Strategy against the Mavs

[mavsfan1000]

Assuming you get by the kings what matchups/rotations would you use against the mavs and how could you exploit Dallas?

[Vashner]

Ripping your asses off and handing them to you on a platter.

[picnroll]

Show up.

[mabber]

I tried asking a legitimate question a couple of days ago on this forum and got similar responses. It's a waste of time. Although the "show up" response was kinda funny

[themvp]

Lets just finish with Kings and then talk about Mavs.

[CosmicCowboy]

Lets just finish with Kings and then talk about Mavs.

Ditto. It's bad form and tempting fate to talk about the next series before you finish the one you are in.

[mavsfan1000]

I'm sure the spurs are totally focused on the kings but the fans don't have to play the game. I am wasting my time putting out logical threads without stupid responses.

[Jimcs50]

Assuming you get by the kings what matchups/rotations would you use against the mavs and how could you exploit Dallas?


Spurs can beat Mavs by just playing their bench and Eva Longoria at PG.

[johngateswhiteley]

I'm sure the spurs are totally focused on the kings but the fans don't have to play the game. I am wasting my time putting out logical threads without stupid responses.


i'll give you a response as soon as the spurs beat the kings. but i understand where you are coming from and any frustration you might have in an attempt to start a formidable discussion.

...you must also understand that the spurs have dismissed the mavs, on the court, in pretty much every important game they have ever played against each other. and b/c of that it is obvious that most spurs fans feel this dallas team will present no other challenge. their personel is somewhat different than in the past but their style is the really the same when you get down to it. even though AJ has improved the team on the defensive end i don't think the players are in that mindset where defense comes first. which will be required to compete with the spurs, if they make it to the next round.

...hence, the jokes.

[smoke1]

Assuming you get by the kings what matchups/rotations would you use against the mavs and how could you exploit Dallas?

Lets see... P&R will work nicely.
Diop cant stop TD in playoff mode. You will double. Our shooters will kill you.

Close games in a close series. If Mavs play perfect basketball they will win. Anything else the Spurs will win. Probably in 6.

[mavsfan1000]

I disagree with that statement that Diop or Dampier can't stop Duncan. I think they will mix up double teams and single teams but will play Duncan very similar to how they played Gasol. There won't be a lot of open shots. The spurs will be forced to go small and start Horry like they did last game. I expect to see at times a lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Finley, Bowen, and Duncan since they won't be able to stop Dallas so instead try to outscore them. That is what they did last game to Sacramento and it worked. Hopefully Dallas plays better defense which I think they will.

[J.T.]

See "Spurs vs Suns WCF '05." Applied to a Spurs vs Mavs series, that translates to "Let Dirk do his shit and take everyone else out of the game."

[Mavtek]

See "Spurs vs Suns WCF '05." Applied to a Spurs vs Mavs series, that translates to "Let Dirk do his shit and take everyone else out of the game."

That's just the thing, I don't believe you can take everyone else out of their game, but hopefully you get past the Kings so we can find out.

[FromWayDowntown]

I disagree with that statement that Diop or Dampier can't stop Duncan. I think they will mix up double teams and single teams but will play Duncan very similar to how they played Gasol. There won't be a lot of open shots. The spurs will be forced to go small and start Horry like they did last game. I expect to see at times a lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Finley, Bowen, and Duncan since they won't be able to stop Dallas so instead try to outscore them. That is what they did last game to Sacramento and it worked. Hopefully Dallas plays better defense which I think they will.

All of this is academic if the Spurs don't beat SAC.

But, the notion that defending Pau Gasol in a playoff series is anything like defending Tim Duncan in a playoff series is utterly laughable. Once the playoff logos go down on the floor, Pau becomes fearful of his own shadow and painfully soft in the post. It's fairly easy to defend that.

[mabber]

i'll give you a response as soon as the spurs beat the kings. but i understand where you are coming from and any frustration you might have in an attempt to start a formidable discussion.

...you must also understand that the spurs have dismissed the mavs, on the court, in pretty much every important game they have ever played against each other. and b/c of that it is obvious that most spurs fans feel this dallas team will present no other challenge. their personel is somewhat different than in the past but their style is the really the same when you get down to it. even though AJ has improved the team on the defensive end i don't think the players are in that mindset where defense comes first. which will be required to compete with the spurs, if they make it to the next round.

...hence, the jokes.

I guarantee you that you'll realize that this statement is not correct anymore before the series is over. I barely recognize them most games their style is so different than in the past. The players have totally committed to the defensive mindset. They still haven't learned it as well as the Spurs do at this point though.

[smoke1]

Sac and Dallas have completely different lineups. You dont have guards and small forwards like artest and wells that can attack the rim with ferocity. SA's big lineup will fare nicely and they wont have to go small too often due to the matchups. Dirks is a hard matchup, but his game relies too heavily on jump shots and especially fade away jump shots. If you contest him, he will shoot an average % and you will get stops. This would be a much more classic matchup than with the kings. What is killing SA with the kings is that the bigs are too slow for wells and artest but the guards and small forwards are too small. Our defensive rotation had been poor, but stepped it up in game 5. Look for SA to be able to fare better against a more orthodox lineup in Dallas.

[nkdlunch]

Assuming you get by the kings what matchups/rotations would you use against the mavs and how could you exploit Dallas?

why should we assume this? let's get past the Kings first.

[mavsfan1000]

Sorry I jumped the gun. I'll wait until after game 6 to respond again to this thread. :lol

[timvp]

AJ would have to coach the best series a coach ever coached to beat the Spurs. The Mavs are good but the Kings are a much tougher matchup on paper.

