Looking for answers as to why SAS is suddenly falling on its face, I’ve reviewed some tape for a few of these playoff games, and most significantly, games during the regular season. What does one see in this analysis? Coach Pop has decidedly thrown out one of the three main strategies that has been the backbone of SAS’s offensive style.
Basically, SAS has effectively used three strategies on offense:
1. Get the ball into Duncan, for Duncan to try and score
2. Get the ball into Duncan, as a decoy, for a quick outlet to open perimeter shooters
3. Manu, Parker or Beno to drive the lane for points in the Paint
What has happened to item #2, the perimeter attack? It has simply evaporated, ever since the playoffs began. Even the “drive the lane” via Manu and Parker has dried up to a certain extent, but that is understandable because opponents are waking up to this strategy and are taking defensive steps to stop it, which should not be that difficult if opponents have big men in the middle on defense. Manu and Parker are great fellows, and I enjoy them, but they are quite a bit shorter than some of the league’s big defenders. A lot of this has happened, with Manu and Parker having shots blocked and swatted back in their faces. I guess a few good teams take the time to review game tapes, eh?
But why has Pop abandoned Strategy #2, nearly entirely? Every time the ball goes in to Duncan, it seems like Duncan thinks he can carry the team all by himself, and it must be Duncan that attempts a basket. Is this Duncan’s decision or does it come from the bench? When the ball goes in to Duncan, what happens next (most often)? DOUBLE TEAM. Absolutely, and what do the game tapes show Duncan doing on many occasions, throughout the regular season, after being ganged up on? Quick outlet to Bowen, Barry, Finley for a long 2 or a 3 point basket. A double-team ALWAYS means someone out there must be open, and the game tapes prove it. There is no mystery here.
SAS had great success doing this throughout the season, and it’s why they have 60+ wins. So why abandon it now? Watching a Spurs playoff game is like watching Miami, subs uting Shaq with Duncan. How much more boring can basketball get? Not only is SAS losing, and not only will they not survive this series with Dallas, it is NO FUN watching a Spurs game with this strategy, win or lose. Losing a game, or even losing a series, is not all that bad. Example: the Houston vs Utah playoff series back in 1998 showcased 6 of the finest basketball games I’ve ever seen, and thank heavens I have them on tape to remind me of how good a basketball game can be. And in the end, did it really matter whether Houston or Utah won? Only to the hometown crowd, I’m sure, but to someone for whom Houston nor Utah was not the favorite team, it didn’t matter. All 6 of those were outstanding games, well played, completely lacking the absolutely BRAIN DEAD strategies one now sees being pursued by SAS Head Coach Greg Popovich; FEED DUNCAN! Considering Coach Pop is only 5 weeks older than I (Nov ’48 vs Jan ’49), I feel en led to jump his case a little. Good grief, someone should.
And one other mystery here that really has me stooped. Where on earth did Coach Pop get the idea that Horry Orry (what has happened to our Big Shot Bob?) was fit to play Center? Horry has never functioned as center, not at Houston, nor way back to the days with the Lakers. I just finished viewing a tape of Mr. Horry, with teammate Van Excel, from May 16, 1998. This was Game 1 of the Semi’s, where Horry’s Lakers (including Van Exel, Shaq and Koby) were creamed by Karl Malone + Company by 30 points, and Utah’s starters sat on the bench most of the second half. Same story for games 2, 3 and 4. Utah 4, Lakers 0. End of series. On to Chicago. Horry didn’t play center then and he’s no Center now.
Which leads to the final mystery of Coach Pop’s insane Playoff strategy. Why is Racho warming the bench, when he should be out on the floor grabbing rebounds and playing quality minutes? There is no mystery about Racho, except why he’s been slam-dunked by the SAS coaching staff the past several months. Subs uting Racho with Horry, and even worse, Nazr Mohammed, is foolish to the extreme. I can understand why Pop has put Mohammed on the bench: TOO MANY STUPID MISTAKES.
I must conclude that all this pretended HARMONY, dished up for the public, is just a bunch of rubbish. Coach Popovich obviously is having a temper tromo. Racho probably worked his way onto Pop’s List for benching him in favor of Mohammed and complained, and then Pop had to bench Mohammed because the guy just doesn’t have the skills needed to win a championship. Too many stupid mistakes...... He drops passes on a regular basis, makes bad passes, forgets he’s in the lane, but because he grabs a few boards (certainly no more than Racho), Mohammed seems to think he’s the greatest thing since electric toasters. They got by last year because Detroit decided they wanted to make MORE MISTAKES than SAS, just barely. And don’t forget, all you die-hard Spurs fans, Game 7 of the NBA Finals last June was all up for grabs, until the final 50 seconds. GO LOOK AT THE GAME TAPE. Detroit blew a couple easy baskets, then turned the ball over, and in the process, handed the championship to SAS. But then, don’t we see this very thing play out, night after night? Sure, the team that makes the most mistakes generally loses. It’s always been this way and will surely continue. That’s the nature of sporting events.
