Spurs #2 in Points Allowed

[wijayas]

Just in case you haven't noticed, Spurs move one step ahead of Boston in Opponents Points Allowed. Spurs, at 93.0 Points Allowed, are now sitting at #2 after Boston allowed Chicago to score 127 points on them today.

1. Cleveland 91.3
2. Spurs 93.0
3. Celtics 93.2

We are #9 in FG% Allowed.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/stats/byteam?&cat1=Total&cat2=opponent&conference=NBA&year=season_2008&sort=332

Go Spurs!!!!!!

[Toni61]

this is the right way !!

[B-Boy]

We got the point!

[boutons_]

Surprising after how porous the Spurs D has been.

The top 3 points-allowed teams are in the Top2 in each conference. What the hell's up with that? :)

[AussieFanKurt]

Offense wins games, defenses wins championships

[Harry Callahan]

Those stats were much worse early in the season.

[VI_Massive]

pop says its the opponents' fg% that matters......

[Solid D]

No question the Spurs have improved their defense in the past month. They were ranked between 15th and 20th in Opp. FG% throughout the first half of the season. The Spurs are also ranked 1st in Opp. Assists/Game.

I still think Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando are better over-all and defensively than the Spurs. I also think that the Lakers are good enough to out-score the Spurs in a 7-game series. That line-up of Gasol, Odom, Ariza, Bryant and Fisher is absolutely fantastic and too much length for the Spurs to deal with in a 7-game series without a healthy Manu and a less-than-mobile Tim Duncan.

[romain.star]

2nd with no other western team among the top 3? I like that !

[Chieflion]

Points Allowed does not account for pace.

[Supergirl]

I notice Lakers aren't even in the top ten for points allowed. This will be their downfall in the playoffs, because defense always wins championships.

I think it'll be SA and Cleveland rematch this year...

[Chieflion]

I notice Lakers aren't even in the top ten for points allowed. This will be their downfall in the playoffs, because defense always wins championships.

I think it'll be SA and Cleveland rematch this year...

Argh! Points allowed does not factor for pace. The Lakers play at a far higher pace than the slower paced teams.

[cool hand]

hello.

[Bruno]

The main stat I look at when it comes to defense is defensive ratings that is points allowed by 100 possessions.

Post ASG (16 games), Spurs have a 100.6 DRtg.
For reference, Celtics are the best defensive team this year with a 101.9 DRtg followed by Cavs with a 102.1 DRtg.

16 games is a quite small sample size but it looks like Spurs have turned the corner defensively wise.

[Russ]

pop says its the opponents' fg% that matters......

Pop is right.

The Spurs' offense has been so stagnant lately that total possessions for both teams has gone down, hence the new number.

[xtremesteven33]

If the Spurs can get back to playing Great Spurs Defense once again, it gives them a better chance at beating the Lakers.

We had them right where we wanted them last year defensively but couldnt score enough points to finish them off.

[wijayas]

Argh! Points allowed does not factor for pace. The Lakers play at a far higher pace than the slower paced teams.

Exactly right. And that's why Spurs need to dictate the pace it is most comfortable with.

[wijayas]

Where are the Laker fans to shoot down this stat with a stat of there's that is better?

Factually, Lakers FG% Allowed (which is a better indication of defensive prowess, according to Pop) is better than Spurs. At 44.9% FG% Allowed, Lakers is sitting pretty at #6 while Spurs at 45.1% FG% Allowed is #9.

[mexicanjunior]

Points allowed is pretty misleading because the Spurs make it a point to run time off the clock during their possessions. It seems every other possession, they are shooting within 5 seconds of the 24 second shot clock going off. The FG% is probably the best indicator of how well the team is doing defensively and they still have alot of room for improvement in that department.

[wijayas]

There we go...and it wasn't even a Lakers fan:wakeup

:lol... sorry
We still have some ways to go on FG% Allowed. :toast :toast

[Agloco]

If the Spurs can get back to playing Great Spurs Defense once again, it gives them a better chance at beating the Lakers.

We had them right where we wanted them last year defensively but couldnt score enough points to finish them off.

That would be the difference between the two ball clubs. The Lakers and Spurs are relatively close to one another in just about every stat line, save one......

PPG. The Lakers are 3rd and the Spurs are 22nd. That's quite a chasm. When I look back at the years the Spurs didn't win the prize, it was because the offense was SO anemic down the stretch. Hopefully they can buck that trend this year.

[Agloco]

Factually, Lakers FG% Allowed (which is a better indication of defensive prowess, according to Pop) is better than Spurs. At 44.9% FG% Allowed, Lakers is sitting pretty at #6 while Spurs at 45.1% FG% Allowed is #9.


