Most Difficult Playoff Matchups for the Spurs

[ViceCity86]

I still think Miami is the biggest challenge.I have a feeling Bosh will get healthy.The Heat should win the Leastern conference even without Bosh.Celtics,Pacers and Sixers are all garbage.

Celtics- 6-4 vs Hawks and sixers.Spurs would sweep both teams.They have no depth,size,Allen about done and promising Avery Bradley can't keep his shoulder intact.KG and Pierce playing like 08 and struggling vs subpar compe ion.

Pacers-Grossly overrated team that struggle at times vs Howardless Magic team.No true closer,Hibbert is still soft.Their bench is highly overrated.Hansbrough and Amundson are scrubs.

Sixers-Worst team in 2012 playoffs.The Jazz are better than this team.A horrific half court offense.They got lucky vs a Bulls team minus Rose and Noah.

1.Thunder
2.Heat- pending on Bosh
3.Lakers-but likely done

The rest are trash.

[DBMethos]

As well as the Thunder look, we have to remember they are built perfectly to beat the Lakers. The Lakers can't defend point guards or mid-range shots and the Thunder have a star point guard and are the best mid-range shooting team in the league.

That's the bit that worries me, tbh. The Spurs have historically had their fair share of trouble against teams that shoot well from mid-range (Dallas immediately springs to mind). Instead of running them off the 3-point line, like they had to do with the Clips, I think they need to really be on guard in that 15-18 foot range and instead encourage the Thunder to take contested 3's. OKC really doesn't have anyone who can routinely make their opponents pay from long range.

[tesseractive]

Sixers-Worst team in 2012 playoffs.The Jazz are better than this team.A horrific half court offense.They got lucky vs a Bulls team minus Rose and Noah.

The Sixers are a terrible offensive team, but a really solid defensive team. I don't think they're a marginal playoff team at all, which is why they've already won 2 against the Cs.

But they're still no threat to us. We'll still be able to get baskets, and our defense can easily outclass their offense.

[timtonymanurich]

Least resistance?

Jazz - Clippers - Thunder = Finals

HEY: What are the next lotto numbers...?

[therealtruth]

As well as the Thunder look, we have to remember they are built perfectly to beat the Lakers. The Lakers can't defend point guards or mid-range shots and the Thunder have a star point guard and are the best mid-range shooting team in the league.

So while the Thunder and going to look really good against the Lakers, that's only natural. I still think that the Lakers are easily the more difficult matchup on paper for the Spurs. That said, the Thunder are entirely capable of beating the Spurs in a series.

The Spurs blew out the Lakers twice. The key was taking Blair out of the rotation.

[Horse]

We have trouble with midrange shooting when there is a post player to worry about. We're the only team left with a post game. So against okc we can stay at home and contest. Add how much they turn the ball over and this may be easier than we think.

[ElNono]

I'm going to disagree here, and before somebody pulls the "winning streak" overconfidence card (ahem), let me tell you this is after seeing both the Spurs and Lakers additions, and mostly how they've been playing all season long.

At this stage, either Gasol is pretty much the same problem. Actually, Pau just hasn't played as well this season, thus the trade rumors.

Bynum is clearly the Laker's best player, but they don't go to him nearly as much as you would think. The reason? He's still a fairly mediocre passer off double-triple teams. He is completely superior to ZBo on both size and strength, but he really isn't as skilled. ZBo has both that mid-range money jumper (which he was draining non-stop last night against Bynum/Pau) and he's a much better passer. So, Bynum definitely has the ability to dominate much more than ZBo, but as far as actually guarding and throwing a double-team their way, I'm not sure ZBo is the easier-to-guard guy. You also would need to add that Drew sometimes gets lazy. Take last night, 4 rebounds in 30+ mins.

The second problem for LA this season is the poor spacing they provide. A lot of teams pack the paint to double-triple Bynum, and largely it pays off. MWP is shooting 26% from downtown for the season (Memphis didn't bother to guard him in the perimeter last night). Kobe? 29% from downtown. Sessions just isn't taking many 3s, instead prefers to drive. Now, Memphis last season wasn't much better (I'm talking Conley, Battier who is now gone and OJ Mayo). But defensively there's just no comparison. Allen is way, way better one on one defender than MWP (MWP is still good roughing up players, but he's terrible running through screen). And Battier was way, way better than Kobe defensively. We're talking large margin here. Kobe these days likes to roam. He will literally leave his guy alone in a corner at the start of the possesion and go try to get a block or steal inside.

