How do we beat the Hornets??!

This squad is a lot like the old Suns, alley-oops to the basket, pick n roll kick outs and drive n dish. Just.. better defense and with more steroids.

A lot better defense really.

I for one respect the hell out of the Hornets. They have stepped up to the plate, with the probable MVP, and an energy that has been unmatched all year regardless of records. They have a unison and a set strategy with several key players being together for a couple years now.

I don't care what you personally think, but the blowout wins against us were convincing. There will be peeps of "Pop was CIA" or whatever reasons. But the fact is they flat out ran us and made us look old, slow, and just broken down. They have beat us worse than anyone this year in my own opinion, and it's a strong one.

Now, what's more scary as if we don't all have nerves in any series over the years, is on top of all the buzz and media hump the Hornets have the first two in their own building and we haven't exactly had our best road record this season if you like stats.

So how are we going to overcome this drastic change of challenges? By now one can only hope experience will push through as it did in the Phoenix series, and we play smarter and just execute better.

Considering the totally different dynamics of this series, San Antonio has to hold the clutch and switch gears now. This will be yet another huge series that I sense a lot of Spurs fans are downplaying perhaps.

-We beat the Hornets by simply doing what they have been doing, just better. Like we have shown over the years. As usual transition defense will be crucial. They will score all day a hell of a lot more than Phoenix if we sleep at all.

-CP3 is going to tear us a new one, he is going to get his numbers. That is a 95% probability at worst here, so they key is containment of his 2nd, 3rd or 4th options when dribbling around the defense. Cut off passing lanes and give no easy shots from kick outs to drawing attention in the paint. Paul will get a line in the box score, but we can make him earn it harder than any team he will face in his basketball career by shutting down his "outs."

-No easy layups-dunks. The Hornets are going to slam and jam on us a few times, bank on that. It's just going to happen, like Amare when he gets momentum is over with just look out. Like LeBron. Anyways.. limit them however. We cannot fall asleep in the paint, and Duncan has to be a step quicker this series to limit dump offs and over the head passes to Chandler for easy slams.

-Big 3 stepping up. What's new? No explanation needed.

-Focus on the Hornets X factors. That is West and Chandler me thinks. One of them always has a big game in their decisive wins, and if we can limit their buckets and stay out of foul trouble this series will go a hell of a lot smoother for us, probably more than anything.

To me as like every game, defense has to step up. NO is not a team you trade baskets with, if so, we will be fishing and you better believe that if you think the rest is crap. The team that plays better defense this series will win, and the Hornets defense is underrated by fans and media it seems. They play great defense when it matters the most. If we can play our defense and our half court game, we win. If this becomes an up and down game I do not see us standing in the end against this team.

None of us should be under-estimating them at all. We have a great team, we can repeat, we can do this. We have the toughest road ever on the way to the Finals that I can ever remember with such a great team. We can ill afford to go stagnant on offense as we have done this season. They have the capability to wax us good, so we need to be aggressive and seriously have our mind right come Saturday. If we can somehow defeat them and already sent Phoenix home, we will have a ton of momentum heading into LA, a ton. This is big and this is just my thoughts and keys to winning from what I have seen in these playoffs thus far.

I'll have some for tonight, going to enjoy it. When I wake up tomorrow I'm all business again, and I hope the Spurs and crew are too.
:toast

I'm calling the Spurs in 7.

if parker, bowen, and udoka can do a job on paul like they did on nash and someone can contain west spurs are golden

Play big, slow them down, play smart.

Stop Paul.

Defensively, start with Bowen guarding Peja and Tony guarding CP3. Tony will have to play very hardcore D like he did at times during the Suns series. If/when the Hornets go to a CP3/Pargo backcourt, then switch Bowen to Paul and Tony to Pargo.

The Spurs don't match up well with David West, so he might just get his. But if everyone is rotating and doing what they need to on team D, they should be fine.

On offense, as long as the Spurs are moving the ball, they will be in good shape.

Spurs in five hard-fought games.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

Defensively, start with Bowen guarding Peja and Tony guarding CP3. Tony will have to play very hardcore D like he did at times during the Suns series. If/when the Hornets go to a CP3/Pargo backcourt, then switch Bowen to Paul and Tony to Pargo.

The Spurs don't match up well with David West, so he might just get his. But if everyone is rotating and doing what they need to on team D, they should be fine.

On offense, as long as the Spurs are moving the ball, they will be in good shape.

Spurs in five hard-fought games.

---

What if CP runs a muck on Tony, will Pop make a quick switch with Bowen? Pargo will not see so much time if Parker is on Peja and he is on me thinks.
Whatever the case West is a dynamic all by himself. Chandler has to be shut down so his affect will not be so detrimental.

besides the spurs I think the hornets are the best team in the NBA

have we played the hornets since acquiring KT. i dont remember him playing against the hornets. if not i wonder how he would do against dwest.