[mabber]

Sac and Dallas have completely different lineups. You dont have guards and small forwards like artest and wells that can attack the rim with ferocity. SA's big lineup will fare nicely and they wont have to go small too often due to the matchups. Dirks is a hard matchup, but his game relies too heavily on jump shots and especially fade away jump shots. If you contest him, he will shoot an average % and you will get stops. This would be a much more classic matchup than with the kings. What is killing SA with the kings is that the bigs are too slow for wells and artest but the guards and small forwards are too small. Our defensive rotation had been poor, but stepped it up in game 5. Look for SA to be able to fare better against a more orthodox lineup in Dallas.

Decent analysis. Josh Howard will be a tough matchup for the Spurs if they continue to let Duncan try to guard him like they did this season. Josh abused that matchup in that last game. I think how well the big guys play will determine this series. The Mavs big guys (Dampier & Diop) will have to continue to play well for the Mavs to win.

[boutons_]

simply amazing.

First, the Spurs have at least one, maybe two, very tough games vs Kings to escape from first round.

[ducks]

wow that is coming from a aj lover to

[J.T.]

That's just the thing, I don't believe you can take everyone else out of their game, but hopefully you get past the Kings so we can find out.

Well I seem to recall a lot of people pissing their pants about Marion owning us and Richardson/Johnson raining threes on us. What the fuck happened to them? Answer: The Spurs. Amare averaged 42ppg and Nash scored in the 20s each game, the rest of the team must have stayed at home. The point is two people cannot win a playoff series agains the Spurs. I think the player to isolate is Howard, he has a pretty explosive game and can score big. If we D up on Harris and Stack, then you are counting on Terry and Dirk to win the series and I don't see that happening. A lot of people are dogging the Spurs because of this series against Sacramento and totally ingoring the fact that the Kings are a matchup nightmare. The Spurs will have a much better time matchup up with Dallas and I think after having no answer for Bonzi for the entire series, we'll be ready to take someone out of their game for once. Dallas will also have to shake off the rust, so I think this longer series will help the Spurs in the long run. Duncan has been improving with each game.

[smoke1]

Decent analysis. Josh Howard will be a tough matchup for the Spurs if they continue to let Duncan try to guard him like they did this season. Josh abused that matchup in that last game. I think how well the big guys play will determine this series. The Mavs big guys (Dampier & Diop) will have to continue to play well for the Mavs to win.
Josh Howard will be a tough matchup. There are definitely enough tough matchups to go around for both teams, so that is why I tend to give the edge to the HCA and to the team with the championship caliber. Will be a good series, but I think the Spurs won't have to adjust as much to Dallas as they have to the Kings. I give the Kings credit - they have 5's that shoot threes and 2's and 3's that post. That is hard to deal with if you arent used to it and dont have to personnel to match. It's like having to play that mike leach offense at T.Tech for the first time. Shit is hard to adjust to, but once a great team sees it a few times they will adjust accordingly.

[smoke1]

simply amazing.

First, the Spurs have at least one, maybe two, very tough games vs Kings to escape from first round.
I know. That is if we advance...

[Kori Ellis]

I know Mavs fans think Spurs fans are very flippant on this subject, but most Spurs fans are trying not to count their chickens. If the Spurs get past the Kings, I'm sure tons of fans will be willing to talk strategy. Right now, it's very premature.

[leemajors]

the spurs are very capable of holding the mavs under 90 points. sacramento is a tougher matchup defensively for SA. that is not a slight to dallas in the least, SA is just a little more familiar with how dallas operates on offense and have shown they can limit the mavs offensive production. i really hope SA can end this series on friday, and i imagine mavs fans are itching for the mavs to play again too. rest is good, but fans get antsy.

[mavsfan1000]

Parker can't guard Terry and Ginobili/Duncan can't guard Howard. If Dirk figures out how to attack Bowen than there are 3 matchups the spurs will have trouble with.

[timvp]

Parker can't guard Terry

:wtf

[smoke1]

I know Mavs fans think Spurs fans are very flippant on this subject, but most Spurs fans are trying not to count their chickens. If the Spurs get past the Kings, I'm sure tons of fans will be willing to talk strategy. Right now, it's very premature.
That's the beauty of being a fan. As as fan you CAN look at other things and compare yourself to other teams and not have any effect on the game. As a Player or Coach you cannot. The Kings got the Spurs' attention and the Spurs should come to play in the next game. It will be fun to watch. But as fans we can look ahead without recourse. Thank God.

The only place that fans can have an effect on the outcome of the game is at home arena. I wish our fans would raise hell in the ATT, but sadly most of them do not.

[ducks]

Parker can't guard Terry and Ginobili/Duncan can't guard Howard. If Dirk figures out how to attack Bowen than there are 3 matchups the spurs will have trouble with.

horry guards howard

[mavsfan1000]

horry guards howard
Horry can't guard Howard. Horry isn't quick enough.

[leemajors]

Parker can't guard Terry and Ginobili/Duncan can't guard Howard. If Dirk figures out how to attack Bowen than there are 3 matchups the spurs will have trouble with.

terry averaged 15 ppg vs sa this year - 4,18,23,14. parker averaged over 20. terry can get hot but the spurs have contained him this year.

[smoke1]

Parker can't guard Terry and Ginobili/Duncan can't guard Howard. If Dirk figures out how to attack Bowen than there are 3 matchups the spurs will have trouble with.

