McDonald: Popovich Offers Harsh Evaluation Of Spurs' Defense

[duncan228]

Popovich offers harsh evaluation of Spurs' defense (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Popovich_offers_harsh_evaluation_of_Spurs_defense. html)
Jeff McDonald

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a moment of truth just before the Spurs took the floor Saturday night in Chicago, coach Gregg Popovich opened up to inquiring minds about all that was wrong with his club.

The laundry list of problems was so small it would fit on a Post-It note. It was just one item, really. But in Popovich's world, it was a biggie.

“We suck on ‘D,'” Popovich said, with the “D” standing for defense.

That was the entire text of Popovich's State of the Team address, as succinct as it was devastating. All follow-up questions fishing for a silver lining were quickly rebuffed.

Do you mean all game long, or just in fourth quarters?

“No, pretty much throughout,” Popovich said. “Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way.”

Surely there is a way to fix this problem, some sliver of hope on the horizon?

“I don't know if I have an answer to that,” Popovich said. “If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad.”

A suffocating defense has long been the Spurs' calling card, the common thread that has hung four NBA championship banners in their home arena.

This season, the Spurs are 26-13 and sitting atop the Southwest Division. But, in a flip from years past, Popovich believes his team's success has come in spite of its defense, not because of it.

Heading into today's MLK Day matinee at Charlotte, which caps a three-game road swing, the Spurs rank eighth in the NBA in scoring defense, surrendering 94.2 points per game.

That number isn't so bad. To Popovich, it also is largely irrelevant.

A truer measure of a team's defensive effectiveness, he believes, is its field-goal percentage defense. It is the first number he looks at when handed the box score at the end of the night.

In Popovich's 11 full seasons on the bench, the Spurs never have finished worse than fifth in the NBA in that category. So far this season, they rank 21st. Opponents are shooting 46 percent against them.

The Spurs also are giving up a 36.9 percentage from 3-point range, 19th in the league.

A firm believer that a team eventually gets what it deserves, Popovich cringes to think of the comeuppance due the Spurs if they don't begin to boost their defensive numbers to familiar levels. And quickly.

“The only thing that's saving us is that everybody else is beating everybody else up, so our record looks basically as good as anybody else's,” Popovich said. “It's fool's gold, as far as I'm concerned.”

Rock bottom for the Spurs' defense came in Philadelphia, during a 109-87 loss that opened the road trip Friday night.

The 76ers shot 50 percent from the field, 57 percent from the 3-point line, and alley-ooped their way to 30 fast-break points en route to handing the Spurs their most lopsided defeat of the season.

Essentially, the Sixers transformed the Wachovia Center into their own personal pick-up game, with the defenseless Spurs as an unwitting foil.

Perhaps inspired by their head coach's not-so-gentle public pregame prodding, or the sheer humiliation of what happened in Philadelphia, the Spurs turned in one of their better defensive performances of the season a night later in Chicago. They held the Bulls without a field goal in the final 3:13 to lock up a 92-87 victory.

Afterward, however, the Spurs resisted the urge to declare themselves cured of all their defensive ills.

“We were better,” point guard Tony Parker said. “It's a good first step.”

The next step comes today at Charlotte. Physically, the Spurs are in North Carolina, the Tar Heel State.

Philosophically, however, they find themselves in a show-me state of mind — as in, “show me” the defensive stand they took against the Bulls is more than just a one-night wonder.

“It's just one game,” Tim Duncan said. “Now you have to build on that. If we go back to the way we've been playing, this game doesn't mean anything. It starts with one game, and you build from there.”

It might be the one way for the Spurs to silence their most vocal critic, their head coach.

[xtremesteven33]

ALOT has to do with Bonner and Finley getting so many minutes.

I still stick with my prediction that Bonner will be coming off the bench come playoff time and Bowen will get his starting spot back soon.

Then you will see a Spurs defense that will be as good as ever. IMO

[timvp]

“We suck on ‘D,'” Popovich said, with the “D” standing for defense.Thanks for the clarification, McDonald. For a second I thought a trade for Eddy Curry was in the works.

[Yorae]

“The only thing that's saving us is that everybody else is beating everybody else up, so our record looks basically as good as anybody else's,” Popovich said. “It's fool's gold, as far as I'm concerned.”

So far, so true.

[ploto]

In Popovich's 11 full seasons on the bench, the Spurs never have finished worse than fifth in the NBA in that category. So far this season, they rank 21st. Opponents are shooting 46 percent against them.
When it happens repeatedy, it can no longer be called a fluke that time and time again teams shoot so well against the Spurs this season.

[timvp]

When it happens repeatedy, it can no longer be called a fluke that the Spurs always are bad at defense at this point in the season before improving in the second half of the year.

