I don't understand why some are scared of the Warriors, tbh

[100%duncan]

So was Danny and Cojo at some point. I do believe young players can improve with coaching, but you are en led to your opinion as well. It makes me nauseus too.

Yeah because danny and cojo were this slow as . Danny and cojo could hit a jumper to save their lives. Danny and cojo wouldnt get overtaken by a 36 year old in the rotation

[SAGirl]

Yeah because danny and cojo were this slow as . Danny and cojo could hit a jumper to save their lives. Danny and cojo wouldnt get overtaken by a 36 year old in the rotation

Keep on your state of mind and you will probably go crazy all through the season, since Pop will continue to give chances to this young player. The fact Rasual is playing over him is no insult since Rasual was starting for the Wiz last season at some point and playing more minutes than Otto Porter a 3rd pick of the draft and an arguably more talented player than Rasual. Rasual has looked better than Danny at some points TBH. So if that is your insult, it is no insult. But like I said you have your view and it is nauseous too.

[Kawhitstorm]

May sound obvious, but defense and controlling the pace may be the only way. I mean like 04/05 level defense. They tailored the offense in 2011/2012 with the goal of beating the Heat, and I think taking that same approach with defense is what it's going to take to beat the Warriors. The Dubs play at such a high pace that I don't think the Spurs can keep up with them if they try to match it. So slowing the game down, limit the number of possessions, funnel plays defensively to TD/LMA and hope Kawhi frustrates Curry on the perimeter.

The Spurs were rebuilding in 2011/12 season after trading George for Kawhi & inserting Danny/Tiago into the rotation. They picked up Diaw midseason & went on a roll before being knocked out by OKC. The Heat had lost to the Mavs & it was a lockout season so I don't think Pop built the team to defeat the Heat. It was in 2013-14 that Pop installed the motion offense to run the Heat's scramble defense to the ground.

Against the Warriors, the Spurs have the ability to control the pace & punish them inside but they can't suffocate them w/ their defense b/c LMA/Tim can't guard Draymond nor switch onto Curry & the Warrior offense revolves on the Curry/Draymond PnP. It's just like the Nash/Amare PnR that Pop conceded but made it a point to not help & shut down the role players. LMA basically has to at least match Draymond bucket-for-bucket or get him in foul trouble b/c he can't guard him on the perimeter.

[SAGirl]

May sound obvious, but defense and controlling the pace may be the only way. I mean like 04/05 level defense. They tailored the offense in 2011/2012 with the goal of beating the Heat, and I think taking that same approach with defense is what it's going to take to beat the Warriors. The Dubs play at such a high pace that I don't think the Spurs can keep up with them if they try to match it. So slowing the game down, limit the number of possessions, funnel plays defensively to TD/LMA and hope Kawhi frustrates Curry on the perimeter.

They are TO prone, so you have to play the passing lanes to a degree, and force some TO too. Pace is key bc if they loop you into their game of crazy fast zipping the ball and you can't keep up with them, on top of them raining 3s, that is a recipe for disaster. You are right we need a slower pace, dominate on rebounds, and of course, transition defense, which according to Pop killed us against the Clips (also probably why he felt he needed to be fouling Deandre, which backfired on us. But when you consider all the minutes that went to Marco, Patty, a hobbled Tony, how Danny was off that series and not consistent on his defensive effort until the 7th game, Manu really looking and probably feeling very old and hobbled at that point of the season, its really a surprise we almost won that series.

[100%duncan]

Keep on your state of mind and you will probably go crazy all through the season, since Pop will continue to give chances to this young player. The fact Rasual is playing over him is no insult since Rasual was starting for the Wiz last season at some point and playing more minutes than Otto Porter a 3rd pick of the draft and an arguably more talented player than Rasual. Rasual has looked better than Danny at some points TBH. So if that is your insult, it is no insult. But like I said you have your view and it is nauseous too.

You sound like you're about to cry. Cant defend your argument without forgetting that you're a woman for 5minutes?

[SAGirl]

You sound like you're about to cry. Cant defend your argument without forgetting that you're a woman for 5minutes?

[apalisoc_9]

Fangirls

[Obstructed_View]

Yeah because danny and cojo were this slow as . Danny and cojo could hit a jumper to save their lives. Danny and cojo wouldnt get overtaken by a 36 year old in the rotation

Actually, Cory Joseph was in EXACTLY the same position at this stage of his career and he lost minutes to Nando De Colo. 11 games into his second season, Kyle Anderson has already played more NBA minutes than Danny Green did his second year in the league.

