Everything in the NBA is about matchups. Some teams matchup better in a particular game than others do. The Grizz didn't lose because they couldn't go small, they lost because all their strength was in the front court, and the didn't have enough efficient scoring in the back court. In other words, they were somewhat unbalanced. Despite that, they were good enough to beat most teams throughout the year. What makes the playoffs different, is that your in a series. You play a team tonight and you beat them. Unfortunately, your playing them again in the next game, and they get to adjust. They start taking away what you were doing to beat them. So its sort of back to the drawing board after every game.
Of course the focus is on talent, and every team in the playoffs is talented. And somewhat different. I'll tell you this! Coaching is far more important in the playoffs than at any other time of the year. Its no accident that Popivich has all those rings. The Heat are very talented, but not deep. Thats their weakness, and the more you can exploit that, the better your chances of winning.
By the way, I don't entirely agree that the Grizz got punked by a smaller team. Duncan and Splitter certainly have the size to match up, or at least hold their own. I guess you could consider Parker a wee bit undersized, but other than that, I don't really look at the Spurs as being a small team. They were just a better, more balanced team.
Of course the focus is on talent, and every team in the playoffs is talented. And somewhat different. I'll tell you this! Coaching is far more important in the playoffs than at any other time of the year. Its no accident that Popivich has all those rings. The Heat are very talented, but not deep. Thats their weakness, and the more you can exploit that, the better your chances of winning.
By the way, I don't entirely agree that the Grizz got punked by a smaller team. Duncan and Splitter certainly have the size to match up, or at least hold their own. I guess you could consider Parker a wee bit undersized, but other than that, I don't really look at the Spurs as being a small team. They were just a better, more balanced team.