duncan228
03-04-2010, 01:14 AM
Spurs' Ginobili, Blair have on-court symbiosis (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Spurs_Ginobili_Blair_have_on-court_symbiosis.html)
Jeff McDonald
When the Spurs dealt away Fabricio Oberto in June, Manu Ginobili figured he not only was losing one of his best friends and a fellow countryman.
He was losing his favorite pick-and-roll partner.
“I played with Fabri for over 10 years,” said Ginobili, who first met Oberto when they were teenagers in Argentina. “He knew exactly how I wanted the screens. He had a passion for setting screens like I've never seen.”
Surprisingly, it hasn't taken Ginobili long to find Oberto's pick-and-roll heir apparent. He wouldn't be surprised if he found out that rookie DeJuan Blair has Argentine blood in his veins, too.
“I think we enjoy playing together, and we're beginning to get to know each other,” Ginobili said. “We've only been together for 50 games or so, so it's very promising.”
Blair and Ginobili are only in the courtship phase of their relationship, but they pick and roll like an old married couple. With Ginobili supplying the trick-shot passes, and Blair producing the kind of slick catches and nimble finishes that belie his 6-foot-7, 270-pound frame, the Spurs' second unit often has become must-see theater.
Where Oberto was a Hall of Fame pick-setter, Blair has proven himself adept at the other half of the equation.
“He's a really good roller,” Ginobili said. “I know he's going to be attacking the rim. That's something you can count on, even when you don't see him.”
Drafted in the second round two days after the Spurs jettisoned Oberto in the Richard Jefferson trade, Blair is part of the reason Ginobili is averaging a career-high 4.7 assists per game. Ginobili is part of the reason Blair has scored in double figures seven times since the start of February.
Sunday's win over Phoenix produced what is fast becoming a typical stat line for the pair. Blair got four of his six field goals off passes from Ginobili, who got half his eight assists throwing to Blair.
“I love playing with Manu,” said Blair, who hopes to keep the connection going Friday against New Orleans. “He's an excellent passer, and he knows when to give on the pick-and-roll.”
Ginobili's passing exploits were well-chronicled even before he, Oberto and Luis Scola pick-and-rolled the U.S. team into submission during the 2004 Olympics.
Less apparent, before his first NBA season began, was Blair's talent for pick-and-roll pass-catching.
He had played primarily in a pick-and-roll offense in two college seasons at Pittsburgh but had never played with a passer as tricky as Ginobili.
“Coming down and playing with Manu, it's not that different,” Blair said. “You just have to get used to where the passes are coming from.”
That's not as simple as it sounds. Antonio McDyess, another of the Spurs' big-man offseason additions, still struggles to read Ginobili from time to time.
Blair has had less trouble adjusting, for a variety of reasons. Two are his hands, as large as frying pans and apparently magnetized.
Like a quarterback gaining confidence in a receiver, Ginobili has learned that few passes are too fast or too difficult for Blair to handle.
“I can throw hard passes, or complicated passes, and I know he's going to catch it,” Ginobili said.
Blair has also demonstrated an innate sense of the geometry of a basketball court, a trait that has already made him one of the NBA's most efficient rebounders.
It also helps him play the angles on the pick-and-roll.
“His spatial awareness on the court, knowing where he is at all times, is really good,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “In a pick-and-roll situation, that is important.”
So is trust. Ginobili already has plenty of it in Blair.
The two are still in the early stages of their relationship, but with Blair, Ginobili can already envision a long and fruitful pick-and-roll partnership.
“We're still learning each other,” Ginobili said. “But so far, so good.”
Jeff McDonald
When the Spurs dealt away Fabricio Oberto in June, Manu Ginobili figured he not only was losing one of his best friends and a fellow countryman.
He was losing his favorite pick-and-roll partner.
“I played with Fabri for over 10 years,” said Ginobili, who first met Oberto when they were teenagers in Argentina. “He knew exactly how I wanted the screens. He had a passion for setting screens like I've never seen.”
Surprisingly, it hasn't taken Ginobili long to find Oberto's pick-and-roll heir apparent. He wouldn't be surprised if he found out that rookie DeJuan Blair has Argentine blood in his veins, too.
“I think we enjoy playing together, and we're beginning to get to know each other,” Ginobili said. “We've only been together for 50 games or so, so it's very promising.”
Blair and Ginobili are only in the courtship phase of their relationship, but they pick and roll like an old married couple. With Ginobili supplying the trick-shot passes, and Blair producing the kind of slick catches and nimble finishes that belie his 6-foot-7, 270-pound frame, the Spurs' second unit often has become must-see theater.
Where Oberto was a Hall of Fame pick-setter, Blair has proven himself adept at the other half of the equation.
“He's a really good roller,” Ginobili said. “I know he's going to be attacking the rim. That's something you can count on, even when you don't see him.”
Drafted in the second round two days after the Spurs jettisoned Oberto in the Richard Jefferson trade, Blair is part of the reason Ginobili is averaging a career-high 4.7 assists per game. Ginobili is part of the reason Blair has scored in double figures seven times since the start of February.
Sunday's win over Phoenix produced what is fast becoming a typical stat line for the pair. Blair got four of his six field goals off passes from Ginobili, who got half his eight assists throwing to Blair.
“I love playing with Manu,” said Blair, who hopes to keep the connection going Friday against New Orleans. “He's an excellent passer, and he knows when to give on the pick-and-roll.”
Ginobili's passing exploits were well-chronicled even before he, Oberto and Luis Scola pick-and-rolled the U.S. team into submission during the 2004 Olympics.
Less apparent, before his first NBA season began, was Blair's talent for pick-and-roll pass-catching.
He had played primarily in a pick-and-roll offense in two college seasons at Pittsburgh but had never played with a passer as tricky as Ginobili.
“Coming down and playing with Manu, it's not that different,” Blair said. “You just have to get used to where the passes are coming from.”
That's not as simple as it sounds. Antonio McDyess, another of the Spurs' big-man offseason additions, still struggles to read Ginobili from time to time.
Blair has had less trouble adjusting, for a variety of reasons. Two are his hands, as large as frying pans and apparently magnetized.
Like a quarterback gaining confidence in a receiver, Ginobili has learned that few passes are too fast or too difficult for Blair to handle.
“I can throw hard passes, or complicated passes, and I know he's going to catch it,” Ginobili said.
Blair has also demonstrated an innate sense of the geometry of a basketball court, a trait that has already made him one of the NBA's most efficient rebounders.
It also helps him play the angles on the pick-and-roll.
“His spatial awareness on the court, knowing where he is at all times, is really good,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “In a pick-and-roll situation, that is important.”
So is trust. Ginobili already has plenty of it in Blair.
The two are still in the early stages of their relationship, but with Blair, Ginobili can already envision a long and fruitful pick-and-roll partnership.
“We're still learning each other,” Ginobili said. “But so far, so good.”