[100%duncan]

Actually, Cory Joseph was in EXACTLY the same position at this stage of his career and he lost minutes to Nando De Colo. 11 games into his second season, Kyle Anderson has already played more NBA minutes than Danny Green did his second year in the league.

But they had athelticism. Both are Jordan when compared to kyle

[Obstructed_View]

But they had athelticism. Both are Jordan when compared to kyle

Equally lame argument considering the guy starting at center for this team.

[SpursFan86]

Out of curiosity, what lineup do you think the Spurs would/should go to in order to combat the Warriors' smallball lineup of Curry/Klay/Iggy/Barnes/Green (probably their most effective lineup)?

Parker (or Mills, depending on what shape Parker is in)/Manu/Green/Kawhi/Aldridge is the first one that comes to mind. Could also play Boris instead of Aldridge, but I like the idea of Aldridge having a height advantage against Draymond. Depending on how much he can exploit that matchup, it could force the Warriors to play a more traditional lineup...something that would work to our advantage IMO.

In that scenario, Parker would likely have to be hidden on Barnes. Obviously you'd rather be beaten by Harrison Barnes as opposed to Curry, but I still worry about sticking Parker on him. That also makes playing Mills hard, because Parker is at least 6'3" and has some weight on him (cue the Porker jokes ). Mills guarding Barnes or Iggy would be a complete disaster.

[SpurPadre]

The Spurs are over the luxury so that won't be possible since their salaries don't match.

I was thinking more of including Anderson in a package deal for Thabo.

[HarlemHeat37]

May sound obvious, but defense and controlling the pace may be the only way. I mean like 04/05 level defense. They tailored the offense in 2011/2012 with the goal of beating the Heat, and I think taking that same approach with defense is what it's going to take to beat the Warriors. The Dubs play at such a high pace that I don't think the Spurs can keep up with them if they try to match it. So slowing the game down, limit the number of possessions, funnel plays defensively to TD/LMA and hope Kawhi frustrates Curry on the perimeter.

I wasn't referring to anything stylistically, it's too early to make conclusions about that right now IMO, I was just listing required personnel performances..

- As we have seen since 2012, the Spurs look like a different team when Danny Green is in the fire stage of his IcyHot cycles..it's especially important against the Warriors, as they are absolutely loaded with perimeter players, which makes it necessary for Green to play 30+ IMO to match their lineups..

- Since 2013, we have seen that the Spurs need at least one of Manu/Parker to be playing at an All-Star level..in the Clippers series, last year, neither of them was effective..it would be nice if they could both be playing at a high level in May, but I'm not counting on it..let's just hope 1 of them is playing at an All-Star level at that point, and that the other one isn't a liability(Manu in 2013 was a liability, as was Parker in 2015)

- Aldridge has to dominate his offensive matchup, as Kawhistorm said..the Cavs had success vs. Golden State since Mozgov and Thompson were able to overwhelm the Warriors lack of size up front..Aldridge is levels more talented than either of those players, obviously..Kawhi routinely gives the Warriors problems, Iguodala and Barnes have always struggled against him, defensively, he will be the #1, but Aldridge needs to be a legit offensive star in that potential series, rather than the Aldridge we have seen to start this season(he has been fine overall IMO, accepting his role and all that, but he will need to be the offensive star he was in Portland vs. the Warriors)

[HarlemHeat37]

Also, I really don't mind trying Parker or Mills on Barnes, tbh..while the Warriors have elite/great role players all over the court, they still rely entirely on Curry's gravitational pull outside of the 3-point line, which creates 4 vs. 3 opportunities..

Green and Iguodala are really good passers for their positions, but their playmaking success is based on the attention that Curry receives..

Klay Thompson can score 40 points on mismatches, for example, but he has virtually no playmaking ability..he's not a natural playmaker, he's the type of player you can allow to score a ton of points, but it will freeze others out, unlike Curry..

Barnes is the best option for this strategy, as he's a very limited passer, and he's not good enough to score an efficient 30 per game, even with a mismatch..however, this isn't Mark Jackson..Steve Kerr has actually discussed this type of strategy in interviews in the past, he doesn't like diverting from his system and forcing himself to play the mismatch game, so I don't believe this is going to work like it did in 2013, unfortunately..

Ultimately, the Spurs will need to beat them straight up, and it will require exploiting the only potential mismatches(Kawhi vs. anybody, Aldridge vs. smaller defenders), making 3s(Green, Mills) and not allowing Curry to be super-human..

[ginobilized]

Appropriate fear, health (theirs and ours) and seeding will be necessary to upset the Warriors, if someone else doesn't beat us to the punch.

[JeffDuncan]

Fear of the Warriors? Must be phobia. The Warriors are gots. Or was I not supposed to mention that?

