It's not worth hand-wringing about.

[midnightpulp]

The Spurs are actually maximizing their potential given their roster. Danny is finally back (50% from 3 in Jan.). LMA has worked out in 95% of the games. Parker has resurged on all levels, from offense to defense. Kawhi is the best two way player in the league. Duncan, while banged up right now, has remained his stalwart self. And the bench is one of the best in league.

There's really nothing to "improve" with this team from a rotation or strategy standpoint. And if the Warriors didn't exist, we'd living it up on here and pretty much be dusting off the shelf for number 6.

I'm not going to bemoan our luck or situation, since the Basketball Gods have smiled on us plenty of times, but yes, it does kind of suck that what could be the best team in franchise history exists at the same time as what could be the best team (by far) in NBA history. It's gotten to the point that when the Warriors win by "only" 15, I start believing they're "vulnerable."

The optimists will be rolling their eyes here. No. I'm not giving up. We have a puncher's chance, and maybe (but improbably) the Warriors are just riding a variance streak right now and will come back down to Earth. I'm just highlighting a reason for a lot of the angst and argument on here lately is because we're trying to measure ourselves up against the Warriors, trying to figure out a formula (more touches for Kawhi, more Simmons, less Danny, small ball, limiting Tony's minutes, etc) when there is none. Curry is having the best season in NBA history and is surrounded by a perfect complementary roster who are all in their primes and playing at their peak.

And again, no, I'm not giving up. Just saying it's not worth stressing over. There's no magic lineups. Or strategies. They're just better, but hopefully we can land a surprise knockout punch somehow, and win the what would be the greatest le in franchise history (even sweeter, imo, than 5).

[G-Dawgg]

Bottom line: Golden State has the heart of a champion and are prepared to defend their le. The Spurs apparently are too scared to compete with them and started crying when they got punched in the nose rather than fighting back. I love my Spurs, but they were too scared to stand up to the bully on Monday night. They need to find their balls if they are to compete with Golden State. , we keep comparing our team to Golden State, but what about OKC? How do we know that the Spurs can even beat OKC? No matter what our record is or how highly ranked our offense/defense is at the end of the year, if the Spurs play like scared pussies against OKC and turn the ball over or miss easy shots like they did against the Warriors then we'd lose to them in a 7 game series too....
.....

[100%duncan]

It was a road game without our leader holding LMA's and Kawhi's hands. Chill. It was an expected loss, we're still the 2nd best team in the league. Stay healthy, peak at the right time, that's all we can ask for imho.

[DarrinS]

If the Spurs played their best basketball at Oracle and lost by 30, then I'd be wringing my hands.

[midnightpulp]

It was a road game without our leader holding LMA's and Kawhi's hands. Chill. It was an expected loss, we're still the 2nd best team in the league. Stay healthy, peak at the right time, that's all we can ask for imho.

I'm perfectly chill. My essential point is that it's not worth writing dissertations on and stressing over (or throwing players under the bus) about "How do we beat the Warriors?"

This is just re ed









I'm cool with our Buster Douglas role. Let's shock the world

[Chinook]

Of course there's a strategy to beat the Warriors. And I think the Spurs know what it is already. That the Spurs are maximizing their potential (which they're not) in general does not mean that they played their best against Golden State. Like seriously. And in general, the Spurs have been a more dominant team, so I really don't get the basis for this thread.

[100%duncan]

I'm perfectly chill. My essential point is that it's not worth writing dissertations on and stressing over (or throwing players under the bus) about "How do we beat the Warriors?"

This is just re ed









I'm cool with our Buster Douglas role. Let's shock the world

That loss is not worth stressing about but we can talk about strategies imho, not that it would matter. And yes Steph is on another stratosphere but its not like the Spurs playerd really well and didnt the bed last game.

