Reply With Quote
Don't even want to think about OKC yet. But Game 5 winner takes the series.
Just did a quick look at the games with OKC this year. We were dominated in general, but want to throw some basic information to these 4 losses.
Games #1 94-88 at OKC. Spurs just won 9 in a row heading to OKC, who were currently undefeated at home. All spurs available for game. The interesting stat to me? Reggie Jackson scores 23 points and Westbrook scores 6.
Game #2 113-100 LEonard does not play this game( getting dental procedure done. Durrant scores 17, Westbrook 31 and Reggie JAckson 21.
Game #3 111-105 Splitter and Green are out with injuries and Leonard gets hurt, playing 15 minutes. Durant scores 36 and Jackson 27.
Game #4 106-94 Spurs on a 19 game with streak and rest MAnu this game Durant 28 pts Westbrook 27 and Jackson 14,
To sum up, 2 games were without LEonard and 2 games Spurs were on huge Streaks. The only thing that struck out to me was Reggie JAckson numbers.
23,21,27,14 for an avg of 22 pts a game. I think we can handle the rest, but we cant have a 3rd guy averaging 20 + a game for OKC or were in trouble.
Thoughts?
Please remember I just pulled this info up real quick to get some basic information. ID love to hear some more detailed thoughts on this.
Yoda
Don't even want to think about OKC yet. But Game 5 winner takes the series.
Green and Leonard's defense would be huge. They also have to shoot te ball. Too many times they'd allow them to affect shots.
Rebounding. Getting Ibaka in foul trouble is possible and wouldn't hurt.
Im most worried about Ilbaka
Reggie Jacksons numbers are what freaked me out.
Ya, I think the series is going to come down to whether 2+ OKC role players go off on us every game. If Splitter can keep Ibaka from having those perfect shooting nights he loves to have against us, we'll be in good shape. We'll see if having 2 more years of experience with The System will make it less likely to fall apart once pressured, like it did in '12.
Jackson goes into god mode against the Spurs for some reason. He and Ibaka live for turning OKC into an avalanche against SA. Parker does poorly against long athletic defenders like Thabo, and Green's shot vanishes when defenders try and run him off the line.
Duncan and Splitter, historically, haven't brought any athleticism to the paint against OKC's physical shot blockers, which is why they get mauled down low and the refs swallow their whistles. Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan have had some success in the paint against Perkins and Ibaka, but then again, they're Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan, and their team is down 2-3.
Durant and Westbrook are either to going to score at will, or they'll toss up so many shots that OKC's offense will stall. Avoiding another player like Jackson or Ibaka going for 20 every night is key, and hopefully Pop has plans on how to let the defense handle that. Some people want to see Kawhi on Durant but he might be better suited to defending someone else, because Durant really can't be stopped unless he's stopping himself.
Signs of encouragement should be that Green seems to be hitting a little bit of a stride lately, and if he can keep knocking down those pull up midrange jumpers, Brooks will have to commit a defender to him at all times. Splitter is having a remarkable postseason thus far, and if he can keep that up, his defense may be invaluable.
The overall issue is the Spurs' system. Offensively, it's sound - penetrate with a proven finisher at the rim to collapse a defense, and if the shooters are left open, find the most open man for the highest percentage shot. It's surgically precise murder for almost every team in the league. OKC's defense is built on their speed, and where the Spurs try to pass them into exhaustion, the Thunder like to wreak havoc. Thabo, Westbrook, and Ibaka are all incredible at disrupting passing lanes and creating turnovers. The Spurs try and move the ball around to the extent that eventually someone in blue guesses where it's going next and anticipates the pass, resulting in a breakaway that usually ends in an emphatic Westbrook dunk. It's one thing to protect the ball when dribbling, but quite another when the core of your offense is interrupted by players that are faster than your passing. Parker may be the closest thing the Spurs have to a shooter like Durant - not necessarily someone that can create his own shot, but someone who can hit buckets from almost anywhere. If the Spurs are going to stand a chance, they're going to have to get open more quickly and cut the number of passes down to avoid playing into OKC's hands. Faster ball movement and faster shots. On defense, focus less on stopping Durant and commit Green and Kawhi's defensive strengths to the role players that have been killing us.
4-0 in the regular season doesnt look good man. There's no way you can splice it up, OKC is a bad match up. It doesnt mean Spurs cant win, it just means its a bad match up.
OKC doesn't scare me... I'm scared of the refs tbh.
