Going Small

[Kori Ellis]

Last season, Rasho averaged 26 mpg and Nazr 18. This season, Rasho averages 21.5 and Nazr 12.5. (Horry and Tim's minutes are relatively the same).

So this means the Spurs "go small" a lot more often, usually with Tim/Bowen upfront along with 3 guards on the court.

Is this a good thing?

[donkey hote]

Sounds like an inevitability with a point guard that has speed and agility. Since Parker's penetrating and dishing more often than the usual NBA point guard, having a big slow center that might as well be chained to the low block is not as useful. Rasho seems to have a better knack for knowing where to be when he doesn't have the ball than Nazr and spacing the floor better around the paint.
Also, It's nice to have a guy (Parker) that's just devastating when he turns the jets on towards the hoop, that way we can do more than just in-out entry passes until a defender gets caught sleeping and perimeter around the three-point lines. Maybe we can get some more sophisticated plays and assists going more often around the bucket if we can exploit our quickness and precision.
That would render double-teams less effective also if we have better motion rather than pure size down low.

I can only surmise if that's what's happening, but it might explain the smallball

[Bruno]

Is this a good thing?

No but we have no choice.
As I said in another topic, Our PF/C isn't well balanced. link (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30756)
More and more teams use small ball or fast PF whio can shoot 3's and my POV is that the answer is not to put Bowen at the 4 but to have a PF who can defend the perimeter. We aren't a small ball team.
West was 6/8 on >12ft shoots and SAR destroy us last night.

[WalterBenitez]

good question, because of TP & MANUS' style going small wounldn't be so bad ... but you ave TD ...I think Spurs must keep going with TD unless he (TD) were in a bad night ... my real question is ... going small as a surprise sounds good, but as a way of playing, not sure having a Superstar like TD

[xcoriate]

The long 3 solves all the problems :)

Bowen doesnt really fill that role to well, his never been a big rebounder which is certainly interesting given his general hustle on the floor. TD cant box out the whole team which leads to the other team grabbing offensive boards...

Another note whether through turnovers or giving up offensive rebounds I've noticed a disturbing trend in the box score, we seem to be getting less shots than our opponent. Now I haven't found stats to back this up and on the whole I may even be wrong, but I distinctly remember some games, some losses, some narrow wins, where we have shot the ball at a high % and held the other team to a poor % and still ended up in a close game.

This is also probably due to the fact that out FTA as people have pointed out are, or were, significantly less than in the season past.

[ducks]

spurs go small they lose

[leemajors]

they were better at going small-er last year. manu barry tp duncan horry was one of our best lineups, but that was later in the year...