TwoHandJam
06-03-2005, 01:53 PM
Quality article once again from Emmett :hat
NBA Finals: Spurs Good to Go!
link (http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_12948.shtml)
By Emmett Shaw
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Jun 2, 2005, 17:44
Flashback to 2002...
Emmett Shaw: Mike, I got to go to Boston for Summer League this year. And I was impressed with your work on the bench, frankly. I think you're going to be around the league a long time. You're a skills guy, but you're also looking at strategy and all that. Are you going to be a #1 assistant someday, or even move over to the top chair someday?
Mike Brown: You know, besides winning an NBA Championship, my goal is to be a head coach in the NBA. I feel confident enough that I can do it, and I believe it'll happen to me someday if I keep working hard. I'll tell you what, this is my 3rd NBA team. I've been with about 8 or 9 different coaches, and been in the league for 10+ years, and Gregg Popovich is one of the best. It's a great opportunity for me to learn and grow here. If it happens, then I feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I'll feel real fortunate. But right now, I'm happy where I'm at. I'm happy to learn and continue to grow, and hopefully we'll get us a Championship here.
We try to keep you ahead of the curve here. In October of 2002, at the time only 32-years-old, unknown Spurs assistant Mike Brown told us in this space where he intended to go -- to an NBA Championship with San Antonio and to a head coaching position in the league.
After being part of that NBA title in 2003 in San Antonio -- less than three years after apprising us -- he now takes the head coaching job in Cleveland as one of he bright young coaching prospects anywhere.
In that pre-season article we also told you that a couple of guys most people had never heard of could really play the game. First, that young Stephen Jackson was showing flashes of scoring ability, and even scrappy defense. And we reported that the Spurs' Devin Brown was looking very much like an NBA player.
Typically we're out ahead, and when we're rarely not, we at least admit it. We thought the Spurs couldn't get by Phoenix without Devin Brown able to compete, but Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, and Brent Barry proved us wrong! Brent Barry?
Yes, Brent Barry, weirdly maligned on sports-talk radio in the Alamo City when the 62-win Suns dared to steal a game...one game, by blistering the nets for 57% in Game Four.
The Brent Barry, who our readers at least know was easily the most effective shooter in the WCFs, finishing with an amazing .767 effective FG percentage!
The same Brent Barry who played 26 minutes a night for the series, heping to limit the most prolific 3-point shooting team in league history to 15 tries per game from the arch, 10 less than the Suns' season average!
The same Barry who was instrumental to San Antonio's 44 made 3-pointers in the WCFs, and to holding record-setting Phoenix to sinking just 31!
Barry, the self-same player who the Spurs couldn't have advanced to the 2005 NBA Finals without -- the guy deserves a major apology! I bolded this part for you Whottt :lol
---------------------------
It's been a while since an NBA team eliminated a 60-wins (meaning 60 wins or more) ballclub from the Playoffs and didn't go on to win the league's Championship. It happened last in 1998, when it occurred twice: LA over 61-21 Seattle (4-1), then Utah swept out 61-21 LA -- only to fall to Mike, Scottie, and the Bulls in the Finals.
After getting through the 62-20 Suns, the Spurs now have the inside track to win it all. It's not so much history as the home-court advantage San Antonio earned. Holding on to edge Dallas for the Southwest Division with injured Tim Duncan missing most of the games down the stretch also pushed the team ahead of Miami, which had Shaq sit out some games toward season's end.
Watching the PHX-SA series, thoughts could easily turn back to such historical trivia because of the way Amare Stoudemire and Manu Ginobili played. Cat quick Amare reminds me of the way Hakeem Olajuwon burst on the scene as a 23-year-old. His Rockets team bumped off a 62-wins defending champ in the Lakers, but then didn't win the 1986 Finals.
Nine years later, Hakeem exploded again when rules against the hand-check were installed. Houston knocked off two 60-wins teams, the Jazz and Spurs, on its way to the 1995 NBA Title. Olajuwon abused a great defender in David Robinson the same way that Amare torched Tim, who almost never solved Amare's right-handed-all-the-time moves.
Scottie Pippen's Chicago teams went 6-1 against 60-wins outfits, losing to the Pistons in 1989, defeating the Suns in 1993, the Magic and Sonics in 1996, the Heat and Jazz in 1997, and the Jazz again in 1998. A comparison of Pippen and Ginobili is a good one, especially in the just completed Suns' series.
Manu was the Spurs' ball carrier a lot in the half court, leading the Spurs in the APG category (4.8) for the series. Like Scottie, Manu was often elevating his lanky frame for inside scores and also pulling back for quality threes, getting on the glass, and defending.
