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Finals Matchup: San Antonio Vs. Detroit
- Thread starter calyxman
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after last night.
there is no way in hell this will be over in five. at least 6 and maybe 7
if it goes seven.....detroit back 2 back
there is no way in hell this will be over in five. at least 6 and maybe 7
if it goes seven.....detroit back 2 back
Ginobli was asleep last night. We've seen what happens when that isn't the case.
The Spurs are just a better team, period. Their defense is just as good, and they have much better stars who can step up and take control of a game. That never happened last night, and the Pistons played a very good game, like it was an elimination game (which it essentially was). I think that from now on the urgency will be equal on both sides, meaning Spurs in 5. No way it goes to 7; Detroit might get one more at home I guess...
(no, I'm not a Spurs fan, but I'm just calling it like I see it. What I would have liked to see was a Spurs/Heat final with the Heat winning it...)
The Spurs are just a better team, period. Their defense is just as good, and they have much better stars who can step up and take control of a game. That never happened last night, and the Pistons played a very good game, like it was an elimination game (which it essentially was). I think that from now on the urgency will be equal on both sides, meaning Spurs in 5.
No way it goes to 7; Detroit might get one more at home I guess...(no, I'm not a Spurs fan, but I'm just calling it like I see it. What I would have liked to see was a Spurs/Heat final with the Heat winning it...)
Whenever the Spurs lose, it's because they weren't playing their game, but whenever they win, it's because they're better. So basically it's a lose-lose scenario for any team playing against the spurs. Why people have this mindset is beyond me.
The fact remains that Detroit's performance in the first 2 games was horrible. Same goes for the Phoenix series.
Ginobili wasn't "asleep" either. He was sidelined temporarily because of the early injury in the game, but he also picked up a few quick fouls and Pop had to pull him back out of the game and reserved him for a possible 4 quarter rout. But Prince and Wallace played good defensive coverage on Ginobili.
I said it a few times now: you can't give Ginobili any space or time to decide his next move. If you want Ginobili to be less effective, you have to get the ball out of his hands. Force him to pass under pressure and give him no chance to make any shot along the perimeter. The Pistons did that.
Get key players in foul trouble. Pick up offensive fouls from the other team. Get Pop to flip his lid and rip into his guys. That's how you rattle the Spurs. There's no mystery to how they play. Greg Popovich is no different than any other NBA coach, he tries to milk the most points from his starters.
Ben Wallace had something like 5 blocks in the first quarter of the game. That's defense.
I'm not saying Pistons will win this series, I'm not saying Spurs will win either, but I don't think it will end in 5 games.
The fact remains that Detroit's performance in the first 2 games was horrible. Same goes for the Phoenix series.
Ginobili wasn't "asleep" either. He was sidelined temporarily because of the early injury in the game, but he also picked up a few quick fouls and Pop had to pull him back out of the game and reserved him for a possible 4 quarter rout. But Prince and Wallace played good defensive coverage on Ginobili.
I said it a few times now: you can't give Ginobili any space or time to decide his next move. If you want Ginobili to be less effective, you have to get the ball out of his hands. Force him to pass under pressure and give him no chance to make any shot along the perimeter. The Pistons did that.
Get key players in foul trouble. Pick up offensive fouls from the other team. Get Pop to flip his lid and rip into his guys. That's how you rattle the Spurs. There's no mystery to how they play. Greg Popovich is no different than any other NBA coach, he tries to milk the most points from his starters.
Ben Wallace had something like 5 blocks in the first quarter of the game. That's defense.
I'm not saying Pistons will win this series, I'm not saying Spurs will win either, but I don't think it will end in 5 games.
calyxman said:
People have that mindset because the Spurs ARE the best team in the league at the moment (except maybe the Heat with both Wade and Shaq at full strength, but Shaq hasn't really been at full strength all year, so that hardly counts). When they lose, it usually is because they aren't playing up to ability. Yeah, there are games when they play well and the other team is just better on that day, but it's rare. I don't find that reasoning so strange at all.