Coach Pop, benching Racho, because he makes one little error, and then slams the talented Russian to the bench for eternity, is crazy. Why is it we see this double standard? Racho makes one mistake, and he’s slammed. Duncan, Parker and Manu the Muffer can screw up all night, night after night, regular season or post season, and everything is overlooked.
Did any of you hear the crying and whining on WOAI, the Voice of the Spurs, following Games 2 and 3 of this Dallas series? Oh my, positively pathetic. And it’s not just this series with Dallas. I’ve heard it all season long from WOAI’s postgame motormouths. Barry takes half a dozen 3’s and misses 5-- OH MY GAWD, LET’S TRADE BARRY, HE’S HORRIBLE. Barry misses a 3, off to the bench, where he remains for 3 quarters, but Parker and Manu, they can throw up the most useless and senseless baskets, with no hope of going in, but it’s all ok. No one criticizes Manu or Parker, not even after Manu blew the Spurs final hope in Game 3 with Dallas last night. If a dedicated Spurs fan would be willing to go back and review some of the game tapes, you’ll see that Brent Barry is frightened out of his wits. Everything about his game play suggests very clearly he realizes he’s just “one missed 3” away from the bench. There are so many examples of this it would take a small booklet to itemize them. But look at the films. Look at the dozens of times Barry passes up on wide open 3’s. Barry knows better than anyone else that his leash ain’t the same length as his teammates. Why is this?
What is plainly evident here, ever since the Playoffs began, is FEED DUNCAN. The options to this strategy that have worked all season have been abandoned. Why?
If Racho is not put back on the floor as the starting Center, and given 25-30 minutes minimum, scattered throughout the game, alternating with Mohammed, if Nazr can control his mistakes, SAS is finished for this season. And I estimate this series may not even go to 6 games, but however many it takes, I’d bet the house, farm and the bank account that no one will be seeing the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals this year, not even the Western Conference series.
And in the final analysis, it doesn’t really make much difference. This brand of basketball, of just FEEDING THE BIG MAN, whether it’s a Tim Duncan or the 1,000 pound bully (aka Shaq) is BORING, BORING BORING. Who wants to pay to see this rubbish?
Push n shove, hack da Shaq, or hack da Duncan, who the cares? Thank heavens I’m not spending my money on this kind of rubbish.
Coach Pop, the defending champion coach, lost in the wilderness. And BTW, what is Del Harris doing on the Dallas bench? Anyone notice this? I thought Avery Johnson was Mr. Brilliant, the Coach of the Year!! Why does he need the services of one of the most successful head coaches of all time sitting next to him?
Next year? I hope Racho has the courage to tell SAS to stick it; Barry, too. I think the SAS lineup next year will be DRASTICALLY (not marginally, but drastically) DIFFERENT from what we see today (May 14, 2006). And perhaps it’s for the best. I wouldn’t want any part of a team who’s primary, secondary and tertiary offensive outlook is
FEED DUNCAN. I hate to sound like I’m picking on Duncan. Not my point. Duncan is a nice man, a good fellow. He never points fingers at others, always patient and polite with the press, even after a tough loss. Generous with the San Antonio community. But he can’t do it all, and the films of Sacramento and now the Dallas series should be all the proof anyone needs.
Good luck, SAS, you definitely need some luck, and a whole lot more.
A couple questions and comments:
Why do you spell Rasho like Racho?
What small mistake do you think he made that has him stuck on the bench? You think he complained to Pop and that's why he's in the doghouse? That's ridiculous.
He's on the bench because the Spurs are utilizing a small lineup, not because he made any mistakes.
And he's not Russian; he is Slovenian.
because pop has lost his ing mind and with every minute played is weaving the biggest basket in the nba historyHe's on the bench because the Spurs are utilizing a small lineup,
the small lineup kills us.
nobodi home has a point, i like racho better then rasho plus it rhymes with "nacho"
I don't even know where to begin
Poppazit has his head squarely up his a--.
He's decide we don't need a center, and the result of this idiotic strategy is 2 losses and a near-loss.
No Rasho, no victory.
timvp you could publish a scholarly article on matchups and rotations but any 7th grade b-team coach would play 2 players in the post
the fact that pop has 3 rings, even makes it more pitiful and humiliating
It's not my fault Pop went with Plan 2.
