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This is what I love about the Spurs. Sarcastic, dry, self-deprecating, reality-based, intelligent wit. I'm completely serious. What other team would ever produce quotes like this?
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...ll.954bfb.html
Web Posted: 10/28/2006 08:00 PM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
Rasho Nesterovic had been shipped to Toronto, Nazr Mohammed was packing his bags for Detroit and Gregg Popovich couldn't leave the safety of his gated community without being pelted with questions about both.
From July to October, it didn't matter whether the Spurs coach was standing in line at the grocery store, picking up his dry cleaning or sitting down to eat at his favorite restaurant, the queries were always the same.
"Who's going to start at center NOW?"
"I would say, 'How many minutes did you see those guys play?'" Popovich said. "Or, 'Aren't you the guy who ripped Nesterovic all year long? And now that we trade him, you want to know what we're going to do now that he's not here?'"
Popovich, unlike the local fan base, didn't see the hole in the middle of the Spurs' lineup as reason to fret. He already had one of the league's best centers; Tim Duncan had made a nice living masquerading as a power forward. The Spurs also had already joined the growing number of teams downsizing their lineup to play small and fast.
"The old-school way, you still played a (power forward) and (center), and a (point guard), (shooting guard) and a (small forward)," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "Now I think coaches, and I follow in that category as well, are thinking, well, why? If I have two (small forwards), a (shooting guard) and a (point guard) and then a pretty good (center), why can't I play small?
"I think a lot of teams are starting to view it that way."
The Spurs are among them. Two seasons ago, they beat the Phoenix Suns at their own game by playing small in the Western Conference finals. In last season's playoffs, Popovich moved Robert Horry into the starting lineup, then dumped him for Michael Finley — Mohammed and Nesterovic were already strapped to the bench — shortly after Dallas went to a two-point guard lineup.
With Mohammed and Nesterovic having totaled only 27 minutes against the Mavericks in the conference semifinals, the Spurs were hesitant to invest in a long-term contract for a slow-footed center who couldn't keep pace in the fast lane of today's Western Conference. After flirting with Miami's Alonzo Mourning, they signed Francisco Elson, a lanky 7-footer from Denver whose greatest attribute was his ability to run the floor. They also added 21-year-old Jackie Butler, thinking if they could get him in shape he might be able to help by the second half of the season.
Fabricio Oberto, an undersized scrapper, returned with a better understanding of the team's system and his role. Duncan also will continue to share minutes at center. Since David Robinson retired in 2003, Duncan has typically played the position in the fourth quarter with Horry, Finley or Malik Rose usually lined up next to him.
But while Popovich considers Duncan a part-time center, he remains hesitant to call him such. He has long joked that he has a standing agreement with Duncan to refer to him only as a four, the basketball terminology for power forward.
"The one statement I made (to the team) at the beginning of the year, is no matter who is on the court, Timmy is always the power forward," Popovich said. "If I call Thumbs-This-Sideways-Lift-Floppy-What Four, it's for Duncan. If we're going small and Finley's on the floor, he's the (center) and Duncan is the four.
"I have absolutely no (guts) whatsoever. If he wants to be four, he's four."
In truth, today's up-tempo, let-it-fly game — popularized by the frenetic Suns — requires most players to play hybrid positions. Horry, a small-ball pioneer from his days in Houston, jokingly referred to himself as a "dinosaur" during last season's playoffs. Even the typically staid Jeff Van Gundy has Houston playing small: The Rockets could begin the season with 6-foot-8 Shane Battier as their starting power forward.
Some teams have taken the trend to an extreme. Denver's goal this season is to score within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. When the league tweaked its defensive rules two seasons ago, a fast, attacking guard like Tony Parker quickly became one of the most prized weapons.
"You see little guys propel themselves into that lane and nine times out of 10, the foul goes against the defender," Popovich said. "I'm not saying that's wrong or right; that's just the way it is. But it hurts people like us who used two 7-footers in our (defensive) schemes all those years."
Popovich said he doesn't expect the Spurs to utilize their small lineup much more than in the past, if only because they had already begun to increasingly use it. But they have practiced with it more frequently in the preseason than in previous years.
