Spursfanfromafar
04-02-2012, 07:17 PM
By all metrics, the Spurs' defense continues to be mediocre as compared to contenders and is barely above league average (in fact dot on league average and the Thunder also show similar numbers on defense, one above the Spurs in Defensive Rating). But when it comes to crunch time, their numbers are sharp and quite good. Zach Lowe of The Point Forward jots some notes on that -
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/04/02/monday-musings-burning-questions-for-final-stretch-of-regular-season/
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• Is San Antonio’s crunch-time defense for real?
The Spurs are an offensive juggernaut, but they rank just 13th in points allowed per possession, and even with Boris Diaw aboard, teams with two imposing big men figure to give San Antonio trouble — unless Gregg Popovich unleashes the seldom-played Tiago Splitter/Tim Duncan duo for extended minutes against such a team in the postseason.
But in crunch time, San Antonio’s defense has been ridiculously stingy (hat tip to Matt Moore of CBSSports.com for discovering this). In the last five minutes of games with a scoring margin of five or fewer points, San Antonio has yielded just 91.5 points per 100 possessions, the best mark in the league, according to NBA.com. Cut the time and margin to three minutes/three points, and the number drops to 78.1 points allowed per 100 possessions — also tops in the league.
How are the Spurs doing this? Two trends emerge: They doesn’t foul late, and their opponents are missing both threes and free throws at what is probably an unsustainable rate. Only the Lakers, Cavs and Celtics have sent teams to the line less often in late-game situations than the Spurs, and no team has allowed a lower opponent three-point percentage; teams are 9-of-50 from deep against the Spurs in the last five minutes when the scoring margin is five or less, and just 1-of-13 in the last three minutes of even tighter games (margin of three or less). Teams are also shooting in the low-60-percent range on the rare free throws the Spurs do allow.
Being ahead so often obviously helps the Spurs here. They don’t have to foul intentionally as often as other teams, and some desperation, late-game heaves have contributed to the low opponent shooting percentage from deep. But the numbers also dovetail with some of Popovich’s core philosophies on defense: Don’t foul and run teams off the three-point line.
Do the Spurs have another gear on defense, or are these crunch-time numbers more the product of random luck? As is the case with Oklahoma City, which has produced a similar crunch-time trend, the answer will go a long way to deciding who wins the title.
UPDATE- Sorry, I hadn't noticed the older thread on the subject. Please merge.
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/04/02/monday-musings-burning-questions-for-final-stretch-of-regular-season/
---
• Is San Antonio’s crunch-time defense for real?
The Spurs are an offensive juggernaut, but they rank just 13th in points allowed per possession, and even with Boris Diaw aboard, teams with two imposing big men figure to give San Antonio trouble — unless Gregg Popovich unleashes the seldom-played Tiago Splitter/Tim Duncan duo for extended minutes against such a team in the postseason.
But in crunch time, San Antonio’s defense has been ridiculously stingy (hat tip to Matt Moore of CBSSports.com for discovering this). In the last five minutes of games with a scoring margin of five or fewer points, San Antonio has yielded just 91.5 points per 100 possessions, the best mark in the league, according to NBA.com. Cut the time and margin to three minutes/three points, and the number drops to 78.1 points allowed per 100 possessions — also tops in the league.
How are the Spurs doing this? Two trends emerge: They doesn’t foul late, and their opponents are missing both threes and free throws at what is probably an unsustainable rate. Only the Lakers, Cavs and Celtics have sent teams to the line less often in late-game situations than the Spurs, and no team has allowed a lower opponent three-point percentage; teams are 9-of-50 from deep against the Spurs in the last five minutes when the scoring margin is five or less, and just 1-of-13 in the last three minutes of even tighter games (margin of three or less). Teams are also shooting in the low-60-percent range on the rare free throws the Spurs do allow.
Being ahead so often obviously helps the Spurs here. They don’t have to foul intentionally as often as other teams, and some desperation, late-game heaves have contributed to the low opponent shooting percentage from deep. But the numbers also dovetail with some of Popovich’s core philosophies on defense: Don’t foul and run teams off the three-point line.
Do the Spurs have another gear on defense, or are these crunch-time numbers more the product of random luck? As is the case with Oklahoma City, which has produced a similar crunch-time trend, the answer will go a long way to deciding who wins the title.
UPDATE- Sorry, I hadn't noticed the older thread on the subject. Please merge.