Pick and Roll defense is going to be vital
Closing out three point attempts will be huge
We better be able to keep Chandler off the offensive boards. No second chance points

I personally don't think, defense wise the Hornets are as good as the Suns

Their personnel doesn't match up as well, there isn't a shaq or amare to command the paint.

David West isn't a shot blocker so you pick and roll them to DEATH.

If they come under, drive to the damn hole and take it at em.

Duncan as well, there isn't a single man on the Hornets that can guard Duncan.

Personally I think Kurt Thomas can guard West well, West "laterally" isn't a hugely fast person, you just have to bang him back if he does bang in the post, and stay out with him.

If they defend the pick and roll as well as they did tonight? This is a quick series, because as one scout said "shut down the pick and roll, and you shut down their O'"

Also Bowen has to go uber Bruce, like tonight in the 4th quarter on Peja Stoyakovic.

When Peja is shut down, thats a MAJOR MAJOR component of their offense and it really crowd's their offense.

Pargo is a tough matchup, but agree with Kori, if they go small in the backcourt you stay big but switch Parker to Pargo and what not.

Kurt Thomas ALOT on David West please. Oberto I DONT THINK, guards West Very well, but Oberto will be VERY KEY against the likes of Hilton Armstrong and what not, BUT, West plays a shitload of minutes.

If they decided to put West on Thomas, see if you can post him up a bit, get him in foul trouble, and see if you can take advantage of it.

Test their poise, the Mavericks really didn't test their poise ALOT in that series, they pretty much rolled over and died.


Play SPURS BASKETBALL and you win. That simple.

I'm alot more confident heading into this series then I was against the Suns, even without homecourt.

That whole team runs through Chris Paul. The Spurs have proven over the years that they have the ability to slow down players like him (nash, kidd, etc). Without Paul, Chandler doesn't get his numbers. West will probably get his, but he's reliant on his jumpshot at times and if it's not falling, he struggles (see game 3 vs mavs). So I respectfully disagree with you, I think if you shut down Paul, you shut down the team. Will this be easy? No. But I have confidence in bowen's on the ball defense and the rest of team's help defense to throw him into a funk of sorts.

On offense, I really feel like we have a huge edge. I don't see anyone on that team capable of stopping timmy, although I might be underestimating Chandler as a defender here. Either way, Timmy has a habit of getting the other team's big men into trouble which could take Chandler, and maybe even West out of the picture. So then you put Paul on Parker and who do you have that can slow Ginobli down? Pargo? Peterson? Again, I might be underestimating their abilities as defenders but I still don't see it happening.

If anything concerns me about this series, and it might be silly, it's that they have bonzi wells coming off the bench. Last time I remember playing him in the playoffs when he was with the Kings in 05 I believe, he absolutely wrecked shop against us. If he's on his game I can see him providing match up problems for us all over the court.

Either way, homecourt or not, I feel like we'll steal 1 of the first 2 in New Orleans, and close the game out in 6 at home, possibly even 5 with a little luck.

Looking forward to it!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brutalis

What if CP runs a muck on Tony, will Pop make a quick switch with Bowen? Pargo will not see so much time if Parker is on Peja and he is on me thinks.
Whatever the case West is a dynamic all by himself. Chandler has to be shut down so his affect will not be so detrimental.

---

Tony, when focused on D, is very effective. No one is going to stop CP - not Tony or Bowen. But if they deny him the ball as much as they can and Bowen can spend time on Peja (who Bowen owns about 80% of the time), I think that's the best option.

I'm guessing they will use a little more Horry this series because of DWest, but Oberto/KT/Horry will all need to take turns on him.

Chandler is Timmy's job.

T-Park David West is like Amare with better jumper KT can not guard in out the paint

I think the key to this series is Will Sevening :lol Tony, Manu and Tim need to be healthy as they can be by tipoff of Game 1.

Damn, you peeps can switch gears quickly. I'm still thinking about what the Spurs could have done better against the Suns :lol

Maybe tomorrow I can join this convo.

Chandler scares the crap outta me!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

Tony, when focused on D, is very effective. No one is going to stop CP - not Tony or Bowen. But if they deny him the ball as much as they can and Bowen can spend time on Peja (who Bowen owns about 80% of the time), I think that's the best option.

I'm guessing they will use a little more Horry this series because of DWest, but Oberto/KT/Horry will all need to take turns on him.

Chandler is Timmy's job.

---

I think Tim is going to be alright, Chandler will get his offensive boards now and again but he won't be such a snake in the paint with Duncan there.