"Last year, we didn't really emphasize the small lineup until playoff time," Finley said. "So now if that situation occurs, we'll be better prepared and hopefully we'll be a little better at it."
The Spurs also hope Elson's athleticism allows them to stay big more often. Though the team often still uses its same basic defensive scheme when playing small, it can require more double-teaming. Adding another big man with 3-point range in Matt Bonner also could further help space the floor for the Spurs' guards to attack.
Popovich refutes the suggestion the Spurs would have been better off staying big against Dallas. Regardless, team officials think they have assembled a more versatile roster to allow them to better adapt to their opponents.
Of course, there are those among the Spurs who think the team adapted just fine last season. When someone recently mentioned Mavericks coach Avery Johnson caused the Spurs' downfall with his decision to pair Devin Harris and Jason Terry in the backcourt, Duncan only laughed.
"That's the reason they won? Oh, really," Duncan said with just a touch of sarcasm. "Well, he's the Coach of the Year, so that's obviously the move that won the series.
"I thought it came down to Game 7 overtime, but that's just me."
This is what I love about the Spurs. Sarcastic, dry, self-deprecating, reality-based, intelligent wit. I'm completely serious. What other team would ever produce quotes like this?
I am never going to agree that Pop made the right decision to not let Rasho and Nazr and even Horry on the court in big moments of those games...
There was a couple of those games where one freaking rebound could have saved the game for us and we have Michael Finley playing C.
There was one game where we could not buy an offensive rebound and it screamed for Nazr...
Another one where the Mavs guards just destroyed us with penetration...
The telling fact is that we lost that series, not because we couldn't run. I think we outran the Mavs in that series and they were the ones wanting to play halfcourt...our problem was in the half court...on D, because we had a running line up out there.
Horry didn't get enough minutes to make an impact, but what minutes he did get, would probably have served us better going to Nazr, or even Rasho...
Horry flat out cannot run anymore..and I think Nazr and Rasho were both better running bigs than Horry. Nazr actually isn't that bad in the running game anyway IMO.
I agree with the rest of it and see what Pop is trying to do here...Duncan is our C and he's the best C in the NBA...
And our half court team, Robert Horry is the starting..or finishing as it were, PF...He can still defend any half court PF in the NBA...he just can't get up and down the floor like he used too...
But as for what Pop has done here...
This Spurs team can run with any team in the league, we could put 5 running guys out there and small ball with any team in the league, we can even do it with Duncan at C, making us the only running team that can stick a legit A list offensive and defensive C out there while we are doing it...
Whether or not Elson is what everyone thinks he can be....there's no doubt he can fit in against teams like Phoenix and matchup against a guy like Dirk.
I mean let's look at this team...
Manu - Manu's a transition guard.
Parker's a transition guard.
Barry's a transition guard.
Beno's a transition guard.
Finley spent virtually his entire career in a fast break offense.
Elson is a running man.
Duncan has always been able to run and I personally think he likes to play that style which is why he wanted Kidd.
Oberto - well I've only seen him play outside of the Spurs on Team Argentina and team Argentina could run.
Bruce isn't really what I would consider a transition player but his best attribute has always been his quick feet an he's actually a very good finisher IMO. I don't know if I want to see Bruce pulling up for any transition threes though...
The natural talents of the core of this team definitely lean towards being a running team moreso than a halfcourt team IMO...
The fact that we've won our last two les being primarily a half court team with guys like Barry, Manu and Parker playing key roles is just gravy and testamment to Tim Duncan and their own professionalism and versatility...those guys are natural transition players.
I can see why the Spurs are looking at using Oberto since he's like the most versatile out of Horry, Elson and himself...with Horry being used as a half court specialist and a Elson being used more against running teams...all this with the hope that Bulter gets it fast enough to be the main guy(although Butler looks to be a very poor runner to me).
To me Pop's definitely got a plan and I actually like what he's doing...
I see it being a problem against Houston( we have no one to put on Yao that will do as good a job as Rasho IMO)...but not anyone else.
But he needs to stop making excuses, sac up and admit he screwed up against the Mavs...Riley exposed his mistakes for the entire world to see and Pop forgot the second of the universal rules(and his own formula) for winning championships...
