Seven Keys for Game Seven

[timvp]

1. Let Manu Shine
Manu Ginobili is built for this. He was born and bred to win single elimination games. He won't always make the perfect play but you can count on him being fearless and unafraid of the stage. On top of that, when the Hornets blitz the pick-and-rolls, Ginobili has the size to see over the trap. And with the three days rest, Ginobili versus any of the Hornets' perimeter defenders should be major mismatch.

2. The Secondary Pass
With the defense the Hornets are playing, the secondary pass is the most important pass in the offense. When Tim Duncan is doubled or the pick-and-roll is blitzed, the Hornets can cover that first pass. However, the second pass is the pass that should lead to open shots. Whenever the Spurs have made quick, decisive secondary passes, they've almost always gotten open shots in this series.

3. Control the Pace
The Spurs can't let the Hornets get out and run. Scoring easy transition baskets in New Orleans will get the crowd buzzing. To control the pace against this team, you have to avoid turnovers at all costs. But not only turnovers, the Spurs also have to avoid momentum changing blocked shots that lead to easy baskets. Playing smart and deliberate offensively in the half court sets should hopefully lead to a slower pace for the Hornets. That said, when the Spurs have a chance to run, they have to run and get easy baskets.

4. Fabricio Oberto
Fabricio Oberto not only needs to start, he needs to play as many minutes as possible. First of all, he's a very good passer -- especially when it comes to secondary passing. Second of all, he -- like Ginobili -- has grown up in that single elimination atmosphere. Thirdly, he has that championship chemistry on both ends of the court. Kurt Thomas doesn't have that chemistry and shouldn't be played much at all. To backup Oberto and Duncan, Robert Horry should be the first choice.

5. Be Physical with David West
Hopefully he's healthy by the start of Game 7. That said, the Spurs need to be physical with him. In the playoffs, you attack if you smell blood. In Game 5, the Spurs were much too soft with their play on West. If he's going to beat you, the Spurs should at least knock him around a bit and make him earn all the calls he gets.

6. Third Quarter
The third quarter has been death in New Orleans. The Spurs need to figure out a way to weather the storm in the beginning of the second half. Pressing fullcourt is one idea. Switching Bruce Bowen off on Chris Paul for the first half of the quarter is another idea. Whatever Pop decides, he has to make the Hornets uncomfortable. No matter what the score is at halftime, the Hornets will come out with confidence thinking it'll be their time to shine. The Spurs need a curveball to keep them off balance.

7. Shoot Confidently
The Spurs can get open looks against the Hornets. It's easy to say the Spurs need to hit their shots, but just as importantly the Spurs need to shoot the ball confidently. If they miss shots, they miss them. But there can't be any hesitating or second-guessing. Let it fly. If you lose but took the right shots, that's all Spurs fans can ask.

Believe.

1.

[2centsworth]

I'll boil it down to two:


INTENSITY


THREE POINT SHOOTING


THAT'S IT.

[SPARKY]

Absolutely.

[bdictjames]

I feel our three point shooters should space the ball very well, making it harder for the Hornets to rotate. Ime and Manu did it and worked very well.

[Brutalis]

I wish we could do all that at once, it'd be like 105-40.

[50 cent]

Drive the ball to the basket and make the refs call fouls. Don't just settle for jumpers.

[ClingingMars]

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL

DEFENSE

MAKE THE 3'S

simple

- Mars

[Tyler_Durden]

Pop should start all the bench guys. Let them try to keep the score as close as possible, then when all the New Orleans starters get tired, put in all the freshly rested Spurs starters and blow them away.

[DDS4]

Breaking down on defense and lack of offensive execution has been death for the Spurs in the 3rd quarter. I expect Pop to pull out all the stops including trapping CP3 up high or switching on every pic-n-roll.

They turn that tide and things will be OK.

[efrem1]

Nothing more to add. Pop has three days to prepare. He should know how to motivate these guys.

[2centsworth]

per Alec Baldwin in Glen Gary Glen Ross "GET MEAN YOU SONS OF BITCHES!"

[Amuseddaysleeper]

• With their 99-80 loss, the Hornets fall to 16-27 this season (including the playoffs) in games in which they fail to score 100 points. In games where they eclipse 100 points they are 47-3.

[SuperManu!!!]

I got the feeling that 7th game will be defined by 1 last shot

[DazedAndConfused]

Making 3's should be #1. The Spurs need to have an epic shooting night to beat NOH. If they put up another mediocre shooting performance it's all over.

[Septic]

8. Robert Horry Must have him post up more players

[BonnerDynasty]

1. Let Manu Shine
Manu Ginobili is built for this. He was born and bread to win single elimination games. He won't always make the perfect play but you can count on him being fearless and unafraid of the stage. On top of that, when the Hornets blitz the pick-and-rolls, Ginobili has the size to see over the trap. And with the three days rest, Ginobili versus any of the Hornets' perimeter defenders should be major mismatch.

2. The Secondary Pass
With the defense the Hornets are playing, the secondary pass is the most important pass in the offense. When Tim Duncan is doubled or the pick-and-roll is blitzed, the Hornets can cover that first pass. However, the second pass is the pass that should lead to open shots. Whenever the Spurs have made quick, decisive secondary passes, they've almost always gotten open shots in this series.

3. Control the Pace
The Spurs can't let the Hornets get out and run. Scoring easy transition baskets in New Orleans will get the crowd buzzing. To control the pace against this team, you have to avoid turnovers at all costs. But not only turnovers, the Spurs also have to avoid momentum changing blocked shots that lead to easy baskets. Playing smart and deliberate offensively in the half court sets should hopefully lead to a slower pace for the Hornets. That said, when the Spurs have a chance to run, they have to run and get easy baskets.