CP is going to get his number yes, but like I said earlier it comes down to eliminating his decision making with the ball, forcing him to shoot and cutting off his passing lanes, etc. and as you mentioned ball denial.

I don't know why but personally I am really excited to see this series, it will be a true battle of will because I may be in someone's sig in a couple weeks but NO is going to push us harder than Phoenix.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thekingrobert

T-Park David West is like Amare with better jumper KT can not guard in out the paint

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That is a huge stretch.

West is not a bounding jump over your head dunker like Amare.

Hes a pick and roll player, hes a post up guy.

I think Duncan guards him in CT with Thomas switched over to the Chandler/Armstrong.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

I personally don't think, defense wise the Hornets are as good as the Suns

Their personnel doesn't match up as well, there isn't a shaq or amare to command the paint.

David West isn't a shot blocker so you pick and roll them to DEATH.

If they come under, drive to the damn hole and take it at em.

Duncan as well, there isn't a single man on the Hornets that can guard Duncan.

Personally I think Kurt Thomas can guard West well, West "laterally" isn't a hugely fast person, you just have to bang him back if he does bang in the post, and stay out with him.

If they defend the pick and roll as well as they did tonight? This is a quick series, because as one scout said "shut down the pick and roll, and you shut down their O'"

Also Bowen has to go uber Bruce, like tonight in the 4th quarter on Peja Stoyakovic.

When Peja is shut down, thats a MAJOR MAJOR component of their offense and it really crowd's their offense.

Pargo is a tough matchup, but agree with Kori, if they go small in the backcourt you stay big but switch Parker to Pargo and what not.

Kurt Thomas ALOT on David West please. Oberto I DONT THINK, guards West Very well, but Oberto will be VERY KEY against the likes of Hilton Armstrong and what not, BUT, West plays a shitload of minutes.

If they decided to put West on Thomas, see if you can post him up a bit, get him in foul trouble, and see if you can take advantage of it.

Test their poise, the Mavericks really didn't test their poise ALOT in that series, they pretty much rolled over and died.


Play SPURS BASKETBALL and you win. That simple.

---

VERY good point. The two times I saw their poised tested against the mavs was in the last regular season game at dallas and in game 3, both games they lost. I just get the feeling that they're not anywhere near as mentally tough as the Spurs are.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by timvp

Damn, you peeps can switch gears quickly. I'm still thinking about what the Spurs could have done better against the Suns :lol

Maybe tomorrow I can join this convo.

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:lol:lol:lol I have never tasted the championship so strong and been so antsy in a playoffs, ever, since the year my tag says. I don't know why, but I feel something strong. Would be awesome to beat so many good teams and win it all, like the biggest exclamation point ever.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

I think the key to this series is Will Sevening :lol Tony, Manu and Tim need to be healthy as they can be by tipoff of Game 1.

---

Ginobili looked exhausted in freakin warmups.

I think y'all and everyone else in America are giving the Hornets way too much credit. The same reason the Lakers are going to struggle with the Jazz is the same reason we'll have an advantage over the Hornets. They're still not a team - sure they're extremely athletic and talented, but they're not playoff tested. They beat the mavs that had somewhat of the same problem of the suns - a new mix in their scheme of offense and defense. I'm not denying the talent of the Hornets, but they were playing against a dallas team that hadn't really put it together since the trade. The Spurs have championship experience along with a somewhat healthy team. Make fun of me all you want, but don't be surprised when the Spurs are up 3-1 in this series. Yes, on paper we are outmatched - I'll give you that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brettn

I'm alot more confident heading into this series then I was against the Suns, even without homecourt.

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:toast

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brettn

VERY good point. The two times I saw their poised tested against the mavs was in the last regular season game at dallas and in game 3, both games they lost. I just get the feeling that they're not anywhere near as mentally tough as the Spurs are.

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Yeah, everyone wanted to see how they would "react" to the playoffs.

When the mavericks pressured them, played good defense, the Hornets didn't well. Examples first half of game 1 and game 3.

How do you beat the Hornets?

Manu Ginobli. Pray he gets healthy, they have a serious weakness defending quality SG's.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

That is a huge stretch.

West is not a bounding jump over your head dunker like Amare.

Hes a pick and roll player, hes a post up guy.

I think Duncan guards him in CT with Thomas switched over to the Chandler/Armstrong.

---

I just don't see that at all. Pop will put TD on West if he explodes I bet, but KT-Fab-Horry will see the action to start with.

We can't afford to put anyone else on Chandler. He's a better rebounder than even KT, and far more athletic then Fab and KT combined.

Man we could talk about this stuff all night really, it's such a dynamic matchup.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

Ginobili looked exhausted in freakin warmups.

