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05-01-2005, 01:29 PM
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_12648.shtml
From HOOPSWORLD.com
Class Warfare
By Emmett Shaw
May 1, 2005, 09:59
This is on George Karl and Kiki Vandeweghe. George may be an old four-corners point guard of Dean Smith and Kiki may have graced the halls of Westwood in the tradition of John Wooden's fine young men. Still the soft blue colors on the Pepsi Center hardwood can't be confused with those of the Dean Dome or Pauley Pavillion when it comes to classy players performing on them.
What began as an intriguing series between the Spurs and Denver because these teams' contender-level talent is comparatively close and because the strong upstart vibe in the Nuggets' franchise made you wonder if an NBA Championship is in their relatively near future, has become a series of contrasts.
Contrast San Antonio's Robert Horry -- kicking butt with his game as if it's 2002 -- as usual taking his sore points to refs and opponents alike with a smile, to Kenyon Martin strutting around the court before Game Three's tip-off and later getting a technical foul for taunting.
More contrast? Like hockey goons, Carmelo Anthony, Martin, and Greg Buckner surrounded a driving Manu Ginobili and peppered him to the court with cheap-shots with only seconds left in another failed Denver performance. Ginobili after the game magnanimously said it was no problem -- a good hard foul that he himself would have applied. Yeah, right!
There inlies the difference between the nature of these teams. It's even starker than the fact that one of them will go on vacation soon and one will try out Round Two. One team has class; one doesn't. One team lives by the balance and control preached by the classic hoop mentors such as Wooden and Smith. One exists on raw, undirected emotion.
The responsibility comes to the coach and management to recognize the Nuggets' problems and shape them up. Good players like to be coached. They like a good theme to be set, and to follow it it unison. Good managers will do that in an NBA franchise, including shipping out those who won't adapt. Failed ones will not. What ever happened to Bob Whitsett and the Portland Trail Blazers anyway?
The Spurs lead this first-round series 2-1 after falling in the opening game at home. Both teams played hard, but not very well, with the Spurs turning the ball over too much early and missing all but four shots in the fourth quarter.
They didn't choke -- the pumpkin just wouldn't fall, with Marcus Camby's excellent shot-contesting being a big reason. The Spurs actually had the best game plan in that they took the ball to the hoop relentlessly, converting an impressive 54 points in the paint. Denver also was aggressive, producing 30 FTAs for themselves.
Denver won in part by staying in the game when Tony Parker lost Andre Miller for the entire first half. Tony was criticized for wearing a 2003 World Champions t-shirt on his way to SBC Center, but his true wardrobe malfunction was being faked out of his game-shorts by Miller.
It was a replay of Parker being toasted by not only Stephon Marbury, but Anthony Johnson in consecutive games late last month. Ginobili is probably the better defender against Andre, and Gregg Popovich moving Manu to sixth man set up the matchup better, because Earl Boykins comes off the bench to "run Denver's offense" a little after Manu is inserted at about six minutes into the game.
Parker can then switch onto Earl, and Manu can bring his height, mobility, and freshness to defending Andre. Brent Barry now is starting for the Spurs and checks either DerMarr Johnson or Buckner to start the game. Ginobili is still going to play a little over 30 minutes, but with the switch Barry gets to join Tim Duncan on the court more, which helps both players.
The change is reminiscent of the major international tounaments Pop has coached in the last three summers. The overseas coaches typically change their starting lineups in the course of such an event. It's a virtual given; not an eyebrow raiser at all.
The vibe on the series among many basketball people after Game One was that it was on a bad track for San Antonio, and Pop's handling of the gears right away was his way of not letting that happen. It inspired some confidence in his players.
The Spurs took a couple of days off and thrashed Denver, which didn't compete at an NBA Playoffs level in Game Two. Camby (second in the NBA in blocks this season) wasn't as active helping, which made scoring easy for the Spurs. This is the only game so far to produce a 100 point output by a team -- and it wasn't by the high-scoring Nuggets.