4. Fabricio Oberto
Fabricio Oberto not only needs to start, he needs to play as many minutes as possible. First of all, he's a very good passer -- especially when it comes to secondary passing. Second of all, he -- like Ginobili -- has grown up in that single elimination atmosphere. Thirdly, he has that championship chemistry on both ends of the court. Kurt Thomas doesn't have that chemistry and shouldn't be played much at all. To backup Oberto and Duncan, Robert Horry should be the first choice.

5. Be Physical with David West
Hopefully he's healthy by the start of Game 7. That said, the Spurs need to be physical with him. In the playoffs, you attack if you smell blood. In Game 5, the Spurs were much too soft with their play on West. If he's going to beat you, the Spurs should at least knock him around a bit and make him earn all the calls he gets.

6. Third Quarter
The third quarter has been death in New Orleans. The Spurs need to figure out a way to weather the storm in the beginning of the second half. Pressing fullcourt is one idea. Switching Bruce Bowen off on Chris Paul for the first half of the quarter is another idea. Whatever Pop decides, he has to make the Hornets uncomfortable. No matter what the score is at halftime, the Hornets will come out with confidence thinking it'll be their time to shine. The Spurs need a curveball to keep them off balance.

7. Shoot Confidently
The Spurs can get open looks against the Hornets. It's easy to say the Spurs need to hit their shots, but just as importantly the Spurs need to shoot the ball confidently. If they miss shots, they miss them. But there can't be any hesitating or second-guessing. Let it fly. If you lose but took the right shots, that's all Spurs fans can ask.

Believe.

1.

I dunno man. Fab is been pretty shitty this series. Thomas should be out there as many minutes as possible. Defense + Rebounding goes to Thomas.

[Tyler_Durden]

The Spurs have beaten the Hornets the last 3 out of 4.

I like looking at it that way.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

8. Don't let 4down dominate the offense.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95474

[Whisky Dog]

Breaking down on defense and lack of offensive execution has been death for the Spurs in the 3rd quarter. I expect Pop to pull out all the stops including trapping CP3 up high or switching on every pic-n-roll.

They turn that tide and things will be OK.

Those two together would be the death of any quarter.

[BonnerDynasty]

Key 1: refs are consistent and unbiased. AND LET THEM PLAY

[timvp]

I dunno man. Fab is been pretty shitty this series. Thomas should be out there as many minutes as possible. Defense + Rebounding goes to Thomas.Thomas KILLS the Spurs offensively against the Hornets. They just don't score when Thomas is out there. The Hornets double off of Thomas and even if Thomas gets the ball, he's either missing the jumper or not making the right pass. Oberto in the same situation gets Duncan dunks against a rotating defense by making the right pass.

Neither one of them can guard West. Oberto actually has the mobility to possibly do it, while Thomas doesn't.

Besides if Duncan is on West, Oberto should be fine against Chandler. He'd probably even flop his way to a foul or two.

[Avitus1]

Cant add anything more...

Go Spurs Go!

[Russ]

Udoka, Horry, Finley and/or Barry.

There's a contract out there to be won on Monday. :)

[lrrr]

Show the players the tape of the first half of game 7 2006.

This CANNOT happen EVER again!

[K-State Spur]

If Game 7 is close heading into the 4th quarter - the Spurs win. BOOK IT.

New Orleans - you have 36 minutes to win that game.

[hsxvvd]

Simple. Have the game won and done by half time.

Plan B

3rd quarter, Hack-a-Tyson, to slow the game and kill the crowd.

[Whisky Dog]

Udoka has to show up. Finley/Barry have to show up. They have problems on the road at times, but Monday has to be different. That Udoka/Bowen lineup owned the hornets when Udoka was hitting shots and making plays all over the court.

[TMTTRIO]

Manu still doesn't look right. He's relying way too much on his 3 point shooting for a while now which hasn't really worked until tonight. I wish he would drive to the basket more. Even when he does that he doesn't have the speed and force to get down the lane like he normally can. Oh well as long as he can make some things happen that's great.

[2centsworth]

Manu still doesn't look right. He's relying way too much on his 3 point shooting for a while now which hasn't really worked until tonight. I wish he would drive to the basket more. Even when he does that he doesn't have the speed and force to get down the lane like he normally can. Oh well as long as he can make some things happen that's great.

he doesn't need extra quicks to attack the basket against the Hornets. However, since they are packing the Lanes we need Manu to go off from 3 point range.

[DazedAndConfused]

I've said this many times but the Spur's gameplan doesn't travel. The Spurs bombing 3pters left and right is going to end up in another blowout loss. They need to get easy buckets from Duncan and Parker and Ginobli in the paint. They can't afford to waste valuable possessions letting it fly from 3pt land.

Stupidity - doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

[ducks]

barry,mike or ime one of them have to show up
along with bowen for their outside shooting

all three of big three need a great game to

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I dunno man. Fab is been pretty shitty this series. Thomas should be out there as many minutes as possible. Defense + Rebounding goes to Thomas.

Our offense stagnated tonight when either Thomas or Finley were on the court.

Thomas needs to play some minutes, but I don't know he needs the majority of them.

With West's back the way it is, I would like to see Kurt in there beating on him and making him earn the foul shots you know the refs are going to be lining up to give him.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I've said this many times but the Spur's gameplan doesn't travel. The Spurs bombing 3pters left and right is going to end up in another blowout loss. They need to get easy buckets from Duncan and Parker and Ginobli in the paint. They can't afford to waste valuable possessions letting it fly from 3pt land.

Stupidity - doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

No that's the definition of insanity.

