Grades: Spurs vs. Lakers - Apr. 20

[freetiago]

jackson hasnt shown much offensive ability since hes been here
hes been able to get to the line but he bricks all his jumpers/3s
i think kawhi should have priority over him
jack is a backup now
hes good in that we were able to shed richard jefferson and that our SF is now no longer a liability for 30+ mins on the defensive end but he just cant score anymore and he can barely dribble & turns it over a lot

[Obstructed_View]

Leonard learned the two lessons about guarding Kobe, and he learned both the hard way.
1. Stay up on him when he jab steps and let the defenders behind you help if he gets around you.
2. Don't bite on his pump fakes, just use your length to keep a hand up on him.

[weebo]

At this point I like Jack's tenacity and enthusiasm more than I do his game. Hopefully, once the POs start he'll have his legs under him a bit better and could give more offensively, be it rebounding and scoring. I think his defense has been good to average and for a back up sf for he is playing great.

[Ice009]

A few games ago Pop said that this was basically Jackson's preseason. He said that he was sitting a lot in Milwaukee and that these games are kinda like Jack's preseason.

[Gagnrath]

Leonard will never be Bowen as far as how he defends, and given that it seems silly to think that Leonard could ever be a "Kobe stopper". But last night had me wondering. As Kobe's style of game has changed I realized that it fits perfectly to Leonard's strengths on defense.

Bowen had great lateral quickness which was crucial to defending Kobe during the last decade. But Kobe's game has now changed and he relies more on backdowns and post-ups...which luckily are exactly Leonard's strengths on defense. Leonard is actually fairly average at running around picks and defending quick ball handlers but he is great at denying points in the post.

It's hard to say if the Spurs will meet the Lakers in the playoffs, but I have faith that Leonard with his long arms and great sense in the post is the perfect player to guard this generation Kobe Bryant. I'm not saying it was on great display last night, but on paper this looks like a matchup that Leonard should be able to handle...in theory.

.

I'm not going to call him the stopper Bowen was or anything like that but he does currently play very good defense and I think he will get better as well. With his avoiding screens I think he will get a bit more solid and be better at anticipating them over the next couple of years and won't loose much if any speed. With that a couple of things will happen. 1. He's already strong and solid, players setting the pick will be more hesitant to as he will hit harder and no player really likes getting elbow slammed while setting a pick. 2. He will get better at anticipating when picks will be set and where allowing him a half step sooner or so to either avoid the screen or step hard into it. Leading to more moving screens, which hopefully will be called.

[timvp]

Thanks timvp!!! Great game thoughts as always. Quick question, do you think Diaw starting the game would make more sense than Tiago, considering how the 3rd quarters have gone the last two LAL games, compared to the 1st quarters? Timmy did express satisfaction at having size in the game with him, so maybe Pop should just give The Big Fundamental what he wants.

Against the Lakers, I'd want Pop to start Splitter. Even though it doesn't necessarily help the Spurs gain much of a scoring advantage, it definitely sets a tone. The Lakers are forced out of the paint, their rebounding advantage is negated, Gasol plays like he thinks he's 2001 Nowitzki and the Spurs are forced to go inside-out. All of that bodes well going forward in the game.

Diaw has played well but if the Lakers went into games with the Diaw/Gasol size advantage, even Mike Brown would be smart enough to send Gasol to the low post and punish the Spurs early and often.

[timvp]

timvp, does the last two games change how you think the Spurs would fare against the lakers in a playoff series?

I still think the Lakers are the worst matchup for the Spurs. The Spurs have been able to push the pace and shoot exceptionally well in these last two wins over LA. Unfortunately, those are two things that don't translate very well to playoff basketball. The pace always slows and it's much more difficult to rely on good shooting, much less 61% shooting.

If the Spurs get into a playoff series where Bynum and Gasol are playing physical down low, Kobe is near 100%, they fail to increase the pace and their shooting is more mediocre than exceptionally, I give the Lakers the advantage.

We Spurs fans have seen plenty of examples of quick paced teams becoming much less potent come postseason. We've also seen how size becomes invaluable.

I think a healthy Spurs team should be favored over every other team in the West but the Lakers still pose a daunting challenge. Pop's willingness to start Splitter helps their cause and the fact that the Mavs were able to space and outshoot them last season gives an example of how that strategy can work in the postseason versus the Lakers ... but regardless, the individual matchups are just too lopsided to solely believe San Antonio's teamwork will be enough to beat Los Angeles' talent and size advantages.











Then again, if Gasol keeps playing like he's Bonner's sister ... then all bets are off

[timvp]

Blair can learn alot from Diaw about attacking taller players. You jump into the players body and can also use the rim to protect the ball. That way you don't have to throw up circus shots.

Blair is one of the very best finishers in at the rim in the NBA ... especially when you factor in quan y. He has his faults but finishing at the rim isn't one of 'em.

It's hard to say if the Spurs will meet the Lakers in the playoffs, but I have faith that Leonard with his long arms and great sense in the post is the perfect player to guard this generation Kobe Bryant. I'm not saying it was on great display last night, but on paper this looks like a matchup that Leonard should be able to handle...in theory.

Quality thoughts but I disagree. This version of Kobe relies on being a wily veteran with smarts and craftiness. Hypothetically, the last type of player you want on Kobe is a rookie who not only has limited experiences to draw on but also isn't going to get the benefit of the doubt from the refs.

The Spurs would probably have to rely a lot of Ginobili guarding Kobe and since Ginobili has been a subpar to bad defender this season, that's not exactly something to look forward to ... though Ginobili did look pretty good last night, tbh.

[quentin_compson]

I really liked how Diaw defended Gasol. He was physical and managed to keep him out of the low-post more often than not.
Offensively, I haven't been as impressed with a Spurs game in a long time. At times, that was almost flawless. I loved how Duncan was able to step up to a really good first quarter by Bynum. Tim looks much better than he did at around the same time last season. Add in an improved bench, Parker and Manu being healthy, more options defensively under the basket besides Bonner and Blair, and you might think that a win in the second round shouldn't be as elusive as it has been the last two years.

[urunobili]

I thought the le would read "420"

thanks timvp

[TMTTRIO]

good to see Manu gaining a little bit more confidence out there on the court and start regaining his game again. Hopefully he'll have it by the time the playoffs arrive.

[Legacy]

That is all I have to say.

[therealtruth]

Against the Lakers, I'd want Pop to start Splitter. Even though it doesn't necessarily help the Spurs gain much of a scoring advantage, it definitely sets a tone. The Lakers are forced out of the paint, their rebounding advantage is negated, Gasol plays like he thinks he's 2001 Nowitzki and the Spurs are forced to go inside-out. All of that bodes well going forward in the game.

Diaw has played well but if the Lakers went into games with the Diaw/Gasol size advantage, even Mike Brown would be smart enough to send Gasol to the low post and punish the Spurs early and often.

I agree the strategy seems to work. No need to change it. Also it only has upside as TD and Splitter improve their chemistry. In fact I would go far enough to say they should start together not only against the Lakers to improve that.

[roycrikside]

good to see Manu gaining a little bit more confidence out there on the court and start regaining his game again. Hopefully he'll have it by the time the playoffs arrive.

start regaining his game again? His PER is almost at 24, his highest since 2007 and 7th in the NBA. I'd say he's been doing pretty well.

[jjktkk]

Thanks for the writeup and grades Tim.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Rack that timvpppp I saaaaaiiiiddddd

[100%duncan]

Splits and Green deserved better,imho. Anyways,Thanks, Timvp!