Game thoughts: Game 1, tbh..

[Gummi Clutch]

on the analysis Harlem, always a good read.

and props on doing it without the .. tbh schtick, nice change of pace.

or the minion semen shields

[sook]

After the game, both Damian Lillard and Robin Lopez commented on how the Spurs are a much scarier animal than Houston..

Lopez mentioned how the Rockets only attack in isolation looks, and the Blazers weren't ready to defend the Spurs motion offense..

I saw that too. Those mfers in the FO want to bring McHale back, but if there is any ounce of sanity in them hopefully those words woke them up..

[Robz4000]

Green seemed completely unprepared to guard Lillard, which is somewhat worrying for the later games in this series. The good news is that it seemed more mental than physical. His effort on Matthews left a lot to be desired, since Wes seemed to bully Danny a little bit. It actually made sense for Pop to cross-match his wings with Portland's wings. Green was great on Batum, which may be enough for the Spurs to win most nights. Leonard also made Matthews a non-factor, which combined with Batum's ineffectiveness, would definitely sink the Blazers if it continues.

If Tony is able to defend Lillard like he did tonight on the regular, Green on Batum and Leonard on Matthews would be my preferred assignments. Batum doesn't take advantage of his length like he should while Mathews' build fits into Kawhi's defensive strengths.

[Malik Hairston]

Green seemed completely unprepared to guard Lillard, which is somewhat worrying for the later games in this series. The good news is that it seemed more mental than physical. His effort on Matthews left a lot to be desired, since Wes seemed to bully Danny a little bit. It actually made sense for Pop to cross-match his wings with Portland's wings. Green was great on Batum, which may be enough for the Spurs to win most nights. Leonard also made Matthews a non-factor, which combined with Batum's ineffectiveness, would definitely sink the Blazers if it continues.

I like Green against Batum..Batum does most of his damage off screens and isolation, which fits into Green's defensive strengths IMO..Batum can't post up, he only had around 9 post attempts all year, he wouldn't really use his length against Green inside..

Matthews' only offensive strength, outside of shooting, is posting up, which isn't ideal against Leonard's wingspan/frame..

This depends on Parker's defensive effort, though..if he can effectively remain on Lillard, it would be huge for the Spurs' defense against the rest of the Blazers..

[ElNono]

Batum was a complete non-factor, tbh... most of his offense is hero anyways... impressive that Pop even hid with Beli on him

[Cry Havoc]

Isoball is dead. Seriously. Unless you have an unmatched physical specimen like LeBron, it's an archaic scheme that good defenses are going to crush. Look at the Clippers vs. Thunder for another example of the future of the NBA, vs. the past.

[Malik Hairston]

Isoball is dead. Seriously. Unless you have an unmatched physical specimen like LeBron, it's an archaic scheme that good defenses are going to crush. Look at the Clippers vs. Thunder for another example of the future of the NBA, vs. the past.

Even Miami doesn't rank in the top 10 in ISO plays, despite having Lebron tbh..

[timtonymanu]

Batum was a complete non-factor, tbh... most of his offense is hero anyways... impressive that Pop even hid with Beli on him

Typical Batum, tbh.

[spurraider21]

Great write up as usual Harlem Hairston

[jARS mEsH sEt]

What's your worry level with Ginobili? I'm probably at a 2.5 out of 10 (10 being most worried) given what I saw in game 1. He seemed to get to the rim at will pretty easily, although his layups were clearly shot under duress/intimidation. Fortunately our bigs were able to follow up with easy put-backs on at least two Ginobili drives to the rim.

[ElNono]

What's your worry level with Ginobili? I'm probably at a 2.5 out of 10 (10 being most worried) given what I saw in game 1. He seemed to get to the rim at will pretty easily, although his layups were clearly shot under duress/intimidation. Fortunately our bigs were able to follow up with easy put-backs on at least two Ginobili drives to the rim.

The bench showing up like today isn't a given, IMO. I hope it does, but you have to think they'll mostly be playing against the Portland's starters, and because of that, it's likely they're going to get outscored as the series wears on. For that reason, it'll be important that Gino plays well with that second unit. Hopefully his struggles today are more about having just a bad game than an actual matchup problem. I actually think he might have problems when a physical guy like Wes guards him, especially in Portland where the Spurs are unlikely to get much calls. But he's also a guy that can exploit the P&R well, and actually make Tiago a solid treat on offense too.

