New-look Spurs pick up pace to great effect

[duncan228]

New-look Spurs pick up pace to great effect
Zach Lowe, The Point Forward
SI.com

Only 18 months ago, you could have suggested that the San Antonio Spurs of the Tim Duncan era were, if not dead, then clearly on their way out. Dallas had just obliterated the Spurs in a five-game first-round series in which Manu Ginobili, who always seemed to be hurt, played zero minutes. Duncan’s health was declining, forcing coach Gregg Popovich to sit him now and then on the second end of back-to-backs.

Most of all, they had become almost a caricature of a Popovich team. They played an ultra-conservative style on both ends of the court, one that fit a team reliant on one-dimensional jump shooters such as Michael Finley and Roger Mason Jr. to generate scraps of offense around Duncan and Tony Parker. No team grabbed offensive rebounds so rarely. No team shot fewer free throws. No team turned the ball over less or forced so few turnovers. It was a team whose limited personnel forced it to take Popovic’s philosophy to untenable extremes.

There was little reason to think the Spurs would suddenly veer in another direction — either in terms of their style or their record. Now? They’re 12-1 and playing better than anyone in the league. And they’re doing it in a new style fashioned from vintage Spurs ingredients, new players and some unexpected fast-breaking — a new-ish mold that fits the team’s personnel, save for Duncan, and has Popovich as the early favorite for a Coach of the Year award he surely cares nothing about. The new style, particularly the fast pace, is Popovich’s way of acknowledging that the team must gradually move away from a Duncan-centric offense in order to win.

It’s not just the pace, which I’ll get to. The Spurs are a league-average offensive rebounding team after bottoming out two seasons ago. They’re getting to the foul line more often, per shot attempt, than they have in any season since 2002-2003. They’re forcing more turnovers, per possession, than in any season since 2004-2005. They have, in short, rediscovered the balance they had during Duncan’s prime seasons, when they regularly ranked in the top five in free-throw attempts and within shouting distance of the league average in offensive rebounding and forcing turnovers.

Then there is the fast-breaking, which is unprecedented in the Duncan era. The Spurs are averaging 95 possessions per game, nearly four possessions more than they averaged in any Duncan season. This is not a gradual evolution; it’s a sudden, drastic change, and it’s working.

The Spurs are scoring 1.31 points per transition chance, the third-best mark in the league, according to the stat-tracking service Synergy Sports. Richard Jefferson and Ginobili have been among the dozen or so most efficient transition players in the league, and Parker, having perhaps the best season of his career, isn’t far behind.

Overall, only six teams are playing at a faster pace than the Spurs. Of note: It’s a trend that excludes Duncan, or at least marginalizes him to a role as a rebounder and outlet passer. He has been involved in just five transition finishes all season, according to Synergy, compared to nearly three-dozen each for Jefferson and Ginobili, and a whopping 64 for Parker. George Hill and DeJuan Blair have also shown they can thrive on the break.

Of course, if you watched Monday’s splendid San Antonio-Orlando game, you know Duncan is still a crucial cog. There were plenty of pick-and-rolls featuring the Duncan/Parker and Duncan/Ginobili pairings, and those plays continue to produce good looks for everyone. You could teach a course in off-the-ball movement by showing how Jefferson and Matt Bonner move around the perimeter while defenses swivel about to deal with Duncan-centered pick-and-rolls. The Spurs won’t continue to shoot a ridiculous 44 percent from deep all season, but they’ll stay near the top of the league.

The Spurs have managed to become a fast-paced offensive juggernaut, second only to the Lakers in points per possession, without coughing up piles of turnovers or sacrificing their trademark defense. The Spurs have allowed just 102.3 points per 100 possessions, the sixth-best mark in the league and one that would have topped the NBA last season. They’ve been this stingy even though opponents have hit 41 percent of their threes, and they’ve done so by protecting the rim and (as usual for San Antonio) forcing teams to take a ton of long two-pointers.

There is still a lot that could go wrong here, as there is for any team, particularly one with key players in their mid-30s. Duncan’s knees are slowly going, though he remains productive on both ends. In the past, injuries have robbed Ginobili of his wild-man drives to the hoop. Parker must avoid the foot issues that dampened his play last season. Tiago Splitter has to find his place, and both Hill and Blair must produce more. Blair is struggling to finish at the rim like last year’s version of Glen Davis in Boston.

But the big things are going right in San Antonio, and if that continues, the Spurs are legitimate contenders.

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NBA Power Rankings
SI.com

1. San Antonio Spurs (12-1)
Last Week: 3

Unlike their four championship teams from the Duncan/Gregg Popovich era, this year's Spurs are winning with offense more than defense. Tony Parker is posting career highs in shooting percentage (54.8) and assists (7.8). The Spurs are shooting a league-best 44.4 percent from three-point range, and Matt Bonner leads the NBA with a 69.2 percent mark (18-of-26) from beyond the arc. Savvy, unselfish ball movement has fueled the success: In the second quarter of Saturday's win against Cleveland, the Spurs staged a phenomenal half-court clinic in registering 10 assists and zero turnovers while shooting 12-of-19 from the field and 9-of-12 at the foul line for a tidy 36 points.

[MoSpur]

That's a good article. Not because it praises the Spurs in a way, but because he breaks down things I wouldn't have really looked at. I see all those things he mentions when they play, but I don't have the time or energy to break down their stats like that. I still want the Spurs to be talked about as the best defensive team though.

[SA210]

That's a good article. Not because it praises the Spurs in a way, but because he breaks down things I wouldn't have really looked at. I see all those things he mentions when they play, but I don't have the time or energy to break down their stats like that. I still want the Spurs to be talked about as the best defensive team though.

This.