McCallum: Pistons, Spurs share common championship traits

[Manu20]

The ties that bind
Pistons, Spurs share common championship traits
Posted: Thursday May 26, 2005 2:00PM; Updated: Thursday May 26, 2005 4:33PM

http://www4.cnnsi.com/2005/writers/j...ons/index.html


Way back when -- a phrase that can be used at almost any point in the NBA playoffs -- I picked San Antonio and Detroit to get to the Finals, and, the Pistons' 92-86 loss on Wednesday night notwithstanding, I can't see either of them blowing it now. (I'll also try to keep you abreast of any bad prognostications I make.)

The teams are by no means mirror images of each other, and in some ways seem like opposites. The Spurs, who come from Texas and wear black, are the nice guys in the white hats; the Pistons, who come from mellow Motown and wear white, are the mean guys in the black hats. But that is all surface. The teams share several uniting characteristics, all part of the larger picture that should bring them to a championship duel. This week's five-pack defines those qualities.

1. Both have stable and (relatively) hands-off ownership.
The Spurs' Peter Holt and the Pistons' Bill Davison hire good people, then let them do their job. (As long as they think they're doing a good job.) Holt loves the combination of general manager R.C. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich, and one of Davison's happiest days came when he convinced one of his former champions, Joe Dumars, to take control of the team.

Don't think for a minute the owners are empty suits; if a big decision has to be made, they will make it. But they don't conduct their business in public, and, within those franchises, there is the perception that things run seamlessly and that someone has a long-range plan. Players respond to that.

2. Both have "in-charge" coaches.
One of the great fallacies about the NBA is that players don't want to be coached. They do. True, they will tune out a guy who they think can't coach them, and sometimes they don't give a new coach a chance. But the Spurs' Popovich and the Pistons' Larry Brown are guys who will get down on the floor, blow the whistle and get in somebody's face. It's no coincidence that, though they are different personalities, they are close professional friends.

3. Both play with at ude.
This isn't easy to define -- in fact, San Antonio's 'tude is different than Detroit's -- but both teams play with a hard edge. Both have quiet assassins in Bruce Bowen (Spurs) and Tayshaun Prince (Pistons). Each as a more emotional spirit in Manu Ginobili (Spurs) and Rasheed Wallace (Pistons). (Some might suggest a stronger word than "emotional" would be needed to define 'Sheed.)

Even the seemingly placid guys (Tim Duncan and Robert Horry for the Spurs; Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton for the Pistons) have a nastiness to them. And you don't win an NBA le without a little bit of nasty.

4. Both can lock opponents down for long periods of time.
The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat each proclaim that they're better defensive teams than they're given credit for. That is accurate. But that's not the same thing as being great defensive teams, which San Antonio and Detroit are.

Neither plays great defense all the time -- no one in the NBA does -- and both suffer through periods of laziness. But when the time comes, the Spurs and Pistons each have the ability to flip a switch on defense, almost like a great sixth man does on offense. The on-ball defense is superb, their double-teaming intelligent and well-timed, their rotations impeccable. And when their opponents find themselves locked up for a dozen straight possessions, they start getting frustrated. That's when San Antonio and Detroit have you.

5. Both have unpredictable offenses.
This sounds more like a negative, and it can be. But in a protracted series, when every team knows every play call of every opponent, unpredictability can be a good thing.

Detroit, for example, doesn't have a real go-to guy. Their offense doesn't necessarily revolve around getting it to Rasheed down low or letting Hamilton run off screens. Rather, all of those things come into play. Not having a true go-to guy hurts them at times during the regular season, but it's a plus right now.

The Spurs, of course, have a natural No. 1 option in Duncan. But Popovich moves him around much more than, say, Miami moves around Shaquille O'Neal. Then, too, Duncan can disappear for stretches while Tony Parker or Ginobili take over the game on clear outs or pick-and-rolls.

Neither is a great offensive team, which Phoenix most definitely is. But both are essentially impossible to scout and that makes a major difference.

[mookie2001]

Neither is a great offensive team

really?

[RobinsontoDuncan]

I would not say we are necessarily great on offense, even in this series, there are just some teams we can exploit that play bad defense. There are some match-ups and teams that allow us to be great offensivley for a game or series though, but against a detroit that will all go away.

[MiNuS]

Everyone knows its going to be Spurs Vs Pistons...so now why doesn't everyone just
give the Spurs the trophy?

Its only logical!

[mookie2001]

i would say we have great offense
and the pistons have 4 starters who could all average 20+ points

[ambchang]

Both the Spurs and Pistons have great offenses, it's just that both teams uses the clock very well and are patient in waiting/creating a good shot every trip down the court. As a result, San Antonio ranks 10 out of 29 teams in FG% (that is without the benefit of having many fast break points) and #6 in TOs.
And when you look at the Spurs' offense, they have a constant motion offense, and two guys who require constant double teams, another who can break down the defense when his jumper is on, and Nazr in the middle who is a monster on the offensive board.