These two versatile players allow their teams to play fast or slow. Unlike Pippen, Manu will probably never be asked to defend a tall, great rebounder like Larry Nance in a decisive playoff game. Another difference: Manu also isn't likely to refuse a request to enter a huge playoff game for the final possession.
Will Stoudemire someday exceed Hakeem's output in NBA Championships? Some things are beyond his control. But if he gets the breaks of good health and good teammates, he has a chance. The Suns will probably bring in a veteran center to their roster -- not so much to play ball, but to teach Amare about help defense.
--------------------------------------
The WCFs was a little unusual in that the team that won the series in five games was outshot from the field by 50% to 48%. But that comes out less than a wash for the Suns when you factor in the Spurs' out-rebounding the Suns by six per game and the Spurs drilling a plus 7.8 PPG from the three. San Antonio only outscored Phoenix by 4.2 PPG total! See how huge Barry's 55% shooting from downtown was? -- Again, for Whottt
This was a tremendous team victory for San Antonio, because it got such great perimeter defense from Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen, Ginobili, and Barry. Stoudemire went wild, but Tim had two bad ankles and apparently not a very good scouting video of Amare's moves.
The Suns' soft interior defense and poor help schemes left them with little hope but to space Tony Parker and Beno Udrih and hope for the best. The Spurs were going to score what the defense gave them on any given night: Game Four, Game Five, Game Six...even Game Seven. The night that those shots fell was going to be the Suns' last. That night was Game Five.
Here's a different look at the game. A big key to the series was the Spurs' ball movement before attacking the Suns' defense. In Game Five, I counted the passes by both teams. The Spurs made 3.5 passes per possession, while the Suns averaged 2.5. This includes inbounds passes and short outlet passes in the backcourt.
So you can see that for the Suns, it was typically one pass and a shot. The Spurs had more than twice as many possessions of five passes or more. The better the Spurs' shot in the series, the better their transition defense was. They lost their worst shooting game. (Game Four = 44.2%) A related fact: The Spurs' got away from great ball movement in that game and tried to close out the series with their superior rebounding.
The third quarter of Game Four, when Phoenix played their best ball, featured all ten players on the court facing a cross-match, which gave the Suns an opportunity to run better. Meanwhile in that quarter, the Spurs forgot what Phoenix was capable of from the arc. Once they remembered, going to the NBA Finals was a matter of time. San Antonio getting back to good motion offense in Game Five was also a key adjustment.
NBA Finals: Spurs Good to Go!
link (http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_12948.shtml)
By Emmett Shaw
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Jun 2, 2005, 17:44
Flashback to 2002...
Emmett Shaw: Mike, I got to go to Boston for Summer League this year. And I was impressed with your work on the bench, frankly. I think you're going to be around the league a long time. You're a skills guy, but you're also looking at strategy and all that. Are you going to be a #1 assistant someday, or even move over to the top chair someday?
Mike Brown: You know, besides winning an NBA Championship, my goal is to be a head coach in the NBA. I feel confident enough that I can do it, and I believe it'll happen to me someday if I keep working hard. I'll tell you what, this is my 3rd NBA team. I've been with about 8 or 9 different coaches, and been in the league for 10+ years, and Gregg Popovich is one of the best. It's a great opportunity for me to learn and grow here. If it happens, then I feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I'll feel real fortunate. But right now, I'm happy where I'm at. I'm happy to learn and continue to grow, and hopefully we'll get us a Championship here.
We try to keep you ahead of the curve here. In October of 2002, at the time only 32-years-old, unknown Spurs assistant Mike Brown told us in this space where he intended to go -- to an NBA Championship with San Antonio and to a head coaching position in the league.
After being part of that NBA title in 2003 in San Antonio -- less than three years after apprising us -- he now takes the head coaching job in Cleveland as one of he bright young coaching prospects anywhere.
In that pre-season article we also told you that a couple of guys most people had never heard of could really play the game. First, that young Stephen Jackson was showing flashes of scoring ability, and even scrappy defense. And we reported that the Spurs' Devin Brown was looking very much like an NBA player.
Typically we're out ahead, and when we're rarely not, we at least admit it. We thought the Spurs couldn't get by Phoenix without Devin Brown able to compete, but Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, and Brent Barry proved us wrong! Brent Barry?
Yes, Brent Barry, weirdly maligned on sports-talk radio in the Alamo City when the 62-win Suns dared to steal a game...one game, by blistering the nets for 57% in Game Four.
The Brent Barry, who our readers at least know was easily the most effective shooter in the WCFs, finishing with an amazing .767 effective FG percentage!
The same Brent Barry who played 26 minutes a night for the series, heping to limit the most prolific 3-point shooting team in league history to 15 tries per game from the arch, 10 less than the Suns' season average!