Plus that quote can go both ways. All Home games have been carbon copies of each other as far as mental mistakes. NO made more tonight.

[Trainwreck2100]

Don't play like shit for a whole quarter

[DespЏrado]

4. Fabricio Oberto
Fabricio Oberto not only needs to start, he needs to play as many minutes as possible. First of all, he's a very good passer -- especially when it comes to secondary passing. Second of all, he -- like Ginobili -- has grown up in that single elimination atmosphere. Thirdly, he has that championship chemistry on both ends of the court. Kurt Thomas doesn't have that chemistry and shouldn't be played much at all. To backup Oberto and Duncan, Robert Horry should be the first choice.

I disagree strongly. Fab's leads to far too many Hornet's layups. I think Horry is far better at protecting the paint, spreading the floor, and he is known for playing well in big game moments.

Horry and Udoka are the Spurs key subs in this matchup. The more time they see the floor the better our chances are.



--------------------------------
My keys
1) Outplay whatever edge the refs give the homecourt Hornets (including the one just in the Spurs heads)
2) Ball movement must be fluid, precise, and consistent
3) Protect the paint and not treat it like some cheap whore to be given away to any Hornet
4) Manu Ginobilli and Tim Duncan have to have huge games
5) Tony Parker needs to run the offense and quit worrying about CP3's game.\
6) Come out with a vengeance in the 3rd quarter.
7) Less Finley, Less Oberto
8) more Horry, more Udoka
9) Duncan guards West

[DazedAndConfused]

No that's the definition of insanity.

Plus that quote can go both ways. All Home games have been carbon copies of each other as far as mental mistakes. NO made more tonight.

So why do you expect things to change in Game 7? It's not like these games have been close at all, they've all been blowout wins. The Spurs need to do something different to pull out a win.

For whatever reason NOH's rotations on the road are horrific, at home they are just fantastic. They completely shut the Spurs down in the 3rd quarter of the last game. Contesting every shot and keeping Duncan from ever establishing a rhythm. And did I mention the refs will be for the home team again???

[Russ]

Keep Shag's son way far from the Delta.

[honestfool84]

is a good number.


God finished on the seventh day.


seven is the number of completion.


seven is the only number less than 15 which cannot be represented as the sum of the squares of three integers.


the roman numeral VII (seven) stands for white dwarfs in the yerkes spectral classification scheme.


there are seven wonders of the world.


there were seven roman emperors.


there were seven liberal arts.

(grammar, rhetoric, logic, geometry, arithmetic, music, and astrology.


seven is the number of musical notes in the western hemisphere scale.


seven is the number of games it took for the spurs to beat the hornets.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

So why do you expect things to change in Game 7? It's not like these games have been close at all, they've all been blowout wins. The Spurs need to do something different to pull out a win.

For whatever reason NOH's rotations on the road are horrific, at home they are just fantastic. They completely shut the Spurs down in the 3rd quarter of the last game. Contesting every shot and keeping Duncan from ever establishing a rhythm. And did I mention the refs will be for the home team again???

Spurs have had the lead in half time due to their three point shooting. Offense isn't the main problem ,it's decision making , defense AND TO's that cost us all those road games. And for two of those games in a hole, Spurs had a chance to narrow the gap if they weren't forced to play catch up.

NOH should get credit for their D, but all Spurs have to do is play aggressive for both halves and they can take it.

[Russ]

I give the Spurs a 40% chance. But a really strong, healthy, robust 40% chance. :)

[roycrikside]

I think Pop's 3rd quarter curveball will be Hack-a-Tyson. It'll be hard for them to establish any offensive rhythm and will put immense pressure on Tyson to hit his shots. On the other end, it might stiffen them up defensively.

[polandprzem]

2. The Secondary Pass
Not only the secondary pass but the ball movenment and esp. player movenment on offense was the main reason the spurs got the better looks at the baskets. When the spurs do not have the flow they are done.
This is realy a basics of basketball get yourself moving constantly, Barry is good at it. Then you became more unpredictable what leads to better positions.


4. Fabricio Oberto
Wait a minute. Wasn't that Thomas who was figuring West as the series going on? How was it, I must to check your game thoughts from game 2 or 3.
As for Oberto - he is missing spots and West is beating him and gets into better position. That's why he gets dominated by him.
What is good in Fabio is his IQ esp. when it comes to how to pass the ball. He sees the (passing) lanes better then other big guys. Well Hory is olso good at taking care of the ball while passing. But damn. Horry had only one good game against the Hornets and it was game 6. Only one, defensivly, IQaly, passingaly. But not shoootingaly, unfortunately.

I don't know about Tim against West. Scott will be aware of that so he can figure how to get a space inside taking Tim to the permiter. Also West will be attacking more.

If Thomas will be hitting those J's after screen and pop or whatever the spurs will be fine.

Who will have the better day on Monday?

Udoka had on Thursday, but can he keep up that rythym?
He 'heard' a lot of critic here on the board, and LJ was the one of the critics.


7. Shoot Confidently

Ahh yes. That's what I was saying all series long like Agggie is fed up with 4 down.
4 down is not that bad even against the Hornets, but need more modification, and that is quicker decisions, and players movenment. In Game six manu and TP were running to get themselves into a good position...
And TD should not be the main reason of the 4down tactic, he must be part of the offense making his move faster. It's tough to do all toghether esp. against Hornets but still effectivly in short stretches.

Lack of confidence?
Bet there is and always it was in players minds.

[jag]

Thomas KILLS the Spurs offensively against the Hornets. They just don't score when Thomas is out there. The Hornets double off of Thomas and even if Thomas gets the ball, he's either missing the jumper or not making the right pass. Oberto in the same situation gets Duncan dunks against a rotating defense by making the right pass.