That is a sure sign of the Nuggets' problems in this series. They got no fast break in Game Two, shooting just 8 free throws. Then they finally produced a decent 20 transition points in Game Three; and still lost. They also got plenty of free-throw attempts (30) in Game Three; and still lost. They were finally at home in Game Three; and still lost. Tim Duncan scored only 11 points in Game Three; and they still lost.
As is the Spurs' wont, they have limited the Nuggets to assists in the teens per game. Karl said he wants 25, at least at home, which means he expects his team to stir the game up and get into the open floor. But the Nuggets' 8 blocked shots and 7 steals weren't quite enough to get it done because the Spurs are running circumspect enough offense to not let it get any worse than that.
The Nuggets in the half-court struggle against the Spurs. Denver puts the ball in Boykins' dribbling hands half the night, and he is too small to execute crisply for them. By nature he's an explosive, rather selfish scorer who has to play point guard in the NBA because of his height. He has made the position his second nature, but he's out of his true element there.
That is one of the changes Vandeweghe must make. Denver needs a reserve point guard, preferably a big reserve point guard. On a good team, Boykins should be a specialty reserve. Beno Udrih has proved a good antidote to Earl because Beno is shooting over the 5-5 guy with confidence and even mostly staying in front of him defensively.
In Game Three, Bruce Bowen produced as good a 36-minute, 5-point performance as can ever be seen. Carmelo Anthony was kept in check for the third straight game. Bowen smacked a huge open jumper midway through the final quarter, snagged 6 boards, and didn't commit a turnover. Within his job description, Bruce was perfect.
The Nuggets were not. In addition to delivering their cheap-shots, they allowed at least 13 uncontested points in the final period. Bowen's open shot, two uncontested 3s by Horry, one wide-open 3 by Ginobili, and they let Tim Duncan shoot his favorite banker off an inbounds play to end their chances...again, wide open as the Rocky Mountain sky.
Take Manu's generous post-game remarks with salt. Denver has very little time between games to reverse the self-destructive effect of their late-game hatcheting of Ginobili, who torched them for 32 devastating points and 9 caroms coming off the pine. The whole Nuggets team managed but 78 points! There will be hell to pay for what they did.
From HOOPSWORLD.com
Class Warfare
By Emmett Shaw
May 1, 2005, 09:59
This is on George Karl and Kiki Vandeweghe. George may be an old four-corners point guard of Dean Smith and Kiki may have graced the halls of Westwood in the tradition of John Wooden's fine young men. Still the soft blue colors on the Pepsi Center hardwood can't be confused with those of the Dean Dome or Pauley Pavillion when it comes to classy players performing on them.
What began as an intriguing series between the Spurs and Denver because these teams' contender-level talent is comparatively close and because the strong upstart vibe in the Nuggets' franchise made you wonder if an NBA Championship is in their relatively near future, has become a series of contrasts.
Contrast San Antonio's Robert Horry -- kicking butt with his game as if it's 2002 -- as usual taking his sore points to refs and opponents alike with a smile, to Kenyon Martin strutting around the court before Game Three's tip-off and later getting a technical foul for taunting.
More contrast? Like hockey goons, Carmelo Anthony, Martin, and Greg Buckner surrounded a driving Manu Ginobili and peppered him to the court with cheap-shots with only seconds left in another failed Denver performance. Ginobili after the game magnanimously said it was no problem -- a good hard foul that he himself would have applied. Yeah, right!
There inlies the difference between the nature of these teams. It's even starker than the fact that one of them will go on vacation soon and one will try out Round Two. One team has class; one doesn't. One team lives by the balance and control preached by the classic hoop mentors such as Wooden and Smith. One exists on raw, undirected emotion.
The responsibility comes to the coach and management to recognize the Nuggets' problems and shape them up. Good players like to be coached. They like a good theme to be set, and to follow it it unison. Good managers will do that in an NBA franchise, including shipping out those who won't adapt. Failed ones will not. What ever happened to Bob Whitsett and the Portland Trail Blazers anyway?
The Spurs lead this first-round series 2-1 after falling in the opening game at home. Both teams played hard, but not very well, with the Spurs turning the ball over too much early and missing all but four shots in the fourth quarter.