The Spurs' team defensive strategy makes it impossible to say whether or not parker can guard terry or TD and gino can guard howard. It becomes whether the Spurs can guard the Mavs. i think you are also being one-sided. If the Mavs dont employ this team defense concept then how does anyone on the Mavs guard TP, TD, and Manu without leaving the shooters open? If the Mavs do play team defense then will the Mavs be able to defend all of the Spurs' weapons well enough to win??

[timvp]

Stackhouse will be the MVP of the series.

For the Spurs.

:smokin

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

Stackhouse will be the MVP of the series.

For the Spurs.

:smokin

Not if Keith Van Horn has anything to say about that.

[smoke1]

The Spurs' team defensive strategy makes it impossible to say whether or not parker can guard terry or TD and gino can guard howard. It becomes whether the Spurs can guard the Mavs. i think you are also being one-sided. If the Mavs dont employ this team defense concept then how does anyone on the Mavs guard TP, TD, and Manu without leaving the shooters open? If the Mavs do play team defense then will the Mavs be able to defend all of the Spurs' weapons well enough to win??

To add to that, our team defensive rotations against the Kings were HORRIBLE in games 2 through 4. We picked it up again in game 5 and won by 11. The Kings are hard to rotate on because they are better at attacking the rim from the guard position using post moves than anyone else in the league. Somehow I don't see terry, stack, or even dirk posting up as successfully.

[mavsfan1000]

Ok now that the kings series is over how do the spurs beat the mavs?

[td4mvp21]

Horry can't guard Howard. Horry isn't quick enough.

So from your logic, none of the Mavericks can be guarded. If that's so, how come you guys are the fourth seed and not number one seed?

[jman3000]

I dislike how people try to do the whole:

This guy>>>>>>>>this guy
that guy<<<<>>><<><>that guy
him = him

it's about 1 thing and 1 thing alone:

Team A > Team B... and that's all it should be about.

If the Spurs lost to every team that had more talent than them or that presented us with a huge mismatch at a given position, the Spurs would have 0 titles and probably be a 2nd tier team in the league as opposed to one of the elites. The Spurs don't guard as individuals, they guard as a team and that always has to be taken into account.

The Spurs will beat the Mavs by doing what they have done all season long..... but better. Inside-out, with lots of screens up top to get the guards loose and giving Tim the green light early to force double teams to hopefully open up the perimeter. Bruce will play Dirk very physically and hopefully draw him within the 3 point line where he doesn't do as much damage. Hopefully our defenders can stay on their man beyond the arc and not give up too many 3 pointers.... I may be mistaken but I believe that the Mavs had one of the higher percentage of offense coming from beyond the 3 point line. I honestly believe that if both teams bring their A games for every game in the series that the Spurs wil come out on top. So it should take an extraordinary effort by the Mavs to win or a flat performance by the Spurs to lose this series.


Spurs in 6

[mavsfan1000]

The spurs are used to getting offense easy against the Kings. The mavs won't allow that though. Diop and Dampier will shut down the paint for Parker and whoever decides to drive. The mavs are for real and the spurs will soon find out.

[Leetonidas]

I disagree with that statement that Diop or Dampier can't stop Duncan. I think they will mix up double teams and single teams but will play Duncan very similar to how they played Gasol. There won't be a lot of open shots. The spurs will be forced to go small and start Horry like they did last game. I expect to see at times a lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Finley, Bowen, and Duncan since they won't be able to stop Dallas so instead try to outscore them. That is what they did last game to Sacramento and it worked. Hopefully Dallas plays better defense which I think they will.

If they're going to double team Duncan, how do you figure there won't be open shots?

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I dislike how people try to do the whole:

This guy>>>>>>>>this guy
that guy<<<<>>><<><>that guy
him = him

it's about 1 thing and 1 thing alone:

Team A > Team B... and that's all it should be about.


True, but the fact that Bonzi > Bowen Artest > Manu

and this isn't in opinion, but LITERALLY in size...gave TEAM SPURS post up problems...

It's the reason we went in 6, cuz we had no answer for their size...so it's not that irrelevant to consider One on One matchups. I think the fact that Bonzi and Artest pushed us might help us against the Mavs. If not toughen us up...

But who knows, I remember the Spurs were saying "Hey! maybe we can do the run and gun thing we picked up against the Suns to use against Detroit? " They dropped that approach by the 10 minute mark of Game 1.

[2centsworth]

This is going to be a simple series, probably end in 5. Tim is playing like Tim and Dallas has no answer for that. Also, Manu and Tony are going to tear Dallas a new one.

Dallas has to pray every jump shot goes in.

[SilverPlayer]

The spurs are used to getting offense easy against the Kings. The mavs won't allow that though. Diop and Dampier will shut down the paint for Parker and whoever decides to drive. The mavs are for real and the spurs will soon find out.

This is incredibly laughable. The only effective way to guard Tony and Manu is with someone like Wells and Artest. Tony and Manu thrive in getting their's in the paint against bigs, and they should; they got most of their practice doing it against Shaq and Ben Wallace.

[DDS4]

I dislike how people try to do the whole:

This guy>>>>>>>>this guy
that guy<<<<>>><<><>that guy
him = him

it's about 1 thing and 1 thing alone:

Team A > Team B... and that's all it should be about.


A-frickin'-men.

There was a thread about how the Sacramento starting five was better than the Spurs starting five. Look where it got them.

