vednam
02-05-2010, 03:54 PM
While Popovich and the Big 3 are still around, and while the jerseys still read Spurs, I think it is clear that the character of the team is fundamentally different from what it was during the championship years.
The Spurs used to win close games. If they had a moderate lead in the 4th quarter, forget it. Game over. Their defense would put on the clamps. And while they were never an overwhelming offensive team, Tim, Manu and Tony would score enough to secure the victory. Flawless execution and poise down the stretch was the team's trademark. You had to beat them. They were not going to beat themselves.
During the 2007-2008 season, however, cracks were starting to surface in the team's foundation. The Spurs had captured their 4th title in eight years in 2007, but the front office failed to take advantage of the opportunity during the offseason to replenish the team with youth and athleticism and secure another two or three years of title contention. With the exception of the Tony Parker, all of the team's key players were on the wrong side of 30. It was clear that Tim Duncan wasn't quite as dominant as he had been a few years earlier.
For a while, it didn't seem like it would matter. Sure, no one was talking about the Spurs. They weren't getting the respect usually afforded to defending champions. All the talk was of the Celtics and Lakers. But it was always like that with the Spurs. During their championship seasons, everyone was talking about the Lakers or Suns or Pistons all season long.
Somehow, the Suns had become favorites to defeat the Spurs in the first round. After acquiring Shaqulle O'Neal, they had put together some good performances against the Spurs in their regular season meetings. Yet the Spurs came out and won a classic double-overtime thriller which set the tone for the series. The Spurs would eliminate the Suns in five games. But aside from a Game 3 blowout, each victory was by a thin margin. Once again, execution down the stretch made all the difference. Whether it was Bruce Bowen knocking down an inbounds pass to Steve Nash or Fabricio Oberto chasing down a key round, the Spurs seemed to make all the key plays.
Next up were the Hornets, a young, athletic team which had unceremoniously dumped the Mavericks in the first round. It was in this series that it started to become apparent that the Spurs were on their last legs. The Spurs usually led at halftime only to watch the Hornets run away with the game in the third quarter. They seemed to have no answer for the Hornet' energy and athleticism. They couldn't keep Chris Paul out of the paint. They had no answer for David West. They couldn't stop Tyson Chandler from throwing down alley-oop dunks.
Worst of all, Gregg Popovich was making a habit of giving up when he saw his team down by 10-15 points in the fourth quarter. It showed how old and tired the Spurs were. Popovich knew that this team lacked the energy to overcome substantial (but far from insurmountable) deficits, and decided that extra rest was worth more than a futile attempt to come back.
Somehow, after dropping the first two games on the road, the Spurs roared back by taking the next two in San Antonio. the home team prevailed each time in the first six games, and it came down to a Game 7 in New Orleans.
That Game 7 would prove to be the last vintage performance we saw from the Spurs. Tim Duncan didn't have a great game. He missed many shots down the stretch, and couldn't seem to get any bounces. But he rebounded and anchored the defense to perfection. Manu Ginobili was showing the inconsistency brought on by a first-round injury throughout the series. But in Game 7, Ginobili and Parker seemed to hit every big shot down the stretch.
All of the role players stepped up too. Somehow the Spurs had always been able to make-do with aging, unathletic, but intelligent and poised role players. It had become a stape of their team. Throughout the series, it seemed like too much trust had been put in these role players to be able to compete with younger, more talented opponents. It would prove to be right, in painful ways, in the next round and the next season. But one last time, they showed why the Spurs had been able to succeed with them for so long.
The ancient Robert Horry came out of hibernation and hit timely shots and played stingy defense. Bruce Bowen shut Peja Stojakovic down. Even Ime Udoka nailed several dagger three-pointers. Every time the Hornets threatened to grab the momentum, somone would step up and hit a shot.
The Spurs survived a final flurry by the Hornets (with their trademark defense, and precision, and a clutch jumper from Tony Parker) and advanced to the conference finals.
