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Good thoughts.
the Lakers was maybe a bad thing to have as a first round. Went from 0 to 100mph just like that from an opponent in regards to speed and outside shooting.
-I tip my cap to the Warriors. They've had stretches of GREAT basketball in the first two games. They've hit tough shots, played with ferocity and don't act intimidated at all. Congrats and I really can't take anything away from them. Subtract their RJ-laden minutes and they've played outstanding.
-Coming into this series, it's obvious that the Warriors are sharper. The Spurs were lackadaisical to end the regular season. The Lolkers sucked. So, basically, the Spurs have had to rev up to full speed from a cold motor, while the Warriors were already going 100 MPH after their series against the Nuggets.
-I was frustrated during the game but -- thinking about it -- the Spurs kinda need this. We saw what happened last year when they breezed through the first two rounds. The Spurs have always had some sort of adversity in their successful playoff runs (Game 2 loss vs. T'Wolves in 1999, Phoenix Game 1 in 2003, Nuggets and Sonics in 2005, Game 1 vs. Nuggets in 2007). Honestly, if the Spurs can't win a game in Golden State, they weren't going to beat Memphis/OKC and definitely not the Heat.
-Can the Warriors play any better? Their crowd will make it tough in the next two games but I can't really imagine them taking their game to another level. Then again, maybe Curry drops 50 or 60 at home. I guess we'll see.
-Curry and Thompson are the best shooting backcourt ever. Good call, Mark Jackson. I'm still in awe of Curry's one-footed running three-pointer. I mean, WTF? And Thompson played the game of his life.
-Speaking of Thompson, the Spurs can hope for some regression with him. He was 11-for-33 in the three home games against the Nuggets. The guy is a good player -- but what he did tonight was ridiculous.
-I'm trying to wrap my head around some of Pop's decisions. Bonner starting? The only way that made a little bit of sense is if Diaw was hurt ... but Diaw played so that doesn't seem to be the reason. Yeah, Bonner has been hot in the playoffs thus far ... but starting him? I don't even ..............
-Diaw was pretty damn great to end Game 1. To go from that to 8 minutes tonight. He has to be hurting, right?
-The Spurs have four assists at the half and then Pop starts Neal to begin the third? That was another WTF moment. The biggest ballhog on the team isn't who needs to be in the lineup when the Spurs are having trouble sharing.
-Someone kindly tell Bonner that flopping on every rebound and screen isn't going to do anything. That gets called like 0.1% of the time. Thanks in advance.
-Duncan was still obviously slowed. He can push through his lack of vigor on the offensive end but the defense is where it's really hurting him. He's about a step slow right now and that's really obvious against a Warriors team who is trying to spread the court to attack mismatches.
-Parker is also slowed. When he's whole, he's a perfect matchup for Curry. AFIAR, prior to this series, Curry has never done much against TP. But with Parker not quite as swift as usual, now suddenly there is no one for him to defend. The Spurs have to hope he heals enough to where they can at least hide him on someone.
-The Spurs need to employ a lot more of Leonard on Curry. , start the game like that and keep it that way. I liked Green on Curry too a little bit. But right now, that man is too hot to not put someone with length on him.
-Another Warrior who needs to simmer down is Daymond Green. He was a 20% three-point shooter during the regular season. He's 3-for-6 in this series including that huge three in the fourth when the Spurs seemed to have gained control. He's the player the Spurs need to theoretically double off of every possession ... but he needs to start cooperating.
-Outside of missed free throws and threes, I was pretty pleased with Kawhi. Just keep it up and clean it up.
-Same holds true for Green. The Spurs need him to shoot better but he at least shot with confidence.
-I'm not sure what the Spurs should do at backup PG. I really don't. I want to say I have confidence in Joseph -- but I'm unsure right now if he's ready for this level of compe ion. He probably didn't get enough reps during the regular season to be ready for this. But then again, Neal and Ginobili as the backup guards doesn't excite me -- especially since Neal hasn't been the backup point guard in a long while.
-It wasn't a bad return for Splitter but I thought he could have done a lot better. He missed a few rebounds and his D wasn't exactly superb, either. And I know he only missed one shot but, man, that was a big/frustrating miss.
-I realize Spurs fans probably aren't happy with Pop going small so often in this series -- but I think I agree with Pop. If Leonard is at PF and Duncan/Splitter at C, that should be enough size against this team. That said, I'd love for Duncan and Splitter to start Game 3 so the Spurs can at least try to get back to what made them such a successful team during the regular season. Adjust if that doesn't work but don't change your stripes from the opening tip.
-I really don't know how this series is going to play out. The Warriors have clearly been the better team in the first two games. However, the Spurs have a lot more room for improvement. The Warriors might just keep rolling -- or the Spurs could gain some traction and start to impose their will. I really don't know right now. The Spurs shook my confidence with the way they played down the stretch of the season.
-A win in Game 3 or Game 4 could be a galvanizing type of win. It could be a turning point in these playoffs for San Antonio. It'll be tough ... but that's what the playoffs are about.
-Game 3 is the much more winnable game. First of all, the turnaround to Game 4 is a really quick one -- which will obviously hurt the Spurs a lot more. But just as importantly, the Warriors would have a ton of momentum heading into Game 4 if they win Game 3. And as we saw last season, these Spurs aren't exactly built to overcome teams with momentum.