They didn't choke -- the pumpkin just wouldn't fall, with Marcus Camby's excellent shot-contesting being a big reason. The Spurs actually had the best game plan in that they took the ball to the hoop relentlessly, converting an impressive 54 points in the paint. Denver also was aggressive, producing 30 FTAs for themselves.
Denver won in part by staying in the game when Tony Parker lost Andre Miller for the entire first half. Tony was criticized for wearing a 2003 World Champions t-shirt on his way to SBC Center, but his true wardrobe malfunction was being faked out of his game-shorts by Miller.
It was a replay of Parker being toasted by not only Stephon Marbury, but Anthony Johnson in consecutive games late last month. Ginobili is probably the better defender against Andre, and Gregg Popovich moving Manu to sixth man set up the matchup better, because Earl Boykins comes off the bench to "run Denver's offense" a little after Manu is inserted at about six minutes into the game.
Parker can then switch onto Earl, and Manu can bring his height, mobility, and freshness to defending Andre. Brent Barry now is starting for the Spurs and checks either DerMarr Johnson or Buckner to start the game. Ginobili is still going to play a little over 30 minutes, but with the switch Barry gets to join Tim Duncan on the court more, which helps both players.
The change is reminiscent of the major international tounaments Pop has coached in the last three summers. The overseas coaches typically change their starting lineups in the course of such an event. It's a virtual given; not an eyebrow raiser at all.
The vibe on the series among many basketball people after Game One was that it was on a bad track for San Antonio, and Pop's handling of the gears right away was his way of not letting that happen. It inspired some confidence in his players.
The Spurs took a couple of days off and thrashed Denver, which didn't compete at an NBA Playoffs level in Game Two. Camby (second in the NBA in blocks this season) wasn't as active helping, which made scoring easy for the Spurs. This is the only game so far to produce a 100 point output by a team -- and it wasn't by the high-scoring Nuggets.
That is a sure sign of the Nuggets' problems in this series. They got no fast break in Game Two, shooting just 8 free throws. Then they finally produced a decent 20 transition points in Game Three; and still lost. They also got plenty of free-throw attempts (30) in Game Three; and still lost. They were finally at home in Game Three; and still lost. Tim Duncan scored only 11 points in Game Three; and they still lost.
As is the Spurs' wont, they have limited the Nuggets to assists in the teens per game. Karl said he wants 25, at least at home, which means he expects his team to stir the game up and get into the open floor. But the Nuggets' 8 blocked shots and 7 steals weren't quite enough to get it done because the Spurs are running circumspect enough offense to not let it get any worse than that.
The Nuggets in the half-court struggle against the Spurs. Denver puts the ball in Boykins' dribbling hands half the night, and he is too small to execute crisply for them. By nature he's an explosive, rather selfish scorer who has to play point guard in the NBA because of his height. He has made the position his second nature, but he's out of his true element there.
That is one of the changes Vandeweghe must make. Denver needs a reserve point guard, preferably a big reserve point guard. On a good team, Boykins should be a specialty reserve. Beno Udrih has proved a good antidote to Earl because Beno is shooting over the 5-5 guy with confidence and even mostly staying in front of him defensively.
In Game Three, Bruce Bowen produced as good a 36-minute, 5-point performance as can ever be seen. Carmelo Anthony was kept in check for the third straight game. Bowen smacked a huge open jumper midway through the final quarter, snagged 6 boards, and didn't commit a turnover. Within his job description, Bruce was perfect.
The Nuggets were not. In addition to delivering their cheap-shots, they allowed at least 13 uncontested points in the final period. Bowen's open shot, two uncontested 3s by Horry, one wide-open 3 by Ginobili, and they let Tim Duncan shoot his favorite banker off an inbounds play to end their chances...again, wide open as the Rocky Mountain sky.
Take Manu's generous post-game remarks with salt. Denver has very little time between games to reverse the self-destructive effect of their late-game hatcheting of Ginobili, who torched them for 32 devastating points and 9 caroms coming off the pine. The whole Nuggets team managed but 78 points! There will be hell to pay for what they did.