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Again, have the Cavs faced as good of an offensive team as the Spurs in this postseason?
*shrug* Artest is listed at 6'7", LeBron is listed at 6'8". I'll have to take your word for it on his actual height.
But Manu will kill Eric Snow, unless he's Passive Manu.
Again, have the Cavs faced as good of an offensive team as the Spurs in this postseason?
jazz were better rebounding then spurs
Pavlovic, Hughes and Snow are the Cavs three best options on Manu. If Manu is attacking, I don't think anybody on that team can stop him. Snow might have the best shot because he can harass ball handlers and Manu gets a little loose with his dribble sometimes.
I highly doubt LeBron will be matched up on Manu at any point. I've never seen Mike Brown put him on a shooting guard who can attack off the dribble. Against the Nets, he actually put Snow on Vince Carter rather than to have LeBron guard him.
LeBron has become a much better defender since last year but I'd be shocked to see him on Manu. However, I do expect to see him on Parker in a Shawn Marion type role.
If Parker is playing well, I don't think Snow is a viable option against him. There is too much of a speed mismatch. I could only see it as a possibility in a one possession half court situation. Even then, Pop would probably try to exploit that matchup.
Yes, the Spurs' O will decide this series.
I wonder who the second defender will be on LeBron. LeBron will probably play more minutes than Bowen, so someone else has to step up to the challenge.
I kinda like the idea of throwing Manu at him for a couple possessions as long as LeBron isn't on the post. Manu can be a pest defensively even against a player like LeBron.
Finley seems like the more logical answer but I think Manu has the better chance of throwing LeBron off of his rhythm for a couple possessions while Bowen rests.
LeBron will cover Bowen. That gives him more opportunities to play the passing lanes.
The Spurs' best shot against the Cavs is to make this a high scoring series. The Cavs like to slow it down to the point that it's close at the end so that LeBron can then try to win it.
If the Spurs can make them run and get the score into triple digits, that'd be huge.
mike finley
not manu
manu would get to tired on the d end
who guards tp
I think when healthy, Hughes makes the most sense on Manu, precisely because he's a ball hawk (although vastly overrated as a defender). However, it's a dice roll. He could either force Manu into 7 turnovers, or he could get a couple a steals but let Manu light him up for 30.
Of course, Hughes probably won't be healthy.
The one thing you have to give Brown (or Egan) credit for is that they've fashioned a damn solid defensive team from a bunch of mediocre-to-weak individual defenders. I mean, Ilgaukas, LeBron, and Gooden aren't making anyone's All-Defense team anytime soon.
Some of that is that he has to protect LBJ from foul trouble.I highly doubt LeBron will be matched up on Manu at any point. I've never seen Mike Brown put him on a shooting guard who can attack off the dribble. Against the Nets, he actually put Snow on Vince Carter rather than to have LeBron guard him.
LeBron has become a much better defender since last year but I'd be shocked to see him on Manu. However, I do expect to see him on Parker in a Shawn Marion type role.
True, he doesn't get the calls that Manu does, but you don't think of Parker as someone who can attack off the dribble?
I expect Parker to see more different looks than anyone on the Spurs, including Duncan. They'll have to put Snow on him for at least short stretches, along with Gibson, Hughes, and maybe LeBron.If Parker is playing well, I don't think Snow is a viable option against him. There is too much of a speed mismatch. I could only see it as a possibility in a one possession half court situation. Even then, Pop would probably try to exploit that matchup.
The Cavs suck in FG% (24th overall) and FT% (29th). They've made up for that with extra possessions (or extended possessions) due to rebounding. Still, the only team to beat the Spurs in a playoff series in the last 3 seasons (in 7 games no less) was among the league leaders in FG% and FT% in that season.
I'd also posit that the Cavs' D probably isn't so great in transition or against a team with the best low post threat in the game, two perimeter threats to drive, and a top 5 group of outside shooters in the league that can play just as well in the open court or the half court.
Yeah, plus Hughes has had some big games against the Spurs in his career.
But if Hughes is limping, there's no reason for Manu not to destroy him.
Yeah, it's pretty amazing actually. Outside of Snow, none of the players on that team were regarded as good defenders before Brown got there. Gooden, Z, LeBron, Hughes and Pavlovic were some of the worst defenders in the league.
Now that team is up there with the Spurs defensively.
Yeah but Parker rarely gets calls. And when he does, it's almost always the bigman rotating over.
Against Marion, I can only remember a couple times Marion got called for the foul guarding a penetrating Parker.
I think that there's a chance LeBron sees the most time on him. Unless Parker just dominates LeBron, I actually think that'll be Brown's go to look.
To close a game, I can see Mike Brown going to:
Parker guarded by LeBron
Ginobili guarded by Pavlovic/Snow
Bowen guarded by Gibson
Duncan guarded by Varejao
Horry/Oberto guarded by Gooden
Also, the only team that beat the Spurs in the last 3 seasons forced the Spurs to make a lineup change, thereby weakening the Spurs' defense so that their well executing offense could take advantage of that. The Cavs won't be able to pull that off.
Snow or Gibson
Spurs in 5. Kick the crap out of the brons.
Larry Hughes, Washington Wizards, 2004-2005 All NBA Defensive First Team
Not if you guys play us one on one San Antonio, just ask the whining Piston fans. Bowen can't handle Bron. Bron loves physical play. He won't shy away from it like Nash or Okur did...
A lineup that worked against the Pistons that I don't think will work against the Spurs was:
Damon Jones
Daniel Gibson
LeBron James
Donyell Marshall
Big Z/Varajao/Gooden
If Gibson or DJones are ever guarding someone not named Bruce, you isolate them immediately. Gibson miiiiiiight be able to guard Parker but honestly, who was the last skinny PG able to guard Parker successfully?
Parker is not that tough of a cover as long as you don't try to help on other guys like Duncan or Ginobili. You just play off of him and give him the jumper which he will miss more often than not.
Right, two better offensive teams than the Cavs. Where are they now?
Larry Hughes, Washington Wizards, 2004-2005 All NBA Defensive First Team
Forgot about that. The ol' "He led the league in steals he must be a good defender" vote. Hughes and Iverson have to be the two most overrated perimeter defenders of this generation.
Or at least until Hughes played for Mike Brown.
Devin Harris?
But Gibson doesn't have that speed.
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