[ducks]

parker has been unreal in the playoffs this year compared to years past
if he does not slow down it will be what you call a sweep

[ducks]

parker is averging more points now then in the regular season
that is bad news if you like the mavs

terry is a fa this offseason he better shut down tp if he plans on getting a big payday

[exstatic]

The spurs are used to getting offense easy against the Kings. The mavs won't allow that though. Diop and Dampier will shut down the paint for Parker and whoever decides to drive. The mavs are for real and the spurs will soon find out.
The Spurs are also used to playing D in the Post against two legit scoring options against Sacto, which would be two more post options than Dallas can throw at them. Sacto fans also thought THEIR PG was better than ours. Parker proved different. Terry isn't exactly a stopper, and all Parker has to do is get past him to force the defense to rotate. That creates opportunities, both for the bigs, and the other perimeter shooters.

You Mavs fans still don't get it. Championship basketball isn't a matter of individual matchups. It's a matter of our 5 guys playing as a unit against your 5 guys playing as a unit. The more cohesive unit WINS. Mavs are improving, but they're not there yet. Once you implement such a system, you still get your teeth kicked in for a few years until you figure it out completely and get comfortable with it. SA's teeth swallowing period was from 95-96 to 99. You still have some deadwood like Terry and Stack and KVH to get rid of, possbly Dampier as well. They won't play a part in any hypothetical Mavs championships. Terry and Stack get tunnel vision when they get the ball, and KVH is a pussy. Mavs will play a respectable series, but AJ will still have to get his own people over the next few years. He's already starting that with Devin H, Josh, and Marquis. As Sean Connery said in The Untouchables, "If you're afraid of a rotten apple, don't go to the barrel, get it off the tree."

[mavsfan1000]

I can see you bagging on Stackhouse and Van Horn but Terry is a big part of Dallas's offense. If Parker decides to help out a little bit on defense than Terry will burn him. San Antonio has no answer for Josh Howard. Bowen is forced to guard Dirk which if Dirk post's him up will be a mismatch and Ginobili and Horry don't don't play small forward and Howard would have an advantage. Diop and Dampier will be the key to this series. They are the reason for Gasol disappearing. They play very physical and they'll do the same with Duncan.

[Leetonidas]

I can see you bagging on Stackhouse and Van Horn but Terry is a big part of Dallas's offense. If Parker decides to help out a little big on defense than Terry will burn him. San Antonio has no answer for Josh Howard. Bowen is forced to guard Dirk which if Dirk post's him up will be a mismatch and Ginobili and Horry don't don't play small forward and Howard would have an advantage. Diop and Dampier will be the key to this series. They are the reason for Gasol disappearing. They play very physical and they'll do the same with Duncan.

I hope you don't think that Diop and Dampier owning Gasol means they're going to own Tim. Two completely different players. Nazr Mohammed will play big in this series. He owned the Mavs in Game 3 during the season.

[mavsfan1000]

I'm sure Duncan will get his numbers but I doubt the mavs will consistently double Duncan. The spurs offense relies on Duncan getting double teams so I say let Duncan get 30 and don't double team.

[Obstructed_View]

Mavericks individual players > Spurs individual players

Spurs team >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mavericks team

End of story.

[picnroll]

Dallas vs SA - 4 games
Terry - 14.75 points per game on .461 shooting
Parker - 21.75 points per game on .627 shooting


mavsfan1000 once again proving he knows jack. Maybe a hobbled Parker can even things up a bit for your wonder boy Terry.

[mavsfan1000]

If the mavs outrebound the spurs by 10 a game it makes up for that. I never said Terry could stop Parker anyways.

[BigD1]

Parker can't guard Terry and Ginobili/Duncan can't guard Howard. If Dirk figures out how to attack Bowen than there are 3 matchups the spurs will have trouble with.I agree. Terry(JET) is very quick also. Terry has the ability to shoot lights out or take it to the whole against a small guy like Parker. However, Terry can't guard Tony either.

[BigD1]

terry averaged 15 ppg vs sa this year - 4,18,23,14. parker averaged over 20. terry can get hot but the spurs have contained him this year.Take away that 1st game when Dallas blew out the Spurs by 20 pts and Terry only played like 20 min...and he's avging about 18.33 pts per game. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th matchups of the season, when there is a whole lot more at stake are the ones u should be looking at.

[Despot]

Sometimes I actually really believe that mavsfan1000 is Mark Cuban.

[exstatic]

I'm sure Duncan will get his numbers but I doubt the mavs will consistently double Duncan. The spurs offense relies on Duncan getting double teams so I say let Duncan get 30 and don't double team.
In the past this was true. Not anymore. Tim got 15 on 8 FGA and the Spurs scored 105. Ball movement is the key. If SA can get you to rotate twice, they've got you for an easy score, probably 80% probability.

[BigD1]

Dallas vs SA - 4 games
Terry - 14.75 points per game on .461 shooting
Parker - 21.75 points per game on .627 shooting


mavsfan1000 once again proving he knows jack. Maybe a hobbled Parker can even things up a bit for your wonder boy Terry.In that 1st matchup between Dalals and SA, Terry only had 8 shot attempts compared to Parker's 17. Also Terry had 8 ass to Parker's 3.
...Furthermore, Terry had 2 steals and only 1 to...Parker had 0 steals, 4 to's. The fact is, we didn't need Terry to score at all in that game. Dirk had 34 pts and Harris(the other pg had 22) also, Howard had 17. When Dallas needs Terry to score, that's just what he does. It is evident in the 3 games following, that Terry has the ability to score on SA with an avg of 18.33pts. Sure, Parker is the better scorer, but not by much. Don't let that 1st game(4 pts) fool you. Terry can flat out play...and he's more clutch than Tony is.

