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Fatigue, injury, and lack of depth become a factor tonight (or so I hope).
OKC are front-running gots, so I could see them getting somewhat down if they don't have a decent halftime lead.
Spurs still didn't get much in the paint last game when the starters were in. I think it was more to space out the floor and get okc running around
Fatigue, injury, and lack of depth become a factor tonight (or so I hope).
OKC are front-running gots, so I could see them getting somewhat down if they don't have a decent halftime lead.
does this mean diaw has a big night if spurs play well?
He's definitely going to manage minutes. If he thinks they don't "have it", I'm sure he'll clear the bench.
Sounds about right, per par for ESPN.
He's one of the most important players tonight. I love the way he played in game 5 -- everything Pop always wished Bonner could be.
40 points in the paint from 117. They definitely didn't get the paint production that they did in the first two games, but what was important is that Parker and Ginobili were penetrating almost at will and Diaw helped space the floor, allowing for kick outs to shooters like Green, Diaw, Mills, etc. Floor spacing was something they weren't getting in Games 3 and 4, as Ibaka basically lived in the lane and denied almost everything and forced the Spurs to shoot off the dribble - one of their biggest weaknesses. I wouldn't be surprised if Brooks anchors Ibaka in the paint by starting him at center, allowing him to clog the lane and make other defenders close out on shooters. Perkins may see limited playing time as a result. If that's the case, the Spurs better be shooting lights out from the perimeter because their only real hope in OKC is to out-shoot the Thunder. Defensively, Splitter's and Duncan's size has meant little against Westbrook and Jackson.
Perk is almost useless right now, no? Seems like Adams is much more mobile and pretty smart player, too.
Spurs smell blood
Perkins is an embarrassment to NBA, fits better in the D-League, if he could get minutes.
This is the adjustment I have been assuming.
Brooks likely sticks with Perk because half the time, Duncan makes him look good. I can't fathom why TD makes Perkins look like a good post up defender, but he does. When the Spurs are clicking, though, Perkins is a foul machine and a liability.
adjustments schmadjustments in regards to the Thunder.
The biggest obstacle has always been the officiating with them. Maybe I complain about it too much but Brooks certainly hasn't stopped ing for it, it's a huge part of their gameplan. If the league would just call things fairly at OKC, or not overly biased, I think Spurs have a real good shot of stealing one.
Most likely this will be another dog and pony show with the Thunderefs. If that's the case, Spurs just once again need to stay healthy and run them down with our bench, keep it close so that they start wearing down for the last game.
Just one of two big ones, tbh. Their athleticism advantage is the other. When the Thunder are on, they're locking down the paint with Ibaka and Westbrook is swarming ball handlers to force turnovers. The Spurs finally countered this by a) using Bonner and Diaw, plus Duncan and Splitter at separate times, to space the floor and pull Ibaka away from the paint and thus allowing Parker and Ginobili to get into the lane and free up shooters and b) hitting those shots, eliminating turnover opportunities that fuel the Thunder's emotional, fast-break offense.
I anticipate Brooks will try and counter by moving Ibaka to center and cutting Perkins' minutes to allow Collison/Adams more playing time, both of whom offer more size and defensive strengths than Perk. If Ibaka is camped in the paint, the lanes close and the Spurs can only move around the perimeter, which means OKC's athleticism becomes a factor and they can chase shooters off the line. If they do that, they eliminate the penetration offense, and the Spurs don't get the calls. OKC rarely fouls spot up shooters. That's a lot of the FT disparity - OKC drives and gets calls, the Spurs get forced onto the perimeter and put up low percentage shots.
If Brooks moves Ibaka to center, and cuts Perkins from the rotation, they'll be relying on Serge to lock down the lane and Adams to help contest at the rim. In that case, the Spurs' shooters will have to show up and punish them from the outside, knowing that Ibaka, Adams, and Collison will be waiting to shut down the penetration - which, in turn, will free up other defenders to run at Green, Diaw, etc. The Spurs' best hope is that Brooks either a) fails to properly adjust or b) the role players make up for the lack of the penetration based offense.
No more 2012 or Ibaka Jesus to fall back on now. Spurs should be focused and hungry.
we'll see. lots of teams have athleticism. Ibaka gets away with tons of , if they called him on it, he wouldn't seem so aggressive, same with Westbrook.
I still feel Spurs know how to play as a team or unit far better than the Thunderefs. Obviously Presti knows how to cause Parker problems, and I don't trust in him to be MVParker anyways. But I think if Bonner can hit a few 3s, things change. I'm rooting for him. DIaw is just a unique cat, when he's on, he causes them lots of issues.
I disagree that they get the calls because they drive to the paint a lot, they get FTs for jumpers all the time. They're just coddled, and the Spurs realize this.
Should be a real interesting game. If Spurs can get the Thunderef starters to play an overload of minutes as usual, that's a real good thing.
Bonner FTW
They definitely are, though I still maintain that the Spurs' lack of aggression when OKC drops the hammer defensively contributes to this. Mills, Manu, Kawhi, aren't going to get as many calls as KD. Part of that is because KD is a star and he milks it for all its worth. The other part is, KD is the focal point of their offense. When you're putting up 20+ shots a game, you're likely to get a few calls, even if you have to sell them. Only Parker puts up nearly that many shots for SA, and most of his come in the paint. If he's not driving, he's not getting calls, and neither is anyone else.
The last point you made, about minute allocation, is also huge. If OKC wants to force Game 7, they know their starters are going to play 40+ minutes because CoJo and the third stringers will threaten any lead they may build. Duncan, Parker, and Manu may sit if the game gets ugly, but the Spurs still have weapons to make Brooks uneasy. Wearing them out should be one of the top priorities, win or lose.
Hopefully this is Tim Duncan as he leads the team out tonight.
Can you imagine how awesome it would be if Bonner could start suddenly hitting his three's and worry the opposing team again?
Duncan going with the community college professor look, going to teach some chumps..
They're definitely an intimidating team when you factor their explosiveness and the insane officiating hookups. I think of the Thunderefs as a blitz krieg, which can overpower you on a given game, especially in the regular season.
Spurs are built more for a war of attrition, Stalingrad style. I just believe the Spurs' depth and diversity reveals itself over a series, when Pop can rely on wave after wave. It definitely scared Brooks when CoJo and the 2nd or 3rd stringers were still executing very well.
Should be a good game, and as long as the Spurs win the last one, it will be alright.
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