Fixed.

[SequSpur]

As long as you have "I Alone" in the middle, referencing timmay.. then your defense is gonna suck, but hey Solid D insists that Bonner is an integral part of Defense.. :lmao

[ploto]

Fixed.

They have never been 21st in opponent FG% half-way through the season.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

They have never been 21st in opponent FG% half-way through the season.

Still a month away from the all star break.

[pawe]

Bonner's way of defense is to outscore his man.

[Brutalis]

I agree that it has to do with Bowen not getting as much PT, and Fin/Bonner getting more. Not all of the reason though.

[m33p0]

soft card.

[m33p0]

this is the dilemna the spurs will face come playoffs: who will play at the last 5 minutes of the ballgame?

having parker, manu, mason and bowen together will make the spurs small. unless parker's minutes get sacrified or if pop feels he can get away with it, spurs can't have manu/mason and bowen on the floor at the same time. even if all the spurs have is bonner and thomas to play center, one of them will absolutely have to play along side duncan in the last 5 minutes of the ballgame.

[Yorae]

uhmmm draw lots?

[jag]

Thanks for the clarification, McDonald. For a second I thought a trade for Eddy Curry was in the works.

:lmao

Classic.

Off topic: At this point it doesn't matter if it's true or not...the legacy of Eddy Curry has already been established. He will forever be remembered as the man who may or may not have said, "Look at me, Dave, look" and, "Come and touch it, Dave."

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Thanks for the clarification, McDonald. For a second I thought a trade for Eddy Curry was in the works.

lmao i was thinking the same thing.

does he really need to explain that?!

maybe he thought people would interperet it as meaning "dick."

[td4mvp21]

:wakeup

[timvp]

They have never been 21st in opponent FG% half-way through the season.The Spurs at this point last year were 20th in opponent FG%.

:wakeup

[Dex]

The Spurs at this point last year were 20th in opponent FG%.

:wakeup

:lol

Pop is actually finding an interesting way to pull the Soft Card™ this season.

I never thought I'd here him say suck in a professional capacity.

[exstatic]

“We suck on ‘D,'” Popovich said, with the “D” standing for defense.
Your fault. Michael Finley isn't going to stop anyone. He may be the worst perimeter defender to play for the Spurs in the past 10 years. Start Bruce. You've upgraded the starter's offense with Bonner and Mason. We need Bruce to keep the other team's stud in check. By the time he gets into the game now, it's too late. The guy has confidence and is GOING OFF.

Bruce may not be in his prime, but he is BY FAR the best perimeter defender on the Spurs roster. He still has lateral quickness. Finley hasn't been in the same room as lateral quickness in 5 years.

[Blackjack]

:lol

Pop is actually finding an interesting way to pull the Soft Card™ this season.

I never thought I'd here him say suck in a professional capacity.

Bill Land...

Pop...

Who's next???(and please don't say Eddy Curry:lol)

[roycrikside]

It's fashionable to blame Bonner and Finley for our defensive struggles, but Fin has had to pick up a lot of the guys Bowen would've usually taken if he was the starter. Bonner, according to 82games.com, has been our best defensive rotation player outside of Thomas. We only give up 89 points with him per 48 minutes. Either that means he's been better than he looks on defense or that Pop has an innate sense of when to bench him so that he can't kill us. Probably a little bit of both.

I would lay a lot more blame on the big three. I think both Manu and Tony have been dreadful defensively. Parker has turned to AI. His offensive game has picked up a notch, but his defense has never been worse. He doesn't even pretend to care back there anymore, he's just conserving energy. Ginobili makes some good plays with steals and drawing charges and whatnot, like a gambling NFL corner who jumps routes and gets the occasional pick six, but I've never seen him so regularly scored upon, even by average players.

Duncan meanwhile played good, focused D when Manu and Tony were hurt, but has reverted to his usual pre-All-Star break defensive hibernation on defense since their return.

[Obstructed_View]

Thanks for the clarification, McDonald. For a second I thought a trade for Eddy Curry was in the works.

:bang I agree. This dude must have pics of someone to have gotten and/or kept his job.

[Solid D]

As long as you have "I Alone" in the middle, referencing timmay.. then your defense is gonna suck, but hey Solid D insists that Bonner is an integral part of Defense.. :lmao

:lol nice

Just because I said the other day that "Bonner's defense has actually been decent this season", doesn't mean anything beyond that. It's all relative. I think most of the regulars here know what I have thought of the Spurs' D since 2006. The Spurs obviously don't have the perimeter quickness and interior size to lock teams down. As I've said several times, I will never consider a team that allows 45% shooting a great defensive team...and that's what the Spurs have allowed the past three seasons.

