I mean, maybe Kawhi scores 50 points on 40 possessions while locking down his man to give the Spurs a trophy. I just think hoping that the Spurs get enough good games between Parker and Manu combined with LMA and Green stepping up is a better way to go. The odds of the Spurs winning a series completely dependent on Kawhiso plays is just so slim. That he can get buckets like that is extremely helpful. That he gets so many that way isn't. Dude is relying on being a GOAT-level midrange shooter to carry his game now. Not only are teams more willing to let him shoot that shot, but it's much easier to help from the middle of the floor than from either extreme.
Though I guess in some people's minds, Kawhi's getting doubled because his supporting cast sucks.
Wait, why can't there be a fair share of Kawhisos and those other guys perform as well? I don't get why those guys have to suck if Kawhi eats. Or why Kawhi has to stand in a corner all game if those other guys are doing ok.
He's getting doubled because of his 1-on-1 greatness. He needs to handle the double teams better, but at the same time noone outside of maybe Pau is currently shooting well enough to kill teams for doubling,
Exactly.
The perfect Combination is for Kawhi to play his game freely which the spurs have clearly tried to do despite the fact that Pop generally likes to put certain limitations on "freedom"
There's always a trade off when you change hand. If you take the freedom away from your current superstar, you risk losing his normal production and aggressivness. See players are humans too.
Kawhi needs to continue playing this way, the role players need to contribute when the ball tells them to shoot.
I think Kawhi is putting in the needed effort to shoot mlre threes, and Pop clearly has no problem with him taking ridiculous amount of three pointers regardless if its falling or not.
It makes sense. Him shooting threes creates more spaces for the other guys and is generally mathematically a better shot.
I highly doubt Kawhi ever develops a three pointer mentality though. Dude's been an post up, midrange guy since his second year.
Kid grew up watching Melo.
His supporting cast does suck.
Its about striking the right balance. Everybody needs rhythm but theres only one ball. What I like about Kawhi is that unlike other iso players, he doesnt have an ego attached to it. He does iso because its needed. Once some confidence is gained through it, pass it around and let the threes rain down.
Kawhi settles for the long 2 because his 3 is struggling. He's lost arc. I feel like he has an injury to his hand or head that has affected his jump shot. Look at him before the concussion and after.
Don't think it's that. From February 1st to March 9th (night he suffered the concussion vs. OKC), he shot 30.6% from 3. The slump started long before that injury.
Mid is so far being proved right. Kawhi is struggling now that Fizdale has adjusted to stopping him. Ennis is really forcing his will right now, you can tell he learned from when Matty Barnes was there
mid is right
kawhi is struggling
OP is NEVER right.
If anyone ever agrees with OP your a dumbass.
Should we lose, I bet he comes in here and blame Kawhi first.
Not necessarily calling out Kawhi. In fact, he doesn't deserve to be called out since he's the best basketball player in the league, but a mid-range centric offense built around a frontline can't succeed in the cartoon that is "Today's NBA."
If you don't chuck 40 threes per game, forgot about it. Just the way it is now.
Did LeBron retire or something?
Kawhi is fine. He's great at everything, and his madrange game comes in handy on hard fought playoffs games.
It's the buildup around him that's ed up.
Kawhi should be averaging 40 against the Rockets defense.
not necessarily calling out kawhi, just bumping the thread where i on him
this
best defense for it is to take away the drive, and pretty much live with the results of a bunch of turnaround jumpers, while focusing on keeping the other players out of the picture. this is basically why low post scoring isn't as useful anymore either. additionally, after rules changed and teams are allowed to play defenses that were illegal in the 80s and 90s, it allows the defense to also take away certain tendencies and looks that they couldnt in the past. the spurs and pistons in the mid 2000s laid the blueprint for all this in how they defended guys like kobe and shaq.
This. The team is antiquated not Kawhi. The dude is the best on the team in every offensive aspect (post-ups, midrange, threes, penetrating, playmaking). That's a recipe for disaster. He can't penetrate or draw a double team and kick it out to himself.
Where I have I on him?
People here are going to have to wake up to reality. If a player takes more midrange shots than 3s and layups, he'll lose the battle with players like Curry and Harden.
Kawhi lost the efficiency war with Trevor in' Ariza last night, who chucked 10 threes.
No. His offensive style is antiquated.
Where he makes up some of it is by getting to the line, but as I've told you numerous times, Harden, Curry, etc style will win out in the end unless Kawhi plays up to a historic level (>60% shooting from the midrange) or adjusts his game and shoots more 3s/drives more, which I do see happening. He shot 7 threes last night in 32 minutes.
Don't get your insistence on making it an individual/Kawhi thing. Sure, he isn't predominantly a 3PT shooter like the guys you keep bringing up are, but for a guy who's midrange game is deadly he also takes and makes his fair share of 3PTers. The team's offensive philosopy and personnel is way more antiquated than Kawhi's game.
Certainly comes off as you ting on him when you choose to point the finger at him instead of pointing the finger at the much bigger problem.
The Rockets have a weaker roster (on paper) and look at how Harden's style makes everyone better. You have journeyman scrubs like Ariza and Gordon and Williams threats to go off for 20 every night. Because defenses have to chase Harden around on the perimeter and/or collapse when he drives, he creates a -ton of open 3s. As I said earlier in this thread, post play doesn't pressure defenses like that.
Kawhi's style doesn't "open up" the floor.
Do I think Harden is better than Kawhi? No. Would I like to see basketball played league wide like Kawhi plays it? Yes.
But we're in the cartoon era of the NBA, and chucking/driving is what works. Look at Isaiah Thomas's chart from tonight. 33 shots and only 2 came from outside the paint.
Keep in mind that I don't endorse that basketball from an aesthetic standpoint, but it's the way you have to play now. It's sad, too, since the post-play is the most intriguing thing about basketball and the hardest skill to learn, now all obsolete.
Also not that I think they're better without him, but pretty sure the Rockets have a positive net rating without Harden during the playoffs. He's mastered D'Antoni's offense and is the perfect guy to be at the forefront of it but that system is still generating offense without him. Which leads back to roster construction and offensive philosophy. Meanwhile the Spurs are still stuck in the 90s with their offensive approach.
Me, Harlem, and some others were joking that the Spurs can't possibly lose to a team whose second best player is Trevor Ariza.
Also not that I think they're better without him, but pretty sure the Rockets have a positive net rating without Harden during the playoffs. He's mastered D'Antoni's offense and is the perfect guy to be at the forefront of it but that system is still generating offense without him. Which leads back to roster construction and offensive philosophy. Meanwhile the Spurs are still stuck in the 90s with their offensive approach.
This was LMA's first bad game of the playoffs. He worked his ass off on the boards and chipped in with what he could offensively against a mammoth frontline. Parker had a resurgence. Mills was a 6MOY candidate early on. Danny Green is an RPM "powerhouse." Pau Gasol has been an assassin off the bench since the AS break. The Spurs are pretty deep. Keep in mind we won the season series against them 3-1.
I'm just saying Harden's style will get more out of role players than will Kawhi's style.
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