td4mvp3
06-06-2007, 04:40 PM
Spurs' experience could be the difference
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 4 hours ago
The Spurs have been-there-done-that, while the Cavs are strangers in paradise. And while Tim Duncan is arguably the best player in the league, LeBron James dominated the Eastern Conference finals as nobody else has since the hey-day of His Airness.
NBA Finals Roundup
Spurs respect LeBron, Cavs
Cavs primed for title run
MJ pays tribute to LeBron
Analysis:
Schrager: 10 other storylines
Kahn: Inside Cavs-Spurs
Rosen: Cavs end a dynasty
Dime: Changes in Detroit
Video:
LeBron's financial impact
Photo gallery ...
Cavs-Pistons, Game 6
Shopping:
Team caps, jerseys & more
The Spurs are renowned for their dazzling teamwork. On the flip side of the equation, everything good that happens to Cleveland springs from the capable hands of James. The questions to be decided within the next two weeks are these: Is LBJ brilliant enough to unilaterally dull the Spurs? And if not, from whence might his help cometh?
POINT GUARDS
None of the Cavs' points can keep Tony Parker from driving and spinning for profit in the paint. Not even the wizened talents of spot-defender Eric Snow. Unless Cleveland chooses to go under all screen/rolls involving Parker, this expectation diminishes the importance of his shooting well from the perimeter. Also, Parker's penetrations will put heavy-duty defensive pressure, i.e., foul trouble, on the Cavs' bigs. That's because Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden lack the speedy lateral movement, and Anderson Varejao is too raw and impulsive, for them to consistently jam up Parker.
The Spurs will depend on their other four defenders to deal with James so that Parker can stay home on Daniel Gibson and limit the rookie's open 3-point looks.
Playing alongside LeBron, Larry Hughes doesn't get the slash-and-burn opportunities that suit his talents, and he's reduced to being either a spot-up shooter or a go-and-pull shooter, neither of which fit easily into his comfort zone. Hughes' struggle to find a fit in the offense is why Gibson has usurped so much of his playing time. Since Hughes has quick hands and is taller and longer than Parker (6-5 to 6-2), he might be able to hinder the Spurs' quicksilver guard upon occasion. But not for long.
Jacque Vaughn will hit a few mid-range jumpers, and will blanket Gibson as soon as he crosses the time-line. But he won't be able to prevent either Gibson or Hughes from carrying the ball into the paint.
ADVANTAGE — +++ Spurs
SCORING GUARD
Sasha Pavlovic is inexperienced and head-strong, which is why he drives the ball into heavy traffic much too often. He's an outstanding stand-still shooter and can take advantage of careless defense (especially in a broken field and along the baseline). His defense is physical, but slow-footed.
Manu Ginobili should have an advantage over Sasha Pavlovic. (Garrett Ellwood / Getty Images)
Even though they're relatively equal on a purely physical level, Michael Finley will have his way with Pavlovic on those rare chances he gets to create his own scoring opportunities. Specifically, Finley's pull-fade-and-shoot antics (especially going left) will easily immobilize Pavlovic.
Manu Ginobili, on the other hand, will absolutely destroy Pavlovic and leave him choking on exhaust fumes.
Since Damon Jones is an even worse defender than Pavlovic, look for Hughes to take a turn guarding Ginobili. Brent Barry and Damon Jones are identical players in two different bodies.
As will be the case with Parker, Ginobili's madcap slants into the middle will plague Cleveland's bigs with foul trouble.
ADVANTAGE — +++ Spurs
SMALL FORWARDS
What to do about LBJ? That is the big question for San Antonio.
Bruce Bowen will have the major responsibilities here, but where Bowen's feistiness and strength can usually discombobulate opponents, James' incredible physical gifts make him virtually immune to in-your-face-defense. Bowen will be more of a nuisance than a stopper.
San Antonio's best bets are to play James soft, rely on Bowen's long arms to at least distract LBJ's rather low jump-shot release, and hope that the King is missing his shots. When James is able to penetrate, the Spurs will most likely send only one helper (Duncan, or Robert Horry, or Francisco Elson) and tag the likes of Gibson, Pavlovic, Jones, and Donyell Marshall. This is exactly how the Spurs defended Steve Nash, with the difference being they were able to push Nash to the baseline and seal him there. James, though, is too big and too forceful for the Spurs to do much to influence his drives.
