timvp
04-22-2007, 01:06 PM
The San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets tipoff their best of seven first round series Sunday in the AT&T Center. It’s a rematch of the 2005 first round series in which the Spurs won in five games.
The sole loss for the Spurs two years ago versus the Nuggets was in Game 1. This season, with the addition of Allen Iverson, Denver is even more explosive and dangerous than their 2005 squad.
The Matchups
Point Guard
Tony Parker
An All-Star for the second consecutive season, Parker is looking to take the next step in his playoff legacy. So far in his career, he’s been a better player during the regular season. Parker has an opportunity to cement himself into Spurs lore with an All-Star level playoff run.
Against the Nuggets, Parker is going to be a key for the Spurs offensively. Denver doesn’t have anyone who can guard him effectively for large stretches, so Parker is going to have to look to score. The Nuggets have a history of making Parker shoot the ball, so it’s going to be vital that Parker is able knock down jumpers at a high percentage.
Steve Blake
Since coming over from the Milwaukee Bucks in a midseason trade, Blake has stepped in and has taken over the starting point guard spot for the Nuggets. He’s a pass first point guard who is adept at getting his teammates involved. Blake also has the ability to get hot from three-point range.
In this series, Blake is going to have to be very efficient for the Nuggets to win. He needs to make sure that Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson each get a quality number of touches. To keep the Spurs honest, he’ll also have to knock down some outside jumpers. Defensively, going up against the quicker Spurs guards, he will have to avoid being a liability.
Shooting Guard
Manu Ginobili
While Ginobili comes off the bench, he is for all intents and purposes a starter for the Spurs. Ginobili had perhaps his finest regular season to date, averaging a career-high in points per game and three-pointers made. He also had his most healthy NBA regular season to date.
Against the Nuggets, Ginobili is going to have his work cut out for him. Denver, under head coach George Karl, promises to make it a physical series for the Spurs’ star shooting guard. The good news for Ginobili is that the Nuggets don’t have a player who has a history of being able to defend him effectively.
Allen Iverson
Iverson, one of the most popular players in the league among fans due to his all-out style of play, came to the Nuggets from the Philadelphia 76ers via trade. He’s brought his same level of toughness and competitive nature to Denver. Although at first he wasn’t a great fit next to Anthony, the two players have now figured out how to complement each other.
This series, Iverson is the wildcard. If he can play his best, he’s one of the few players around the league who have historically given the Spurs trouble. Iverson can score from anywhere on the court and at times can be virtually unguardable. To be successful against the Spurs, Iverson has to be relentless in his attacking.
Small Forward
Bruce Bowen
Bowen is coming off another stellar defensive campaign. He enters a playoff run that again promises to throw a ton of difficult defensive assignments his way. One area of concern regarding Bowen is his shooting has been erratic from the field this season, but his bread-and-butter is on the defensive end.
Versus the Nuggets, Bowen is going to be called upon to slow both Iverson and Anthony. He’ll probably start games on Iverson, but don’t be surprised to see him on whichever player has the hot hand for Denver.
Carmelo Anthony
Anthony had a rollercoaster regular season. At first, he was the talk of the league, averaging over 30 points per game. Then an ugly skirmish in a game versus the New York Knicks left Anthony suspended for 15 games. Once he got back on the court, it took him a while to learn to mesh with Iverson. But by the time April rolled around, he was again playing at an extremely high level.
Unlike in 2005, Anthony seems ready to make a deep playoff push. He’s grown up a lot over the last two years and is now a legitimate superstar. Offensively, he can kill you with his outside jumper or down on the block. The Spurs will throw a bunch of different defenders at him, but Anthony will still be able to score against any type of defense.
Power Forward
Tim Duncan
Quietly, Duncan had his best season in a long time. His field goal percentage was the highest of his career other than his rookie season. His defense, especially in the second half of the year, was phenomenal. Overall, he looks poised for a strong playoff push.
Against the Nuggets, Duncan is going to be the Spurs’ main go-to scorer. While the Nuggets have a lot of depth at the bigman positions, including a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Marcus Camby, Duncan holds the advantage and will need to exploit Denver’s defense for the Spurs to be successful.
Nene
The Brazilian born Nene has played remarkably well after missing all of last season with a knee injury. He’s become a fixture in the Nuggets’ starting lineup and has brought a level of toughness and scoring ability to Denver’s frontcourt.
Nene’s main job versus the Spurs will be to make Duncan expend as much energy as possible. He’s going to draw the main defensive assignment against Duncan and also will likely be the player Duncan spends the most time guarding. If he can get Duncan into foul trouble and stay out of foul trouble of his own, that could be the difference in the series.
