Aldridge ball is not winning ball

[Down Under]

You aren't ever winning anything, with a 6 foot, pass first PG as your number one option. As good as Paul is & his teams have been loaded - playing with some of the best Pick n Roll finishers in their primes in Chandler & Jordan, All Star Power Forwards - David West at that time & Blake Griffin & deadly shooters for spacing in Stojakovic & Re , you can't get it done deep in the playoffs because your main guy can't dominate through scoring.

[sasaint]

Post-up game is a sight for sore eyes for those who like old-school ball. It's an efficient game and I'd much rather Aldridge dance in the post than take long contested two-pointers. He has a good variance of post-up, drives, and pick n' pop shots. He's doing good, it's just that we're missing Kawhi and Rudy and our shooters aren't hitting open shots.

As an old schooler, I think I know what you are saying. But to me "post-up" is a term that has lost all meaning. Just because you pass the ball to a "big" who has his back to the basket it doesn't really mean it's a post-up. In old school terms, the big had to be somewhere near the paint. Anymore, bigs have no idea how to get good (usually meaning"early") position, so defenders push them out 18-20 feet from the bucket. (This is especially true of LMA.) it is hard for me to call that a "post-up." LMA doesn't usually want to get physical enough to establish true post position, as long as he gets the ball. Consequently you get fadeaways, which are not very efficient, instead of strong moves that are actually toward the basket.

[weeks]

We’ve had an extremely easy schedule

Dude the Cavs would be in the lottery without their MVP

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Dude the Cavs would be in the lottery without their MVP

I agree but they’re comfortably worse than the spurs

[Amuseddaysleeper]

You aren't ever winning anything, with a 6 foot, pass first PG as your number one option. As good as Paul is & his teams have been loaded - playing with some of the best Pick n Roll finishers in their primes in Chandler & Jordan, All Star Power Forwards - David West at that time & Blake Griffin & deadly shooters for spacing in Stojakovic & Re , you can't get it done deep in the playoffs because your main guy can't dominate through scoring.

Harden and Paul together are comfortably part of the second best team in the league. Rockets are much much better this season if both those guys stay healthy

[Stabula]

As an old schooler, I think I know what you are saying. But to me "post-up" is a term that has lost all meaning. Just because you pass the ball to a "big" who has his back to the basket it doesn't really mean it's a post-up. In old school terms, the big had to be somewhere near the paint. Anymore, bigs have no idea how to get good (usually meaning"early") position, so defenders push them out 18-20 feet from the bucket. (This is especially true of LMA.) it is hard for me to call that a "post-up." LMA doesn't usually want to get physical enough to establish true post position, as long as he gets the ball. Consequently you get fadeaways, which are not very efficient, instead of strong moves that are actually toward the basket.

This was much more true last season than this current season. LMA has been taking less fadeaways and opting for more efficient stronger moves especially when a smaller guy is on him comparatively. I think it's one of the main reasons he's been so good this season.

[weeks]

This is sarcasm right? Just without the blue font?

@ the state of this forum if they'd gotten lopez instead of LMA

[weeks]

I agree but they’re comfortably worse than the spurs

primarily because of LMA

[Down Under]

Harden and Paul together are comfortably part of the second best team in the league. Rockets are much much better this season if both those guys stay healthy

True, but Harden is their No 1 guy.

[sasaint]

This was much more true last season than this current season. LMA has been taking less fadeaways and opting for more efficient stronger moves especially when a smaller guy is on him comparatively. I think it's one of the main reasons he's been so good this season.

I think there have been some rare games that LMA has manned up. He played pretty tough against the Nuggets. But the vast majority of the time he still defaults to his beloved fadeaways.

[offset formation]

OP has a fantasy in his head where Leonard beat the Rockets in spite of LMA and that Harden is the only reason why the team advanced. The rest of us know it wasn't just Game Six that LMA won, and that if OP had had his way, the Spurs would be a lottery team this year. Aldridge ball is winning ball. When SA was taking it to GS, LMA was right there dominating his match-ups. It's mind-boggling how people can overlook LMA every time he plays well and then because he can't take a team triple-teaming him constantly. We've already seen Kawhi fall apart under the same pressure, because it's normal for a guy not to be able to do much with so much attention on him. It's not some strange feature of Aldridge that he needs spacing and other guys to take some heat off him and that if his shot isn't falling, he's not going to look good.

This should have been the final post.

[DAF86]

This should have been the final post.

Except that nothing of that is remotely close to being true. Specially the part where I supposedly said we won the Rockets series solely because of Kawhi.

You gotta remember the creator of that post said Aldridge should be the number one option over Kawhi, tbh.

[weeks]

let's not forget that he also was totally cool saying "this is kawhi's team"
on manu: he's so good, man. i mean i always knew he was good but it wasn't until i played with him i realized how good he was

[Chinook]

Except that nothing of that is remotely close to being true. Specially the part where I supposedly said we won the Rockets series solely because of Kawhi.

You gotta remember the creator of that post said Aldridge should be the number one option over Kawhi, tbh.

Bro, you said LMA was playing a bit role against Houston.

