My Keys to the Spurs-Kings series

[kingkung]

Note that these are MY KEYS to the series (assuming we play them), and not that of popular opinion. From what I know about the San Antonio Spurs, these are my predictions for what's going to happen in the series:

1. As weird as it sounds, the SPURS are going to want to RUN THE BALL, and the KINGS are going to want to PLAY HALF COURT. With the speedy combo of Parker and Ginobili (and the relatively slow-footed Bibby), the Spurs are going to run the transition as much as possible. Not much we can do here, except have Bibby and Bonzi stay back to keep these guys in check. The best counter is obviously for the Kings not to take impulsive shots. That is, make sure we have some people under the basket before taking a jump shot.

2. Keep Tony Parker out of the paint. Tony Parker and the Spurs thrive on him penetrating into the paint for a good look, or a hand-off to Duncan for an easy bucket. Bibby's going to have to play the defense of his life to keep Parker from getting inside. Our OG (who will be guarding Bowen), should keep a keen eye on Parker, so that if Parker does get inside, he'll be instantly there to help out.

3. Keep the ball out of Duncan's hands. Duh. But seriously, we may have to take some risks on defense every once in a while to make it as hard as possible for the Spurs to get the ball to their star. Because once it's in his hands, it's very, very hard to prevent a score.

4. Dictate the tempo on every possession (aka don't play into the Spurs' hands). If there's one knock on the Spurs, it's that they're not killer enough to fully dominate control of a game. Unlike, oh, say, the 2002 Lakers, the Spurs rely less on pure willpower, and more on their talent and versatility. So the more we play our game, the more comfortable we will be. We've had a better time with this since Artest came on board.

5. Play KINGS BASKETBALL. By this, I mean our trademark passing NEEDS to come into play if we're going to up against a team so good defensively as the Spurs. Like our old teams, our offensive firepower is still our huge strength. We have a PG that can drive and shoot a killer jumper. We have a small forward that can play the low post like a power forward, and we have a center that can shoot threes. I love Artest, but over the past few weeks, Artest has undeniably been dominating the ball, particularly in the 4th quarter, and that can't happen against the Spurs. We have to revert back to our old offense (while playing our new defense). Passing. Pick and rolls. Solid, smart plays.

 

[Fillmoe]

kings killers/enemies

horry/finley/nve on the same team....

 

[DaMan]

I think that we might want to start shareef because he has proved that he could guard Duncan decently, where thomas has not. And he could score pretty easy on the spurs too, that could really help since the playoffs is more of a half court game.

But the down side to this, is that this is shareefs first time in the playoffs and you don't know how he will react to it. Also we have been playing so long with the same lineup it might change the team for the worst then for the better. Also with thomas on the bench we might lose rebounding out of the starting unit and scoring off the bench.

This is just something to think about, With shareef great play against the spurs compared to thomas this year. It might just benafit us if we started sar if were to be down 2-0 or worst in the series.

 

[Kings113]

I see Potapenko getting some minutes in the series, he showed he could guard Duncan last year. Also can of course mix it up down there.

 

[venom_7]

kings killers/enemies

horry/finley/nve on the same team....

brent barry count? and ginobli too. just because he is starting doesn't mean you discount him.

kings have to play the dirtiest they can in the cleanest way to win. Like Brad's open court screens.

 

[VF21]

Starting SAR could conceivably be the WORST thing we could do. Both Kenny and SAR seem to be doing fine right now; you don't fix something that ain't broken going into the playoffs.

This whole starting thing has, IMHO, become way too important in the minds of some fans. Adelman got us this far. I trust him to make the right decision. He knows these guys and their strengths, weaknesses, quirks, etc. much, much, much better than we do.

 

[DaMan]

Starting SAR could conceivably be the WORST thing we could do. Both Kenny and SAR seem to be doing fine right now; you don't fix something that ain't broken going into the playoffs.

Yea, i stated that as a down side in my post. But if we go down, God forebid, 2-0 or worse. Would u be willing to start sar to slow down Duncan because in past games with the spurs thomas got abused by TD.

And also having the right starting unit in the game equals a good start, that is why it is so important to me. I just don't want Duncan to beat the kings so bad that we can't get back in the game that is why i am in favor of starting sar. If were playing the suns or Denver i would be in favor of starting thomas its just matchups.