Center
Francisco Elson
Elson spent his first three seasons of his NBA career playing with the Nuggets. Last summer, he signed a two-year contract to become the new starting center for the Spurs. Although his transition to the spot was shaky at first, he’s grown into it and is playing better and better as of late.
Against his former team, Elson is going to have to concentrate on defense and rebounding. With the myriad of scorers that the Nuggets can put on the floor, Elson has to be ready to help defensively in a moment’s notice. Denver is also one of the better rebounding teams in the league, so the Spurs’ center is going to have to come up big on the glass.
Marcus Camby
Camby, who led the league in blocked shots this season, is coming off of one of his best years of his career. He stayed relatively healthy and could be rewarded with the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Camby is going to be a huge key for the Nuggets this series. He’ll play off the ball, but also be asked to rotate and alter the shots coming from Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. If he can block and change enough shots, he could give Iverson and Anthony plenty of opportunities to make the Spurs pay on the other end of the court.
Bench
Spurs
The Spurs have a deep bench with a number of players able to produce. Michael Finley and Brent Barry are the Spurs’ two outside shooting threats. Robert Horry, Fabricio Oberto and Matt Bonner will all see some time at power forward and each has varied skills to bring to the table. Jacque Vaughn has played well this season as the backup to Parker and will see some limited time guarding Allen Iverson.
Nuggets
Denver has a bunch of quality players coming off their bench. Linas Kleiza is a strong player who can score and rebound, while JR Smith is one of best shooters in the league. Eduardo Najera and Reggie Evans are two tough as nails low post players. DerMarr Johnson and Yakhouba Diawara are younger perimeter players who may be called upon to defend the Spurs’ perimeter scorers.
The San Antonio Spurs take on the Denver Nuggets beginning on Sunday in their first round playoff matchup. Game 1 tips off at 6:00pm at the AT&T Center.
The Keys
For The Spurs
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili will have to come up big. The Nuggets don’t really have too many perimeter stoppers on their roster, so Parker and Ginobili will be called upon to score early and often for the Spurs. The Nuggets will force them to shoot the ball from the outside and the Spurs’ star guards will have to be ready and able to knock those shots down.
Inside, Tim Duncan needs to get the ball and be effective. The Nuggets will throw tons of bigmen at him, so Duncan will have to avoid getting in foul trouble or wearing down by the fourth quarter.
Defensively, expect the Spurs to start with Bruce Bowen on Allen Iverson, Michael Finley on Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker on Steve Blake. When Finley is replaced by Ginobili, expect Parker to guard Iverson, Bowen to guard Anthony and Ginobili to guard Blake.
Bowen will need to stay out of foul trouble because he’ll be called on to guard both Iverson and Anthony at different stretches of the game. Parker will need to be able to slow down Iverson when he’s matched up against him.
A final key for the Spurs is perimeter shooting. Not only do Parker and Ginobili need to shoot well, but so do Finley, Bowen and Brent Barry. Coach Karl’s game plan could very well be to force the Spurs to hit perimeter jumpshots.
For The Nuggets
The Nuggets need to turn these games into high scoring affairs. They are a running team by nature and they can’t let the Spurs slow the pace. If Denver is able to turn this series into a shootout, they’ll have the upper hand because of their superior scoring talent.
Nene, Eduardo Najera, Reggie Evans and Marcus Camby will all take turns on Duncan. They’ll have enough fouls to make him work for all his points. If Duncan is struggling at the line, a good idea might be to be physical with him and limit his ability to get into a rhythm.
Defensively, the Nuggets will most likely start with Iverson on Parker, Anthony on Finley and Blake on Bowen. This gives Denver an opportunity to hide Blake and put the better defender in Iverson on Parker. However, once Ginobili enters the game, Iverson will need to guard him and Blake will take the challenge of slowing down Parker.
Camby averaged 3.3 blocks this season. If he is able to up that to around four or five blocks per contest, that’d make a huge difference in this series. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili all love to score at the rim, and if you take that away from them, the Spurs might struggle to find other ways to score.
A final key for the Nuggets will be the play of Linas Kleiza. If he can be effective in a package that consists of Anthony and Iverson, this big lineup could hurt the Spurs. Additionally, if the Spurs go small, Kleiza might be asked to play power forward.
The Prediction
This is going to be a hard fought series between two very talented teams. However, the edge goes to the Spurs because they have the more experienced team. While the Nuggets might have as much or more talent than the Spurs, they don’t quite have the chemistry to defeat a team of the Spurs’ caliber in the playoffs just yet. Spurs should win the series in five or six tough games.
