Yup. When LeBron and Wade and the rest start trapping & pressing up high it can be the end of your night - remember during the 2008 Olympics when they did it for the first time? Defensive Dwyane was a monster (and can still be in spots) QUestion - since they don't do it all the time, does it mean they don't play hard on defense?
The problem with traps is you're leaving your man open somewhere. Traps are effective if you deal with an inexperienced team or a team that doesn't pass very well. Unfortunately for Miami, these don't apply to the Spurs. Spurs can break the trap and turn a play into their favor. The Heat has to pick and choose when to trap based on the offensive of your opponent and the person handling the ball.
I was so astounded both Pops and Spo were talking about not letting the ball stick. I had flashbacks of McHale's coaching. Bad ones
Pretty sure McHale's tendency of letting his star players walk all over him is going to bite him in the ass. You gotta command respect in this league even as a player's coach.
because the heat don't have a shot blocker or a defensive anchor the heat's defensive scheme drains you physically if you play with all-out effort for 48 minutes. they're are times they make some lazy rotations and the spurs have burned them.
Lebron is in prime position to bolster his legacy. Wrap this up and he's easily the closest thing to MJ ever.
Said it when Spurs blew out the Heat, and will continue to see it..Series not over yet. Really hope Heat don't win though I don't think I could stand a 3 peat..
Their defense is anchored by a perimeter player. So it requires A TON of switching and body movement from side to side. That takes a toll. I think they play great defense in "spurts." Wade isn't the same athlete as he once was so the consistency of that type of defense isn't as consistent as it should be. But outside of the Spurs, not a lot of teams have the offensive efficiency/togetherness to challenge the Heat defensively.
What I thought was interesting is that in the second half Spoelstra made a decision to leave certain 3 pt shots open but deny everything in the paint. He made a choice to shut down Danny Green on his attempts (still made 2), but was willing to live with Parker, Ginobili and Diaw taking 3s, but would absolutely not allow Parker's inside penetration or Duncan making plays at the rim. Spurs shot really well from the 3 pt line in the second half (9 made 3s) but still lost the game. Was it because Lebron had one of the best games ever played in the NBA finals and simply erased the Spurs' shot making? Or was it that the Heat set the Spurs up to get more stops in the 4th quarter and loosen up the Spurs D with Lebron at the point of attack? Basically, I think the Spurs' bubble burst in Game 2. Miami did not play a great game 2 but won because Lebron was just dominant. Miami would've won game 1 but for the A/C snafu because Lebron was dominant through 3 quarters. In Miami, the supporting cast of the Heat are going to play better and offset the output of the Spurs' bench. Unless Leonard has some really big games, the Heat could end up winning by 8-12 points in each of Games 3 and 4.
The Heat are comfortable that their attempt to trap will be more beneficial than what's lost to leaving the man open (and the trap often leaves the far player in the corner open), Spurs or not. The reason they hold back has more to do with how much it takes out of you physically.
After watching game 2 just now...(been busy with work travels), have to say Spurs blew it. Bad execution at the end really cost them with missed free throws and bad offensive and defensive execution. I felt overall Spurs played better, Lebron kept the Heat in the game then at the end the Heat big 3 was just too clutch.
