Matchups

[Nbadan]

The greatest thing that could happen to the Spurs is Odom shooting a game-deciding shot in the final seconds...

[Ariel]

Odom would be a much bigger problem if Bynum were playing, but since he's not and Odom plays mostly as a PF, he can be taken care of by our bigs. And with Radmanovic being mostly an outside jumpshooter with neither the post up moves nor the playmaking game of Diaw, Manu can cover him just fine.

The Lakers, on the other hand, have plenty to worry about. On offense, Kobe will have to face by far the toughest opposition he's met with the hounds chasing him all over, and on the other end Manu will wear him out. Also, the Lakers don't have the interior defenders to prevent Tony and Manu from getting into the paint, and if they collapse on us, Finley, Bowen, Udoka and Barry will have a field day.

So personally I don't think it's the Spurs who should be doing the worrying about the matchups.

[Trainwreck2100]

When I remember the Diaw problem in the first round, I am afraid it will not be easy to deal with Odom.

cept he's their PF and Diaw was playing SF

[LA24]

Odom would be a much bigger problem if Bynum were playing, but since he's not and Odom plays mostly as a PF, he can be taken care of by our bigs.

You'll be seeing Gasol on the top of the key and outside the paint a lot, looking for cutters and open shooters. That'll bring Duncan out more on defense as well leaving the interior less occupied. Which is great for Kobe and Lamar.

On offense, Kobe will have to face by far the toughest opposition he's met with the hounds chasing him all over, and on the other end Manu will wear him out.

Albeit hounds with older and slower legs. Ah, regardless, Kobe will still get his.

Also, the Lakers don't have the interior defenders to prevent Tony and Manu from getting into the paint, and if they collapse on us, Finley, Bowen, Udoka and Barry will have a field day.
.

Only if, and a big if, Finley, Bowen, and Ukoka can knock down their shots.
Is Barry even going to get a lot of minutes ?

[kace]

there are two real questions for LA in defense:

- who will defend tim duncan ?
- how will they be able to defend SA pick and roll ?

for us, we have people to defend kobe and gasol one on one. it should be enough.

[brettn]

Duncan owns Gasol, always has, and that tend will continue. That matchup is a flush and that's being generous.

Parker will get his against Fisher. Fisher, as smart, tough and good as he is, can't contain the more experienced and hungry tony parker.

Bowen-Radmonavic is a big matchup. If Rado gets going that's trouble for the spurs. I could easily see it happening, especially since he'll probably see smaller defenders on him the majority of the series.

Kobe-Gino is of course big. Kobe will get his numbers like he usually does. It's not a matter if Gino can neccesarily MATCH him, but keep the pressure on Kobe to KEEP scoring on the offensive end. Manu probably won't be guarding much of Kobe this series anyways, but that leaves even more pressure on him to step up on the offensive end. I still don't think his ankle is 100% which could spell trouble for us, but I guess only time will tell.

Odom-WHOEVER: big matchup problem here and the one I'm most worried about. However, I feel like if we play him like we did David West this series and force him to make his jumpshot then we'll be fine. Protect the paint, make him make jumpshots. I have a feeling you'll see pop play him alot similar to how we played West this series.

I'm too drunk to go into any more detail. I probably sound like an idiot anyways. but GO SPURS GO! Great night and good luck and good night to you all! wOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LA24]

there are two real questions for LA in defense:

- who will defend tim duncan ?
- how will they be able to defend SA pick and roll ?

for us, we have people to defend kobe and gasol one on one. it should be enough.

The better question is how effective will Duncan be for your team.
Which Duncan will show up ? The "wtf happened to Duncan" or the "Duncan is the BeSteSt EvA ?"

He's great no question about that. But a bit inconsistent I'd say.

[LA24]

Duncan owns Gasol, always has, and that tend will continue. That matchup is a flush and that's being generous.

The word "always" can't be used since Duncan did not own Gasol the last time they met. On the other hand, Gasol did swat 2 of Duncan's shot.

[brettn]

The word "always" can't be used since Duncan did not own Gasol the last time they met. Gasol did swat 2 of Duncan's shot on the other hand.

My bad, he blocked 2 of Timmy's shots in a regular season game.

Edge goes to Gasol on this matchup.

[LA24]

My bad, he blocked 2 of Timmy's shots in a regular season game.

Edge goes to Gasol on this matchup.

I like your sarcasm.

My point was, Gasol ain't no pushover...he's not going to lay
down and die...soft or not...he will contest Duncan's shots.
If you think Duncan's going to have a walk in the park, think again.

[Ariel]

You'll be seeing Gasol on the top of the key and outside the paint a lot, looking for cutters and open shooters. That'll bring Duncan out more on defense as well leaving the interior less occupied. Which is great for Kobe and Lamar.

The Spurs now have Thomas. He can hold his own pretty well. And also you'll be seeing him on Gasol some. But ultimately I suppose a lot will vary depending on how they're doing. The Spurs also have Oberto and Horry to use, and they're warming up, so it's not like they don't have options if things don't pan out..

Albeit hounds will older and slower legs. Ah, regardless, Kobe will still get his.

