how do you defend the spurs?

[inclinerator]

they are probably the best passing team of all time, yes even better than bird's celtics. The thing is they dont even get tired, then again that's probably because they have bench players coming in and executing as crisp as the starters

even the team which has the most capable players of defending the spurs(thunder) couldnt stop them

[masonanddixon]

The key is to run all their 3 point shooters off the line and force Duncan, Ginobli and Parker to beat you.

Pretty much worked for Dallas, if they had Chandler instead of Dalembert they would have beat Spurs in 5.

[Inferno]

Honestly, I don't know. Diaw, Splitter, and Duncan are probably the best passing bigs in the game. They get the ball down low and swing that shit out for an open look within a second...can't do anything about that...close down the shooters and Parker and Manu drive in and feed it to Duncan, close down the paint and the bigs just pass that shit out to the GOAT Finals 3 point shooter :lol :lol

[deja vu]

Outscore them.

[Eye Test]

by scoring more than them. lebron should be driving and getting them into foul trouble every damned time. when their O is so damn perfect you look at other ways to take them out of their game

[Genaro]

Pressure the passes, try to force turnovers specially from Ginobili who sometimes tries way too hard passes, run at shooters and put someone big on TP.

I do think that if OKC had a healthy Ibaka the whole time they could've won that series.

[Kiddlovesnets]

Theres no way you can defend a team that everyone can pass and everyone can shoot. You just have to relax and enjoy the slaughter.

[masonanddixon]

Theres no way you can defend a team that everyone can pass and everyone can shoot. You just have to relax and enjoy the slaughter.

lol if Blair didn't get tossed the Mavs would've finished that series in 5. And the Mavs sucked.

This Spurs team is garbage.

[Collie]

The thing is, the Spurs didn't even dominate this playoffs that much. They had pretty close series throughout, so you CAN stop them. It's just the Heat that are completely bamboozled by them for some reason.

[Kiddlovesnets]

lol if Blair didn't get tossed the Mavs would've finished that series in 5. And the Mavs sucked.

This Spurs team is garbage.

The Spurs never took the Mavs seriously, and when they did they blew it out in game 7. Relax buddy, it will be a Spurs sweep if they play again.

[masonanddixon]

The Spurs never took the Mavs seriously, and when they did they blew it out in game 7. Relax buddy, it will be a Spurs sweep if they play again.

Yeah man, NBA postseason, millions of dollars and futures on the line--the Spurs just decided not to try.

They sure were shitting themselves when they were about to go down 3-1 and then cried to the league office to get a bench player suspended because he was tearing them a new asshole. lol.

[Kiddlovesnets]

Yeah man, NBA postseason, millions of dollars and futures on the line--the Spurs just decided not to try.

They sure were shitting themselves when they were about to go down 3-1 and then cried to the league office to get a bench player suspended because he was tearing them a new asshole. lol.

I wont say they didnt try, but clearly they aint playing at their best against the Mavs since they overlooked their opponents. They know if it goes to 7 they can still win anyway, and why not just toy with your opponents and warm yourself up? Same thing with Celtics in 1st round 08 and Lakers in 2nd round 09.

[masonanddixon]

I wont say they didnt try, but clearly they aint playing at their best against the Mavs since they overlooked their opponents. They know if it goes to 7 they can still win anyway, and why not just toy with your opponents and warm yourself up? Same thing with Celtics in 1st round 08 and Lakers in 2nd round 09.

They got outplayed because Carlisle ran all their 3 pt guys off the line (a strategy he never used in the regular season) and it caught them completely off guard. keep in mind Dallas was injured and tired heading into the series whereas the Spurs were perfectly well-rested.

Dallas was a tough out because it has Dirk, a brilliant head coach, and incredible offense. Spurs got several lucky calls and help from the refs and league office to make it through. But give them credit for barely making it past a team that relied heavily on dudes over age 35.

[konex]

You have to stop Parker's penetration. That is the only way

[Thorn]

If Carlisle was coaching the Thunder they might've done it. You need a nasty combination of athleticism and intelligence to beat the Spurs (think something like threepeat Lakers or Bulls). OKC pushed them to a Game 6 OT loss and they'll always be wondering what if Ibaka was healthy. Similarly Mavs fans will wonder about blowing that lead in Game 1. Pop would've adjusted eventually, but the athleticism advantage your hypothetical team has might be too much if there was intelligent coaching behind it.

Force the Spurs into thinking about their passes, run them off the 3 point line, throw a steady stream of long, tenacious defenders at Parker, force turnovers, and have an athletic rim protector.

[brooks_thompson]

They got outplayed because Carlisle ran all their 3 pt guys off the line (a strategy he never used in the regular season) and it caught them completely off guard. keep in mind Dallas was injured and tired heading into the series whereas the Spurs were perfectly well-rested.

Dallas was a tough out because it has Dirk, a brilliant head coach, and incredible offense. Spurs got several lucky calls and help from the refs and league office to make it through. But give them credit for barely making it past a team that relied heavily on dudes over age 35.

Thank you.

[NBASTATMAN]

they are probably the best passing team of all time, yes even better than bird's celtics. The thing is they dont even get tired, then again that's probably because they have bench players coming in and executing as crisp as the starters

even the team which has the most capable players of defending the spurs(thunder) couldnt stop them


They are shooting lights out as well.. I have never seen a team locked in like this on offense.. NEVER... Truly a testament to TEAM BASKETBALL.. They are all on FIRE... :applause:

[NBASTATMAN]

You have to stop Parker's penetration. That is the only way

Even when goes out Mills is playing superb.. They are just HOT...

[Oly BC]

Someone like lebron as pg, someone like Ibaka as center. Switch on every screen so their guards always have someone in front of them. Let the ball stick in their hands.

[Jlamb47]

lol if Blair didn't get tossed the Mavs would've finished that series in 5. And the Mavs sucked.

This Spurs team is garbage.

so basically your saying if Blair played they would of won -_-
your dumb dude
and Spurs team is garbage this year? lol
every team in the NBA is HORRIBLE then if thats the case

[GimmeThat]

said it before. Tim Duncan/Ginobili/Parker/Pop has actually lost a playoff series more often than people think.


you know, every year they don't win "they were -defended-"

[Jasper]

21 posts and few even had a clue how to stop the Spurs... :facepalm

ISH posters remember no team is perfect , and all teams can be stopped.
The problem is personel or talent to do so.

Miami has the talent to do it , but possible not for 48 minutes.

But that doesn't matter , because like the Spurs in their explosive game 3, Miami almost won the game , coming back in the 3rd quarter.
========================
Heat are in their trap defense , and they are right in the Spurs round house.
Miami like any other team can not defend MAN UP for 48 minutes , but if they do it for the 1st half , their offense would get break aways as well as fast breaks,
'PROBLEM' - in transition their team after a miss or layup would have switched players on the Spurs.
So ironically the Heat need to slow up the game even more so that only their transition game is the fastest in the game.

What I am saying for the lame brian is that the HEAT have to make the game slow to scretch'n halt.
Play Spurs man up in half court , TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT (body up)
Quit looking for passing lane weak side steals.
Miami has the better athlete's (.)

Issues with this : Heat's front line , needs Haslem... problem is can he play Diaup' or Splitman man up without creating tick tack fouls :confusedshrug:

Dwade has to stay man up on GREEN (.)

Here is the catch - Bosh and Bron if they do their job can handle Lenard and Duncan.

It means either Douglas or Cole needs to stop Parker.
Parker could go off for 36 , but he can't beat the Heat alone.

And don't bring Ginobli in , all he is doing is playing as a guy looking for holes with old legs.

your thoughts... on MAN UP

[BballFan422]

21 posts and few even had a clue how to stop the Spurs... :facepalm

ISH posters remember no team is perfect , and all teams can be stopped.
The problem is personel or talent to do so.

Miami has the talent to do it , but possible not for 48 minutes.

But that doesn't matter , because like the Spurs in their explosive game 3, Miami almost won the game , coming back in the 3rd quarter.
========================
Heat are in their trap defense , and they are right in the Spurs round house.
Miami like any other team can not defend MAN UP for 48 minutes , but if they do it for the 1st half , their offense would get break aways as well as fast breaks,
'PROBLEM' - in transition their team after a miss or layup would have switched players on the Spurs.
So ironically the Heat need to slow up the game even more so that only their transition game is the fastest in the game.

What I am saying for the lame brian is that the HEAT have to make the game slow to scretch'n halt.
Play Spurs man up in half court , TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT (body up)
Quit looking for passing lane weak side steals.
Miami has the better athlete's (.)

Issues with this : Heat's front line , needs Haslem... problem is can he play Diaup' or Splitman man up without creating tick tack fouls :confusedshrug:

Dwade has to stay man up on GREEN (.)

Here is the catch - Bosh and Bron if they do their job can handle Lenard and Duncan.

It means either Douglas or Cole needs to stop Parker.
Parker could go off for 36 , but he can't beat the Heat alone.

And don't bring Ginobli in , all he is doing is playing as a guy looking for holes with old legs.

your thoughts... on MAN UP

Man up is difficult because the Spurs pass the ball so much and run off so many screens, that nobody is fast enough to keep chasing the ball around. There is a reason why Miami looks tired out there, because the Spurs will wear you down. And they have so much talent coming off the bench that there is not a significant drop off when players sub in. When Lebron leaves the game, there is such a drop off that he really can't rest. If Lebron and Wade are out at the same time, everything comes to a crawl.

Typically, SA has problems with teams that have multiple, physical bigs and quick athletic guards/wingmen. Teams like Memphis, Dallas, OKC and Houston (and no I'm not saying that those teams would beat them in a series)... But, their games are usually grind it out, close games. Miami is a team that usually capitalize on the other teams mistakes but:
1. SA is not making as many mistakes,
2. SA is also capitalizing on Miami's mistakes
3. it sounds strange to say but, SA's reserves are fairly young and can get up and down the floor when Miami gets out in transition
4. Miami's "others" are non-existent so far (much like OKC)

[masonanddixon]

so basically your saying if Blair played they would of won -_-
your dumb dude
and Spurs team is garbage this year? lol
every team in the NBA is HORRIBLE then if thats the case

Dude Blair was murdering the Spurs. That game 4 Dallas erased an 18 point deficit and led with 2 minutes left with Blair playing during that entire stretch. He was the only guy to box out Duncan and Splitter and stop them from getting 2nd chance points.

That suspension had a huge impact for Dallas in Game 5. And Spurs barely won that game. So yes, it is was a critical point in the series.

[La Frescobaldi]

There's several enormous points that can be used against Spurs but I ain't about to bring them up before Finals are over due to the fact, Timmi Dunkin needs that other ring.

Also Spoelstra won't ever figure that out but Riles might. So we'll see.

[PsychoBe]

miami's defense just isn't getting it. it's a horrible match-up for them because the passing keeps their rotations in a constant state of flux and the ball moves faster than they can rotate. so one little misstep and it's all over. so they end up expending more energy on the defensive end while still giving up more points while the spurs pick their spots and have plenty of juice to spare on the defensive end.

it's just a bad matchup for miami.

the spurs's weakness come with athletic wings in combiniation with a shot blocker so that they can't run their inside-out game. the mavericks with blair, ellis, harris, wright, and marion and okc with westbrook, durant, and ibaka are athletic enough to always make the spurs uncomfortable.

the heat literally have no defenders who can stop anyone's dribble penetration consistently. not one body. and it's why their defense breaks down before the play even begins.

[97 bulls]

21 posts and few even had a clue how to stop the Spurs... :facepalm

ISH posters remember no team is perfect , and all teams can be stopped.
The problem is personel or talent to do so.

Miami has the talent to do it , but possible not for 48 minutes.

But that doesn't matter , because like the Spurs in their explosive game 3, Miami almost won the game , coming back in the 3rd quarter.
========================
Heat are in their trap defense , and they are right in the Spurs round house.
Miami like any other team can not defend MAN UP for 48 minutes , but if they do it for the 1st half , their offense would get break aways as well as fast breaks,
'PROBLEM' - in transition their team after a miss or layup would have switched players on the Spurs.
So ironically the Heat need to slow up the game even more so that only their transition game is the fastest in the game.

What I am saying for the lame brian is that the HEAT have to make the game slow to scretch'n halt.
Play Spurs man up in half court , TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT (body up)
Quit looking for passing lane weak side steals.
Miami has the better athlete's (.)

Issues with this : Heat's front line , needs Haslem... problem is can he play Diaup' or Splitman man up without creating tick tack fouls :confusedshrug:

Dwade has to stay man up on GREEN (.)

Here is the catch - Bosh and Bron if they do their job can handle Lenard and Duncan.

It means either Douglas or Cole needs to stop Parker.
Parker could go off for 36 , but he can't beat the Heat alone.

And don't bring Ginobli in , all he is doing is playing as a guy looking for holes with old legs.

your thoughts... on MAN UP
I agree. In order to beat the Spurs, you must play straight up man defense. You also must press Parker 90ft. Try to take time off the clock. Make it hard for them to get into their offense. If the defense is playing the Spurs straight up, they'd probably go into Duncan. The man is 38. If he has a big game, so be it. But im sure over the course of a series, he'd wear down. You cant let the rest of them go off. All this trapping has done nothing but give the Spurs wid open looks.

[SpaceJammeR]

lebron and wade needs to be aggressive. move the ball. once lebron or wade is in the post they need to make a quick move but for some reason they hold the ball for like 5 seconds. miami's offense and defense are both predictable.

spo needs to adjust but that idiot likes to play trap and overaggressive d. he shoulda adjust after game 3 but game 4 was exactly the same.

best bet is play man and let a few of those guys try to beat you by themselves and not get the rest of their team into rhythm. spurs is a rhythm team if you disrupt their rhythm you can beat them.

[AirFederer]

I agree. In order to beat the Spurs, you must play straight up man defense. You also must press Parker 90ft. Try to take time off the clock. Make it hard for them to get into their offense. If the defense is playing the Spurs straight up, they'd probably go into Duncan. The man is 38. If he has a big game, so be it. But im sure over the course of a series, he'd wear down. You cant let the rest of them go off. All this trapping has done nothing but give the Spurs wid open looks.
Spot on!

I don't understand why the heat hasn't tried to adjust

[RagingBull33]

lol if Blair didn't get tossed the Mavs would've finished that series in 5. And the Mavs sucked.

This Spurs team is garbage.
If this Spurs team is garbage, what does that say about the Heat?

[rmt]

Spot on!

I don't understand why the heat hasn't tried to adjust

because it is hard to go against your whole defensive philosophy and the way you have defended all year.

like the poster abve ill save my comment for after should sas win

[masonanddixon]

If this Spurs team is garbage, what does that say about the Heat?

The Heat weren't good this season and likely would've lost in the first round out West.

A healthy OKC would've crushed the Spurs.

It's a transition period right now in the NBA where all the great players are old and retiring and the level of competition is weak. It's basically now overrun by swing players and point guards with serious deficiencies (e.g. Chris Paul, Durant) due to the rules changes.

[JellyBean]

I would change up my defensive looks. I would show a 2-3 zone on a few trips, toss in a 2-2-1 full court press a few times, throw in a 1-3-1 zone trap on a few trips, throw in a 3-2 zone, put in a 2-1-2 half court trapping defense, I would deny the point guard entry pass, anything to slow the Spurs down. I would also mix up my lineups, go big for a possession or two and go small for a possession or two. I am looking to clog the lane, contest the Spurs three point shooting, and get them out of their rhythm.

[fpliii]

Play tight man D, don't help or switch. Don't bite on jumpers, keep your hands up.

You're going to give up a ton on drives, and your transition D might not great with guys getting to their assignments, but as long as they're making every shot, you can't give up any space. At all.

[GimmeThat]

the Pacers may have beaten the Spurs 1-2 games out of the whole series depending on Vogel/Home court.

[Jasper]

I agree. In order to beat the Spurs, you must play straight up man defense. You also must press Parker 90ft. Try to take time off the clock. Make it hard for them to get into their offense. If the defense is playing the Spurs straight up, they'd probably go into Duncan. The man is 38. If he has a big game, so be it. But im sure over the course of a series, he'd wear down. You cant let the rest of them go off. All this trapping has done nothing but give the Spurs wid open looks.
point on-

I am not asking the Heat to play 48 minutes of man up defense , but if you beat the players to their spot as well as be in their grill , it is hard to pass the ball to someone that you can bearly see !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Transition ball will happen for the Heat , but so many times in this series I saw the Heat push to quickly and their transition game works against them.

Sure Duncan will get touchs , but as an old man , he will eventually fail , BECAUSE he is playing a young mans game.

I would rather have Duncan beat every big man Heat has , then have Patty Mill type players dethrone the two time champions.

I still believe it is a 50% chance this could go to a 7 game series , if the champs aren't tired.

IMO the Spurs are banking on the fatigue factor.
If the Spurs win , you will hear Pop say "we ran them down"

[Jasper]

Play tight man D, don't help or switch. Don't bite on jumpers, keep your hands up.

You're going to give up a ton on drives, and your transition D might not great with guys getting to their assignments, but as long as they're making every shot, you can't give up any space. At all.


you got it !:rockon:

[Trollsmasher]

Your players are not old as **** with tons of mileage and more than one of them gives a shit

[Cone]

They got outplayed because Carlisle ran all their 3 pt guys off the line (a strategy he never used in the regular season) and it caught them completely off guard. keep in mind Dallas was injured and tired heading into the series whereas the Spurs were perfectly well-rested.

Dallas was a tough out because it has Dirk, a brilliant head coach, and incredible offense. Spurs got several lucky calls and help from the refs and league office to make it through. But give them credit for barely making it past a team that relied heavily on dudes over age 35.

good post. but dont bother responding to that kidd. he is literally retarded.

and dont forget monta ellis going ham :rockon:

[brantonli]

Play tight man D, don't help or switch. Don't bite on jumpers, keep your hands up.

You're going to give up a ton on drives, and your transition D might not great with guys getting to their assignments, but as long as they're making every shot, you can't give up any space. At all.

Pretty much. Watch any highlight of the Spurs offence against the Heat, and you'll always see the passing display arises because the defense collapses on whoever is driving in, and with a great passing big man and players who know exactly where they should be on the court, that's devastating.

[GimmeThat]

time of possession

because you know, f&ck FG%

[Rubio2Gasol]

Be agressive on offence, put them on the back foot.

[Dresta]

miami's defense just isn't getting it. it's a horrible match-up for them because the passing keeps their rotations in a constant state of flux and the ball moves faster than they can rotate. so one little misstep and it's all over. so they end up expending more energy on the defensive end while still giving up more points while the spurs pick their spots and have plenty of juice to spare on the defensive end.

it's just a bad matchup for miami.

the spurs's weakness come with athletic wings in combiniation with a shot blocker so that they can't run their inside-out game. the mavericks with blair, ellis, harris, wright, and marion and okc with westbrook, durant, and ibaka are athletic enough to always make the spurs uncomfortable.

the heat literally have no defenders who can stop anyone's dribble penetration consistently. not one body. and it's why their defense breaks down before the play even begins.
This. SA exploit Miami's age better than any other team, and Miami have no rim protector to cover for the constant defensive breakdowns.

[97 bulls]

point on-

I am not asking the Heat to play 48 minutes of man up defense , but if you beat the players to their spot as well as be in their grill , it is hard to pass the ball to someone that you can bearly see !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Transition ball will happen for the Heat , but so many times in this series I saw the Heat push to quickly and their transition game works against them.

Sure Duncan will get touchs , but as an old man , he will eventually fail , BECAUSE he is playing a young mans game.

I would rather have Duncan beat every big man Heat has , then have Patty Mill type players dethrone the two time champions.

Istill believe it is a 50% chance this could go to a 7 game series , if the champs aren't tired.

IMO the Spurs are banking on the fatigue factor.
If the Spurs win , you will hear Pop say "we ran them down"
Wow Jas. Who would've known that you actually know your basketball. I just had you pegged as nothing more than a Jordan stan.

Again, I agree. All the Heat have to do is get this thing back to Miami. Then there gonna be enormous pressure on the Spurs as well as the Heat.

The only reason people have counted the Heat out is because no team has ever come back from a 1-3 deficit. But that doesn't mean it CAN'T HAPPEN. At some point, a team will accomplish this feat. Just like the 1 vs 8 seed. I don't care either way, but I'm just not counting the Heat out until they've actually lost.

[97 bulls]

Pretty much. Watch any highlight of the Spurs offence against the Heat, and you'll always see the passing display arises because the defense collapses on whoever is driving in, and with a great passing big man and players who know exactly where they should be on the court, that's devastating.
Yep. I'm seeing a lot of standing around by the Heat. They just dont seem determined enough to get this done.

[ralph_i_el]

you need a rim protector that can lock down the paint and make the right rotations. Frees up the perimeter players. So basically you need a Dwight/Chandler type defensive center.

In all honestly, there's no real way to defend perfect passing.

the heat for the last 3 years have tried to aggressively trap or "Blitz" ball handlers. This doesn't work against the spurs because they have such great offensive spacing that there is almost always a "safety valve" player who's rotating to be open to receive the pass when the ballhandler is under pressure. Heat depend on steals to get into transition and this blunts that strategy.

If you're aggressively blitzing but you can't stop the ballhandler from getting into the paint or getting rid of the ball, then you have a temporary 4 on 3 situation which the spurs exploit with ruthless efficiency. Heat have no one to wipe out their mistakes at the rim. They have been decent at running guys off the 3 point line, but then the spurs shooters have been decent in the paint/moving the ball once they've been forced off the 3-line. This really wears the heat perimeter defenders down.

The spurs are almost playing rope-a-dope in the halfcourt, calmly moving the ball and forcing the heat to wear themselves out scrambling around. It helps when you have multiple perimeter players who are good playmakers, and a big who can pass and NEVER DROPS A PASS (duncan). The fact that duncan has amazing hands is underrated. If your bigs can't be counted on to catch difficult passes it can **** up an offense based on quick-hitting passing. Good hands don't get worse with age :bowdown:


the spurs have been sharpening their knives all season with an eye on the heat. You bet your ass G-Pops has been tailoring this offense towards beating the heat all season. Heat don't have the personnel to execute the strategy the briefly worked for dallas in round-1 (neither did dallas really because Dalembert could only play half the game)