What was the starting lineup MOST of the season and what changed (other than Anderson's injury) to the lineup when facing the Lakers? The starters in Game 1 were Robinson, Duncan, Ferry, Porter and Daniels, huh. No wonder we got creamed. I am in limbo because I honestly don't recall much about that series (had a newborn and missed every game)
Oh, thanks again to Juwan Howard for the timely foul.
Yeah, I thought that was the lineup but what changed against the Lakers?
The Spurs started 00-01 with a starting lineup that included Avery Johnson, Derek Anderson, Sean Elliott, Tim Duncan, and David Robinson. That group started for about the first quarter of the season. Then they suffered some injuries. First AJ got hurt and was initially replaced by Antonio Daniels. Then Sean Elliott's body started to give out and Pop had to find a replacement. He tried a committee that consisted of Ira Newble (I think that was mostly to keep the rest of the rotation intact), then started Malik Rose at the small forward spot for a while, before finally settling on Danny Ferry at that spot. (The Spurs were 24-5 in games that Ferry started that year). He did the same at the PG position and eventually settled on Porter.
With the Duncan-Robinson-Ferry-Anderson-Porter starting lineup, the Spurs closed the season 19-5.
When DA went down in Game 1 of the WCSF, Pop pushed Daniels back into the starting lineup. He played well enough against the Mavs, scoring in double figures in each of his four starts and he was really the only Spur to play relatively well in the WCF. The Spurs had many problems in that series (including Derek Fisher's unconsciousness from behind the arc), but a significant one was the domino effect of Anderson's injury on the team's structure. With AD in the starting lineup, the Spurs were left with very little off the bench: in games 1 and 2 of the WCF, they got a total of 19 bench points (including a whopping 2 in Game 2).
The biggest problem against the Lakers was spurs being predictable though.
It was tought to watch especially last two games which I had unpleasure to see.
There were a lot of problems, to be sure. And games 3 and 4 were just absurdly bad; that team quit.
Wait. I belive I got those games or one of them shorten but still on VHS.
I got to re-dust them
I remember Robert Horry said that they were laughing t spurs cause they knew what they [spurs] gonna play. What kind of set plays etc. and the LA players were even earlier on spurs players spots.
That shows you how predictable were those spurs. And Anderson gave some sort of chaos (maybe not that much) or invention to bring the hits not only from Twin Towers.
I still remember Duncans face. A gave up face.
I don't dispute that predictability was one of the 2001 Spurs' problems, particularly when their lone slasher (Anderson) wasn't available to make plays out of stagnant sets.
I think, in fact, that the 2001 WCF may have been the genesis of Phil Jackson's reference to the Spurs' coaching staff as "The Simulator Crew," because none had played in the NBA.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
