The Spurs #1 tactical problem in the playoffs

[ShoogarBear]

What will be the chief X/O issue for the Spurs?

[TDMVPDPOY]

hittin jumpers for sure, teams will be daring us to shoot from the half court, the bench, from home.

[ShoogarBear]

I voted interior defense. Guarding the paint is still the core of Spurs basketball, and if they do that, they can be ugly as hell and still win. The slippage in interior defense is what has me the most worried.

[Old School Chic]

My vote goes for Bench rotations

[polandprzem]

Well I voted for the permieter defense. But I'm thinking defens as all.
Pop says they still have got problems with the intesity in defense and in playoffs there is no easy life.
Spurs can hit the outside shots and FT was always a problem but the key is defense.
You put the poll and asks about all the playoffs. It's dificult to say what will be the problem cause evey tema has diferent players and diferent strategy.

Also the concern is Rebounding, and it is a part of the D as well, so the spurs must to pick the D up and I will be more sure about their performance in the playoffs

[tlongII]

I voted interior defense. Guarding the paint is still the core of Spurs basketball, and if they do that, they can be ugly as hell and still win. The slippage in interior defense is what has me the most worried.


I agree. The slippage can be explained in two words...plantar fasciitas.

[CubanMustGo]

We only get to pick one? :lol

Interior D for me. Way too many layups given up this year.

[Solid D]

Please add:
Defending the pick and roll

[spurster]

When the Spurs have lost big, there has usually been a big difference in rebounds.

[sa_butta]

I voted for perimeter defense, but also beleive that interior D is just as important.

[ShoogarBear]

Please add:
Defending the pick and roll

Yeah, that's a good one. Unfortunately the choices max out at 10. I would pick "perimeter defense" for that.

[boutons_]

Interior defense, aka, Tim Duncan.
Nazr is useless defending the paint.
Almost all offensive plus from Nazr is cancelled by his defensive minus.

Rebounding. While the Spurs have had some horrendous RBs losses, SA is 11th in RB diff with +0.81, while Pistons are 16th with -0.15. But we all remember how Pistons destroyed Spurs on RBs in both blowouts. Other teams have badly outrebounded Spurs.

3G defense, SA was 1st last year, only 4th this year while DET is first, DET is also second in 3G%.

3G offense. SA is quite dependent on making 3Gs. If Mavs or Pistons manage to shutdown their paint, Spurs will have to hit their jumpers.

[Old School Chic]

Cute Bear

http://pic.piczo.com/img/i114743553_73237.gif

[T-Pain]

im suprised free throws arent considered an issue to many

[pache100]

im suprised free throws arent considered an issue to many

It is a problem, and will probably be a bigger problem in the playoffs when the play gets a little rougher and fewer fouls are called (the points may be needed more). But...then again...we have gotten this far with shitty free throwing...so who knows?

[Pistons < Spurs]

1. Interior D
2. Rebounding
3. Perimeter D
4. Ball Movement
5. TO's
6. Free Throws

[ShoogarBear]

I would go with:
1. Interior D
2. Rebounding
3. Free Throw Attempts
4. Turnovers

If the Spurs interior D is on, if they aren't giving up offensive rebounds, if they are being more aggressive in the paint, and if they aren't turning the ball over, they will beat anyone (unless the other team is unconscious from outside). It may not be pretty, but they will win.

[50 cent]

Shooting. If they wouldn't have shot 37% the other night while allowing 52% to the Mavs, they would have won the game.

[ShoogarBear]

Shooting. If they wouldn't have shot 37% the other night while allowing 52% to the Mavs, they would have won the game.

I could argue (and I suspect Pop would agree), if they hadn't allowed 52% shooting, they could have shot 37% and still won.

[leemajors]

good or decent shooting can make up for a lot of mistakes.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I think it's going to be a tie between interior D and rebounding, because I figure the Spurs don't seem to be able to do both well. So it's going to be a matter of protecting the paint well enough to compensate for rebounding or vice versa. It's essentially the Rasho vs. Nazr debate on a bigger level.

[Athenea]

Interior D and ball movement for me. Can't vote for both :(

[myhc]

I think the 2 biggest will be rebounding and hitting our outside jumpers. The rebounding issue has been addressed. Since teams will be clogging the lane to stop penetration by Manu and Tony, it's going to be up to guys like Finley, Bowen, and Van Exel to stick the jumpers.

[SAGambler]

Well, I was torn between rebounding and free throw shooting.

The roubounding can improve. I'm not sure the free throws can.

[CharlieMac]

Tough call. I selected hitting jumpers simply because they have a tendency to go thorugh these long offensive droughts at times.

[1Parker1]

I think our interior D will be there once the playoffs begin and Spurs know to step it up. Rebounding and swtiches on the pick and roll defense seem to be their biggest problem. FT's I'll live with because I know Spurs will lose at least one or two games in the playoffs because of missed FT's. FT attempts could be a problem...they don't seem to have been going to the line as much this season, especially with Manu and Tim being so injured. Manu especially doesn't seem to be getting to the line as much, probably because he's shooting a lot more jumpers than driving to the hoop like he did often last season.

