Spurs of the Moment

Sweeping the Jazz is one thing, but playing the Clippers who have big guys that are more athletic and a point guard who is arguably the best in the league is a different story altogether. The combination of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan had the Los Angeles Clippers dubbed “LOB CITY”. The Spurs with their own combination of fundamentals, experience and execution had them dubbed “unbeatable” by many in the national media. It was simply a matter of Skills over Hops in the Spurs 4-game sweep of the Clippers.

Tim Duncan -  21 pts / 9.2 rbs

Step through, upfake, reverse pivot, turnaround jumper and last but not least the bank shot. Tim Duncan told Blake Griffin to take a seat, because class was in session. Duncan did good work on the boards and made sure to take away the easy buckets that Griffin and Jordan get off of Cp3′s penetration. But offensively was where Duncan did most of his damage. All the athleticism of Griffin and Jordan had no chance to match the Fundamentals and skill of the greatest power forward ever.

Kawhi Leonard 10 pts 6.6 rbs 2 stls

Leonard shined in this series more so than the last. Given the assignment to guard an ailing Caron Butler worked to his advantage. He did a decent job there, but defending Chris Paul was where Leonard showed promise of being an outstanding defensive player. Cp3 and all his dribbles couldn’t shake the 6-7 Leonard. In addition to his defense his shooting from 3-pt range continues to be vital to the Spurs success.

Boris Diaw 7.5 pts 6.2 rbs

In the very first game of the series, Diaw outmuscled the big men of the Clippers to a game high 12 rbs. For the rest of the series Diaw played smart and grounded “Air Griffin”.

Tony Parker 17.3 pts 7.8 ast

Playing against Chris Paul has always inspired Parker to raise his game. In his second series against Chris Paul, Parker went after him from the tip and either outscored or handed out more assists than Paul. In game 1 he  struggled scoring but still handed out 11 ast. In the pivotal game 3 with it being nip tuck in the first 2 quarters(Spurs down by 24) Parker helped the Spurs win with a 23 pt/10 ast effort .

Danny Green 12.2pts 4rbs

Being 1 of 3 players that had the assignment of guarding the elusive Chris Paul, Green along with Leonard and Parker, shut down the penetration of Paul and contested every shot. Like Leonard, Green lit it up from 3-pt range shooting over 40%.

The Bench

Manu Ginobili 14.2 pts 4.5 ast

After going through a slump in the first round, Ginobili appeared to be closer to his normal self. With a 22 pt outburst in the first game Ginobili was able to get back on track offensively leading to him scoring in double figures in all 4 games. Not to be ignored was his playmaking (4.5 ast). With the Clippers quick guards hounding backup point guard Gary Neal  at times,  Ginobili quarterbacked the Spurs 2nd unit.

Tiago Splitter  7.2 pts  84% fg

After having solid outings in games 3 and 4 of the first round, Splitter took on a new challenge of banging with physical LA. Splitter held his own. While his shooting percentage from the free throw line has to improve for him to be a valuable asset in the fourth quarter of games, Splitter’s field goal percentage was an incredible 84%; This showed his basketball IQ. Being able to shoot such a high percentage against some of the most physical and athletic big men in the business is a credit to his craftiness around the basket.

Gary Neal 8.2 pts  47% 3pt fg

Neal was harrassed at times by the quick backcourt of the Clippers, but managed to put up points. Neal shot a good percent from deep and made timely baskets. He’s having trouble on the defensive end, but hopefully being matched up with Derek Fisher in then next round will be a reasonable defensive assignment for him.

Stephen Jackson and Matt Bonner found themselves riding the pine for a nice portion of the series. Both had their moments; Jackson did well in game 4 by making plays for others off the dribble and Bonner has sprinkled in a few buckets. The increased production of both Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw took the majority of minutes available next to Duncan in the frontcourt. The Thunder team is deep and has shotblockers, so expect to see Bonner play more of a role in drawing out the bigs (especially Ibaka). As for Jackson, his length along Leonard’s will be very important in containing Durant.

