Guarding the PnR with Harden

[UZER]

Pop obviously let it ride in the regular season, and even against the grizz because the weren't expected to shoot such a high percentage.

What will the strategy be against the rockets and specifically Harden? He is such a tough cover because he will create contact where there is no contact to draw the whistle. But if you don't challenge, he gets a wide open three.

I would consider putting Kawhi or Danny on the big so the they will be the ones switching onto harden when the screen is set.

[All Mighty Janitor]

Kawhi will probably guard ryan anderson. he did this for some if not all of our match ups with Huston

[cjw]

Agree, putting him on Anderson will allow them to defend pick and pop and for him to freelance off the ball some (assuming Houston doesn't completely remove Anderson from the action and play 4-on-4).

If Kawhi is on Anderson, can you throw Aldridge on Ariza (more mobile) and the other big on Capella/Nene? Or will the Spurs have to play small. I imagine Spurs will want two bigs on floor as much as possible, especially against Anderson, as that's where the real advantage is.

As for guarding Harden, as long as guys know not to reach coming off screens, I'm fine rotating different guys onto him with help and unleashing Kawhi later. Need to avoid foul trouble.

[ElNono]

:pop: "Manu will shut him down"

[UZER]

Kwahi playing the switch is situational within the game. You can't do it for the entire game.

[apalisoc_9]

Go under the screen.

Harden had 9 of those bullshit three point fouls in the OKC series. Really killed OKC. Go under the screen.

James Harden won't go nuclear from the three point line plus it greatly eliminates the kick and drive..basically their bread and butter.

[SAGirl]

:pop: "Manu will shut him down"
:lol I can totally see it bc lets face it... Simmons is a foul magnet and won't be able to do anything against the MVP candidate.
one has to hope Danny has his usual good games against Rockettes

[SAGirl]

Kwahi playing the switch is situational within the game. You can't do it for the entire game.
Good point.. teams adapt if Pop doesn't throw different schemes/guys out there.

[Em-City]

:lol I can totally see it bc lets face it... Simmons is a foul magnet and won't be able to do anything against the MVP candidate.
one has to hope Danny has his usual good games against Rockettes
Danny also got called for fouling Conley coming off high pnr actions a couple of times. The bump in game 6 q4 was a bullshit call, but it's the type of call Harden gets multiple times a game. Spurs will need to be super disciplined in not not giving away those bail out 3 fts that harden will be looking for

[DMC]

Go under the screen.

Harden had 9 of those bullshit three point fouls in the OKC series. Really killed OKC. Go under the screen.

James Harden won't go nuclear from the three point line plus it greatly eliminates the kick and drive..basically their bread and butter.

The problem here is you cannot take a game where defenders went through the screen and extrapolate that to a game where they go under it. Why? Because Harden would take 20 3's a game if you left him open to do so, and if he shot 35% from there he's basically getting 21pts uncontested. Some of the misses will be rebounded by his team. Add those to the 12 or more FTs he'll get from the line and you're now dealing with a 30+ a night scorer from uncontested shots, no work on offense.

You beat Harden by not playing into his scheme. He wants you to go around. Team needs to switch to a zone when they start that high screen and roll.

[UZER]

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2017/...rden-pick-roll

[duncan2k5]

Go under screen...dude is an overrated 3 point shooter... All he does is flop at the 3 point line, which shouldn't be a shooting foul...make him shoot it

[BillMc]

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2017/...rden-pick-roll

Great read. Thanks.:toast But that link didn't work for me. Here's a fresher one:

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2017/4/30/15492072/nba-playoffs-spurs-stop-rockets-james-harden-pick-roll

[spurs10]

Go under the screen.

Harden had 9 of those bullshit three point fouls in the OKC series. Really killed OKC. Go under the screen.

James Harden won't go nuclear from the three point line plus it greatly eliminates the kick and drive..basically their bread and butter. That "bullshit three point foul" is exactly that and it makes it very hard to go over the screens. I think Pop will switch a lot and mix it with some zone. Like the idea of Kawhi on Anderson. They will try to go at TP and Patty a lot when they get tried of Green and Kawhi switching and try to create mismatches. I don't see Pop doubling much because of their shooters. It's going to be a great series.
:flag:

:clawI think we can manage Harden better than they can manage Kawhi

[Mr. Body]

His bullshit three-point fouls are the worst thing I've ever seen in basketball. I hate flopping -- even Manu's -- but Harden is such non-competitive, cheating crap, even worse than Chris Paul flinging himself all over the court at the barest touch.

[UZER]

Great read. Thanks.:toast But that link didn't work for me. Here's a fresher one:

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2017/4/30/15492072/nba-playoffs-spurs-stop-rockets-james-harden-pick-roll

Thank you sir.

[UZER]

His bullshit three-point fouls are the worst thing I've ever seen in basketball. I hate flopping -- even Manu's -- but Harden is such non-competitive, cheating crap, even worse than Chris Paul flinging himself all over the court at the barest touch.

This is a good vid. The worst one starts at the 5:45 mark. Nunn says what I've been saying...at some point this becomes an offensive foul. Boundaries are always pushed and they eventually hit a breaking point. I think we are there with James Harden. You can't reward this stuff. If it's occasional, I get it, the refs get fooled and it's a "smart" play. But harden does something like this on every PnR. Hes more interested in drawing the foul than getting of a clean the shot. At some point the refs need to stop rewarding it. We've reached the tipping point with this stuff.

IEkTUVnhGZ0

[spurs10]

This is a good vid. The worst one starts at the 5:45 mark. Nunn says what I've been saying...at some point this becomes an offensive foul. Boundaries are always pushed and they eventually hit a breaking point. I think we are there with James Harden. You can't reward this stuff. If it's occasional, I get it, the refs get fooled and it's a "smart" play. But harden does something like this on every PnR. Hes more interested in drawing the foul than getting of a clean the shot. At some point the refs need to stop rewarding it. We've reached the tipping point with this stuff.

IEkTUVnhGZ0
Absolutely! It is an offensive foul when they purposely sandwich or pinch a defender between them by creating the contact. It's going to make it impossible to go over the screen. Fortunately two can play that game and Kawhi is getting better at drawing fouls.

[Strategic]

Hardin doesn't like contact. Physicality will do him in.

[coachmac87]

Spurs will mix it up to keep Harden and the Rockets guessing...but last match up things got ugly when they switched and got the bigs on Harden..

[UZER]

Hardin doesn't like contact. Physicality will do him in.

Yeah this may be a case where instead of avoiding contact, early in the series or games you foul him hard so it gets in his head and he starts avoiding contact altogether, like Steph last year in the finals.

This is where an Horry would come in handy. But I don't expect the Spurs to do this. Pop will preach showing hands so the officials can see them not reaching in, like Bowen used to do.