duncan228
10-18-2007, 12:12 PM
I seldom post blogs but I thought this was well written and interesting.
(I didn't say I agree with everything he says!)
http://www.mercextra.com/blogs/warriors/2007/10/18/six-reasons-the-spurs-own-us/
Six Reasons the Spurs Own Us
By Adam Lauridsen
The Warriors may own the Mavs, but there’s another Texas team that owns us. Even during our finer moments of basketball, the current Warriors squad has looked awful against the Spurs. Their strengths seem to play directly to our weaknesses. Tonight’s game against San Antonio doesn’t count – and it likely won’t be with full strength rosters – but it’s as good a place as any to start talking about the soft underbelly of the Nellie-ball style we know and (most of us) love.
Some of the reasons San Antonio owns us are simple:
Tim Duncan – When he’s healthy, he’s as quick as our light guys and far stronger than anyone we can throw at him. He’s comfortable working with his back to the basket and swats away double teams like gnats. While Boozer over-powered us in the playoffs, Duncan’s domination is something greater. He beats us largely at our own game. He’s a big guy who is fast enough, smart enough, and versatile enough to counter whatever Nellie throws at him. He might not be the best player in the league anymore, but he’s certainly the hardest for the Warriors to handle.
Patience – The ugliest but most dangerous part of Pop’s system with the Spurs is their willingness to wait out defenses. While Parker and Ginobili will force the issue at times (with success often, since both are great going to the hole), the team as a whole is happy to pass the ball around for 22 seconds until they get a good look. It’s a system that relies upon solid passers, deep shooters, and a faith that a shot will materialize if you give the defense long enough to get jittery. The Warriors’ frantic style plays right into their hands. We run all over the place. They swing the ball back and forth. When someone finally misses a rotation, they know it before we do. Points usually follow, as do Warriors losses.
Perimeter speed – This is one area where we might actually have a better shot this year. Parker and Davis always enjoy squaring off against each other. Parker is faster, Davis is stronger. Parker goes to the hoop, Baron backs Parker down. The problem for the Warriors is that Parker’s drives usually result in lay-ups or dishes out the three point line for open shots. Baron’s post-up moves typically result in over-dribbling and produce turnovers as often as points. Given the systems of the two teams, I give a slight advantage to Parker in the match-up (although I’d still take Davis given the choice if I was starting a team, unless of course I was choosing a team of shameless whining floppers). At the off-guard, however, the Spurs had a huge advantage with Ginobili’s slippery speed compared to Richardson’s less than spry defensive coverage. When we switched over to Ellis, what we gained in speed we lost in height. Azuibuike, however, might be the answer this year. He brings strength, speed, and size to the perimeter. I haven’t watched Kelenna’s defense closely enough to know how good he is (or can be), but if he squares off against Manu Thursday night it should be a good early test.
When you get past these three areas, however, there are some deeper issues at play in the Spurs’ dominance of our fair franchise.
The pupil bests the master – Nelson and Popovich are, by reputation, best friends. Pop gained his NBA break under Nellie and hasn’t slowed down since. In terms of style, however, Pop’s system plays almost like a direct rejection of everything Nelson loves. When Nellie runs, Pop walks. The Warriors go small, the Spurs go big. Positions are a joke on the Warriors, but roles are written on stone tablets with the Spurs. Nellie loves to push the issue and see what happens, Pop runs an offense like clockworks and almost always knows what’s coming. They both bring cranky personalities to the job, but while Pop channels the military academy, Nelson exudes Maui. Nelson gained a lot of praise for out-coaching Avery during the playoffs. Whenever the Warriors lose to the Spurs, he should also catch flack for being shown up by a system designed directly in opposition to his own. These are brilliant basketball minds that know each others’ games in and out. It’s Pop, however, who seems to be able to turn that knowledge into wins. (Of course, that Duncan guy helps a bit as well.)
