Video: Spurs weigh in on Curry

Written by Kyle Boenitz on .

The biggest matchup in the upcoming series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors is going to be Stephen Curry against whatever defensive scheme Coach Popovich wants to go with. Whether it be the length and athleticism of Kawhi Leonard, the quickness and agility of Tony Parker or some sort of combination, you can bet the Spurs are going to be locked in on Curry all series long.

During some recent interviews it was clear that the Spurs have a lot of respect for the Warriors’ leading scorer. Parker likened him to a shorter version of Durant and Pop called him maybe the best shooter in the league.

no comments

Bogut ready to make Duncan work

Written by Jose Grijalva on .

USA Today SportsAndrew Bogut dominated Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets. When his Golden State Warriors teammates were off on their shot or on defense, he was there to bail them out with an impressive 14 point, 21 rebounds, and 4 block night.

That was against a banged up Denver Nuggets team and won't be seeing anything close to that tonight.

Bogut isn't going to be defending JaVale McGee or Kenneth Faried in the paint tonight. Those two players are good players in their own right, but depend on others to create for them. For the majority of the series, he was able to play off his man to help out and that's something he won't be able to do against Tim Duncan.

He knows this and it sounds like he's ready for the challenge.

no comments

Spurs Roundtable: Thoughts & Predictions on Spurs-Warriors Series (Video)

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

The San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors will kick of their Semifinal playoff series tonight in San Antonio where the Warriors have not won in 16 years.

On this episode of the News 4 San Antonio-Project Spurs, Spurs Roundtable, Project Spurs' Jeff Garcia and Pounding the Rock's Aaron Preine join forces to break down the series.

We discuss if the Spurs can handle the Warriors' small-ball attack, defending Stephen Curry, if San Antonio should play a more physical game versus the Warriors and much more including our predictions on which team wins this series.

no comments

Spurs vs. Warriors: Looking at the battle of the bigs

Written by Quixem Ramirez on .

Before David Lee tore his hip flexor, the Golden State Warriors frontcourt was already lacking in playoff caliber talent. Without Lee, the most potent interior option on the team, coach Mark Jackson went a different route. He featured a new lineup, featuring Stephen Curry, Jarrett Jack, Klay Thompson, rookie Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut.

The lineup destroyed the Denver Nuggets. In 76 minutes, the combination outscored Denver by 15.4 points per 100 possessions. Perhaps most impressively: Both offensive and defensive figures, where a small lineup with below-average defenders typically falters, easily bested the No. 1 regular season marks.
 
Golden State got away with small-ball against Denver. They won't be so lucky against the systemic brilliance of the San Antonio Spurs.
 
The Warriors need consistent offensive outbursts from the Curry-Thompson duo to upset San Antonio. (They are shooting 39.7 percent on 14.6 3-point attempts per game during the postseason.) That is painstakingly obvious to any casual NBA observer.
no comments

Spurs vs. Warriors: A Quantitative and Qualitative Preview

Written by Paul Garcia on .

One of the best aspects in watching sports is first seeing something develop with your eyes and then going back to a box score to see your analysis proven with real numbers.

For example, when you watch a basketball game, you might say, “Player X shoots and misses a lot of jumpers.” From there, you get home, go to the box score and find that Player X attempted 10 jump shots and only made four of them, meaning Player X is a 40% shooter.

When it comes to breaking down the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors, all we have is quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative is four Spurs games and six Warriors games. Qualitative is what my eyes saw both in person at the AT&T Center and at home on my TV screen.

Going furthermore, in looking at the data of these two teams, you must also keep in mind that they came against two totally different opponents – The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, two teams that are not remotely built in the same mold of the Spurs and Warriors, and who were missing key players.

no comments

On Spurs, Warriors and a river vs. a bay

Written by Jesse Blanchard on .

In the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, the Western Conference Semifinals are represented by a city nestled by a bay, and another renowned for its River Walk. Appropriate that both teams be associated with something as elemental as water, given the fluidity of some key components.

Stephen Curry, the fourth-year point guard for the Warriors, is perhaps the best shooter in NBA history. Absurd as that statement might seem for a player so early in his career, given the list of Hall of Fame players who built a legacy on the accuracy of their jumper, Curry certainly at least earns a spot in the conversation.

no comments

Warriors’ Curry and Jack know Spurs present major challenge in second round

Written by Paul Garcia on .

AT&T Center – Coming into the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, Golden State Warriors guards Stephen Curry and Jarrett Jack are averaging a combined 43.1 points and 16.3 assists per game.USA Today Sports

The San Antonio Spurs’ perimeter defense will have a challenge on their hands limiting the Warriors dynamic shooters as much as possible. On Sunday, before beginning practice, the Warriors guards discussed the Spurs, and Curry gave an interesting reaction to a comment from Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

Before game two of the Spurs’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Coach Popovich said watching Curry shoot reminded him of watching Michael Jordan. When Curry was notified of Popovich’s comment Sunday, he had one reaction.

“Was he drunk when he said that?”

For Curry, he knows the Spurs’ defense will bring him different looks than he faced against the Denver Nuggets. Curry’s hoping he can continue to shoot the ball the way he was doing in the first round. To prepare for the Spurs, Curry said he’s watched a lot of film and even watched how they defended Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul last year.

no comments

Jackson says no pressure on Warriors; discusses Spurs' Parker, and more

Written by Paul Garcia on .

AT&T Center – As the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors prepare to begin the opening game of the second round on Monday, Warriors head coach Mark Jackson doesn’t see his team as having any pressure on their shoulders.

“No there’s no pressure,” said Jackson on Sunday, a day before the Warriors face off against the Spurs. “We’re playing with house money,” continued Jackson, “there’s no pressure.”

Jackson went on to say that most experts didn’t pencil in the Warriors, a number-6 seed, on the list of the final eight teams representing the Western Conference. Jackson said the Spurs have the advantages in coaching, the team, and should be labeled the “favorite” in the series.

“This is definitely a tougher task,” said Jackson of facing the Spurs, “(but) one we’re excited about.”

The Spurs and Warriors went 2-2 in the regular season, and though it’s the playoffs, Jackson says the Spurs know exactly who the current Warriors are.

“Pop (Popovich) and his staff know what we’re trying to do,” said Jackson, “there’s no secrets.”

As for what has changed from the Spurs since the last time the Warriors saw them, Jackson mentioned health and the ability to run the fast break.

no comments

Video: Warriors' Green not worried about 16-year losing streak vs. Spurs

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

The San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors will kick off their Semifinal series this Monday in San Antonio -- a city that has not been kind to the Warriors.

Golden State has not won in San Antonio in 16 years which makes Game 1 that much more daunting for the Warriors.

The Warriors arrived in San Antonio yesterday and rookie Draymond Green spoke about the team viewing the trip as a "business trip" and said the team's losing streak in San Antonio is nothing to be worried about.

Check out what Green had to say about the series versus San Antonio.

no comments

Video: Warriors' Curry says Tony Parker least favorite to play against

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

The San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors will clash in the West Semifinals which will kick off this Monday in San Antonio.

One of the better matchups to watch will be at point guard as Tony Parker and Stephen Curry will face off and hope they will be able to control the tempo for their respective team in order to advance to the West Finals.

Speaking with Grantland, Curry opened up on which player is the toughest to face and mentioned Parker alongside Russell Westbrook. From describing TP as a "mouse" scurrying all over the court on the screen-and-roll to saying Parker lives in the paint, Curry describes why Tony is just tough to face.

no comments