Built Ford Tough Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Tim Duncan: 32 mpgManu Ginobili: 26.3 mpgTony Parker: 35 mpg They have made quick work of both the Jazz and Clippers, yet Pop has still managed to moderate their minutes and keep them from any potential burnout. It is amazing how they've been able to dominate both the Clippers and Jazz and yet these guys are barely playing more than they did in the regular season. Meanwhile, you have guys like Kobe, James, Wade, Rondo, Granger, West and Durant who are all logging 39+ minutes a night and Pierce, Garnett, Holiday and Iguodala playing 37+ a night. I'm not saying they will break down or anything, but it just goes to show how great the Spurs really have been in the playoffs so far. Basically every other team has had to ride their stars into the ground, while Pop is able to win games and keep his big three well rested for the upcoming rounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted May 21, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I could type a huge explanation as to why this damn team is so good, but simply put, they can play two different tempos effectively...and for me, that's what it comes down to. You can't slow the game down, because the Spurs can go straight into "Duncan mode" and drag you through the mud, and you can't pick up the pace, because they can use their fresh legs + Tony Parker and take you out of the game again. Last year, the "complete team" was Dallas, and we saw what they did. This season, it seems to be the Spurs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YugoRocketsFan Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 The Spurs-Thunder matchup should be interesting because the Spurs have only faced teams with a lot of weaknesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I would point to Pop and the coaching staff more than anything. He has every single player on his roster programmed into his system. It's amazing after watching Lakers consistently crossing half court at the 17 sec mark while at that time the Spurs are already running a pick and roll and running their sets. Even the bench is efficient at it. Sure the stars are good, but if you look at the bench/role players they'll normally have great stat lines under this system. For example in this last Clipper game, you have Gary Neal at 14 points in 7 fg attempts in 14 mins. Could Stephen Jackson, Tiago Splitter, Borris Diaw, Matt Bonner, Patty Mills, etc. do the same? With how precise this system is run, yes. They can and they will. It's almost cliche to me now to say that the Spurs "will always get the shot they want," but it's true. They won't be perfect forever though. A good team may be able to disrupt the flow, but during their run the spurs have been really focused on defense too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finch23 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 The Spurs-Thunder matchup should be interesting because the Spurs have only faced teams with a lot of weaknesses. The OKC big three does pose a problem, but the most effective way to beat the Spurs is low post scoring. The Thunder do not have great low post scorers like the Clippers, and I think San Antonio's perimeter defense of Parker, Ginobili, Jackson, Leonard, and Green will be enough to slow them down. Parker has been great defensively this year and played CP3 fantastic. Westbrook will be another challenge, but I think Parker will do fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YugoRocketsFan Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 The OKC big three does pose a problem, but the most effective way to beat the Spurs is low post scoring. The Thunder do not have great low post scorers like the Clippers, and I think San Antonio's perimeter defense of Parker, Ginobili, Jackson, Leonard, and Green will be enough to slow them down. Parker has been great defensively this year and played CP3 fantastic. Westbrook will be another challenge, but I think Parker will do fine. Funny you say this because the Jazz and Clippers both had great post threats and couldn't win a single game. I think the Thunder have what it takes to dominate the Spurs, they are very athletic, quick, yet can slow it down so Spurs changing the tempo won't have much of an effect as it did on the Clippers/Jazz, and not to mention that the Thunder have everything they need to counter the Spurs big 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Built Ford Tough Posted May 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 The thing is, Griffin isn't a low post threat. His offense is basically all slashing and finishing. You can't really dump the ball into the post and tell him to go score you a basket. Same thing with Millsap in the Jazz series. They did have Jefferson who is a great low post scorer, but he also doesn't have a significant size advantage either to pair with his post game. Guys like Bynum are very difficult for San Antonio because not only can he score in the low post, he has a significant size advantage. Gasol as well, although not to the same degree. I believe those were the type of bigs that Finch was refering to, not guys like Griffin or Millsap. EDIT: Just to be clear, I'm not saying they will run through the Thunder or anything like that. I do think they will win, but I'd be surprised if it was in less than 6 games. I'm just elobrating on the Spurs vulnerability to talented size like Bynum or Gasol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted May 21, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I wouldn't say the Spurs have THAT much trouble against low-post scoring. They weren't picked apart by our bigs, in any of the three games we played them. Bynum struggled in one of those games, shot 7-20, and in another, he couldn't the amount of shots he wanted, despite us feeding him the ball every now and then. Drew tore them up on the glass once, with that 30 rebound game, but that was all due to Blair being on him. Once Popovich realized how much Blair was hurting them against the bigger, longer centers in the game (and making Duncan work a bit too much in the process), he started playing Splitter and Duncan together in that second game against us, which was part of the reason why we were blown out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JYD Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Anything less than a Championship for S.A. this year would be a major disappointment. They've been balling out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finch23 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Funny you say this because the Jazz and Clippers both had great post threats and couldn't win a single game. I think the Thunder have what it takes to dominate the Spurs, they are very athletic, quick, yet can slow it down so Spurs changing the tempo won't have much of an effect as it did on the Clippers/Jazz, and not to mention that the Thunder have everything they need to counter the Spurs big 3. Thunder are not a great half court team on offense. They thrive off of turnovers and transition basketball. San Antonio just so happens to be a very good transition defensive team, and they lead the league in fewest turnovers. Parker is on another level defensively this year and he will give Westbrook problems. Between Green, Leonard, Manu, and SJax the Spurs should be able to throw multiple looks at Harden and frustrate him. Spurs literally have 10 guys who can have big impacts in the games on a nightly basis. The Thunder rely so heavily on their big three. I like the Spurs depth in this series..... BTW how is Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan "great post threats"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finch23 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Anything less than a Championship for S.A. this year would be a major disappointment. They've been balling out. This..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finch23 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I wouldn't say the Spurs have THAT much trouble against low-post scoring. They weren't picked apart by our bigs, in any of the three games we played them. Bynum struggled in one of those games, shot 7-20, and in another, he couldn't the amount of shots he wanted, despite us feeding him the ball every now and then. Drew tore them up on the glass once, with that 30 rebound game, but that was all due to Blair being on him. Once Popovich realized how much Blair was hurting them against the bigger, longer centers in the game (and making Duncan work a bit too much in the process), he started playing Splitter and Duncan together in that second game against us, which was part of the reason why we were blown out. The addition of Diaw and Splitter over Blair sure helped counter the Lakers size, but that is still the key to beating the Spurs. I still think that the Lakers are a bigger nightmare for San Antonio then the Thunder are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finch23 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 The thing is, Griffin isn't a low post threat. His offense is basically all slashing and finishing. You can't really dump the ball into the post and tell him to go score you a basket. Same thing with Millsap in the Jazz series. They did have Jefferson who is a great low post scorer, but he also doesn't have a significant size advantage either to pair with his post game. Guys like Bynum are very difficult for San Antonio because not only can he score in the low post, he has a significant size advantage. Gasol as well, although not to the same degree. I believe those were the type of bigs that Finch was refering to, not guys like Griffin or Millsap. EDIT: Just to be clear, I'm not saying they will run through the Thunder or anything like that. I do think they will win, but I'd be surprised if it was in less than 6 games. I'm just elobrating on the Spurs vulnerability to talented size like Bynum or Gasol. I completely missed this post, well said BFT. That is exactly what I was trying to say. I am in no way saying the Spurs will have a easy series, and I do think it will go 6-7 games but this San Antonio team is legit and has always matched up well with the Thunder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkinDerozan Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 They have been extremely impressive so far this post season. I still think they won't be able to handle OKC, but that may be one hell off a series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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