Ok so you're saying Dirk on Rasho is going to make him have to foul? Why? Is Rasho some offensive force that Dirk is going to be forced to foul?
Ok and if Bowen is on Howard who's on Dirk? Duncan? Rasho? Ok, I think we all know what's going to happen there, Dirk is going to get 50 and Duncan and Rasho will be in foul trouble all night. Lets not forget if you switch on Harris in the pick and roll you've got Parker on Dirk and Rasho or Duncan on Harris, that sure can't be good. Also I don't think we're going to see a lot of Terry on Manu, I think he'll be covered mostly by Howard, Terry will take Bowen who can't play with his back to the basket anyway.
Ultimately Pop will have to come up with something better than what's been posted here.
It's called the Amare Defense. Refer to 2005 WCF
Amare Stoudemire 42ppg
Rest of Suns team NOT ENOUGH
I could really care less if Dirk got 50 and the rest of the team got owned by Bowen & Co. If Dirk gets 50 that means they're running the O thru him too much anyway. Besides, run Dirk off the 3G line and he ain't getting 50 anyway. Duncan and Rasho can do that at least.
Think Nowitzki can defend either Duncan or Mohammed in the post? He's gotta go with one.
Nope. Spurs focus on keeping Nowitzki and the rest of the Mavs out of the paint. So Nowitzki gets a few jumpers, so what? The key is interior defense. That's the bread and butter of the Spurs' D and has been for years. You switch Bowen over on Howard, which is certainly a better matchup for the Spurs than Horry on him. Howard doesn't get off.Ok and if Bowen is on Howard who's on Dirk? Duncan? Rasho? Ok, I think we all know what's going to happen there, Dirk is going to get 50 and Duncan and Rasho will be in foul trouble all night.
The difference being that behind TD and TP there is another big instead of a guard posing as a 4. Again, interior D.Lets not forget if you switch on Harris in the pick and roll you've got Parker on Dirk and Rasho or Duncan on Harris, that sure can't be good.
Then you just moved one of your better rebounders farther away from the basket. I'm sure Bowen won't mind shooting over Terry as opposed to Howard. You also have Howard guarded by Bowen and guarding Manu. No matter how much energy the kid has that will wear his ass out.Also I don't think we're going to see a lot of Terry on Manu, I think he'll be covered mostly by Howard, Terry will take Bowen who can't play with his back to the basket anyway.
Wait and see.Ultimately Pop will have to come up with something better than what's been posted here.
In addition to improving the interior D and cutting down on the easy trips to the rim, going with the regular rotation will cut down on the second chance opportunities given up and should improve the # of ones enjoyed.
The difference in that series is that while Amare did go off he can't pass, and he can't shoot from long distance, lets also not forget that he can't for the life of him create his own shot. All things Dirk is quite good at, and lets also not forget that the Suns can't or won't play defense.
Yea he'll take Nazr and he'll be just fine, you may think he can't play interior D, but I'd be willing to take him on Nazr anyday.
You can't be serious with that statement? Nowitzki is to Jumpers as Barkley is to Pie.
So who guards Terry or Harris? Manu? Fin? Barry? Sorry that doesn't sound great for you guys either.
Duncan was often in the post when the guards drove to the hole, Harris, Terry, and Howard still seemed to finish.
So Howard is one of our better rebounders? I guess he's our best rebounding swingman, but Dirk, Damp, and Diop are our best rebounders and they'll still get their 20-30 a game.
Sure. It's not like guarding who he had in Game 2.
I certainly am. The Spurs didn't lose due to Nowitzki's Js, they lost due to poor interior D and way too many easy trips to the rim.You can't be serious with that statement? Nowitzki is to Jumpers as Barkley is to Pie.
Parker and Manu. Much like every other Spur, the defense tends to be a little better when there are two shotblockers behind them.So who guards Terry or Harris? Manu? Fin? Barry? Sorry that doesn't sound great for you guys either.
