DieMrBond
03-08-2007, 06:03 PM
Scout's Take
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/paul_forrester/03/08/knicks.notes/2.html
Fabricio Oberto (right) has given the Spurs a different look across the front line.
John W. McDonough/SI
The runaway seasons by the Mavericks and Suns have made the three-time champion Spurs almost an afterthought. Still, with a 43-18 record heading into Thursday night, San Antonio is far from a lightweight. Does a veteran-laden Spurs club still have enough juice to take down its hungry rivals in the West? SI.com checked in with an opposing team's advance scout to find out.
"San Antonio's done a terrific job of evolving. They have really changed their philosophy defensively this year. For years they had to contend with the big, bullying teams in the Western Conference, and one in particular: L.A. with Shaq. They knew they were going to have to go through Shaq, and that they were going to have to add guys to the roster with that in mind alone. They had David [Robinson] and Tim [Duncan]. Then they got [Rasho] Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed. At the time, and with the rules the way they were, Antonio really used its length to its advantage. A lot of its defense was predicated on keeping those bigs in the paint, trying to limit penetration, and when you did get beaten, funnel them to those bigs.
"With the rule changes, where you can't put hands on guys on the perimeter, players are able to drive almost unimpeded. So they bring in Francisco Elson and use [Fabricio] Oberto and say, 'We're going to go with less girth and more quickness and mobility because we don't have to play this big, imposing front line anymore. Our problem now is dealing with all of this quickness on the perimeter and guys getting beaten on the dribble.'
"You know what you're going to get out of Tim. [Manu] Ginobili and [Tony] Parker are the two guys who have to take the torch. Their consistency and their [ability to] come through in crunch time, certainly playoff crunch time, is going to be the difference in whether San Antonio can be the champion again or just another very good team."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/paul_forrester/03/08/knicks.notes/2.html
Fabricio Oberto (right) has given the Spurs a different look across the front line.
John W. McDonough/SI
The runaway seasons by the Mavericks and Suns have made the three-time champion Spurs almost an afterthought. Still, with a 43-18 record heading into Thursday night, San Antonio is far from a lightweight. Does a veteran-laden Spurs club still have enough juice to take down its hungry rivals in the West? SI.com checked in with an opposing team's advance scout to find out.
"San Antonio's done a terrific job of evolving. They have really changed their philosophy defensively this year. For years they had to contend with the big, bullying teams in the Western Conference, and one in particular: L.A. with Shaq. They knew they were going to have to go through Shaq, and that they were going to have to add guys to the roster with that in mind alone. They had David [Robinson] and Tim [Duncan]. Then they got [Rasho] Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed. At the time, and with the rules the way they were, Antonio really used its length to its advantage. A lot of its defense was predicated on keeping those bigs in the paint, trying to limit penetration, and when you did get beaten, funnel them to those bigs.
"With the rule changes, where you can't put hands on guys on the perimeter, players are able to drive almost unimpeded. So they bring in Francisco Elson and use [Fabricio] Oberto and say, 'We're going to go with less girth and more quickness and mobility because we don't have to play this big, imposing front line anymore. Our problem now is dealing with all of this quickness on the perimeter and guys getting beaten on the dribble.'
"You know what you're going to get out of Tim. [Manu] Ginobili and [Tony] Parker are the two guys who have to take the torch. Their consistency and their [ability to] come through in crunch time, certainly playoff crunch time, is going to be the difference in whether San Antonio can be the champion again or just another very good team."