A tired Spurs team somehow took a large lead (20 points?) against the favored Lakers in Game 1. But right then, they ran out of gas for the rest of the game and the rest of the series. The Spurs uncharacteristically surrendered a huge lead. They were unable to generate any offense. The Lakers took Game 1. The Spurs gamely battled on for the rest of the series. Tim Duncan seemed a step slow, Manu Ginobili was hurting and completely out of sync. The Spurs' venerated defense somehow made things tough for the Lakers and kept games very close. But they just couldn't generate any offense. It was clear that they needed an infusion of youth and talent. They question was, how could do they achieve this while maintaining their character?
We all know what has happened since. Amazingly, the Spurs failed to act in the 2008 offseason, banking on a healthy Ginobili pushing them back over the top. They had no replacement for Robert Horry. Bowen, Oberto, and Thomas just got old. Roger Mason and Matt Bonner added some offensive firepower, but they weren't true Spurs. They couldn't guard anyone. Not much needs to be said regarding the "too little, too late" action the Spurs finally took in 2009.
Looking back, it is becoming apparent that the 2008 playoffs (at least the first two rounds) was the last we saw of the mentally tough, poised Spurs team which won close games and executed to perfection. They were like the Celtics in 1988 or the Lakers in 1991. It was their last stand.
Other teams have attempted to stay relevant as their stars aged.
Think of the 76ers in the mid 80s. Charles Barkley was supposed to be enough to put them back on top. But it didn't matter because Moses Malone was often injured and not quite as good as he had been just a few years earlier. Andrew Toney's stress fractures destroyed the career of one of the most feared clutch performers of his generation. Dr. J just got old and couldn't take over games like he used to.
Thinks of the Celtics in the early 90s. They kept their Big 3 of Bird, McHale and Parish together, and tried to supplement the core with younger, talented players like Reggie Lewis. It didn't matter, because Bird's back and McHale's feet ensured they'd never recapture the magic of the 80s.
That is where the Spurs stand right now. It doesn't matter how promising George Hill looks or how tenaciously DeJuan Blair overachieves. Manu Ginobili can't shoot and can't stay healthy. Tim Duncan is laboring down the court, and though he gamely gets his 20 and 10, he's not feared as he once was on offense, and he's having trouble keeping up with quicker opponents on defense.
The Spurs used to win close games. If they had a moderate lead in the 4th quarter, forget it. Game over. Their defense would put on the clamps. And while they were never an overwhelming offensive team, Tim, Manu and Tony would score enough to secure the victory. Flawless execution and poise down the stretch was the team's trademark. You had to beat them. They were not going to beat themselves.
During the 2007-2008 season, however, cracks were starting to surface in the team's foundation. The Spurs had captured their 4th title in eight years in 2007, but the front office failed to take advantage of the opportunity during the offseason to replenish the team with youth and athleticism and secure another two or three years of title contention. With the exception of the Tony Parker, all of the team's key players were on the wrong side of 30. It was clear that Tim Duncan wasn't quite as dominant as he had been a few years earlier.
For a while, it didn't seem like it would matter. Sure, no one was talking about the Spurs. They weren't getting the respect usually afforded to defending champions. All the talk was of the Celtics and Lakers. But it was always like that with the Spurs. During their championship seasons, everyone was talking about the Lakers or Suns or Pistons all season long.
Somehow, the Suns had become favorites to defeat the Spurs in the first round. After acquiring Shaqulle O'Neal, they had put together some good performances against the Spurs in their regular season meetings. Yet the Spurs came out and won a classic double-overtime thriller which set the tone for the series. The Spurs would eliminate the Suns in five games. But aside from a Game 3 blowout, each victory was by a thin margin. Once again, execution down the stretch made all the difference. Whether it was Bruce Bowen knocking down an inbounds pass to Steve Nash or Fabricio Oberto chasing down a key round, the Spurs seemed to make all the key plays.
Next up were the Hornets, a young, athletic team which had unceremoniously dumped the Mavericks in the first round. It was in this series that it started to become apparent that the Spurs were on their last legs. The Spurs usually led at halftime only to watch the Hornets run away with the game in the third quarter. They seemed to have no answer for the Hornet' energy and athleticism. They couldn't keep Chris Paul out of the paint. They had no answer for David West. They couldn't stop Tyson Chandler from throwing down alley-oop dunks.
