1. I think Denver is a heavy favorite.
2. I'm afraid of the refs being too much of a factor.
3. I agree with Timvp on core defensive plan: the main priority is to defend 3pt line as well as possible. Jokic is too good playing out of double teams. We can live with Murray-Jokic semi-contested lay-ups. The whole story of the series was Denver 3pt shooting. When they nail them we lose.
4. On offense we should create a decent amount of quality 3pt attempts. Belli/Forbes/Mills/Gay/Bertans (if he plays) are key to this game. Let LMA shoot once or twice if he's wide open from the corner.
5. I think DDR's hot shooting in Game 6 may be dangerous going to Game 7 in the sense he may start launching too many 2pt fadeways. It's not a winning shot and he's not going to shoot it like that two games in a row. I want him to go to the basket more around or directly to Jokic body for layup/dunk/foul/assist.
6. White needs to have at least 2 or 3 decisive defensive plays. He's not going to score 20+ but we need maximum concentration on defense.
7. Good luck everybody. This Portland team seems so beatable.
What outcome and story line will the NBA prefer:
1. The Spurs have done it again, coming up with the right parts for their system. They overcome the young game Nuggets
2. The young Nuggets are for real, the beginning of a change cycle in the NBA that will develop new fans. The tough veteran Spurs can't beat the newer stars.
The Refs will deliver.
Alas, they’ll prefer the second narrative
As I said a few days ago, the path to winning is a repeat of game 1: Hope they have early jitters, capitalize on that, then once they find their footing, hang on for dear life and survive.
Also need continued progression (Spurs) and regression (Nuggets) to the mean from 3, which can be somewhat aided by not needlessly doubling Jokic and to a lesser extent Millsap, especially one pass away.
I don't care how much Jokic scores 1-on-1 vs Poeltl and Aldridge. I'll live with it so long as they avoid foul trouble, limits 3s and force his out of shape, due for some regression to the mean ass, to play 40ish minutes, while having to either repeatedly create his own offense or rumble to the rim and finish on the roll.
I disagree . . .
- If they can't beat a team like the Nuggets now, when they're playoff neophytes, why would they be able to as their core inches closer to its collective prime while they fade from theirs?
- The talent gap is not nearly as wide as the perception seems to be. The Spurs, who had to integrate 8 new players, have been better since the All-Star break, if not when the calendar turned to '19.
- Even though I'd pick the Trail Blazers to beat them (though Kanter's injury could be big, because Aldridge would likely destroy Aminu, Leonard, Collins), the so called mid 3 might never have a better chance of reaching the Conference Finals.
- They better be arguing this Poeltl "illegal screens" panic routine from Malone behind the screens. They probably need him to play around 30 minutes.
Sadly DeRozan is no MVParker
Everyone's point of view is acceptable, the 1 thing I keep mentioning from game 2 to 5 is "Rudy gay" gay needs to come up big even bigger than game 6 and I'm sure he knows it by just the way he played in g6, he is too long, too athletic and with his height advantage too passive when on the floor, he's our supposedly 3rd best player and should make his mark in game 7 added to that we should play yokic straight up just like some of you said let him get his points eventually he'll wear down once all the others don't score more than 8-10 points lastly we should keep the game within reach don't let them go up 12,15,20 points they'll have too much confidence.
I also think this is important for victory.
Poeltl needs to set fierce screens, and Mills needs to flop hard when Nugs screen him
Both teams seem to be "highly emotional" getting really high and low on themselves and impacting performance on the flick of a switch several times in one game.
The KEY for the Spurs is to play hard and within themselves. Make shots, make stops but primarily, never stop playing and not getting caught on plays that don't go their way. Game six was a bit like that actually. A cold arse stare performance and a second round beckons.
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