[td4mvp21]

Terry only had 8 shot attempts compared to Parker's 17. Also Terry had 8 ass to Parker's 3.
...Furthermore, Terry had 2 steals and only 1 to...Parker had 0 steals, 4 to's. The fact is, we didn't need Terry to score at all in that game. Dirk had 34 pts and Harris(the other pg had 22) also, Howard had 17. When Dallas needs Terry to score, that's just what he does. It is evident in the 3 games following, that Terry has the ability to score on SA with an avg of 18.33pts. Sure, Parker is the better scorer, but not by much. Don't let that 1st game(4 pts) fool you. Terry can flat out play...and he's more clutch than Tony is.

I'm not so sure about the clutch factor. Parker has hit a ton of clutch shots this entire season, including several in the closing minutes of Game 5.

[exstatic]

There are no "takeaways" in the playoffs. Every minute of every game counts.

[T Park]

I disagree with that statement that Diop or Dampier can't stop Duncan

of course you do.

Career bench stiffs can stop the best power forward ever to lace em up.

Oh yeah... :lmao

[boutons_]

"Ball movement is the key"

the whole world agrees on that, is why Nick's endless dribbling last night was so infuriating. A Stevie Francis imitation.

[mavsfan1000]

of course you do.

Career bench stiffs can stop the best power forward ever to lace em up.

Oh yeah... :lmao
Funny how like to talk about history so much. Unfortunately Nowitzki is now the best power forward. Diop and Dampier are not bench stiffs. They are very active and long. You'll see soon if you didn't see it already in the regular season. :madrun

[td4mvp21]

Funny how like to talk about history so much. Unfortunately Nowitzki is now the best power forward. Diop and Dampier are not bench stiffs. They are very active and long. You'll see soon if you didn't see it already in the regular season. :madrun

No, unfortunately, Dirk is still NOT. No rings, No MVPs, not even close to the defensive, rebounding, passing, and intangible skills of Duncan. Has Dirk had better seasons? Yes, the past two he has had much better seasons than Duncan.

I didn't see it in the regular season. I guess I get to see something new on Sunday!

[LB7]

No, unfortunately, Dirk is still NOT. No rings, No MVPs, not even close to the defensive, rebounding, passing, and intangible skills of Duncan. Has Dirk had better seasons? Yes, the past two he has had much better seasons than Duncan.

I didn't see it in the regular season. I guess I get to see something new on Sunday!

You just said yes, the past two seasons Dirk has had better seasons than Duncan. Then you go on to say you didn't see it in the regular season. So, which is it?

[td4mvp21]

You just said yes, the past two seasons Dirk has had better seasons than Duncan. Then you go on to say you didn't see it in the regular season. So, which is it?

I was referring to Dampier and Diop.

[td4mvp21]

Really wasn't being a smart@$$, but good to know spurs fans are such pleasant people.

Guys don't talk to women like that around here.

:oops

I'm sorry. That was disrespectful on my part.

[LB7]

Well, I went back and read the original post and saw my mistake. I apologize for that. Missed the part about Damp and Diop. All is forgiven.

[J.T.]

Funny how like to talk about history so much. Unfortunately Nowitzki is now the best power forward. Diop and Dampier are not bench stiffs. They are very active and long. You'll see soon if you didn't see it already in the regular season. :madrun

http://www.rofl.name/images/roflcopter.gif

[td4mvp21]

Well, I went back and read the original post and saw my mistake. I apologize for that. Missed the part about Damp and Diop. All is forgiven.

Haha, good.

[BigD1]

I'm not so sure about the clutch factor. Parker has hit a ton of clutch shots this entire season, including several in the closing minutes of Game 5.Agreed. After some thought...Tony too is very clutch. My point is, Terry is almost efficient as Tony is scoring points, and that game one was a bit decieving in terms of his scoring ability.

[ducks]

stop howard
dirk likes howard to start the game and then dirk tries to get his 20-30 points

stop howard you stop the mavs

[J.T.]

stop howard
dirk likes howard to start the game and then dirk tries to get his 20-30 points

stop howard you stop the mavs

Yep, I've said before that stopping Howard will take the wind out of the Mavs sails. You do not shut down Dirk, you shut down his roleplayers. Keep Howard, Terry, Stack, and Harris from going off and the Mavs sink.

The Mavs front line will not be as effective as ours. Tony played through his thigh problems on Friday, I have confidence he will be big for us. We need a vBookie on how many buzzer beating threes he will have (or the team in general) in this series, lol.

[Leetonidas]

Funny how like to talk about history so much. Unfortunately Nowitzki is now the best power forward. Diop and Dampier are not bench stiffs. They are very active and long. You'll see soon if you didn't see it already in the regular season. :madrun

Yeah right. KG > Dirk.

[J.T.]

Duncan has 5 MVP trophies, Dirk has 0. Case closed. Shit Manu got more jewelry than Dirk.

[LB7]

Live in the present. Thats all I have to say about that.

[exstatic]

The present? We're the fucking defending champs. That's pretty fucking "present".

[Leetonidas]

The present? We're the fucking defending champs. That's pretty fucking "present".

Wurd.

[baseline bum]

The present? We're the fucking defending champs. That's pretty fucking "present".

:lmao

Spurs in 6. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but small-ball makes more sense against this team since Bruce guards Nowitzki so well. Still, the Spurs hand won't be forced by it because Adrian Griffin most likely isn't going to require the defensive attention Bonzi Wells did. If the Mavericks pull Griffin for Stackhouse to try to force the Spurs to pull their bigs, Ginobili will walk all over them.