If the series were to be held in two years time, I might be worried. But since it'll be over in two weeks and they've shown their present form is fantastic, that's probably the least of my concerns right now.

Only if, and a big if, Finley, Bowen, and Ukoka can knock down their shots.

They're all around 40% 3 pt shooters. Give them open 3s, and you're dead.

Is Barry even going to get a lot of minutes ?

He has a better chance than he did in previous series. His defensive shortcomings are much less harmful this series than they were in the past. If we need 3s, I think he'll have chances.

[brettn]

I like your sarcasm.

My point was, Gasol ain't no pushover...he's not going to lay
down and die...soft or not...he will contest Duncan's shots.
If you think Duncan's going to have a walk in the park, think again.

I agree with you, Gasol's a compe or. But I don't think he'll be able to stay with timmy on the defensive end.

If you look at the Lakers starters, who are they gonna throw at Timmy? Gasol is the ONLY choice you have really. Now take this in and think about who you have to throw at tim when he gets Gasol in foul trouble (and it will happen, tim has a habit of doing this to other big men). Turiaf? Maybe switch odom off on tim? I really don't know, I'd have to look at the lakers roster a little more in depth, but I'm too drunk to do that right now. Point is, I don't see it happening. Beauty of this series is which team can execute and take advantage of their mismatches more.

I've felt all along that unless yall get Bynum back and have another big to throw at timmy, that we have a GOOD shot and ending the lake show this season. I might be wrong, but it's how I feel. Call us lucky, but I've felt ever since the Gasol trade that yall need both him and Bynum to take us down in a 7 game series. Only time will tell I guess though. Good luck Wednesday!

[LA24]

I agree with you, Gasol's a compe or. But I don't think he'll be able to stay with timmy on the defensive end.

If you look at the Lakers starters, who are they gonna throw at Timmy? Gasol is the ONLY choice you have really. Now take this in and think about who you have to throw at tim when he gets Gasol in foul trouble (and it will happen, tim has a habit of doing this to other big men). Turiaf? Maybe switch odom off on tim? I really don't know, I'd have to look at the lakers roster a little more in depth, but I'm too drunk to do that right now. Point is, I don't see it happening. Beauty of this series is which team can execute and take advantage of their mismatches more.

I've felt all along that unless yall get Bynum back and have another big to throw at timmy, that we have a GOOD shot and ending the lake show this season. I might be wrong, but it's how I feel. Call us lucky, but I've felt ever since the Gasol trade that yall need both him and Bynum to take us down in a 7 game series. Only time will tell I guess though. Good luck Wednesday!

Good take. I agree.

At the same time, if Duncan is having one of his "inconsistent" games,
then there's not much to be worried about.

[Dopey310]

Like I said before, Spurs fans think Duncan will dominate the interior like Shaq prime or something. Duncan's a great player, but exploding on offense is not really his game. He'll get his typical 20-10 like he usually does againgst everybody else. What's probably going to end up happening is both players will end up averaging very similar numbers at the end of the series. Duncan's the better player, but Gasol will get his. When Kobe and LO are drawing all the attention and there's capable shooters all around, Gasol almost always ends up getting easy baskets. I don't see that changing. I'm actually glad that we don't have to face the Chandler and West frontline. Gasol biggest problem is defensive rebounding and he probably would have struggled rebounding against the much more athletic Chandler, but he'll be fine trying to board against Oberto/Duncan. Odom is also a very capable rebounder.

[mystargtr34]

My bad, he blocked 2 of Timmy's shots in a regular season game.

Edge goes to Gasol on this matchup.

[mystargtr34]

Like I said before, Spurs fans think Duncan will dominate the interior like Shaq prime or something. Duncan's a great player, but exploding on offense is not really his game. He'll get his typical 20-10 like he usually does againgst everybody else. What's probably going to end up happening is both players will end up averaging very similar numbers at the end of the series. Duncan's the better player, but Gasol will get his. When Kobe and LO are drawing all the attention and there's capable shooters all around, Gasol almost always ends up getting easy baskets. I don't see that changing. I'm actually glad that we don't have to face the Chandler and West frontline. Gasol biggest problem is defensive rebounding and he probably would have struggled rebounding against the much more athletic Chandler, but he'll be fine trying to board against Oberto/Duncan. Odom is also a very capable rebounder.

Duncan has a much wider and bigger body than Chandler... i would think he would have a harder time in the paint against Duncan, even on rebounds... once Duncan/Thomas put a body on you, forget about it, he doesnt like contact. Hes a fantastically skilled player but the contact game isnt his game.

Parker - Fisher. I think Ariza will get spot minutes here and there (if healthy) to see how he does, as will Kobe late in game. Farmer and Fish dont have the speed to contain Parker and this will be San Antonios biggest advantage in this series.

Manu - Kobe. I think Radmanovic might start out on Manu, and that will be disaster for LA. I expect Kobe to defend him for stretches and he may do so more often now that he has a few more offensive weapons on his team. But i suspect Ariza to get a few more spot minutes here. Anyone but Kobe defending Manu could be a problem for LA, if they bring on Ariza then theyre playing 4 on 5 on offense.