[midnightpulp]

Of course there's a strategy to beat the Warriors. And I think the Spurs know what it is already. That the Spurs are maximizing their potential (which they're not) in general does not mean that they played their best against Golden State. Like seriously. And in general, the Spurs have been a more dominant team, so I really don't get the basis for this thread.

What is it?

Overpower them with size? They swarm post-offenses into committing turnovers/rushing shots. They also get away with a ludicrous amount of contact in the paint.

Match them with small ball? Can't. They're already the best small ball team of all-time.

Beautiful game? They're adept at deflecting passes.

There's only 2 strategies I can think of:

Cut the head off the snake. I used to think letting Curry get his and shutting everyone else down was the answer, but I just don't think that is feasible. In the above graph, you see how Curry only shoots 4-25 with defenders less than 2 feet from him. It's a small sample size, but Cleveland employed a smothering tactic with Delly and it slowed him down. Parker can't press Curry and run the offense at the same time, so I think it's going to take a team effort of Danny, Manu, Simmons (who has good footspeed), and Kawhi pressing the out of him. One guy gets tired, sub the other in. Pick him up at half court and stick to him as much as you can. Try to turn him into a passer and see if choker Klay Thompson or Raymond (who will be down there matched up with the much longer LMA or Duncan) can beat you. Harrison Barnes and Iggy really don't scare me, and if they do beat us, tip of the hat.

Relentless penetration. They have no shot blocking. In the past, a younger Tony used to shred those s. If Tony can stay spry, Manu has a resurgence, Simmons grows more, and Kawhi improves his dribble drive game (which he's been doing), we might have enough weapons.

[raybies]

If the Spurs played their best basketball at Oracle and lost by 30, then I'd be wringing my hands.

This.

[Robz4000]

What is it?

Overpower them with size? They swarm post-offenses into committing turnovers/rushing shots. They also get away with a ludicrous amount of contact in the paint.

Match them with small ball? Can't. They're already the best small ball team of all-time.

Beautiful game? They're adept at deflecting passes.

There's only 2 strategies I can think of:

Cut the head off the snake. I used to think letting Curry get his and shutting everyone else down was the answer, but I just don't think that is feasible. In the above graph, you see how Curry only shoots 4-25 with defenders less than 2 feet from him. It's a small sample size, but Cleveland employed a smothering tactic with Delly and it slowed him down. Parker can't press Curry and run the offense at the same time, so I think it's going to take a team effort of Danny, Manu, Simmons (who has good footspeed), and Kawhi pressing the out of him. One guy gets tired, sub the other in. Pick him up at half court and stick to him as much as you can. Try to turn him into a passer and see if choker Klay Thompson or Raymond (who will be down there matched up with the much longer LMA or Duncan) can beat you. Harrison Barnes and Iggy really don't scare me, and if they do beat us, tip of the hat.

Relentless penetration. They have no shot blocking. In the past, a younger Tony used to shred those s. If Tony can stay spry, Manu has a resurgence, Simmons grows more, and Kawhi improves his dribble drive game (which he's been doing), we might have enough weapons.

Still think it's the same tactic as always: Green on Curry, Kawhi on Klay, Parker on Barnes/Iggy. Pop only threw out those defensive assignments for a possession or two Monday and despite what was said about Kawhi's defense, whoever was guarded by him did struggle.

[DMC]

Spurs might never see the Warriors in the playoffs. Worry about getting there 1st.

Having a great season most often doesnt equate to a ring regardless of what scoreboarders preach. I just want a good season. A ring would be great though.

[midnightpulp]

Still think it's the same tactic as always: Green on Curry, Kawhi on Klay, Parker on Barnes/Iggy. Pop only threw out those defensive assignments for a possession or two Monday and despite what was said about Kawhi's defense, whoever was guarded by him did struggle.

Yeah, no problem with that. The question is how will Green (and the other players who will take turns on Curry) defend Curry?

Smother him? Or just play standard 3-4 feet away defense, which Curry will shred?

