How can the Spurs win on Tuesday?

[GSH]

I'm really kind of amazed that this many Spurs fans have gotten so concerned after losing one game. In Game 3, Parker had a career playoff game, and the Spurs win in a blowout. In Game 4, the Suns had two players turn in career playoff games. Take a hint... if they could do it all the time, those wouldn't have been career playoff games. And yet people are seriously questioning how the Spurs can possibly counter Boris Diaw, like he is Superman.

Q. So how can the Spurs counter Boris Diaw, and pull out a win on Tuesday?
A. Play the exact same game they played on Sunday afternoon, but knock down a few open shots. (That includes finishing at the rim, instead of looking for whistles that aren't going to come.) I haven't seen anyone else mention it, but without Bell and Diaw, the rest of the Suns team shot 34% for the game. If the Spurs don't make any adjustment at all, those two aren't going to combine for 47 points again next game.

Even with all the turnovers, and a big effort by the Suns, the Spurs still had a bunch of good looks that rattled out. Never mind the possessions where Phoenix defended great and prevented the Spurs from scoring. The Spurs missed a lot of wide-open looks, and point-blank shots at the rim. There's no adjustment for that. But don't look for it two games in a row.

Nobody was going to be surprised or panicked on Sunday if the Suns had come up with a 7-8 point desperation win, at home and facing elimination. And if the Spurs knock down just an average number of their good looks, that's what would have happened. The Suns fans and sportswriters will read more into the final score, because they want to. The fans want a series win, and the writers need something to make it interesting.

On Tuesday night, I'll take the exact same defensive stats as Sunday - with the Spurs holding everyone but Bell and Diaw to 34%. And on Wednesday morning it will be time to start filming the new season of Fishing with Mike.

[m33p0]

Take a hint... if they could do it all the time, those wouldn't have been career playoff games. And yet people are seriously questioning how the Spurs can possibly counter Boris Diaw, like he is Superman
:tu

[Dex]

I'm not sure exactly why everyone is pissing their pants about Diaw in the first place. Sure, he started doing well after D'Antoni posted him like 484872381268126 times, but I still don't think that's a play that is gonna win games for the Suns.

At least, as long as Pop pulls his head out of his ass and doesn't try to guard him with Michael freaking Finley again.

[GSH]

At least, as long as Pop pulls his head out of his ass and doesn't try to guard him with Michael freaking Finley again.

My point is that even with Finley guarding him, that's a better game than you expect from Diaw. Bell and Diaw combined for 47 points. If they had combined for 37, it still would have been a very good game for the two of them. Throw in 4 or 5 of the many wide open looks that the Spurs missed, and that game is a toss-up. It was just the Suns' night.

Everyone is talking about Diaw vs. Finley, and skipping past the fact that Bell scored 27 points in the same game. Why? Probably because the don't think he will do it again, even if the Spurs defend him the same way in Game 5. I just don't think Diaw will score 20 again, even with Finley guarding him. Finley doesn't have to shut Diaw down by himself. But he does have to do a better job of turning him to the help defender. He didn't do that well on Sunday. But I bet he and the coaches have had a discussion about it since then.

If putting Finley on Diaw allows the Spurs to hold the rest of the Suns to 34% again, I say bring it on.

[BonnerDynasty]

Who is worried?

The Spurs will come out and unleash hell tonight. They WANT it to end tonight.

[Deuces88]

Look, it was some weird full moon thing that made Diaw and Bell play like that. Most of the time, I doubt the Spurs even notice these two are on the court because they're crap. They just had a once-in-a-lifetime game going for them.

[O-Factor]

We came out completely flat on Sunday. All we have to do is pick up the intensity, and be aggressive on both sides of the court, as we were in game 1,2 & 3. Tim Duncan will NOT have another bad game. We'll have the home crowd, and Diaw and Bell will not repeat their performances. They are just not good enough to.

[tp2021]

It is true...Diaw and Bell probably won't play li8ke that again, but they came out with more intensity because it was an elimination game. In that regard, tonight is no different. As I said in another thread, the Spurs can't bank on choking from the other team to close this series. They have to choke the playoff breath out of the Suns themselves.

[Deuces88]

The way the Spurs win is by not getting drunk before the game.

[ancestron]

score more points than the Suns.

[BiZNicK]

score more points than the Suns.


that would help:tu

[phyzik]

showing up.