The same Barry who was instrumental to San Antonio's 44 made 3-pointers in the WCFs, and to holding record-setting Phoenix to sinking just 31!
Barry, the self-same player who the Spurs couldn't have advanced to the 2005 NBA Finals without -- the guy deserves a major apology! I bolded this part for you Whottt :lol
---------------------------
It's been a while since an NBA team eliminated a 60-wins (meaning 60 wins or more) ballclub from the Playoffs and didn't go on to win the league's Championship. It happened last in 1998, when it occurred twice: LA over 61-21 Seattle (4-1), then Utah swept out 61-21 LA -- only to fall to Mike, Scottie, and the Bulls in the Finals.
After getting through the 62-20 Suns, the Spurs now have the inside track to win it all. It's not so much history as the home-court advantage San Antonio earned. Holding on to edge Dallas for the Southwest Division with injured Tim Duncan missing most of the games down the stretch also pushed the team ahead of Miami, which had Shaq sit out some games toward season's end.
Watching the PHX-SA series, thoughts could easily turn back to such historical trivia because of the way Amare Stoudemire and Manu Ginobili played. Cat quick Amare reminds me of the way Hakeem Olajuwon burst on the scene as a 23-year-old. His Rockets team bumped off a 62-wins defending champ in the Lakers, but then didn't win the 1986 Finals.
Nine years later, Hakeem exploded again when rules against the hand-check were installed. Houston knocked off two 60-wins teams, the Jazz and Spurs, on its way to the 1995 NBA Title. Olajuwon abused a great defender in David Robinson the same way that Amare torched Tim, who almost never solved Amare's right-handed-all-the-time moves.
Scottie Pippen's Chicago teams went 6-1 against 60-wins outfits, losing to the Pistons in 1989, defeating the Suns in 1993, the Magic and Sonics in 1996, the Heat and Jazz in 1997, and the Jazz again in 1998. A comparison of Pippen and Ginobili is a good one, especially in the just completed Suns' series.
Manu was the Spurs' ball carrier a lot in the half court, leading the Spurs in the APG category (4.8) for the series. Like Scottie, Manu was often elevating his lanky frame for inside scores and also pulling back for quality threes, getting on the glass, and defending.
These two versatile players allow their teams to play fast or slow. Unlike Pippen, Manu will probably never be asked to defend a tall, great rebounder like Larry Nance in a decisive playoff game. Another difference: Manu also isn't likely to refuse a request to enter a huge playoff game for the final possession.
Will Stoudemire someday exceed Hakeem's output in NBA Championships? Some things are beyond his control. But if he gets the breaks of good health and good teammates, he has a chance. The Suns will probably bring in a veteran center to their roster -- not so much to play ball, but to teach Amare about help defense.
--------------------------------------
The WCFs was a little unusual in that the team that won the series in five games was outshot from the field by 50% to 48%. But that comes out less than a wash for the Suns when you factor in the Spurs' out-rebounding the Suns by six per game and the Spurs drilling a plus 7.8 PPG from the three. San Antonio only outscored Phoenix by 4.2 PPG total! See how huge Barry's 55% shooting from downtown was? -- Again, for Whottt
This was a tremendous team victory for San Antonio, because it got such great perimeter defense from Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen, Ginobili, and Barry. Stoudemire went wild, but Tim had two bad ankles and apparently not a very good scouting video of Amare's moves.
The Suns' soft interior defense and poor help schemes left them with little hope but to space Tony Parker and Beno Udrih and hope for the best. The Spurs were going to score what the defense gave them on any given night: Game Four, Game Five, Game Six...even Game Seven. The night that those shots fell was going to be the Suns' last. That night was Game Five.
Here's a different look at the game. A big key to the series was the Spurs' ball movement before attacking the Suns' defense. In Game Five, I counted the passes by both teams. The Spurs made 3.5 passes per possession, while the Suns averaged 2.5. This includes inbounds passes and short outlet passes in the backcourt.
So you can see that for the Suns, it was typically one pass and a shot. The Spurs had more than twice as many possessions of five passes or more. The better the Spurs' shot in the series, the better their transition defense was. They lost their worst shooting game. (Game Four = 44.2%) A related fact: The Spurs' got away from great ball movement in that game and tried to close out the series with their superior rebounding.
The third quarter of Game Four, when Phoenix played their best ball, featured all ten players on the court facing a cross-match, which gave the Suns an opportunity to run better. Meanwhile in that quarter, the Spurs forgot what Phoenix was capable of from the arc. Once they remembered, going to the NBA Finals was a matter of time. San Antonio getting back to good motion offense in Game Five was also a key adjustment.