Now add another shotblocker instead of a guard rotating. Duncan was moving back to the rim often to protect instead of being there in the first place.Duncan was often in the post when the guards drove to the hole, Harris, Terry, and Howard still seemed to finish.
He has been in this series.So Howard is one of our better rebounders?
Not if the Spurs' starting center is someone other than Robert Horry.I guess he's our best rebounding swingman, but Dirk, Damp, and Diop are our best rebounders and they'll still get their 20-30 a game.
Anyways, when the Spurs' centers have seen more than 30 minutes the Spurs are undefeated this season against the Mavs.
This lineup will beat the Mavs:
PG Parker
SG Barry
SF Bowen
PF Duncan
C Nesterovic
Keep Manu's "I left my game at the Alamodome celebration, have you seen it?" ass on the pine and bring him in for some bench explosiveness. We rolled Denver with that, why not try again.
How about the lineup of
PG Parker
SG Beno
SF Bowen
PF Finley
C Duncan
with PG Parker guarding -> Harris
SG Beno -> guarding Terry
SF Bowen -> Howard
PF Finley -> Nowitkzi
C Duncan -> Diop
Ginobili, Finley, and Horry come off the bench as 6th men.
Now here's someone that knows what they're talking about. Good post! I have no doubt that Pop will come up with something. There will be adjustments after each game by both teams. This will be a great series.
I think coaches mostly only pull this crap because they don't believe their players are good enough to win without help from the officials.
I think the Spurs need to punish the Mavs for a small lineup. Post up whoever Harris or Terry is guarding. Post up Dirk.
There are 2 problems with putting Duncan on Dirk for most of the game:
1. It will be easy for the Mavs to get Tim in foul trouble.
2. When Dirk moves out to the 3-point line, Tim isn't inside to provide help on penetration from the Mavs guards. This is the same reason Wells and Artest could post up all day long -- the Kings "post players" were really outside shooters who dragged the interior defenders outside with them.
If you stay with that lineup but switch defenders, there's no way Nazr can stay with Dirk or Howard. That's why we've seen so much of Horry, and it's why we even saw Oberto for a while in Game 2.
I can't tell if you're joking or not, but that's a small lineup and Spurs need to protect the rim to beat the Mavs. No more pussy layup drill by Howard and Harris. And BENO as a starter? You ting me?
Phil Jackson did it all the time when he coached the Bulls & Lakers (1st time). I'm fairly certain he thought his players were good enough.
Phil just likes messing with people's heads.
But I figure Avery thinks that with his team depending on a 7-foot German power forward that can't post people up and has a history of choking in big games, he needs all the help he can get.
I hope he gets all the help he can get!
No, for the reasons mentioned above. That lineup would give you poor interior defense and limited rebounding. AJ's wet dream.
That's word,we pray(pray,pray)
We got to pray
Just to make it today
I said we pray(pray) ah,yeah,pray(pray)
We got to pray
Just to make it to pray
That's word,we pray
All my life I wanted to make it to the top
(That's word,we pray)
Some said I wouldn't
They told me no,but I didn't stop
(That's word,we pray)
Working hard,making those movies everyday
(That's word,we pray)
And on my knees every night,you know I pray
That's word,we pray(pray)
Ah,yeah,pray(pray) we got to pray
Just to make it today
I said we pray(pray) ah,yeah,pray(pray)
We got to pray
Just to make it today
That's word,we pray
Now I just think that you
Can do what ever you want
(That's word,we pray)
I'm bustin' these rhymes
Making this money and I won't
(That's word,we pray)
Forget my people or may town or my ways
(That's word,we pray)
And on my knees.every night I'm still gonna pray
That's word,we pray(pray)
Ah,yeah,pray(pray) we got to pray
Just to make it today
I said we pray(pray) ah,yeah,pray(pray)
We got to pray
Just to make it today
That's word,we pray
Time and time and time and time again
(That's word,we pray)
I kept on knocking,but
These people wouldn't let me in
(That's word,we pray)
I tried and tried and tried and tried to make a way
(That's word,we pray)
But nothing happened till that day I prayed
That's word,we pray(pray)
Ah,yeah,pray(pray) we got to pray
Just to make it today
I said we pray(pray) ah,yeah,pray(pray)
We got to pray
Just to make it today
That's word,we pray
Childrem dying,oh,so fast from this or that
(That's word,we pray)
Needing that money
Smoking that dope and doing that crack
(That's word,we pray)
Ten years old stand outside
Better look out
(That's word ,we pray)
Dead and gone,necer had a chance
What's it all about?