AT&T Center

Spurs vs Thunder

Tim Duncan F Serge Ibaka

Kawhi Leonard F Kevin Durant

Boris Diaw C Kendrick Perkins

The Thunder and the Spurs are pretty evenly matched, however the Spurs have a lowpost presence and multiple scorers and shotmakers. The experience factor and the their ability to “easily” score in the halfcourt will give them the winning edge.

Looking at the evidence of the last two articles, it would seem that if Tony Parker were simply in another system, and also without the creative services of Manu Ginobili, then he would be a top point guard – someone you can build your team around and win with. However, it’s not nearly that simple or true.  Two significant factors separate Tony Parker from guys like Steve Nash and Chris Paul: 1) Decision Making/Court Vision, 2) Perimeter Shooting.                  

Decision Making 

When Nash, or Paul, or anybody for that matter, runs a pick-n-roll, they always have options. What is done with those options usually shows the difference between a true point guard and a scoring point guard. In Dallas, when Nash would run a screen and roll with Nowitzki, a switch in defenders would normally be the result. What would Nash do with his options? He would wait for Dirk to establish good position mid-post (about 15 feet out) and pass him the ball. That would allow Dirk to take uncontested mid-range jumpers, because he was being guarded by the other team’s point guard. For Nash, giving up the ball to Dirk on a switch opens up even more (easy) options for him. If he gets the ball back from Dirk,  he can pass to an open teammate due to the defense shifting because of the mismatch Dirk has. Or he can take the open jumper since his taller, less mobile defender is probably sagging back due to his driving ability. Chris Paul does the same thing with David West. In each situation with Nash or Paul, they make decisions that don’t always get them assists, but give the main scorers on their team (Dirk/West) easier circumstances to operate under.            

Court Vision

We all know Nash and CP3 have court vision, but the point is that you can basically take four other guys in the NBA (at their respective positions) and put them with Nash or CP3 and it’s almost guaranteed they’ll get that team to 100 pts by the end of four quarters. What about Tony Parker? Parker always looks to score off a pick-n-roll, even if there is a switch in defenders. This takes away easy post-up/scoring opportunities for players that are bigger and don’t get plays run for them (Splitter, Blair, and Jefferson). Also, players don’t cut to the basket because Parker either doesn’t see them or is not comfortable making the pass.  In transition, Parker usually gets the ball and looks to take it all the way for the “score” even if there aren’t favorable numbers. Because of that, players that can score in transition (Jefferson, Anderson, and former Spur George Hill) don’t get easy opportunities since the ball-handler is so far ahead of them. (Note)  When Ginobili handles the ball on the break, several players get a chance and have scored (Blair, Hill, and Jefferson especially).                                    

Perimeter Shooting

Point guards that have a consistent midrange jumpshot are generally harder to stop than point guards that are lightning quick. Also, when running the most basic of NBA plays (Pick-n-roll / Isolation for a post player) the other players on the floor don’t have to be big perimeter threats. Example: Jose Calderon from the Toronto Raptors is one of the most underrated point guards in the NBA. Why? He is slow, somewhat skinny and isn’t a great one-on-one player. However, over the last 4 seasons Jose Calderon has averaged 11 points per game ( 40% 3PT FG, 48% FG overall) and 8 assists per game (only 1.8 turnovers per game). Calderon runs a lot of pick-n-rolls, as does every point guard. Because of his shooting ability, however, he has a lot more options than a point guard that is simply quick. In addition to driving for a layup or kicking out to a 3-point shooter, when the defense goes under a screen he can knock down jumpers pretty much all night. If the defense traps him he can make the outside-in pass to the player that set the screen for an easy dunk or 10-foot jumper. All of that is accomplished simply because he a can knock down shots.

