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Just 'Sleeper doin' what 'Sleeper does.
Another preview from yours truly
Spurs Preview: The Week Ahead – Nov. 15th-21st
By Raza Husain
San Antonio Dispatch
Chicago Bulls (5-3) @ San Antonio Spurs (8-1)
Wednesday, November 17th, 8:30 PM Central
Last Meeting: January 10th, 2010, Bulls won 98-93
SCOUTING REPORT: The Bulls had one of the best offseasons in the entire NBA this past summer but an early injury to All-Star Carlos Boozer has dampened their start. They have won three in a row, including victories over the Nuggets and the surprising Warriors. Make no mistake about it, the Bulls are a team that is much better than their record suggests. They are top five in the league in assists per game as well as rebounds.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Yes, a 5-3 record isn’t something that would intimidate opponents but when you have a roster that features players who are top ten in points and assists (Derrick Rose), as well as blocks and rebounds (Joakim Noah), you’re looking at a lethal inside/outside combo. The Spurs are on a roll after winning seven in a row but the next batch of games will really test this team’s grit. Chicago took both meetings against San Antonio last year, who had a hard time stopping the penetration of Derrick Rose. While Boozer won’t be playing, the Bulls still boast a formidable frontline. Antonio McDyess and Tiago Splitter could be looking at extended minutes thanks to the Bulls size. Matt Bonner is coming off a huge game against the Thunder, so look to see if he can continue stretching the defense with his hot three-point shooting. The Bulls move the ball around very well, one of the NBA’s best in the assist category, so the Spurs will have to concentrate on making the right defensive rotations. Richard Jefferson did a very admirable job on blanketing Kevin Durant in the win over the Thunder, and should look to keep up the defensive pressure against Luol Deng, who had a career-high 40 points against the Blazers. The schedule only gets tougher from here so it would be a great way to start off the week with a win against another playoff contender.
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San Antonio Spurs (8-1) @ Utah Jazz (7-3)
Friday, November 19th, 8:00 PM Central
Last Meeting: January 20th, 2010, Utah won 105-98
SCOUTING REPORT: The talk of the league this past week, the Utah Jazz pulled off an astounding number of comeback victories from double-digit deficits against the Heat, Magic, Hawks and Bobcats. To make the feat even more impressive, they beat those teams playing four games in five nights. Utah’s motion offense has put them near the top of the league in assists per game.
WHAT TO EXPECT: If you thought losing both times to Chicago last season made for a tough opponent, the Jazz swept the Spurs last year in the season series 4-0. The game will be played at Energy Solutions Arena, where Utah has always been one of the most dominant home teams in the NBA, thanks to the most raucous crowd in the league. Deron Williams versus Tony Parker will be the marquee matchup of the night, as both players are having All-Star caliber seasons. Paul Millsap has been an absolute beast during Utah’s run, so look for DeJuan Blair and Tim Duncan to keep a body on him as he is a tenacious rebounder and a solid scorer on the block. San Antonio has been pushing the pace more than ever this year so this matchup certainly has the makings for a high scoring game. If the Spurs can play defense like they did in the second half of the Thunder game, they should be able to limit Utah’s second-chance opportunities and quiet the home crowd. It will be a tall order to grab a win in a very tough arena. Hopefully the Spurs can get a good sized lead against Utah — then again, maybe they shouldn’t because well, you know, Utah apparently thrives in those situations.
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San Antonio Spurs (8-1) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (4-5)
Saturday, November 20th, 7:30 PM Central
Last Meeting: March 26th, 2010, Spurs won 102-97
SCOUTING REPORT: Cleveland has done their best to survive in the post Lebron James era. Amazingly, they are only a game behind the Heat. The Cavs are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, yet their defense hasn’t been a problem. They rank top ten in points allowed, though the Cavs do play at a fairly slow pace, which may skew that number. JJ Hickson leads the team in scoring with 16 a game.
WHAT TO EXPECT: After facing a couple of good tests with Chicago and Utah, the Spurs take on the Cavaliers who, as expected, are a much weaker team since LeBron left. Both teams will be playing each other on the second night of a back to back, so this could be viewed as a trap game for the Spurs depending on how much energy they expend in Utah. The Spurs will need to punish Cleveland on the boards and push the pace so that Cleveland’s defense doesn’t get a chance to set. The Cavs don’t have a whole lot of size so look for Duncan to have a solid game, as well as Blair to have another solid outing in the rebounding department. Manu Ginobili often torches the Cavs and hopefully this game will be no different. Tony Parker will have to keep a lid on Mo Williams, who can get hot from three in a hurry. If he can force Williams to play defense, it should wear out Williams since he tries to carry the scoring load on the other end. It would be a shame for the Spurs to drop one here at home, as they have been doing a great job taking care of business against the cupcake teams. The Spurs should look to get a big win in their own building, as they continue their surge to the top of the standings.
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http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/sa...ov-15th-21st//
Just 'Sleeper doin' what 'Sleeper does.
Just 'Sleeper doin' what 'Sleeper does.thanks bud
Spurs will win a close one against Chicago, lose a close one against Utah, and then win another close one against Cleveland on the back-to-back.
2-1.
Yeah, I'm dreading the Utah game. However, Utah didn't look to inspiring in their loss to the Thunder. Would be crazy to finish the week 3-0, but 2-1 sound about right.
I fully expect the Bulls to use their size and punish the Spurs inside winning the battle on the boards. We have a young team so the back to back on the road shouldn't matter. If the Spurs want to win I don't think they can have another slack game from Duncan. I'm hoping Popovich is impressed by Bonner's "fools gold" performance against OKC and plays him more minutes against the Bulls...better to have him on the floor than Splitter
I'm confused by that statement. Has your team even beat anyone on the road this year? Why do you make it sound like the Bulls are such road warriors?