[SAGirl]

I wasn't referring to anything stylistically, it's too early to make conclusions about that right now IMO, I was just listing required personnel performances..

- As we have seen since 2012, the Spurs look like a different team when Danny Green is in the fire stage of his IcyHot cycles..it's especially important against the Warriors, as they are absolutely loaded with perimeter players, which makes it necessary for Green to play 30+ IMO to match their lineups..

- Since 2013, we have seen that the Spurs need at least one of Manu/Parker to be playing at an All-Star level..in the Clippers series, last year, neither of them was effective..it would be nice if they could both be playing at a high level in May, but I'm not counting on it..let's just hope 1 of them is playing at an All-Star level at that point, and that the other one isn't a liability(Manu in 2013 was a liability, as was Parker in 2015)

- Aldridge has to dominate his offensive matchup, as Kawhistorm said..the Cavs had success vs. Golden State since Mozgov and Thompson were able to overwhelm the Warriors lack of size up front..Aldridge is levels more talented than either of those players, obviously..Kawhi routinely gives the Warriors problems, Iguodala and Barnes have always struggled against him, defensively, he will be the #1, but Aldridge needs to be a legit offensive star in that potential series, rather than the Aldridge we have seen to start this season(he has been fine overall IMO, accepting his role and all that, but he will need to be the offensive star he was in Portland vs. the Warriors)

I agree with all your points.

-To have both Tony and Manu healthy and playing well feels almost a necessity but I agree with you. AT least we need one of them to have their confidence and swagger, even if the other one is not at his best. We can survive with one of them not at his best as long as they are not being a hindrance with TO and bad decisions.

-Also agree with you that both Kawhi and Aldridge need to dominate their matchups offensively and be a nightmare to deal with. Kawhi I am not concerned about, he truly is playing like a star. His defensive intensity will be required as well as his offensive game. Aldridge is the one who is not hitting his stride yet. We need him to dominate the small ball lineup. At least we know he is rebounding and playing solid defensively, but offensively he's still lost and not finding his rhythm.

[Em-City]

I don't think either Manu or Tony were all-star level when we best the heat in the finals

[lilbthebasedgod]

I don't think either Manu or Tony were all-star level when we best the heat in the finals

But the warriors are many levels better than the heat we played. On both offense and defense.

[100%duncan]

Equally lame argument considering the guy starting at center for this team.

What? Comparing a top 5 player to a player who gets hype with no achievements to back it up with? That's the lame argument brah

[GSH]

The Spurs were rebuilding in 2011/12 season after trading George for Kawhi & inserting Danny/Tiago into the rotation.

The truth is, MOST of the people here have never seen a real rebuilding in action. The Spurs have had 16 seasons in a row with 50+ wins, and would have 18 if not for the shortened lockout season. You should go have a visit with some Laker fans, and ask them what it's really like. Better still, talk to some die-hard Knicks fans. They've essentially been rebuilding for 20 years.

What nobody has mentioned (including any sportswriters I've seen) is that the Spurs' FG% is almost identical to the Warriors'. And the Spurs are holding their opponents to a lower FG% than the Dubs. [Spurs are shooting .480 as a team, compared to .483 for Golden State. Spurs' opponents are shooting .417 while GS opponents are shooting .429.]

There are 3 reasons that GS is scoring so many more points, and their point differential is so much higher.
1. 3P shooting. Warriors are shooting .413, and Spurs are shooting .353. HUGE difference. Danny needs to find his stroke. The Spurs interior defense is going to have to hold its own, so that they can stay out and guard those 33P shooters.
2. Pace. The Warriors are playing at a 102.3 pace. Damnnn. Spurs are playing at a 97.3 pace. (Basketball-Reference says 98.3 and 93.8, respectively. Same difference.) The Spurs MUST be able to control the pace against Golden State. If they lose their cool and get sucked into a fast-paced game with them, they're almost certainly going to lose.
3. FTA. The Warriors are going to the line 23.7 times per game. Spurs are dead last in the league at 18.0 FTA per game. Part of that comes with their faster pace, but not much. That's a consistent almost-4-point per game differential. The Spurs guards are just not getting to the line.

[Obstructed_View]

What? Comparing a top 5 player to a player who gets hype with no achievements to back it up with? That's the lame argument brah

You clearly think that athletic ability and speed are the same thing. The only thing more re ed than that is that you've judged him based on his nickname. You're also ting on a player with no playing time to get any achievements and comparing him to players that were worse than he was at the same stage in their career.