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Yeah, I don't know if he's as banged up as he is exhausted. He has that vampire look now. (you guys know what I'm talking about) But as timvp reminded me, the last time Manu had this much of the vampire look was the 2005 playoffs :smokin

Also.......

Manu does not look recovered fully.

Tony tweaked an ankle as did Duncan his knee.

I hope they aren't very tender tomorrow.

We need rest big time. Glad the game isn't till Saturday at least.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by spursrule32

I think y'all and everyone else in America are giving the Hornets way too much credit. The same reason the Lakers are going to struggle with the Jazz is the same reason we'll have an advantage over the Hornets. They're still not a team - sure they're extremely athletic and talented, but they're not playoff tested. They beat the mavs that had somewhat of the same problem of the suns - a new mix in their scheme of offense and defense. I'm not denying the talent of the Hornets, but they were playing against a dallas team that hadn't really put it together since the trade. The Spurs have championship experience along with a somewhat healthy team. Make fun of me all you want, but don't be surprised when the Spurs are up 3-1 in this series. Yes, on paper we are outmatched - I'll give you that.

---

You give the Mavs too much credit, they are done for, they are in rebuild mode they have to be looking like a skinny .500 team since their trade.

Us beating Phoenix 4-1 was not as easy as the four to one look at all. We are hurting, bruised and so forth.

You don't give NO enough credit really. They have an edge at home against a somewhat banged up Spurs squad.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by G-Nob

Chandler scares the crap outta me!

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Personally I’m not worried about Chandler... Chris Paul is the scary one, that kid is not human :lol

Dazed is right. The Hornets weakness is their ability to defend elite wing players. They mainly do this with either Mo Pete, Peja, or Julian Wright. None of those guys are really quick besides Wright but he's still not quick enough to hang with the super elite wings.

However, it's obvious many havent watched a lot of David West if they think that Kurt Thomas can guard him. West has really honed his skills. If you put a slow big on him (and they dont come any slower than Kurt Thomas), he has a faceup game and will take them off the dribble. Put a smaller SF like Bowen on him and he has a power game. Not to metnion the annoying 15-18 footers off of Paul PnR's which just always seem to go in at a ridiculous percentage.

West might be the most underrated player in the NBA. He's an absolute force. Used to be just a great midrange shooter but now a very good faceup and post game to boot. And a good rebounder as well who plays more physically now than in the past.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mVp

Personally I’m not worried about Chandler... Chris Paul is the scary one, that kid is not human :lol

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:toast


but neither is Tim Duncan!
:flag:

I don't know what's up with Manu but Brett Brown on the after game show made it a point to say that he's been really fighting through this injury the last two or three games so hopefully since we won this series this rest will do him some good because he really needs it. It didn't really sound good at all so hopefully he gets well in three days :)

GInobili should sleep in a hot tub inside of an oxygen tank till friday.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brutalis

You give the Mavs too much credit, they are done for, they are in rebuild mode they have to be looking like a skinny .500 team since their trade.

Us beating Phoenix 4-1 was not as easy as the four to one look at all. We are hurting, bruised and so forth.

You don't give NO enough credit really. They have an edge at home against a somewhat banged up Spurs squad.

---

I'm not giving the mavs any credit at all - they never gelled after the trade. The Spurs aren't that banged up - Manu might be the exception but Barry and Horry are getting healthy. Phoenix is a tougher matchup for Manu anyways. There's a clear goal in this next series - limit CP3. That sounds like a tough task, but think about it - the mavs had plenty of opportunities and they do not have any bigs. Put Bruce on Paul and we'll be alright. Peja is not the player he used to be - don't be fooled by his success because of Paul's penetration. And please don't judge this series by the regular season - we are not the same team.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brutalis

I just don't see that at all. Pop will put TD on West if he explodes I bet, but KT-Fab-Horry will see the action to start with.

We can't afford to put anyone else on Chandler. He's a better rebounder than even KT, and far more athletic then Fab and KT combined.

Man we could talk about this stuff all night really, it's such a dynamic matchup.

---

You can be all the kind of athletic in the world, but if your blocked out like Thomas was blocking out tonight and defending, hes a damn damn DAMN good player and negates alot of that stuff.

I don't see putting Bruce on Peja as a real good option for beating the Hornets...

IF you stop Paul you stop the Hornets...so to me that means Bruce on Paul.



Then again...I actually thought it would be a good idea to put Horry on Diaw...

Quote:

---

If you put a slow big on him (and they dont come any slower than Kurt Thomas),

---

Wow Stoudamire has slowed down more than David West?

Interesting....

David West is a walking mismatch. Horry of 2 years ago would have been nice to have, nobody else one this Spurs team has the physical tools to guard West.

