postseason (Porker).

How is Cojo a championship proven player exactly? I agree Parker should have sat more last playoffs but Cojo honestly was only good in spurts in the playoffs and never got extended mins in both the finals runs. Parkers numbers in 014 Finals were actually good.

[objective]

Sometimes Pop does weird lineup stuff for no apparent good reason, including Parker.

Like in 2010 when Parker came back from injury to play the last 6 games of the regular season, and played a bunch of minutes and performed fine but Pop still kept him coming off the bench for some bizarre reason. He came off the bench for 8 games in the playoffs! Playing about 32 minutes a game in the playoffs a month after coming back, but still not starting until the Suns were hallway through destroying the team. I still don't know what was going on back then.

So, maybe Pop could decide to just roll big with Simmons, Butler. and Anderson filling minutes over Parker and Mills.

[DenialTwist]

Lowe got one thing right. Warriors said they knew all the spurs sets and how to defend them after the game. The footage from that blowout has to count for something. Curry was showing exactly how they will play the spurs, they didn't leave much to the imagination. Pop has plenty of footage. Basically Parker, Mills and LMA were easy targets for the warriors to score. I agree though that Parker is kind of unplayable vs the warriors, but what the hell are the spurs going to do. Pop is not benching Parker for Mills or Simmons in the playoffs.

[jermaine]

Who in the hell Curry doesn't torches!?! Some people are so stupid!! Just take your hats off to Curry an keep moving!

[HarlemHeat37]

Lowe got one thing right. Warriors said they knew all the spurs sets and how to defend them after the game. The footage from that blowout has to count for something. Curry was showing exactly how they will play the spurs, they didn't leave much to the imagination. Pop has plenty of footage. Basically Parker, Mills and LMA were easy targets for the warriors to score. I agree though that Parker is kind of unplayable vs the warriors, but what the hell are the spurs going to do. Pop is not benching Parker for Mills or Simmons in the playoffs.

The Warriors don't really lose anything by "showing their hand", tbh..they have serious advantages in virtually every facet of this matchup, including 3/4 of the best individual players IMO..I agree with your point to an extent, although the playoffs are always different, every great team has a counter move..

[HarlemHeat37]

Forcing Curry to "play defense" isn't going to change anything, either:lol..maybe if he had to guard an opposing player in the post or ran through screens all game, but still, these are highly conditioned pro athletes..

Curry's worst stretch, last year, was 2 games or so where he was guarding Dellevadova and his non-existent offense, for example..

There hasn't been a successful strategy against Curry, so far, he's unstoppable in virtually every scenario..you can make it tougher on him, of course, but every NBA fan thinks they have the solution:lol.."make him play defense", "play physical against him", etc..these niggas have been running a train on the NBA for a year and a half with minimal trouble..

You just have to make it tough enough that he doesn't drop an efficient 30+ and make sure to guard his teammates relatively well(unlike the Spurs, who got killed by Livingston and their bench)..Draymond and Klay Thompson are largely useless on offense without Curry drawing attention and being in rhythm, too..

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

Only players that played worse than Parker were Manu, Anderson, and Green. Right off the start Kerr put Klay on Parker and Curry got to rest on Green.... If Green isn't going to do shit, he needs to sit. Spurs can't afford to have a dead body on offense and allow Steph to get a breather. Start Manu or Simmons, I prefer Simmons.

If this is how Curry will work to get his points, I like my chances.
691851755609550848

Exactly, and what the vine fails to show is the push off Curry did before he started his drive. He actually pushed off on Simmons twice coming up the court. Say what you want about Simmons, but I will take 6 fouls from Simmons if he guards Curry like that for 20 minutes and makes him work. This definitely will wear him out over a 7 game series.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

The starting 5 for the Spurs should be LMA, Duncan, Kawhi, Green/Butler and Manu.

Bring Parker off the bench. That will lite a fire in him being benched and I think he won't be so worn out coming off the bench and guarding Barbosa or Livingston. Bench should be West, Diaw, Simmons, Parker and Green/Butler.

That is the way I would play GS.

Spurs size would give GS fit. Spurs should always have Kawhi or Simmons guarding Curry. Make him work for every shot. Don't double. Let Curry just work for EVERY SHOT. This is what worked when the Spurs beat Phx 4-1 in '05 and Amare scored like 38-39 ppg. Let Curry get his, while making him work for every shot, and shut everyone else down.

That is how the Spurs will beat the Warriors.