Anyway if you beat the Rockets tonight, congrats.
Fool's gold. The Spurs were young once and could routinely be expected to drop the second game of a b2b.
I wish you the best, but I don't think the Bulls are as hungry as the Spurs right now.
Chicago's already lost. They have a starting lineup that features the one and only keith bogans.
Keith Bogans... is good enough... to secure a starting position on the bulls. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry.
Tomorrow's a game where Duncan needs to be involved in the offense. If he has another 6 point game, chances are we might lose.
These next 2 games scare me. Hopefully Spurs take revenge on the teams that swept them last year.
If he scores more than 4 points against us, I'll be pissed.
But why? The spurs have shown that they are clearly capable of scoring > 110 without Duncan being too involved on the offense. Why do we need a great offensive game out of him all of a sudden?
RJ, Tony, Ginobili are all still playing well last I checked.
Bogans was having his usual Bogans-like games early on for the Bulls. 1-5, 1-5, 1-6. He did have a good game against the warriors, but I don't really know the cir stances of that win. Looked like a blowout - I'd guess he wasn't under too much pressure to perform.If he scores more than 4 points against us, I'll be pissed.
That starting position isn't going to fool our players, though. They all know how bad he actually is.
True plus he still cant run the fast break for . He's turned it over so many times already. But since he was a former Spur he might torch us and we know how scrubs love to have career nights against us. Then again any of our 5 starters can guard him even if it's not a hard task.
We gave the Celtics a of a fight on the road and took them to OT but couldn't close the deal. We're holding on so far but Scola has been beastin'. Anyone who thinks that guy isn't the best player on the Rockets is delusional. Derrick Rose had to take it up a notch and go into "God mode" in the 4th qtr to get the Bulls the lead. Right now Brewer is trying to it upI'm confused by that statement. Has your team even beat anyone on the road this year? Why do you make it sound like the Bulls are such road warriors?
Anyway if you beat the Rockets tonight, congrats.
LOL Bogans
I don't understand how Bogans has even made it so long in the NBA. He can't do anything well. He's not a good shooter, he's not really great at 3s, he's not really good at getting to the line, and even if he was - he's not good at shooting free throws. He's mediocre on defense. He's not known for steals, or rebounds. He's not really great at playing the point. He's not a slashing, scoring guard.
What the is he? Why is this man in the NBA - I don't understand.
Here's a good article highlighting all of my sentiments, led "Chicago Bulls Sign Keith Bogans, But Why?" -
The search for the 12th man is over now that the Bulls have come to terms with veteran shooting guard Keith Bogans on a two year deal worth $2.5 million.
I have read a lot the past few days about how this is a great move for the Bulls and the search for another shooter is over. However, I just don't see it.
Bogans, 6'5", a 30 year old guard and seven year veteran out of the University of Kentucky is not an accomplished shooter. A career 39.4 field goal shooter with a 35.1 three point shooter and 72.1 free throw percentage doesn't sound like a great shooter to me. He has never shot higher then 41 percent from the field and never higher than 39 percent from three point land and while he shot 91.2 percent from the free throw line during the 2008-2009 season, his six other seasons show that it was a fluke.
During Bogans' seven seasons he has played for five teams including San Antonio, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Houston and two stints with the Orlando Magic.
Some have looked at the amount of games he has started and think that it means something. The Spurs started him in 50 games last season but he only played in 19.7 minutes a night.
As an end of the bench guy, I guess Bogans is an ok pickup but the way people have thrown the praise around I just don't get it. He doesn't have a lot of playoff experience only playing in 18 games, all in two seasons (10 with Magic in 07-08 and eight with Spurs last season). As I showed earlier he is not a great shooter. The only thing he brings is being a tough defender and has a tie to new head coach Tim Thibodeau during their time in Houston.
In no way does this move provide the same upside as if the Bulls had signed Tracy McGrady but it also doesn't come with the potential headache that may come up.
Reportedly the Bulls are still very much a live in trade talks with the Blazers for guard Rudy Fernandez. who would provide exactly the type of all around offensive punch the team has been looking for to put alongside Derrick Rose. Rumor has it the Bulls offering a future first round pick while the Blazers have been asking for Taj Gibson, which will not happen. Fernandez has made it very well known he is unhappy with his playing time in Portland and has even talked about returning to Spain.
With the Bulls addition of Bogans the team is still one player short of the NBA minimum of 13 players and with cap space still available they are still very much alive in free agency (T-mac) or possible trades (Fernandez) or they may end up going cheap and signing someone from their summer league.
One thing is for sure the Bulls continue to add depth and thanks to all the big names the Celtics and Heat have added they will stay under the radar and may surprise many once the season kicks off.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4...bogans-but-why
Tomorrow is a day for Blair.
Really enjoying these segments. Keep up the good work.
I think Spurs go 2-1, losing in Utah.
Spurs 2-1 lose to chicago
I'm going with 2-1 (seems to be the consensus
For some reason I always see Utah as a sleeper team -I'm surprised we lose against them when it happens. But I hate to start expecting it. Oh well.
3-0
props to the spurs for a good start. I see 3-0 if they beat chicago. If they lose to chicago I see 1-2.
Spurs 108, Bulls 99
Spurs 104, Jazz 115
Spurs 99, Cavs 88
2-1
You heard it here first! Unless I'm wrong, in which case you never heard it at all...you're getting very sleepy...
What joker scheduled a Carlos Boozer Memorial Road Trip?
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