:lol... sorry
We still have some ways to go on FG% Allowed. :toast :toast

The difference between 9th and 5th is less than half a percent (Houston is at 44.7%). Given the hodgepodge perimeter rotations we've used this season, I'd say we're quite alright.

Just to put it in perspective, half a percent translates into roughly 12-13 shots more that the Spurs have given up TOTAL for the season at this point (assuming 2400-2600 shots made) Not anything to jump off the cliff about really.

[GSH]

There is some good news in the stats: The Spurs' point differential is solidly positive (+3.97) and they are 5th best in the league in that stat. Not surprisingly, the teams ahead of them are (1) Cleveland (2) Boston (3) Lakers (4) Orlando. They also have the third-best assist differential in the league (+3.49). In the last 10 games, the Spurs' rebounding differential has been 6th best in the league, which is a huge improvement. They were 8th best in steals differential over the last 10 games, and they have been near the bottom of the league in that stat for most of the season.

Their opponents' field goal percentages have been dropping, so even though they are 9th, the higher percentages from early in the season are affecting their overall average. If you look at their last 10 games, they are 6th in the league for opponent FG%. The bad news is that in the last 10 games, they have been allowing their opponents to shoot .417 from the 3P line, compared to .365 for the season.

The Spurs are the second best team in the league this season about taking care of the ball, averaging just 12.04 turnovers per game. But they are dead last in causing turnovers - their opponents averaging just 11.98 TO's per game. So even though the Spurs aren't turning the ball over, they are still on the negative end of that stat. Their ability to take care of the ball isn't giving them an advantage, because they aren't causing opponents to turn the ball over.

The Spurs are committing the fewest fouls in the league, averaging 18.70 fouls per game. But they are also dead last in drawing fouls - their opponents are getting whistled just 18.47 times per game. That makes the Spurs negative in that stat as well. What's worse, in the last 10 games the Spurs' foul calls have risen to 19.2 per game, while their opponents' have dropped to just 16.5 per game. That 16.5 number is BY FAR the lowest in the league. In general, when the Spurs are playing the refs swallow their whistles. So even though they don't commit many fouls, it isn't an advantage because they don't draw fouls against their opponents.

If you're judging by the stats, the Spurs are a very good team, but not an elite team. But... their stats are, for the most part, improving as they go into the playoffs. And their stats are good enough to make a case for them beating any other team in the league. But they would have to play their best game against Cleveland, Boston, or L.A.

No real news there.

[alchemist]

There is some good news in the stats: The Spurs' point differential is solidly positive (+3.97) and they are 5th best in the league in that stat. Not surprisingly, the teams ahead of them are (1) Cleveland (2) Boston (3) Lakers (4) Orlando. They also have the third-best assist differential in the league (+3.49). In the last 10 games, the Spurs' rebounding differential has been 6th best in the league, which is a huge improvement. They were 8th best in steals differential over the last 10 games, and they have been near the bottom of the league in that stat for most of the season.

Their opponents' field goal percentages have been dropping, so even though they are 9th, the higher percentages from early in the season are affecting their overall average. If you look at their last 10 games, they are 6th in the league for opponent FG%. The bad news is that in the last 10 games, they have been allowing their opponents to shoot .417 from the 3P line, compared to .365 for the season.

The Spurs are the second best team in the league this season about taking care of the ball, averaging just 12.04 turnovers per game. But they are dead last in causing turnovers - their opponents averaging just 11.98 TO's per game. So even though the Spurs aren't turning the ball over, they are still on the negative end of that stat. Their ability to take care of the ball isn't giving them an advantage, because they aren't causing opponents to turn the ball over.

The Spurs are committing the fewest fouls in the league, averaging 18.70 fouls per game. But they are also dead last in drawing fouls - their opponents are getting whistled just 18.47 times per game. That makes the Spurs negative in that stat as well. What's worse, in the last 10 games the Spurs' foul calls have risen to 19.2 per game, while their opponents' have dropped to just 16.5 per game. That 16.5 number is BY FAR the lowest in the league. In general, when the Spurs are playing the refs swallow their whistles. So even though they don't commit many fouls, it isn't an advantage because they don't draw fouls against their opponents.

If you're judging by the stats, the Spurs are a very good team, but not an elite team. But... their stats are, for the most part, improving as they go into the playoffs. And their stats are good enough to make a case for them beating any other team in the league. But they would have to play their best game against Cleveland, Boston, or L.A.