SpursZone Kori Ellis (http://www.woai.com/content/sports/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=ca823bde-3f30-4afe-a6a7-6e7aad4b8c24)
The sole loss for the Spurs two years ago versus the Nuggets was in Game 1. This season, with the addition of Allen Iverson, Denver is even more explosive and dangerous than their 2005 squad.
The Matchups
Point Guard
Tony Parker
An All-Star for the second consecutive season, Parker is looking to take the next step in his playoff legacy. So far in his career, he’s been a better player during the regular season. Parker has an opportunity to cement himself into Spurs lore with an All-Star level playoff run.
Against the Nuggets, Parker is going to be a key for the Spurs offensively. Denver doesn’t have anyone who can guard him effectively for large stretches, so Parker is going to have to look to score. The Nuggets have a history of making Parker shoot the ball, so it’s going to be vital that Parker is able knock down jumpers at a high percentage.
Steve Blake
Since coming over from the Milwaukee Bucks in a midseason trade, Blake has stepped in and has taken over the starting point guard spot for the Nuggets. He’s a pass first point guard who is adept at getting his teammates involved. Blake also has the ability to get hot from three-point range.
In this series, Blake is going to have to be very efficient for the Nuggets to win. He needs to make sure that Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson each get a quality number of touches. To keep the Spurs honest, he’ll also have to knock down some outside jumpers. Defensively, going up against the quicker Spurs guards, he will have to avoid being a liability.
Shooting Guard
Manu Ginobili
While Ginobili comes off the bench, he is for all intents and purposes a starter for the Spurs. Ginobili had perhaps his finest regular season to date, averaging a career-high in points per game and three-pointers made. He also had his most healthy NBA regular season to date.
Against the Nuggets, Ginobili is going to have his work cut out for him. Denver, under head coach George Karl, promises to make it a physical series for the Spurs’ star shooting guard. The good news for Ginobili is that the Nuggets don’t have a player who has a history of being able to defend him effectively.
Allen Iverson
Iverson, one of the most popular players in the league among fans due to his all-out style of play, came to the Nuggets from the Philadelphia 76ers via trade. He’s brought his same level of toughness and competitive nature to Denver. Although at first he wasn’t a great fit next to Anthony, the two players have now figured out how to complement each other.
This series, Iverson is the wildcard. If he can play his best, he’s one of the few players around the league who have historically given the Spurs trouble. Iverson can score from anywhere on the court and at times can be virtually unguardable. To be successful against the Spurs, Iverson has to be relentless in his attacking.
Small Forward
Bruce Bowen
Bowen is coming off another stellar defensive campaign. He enters a playoff run that again promises to throw a ton of difficult defensive assignments his way. One area of concern regarding Bowen is his shooting has been erratic from the field this season, but his bread-and-butter is on the defensive end.
Versus the Nuggets, Bowen is going to be called upon to slow both Iverson and Anthony. He’ll probably start games on Iverson, but don’t be surprised to see him on whichever player has the hot hand for Denver.
Carmelo Anthony
Anthony had a rollercoaster regular season. At first, he was the talk of the league, averaging over 30 points per game. Then an ugly skirmish in a game versus the New York Knicks left Anthony suspended for 15 games. Once he got back on the court, it took him a while to learn to mesh with Iverson. But by the time April rolled around, he was again playing at an extremely high level.
Unlike in 2005, Anthony seems ready to make a deep playoff push. He’s grown up a lot over the last two years and is now a legitimate superstar. Offensively, he can kill you with his outside jumper or down on the block. The Spurs will throw a bunch of different defenders at him, but Anthony will still be able to score against any type of defense.
Power Forward
Tim Duncan
Quietly, Duncan had his best season in a long time. His field goal percentage was the highest of his career other than his rookie season. His defense, especially in the second half of the year, was phenomenal. Overall, he looks poised for a strong playoff push.
Against the Nuggets, Duncan is going to be the Spurs’ main go-to scorer. While the Nuggets have a lot of depth at the bigman positions, including a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Marcus Camby, Duncan holds the advantage and will need to exploit Denver’s defense for the Spurs to be successful.
Nene
The Brazilian born Nene has played remarkably well after missing all of last season with a knee injury. He’s become a fixture in the Nuggets’ starting lineup and has brought a level of toughness and scoring ability to Denver’s frontcourt.
Nene’s main job versus the Spurs will be to make Duncan expend as much energy as possible. He’s going to draw the main defensive assignment against Duncan and also will likely be the player Duncan spends the most time guarding. If he can get Duncan into foul trouble and stay out of foul trouble of his own, that could be the difference in the series.
