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If they peel off Oberto, he will make layup after layup like he did early last year where he put 20 and 10 on em.
Hed prob also tear em a new one like he did to the Jazz in the Western Finals?
Pretty tough to double from Bowen if Bowen is standing in the opposite corner -- Tim on the right block, Bowen in the left corner (or vice-versa). And if they're going to peel off of Oberto, Playoff Robert Horry (to the extent that guy still exists) might make them think otherwise.
If they peel off Oberto, he will make layup after layup like he did early last year where he put 20 and 10 on em.
Hed prob also tear em a new one like he did to the Jazz in the Western Finals?
Okay, guys. Try having a point like FWD.
You two jerk0ffs bring nothing substantial other than the same "I'm a Spurs fan and the Spurs are the bestest!" drivel.
Laugh now, cry later.
This team looks a lot like the 2001-02 teams that were old and couldn't hit 3s against the Lakers in the playoffs.
My point was, if they double Duncan, theres a shooter thats open, and shooters that are playoff proven.
UNLIKE 2001 2002.
But continue to rehash retoric from 01 02.
Right now we are. A healthy Tony Parker changes the complexion of this team significantly on the offensive end of the court.
I don't think Tony's been healthy all season.
Parker is hobbled, Barry is hurt.
Horry is hot and cold (should be okay for the playoffs).
Everyone is older.
I got a bad feeling... reminds me a lot of 2001-02 playoffs teams, which were full of "proven" old 3-point shooters.
P.S.
Lakers get Bynum back, just like we get Parker back.
What playoff prove shooters were on that team?which were full of "proven" old 3-point shooters.
question
We'll take our chances with Bynum on Duncan and if we do bring the double team it will be Gasol coming over to help. The height of Gasol and Bynum will neutralize Duncan's ability to see the floor and find the open cutters.
If Parker is 100% this series will be very fun to watch. If he is 75-85% then it won't even be close IMHO. The Spurs won't be able to score enough points to win despite their stellar D. This has been their problem ever since Parker has gotten hurt.
Try again in English.
Dude, who wasn't a proven shooter on those two playoff teams that fell to the Lakers?
The point is that you can't assume the 3-point shot will fall... even the open looks.
The Suns/Lakers don't have to double either.
They can cheat off Bowen/Oberto and play man-to-man.
Horry still scares me. You know he is going to pull off another crazy shot in the playoffs this year.
I can't argue with logic.
Hopefully the Spurs team defense will bail us out.
Other than the fact that the Spurs have Manu Ginobili and Finley and Barry are much better than what they had then, or that 2001-02 was Parker's rookie season.
Stop turning into a scared whiny every February.
Read.Dude, who wasn't a proven shooter on those two playoff teams that fell to the Lakers?
Comprehend.
PLAYOFF
PROVEN
SHOOTER
Who did they have?
AGAIN
Question
He basically just expanded what others have said. Granted, he stated it a LOT better.
Gasol, Stoudamire, and O'Neal are not good on the ball defenders (Bynum I haven't seen enough of), and never have been. If any of them are on Tim, the other teams will be required to double, which opens up the shooters (Bruce, Finley, Barry, and Manu are all very reliable shooters when open and healthy). If they don't double, Tim abuses them.
Bowen tends to have big games offensively when the opposing teams figures they can completely ignore him. Most teams don't stray to far from him if he's in the corner. If the player guarding Oberto leaves him, it's normally 2 points for the Spurs since he can hit the 10' jumper and is exceptional at slipping down near the basket (he'll end up with one of his 8-9 shooting nights).
Since they are good helpers, they'll assuredly slide over on Tony's drives, which leaves open either Tim or Oberto, either of which can hit the short jumper reliably. Tony might need to look to pass more than normal, but he's shown he can do that (he's asked not to).
Forcing defenders to help is the entire point of the Spurs offense. If you can play the Spurs straight up, things will be hard for them. The problem is no team can play both Tony and Tim straight up. Neither the Suns or the Lakers have anyone that will even come close to matching up with Tony, and for the most part their Bigs are help defenders meaning they ain't matching up with Tim one on one either.
The Spurs might also increase how often they run pick-and-rolls to pull one of the bigs out of the lane and force them to play d on the ball in space.
It comes down to whether or not the Spurs are hitting their open shots, period. With both Tony and Tim in and healthy, the Spurs will get plenty of wide open shots. Phoenix is a little more difficult since they play passing lanes more than straight up, so a lot of balls get tipped, but you get a lot more open looks. If the Spurs shooters (including Horry and Bonner, who may be important to pull the second big out of the lane) are hitting a fair percentage, the Spurs will beat either team in a seven game series, most likely.
Suns don't scare me.
Spurs biggest obstacles in the playoffs: Lakers, Mavs, and Jazz in that order. I think other teams may push them to 6 or even 7 games depending on who the matchup is. And I think that first round matchup may in turn affect how much energy or gas the Spurs have remaining in their tanks for the remainder of the playoffs.
That's the thing about this year's playoffs; it could go any way depending on where the seeding falls. Right now 3-6 match up in the first round is Spurs and Mavs. Now I think that series would be draining and could go to 6 or 7 games. Now if the Lakers had the first spot and play the Rockets for example, I think the Lakers can take the Rockets in 5 games. That means they may be a lot more rested for the winner of Spurs-Mavs. This goes on and on.
A healthy Spurs team, if they're hitting their stride has a good chance of beating any team in the West. There's no clear cut favorite this year. I think it's just going to come down to which of the top contenders has the favorable opponent and easiest playoff route.