No real news there.
Not really. They match-up pretty damn well with Cleveland and Boston, LA and Orlando are the teams they have serious trouble with.

[HarlemHeat37]

the East isn't a concern to me..

our problem is that we don't match up well with LA..if we can actually beat LA, we can beat anybody..

we've ranked 4th in defensive rating for a while now, so nothing new..

[Solid D]

the East isn't a concern to me..

our problem is that we don't match up well with LA..if we can actually beat LA, we can beat anybody..

we've ranked 4th in defensive rating for a while now, so nothing new..

They shouldn't be a concern unless the Spurs get out of the West unscathed. After that, they should be a MAJOR concern. I'm not sure they can beat a healthy Cavs or Celts team in a 7 game series. It remains to be seen with the Alston-led Magic.

[wildbill2u]

Of course holding an opponent to 78 points is great stat-wise, but you have to score more than 76 yourself to win the game.

Just sayin'

[senorglory]

Of course holding an opponent to 78 points is great stat-wise, but you have to score more than 76 yourself to win the game.

Just sayin'

That's why the Spurs 2nd best in the west point differential is a good sign, in my opinion; then again, seems like point differential could be greatly skewed by outliers-- any stats guys out there care to comment on the validity of point differential as a valid measure of team performance?

[LaMarcus Bryant]

That stat is meaningless i saiddd

[Obstructed_View]

That's why the Spurs 2nd best in the west point differential is a good sign, in my opinion; then again, seems like point differential could be greatly skewed by outliers-- any stats guys out there care to comment on the validity of point differential as a valid measure of team performance?

I'm not a stat guy, but it's been one of the best stats I've used to predict the playoff success of teams over the years. When the Spurs play 48 minutes, play defense that translates to easy buckets and when they get stops AND prevent second chance points their margin of victory goes up. All of those are things that championship teams need. I'd say that the 2003 team was probably the closest thing to an exception because they were so good that they could just put a big run together and turn a big deficit into a victory.

[Solid D]

Point Diff. is a key indicator of how good a team is. One of the best indicators. That's why Cleveland's record is so good.

[Taking it to the Hole]

I don't think we will get back in the Top 5 of FG% defense, because Bowen isn't the lockdown defender he once was and Tim has been struggling as of late. We won't improve drastically until we get Bowen 2.0, or we bring in someone to help Tim with shot blocking.

[Chieflion]

There is some good news in the stats: The Spurs' point differential is solidly positive (+3.97) and they are 5th best in the league in that stat. Not surprisingly, the teams ahead of them are (1) Cleveland (2) Boston (3) Lakers (4) Orlando. They also have the third-best assist differential in the league (+3.49). In the last 10 games, the Spurs' rebounding differential has been 6th best in the league, which is a huge improvement. They were 8th best in steals differential over the last 10 games, and they have been near the bottom of the league in that stat for most of the season.

Their opponents' field goal percentages have been dropping, so even though they are 9th, the higher percentages from early in the season are affecting their overall average. If you look at their last 10 games, they are 6th in the league for opponent FG%. The bad news is that in the last 10 games, they have been allowing their opponents to shoot .417 from the 3P line, compared to .365 for the season.

The Spurs are the second best team in the league this season about taking care of the ball, averaging just 12.04 turnovers per game. But they are dead last in causing turnovers - their opponents averaging just 11.98 TO's per game. So even though the Spurs aren't turning the ball over, they are still on the negative end of that stat. Their ability to take care of the ball isn't giving them an advantage, because they aren't causing opponents to turn the ball over.

The Spurs are committing the fewest fouls in the league, averaging 18.70 fouls per game. But they are also dead last in drawing fouls - their opponents are getting whistled just 18.47 times per game. That makes the Spurs negative in that stat as well. What's worse, in the last 10 games the Spurs' foul calls have risen to 19.2 per game, while their opponents' have dropped to just 16.5 per game. That 16.5 number is BY FAR the lowest in the league. In general, when the Spurs are playing the refs swallow their whistles. So even though they don't commit many fouls, it isn't an advantage because they don't draw fouls against their opponents.

If you're judging by the stats, the Spurs are a very good team, but not an elite team. But... their stats are, for the most part, improving as they go into the playoffs. And their stats are good enough to make a case for them beating any other team in the league. But they would have to play their best game against Cleveland, Boston, or L.A.

No real news there.

I agree totally, just another thing to add, usually in the playoffs, the pace of the game reduces as compared to the regular season which makes the opposing teams play the Spurs brand of basketball.

[lefty]

Ftl

[SA210]

Could be #1 with Bruce starting.