[FromWayDowntown]

There are a lot of interesting assumptions bandied about in this thread.

I'd say it's pretty likely to be a fact that if Devin Harris scores 22 in a game, the Mavericks will win. I'd also say that the chances are pretty remote that Harris will consistently come anywhere close to 22 in this series.

I'd say that anyone who thinks that defending Pau Gasol is anything like defending Tim Duncan hasn't been watching NBA hoops for the last couple of weeks.

I'd say that anyone who thinks that the Spurs offense is predicated on Duncan being double teamed also hasn't been watching much recently. Tim makes the offense more efficient when he's doubled because he's probably the best big on the planet at finding teammates out of doubles. Double him and he'll make his teammates better; single him and he'll carry his teammates if need be.

I'd say that anyone who thinks that Tony Parker's scoring is limited to drives also hasn't been paying close attention of late. Tony isn't the greatest shooter from distance and it remains to be seen how his bumps and bruises will affect his jumper, but after the 4th Quarter of Game 5 and all of Game 6 -- not to mention most of the rest of the Sacramento series -- the Kings might differ on the notion that Parker is a one-dimensional scorer.

I'd say that the Spurs defensive options against Dallas are remarkably more open than many think -- more open than they were against Sacramento. Bowen on Dirk in stretches, but if Howard gets going, Bowen can be switched onto Josh and others can take up the slack on Dirk. Dirk is going to get his pretty much regardless of who defends him.

I'd also be inclined to say that freed from the straightjacket that is Ron Artest, Manu Ginobili may feel like he's shed 260 pounds.

This series is going to fascinating to watch, and it will come down to lots and lots of adjustments on both sides. From a personnel standpoint, this matchup appears a much better one for the Spurs than the matchup with the Kings was.

I think the Mavericks are a great team and I think they are capable of winning this series. But the nonchalant manner in which Mavs fans are dismissing the Spurs is ridiculous.

[leemajors]

i agree, this is definitely a 6 or 7 game series. not to beat a dead horse, but this should be an epic WCF matchup instead of 2nd round.

[J.T.]

Live in the present. Thats all I have to say about that.

http://xyberfreeza.homestead.com/files/owned.jpg

OWNED?

[FromWayDowntown]

It's b.s. to look to past championships as indicative of anything in this series. The only thing that it could possibly mean is that the Spurs have been in bigger spots than anything they'll be up against in this series. These Mavericks are better than any other Mavs team since 2001 and these Spurs have shown that they aren't always as good as the 1999, 2003, and 2005 teams. Once the ball goes up on Sunday, past titles mean relatively little and current rosters and philosophies mean everything.

[FromWayDowntown]

One other thing:

I'm absolutely certain that Popovich held some concepts back in the last game between these teams in the regular season. He knew, one way or the other, that this matchup was coming and Pop has rarely ever shown all of his cards in a situation like that one. I'd be reluctant to draw much from that game for that reason.

[SequSpur]

Most of you are stupid.

I ain't saying shit. Spurs are good. Mavs are good.

So.

Spurs in Four!!

[jman3000]

There are a lot of interesting assumptions bandied about in this thread.

I'd say it's pretty likely to be a fact that if Devin Harris scores 22 in a game, the Mavericks will win. I'd also say that the chances are pretty remote that Harris will consistently come anywhere close to 22 in this series.

I'd say that anyone who thinks that defending Pau Gasol is anything like defending Tim Duncan hasn't been watching NBA hoops for the last couple of weeks.

I'd say that anyone who thinks that the Spurs offense is predicated on Duncan being double teamed also hasn't been watching much recently. Tim makes the offense more efficient when he's doubled because he's probably the best big on the planet at finding teammates out of doubles. Double him and he'll make his teammates better; single him and he'll carry his teammates if need be.

I'd say that anyone who thinks that Tony Parker's scoring is limited to drives also hasn't been paying close attention of late. Tony isn't the greatest shooter from distance and it remains to be seen how his bumps and bruises will affect his jumper, but after the 4th Quarter of Game 5 and all of Game 6 -- not to mention most of the rest of the Sacramento series -- the Kings might differ on the notion that Parker is a one-dimensional scorer.

I'd say that the Spurs defensive options against Dallas are remarkably more open than many think -- more open than they were against Sacramento. Bowen on Dirk in stretches, but if Howard gets going, Bowen can be switched onto Josh and others can take up the slack on Dirk. Dirk is going to get his pretty much regardless of who defends him.

I'd also be inclined to say that freed from the straightjacket that is Ron Artest, Manu Ginobili may feel like he's shed 260 pounds.

This series is going to fascinating to watch, and it will come down to lots and lots of adjustments on both sides. From a personnel standpoint, this matchup appears a much better one for the Spurs than the matchup with the Kings was.

I think the Mavericks are a great team and I think they are capable of winning this series. But the nonchalant manner in which Mavs fans are dismissing the Spurs is ridiculous.


Great take... I was planning on writing something similar (about Devin Harris scoring 20 4th quarter points) but I decided not to.

[Vingianx]

Assuming you get by the kings what matchups/rotations would you use against the mavs and how could you exploit Dallas?


well if they get exploited it would be for the mavs' next season opponents because they arent getting by round 2

[East Coast Babe]

Dallas vs SA - 4 games
Terry - 14.75 points per game on .461 shooting
Parker - 21.75 points per game on .627 shooting


mavsfan1000 once again proving he knows jack. Maybe a hobbled Parker can even things up a bit for your wonder boy Terry.