Why is it that Ghost assumes the Spurs are running 4Down every play?
Funny he mentions the '01 and '02 playoffs. It's good to review those years. In '01 the Spurs main penetrator was Derek Anderson who was knocked out thanks to Juwan Howard with a shoulder injury and missed the first few games of the '01 WCF series. When he came back he wasn't even 100%. Lest we forget the Spurs' best perimeter threat after him was a Sean Elliott who had recently returned from kidney transplant surgery. Spurs get trounced.
Moving to the '02 playoffs, the Spurs add Bowen in the summer of 2001 as well as point guard whose experience consisted of playing for Paris Basket Racing. The Spurs do much better against the Lakers this time around and didn't embarass themselves.
Now...2003. The Spurs bring in their '99 draft pick, the best player in Europe, Emmanuel Ginobili. In addition, Stephen Jackson is brought into the rotation. With the offensive perimeter threats and Bowen working his magic against Kobe the Spurs finally drop the Kobe-Shaq Lakers in the postseason.
Again, I'm not sure how much today's Spurs have in common with those 2001 and 2002 playoff teams. The Spurs are certainly much better situated at the guard spots today than they were in either of those seasons.
Casper will never figure out Spurs basketball. Why is it that he assumes the Spurs are just Duncan and that's it? Does he even understand the caliber of talent the Spurs have on the perimeter? Does he realize that 4Down is only a minor part of their offensive game plan these days? I know Parker and Ginobili weren't traded for, but his dismissal of their talent belies an outright ignorance of what has won the Spurs 3 NBA championships in the last 5 seasons.
He'll also never realize how good he has it. I'm not about to guess as to what personal tragedy has befallen him that has led to this sudden outbreak of forum cathartic whinyness.
Um, the current crop of Spurs is not as good as the 2003 edition, pal.
They remind me more of the old, injured '01 and '02 teams.
The motion works a lot better when Parker is playing and healthy.
I realize how good we have it.
Too bad you and the front office don't.
Which didn't have Emmanuel Ginobili or any guard of Finley or Barry's ability in the rotation.
The motion works a lot better when Parker is playing and healthy.
I realize how good we have it.
Too bad you and the front office don't.Sure. Which is why you are panicking like a 16 year old chick who's missed her period.
Have Phoenix and LA Lakers improved, Holt's Cat?
Question.
Well, I haven't read the entire thread but I also think that the Spurs will have their hands full with the Lakers. They have a HUGE frontcourt and have Fisher and Kobe. I would like the see the Spurs pick up another good defensive big. The Spurs will have to play their best basketball to win it all this year.
I don't know how to judge the Shaq deal. If he gets healthy he could be a force again. His problem is his age and injury. If he is not healthy come playoff time the Suns have no shot at winning it all.
I don't think Phoenix has, unless Shaq undergoes a miraculous recovery. He wasn't good enough this season when he was on the court to carry his team above .500. In the Eastern Conference. Marion's defense, rebounding, and offense were important for the Suns against the Spurs.
Picking up Gasol for Kwame Brown isn't a bad trade obviously, but Gasol isn't the defensive stalwart you seem to believe he is.
Anyways, the Lakers haven't improved enough to take out the Spurs in a 7 game series, so find something else to whine about.
I think this team is very different than the teams they had in 2001 and 2002 for two specific reasons:
1. The 2001 team could get run down easily by the Lakers, who pressured the point guards for long stretches and wore them down by making it difficult to even bring it up. When Terry Porter's legs left him in 2001, the Spurs were done. The 2002 team didn't have that problem specifically, but they were facing a 2-time champion with a 19-year-old point guard and a team of guys who hadn't been through many playoff battles, whether individually or as a group. That team certainly wasn't as battle-tested as this team is.
2. Manu Ginobili is very much a different player (on both ends) than either the Derek Anderson/Antonio Daniels combo from 2001 or Steve Smith from 2002. (EDIT: I see Mar . . . .er Holt's Cat beat me to the punch on that one. I'd agree that the guys who were in the rotation for the 2002 Spurs -- mostly Charles Smith and Antonio Daniels -- were anywhere near as good or as dangerous as Barry and Finley are).
Finley and Barry are better than Smith back then as well. Does Ghost actually watch Spurs games?
I disagree a little.
Marion was great hounding Parker, true. But he thrived offensively when Stoudamire was on the bench. If Shaq is productive, it will allow the Suns to play in the halfcourt and Stoudamire to abuse our frontcourt.
Gasol rebounds and blocks shots and can help defend Duncan. Again, he can kill Oberto/Elson/Horry. Bowen has never slowed down Kobe and with the emergence of Bynum and the acquisition of Gasol, the Lakers certainly have enough to beat our geriatric, hobbled team.
I'm not saying they will.
I am saying the challenge has never been greater.
Yet we stand pat.
:shakesheadindisgust
Bowen has slowed Bryant down. The key is that he forces Bryant into low shooting %s due to increasing the degree of difficulty of his shots and keeping him away from the hoop. But the real key is that he allows the Spurs to guard him one on one and focus on shutting the other 4 guys down. What double team are the Lakers going to force the Spurs into throwing at them? Gasol doesn't change that.
Lest we forget that on the defensive end the Lakers haven't really improved against the Spurs with that trade. But, I know, the Spurs' offense consists solely of 4Down and Terry Porter, Steve Smith, and Danny Ferry on the perimeter, or whatever your crack addled brain believes today.
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