Neither one of them can guard West. Oberto actually has the mobility to possibly do it, while Thomas doesn't.

Besides if Duncan is on West, Oberto should be fine against Chandler. He'd probably even flop his way to a foul or two.

haha this is very true, i guess i find it funny cause at this point we expect him to flop his way to a few calls going our way.

[admiralfats]

one game. let's win it. be aggressive. b-e aggressive.

[J.T.]

As much as Spurs fans scoff at the regular season as not meaning much during playoff time, there is an interesting stat to be found. The Hornets were 30-11 at home doing the regular season, which averages three wins and one loss for every four home games. They have their three wins. Now it's time for that one loss.

[Emeyin]

I give the edge on defense on Kurt Thomas. Oberto is better on offense for sure. One or the other.. Pop has to choose what he needs and when he needs it.

[homer]

attack Attack Attack

[Chris]

Shut down Chris Paul and you shut down the Hornets. We need to make our free throws as well.

[Ginofan]

Attack, attack, attack!

And never hesitate, god I hate hesitation!!!

[JPB]

honestly,

tactics, plans, adjustments... All those aspects become secondary in a Game 7.

the only question is who wants it more ?

[MadDog73]

I give the edge on defense on Kurt Thomas. Oberto is better on offense for sure. One or the other.. Pop has to choose what he needs and when he needs it.

I like Kurt Thomas, but he makes stupid fouls then cries about it.

I agree with TimVP: Oberto over Thomas.

I love Udoka, too.

[SAGambler]

#1 should be to try and grab a quick lead and get the crowd out of it. In fact, I wouldn't mind the crowd having to stand for about 5 or 6 minutes until the Hornets get their first basket.

I've noticed games in NO, the crowd is really rowdy as long as the Hornets are ahead. As soon as they fall behind the rowdiness seems to take a break.

[Das Texan]

We might as well cue the Ditka topic. If its a big game, Ginobili will show up and be huge. As long as he doesnt have another silly, stupid foul, his legendary status will rise even more.

Odds are Timmy will be huge as well.

[Jimcs50]

The number one thing that needs to happen is:


Win the 3rd Quarter

The team that has won the 3rd quarter has won every game in this series. The players need to get into a frenzy at halftime and come out looking for blood in the quarter, and leave nothing on the floor.

[VaSpursFan]

agreed. on the pass out the double by timmy, i'd like to see some fake passes since the defense is rotating. instead of making the logical pass to the next open man, reverse it or dump it back in to timmy. take advantage of NO's agressive rotations and use it against them.

that said, this game has to be smashmouth. anticipate that it's going to be 5 vs 8 with no calls going your way. be agressive and make the refs make a call. keep attacking the basket.

[polandprzem]

agreed. on the pass out the double by timmy, i'd like to see some fake passes since the defense is rotating. instead of making the logical pass to the next open man, reverse it or dump it back in to timmy. take advantage of NO's agressive rotations and use it against them.

Yup that was a good imrovenment. A little thing but disruppts the D a bit.

[leemajors]

born and bread.

[EVAY]

agreed. on the pass out the double by timmy, i'd like to see some fake passes since the defense is rotating. instead of making the logical pass to the next open man, reverse it or dump it back in to timmy. take advantage of NO's agressive rotations and use it against them.

that said, this game has to be smashmouth. anticipate that it's going to be 5 vs 8 with no calls going your way. be agressive and make the refs make a call. keep attacking the basket.

I hope Pop reads this. It is the best analysis and advice he's likely to get prior to the game. If the Spurs do this stuff, and if Parker doesn't wait so long to get into the offense, the Spurs can take Game 7 somewhat easily.
Most important part...KEEP ATTACKING THE BASKET. We won last night, but we didn't attack as much as we should have. If we expect our guards to attack and take the lumps that come with it, we whould expect Timmy to do the same. Everybody help everybody get to the rim.!

[Louae]

6. Third Quarter
The third quarter has been death in New Orleans. The Spurs need to figure out a way to weather the storm in the beginning of the second half. Pressing fullcourt is one idea. Switching Bruce Bowen off on Chris Paul for the first half of the quarter is another idea. Whatever Pop decides, he has to make the Hornets uncomfortable. No matter what the score is at halftime, the Hornets will come out with confidence thinking it'll be their time to shine. The Spurs need a curveball to keep them off balance.


I just wish they would deny CP3 the ball as often as they could or put some cautious on-the-ball pressure to make him work his way up court. A lot of times, CP3 gets the ball across halfcourt in 3-5 seconds and sets up the Hornet offense with 16-18 seconds on the shot clock. If we could knock off a few seconds and make them start their offensive sets at 12-15 seconds in the shot clock, I think we'd go a long way to improving our ability to stop the Hornet offense. We haven't focused enough on using the shot clock as our sixth defender.

[Louae]

7. Shoot Confidently
The Spurs can get open looks against the Hornets. It's easy to say the Spurs need to hit their shots, but just as importantly the Spurs need to shoot the ball confidently. If they miss shots, they miss them. But there can't be any hesitating or second-guessing. Let it fly. If you lose but took the right shots, that's all Spurs fans can ask.


For this reason alone, Finely must be benched. He's second guessing his shot. When this guy is passing up open threes to give it to TP at the wing, you know you have to pull him. Barry needs to eat up his time.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Great, great post.






If the Spurs can keep the game close after three, or even end the third with a lead I think they'll get the 4th quarter and the victory. NO hasn't been tested in the 4th at home yet by the Spurs. The Spurs have proven to be too clutch over the years to lose if they're in it late.