 

[Warhawk]

kings killers/enemies

horry/finley/nve on the same team....

Oddball: Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
Moriarty: Crap!

Actually, maybe all the "negative waves" these guys have for the Kings will cancel each other out!

 

[VF21]

DaMan - You don't have to start him to get him major minutes against Duncan.

 

[Dave McNulla]

Note that these are MY KEYS to the series (assuming we play them), and not that of popular opinion. From what I know about the San Antonio Spurs, these are my predictions for what's going to happen in the series:

1. As weird as it sounds, the SPURS are going to want to RUN THE BALL, and the KINGS are going to want to PLAY HALF COURT. With the speedy combo of Parker and Ginobili (and the relatively slow-footed Bibby), the Spurs are going to run the transition as much as possible. Not much we can do here, except have Bibby and Bonzi stay back to keep these guys in check. The best counter is obviously for the Kings not to take impulsive shots. That is, make sure we have some people under the basket before taking a jump shot.

2. Keep Tony Parker out of the paint. Tony Parker and the Spurs thrive on him penetrating into the paint for a good look, or a hand-off to Duncan for an easy bucket. Bibby's going to have to play the defense of his life to keep Parker from getting inside. Our OG (who will be guarding Bowen), should keep a keen eye on Parker, so that if Parker does get inside, he'll be instantly there to help out.

3. Keep the ball out of Duncan's hands. Duh. But seriously, we may have to take some risks on defense every once in a while to make it as hard as possible for the Spurs to get the ball to their star. Because once it's in his hands, it's very, very hard to prevent a score.

4. Dictate the tempo on every possession (aka don't play into the Spurs' hands). If there's one knock on the Spurs, it's that they're not killer enough to fully dominate control of a game. Unlike, oh, say, the 2002 Lakers, the Spurs rely less on pure willpower, and more on their talent and versatility. So the more we play our game, the more comfortable we will be. We've had a better time with this since Artest came on board.

5. Play KINGS BASKETBALL. By this, I mean our trademark passing NEEDS to come into play if we're going to up against a team so good defensively as the Spurs. Like our old teams, our offensive firepower is still our huge strength. We have a PG that can drive and shoot a killer jumper. We have a small forward that can play the low post like a power forward, and we have a center that can shoot threes. I love Artest, but over the past few weeks, Artest has undeniably been dominating the ball, particularly in the 4th quarter, and that can't happen against the Spurs. We have to revert back to our old offense (while playing our new defense). Passing. Pick and rolls. Solid, smart plays.

that's a good game plan, it comes down to execution.

1. spurs can run and spurs can play half-court. kings will get fewer offensive rebounds with so defensive an approach, but they can set up defense better.

2. parker gets most of his penetration off of picks. the best defense on them is to jump him off the screen, not really a switch but make him back up toward mid-court. he can adjust to that by reversing the other direction for a re-pick in the other direction or split the defenders and nobody is in there.

3. guys like barry, finley, and horry will feed the ball to tim. leave them and risk a higher percentage three pointer. the best approach is the attack tim intermittently. he'll adjust to anything to comes consistantly, and eventually even an inconsistant doubleteam.

4. spurs dictate tempo better than anyone. they can run with the suns, they can grind with detroit. the thing that messes up their flow is athletic zones. they have more midrange shooters than ever now.

5. kings have a very talented team. the biggest downfall is lack of time together and a certain player that will get wrenched easily at the first sign of adversity. i'd be surprised if the spurs sweep, but not as much as if the kings won the series.

 

[DaMan]

DaMan - You don't have to start him to get him major minutes against Duncan.

True, i just hope that Thomas doesn't get manhandled when he is in there.

 

[Evenstar]

mike killed the spurs in the RS to the tune of 28 PPG. keeping that kind of production up would be GREAT

ron ron needs to guard manu and blame finley, and i mean GUARD!!!!!!!!! keep those 2 under control

reef, it's your first trip to the playoffs, play like you mean it!!! kick some BUTT!!!!!!!!!!

GO KINGS!!!!!!!!!

 

[ParniValjak]

Stop Parker. I see him as the biggest threat. He is as quick as a bullett and has the potential to really abuse Bibby.

Our mediocre interior defence is a bit of a worry when you have Duncan to worry about.

I reckon we can trouble the Spurs and might even end up knocking them out.

