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The Spurs aren't young -- and they aren't panicking
Posted: Thursday January 25, 2007 9:41PM; Updated: Thursday January 25, 2007 10:42PM
Tim Duncan and Tony Parker hope to be in peak physical condition for the playoffs.
David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
No contender in the East is nearly so frightening as San Antonio is in the West. The Spurs hold the third-best record in the league with an All-Star trio aged 30 (Tim Duncan), 29 (Manu Ginobili) and 26 (Tony Parker). And yet there is a growing sense that they are too old, that the younger, livelier Mavericks and Suns have passed them by.
"It's a legitimate concern for us,'' acknowledges 35-year-old Brent Barry, who is one of seven Spurs on the wrong side of 30.
On Thursday morning, the Spurs were five games behind Phoenix and a further half-game behind Dallas, lending credence to reports that they are interested in trades that would make them younger and -- theoretically -- more relevant.
"I don't think that our bench play has been as good as it has been in the past,'' coach Gregg Popovich says. "From time to time our starters have been a little bit inconsistent. And thusly we've lost three or four more games at this point that we usually do. That's not a good thing because I think the West is probably tougher than it's ever been, but it also doesn't mean that the sky is falling.''
Michael Finley and Robert Horry are shooting less than 38 percent, and San Antonio's depth -- historically a strength -- has been further diminished by frontcourt injuries to Francisco Elson and Matt Bonner. But at this stage the Spurs will be making an uncharacteristic blunder if they cash out their experience for youth.
This isn't the first time the Spurs have looked vulnerable in midseason. In their championship year of 2002-03, they were a middling 19-13 before closing out with a 41-9 run. One year earlier they went 15-13 in January and February, followed by a 22-3 sprint through March and April. And the year before that they were 23-15 at this point of the season -- and 35-9 thereafter.
It's as if something in Popovich's system creates these painful lulls of self-examination, followed by redemptive winning streaks in which they cleanse themselves at the expense of all comers.
"I know that we sort of go back to the beginning each year -- teaching-wise, offensively and defensively -- by going back to the basics, and starting slowly in that regard,'' says Popovich, trying to explain why it often takes so long to strike a rhythm. "And not doing everything then that we might do toward playoff time, as far as adjustments and things.''
"The M.O. is to get guys to watch it, then get guys involved in it, and then while you're getting involved in it there's an evaluation process as to what exactly is going to work for you and how you're going to fit into it,'' says Barry (and it would sound like a lot of hooey if the numbers didn't back him up.) "And then in the second half of the year that's how you get plugged in, depending on what the opponent is or what the situation is. And still ultimately you're relying on Tim, Manu and Tony to be steadfast and take care of most of the business.''
It's also not easy to find inspiration after so many long years of contending. While the Mavs and Suns are playing with a sense of desperation to win their first championship, most of the key Spurs are trying to recreate something they've already managed one or two or three times before.
Another problem is that the league seems to be trending against the Spurs. The rules now reward smaller more athletic players on the perimeter at the expense of Duncan, who has been shifting to center more than usual.
``It makes it tough for him defensively because there are fewer and fewer people a guy like that can guard,'' says Popovich of 6-11 Duncan. "Because there are no big forwards really; I mean, there are a couple, but in general (there aren't). And offensively when he's got the ball, it's easy to double- team a big guy. It's easy to get the ball out of his hands and decide that it's going to be done on the perimeter. And so if our perimeter isn't composed of guys who just got drafted in the last couple of years, or they're all 24 or 25 years old, then athletically we're a little bit behind the curve in that sense. So the rules definitely have made it tougher for us.''
Instead of surrounding the three-point line with youngsters to drive to the basket, the Spurs are settled with elderly shooters in Bruce Bowen and second-teamers Finley, Horry and Barry -- with Barry providing the only consistent performance off the bench.
A lot of people around the league give the Spurs little hope of winning the West. But Popovich's next statement has the ring -- in his case the championship ring -- of truth. "I look back at last year and people say, 'You know, you didn't get by Dallas,' '' he says. "Well, if not for one ill-advised foul (by Ginobili at the end of Game 7) we do get beyond Dallas. And if we do, then people wouldn't speak about us being old. They would say, 'Dallas still couldn't get over the hump against that experienced, executing bunch of Spurs.' But since that foul in the seventh game, you're old.
"So I try not to put us in a category. I think that we've got to grind it out like we usually do, play the way we play knowing full well the rules have changed. And our defense has changed in that regard, we've had to make some changes in the system. But I think being healthy at the end of the year, we'll be able to play with anybody.''