I also agree on your rotations in the post. Fabricio has proven to the Spurs last season that he's pretty darn good in big games, and this is the biggest yet. And his play in this series has been far better than KT's primarily for the Spurs on offense. My fear regarding Horry is that Pop might be afraid of giving him minutes because it will fire up the crowd. Kurt Thomas isn't meant for this series, though, and he definitely needs to sit as much as possible. Oberto needs to play smart and stay out of foul trouble. Heck, I was even wondering if Pop should play Bonner for a couple of minutes early and see how he's matching up with West. I'd have guys bodying up hard on West and see what he's able to do.

1.

[Spurminator]

I think bringing in Horry will be a great distraction. I'm kind of hoping Pop does it early.

[Peja]

1. Pray to god
2. Pray to god
3. Pray to god
4. Pray to god
5. Pray to god
6. Pray to god
7. Pray to god

You are in deep shit.... Only a miracle can help you. But those do happen sometimes. you never know. If i were Pop, i would send the whole team in church before the game.

[DDS4]

1. Pray to god
2. Pray to god
3. Pray to god
4. Pray to god
5. Pray to god
6. Pray to god
7. Pray to god

You are in deep shit.... Only a miracle can help you. But those do happen sometimes. you never know. If i were Pop, i would send the whole team in church before the game.

Doesn't it feel different now that your team faces elimination too? :toast

[ducks]

bring in horry in the 3 early and see if he can get into hornets heads more

[jack sommerset]

I want to see a great game. I'm picking Spews. They will do whatever it takes to win.

[PDXSpursFan]

Spurs Plan = Play 48 minutes instead of only 24 = Win

[mexicanjunior]

Shut down Chris Paul and you shut down the Hornets. We need to make our free throws as well.

I think the free throws part is huge, it should be another one of the "keys". On the road, every free throw you get is essential because the road team will not normally get as many, so those points are pivotal to staying in the game. Also, it just seems like, when they come up empty at the line repeatedly in NO, the whole team energy and demeanor goes down, as if they know they are playing with a handicap. If the Spurs make 80% or higher in Game 7, I think they will have a terrific chance of pulling this one out...

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I think bringing in Horry will be a great distraction. I'm kind of hoping Pop does it early.

I agree. I'm just not sure Pop thinks that way.

The Hornets and their fans are going to be fired up at the start and the Spurs need to be ready for that. I can see NO really getting after it from the start which will mean some overpursuit on the defensive end which will make that second pass to the open shooter even more important. If the Spurs can withstand that initial charge and win the 3rd quarter they'll be in great shape.

[TampaDude]

The Spurs need to come out gunning right from the start in Game 7 and punch the Hornets in the mouth...get a big lead early and never let up...I want to see a game like Game 3 against the Suns...crush their will, take their heart...it's the only way the Spurs can avoid getting blown out in the second half. If the game is close at halftime, the Spurs are done. They need to be up by at least 15-16 points at halftime to have a chance to win Game 7.

[DazedAndConfused]

The Spurs need to come out gunning right from the start in Game 7 and punch the Hornets in the mouth...get a big lead early and never let up...I want to see a game like Game 3 against the Suns...crush their will, take their heart...it's the only way the Spurs can avoid getting blown out in the second half. If the game is close at halftime, the Spurs are done. They need to be up by at least 15-16 points at halftime to have a chance to win Game 7.

agreed. Hornets will take this barring an epic collapse or injury to West/Chandler.

[urunobili]

my heart is telling me that if we win this series... this may be the year of the repeat... i like this thread and agree with timvp's 7 pointers... i would also add...

*keep playing Ime as the first swingman off the bench
*remind manu of his foul to Dirk on our last game 7 (pop if we're up and they have one play take him out and leave both Ime and Bowen)
*play as if your life depends on it

GO SPURS!

[TampaDude]

agreed. Hornets will take this barring an epic collapse or injury to West/Chandler.

Well, I wouldn't go that far...but if the pattern of this series holds, the Spurs will need a big cushion to weather the inevitable run by the Hornets in the 3rd quarter.

[michaelwcho]

I think Pop should spring a few wrinkles at the start of the 3rd quarter:

1. trap CP at the top of the key to get the ball out of his hands (even playing 4 on 3, I like our chances if this is used judiciously). It nearly eliminates the chances of a cheapie Chandler dunk, a push-off, 4-step layup, or CP getting a rhythm stop-n-pop). I wouldn't overdo it, but this could be a nice bullet to have in the gun.

2. post up, pass-out, repost, quick move:
I don't know why we haven't done this much. It seems we like to post, pass out, and either make a secondary pass to a 3-pointer or the play dissolves. In a "broken play", the Hornets have the advantage because of their athleticism.

In a repost, we can catch them out-of-position and Timmy can make an aggressive move.

Notice to what lengths the Hornets will go to avoid Timmy's post-ups, even conceding open shots. That's because if Tim can get their bigs in foul trouble, the game will be basically over. A bigger emphasis on the post-ups could push things in our favor.

3. Tony Parker needs to shoot the mid-range:

TP can't do his normal thing on this team. They are too athletic, and he just gets blocked since he can't pass out for layups. It doesn't help that he's not getting any calls. If he's not going to be effective penetrating, he should go to plan B and take the midrange shot with confidence and in rhythm. Better take a good plan B than try to force a bad plan A.

Right now, he's hesitating badly on these shots. He has that shot in his arsenal.

4. Hack a Chandler:
maybe we'll be the cause of this loophole being closed, but if they are running like antelopes in the 3rd, we should consider this option. Again less touches and rhythm for CP3, less crowd-pleasing dunks, an uglier and slower game--all to our advantage. I would only pull this out on a judgement call.