Center
Francisco Elson
Elson spent his first three seasons of his NBA career playing with the Nuggets. Last summer, he signed a two-year contract to become the new starting center for the Spurs. Although his transition to the spot was shaky at first, he’s grown into it and is playing better and better as of late.
Against his former team, Elson is going to have to concentrate on defense and rebounding. With the myriad of scorers that the Nuggets can put on the floor, Elson has to be ready to help defensively in a moment’s notice. Denver is also one of the better rebounding teams in the league, so the Spurs’ center is going to have to come up big on the glass.
Marcus Camby
Camby, who led the league in blocked shots this season, is coming off of one of his best years of his career. He stayed relatively healthy and could be rewarded with the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Camby is going to be a huge key for the Nuggets this series. He’ll play off the ball, but also be asked to rotate and alter the shots coming from Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. If he can block and change enough shots, he could give Iverson and Anthony plenty of opportunities to make the Spurs pay on the other end of the court.
Bench
Spurs
The Spurs have a deep bench with a number of players able to produce. Michael Finley and Brent Barry are the Spurs’ two outside shooting threats. Robert Horry, Fabricio Oberto and Matt Bonner will all see some time at power forward and each has varied skills to bring to the table. Jacque Vaughn has played well this season as the backup to Parker and will see some limited time guarding Allen Iverson.
Nuggets
Denver has a bunch of quality players coming off their bench. Linas Kleiza is a strong player who can score and rebound, while JR Smith is one of best shooters in the league. Eduardo Najera and Reggie Evans are two tough as nails low post players. DerMarr Johnson and Yakhouba Diawara are younger perimeter players who may be called upon to defend the Spurs’ perimeter scorers.
The San Antonio Spurs take on the Denver Nuggets beginning on Sunday in their first round playoff matchup. Game 1 tips off at 6:00pm at the AT&T Center.
The Keys
For The Spurs
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili will have to come up big. The Nuggets don’t really have too many perimeter stoppers on their roster, so Parker and Ginobili will be called upon to score early and often for the Spurs. The Nuggets will force them to shoot the ball from the outside and the Spurs’ star guards will have to be ready and able to knock those shots down.
Inside, Tim Duncan needs to get the ball and be effective. The Nuggets will throw tons of bigmen at him, so Duncan will have to avoid getting in foul trouble or wearing down by the fourth quarter.
Defensively, expect the Spurs to start with Bruce Bowen on Allen Iverson, Michael Finley on Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker on Steve Blake. When Finley is replaced by Ginobili, expect Parker to guard Iverson, Bowen to guard Anthony and Ginobili to guard Blake.
Bowen will need to stay out of foul trouble because he’ll be called on to guard both Iverson and Anthony at different stretches of the game. Parker will need to be able to slow down Iverson when he’s matched up against him.
A final key for the Spurs is perimeter shooting. Not only do Parker and Ginobili need to shoot well, but so do Finley, Bowen and Brent Barry. Coach Karl’s game plan could very well be to force the Spurs to hit perimeter jumpshots.
For The Nuggets
The Nuggets need to turn these games into high scoring affairs. They are a running team by nature and they can’t let the Spurs slow the pace. If Denver is able to turn this series into a shootout, they’ll have the upper hand because of their superior scoring talent.
Nene, Eduardo Najera, Reggie Evans and Marcus Camby will all take turns on Duncan. They’ll have enough fouls to make him work for all his points. If Duncan is struggling at the line, a good idea might be to be physical with him and limit his ability to get into a rhythm.
Defensively, the Nuggets will most likely start with Iverson on Parker, Anthony on Finley and Blake on Bowen. This gives Denver an opportunity to hide Blake and put the better defender in Iverson on Parker. However, once Ginobili enters the game, Iverson will need to guard him and Blake will take the challenge of slowing down Parker.
Camby averaged 3.3 blocks this season. If he is able to up that to around four or five blocks per contest, that’d make a huge difference in this series. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili all love to score at the rim, and if you take that away from them, the Spurs might struggle to find other ways to score.
A final key for the Nuggets will be the play of Linas Kleiza. If he can be effective in a package that consists of Anthony and Iverson, this big lineup could hurt the Spurs. Additionally, if the Spurs go small, Kleiza might be asked to play power forward.
The Prediction
This is going to be a hard fought series between two very talented teams. However, the edge goes to the Spurs because they have the more experienced team. While the Nuggets might have as much or more talent than the Spurs, they don’t quite have the chemistry to defeat a team of the Spurs’ caliber in the playoffs just yet. Spurs should win the series in five or six tough games.
SpursZone Kori Ellis (http://www.woai.com/content/sports/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=ca823bde-3f30-4afe-a6a7-6e7aad4b8c24)