td4mvp3
06-04-2007, 04:35 PM
Tale of the Tape: LeBron James vs. the Spurs
June 4, 2007 3:23 PM
A year ago, when Cleveland faced San Antonio, LeBron James averaged 32 points per game. So you know that, when the Spurs faced the Cavaliers this season, they were taking him seriously.
How did it go? Does it tell us anything about what might happen in the Finals?
Thanks to the magic of Synergy Sports, I just watched video of every single possession LeBron James had against San Antonio's defense this season.
Plenty of food for thought for all those of us who assume San Antonio will win. (I'm thinking long and hard about that at the moment, in fact.)
First of all, the Cavaliers won both games. It was 88-81 back in November, and 82-78 in January.
But that's only the beginning of the story. The main point is that when LeBron James got the ball against San Antonio's defense, the Cavaliers managed to get a good shot an alarming percentage of the time. There were a smattering of offensive fouls, certainly. And a couple of times James forced a pass that was picked off.
I watched 50 possessions, between the two games. Eight times (nine if you count a pretty amazing Tim Duncan block of Anderson Varejao) the Spurs forced the Cavaliers into a turnover, an offensive foul, or a truly difficult shot.
Trusting my observations, that means the Cavaliers had good looks 84% of the time. Seems like a high number against any team, but especially San Antonio.
Those 42 times San Antonio was not successful? The Cavaliers either:
Scored.
Got fouled.
Scored and got fouled.
Missed easy shots (which they do sometimes).
I have a feeling what happens with those easy shots will decide the 2006-2007 NBA champion.
James finished those two games a combined 21-43 from the field without ever really getting on a hot streak from long range. By my count he missed 15 very makeable shots (not counting "and one" opportunities when he missed shots after being fouled), including an alley-oop, a few layups, and several open jumpers. Give James those same looks every game, and he could have some nights when he makes 70% of his shots.
This is hardly the final analysis. In fact, how San Antonio defends Cleveland in the regular season may have very little to do with how they handle the Finals after a ton of time to prepare. And we'll all be learning MUCH more as all the preview insight is published. However, here are some things I noticed from watching that video:
Bruce Bowen guards LeBron James almost all the time, except for a couple of Manu Ginobili cameos. Against a lot of players, Bowen is omnipresent and annoying. Against James, Bowen is a barely noticeable gnat. James can use his mighty frame to put Bowen into any and every pick, and then he's often wide open. When isolated against James, Bowen can't do much to bother James' fallaway jump shot, which is sometimes a high percentage shot.
With the help of a pick, and sometimes without, James can get to the rim against the Spurs with shocking ease. Now, those of you who watched San Antonio play against Phoenix can tell you that "at the rim" is a nearly impossible place to score against the Spurs. The story is you're better off pulling up in the mid-range (which is the Achilles heel of LeBron James). I am here to tell you, sports fans, that those rules do not apply to LeBron James, who finishes at the rim against San Antonio with regularity -- at least in these two games. One reason is because often Tim Duncan is coming over to help far from the rim, and is not entrenched in the lane. But that only accounts for some possessions. On others? James is that rarest of players who just can score over and around Duncan. The genius of Duncan's defense is that he does not jump. He stays on the ground and saves his jumps for after the shot has been released. But James comes to the hoop so hard, he is so long, he is so strong, he is so fast, and he has a point of release so high, that he can score over or around a stationary Duncan -- forcing the big man into some non-routine habits.
You can see James posterizing Duncan. That play was not entirely typical of the James/Duncan relationship. But note how easily James left Bowen behind when he had a pick and a mind to get to the rim. That happened a lot.
The kryptonite of the Spurs is getting Tim Duncan in foul trouble. LeBron James could get Tim Duncan in foul trouble. I'm sure this series will be hyped in some fashion as LeBron James vs. Tim Duncan. Of course, they play totally different positions, and that would seem to be all hype. But, in fact, LeBron James vs. Tim Duncan may prove to be the key matchup for the various reasons outlined here. I should also mention that James does not look remotely scared of Duncan. You know how a lot players go away from Merlin? Not LeBron James.
James posts Bowen a fair amount. This is not the easiest way for James to score, but it's a very effective way to get Tim Duncan coming over to help -- and when he gets there, James likes to spin to the baseline and lead everyone on a race to the hoop. It's clear, as that race unfolds, who is younger. More than once, in the half-court, James had layups with Duncan entirely behind him.
The Spurs were not "going easy" on James in the footage that I saw. They tried a zone in which three players cheated way over to James. They briefly experimented with a high-energy trapping defense (James one-dribbled away from his man, and pulled up for a made jumper). They sent help early and often. And whenever James beat his man baseline -- where the passing angles are tougher -- as many as four Spurs met the young star.