-My gun-to-the-head prediction right now would be Spurs in 7. Speaking of Game 7, that'd be a damn tough game for the Warriors to win. The Spurs would have two days off, be at home and their experience advantage would have to come into play. So, at the very least, the Spurs need to win Game 5 and one of the next three road games to force a Game 7.
-Come on Spurs, the West is so tantalizingly wide open right now. Just come on. Rekindle some magic and knock these young pups back on their heels. Bounce back from this chin check. Now's the time to show what you're made of and how much you want this. Please?
Good thoughts.
the Lakers was maybe a bad thing to have as a first round. Went from 0 to 100mph just like that from an opponent in regards to speed and outside shooting.
Zero confidence in this team right now. Game 1 was awesome, but it was a fluke. I can see Golden State winning this in 5.
Hard to wear down the legs of a jump shooting team when all you do back at them is shoot jump shots.
Small Spurs lineups allow a lot of made baskets, don't take chances and don't rebound. That means no turnovers, no running, no easy scoring opportunities.
agreed with pretty much everything. I've been saying all night that the home court really can't do much for the warriors because they really can't play much better.
THIS.
well said
I agree with small ball too, but would start Splitter in game 3 and try to return to the regular bigs rotation.
I also can't believe Tracy McGrady could be any worse than Gary Neal. Almost impossible.
Now we officially have a series.
Yes, the Warriors can play better. Bogut has yet to return to the level that he was at during his Milwaukee days (~14 points, ~11 rebounds) and David Lee is still out.
thanks for the thoughts... your "random thoughts" pieces are a personal favorite of mine. one thing i disagree with whats going on is our propensity to match the warriors by playing small ball ourselves. we are playing RIGHT into their hands by trying to play small and run with them. the reason we have been calling Splitter the difference maker this year (in a potential matchup with OKC) is that we can impose our will with 2 bigs and force them to abandon small ball. the same can be said for the warriors. if we play Timmy and Tiago together, they'd have to account for that. would they have harrison barnes defending tiago? I would attack that pick and roll ALL day and let tiago finish. if not, we have the obvious size advantage to pick up every rebound. starting tim/tiago and playing them together for longer stretches will force them to have landry/ezeli on the floor instead. landry undersized and a pretty lousy defender, so TP would still be able to go to work against that lineup, and ezeli is so limited offensively it will really hamper what the Warriors are trying to do on offense.
if our opponents strength is their speed/shooting and their weakness is their interior, why are we matching up with them in a way to try to rival their strength and to ignore their weakness?
So what are the pros and cons of starting Duncan and Splitter in Game 3? I'm still confused why we can't play big against these guys.
If Spurs dont play big they have no chance
no one is the league has better smallball then the Warriors
Spurs has been a weakness for a while and its fallen off from the last 2 seasons level
GS is definitely playing above their level though
looking at these 2 games specifically
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...302220GSW.html
Curry 6/14
Thompson 5/14
Barnes 1/8
SA had no answer for Jack and Landry though
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...303200SAS.html
in this game Curry and Thompson were held below their averages also
Splitter has played well vs Golden State every time
they did have avi Lee playing though
This game was more encouraging for me than game 1. With the exception of leaving Klay Thompson wide open on far to many occasions, the defense was much better in game 2. The Spurs had a bad shooting night, and that cost them the game. If you hold Golden State to 100 points, you have to beat them. They are not a defensive juggernaut, and the Spurs created plenty of open looks. The Warriors have relied on amazing performances from Thompson and Curry to beat us. If they have a bad game at any point in this series, the Spurs should have an easy win.
Fair enough. What I'm worried about is POP will roll out a small-ball lineup out there to match up against GSW. I hope he's not too stubborn this time around.
Good thoughts, timvp. Thing is, if Diaw doesn't feel quite right yet, would starting Blair be a good idea at this point? The TNT guys suggested as much but I don't know...
Let curry get his, the key is shutting down other guys.
In the Nuggs series, momentum swung when Jack and Thompson were shut down, but GK screwed the momentum up in game 6!
I'm still confused why in a 48 minute game, Duncan and Splitter are back to playing zero minutes together.
The Warriors have pretty much hit their ceiling, I think. Almost seems like Curry has been possessed by Dirk. But they have to start missing. They have to.
... Hi there!
Timvp, what do you think about the double teams and hard close outs on Harrison Barnes, Bogut, etc?..
We had a series on MONDAY! WE JUST STOLE THAT GAME LOL, that was a wakeup and said we are here! That game should have made it a official they are here for the series bro lol.Curry didn't have a lights out night though! Did he?Now we officially have a series.
Bogut from the Bucks isn't going to show up. Sorry. Duncan is having his way with him on most possessions. Bogut looks out of breath and is grimacing everytime they show his face. He is still a solid center though. David Lee has a torn hip flexor. He can neither play, and Jackson doesn't think the team needs him at the moment.
Chillax, BRO. I mean a REAL series. All the other series are tied 1-1 as well. We can't sweep 'em every single time.
I just can't stomach seeing scrubs like Barnes and Green morph into Ray Allen. Guarantee that won't hold up tbh...
tbh other than Draymond Scrub Ass Green hitting that 3 and a couple of shots from Jack GS was begging the Spurs to take this game in the 4th. The Spurs were so bad putting the ball in the hole that they gave it away. Wide open 3s, a 7ft Tiago missing a 6 inch shot, layups and inside shots blown... If the Spurs even play remotely like what they can do and did for stretches this season it'll be a 6 game series at most
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