The big mistake would be in trading potential playoff contributors in order to bring in younger players who offer more athleticism to San Antonio but won't have a clue how to apply it within the Spurs' cerebral gameplan. Don't you think Popovich is relieved that his attempts at moving Barry for J.R. Smith collapsed at the trading deadline last year? A 21-year-old like Smith is years away from being able to help a contender like San Antonio win games in May and June.
The harsh conference environment may yet change. While the Mavericks have exhibited no weakness, the Suns' injury to Kurt Thomas (out until next month with a left elbow subluxation) leaves them with a seven-man rotation amid the annual fears that soon-to-be 33-year-old Steve Nash (career-high 35.6 minutes) will burn out by spring.
The Spurs owe it to themselves to give it one more year with this group. They're losing games in no small part because they're saving themselves for the real season ahead. "Health is the No. 1 key going into the playoffs,'' Popovich says. Elson (who runs the floor as if he's closer to 25 than his age of 30) is already back on the court, and Bonner (26) will return next month to provide some fresh blood -- and both players already know how to play around Duncan, Ginobili and Parker.
The Spurs won't be favored in the latter rounds of the playoffs, but that doesn't mean they aren't capable of rope-a-doping anybody. Duncan is far healthier than last year, and Ginobili is playing as well as when he was an All-Star two years ago. And if they can ever find their typical late-season rhythm, they might ultimately demonstrate that making the simple extra pass can overcome younger bodies and fresher legs.
anic. NBA style.
Good article
Isn't Parker 24?
Not in French years.
I also think the Spurs chances of winning it all are still good. I don't agree with not trying to get someone younger for Barry or Finely.
Nice article.
good article
Which.........is why my mantra, every single dang year since '99, is:
"Midseason we catch , by April we jell,"
wish it was "It's February, no reason to worry" though that'll never happen
good article
He'll be 25 in May. Nice fact checking on their part.
Fluff piece. Pop obviously has total control over the AOL/Time-Warner company. You don't see Kevin O'Keefe working there, do you?
Not worried? They should be.....and so should we.
im not so sure that that late season cruising will happen this year and if it does it wont be as smooth
You doubters need to relax dammit! I don't like the "cruise-control" mentality, but I'm not the one out there running around for 82 games either. Dal and Phx are trying to get where we've been. They're hungry, so yes they have a good chance, but so do we. Compe ion from the Mavs and PHX (and possibly Lakers) will be fierce, but you (Mavs fans included) have to admit, that series w/ Dallas last year was a nail biter. the reg. season, the team w/ the most intensity in the playoffs will rule. Also, say what you will, but I have a feeling Finley will elevate just a "tad" around that time! CHURCH!
stiil hurts no matter what you say
There's no such animal as a "cruise control" mentality in this sport. There is no magical "on" button for them to hit come March, April and May.
Anyone who thinks the Spurs are only in "deep hibernation" is totally deluded. Their lack of athleticism, their age on the perimeter and dimishished overall ability to play team defense has combined into the mess you see today.
Enjoy the rest of the season and a short playoff life.
Even the coach and some of the players say itYou're a fan just like I am. How would you know? Oh I forgot, watching the game on t.v. makes you an expert and can read the players minds.
SI measures the age of European players in metric.
I'm no expert. No one is. However anyone with any brains whose been watching the damn games, knows this team has major flaws with the manner that it's currently constructed.Even the coach and some of the players say it
This team is lacking their usual mental toughness, lacking that championship-level defense that we've become accustomed to, lacking the ability to "squeeze" teams in late stretches of games.
Simply playing out the regular season string and hoping for the best is not the recipe for playoff success.
And PHX has no defense or a post player. All teams have a weakness, even the Bulls had their weaknesses. Dallas doesn't have any ball movement. Get a grip
I will be saving this article and reposting it at the end of the regular season to see if, infact, we really do make a winning streak and finish strong.
Sad to say that just as I've watched some teams have their windows closed(especially Sacramento 3 years ago), the Spurs seem to be losing that fear they used to put in their opponents.
Losing to a Lakers team minus Lamar Odom & Kwame Brown as well as a Yao-less Rockets is really making the Spurs look as vulnerable as ever but more importantly, it's losing our intimidation factor against all the teams, even the worst teams like Memphis.
I'm not ready to count out the Spurs because that would be a bit hasty, but to be honest I would not be shocked to see the Spurs lose in the 1st round against a tough opponent. If that happens, say goodbye to one of the big 3(manu/parker/duncan).
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