im scared of the Spurs

[DevonCardsFan]

Because the Spurs are oh so impressive against the Nuggets huh? -_-

LMAO good point

 

[JCSunsfan]

Right now, I am more scared of the Warriors.

They remind me A LOT of the 1976 Suns.

 

[Nasser22]

LMAO good point

2-1, same as what we were at a couple days ago and they do so good against us. I am worried about playing the Spurs, more than any other team. At least we have homecourt. I don't see them beating us if we take them to the last game.

 

[azirish]

The reason the Spurs are such a challenge is that you cannot afford to make mistakes against them: no sloppy passes, no contested jump shots, no dribbling into traffic, no standing around on offense or missed rotations on defense.

In watching their game with the Nuggets on Sat, the obvious problem for Denver was that they made a bunch of bad shots at crunch time. Yes, the Spurs have an excellant defense, but the problem was that the Nuggets lacked the patience to get better shots than Blake taking a 3 from thirty feet or Anthony taking a closely contested mide range shot that did not have a chance of going in.

On defense, the Nuggets were routinely doubling off Finley who kept killing them with three pointers. The Spurs offense seems to bait teams into doubling off Finley, and it clearly lost the Nuggets a chance to beat the Spurs.

The irony is that the Nuggets did not attack Finley on the other end of the court, despite the fact that he can't defend any (he never was very good and is now a lot slower). It takes patience and screens to create a one on one matchup against the other team's weak link, but the Nuggets kept trying to beat Bowen which makes no sense.

I worry about whether the Suns have the patience to attack the Spurs. The Suns cannot afford to go 7 of 23 for three against the Spurs. The Spurs will press the Suns shooters, so they have to play smart every time down the court.

 

[HooverDam]

I am not at all worried about a Suns-Spurs match up. They can't even slow Amare, KT does a good a job as anyone on KT, Nash can hide on Bowen, the Spurs center play is much weaker than its been in recent years, Michael Finley can't hit the broad side of the barn unless he's set and wide freakin' open, Marion does an OK job on Parker (needs more weakside help from Amare for blocks when he gets in the lane) and Bell does very good work on Ginobli. Big Shot Bob is dead, and the Spurs are much older, and shallower than they've been in years passed.

Obviously Im not calling a sweep, but I think the Suns could finish the Spurs off in 6.

 

[bigfoot]

I worry about whether the Suns have the patience to attack the Spurs.

My sentiments exactly. I believe that if the Suns remain consistent on defense and hustling, their offense, which is really tough to match, will eventually come through and win the game for them. So the question is whether they are mentally ready for tireless defense and unfaltering presence of mind.
GO SUNS!

 

[elindholm]

The Suns have beaten a full Spurs team something like once in the past three years. For them to win four games in two weeks would be an amazing feat, given their track record.

 

[PetryJr]

The Suns have beaten a full Spurs team something like once in the past three years. For them to win four games in two weeks would be an amazing feat, given their track record.

I agree. I think the Spurs do an excellent job taking the Suns out of what they like to do.

But it's not like the Suns haven't shown improvement against the Spurs over the last three years.

- Two years ago, the Spurs dominated the Suns in the regular season (2-1, their only loss happening without Duncan and Manu) and in the playoffs (4-1).

- Last year, the Spurs won the season series 2-1, but Nash didn't play in one of the Suns' losses.

- This year, the home team won every game. The Spurs won the first one in OT (after Raja missed a game-winning free throw), the Suns won the second game by double-digits and the Spurs won the third game.

So, for the last two years, it has looked pretty even. The Suns, at full strength, haven't lost at home to the Spurs in two years (of course, they played only twice under these conditions) and they would have homecourt advantage in the series.

 

[sunsfn]

When the suns play the Spurs, the key guy has to be Bell.

Against the Spurs Bell has to guard Manu and he absolutely has to score points for the suns to win. I think Amare will get his and Nash will get his. They usually put Bowen on Marion because they believe if they can shut down his constant play they can beat the suns. When we had a "healthy" Joe Johnson it made a huge difference because Bowen had to guard him, and he could not, so therefore getting points from Johnson and Marion and defense from both gave us a better chance to beat the Spurs.

 

[JCSunsfan]

The Suns have beaten a full Spurs team something like once in the past three years. For them to win four games in two weeks would be an amazing feat, given their track record.

The big problem with the Spurs seems to have always been Tony Parker. LB and Raja are going to have to improve defending him if the Suns are going to beat the Spurs.

Ginobili doesn't seem to be the same player he was when we met them in the WCF two years ago.