[baseline bum]

I think we can't afford to play Finley for many minutes unless his shot is on and on early. He's been passing up shots like he did when he first joined the team, and it's been killing us.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

First wing man off the bench should be Udoka, not Fin. Hell, I wouldn't even play Finley unless I was desperate for offense, and if we're at that point Monday we're screwed anyway.

[timvp]

If the Spurs can keep the game close. The Spurs have won their last 14 playoff games that have been decided by 17 points or less. The Spurs have won their last 8 playoff games decided by five points or less.

Those are some damn impressive stats. Keep it close and out-execute the Hornets down the stretch.

[Shelly]

1. Win
2. Win
3. Win
4. Win
5. Win
6. Win
7. Win

[hater]

Minutes for Ime Udoka.

[spursfaninla]

I liked the strategy we started using for the high pnr that NO uses, where we doubled cp3 and trapped him...that seemed to work. I know we can't use it too much, but throwing it in there every other, or every 3rd time is a good strategy

[whottt]

I want to see the Manu, Bowen, Udoka, Horry and Duncan line up in that game at some point in the third quarter. That's the lineup that got inside the Hornets head and it's actually pretty easy to see why.


Someone else compared Udoka to Jack...and I think that's actually a pretty good comparison, not as good offensively but better defensively. Although still not entirely proven...


I definitely liked that lineup went Pop went to it last night when Paul was out of the game. On paper it looks like it would be absolute crap, but the reality was much different...it was a pretty good offensive lineup, and it's a lineup that makes Duncan double teams = death. There's no one in that line up you can double off to put on Duncan except maybe Udoka...and with the way he was shooting last night, it's not likely.


The more I think about it...the Bowen Udoka tandem is actually a pretty effective one when you put them on the court at the same time...and it's something Pop hasn't done a lot of(and it's easy to see why), but it actually gives the Spurs the ability to defend both Peja and Paul with a lockdown defender...

The reason Paul gets so many assists is Peja...if you can take Peja out and have Bowen on Paul to make his scoring more difficult...that puts everything on the bad back of David West...and Ducnan actually can guard him we see now.

[vander]

I dunno man. Fab is been pretty shitty this series. Thomas should be out there as many minutes as possible. Defense + Rebounding goes to Thomas.

also Thomas can take Chandler away from the rim so he can't maul TP as badly

Fabs sucks, don't get all mesmerized by a couple of passes he made yesterday

[timvp]

The Spurs need to come out gunning right from the start in Game 7 and punch the Hornets in the mouth...get a big lead early and never let up...I want to see a game like Game 3 against the Suns...crush their will, take their heart...it's the only way the Spurs can avoid getting blown out in the second half. If the game is close at halftime, the Spurs are done. They need to be up by at least 15-16 points at halftime to have a chance to win Game 7.I've actually been thinking the same thing. In all three games at home, the Hornets have played pretty bad in the first half. The Spurs have responded by playing down to their level and not really going for the kill.

Then the third quarter comes and the Hornets up their level of intensity and the Spurs get shell shocked because the Hornets are suddenly way better. If I didn't now better, it'd say Byron Scott's gameplan might be to lull the Spurs to sleep in the first half and give them a false sense of security.

But yeah, if the Spurs can come out and just lay down the hammer when the Hornets go into their first half slump, they might get them thinking about whether or not they can pull it off. Otherwise, if the Spurs go into halftime up by three or four points, the Hornets almost assuredly are going to win it. The same exact pattern can't play out five times in one season and be a fluke.

I'd almost rather the Spurs be down four or five points at halftime just so that the Spurs don't get too comfortable going into the third :lol

[1Parker1]

Chris Paul has shown, especially in New Orleans, that he can get any shot he wants either for himself or teammates in New Orleans. I actually think it would hurt the Spurs if it was a close game, as they've shown that they can stop Duncan/Parker. Our hope in a close game is if we get another SuperGinobili performance as the Hornets still haven't shown me they can stop Ginobili. Ginobili has been settling for a lot of 3 pointers this series and he's missed a few open layups.

[wildchild]

Fabs sucks, don't get all mesmerized by a couple of passes he made yesterday

Couple of passes yesterday? Fabs with 4 assist to Duncan yesterday.
Did you forget watch game 3 and 4? I remember those games and agree with timvp and tp2021.

Fabricio Oberto picked a good time to have his best game of the playoffs. His stats are modest – two points, nine rebounds and two assists – but he was huge for the Spurs in the second half. His passing opened up the floor and created a number of easy looks. The chemistry he has offensively with the Big Three was especially evident tonight.

His passing did something nobody else had really been able to do: give Timmy easy looks in the paint

Fabbs to Tim is a very effective Spurs weapon, not only a couple passes.

[gilmor]

I've actually been thinking the same thing. In all three games at home, the Hornets have played pretty bad in the first half. The Spurs have responded by playing down to their level and not really going for the kill.

Then the third quarter comes and the Hornets up their level of intensity and the Spurs get shell shocked because the Hornets are suddenly way better. If I didn't now better, it'd say Byron Scott's gameplan might be to lull the Spurs to sleep in the first half and give them a false sense of security.

But yeah, if the Spurs can come out and just lay down the hammer when the Hornets go into their first half slump, they might get them thinking about whether or not they can pull it off. Otherwise, if the Spurs go into halftime up by three or four points, the Hornets almost assuredly are going to win it. The same exact pattern can't play out five times in one season and be a fluke.

I'd almost rather the Spurs be down four or five points at halftime just so that the Spurs don't get too comfortable going into the third :lol

Ya I agree. Pop seems to know that. And Game 6 Spurs doesn't allow the Hornets to run off by luring them to fouls.. So u need Bowen and Horry at that start of the 3rd Q..

