Expect Popavitch to adjust to the Diaw mismatch

[Hat]

And DA will have no friggin' clue on how to fix it.

Pops will probably also start to guard Bell more. Expect him to have an off night. Someone else is going to have to pick up the slack, either Gears or LB.

 

[Chaplin]

Well, duh. Of course he's going to try to adjust. The thing is, he has no answer for Diaw. The biggest issue we'll have is whether Diaw will play with the urgency he played with today or revert to his normal self. It's all up to Boris, not Popovich.

 

[LV-Suns]

When is Hill is coming back? An other mismatch we could use when Bowen switches to Nash.

lol

 

[GorrilaLips]

And DA will have no friggin' clue on how to fix it.

Pops will probably also start to guard Bell more. Expect him to have an off night. Someone else is going to have to pick up the slack, either Gears or LB.

Pops is one of the craziest coaches when it comes to strategizing and drawing up war games with opposing teams, etc. I bet he's an awesome chess player. Here's the deal, remember game 1 and 2 from the perimeter....they were putting hard stops on our outside shooters giving us next to nothing to shoot from the 3 point line. This game in particular, it took us 3 games to realize that mismatches can work in our favor, and pops is going to put Ginosebli and/or Duncan on someone like Diaw....no more Finley on him, just watch.

Bell wouldn't even have a look as Pops is going to throw Finley in his direction or even Barry to just guard Bell and his perimeter shots.

 

[Chaplin]

Pops is one of the craziest coaches when it comes to strategizing and drawing up war games with opposing teams, etc. I bet he's an awesome chess player. Here's the deal, remember game 1 and 2 from the perimeter....they were putting hard stops on our outside shooters giving us next to nothing to shoot from the 3 point line. This game in particular, it took us 3 games to realize that mismatches can work in our favor, and pops is going to put Ginosebli and/or Duncan on someone like Diaw....no more Finley on him, just watch.

Won't work. The only way that would happen is to have KT, Duncan and Oberto in at the same time, and Pops won't do that. My guess is he'll do some more frenetic double-teaming and letting Duncan roam a little bit more on the low block to neutralize Diaw's post-up. The problem with that, of course, is that it will free up guys like Shaq and Amare--and since Boris is such a good passer, that strategy could backfire.

It'll be interesting to see what he does.

 

[Hat]

Well, duh. Of course he's going to try to adjust. The thing is, he has no answer for Diaw. The biggest issue we'll have is whether Diaw will play with the urgency he played with today or revert to his normal self. It's all up to Boris, not Popovich.

He has Horry, Oberto, KT, and even Duncan to guard Boris.

 

[Chaplin]

He has Horry, Oberto, KT, and even Duncan to guard Boris.

It didn't work in this game. Pops is a brilliant in-game coach, why didn't he change anything in this game? It's not like he gave up in the 2nd quarter.

 

[Bayless2Budinger]

Thing thing is Amare having a off-night tonight will benefit the SUns because even if Popovich adjusts, we have another option that wasnt there last game.

 

[Cheesewater]

He has Horry, Oberto, KT, and even Duncan to guard Boris.

But two of those guys will be in foul trouble due to the intentional fouling of O'Neal ploy.

 

[GorrilaLips]

Won't work. The only way that would happen is to have KT, Duncan and Oberto in at the same time, and Pops won't do that. My guess is he'll do some more frenetic double-teaming and letting Duncan roam a little bit more on the low block to neutralize Diaw's post-up. The problem with that, of course, is that it will free up guys like Shaq and Amare--and since Boris is such a good passer, that strategy could backfire.

It'll be interesting to see what he does.

Good point, but Pops has been known to throw in a few wrenches in the gears of predictability. If you watched this game, they tried to have Duncan do the double team jump to whoever was in the hole...problem was, he was tremendously focused on Shaq/Amare etc. Can't do two things at once....so that is what Pops has to work around. Like you brought up, if diaw is doubled, we all know that he is good at kicking out to one of our big guys in the lane, or out up atop on the perimeter....than it's lights out.

 

[GorrilaLips]

But two of those guys will be in foul trouble due to the intentional fouling of O'Neal ploy.