[urunobili]

I have been saying it over and over... we are not defending the 3 point line as good as we can... it's January though...

[sonic21]

i'm not worried (yet)

[mrspurs]

Thanks for the clarification, McDonald. For a second I thought a trade for Eddy Curry was in the works.

:lol

[Brazil]

Finley D is not so bad, it's a team issue not a specific one related to bonner and finley.

There are no excuses but : we have played w/o Manu during long months, tp has been hurt, the spurs give a lot minutes for 2 new guys Hill and Mase, Bonner has consistent minutes since the beginning of the season, physically they are not at their pick (see TP) and Bruce is playing 10 mpg vs. 20 last year (not checked the stat but I think the proportion is correct)... no surprises so far.

[mrspurs]

Im pretty sure our bad defense has some todo with our roster. But, mostly it has everything todo with the amount of talent the NBA has. And when you wear a Jersey that has Spur on it. Your gonna bring out the best in every team and player. I honestly dont think Pop is surprised. He had to have known this in last seasons POs. And, when they did nothing to address it this summer.

[Summers]

Remember when "suck" used to be a dirty word. I had a friend who got grounded for saying it in front of his mother. Am I showing my age?

[YoMamaIsCallin]

Remember when "suck" used to be a dirty word. I had a friend who got grounded for saying it in front of his mother. Am I showing my age?


yep

[exstatic]

Finley D is not so bad...
I don't what team you're watching, or if you are, but Finley is just plain awful. He's getting beaten like a Rented Mule on the regular.

[Fabbs]

Since many trips down the floor, how offense is played predicates how your defense will be set up on a miss, perhaps Lord Poppycock will offer an evaluation of his offense. Whatever the hell that offense is.

Example, when a Spur shoots a trey, esp early in the clock and while no other player is set up to board, (see Mike Finley, altho in no way shape or form limited to Finley), it allows the other team to garner the O rebound and pretty much get a good if not great running start in transition up the court. Since under Pops direction we have become a wussy 3 pt chucking team, what does he have to say about that.

He's won 4 titles you know.
And look at the offensive powerhouses those 4 came against.
NYKnicks snooze.
Jersey snooze
Pistons (well, they did play good D)
Cavs snooze

Great D or vs 3 of 4 Snoozers on offense?
Assowned by Phil 4-1.

[Brazil]

I don't what team you're watching, or if you are, but Finley is just plain awful. He's getting beaten like a Rented Mule on the regular.

I didn't say that Fin D was decent : I agree his D is below average.
My point is Bonner and Finley are the scapegoats but the lack of D is a team issue.

[dbestpro]

Parker while great on offense has been getting burned on a regular basis. The comment about Bonner D is to outscore the opponent could apply to Tony, as well.

[HarlemHeat37]

I'm not worried..

like timvp said, this is nothing new at this point of the season..

it's all about focus, combined with Duncan and Bowen IMO..as I've said in other threads..we're 10-1 when Bowen plays 25 minutes or more..the 7-game stretch where we were dominant defensively(w/o TP and Manu) was a desperation stretch, and a time where Bowen averaged 25 MPG..

we have a great coach that recognized the problem, and he'll surely do something about it..he's a defensive coach..we still have the same system, I'm not worried..

we have the 2nd best record in the West, despite major injuries for a long period of time, and despite the fact that we are still lacking defensive chemistry, which is something we always develop post-rodeo..this team should get it together, and when they do, we're going to be scary..

[SenorSpur]

Finley D is not so bad, it's a team issue not a specific one related to bonner and finley.

Oh, yes he is. Finley's defense is beyond terrible. You are correct in that collectively, they all need to get better as a team. The defensive mindset is not present for the entire game - even from Duncan at times. They play defense in stretches or in games when after they've been embarrassed.

However in the cases of Finley and Bonner, they are not just two of the worst defenders in the starting five, they are two of the worst defenders on the entire team.

[superbigtime]

Still a month away from the all star break.

We're at the halfpoint of the season. Most teams have played over 40 games. The ASG is more than halfway through the season.

[Brazil]

Oh, yes he is. Finley's defense is beyond terrible. You are correct in that collectively, they all need to get better as a team. The defensive mindset is not present for the entire game - even from Duncan at times. They play defense in stretches or in games when after they've been embarrassed.

However in the cases of Finley and Bonner, they are not just two of the worst defenders in the starting five, they are two of the worst defenders on the entire team.

Well it seems that he made a pretty decent job against Granger even Pop gave his props.

I don't believe he became a good defender last night but if the whole team is concerned by D and gives the good D helps, he is not so bad after all.