Pop is gonna put it all on Paul, like he did with Nash. Have Bowen wear him out, stay on the shooters and let Paul try and take as many shots; see if he can continue this for 4 quarters.

Their bench scares me. Pargo is shooting lights out, and Bonzi is of course a well-known Spurs killer. Specially if they've been following the Spurs-Suns games, Scott might try and use Bonzi like D'Antoni used Diaw: as an SF who gets the ball in the post against undersized defenders like Finley, Udoka or Manu.

Dazed and bobbyjoe are 100% right. Manu is the one mismatch who has to play at a high level. And Duncan has to perform like playoff Duncan. The Suns really made it a point to stay home on the shooters; NO may not resort to that all the time, so our role players have to knock down their open looks.

If we can hold CP3 below his series average with the Mavs, Bruce should contain Peja, the key to me is who is going to slow down West. He is the key to the Hornets winning. Kurt and Fabs are too slow. Horry is the most agile and quickest and probably the only one that can stay in front of West. Though I'm not sure that Robert can handle him in the post. Oh and slow down Pargo. He was deadly against the Mavs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Warlord23

David West is a walking mismatch. Horry of 2 years ago would have been nice to have, nobody else one this Spurs team has the physical tools to guard West.

Pop is gonna put it all on Paul, like he did with Nash. Have Bowen wear him out, stay on the shooters and let Paul try and take as many shots; see if he can continue this for 4 quarters.

Their bench scares me. Pargo is shooting lights out, and Bonzi is of course a well-known Spurs killer. Specially if they've been following the Spurs-Suns games, Scott might try and use Bonzi like D'Antoni used Diaw: as an SF who gets the ball in the post against undersized defenders like Finley, Udoka or Manu.

Dazed and bobbyjoe are 100% right. Manu is the one mismatch who has to play at a high level. And Duncan has to perform like playoff Duncan. The Suns really made it a point to stay home on the shooters; NO may not resort to that all the time, so our role players have to knock down their open looks.

---

I think Duncan and Parker will both give them fits as well. Their big men CANNOT stop Tim, and Paul cannot guard Parker (and vice-versa).

Bruce is going to nullify Peja even more so than he used to nullify Shawn Marion. Take away Peja as an offensive option, and they will have troubles. If there is a perimeter player that Bruce can really "shut down", it's Peja. Guys like Tmac, Kobe et al, Bruce can make them work for their points, but with Peja, he can totally erase him from the game.

Leave Tony on CP3.

The Hornets scare me but I'm pretty sure our experience will win out in the end.

First of, it should be clear that the Mavs are a very mediocre defensive team. It is no wonder that everyone from Pargo to Wells was lighting them up.

Secondly, I didn't take anything from the Hornets-Mavs series except that the Mavs really suck and had no one who was even compeititive with the Hornets except Dirk and Bass.

I will give the Hornets credit but I just don't think they're as good as they looked against the mavs.
Should be a tough series though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lrrr

Bruce is going to nullify Peja even more so than he used to nullify Shawn Marion. Take away Peja as an offensive option, and they will have troubles. If there is a perimeter player that Bruce can really "shut down", it's Peja. Guys like Tmac, Kobe et al, Bruce can make them work for their points, but with Peja, he can totally erase him from the game.

Leave Tony on CP3.

---

That's what NOH would probably want SAS to do. Waste their best defender on a guy that camps out at the 3pt line all day. You put Tony on CP3 and you make him waste a lot of effort and energy trying to contain Paul all game, which makes him less effective on offense. This will be a good series because both sides have mismatches they can exploit.

Show up. Hustle. Focus. Play as a team. Maybe hit a couple of threes.

If the Spurs get down by double digits early to the Hornets they are in deep shit. They've been playing with fire far too often this postseason.

One thing I am looking forward to is hopefully using Udoka on Bonzi any moment Bonzi plays. This is the kind of match up we got Udoka for.

I want to see how he stacks up in the playoffs this series...And I really want him to start eating into Finley's minutes, if he can start to play like he is capable of playing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

Duncan as well, there isn't a single man on the Hornets that can guard Duncan.


If they decided to put West on Thomas, see if you can post him up a bit, get him in foul trouble, and see if you can take advantage of it.

---

Chandler guards Duncan as well as Rasheed. Both have very long arms.

When did Thomas become a post player?

Let CP3 score all he want for sure he will be exhausted by game 2, deny his passing lanes, and control the boards (NOH is not as big as SUNS front court). I think NOH is overrated except CP3. Defense and the coaching staff doing their homework will be the key to this series and we will see how NOH will react to a high-caliber team. The games 1-2 will be crucial. I am sure we will win this series in 6 games or less.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jcrod

Chandler guards Duncan as well as Rasheed. Both have very long arms.

