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I don't give a damn if we make 20 3's. Defense is ALWAYS first. We lack aggresiveness. If we are just rougher and more scrappy on defense, we have our number one defensive team back.
This article today is good and it gives the true state of the Spurs at this point of the season. Yet, it is familiar because of the similarity to thoughts already expressed by some of us here in the Spurstalk Forum the past couple of weeks.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...e.26a12d5.html
Web Posted: 12/25/2006 09:49 PM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
The Spurs shot better than they had all season, made a dozen 3-pointers and distributed 33 assists during Saturday's victory in Oklahoma City. What mattered most to coach Gregg Popovich, however, was the number he wrote on the locker-room grease board: 29.
That's how many points the Hornets totaled in the second half. It also signified that for, one night at least, the Spurs' defense had returned to the land of the living.
Only three hours earlier, still feeling the sting of the previous night's embarrassing loss to Houston, Popovich had called the current collection of Spurs "our poorest defensive team in the last four or five years."
"We don't seem to have the same passion for it, and it doesn't seem to hold the same sense of urgency," Popovich said. "I'm not sure this group believes in it as much as past groups as to how important it is for us.
"That's a major concern for us."
The numbers support Popovich's claim. While the Spurs are allowing 90.6 points per game, the second-fewest in the league, their field-goal percentage defense, which Popovich has long considered a more accurate barometer of the team's success, has slipped noticeably.
In each of Tim Duncan's first nine seasons, the Spurs' field-goal percentage defense ranked among the top five in the NBA; in all but two of those years it was no lower than third. This season, the Spurs are 12th with their opponents shooting 45.1 percent.
Shooting and scoring are up league-wide, but the Spurs still see considerable room for improvement. Before Saturday, their previous three opponents each had shot better than 48 percent, with Memphis and Houston making better than half their attempts.
"When we realize opponents are shooting more than 50 (percent)," Manu Ginobili said, "that's not us."
The Spurs will be tested again tonight when the Milwaukee Bucks visit. Led by guards Michael Redd and Mo Williams, the Bucks rank sixth in the league in scoring (102.6 points per game) and fifth in shooting (47.6 percent).
Adding to the Spurs' concern is their defense has been worse at home than on the road. Opposing teams are shooting 46.8 percent at the AT&T Center this season.
Popovich has yet to pinpoint a specific reason for the team's struggles.
Starting center Francisco Elson is still trying to get comfortable in the system — he was benched quickly in the second half against the Rockets for failing to rotate and protect the rim from Bonzi Wells — but Popovich said, "You can't put it on Francisco."
With the league cracking down on hand-checking fouls and other forms of perimeter contact, the Spurs have given more of a cushion to opposing shooters than in previous seasons. That's helped them from getting beat off the dribble as often, but it also has allowed their opponents a little more room to shoot.
The Spurs have done a good job of keeping their opponents off the free-throw line, which has long been an important element of their defense. Their 19.5 fouls per game is by far the league's lowest average. But their rebounding has lacked on some nights, and they rank only 22nd in the league in blocks per game, down from sixth last season.
In the meantime, the Spurs have become a much more potent offensive team compared with previous years. They rank ninth in scoring, averaging 100.1 points per game, and are second in field-goal percentage (.483) and first in 3-point percentage (.423).
The Spurs' success at the other end of the floor has some observers wondering whether the team has lost some of its defensive iden y.
"I think we've emphasized it as much as we always had," Popovich said. "Maybe it's become boring for everybody or something. Or maybe they take it for granted. Perhaps they just want to ease into it.
"I don't know what it is. We just don't have the same defensive consistency. That doesn't bode well for the team as we progress."
Popovich was happy to see the Spurs respond Saturday by holding New Orleans to 37.3 percent shooting, the lowest by an opponent this season. While the Spurs took advantage of the undermanned Hornets, they also know their improvement needs to start somewhere.
"It's a process," Tim Duncan said. "You'd love to start a season and turn that key and the car run perfectly, but it's not that way. You're going to take some ups and downs, you're going to learn some lessons and you're going to have to go through some experiences together.
"That's not saying we're in a bad position — we're in a great position right now. But to win the kind of games we want to win and to get places we want to get, we're going to have be a better defensive ball club than we've been thus far."
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I don't give a damn if we make 20 3's. Defense is ALWAYS first. We lack aggresiveness. If we are just rougher and more scrappy on defense, we have our number one defensive team back.
That's a big jump. Our defense being lower has in large part to do with the fact that our top people off the bench: Finley, Barry, Elson, and Beno (until recently) are not the greatest of defenders. Last season we had Horry, Rasho, Finley, and Barry where Rasho and Horry held up their share somewhat on the defensive end. Meanwhile, for the starters, Duncan's defense has been suprisingly inconsistent this season and Parker and Ginobili's as well. Bruce is still great as ever, however, due to the new rules guys like Kobe, Lebron, Wade, etc are lighting up against us even more.They rank only 22nd in the league in blocks per game, down from sixth last season.
The lack of defensive desire, intensity can be attributed to Tim.
The perimeter players can see that when they get beat, Tim isn't back there to help as in previous ears, so why should they hustle on defense if Tim isn't?
The same goes for last/this season's rebounding weakness.
It's Tim's team, he sets the tone and example.
That's really the main problem. I don't know what TD's thinking this season.
It's the pervceived lack of intensity that bothers me the most. I was somewhat taken back by team's fire coming out in the second half of the Rockets game. I wondered to myself where was that fire in the first half? I am almost to the point of 'hoping' ,as opposed to 'expecting' ,we win at home against the better teams. We have no sense of urgency at home and we have consistently fallen behind. I actually am beginning to believe that we may be better off on the road than at home.
It's easier to teach defensive concepts to younger talent because they are less likely to become set in their ways. Having said that, with the age, experience (oldest team in the league) and the collection of new faces on ths roster, it's no wonder there has been a decrease in defensive intensity. The guys they have brought in recently have not been known for ther defensive prowess.
If Duncan gets active on the offensive side, his defense follows in as well. That's our problem right there, because the offensive load mainly depends on Manu or Parker and all Duncan does is set screens or pass.
I quite disagree that Spurs defense has been bad this year.
It's sure that Duncan can play better D, Elson need to play better team D and that Spurs defense has been horrible sometimes.
Overall, I've found that Spurs D has been quite good especially that they have lost Rasho. BTW, Defensive stats are good too when you look at them more closely.
And I'm not the only one to think like that :
http://www.tp9.net/en/itw.php?id=154
Success at the other end of the floor?
Ludden : "I don't know what to write today, just look at Spurstalk to see what they are talking about to ahve an article's idea."
Yeah, I'm guessing he missed your points per possession angle.
Ludden : "I don't know what to write today, just look at Spurstalk to see what they are talking about to ahve an article's idea."
Biggest genius are always misunderstood.
Biggest genius are always misunderstood.
I've got a question: Who undrerstands me?
People don't understand you because you can't write english.
Bruno is on fire.People don't understand you because you can't write english.
Bruno es en fuego
And after all that the WORST defense game off the season
I think the Rockets game was worst defense than this game.
Not having Manu didn't help.
Now we should all be worried. The defense in the past several games has been simply atrocious. I don't recognize this team.
Which was the last home game before this one.
Quite a streak the Spurs have going.
For me the defense is terrible since the 1st game of the season
It's the worst Spurs defense that I see since B.Hill
Grizz and 76ers, also playing terrible
I dont know what I am more disgusted by...
The lack of defensive intensity.
or
The lack of rebounding.
I know they are related, but not entirely.
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