flipcritic
05-16-2006, 09:58 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/16/sports/basketball/16notebook.html
DALLAS, May 15 — The San Antonio Spurs have prompted an age-old debate in this Western Conference series: when your average age is 32.2, the oldest among the 30 N.B.A. teams, are you experienced or just old?
"If you're too young, that's not good; if you're older than dirt, that's not good," Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said Monday before Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks. "I never really think about their ages."
Ten games into the playoffs, some Spurs seem older than others. Manu Ginóbili got out of his locker-room chair Saturday night with a slight grimace and groan — and, at 28, he is one of the younger players. His reckless style of play may be wearing down his body, just as the Spurs are showing their age.
In four games against the speedy Mavericks, whose average age is 27, the Spurs were a step slower and fell behind, 3-1.
"The Mavs have great speed and we haven't handled it very well in transition," Popovich said. "Our transition defense has not been good; they've broken down our transition defense better than any team this year."
The Mavericks and the Spurs have depth, but the Spurs' bench players are considerably older. Robert Horry is 35, and Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry are 34. Michael Finley, who is 33, was released by the Mavericks last summer, partly because of his age, and is now with the Spurs.
Eleven of the 13 players on the Spurs' playoff roster were born in the 1970's. "You have guys you can relate to," said Barry, who is playing for his fifth team in an 11-year career. "You can make 'Brady Bunch' references and 'Happy Days' references that don't go over the heads of guys. You can talk about Doc and Gopher," he said, referring to characters from "The Love Boat."
Barry acknowledged that the question of age was relevant. "It will have to play itself out," he said. "Hopefully, that experience will help us. I thought it did in the last game. We kept battling back. We found ways to keep ourselves in the ballgame. That's what not only good teams do, but veteran teams."
Barry started in the backcourt in place of the struggling Ginóbili in Game 3. The move motivated Ginóbili, who scored 24 points in 32 minutes, but it did little to inspire Barry, who finished with 8 points in 27 minutes. Guard Tony Parker has been struggling as well, but with injuries.
"I have two quad contusions, so that is making me a little slower," Parker said.
Parker turns 24 on Wednesday, the day of Game 5. As the youngest Spurs starter, Parker plays older than his age, thanks to having competed in France. "When I was 17, I was playing professionally and I always played with guys who were 30," he said. "Here I relate pretty good with all my teammates."
DALLAS, May 15 — The San Antonio Spurs have prompted an age-old debate in this Western Conference series: when your average age is 32.2, the oldest among the 30 N.B.A. teams, are you experienced or just old?
"If you're too young, that's not good; if you're older than dirt, that's not good," Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said Monday before Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks. "I never really think about their ages."
Ten games into the playoffs, some Spurs seem older than others. Manu Ginóbili got out of his locker-room chair Saturday night with a slight grimace and groan — and, at 28, he is one of the younger players. His reckless style of play may be wearing down his body, just as the Spurs are showing their age.
In four games against the speedy Mavericks, whose average age is 27, the Spurs were a step slower and fell behind, 3-1.
"The Mavs have great speed and we haven't handled it very well in transition," Popovich said. "Our transition defense has not been good; they've broken down our transition defense better than any team this year."
The Mavericks and the Spurs have depth, but the Spurs' bench players are considerably older. Robert Horry is 35, and Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry are 34. Michael Finley, who is 33, was released by the Mavericks last summer, partly because of his age, and is now with the Spurs.
Eleven of the 13 players on the Spurs' playoff roster were born in the 1970's. "You have guys you can relate to," said Barry, who is playing for his fifth team in an 11-year career. "You can make 'Brady Bunch' references and 'Happy Days' references that don't go over the heads of guys. You can talk about Doc and Gopher," he said, referring to characters from "The Love Boat."
Barry acknowledged that the question of age was relevant. "It will have to play itself out," he said. "Hopefully, that experience will help us. I thought it did in the last game. We kept battling back. We found ways to keep ourselves in the ballgame. That's what not only good teams do, but veteran teams."
Barry started in the backcourt in place of the struggling Ginóbili in Game 3. The move motivated Ginóbili, who scored 24 points in 32 minutes, but it did little to inspire Barry, who finished with 8 points in 27 minutes. Guard Tony Parker has been struggling as well, but with injuries.
"I have two quad contusions, so that is making me a little slower," Parker said.
Parker turns 24 on Wednesday, the day of Game 5. As the youngest Spurs starter, Parker plays older than his age, thanks to having competed in France. "When I was 17, I was playing professionally and I always played with guys who were 30," he said. "Here I relate pretty good with all my teammates."