how do you defend the spurs?

[inclinerator]

they are probably the best passing team of all time, yes even better than bird's celtics. The thing is they dont even get tired, then again that's probably because they have bench players coming in and executing as crisp as the starters

even the team which has the most capable players of defending the spurs(thunder) couldnt stop them

[masonanddixon]

The key is to run all their 3 point shooters off the line and force Duncan, Ginobli and Parker to beat you.

Pretty much worked for Dallas, if they had Chandler instead of Dalembert they would have beat Spurs in 5.

[Inferno]

Honestly, I don't know. Diaw, Splitter, and Duncan are probably the best passing bigs in the game. They get the ball down low and swing that shit out for an open look within a second...can't do anything about that...close down the shooters and Parker and Manu drive in and feed it to Duncan, close down the paint and the bigs just pass that shit out to the GOAT Finals 3 point shooter

[deja vu]

Outscore them.

[Eye Test]

by scoring more than them. lebron should be driving and getting them into foul trouble every damned time. when their O is so damn perfect you look at other ways to take them out of their game

[Genaro]

Pressure the passes, try to force turnovers specially from Ginobili who sometimes tries way too hard passes, run at shooters and put someone big on TP.

I do think that if OKC had a healthy Ibaka the whole time they could've won that series.

[Kiddlovesnets]

Theres no way you can defend a team that everyone can pass and everyone can shoot. You just have to relax and enjoy the slaughter.

[masonanddixon]

Theres no way you can defend a team that everyone can pass and everyone can shoot. You just have to relax and enjoy the slaughter.

lol if Blair didn't get tossed the Mavs would've finished that series in 5. And the Mavs sucked.

This Spurs team is garbage.

[Collie]

The thing is, the Spurs didn't even dominate this playoffs that much. They had pretty close series throughout, so you CAN stop them. It's just the Heat that are completely bamboozled by them for some reason.

[Kiddlovesnets]

lol if Blair didn't get tossed the Mavs would've finished that series in 5. And the Mavs sucked.

This Spurs team is garbage.

The Spurs never took the Mavs seriously, and when they did they blew it out in game 7. Relax buddy, it will be a Spurs sweep if they play again.

[masonanddixon]

The Spurs never took the Mavs seriously, and when they did they blew it out in game 7. Relax buddy, it will be a Spurs sweep if they play again.

Yeah man, NBA postseason, millions of dollars and futures on the line--the Spurs just decided not to try.

They sure were shitting themselves when they were about to go down 3-1 and then cried to the league office to get a bench player suspended because he was tearing them a new asshole. lol.

[Kiddlovesnets]

Yeah man, NBA postseason, millions of dollars and futures on the line--the Spurs just decided not to try.

They sure were shitting themselves when they were about to go down 3-1 and then cried to the league office to get a bench player suspended because he was tearing them a new asshole. lol.

I wont say they didnt try, but clearly they aint playing at their best against the Mavs since they overlooked their opponents. They know if it goes to 7 they can still win anyway, and why not just toy with your opponents and warm yourself up? Same thing with Celtics in 1st round 08 and Lakers in 2nd round 09.

[masonanddixon]

I wont say they didnt try, but clearly they aint playing at their best against the Mavs since they overlooked their opponents. They know if it goes to 7 they can still win anyway, and why not just toy with your opponents and warm yourself up? Same thing with Celtics in 1st round 08 and Lakers in 2nd round 09.

They got outplayed because Carlisle ran all their 3 pt guys off the line (a strategy he never used in the regular season) and it caught them completely off guard. keep in mind Dallas was injured and tired heading into the series whereas the Spurs were perfectly well-rested.

Dallas was a tough out because it has Dirk, a brilliant head coach, and incredible offense. Spurs got several lucky calls and help from the refs and league office to make it through. But give them credit for barely making it past a team that relied heavily on dudes over age 35.

[konex]

You have to stop Parker's penetration. That is the only way

[Thorn]

If Carlisle was coaching the Thunder they might've done it. You need a nasty combination of athleticism and intelligence to beat the Spurs (think something like threepeat Lakers or Bulls). OKC pushed them to a Game 6 OT loss and they'll always be wondering what if Ibaka was healthy. Similarly Mavs fans will wonder about blowing that lead in Game 1. Pop would've adjusted eventually, but the athleticism advantage your hypothetical team has might be too much if there was intelligent coaching behind it.

Force the Spurs into thinking about their passes, run them off the 3 point line, throw a steady stream of long, tenacious defenders at Parker, force turnovers, and have an athletic rim protector.