Post by krupimpski424 on Dec 25, 2005 18:13:33 GMT -5
Minn vs San Antonio
Will the T-Wolves front court be too much to handle for the Spurs?
Minnesota’s starting front court of Magloire and Chandler is one of the best defensive tandems in the league. They are both strong rebounders and devastating shot blockers. Off the bench comes in Zach Randolph who doesn’t let anything come between him and the basket. Drew Gooden is a undersized center that might have some trouble down in the low post. Troy Murphy is a strong rebounder and will pull down his fair share but if he gets into foul trouble it could be a long day for the spurs.
Can Billups carry this team?
Chauncey is the main focal point of the spurs offense but he also has to be a distributor as well. Chalmers is young quick and will be running all day with Billups. Chalmers handles the ball with great efficiency and plays stellar defense which is a great match up with Billups being a great scorer and a player who creates points off steals. If Chauncey runs cold will his team be able to pick him up? Or will they need Chauncey to remain on fire through out this series. This is a tough task for Billups but that’s why he is Mr. Clutch.
Can the Spurs run against the T-Wolves?
San Antonio likes to run a fast paced offense but this might be hard to accomplish if they can’t control the boards. If they aren’t grabbing rebounds then this will shut limit the fast break points. San Antonio also needs to keep the T-Wolves to one shot per possession as 2nd chance points will be the death of them. If San Antonio controls the boards this could be a major problem for Minnesota as the spurs do an excellent job of pushing the basketball and finishing for two points.
Key Matchups
One key match up is the battle of the Europeans. Can Hedo be effective against AK? Hedo is the go to guy for the spurs and AK thrives in shutting people down. It’s a classic match up of offense verse defense. Another key match up is the undersized Drew Gooden verse the big Canadian Jamaal Maglorie. If Gooden can use his speed effectively and get Maglorie in foul trouble this could be the difference maker for the spurs. Look for Minnesota to go to Maglorie in the post early to over power Gooden and to likewise see if they can get him in foul trouble which spells disaster for the spurs.
Prediction T-Wolves in 5
Will the T-Wolves front court be too much to handle for the Spurs?
Minnesota’s starting front court of Magloire and Chandler is one of the best defensive tandems in the league. They are both strong rebounders and devastating shot blockers. Off the bench comes in Zach Randolph who doesn’t let anything come between him and the basket. Drew Gooden is a undersized center that might have some trouble down in the low post. Troy Murphy is a strong rebounder and will pull down his fair share but if he gets into foul trouble it could be a long day for the spurs.
Can Billups carry this team?
Chauncey is the main focal point of the spurs offense but he also has to be a distributor as well. Chalmers is young quick and will be running all day with Billups. Chalmers handles the ball with great efficiency and plays stellar defense which is a great match up with Billups being a great scorer and a player who creates points off steals. If Chauncey runs cold will his team be able to pick him up? Or will they need Chauncey to remain on fire through out this series. This is a tough task for Billups but that’s why he is Mr. Clutch.
Can the Spurs run against the T-Wolves?
San Antonio likes to run a fast paced offense but this might be hard to accomplish if they can’t control the boards. If they aren’t grabbing rebounds then this will shut limit the fast break points. San Antonio also needs to keep the T-Wolves to one shot per possession as 2nd chance points will be the death of them. If San Antonio controls the boards this could be a major problem for Minnesota as the spurs do an excellent job of pushing the basketball and finishing for two points.
Key Matchups
One key match up is the battle of the Europeans. Can Hedo be effective against AK? Hedo is the go to guy for the spurs and AK thrives in shutting people down. It’s a classic match up of offense verse defense. Another key match up is the undersized Drew Gooden verse the big Canadian Jamaal Maglorie. If Gooden can use his speed effectively and get Maglorie in foul trouble this could be the difference maker for the spurs. Look for Minnesota to go to Maglorie in the post early to over power Gooden and to likewise see if they can get him in foul trouble which spells disaster for the spurs.
Prediction T-Wolves in 5
