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too many questions, my head's exploding.
defense wins championships, but I think Pop is not emphacizing defense so much as in earlier season, probably because he has more scoring.
The San Antonio Spurs are now averaging over 100 points per game on the season. Just a couple seasons ago, the Spurs were a half court oriented, slow it down type team. Now the Spurs are averaging more than 100, something they haven't done for a season since the 1995-96 season.
Questions:
1) Is this a good thing or could it be fool's gold come playoff time?
2) The NBA has become more high scoring since the low point in 1999. Last season, three teams made the conference finals that averaged over 99 points per game. Is this a new era of basketball in which offense wins championships, or was last year just a fluke?
3) Can the Spurs sustain this level of offensive play or will they come back to previous levels?
too many questions, my head's exploding.
defense wins championships, but I think Pop is not emphacizing defense so much as in earlier season, probably because he has more scoring.
That's how the saying goes, but who did Miami stop last year? Who did Dallas stop? Neither team played very well defensively in the playoffs. During the regular season 13 teams gave up less points per game than Miami.
With the new rules enabling offensive players, does defense still win championships?
The Spurs didn't add many big bodies in the off-season. They have adjusted their style. They are re-tooled for movement, especially with Butler sitting behind the bench.
We'll have to see the Spurs play the Rockets with Hayes, or the Pistons and see how they do against those teams to know for sure. I don't think we will see sub .425 Opp. FG% with this bunch. The Spurs don't block enough shots and clog the lane enough to do that.
It's all about the ball movement.
When the Spurs move the ball around the way they can almost no one will beat them. It's when the offense becomes stagnet with either attempt after attempt by Tony or 4-down after 4-down, that's when the Spurs struggle and score less.
I'd rather have ourbench score 50-60 than have Tony and Timmy combine for 70.
New rules. New ways.
With hands-off on the perimeter, it pays to run motion and cycle the offense around. I see it as a good thing.
1) it's a great thing. scoring is never bad and they don't look awful defensively when they're running up and down the court. if they were sacrificing defensive intensity for offensive intensity, i would be worried.
2) you have to have a combination of both, although defense will always and forever be the gateway to the championship.
3) they'll sustain it as long as manu comes off the bench. that second team with him at the helm can beat 80% of the first teams in the nba with the way they're moving the ball. he's the catalyst.
However, in the last three games (the Spurs best games of the season?) the Spurs have held opponents to ~41% shooting and 82.3 ppg.
So even though they are running a high octane offense, they haven't given up the concept of D.
1)It's an extremely good thing if we can keep it up.....
2)Twin Tower defense would still reign supreme in today's league but with centers dissappearing, perimeter defense is the real thing, in long lanky guards and forwards (think tayshaun) but their effectiveness is very random because of the inconsistency in calls game-to-game. I wouldn't say offense wins championships, but mostly because we saw no consistent playoff reffing until the actual finals.
3)It will come back to previous levels when we play teams that are motivated to rebound.
Good teams in the playoffs take away the ability to move the ball. The Mavs' defense against the Spurs was designed to force the Spurs to go one-on-one. If you noticed, they never brought help from the perimeter and specifically never left Bowen open in the corners.
That's why when it comes to the playoff, 4-down has been and always will be the bread and butter of the Spurs as long as Tim Duncan is playing.
what the mavericks have, defensively, on the perimeter is where we need to be i think
but its impossible unless we get ourselves that josh howard type player
i've never thought ginobili was as good at overall D as some say he is
4 down, won the rings in 03 and 05, and 99.That's why when it comes to the playoff, 4-down has been and always will be the bread and butter of the Spurs as long as Tim Duncan is playing
All the shots off the perimiter in 03 against NJ, who got the assists on kick outs?
05, same thing?
Ginobili aint no Bowen, but he aint no Keith Van Horn either.i've never thought ginobili was as good at overall D as some say he is
Ginobili's D is good, and in big games, it becomes VERY Good.
that says it all right there for me.
if push comes ot shove in the post-season tho - you bet your panties Pop would pull more defense into the scheme.
Spurs allow the second fewest PPG after Houston. They allow the second fewest assists per game after Houston. They are not keeping opponents to as low a FG% and allowing a higher 3 point FG% than usual but it's still early. If Elson can catch on to the Spurs defense a little better they'll have a solid shutdown D at crunch time.
That fact overlooks alot of people, and its very important.Good teams in the playoffs take away the ability to move the ball
The ball movement is taken away in a 7 game series due to the high level of play.
4 down, and the movement outside of the pass from Duncan is key.
Rebounding, and guys making their perimiter shots, is what wins in the playoffs.
Not bothered by the latter, the other though, yuckie.
Spurs trash a few patsies and suddenly everyone's happy. That's just as bad as the bridge-jumpers after a loss.
Let's get some perspective. I want to see what they look like when they play the Hornets and the Rockets.
"Good teams in the playoffs take away the ability to move the ball"
true, but i've been watching the team for a long time and i've never really seen them move the ball like this. we'll see how they place against a good defensive team, something golden state, the clips and charlotte have never been accused of being.
Hornets are getting waxed by an Allenless Sonics.
Let's get some perspective. I want to see what they look like when they play the Hornets and the Rockets.
Spurs played 1 and a half good quarters and spanked the Rockets.I want to see what they look like when they play the Hornets and the Rockets
Ok maybe the Hornets
For me, I want to see how they play Denver, Minnesota, Lakers, and the Pistons.
It went 92-84 in favor of the Spurs.
Defense still wins championships.... just need big men that can run the floor.... which, so far, it looks like the Spurs have in Oberto and Elson.
Eh, the Rockets game had as much to do with a Houston choke as the Spurs comeback. A healthy Houston would be a tough series for the Spurs.
The LA B2B may have been a reasonable test, but now it's not clear if Kobe will be playing.
I have no idea what the the Hornets are doing in Seattle tonight.
The Houston and Utah games will be the best test of the Spurs "new ways" before the end of the year.
And I think thats key.
What will truly make us that 'force' is that when push comes to shove, we can still get a key defensive stop or lock down a particular player or whatever is needed defensively.
Factor that with a potent offense with many weapons and it makes you that much more dynamic and unstoppable.
Ultimately, I think that is what can set us apart from other teams in this league.
Especially if Elson/Oberto are productive enough to score a few points, grab rebounds and get the occassional block.
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