When did Thomas become a post player?

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I don't recall saying he was.

But give it a shot or two to try and get West in foul trouble.

Thomas can make the turnaround jumper from 10 feet.

Chandler has the makings of a problem match up, but isn't smart enough to stay in the game. He reaches, he gets faked easily, and he is constantly looking for blocks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Warlord23

David West is a walking mismatch. Horry of 2 years ago would have been nice to have, nobody else one this Spurs team has the physical tools to guard West.

Pop is gonna put it all on Paul, like he did with Nash. Have Bowen wear him out, stay on the shooters and let Paul try and take as many shots; see if he can continue this for 4 quarters.

Their bench scares me. Pargo is shooting lights out, and Bonzi is of course a well-known Spurs killer. Specially if they've been following the Spurs-Suns games, Scott might try and use Bonzi like D'Antoni used Diaw: as an SF who gets the ball in the post against undersized defenders like Finley, Udoka or Manu.

Dazed and bobbyjoe are 100% right. Manu is the one mismatch who has to play at a high level. And Duncan has to perform like playoff Duncan. The Suns really made it a point to stay home on the shooters; NO may not resort to that all the time, so our role players have to knock down their open looks.

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SpursFan worries about Bonzi Wells way too much. He's just not the same player as the guy from 2 yrs ago, when he was playing for a huge contract.

Pargo has been hot but the Hornets bench is a notable weakness compared to benches of other contenders. Pargo's scoring and Wright's athleticism are about the only assets on that bench. Hilton Armstrong is a subpar reserve bigman. Bonzi hasn't panned out.

I'd be absolutely shocked if Bonzi had an impact on this series. The guy's been walking with a fork stickout of his back the last 2 years.

If Peja had been more successful as a playoff performer and against Bowen in particular I'd give the Hornets more of a chance this series. Spurs in 6.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bobbyjoe

SpursFan worries about Bonzi Wells way too much. He's just not the same player as the guy from 2 yrs ago, when he was playing for a huge contract.

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Actually, the only difference is that he's two years older and he fucked up and didn't sign said huge contract. He's a UFA at the end of this season, right?

Yeah, you stick a guy on Peja, and you LEAVE him there.

Perfect guy for Finley stay on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

Yeah, you stick a guy on Peja, and you LEAVE him there.

Perfect guy for Finley stay on.

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Finley doesn't stay on three point shooters. He's notorious for sagging into the lane and leaving them open. Doing that against a guy who's that much taller with a quick trigger is going to be really ugly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cry Havoc

I think Duncan and Parker will both give them fits as well. Their big men CANNOT stop Tim, and Paul cannot guard Parker (and vice-versa).

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Personally, I really dont really see Parker tearing up the Hornets.

Parker took advantage of the Suns perennial weakness. Poor interior defense and atrocious pick n roll defense.

The Hornets are not the Spurs or Pistons defensively but they are very solid. Their bigs play the pick n roll infinitely better than Amare or Shaq (who are 2 of the worst bigs in the league in terms of pure PNR defense). It's not going to be a layup drill for Parker like it was all series against Phoenix.

Paul's defensive shortcomings are also vastly overstated. I'd compare him to a Kobe Bryant or TMac in terms of defensive mentality: Someone who may take it easy too often but who turns it up when he really has to.

Duncan has somewhat of a tough matchup with Chandler (length and athleticism) but the Hornets have 0 other bigs who really can stay with Tim.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Obstructed_View

Finley doesn't stay on three point shooters. He's notorious for sagging into the lane and leaving them open. Doing that against a guy who's that much taller with a quick trigger is going to be really ugly.

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I meant Morris Peterson apologies.

I still personally don't see where the Hornets defense is so much better than the Suns. The Suns's tri tower scheme is way tougher to play and go against with Shaq in the middle than Peja, West, and Chandler.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

I meant Morris Peterson apologies.

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Yeah that would work better. Especially if you could convince Fin to stay with his man.

The Hornets' defense looked really good, but it's hard to tell how good they are because the Mavericks were just so fucking inept.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Obstructed_View

Actually, the only difference is that he's two years older and he fucked up and didn't sign said huge contract. He's a UFA at the end of this season, right?

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Yes he did screw up the contract situation and he is an UFA this year.

But since then he put on a lot of weight and became lazy. He's known it's a contract year for a while and would have turned it on already if he still had it in him.

The guy averaged 5.0 PPG on 15 minutes a game in the Mavs series...He's basically just washed up at this point.

If he turns it on this series, he truly is a Spur killer...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bobbyjoe

Yes he did screw up the contract situation and he is an UFA this year.