[polandprzem]

This is my seven keys for the game

http://www.facom.pl/pliki/cms/index_000137.jpg

[LakerLanny]

I think the key for the Spurs is to just be consistent throughout the game.

They can obviously play in New Orleans as evidenced by leading at the half in two (or was it three?) of the game there at halftime.

They need to come out energized in the 3rd qtr, that has been when the Bugs have been pulling away and essentially ending the games.

I want NO to win, I'll be honest. Reason being is that I think it will be an easier (though still tough) matchup for my beloved Lakers. I don't want to see SA yet again, those series are just too tense for my liking at my advanced age.

Should be a great game, Laker Nation will be watching!

[Fabbs]

1. Let Manu Shine
6. Third Quarter
The third quarter has been death in New Orleans. The Spurs need to figure out a way to weather the storm in the beginning of the second half. Pressing fullcourt is one idea. Switching Bruce Bowen off on Chris Paul for the first half of the quarter is another idea. Whatever Pop decides, he has to make the Hornets uncomfortable. No matter what the score is at halftime, the Hornets will come out with confidence thinking it'll be their time to shine. The Spurs need a curveball to keep them off balance.
B]1.[/B] and that will be accomplished by....

AHF
8. Don't let 4down dominate the offense.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95474
Amen to the tenth power. If Pop sends them into non-stop 4Dumb Martyball again, esp for the third qtr, it's over. His Game 5 post game comments were not encouraging. "Duh uh i don know. I'm too proud to let an offensive coordinator maximize potential, so uh duh i don know".
But if we do the secondary pass as timvps #2 mentioned (and thirdary pass, and run often when appropriate, and do not lob the ball to Duncan and let him stand around and telegraph for 7 seconds that he is going to put the ball on the floor) we can and will win this thing.

timvp
4. Fabricio Oberto
Fabricio Oberto not only needs to start, he needs to play as many minutes as possible. First of all, he's a very good passer -- especially when it comes to secondary passing. Second of all, he -- like Ginobili -- has grown up in that single elimination atmosphere. Thirdly, he has that championship chemistry on both ends of the court. Kurt Thomas doesn't have that chemistry and shouldn't be played much at all. To backup Oberto and Duncan, Robert Horry should be the first choice. Only if Oberto is playing well. If he is doing his fraidycat thing and missing 2 foot gimmes, get him out of there ASAP. Insert Bob Horry ASAP. Seeing this early will require Pop to use discernment. Lets hope.

[polandprzem]

Save something in the pocket.
Like we did a zone D in game 7 of the Finals

Being consistent is also a big key.
Sometimes spurs are losing concentration or not being precise with he game plan, and that gives Hornets many oppurtunieties.

And Tony keeps the offense. There were times in game six when he was not concentrated much.

Other thing is that he looked tired, so many times he hit the floor in game 5 so I'm not surprised.

manu manu just do not rush things


Damn I hope we can keep up with Hornets in that game 7.
paul is pissed cause of what Rob did - he will be a machine!

[timvp]

After rewatching Game 6 a couple times (:drunk), some other keys:

1. Duncan on West
Duncan's defense against West was really impressive. Duncan is usually an overrated one-on-one defense, especially against perimeter oriented players, but he was really good against West. He had the quickness to stay in front of West and did a good job of using his length to bother West. The only move West can use effectively against Duncan is take him away from the basket and use a hesitation move to get a jumper off. But even then, Duncan getting a hand up makes the shot harder than Oberto or Thomas getting a hand up. That said, Duncan must stay out of foul trouble. If he's in foul trouble, there's no way he can be put on West.

2. Manu's Three-Pointers
He can get so many open looks from downtown against the Hornets. Even when he has the ball, the Hornets don't really respect his three-point shooting. Even if they did, they have have the guy who defended Kobe when he went for 81 (Mo Pete) and two guys who never even played defense before this season (Peja and Bonzi). The Hornets don't have the personnel or the defensive gameplan that can stop Manu -- especially his threes. The Spurs may live or die by how Manu is shooting. If he can hit 5+ threes and score 32+ points, the Spurs should at least make it a close game.

3. Parker Attacking
Parker played better than I originally gave him credit for playing. Almost all of his struggles came when he was trying to get Paul in foul trouble. When he wasn't trying to draw fouls on Paul, he was having a lot of success scoring off the dribble. He has to be aggressive and get the Spurs easy points. Parker doesn't have the Duncan or Ginobili pedigree when it comes to playing big in big games but thinking back to the 2006 Game 7 versus Dallas, he had a really good game. His defense in big games is usually solid. And while he's not old, he can get worn out -- which made this three-day break big for him.

4. Udoka Playing Well
If you look through this series to see when the Spurs go on big runs, it's almost always when Udoka is on the floor. In that regard, he has some Ginobili in his game. When he's on, he can go on almost a one-man run. The problem is that when he's off, he can send the team on a one-man run the other way. Udoka has to play well. He's the true x-factor in this game. If he doesn't do much or misses a majority of his shots, the Spurs are in trouble.

5. Multiple Looks on Paul
Game 6 was really the first time the Spurs gave Paul multiple looks defensively. However, if the Spurs do the same in Game 7, they have to cover the three-point line. Blitzing Paul guarantees someone will be open if Paul escapes. The Spurs just have to make sure it’s not a three-point shooter that gets open. They can live with jumpers or even someone like West driving to the basket. The Spurs can’t live with Stojakovic or Peterson getting wide open shots.

