duncan228
12-13-2009, 12:49 AM
Spurs become too charitable with ball (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_become_too_charitable_with_ball.html)
Jeff McDonald
LOS ANGELES — In the aftermath of the Spurs' 104-85 victory over Charlotte on Friday, a mistake-plagued effort spectacular in its sloppiness, guard Manu Ginobili asked a question to which he really didn't want an answer.
“How many turnovers did we have?” Ginobili said.
Having been in the building for what amounted to a 48-minute game of hot potato, one in which more than one of his teammates fired a ball into the bleachers, Ginobili knew the answer would not be good. Apprised of the actual number — a season-high 28 — Ginobili cringed as if he'd just strained another groin.
“That's unacceptable if we want to have a good season,” he said.
This month has rung in a season of giving for the Spurs, who over the past two weeks have been handing the ball away as willingly as spare change to a Salvation Army Santa.
In the past six games, they've committed 110 turnovers, making them the most generous team in the league over that span and suggesting that, perhaps, the Spurs are taking this holiday spirit thing a bit too far.
The Spurs survived their own epic carelessness to beat Charlotte, in part because the Bobcats coughed up 20 turnovers themselves.
“The past few teams we've played, that's kind of their specialty, getting their hands in there and stripping the ball,” forward Tim Duncan said. “We're doing a good job of getting by people, but it's that second or third guy that is getting us.”
Ball security is certain to be a topic of conversation as the Spurs hit the road for three games, beginning tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The recent turnover scourge has been out of character for the Spurs, who have typically been one of the most Scrooge-like teams in the league when it comes to monopolizing the ball. After their six-game Great Giveaway, the Spurs rank 16th in the league, giving up 14.8 turnovers per game.
Point guard Tony Parker, who committed 26 turnovers during that stretch, got one of his seven against Charlotte by sailing the ball over the head of Keith Bogans and into the eighth row of the not-so-cheap seats.
At home, an abundance of turnovers might serve a fan-friendly promotional purpose (“Come to a game, catch a pass from an NBA player!”). On the road, where each mistake seems magnified, it can often prove fatal.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has discovered an X's-and-O's explanation for his team's recent rash of outsized charity. It all comes down to floor spacing.
“If the floor is spaced well and everyone knows where to be, there's a lot less chance of a turnover,” Popovich said. “If you have some confusion and people are not spaced, you tend to end up in crowds.
“In general, I think we've had too many players playing in a crowd, trying to make great plays when the easy play is available and wouldn't result in a turnover.”
Yet there is equal danger in going the other way. If a team becomes overly fearful of turnovers, it could cause players to swing too far to the opposite extreme, from recklessness to reticence.
Duncan, for instance, took one of his three turnovers against Charlotte trying to thread a pass to Ginobili on a baseline cut to the hoop. That pass has produced scores of baskets for the Spurs over the years. On this occasion, Ginobili's defender — Gerald Wallace — happened to diagnose the play in time for the interception.
For the Spurs, the aim is to cease being the gift that keeps on giving, without giving up their aggressiveness.
“You have to continue to push, and that's what we've been doing,” Duncan said. “We've been pushing through turnovers and, unfortunately, making more of them. But you have to stay aggressive. If you don't, the other team wins that battle.”
Jeff McDonald
LOS ANGELES — In the aftermath of the Spurs' 104-85 victory over Charlotte on Friday, a mistake-plagued effort spectacular in its sloppiness, guard Manu Ginobili asked a question to which he really didn't want an answer.
“How many turnovers did we have?” Ginobili said.
Having been in the building for what amounted to a 48-minute game of hot potato, one in which more than one of his teammates fired a ball into the bleachers, Ginobili knew the answer would not be good. Apprised of the actual number — a season-high 28 — Ginobili cringed as if he'd just strained another groin.
“That's unacceptable if we want to have a good season,” he said.
This month has rung in a season of giving for the Spurs, who over the past two weeks have been handing the ball away as willingly as spare change to a Salvation Army Santa.
In the past six games, they've committed 110 turnovers, making them the most generous team in the league over that span and suggesting that, perhaps, the Spurs are taking this holiday spirit thing a bit too far.
The Spurs survived their own epic carelessness to beat Charlotte, in part because the Bobcats coughed up 20 turnovers themselves.
“The past few teams we've played, that's kind of their specialty, getting their hands in there and stripping the ball,” forward Tim Duncan said. “We're doing a good job of getting by people, but it's that second or third guy that is getting us.”
Ball security is certain to be a topic of conversation as the Spurs hit the road for three games, beginning tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The recent turnover scourge has been out of character for the Spurs, who have typically been one of the most Scrooge-like teams in the league when it comes to monopolizing the ball. After their six-game Great Giveaway, the Spurs rank 16th in the league, giving up 14.8 turnovers per game.
Point guard Tony Parker, who committed 26 turnovers during that stretch, got one of his seven against Charlotte by sailing the ball over the head of Keith Bogans and into the eighth row of the not-so-cheap seats.
At home, an abundance of turnovers might serve a fan-friendly promotional purpose (“Come to a game, catch a pass from an NBA player!”). On the road, where each mistake seems magnified, it can often prove fatal.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has discovered an X's-and-O's explanation for his team's recent rash of outsized charity. It all comes down to floor spacing.
“If the floor is spaced well and everyone knows where to be, there's a lot less chance of a turnover,” Popovich said. “If you have some confusion and people are not spaced, you tend to end up in crowds.
“In general, I think we've had too many players playing in a crowd, trying to make great plays when the easy play is available and wouldn't result in a turnover.”
Yet there is equal danger in going the other way. If a team becomes overly fearful of turnovers, it could cause players to swing too far to the opposite extreme, from recklessness to reticence.
Duncan, for instance, took one of his three turnovers against Charlotte trying to thread a pass to Ginobili on a baseline cut to the hoop. That pass has produced scores of baskets for the Spurs over the years. On this occasion, Ginobili's defender — Gerald Wallace — happened to diagnose the play in time for the interception.
For the Spurs, the aim is to cease being the gift that keeps on giving, without giving up their aggressiveness.
“You have to continue to push, and that's what we've been doing,” Duncan said. “We've been pushing through turnovers and, unfortunately, making more of them. But you have to stay aggressive. If you don't, the other team wins that battle.”