boutons_
10-31-2006, 10:50 AM
Keep Close to Your Enemies
Rival Spurs, Mavs Grow Similar
By Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 31, 2006; E01
Should the Dallas Mavericks or San Antonio Spurs win the NBA title this season, they each would have the other to thank.
The Mavericks fell just two victories short of the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, yet they are mimicking the Spurs' model for maintaining success -- what Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich calls "corporate knowledge."
The Spurs, meanwhile, have used last season's classic seven-game, second-round playoff loss to Dallas as motivation, and made roster changes that support a shift toward a style of play popularized by the Mavericks: small ball.
The fiercest rivalry in the NBA resumes Thursday in Dallas, and these two Texas teams stand in each other's way for supremacy in the powerful Western Conference. In a survey of the league's general managers on NBA.com, 12 picked the Spurs to win the title, while another eight selected the Mavericks. Only four thought Miami could repeat.
"It's going to be another long haul. We all know that," Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki said of the Mavericks' chances to repeat as conference champions. "It's not going to be easy. San Antonio is going to be fired up because we beat them."
When someone mentioned to the Spurs' Tim Duncan that their series shifted because Dallas Coach Avery Johnson elected to use speedy guards Devin Harris and Jason Terry in the back court, Duncan scoffed. "They went small and that's the reason they won? Oh, really. Well, he's the coach of the year, so that's obviously the move that won the series," Duncan said with a hint of sarcasm. "I thought it came down to Game 7 overtime, but that's just me."
The Spurs used small-ball tactics during their 2005 championship run against Phoenix and Detroit (remember, that was Robert Horry listed at center when he hit the game-winning three-pointer in Game 5 of the NBA Finals). This summer, San Antonio aborted the double-center, power game that was successful during the Duncan-David Robinson era. The Spurs didn't flinch when center Nazr Mohammed fled to Detroit in free agency, then traded center Rasho Nesterovic to Toronto in a salary dump.
The positive result of the earlier-than-expected playoff exit was that Duncan was able to rest for the first time in almost three seasons. Duncan had led the Spurs to titles in '03 and '05, then participated in the U.S. Olympic qualifying tournament in 2003 and the Olympics in 2004, meaning he was forced to log more competitive minutes than most the past three seasons. This summer, he was able to rest his feet and recover from the plantar fasciitis, which contributed to the least productive season of his career.
"This is the best shape he's been in three to five years," Popovich said. "He's never been Joe Athlete; he's always been Mr. Fundamental. But he's got some of the athleticism he had when he was younger."
Duncan is done masquerading as a power forward; the Spurs plan to use undersized Fabricio Oberto at the position. While admitting to the change, Popovich added that he won't use a smaller lineup more than usual this season. He also dismissed much of the rhetoric that followed the Spurs' playoff ouster.
"When you lose in overtime in the seventh game, there's got to be something wrong. It's, 'We didn't play the big guys.' Or, 'We're too slow or to old,' " said Popovich, adding that the loss to Dallas stung more than losing to the Lakers in 2004, a series that turned when Derek Fisher nailed the series-changing jumper with 0.4 of a second remaining in Game 5. "If we had won, we would have been 'Experienced Juggernauts.' It would have been 'Experience and Corporate Knowledge, Look What It Does for You.' "
The Mavericks are looking to find out what corporate knowledge can do for them. San Antonio still has a 3-0 edge in NBA championships and knows what it takes to go all the way. Johnson, who played all or part of 10 seasons in San Antonio, has molded his team after his mentor, Popovich, since taking over as head coach of the Mavericks in March 2005.
He quickly pushed the 7-foot Nowitzki to be more like Duncan and play closer to the basket, and he also adopted Popovich's favorite phrase, "corporate knowledge," which means to build around a small number of core players who understand the fundamentals of the system. "We believe we can win the championship," Terry said. "We have the team that can definitely do it. I think coming in we know, just because we know the system."
With the successful run, which included their first trip to the NBA Finals, Dallas established its core and secured several pieces for the near future this offseason. The Mavericks signed Terry in free agency and gave extensions to Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Johnson.
There certainly is precedence: In 2004, the Spurs kept its core intact when it signed Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The next season, the Spurs won the NBA title. "That's what I've seen work with all the good teams that I've been on," Johnson said. "That's what we started in south Texas and what we've tried to keep that going up here."
Johnson even subjected players to exams throughout the preseason to further embed the Mavericks' system. If they answered incorrectly, they were fined -- dollar values differed based on tenure with the team. Mavericks forward Jerry Stackhouse said veterans are docked $20 per missed answer. If they get a bonus question right, they could earn up to $50.
When Johnson speaks about what it takes to be successful in the NBA, his explanation is almost a carbon copy of the one Popovich gives. "The key part is the owner and the general manager and the coach all work together," Johnson said. "I don't think that corporate knowledge works when that division is there."
The synergy between Spurs owner Peter Holt, General Manager R.C. Buford and Popovich is well documented. They have such mutual respect for each other that Popovich had no fear in publicly blasting Holt for being unwilling to pay Parker the money he wanted in 2004.
Do the Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, General Manager Donnie Nelson and Johnson have that unity in Dallas? "I feel we do. Everybody understands where we are and what we're trying to accomplish," Johnson said.
Popovich has led the Spurs to three championships in the past seven years with three important tenets: defense comes first, all players are treated equally and the coach's word is final. But Popovich isn't naive. "Nobody is a genius," Popovich said. "If we don't have Tim Duncan, we're not where we are."