I'm surprised a pessimistic fan didn't answer "All of the Above." :lol

[nkdlunch]

or NONE OF THE ABOVE

it's gonna be irrelevant. THe only thing that's could stop the Spurs from winning the championship is Tim Duncan's play


but if I had to pick one, it would be sinking jumpers. If all our guys consistently sink their jumpers, we'd be ok

[ShoogarBear]

For someone with all those 1's in your SN, you sure have difficulty with the concept of PICK ONE, sweetie.

Although you are the only one perceptive enough so far to correctly note the Spurs' problems getting to the line this year.

[1Parker1]

For someone with all those 1's in your SN, you sure have difficulty with the concept of PICK ONE, sweetie.

Although you are the only one perceptive enough so far to correctly note the Spurs' problems getting to the line this year.


:lol Well...it's hard to pick just one, Spurs seem to have a lot of problems this season. :spins

PS. For someone with the SN of Shoogarbear...you sure don't give off vibes of being all sweet and cuddly. :angel

[ShoogarBear]

PS. For someone with the SN of Shoogarbear...you sure don't give off vibes of being all sweet and cuddly. :angelThat's because I know you're not into sweet and cuddly.

http://www.absolutepunk.net/images/smilies/whip.gif http://www.spankingbethie.com/blog/motelbratloop.gif

[1Parker1]

:lol Damn, how'd you guess?

[ShoogarBear]

Surpised at the number of people who are worried about the Spurs hitting jumpers. They've been near the top of the league in FG% all year.

[Rynospursfan]

Surpised at the number of people who are worried about the Spurs hitting jumpers. They've been near the top of the league in FG% all year.


People are probably just having flashbacks of 04'. It was a huge problem then.

I voted Rebounding but I agree the Pick and Roll D could be a problem as well.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

Rasho was a monster on D in the lane last night against the sonics. He and Bruce and Tim had awesome help rotations and Tim and Rasho just collapsed on anyone with the ball under the hoop. Interior D lapses seem to occur when the Spurs have to switch on a pick on the perimeter and have a mismatch (i.e. Tony on Dirk in the Mavs game) and the opposing team exploits that mismatch with a backdown on the small mismatch or a drive on the big mismatch (i.e.Duncan on Nash). When the smalls drive, the help should come first from the perimeter to force the ball to the baseline. Those rotations don't happen very much when Finley is in (yes -- Barry is much better at perimeter D rotations.) When the perimeter help fails the opposing guard drives into the middle of the lane (used to be cardinal sin numero uno for Pop) and the big underneath needs to help clog the lane. When Nazr is in, that rotation is inconsistent at best. Rasho is consistently there to help, though he will get caught sleeping if he is gaurding an atheletic big like KG or somebody. When Rasho is gaurding a more traditional post player, the lane is usually shut down for enough time by Rasho and either Bruce or Robert to allow Tim to rotate to the mismatched big (if the opposing gaurd is a pass-first) or double the ball carrier (for a shoot first gaurd.)
The point is -- interior D is still a huge strength of the spurs. The liabilty falls in the lap of Pop with his bench substitutions. In the playoffs -- Horry is smart enough to compensate for Nazr's lapses when they are teamed together. But as long as Rasho is in the paint against a traditional big, the Spurs interior D as tight as a 16 year old gymnast.

[ShoogarBear]

Rasho did play well against the Sonics.

Repeat, it was against the Sonics.

You gotta be kidding if you think the solution is to just play Rasho more and Nazr less. Rasho started both Piston games and was worse than useless. There are times for him (against Shaq), and there are times for Nazr, and unfortunately there are times when neither one is the answer.

[Kori Ellis]

I voted interior defense. Guarding the paint is still the core of Spurs basketball, and if they do that, they can be ugly as hell and still win. The slippage in interior defense is what has me the most worried.

That's what I voted for as well. If they play Nazr too much or Tim's PF bothers him, the interior D will suffer. Tim is looking spry lately though. And I'm sure we'll see a lot of Duncan/Horry in the playoffs. So some of my worries about him are subsiding.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

Rasho did play well against the Sonics.

Repeat, it was against the Sonics.

You gotta be kidding if you think the solution is to just play Rasho more and Nazr less. Rasho started both Piston games and was worse than useless. There are times for him (against Shaq), and there are times for Nazr, and unfortunately there are times when neither one is the answer.

I was thinking more along the lines of playing Brent more and Finley less when both Rasho and Nazr are liabilities. -- It wouldn't be a perfect solution and I agree that "there are times when neither one is the answer." I do think Rasho's D will be more valuable to us than Nazr's O, at least in the early rounds. I also think that Nazr will be valuable in the right situation. My main point though was supposed to be about the perimeter help. And I think Barry is MUCH more valuable than Finley there. Offense I might give Finley a slight edge.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Gotta go with free throw %.

When games are being decided by 2 or 3 points those misses mean a lot. We need to concentrate on those freebies in quarters 1, 2 and 3 and not just get serious about 'em in the 4th.

[SpurYank]

Tim Duncan is it. We go as he goes. His FTs, his shot going in, getting in foul trouble, his turn-overs. Eliminate these things from happening, and we repeat as champs. If he is on, he opens it up for everyone else.

Hands down, it'sTD. We are very good ay most everything else, so we can expect to at least hold our own everywhere else.