Reply With Quote
Duncan would be better against the Heat than the Thunder. Perkins has consistently given Duncan trouble in the paint. Bosh is a good defender but isn't strong enough to bang with Duncan. Haslem is but is 3 inches shorter. Anderson is fouls a ton.
Your post is full of truth. I agree with all of it. Spurs were never really in this game. The Thunders shooting % may seem fluky but if there's one team that can outshoot the Spurs, it's OKC.
Duncan would be better against the Heat than the Thunder. Perkins has consistently given Duncan trouble in the paint. Bosh is a good defender but isn't strong enough to bang with Duncan. Haslem is but is 3 inches shorter. Anderson is fouls a ton.
we are gonna win game 4 the same fashion we won game 1 and 2
Kawhi needs to hit shots. He got a lot of good looks and couldn't connect. Same for Boris. Basically, someone other than Manu has to score points. The Thunder are not better than the Spurs 1 through 5.
Ibaka's return means they have an interior presence to take some of the load off of Collison and Adams, who are big but not as athletic. Parker can burn those two for days. Those two + Ibaka is a different story, and when the Thunder know they have Ibaka to help them out, defenders can feel more comfortable staying home on shooters like Green. Green got so many open looks in Games 1 and 2 because Parker was carving OKC's defense up and the Thunder had to pick their poison. Now, they have athletic shot blocking again and can keep a scoring-minded lineup on the floor. No open looks for Parker's passes means a rushed offense, and the Spurs cannot run a rushed offense. If they're going to win Game 4, it starts with Parker getting into the lane. He's going to get banged up. He's going to get blocked. But if the Spurs are going to have any shot at splitting in OKC, they have to make the Thunder commit to stopping Parker and opening up the shooters.
Elsewhere, when the shooters DO get open (looking at you, Kawhi and Diaw) they have to make their ing shots. This was a winnable game until early in the fourth. Make some shots and force the D to spread and things start to look different. Parker getting stomped down low and Diaw/Green/Kawhi bricking from outside doesn't force OKC to do anything different. Make their defense move and cut them apart.
Rebound the ing ball, holy , Fisher should never be out hustling anybody on the offensive glass. So many second chance points were given up.
As I have said, I expected a Spurs loss. Not by this much, or for it to have looked this bad, but I figured they'd lose. The Thunder are too good to be swept and they respond better to taking hits to the nose than, say, Portland. Brooks has shown his hand now. The reintroduction of Ibaka, the lineup changes, all of that should be fodder for Pop to work with. Make the adjustments and impose your system, and they remain beatable.
Game 4 is a must win. Many will say it's not, because the Spurs still lead 2-1, but it is. Game 3 was a must win. Every game against OKC is a must-win, because they're athletic and explosive and can reel off victories in a hurry. They're young and emotional, too, so confidence boosting wins like this will go a long way.
I hope the Spurs use this as their wakeup call. They know they can beat this team, even if Ibaka showing up makes it feel like suddenly they can't. Make the adjustments, don't let the Thunder dictate the pace or the defense, and steal Game 4 and crush their spirits.
Its more about the lineups than OKCs defense is some cases. The Duncan-Splitter lineup struggles because Duncan and Tiago can't/won't shoot out of the paint. Ibaka is helping off Splitter who is 7 feet away from the basket.
Parker-Green-Leonard-Diaw-Duncan is a much better lineup.
OKC can't trap without leaving a good 3pt shooter open in Diaw. If he has a lane to drive he can finish or create open 3pt looks or get Duncan an easy basket. Can also post up if they start switching screens (i.e. Ibaka switching on to Parker while WB is on Diaw) the ball movement is much better.
The Spurs are the better team, but they played poorly tonight and lost. The Thunder got rocked by the Spurs in the first 2 games and it led to 2 different changes in the line-up. If the Spurs don't respond to physical play or move the ball, they usually lose. I'm not worried that the Spurs won't respond. They will and have a chance of going up 3-1. At worst, they come home tied 2-2.
Tony won't the bed again like he did tonight.
Firmly in control ? The Spurs won the 1st quarter and were off to a good start. Despite the Thunder shooting at 60%, we had the lead. I think they lost the game in the second and third quarters. Too much freaking out over 1 game right. The Spurs will right the ship.
It's all mental for Parker. Ibaka is in his head. Tony needs to show some mental for ude.
This. It will take an injury to a key player for the Spurs to beat OK City. They got that injury in the first two games. I have said this all year.
OKC's plan never wavered. They were in control from the start.
Thunder were short handed in the first two games, new series now.
Lots of calls for the spurs in the first quarter and OK City was right there with them.
1. Start the pick n roll much further from the paint. They were starting right around the elbows and top of the key. That's too close and gives ibaka an easier recovery. Stretch them out further and Parker or ginobili can penetrate easier.
2. Bring diaw in earlier for splitter. Ibaka doesn't even have to guard splitter. He at least has to pay attention to diaw.
3. When we drive to the basket we have to find our shooters. They were open tonight but we didn't find them. When they see the film they will notice that the Thunder made a concerted effort to take away the paint. Once we knock down a few threes the paint will open up more and baskets will come easier.
4. Rebound
5. Effort and intensity
I like the idea of playing small, but using Ginobili in lieu of Green depending on the matchup and who has got the hot hand. For instance, tonight I'd have stuck with a lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Leonard, Diaw and Duncan.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions