San Antonio looks old. They don't really have depth either. They don't scare me like everyone seems to think that they should.
They scare the hell out of me. They're the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA. The Rockets are already having trouble closing out on the Thunder's shooters and you see what they've done to us. Imagine what guys like Green, Mills, Gasol, Kawhi, and even Parker(he seems to make them against the Rockets) are gonna do. I would love for Memphis to pull off the upset. I still don't see it happening, but if it did, we'd get to the WCF with ease. Memphis' bigs would punish us inside, but D'Antoni would likely go small and just run the Grizzlies out of the building.
They look old because they are playing a defensive team that beats the crap out of you inside. They will look really young and fresh if they face us. Very refreshing to go from playing against a defensive team to playing against a team that refuses to play defense.
Yeah, I don't want the Spurs. Glad Dedmon is out. I bet we can force Kawhi to settle for 2's all day though.
I don't think we can force Kawhi to do anything. It will just be a matter if he's shooting well or not. Though I haven't been that impressed by the Grizzlies defense against him. Be it Ennis or Green or whomever they have out there. They are definitely trying. The Spurs are the #1 Def. Rtg team in the league. The Thunder were 10th. Offense isn't going to get an easier. The only caveat to that is, for whatever reason, the Rockets did play the Spurs well in the regular season, and were able to score.
Pau has a player option. If they lose to Memphis I wonder how strong Pau contemplates opting out and taking the NeNe type contract with Memphis to finally play with his brother. I think it would be smart for Pau and Memphis. Also opens the door for cp3 to Spurs if the clips lose to Utah. Ahh why do I love hypotheticals so much...
Yes, but I'd say being worn out after 7 games(especially against a physical opponent like Memphis) outweighs any advantage they may have with being sharper from not having a long layoff. Plus the longer a series goes, the greater the likelihood a team sustains injuries. If the Clippers had won Game 5 on their home floor 2 years ago and avoided Game 7, Chris Paul never gets hurt, and the Rockets probably don't win that 2nd round series.
Best in 3p%, but they are 25th in 3p attempts. That means 3pt shot is not their main game. They don't jack tons of 3s like the Rockets do. They are not a high power offensive team. What they are good at is defense. If we play sloppy like we tend to do from time to time, they will feast on our mistakes.
it's starting to look like that.. don't be surprised if the Griz win the series... I know alot of Spurs fans won't be... this team has to many flaws to win the championship... let's be honest, we are all going through this tournament knowing who's going to win... in all honesty I know the Spurs are not good enough to beat the Warriors... just being realistic...
I want this series to go to 7 games and go to overtime. That way the Spurs will get tired for the second round.
Previously I had similar thoughts, but I just think we can't discount King James and his crew. The Cavs are loaded with talent and they appear to be gelling at the right time.
San Antonio needs more people than just Kawhi to step up. Memphis has three people that are winning their matchup: Conley, Gasol, and Randolph. I know basketball is more than just individual matchups and San Antonio could easily be up 3-1, but Memphis has been extremely competitive. They have a gameplan to beat the Spurs, who somehow look older on the court than even the Grizz.
Spurs are not that old, but just slow. Never seen the Pop team which solely depends on one player (Kawhi). The Spurs normally play the team ball.
Those Spurs teams you're thinking of mainly from 2012-2014 were much deeper than the Spurs squads the last couple of seasons. They had 9-10 guys averaging double figures or near it, and all of them could have played big minutes on most teams, so it was practical to spread minutes around for a more balanced offense. Since then Parker,Manu, Green, and Duncan (last season) have all regressed significantly and they've lost players like Diaw,Splitter, Cory Joseph ; that coupled with Kawhi's ascension and the acquisition of Aldridge has made them more top heavy.