 

[elindholm]

The big problem with the Spurs seems to have always been Tony Parker. LB and Raja are going to have to improve defending him if the Suns are going to beat the Spurs.

Ginobili doesn't seem to be the same player he was when we met them in the WCF two years ago.

Agree with both points. In fact I think probably Marion will have to guard Parker and the Suns will gamble off of Bowen or Finley. As someone else said, the main thing Finley does is shoot wide-open bombs, so it may be possible to get away with using a smaller player (Nash) to shadow him.

Parker is the big problem, though. If he can play Nash to an approximate draw, and it seems like he usually does at least that, it makes the Suns' task very difficult.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't recall but has any team really made the Spurs run. Probably the Mavs. But I think this needs to be the Suns strategy if the Suns/ Spurs face each other. I think the Suns might need to run at every opportunity whether they have the numbers or not. I think it may be a series of who imposes their will. I do think the Suns can win a slow down game with the Spurs but obviously the Suns chances of winning improve in a running game. I'm thinking D'Antoni will figure out a way to beat the Spurs because he is growing as a coach.

 

[azirish]

I have never watched Manu's spin move in slow motion, but it sure looks like he moves his pivot foot.

With the way the Spurs offense works, the Suns will have to get about thirty minutes from KT and simply accept that Duncan is going to score a lot with mid range shots. Parker is not really a big threat to shoot three pointers (he took only 38 during the regular season) so the Suns have to focus more on keeping him from getting loose in the paint.

What the Suns cannot afford to do is leave the SG alone for three. Finley is having a very strong playoff hitting 9 of 19 in three games. Manu is not shooting the three as well during the playoffs as during the season, but is a 39% three point shooter during the season. It does not appear the Spurs play these guys together very much. Compared to Kobe, dealing with the Spurs guards is not quite as daunting, but they can't leave them alone.

Staying put with Finley is a real key, because in the first three games, 9 of Finley's 16 made baskets were for three. During the regular season, Finley shot only 41.2% from the field and Eddie Johnson notes that Finley does not shoot as well if he has to put the ball on the floor. It is possible that Nash could be put on Finley since Finley is not likely to drive enough to hurt the Suns.

On defense the Suns have to leave Bowen and the Spurs PF open. Bowen is good three point shooter, but averages only 8.3 ppg and is not likely to beat the Suns on his own. Oberto averaged only 4.4 ppg during the regular season and Horry's playoff heroics does not totally discount his poor shooting during the regular season (35.9% from the field and 33.6% for three).

In practical terms, the Nuggets did a better job on defense than they are given credit for. The Spurs shot only 42.9% from the field and were heavily dependent on Finley's three point shooting (9 of 19 which was 39% of their three pointers).

The Spurs are ahead because the Nuggets offense is not working rather than their defense (except for Finley). The Nuggets have averaged only 16.3 assists per game. After a big first game, Iverson is shooting only 40.3% from the field and just 33.3% for three due to tight defense.

Actually, the killer for the Nuggets is the meltdown by their bench:

JR Smith - 5.3 ppg on 29.4% from the field and 0-8 for three
Kleiza - 2.0 ppg on 22.2% shooting and 1-5 for three
Najera - 1.0 ppg on 14.3% shooting

That doesn't get it done.

 

[gdiddy]

Neither Spurs nor the Suns have the same teams from two years ago. Spurs have lost some depth, while suns have gained it--and, most importantly, they have a backup PG for Nash in LB.

I'm not scared at all of the Spurs. If we get into a half court game, the plan is simple: get the ball to Amare, or dish it out to a 3 point shooter.

The Nuggets are lying down flat on their stomach while the Spurs steam roll over them.

 

[Gaddabout]

Compared to Kobe, dealing with the Spurs guards is not quite as daunting, but they can't leave them alone.

I'd much rather face Kobe than a team that can shoot with good floor balance. With Parker and Ginobli taking it to the hole ... that's always been the killer for us in the past. There's no great way to scheme or hide Nash in this series. He's going to have to hold his own on someone and rely on help defense.

The good news is Nash's defense has improved this year and he seems more likely to trust his teammates.

 

[F-Dog]

I'd much rather face Kobe than a team that can shoot with good floor balance. With Parker and Ginobli taking it to the hole ... that's always been the killer for us in the past. There's no great way to scheme or hide Nash in this series. He's going to have to hold his own on someone and rely on help defense.

The good news is Nash's defense has improved this year and he seems more likely to trust his teammates.

I assume the Suns will start out matching Nash against Bruce Bowen, as they have in the past. That's a pretty good way to hide him IMO.

My guess is, the key to the series will be rebounding. If the Suns hold their own, their efficiency on offense should be enough to win.