Respect your opponent.
The Spurs are on the verge of matching wits with the Knicks in a seven-game duel, the need for a strong game plan and flawless execution is at its peak. In preview after preview of the NBA Finals, analysts have predicted that San Antonio could leave Josh Hart open to crowd other parts of the floor. That's exactly what they should not do.
Hart is only shooting 30% from three in the postseason, but he shots 41% during the regular season. Purposely leaving him open could lead to another Alex Caruso situation. That's not the move after what the Spurs just went through in the Western Conference Finals. In fact, it was terrifyingly perfect practice—a learning experience about respecting their opponent that they can lean into now.
OKC helped prepare the Spurs for the Knicks
San Antonio double-teamed and trapped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for long stretches in the first few games of the WCF. That strategy led to a Caruso performance worthy of conference finals MVP had the Thunder won the series. The defensive-minded guard shot a blistering 50% from deep after only shooting 29% in the previous round. But that's what can happen when you leave an NBA player open.
The Spurs did a much better job on OKC's role players when they stopped compromising their defense to limit one guy. The approach to Jalen Brunson should be similar. The Silver and Black have the personnel to make JB's life difficult with a single defender, just like they did with SGA. The roster has been built to do that.
Fighting through screens and communicating switches effectively will be key to defending the 2025 NBA Clutch Player of the Year. Selling out to stop him is too risky, especially knowing that New York has had the best three-point shooting of all 16 postseason teams at 40%. Try not to help turn these guys into a bunch of Ray Allen clones. Make them all earn their buckets by playing defense straight up.
In a way, it's the same lesson the Spurs had to teach teams at the beginning of the season. Opponents tried to crowd the paint against the Silver and Black, but their three-point shooting has been better than many expected, exposing the weaknesses in those game plans. Teams found out they had to guard all five positions at all times, or they'd pay a higher price.
Now that San Antonio is in the NBA Finals, having to relearn that lesson could cost them a championship. So, don't do New York's job for them. It will be on Mike Brown and Jalen Brunson to figure out how to generate offense consistently against a strong and unique Spurs defense. Let them.
