duncan228
05-04-2010, 04:26 PM
Suns-Spurs Rivalry Undergoing an Evolution (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-sunsspursrivalryunde)
SportingNews
Last night, the Spurs and Suns played the first game of what seems like their 45th playoff series in the last 10 years. Even though it’s been quite one-sided—the Spurs have come out on top every time this decade—it’s one of the league’s fiercest and most compelling rivalries. On one side, you have the Spurs, the reliable group of veterans who almost singlehandedly prove the argument for teams having "playoff composure" or any other number of unproven cliches. Their opponents, the Suns, are the speedy offensive juggernaut, the squad that pleases the eyes while also raising questions about whether their style can succeed in the rough-and-tumble postseason.
Yet while those designations still generally apply to each team, this rivalry is no longer the philosophical war of seasons past. As each team has aged and seen considerable roster turnover, their on-court philosophies have become less monolithic and more nuanced. This series is less about which style works and more a showcase for two teams that have learned to adjust to their changing circumstances. The team that comes out on top will be the one that proves it has adapted best, not the one that sets the paradigm for the NBA’s style of choice.
That wasn’t always the case, of course. As recently as three seasons ago, these teams matched up in a conference semifinals that felt at the time like the NBA Finals (which turned out to be the case, in a way, as the Spurs cruised to the championship after moving on in six games). The Spurs were near the peak of their powers, with Tim Duncan still the league’s most consistent force and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili at the height of their skills and athleticism. They were the playoff veterans, the squad that chipped away at their opponents until nothing remained, consistently outlasting teams through sheer grit and playoff know-how.
The Suns, on the other hand, were the upstarts, trying to prove that a fast-paced, offense-focused system could succeed in the fires of the postseason. Steve Nash was the conductor, with Shawn Marion taking on equally important roles as the fulcrum at both ends and the raging man-child, respectively. Mike D’Antoni’s system had success, yet his team couldn’t make it past the Spurs, including bizarre cases where suspensions and bad injury luck hurt the Suns’ chances. In the philosophical war, San Antonio held the advantage, always standing strong against Phoenix’s best shot at toppling standard conceptions of what could succeed in spring basketball.
The differences weren’t always that stark—the Suns were often at their best running the pick-and-roll in the halfcourt, and the Spurs’ guards did their fair share of running—but the battle lines were drawn very clearly. Yet teams and leagues change, and while the Suns still like to pick up the pace, and the Spurs like to play a slower game, each team has adjusted to their new situations.
Let’s start with the Suns, who have undergone several makeovers since 2007. Their 2008 trade of Marion for Shaquille O’Neal clearly changed the team’s approach, trading all-out running for a more traditional post structure with Amare Stoudemire at power forward and Shaq in the pivot. The change proved too drastic, however, and the Suns were bounced in the first round in 2008 (by the Spurs, naturally) and failed to make the playoffs in 2009.
Now, though, under Alvin Gentry, the Suns have reached a more satisfying middle ground in which run-and-gun and halfcourt sets can coexist. For instance, Grant Hill has taken Marion’s place at small forward, bringing with him a more methodical offensive approach. Last night, he hit a key turnaround jumper to help ice the game in the closing minutes, the kind of play that would have seemed like a poor fit for the Seven Seconds or Less squads. And whereas those teams once brought a cavalcade of shooters off the bench, Gentry now calls on energy players like Jared Dudley and Louis Amundson alongside Leandro Barbosa.
In other words, the Suns have shifted from a "Run or Die" philosophy to one in which both ends of the stylistic spectrum can coexist. They’re capable of playing multiple styles depending on the situation, not beholden to a single ideology. They might not play the same kind of thrilling style that they used to, but they’re in many ways a more mature squad.
The Spurs, on the other hand, have not undergone the same sort of grand stylistic shift, but they have also entered a new era for the team. As Duncan has entered his golden years, and Ginobili and Parker have started to miss more games with injury, San Antonio has brought on new, younger faces, including George Hill, DeJuan Blair, and the not actually young but young-looking Richard Jefferson.
To a certain extent, that kind of transition has been a mainstay of the Spurs approach—just remember the move from the Sean Elliott/Avery Johnson years to those of Parker and Ginobili—but these players represent an expansion of the concept of what it means to be a Spur. Neither Jefferson nor Hill are defensive specialists—in fact, you could say they’re actually quite bad at it—but Gregg Popovich and Co. recognized that they could bring different skills to the table. It’s questionable if the Spurs were ever as dogmatic as they were depicted by many observers (myself included), but their project always had the appearance of a team trying to plug roles with parts that fit. Now, they are far more willing to adjust their style.
The Suns and Spurs still have a heated rivalry, but it’s the result of a long history of hard-fought games rather than a battle for the future of basketball. In many ways, they’ve reached an understanding, one in which teams must adjust to their changing fortunes rather than cling to theoretical justifications. These are now two teams striving for the same sort of balance.
