I think people are putting a little too much thought into a regular season game that is still months awayAnd I would bet money that Pop doesn't change the starting lineup out of the blue just so we can match up better. We're talking about a random game in January here, not the WCF.
Pop has an awesome top-eight. So I could see it going either way. You can have games like yesterday where one of the older players can get heavily reduced minutes without actually missing time. Like Duncan can play 15-18 minutes in a given game, because LMA and Diaw can play 32 minutes each (still leaving 14 minutes for West or small-ball). Leonard, Green and Mills can take minutes at the wings to limit Manu's minutes. A traffic cone can come in to spell Parker with little drop-off. Plenty of options to rest guys without sitting them.
Or the Spurs can rightfully feel that their new elite depth will grant them a better chance at beating middle-tier teams while being short-handed, which should lead to more DNP-OLDs. This way will give Simmons and Boban more burn.
the NBA did that on purpose
Spurs are best defensive team in the league in terms of oppPPG, Warriors best defensive team in terms of per 100 possessions. I know we're talking nominal vs. adjusted stats but in this case I might actually take the nominal because it entails the other team being taken out of their offensive rhythm and flow.
I tend to think Pop right now is focusing on getting his main guys to play the right way, to minimize their mistakes on defense, and to maximize their chemistry offensively. They started mostly off with the exception of Kawhi, and then on top of being off, without chemistry, they were making too many mistakes all around.
Once they get it going (hopefully soon) we are going to see other guys being worked in and the mad scientist Pop that we know. It just wasn't a good time to start that right off the bat, when we have new players and new roles all around. We are definitely going to need contributions from the others in the bench because it is a long season, and the old guys won't hold up at this pace.
As for GSW, still too far off, still too many things to work on in our own end to worry about them. Hopefully by the time we meet we have it going on. I hardly think Pop is going to concede games.
the spurs are legitimately the only team that can eliminate the dubs in a playoff series. jan 25th should be awesome, assuming good health on both sides.
Because it is assumed? That's how it will go as the game progresses. I'm not sure if that is how it will go in their first meeting but surely in Playoff matches.
Obviously, Pop will forfeit.
If it's nationally televised, he'll probably rest all the starters and half the bench
Good for pointing that out. While we can depend on a deep bench to win regular games, we have the ability to squeeze the lineup and the talent is there beat other contenders.
I was mainly referring to the posts asking for Kawhi to be on Curry.
ing dis..an undermanned Cavs team were half way there not even remotely close to having a player of Kawhi's D prowess..
Should foul everyone on every attempt, then forfeit after the 2nd because no one is left.
What depth? As of right now, it's an eight man team. That might be fine in the playoffs, but not the regular season, particularly given the age/mileage of four of those eight.
I told you all along that nine and ten were a poor fit and it took Pop all of a game to realize that.
Without looking at the schedule and seeing whether any of these are on back to backs or in three in fours and obviously without knowing how healthy the team will be at the time, in a vacuum, they need to go all out to win all of them.
The biggest thing this team has going for them over the Warriors, isn't having Leonard and Green to throw at Curry and Thompson, or a front line that can pound their micro lineup (when Green is at the five) on the block/glass; it's their mental edge.
It's well known that the Warriors breathed a sigh of relief both when they found out the Spurs wouldn't be in their bracket and when they were eliminated.
I'm not convinced the Warriors truly believe they can beat the Spurs in a series yet and the only way to maintain that is to continue beating them in the regular season.
Problem with the Warriors is there's absolutely no one Tony can guard besides, presumably, Curry (and get torched). This is especially true if they start Iggy in a series, but Barnes is also good enough to exploit that mismatch now. With Kawhi/Danny on Curry, you just have to hope they can bottle him up and make the Warriors look to someone else. They've been more reliant on him this year than ever.
Maybe you will give them Curry and bottle up everyone else... double curry off draymond green. But Pop won't do that in the RS.
Eh, if you aren't putting your best defender on Curry and making stopping him the focal point of your defensive scheme, he'll go for 40+ easy. , everyone knows it's coming and he still has the highest USG% of his career going for 37 a night. He's cheat code good right now, but I think if you put size on him (Kawhi/Green) and make him more of a distributor, their role players won't be as ready this year as last.
Kawhi/Green + the ability to pair Boris and LMA against their microball lineups is really the only advantage the Spurs have. Great offense is going to beat great defense in today's league (see: Grizzlies, Bulls).
Steph would have this date circled - night to break records
Yeah, having eight starting-caliber players is pretty great depth. Most teams don't have more than six. It allows the Spurs to rest their guys or heavily reduce their minutes for games, because there are other guys who can step up. Sit Manu? That's fine, Kawhi and Green can play the minutes they deserve, and Mills can play some two. Sit Tim? Cool, give LMA his Portland minutes for a game. Nine and 10 are awkward fits, but they're good players and guys who can help fill the cracks when others rest. Anderson would be more effective playing when Manu sits. West should be fine as a spot-starter. Are 9-13 as good as they were in 2012-2014? No. But they have room to grow.
I'm pretty sure I've been concerned with West as the five as long as you have, so I don't see why you're trying to draw my praise for that. I feel really bad for him because he sacrificed so much to join the team, but unless he magically becomes able to guard the five and rebound well enough for the position, the Spurs have to hope Marjanovic can hold up in the rotation.I told you all along that nine and ten were a poor fit and it took Pop all of a game to realize that.
Anderson and Manu have to learn to play together. If James and Wade could do it, so can Anderson and Ginobili. Pop seemed to really want to have a second ball-handler off the bench, so I still think his plan is for Kyle to play over Butler. That a guy doesn't seamlessly fit into a lineup in the first handful of games doesn't spell prolonged disaster.
Besides that, I agree the Spurs have to try to win all their games. And I agree they have the mental edge over the Warriors. Part of that is that Green and Leonard have been great at neutralizing Curry and Thompson. So I do think it's match-up based. But GS has the talent to overcome SA. The Spurs just have to stay on them for another year or two.
The W's really don't have anyone who can guard Leonard, so that's another advantage. Diaw being a bench big going up against Speights may be another. Parker's going to be pretty important as well. If GS can take Tony out of the game with Curry, it's going to hurt the Spurs a lot. If Parker can draw Thompson, then Green can make Curry work like he did in the WCSF, because you know Kerr isn't going to let Danny get open shots.
Are you serious? ask for mercy of course.
The Wing-Stop Brothers got this in the bag since 2 and half years ago. The Spurs rape the Warriors. This is known.
Pop always benching his Big 3 at GS years ago because they always played like es vs us. Kawhi is seriously the best player on the floor when they play.
I think what we're seeing is the Spurs answer for pace and space small ball.
Feels like the answer is in having a strangle hold in the middle. On bothe ends. Kinda like when you play connect for. You break up the lines before they gather momentum. And on your attacks you can pack a heavier punch with less moves. Spurs understand this more intimately than the rest of the league, because they birthed this hybrid ball.
Maybe it makes roatations more efficient, blurs timing with bumps etc like in football, and then of course we have guys that disrupt passing lanes and can smother on defense, and then the eternal Tim Duncan, the newly refocused and hungry La.. And even Boban working as part of the final line...
Imagine expending all that energy and then having TD who has been watching it all play out, use minimal effort to snuff you, after you sprinted around for 18 seconds.
I even think, having pesky energy defenders, like parker mills and mcullom simmons eventually... Is planned a wrinkle.
Motion defense lol
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