#1. Defense wins championships.
#2. Halfcourt ball is the ultimate playoff basketball and when two equally talented teams meet the better halfcourt team will control the tempo and win a best of 7 series.
The Mavs out halfcourted us, with us being the better halfcourt team. Pop didn't even try the halfcourt against them. Miami stayed true to who they were, which just so happened to be a halfcourt team, and they took out a much more talented team. Pat Riley is the only coach in history to win an NBA championship with a running team...and even he knew it would be next to impossible trying to beat the Mavs that way. Time for Pop to own up on this...
Last edited by whottt; 10-29-2006 at 07:55 AM.
whottt i didnt know bull could be heard.. which i just heard.. i whole lot of them.. from you.. "The Mavs out halfcourted us, with us being the better halfcourt team. Pop didn't even try the halfcourt against them. Miami stayed true to who they were, which just so happened to be a halfcourt team, and they took out a much more talented team. Pat Riley is the only coach in history to win an NBA championship with a running team...and even he knew you couldn't beat the Mavs that way. Time for Pop to own up on this." like wat TD said.. it did indeed go to Game 7 overtime
The warmth of feelings Duncan has for AJ are so apparent...in his comments, as well as his play.
Yeah, because of Pop's decision we had a chance to lose a series in OT of game 7, that we should have won in 5...Mavs didn't win it...we lost it, because Pop made us play with one hand behind our back.
Do you think Miami had more talent than the Spurs? Do you think they would have beaten us? We'd have probably swept them. Were they a better half court team than the Spurs? no. They were old and beat up and had one guy playing like a viable star...
How come it didn't come down to a game 7 for them? Did you see them ing around trying to run? I didn't...and they had the only coach in NBA history who's ever won a championship by running.
They did one thing better than the Mavs...play halfcourt ball, and that allowed them to dictate the tempo and win an NBA championship....We could, and should, have done the same.
Last edited by whottt; 10-29-2006 at 08:16 AM.
SMall ball doesnt win championships
we d up cose pop made the spurs adjust to the ponies, we shouldve stick the big lineup and force them to adjust to us.....
And if a call had gone the other way in that series, we'd all be singing the praises of small ball and cursing any mention of "center." How dare the Spurs put one of those on the floor!
The Spurs, like many, many other teams, are versatile. Sometimes it is good to hold your ground, but sometimes, the smart armies know when to give it as well.
I totally agree. Did you see all the rebounds that could have been ours had we used our traditional lineup. And all those guards flying thru the lane w/ the greatest of ease was sickening! If Pop wanted to tinker w/ the roster, he should have done so in the offseason.
Truer words were never written.
Miami had Haslem and Posey both of whom could hang with Dirk better than any of the Spurs' bigs/long threes including Horry who was constantly let Dirk put the ball on the floor and get past him in the limited minutes Horry saw. That's why Dirk was far less effective against Miami. Spurs were short a long three, more moblile big that Miami had. Rasho and Nazr were NO answer.
They weren't the answer, but you can't play small ball if you don't have the personnel to do so. Miami had Haslem to stick w/ Dirk and Mourning punked him into taking jumpers. If we don't have "small ball players", don't try it and wait until the offseason to aquire it if it's needed. I still must quote a poster previously that said if you don't dance w/ the lady that brought you to the dance, she will leave w/ someone else..... And the Larry O'Brien trophy left w/ someone else
Does that refer to the Spurs approach to beating the Suns in '05 too?If we don't have "small ball players", don't try it and wait until the offseason to aquire it if it's needed. I still must quote a poster previously that said if you don't dance w/ the lady that brought you to the dance, she will leave w/ someone else..... And the Larry O'Brien trophy left w/ someone else
Spurs came within a last second brainfart by Manu of quite possibly/likely a 4th le with small ball. Some can say without samll ball the Spurs would have blown out the Mavs in 4 - 5 games. That wasn't the history of a closely contested Mavs - Spurs season and that flies in the face of a series where Parker and Ginobili were beat up and worn out.