But since then he put on a lot of weight and became lazy. He's known it's a contract year for a while and would have turned it on already if he still had it in him.

The guy averaged 5.0 PPG on 15 minutes a game in the Mavs series...He's basically just washed up at this point.

If he turns it on this series, he truly is a Spur killer...

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He's almost always been lazy, he's almost always been out of shape, and he's almost always been a Spurs killer. The fact that the Spurs got shredded by Boris fucking Diaw in the post is not a good omen.

Hey...it wasn't like Bonzie was tearing the league up 2 years ago when he turned into Wilt Chamberlain against us....his stock was extremely low at that time as well. I don't care what he does against the rest of the league...he's been murder on us.


Outside of Udoka Bonzi is a mismatch nightmare for us especially on the glass. The #1 weapon we have to combat him with in rebounding now is Kurt Thomas....hopefully he'll be a difference(as he was in this series).


Oh...and Parker lit Paul up at times this season...flatout blew Paul's ass off the court. Basically neither one of them can defend the other. Difference is? The Spurs have Bruce Bowen to slap on Paul...that is going to be a mental challenge for Paul as much as anything else....Bruce wears on guys in series, just wears them down...Paul is going to have his work cut out for him on both sides of the ball...unlike Parker.

Bruce will never tell anyone that he remembers that bullshit suspension, but he does. If Paul goes the whole series without taking a swipe at Bowen, I'll be impressed.

To me the two keys of this series are :
- Matching up with West. He is a matchup nightmare for Spurs, too mobile for Spurs bigs and too strong for Spurs wings.
- Manu's health. Spurs have 3 days off before the first game. Let's hope it will be enough for Manu to heal.

If Manu is healthy, I like Spurs chances. Spurs in 6.

qick ones

Spurs are damn predictable on offense (and Finley got 3rd bad game in a row)
Spurs got history of stopping one man team


I will watch the NO game to have more info about their play.
They made Mavs look like and old fricking 7 seed team

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bruno

To me the two keys of this series are :
- Matching up with West. He is a matchup nightmare for Spurs, too mobile for Spurs bigs and too strong for Spurs wings.
- Manu's health. Spurs have 3 days off before the first game. Let's hope it will be enough for Manu to heal.

If Manu is healthy, I like Spurs chances. Spurs in 6.

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How long do groin injuries generally take to heal? I remember reading that it takes about 1 to 2 weeks, but he have just 3-4 days until the next game. Would that be enough time for it to heal? Could this persist at every step until the summer since there is always the possibility he could re-injure before it fully heals? Knock on wood, he heals fully in the next three days *tap* *tap*.

It sucks that the media, neither local or national, isn't reporting on it in greater detail.

It makes Sunday's loss all the more regrettable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bruno

To me the two keys of this series are :
- Matching up with West. He is a matchup nightmare for Spurs, too mobile for Spurs bigs and too strong for Spurs wings.

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Stop Paul and you pretty much render West a nonfactor IMO..ditto Peja. If the primary ball handler is struggling...so will everyone else. It's going to be the same with the Lakers and Kobe.


And Oberto whupped David West's ass earlier this season..surprised no one remembers that.

I think the Spurs need to do what they did in this game:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2008022324
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore...gid=2008022324

I think a ton of pick and roll with Timmy and Manu, Timmy and Tony. Also, moving the ball well is crucial (26 assists in the above game). Transition defense is important. Bruce Bowen on Peja is also very important. As is TP on Chris Paul. Also good defense on West. I don't know how Kurt will match up, but he just needs to get his rebounds and keep up with a solid defensive effort. The Big Three need to score. Most of all, mental toughness. The Spurs do not have the home court advantage, so they need to play smart and tough.

Spurs aren't a team that will let home court influence the way they play. That's why they're so good and never need to be #1 seed to win. The issue of having home court will affect the non-experienced team more. If Spurs get 1 out of the first 2 (or better yet, both), then Hornets will probably begin to crumble.

gr8 thread! it will all come down to the D.. i don;t expect David Weszt to have a huge series against us after being so hot in the regular season.... his percentages against us should start going to normal... i call Spurs in 6 yet again TP will be the man... :)

Stats for Bonzi Wells

Player ---- MP -FG% 3P% FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TO PTS
05-06 SAC 32,4 0,46 0,22 0,67 2,7 5,0 -7,7 -2,8 1,8 0,5 2,4 -13,6
07-08 NOH 19,9 0,49 0,33 0,66 1,0 2,3 -3,2 -0,8 1,1 0,4 1,2 -8,8

Playoffs
Player -------- MP FG% -3P% FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
05-06 SAC(6G) 41,5 0,60 0,62 0,65 4,2 7,8 12,0 1,3 0,8 0,3 4,2 -23,2
07-08 NOH (5G)16,6 0,41 0,00 0,00 0,4 2,0 2,4 1,2 0,6 0,4 0,60 -4,0

He really killed us in 2006 :wow

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brettn

I'm alot more confident heading into this series then I was against the Suns, even without homecourt.