Who the heck shoots 62.7% per game?!! Maybe on one fluke game, but not all the time. Michael Jordan didn't even shoot that percentage!! What's the deal about our team has more championships than your team or more hardware than your team, so we will win? It means jack! It took you seven games to get by us last year, or did you forget? And you have more hardware for your current players than we do. And Tim D. Last year he was on the sideline feeling sorry for himself and Popovich was consoling him! Puh- leeze!!

Let's face it, Sacto surprised you! I didn't see it, but I'm sure you were predicting a sweep on that. Now you are telling the Mavs fans how strong Artest and Wells are and how much respect you have for them. Go ahead, think the Mavs are no good. They may surprise you too, who knows. We think they would be admirable opponents. I hope we get to play them!

[A-Train]

eh, Sacto surprised no one. Based on the hype, the Spurs would've been lucky to extend the series to 5 before being ousted by the Kings. Now Artest's 3rd personality is consoling his 5th one over the series loss. Frankly, I hope you find that we Spurs fans irritate you. I know nothing amuses me more in this forum than seeing visitors bitch about what you read. This is the internets and there is a nice red X at the top right of the window if we bother you so.

[Louie Vega]

I'm sure the spurs are totally focused on the kings but the fans don't have to play the game. I am wasting my time putting out logical threads without stupid responses.

Then why the fuck do you stick around? You obviously think you are better than everyone in here anyways!

"This is my house. If you don't like it,get the fuck out! I don't give a fuck!"- Eddie Murphy.

[Louie Vega]

What's the deal about our team has more championships than your team or more hardware than your team, so we will win? It means jack![/U][/B] It took you seven games to get by us last year, or did you forget? And you have blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah!


You talk alot of shit for a fan who's team has only won 3 titles since 1990. The Pissed-on's are good, but like the Spurs proved last year they can and will be beat in the playoffs.

[East Coast Babe]

eh, Sacto surprised no one. Based on the hype, the Spurs would've been lucky to extend the series to 5 before being ousted by the Kings. Now Artest's 3rd personality is consoling his 5th one over the series loss. Frankly, I hope you find that we Spurs fans irritate you. I know nothing amuses me more in this forum than seeing visitors bitch about what you read. This is the internets and there is a nice red X at the top right of the window if we bother you so.


Yeah, Whatever! Ok, I'll take it down a notch. To me, the conversation offered and the points made are ridiculous at best. After you have read over and over, and over again how the Spurs will win because they have won before and the Mavs have not you gotta wonder about the people offering commentary. It doesn't seem to me that any current status of the Mavericks team has been made, just past ones. You have seen them play this year, I think they are better. More defense and better play. They have given us trouble at times this year, and the Pistons are a good defensive team (at least I think so). The thing that gets wearing on me is the point about how we have won before, so we will win again. The Mavs have not won before, so they will get beat. But if that pushes your buttons, knock yourself out!

[East Coast Babe]

You talk alot of shit for a fan who's team has only won 3 titles since 1990. The Pissed-on's are good, but like the Spurs proved last year they can and will be beat in the playoffs.


Why does that matter so much to you anyway? I don't understand the logic that says because we did it in the recent past, we will do it now. Maybe you will, and maybe you won't.

[East Coast Babe]

Then why the fuck do you stick around? You obviously think you are better than everyone in here anyways!

"This is my house. If you don't like it,get the fuck out! I don't give a fuck!"- Eddie Murphy.


I don't think I am better than anyone else, but I think the Spurs fans here do think they are better than everybody else.

[mffl89]

Duncan has 5 MVP trophies, Dirk has 0. Case closed. Shit Manu got more jewelry than Dirk.

so are u saying a guy like horry who has multiple championship rings is better than dirk since dirk has 0

[kidd]

Make dork work on the defensive end... I don't know how... but I really hate Dork with a passion and would love to see him try to play Defense.

Maybe keep Duncan in his sweet spot so that Dampier cant hang in the paint, and drive to force Dork to try to block shots..




But aside from my hatred, I think you should try to push the tempo. I think Dallas will revert to form and play awful D in a high paced game, while the Spurs are able to play defense. Pop seems to like trying half court and full court games series. Last year, for example, he ran with the Suns for pretty much the whole series, but played half court against other teams. He'll probably do his normal routine of pushing the tempo first, and if the Spurs lose 2 games, hell try the half court focused routine. I think Mavs will die in an up tempo game thoughl.

[TDMVPDPOY]

for us to win, beno has to warm up that bench

[mavsfan1000]

Make dork work on the defensive end... I don't know how... but I really hate Dork with a passion and would love to see him try to play Defense.

Maybe keep Duncan in his sweet spot so that Dampier cant hang in the paint, and drive to force Dork to try to block shots..




But aside from my hatred, I think you should try to push the tempo. I think Dallas will revert to form and play awful D in a high paced game, while the Spurs are able to play defense. Pop seems to like trying half court and full court games series. Last year, for example, he ran with the Suns for pretty much the whole series, but played half court against other teams. He'll probably do his normal routine of pushing the tempo first, and if the Spurs lose 2 games, hell try the half court focused routine. I think Mavs will die in an up tempo game thoughl.

The reason the spurs were able to run so easily on the suns is because the suns jack up a lot of bad shots which make it easier to fast break. Dallas is more selective so it will probably be more halfcourt.

[Shank]

The Steelers go into the RCA Dome and take out the Colts.
The Red Sox win the World Series.
Buster Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson.