Well, I've certainly put myself out there with my prediction, and you all can point and laugh if I'm wrong. But I guess we'll see soon enough, eh?
In the playoffs the Spurs have won, and lost, by Ginobili. If he's off or in foul trouble they have trouble winning. Duncan's not as big a factor as Ginobili. In the Seattle series duncan was flawless, scoring 26 points in 3? quarters, and the Spurs lost. The next game Duncan played horrible but Ginobili played very well, so did the bench, and they won.
Ginobili is the key to making their team offense work. He's much like Jordan in that his creating gives teammates open shots. Essentially, he does what all the greats do. He makes his teammates better.
If he's off in game 4 it won't surprise me if they lose. I still think this will be the first close game of the series.
Ginobili is the key to making their team offense work. He's much like Jordan in that his creating gives teammates open shots. Essentially, he does what all the greats do. He makes his teammates better.
If he's off in game 4 it won't surprise me if they lose. I still think this will be the first close game of the series.
acedickson said:
And that's pretty much my point in how you shut down the San Antonio Spurs. Suffocate Ginobili's game. Draw the offensive fouls on Ginobili. Clog the lane. Make him a passer, not a shooter.
It's similar to how the New England Patriots shut down the best offense (Indianapolis Colts) for two straight playoff seasons: take out Marvin Harrison, and you take out the entire Colts offense.
I think it's premature to say that San Antonio is the best team in the league, because for all we know Detroit may turn the entire Spurs season upside down in this series. If Detroit wins the championship, what will all you Spurs followers say? That it was bad luck? Please.
I think Detroit has a flavor of what San Antonio's weakness are. You give them opportunities, and they will kill you. Rasheed on Duncan, Prince/Wallace on Ginobili. These are huge matchups. We're not talking Q-Rich, who can't play any defense, guarding Ginobili. We're talking about the defensive player of the year, Ben Wallace.
Can't wait until tonights game. Hopefully the Pistons learned a good lesson from their win in Game 3.
DEEEE-TROIT BASKETBALL!
Heh, would any of you Spurs fans like to revise your predictions now that the series is tied 2-2 after tonight's knockout from Detroit? Better yet, let me rephrase that: would anyone care to give any team credit besides the San Antonio Spurs this season?
Once again, monstrous defensive performance from Big Ben this game. Lindsey Hunter and Anotonio McDyess had excellent contributions from the bench. And get this: and NBA lowest record 4 turnovers by the Pistons this game!
San Antonio was San Antonio. The only difference was their opponent's defense. Detroit shut down San Antonio's 3-point shooting game and once again neutralized Ginobili's flare by clogging the inside lane.
It's going to be an interesting series. I'm not making any predictions of who will win, but at least give the Pistons credit for their remarkable comeback.
Heh, would any of you Spurs fans like to revise your predictions now that the series is tied 2-2 after tonight's knockout from Detroit? Better yet, let me rephrase that: would anyone care to give any team credit besides the San Antonio Spurs this season?
Once again, monstrous defensive performance from Big Ben this game. Lindsey Hunter and Anotonio McDyess had excellent contributions from the bench. And get this: and NBA lowest record 4 turnovers by the Pistons this game!
San Antonio was San Antonio. The only difference was their opponent's defense. Detroit shut down San Antonio's 3-point shooting game and once again neutralized Ginobili's flare by clogging the inside lane.
It's going to be an interesting series. I'm not making any predictions of who will win, but at least give the Pistons credit for their remarkable comeback.
calyxman said:
Amen. Why is it whenever Detroit wins, people are quick to point out the faults of their opponent? Face it, Detroit plays GOOD balanced basketball. They are the defending champs and showed why tonight. This is a best of 3 series now with game 1 in the D. No predictions, but neither team is going down without a fight.
well, isn't there egg on my face.