[SpursFan86]

I'm not too worried about Manu. He's been just as consistent, probably more consistent than Tony this postseason. Manu has been great in 5 games, average in 1 game (Game 3 IIRC), and straight up bad in 2 games. The only complaint I have is that he's settled for jumpers too often. He's been money whenever he's driving, but at times he'll go through stretches where he settles for 3s and long 2s for some reason. He's 1-10 this postseason on FGAs from 16 feet out to the 3-point line, and he's shooting 35.9% from 3. However from closer ranges, he's been much better:

10-16 feet: 77.8% (35.3% in last year's playoffs)
3-10 feet: 54.5% (41.2% in last year's playoffs)
0-3 feet: 66.7% (58.3% in last year's playoffs)

You can see he's been dominant inside of 16 feet. Regardless, Manu has been noticeably better this entire season compared to last year's regular season/playoffs. As long as he stays healthy I'm confident he'll play well consistently. The problem is keeping Manu/Tony healthy. Seems like they both are so prone to getting minor tweaks and injuries. I cringe every time I see Parker hit the floor on a drive.

[will_spurs]

What's your worry level with Ginobili? I'm probably at a 2.5 out of 10 (10 being most worried) given what I saw in game 1. He seemed to get to the rim at will pretty easily, although his layups were clearly shot under duress/intimidation. Fortunately our bigs were able to follow up with easy put-backs on at least two Ginobili drives to the rim.

I'm not worried about Manu at all. We know he can be sloppy at times, and that aspect is at his worst when the Spurs have a lead, not to mention a large lead. Manu is at his best when we're playing from behind.

[mrjap2x]

Parker one upping Chris Paul's point total last game.

[TampaDude]

Spurs in 5. Portland will win game 3 or 4 at home but that is it.

^ this, tbh

[Brazil]

Thanks Harlem nice read

[spurspokesman]

Spurs in 6. Portland will put a fight and OI believe spurs are equipped to deal with them

[AFBlue]

I won't overreact to this game and call for the sweep, but it is nice to see the team put together two solid performances in a row tbqh. Good analysis, but I would've liked more tbh, tbqh.

[Brazil]

I won't overreact to this game and call for the sweep, but it is nice to see the team put together two solid performances in a row tbqh. Good analysis, but I would've liked more tbh, tbqh.

It's one game I agree, better be prepared for game 2. I don't believe in a sweep but we will see.

As I mentionned there is an important fact a bit overlooked: on the long term the fact Blazers had a bit more rest than the Spurs is obviously good for them but for game 1, play right after game 7 is positive as you stay hot and has no rust. Game 2 will be a different animal as Blazers will have shaken the rust. They will score the ball more efficiently.

[pgardn]

After the game, both Damian Lillard and Robin Lopez commented on how the Spurs are a much scarier animal than Houston..

Lopez mentioned how the Rockets only attack in isolation looks, and the Blazers weren't ready to defend the Spurs motion offense..

They got picked off on screens like it was some sort of magic.
Astounding.

That defense was the worst we have seen in any game in the playoffs. And they were not ready? How is that, teams know we move off the ball... Jeeezzz.

[will_spurs]

The Spurs transitioned between two teams that are very much alike. The Blazers transitioned between two teams with totally opposite conceptions of offense (100% iso vs ball movement/PnR). It was obviously easier for the Spurs to be ready.

[pgardn]

The Spurs transitioned between two teams that are very much alike. The Blazers transitioned between two teams with totally opposite conceptions of offense (100% iso vs ball movement/PnR). It was obviously easier for the Spurs to be ready.

Maybe so.
Defensive game planning out the window with youngsters. They actually have to have their head taken off to know what's coming. They were seriously running smack into screens on and off the ball.

[jag]

The bench showing up like today isn't a given, IMO. I hope it does, but you have to think they'll mostly be playing against the Portland's starters, and because of that, it's likely they're going to get outscored as the series wears on. For that reason, it'll be important that Gino plays well with that second unit. Hopefully his struggles today are more about having just a bad game than an actual matchup problem. I actually think he might have problems when a physical guy like Wes guards him, especially in Portland where the Spurs are unlikely to get much calls. But he's also a guy that can exploit the P&R well, and actually make Tiago a solid treat on offense too.

Portland has been ok with switching on the P&R. Their bigs aren't coming out to hedge though. They're dropping back, giving the inbetween shot, and contesting hard at the rim. It's similar to what they did with Tony. The difference is that Tony was happy to shoot the midrange J. Manu tried to force the ball at the rim - with his right hand.

They're giving him the midrange J and the floater. But if he decides to attack, they're trying to force him to finish with his right hand. He missed 4 layups either shooting with his right hand, or shooting an awkward left handed shot that should have been taken with his right. All were highly contested.

I don't think it matters who's guarding him. They'll just screen his defender and force a switch. Batum defended on 3 of his shots but ended up switching on two of those. Lillard also defended on two of his shots and switched on both. He needs to get comfortable shooting the midrange J/floater, or force the ball to the left side. I think his problem last night was mostly indecisiveness. I think he'll be fine.

[chrhawk]

How much more Baynes will we see in this series do you guys think?

[Nathan89]

Mavs had Harris, Ellis, Calderon, and Carter all looking to attack the rim or create space for a shot with a screen. If all the Blazers have is Lillard then they will be in some trouble.