"We'll win because we've won before" holds little weight in sports. And while I understand, and respect, it's your job as a Spurs fan to predict an 82-0 season you have to understand that your team isn't infallible.

Strategy against the Mavs - lots of ball movement and fast break transitions. Don't let them get set up. Smother the pick and roll. Get the center position into early foul trouble. Keep the crowd on your side. Keep close in the free throw totals.

But like Dirk said to Hakim Warrick in the early part of Game 3 - "All day". You can try to rattle him and throw different looks his way, but when he gets that fire going and that look on his face - there will be trouble.

All in all - I'm really excited about today's game. It's good to stay out late on a Saturday, wake up late,watch some badass basketball AND STILL have time to see MI3 this afternoon. Good times.

[MI21]

Strategy to beat the Mavs?

Tony Parker, followed by some Tony Parker with just a dash of Tony Parker.

Mavericks have proven since he was a fucking rookie that they can not defend him. I don't see it changing right now.

[td4mvp21]

One thing I would like to see is our smaller defender NOT switching on Dirk on pick and rolls. Thats the main reason why Dirk scores so much from the outside-he's either wide open or he has a much smaller defender. Put a quick, taller guy on him and he's not as effective from the outside.

[Shank]

Spurs' Parker may not be at full speed

By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News

San Antonio carries questions about its point guards into today's series opener against the Mavericks.

Starter Tony Parker was dynamic in Fridays' 105-83 win at Sacramento, but he also added another injury. Parker strained his right hip on a drive to the basket in the third quarter. He already had a bruised right thigh.

The Spurs expect Parker to play against the Mavericks, but he probably will not be at full speed.

"I'm going to count on our trainer [Will Sevening] with his magic hands," Parker said after the win at Sacramento. "We've got to be ready, but we're not going to complain."

Coach Gregg Popovich used Nick Van Exel as the backup point guard in the final two games of the Sacramento series, and he performed poorly.

Van Exel, considering retirement after this season, missed all four shots and had five assists with three turnovers in the games. For the series, Van Exel was 3-of-20 from the floor.

In the series finale, Sacramento had an 11-6 scoring advantage when Van Exel was on the floor during the first three quarters.

Popovich also played little-used Beno Udrih at point guard against Sacramento. He had eight assists and only one turnover.

Briefly: The Spurs waited until Saturday morning to return from Sacramento. Past performance has shown the Spurs that team performance suffers the day after a red-eye flight from the Pacific time zone. ... Popovich started three centers against Sacramento: Nazr Mohammed, Rasho Nesterovic and Robert Horry. He is likely to stay with Horry, who was in an uncharacteristic silent mood after the win at Sacramento. ... In the final four games against Sacramento, Tim Duncan made 34 of 51 shots.

[LB7]

The present? We're the fucking defending champs. That's pretty fucking "present".
LMAO

[LB7]

http://xyberfreeza.homestead.com/files/owned.jpg

OWNED?
Nope not quite owned. Because again, thats past. Didn't see anything of 2006 on there. Past.

That word HISTORY proves my point.

[Shank]

Spurs fans - kings and queens of winning things before they've been played.

[A-Train]

Spurs fans - kings and queens of winning things before they've been played.

Mavs fans: Cowboys fans in spring.

[JHoLove]

I think the Mavericks are a great team and I think they are capable of winning this series. But the nonchalant manner in which Mavs fans are dismissing the Spurs is ridiculous.

I agree. I have nothing but respect for the Spurs and it's ridiculous to think of them as anything less than the defending champs.

[mavsfan1000]

Yeah I will give them 2 games for being the defending champions. Mavs in 6. Book it.

[Despot]

The strategy for today is to be ready to play with the intensity of a WCF playoff series.

[team-work]

The strategy for today is to be ready to play with the intensity of a WCF playoff series.

True.

Intensity is the most important thing to bring out in order to win the series. Throughout the season focuses were put on the Pistons for their desire to revenge. In fact, many high-quality teams like Dallas and even the Kings also have the same motivation and readiness to dethrone the reigning champion. So it's of utmost importance for the Spurs to bring out the same intensity, eg. don't give up any defensive rebound, and if they can do so, the Spurs should be fine.

[LB7]

I agree. I have nothing but respect for the Spurs and it's ridiculous to think of them as anything less than the defending champs.

I have to say, Ive seen the complete opposite. I see the Spurs fans being the ones dismissing the Mavs just because we haven't won any past championships. I see a few Mavs fans being ignorant, but mostly I see spurs fans as the ones dismissing a legitimate title contender.

[jman3000]

I agree. I have nothing but respect for the Spurs and it's ridiculous to think of them as anything less than the defending champs.

So is this the only respectful Mavs fan we have so far on these boards or is there others?

[LB7]

I have posted numerous times that this will be a battle and it should be fun. Apparently, you missed that. How much more respect do you want. Spurs are great, it won't be easy to beat them. I expect a good battle all the way around. Good luck to everyone!

[Frenchise player]

The two teams really look alike in some ways.
They have a scoring PG, a defensive specialist (Griffin and Bowen) and a slasher (Howard and Ginobili) in the wings, and a frontcourt with a star PF and a defensive specialist at center. Both coach know each other very well and both bench are very strong.
The difference may be experience and health. If Parker, Ginobili and Duncan are healthy, they are the best trio in the league, but not by far against Nowitzki, Howard and Terry.
Pop has said that controlling Terry was key against the Mavs offense and I think that it applies for the Mavs against Parker.
As a Spurs and french fan, I think that it should be easier to control Terry than Parker. So Spurs in 6.