There's also combating the issue of the avalanche of moving screens GS runs for him.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

Pop knows how to beat them. Spurs have the Players to beat them. Pop just wanted to the Spurs to taste defeat so they take their game to even a higher level, much like last night

If Green and Patty start shooting their usually 42% from 3 consistently, KA and Simmons continue to develop, LMA plays like he is capable of from now on, and Boban as the Spurs Wildcard player, the Spurs have shown they can be the most dominate team in the league. This team is more than capable of beating GS. Pop just isn't one to show his hand early in the season to known playoff compe ors. Its frustrating but I have learned to live with it.

About the Rockets, they had only lost 3 (Cavs, Clips and Pistons) of their last 12 games coming into last night. And over the two months, they have only lost by double digits 3 times. Guess which team beat them 2 times by double digits. This is a team that use to give the Spurs fit now being completely owned by them.

[Robz4000]

Yeah, no problem with that. The question is how will Green (and the other players who will take turns on Curry) defend Curry?

Smother him? Or just play standard 3-4 feet away defense, which Curry will shred?

There's also combating the issue of the avalanche of moving screens GS runs for him.

Green generally gets pretty close when defending him iirc. Just needs to be careful not to foul him when he pumpfakes.

[UZER]

I think pop rolled the ball out and let them see where they were at on their own. Is not the end of the world. There is way more strategy involved playing them. That's not excusing the effort from some players, or dismissing worrisome things, or CIA Pop nonsense. But, now they have a game under their belt with film to breakdown.

[jag]

Pop may have wanted to see them humbled, but he certainly didn't want to see 25 turnovers. That's not a genius coach pulling strings, that's just the players reacting poorly to a swarming defense.

[raybies]

We'll be fine. I think there is alot of over analyzing. To put it simple we didn't play like ourselves. We turned the ball over, we fouled, we took bad shots etc. Let's see where we are at when we play them again like our normal selves. I see it as a tight ball game. We weren't disciplined and we just really played out of character. It was a good loss. Would rather have a team that is hungry than a team drunk with confidence. Some adversity is just gonna make us better.

[NameLess Scrub]

It's not worth stressing over because the Spurs can't do nothing. Keep blowing out the rest of the league.

The league depends on the Warriors getting colder shooting wise to have a chance.

You can't beat tough shot after tough shot. And I don't trust the refs will get to a point where moving screens and hacking get to be actually costly for the Warriors.

I can't wring my hands though.. there's not smiley for that here

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

Pop may have wanted to see them humbled, but he certainly didn't want to see 25 turnovers. That's not a genius coach pulling strings, that's just the players reacting poorly to a swarming defense.

That was the combination of sloppy play, no sets being run, and the Warriors getting away with a ton of fouls.

But it showed the Spurs what worked and didn't work playing a loose game. Game film is critical for the Spurs and they got a lot of it Monday night.

[Brazil]

The Spurs are actually maximizing their potential given their roster. Danny is finally back (50% from 3 in Jan.). LMA has worked out in 95% of the games. Parker has resurged on all levels, from offense to defense. Kawhi is the best two way player in the league. Duncan, while banged up right now, has remained his stalwart self. And the bench is one of the best in league.

There's really nothing to "improve" with this team from a rotation or strategy standpoint. And if the Warriors didn't exist, we'd living it up on here and pretty much be dusting off the shelf for number 6.

I'm not going to bemoan our luck or situation, since the Basketball Gods have smiled on us plenty of times, but yes, it does kind of suck that what could be the best team in franchise history exists at the same time as what could be the best team (by far) in NBA history. It's gotten to the point that when the Warriors win by "only" 15, I start believing they're "vulnerable."

