polandprzem
05-22-2007, 10:08 AM
On the Spurs and Tim Duncan
Posted by Bill Russell on May 21, 2007, 1:45 p.m. ET
I’ll Say It Again, It’s All About Passing
What the Spurs demonstrated during the first half versus Utah in Game 1 was something I have been saying for a long time: The key skill in today’s basketball is passing the ball. That is even more important than being a good shooter offensively because it gets better shots for your teammates. The first half, the Spurs shot close to 65 percent and a lot of that was because of the excellent passes they made throughout the lineup as a team. Steve Nash is a great passer, probably the best passer of the last decade since Magic, but the Suns don’t have a whole team of good passers like the Spurs do.
During a game, if you play good, hard defense, it makes you tired. Defense is hard work. So if you go down the other end and have to work just as hard offensively, you’re not as good. But if you’re a good passing team, you don’t have to work as hard to get shots. You don’t have to break somebody down every time. It doesn’t take any energy. What you have to understand is that energy and energy flows are an extraordinary part of the game. A good passing team doesn’t use a lot of energy. You can turn around and use that same energy on the defensive end. That’s not saying that Utah wasn’t a good defensive team, because they are, but just as in baseball where good pitching will nullify good hitting, good passing will circumvent good defense.
Tim Duncan: One Of The Best Without the Ball
Tim Duncan is a really, really good player, and one of the main reasons why is that he can be effective without having the ball all the time. I would say that of all the high-profile players, he does the best job without the ball. It’s easy if you have the ball and you’re making three pointers over by the popcorn stand, but he’s very effective and causes problems on both ends of the court without the ball. When you’re playing San Antonio, you don’t get a whole lot of uncontested layups and he’s a big part of that. Duncan also sets great picks, and not just for the pick and roll. He sets picks to make the offense operate, not necessarily to get himself a shot.
The Spurs Just Know How to Play
In the last round against Golden State, Utah had to play a certain style because of the Warriors use of “small ball.” But the Spurs don’t play small ball, so the Jazz can’t think that they can play the same way. They have to play hard, but they have to alter their tactics. That is why some teams can play under any condition, because they can make the adjustments. Basically what it comes down to is that the Spurs know how to play. Everybody can play, but not everybody knows how to play – how to put an emphasis on certain things that are part of their game, not something they added on for the playoffs. The Spurs have some players that can play inside and out, they have some players that can shoot the long shot, and then the same player can break down the defense and go to the hoop one-on-one. You can’t just say, if we stop this, we stop them, because their talent is spread out all over the floor. And they have a couple of defensive stoppers. When I was playing, we had a guy named Satch Sanders who was a defensive specialist. He might guard a guy and the guy might get 50, but in getting that 50, he is that team’s whole offense. He is the only one shooting and he’s having to work so hard to get it done, that when he doesn’t have the ball, all he’ll do is stand around.
Basketball Is a Team Game
I see these guys on TV talking about what LeBron has to do for the Cavs to beat the Pistons, but that is missing the point of what the Cavaliers have to do. Everybody will say it is a team game and no man can do the whole thing by himself, and then they turn around and talk about one man having to do it by himself. It doesn’t make sense. How will Cleveland as a team come together against Detroit? That will be the determining factor.
http://www.nba.com/playoffs2007/news/billrussell_postseason.html
Posted by Bill Russell on May 21, 2007, 1:45 p.m. ET
I’ll Say It Again, It’s All About Passing
What the Spurs demonstrated during the first half versus Utah in Game 1 was something I have been saying for a long time: The key skill in today’s basketball is passing the ball. That is even more important than being a good shooter offensively because it gets better shots for your teammates. The first half, the Spurs shot close to 65 percent and a lot of that was because of the excellent passes they made throughout the lineup as a team. Steve Nash is a great passer, probably the best passer of the last decade since Magic, but the Suns don’t have a whole team of good passers like the Spurs do.
During a game, if you play good, hard defense, it makes you tired. Defense is hard work. So if you go down the other end and have to work just as hard offensively, you’re not as good. But if you’re a good passing team, you don’t have to work as hard to get shots. You don’t have to break somebody down every time. It doesn’t take any energy. What you have to understand is that energy and energy flows are an extraordinary part of the game. A good passing team doesn’t use a lot of energy. You can turn around and use that same energy on the defensive end. That’s not saying that Utah wasn’t a good defensive team, because they are, but just as in baseball where good pitching will nullify good hitting, good passing will circumvent good defense.
Tim Duncan: One Of The Best Without the Ball
Tim Duncan is a really, really good player, and one of the main reasons why is that he can be effective without having the ball all the time. I would say that of all the high-profile players, he does the best job without the ball. It’s easy if you have the ball and you’re making three pointers over by the popcorn stand, but he’s very effective and causes problems on both ends of the court without the ball. When you’re playing San Antonio, you don’t get a whole lot of uncontested layups and he’s a big part of that. Duncan also sets great picks, and not just for the pick and roll. He sets picks to make the offense operate, not necessarily to get himself a shot.
The Spurs Just Know How to Play
In the last round against Golden State, Utah had to play a certain style because of the Warriors use of “small ball.” But the Spurs don’t play small ball, so the Jazz can’t think that they can play the same way. They have to play hard, but they have to alter their tactics. That is why some teams can play under any condition, because they can make the adjustments. Basically what it comes down to is that the Spurs know how to play. Everybody can play, but not everybody knows how to play – how to put an emphasis on certain things that are part of their game, not something they added on for the playoffs. The Spurs have some players that can play inside and out, they have some players that can shoot the long shot, and then the same player can break down the defense and go to the hoop one-on-one. You can’t just say, if we stop this, we stop them, because their talent is spread out all over the floor. And they have a couple of defensive stoppers. When I was playing, we had a guy named Satch Sanders who was a defensive specialist. He might guard a guy and the guy might get 50, but in getting that 50, he is that team’s whole offense. He is the only one shooting and he’s having to work so hard to get it done, that when he doesn’t have the ball, all he’ll do is stand around.
Basketball Is a Team Game
I see these guys on TV talking about what LeBron has to do for the Cavs to beat the Pistons, but that is missing the point of what the Cavaliers have to do. Everybody will say it is a team game and no man can do the whole thing by himself, and then they turn around and talk about one man having to do it by himself. It doesn’t make sense. How will Cleveland as a team come together against Detroit? That will be the determining factor.
http://www.nba.com/playoffs2007/news/billrussell_postseason.html