Kori Ellis
12-12-2004, 02:40 AM
Mike Monroe: Spurs will not take up Suns' fast-paced style
Web Posted: 12/11/2004 12:00 AM CST
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA121204.10C.COL.BKNmonroe.c0433be.html
Scoring is up in the NBA more than two points per game, per team, and everyone is gawking at the Phoenix Suns and their average of 108.6.
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni is a latter-day Doug Moe, minus the Brooklyn accent and profanity-laced tirades. The Suns are content to run on every possession and not call a single play. Playing Amare Stoudemire as an undersized center and Shawn Marion as an undersized power forward has been a stroke of genius that ought to make D'Antoni coach of the year if the Suns keep up their winning pace.
Since most coaches are copycats, it won't be long before other teams try to emulate the Suns and the SuperSonics, who also are succeeding with a fast-paced attack that relies on perimeter ball movement and long-range shooting.
Just don't expect the Spurs to be among them.
Trying to keep pace with the Sonics on Wednesday night resulted in a 60-point first half, not for the Spurs but for Seattle, and a 102-96 loss for coach Gregg Popovich's team.
Ultimately, it could turn out to be one of the best things that happened to the Spurs all season, because it helped Popovich remind his players who they really are and what they have to be.
"We've got to make our identity defense," Popovich said. "Like (Wednesday) night, Seattle scored 60 points in the first half. Then we had a little talk at halftime and we held them to 42 in the second half. Well, that's who we are. If teams are going to score on us like that we're not going to be an elite team.
"Everybody has their own identity. That's why I think Seattle and Phoenix are playing great, because they know exactly who they are and exactly how they have to play to win and they're doing it. That's not easy.
"We know the way we have to be, and it's got to be at the defensive end," Popovich said, "because we're not a very good shooting team. (Wednesday) night our one-two-three guys, our starters, were 11 for 36 from the field. We're going to have nights like that, but 96 points is enough for us to win basketball games. I think it really indicates the poor focus we had defensively to score 96 points and lose. We can't do that. It's unacceptable."
The Spurs are scoring more this season, too, averaging 95.3 points after averaging only 91.5 last season. Some of that 3.8-per-game jump is a result of making 72.8 percent of their free throws, rather than the last-in-the-league 68.1 percent of last season. But the Spurs have been running more and playing more of the passing game offense out of the break.
But the Spurs always will be an inside-out offensive team as long as Tim Duncan is the guy on the inside. The fact Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Devin Brown all are quick and adept at slashing to the basket makes the Spurs the best team in the league, at least according to Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy.
"It's interesting to see how the West has evolved," Van Gundy said on Thursday, about three hours before Tracy McGrady's otherworldly shooting pulled out a victory over the Spurs despite their adherence to Popovich's defensive dictums. "Quickness certainly beats size, and then quickness and size, together, beat all. That's why I think San Antonio has the best team right now.
"I think the rules now are such that you can cover up for lack of size much better than you can cover up for lack of quickness. You want to be San Antonio, with both. But if you don't, I would say quickness is more important than size right now. I don't mean a bunch of real small guys out there. You still have to have guys who rebound. Marion allows them to rebound in Phoenix. And Seattle, though they're undersized with (Danny) Fortson and (Reggie) Evans, you think about it and before they were always known as soft. Now they're known as rock hard. It's amazing how little tweaks in the roster make a big change, if they stay together."
The Spurs' little tweaks in the roster were the addition of free agent guard Brent Barry and the drafting of backup point guard Beno Udrih. Barry's shooting slump has hamstrung Popovich's player rotation plans, but logic insists that won't last all season.
Meanwhile, Popovich won't fret much about any offensive glitches as long as his players remember who they are.
"We're 16-5, so we pretty much know who we are," Popovich said, "but on those nights when the offense fails and the defense fails us, that's what happens: We lose our focus, in that respect."
And just think how much fun a Western Conference finals between the Spurs and Suns could be.
Web Posted: 12/11/2004 12:00 AM CST
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA121204.10C.COL.BKNmonroe.c0433be.html
Scoring is up in the NBA more than two points per game, per team, and everyone is gawking at the Phoenix Suns and their average of 108.6.
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni is a latter-day Doug Moe, minus the Brooklyn accent and profanity-laced tirades. The Suns are content to run on every possession and not call a single play. Playing Amare Stoudemire as an undersized center and Shawn Marion as an undersized power forward has been a stroke of genius that ought to make D'Antoni coach of the year if the Suns keep up their winning pace.
Since most coaches are copycats, it won't be long before other teams try to emulate the Suns and the SuperSonics, who also are succeeding with a fast-paced attack that relies on perimeter ball movement and long-range shooting.
Just don't expect the Spurs to be among them.
Trying to keep pace with the Sonics on Wednesday night resulted in a 60-point first half, not for the Spurs but for Seattle, and a 102-96 loss for coach Gregg Popovich's team.
Ultimately, it could turn out to be one of the best things that happened to the Spurs all season, because it helped Popovich remind his players who they really are and what they have to be.
"We've got to make our identity defense," Popovich said. "Like (Wednesday) night, Seattle scored 60 points in the first half. Then we had a little talk at halftime and we held them to 42 in the second half. Well, that's who we are. If teams are going to score on us like that we're not going to be an elite team.
"Everybody has their own identity. That's why I think Seattle and Phoenix are playing great, because they know exactly who they are and exactly how they have to play to win and they're doing it. That's not easy.
"We know the way we have to be, and it's got to be at the defensive end," Popovich said, "because we're not a very good shooting team. (Wednesday) night our one-two-three guys, our starters, were 11 for 36 from the field. We're going to have nights like that, but 96 points is enough for us to win basketball games. I think it really indicates the poor focus we had defensively to score 96 points and lose. We can't do that. It's unacceptable."
The Spurs are scoring more this season, too, averaging 95.3 points after averaging only 91.5 last season. Some of that 3.8-per-game jump is a result of making 72.8 percent of their free throws, rather than the last-in-the-league 68.1 percent of last season. But the Spurs have been running more and playing more of the passing game offense out of the break.
But the Spurs always will be an inside-out offensive team as long as Tim Duncan is the guy on the inside. The fact Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Devin Brown all are quick and adept at slashing to the basket makes the Spurs the best team in the league, at least according to Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy.
"It's interesting to see how the West has evolved," Van Gundy said on Thursday, about three hours before Tracy McGrady's otherworldly shooting pulled out a victory over the Spurs despite their adherence to Popovich's defensive dictums. "Quickness certainly beats size, and then quickness and size, together, beat all. That's why I think San Antonio has the best team right now.
"I think the rules now are such that you can cover up for lack of size much better than you can cover up for lack of quickness. You want to be San Antonio, with both. But if you don't, I would say quickness is more important than size right now. I don't mean a bunch of real small guys out there. You still have to have guys who rebound. Marion allows them to rebound in Phoenix. And Seattle, though they're undersized with (Danny) Fortson and (Reggie) Evans, you think about it and before they were always known as soft. Now they're known as rock hard. It's amazing how little tweaks in the roster make a big change, if they stay together."
The Spurs' little tweaks in the roster were the addition of free agent guard Brent Barry and the drafting of backup point guard Beno Udrih. Barry's shooting slump has hamstrung Popovich's player rotation plans, but logic insists that won't last all season.
Meanwhile, Popovich won't fret much about any offensive glitches as long as his players remember who they are.
"We're 16-5, so we pretty much know who we are," Popovich said, "but on those nights when the offense fails and the defense fails us, that's what happens: We lose our focus, in that respect."
And just think how much fun a Western Conference finals between the Spurs and Suns could be.