Rockets / Spurs series

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pmedic920

pmedic920

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Well, @ halftime the spurs don't appear to be in the same league as the Rockets.

It's a beat down so far.


Edit:

Hello, is this thing on?
Anybody?
 

Uncle Si

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I watched. I'm intrigued by this series and was surprised by last night. Rockets really took it to the Spurs, who looked flat. I think this goes 7 and will be a good one.


Or that Rockets win was the harbinger of the Spurs demise.
 

Alexander

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I've never really liked the way Harden plays (too dependent on foul calls), but after the season he's had even the biggest Harden hater would have to grudgingly admit that he's a transcendent player. The way they re-tooled after last year's disappointing season has really impressed me. As a Blazers fan, I envy the dizzying array of 3-pt shooters surrounding Harden. Can you believe they shattered the record for most 3-pointers by a team? Crazy.

As for the Spurs, I've always had a soft spot for them (and especially Pop), so I'm rooting for them to get their act together. I think they will and the series ends up being competitive. Remember that last year in the second round the Spurs demolished OKC in game 1 before losing in 6. So it's important not to overreact to one bad game.
 

Hawk-Lock

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It's a tough matchup for the Spurs. Rockets basically put four shooters on the court with one big (Capela or Nene). I thought Pop should have went small, rather than having his bigs try to guard perimeter guys. You can easily get away with putting a SF on Ryan Anderson. Pop was playing big, which is fine if you want to pound it down low in the post. But he that's not the Spurs game. He was basically playing into the Rockets gameplan, but with the wrong guys on the floor. I'm curious to see the adjustments Pop will make. I think with the proper adjustments SA can get back in this series. If I'm Pop, I do these things:

- Play small. Like LeBron, Kawhi can play the PF position, especially in this series. Last night they had Aldridge guarding Ariza for a lot of the game. Have one big man on the court, surrounded by guards and wings.

- Don't play David Lee. This series is not for him. They should use Dedmon, a much more athletic player who can protect the rim and move his feet 20 feet from the basket. I really tihnk Dedmon will be a key player in this series if the Spurs want to win.

- Use Jonathan Simmons. He is a versatile SF who comes off the bench, he can essentially guard any player on the Rockets except the center position.

- I know Aldridge is struggling, but if Ryan Anderson is guarding him, you have to give him the ball on the block. Aldridge needs to man up in this series, I don't see Spurs winning the series with Aldridge averaging less than 15 points per game.
 

Hawk-Lock

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[youtube]h4ktqPxGPdM[/youtube]

Pop's postgame interview. He brings up some good points. He says playing two bigs is fine, as long as shots are falling. Which I agree with. But when you miss as much as SA did yesterday, they can't get back on defense fast enough. It's a make or miss league, at some point SA needs to just make their shots. This video is why Pop is probably my favorite coach in any sport.
 

hawknation2017

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I wasn't able to watch the first game, but this series presents a fascinating contrast in styles. Popovich's "old school" defensive and half-court offense approach vs. D'Antoni's pick-and-roll revolution, three-point blitzkrieg that has taken over the NBA. I'll take the Spurs in seven games.
 
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pmedic920

pmedic920

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1-1 going into Houston for G3.

Spurs looked to be back on track in game 2.

Houston appeared to have fallen of the track.

Shaping up to be good series.
 

Hawk-Lock

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Well I was partially right. They removed Lee from the starting lineup and barely used him. And Simmons played a huge role at the end of the 3rd and start of the 4th quarter. It's really too bad about Parker. He was playing the best basketball he has played all year. Not sure Spurs can win without him, curious to see if the UW kid Dejounte Murray plays now.
 

Threedee

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The one thing SA has going for it is that they've been on notice for a while now that they'll have to win without the Big 3. That they are still excelling without Duncan (my favorite player of this era) shows their potential.
 

Hawk-Lock

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Impressive win by SA on the road without Parker. That was an ugly game, neither team played their best, but SA turned it on in the 4th quarter.
 

Hawk-Lock

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Really awful performance by Houston tonight. No Kawhi and Parker for SA and they are blowing the Rockets out.
 

mistaowen

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That was an ugly game, Harden looked completely uninterested. Spurs just manhandled them on the road.
 

sdog1981

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It was nice to see Murry get some key minutes during the last game.
 

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