Pops gave up on the Hack a shaq as not only a backfire...but IT DID NOT TAKE AWAY THE INTENSITY OF THE PHOENIX SUNS. Despite what Nash had said....that it did take some momentum, untrue as we watched this game and it didn't do nothing, so pops ended it abruptly. Not only that, but once Shaq starts hitting them...it's not the 1/0 point trade off for SA's 2 points.....

it was becoming to look more like 2 for 2 with SA in foul trouble.

 

[Hat]

But two of those guys will be in foul trouble due to the intentional fouling of O'Neal ploy.

No he subs in Vaughn and Udoka (sp?) for that job.

 

[Hat]

It didn't work in this game. Pops is a brilliant in-game coach, why didn't he change anything in this game? It's not like he gave up in the 2nd quarter.

I don't know, maybe he saw the lead in 2nd quarter as too much?

All Pops has to do is put a big body on Boris, and exploit his weakness to NOT go to the basket. For whatever reason it scares him to take it to the basket. This is when our other guys going to have to step it up.

 

[Cheesebeef]

It didn't work in this game. Pops is a brilliant in-game coach, why didn't he change anything in this game? It's not like he gave up in the 2nd quarter.

I think when we immediately boosted the lead from 12 to 21 with 5 minutes left, he knew the game was over, at least over enough not to give anything away for the next game that they'll win.

my bet? They take Finley off Boris (and put Oberto on him) and switch him over to Amare who has no post game whatsoever and is an offensive foul machine.

 

[GorrilaLips]

I don't know, maybe he saw the lead in 2nd quarter as too much?

All Pops has to do is put a big body on Boris, and exploit his weakness to NOT go to the basket. For whatever reason it scares him to take it to the basket. This is when our other guys going to have to step it up.

Sounds too simple, as Pops is going 3 more steps ahead....he's thinking way ahead as just placing a big body on Boris, will result to other players being utilized and more scoring opportunities.....the power of diminishing returns.

Stopping one thing, may lead to another thing/problem for him, than stopping that, will result in thirdly...something else.

he will try to take the better of the two and hope the third outcome is worst than the other two.

Case in point ,stopping Diaw down low, than preventing Amare/Shaq up close also, than having to hope for the suns to miss the outside perimeters or have to shoot up further with a double teamer's hand in their face.

 

[Bufalay]

horry will play more

 

[SirStefan32]

my bet? They take Finley off Boris (and put Oberto on him) and switch him over to Amare who has no post game whatsoever and is an offensive foul machine.

I don't know about that one cheese. Dirty Boris should be able to destroy Oberto, and Amare should be able to dunk of Finley every time.

 

[CardinalsFan11]

I think Pop will have his smaller guys (Finley and Manu) try to front Boris more often, with Duncan or Oberto there to rotate over on any entry passes. That will force Boris to either attempt a contested shot over a big guy, which he isn't fond of, or pass it out to a cutting Amare (I can see the charge in my head right now) or to a covered 3 point shooter.

 

[az1965]

When is Hell is coming back?

Its already here. We are in first round Hell right now.

 

[The Man In Black]

IMHO, Pop will sit Damon Stoudamire and dress up 1 Matt Bonner to harass Diaw from pillar to post. But you guys wouldn't think of that right? It will be physical and Bonner isn't adverse to that kind of game and his shooting touch will help open up the middle again for Parker & Ginobili.

 

[az1965]

Huh? Damon was in the game only because the game was over in 3rd quarter today.

 

[CardinalsFan11]

Playing Bonnor could be a possibility. But I'm not so sure about his shooting touch opening up the middle of the floor. I'd pinch the lane until he showed me he could make a couple

 

[Suns_fan69]

I think Horry did a decent job on diaw and I'll expect him to get a lot more time game 5.

 

[sLapzsHaQ]

Just bench Amare, he's the reason why the Suns are losing...

 

[Hat]

I think Horry did a decent job on diaw and I'll expect him to get a lot more time game 5.

Yep, he's a decent sized guy, and get hit the 3 on the other end.

He will give the Suns trouble again, like last year...