No doubt San Antonio will show James different looks on defense. Horry's XXL-length will enable him to give LBJ a bigger cushion and still be able to reach out and touch James' jumpers. The guess here is that we'll see a lot of this particular matchup.
These days Donyell Marshall is strictly a set-shooter and attending to him will negate him.
ADVANTAGE — +++++ Cavs
POWER FORWARD
What to do about Duncan? That's the big question for Cleveland.
Drew Gooden will have his hands full with Tim Duncan. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Unless the Spurs' wings sneak into the passing lanes, Gooden will get a good share of open baseline jumpers as TD helps on James. Otherwise, look for Gooden to go at Duncan in the low-post with his turnaround jumpers and jump hooks. Gooden will either hit or miss these, but his interior offense will not pin many fouls on Duncan.
Conversely, Duncan will simply abuse Gooden's bump-and-grind but laterally-challenged version of defense. Varejao's aggressive quickness may give Duncan trouble on their first go-round, but TD will discover what he can do (move, fake, re-fake, and then unload) and what he can't do (spin left to the baseline and toss up lurching bankers). There's no way that Varejao can avoid crippling foul trouble if he has to play Duncan one-on-one for too long.
Ilgauskas' length and verticality will also make Duncan work hard, but any face-up moves will have the Z-man tripping over himself.
The Cavs must duplicate Utah's tactics — lean hard on Duncan so that his individual dribbling won't gain much ground, and then either dig (on the move) or double (on the move) from the top.
When Horry plays the 4-slot, he'll be able to fire up triples at will, and should also be able to crowd whatever shots Gooden attempts.
ADVANTAGE — ++++ Spurs
CENTER
If he minimizes his pre-shot dribbling, Ilguaskas will be able to get his shots launched without much interference from Fabricio Oberto. But the more Ilguaskas has to put the ball on the floor, the more susceptible he'll be to getting ripped by the swift defensive drops of the Spurs' wings and guards.
Varejao has the speed but not the moves to score with any regularity on Oberto's slow-footed defense. At the same time, Oberto's diligent boxing-out will keep both Ilgauskas and Varejao from storming the offensive boards.
When the Spurs have the ball, Oberto, AKA "The Little Fundamental," will cut to the basket whenever his opponent turns his head.
Unless the Spurs' bigs are saddled with unusual foul trouble, Francisco Elson will play sparingly. His contributions will be restricted to running the court and blocking the most careless of layups.
ADVANTAGE — +++ Cavs
Here are some other categories to be considered:
SHOOTING: The Cavs have more potential sharp-shooters, yet the Spurs' 3-ballers are a mite more consistent.
ADVANTAGE — Even
Poll
BALL- AND PLAYER-MOVEMENT: This is what separates the Spurs from every other team in the league.
ADVANTAGE — ++++ Spurs
PENETRATION: Ginobili and Parker versus James.
ADVANTAGE — + Spurs
SPEED: Ginobili and Parker versus Gibson, Hughes, and James. Upfront, it's Duncan and Horry versus Varejao.
ADVANTAGE — + Cavs
POWER: Duncan is stronger than he appears and uses his elbows and hips well. Ilgauskas has mass, but is mostly a finesse guy. Gooden is also stronger than he looks. Horry and Varejao are strictly swifties. Oberto is more strength than anything else. And LBJ is stronger than steel.
ADVANTAGE — + Cavs
DEFENSE: No contest. The Spurs make quicker and more synchronous rotations. Plus Duncan is the only legitimate shot-blocker on either team.
ADVANTAGE — ++++ Spurs
REBOUNDING: Duncan is the Spurs' only steady rebounder, while Ilgauskas, Gooden, Varejao, and James will all make their presence felt on the boards.
ADVANTAGE — +++ Cavs
VERSATILITY: Cleveland's only truly versatile player is James.
ADVANTAGE — ++ Spurs
TOUGHNESS: LeBron eats nails and spits out battleships. Gooden will bang. Bowen and Oberto are bonafide tough cookies, and so are Ginobili and Parker.
ADVANTAGE — ++ Spurs
BENCH: This comes down to Gibson versus Ginobili.
ADVANTAGE — ++ Spurs
EXPERIENCE: This could very well have the biggest impact on the series.
ADVANTAGE — +++++ Spurs
COACHING: The master versus the pupil. Somewhere along the line, Mike Brown will wear the dunce cap.
ADVANTAGE — +++++ Spurs
PREDICTION: Spurs in 6. Five if they shoot with any degree of consistency from the perimeter.