I gave him other options.
Always looking for Rasho supporters- but I'm not sure I want this one.
How about-- Macho Racho!
A whole lot of writing but not much registering in my brain.
To sum up: the spurs need to play better. Got it.
they should have resigned speedy
that way they could start him at point in a 3 guard lineup, with parker and van exel
ginobili at forward and bowen at center
can you imagine the rotations and matchups?
spurs would demolish any opponent
rasho nesterovic is racho libre
I spell Rasho "Racho" because that's how Bill Shoenning pronounces it, and it's how I got used to jotting it down on scrap paper. No biggie! C'mon guys, what the difference does it make? If this is your best attack on my thread, you'll have to come up with something better. That's just a cheap kick in the balls.
And as for the where Racho comes from, Slovenia is Russia. Go read your Solzhenitsyn. Well, ok, I understand there won't be many on a basketball forum that's spent any time reading the Nobel Russian historian, but again, just another cheap shot that doesn't contribute anything. It may "technically" be separate from the Motherland now, but I think anyone would be embarrassing himself if he were to tell President Putin Rasho's homeland has nothing to do with Russia. But to with that crap. You're just creating distractions.
The point is, Coach Pop seems -bent to lose this year. What is wrong with him? There is another thread on the forum here this weekend that pointed out that Pop let Steve Kerr rot on the bench when he was on the team. Yep, sure 'nuff
What distresses me the most is the double standard. Duncan, Parker and Manu can screw up till the box score sheet isn't big enough to hold all the details, but by damn, just let Racho or Brent Barry do something goofy and their ass goes to the bench and they stay there.
Hey, if that's how Pop wants to run things, he's getting the fat paycheck to run the team. It's no sweat off my nose. I've simply enjoyed listening to Bill Shoenning the last few years and he's better than the idiots on TV. Bill stays with the game and does a mighty good job. Turned me into somewhat of a Spurs fan, but who the cares? If these guys flop, it's just a ball game. They still get their millions and don't think they've forgot this, either.
And that's another thing wrong with pro ball. They should pay these dudes a base salary, very low, I might ad. And if they do well thru the season, THEN hand out the big bucks. Otherwise, give 'em their alpo and send 'em all home for the summer.
Well, say what you like, and I'm damned sure no expert, but I can see what worked, and what worked is not being pursued now. Get Duncan sharing the ball with those 3 point gun-slingers and SAS fortunes should improve.
How many teams in the NBA have 4 dangerous and downright deadly 3 point gunners like SAS? Nobody!!! Pop has made little to no effort to set up THESE GUYS. Everything is focused on Duncan, Manu and Parker.
This movie might play in San Antonio but it appears to be banned from all theatres in Dallas.
I was just hoping the Spurs could continue a bit further so I'd have a few more Bill Shoenning games to listen to, but if they want to lose, it's okie dokie with me. My income for the remainder of the year will be exactly the same, either way.
Good luck Pop.
Right now I'd say Pop's either doing nothing or reveiwing game film.
Who is Bill Shoenning? Any known linguist? One sign of respect is to try to pronounce one's name correctly. But hey, who cares, let's be ignorant. Maybe he is truely Pacho.
Brief history of Slovenia: in the history Slovenia (or its parts) was under Austro-Hungary, Germany, Italy, France (Napoleon), and part of few forms of Yugoslavia, but hey, Slovenia was never under Russia. So you may call Rasho even French and you will be less wrong.
It is time to read your Solzhenitsyn again.
Thanks. I was waiting for someone Slovenian to come correct him because obviously he wasn't listening to me. I know a fair share of Slovenian history (thanks to Slomo) and I knew it wasn't part of Russia.
slovenia is big part of russia years ago
nobody_home is relly coach phil jackson
Ok, thanks for all the corrections.
BTW, who is Bill Shoenning you ask? That's the guy who calls the Spurs games on WOAI radio. Don't you listen to Spurs on radio? of a lot better than the knotheads on TV. Shoenning does great job calling the games, but the whiners who come on after the game are disgusting. Biased, one-sided commentary, but I seldom listen.
Thanks to all respondents for the feedback
Duncan is sharing the ball with the 3 point shooter when the doubles come. Dallas closes out really well, which is why we don't have 20+ 3pa, but we're still getting our fair share and guys are driving to the basket off those over eager close outs. TD's also scoring very efficiently. Our whole offense is running smoothly. I don't see why you have a problem with that.
I completley agree with you about Rasho. He's still a very good defender in the paint and can board with the best.
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