June 4, 2007 3:23 PM
A year ago, when Cleveland faced San Antonio, LeBron James averaged 32 points per game. So you know that, when the Spurs faced the Cavaliers this season, they were taking him seriously.
How did it go? Does it tell us anything about what might happen in the Finals?
Thanks to the magic of Synergy Sports, I just watched video of every single possession LeBron James had against San Antonio's defense this season.
Plenty of food for thought for all those of us who assume San Antonio will win. (I'm thinking long and hard about that at the moment, in fact.)
First of all, the Cavaliers won both games. It was 88-81 back in November, and 82-78 in January.
But that's only the beginning of the story. The main point is that when LeBron James got the ball against San Antonio's defense, the Cavaliers managed to get a good shot an alarming percentage of the time. There were a smattering of offensive fouls, certainly. And a couple of times James forced a pass that was picked off.
I watched 50 possessions, between the two games. Eight times (nine if you count a pretty amazing Tim Duncan block of Anderson Varejao) the Spurs forced the Cavaliers into a turnover, an offensive foul, or a truly difficult shot.
Trusting my observations, that means the Cavaliers had good looks 84% of the time. Seems like a high number against any team, but especially San Antonio.
Those 42 times San Antonio was not successful? The Cavaliers either:
Scored.
Got fouled.
Scored and got fouled.
Missed easy shots (which they do sometimes).
I have a feeling what happens with those easy shots will decide the 2006-2007 NBA champion.
James finished those two games a combined 21-43 from the field without ever really getting on a hot streak from long range. By my count he missed 15 very makeable shots (not counting "and one" opportunities when he missed shots after being fouled), including an alley-oop, a few layups, and several open jumpers. Give James those same looks every game, and he could have some nights when he makes 70% of his shots.
This is hardly the final analysis. In fact, how San Antonio defends Cleveland in the regular season may have very little to do with how they handle the Finals after a ton of time to prepare. And we'll all be learning MUCH more as all the preview insight is published. However, here are some things I noticed from watching that video:
Bruce Bowen guards LeBron James almost all the time, except for a couple of Manu Ginobili cameos. Against a lot of players, Bowen is omnipresent and annoying. Against James, Bowen is a barely noticeable gnat. James can use his mighty frame to put Bowen into any and every pick, and then he's often wide open. When isolated against James, Bowen can't do much to bother James' fallaway jump shot, which is sometimes a high percentage shot.
With the help of a pick, and sometimes without, James can get to the rim against the Spurs with shocking ease. Now, those of you who watched San Antonio play against Phoenix can tell you that "at the rim" is a nearly impossible place to score against the Spurs. The story is you're better off pulling up in the mid-range (which is the Achilles heel of LeBron James). I am here to tell you, sports fans, that those rules do not apply to LeBron James, who finishes at the rim against San Antonio with regularity -- at least in these two games. One reason is because often Tim Duncan is coming over to help far from the rim, and is not entrenched in the lane. But that only accounts for some possessions. On others? James is that rarest of players who just can score over and around Duncan. The genius of Duncan's defense is that he does not jump. He stays on the ground and saves his jumps for after the shot has been released. But James comes to the hoop so hard, he is so long, he is so strong, he is so fast, and he has a point of release so high, that he can score over or around a stationary Duncan -- forcing the big man into some non-routine habits.
You can see James posterizing Duncan. That play was not entirely typical of the James/Duncan relationship. But note how easily James left Bowen behind when he had a pick and a mind to get to the rim. That happened a lot.
The kryptonite of the Spurs is getting Tim Duncan in foul trouble. LeBron James could get Tim Duncan in foul trouble. I'm sure this series will be hyped in some fashion as LeBron James vs. Tim Duncan. Of course, they play totally different positions, and that would seem to be all hype. But, in fact, LeBron James vs. Tim Duncan may prove to be the key matchup for the various reasons outlined here. I should also mention that James does not look remotely scared of Duncan. You know how a lot players go away from Merlin? Not LeBron James.
James posts Bowen a fair amount. This is not the easiest way for James to score, but it's a very effective way to get Tim Duncan coming over to help -- and when he gets there, James likes to spin to the baseline and lead everyone on a race to the hoop. It's clear, as that race unfolds, who is younger. More than once, in the half-court, James had layups with Duncan entirely behind him.
The Spurs were not "going easy" on James in the footage that I saw. They tried a zone in which three players cheated way over to James. They briefly experimented with a high-energy trapping defense (James one-dribbled away from his man, and pulled up for a made jumper). They sent help early and often. And whenever James beat his man baseline -- where the passing angles are tougher -- as many as four Spurs met the young star.