What about Tony Parker? To start, many Spurs fans complain about other players besides Parker; two players in particular - 1) Richard Jefferson 2) Matt Bonner. Why is Richard Jefferson not a very consistent scorer on the Spurs? (a player who averaged 20 points per game before joining the Spurs) or Why does Matt Bonner get heavy minutes? (a frontcourt player who is arguably the worst defender and definitely worst rebounder on the team). The answer is Tony Parker’s shooting ability. Parker, like many point guards in the league, is fast but has a jumpshot that comes and goes. YES, Parker does have the ability to get to the rim and score around 20 points while shooting a high percentage. ONLY WITH THE RIGHT SPACING. That’s why Richard Jefferson, a player who was known to slash, dunk, and get many trips to the free throw line is relegated to shooting 3′s from Bruce Bowen’s corner. Matt Bonner is a one-dimensional player who would normally get minutes only in special situations or when someone is injured. Just look at the minutes that guys like Brian Cardinal and Steve Novak get. Add to that the fact they don’t get big contracts or stay on a team very long. Because of Parker’s need for space to drive, Bonner is essential to helping the offense flow when it’s being run by Parker. What happens to Parker when guys back off, stay home on shooters, and allow him to take jumpshots all game? Look what happened to Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose during the conference finals.

The Truth: Parker is not a top point guard, he is an above average point guard. One San Antonio talk show host referred to Parker as a “20 (points) and 5 (assists) guy”. Tony Parker has above average skills in certain areas. For him to be a top point guard, he has to fill the holes in his game. Namely, his shooting from the perimeter must be a lot more consistent. He also needs to be a more willing passer. Nothing spectacular, but simply giving the ball to players in areas that they can operate. So, while Parker is not a guy you wanna build a championship team around, he is still an important piece for the Spurs if they ever want to win a championship again.

Last week we looked at the offensive system the great Chris Paul of the Hornets plays in and compared it to Tony Parker and the Spurs. This week we will look at another factor that robs Tony Parker of getting his so-called 10 dimes a game that every good point guard should have, and that is the personnel they play with – in particular at the shooting guard position.

Steve Nash – A few years ago he was the best point guard in the league (before the 07-08 CP3 came along). He has incredible court vision and on ESPN they always show his incredible passes, just like with Chris Paul. However, when looking at the personnel he plays next to in the backcourt (09-10 Jason Richardson/10-11 Vince Carter), you’ll notice that their play-making abilities are almost non-existent when compared to Nash.

Steve Nash 09-10 [11 apg]
Jason Richardson 09-10 [1.8 apg]

Steve Nash 10-11 [11.4 apg]
Vince Carter 10-11 [1.6 apg]

What about Tony Parker? Who is his running mate in the backcourt? Why yes, probably the most loved Spur in SA right now, Manu Ginobili. How are his playmaking abilities next to TP?

Tony Parker 09-10 [5.7 apg]
Manu Ginobili [4.9 apg]

Tony Parker 10-11 [6.6 apg]
Manu Ginobili [4.9 apg]

Ginobili has great court vision and pure point guard characteristics. In pick-and-rolls and on the break he is dangerous as a scorer and a passer. Meanwhile, Vince Carter is not the player he once was, and his passing ability is almost gone, especially since he is already playing with one of the best passing point guards in the league. And former Sun Jason Richardson was always an athletic scorer and nothing more anyway.

Looking back at Parker, he not only has to share his ballhandling abilities with Ginobili throughout the game, but is basically playing the two-guard position in the 4th since Ginobili is the Spurs ‘Closer’. For the Phoenix Suns, Nash will have the ball in his hands almost all the time, especially when it’s deep in the 4th.

Bottom line – Nash, unlike Parker, always has the ball and rarely will you see someone else bring up the ball and initiate the offense if he is on the court. So if there is going to be an assist on a play, there’s a 90% chance it will get credited to Nash. While in Parker’s case, he doesn’t always bring up the ball and start the offense. Parker’s career high in assists per game is 6.9 in the 2008-09 season. Is there any significance to that? Yes, Manu Ginobili was sidelined for most of the season and all of the playoffs, therefore the ball was put in Parker’s hands almost all the time like Steve Nash. This is pretty much true with all of the high assist point guards in the league. Just take a look:

Chris Paul 10-11 [9.8 apg]
Marco Belinelli [1.2 apg]

Rajon Rondo 10-11 [11.2 apg]
Ray Allen [2.7 apg]

Deron Williams 10-11 [12.8 apg w/ Nets]
Anthony Morrow [1.2 apg]

Thus far, looking at the evidence it would seem Tony Parker does get unfair criticism for his style of play considering the system and personnel he plays with, or does he? Next week the finale, Part 3- The Truth.