And, if Nowitzki continues to follow Duncan's example, this rivalry will remain strong.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
Rival Spurs, Mavs Grow Similar
By Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 31, 2006; E01
Should the Dallas Mavericks or San Antonio Spurs win the NBA title this season, they each would have the other to thank.
The Mavericks fell just two victories short of the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, yet they are mimicking the Spurs' model for maintaining success -- what Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich calls "corporate knowledge."
The Spurs, meanwhile, have used last season's classic seven-game, second-round playoff loss to Dallas as motivation, and made roster changes that support a shift toward a style of play popularized by the Mavericks: small ball.
The fiercest rivalry in the NBA resumes Thursday in Dallas, and these two Texas teams stand in each other's way for supremacy in the powerful Western Conference. In a survey of the league's general managers on NBA.com, 12 picked the Spurs to win the title, while another eight selected the Mavericks. Only four thought Miami could repeat.
"It's going to be another long haul. We all know that," Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki said of the Mavericks' chances to repeat as conference champions. "It's not going to be easy. San Antonio is going to be fired up because we beat them."
When someone mentioned to the Spurs' Tim Duncan that their series shifted because Dallas Coach Avery Johnson elected to use speedy guards Devin Harris and Jason Terry in the back court, Duncan scoffed. "They went small and that's the reason they won? Oh, really. Well, he's the coach of the year, so that's obviously the move that won the series," Duncan said with a hint of sarcasm. "I thought it came down to Game 7 overtime, but that's just me."
The Spurs used small-ball tactics during their 2005 championship run against Phoenix and Detroit (remember, that was Robert Horry listed at center when he hit the game-winning three-pointer in Game 5 of the NBA Finals). This summer, San Antonio aborted the double-center, power game that was successful during the Duncan-David Robinson era. The Spurs didn't flinch when center Nazr Mohammed fled to Detroit in free agency, then traded center Rasho Nesterovic to Toronto in a salary dump.
The positive result of the earlier-than-expected playoff exit was that Duncan was able to rest for the first time in almost three seasons. Duncan had led the Spurs to titles in '03 and '05, then participated in the U.S. Olympic qualifying tournament in 2003 and the Olympics in 2004, meaning he was forced to log more competitive minutes than most the past three seasons. This summer, he was able to rest his feet and recover from the plantar fasciitis, which contributed to the least productive season of his career.
"This is the best shape he's been in three to five years," Popovich said. "He's never been Joe Athlete; he's always been Mr. Fundamental. But he's got some of the athleticism he had when he was younger."
Duncan is done masquerading as a power forward; the Spurs plan to use undersized Fabricio Oberto at the position. While admitting to the change, Popovich added that he won't use a smaller lineup more than usual this season. He also dismissed much of the rhetoric that followed the Spurs' playoff ouster.
"When you lose in overtime in the seventh game, there's got to be something wrong. It's, 'We didn't play the big guys.' Or, 'We're too slow or to old,' " said Popovich, adding that the loss to Dallas stung more than losing to the Lakers in 2004, a series that turned when Derek Fisher nailed the series-changing jumper with 0.4 of a second remaining in Game 5. "If we had won, we would have been 'Experienced Juggernauts.' It would have been 'Experience and Corporate Knowledge, Look What It Does for You.' "
The Mavericks are looking to find out what corporate knowledge can do for them. San Antonio still has a 3-0 edge in NBA championships and knows what it takes to go all the way. Johnson, who played all or part of 10 seasons in San Antonio, has molded his team after his mentor, Popovich, since taking over as head coach of the Mavericks in March 2005.
He quickly pushed the 7-foot Nowitzki to be more like Duncan and play closer to the basket, and he also adopted Popovich's favorite phrase, "corporate knowledge," which means to build around a small number of core players who understand the fundamentals of the system. "We believe we can win the championship," Terry said. "We have the team that can definitely do it. I think coming in we know, just because we know the system."
With the successful run, which included their first trip to the NBA Finals, Dallas established its core and secured several pieces for the near future this offseason. The Mavericks signed Terry in free agency and gave extensions to Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Johnson.
There certainly is precedence: In 2004, the Spurs kept its core intact when it signed Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The next season, the Spurs won the NBA title. "That's what I've seen work with all the good teams that I've been on," Johnson said. "That's what we started in south Texas and what we've tried to keep that going up here."
Johnson even subjected players to exams throughout the preseason to further embed the Mavericks' system. If they answered incorrectly, they were fined -- dollar values differed based on tenure with the team. Mavericks forward Jerry Stackhouse said veterans are docked $20 per missed answer. If they get a bonus question right, they could earn up to $50.
When Johnson speaks about what it takes to be successful in the NBA, his explanation is almost a carbon copy of the one Popovich gives. "The key part is the owner and the general manager and the coach all work together," Johnson said. "I don't think that corporate knowledge works when that division is there."
The synergy between Spurs owner Peter Holt, General Manager R.C. Buford and Popovich is well documented. They have such mutual respect for each other that Popovich had no fear in publicly blasting Holt for being unwilling to pay Parker the money he wanted in 2004.
Do the Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, General Manager Donnie Nelson and Johnson have that unity in Dallas? "I feel we do. Everybody understands where we are and what we're trying to accomplish," Johnson said.
Popovich has led the Spurs to three championships in the past seven years with three important tenets: defense comes first, all players are treated equally and the coach's word is final. But Popovich isn't naive. "Nobody is a genius," Popovich said. "If we don't have Tim Duncan, we're not where we are."
And, if Nowitzki continues to follow Duncan's example, this rivalry will remain strong.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company