Kawhi Leonard had 34 points on 13 of 16 shooting, Tony Parker had 18, and the San Antonio Spurs fire back and tie the series up at 1 apiece. It didn't come without loss, though, as Tony Parker awkwardly landed on his knee in the fourth quarter and was carried off the game. So far, no news has been reported on Parker.
Kawhi vs James Harden
Kawhi dominated the matchup against James Harden, with everything from guarding in isolation to guarding in pick and roll. The Spurs did a great job at giving Kawhi a lane to get through the screen and stay onto Harden without the San Antonio bigs having to guard him.
Harden struggled all night, shooting 3 for 17 and scoring just 13 points. One of the big things in game two was that Harden wasn't getting the calls he does normally on the perimeter. Harden didn't get the contact calls even if they weren't on shot. This allowed Kawhi to really play defense and not let Harden dictate where he was going to go.
Loss of Tony Parker
To a lot of people, Tony Parker is well past his prime. He may be, but he's been really effective in these playoffs and in this series. This loss, for however long it will be, is a huge issue for the Spurs. Tony was the only true point guard on the team and now that Patty Mills and Ginobili will have to step up, it hurts flow a bit for San Antonio.
Tony really dictated where the offense was going and coordinated that ball movement.
San Antonio changes
The most interesting change that coach Popovich made in game two was how they defend the pick and roll. When you watch the Rockets, Harden does a lot of dancing around screens. He'll dribble around, try to make a read on the switch, and then try to create.
This lull of time that he gives, gave the Spurs enough time to show and recover and let Kawhi get back onto James Harden.
The biggest change that needs to happen is when Harden goes over the pick, he needs to force that switch and make a quick read and decision. This lull of time gave the Spurs enough time to where when Harden did make his decision, he just had Kawhi back on him.
When Harden goes quick off the screen then he'll force the big onto him for a lot longer and then will be able to find Capela. One thing they should do as well is if Kawhi is on Harden, make Harden set screens. Have Harden set a screen for Lou Will and Eric Gordon, try to force that switch and then get Harden a screen from Capela.
This series just got so much more interesting. It's a chess match, and the Spurs and Rockets are just getting started.
