re: Defense, don't look now...

[K-State Spur]

but San Antonio is now up to #6 in defense efficiency...and #1 in the west. 5 eastern teams feasting on the bottom (8 of the 10 worst offensive teams are from the east) have padded their stats a bit.

[Cry Havoc]

The Bulls and Celts are the best defensive teams in basketball. I would put us 3rd or 4th, but we COULD be top 2 if we were more consistent.

[wildbill2u]

but San Antonio is now up to #6 in defense efficiency...and #1 in the west. 5 eastern teams feasting on the bottom (8 of the 10 worst offensive teams are from the east) have padded their stats a bit.

Since we are playing at a quicker pace and scoring more points we also give the other team more attempts and higher scores.

It's taken a while for the team defense to get to Spur's level, but the continued dedication of the team to get better on defense is working.
They have all mentioned that as their goal all season and it turns out they weren't just mouthing platitudes but really meant it.

[K-State Spur]

defensive efficiency normalizes possessions across the board - so playing a higher pace doesn't penalize you. in terms of defensive ppg - san antonio is 10th.

[buttsR4rebounding]

but San Antonio is now up to #6 in defense efficiency...and #1 in the west. 5 eastern teams feasting on the bottom (8 of the 10 worst offensive teams are from the east) have padded their stats a bit.

In fact the East teams average 3.5 points per game less than the West. That figure would be almost a point higher if you took out the Knicks. That is a HUGE difference.

[NASpurs]

Spurs have a .449 on opponents field goal percentage which would put them at #12. Lakers have a .442 opp. field goal percentage which puts them at #4. There's not that much of a difference between #12 and #4 with a difference of only .007 separating the two.

Another cool stat is that the Spurs, Lakers and Bulls are tied for #1 on opponents PPS.

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/team/_/stat/defense-per-game/sort/scoringEfficiencyOpponent

Only thing that worries is me is the opponents 3 pt field goal percentage. Spurs are 27th in the league guarding the 3 pt line.

[Cry Havoc]

Spurs have a .449 on opponents field goal percentage which would put them at #12. Lakers have a .442 opp. field goal percentage which puts them at #4. There's not that much of a difference between #12 and #4 with a difference of only .007 separating the two.

Another cool stat is that the Spurs, Lakers and Bulls are tied for #1 on opponents PPS.

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/team/_/stat/defense-per-game/sort/scoringEfficiencyOpponent

I prefer "Adjusted FG%", which accounts for a lot more variables. In that, the Spurs are 8th, behind 7 Eastern Conference teams, 1st in the West.


Only thing that worries is me is the opponents 3 pt field goal percentage. Spurs are 27th in the league guarding the 3 pt line.

That's actually a good sign IMO. If we're beating teams this consistently with regular season defense, how good will we be in the playoffs when we turn it up? Teams are getting up to play us night in night out, that's one reason they're shooting so well.

[Mel_13]

Only thing that worries is me is the opponents 3 pt field goal percentage. Spurs are 27th in the league guarding the 3 pt line.

But they're 1st in fewest 3 point attempts allowed per game.

[xmas1997]

I prefer "Adjusted FG%", which accounts for a lot more variables. In that, the Spurs are 8th, behind 7 Eastern Conference teams, 1st in the West.



That's actually a good sign IMO. If we're beating teams this consistently with regular season defense, how good will we be in the playoffs when we turn it up? Teams are getting up to play us night in night out, that's one reason they're shooting so well.

The question is: can they turn it up?

[GSH]

Spurs have a .449 on opponents field goal percentage which would put them at #12. Lakers have a .442 opp. field goal percentage which puts them at #4. There's not that much of a difference between #12 and #4 with a difference of only .007 separating the two.

Another cool stat is that the Spurs, Lakers and Bulls are tied for #1 on opponents PPS.

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/team/_/stat/defense-per-game/sort/scoringEfficiencyOpponent

Only thing that worries is me is the opponents 3 pt field goal percentage. Spurs are 27th in the league guarding the 3 pt line.

Dead on. When the difference between 4 and 12 is .007, the stat doesn't tell you much. It is significant that the Spurs have improved in that area.