At least it will be more interesting this way.
(I don't even really care who wins; I just think SA is the better team)
At least it will be more interesting this way.
(I don't even really care who wins; I just think SA is the better team)
No big deal, it's just game 4. Spurs have nothing to loose last night.
The next game is the most IMPORTANT one. The team that is up by three tends to win the whole series (historical view point).
But I do have to give the Pistons credit for coming back.
What time is it now? Back to sleep (Zzz...)
The next game is the most IMPORTANT one. The team that is up by three tends to win the whole series (historical view point).
But I do have to give the Pistons credit for coming back.
What time is it now? Back to sleep (Zzz...)
I don't have any problems with the Spurs losing, just the way they've lost. From the 4th quarter of game 3 they've played no better than a high school team.
I've never seen so many sorry passes by them, or any team, in the last 5 years. 1/4 of the turnovers were unforced. Traveling and throwing the ball off the back of Ginobili's legs? It's ridiculous. Duncan really isn't helping the situatuion with his sorry shooting performances.
The only thing I want is the Spurs to be competitive if they're going to lose. I've seen AAU teams play better than thay have the last 5 quarters. They need to show up for game 5 or they could've saved time, and money, by staying here and forfeiting all 3 games in Detroit.
I've never seen so many sorry passes by them, or any team, in the last 5 years. 1/4 of the turnovers were unforced. Traveling and throwing the ball off the back of Ginobili's legs? It's ridiculous. Duncan really isn't helping the situatuion with his sorry shooting performances.
The only thing I want is the Spurs to be competitive if they're going to lose. I've seen AAU teams play better than thay have the last 5 quarters. They need to show up for game 5 or they could've saved time, and money, by staying here and forfeiting all 3 games in Detroit.
bill walton... YES! lets play a feature on horace jenkins... YES!
while watching last nights game, all i could think of was how detroit wasn't beaten as badly the first two games as the spurs were the last two. maybe some hope perhaps? i want the pistons to win so badly. but you know, that was only the 2nd win in the series, and they have to take it easy. it takes 4 to win. not 2. they might blow a flat at the rate they played. which happens very often in this league.
meanwhile, it turns out that my coworkers spotted bill walton walking around downtown birmingham, outside of where i work before game 3. the mere presence of that guy around me is disturbing. and did they show love for mason last night or what? i think al michaels is very entertained by him. do SA fans think the announcing is annoying or do you guys think its fun?
and speaking of class, or lack thereof - i think mcdyess went a little too far when he started high-fiving some of the fans on courtside... that should've been a technical IMO.
detroit won the miami series after being down 2-3. as for the finals - only two teams came back from being down 0-2. does anyone think that detroit is special? didn't they set another record last night for blocks or something? last year, they were the first team to win all 3 home games in the 2-3-2 format. this year they've already dealt miami their worst playoff loss, and they've kept san antonio at low scores for the first time in 14 playoff games. does anyone think detroit is a fantastic team? or is it possible that SA still hasn't shown up. the spurs have been here several times, and they know exactly how to play to win. this detroit team, its their second try.Eevee said:
while watching last nights game, all i could think of was how detroit wasn't beaten as badly the first two games as the spurs were the last two. maybe some hope perhaps? i want the pistons to win so badly. but you know, that was only the 2nd win in the series, and they have to take it easy. it takes 4 to win. not 2. they might blow a flat at the rate they played. which happens very often in this league.
meanwhile, it turns out that my coworkers spotted bill walton walking around downtown birmingham, outside of where i work before game 3. the mere presence of that guy around me is disturbing. and did they show love for mason last night or what? i think al michaels is very entertained by him. do SA fans think the announcing is annoying or do you guys think its fun?
and speaking of class, or lack thereof - i think mcdyess went a little too far when he started high-fiving some of the fans on courtside... that should've been a technical IMO.
How come nobody said that about the way the spurs dominated games 1 and 2?
