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hopefully spurs are reading the headlines and are planing to counter that
the key is tp in the first to set the tone
DRIVE TONY PICK DUNCAN AND NAZR
I don't know how many of you read the E-N today, but online in one of the articles it mentions that Karl says he's going to focus on taking away Tony and Manu's driving lanes.
Know what that means? You're going to see LA's defense they used on Tony last year, i.e., pack in the lane with the whole team and make us beat them from outside.
That's dangerous to me, we're gonna have to hit from three. I think if we're gonna beat it Barry and Horry are going to have to open things up for us from outside.
I'd also like to see more pick and roll involving Tony.
Thoughts, comments?
hopefully spurs are reading the headlines and are planing to counter that
the key is tp in the first to set the tone
DRIVE TONY PICK DUNCAN AND NAZR
As long as Timmy is setting screens, Tony will have a lane. They'll knock him down, and he may not want to go back in, but Manu will keep going. He doesn't care if he gets knocked down. He spends a lot of time down there anyway.
If you concentrate in one area, you won't in another. The team can only focus on so many things at once. Last year the Lakers packed the lane and we didn't beat them from outside. Now the Spurs have Brent Barry, Beno Udrih, and Glenn Robinson to change that up a bit. This is in addition to Manu, Bowen, and possibly Parker.
Last game, Brent proved he could hit. The great thing about Barry is that he makes the defense play him honestly. Leave him open, and he's money. Starting him will stretch the defense from the getgo. Watch for the Spurs to hit him early, and often as kind of a warning to the Nuggets.
Also, the addition of Glenn Robinson should prove to be the downfall to the "pack the lane" strategy. It was VERY a underrated signing. Some people forget that this is the guy who terrorized the Spurs with the Bucks in route to two All-Star appearances.
bottom line: The Nuggets can change and adapt all they want. But one way or the other, the Spurs will beat them. That's what makes them so scary. And that's what will carry them to their third championship.
I agree for the most part. I wonder about Karl though - he's made a point to tell everyone and everything what he's planning to do in game three. I wonder if he isn't just blowing smoke to some extent. I know you can't really keep what you want to do secret when the adjustments you have to make are obvious, but he's been pretty vocal about what he wants to do.
That having been said, it's obvious that he will try to get Manu and Parker to shoot jump shots. Pick and roll with Tony and Tim will work. It's also important that Manu occassionally catches the ball closer to the hoop. He doesn't have to post up per se, but if he could come off of some picks without the ball and receive passes ten feet away from the basket or less, he'd have a ton of options. The Spurs aren't always good at getting players free, and they might have to see what they can do to make that happen tonight.
To me, it still comes down to Duncan. He's either going to dominate again and make the Nuggets double him and open things up for the perimeter guys, or he's going to struggle again and the Nuggets will have an easier time defending everyone. He's very patient and sees the floor very well, but it's important that he catches the ball sometimes and makes his move quickly. The LA defensive strategy worked so well because he let it work so well. If he catches the ball with single coverage, he has to make a move immediately before a double team can come. That's how he can beat that defensive strategy.
Time for big dog to make a statement to MR GEORGE KARL
Treys are gonna be a key early in the game...imo
It would make Denver's defense more spread and everything would be easier then...
Same as any Spurs game against a solid opponent. If Spurs are stone cold from outside they'll be lucky to win. If they're knocking them down from outside they'll be impossible to beat. In between it will be a close game. If their struggling from outside I hope Robinson gets a run. When he's on he alone can carry a team.
One bit of great news, Salvatorre is reffing the Wash - Chi game.
Bavetta doing Hous - Dall.
Spurs may have a shot at one of the Crawfords, hopefully Joey.
Last edited by picnroll; 04-30-2005 at 04:54 PM.
That has been a regular strategy by a lot of teams the one big difference is that Camby, Martin and Nene don't impose that huge weight and strength of the Malone and Shag combo. I think if the refs call it right, the Nuggets will be in foul trouble.
The key phrase is weather the storm, if the Spurs allow the Nuggets to play their game, they are in trouble. If they continue to defend like they did Wed. night, it may not be a runaway but they should be able to control the game for a win.