The optimists will be rolling their eyes here. No. I'm not giving up. We have a puncher's chance, and maybe (but improbably) the Warriors are just riding a variance streak right now and will come back down to Earth. I'm just highlighting a reason for a lot of the angst and argument on here lately is because we're trying to measure ourselves up against the Warriors, trying to figure out a formula (more touches for Kawhi, more Simmons, less Danny, small ball, limiting Tony's minutes, etc) when there is none. Curry is having the best season in NBA history and is surrounded by a perfect complementary roster who are all in their primes and playing at their peak.

And again, no, I'm not giving up. Just saying it's not worth stressing over. There's no magic lineups. Or strategies. They're just better, but hopefully we can land a surprise knockout punch somehow, and win the what would be the greatest le in franchise history (even sweeter, imo, than 5).

That's a very good sumup and exactly what I think too

Spurs are a great team having an historical season but GSW is just something else... no reason to give up but the GSW are fluke, vulnerable, we match up well with them etc etc are delusional arguments

To stand a chance we need to be health, shooting, game plan at our peak and they need to slightly below their average... not impossible but odds are not with us

[Chinook]

What is it?

Overpower them with size? They swarm post-offenses into committing turnovers/rushing shots. They also get away with a ludicrous amount of contact in the paint.

Spurs should try shooting from the high post rather than the low post. Green's weakness isn't that he's small, but that he's short. Why people think short guys are easy to back down is something I'll never understand. But Aldridge and Anderson would be fine if they just faced up and used their shooting skills to loosen up the defense.

Match them with small ball? Can't. They're already the best small ball team of all-time.

Depends on what small-ball means. There's a reason why the Warriors aren't playing Green at center against the Spurs. But yeah, they could do a lot better by playing Anderson at the four for stretches. He can guard Barnes while Leonard guards Draymond.

Cut the head off the snake.

There's no point in making it a goal to stop Curry. Put Green/Parker on him and call it a day. Despite what ESPN kept saying, Danny had no problems checking Steph last game. I think that might be why Pop pulled him. Curry dropped 44 on the Spurs in Game One in 2013, but it was even clear in that game that Danny could guard him. Then Pop went to that over the rest of the series and shut Curry down. I think Pop doesn't want to give the Warriors a chance to adjust to Green, and he wants to give Kawhi some experience guarding Steph.

Anyway, the "head of the snake" is actually Draymond. Put Leonard on him and take away his passing. Curry will NOT beat the Spurs by himself. Parker can't guard Klay, but he can stay home on him behind the arc. I'm fine with Thompson dropping 30 if it takes him 25 touches to get there. So Anderson or Diaw just have to not let Barnes go off, and the normal lineup is pretty well locked up.

Relentless penetration.

You have to be urgent but not hasty. It's the same way the Spurs beat the Heat in 2014. The Warriors are jumping passing lanes because the Spurs aren't thinking about what they're doing. Guys are dribbing assuming their usual passing lanes will be open and then find themselves trapped when they aren't. So they have to change the game a bit, just like they did against the Heat with the Danny Cut and the Pacers did against the Heat with the short-roll. You stop being so predictable on offense, and you force the defense to think, and you end up getting your driving lanes back.

[Chinook]

People don't understand that swarming defenses aren't really all that good. They require a ton of energy and rely on gambles paying off. The Spurs adjusted to the Heat in 2014, so there's no reason to assume they won't adjust to the Warriors over the course of a series. , Memphis of all teams managed to beat the Warriors in a game. Of course the Spurs can beat them in a series.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

People don't understand that swarming defenses aren't really all that good. They require a ton of energy and rely on gambles paying off. The Spurs adjusted to the Heat in 2014, so there's no reason to assume they won't adjust to the Warriors over the course of a series. , Memphis of all teams managed to beat the Warriors in a game. Of course the Spurs can beat them in a series.

They did the same against OKC as well that same year. People fail to realize the Spurs are the best at adjusting to any team. Their track record has shown just that.

[Fireball]

good post ... OP ... I agree

[UNT Eagles 2016]

I think Steph Curry made a deal with the devil. Or, a djinn or something. It's the only legitimate explanation.