Bowen - Radmanovic. Bowen will set up on corner threes and Radman/Kobe have to do a good job of closing out.

Odom - Oberto. Like the Parker/Fisher matchup, this is the one the Lakers will exploit the most. We have no one on our team who we can confidently say can 'guard' Odom. Kurt Thomas on Odom will be a death sentence, and i dont see Oberto fairing much better. Id like to see a bit more of Horry in this series on Odom.

Duncan - Gasol. I think Phil will definately throw alot of Turiaf on Timmy. He can also try and draw Timmy out with his 15 footers. Alot of Gasol on Duncan could be toruble for LA as he could get worn down quickly trying to hold off Duncan for post position and also foul trouble. Gasol has good length and did defend him well in thri regular season meeting. But unless Gasol has improved drastically on D... judging by their previous encounters then this could be a a problem for LA.

[hsxvvd]

Fisher - Parker
Bryant - Bowen
Odom -Finley
Radmanovic - Duncan
Gasol - Oberto/Thomas

4th
Manu v Vujacic with Radmanovic on the bench.

Seems simple enough.

Udoka off the bench to stop Odom if Finley's struggling.

As for the Lakers match ups

Parker - Fisher
Finley - Kobe
Bowen - Odom
Duncan - Gasol
Thomas/Oberto -Radmanovic

I see Parker and Duncan having their way with the Lakers. Ariza or not, he won't be a factor at all. Walton, Farmer, Turiaf... I don't see anybody who can stop Duncan... this is his series.

[LA24]

Duncan wasn't really all that against the Hornets. Very inconsistent.

Lakers will be fine. Out of Spurs big 3, Duncan is the least of my worries.

[hsxvvd]

Duncan wasn't really all that against the Hornets. Very inconsistent.

Lakers will be fine. Out of Spurs big 3, Duncan is the least of my worries.

I hope the colonel is thinking the same.

[ElNono]

Let's get some things straight. I've been hearing this "Odom will eat Manu's lunch" for years now. If you go back and take a look, there's no such thing. The reality is that Odom has NO POST GAME, so he gets his baskets in transition, put backs or through jump shots against us. If we rebound well and get back in transition, Odom becomes another jump shooter, and a pretty lame one at that.
Pop will not put Duncan to rack up fouls early in the game against Gasol. Especially in LA. So I expect Thomas/Oberto to take Gasol, and Duncan stay with Odom. Phil will exploit that matchup by dragging Odom outside the paint and hoping Timmy follows him. That should leave enough open shots for Odom. If Odom knocks them down, then we'll probably see Pop moving Duncan to Gasol as the game goes on, and playing small ball with Udoka and Bowen taking turns on Kobe and Odom. If Odom doesn't hit, we're good to go.
Phil will give Gasol a chance to guard Duncan, although I expect Fisher or Farmar to come over and double when Duncan puts the ball on the floor. Yet, I see Phil eventually having to go to Turiaf to guard Duncan, because Gasol can't bang with Timmy.

The Lakers must absolutely win their first two at home, because we saw how Gasol completely disappears on the road. I think the Spurs' transition defense needs to be very sharp. These Lakers like to run, and a lot of their efficiency on offense come from easy baskets in transition.

[LA24]

I hope the colonel is thinking the same.

Or maybe I'll be reading more "wtf is wrong with Duncan" posts here like during the Spurs/Hornets series ?

We shall see which Duncan shows up against the Lakers.

[mystargtr34]

Duncan wasn't really all that against the Hornets. Very inconsistent.

Lakers will be fine. Out of Spurs big 3, Duncan is the least of my worries.

i dont know where u get this inconsistency bull from... are you trying to rile up the fans?

When our guy has his worst playoff playoff of his career and still puts up 16-13-3-2 on 45%... after basically being taken out of games by constant doubling especially in the first few games...

Where as your 'star', has a CAREER playoff FG% of 43%

Then all is pretty well.

[Russ]

Odom on the other hand is much better than Oberto. Horry and Thomas have no chance guarding Odom...he's too quick.

This is the conventional wisdom of the series -- the Spurs can't match up with Odom. It's practically a cliche already. The latest false hope of the Spurs' detractors in the media.

The Spurs may possibly lose this series, but it won't be because of a knucklehead like Lamar Odom.

[ElNono]

You'll be seeing Gasol on the top of the key and outside the paint a lot, looking for cutters and open shooters. That'll bring Duncan out more on defense as well leaving the interior less occupied. Which is great for Kobe and Lamar.

Duncan won't be leaving the paint. Forget about that. If Gasol wants to start shooting J's from the top of the key or outside the paint, we'll take it.

[mystargtr34]

Or maybe I'll be reading more "wtf is wrong with Duncan" posts here like during the Spurs/Hornets series ?

We shall see which Duncan shows up against the Lakers.

i suspect the guy who put up 25-14-3-3 against the Suns or same guy whos been putting up 24-13-4-3 in the playoffs in the past 10 years.

Unless you guys decide to throw 2 and 3 guys at him like NO and open this biznitch up for Manu and TP.