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I'm fine with small ball that has Jackson and Leonard at the forward spots. No problem at all.
Expect little: Spurs fans should expect to see much more use of small lineups — four perimeter players on the court with one traditional big man.
Popovich used small lineups through much of the second half against the Trail Blazers, and the Spurs responded with 69 points in the half.
“We’ll play a good amount of it this year, just because of teams like Oklahoma City where you play small with (Kevin) Durant at the (power forward). It’s harder for big guys to guard him,” Popovich said.
“You have to get used to playing small so whenever we have an opportunity, we’ll probably do it.”
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...-to-go-in-l-a/
I'm fine with small ball that has Jackson and Leonard at the forward spots. No problem at all.
Agreed. Jackson has the length and strength to bother perimeter-oriented 4s (Nowitzki, Aldridge, or even the Heat) while Leonard is an above-average rebounder for a wing.
Obstructed_View pretty much what i said in the splitter thread tbh...
as expected. I'm cool with it, since most teams are young and energetic and a lazy ass duncan with both knees broken is more than enough to shut them down. It also helps my fantasy team to give Green and Kawhi as many minutes as possible so there you go
Yeah Leonard's rebounding is really the key. In the past when we tried to go small, we just couldn't get a freaking rebound, but with him and a healthy duncan it can really be used effectively.
Still stupid. Only one team has the option to play Kevin Durant at power forward, and they start Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka last time I checked. It's an absolutely re ed excuse for not giving your two best bigs time on the floor.
Not an issue at all.
I'm thrilled that Popovich recognized how effective Duncan-Splitter was the game after Bynum torched us for 30 rebounds. He drew on that experience and started Splitter next to Duncan tonight. Pop will pair Splitter with Duncan and go big when necessary.
Still have nightmare flashes about Richard Jefferson being put in to cover Amare or Keith Bogans checking Lamarcus Aldridge.
And that's the team that beat SA last season and is very likely to be in the way this season too.
small ball is the way in the nba now. I really wish all the players on the spurs understood that a lot of the times, they might not get the minutes they want due to matchups. Everyone but splitter and blair seem to understand and respond well to that. Against teams like OKC and Miami that often utilize small ball lineups, we will have games where splitter might barely play. But in games like tonights, he'll get every chance possible to shine.
It works both ways. Durant can't guard real bigs either. If the Spurs had confidence in Splitter's post game they could prevent OKC from going small. Teams stop going small when they see they are being out rebounded, picking up fouls, or giving up tons of easy baskets. I am tired of Pop letting the other coach dictate what he does. Force the other team to adjust for once.
Who do you think will score more - Durant on Splitter or Splitter on Durant?
you still need to be able to give him the ball, make him a .600 ft shooter otherwise the open threes and jump shots will be killing, aside from tournovers who would anyway..
They beat the Spurs with Sefolosha shutting down Parker and Ibaka and Perkins hitting a thousand midrange jumpers. It wasn't because Splitter and Duncan were on the floor too much. Again, I have no problem with adjusting to what happens, but the Spurs have avoided playing their best players together until they get desperate. If it's good enough for desperation time, why isn't it good enough for a few regular season games?
Only the refs can help OKC now as they've become hopelessly dependant on Westbrook's playmaking over an entire game. When it comes to the west I'm more worried about some other team's ceilings tbh. Minnesota will be scary good once healthy I think and there is always Memphis.
Spurs need not to panic and along those lines this is a good message from Pop. We had it right in so many ways last season. That offense can still be found and it will dominate everyone.
Last edited by Mouth is Bleeding; 11-14-2012 at 03:31 AM.
Last thing I'm going to say about this for tonight: Duncan and Splitter looked terrible together at this time last year. They're far better now for having gotten a little bit of time, I want them to really get comfortable playing together so it can be used as a weapon instead of a gadget. I know Diaw can be effective, I know Blair has his moments to contribute, and I damn sure like having Jack and Kawhi on the front line instead of RJ or Keith Bogans or Ime Udoka. There's not really any reason Duncan and Splitter can't be good enough together that teams are afraid they'll be exploited for going small. They can move, they can pass, they can defend, they can draw fouls. If they could learn to hit free throws they'd be downright scary.
I think you are one of the very few posters who understands this and it appears that 98% of this board can't grasp this very simple fact;
Play the best players,period.
If they have played at a high level all their lives and they are real players-they will end up being players when given their time on the court.
Pop is too old and senile to understand that a player who is good is 100 times better than a ty kiss ass player who obeys and kisses your ass. If Bonner/Finley/Bogans/ are not better than the rest of the team then they should not see the floor.Period.
If a player like Patty Mills (who the whole in world can see is a in' player) is given time he will make you look good. If Mills is given the back up point spot and is trusted to be the backup no matter who the the spurs are playing- he will be the best in option for the team.
Instead, Pop thinks that because Neal is playing Pop's system - that Neal can magically transform himself into a true point guard. Put Neal in his true position and let Mills give him the ball and fire away. Then the defense will have to deal with TWO in gunners in the backcourt.
If Tiago gets all the time next to Timmy - he will be the best option going forward - no matter who the opponent is.
Pop thinks otherwise.
If Duncan and Splitter start together, it would also mean more turd tower minutes. That alone tells me its a bad idea, unless the matchup dictates it
This is an okay move. Expect more Bonner would have been a terrible quote. Plus Jack and Kawhi are more than capable.
Who do you think Durant will score more on, Splitter or Bonner?
Odd that he doesn't think you have to get used to playing your five best players together. If the Spurs aren't used to smallball after six years, maybe it's time to address the possibility that it doesn't work very well.
Knicks play Melo at PF often. Hornets pull Lopez early and bump Aminu to PF. More and more teams are doing it for longer stretches
Melo's at his best at the 4 because it causes a Dirk-like mismatch. Too fast for most post players, too strong for most perimeter players.
Aminu was a 4 in college so him playing the 4 on offense while Davis switches between the 3, 4, and 5 as needed makes sense; with a frontcourt this versatile it's no surprise they moved Warrick.
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