As for the opponent 3P percentage - I made a thread last night about that. Over the last 10 games, the Spurs' opponents have been shooting .248 from the 3P line. The best in the league, by a BIG margin.

What counts is how they are playing defense at the end of the season. As usual, the Spurs have stepped things up during the Rodeo Road Trip. And that is most visible in their defense. They aren't the same defensive team they were in December. If they continue to improve their defense like this, they are going to be nearly impossible to stop in the playoffs.

[xmas1997]

That is what I am hoping for, and mainly CONSISTENCY in that department.

[BoricuaCJA]

The question is: can they turn it up?

Yes they can especially that our best big on both sides of the court will be playing more minutes. Duncan minutes will increase to around 35 minutes in the playoffs. Everyone knows the one thing were missing right now is a really good defensive wing player(SF). Our rotations are getting better as the season progresses, and in the playoffs you will see our players going harder like diving for money balls and always getting back on fast breaks.

[Brazil]

The Bulls and Celts are the best defensive teams in basketball. I would put us 3rd or 4th, but we COULD be top 2 if we were more consistent.

I would add Orlando, Hornets (with Okafor and Ariza healthy), Miami (I think) and maybe Dallas

[Solid D]

I would add Orlando, Hornets (with Okafor and Ariza healthy), Miami (I think) and maybe Dallas

:tu with my added emphasis to one particular team.

[honestfool84]

now if they can keep this up till the playoffs... then, like others have stated, turn it up a notch. hmmm.

:tu

[Hooks]

It's kind of hard to rank the Spurs' defense, after all they have been coasting for most of the season. They get bored A LOT and wind up playing crappy defense, or the 2nd unit plays against the other teams' starters towards the end of the game and start giving up points. Our best defender in TD is also seeing very little minutes as well. By the start of the 4th quarter the Spurs already have most teams beaten. The Spurs also take it easy once they get a big lead, even in the 2nd quarter, which happens quite a lot.



The ONLY other team in the NBA that might be able to do what the Spurs are doing are the Celtics, but I don't watch them play at all so I can't say. Every other team in the NBA doesn't have that luxury of sitting their players like the Spurs do.

If the Spurs played their starters like other teams do, I have no doubt they'd EASILY be ranked in the top 3 as far as defense goes.

By the time the playoffs start this Spurs' defense is going to be very good imo.

[ajh18]

But they're 1st in fewest 3 point attempts allowed per game.

This is a key point that I've been curious about. A high opponent 3 point percentage seems alarming, but if we're allowing few three point attempts, the implication is that the high percentage is likely due to the fact that the other teams only get three point opportunities on the rare occasions when our defense breaks down or when they do something exceptional to get open.

I'm fine if the other team shoots a high percentage if they don't get many opportunities to do it. If our opponent shoots a similar or slightly better percentage than us from three, but gets several fewer shots, we're coming out on top in terms of expected return on those shots.

[Seventyniner]

This is a key point that I've been curious about. A high opponent 3 point percentage seems alarming, but if we're allowing few three point attempts, the implication is that the high percentage is likely due to the fact that the other teams only get three point opportunities on the rare occasions when our defense breaks down or when they do something exceptional to get open.

I'm fine if the other team shoots a high percentage if they don't get many opportunities to do it. If our opponent shoots a similar or slightly better percentage than us from three, but gets several fewer shots, we're coming out on top in terms of expected return on those shots.

This is why effective FG% (eFG%), on both on offense and defense, is a better measure than FG% alone. If a team gives up 50% FG, but they're all 2-point shots, they will allow fewer points per shot than a team who allows 36% FG, but they're all 3-point shots. The first example is an eFG% of 50, while the second is 54 (36 times 1.5, because a 3-pointer is worth 1.5 times as much as a 2-pointer).

The Spurs are #8 in the league in eFG% defense with 48.3%, just ahead of the Lakers at 48.4%. The top 7 teams in that statistic are all in the East.

[024]

honestly, the present defense won't hold up in the playoffs. the spurs need to improve in defense or they will not win. spurs SPAM will have to really focus on the defense and bringing it up to a championship caliber.