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 4 hours ago
The Spurs have been-there-done-that, while the Cavs are strangers in paradise. And while Tim Duncan is arguably the best player in the league, LeBron James dominated the Eastern Conference finals as nobody else has since the hey-day of His Airness.
NBA Finals Roundup
Spurs respect LeBron, Cavs
Cavs primed for title run
MJ pays tribute to LeBron
Analysis:
Schrager: 10 other storylines
Kahn: Inside Cavs-Spurs
Rosen: Cavs end a dynasty
Dime: Changes in Detroit
Video:
LeBron's financial impact
Photo gallery ...
Cavs-Pistons, Game 6
Shopping:
Team caps, jerseys & more
The Spurs are renowned for their dazzling teamwork. On the flip side of the equation, everything good that happens to Cleveland springs from the capable hands of James. The questions to be decided within the next two weeks are these: Is LBJ brilliant enough to unilaterally dull the Spurs? And if not, from whence might his help cometh?
POINT GUARDS
None of the Cavs' points can keep Tony Parker from driving and spinning for profit in the paint. Not even the wizened talents of spot-defender Eric Snow. Unless Cleveland chooses to go under all screen/rolls involving Parker, this expectation diminishes the importance of his shooting well from the perimeter. Also, Parker's penetrations will put heavy-duty defensive pressure, i.e., foul trouble, on the Cavs' bigs. That's because Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden lack the speedy lateral movement, and Anderson Varejao is too raw and impulsive, for them to consistently jam up Parker.
The Spurs will depend on their other four defenders to deal with James so that Parker can stay home on Daniel Gibson and limit the rookie's open 3-point looks.
Playing alongside LeBron, Larry Hughes doesn't get the slash-and-burn opportunities that suit his talents, and he's reduced to being either a spot-up shooter or a go-and-pull shooter, neither of which fit easily into his comfort zone. Hughes' struggle to find a fit in the offense is why Gibson has usurped so much of his playing time. Since Hughes has quick hands and is taller and longer than Parker (6-5 to 6-2), he might be able to hinder the Spurs' quicksilver guard upon occasion. But not for long.
Jacque Vaughn will hit a few mid-range jumpers, and will blanket Gibson as soon as he crosses the time-line. But he won't be able to prevent either Gibson or Hughes from carrying the ball into the paint.
ADVANTAGE — +++ Spurs
SCORING GUARD
Sasha Pavlovic is inexperienced and head-strong, which is why he drives the ball into heavy traffic much too often. He's an outstanding stand-still shooter and can take advantage of careless defense (especially in a broken field and along the baseline). His defense is physical, but slow-footed.
Manu Ginobili should have an advantage over Sasha Pavlovic. (Garrett Ellwood / Getty Images)
Even though they're relatively equal on a purely physical level, Michael Finley will have his way with Pavlovic on those rare chances he gets to create his own scoring opportunities. Specifically, Finley's pull-fade-and-shoot antics (especially going left) will easily immobilize Pavlovic.
Manu Ginobili, on the other hand, will absolutely destroy Pavlovic and leave him choking on exhaust fumes.
Since Damon Jones is an even worse defender than Pavlovic, look for Hughes to take a turn guarding Ginobili. Brent Barry and Damon Jones are identical players in two different bodies.
As will be the case with Parker, Ginobili's madcap slants into the middle will plague Cleveland's bigs with foul trouble.
ADVANTAGE — +++ Spurs
SMALL FORWARDS
What to do about LBJ? That is the big question for San Antonio.
Bruce Bowen will have the major responsibilities here, but where Bowen's feistiness and strength can usually discombobulate opponents, James' incredible physical gifts make him virtually immune to in-your-face-defense. Bowen will be more of a nuisance than a stopper.
San Antonio's best bets are to play James soft, rely on Bowen's long arms to at least distract LBJ's rather low jump-shot release, and hope that the King is missing his shots. When James is able to penetrate, the Spurs will most likely send only one helper (Duncan, or Robert Horry, or Francisco Elson) and tag the likes of Gibson, Pavlovic, Jones, and Donyell Marshall. This is exactly how the Spurs defended Steve Nash, with the difference being they were able to push Nash to the baseline and seal him there. James, though, is too big and too forceful for the Spurs to do much to influence his drives.
