Spurs in SIX...Make that SEVEN! I Gotta Feeling... An Alien Shall Lead Them!

So here we are! The Spurs v The Thunder for the Western Conference Finals. Both teams are primed and ready. The Points Created Numbers reveal that each team has a strong roster with OKC showing more efficiency in both Regular Season & Playoffs and the Spurs not that far behind. I did add Points Created for Each Game they played this year. Click Each Tab at the bottom to get a Points Created Read on each game.

There are also diagrams for Wingspan Length AND Wingspan Circles +2 ft to show how much court coverage each player and team can reasonably cover in a base set.

The Regular Season isn't The Playoffs. We all know this but every game reveals something that can be exploited. These games will be close. No matter who wins, Free Throws will be important and as a Team, the Spurs average more trips during the playoffs than the Thunder despite the amount of how many Shai gets.

Our 2-Way Player Strength is better balanced than theirs. Their Best Defenders are NOT their best outside shooters. We want to funnel shots away from Shai, J-Dub

Look at these playoff percentages, Player Name FG% - FT% - 3PM- 3FG% -DRtg
Spurs Playoff best defenders are:
Wembanyama 53.8 FG% - 84.5 FT% - 14 3PM - 34.1 3FG% - 94 DRtg
Kornet 53.8 FG% - 84.5 FT% - 1 3PM 100.0 - 3FG% - 100 DRtg
Harper 56.6 FG% - 85.7 FT% - 9 3PM - 37.5 3FG% - 104 DRtg
Castle 49.0 FG% - 79.7 FT% - 22 3PM - 44.0 3FG% - 107 DRtg
Fox 62.5 FG% - 78.6 FT% - 18 3PM - 34.6 3FG% - 108 DRtg

Thunder Playoff best defenders are:
Holmgren 60.0 FG% - 88.5 FT% - 12 3PM - 38.7 3FG% - 104 DRtg
Jaylin Williams(Not J-Dub) 37.0 FG% - 100.0 FT% - 8 3PM - 36.4 3FG% - 105 DRtg
Hartenstein 75.6 FG% - 81.0 FT% - 0.0 0 3PM - 3FG% - 106 DRtg
Caruso 48.0 FG% - 0.0 FT% - 13 3PM - 38.2 3FG% - 107 DRtg
Wallace 46.8 FG% - 100.0 FT% - 46.2 - 12 3PM - 3FG% - 108 DRtg

I have a tab for SAS & OKC Through Rds 1 & 2 where you can see all of their stats and Points Created Numbers. All Tabs have something to share or will have, upon completion of each game. 

- Assuming Wemby & Shai cancel each other out, the next set of stars will determine who moves on to the Finals. I will say that for the playoffs, it's Victor who is staying up to his normal Points Created Efficiency Numbers more so than Shai. He's still playing over .900 ball while Shai is in the mid .700's level. While still stellar, he's typically .900 Wemby is typically 1.000 That's how good these guys are. 

Regular Season
Wembanyama 1.050 PC/Min & 30.625 PC/Gm
Shai .930 PC/Min & 31.169 PC/Gm

Playoffs
Wembanyama .946 PC/Min & 27.250 PC/Gm
Shai .756 PC/Min & 26.375 PC/Gm 

As we move through the playoffs, those players who increase their numbers are the more productive ones.

- It's Chet v Fox. 

Regular Season
Fox .590 PC/Min & 18.292 PC/Gm
Chet .749 PC/Min & 21.667 PC/Gm

Playoffs
Fox .508 PC/Min & 16.909 PC/Gm
Chet .789 PC/Min & 24.750 PC/Gm

While typically, you would think it's Jalen Williams, he's just coming back after a long layoff since suffering a Hamstring injury early in the 1st Round against Phoenix. The Wemby Effect finds Chet hiding and defending other players and then rotating to Wemby. He's a capable 3-point shooter and has the length needed to help slow down the Spurs paint attacks.

Fox has the speed and touch to put his stamp on the Spurs' success. He's been Hot and Cold, but I think knowing how tough this series will be, we will see prime Fox.

