GSH
06-09-2013, 10:00 PM
Pop always says "good defense leads to good offense", but a lot of times the opposite is true of the Spurs. Really piss-poor offensive execution leads to easy points on the other end. Tim, Tony, and Kawhi wound up a combined 12-39, which is hard to believe. But even with those three shooting so poorly, the game was still well in hand until they started making no-brain passes. Credit Manu for a couple in a row that really started the avalanche.
One adjustment made by Spoelstra that none of the commentators mentioned (and I bet none will), was to tell his guys just not to bite on Manu's shot fake. Never. Just don't do it. I've been amazed that no one has done it before, and I've wondered when it would finally happen. As a team, the Heat have great foot speed. And if they don't get off their feet, Manu just isn't quick enough to blow past them. And when he can't penetrate, he's just another guy out on the perimeter.
The Spurs didn't play with a sense of urgency anywhere tonight, but one thing that really killed them was their piss-poor movement without the ball. NOBODY seemed to have the energy to run tonight, and nobody made good, sharp cuts. There was one play in particular, I commented in the game thread, Neal came jogging casually across the paint, and he's waving his hand like a madman asking for the ball. First, the pass would have gotten picked, and second the defender was up in his jock. And I thought, "Seriously, Neal? You think that weak-assed cut got you open?" The fact that he was oblivious enough to be calling for the ball just pissed me off. But all night, the jogging and the weak cuts left no angles for passing. Things developed so slowly, that a lot of passes just couldn't be made. And a lot of the desperation passes out on the perimeter had to go wide, because the guys without the ball didn't move far or fast enough to get an angle. If the passes had gone directly to them, they would have gotten picked. You can't blame Parker for all of the lack of ball movement - the other guys have to do their part to give him some worthwhile options.
When you take poor shots (Gary Neal) against Miami, they are going to push it down your throat. When you throw the ball away (Manu) against Miami, they are going to push it down your throat. When you keep missing shots at the rim (Tim) against Miami, they are going to push it down your throat. And when you don't make good sharp cuts, they Heat are going to jump your passing lanes and... push it down your throat.
Give the Miami defense credit tonight - but the Spurs offensive execution made it easy on them.
One adjustment made by Spoelstra that none of the commentators mentioned (and I bet none will), was to tell his guys just not to bite on Manu's shot fake. Never. Just don't do it. I've been amazed that no one has done it before, and I've wondered when it would finally happen. As a team, the Heat have great foot speed. And if they don't get off their feet, Manu just isn't quick enough to blow past them. And when he can't penetrate, he's just another guy out on the perimeter.
The Spurs didn't play with a sense of urgency anywhere tonight, but one thing that really killed them was their piss-poor movement without the ball. NOBODY seemed to have the energy to run tonight, and nobody made good, sharp cuts. There was one play in particular, I commented in the game thread, Neal came jogging casually across the paint, and he's waving his hand like a madman asking for the ball. First, the pass would have gotten picked, and second the defender was up in his jock. And I thought, "Seriously, Neal? You think that weak-assed cut got you open?" The fact that he was oblivious enough to be calling for the ball just pissed me off. But all night, the jogging and the weak cuts left no angles for passing. Things developed so slowly, that a lot of passes just couldn't be made. And a lot of the desperation passes out on the perimeter had to go wide, because the guys without the ball didn't move far or fast enough to get an angle. If the passes had gone directly to them, they would have gotten picked. You can't blame Parker for all of the lack of ball movement - the other guys have to do their part to give him some worthwhile options.
When you take poor shots (Gary Neal) against Miami, they are going to push it down your throat. When you throw the ball away (Manu) against Miami, they are going to push it down your throat. When you keep missing shots at the rim (Tim) against Miami, they are going to push it down your throat. And when you don't make good sharp cuts, they Heat are going to jump your passing lanes and... push it down your throat.
Give the Miami defense credit tonight - but the Spurs offensive execution made it easy on them.