No doubt San Antonio will show James different looks on defense. Horry's XXL-length will enable him to give LBJ a bigger cushion and still be able to reach out and touch James' jumpers. The guess here is that we'll see a lot of this particular matchup.
These days Donyell Marshall is strictly a set-shooter and attending to him will negate him.
ADVANTAGE — +++++ Cavs
POWER FORWARD
What to do about Duncan? That's the big question for Cleveland.
Drew Gooden will have his hands full with Tim Duncan. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Unless the Spurs' wings sneak into the passing lanes, Gooden will get a good share of open baseline jumpers as TD helps on James. Otherwise, look for Gooden to go at Duncan in the low-post with his turnaround jumpers and jump hooks. Gooden will either hit or miss these, but his interior offense will not pin many fouls on Duncan.
Conversely, Duncan will simply abuse Gooden's bump-and-grind but laterally-challenged version of defense. Varejao's aggressive quickness may give Duncan trouble on their first go-round, but TD will discover what he can do (move, fake, re-fake, and then unload) and what he can't do (spin left to the baseline and toss up lurching bankers). There's no way that Varejao can avoid crippling foul trouble if he has to play Duncan one-on-one for too long.
Ilgauskas' length and verticality will also make Duncan work hard, but any face-up moves will have the Z-man tripping over himself.
The Cavs must duplicate Utah's tactics — lean hard on Duncan so that his individual dribbling won't gain much ground, and then either dig (on the move) or double (on the move) from the top.
When Horry plays the 4-slot, he'll be able to fire up triples at will, and should also be able to crowd whatever shots Gooden attempts.
ADVANTAGE — ++++ Spurs
CENTER
If he minimizes his pre-shot dribbling, Ilguaskas will be able to get his shots launched without much interference from Fabricio Oberto. But the more Ilguaskas has to put the ball on the floor, the more susceptible he'll be to getting ripped by the swift defensive drops of the Spurs' wings and guards.
Varejao has the speed but not the moves to score with any regularity on Oberto's slow-footed defense. At the same time, Oberto's diligent boxing-out will keep both Ilgauskas and Varejao from storming the offensive boards.
When the Spurs have the ball, Oberto, AKA "The Little Fundamental," will cut to the basket whenever his opponent turns his head.
Unless the Spurs' bigs are saddled with unusual foul trouble, Francisco Elson will play sparingly. His contributions will be restricted to running the court and blocking the most careless of layups.
ADVANTAGE — +++ Cavs
Here are some other categories to be considered:
SHOOTING: The Cavs have more potential sharp-shooters, yet the Spurs' 3-ballers are a mite more consistent.
ADVANTAGE — Even
Poll
BALL- AND PLAYER-MOVEMENT: This is what separates the Spurs from every other team in the league.
ADVANTAGE — ++++ Spurs
PENETRATION: Ginobili and Parker versus James.
ADVANTAGE — + Spurs
SPEED: Ginobili and Parker versus Gibson, Hughes, and James. Upfront, it's Duncan and Horry versus Varejao.
ADVANTAGE — + Cavs
POWER: Duncan is stronger than he appears and uses his elbows and hips well. Ilgauskas has mass, but is mostly a finesse guy. Gooden is also stronger than he looks. Horry and Varejao are strictly swifties. Oberto is more strength than anything else. And LBJ is stronger than steel.
ADVANTAGE — + Cavs
DEFENSE: No contest. The Spurs make quicker and more synchronous rotations. Plus Duncan is the only legitimate shot-blocker on either team.
ADVANTAGE — ++++ Spurs
REBOUNDING: Duncan is the Spurs' only steady rebounder, while Ilgauskas, Gooden, Varejao, and James will all make their presence felt on the boards.
ADVANTAGE — +++ Cavs
VERSATILITY: Cleveland's only truly versatile player is James.
ADVANTAGE — ++ Spurs
TOUGHNESS: LeBron eats nails and spits out battleships. Gooden will bang. Bowen and Oberto are bonafide tough cookies, and so are Ginobili and Parker.
ADVANTAGE — ++ Spurs
BENCH: This comes down to Gibson versus Ginobili.
ADVANTAGE — ++ Spurs
EXPERIENCE: This could very well have the biggest impact on the series.
ADVANTAGE — +++++ Spurs
COACHING: The master versus the pupil. Somewhere along the line, Mike Brown will wear the dunce cap.
ADVANTAGE — +++++ Spurs
PREDICTION: Spurs in 6. Five if they shoot with any degree of consistency from the perimeter.