Three time NBA Champion, three time NBA All-star, and throw in an NBA Finals MVP award. Normally, any player with those type of credentials would be forever loved in the city he plays in. That’s not the case for Spurs guard Tony Parker, who has all the accolades listed above. Lets take a deeper look at one reason why Tony Parker is not liked and gets unfair criticism among Spurs fans.

Reason: He is a Point guard that can’t distribute.
Or so that’s what many think. Is he a score first point guard? Yes. He is not going to rack up assists like former Spurs point guards Avery Johnson and Johnny Moore. However, when looking at other point guards in the league (in particular those with a high number of assists per game) like CP3, Nash and Rondo; many people look at the numbers they put up instead of how they get them during the course of a game. Lets look at TP and the players mentioned and do a legitimate comparison of both system and personnel.

Chris Paul – On ESPN they always show a few plays of CP3. Usually it goes something like this: Him crossing over some big guy and throwing a no-look pass in between three defenders for a two handed dunk. Then they show his stats and he ends the night with 13 assists. Truth is folks, he only gets about two of those plays a night, which is still incredible. Still, by watching a full game you’ll notice he gets a lot of easy assists that are all system-based. Besides getting the assists where he penetrates and kicks out, he gets alot of assists off David West. David West is arguably one of the best pick and spot up players in the game. Also, when West gets the ball isolated at 17 feet out, he usually faces up and hits the jumper or simply takes one dribble to his right and goes up with a baby hook. In addition to throwing the ball to West, the Hornets/CP3 runs quick shot motion plays for the shooters (Belinelli, Ariza and sometimes even bigs like West and Landry). One simple pass to a shooter coming of a screen and there’s another easy assist. Simple math = think how many assists Paul can get if he runs that play ten times and the guy he passes to is a 50% shooter.

Tony Parker – The Spurs also have shooters they can use the same way that the Hornets use theirs. Neal, Novak, Anderson, and even Jefferson are all pretty capable shooters wouldn’t you say? However, while the Hornets and Chris Paul use a considerable amount of player movement, the Spurs use alot more ball movement. Example: Everyone except for the screener is behind the 3pt line while Tony Parker drives to the basket and kicks out to Neal, who then drives and kicks out to Bonner, who swings the ball to a wide open Jefferson in the corner. Parker did most of the work but doesn’t get credit for the assist. Of course, if he simply called plays for guys like Novak and Neal to come off screens he could probably get alot more assists, less turnovers, and have energy to play more defense, which is something else Spurs fans don’t like about Parker.

This article covered and compared the different systems that both point guards play in. Coming Soon: The personnel they play next to at the shooting guard position.

The Spurs traded Curtis Jerrells to the Hornets on Monday, about a week after releasing Kirk Penney. On Tuesday they released James Gist. The Jerrells trade makes sense for both teams. New Orleans could use another backup for Chris Paul, and some added backcourt depth, especially with Marcus Thornton struggling and about to lose minutes to Marco Belinelli. Apparently Dell Demps, who left the Spurs front office this summer to become the new Hornets GM, liked Jerrells enough to swap a 2nd-round pick for him. As for Penney, well I guess he wasn’t impressive enough on defense. He can shoot, but the Spurs have shooters. It’s the defense that needs to be tweaked. I am a little surprised though – not that he was cut, but that he was first to go. Gist was never gonna make the team.  I was gonna look up his pre-season numbers but no one cares.