Napred Kraljevi!!!!!!

 

[PixelPusher]

Oddball: Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
Moriarty: Crap!

Actually, maybe all the "negative waves" these guys have for the Kings will cancel each other out!

I love the Kelly's Heroes reference.

 

[JJ22L]

I think our priority is keeping Parker busy on the defensive end. He is the leading scorer in the league in points in the paint...and well...our interior defense isnt exactly good enough to even really constitute the word defense.

Thats #1 to me- Duncan will get his points, ginobli will get his points...but if we keep parker out of the paint, we keep him from getting his points AND kicking out to people on the perimeter when the pg/sg comes to double.

 

[SacTownKid]

If we play the help defense we did when we beat them a few weeks ago is is going to be a tough series. The team defense was awe inspiring. I trust Rick Adelman, his staff, and their game plan.

 

[kingkung]

Stop Parker. I see him as the biggest threat. He is as quick as a bullett and has the potential to really abuse Bibby.

Yes. And this is probably not a popular opinion, but I think we should even play Jason Hart more, just because he is a better defensive point guard. I just know he can be of use in the playoffs. Yes, he did everything wrong in the regular season, but the playoffs are a totally different beast from the regular season, one in which intensity triumphs over all, and if there's one thing Hart has, it's intensity. I see Hart as a guy that can rise up in the playoffs, because he's unafraid. I'm also predicting some big things out of Martin and Cisco (provided that they're off the bench... if Martin is starting, I'd take that back).

 

[kingkung]

4. spurs dictate tempo better than anyone. they can run with the suns, they can grind with detroit. the thing that messes up their flow is athletic zones. they have more midrange shooters than ever now.

Exactly my point. They play to their opponents. They usually beat them, but still, they do play to their opponents.

 

[Bricklayer]

Exactly my point. They play to their opponents. They usually beat them, but still, they do play to their opponents.

?

Pt Differential (normally a good way to spot the true contenders):

Detroit 7.0
San Antonio 6.9
Dallas 6.3

Spurs record in back to backs: 6-10
Spurs record in all other games: 55-9

There are no back to backs in the playoffs.


You can see how we can cause the Spurs matchup problems. It is true that we look to be considerably better than your average #8 seed. That said, people are making ENTIRELY too light of the task at hand here -- to beat a 60+ win World Champion team 4 of 7 in the first round of the playoffs, obviously without homecourt advantage. If we do no more than press them and put a bit of a scare into them in a few games, we will have done well. Next year maybe.

 

[tyrant]

i believe we cause matchup problems for the spurs. we have 3 great perimeter players and they only have 1 bowen. now that brad miller can shoot 3's. duncan will have to play serious perimeter defense.

 

[Bricklayer]

i believe we cause matchup problems for the spurs. we have 3 great perimeter players and they only have 1 bowen. now that brad miller can shoot 3's. duncan will have to play serious perimeter defense.

Mentioned before -- do not at all be surprised to see Horry broken out of mothballs to matchup with Brad. Its just that time of year.

They could also start Finley to try to bang with Bonzi, but that's more dubious (in that he's a better physical match than Manu, but still not remotely in that power class).

Its possible the Spurs could decide to matchup on us with Duncan/Horry/Bowen/Finley/Parker Manu=6th before this thing is over.

Our edge remains with the Ron/Bonzi duo -- Bowen takes one. But not only do the Spurs lack a true power off guard type to take the other, but because Ron and Bonzi are both out there, the Spurs have absolutely no option of hiding Parker on somebody other than Bibby. He HAS to take Mike, and on switches he'll still get squished like a bug on a windshield.

 

[tyrant]

but all of our big men can shoot perimeter shots. and lets say horry and duncan are matched up with miller and thomas. thomas can shoot the long range shot and he's too quick for duncan. horry could do a better job on miller than duncan could. he can come out and gaurd that 3.

 

[Folsom Al]

I'm not making any predictions ... only cuz just when I think I have the King's figured-out - I DON'T

All's I gotta say is ... I hope the King's come out in the first 5-10 minutes with LOTSA ENERGY & FOCUS !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bricklayer]

but all of our big men can shoot perimeter shots. and lets say horry and duncan are matched up with miller and thomas. thomas can shoot the long range shot and he's too quick for duncan. horry could do a better job on miller than duncan could. he can come out and gaurd that 3.

