Spurs @ Kings

[Kori Ellis]

After all the glee has worn off from the Spurs miraculous win over the Suns, they have to take on the Kings tomorrow. Sacramento has won six straight and they are playing very well since Mobley arrived. They are only 2.5 games behind the Suns in the Pacific.

With two shooters on the perimeter now in Peja and Cuttino, they aren't an easy matchup for most teams. The Spurs are 1-1 against the Kings this season and this game is very important.

What are the Spurs 3 Keys To Victory?

[boutons]

Defense. Spurs let SAC shoot 44% FG and 47% 3G last game.

Fighting through screens to hassle jumpers by Mike, Peja, Cutino.

Rebounding, rebounding, rebounding. Spurs were -3 RB @SAC.

But the above is all for nought if the Spurs again shoot 38% FG, 22% 3G, and 50% FT (compare with last night: 49%, 38%, 79%).

As for WAS, Spurs will break another W streak.

[whottt]

1.Parker, Manu, Bowen and Duncan all need to play well in the same game. Bowen in particular needs to play a hell of a lot better than he did the last time we faced the Kings.


2.Fix the reasons we lost last time...Defense and Rebounding. We need to outrebound them. It their weakness, it's our strength...this means a lot of Malik Rose.


3.Just like you don't want to get into a running contest with the Suns, you don't want to do that with Sac either...even moreso, since the Kings are much more experienced, and a much better defensive team.

I am not that worried about Rasho missing this game...he does usually play well against Sac but he didn't play well against them last time...and Malik has played well against Sac in the past.

I said this before the last Sac game and I will say it again now...

Do not underestimate the Kings...out of all the uptempo style teams in the NBA, the Suns, the Mavs, and Sonics...

Out of all those teams the Kings are the best defensive team, they are the best halfcourt team, and they are the most versatile team. Don't think that just because they don't like to play defense they are incapable of doing so. The Kings can play very good D when they set out to do so.

This team isn't as good as it was a few years ago....but they are still title contenders because of the fact that they can play both O and D. They should never be taken lightly.

[Experiment2100]

1) Contain Bibby, he scares me more tha Peja
2) Parker needs a better game.
3) Don't get complacent after Pheonix win.

[usckk]

1) Eva watching the game at the SBC center, so Parker will play better.
2) Rasho's cheering off the bench
3) Sean Marks

[Kori Ellis]

The game is at Arco, so Eva would be lonely at the SBC.

[T Park]

1.drive to the hole. The Kings lack of shotblockers should have Pop giving the green light to Parker Ginobili, Barry, Brown, and Duncan to drive to the hole with impunity.

2. Perimiter defense. Parker, Bowen, Barry, Manu have GOT To stick to there guys on the outside. If the Spurs can have a hand in the face of every shooter tommarow, the game is secondary.

3. play smart. Stupid turnovers and bad defensive rotations are what have killed the Spurs this season. Limit your turnovers and be crisp on your rotations and you should win this game.

[usckk]

oops I thought the Spurs are at home

[whottt]

oops I thought the Spurs are at home

Don't sweat it. No one was trying to be petty or anything, and we knew what you meant :).

[ducks]

get tp healthy
get tp healthy
det duncan healthy

[CHAMPS AGAIN]

I notice everytime the SPURS beat Mobley and whatever team his on he always complain on how MANU plays, he calls him a big flopper.He can not admit that MANU just kick his ass.

[usckk]

True True.

[Kori Ellis]

No one was trying to be petty or anything, and we knew what you meant

Actually I was trying to be petty. Because I'm fuckin' sick of the Eva Longoria comments which I've asked about 1,000,000 times to stop in this forum.

[T Park]

Because I'm fuckin' sick of the Eva Longoria comments which I've asked about 1,000,000 times to stop in this forum.

Amen to that.

There is no base or facts to Eva and Parker so the personal BS like that needs to stop.

[exstatic]

Defensive rebounding. Sacto is too good a team to give multiple opportunites to.

Attack the rim. Get back in transition D.

[Sense]

1. Tim Duncan: now you saw it... a moster game Tim had yesterday in a couple of games, if only Parker would've helped, this game wouldn't have had come to the wire. But that's ok...because I enjoyed it.
2. Defense: Obviously! But it appears that last time they played, no one was in the "mood" to play. Bowen wasn't being a good defender against peja and that affected the game. Also Tim came out late...we need more emotion on this one, and I think we might get it from the bench.
3. Parker: You guys now that we don't play well without him, but I'm pretty sure that after being on the bench on those critical minutes, Tony Parker will step it up, and prove why he's the starter.


With these three, we stop Bibby, Webber, and Peja...which is what all this team is about, or atleast cancel them out.. the bench does the rest.