That's true, but The Suns are not small ball... They are pee-wee ball. They had no post defenders in their rotation which meant they had no defense. It's a big difference between a last second brainfart and beating a team in 5 games. And if I recall both Nazr and Tim were on the floor quite a bit against the Suns. You don't remeber when Nazr was looking like his name was "Barkley Rodman Malone" out there?
Too bad we only have one real SF on the team - Bowen.If I have two (small forwards), a (shooting guard) and a (point guard) and then a pretty good (center), why can't I play small?
"I think a lot of teams are starting to view it that way."
The Spurs are among them.
This is typical for the Spurs under Pop. Someone makes an adjustment in a playoff series, and he is unable to adjust via x's and o's, he just tries to throw different personnel at the problem and hope their talent overcomes the matchup problems presented by the other squad.
It doesn't work out, the Spurs limp into the off-season with their tail between their legs, and then Pop retools his roster to deal with the problem. Happened several times against the Fakers, and this business over the Mavs and AJ's moves is just the latest reincarnation.
You could also argue if we had a big in there to protect the paint Manu wouldn't have had to come in from the wing to try and block Dirk because Dallas had gotten to the rim for the 384,293rd time in that series with no big man there thanks to *small ball*.Spurs came within a last second brainfart by Manu of quite possibly/likely a 4th le with small ball.
Mavs down three at the time I'm pretty sure you'd want to guard against an open three look. Right personell were on the floor at the time. Once Dirk hooked Bruce with no whistle to quickly get baseline penetration for the two obviously the shot should not have been contested. The Mavs would have been forced to foul on the inbound with little time left.
wow, with all the pop bashing in this thread, i wonder if bob hill would have made a difference....insert extreme sarcasm....I'm as disspointed as the next person we did not win game 7. a small guy fouled dirk so that became pops fault. it went down to ot of game 7 and it should not have reached that point. spurs win small ball genius like against the suns, but we lose a frickin' 7 game series to the eventual runner up who stopped receiving the benefit of nba official blowing hot air up their butts and blew a series lead, suddenly pop sucks as a coach again and its all his fault. incredible
Small ball may have brought us to within one Manu foul of a le, but a gameplan with more center play would have put us in a position where that foul by Manu wouldn't have been an issue. Small ball didn't bring us to within a foul of a le, Small ball is the reason a foul cost us another le.
That being said, maybe it can work this year with more preperation and with a better cast. I don't know, but we'll see.
Did anyone else think that Pop's answers sounded almost as if he was replying to this board?
Great post Manny!
my2sons -
The Spurs using small ball against Phoenix the year before is a myth. Our starting center for that series was Nazr Mohammed.spurs win small ball genius like against the suns, but we lose a frickin' 7 game series to the eventual runner up who stopped receiving the benefit of nba official blowing hot air up their butts and blew a series lead, suddenly pop sucks as a coach again and its all his fault. incredible
Mohammed holds down the fort at center against the Suns two years ago, suddenly Pop was a genius playing small ball to match up. Incredible.
Did anyone else think that Pop's answers sounded almost as if he was replying to this board?
If Pop should have taken anything from the Phoenix series, it should have been the "let Amare get his points" philosophy.
When Pop is quoted as saying, "and tell AHF to go himself!", we'll have our answer.
1. Neither Nazr or Rasho could stay with Dirk defensively.
2. Duncan was getting in foul trouble guarding Dirk
3. Horry proved ineffective guarding Dirk
4. Neither Nazr nor Rasho has a low post game that precluded Dirk from guarding them and forcing him to guard Duncan by putting Diop or Dampier on Nazr or Rasho. Likewise Horry.
Therefore any bigman lineup the Spurs put on the floor favored the Mavs.
This year with Elson and hopefully Butler the story may be different. Elson may guard Dirk better than Nazr, Rasho or Horry, certainly he has quicker feet and more lateral movement. Butler will be a defensively liability and force Duncan to play Dirk but he would likely put a major hurt on Dirk on offense in the post. Maybe Williams, if he ever gets in shape, can play Dirk a little as well.
Certainly having backup PG play better than the major suckage Van Exel can't hurt.
Fact is in the West there is only one slow down, half court team of consequence, the Rockets. And staying healthy for them is a major accomplishment.
Last edited by picnroll; 10-29-2006 at 12:30 PM.
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