That brings the total of Spurs players to 15, but Pop said he was thinking of cutting it to 13 earlier this pre-season. So who is left? Gary Neal, Bobby Simmons, Alonzo Gee, Marcus Cousin, and Garrett Temple. The Spurs could keep them all and just leave 3 on the inactive list or assign to the Austin Toros D-League team. However, if they cut two more than I would expect … crap I have no idea what to expect. I don’t even know if I have a preference for who they should keep except for Gary Neal who lit it up in the NBA Summer League. Incidentally, he is the only one who has a guaranteed contract, so I doubt that he’s in any danger. Temple’s chances improve with Jerrells gone, and since Parker was so injury prone last season I could see them hanging on to him. The rest I have no idea. Let’s just move on…

Tiago Splitter has yet to play a game for the Spurs, so Pop has declared DeJuan Blair the starting center for the Spurs opener. Also, the Spurs picked up the 4th-year option on George Hill’s contract.

So the NBA draft lottery was held last night before the tip-off of the Celtics-Magic game, and the Wizards won the first overall pick. So now the Wizards are faced with several different decisions: A) Draft Evan Turner instead of the projected and consensus #1 pick, John Wall, B) Draft Wall and send Arenas packing, or C) Draft Wall and keep Arenas and see how that pans out. They could even trade the pick, although I think that it’s unlikely. I find it funny since Arenas is the one who basically derailed the Wizards last season with his firearm shenanigans, yet the team chose to keep him and move damn near everyone else. Perhaps it’s because they still believe in him, but I think they just know that they won’t get near the value they want by dumping him, assuming anyone would trade for his ginormous contract and questionable judgement. At any rate, now they are faced with the prospect of having two point guards and trying to make it work, trading the pick, trading Arenas (good luck with that), or drafting Turner. It’ sounds messed up, but then again, that’s not really a very bad problem to have.

So after the draft lottery we got to watch Orlando squander home-court advantage by losing again to the Celtics. Let me just say this: I stand corrected. Boston is legit and Rondo is THE reason I am watching this series. Rondo looks like he is 12, but that’s a bad man and he should be counted among the NBA’s top point guards more often than he is. Nash, Deron, CP3, Kidd, Rose… those guys always get the love, but Rondo has the ring and is well on his way to another one. The Celtics are primed to get back to the top and duel the Lakers, showing that the only reason LA won last year was thanks to KG’s injury derailing Boston’s season. I’d buy that. Orlando meanwhile… what can I say? It’s hard to win it all when your best player shoots free throws like a drunken Shaq, Rashard Lewis is giving you like five points a game, and Vince Carter looks like he is preparing excuses like when he slipped and then laid there for ten minutes writhing as if he’d been shot.

I don’t care who wins tho, just so long as it isn’t the Lakers, and right now I think that Boston is the team to beat them.

The Spurs have won seven of their last eight games and are on a three game winning streak again after that debacle against Cleveland. OK, so they only played the Clippers, T-Wolves, and Knicks, but as the Knicks showed our North Texas Nemesis, if you don’t come to play, there are no easy wins in this league – not even against the cellar dwellers.

Read more »

Tony Parker and Tim Duncan had their way with the Hornets yesterday and the Spurs cruised past New Orleans 97-90. The Spurs led by as many as 21 points in the game, and they out-rebounded the Hornets 50-38. The Spurs players were aggressive all day and ended up making 24-of-38 free throws compared to only 10-of-12 for the Hornets. That, plus the Spurs shooting 7-of-18 from downtown, pretty much kept the Hornets on their heels the whole game. Richard Jefferson missed his first game in forever with back spasms, which I am going to take as a positive development for two reasons:
1) It helps explain his ineptitude in the previous two games when he was a combined 3-of-13 from the field including an 0-for-6 outing against Memphis.
2)The Spurs played well without him in the lineup and it might convince Popovich to try bringing RJ off the bench for a few games, a move which could help in the overall chemistry of the team.

Read more »

It seems there is a rumor going around that the Spurs offered up Tony Parker for Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. I don’t buy it, and it seems that most people don’t either.

Read more »

In case you missed my draft diary for the Writers League, check it out here.  It’s been three weeks since the season started and I gotta tell you, my team is struggling. We were able to pull out a much needed TIE last week. That’s right, I was settling for “not losing”. I don’t get it, my teams are great in my other leagues, but I am getting pummeled in this one. I’m going to try and figure out why and chronicle it right here.  Read more »