That's word,we pray(pray) ah,yeah,pray
We need to pray
Just to make it today
I need to pray(pray),ah,yeah,pray
We need to pray
Just to make it today
That's word,we pray
That's word,we pray( x3)
That's word,we pray(pray) ah,yeah,pray
We need to pray
Just to make it today
I need to pray(pray),ah,yeah,pray
We need to pray
Just to make it today
That's word,we pray
On a mission start to doubt.here we go
(That's word,we pray)
Kicking back,read these words we need to know
(That's word,we pray)
Living high,living good,living long
(That's word,we pray)
Take a minute,bust a prayer
And you're good to go
That's word,we pray(pray) ah,yeah,pray
We need to pray
Just to make it today
I need to pray(pray),ah,yeah,pray
We need to pray
Just to make it today
That's word,we pray
We're sending this one out to the Lord
(That's word,we pray)
And we thank you and we know we need to pray
(That's word,we pray)
Cause all the blessings that are good they come from above
(That's word,we pray)
And once again we want
To say "thank you" to the Lord with all our love
That's word,we pray(pray) ah,yeah,pray
We need to pray
Just to make it today
I need to pray(pray),ah,yeah,pray
We need to pray
Just to make it today
That's word,we pray
That's word,we pray(pray,pray) (x4)
That's word,we pray
Parker look-alike makes difference in Mavs' lineup
By RANDY GALLOWAY
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO - The General had a new plan for Game 2, which even included a new lineup.
Enter the kid, Devin Harris, the Mavericks' version of a Tony Parker starter kit.
"Devin is not the guy to win this series for us, but what he brings can give us even a better chance," explained Avery Johnson before the opening tipoff.
It was a bold move by a coach whose team had narrowly lost the first game of the series Sunday.
Bold became gold Tuesday night.
Pace, penentration, and defensive confusion -- yes, plenty of confusion by the Spurs -- were all a product of what Harris helped deliver in a blowout 113-91 victory for the Mavs.
Don't elevate the General to genius status just yet.
But this thing with Harris was the kind of brainstorm that can be labeled PDS (Pretty Damn Smart), and it's also worthy of Coach-of-the-Year status, which, of course, Johnson already has won.
And with the long wait to Game 3 back up north Saturday afternoon, you can bet Devin Harris, and not any bear-hug defense on Dirk, will send Spurs coach Gregg Popovich deep into his bunker, looking for answers.
Simply put, Harris' speed and quickness broke down Pop's defense. Even his half-court defense. And if anything can worry the Spurs, it's definitely that.
At the same time, Harris' defense on Parker prevented the French flash from doing to the Mavs what Devin was doing to the Spurs.
Harris out-Parkered Parker.
And not even with Steve Nash could that ever be said.
The box score line on Devin was impressive:
Twenty points on 7-of-12 shooting, with three assists and no turnovers from the point in more than 32 minutes.
But even that doesn't begin to tell the full story, particularly the meager assists total.
Consider this:
The Mavs had nine fast-break points in 48 minutes of a muddled half-court mess in Game 1.
In the first quarter alone Tuesday night, the Mavs had seven fast-break points, 13 by halftime (to four for the Spurs), and 19 for the game.
Pace and penetration and foul problems for Tim Duncan all combined in the second quarter for the Mavericks to double the Spurs in points (32-16) for a 20-point halftime lead.
The Spurs had no answer for Harris in the first half, so they did a lot of yapping at referee Steve Javie and his crew.