[Kawhitstorm]

How is Cojo a championship proven player exactly? I agree Parker should have sat more last playoffs but Cojo honestly was only good in spurts in the playoffs and never got extended mins in both the finals runs. Parkers numbers in 014 Finals were actually good.

CoJo never got playoff burns b/c Pop is more concerned about 3 point shooting rather than defense which explains Bonner's tenure w/ the Spurs.:lol

CoJo played well when called upon in 2013 against the Worriers (guarding Barnes very well) & 2014 vs. OKC (in the biggest game for the franchise in the past 10 seasons). Gary Neal: :lmao

[Kawhitstorm]

Forcing Curry to "play defense" isn't going to change anything, either:lol..maybe if he had to guard an opposing player in the post or ran through screens all game, but still, these are highly conditioned pro athletes..

Curry's worst stretch, last year, was 2 games or so where he was guarding Dellevadova and his non-existent offense, for example..

There hasn't been a successful strategy against Curry, so far, he's unstoppable in virtually every scenario..you can make it tougher on him, of course, but every NBA fan thinks they have the solution:lol.."make him play defense", "play physical against him", etc..these niggas have been running a train on the NBA for a year and a half with minimal trouble..

You just have to make it tough enough that he doesn't drop an efficient 30+ and make sure to guard his teammates relatively well(unlike the Spurs, who got killed by Livingston and their bench)..Draymond and Klay Thompson are largely useless on offense without Curry drawing attention and being in rhythm, too..

Chris Paul is the only guard that has gone at Curry TWICE & succeed before flaming out in the 4th quarter trying the guard Curry & run the offense. Replace Porker w/ CP3 & LMA would be getting mid-range jumper all day long ala prime D-West along w/ Danny raining 3s. He also doesn't turn the ball over, can guard bigger players & tries to draw a foul when Curry is on him b/c the best defense is to send him to the bench.:lol

As much shyt as Chris Paul gets he would have been 2005 Manu in the Spurs system.

[SAGirl]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Manu at PG against then at some point
There was a lineup Pop used when he realized Patty could not deal with Curry and then proceeded to chuck away shot with some cold shooting which is when the game started to go in blowout mode. He got Simmons in with Manu Kawhi Butler. It was fine for some time and could work. Simmons did a surprisingly good job sticking with Curry. But they didn't play well either, turning the ball over. I realize at this point they were playing super fast trying to make a run to get back in the game, but that led to bad passes and poor shot selection. They actually amplified the GSW lead, the irony, but defensively there were some good things. POP did try a no PG lineup.

[From Downtown]

There was a lineup Pop used when he realized Patty could not deal with Curry and then proceeded to chuck away shot with some cold shooting which is when the game started to go in blowout mode. He got Simmons in with Manu Kawhi Butler. It was fine for some time and could work. Simmons did a surprisingly good job sticking with Curry. But they didn't play well either, turning the ball over. I realize at this point they were playing super fast trying to make a run to get back in the game, but that led to bad passes and poor shot selection. They actually amplified the GSW lead, the irony, but defensively there were some good things. POP did try a no PG lineup.
At the end of the first half Manu,Simmons and Butler were the only ones with a positive +/- and I think that must say something...
Of course Manu at PG for extended time might hurt us more than not because of him being turnover prone and also because he hasn't got the legs to do it on a 7 games series anymore,but I can see Pop going for it in spurts and I can see it actually working
Pop used the Manu/Simmons backcourt when Parker was out against the Bucks and their length and it worked fine
Now I don't think Parkers going to sit and maybe the best thing to do is to hide him on Barnes and if he scores 40 then be it,but Simmons (who's proving he can be in the rotation comes playoffs time) and Butler could definitely eat some of Patty's minutes

[SAGirl]

At the end of the first half Manu,Simmons and Butler were the only ones with a positive +/- and I think that must say something...
Of course Manu at PG for extended time might hurt us more than not because of him being turnover prone and also because he hasn't got the legs to do it on a 7 games series anymore,but I can see Pop going for it in spurts and I can see it actually working
Pop used the Manu/Simmons backcourt when Parker was out against the Bucks and their length and it worked fine
Now I don't think Parkers going to sit and maybe the best thing to do is to hide him on Barnes and if he scores 40 then be it,but Simmons (who's proving he can be in the rotation comes playoffs time) and Butler could definitely eat some of Patty's minutes

The reason Parker could nit be hidden is that whoever he guarded, backed him into the paint. Apparently Pop had a tactic to double but that required sharp rotations. Every time that happened someone made a cut and GS found the cutter immediately. The worst offender in not rotating was West, as good as he was offensively he was worse on defense. The lineup we talked about eliminated the need to double so the backcuts were eliminated. That together with Butler hitting some shots in that period is what gave that line-up the positive. The impact wasn't so much Butler (other than the shots he made) but Manu ND Simmons eliminating the need to double.