I agree, and big ups on the correct grammar and spelling, ducks.
Treys would be nice, but if they "pack it in" like LA did, an 18 foot jumper will kill them, and it will be available. Big Dog time.Treys are gonna be a key early in the game...imo
It would make Denver's defense more spread and everything would be easier then...
I'm not sure how much to worry about the third quarter of the last game, when the Nugs were able to make a run by going to zone.
I think Karl will probably do what he says.
Spurs' best answer to the zone is Barry and whatever we can get from Big Dog.
TP drive and kick time tonight?
thanksI agree, and big ups on the correct grammar and spelling, ducks.
Looks like we'll have to run alot of pick and roll plays and horry, barry, ginobili, and bowen has to step it up on 3s. as long as we have a strong defense, we'll be fine. defense wins championships.
Even if it would mean to move from the 4 down offense, I would like Timmy involved in pick n rolls with Manu and Tony. Pulling Camby or Martin out of the paint and Manu or Tony driving to the rim. Then they can choose to pass it to Tim, who has to shot from his range, or to an open shooter (Bowen, Horry or Barry).
The role players could try this a little to, like Nazr and Devin, just to clear the path to the rim. And of course, hitting the three points is extremly important too. The minutes that Beno gets he should distribute the ball wisely, avoding easy turnovers so Denver can't run, because if the Nuggets are able to run a lot, the Spurs will have it very difficult.
It's one thing to say it, and another to do it (take away the driving lanes).
Let's see how they do.
Denver doesn't have Shaq to plug the lane. Instead they have Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby. Enough said.
I'm glad Denver is going to do this. The Spurs need to be tested and see if they learned anything from last year. If they are going to win the le, they are going to hvae to get past any defense. Two years ago Game 3 vs. Phoenix, we hit threes and that helped us win the game. Last year we weren't faced with a must win until the second round, and we failed. Let's see if we can get it right this year.
I thought Denver actually did a pretty good job using that strategy at points in Game 1, and they took advantage of Tony Parker's tendency to stop his penetration when he is met with a body at the rim or hit on the way. Tony stopped penetrating, and the Spurs offense suffered. That said, had the Spurs gone 2-17 or 3-17 during that 4th Quarter stretch, the Spurs would have likely won Game 1.
If Karl does as he says he will, I'd like to see the Spurs run a lot of high 1-4 screen/rolls, particularly if the Nuggets are going to throw bodies at Parker, because that strategy should create opportunities to get Timmy some good looks and get him going. If they don't run screen/rolls, it is imperative that the Spurs collapse the defense, kick and swing the ball -- I thought that the Spurs could have found scoring opportunities against LA last year by kicking and swinging the ball to another penetrator, who could exploit a scrambling defense's inability to recover and stay true to its scheme. That's easier said than done, and it depends largely upon jump shooters actually making some shots.
Regardless of anything else they do, the Spurs MUST get back in transition and slow the Nuggets break. Dunks and layups will get that crowd energized and instill some confidence in the Nuggets. The Spurs would do well to avoid both of those things.
The Nuggets are likely going to come out looking to throw a haymaker (like the Spurs did in Game 2) and the balance of the series might depend on whether the Spurs beat them to the punch or take the hit, but stand in and fight.
I agree. That is the first thing packing the lane will do: pile on fouls for the Nuggets.
And the al ude won't be a factor if the Spurs play Spurs ball.
Again, we don't need any more injuries...I'm hoping for a win that won't cost us any injured players. I would love to shut up the mcnugget trolls saying that no team can win in Denver unless their jerseys say "Phoenix" on them.
drive to the hole and draw fouls.
Barry, and Big Dog will need to be on.
If mid range shots is what we need, Big Dog, Beno Udrih, Duncan, and Ginobili need to bag their shots.
Parker too.
Regarding Big Dog, the last couple of games, he seemed to get the ball with awkward positioning at times. It would be nice to see Pop dig into his archives and pull out some small forward plays. Coming off a screen, the guy is deadly. It's when he gets the ball as a last resort and has to post up or create his own shot that he tends to clank 'em (though not as badly as another SF who shall remain nameless).
about prob 40% of his points in his career came from the post up.has to post up
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