That whole team runs through Chris Paul. The Spurs have proven over the years that they have the ability to slow down players like him (nash, kidd, etc). Without Paul, Chandler doesn't get his numbers. West will probably get his, but he's reliant on his jumpshot at times and if it's not falling, he struggles (see game 3 vs mavs). So I respectfully disagree with you, I think if you shut down Paul, you shut down the team. Will this be easy? No. But I have confidence in bowen's on the ball defense and the rest of team's help defense to throw him into a funk of sorts.

On offense, I really feel like we have a huge edge. I don't see anyone on that team capable of stopping timmy, although I might be underestimating Chandler as a defender here. Either way, Timmy has a habit of getting the other team's big men into trouble which could take Chandler, and maybe even West out of the picture. So then you put Paul on Parker and who do you have that can slow Ginobli down? Pargo? Peterson? Again, I might be underestimating their abilities as defenders but I still don't see it happening.

If anything concerns me about this series, and it might be silly, it's that they have bonzi wells coming off the bench. Last time I remember playing him in the playoffs when he was with the Kings in 05 I believe, he absolutely wrecked shop against us. If he's on his game I can see him providing match up problems for us all over the court.

Either way, homecourt or not, I feel like we'll steal 1 of the first 2 in New Orleans, and close the game out in 6 at home, possibly even 5 with a little luck.

Looking forward to it!

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I agree with you and think the better question is " How do they stop us?"Parker is outscoring Cp3 so far in the post season and Duncan will eat Chandlers' lunch. Throw in a little Manu and hope Finley and the rest can contribute, and they'll have a harder time matching up with us than vice versa. Forget about what happened in the regular season. This is the Playoffs.:ihit:lobt::flag::nutkick:

Just get Paul ejected each time and Spurs win will be a piece of cake. :lol

I'm thinking Bowen on CP3 also. He's the head of the snake so we need our best defender on him.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

I personally don't think, defense wise the Hornets are as good as the Suns

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Really? Hmm Maybe thats why we swept the Suns and split with the Spurs. We just better get to learning how to play defense then.

We need Princess Pimp to predict a sweep for the Hornets

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DAF86

We need Princess Pimp to predict a sweep for the Hornets

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She already did. :lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PeePee

Don't forget the ass-kicking you recieved in 2 games this year one of those in your own home court.

Hornets in 4

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http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/show...2&postcount=26

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pero

She already did. :lol

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Don't worry then :smokin

^^^:lol:lol:rollin:rollin:rollin:rollin:rollin

You have just been outed from the troll closet!:lmao

The easy way.

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/_p...paul-large.jpg

http://usversusthem.files.wordpress....7/06/bowen.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hsxvvd

The easy way.

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/_p...paul-large.jpg

http://usversusthem.files.wordpress....7/06/bowen.jpg

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:lmao...hmm I mean...:nope

Play Spurs Basketball.

This isn't Rocket Science people.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

Test their poise, the Mavericks really didn't test their poise ALOT in that series, they pretty much rolled over and died.

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I like this one: Test their poise!!!! How about another Horry's hipcheck? :toast

We play @ NO. That will be tough. We gotta neutralize the other players to slow down CP3, because that's where he is most dangerous getting every involved and passing out more than 10 assists. I don't really care if he scores like 30 points. Treat him like Nash in teh 05 PO's let him get his, but cut of everybody else.

Also, Pargo has GS Warriors of 07 Syndrome, the fool is on fire and shooting WELL above his averages in some Games against the Mavs I saw, he will not do this on a consistent basis.

This one will be tough all the way but I predict Spurs got a bad taste in mouth from last two performances vs. Hornets and will steal game 1 and then lose 1 at home requring the Spurs to win 2 of last three - which they will by gradually figuring out Hornets and clamping down better defensively and win last two games in row = Spurs in 6.

attack, attack, attack. send their bigs into foul trouble. last i heard, hornets don't have much of a bench. exploit that weakness.

As long as Amuseddaysleeper keeps making the game blog threads, we're golden. Why worry about anything else.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thekingrobert

T-Park David West is like Amare with better jumper KT can not guard in out the paint

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in march we lost vs Hornets and i thought thomas over west a perimeter oriented bigman doesn't work.
he's a great defender against player liker shaq. i think oberto udoka horry are more appropriate but i guess west doesn't the key.
obviously the key is paul and tony or bruce on him.