POP tried the same group again in the 3rd first with Patty and he was horrible. Then with Rasual, but that was the stretch that saw the worst play from Simmons as well and that is when the game became a blowout. Simmons at this point is probably better used for a jolt. Played a lot if time, exposes his limitations IMO.

[ceperez]

The reason Parker could nit be hidden is that whoever he guarded, backed him into the paint. Apparently Pop had a tactic to double but that required sharp rotations. Every time that happened someone made a cut and GS found the cutter immediately. The worst offender in not rotating was West, as good as he was offensively he was worse on defense. The lineup we talked about eliminated the need to double so the backcuts were eliminated. That together with Butler hitting some shots in that period is what gave that line-up the positive. The impact wasn't so much Butler (other than the shots he made) but Manu ND Simmons eliminating the need to double.

POP tried the same group again in the 3rd first with Patty and he was horrible. Then with Rasual, but that was the stretch that saw the worst play from Simmons as well and that is when the game became a blowout. Simmons at this point is probably better used for a jolt. Played a lot if time, exposes his limitations IMO.

Sitting Parker is going to be a major problem because the Spurs don't have enough backup legs to man the point. Ginobili is only effective for at most 15 minutes, beyond that he is turnover prone.

Simmons and Anderson can bring up the ball, but don't have enough experience to orchestrate the offense at a playoff level.

The Spur cannot win against the Dubs if the game becomes a shooting contest. The only way to prevent that is to have enough mobile wing defenders, that means both Simmons, Anderson and Butler need to start logging longer minutes.

Spurs need to start playing effective small ball. LMA just isn't explosive enough in offense to make a dent. Heck, I'm now in favor of trading him for a SF like Batum.

The Warriors aren't going away in the next couple of years, therefore the Spurs need the talent to continue to compete against them.

[From Downtown]

The reason Parker could nit be hidden is that whoever he guarded, backed him into the paint. Apparently Pop had a tactic to double but that required sharp rotations. Every time that happened someone made a cut and GS found the cutter immediately. The worst offender in not rotating was West, as good as he was offensively he was worse on defense. The lineup we talked about eliminated the need to double so the backcuts were eliminated. That together with Butler hitting some shots in that period is what gave that line-up the positive. The impact wasn't so much Butler (other than the shots he made) but Manu ND Simmons eliminating the need to double.

POP tried the same group again in the 3rd first with Patty and he was horrible. Then with Rasual, but that was the stretch that saw the worst play from Simmons as well and that is when the game became a blowout. Simmons at this point is probably better used for a jolt. Played a lot if time, exposes his limitations IMO.
Well Parker is still our best playmaker and Pop is not going to sit him,so we either learn how to rotate perfectly (good that there are still 3 games to play against them) trying to eliminate the backdoor cuts,which is the best case scenario but also the less probable,live with Barnes posting up Parker hoping that Kerr stays true to his words and doesn't alter their game plan exploiting the mismatch to death,or let Curry go for 40 by leaving Tony on him (and maybe putting Kawhi or Danny on him in the 4th) and try to limitate the other 5 (which is basically what the Warriors themselves did in the finals last year from game 4 onwards,but we have to take into account that Curry supporting cast is much better than LeBron's)

Of course we can't count on Simmons like he's prime Manu or something,he's a rookie with little experience outside of college/D - league, but I expect him to improve in the next 30 games or so
As I said we can't count on that lineup with Manu,Butler,Simmons,Green/Leonard and Diaw for extended time but I wouldn't mind Simms and Rasual eating some of Patty's minutes and it could be effective,we could also play both Green and Kawhi instead of one of them as their minutes will grow anyway in the playoffs

[ElNono]

Just against the Dubs?

[SAGirl]

Sitting Parker is going to be a major problem because the Spurs don't have enough backup legs to man the point. Ginobili is only effective for at most 15 minutes, beyond that he is turnover prone.

Simmons and Anderson can bring up the ball, but don't have enough experience to orchestrate the offense at a playoff level.

The Spur cannot win against the Dubs if the game becomes a shooting contest. The only way to prevent that is to have enough mobile wing defenders, that means both Simmons, Anderson and Butler need to start logging longer minutes.