Refs favor big men – Forget what Shaq says. In my experience, when push comes to shove, warnings turn to whistles more often when you’re a big man on the block than when you’re a little guy going down the lane. I can’t demonstrate it with a Mark Cuban chart, but refs seem to operate under the assumption that when a little guy goes into the lane, he should expect to be hit. When a big man posts up a little guy, however, the little guy often isn’t allowed to return the favor. Grabbing and clawing almost always result in whistles in that case, as the often-undersized Warriors know too well. Duncan is a master at getting to the foul line and he seems to do it at will against the Warriors. Even lesser skilled bigs like Horry and Oberto seem to give us trouble. Until we get a power forward that actually looks and plays like a traditional power forward, it’s a problem we’re likely to have against the Spurs and the Jazz of the league.
The Spurs get dirty, we get technicals – Any debate as to whether the Spurs really are a dirty team should have been silenced against the Suns last year. They’re dirty and they’re damn good at it. Unfortunately, Baron and Jax play with a finely tuned sense of justice. When they get kicked by Bowen or elbowed by Ginobili, they squawk. And as is the habit in the NBA, it’s the retaliation, not the first strike, that gets the refs’ attention. Guys like Bowen and Horry are so good at what they do because they generate intensely distracting emotion for their opponents without succumbing to it themselves. Sure, the game would be better without these types of shenanigans, but they’re not likely to disappear anytime soon. And until then, the Spurs will keep winning.
Given these six issues, I’m shocked that the Warriors ever beat the Spurs. That said, I’ve had a creeping feeling ever since the Finals that the Spurs run may finally be over. The supporting cast is getting older, although they’ve restocked with some younger talent. The NBA should be paying closer attention to Bowen and Horry, although that didn’t stop them from bringing home more rings last year. The deciding factor for me, however, is Duncan’s health. He’s simply not the force he was a few years ago and seems to be accelerating on the downward slope. He’s still an All-NBA player, but he’s dominating fewer games for fewer minutes as the years progress. If he goes down to injury in the spring, there’s no way the Spurs survive the amazingly competitive West. As Warriors fans, we fret over the fate of our franchise riding on Davis’ shoulders. While we picked a particularly fragile beast of burden, we’re not alone in being one blown knee away from a lost season.
About the author:
Adam Lauridsen is an attorney. He's followed the Warriors, through good times and bad, for the past two decades. Fast Break aims to track the trends of the Warriors' season, break down game strategies, and give Warriors fans a place to celebrate victories and complain about losses.
Email Adam at [email protected]
(I didn't say I agree with everything he says!)
http://www.mercextra.com/blogs/warriors/2007/10/18/six-reasons-the-spurs-own-us/
Six Reasons the Spurs Own Us
By Adam Lauridsen
The Warriors may own the Mavs, but there’s another Texas team that owns us. Even during our finer moments of basketball, the current Warriors squad has looked awful against the Spurs. Their strengths seem to play directly to our weaknesses. Tonight’s game against San Antonio doesn’t count – and it likely won’t be with full strength rosters – but it’s as good a place as any to start talking about the soft underbelly of the Nellie-ball style we know and (most of us) love.
Some of the reasons San Antonio owns us are simple:
Tim Duncan – When he’s healthy, he’s as quick as our light guys and far stronger than anyone we can throw at him. He’s comfortable working with his back to the basket and swats away double teams like gnats. While Boozer over-powered us in the playoffs, Duncan’s domination is something greater. He beats us largely at our own game. He’s a big guy who is fast enough, smart enough, and versatile enough to counter whatever Nellie throws at him. He might not be the best player in the league anymore, but he’s certainly the hardest for the Warriors to handle.
Patience – The ugliest but most dangerous part of Pop’s system with the Spurs is their willingness to wait out defenses. While Parker and Ginobili will force the issue at times (with success often, since both are great going to the hole), the team as a whole is happy to pass the ball around for 22 seconds until they get a good look. It’s a system that relies upon solid passers, deep shooters, and a faith that a shot will materialize if you give the defense long enough to get jittery. The Warriors’ frantic style plays right into their hands. We run all over the place. They swing the ball back and forth. When someone finally misses a rotation, they know it before we do. Points usually follow, as do Warriors losses.
