I was discussing this very issue with a couple of buddies of mine.
I brought it to the attention that McDyess is a VERY underrated factor this series. For these reasons...
-This Mavs team is different than in the past. If Spurs elect to go small and use Jefferson on the kraut, then that leaves us more vulnerable in the rebound department. The Mavs have above average rebounding at every position from Kidd at PG, Butler at SG, Marion at SF, Haywood and Damp at C. We don't need to compound that negative aspect by playing small when our wings outside of Jefferson are all undersized. We need to limit the Mavs to one shot per possession as much as possible.
Another point I want to bring up, is something that I quite don't understand. Whenever a team's go to guy gets the whistle as much as Dirk, why do the Spurs choose to go small? Playing a smaller defender on Dirk only makes the defender have to crowd him and play more physical because of the defender being undersized. Which makes it easier for Dirk to create separation by employing his erray of moves from the triple threat position from jab steps and pump fakes, which consequently makes it easier to draw fouls due to the crowding and the quick reflexes necessary to contest.
Wouldn't you rather play a big man like McDyess on Dirk and play the drive( then closing out quick once he picks up his dribble for the jump-shot* This is when Mavs have Dirk iso at the top of the key*)? Me personally I would much rather Dirk take semi-contested 15-20 footers than going to the line 18 times a game.
Same theory when Dirk is on the block or with his back to the basket 5-12 feet out. Why play small? When your going to have to double and often leave the basket and the lane often occupied by your smallest and least threatening defenders? This is when second chance opportunities and cuts to the basket by the opposition from the weak side destroy the Spurs.
Not to mention smaller defenders are going to be more susceptible to fouling Dirk because they are undersized by length and strength. This is another way getting Dirk to the line when Dirk tries to establish his inside game.
McDyess' value is huge this series. IMO
Last edited by MaNu4Tres; 04-16-2010 at 11:01 PM.
Solid post, 'Tres; agree as usual.
They need their Big 3 to come through (and Manu to be Alpha), rebound the ball, win or stay compe ive at the line and be on top of their transition D (taking care of the ball, getting back to their end and jamming outlets when possible).
Pop staying Big puts them in the best position to achieve those objectives, IMO.
Actually, as far as RJ is concerned, I would love if he would have at least a great game 1 and we win. The reason is, stuff like that gets magnified a lot early in the series. That would actually remove some of the attention from the big 3, and it would really help us out.
The will of Tim, Manu, and TP have long been underestimated by many, but perhaps not their opponents as much. I, too, would love to see a split in the first two games, obviously. I also seriously hope to see that will and intensity we've all been so lucky to have seen in this last great decade. I've seen that look of in Manu's and Tim's eyes in some of the games when TP was out. Dallas is hungry, but the Spurs might have that edge that stats alone can't explain. How the did Argentina ever beat the Americans in the Olympics? If they bring that certain unknown something, play smart, and keep their mistakes to a minimum, we have a shot to disprove all the naysayers one more time.GSG!!!!
Unless the Spurs are going to play sans Duncan and Parker, I don't see RJ putting up gaudy numbers and having the big type of game that would take pressure off of the Big 3 moving forward. But if he could have some key offensive and/or defensive stretches that would force the Mavs to account for him ... that would definitely be welcomed; which he's more than capable of doing if he keeps his head in the game and plays with a dogged purpose.
However, dogged purpose and attention-to-detail aren't traits one would attribute to RJ . . .
The guy could really turn it around perception-wise and help the team greatly if he steps up to the plate during this series; the opportunity is definitely going to be there.
Well, I don't know what you would consider gaudy numbers. But if the guy manages to penetrate off Gino's drives and manages to score 16+ including a couple of And1, then all of a sudden you can't send his defender to cheat and clog the paint. Richard is the kind of guy that can easily finish over people. Especially against this team that really doesn't have shot blockers.
To me, the barometer should be fairly early, if his first two or three shots are jumpers, I'll start getting concerned.
That's perfectly reasonable. I think what we both want (and I'm sure everyone who's invested in the Spurs in some way) is to have RJ be an active participant. Someone that has to be accounted for and not some wallflower lost in the shuffle.
The guy's never going to be extolled for being a lock-down defender but if he competes well and gets on the board (there's no excuse for him not to with that body and athleticism), he can be a net positive. And if he can hit those seams the way he's capable of and get to the line ... the Spurs will be a much better team.
I really hope Pop decides to put Tim and RJ in the 2-man game and utilize Timmy's passing. There have been some brief flashes of brilliance between the two but that's the problem: it's brief. They run it once or twice every now and then and abandon it for games at a time. It's something that could really benefit the team while getting RJ enthused and playing a better overall game; RJ's offensive involvement tends to dictate his overall play.
I'm not willing to say RJ is the deciding factor or that he's the barometer for success, but he is an X-Factor and someone who could potentially be a difference maker; like I said before ... no one remembers the regular season when you have success in the postseason . . .
Oddly I think all the pressure is on the home team in a 2-2-1-1-1 series; because the away team just needs to "steal" one of the first two games.
Whats with all the breakdowns? We have a bye in the first round yall! We need to see who we're gonna face in round two.
Dallas are top 3 in assist and only Utah is clearly better (they lead the league in assist every year with a huge margin which is even bigger this year). Kidd or not I think you have to give the edge to Dallas here.
Championships: 4-0
Fair enough, but the primary defender on Nowitzki (or any good player) is still significant. If Pop thinks the Spurs are getting away with long stretches of Bonner, Jefferson or even Bogans on him and has one of the first two closing games on him (unless it's out of necessity with McDyess in foul trouble), then the Spurs are in trouble. Because then they'll be forced to double consistently and that's never a good thing. I'm not worried with Nowitzki isolating on McDyess and beating him off the dribble or creating enough space to get off his shot. I could care less if he makes a half dozen of these a game, the big thing is McDyess should allow the Spurs to generally play him straight up and not leave Terry, Kidd, Barea, etc. for standstill three's.
Completely agree with the parts in bold.
Completely agree with your assessment of McDyess being highly important in this series. He's got to be able to give the Spurs 25-30 solid minutes on Nowitzki and Pop's got to give him that opportunity, even if he fumbles a pass or two or fails to connect on a high-low to Duncan or misses a few mid range jumpers.
Another big key is Hill's lateral quickness, because the Spurs need him to stick Terry, Barea and (though I doubt he plays much) Beaubois.
This is an excellent post overall, particularly your point about putting a small on Nowitzki. I agree, it exacerbates the problem.
Im interested to see how the two teams matchup statstically post-trade. Can anyone put up the stats?
i never thought the day would come that the spurs would tie with the mavs in pts. per game. i guess it's a good thing....
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