Spurs need to start playing effective small ball. LMA just isn't explosive enough in offense to make a dent. Heck, I'm now in favor of trading him for a SF like Batum.

The Warriors aren't going away in the next couple of years, therefore the Spurs need the talent to continue to compete against them.
Agree with you on all fronts. Anderson has a calming influence. The group that played in the 3rd with Manu and Simmons is good for a short stretch, both Manu and Simmons are too similar in forcing issues in transition and you can't play too many minutes that way w/o going into TO and reckless shot taking territory and it showed in the 3rd. I remember reading most fans thought playing that pace was advantage GSW. With Manu at his age that is only workable for short minutes.

Anderson is very heady and calls plays or gets the ball to the big man. He runs offense. He has some spots where if you give him space, his jump shot is money and apparently now has the green light to take those shots if he has them. POP has allowed him to handle the ball under pressure, but yes he is not experienced and I doubt Pop benches Tony.

More than anything the doubles will need to get better executed as well as the rotations. Kyle in general did a good job defensively on help defense. it's probably something to work on the whole season. GsW exposed Tony and our historic defense to be a sham if attacked with skill.

[TD 21]

The notion that they'd have a chance without Duncan or Parker, is asinine. 1) Obviously Pop would never do that to them. 2) They're not good enough to beat them without 2 of their 5 best players.

They clearly made it a point of emphasis to attack Parker and Mills and unfortunately the only rotation player they can guard is Barbosa, who plays limited minutes.

Barnes and Iguodala are the best bets, as far as hiding places go. Barnes is the worst passer of the bunch and Iguodala is the worst post up player of the bunch. They're also low usage types, that aren't used to offense running through them consistently, if they so choose to go this way.

They'll obviously physically overwhelm Parker/Mills, but the only help I'd offer is of the marginal variety off of Bogut/Ezeli. Not enough to where an open dunk would be conceded, or to where the skip pass for an open three is opened up. The only exception would be the minutes Livingston plays with either. If he's spotting up around a post up, he can be helped off of, so long as they don't lose him backdoor.

In other words, the Spurs need to mostly live with those post ups and not overreact.

[r0drig0lac]

start with Kyle / Simmons / Kawhi / Butler / Duncan or LMA

[dbestpro]

Defensive minded PGs use to be the norm. When you think about it, there are hardly any defensive minded PGs in today's game.

[sventhedog]

parker could've at least make curry defend him.

[apalisoc_9]

Chris Paul is the only guard that has gone at Curry TWICE & succeed before flaming out in the 4th quarter trying the guard Curry & run the offense. Replace Porker w/ CP3 & LMA would be getting mid-range jumper all day long ala prime D-West along w/ Danny raining 3s. He also doesn't turn the ball over, can guard bigger players & tries to draw a foul when Curry is on him b/c the best defense is to send him to the bench.:lol

As much shyt as Chris Paul gets he would have been 2005 Manu in the Spurs system.

Not fair to paul to compre him to parker

[Sean Cagney]

parker could've at least make curry defend him.

This I agree with 100%.

[J_Paco]

He says it is tempting to throw out the game last night..Spurs were on their heels for first time this season..Parker got decimated on D and could be virtually unplayable vs them..Draymond defended Kawhi pretty well on few possessions.. Pop started to "play fake lineups" when the game started to get a blowout feel to it (too much Simmons/KA) ...

around min 30..

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=14654596

1. Gonna have primarily place Parker on Harrison Barnes while hoping Green (on Curry) and Leonard (on Thompson) can do a much better job on defense. Parker is the obvious weak link, but making Barnes the primary scorer would be to the Spurs advantage.

2. I don't believe that Draymond Green can effectively guard either Leonard or Aldridge without help, but they needed to be more assertive with their moves and not turnover the ball a million times. Terrence Jones (6'9", 252 lbs.) and Draymond Green (6'7", 236 lbs.) are somewhat similarly built, but LaMarcus feasts on one (Jones) whenever he plays him and completely shit the bed against the other. Although, obviously Draymond is the far superior defensive player.

3. If he can somehow play under control and with focus, then I think Simmons can help in spurts against Golden State's second unit. Manu on Iguodala, Mills on Barbosa and Simmons defending Livingston is how I would match them up.

Golden State would currently be the serious favorite, but if Pop finds some sort of strategy to slow down the other Warrior players (no use in trying to stop/slow down Curry, IMHO) then they have a fighting chance.

[tbdog]

You put Parker and Mills on Barnes, Iggy, and Livingston, then you deal with it. You don't bring in doubles, they just did not work. You just go with what damage they bring.