The is the second back-to-back loss for the for the San Antonio Spurs this post-season, the first came against Seattle. The only difference between Seattle and Detroit is that the Pistons are the current championship team.
San Antonio does not work any sort of magic. They're like every other team in this league, they have strengths, they have weaknesses. And just like Bill Bellichik of the New England Patriots seeks to shut down the key strengths of his opponent, the Pistons did the same by shutting down Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
San Antonio lives by the drive and flare of Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Guys like Robert Horry and Bruce Bowen are the icing on the cake. If all responsibility lies on Duncan's shoulders, the Spurs will crumble in this series.
Amazingly, so few people want to give the Pistons any credit. They've been down 2-1 against the Pacers, but came back to win the series. They've been down 2-1 and 3-2 against Miami, but delivered a shameful upset to the top seeded Heat in game 7. This is a team that had a 10+ game winning streak near the end of the regular season and came into playoffs firing on all cylinders. Miami coasted along with their sweeps of the nets and wizards. San Antonio didn't face much challenge against Phoenix (sadly), and now they're getting a dose of what it's like playing the reigning NBA champions.
Give the Pistons credit, and give them a chance, because they can win this series. San Antonio morale isn't too good right now. I don't know what it was, but Duncan didn't have confidence written all over his face near the end of last night's game. It may be despondence, it may be confusion, but it certainly wasn't a positive emotion, and he's usually hard on himself.
Many people say that the Spurs are the best defensive team, but I'd like to look at it a different way: the Spurs are a good offensive team that (generally speaking) take care of the ball real well. Detroit is a whole different picture, and I'm surprised that even with the defensive player of the year being Big Ben Wallace that many of you still don't recognize the Pistons as the team that they are today.
I'm looking forward to Game 5 this sunday. Who ever wins will have the edge, but there's one team that's been down a couple times this post season and had the strength to come back, and that's the Pistons.
May the best team win.
i think detroit has it wrapped up at home but SA is not going to lose four in a row.
just like in miami, detroit has the ability to go into a game 7 on the road and take out the favored team and i dont think this series will be any different.
pistons in 7.
if not then oh well, they won it last year and could contend for the next few years as well.
just like in miami, detroit has the ability to go into a game 7 on the road and take out the favored team and i dont think this series will be any different.
pistons in 7.
if not then oh well, they won it last year and could contend for the next few years as well.
I think the pistons are going to win 4 straight. The spurs have confirmed that they lack mental toughness - they play hard, but they miss free throws (how does tony parker shoot 65% from the line and bruce bowen 56%??) Why does tony parker miss everything, even the gimmies some games, and other games play great? What happened in LA last year? The entire spurs team is just devoid of the kind of positive energy you need to be a championship team. I don't care if they win - they would have lost to a healthy miami team and they could never beat the lakers in their prime.
The player I think the spurs truly miss the most is Stephen Jackson. He has the fire that they lack.
The player I think the spurs truly miss the most is Stephen Jackson. He has the fire that they lack.
finally we have been blessed with a good game in this series
42-42 at the half
should end out to be a great second half. detroit needs this game. if they dont get this one, i dont like their chances to win 2 in san antonio. chauncey needs a big second half.
lets get it going pistons
42-42 at the half
should end out to be a great second half. detroit needs this game. if they dont get this one, i dont like their chances to win 2 in san antonio. chauncey needs a big second half.
lets get it going pistons
Don't have a telly so I'm catching this on the radio. 84-83 SA... Sounds like 2 heavyweights just exchanging haymakers...
Gotta give it up for Horry too...
Gotta give it up for Horry too...
now that was a hell of a game, finally. Horry... words escape me. His picture should be next to the definition of "clutch" in the dictionary.
Robert Horry is the most clutch player in NBA history. He's hit more big-time shots in important games than anyone, including Jordan. Simply amazing to watch (even though I was pulling for Detroit).