Duncan can easily handle Kenny's quickness simply by raw size. Kenny has to beat him by two steps to the hoop to avoid the shotblock. And I'm sure Pop will be extremely happy if he can reduce us to a Kennycentric jumpshooting team. Also think he will take a KT vs. Duncan matchup any day of the week, month, year or decade.

Brad's a real threat out there however...sometimes. I don't trust his head as far as I can throw it. But he's the guy they will have to consider switching up things to match up with.

 

[striker]

Should be a interestiing series. THe Kings are certainly not your average eight seed.

 

[Dave McNulla]

i believe we cause matchup problems for the spurs. we have 3 great perimeter players and they only have 1 bowen. now that brad miller can shoot 3's. duncan will have to play serious perimeter defense.

by perimeter player do you mean defender or 3 pt shooter? i ask because you said bowen is the only spur that's a great perimeter player. for three point shooters, spurs have ginobili, horry, barry, finley, van exel, and udrih (he won't be playing). for perimeter defenders, spurs have ginobili, and barry is a good off-ball defender. for slashing, something bowen is mediocre at, there's parker, ginobili, finley, van exel, and occasionally barry.

 

[Bricklayer]

by perimeter player do you mean defender or 3 pt shooter? i ask because you said bowen is the only spur that's a great perimeter player. for three point shooters, spurs have ginobili, horry, barry, finley, van exel, and udrih (he won't be playing). for perimeter defenders, spurs have ginobili, and barry is a good off-ball defender. for slashing, something bowen is mediocre at, there's parker, ginobili, finley, van exel, and occasionally barry.

Well obviously that's not the threat we really pose at this point, unless Kevin suddenly steps up and has an amazing night off the bench or something. As always the Spurs have more than enough defenders...but can they defend our relatively unique attack?

We are the Kings -- we do things backwards, and that's the test here for the Spurs. Our "bigs" play like littles and have to be guarded out on the floor, and our Ron/Bonzi "littles" play like bigs and outweigh any Spur at those positions by 20-30 lbs. They will be inside. A lot. Meanwhile Bibby is as streaky as they come, and could shoot the Spurs out of a game with 30+ points on any night, or stink it up with a struggling 10 the next. Spurs players who excel at defending the post will be called on to defend the three point line. Spurs players who excel at defending the perimeter will suddenly find themself posted. Makes things a challenge.

 

[Folsom Al]

Well obviously that's not the threat we really pose at this point, unless Kevin suddenly steps up and has an amazing night off the bench or something. As always the Spurs have more than enough defenders...but can they defend our relatively unique attack?

We are the Kings -- we do things backwards, and that's the test here for the Spurs. Our "bigs" play like littles and have to be guarded out on the floor, and our Ron/Bonzi "littles" play like bigs and outweigh any Spur at those positions by 20-30 lbs. They will be inside. A lot. Meanwhile Bibby is as streaky as they come, and could shoot the Spurs out of a game with 30+ points on any night, or stink it up with a struggling 10 the next. Spurs players who excel at defending the post will be called on to defend the three point line. Spurs players who excel at defending the perimeter will suddenly find themself posted. Makes things a challenge.

Brick ... you're making waaaaaaaaay too much sense

This UPCOMING SERIES almost sounds like AN OPPOSITE GEORGE

... if my last comment threw you for a loop - it's a SEINFELD TAKE

 

[tyrant]

couldnt of said it better brick

 

[Dave McNulla]

Well obviously that's not the threat we really pose at this point, unless Kevin suddenly steps up and has an amazing night off the bench or something. As always the Spurs have more than enough defenders...but can they defend our relatively unique attack?

We are the Kings -- we do things backwards, and that's the test here for the Spurs. Our "bigs" play like littles and have to be guarded out on the floor, and our Ron/Bonzi "littles" play like bigs and outweigh any Spur at those positions by 20-30 lbs. They will be inside. A lot. Meanwhile Bibby is as streaky as they come, and could shoot the Spurs out of a game with 30+ points on any night, or stink it up with a struggling 10 the next. Spurs players who excel at defending the post will be called on to defend the three point line. Spurs players who excel at defending the perimeter will suddenly find themself posted. Makes things a challenge.

good post, i was not thinking about that.