Spurs vs. Thunder - 2012 Western Conference Finals

LOL @ OKC, I told yall fools Spurs goin win it...

 

Okc looked pretty good to me. This series is going 7 games and I'm leaning towards Okc in 6. I voted spurs in 6.

 

Maybe Westbrook is best at the two spot. He really only played the point full time once he got to OKC.

 

Lol.
I voted OKC in 6 but I'm leaning towards Spurs in 7 now.

 

damn that was a good game to watch, Captain Jack coming up big in the 4th quarter and Manu put on a show

wonder if KD, Russ and Parker will be so quite in game 2

 

The only reason Westbrook plays PG is his size. I compare his game to the young Kobe. Kobe had more size so he could go to the basket with more authority. Other than that, their games are actually quite similar. Both are tremendously gifted scorers. Both have a killer midrange shot. Both can make very difficult shots. Both are relentlessly competitive. And both have little idea how to involve their teammates.

 

Nice comparison.... Kobe would never wear urkel glasses or those funny shirts that he did not buy

 

I'm impressed with Manu, Harden did a good job on Kobe last series but Manu tore him up

 

The Spurs just softly slipped the noose around OKC's neck last night. You're looking at a whole series of defenders dogging Durant like there's no tomorrow and collapsing in the paint and drawing offensive fouls against RB and Harden until those guys give in and settle for the long distance jumpers.

At some point Brooks is going to figure out he's gotta drop Durant in the post but the same double is going to occur.

For OKC to go to the next level, their game has to evolve and include a true low post option. Winning basketball teams play inside out, not outside in, which is what OKC is going to be stuck with doing this series.

 

I think if OKC had a better coach, they wouldn't have as much trouble against elite defensive teams. A solid coach would be able to incorporate Harden, Westbrook, and Durant.

They do need a Carl Landry type guy to come off the bench and be the go-to post scorer.

 

Man, it must be fun to be a Spurs fan since Duncan arrived. Hats off to them, I think Spurs are going to win it all.

I will laugh if they end up foiling Lebron yet again lol.

 

A younger Scola would do it too.... he goes off against the Spurs...usually

 

I have learned from this thread: Thunder must change how they play, so that they can start playing winning basketball. Despite the fact that they are in the WCF and playing a team that also lives/dies by their driving.

Clutchfans Dish members are awesome. I too kept thinking while watching the game last night, "man, San Antonio is just destroying the Thunder in the low post. That was like vintage shaq out there!" I'm happy I wasn't the only one that was thinking that.

I can't wait to watch the ECF tonight - it is going to be just like Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain! Epic battles down low.

 

For all those dogging Scotty brooks y'all need to chill. Brooks is a hell of a coach.

 

Great personell manager.

Not a great X and Os coach at all. That team just has an insane amount of talent.

 

lol......Thunder fans are funny.

 

There's a stark contrast between these two teams, BigBen.

One team has two bigs that can catch the ball in the post, can pass out of the post, and can score in the post if necessary, and have to be respected on the Pick n Roll, which allows their guards to penetrate for the jumpers or split the pinch and go to the cup because the big man defenders have to play essentially a mini-zone and defend against the pass to the screener as well as try to stop the penetrator. Not to mention, they've got a big ox sitting on the bench who can post up at will if needed.

The other team has two bigs that have difficulty catching the ball in the post, that don't pass very well, and that don't score on post-ups effectively. One of the two bigs can be cheated off of in the Pick and Roll because he is too slow to get to the rim consistently. Yeah, he may get a dunk or two, but those are offset by offensive fouls or turnovers because the defense has time to recover on him. The other big mostly picks and pops with a mediocre jump shot. Now, both guys are great defenders. I'll give them that. But they're one-way players. And they are going to be exposed as that this series.

 

But but the Spurs don't go to the post every play therefore it doesn't matter that all OKC can do is shoot contested jumpshots when the game gets tight

roflcopter

 

Boom daddy. Take Duncan off the Spurs and OKC sweeps them. With Duncan, OKC has to be worried about getting swept. People think just because he isn't pouring in 20 per game anymore that he can't play. Dude is just like Kareem in his later years, probably the wisest player on the court, playing to his team's strengths, but still capable of dominating a one-on-one matchup which never happens anymore because the whole league knows he'll beat them like a drum if they let him loose down low one-on-one. Duncan is the best big man still playing in these playoffs. And he's way better than the best bigs OKC can throw at him.

 

That's fine. When you define a team as playing "inside-out," that means their offense starts from the inside most of the time. That's not the Spurs. Anyone who watches the Spurs know their best offense is primarily from pick and roll/pop, dribble penetration, elite 3pt shooting, and fastbreak whenever you can. Like I said, they're like a more team-oriented version of the Heat, with Duncan playing the Bosh role. Duncan probably have like a handful of post-ups a game, and that's it.

The Thunder lost b/c they stopped playing defense in the 4th. They sucked offensively through 3 quarters and still held a 9pt lead. Going into the 4th, the Thunder shot 40%. But they held the Spurs to 42%. In the 4th, the Spurs got to the rim at will with Manu off the pick and roll or dribble penetration. They began to make their 3s. While the Thunder couldn't get to the paint off the pick and roll and miss their 3s. Simple as that. Both team played pretty much the same offensive style, but the Spurs' precision passing and discipline won them the game.

This notion that OKC will lose b/c they don't have a post-up game is ridiculous. They just beat a team that posts up the most in the Western Conference, the Lakers. This isn't the the game like back then, where we have legit centers/forwards that can post up consistently and force double teams, and thus allow teams to play inside-out. Outside of the Lakers/Magic/Memphis, no team has even more than 25-30% of their offense starting from the low post. The league is very perimeter-driven right now.

Look at the 4 teams remaining. All of them have their best players as perimeter players. ALL. Those teams go as far as those perimeter players take them. Boston (Rondo), Miami (Lebron/Wade), Spurs (Manu/TP), and OKC (Durant/WB).

Going to the post every 7-8 plays means you're an inside-out team? Hell, sometimes every quarter. Got it.

Now I need to go watch the Houston Rockets with Hakeem. Let's see how often we went into the post with Hakeem as our C.