[ceperez]

The truth is, MOST of the people here have never seen a real rebuilding in action. The Spurs have had 16 seasons in a row with 50+ wins, and would have 18 if not for the shortened lockout season. You should go have a visit with some Laker fans, and ask them what it's really like. Better still, talk to some die-hard Knicks fans. They've essentially been rebuilding for 20 years.

What nobody has mentioned (including any sportswriters I've seen) is that the Spurs' FG% is almost identical to the Warriors'. And the Spurs are holding their opponents to a lower FG% than the Dubs. [Spurs are shooting .480 as a team, compared to .483 for Golden State. Spurs' opponents are shooting .417 while GS opponents are shooting .429.]

There are 3 reasons that GS is scoring so many more points, and their point differential is so much higher.
1. 3P shooting. Warriors are shooting .413, and Spurs are shooting .353. HUGE difference. Danny needs to find his stroke. The Spurs interior defense is going to have to hold its own, so that they can stay out and guard those 33P shooters.
2. Pace. The Warriors are playing at a 102.3 pace. Damnnn. Spurs are playing at a 97.3 pace. (Basketball-Reference says 98.3 and 93.8, respectively. Same difference.) The Spurs MUST be able to control the pace against Golden State. If they lose their cool and get sucked into a fast-paced game with them, they're almost certainly going to lose.
3. FTA. The Warriors are going to the line 23.7 times per game. Spurs are dead last in the league at 18.0 FTA per game. Part of that comes with their faster pace, but not much. That's a consistent almost-4-point per game differential. The Spurs guards are just not getting to the line.

The stats tell you that the Spurs are settling for the low efficiency mid range jumpers. You either go to the line by taking it to the hoop or you take the high efficiency 3 point short. LMA sucks big time right now because he plays the wrong kind of inefficient game. I can also say the same about David West.

The guy who plays the game correctly (but unfortunately is hesitant) is Diaw. He either takes it to the post or hits a 3 pointer. Unfortunatel he refuses to take them!!! Maybe he's reserving it for the post-season.

[100%duncan]

You clearly think that athletic ability and speed are the same thing. The only thing more re ed than that is that you've judged him based on his nickname. You're also ting on a player with no playing time to get any achievements and comparing him to players that were worse than he was at the same stage in their career.

Ok let's judge based on speed, which clearly he's slow as and no not because of the nickname, I've watched him play. Athleticism, he doesn't seem to jump a lot, inability to do so? I don't know. He doesn't have a lot of lift. Agility, I've rarely seen him drive or even draw defenders because of the threat he poses in attacking the rim so there's that.

Don't you think there's also a reason why he doesn't get a lot of minutes? I mean there were tons of playing time last year due to injuries, tons of chances to shine, to show Pop he deserves more but look at where he is now, exactly at the same spot.

[SAGirl]

The truth is, MOST of the people here have never seen a real rebuilding in action. The Spurs have had 16 seasons in a row with 50+ wins, and would have 18 if not for the shortened lockout season. You should go have a visit with some Laker fans, and ask them what it's really like. Better still, talk to some die-hard Knicks fans. They've essentially been rebuilding for 20 years.

What nobody has mentioned (including any sportswriters I've seen) is that the Spurs' FG% is almost identical to the Warriors'. And the Spurs are holding their opponents to a lower FG% than the Dubs. [Spurs are shooting .480 as a team, compared to .483 for Golden State. Spurs' opponents are shooting .417 while GS opponents are shooting .429.]

There are 3 reasons that GS is scoring so many more points, and their point differential is so much higher.
1. 3P shooting. Warriors are shooting .413, and Spurs are shooting .353. HUGE difference. Danny needs to find his stroke. The Spurs interior defense is going to have to hold its own, so that they can stay out and guard those 33P shooters.
2. Pace. The Warriors are playing at a 102.3 pace. Damnnn. Spurs are playing at a 97.3 pace. (Basketball-Reference says 98.3 and 93.8, respectively. Same difference.) The Spurs MUST be able to control the pace against Golden State. If they lose their cool and get sucked into a fast-paced game with them, they're almost certainly going to lose.
3. FTA. The Warriors are going to the line 23.7 times per game. Spurs are dead last in the league at 18.0 FTA per game. Part of that comes with their faster pace, but not much. That's a consistent almost-4-point per game differential. The Spurs guards are just not getting to the line.

This is a very good analysis and I thank you for interesting basketball discussion.
I think your point just emphasizes both are elite teams. In the end, how much we are winning by doesn't matter as long as we win. They are undefeated and we have 3 L. That is more significant. There have been breakdowns at times defensively, but our loses have been resulted more from a bad execution, and up until the Denver game, our first unit was getting outscored badly to the point of being the worst unit for our team that logged regular minutes.