Warriors can't defend decently athletic wings.

[TrainOfThought5]

Athletic wing you say?? Like a Rasual Butler?

[SAGirl]

Game 1 is really key here. Pop might be holding out kawhi in this matchup till game 1 where they can surprise them.

Honestly a very good possibility since we have seen Kawhi get his easily or set others up, but we don't stick with that, bc Pop wants to throw smoke out there and get guys who have struggled with their stuff to improve.

[midnightpulp]

Actually, Warriors defend 2s and 3s better than they defend any other positions IIRC..

Their defense fell off a bit following Iguodala's injury, but they will probably step it up for the playoffs..

Even when their defense was peaking earlier in the year, they would still get destroyed by opposing 4s and 5s..

Any site that breaks down how a team defends particular positions?

Per NBA.com, the Warriors have the 6th worst paint defense in the league, but we don't know if the majority of those points in the paint are scored off penetration or through the low post. Also, their less than 5 feet defense is significantly worse than their 5-9 foot defense, but again, we don't know which players are finishing and how they're finishing.

[HarlemHeat37]

Any site that breaks down how a team defends particular positions?

Per NBA.com, the Warriors have the 6th worst paint defense in the league, but we don't know if the majority of those points in the paint are scored off penetration or through the low post. Also, their less than 5 feet defense is significantly worse than their 5-9 foot defense, but again, we don't know which players are finishing and how they're finishing.

For more specific , you'd have to look into the SportsVu data, but for raw numbers:
http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball.../16/12/pts/1-1

PG: 23 PPG/48(26th) 51.3 TS% (20.3 fga/48)
SG: 19.8 PPG/48(10th) 50.7 TS% (17.5 fga/48)
SF: 18.6 PPG/48(8th) 51.4 TS% (16.2 fga/48)
PF: 20.6 PPG/48(20th) 54 TS% (16.9 fga/48)
C: 21.2 PPG/48(26th) 53 TS% (17.4 fga/48)

They allow a lot of points vs. PGs, but on high volume and nothing special in efficiency, which is probably strategical..

Opposing bigs have destroyed them, all season, though, both in volume scoring and efficiency..

[DeRozan m8]

lmao no

why do you idiots keep ignoring that the only teams that challenge us are mostly bad teams?? we are the anti-Spurs

You haven't won in SA for how long?

Yes...The Anti Spurs LMAO

[EVAY]

The best player has not learned how to solve double teams and to dribble consistently to get easy layups. I have faith that he will. Until then, quit thinking KL is Jordan. He is NOT. But he is clearly our best player. So we need to get him the ball off screens and on cuts. Then the 3 and the jumper open up. He MUST rely on teammates unless he can steak/ dunk the entire game. Your hated Tony Parker is the key to this. If Tonyncan get past his man and draw help, KL will benefit. Just because Parker screwedvBarrys wife and has a round head... Get off it. Todays KL will suffer without a handler.

yes.

[YGWHI]

The best player has not learned how to solve double teams and to dribble consistently to get easy layups.

You shouldn't talk about agendas...If you don't think that Kawhi has improved in that area of his game this season, you're other agenda boy.

Also, you should look at his stats on drives...But yeah...he has learned nothing.
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=257905

If Tonyn can get past his man and draw help

Parker isn't even close to the driver, penetrator, offensive player, that he used to be, if you can't see it, like I've said before, you're part of what you criticize.

If that's the Spurs strategy against Warriors the Spurs are ed.

[DAF86]

Don't know what the midnightpulp is seeing, tbh. Every ing else realizes bigs and post ups are the way to compete with this team.

[YGWHI]

Every ing else realizes bigs and post ups are the way to compete with this team.

Since OP is saying in this thread that he places his ultimate hope in Manu now, it's pretty obvious that he wants to post-up Manu against Iguodala or Dray.

[YGWHI]

Blue-font is overrated.

[Rob123]

You seem to have trouble understanding that I dont have a problem with someone else is stepping up. I have a problem when that someone else runs 95% of his sets not involving the best player.

The spurs have multiple variations of horns that feature the wings for example.

This is a bad basketball take. Tony is running the sets as dictated by pop to maximize the teams current ability. Kawhi should by all accounts be an absolute monster, but he hasn't been able to break out of being just a really good player yet. Once he can dictate the terms of the game like a prime Timmy he'll get all the sets he wants.