Let's hope for a good game by the Spurs.

[Rummpd]

1) Parker taking at Bibby who is a great guard and outplaying him
2) Duncan playing at the level of the last game and being assertive early in moves.
3) Another Manu performance.


Those three all play well rest of team enough to take Kings even with injuries.

MadDoc

[RobinsontoDuncan]

The Spurs will win the game if they get superstar prduction from Tim Duncan, if Manu Ginobilli and Tony Parker shoot well, if Brent Barry is a big contributor,and if they play defense. Friday the Spurs won on offense, that wont happen very often, the Spurs win on defense.

[boutons]

Defense is great, but the primary reason we lost @SAC was not crappy defense, but even crappier offense. The Spurs couldn't hit shit:

39% FG (league's worst team avg is 40%)

22% 3G (league's worst team avg is 29%)

50% FT (league's worst team avg is 66%. Spurs missed 9 FTs, lost by 5 points)

Spurs' offense @SAC would keep Spurs from "making the cut" for NBA qualification! :)

As Mae West didn't say, said "When the Spurs are bad, they're VERY BAD. When they're good, they're the best."

The Spurs have two gutsy wins in a row, one lucky, easy-buzzer-shot-missed win @SBC preserved after playing crappy against a crappy team playing crappy, and one magnificent, instant-classic win on the road playing championship ball against a great team playing their best game.

Which Spurs will show up @SAC? The VERY BAD? or the BEST?

[Jimcs50]

6 games ago, Sacto was 8.5 back of Phoenix, now they are within 1 in loss column.....unbelievable.

I have a feeling that Phoenix will start to pull away from Sacramento again, now that Nash is back and with the addition of Jim Jackson to their weak bench.

[boutons]

Well, when SAC's 6-W streak coincides exactly with PHX's 6-L streak, relative standing will change in a hurry.

Of course, the PHX 6-L streak is a "(sports) shit happens" deal, a temporary anomaly (that exposes PHX's lack of depth, compare with Spurs closing out the last 17 minutes @PHX with their backup PG). But those 6 L's, just like Spurs' 6 L's on the road, are tatooed on their season.

Just like last season, the WC has 5 teams bunched in a 5 game spread, with the lowest, DAL, being 14 games above .500. Compare with EC, also bunched, but where the 5th team is only 5 games above .500.

[sa_butta]

Tough game tonight at Arco (friggin hate that place). SAC is on a 6 game winning streak. Two of those wins against the Clippers (who we should have crushed). Hopefully the Spurs will be well rested and ready to rock the "Queens".

Go Spurs Go

[S4Spur21]

1. Keep giving Manu the ball, we all know what he can do.

2. Attack Webber, it seems like he's been on a hot streak

3. Play D, especialy against the kings.

[boutons]

yep, Webber's been having some huge games. He's playing much better than last spring.

[td4mvp21]

1.Get Duncan involved from the start. Go to him first and see what he can do.
2.Stop Webber, Peja, and Bibby-at least stop two of those three
3.Good, hard, physical defense-defense defense defense;think it play it. it will lead to good offense

[1Parker1]

Spurs need to control Bibby. He is also on fire, he just had a triple double the other night. Hopefully Parker is up for the challenge after the bad Suns outting and is feeling better.

Call me crazy, but I actually think the Kings are the toughest matchup for the Spurs, after the Sonics (in the WC, that is). Their trio of Bibby, Webber, and Peja (Especially when all three are playing to their level, as they have been lately) can be a tough matchup for Parker, Duncan, Ginobili.

[boutons]

"the Kings are the toughest matchup for the Spurs"

Yep, they play better team ball than SEA. That's why, duh, the Spurs' defense absolutely must hold the line. And when the defense is focused and tough, the offense is usually right there, too.

My main concerns are:

1) the Spurs' inconsistency in road games against top teams (2-6 record),

@ Seattle L 94 - 113
@ Memphis L 90 - 93
@ Dallas W 107 - 89
@ Houston L 80 - 81
@ Orlando L 87 - 93
@ Sacramento L 81 - 86
@ Houston L 67 - 73
@ Phoneix W 128 - 123

( I exclude the W @LAL for "hate" reasons :) )

2) a letdown after the monumental effort @PHX.

This is a huge game against a probable playoff opponent (HCA at stake, our new NBA first place at stake), but that doesn't gurantee that The Good Spurs will show up. A W tonight would be more evidence that the Spurs can play consistently, at least provide an average team stat line, and are getting road-toughened.

[samikeyp]

Play good defense.
Control the boards.
Keep the ball moving on offense.

[Rummpd]

Well whatever they did worked wonderfully!