Mark Cuban is, by far, the bigger whiner in the NBA when it comes to the refs. But Duncan and the Spurs are second, and moving up with a bullet.
Foul problems will occur when you can't stop offensive penetration. And the Spurs' defense couldn't stop Harris. Hacking happened, even by Duncan, although he would never admit it.
But you haven't been paying attention if you think the General pulled this Devin Harris move out of the San Antonio sky. Or that it was a panic move from Johnson after a tough defeat in Game 1.
For weeks, and months, the Mavericks have been plotting how to survive a playoff series against the Spurs.
And the key to that was Harris, who watched in street clothes because of injury most of the season's second half.
"We played pretty much our style and our pace this time, as opposed to Game 1," Johnson afterward said. "A lot of that had to do with Devin being out there.
"We were saving him for this round. We had our eyes on this round with Devin."
Harris played limited minutes during the Memphis series, partly because he wasn't needed, but mainly because Johnson didn't want to push it with the thigh injury.
Popovich claimed he wasn't surprised by the impact Harris had on the game. "He's done it to us before," said Pop, referring to Devin's 22-point outburst against the Spurs way back in November.
But, sure, Pop had to be surprised. Even shocked at what he saw Tuesday night.
It is not often that he watches a Parker performance against Parker, and against the Spurs.
"I think Avery made a great move by putting Devin in the game," noted Duncan, who also added, "Tony is down half a step right now with the contusion on his leg. But Harris was good, real good. It's another adjustment we will have to make for the next game."
Right, but that's why you want to force Nowitzki to guard a big. I think you want Bowen on Howard instead of Nowitzki. You also want the Spurs to run a bigger lineup. That means you want Mohammed on their 5 and TD on their 4. Otherwise, you have to go with Bowen or another guard on Nowitzki and then you have TD at center with 4 guards. I think you stick with size on Nowitzki and focus on keeping him out of the lane. With a shotblocker behind TD I wouldn't mind the tradeoff.
The reason that didn't work is that the Kings' could credibly lift their 5, thereby drawing the other shotblocker away from the basket. The Mavs triumverate at center doesn't pose that threat. So the prospect of another Mavs' layup drill is over.2. When Dirk moves out to the 3-point line, Tim isn't inside to provide help on penetration from the Mavs guards. This is the same reason Wells and Artest could post up all day long -- the Kings "post players" were really outside shooters who dragged the interior defenders outside with them.
...and that's why the Spurs lost Game 2. Horry at the 4 worked to beat the Kings, but that's because the Kings could force the Spurs to play their game. In this instance, the Spurs can force the Mavs' to play theirs. Go with the regular lineup, get your interior defense back, force Nowitzki to play post defense and get Bowen to hound Howard.If you stay with that lineup but switch defenders, there's no way Nazr can stay with Dirk or Howard. That's why we've seen so much of Horry, and it's why we even saw Oberto for a while in Game 2.
if we start going to nazr in the post frequently this series is over. he has no post game. he can get offensive rebounds but has horrible hands, and gets blocked constantly. putting him in the game won't make nowitzki play post defense.
This series is over if Robert Horry or Michael Finley is your last line of interior defense. Whatever Mohammed's limitations, you want his shotblocking, rebounding and presence in the paint. On offense, it's not about going to him in the post, it is about him being there on the glass and setting picks. You don't need to go to him in the post to force Nowitzki to put a body on him. Nowitzki can't body him up that low and will be susceptible to fouls. The only other choice for Nowitzki would be to guard TD. The Spurs have made life easy for Dirk by matching him up with guards so far in this series. The way the Spurs have beaten the Mavs in the past has been by forcing Nowitzki to play like a big.
I think the Spurs should stop with the WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WAAAAAAAAAAA Already, that might help, so annoying!!
But you forgot to include Avery Johnson. That "bearhug" complaint is a big WAAAAA WAAAAAA, IN MY OPINION!!! I thought for sure AJ learned how to be a professional from Pop.
You forgot that ten-trick clown Don Nelson was between Pop's influence and Avery actually coaching.
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