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I think focusing on Westbrook is more important, Durant is a killer but I think their motor is really Westbrook.
assuming OKC takes care of business...
I cant even think of who would guard him after Leonard....
Do you guys think well play him straight up the entire series?
I think focusing on Westbrook is more important, Durant is a killer but I think their motor is really Westbrook.
This series is really going to show we aren't build on defense any more. In theory we'd put
Green on Westbrook and Leonard on Durant, but that leaves Parker on Sefolosha, who is a whole lot bigger, albeit not a big scorer. It's going to have to be committee defense on Westbrook just like it was on Paul. But in the end we'll have to score more than they do, rather than shutting them down.
This may be a real "getcha popcorn" series.
I'd say let Durant get his points (although making him work for it would always be nice), and shutdown Westbrook instead.
Their motor is indeed Durant, not Westbrook, but slowing Durant is the wrong strategy for 2 reasons:
- he won't win games on his own
- he's very hard to stop anyway
On the other hand Westbrook is a lot easier to stop, mostly because he is actually not that good in the first place, and also because it seems to be easy to get into his head and to dare him to a 1-on-1 game inside the game, leading him to abysmal shot selection and plenty of turnovers.
Durant+Harden aren't enough to beat the Spurs consistently in a 7-game series.
Focus on Chuckbrick. Make him control the game in a bad way for them.
Parker/Green to defend Westbrook.. and then a mix of Kawhi/Green/Jackson to defend Durant
OKC also has only average half-court execution. The Spurs like fastbreaks too, but they have the best half-court offense devised since Tex Winter's triangle.
Spurs will do what they did the last three years against OKC ... make OKC shoot long two point shots ... Westbrook has gotten better, but it will not be enough to beat a an offensive beast like the current Spurs team four times in a series
I'm actually not as worried about Durant as I am about Harden. If Manu's struggles continue into the next round, then for the first time in the playoffs the Spurs might face a situation where their second unit is outmatched. One way to counter that is for Pop to, finally, shorten the rotations (which the Thunder are already doing if you look at minute allocation). But knowing Pop, he's going to stick with what's worked so far until it is proven to not work anymore. I'm worried that, barring a return to normal playmaking form from Ginobili, that could mean dropping one of the first two games at home to a Harden-led second-unit onslaught.
"Good luck Kawhi."
Durant is a big issue, for sure. The Spurs have faced teams with players that were unstoppable for them even during there dominant defensive years and just decided to play them pretty much straight up and shut down the rest. See Amare Stoudamire, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki. Sometimes it has worked, particularly with Stoudamire and half the time with Dirk and other times it hasn't (generally with Kobe).
Durant may be a similar tale. No one player on the Spurs has the combination of size, quickness, motor, length, experience and referee respect to shut him out of playoff games. I say stick Leonard and Jackson on him and see what happens from there. If the Spurs can hold Durant to under 28PPG and 45% without sacrificing there entire defense scheme, that will have been a masterful effort.
Shutting down Harden will just as important, tbh. Everybody loves Harden but I can't stand the guy and think his game is largely a product of hideous officiating. He drives hard left nearly every time and throws the ball and his arms into a defender and flails about. People complained about Manu during his prime, this guy is like that but a whole lot worse because of the rest of his game isn't that great.
I hope the Spurs can give him a buffer and make him make jumpshots and make him finish over defense instead of through it. Stopping him goes a long way to winning the series.
Manu's biggest issue is forcing shots. not to mention that the Clippers have too many small guards that the second unit's lack of speed created a mismatch.
Manu's the type of guy who gets fired up by compe ion, and if Harden gets going playoff Manu will return, ideally 2005/2007 Manu.
Don't make it easy for KD, but he's probably going to get his points. The others are all stoppable. Spurs have too much offensive balance. OKC has no bench other than Harden
I totally disagree. That's asking quite a bit from one guy to match the production of 5 others. Also, why would the Spurs sacrifice their depth strength? It doesn't make sense. Keep fresh legs in there and keep attacking. It's worked all season, and I see no need to end it now.
Stephen Jackson probably has the toughness to guard him. I'd say, as others have mentioned, that the Spurs should focus more attention on guarding Westbrook. He's been known to try and play hero ball from time to time, so the Spurs could theoretically force him into some bad situations. Green/Parker should be able to do a decent job defensively, as was seen in the last series against Chris Paul.
I'll say just defend hard on Durant and the others and let westbrook goin' crazy alone like we did against the MVP Nash.
The Clippers bench is quite good, tbh. Durant is going to be guarded by Kawhi, Jack and Diaw perhaps. No doubling, the Spurs are going to make him take tough shots. And will try to shut down everybody else. Even if their big 3 get theirs, the Spurs can outscore them.
Sic Matt "The Enforcer" Bonner on him to punch him in the face.
I agree, Westbrook also starts forcing shots and ball hogs when he gets pressured. if we frustrate him, he will implode his own team.
I agree that the Spurs should try to force the Thunder to rely on Westbrook as a scorer. OKC's overinflated opinion of Westbrook's inefficient scoring is a weakness that should be exploited. The more time the ball spends in Westbrook's hands instead of Durant's or Harden's, the better things will be for the Spurs.
live by the westbrook, die by the westbrook
The way russell is playing that wouldn't be a smart idea at all...
Thunder bench can't match us like the Clippers.
Harden and a bunch of old scrubs-Fisher Collison Nazr
Deny Durant. Let Westbrick and Harden take his shots. We can live with that.
Leonard/Jackson on Durant is the biggest factor in the series.
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