[MoSpur]

I am not too excited about last night's D. It was good, but the Pacers were on a 2nd of a back to back. They could have been tired. I think the result from last nights game was a mix of good Spurs defense and the Pacers being tired.

[m33p0]

I am not too excited about last night's D. It was good, but the Pacers were on a 2nd of a back to back. They could have been tired. I think the result from last nights game was a mix of good Spurs defense and the Pacers being tired.
spurs were on their 4th game in 5 days. being able to put up such an effort at the tail end of that is impressive.

[MoSpur]

True m33Po. I didn't take that into consideration.

[anakha]

Example, when a Spur shoots a trey, esp early in the clock and while no other player is set up to board, (see Mike Finley, altho in no way shape or form limited to Finley), it allows the other team to garner the O rebound and pretty much get a good if not great running start in transition up the court.

Um, what?

The Spurs' philosophy on transition defense has been to only have their bigs crash the boards on offense and keep their guards back to prevent easy fast-break attempts.

Are you actually trying to argue that sending the entire team to go for the offensive rebound will prevent opposing teams' fast break attempts?

In fact, what the heck are you trying to say? This makes little sense, if any.


Assowned by Phil 4-1.

4-1, FAGGOT!!!

[Ghazi]

In spite of that atrocious defensive FG % I think the Spurs are still 6th or 7th in points allowed per 100 possessions, which is solid... although they were 1st every year they won it all I believe.

[HarlemHeat37]

we are now ranked 5th defensively after these last 3 games..before that, we were ranked 8th..

[mystargtr34]

In spite of that atrocious defensive FG % I think the Spurs are still 6th or 7th in points allowed per 100 possessions, which is solid... although they were 1st every year they won it all I believe.

Good point. I think that may have to do with Spurs not fouling much. Duncan cant afford to alter or challange as many shots as he would like with the lack of shot blocking, and real bigs behind him.

Instead, easier shots are given up rather than sending the opposition to the foul line more often, which impacts the stats.

Points per 100 possessions is a better indicator of Defense. Still, if the Spurs want to contend, they have to move into the top 2 or 3 in that category.

[SenorSpur]

Well it seems that he made a pretty decent job against Granger even Pop gave his props.

I don't believe he became a good defender last night but if the whole team is concerned by D and gives the good D helps, he is not so bad after all.

One game does not a season make.

[EricB]

Since many trips down the floor, how offense is played predicates how your defense will be set up on a miss, perhaps Lord Poppycock will offer an evaluation of his offense. Whatever the hell that offense is.

Example, when a Spur shoots a trey, esp early in the clock and while no other player is set up to board, (see Mike Finley, altho in no way shape or form limited to Finley), it allows the other team to garner the O rebound and pretty much get a good if not great running start in transition up the court. Since under Pops direction we have become a wussy 3 pt chucking team, what does he have to say about that.

He's won 4 titles you know.
And look at the offensive powerhouses those 4 came against.
NYKnicks snooze.
Jersey snooze
Pistons (well, they did play good D)
Cavs snooze

Great D or vs 3 of 4 Snoozers on offense?
Assowned by Phil 4-1.


I'm still waiting on who you would rather coach the team instead of Pop.

[EricB]

One game does not a season make.

:lol

Heaven forbid you give props to Michael Finley.

Heaven forbid ANYONE does.

[Fabbs]

Originally Posted by Fabbs
Assowned by Phil 4-1.

To which anakha responded:



4-1, FAGGOT!!!
Could we have this put in the "classic" threads dept?
Nice self ownage anakha

[Fabbs]

Um, what?

The Spurs' philosophy on transition defense has been to only have their bigs crash the boards on offense and keep their guards back to prevent easy fast-break attempts.

Are you actually trying to argue that sending the entire team to go for the offensive rebound will prevent opposing teams' fast break attempts?

In fact, what the heck are you trying to say? This makes little sense, if any.

What are you trying to ask?
1. "Only having the bigs crash the boards" is quite different then ordering 3 or even 4 players to stand around the perimeter while Tim takes 8 dribbles and then a completely predictable shot. Leaves us zero chance for the O rebound. A motion offense is much better, the few times the Spurs have done it it's worked great and oh by the way, they scored 112 points vs the Lakers last time and lead by 12 in the 4th qtr before Repressovich ordered the Stand n Veg offense.

2. No, i never suggested sending the entire team to crash the boards. That would be the other extreme. I do suggest ball movement offense which then gives
a. best chance for best shot
b. best chance for O rebound
c. even if no rebound, best chance to hold up the opponent from running down to the other end on O.

[Fabbs]

I'm still waiting on who you would rather coach the team instead of Pop.
You.