[LkrFan]

MVP/Klay >>> all Spur perimeter players by a wide margin tbh. Non-issue, for the Dubs.

[YGWHI]

This is a bad basketball take. Tony is running the sets as dictated by pop to maximize the teams current ability. Kawhi should by all accounts be an absolute monster, but he hasn't been able to break out of being just a really good player yet. Once he can dictate the terms of the game like a prime Timmy he'll get all the sets he wants.

So you didn't see Kawhi taking over games this season...

I would say that a versatile player like him, who can shoot from mid-range and 3, post-up, go ISO, Spurs leading scorer, deserves more than 12 shots against the Warriors.

Unless Lebron, nobody will reach Tim's prime level, but that's not a reason to freeze Kawhi on offense when he has proven to be one of the most efficient scorers in the league. 51-45-88.

[Rob123]

So you didn't see Kawhi taking over games this season...

I would say that a versatile player like him, who can shoot from mid-range and 3, post-up, go ISO, Spurs leading scorer, deserves more than 12 shots against the Warriors.

Unless Lebron, nobody will reach Tim's prime level, but that's not a reason to freeze Kawhi on offense when he has proven to be one of the most efficient scorers in the league. 51-45-88.

Lol bruh I've watched at least 90% of every spurs season for the past 10 years. I've missed maybe 8 games this season. Kawhi has not taken over many games. I can count the games I directly attribute to his determination to win on 1 hand and they were all questionable teams

Dudes 4/15 tonight btw

[Robz4000]

Kawhi getting shut the down.

[Rob123]

Kawhi by all means should be the greatest player to ever lace up, and he might still get there but as of right now he's just not

[cd98]

I like Kawhi, but he's still raw offensively. A 25 year old Bryant or Jordan would have 30 points in this game.

[YGWHI]

Lol bruh I've watched at least 90% of every spurs season for the past 10 years. I've missed maybe 8 games this season. Kawhi has not taken over many games.

He had, but it seems like if he isn't dropping 37 points against GSW...any other of his good games in the season matters, right?

Dudes 4/15 tonight btw

And he was 8-12 last game and 51 FG% in the season.

Do you really think he will shoot 32 FG% like tonight in a whole series?

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Too bad both our wings are Wing Stopped. Can't dribble worth a crap.

[midnightpulp]

Don't know what the midnightpulp is seeing, tbh. Every ing else realizes bigs and post ups are the way to compete with this team.

You can examine the games against teams that featured middle-to-top-tier wing players, and they've given up some big games to them.

The reason I'm not buying a low-post offense as the way to go, is because it'll get swarmed and doubled to death as the series progresses because the Spurs have ZERO shooters right now to protect their bigs from swarms.

So I figured they might be weak right now vs. wings. Wiggins, Kawhi before this game, Lance Stephenson, Matt in' Barnes, old Vince Carter have all had big/good games against them. The Celtics also beat them by penetration. And unlike what dip YGWHI suggested, no, I don't want Manu posting up. I want the whirling dervish, Eurostepping into the lane, and finishing Manu.

We're not beating them with post up bigs unless the 3 point shooting comes around.

[Tully365]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-...nba-finals-mvp

[Rob123]

He had, but it seems like if he isn't dropping 37 points against GSW...any other of his good games in the season matters, right?



And he was 8-12 last game and 51 FG% in the season.

Do you really think he will shoot 32 FG% like tonight in a whole series?

Look we are on the same side here. I want kawhi to be the best player in the league and I think he could be. I think you have the rose colored glasses on right now if you think he's anything more than slightly above average.

[Cessation]

I like Kawhi, but he's still raw offensively. A 25 year old Bryant or Jordan would have 30 points in this game.

Very true.

[YGWHI]

Look we are on the same side here. I want kawhi to be the best player in the league and I think he could be. I think you have the rose colored glasses on right now if you think he's anything more than slightly above average.

Not a big fans of stats, but when those numbers tell me that a guy is #6 in PER, #1 in RPM, #1 in Def Rtg for 2nd consecutive season, shooting 51-45-88, in the top 5 from every spot on the court among perimeter players (ISOs, drives, post-ups- 3's)...I say that guy is a top 5 player and so much higher than average.

[hitmanyr2k]

I like Kawhi, but he's still raw offensively. A 25 year old Bryant or Jordan would have 30 points in this game.

Kawhi's problem is he's not nearly as explosive as those guys off the dribble and I'm not sure that can be fixed.