duncan228
11-26-2008, 01:11 AM
Defense has driven Spurs' turnaround (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Defense_has_driven_Spurs_turnaround.html)
By Jeff McDonald - Express-News
There are many factors that have gone into the Spurs' recent resurgence — among them the emergence of Roger Mason Jr. and George Hill, the leadership of Tim Duncan and the fortuitous softness of their schedule.
Ask coach Gregg Popovich to name the No. 1 cause of the Spurs' charge past the .500 mark, and he offers an unsurprising answer.
“The defense is sustaining us right now,” Popovich said. “We've played pretty solid defense.”
The Spurs are coming off a 94-81 victory Monday at Memphis, their sixth victory in eight games.
In five of those triumphs, they held their opponent to fewer than 90 points.
The turnaround has been stark. Five games into the season, the Spurs were 1-4 and allowing 105.2 points per game. Eight games later, the Spurs are giving up 92.2 points per game, fifth-best in the league.
Not coincidentally, they have run their record to 7-6 heading into tonight's home game against Chicago.
The Spurs' defensive rebirth has its roots in what was the lowest point of the season to date. On Nov. 7, the same day Tony Parker went down with a sprained ankle, the Spurs were blown out at home, 99-83, by Miami.
The Spurs would spend the next two days going back to the drawing board, rededicating themselves to defense and, in some cases, simplifying their concepts on that end of the floor.
“We got back to playing defense the way we want to,” Tim Duncan said. “That's been the biggest thing.”
Work in progress: Manu Ginobili made his comeback from offseason ankle surgery against the Grizzlies, scoring 12 points in 11 minutes.
The next step is for him to regain the explosion in his legs he felt was missing in Memphis.
“I'm not having the explosion right now, because I'm a little out of shape — game shape,” Ginobili said.
“That is something you only get when you play and practice a lot.”
Popovich plans to gradually increase Ginobili's minutes over the next several games. It could be “four, five, six games” before Ginobili will be expected to take on a full workload, Popovich said.
By Jeff McDonald - Express-News
There are many factors that have gone into the Spurs' recent resurgence — among them the emergence of Roger Mason Jr. and George Hill, the leadership of Tim Duncan and the fortuitous softness of their schedule.
Ask coach Gregg Popovich to name the No. 1 cause of the Spurs' charge past the .500 mark, and he offers an unsurprising answer.
“The defense is sustaining us right now,” Popovich said. “We've played pretty solid defense.”
The Spurs are coming off a 94-81 victory Monday at Memphis, their sixth victory in eight games.
In five of those triumphs, they held their opponent to fewer than 90 points.
The turnaround has been stark. Five games into the season, the Spurs were 1-4 and allowing 105.2 points per game. Eight games later, the Spurs are giving up 92.2 points per game, fifth-best in the league.
Not coincidentally, they have run their record to 7-6 heading into tonight's home game against Chicago.
The Spurs' defensive rebirth has its roots in what was the lowest point of the season to date. On Nov. 7, the same day Tony Parker went down with a sprained ankle, the Spurs were blown out at home, 99-83, by Miami.
The Spurs would spend the next two days going back to the drawing board, rededicating themselves to defense and, in some cases, simplifying their concepts on that end of the floor.
“We got back to playing defense the way we want to,” Tim Duncan said. “That's been the biggest thing.”
Work in progress: Manu Ginobili made his comeback from offseason ankle surgery against the Grizzlies, scoring 12 points in 11 minutes.
The next step is for him to regain the explosion in his legs he felt was missing in Memphis.
“I'm not having the explosion right now, because I'm a little out of shape — game shape,” Ginobili said.
“That is something you only get when you play and practice a lot.”
Popovich plans to gradually increase Ginobili's minutes over the next several games. It could be “four, five, six games” before Ginobili will be expected to take on a full workload, Popovich said.