Perimeter speed – This is one area where we might actually have a better shot this year. Parker and Davis always enjoy squaring off against each other. Parker is faster, Davis is stronger. Parker goes to the hoop, Baron backs Parker down. The problem for the Warriors is that Parker’s drives usually result in lay-ups or dishes out the three point line for open shots. Baron’s post-up moves typically result in over-dribbling and produce turnovers as often as points. Given the systems of the two teams, I give a slight advantage to Parker in the match-up (although I’d still take Davis given the choice if I was starting a team, unless of course I was choosing a team of shameless whining floppers). At the off-guard, however, the Spurs had a huge advantage with Ginobili’s slippery speed compared to Richardson’s less than spry defensive coverage. When we switched over to Ellis, what we gained in speed we lost in height. Azuibuike, however, might be the answer this year. He brings strength, speed, and size to the perimeter. I haven’t watched Kelenna’s defense closely enough to know how good he is (or can be), but if he squares off against Manu Thursday night it should be a good early test.
When you get past these three areas, however, there are some deeper issues at play in the Spurs’ dominance of our fair franchise.
The pupil bests the master – Nelson and Popovich are, by reputation, best friends. Pop gained his NBA break under Nellie and hasn’t slowed down since. In terms of style, however, Pop’s system plays almost like a direct rejection of everything Nelson loves. When Nellie runs, Pop walks. The Warriors go small, the Spurs go big. Positions are a joke on the Warriors, but roles are written on stone tablets with the Spurs. Nellie loves to push the issue and see what happens, Pop runs an offense like clockworks and almost always knows what’s coming. They both bring cranky personalities to the job, but while Pop channels the military academy, Nelson exudes Maui. Nelson gained a lot of praise for out-coaching Avery during the playoffs. Whenever the Warriors lose to the Spurs, he should also catch flack for being shown up by a system designed directly in opposition to his own. These are brilliant basketball minds that know each others’ games in and out. It’s Pop, however, who seems to be able to turn that knowledge into wins. (Of course, that Duncan guy helps a bit as well.)
Refs favor big men – Forget what Shaq says. In my experience, when push comes to shove, warnings turn to whistles more often when you’re a big man on the block than when you’re a little guy going down the lane. I can’t demonstrate it with a Mark Cuban chart, but refs seem to operate under the assumption that when a little guy goes into the lane, he should expect to be hit. When a big man posts up a little guy, however, the little guy often isn’t allowed to return the favor. Grabbing and clawing almost always result in whistles in that case, as the often-undersized Warriors know too well. Duncan is a master at getting to the foul line and he seems to do it at will against the Warriors. Even lesser skilled bigs like Horry and Oberto seem to give us trouble. Until we get a power forward that actually looks and plays like a traditional power forward, it’s a problem we’re likely to have against the Spurs and the Jazz of the league.
The Spurs get dirty, we get technicals – Any debate as to whether the Spurs really are a dirty team should have been silenced against the Suns last year. They’re dirty and they’re damn good at it. Unfortunately, Baron and Jax play with a finely tuned sense of justice. When they get kicked by Bowen or elbowed by Ginobili, they squawk. And as is the habit in the NBA, it’s the retaliation, not the first strike, that gets the refs’ attention. Guys like Bowen and Horry are so good at what they do because they generate intensely distracting emotion for their opponents without succumbing to it themselves. Sure, the game would be better without these types of shenanigans, but they’re not likely to disappear anytime soon. And until then, the Spurs will keep winning.
Given these six issues, I’m shocked that the Warriors ever beat the Spurs. That said, I’ve had a creeping feeling ever since the Finals that the Spurs run may finally be over. The supporting cast is getting older, although they’ve restocked with some younger talent. The NBA should be paying closer attention to Bowen and Horry, although that didn’t stop them from bringing home more rings last year. The deciding factor for me, however, is Duncan’s health. He’s simply not the force he was a few years ago and seems to be accelerating on the downward slope. He’s still an All-NBA player, but he’s dominating fewer games for fewer minutes as the years progress. If he goes down to injury in the spring, there’s no way the Spurs survive the amazingly competitive West. As Warriors fans, we fret over the fate of our franchise riding on Davis’ shoulders. While we picked a particularly fragile beast of burden, we’re not alone in being one blown knee away from a lost season.
About the author:
Adam Lauridsen is an attorney. He's followed the Warriors, through good times and bad, for the past two decades. Fast Break aims to track the trends of the Warriors' season, break down game strategies, and give Warriors fans a place to celebrate victories and complain about losses.
Email Adam at [email protected]