Anyways, I said the offense works better going inside-out through a big rather than a wing iso. Then again, you think the Spurs have been one of the worst offenses in the league despite ranking 17th in ORtg and missing three of their top four options for most of the season.

[Arcadian]

In the all-time rankings, CP > LA

Right now, LA > CP

One is a 2018 all-star, the other is not.

[YGWHI]

Are folks here really such butthurt homers that can't understand what I'm trying to say?

I feel like I’m in bizzaro world where this is a serious thread with truly insane premise though.

I guess the premise was "this is a perimeter-oriented league" "we're in 2018, not early 2.000's when post-up bigs dominated the league" "a big can't post-up 45% of his time on court on these days" "it's not a winning formula in a 7 games series if a big post-up +20 times a game"

I don't care if it's Aldridge or any other big in the league, if that's the "premise" about an old post-up style won't beat elite, dynamic, perimeter oriented teams, OP was right.

[dabom]

I guess the premise was "this is a perimeter-oriented league" "we're in 2018, not early 2.000's when post-up bigs dominated the league" "a big can't post-up 45% of his time on court on these days" "it's not a winning formula in a 7 games series if a big post-up +20 times a game"

I don't care if it's Aldridge or any other big in the league, if that's the "premise" about an old post-up style won't beat elite, dynamic, perimeter oriented teams, OP was right.

OSOB Duncan in 2013 almost won a FMVP. Prime Duncan and LMA and Kawhi easily 3peet.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

When I see people oversimplifying things like the OP and the LA vs Kawhi crowd, it is a good litmus test for identifying people that don't know what the they are talking about.

If you want to beat the Warriors you need to be able to take advantage of their lack of size down low. With the way that LA is playing physical in the post backing guys down and finishing with hooks with either hand is an asset that will help in the postseason. I want to see Ryan Anderson or Zaza Pachulia try to iso him in the post.

It's so effective that team's are routinely double teaming him to try and slow him down. The issue we are currently having is how we respond to the double teams. We are not seeing the cuts, passing, and outside spacing that makes those double teams pay. We are slow to react allowing teams to recover.

What is not winning basketball is the cluster on offense that we see when he is not on the court. I suspect that when Kawhi comes back at least one of them will be on the court at all times.

And of course LMA's touches will go down. Kawhi will get about 10 shots a game more than what Anderson is giving them at the 3 as well he should. LMA's will have to give up some shots accordingly. IT will also mean less time for Forbes and those 3 guard lineups that cannot rebound worth a .

[YGWHI]

Anyways, I said the offense works better going inside-out through a big rather than a wing iso.

If we're in early 2.000's. And if that big is Tim Duncan.

But in 2018 if the big is LMA and the wing-iso is Kawhi or KD, I have any doubt about that a wing should be the first option in today NBA.

Then again, you think the Spurs have been one of the worst offenses in the league despite ranking 17th in ORtg and missing three of their top four options for most of the season.

Spurs defense is hiding many problems. Because being 17th on offense means being a non-playoffs team.

[YGWHI]

When I see people oversimplifying things like the OP and the LA vs Kawhi crowd, it is a good litmus test for identifying people that don't know what the they are talking about.

It has nothing to do with Kawhi or LMA.

You can use other big and other wing in the league for example. It's a matter of styles in 2.018. Post-up game isn't effective as your main offense. That's all.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

It has nothing to do with Kawhi or LMA.

You can use other big and other wing in the league for example. It's a matter of styles in 2.018. Post-up game isn't effective as your main offense. That's all.

Again, GS is susceptible to postups because of their lack of size. You need bigs that can move to handle all the pnr and outside shooting but LMA is very good on defense. If anyone is a problem in that regard it is Pau. He may very well need to sit in the playoffs.

This notion that postup offense doesn't have a place in the modern game is just ignorant. The guys that are being phased out are the ones that are sluggish on defense out in space because without handchecking bigs are forced to switch on penetrations and run out on shooters. Having the footwork and strength to back players down and score with hooks is always going to have a place.

[Stabula]

If Patty Mills wasn't a bum, Murray could shoot, Anderson wasn't so passive, Bertans/Green/Forbes were consistent, Rudy Gay were healthy, Kawhi were healthy the offense wouldn't be what it is. A lot of offensive problems here and Aldridge's post-up game isn't in the equation.

[Seventyniner]

Spurs defense is hiding many problems. Because being 17th on offense means being a non-playoffs team.

Not true at all. 17th on offense + 2nd on defense = 3rd seed right now. A playoff team by definition.

[TheDoctor]

Fizzle and choke have the same context to me.

[Slippy]

If Patty Mills wasn't a bum, Murray could shoot, Anderson wasn't so passive, Bertans/Green/Forbes were consistent, Rudy Gay were healthy, Kawhi were healthy the offense wouldn't be what it is. A lot of offensive problems here and Aldridge's post-up game isn't in the equation.

Dont let that realization get in the way of the narrative now. Haha. Want to add relying on 40yo as your main closer.

Thats why choosing to complain after a win during a turbulent season full of injuries & stil missing their key players is weak .

A playoff exit on a healthy spurs team including Kawai, would be the right time to make your case.