Nice analysis. The fine line between the extra pass and just taking the decent shot is paramount against OKC. They are just that quick.
dallas was supposed to be a cakewalk matchup, and portland was supposed to be a hard matchup. gets weird in the playoffs. not that the spurs have been great, but OKC has looked very mortal against both memphis and the cippers
I guarantee scrubs will be made as certified superstars during this series while Westbrook steals the shots from KD and they don't really get much on offense. It'll be Perkins and Ibaka that kills us like last time.
Sort of like how Ray Allen, Chris Andersen, and Shane Battier killed us in the Finals last year...
Memphis should in reality have won that series in 5 games, they choked away game 4 to go up 3-1 so bad.... WOW. Do not get me started there. They owned that series until game 6 at home and then boom......... Game 6 they got whipped and game 7 without Z BO forget it. That should have ended in 5.Harden KILLED US last time! TBH. Thank GOD he is not there now. You forgot him.
Spurs deserve to be kicked out of the league if they lose to OKC because of Mumm-Ra Jackson.
teams seem to choke against OKC quite a bit
I like how the Spurs look, and you know I root against Miami and the best matchup mentally IMO are the spurs. Sadly, I see OKC beating the Spurs,but not the clippers. I think the best thing is if Clippers win, it will be a 5 game series for SA.
OKC just has that athleticism and that ref thing going for them.
You're right, Harden was always a Spurkiller in the long line of them. He's definitely one of the best actual players who are classified as the Spurkillers. Definitely no Jerome James.
Not Miami, they routinely punk that team and beat the out of them! Thats the only team they lose against and have no luck at all! GO FIGURE! If the Finals are Miami and OKC this year I won't watch! That series is just a horrible matchup for them and they never seem to play good against MIAMI! GO SPURS! GET THERE! WE NEED THAT.teams seem to choke against OKC quite a bitJerome James after game 4 05, we don't give them no RESPECT NONE!!!!!!!!!!! Trashbag man said that.You're right, Harden was always a Spurkiller in the long line of them. He's definitely one of the best actual players who are classified as the Spurkillers. Definitely no Jerome James.
We just saw Miami easily dispose of Brooklyn in 5 games after losing all 4 regular season games.
I agree that it's a bad match up, but I don't need to look at regular season game outcomes to see that.
Jerome James, Derick Fisher, "The Jet", and Tracy McGrady (during the regular season) live to play the Spurs.
Don't rule out Clippers.. I think they can win the next Game against OKC
It's a bad matchup for many reasons, tbh..
Leonard's defensive strength and defensive impact on the Spurs is in his help/roaming defense, which is impossible against OKC, since he has to defend Durant in isolation..offensively, he can contribute well, but he's going to be fatigued from defense, and more importantly, the foul concern against an elite foul-drawer..
Green is the other elite perimeter defender, and he'll have his hands full with Westbrook..unfortunately, Pop still doesn't trust him with heavy minutes, so if he isn't making his 3s, Pop will probably sit him and the defense will go downhill..
Perkins and Sefolosha have a good history in defending Duncan and Parker..they are the 2 highest-usage players on the Spurs, so that's obviously a huge roadblock..
The Spurs have looked overwhelmed against Reggie Jackson, they don't have any bench players that can guard him, apparently..of course you also have Fisher, the Spurs killer..
The Spurs' bigs are known for their interior passing, but it becomes useless against OKC with Ibaka's presence and the quickness of his second jump..
It doesn't mean they don't have a chance, though..Pop is a much better coach than Brooks, the Spurs have an abundance of shooters that can get hot in a hurry, Leonard is still surprising us, Splitter appears to have grown, and OKC simply hasn't looked that great in the playoffs..
On paper, Leonard/Green is as good as it gets for a duo to guard Westbrook/Durant, but foul trouble is expected, tbh..
you'd think after all his big shots, spurfan would learn how to spell Derek Fisher
Ugh, Jason Terry, if not for 0.4 he'd be way worse than Fisher ever was.
I like how we match up against OKC tbh. We have the two best defenders you can ask for in Green and Leonard on Westbrook and Durant. Hopefully Patty can keep up the D like he did this series against Lillard on Jackson, and Manu can D up on Butler. I hope the Spurs take it in the paint against Ibaka, and get him in foul trouble. If so I really like our chances. Of course Clippers would be the ideal matchup, and hope they can still pull this series off.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
