Harvey: First Shooting Tip — Spurs Get A Lesson

[duncan228]

First shooting tip — Spurs get a lesson
Buck Harvey

Maybe you've seen the TV ad. All of the Orlando players have.

A company called “Better Basketball” sells training aids. And for $29.95, you can get “the only instructional video released by J.J. Re , perhaps the best shooter in basketball history.”

Perhaps the best shooter in basketball history?

Hedo Turkoglu, Re 's teammate, playfully shook his head over that claim. “He misses shots!” Turkoglu said, as if astonished.

Re missed a few Sunday night. But he also made four 3-pointers, including the tie-breaker, and his Magic teammates added 10 more.

Maybe there's something to Re and his video. And if he were to give a few tips to the Spurs, he should start with Roger Mason Jr., who has merely made more 3-pointers than anyone on his team.

Lesson No. 1?

Get the ball.

The Magic tried to limit that, and Stan Van Gundy said he'd thought about this strategy. He said he'd studied the Spurs for years, because he respects them so much.

So he instructed his guys to play soft on Tony Parker, which is a reason he went for 31 points. And he assigned Dwight Howard to Tim Duncan without much help, and Duncan ended with 18.

But without Parker driving and kicking, and without Duncan swinging the ball out of double teams, the Spurs took only 10 3-pointers until the final seconds. Then they tossed up some when they had no other choice.

In contrast, as the Spurs tried to double Howard and then speed back to the perimeter, the Magic got 42 points from behind the 3-point line.

“We were pretty even across the board,” Van Gundy said afterward, “and the 3s decided it.”

But it was more than merely “how” the Spurs were defended. It was “who” was forgotten along the way, and Turkoglu knows all about this. When he was in San Antonio, he, too, played a supporting role behind Parker, Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

Gregg Popovich talked about that before the game. He always saw great talent in Turkoglu, and the Spurs regretted losing him. They weighed the money he would cost and let him go.

Then he became what they would have paid for; Turkoglu plays with the confidence that comes with being a No. 1 or No. 2 option. “My role changed totally,” he said Sunday night.

Shooters have struggled with this for years with the Spurs, from Steve Kerr to Brent Barry. And Sunday night it was Mason's turn. With Parker and Ginobili driving, and the Magic defenders staying on the perimeter, Mason had time to sit and watch a “Better Basketball” video.

The Spurs have leaned on Mason this season more than they usually do a newcomer. The game-winner in Phoenix, with Parker driving and finding Mason in the corner, is Exhibit A.

Still, he's proven he deserves this, and more, over these first few months. He's ranked fourth in the league in 3-pointers, and no one among the leaders, including Matt Bonner, has come close to making as many.

Given this, shouldn't the Spurs have run an occasional play for Mason on Sunday night? Shouldn't he have taken more than four shots?

Not on this team, not now. He's what Turkoglu was before, a role player. He has to wait for the Spurs to come to him, and that happened midway in the fourth quarter. Then, in early offense, Michael Finley gave up his own open look and swung the ball, and Mason threw in his only 3-pointer of the game.

That was for the lead. And less than a minute later, coincidentally defending Re , Mason put a hand in Re 's face and caused a turnover.

This is the Re who doesn't do passing, dribbling or rebounding videos. An 11th overall draft pick three years ago, he's only now becoming part of the rotation.

Still, from that moment on, Mason never took another shot. And with just over two minutes left, in a tie game, Re squeezed off a 3-pointer that should work well on the next television commercial.

On a night when shooting was the difference, Re was the instructor. And he showed Mason Lesson No. 1.

[raspsa]

I'm happy for Re that he seems to have found his niche in Orlando and his career seem to be moving forward. He really hurt the Spurs tonight.

[DAF86]

Stan Van Gundy said he'd thought about this strategy. He said he'd studied the Spurs for years, because he respects them so much.

So he instructed his guys to play soft on Tony Parker, which is a reason he went for 31 points.

WTF? That doesn't sound right.

[mrspurs]

Somebody got out coached. The Magic beat us with their impersonation of the San Antonio Spurs. They didnt beat us with their style. They beat us using our own medicine. Can you finally say Timmy is passing down the torch to Dwight? Or is it passing up the torch? hahaha

[mathbzh]

Great for Orlando, but I don't think your coaching is that great if you need a 14/22 3pt night to win a game.

[urunobili]

this fault was on Pop and the refs... maybe a lil on TP for missing those last two shots... but props to the Magic they are for real

[ploto]

Great for Orlando, but I don't think your coaching is that great if you need a 14/22 3pt night to win a game.

Maybe it was the coaching and game plan that got them all those wide open three-pointers that won the game. I think they looked well- prepared and executed well.

[mathbzh]

Of course, but this game plan could easily have given a 11/22 3 pt night that would not have been enough. Or even with good defense, Spurs could have made 5/13 3 pts.
What were the odds to hit 14/22 with the Spurs hitting 3/13?
Not very high I guess, even with wide open 3 and good defense.

[diego]

i was very impressed by the preparation and strategy from van gundy's magic.

if we had given dwight single coverage and focused on shuting down their 3pt shooters, turkoglu wouldnt have been making layups on us. dwight would have had to score at least 35+ to beat us. next time...