Advantage Chet... but this could change due to the Wemby Effect. Just look at the regular season games to see his poor performances against the Spurs. 

-Then go down again, let's say it's J-Dub v Steph Castle. 

Regular Season
Castle .605 PC/Min & 18.118 PC/Gm
J-Dub .638 PC/Min & 18.106 PC/Gm

Playoffs
Castle .599 PC/Min & 19.045 PC/Gm
Williams .904 PC/Min & 23.500 PC/Gm (2 Games Only)

The stats for J-Dub are really high, but a small sample size of just 2 games against Phoenix, that's all he's played thus far.

This one is a potential heavyweight battle. A proven All-Star vs one who is worthy of being one. Castle has made such the jump from explosive Shooting Guard to 2-Way Force sharing PG duties alongside Fox and Harper. Since J-Dub hasn't shown how mobile he is, despite being cleared to play, Castle has the advantage here.

Castle has been impregnable, his defense has been stout, and he's shooting cannons from the turrets, making 44% from 3. I think he handles O setups LESS so he can focus on stopping Shai, so it'll be up to Fox & Harper to continue their O Ways and keep the team truckin'

-Go down again, and it's Ajay Mitchell v Dylan Harper. 

Regular Season
Harper .557 PC/Min & 12.587 PC/Gm
Mitchell .539 PC/Min & 13.921 PC/Gm

Playoffs
Harper .610 PC/Min & 15.364 PC/Gm 
Mitchell .630 PC/Min & 18.750 PC/Gm

This one is a battle of upstarts both with Dads who played Pro Hoops.
Mitchell has stepped up big with J-Dub out, he's been providing them with solid play all season. Dylan Harper has done everything that the Spurs have needed from him. He's currently leading the NBA in playoff bench scoring and shooting at a high efficiency.

I think with J-Dub back, Mitchell will play fewer minutes but still be efficient. Harper has been really hot, and then just good enough. We need him to stay hot, play his smooth game, and get downhill to create Opps for himself and his team.

The Spurs have Castle, Fox, and Harper and them as a 3 headed monster, has been quite the puzzle to figure out for the opposition.

This one seems like a PUSH. But Harper and Mitchell both will have an impact. We all want for Harper's to be larger.

- Lastly, it's Kornet v Hartenstein

Regular Season 
Kornet .613 PC/Min & 12.882 PC/Gm
Hartenstein .731 PC/Min & 17.681 PC/Gm

Playoffs
Kornet .627 PC/Min & 10.318 PC/Gm
Hartenstein .713 PC/Gm & 18.188 PC/Gm

This one is a battle of Utility Bigs.

Both players have stuck to their roles and it shows based on how close they are to their regular season numbers. 
They both do all the dirty work inside, the key differences are Hartenstein does his work with the starters more, while Kornet comes off the bench, unless Coach Mitch wants to change the lineup. Both players defend hard as hell, will attack the boards, and look for easy insides shots and put backs. 

Coming into tonight's game, Luke is listed as Questionable, but I think that's simply GAMESMANSHIP, and that he will be available. Hartenstein is fully healthy and rested, but like his teammates, got a lost of REST, so perhaps, it may results in some RUST. I guess we will see, but I will give a slight edge to Hartenstein on this one. 

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The Final Tally using the best 5 defenders as ranked by Defensive Rating:
Spurs & Thunder Push on Wemby v Shai and Harper v Mitchell (Whoever wins this matchup, propels their team to The Finals)

Spurs Win on Castle v J-Dub

Thunder Win on Chet v Fox and Kornet v Hartenstein

It would seem that OKC has the edge, but I am a strong believer in IT FACTOR and the Spurs have all of that! 

I think this team is out to prove doubters and Go like Olajuwon on the DRob's MVP Trophy Series. Some of us know how that went down.

Gametime is in like 30 minutes. I know I am slow, but I am happy to get this out there. 

Here is the link for the Points Created Scores and Wingspan Diagrams:
The Man In Black Western Conference Finals Points Created Spreadsheets 

Enjoy it!

The Man In Black 
-Wherever I go, I am aptly dressed for I am The Man In Black!