OK...I am not trashing it...I just want some of the great basketball minds out there to tell me why we are doing it. Tim fouling out in the fourth doesn't seem like a very good plan.
discuss.
When Bowen is guarding Dirk and Dirk is at power forward, you have go small or their penetration will kill you. They'll just find the mismatch and exploit it.
The key is rebounding out of small ball.
I hate it but at least against the Mavs I can understand why it'll has to be played in some scenarios.
To add to what was said, Timmy will get into foul trouble guarding Dirk, so he defends the 5 (Diop/Damps). Bowen draws Dirk at the 4 most of the time. If Nazr or Rasho start, that leaves them to defend Howard, Terry or Harris. Not good. That's why Horry and Oberto are better options. They defend out on the floor well enough to at least take some turns on Dirk without getting hit by the "drive-by".
OK...I get that, but when Terry/Howard are getting 20+ points on layups in low scoring games is that really where we want to go?
Their layups were limited in the 2nd half, with the exception of a couple by Harris trying to drive on Timmy. The help D and switches improved after the 1st qtr. and forced Devin and Terry to try other options.
The problem I have had this series is the small ball WITHOUT Tim-- Why have we tried it with Nazr, Horry, and Oberto when it worked OK with Rasho against Sacramento. I know Pop thinks Rasho is a bad match-up in this series, but surely he can handle Dampier for a few minutes if the Spurs need to go small while Tim rests. It is infinitely preferable to small ball with Nazr.
OK...so Tim fouls out coming to "help" guarding the paint...whats the difference?
This conversation could be academic if Dirk really rolled his ankle tonight but it seems like small ball has everyone out of their comfort zone and Spurs just aren't as crisp offensively/defensively because of the change.
This may well be true, ploto, based on what we've seen from Nazr. Rasho just needs to make sure he doesn't allow Dampier to push and pull him. It's been a sore spot.
Rasho sets better screens on offense, too, BTW.
I know Pop thinks their bigs are "too physical" for Rasho but we are missing some of the little things Rasho does. And Nazr hasn't been particularly successful in this series, yet Pop still goes to him when Tim comes out. I think, though, that Pop is not going to change his mind. If large parts of games 2 and 3 did not bring Pop to consider giving Rasho a chance, then nothing will and I will continue to scream for someone to set a screen!
*sigh*
I guess that what I am trying to say is that Spurs have built their championship defensive legacy on funneling drivers baseline with two shotblockers. It has worked. The results are proven. Mavs with Dirk have gone down before.
Is Pop getting too cute with Avery and forgetting what has made the Spurs great? It's like Phil Jackson giving up the triangle to "match up" with one of his former assistant coaches or players that are now coaches...
when we have parker on dirk it just looks so wrong
Spurs' centers suck and the Spurs are doing what they can to prevent the Mavs from exploiting matchups.
Spurs used to have David and last year the Spurs didn't play a team like the Mavs. Even with the Suns, Nazr could buy minutes to start off a game on Amare.
hmmm...so Dampier/Diop are that much better than Rasho/Nazr? Or are they more productive because they are on the floor?
Considering the fact that Duncan is setting a foul record, I would say that small ball is ing stupid.
How's that?
You'd think sequ would be all about the small ball.
It would be okay if it was successful at least in a preseason game.
Damn, Sequ...we actually agree on something. The problem is that the foul situation FORCES Tim to be more timid in the second half defensively and he can't gamble on game changing blocks...in a normal Spurs game he is going into the fourth quarter with 2-3 fouls and can hammer/intimidate a driver. Now he can't.
Exactly.
That's a big point.
And also, when he's off the floor, we have 6'8 Oberto manning the paint. That's not a good thing.
I thought oberto did an ok job guarding dirl much better than having tony guard him!
Still don't see why nazr and rasho don't get more mins.
I remember when they put nazr in for tim and nazrs butter fingers didn't catch manu's pass, but manu should know nazr cannot catch a passs like that.
still I think we did a good job getting back in the game never getting down. However, would be nice if we could lead and not be down so much.
Oberto did a decent job.
But I'd like to see one of the real centers on the floor for a stretch and see how it goes.
Small ball was at the center of the Spurs defense when we won the les in 99, 03, and 05. Oh wait, nevermind, it wasn't.OK...I am not trashing it...I just want some of the great basketball minds out there to tell me why we are doing it.
Last time I checked, Devin and Terry were the difference in this series being 2-1 Mavs instead of 3-0 Spurs. And they're scoring all their points in the lane because we are rotating between Horry and Bowen at "power forward."you have go small or their penetration will kill you
What exactly is small ball doing to help us out LJ? Last time I checked it's a layup fest in there for Dallas, and it's all because of the absence of the second big.
They have no shot blocking to fear.
The other biggie is that Avery is moving the pick and roll to the middle of the floor so we can't funnel baseline. Three games later I still haven't seen Pop adjust to that.
Right now ol' Pop is coaching out of this series with his ing matchups, but he'll run some folks out of town in the off-season after we lose to the Mavs, feed the E-N some stories about them being locker room cancers, and all will be 'well.'
Start Rasho. small ball.
Not Nazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
By the way, all the "Duncan will get in foul trouble guarding Dirk" bull is just that - bull .
If they matchup, fine, so be it. Duncan fouled out anyway tonight with everyone's favorite little protectionist lineup.
ing call out the refs between now and game 4, put Duncan on Dirk, and dare the stripes to call that . At the other end, go at Dirk. As much as people bag on Rasho, he has a decent post up game, and Dirk plays no defense.
I'm tired of us pussy footing around Duncan on Dirk and losing games already, some of you will keep on defending small ball right on in to our off-season after we lose 4-1 to Dallas.
I'm sick of us catering to the matchups other teams want all the ing time. adapting to Dallas. Put in two bigs and make them adjust to us. Come down on offense and post their 6'8" forwards up until we're blue in the face and they're in foul trouble.
It's time for Pop to earn his paycheck, right now he should be donating all his pay for this series to the local homeless shelter.
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