Worst of all, Gregg Popovich was making a habit of giving up when he saw his team down by 10-15 points in the fourth quarter. It showed how old and tired the Spurs were. Popovich knew that this team lacked the energy to overcome substantial (but far from insurmountable) deficits, and decided that extra rest was worth more than a futile attempt to come back.
Somehow, after dropping the first two games on the road, the Spurs roared back by taking the next two in San Antonio. the home team prevailed each time in the first six games, and it came down to a Game 7 in New Orleans.
That Game 7 would prove to be the last vintage performance we saw from the Spurs. Tim Duncan didn't have a great game. He missed many shots down the stretch, and couldn't seem to get any bounces. But he rebounded and anchored the defense to perfection. Manu Ginobili was showing the inconsistency brought on by a first-round injury throughout the series. But in Game 7, Ginobili and Parker seemed to hit every big shot down the stretch.
All of the role players stepped up too. Somehow the Spurs had always been able to make-do with aging, unathletic, but intelligent and poised role players. It had become a stape of their team. Throughout the series, it seemed like too much trust had been put in these role players to be able to compete with younger, more talented opponents. It would prove to be right, in painful ways, in the next round and the next season. But one last time, they showed why the Spurs had been able to succeed with them for so long.
The ancient Robert Horry came out of hibernation and hit timely shots and played stingy defense. Bruce Bowen shut Peja Stojakovic down. Even Ime Udoka nailed several dagger three-pointers. Every time the Hornets threatened to grab the momentum, somone would step up and hit a shot.
The Spurs survived a final flurry by the Hornets (with their trademark defense, and precision, and a clutch jumper from Tony Parker) and advanced to the conference finals.
A tired Spurs team somehow took a large lead (20 points?) against the favored Lakers in Game 1. But right then, they ran out of gas for the rest of the game and the rest of the series. The Spurs uncharacteristically surrendered a huge lead. They were unable to generate any offense. The Lakers took Game 1. The Spurs gamely battled on for the rest of the series. Tim Duncan seemed a step slow, Manu Ginobili was hurting and completely out of sync. The Spurs' venerated defense somehow made things tough for the Lakers and kept games very close. But they just couldn't generate any offense. It was clear that they needed an infusion of youth and talent. They question was, how could do they achieve this while maintaining their character?
We all know what has happened since. Amazingly, the Spurs failed to act in the 2008 offseason, banking on a healthy Ginobili pushing them back over the top. They had no replacement for Robert Horry. Bowen, Oberto, and Thomas just got old. Roger Mason and Matt Bonner added some offensive firepower, but they weren't true Spurs. They couldn't guard anyone. Not much needs to be said regarding the "too little, too late" action the Spurs finally took in 2009.
Looking back, it is becoming apparent that the 2008 playoffs (at least the first two rounds) was the last we saw of the mentally tough, poised Spurs team which won close games and executed to perfection. They were like the Celtics in 1988 or the Lakers in 1991. It was their last stand.
Other teams have attempted to stay relevant as their stars aged.
Think of the 76ers in the mid 80s. Charles Barkley was supposed to be enough to put them back on top. But it didn't matter because Moses Malone was often injured and not quite as good as he had been just a few years earlier. Andrew Toney's stress fractures destroyed the career of one of the most feared clutch performers of his generation. Dr. J just got old and couldn't take over games like he used to.
Thinks of the Celtics in the early 90s. They kept their Big 3 of Bird, McHale and Parish together, and tried to supplement the core with younger, talented players like Reggie Lewis. It didn't matter, because Bird's back and McHale's feet ensured they'd never recapture the magic of the 80s.
That is where the Spurs stand right now. It doesn't matter how promising George Hill looks or how tenaciously DeJuan Blair overachieves. Manu Ginobili can't shoot and can't stay healthy. Tim Duncan is laboring down the court, and though he gamely gets his 20 and 10, he's not feared as he once was on offense, and he's having trouble keeping up with quicker opponents on defense.