The third problem is their bench. As in, they have basically Barnes, who is middle of the road. Blake, Murphy, McRoberts. You can find instances just in the last month where one of the 3 finished with zero points, and the other two didn't even get to double-digits. Memphis just had a much better bench, especially when they had Battier. Their defensive intensity never dwindled.

The fourth problem is their coach. Mike Brown will literally enable Kobe to chuck his way through a game without even looking for his bigs, even though they might be shooting 60%+. The benching last night was an odd development, but since they have no bench, Kobe has to play. They just don't have enough to make up for even his poor shooting.

Their home record is also pretty deceiving. They've won a lot at home, but if you actually watch the games, there are very rarely any blowouts. Every team has a shot at Staples. Outside of Charlotte and Utah very early in the season most games have been within a 10 point margin. And they're a sub .500 team on the road. 10-15 this season.

All in all, I think this Lakers team is actually worse than last season. I think Memphis is also worse. I don't think they'll be a cakewalk or anything, but I think from a matchup perspective, both OKC and Dallas are more difficult foes, despite what the regular season record against us might indicate.

Nonostradamous with the goods, per par, etc (self-pat in the back)

[Sisk]

Least resistance?

Jazz - Clippers - Thunder = Finals

[TD 21]

Bump.

Three questions . . .

1) With the Nash addition, would you rate the Lakers ahead of the Thunder as a more difficult match-up for the Spurs again?

2) Did you have them ahead before the Nash acquisition?

3) Would a Howard addition change your opinion either way?

I had the Lakers as number one last season. I didn't think the Thunder were ready and I thought the Lakers size would be more daunting than anything the Thunder could throw at the Spurs throughout a series. I've now done a 180. Despite the addition of Nash, I'm convinced the Thunder will be more difficult, for three reasons . . .

1) I don't think the Lakers are mobile enough to adequately defend the Spurs pick-and-roll, motion based attack throughout a series. Suffice it to say, Nash and Jamison only further hamper them in this regard.

2) Despite adding arguably the greatest shooter ever, the Lakers still lack outside shooting. Jamison is not as good a three-point shooter as Murphy and Ebanks is an even worse three-point shooter than Barnes.

3) The Spurs are better equipped to defend the Lakers in the post, with the addition of Diaw, Pop realizing he needs to basically play a thee big rotation against them (which means more Splitter, less Bonner) and the fact that Gasol appears to be in decline.

Now having said that, Howard would almost singlehandedly take care of their defensive immobility issues and they could still add outside shooting. If they do those two things, I'd rate them ahead of the Thunder again.

[racm]

Nash is 38. The signing solves two problems (reducing Kobe's usage rate and giving him better looks as well as helping Pau/Bynum get better looks with the PnR), but doesn't solve their athleticism disadvantage.

Dwight would give the Lakers the advantage, however; I doubt Perkins and Ibaka would be able to counter a guy who can work in the post AND pass out of double teams.

[Obstructed_View]

I hope that the Spurs can turn back the clock enough for it to matter another year, when the truth is probably that the window was closed by OKC.

[ElNono]

Too early to tell, IMO... For a wild prognostication, it would go like this:

The Lakeshow are either going to implode mid-season, probably starting with Artest tweeting about coach, Phil Jackson rumors, Mike Brown getting his ass fired, etc...

Or the complete opposite: Nash becomes that glue and 3 point guy they really need to space the floor, Gasol comes back inspired after a good Olympics, Bynum realizes he's not going to get this surrounding cast in Cleveland, Kobe learns how to be a semi-role player after getting overshadowed by Lebron in London, Mike Brown learns how to coach, call timeouts when it matters and manage minutes, etc.

As far as OKC, I think they're going to stay the path... WCF two seasons ago... Finals last season... there's no reason to tweak much looking at the progression... Ultimately, barring any major injuries, I do think they're the top team in the West.

[Brazil]

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