Kori Ellis
12-28-2006, 05:24 AM
Spurs: Where's The D?
Last Update: 12/28/2006 4:19:18 AM
Posted By: Kori Ellis
http://www.woai.com/content/sports/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=a7b9a98c-217c-4380-a6d1-818fd89294e7
By Kori Ellis
SpursZONE.com
If you catch a Spurs game this year and don’t recognize the style of play utilized by the San Antonio squad, you aren’t alone. Traditionally a lockdown defensive team, the Spurs have seemingly turned into an offensive oriented unit.
“This is our worst defensive team,” head coach Gregg Popovich said on Tuesday night, “in the last seven to eight years.”
The numbers back up his observation. Since Tim Duncan was drafted, the Spurs have always finished in the top handful of teams in opponent’s field goal percentage. This year, San Antonio is 14th in the league.
In the three championship seasons, the Spurs never finished out of the top three in that stat and never allowed teams to shoot over 43% in any of those seasons. In fact, the 1998-99 championship team set the all-time record low (40.2%).
This year, teams are shooting 45.5% against San Antonio. To find the last 50-win Spurs team that gave up such a high field goal percentage, you’d have to go back to David Robinson’s rookie season of 1989-90.
Another area that the Spurs have traditionally done well is blocked shots. This season, the Spurs are 22nd in the league, averaging only 4.4 blocks per game as a team. To find a Spurs team this inept at blocking shots, you’d have to go back to the 1986-87 season – a team that finished 28-54.
In last season’s playoff run the Spurs were dominated on the boards, getting outrebounded in 11-of-13 playoff games. That has carried over to this year, where the Spurs are averaging only 40.1 rebounds per game. That is the lowest rebounding output in franchise history, save for the injury plagued season of 1996-97.
Perhaps the worst news of all is the defense is getting worse instead of better as the season wears on. Over the last ten games, the Spurs are allowing opponents to shoot 47.3% from the floor and are only averaging 3.9 blocks and 36.3 rebounds per game.
It’s difficult to pinpoint the root of the problem for the Spurs. Francisco Elson and Fabricio Oberto have taken over the center position this season and have each struggled at times defensively. Also, Popovich has oftentimes resorted to small ball lineups, which inherently replaces defense and rebounding for offensive gains.
To be fair, the NBA has gotten smaller and faster over the last couple of seasons in response to the new rules that make it virtually impossible to stop penetration from perimeter players. The Spurs have responded by replacing bulk with speed as they try to adjust to the new NBA.
However, whatever the case may be, the Spurs will have to find a way to up their play defensively. In the last eight seasons, the Spurs have been as dominant defensively as any team in any sport in any era. This season, they are, unacceptably, just an average defensive team.
Last Update: 12/28/2006 4:19:18 AM
Posted By: Kori Ellis
http://www.woai.com/content/sports/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=a7b9a98c-217c-4380-a6d1-818fd89294e7
By Kori Ellis
SpursZONE.com
If you catch a Spurs game this year and don’t recognize the style of play utilized by the San Antonio squad, you aren’t alone. Traditionally a lockdown defensive team, the Spurs have seemingly turned into an offensive oriented unit.
“This is our worst defensive team,” head coach Gregg Popovich said on Tuesday night, “in the last seven to eight years.”
The numbers back up his observation. Since Tim Duncan was drafted, the Spurs have always finished in the top handful of teams in opponent’s field goal percentage. This year, San Antonio is 14th in the league.
In the three championship seasons, the Spurs never finished out of the top three in that stat and never allowed teams to shoot over 43% in any of those seasons. In fact, the 1998-99 championship team set the all-time record low (40.2%).
This year, teams are shooting 45.5% against San Antonio. To find the last 50-win Spurs team that gave up such a high field goal percentage, you’d have to go back to David Robinson’s rookie season of 1989-90.
Another area that the Spurs have traditionally done well is blocked shots. This season, the Spurs are 22nd in the league, averaging only 4.4 blocks per game as a team. To find a Spurs team this inept at blocking shots, you’d have to go back to the 1986-87 season – a team that finished 28-54.
In last season’s playoff run the Spurs were dominated on the boards, getting outrebounded in 11-of-13 playoff games. That has carried over to this year, where the Spurs are averaging only 40.1 rebounds per game. That is the lowest rebounding output in franchise history, save for the injury plagued season of 1996-97.
Perhaps the worst news of all is the defense is getting worse instead of better as the season wears on. Over the last ten games, the Spurs are allowing opponents to shoot 47.3% from the floor and are only averaging 3.9 blocks and 36.3 rebounds per game.
It’s difficult to pinpoint the root of the problem for the Spurs. Francisco Elson and Fabricio Oberto have taken over the center position this season and have each struggled at times defensively. Also, Popovich has oftentimes resorted to small ball lineups, which inherently replaces defense and rebounding for offensive gains.
To be fair, the NBA has gotten smaller and faster over the last couple of seasons in response to the new rules that make it virtually impossible to stop penetration from perimeter players. The Spurs have responded by replacing bulk with speed as they try to adjust to the new NBA.
However, whatever the case may be, the Spurs will have to find a way to up their play defensively. In the last eight seasons, the Spurs have been as dominant defensively as any team in any sport in any era. This season, they are, unacceptably, just an average defensive team.