6. The First Half
A lot of attention is being paid to the third quarter but the first half might tell the story. In past Game 7’s, the Spurs have gotten off to horrible starts. They had to make comebacks against both the Mavs and the Pistons. Against the Mavs, specifically, the Spurs got down by 20 points in the first half. If the Spurs get down by that much in this game, San Antonio has shown no ability of rallying against the Hornets. On top of that, the Hornets haven’t been that good in the first half at home. The Spurs need to come out and pound New Orleans if they aren’t sharp early on.

7. Believe.
No matter what happens, this game won’t be easy. They’ll be a few times when the Hornets go on a run and the crowd is going wild. The Spurs have had a tendency to lose focus in these scenarios this year instead of just believing in the system. Continue chipping away on the rock no matter what happens. No panic three-pointers or hurried shots. The Spurs win championships when they get quality shots all game and work defensively to make the other team struggle to get good shots. Stay patient. Play Spurs Basketball every possession of the game.

Believe.

1.

[1Parker1]

:tu Nice summary. I find solace in the fact that the Big 3 can't continue to play so badly in NO in one series. Also, the guy to look out for, if he gets minutes, is Michael Finley. It's been about 6 games now, so he's due for an offensive outburst. Hopefully it's tonight.

And I do like the lineup where Udoka goes on Peja and Bowen goes on CP3, this should be used at some point in the 3rd quarter tonight hopefully.

[QuietDynasty]

hack a chandler in 3rd quarter to slow down the pace of the game, and thus avoiding another NO surge to win, keeping it close:downspin:

[degenerate_gambler]

Also, the guy to look out for, if he gets minutes, is Michael Finley. It's been about 6 games now, so he's due for an offensive outburst. Hopefully it's tonight.


That seems to be his M.O.

Nearly everyone counts him out and says he's washed up (and maybe he is), but then he'll break out with a 18-19 pt game with 4-5 shooting from behind the arc or something crazy like that.

Tonite of all nites, we need that action..

[z0sa]

Spurs Plan = Play 48 minutes instead of only 24 = Win

nothing else needs be said. the spurs have led at the half every single game in NO.

Its time to finish what we start.

[timvp]

If Michael Finley comes up with a big game, this could push him into legendary status in Spurs Nation.

[timvp]

1. Let Manu Shine
Manu Ginobili is built for this. He was born and bred to win single elimination games. He won't always make the perfect play but you can count on him being fearless and unafraid of the stage. On top of that, when the Hornets blitz the pick-and-rolls, Ginobili has the size to see over the trap. And with the three days rest, Ginobili versus any of the Hornets' perimeter defenders should be major mismatch.Manu did good enough. 6-for-19 isn't exactly the percentage you want to shoot but Manu realized he had to be the top dog and did enough :tu


2. The Secondary Pass
With the defense the Hornets are playing, the secondary pass is the most important pass in the offense. When Tim Duncan is doubled or the pick-and-roll is blitzed, the Hornets can cover that first pass. However, the second pass is the pass that should lead to open shots. Whenever the Spurs have made quick, decisive secondary passes, they've almost always gotten open shots in this series.Very nice job by everybody -- especially Oberto and Ginobili. The Spurs got a lot of wide open shots after making two quick passes.


3. Control the Pace
The Spurs can't let the Hornets get out and run. Scoring easy transition baskets in New Orleans will get the crowd buzzing. To control the pace against this team, you have to avoid turnovers at all costs. But not only turnovers, the Spurs also have to avoid momentum changing blocked shots that lead to easy baskets. Playing smart and deliberate offensively in the half court sets should hopefully lead to a slower pace for the Hornets. That said, when the Spurs have a chance to run, they have to run and get easy baskets.Duncan was pretty horrible offensively in the second half but his slow, deliberate controlling of the offense kept the pace extremely slow. He also ran hard defensively to help keep the Hornets from scoring easily on transition.


4. Fabricio Oberto
Fabricio Oberto not only needs to start, he needs to play as many minutes as possible. First of all, he's a very good passer -- especially when it comes to secondary passing. Second of all, he -- like Ginobili -- has grown up in that single elimination atmosphere. Thirdly, he has that championship chemistry on both ends of the court. Kurt Thomas doesn't have that chemistry and shouldn't be played much at all. To backup Oberto and Duncan, Robert Horry should be the first choice.As RC said, Oberto had one of the best 4-point performances in Spurs playoff history. His game is ugly and he can be frustrating to watch but he's damn effective at the end of the day.


5. Be Physical with David West
Hopefully he's healthy by the start of Game 7. That said, the Spurs need to be physical with him. In the playoffs, you attack if you smell blood. In Game 5, the Spurs were much too soft with their play on West. If he's going to beat you, the Spurs should at least knock him around a bit and make him earn all the calls he gets.Spurs did a better job of this as the game went on. However, West stayed mostly away from the basket so it was difficult to get too physical with him. Perhaps there was a reason why he shied away from contact . . .


6. Third Quarter
The third quarter has been death in New Orleans. The Spurs need to figure out a way to weather the storm in the beginning of the second half. Pressing fullcourt is one idea. Switching Bruce Bowen off on Chris Paul for the first half of the quarter is another idea. Whatever Pop decides, he has to make the Hornets uncomfortable. No matter what the score is at halftime, the Hornets will come out with confidence thinking it'll be their time to shine. The Spurs need a curveball to keep them off balance.Pop used the fullcourt press and it worked to perfection :tu


7. Shoot Confidently
The Spurs can get open looks against the Hornets. It's easy to say the Spurs need to hit their shots, but just as importantly the Spurs need to shoot the ball confidently. If they miss shots, they miss them. But there can't be any hesitating or second-guessing. Let it fly. If you lose but took the right shots, that's all Spurs fans can ask.Props to all the shooters. They just let it fly. Finley, Horry and Udoka specifically knocked down gigantic shots without any second-guessing.