SportingNews
Last night, the Spurs and Suns played the first game of what seems like their 45th playoff series in the last 10 years. Even though it’s been quite one-sided—the Spurs have come out on top every time this decade—it’s one of the league’s fiercest and most compelling rivalries. On one side, you have the Spurs, the reliable group of veterans who almost singlehandedly prove the argument for teams having "playoff composure" or any other number of unproven cliches. Their opponents, the Suns, are the speedy offensive juggernaut, the squad that pleases the eyes while also raising questions about whether their style can succeed in the rough-and-tumble postseason.
Yet while those designations still generally apply to each team, this rivalry is no longer the philosophical war of seasons past. As each team has aged and seen considerable roster turnover, their on-court philosophies have become less monolithic and more nuanced. This series is less about which style works and more a showcase for two teams that have learned to adjust to their changing circumstances. The team that comes out on top will be the one that proves it has adapted best, not the one that sets the paradigm for the NBA’s style of choice.
That wasn’t always the case, of course. As recently as three seasons ago, these teams matched up in a conference semifinals that felt at the time like the NBA Finals (which turned out to be the case, in a way, as the Spurs cruised to the championship after moving on in six games). The Spurs were near the peak of their powers, with Tim Duncan still the league’s most consistent force and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili at the height of their skills and athleticism. They were the playoff veterans, the squad that chipped away at their opponents until nothing remained, consistently outlasting teams through sheer grit and playoff know-how.
The Suns, on the other hand, were the upstarts, trying to prove that a fast-paced, offense-focused system could succeed in the fires of the postseason. Steve Nash was the conductor, with Shawn Marion taking on equally important roles as the fulcrum at both ends and the raging man-child, respectively. Mike D’Antoni’s system had success, yet his team couldn’t make it past the Spurs, including bizarre cases where suspensions and bad injury luck hurt the Suns’ chances. In the philosophical war, San Antonio held the advantage, always standing strong against Phoenix’s best shot at toppling standard conceptions of what could succeed in spring basketball.
The differences weren’t always that stark—the Suns were often at their best running the pick-and-roll in the halfcourt, and the Spurs’ guards did their fair share of running—but the battle lines were drawn very clearly. Yet teams and leagues change, and while the Suns still like to pick up the pace, and the Spurs like to play a slower game, each team has adjusted to their new situations.
Let’s start with the Suns, who have undergone several makeovers since 2007. Their 2008 trade of Marion for Shaquille O’Neal clearly changed the team’s approach, trading all-out running for a more traditional post structure with Amare Stoudemire at power forward and Shaq in the pivot. The change proved too drastic, however, and the Suns were bounced in the first round in 2008 (by the Spurs, naturally) and failed to make the playoffs in 2009.
Now, though, under Alvin Gentry, the Suns have reached a more satisfying middle ground in which run-and-gun and halfcourt sets can coexist. For instance, Grant Hill has taken Marion’s place at small forward, bringing with him a more methodical offensive approach. Last night, he hit a key turnaround jumper to help ice the game in the closing minutes, the kind of play that would have seemed like a poor fit for the Seven Seconds or Less squads. And whereas those teams once brought a cavalcade of shooters off the bench, Gentry now calls on energy players like Jared Dudley and Louis Amundson alongside Leandro Barbosa.
In other words, the Suns have shifted from a "Run or Die" philosophy to one in which both ends of the stylistic spectrum can coexist. They’re capable of playing multiple styles depending on the situation, not beholden to a single ideology. They might not play the same kind of thrilling style that they used to, but they’re in many ways a more mature squad.
The Spurs, on the other hand, have not undergone the same sort of grand stylistic shift, but they have also entered a new era for the team. As Duncan has entered his golden years, and Ginobili and Parker have started to miss more games with injury, San Antonio has brought on new, younger faces, including George Hill, DeJuan Blair, and the not actually young but young-looking Richard Jefferson.
To a certain extent, that kind of transition has been a mainstay of the Spurs approach—just remember the move from the Sean Elliott/Avery Johnson years to those of Parker and Ginobili—but these players represent an expansion of the concept of what it means to be a Spur. Neither Jefferson nor Hill are defensive specialists—in fact, you could say they’re actually quite bad at it—but Gregg Popovich and Co. recognized that they could bring different skills to the table. It’s questionable if the Spurs were ever as dogmatic as they were depicted by many observers (myself included), but their project always had the appearance of a team trying to plug roles with parts that fit. Now, they are far more willing to adjust their style.
The Suns and Spurs still have a heated rivalry, but it’s the result of a long history of hard-fought games rather than a battle for the future of basketball. In many ways, they’ve reached an understanding, one in which teams must adjust to their changing fortunes rather than cling to theoretical justifications. These are now two teams striving for the same sort of balance.