Spurs of the Moment

After Going 8-0 in the playoffs, the Spurs faced the up and coming OKC team. This team was obviously young, lacked a true lowpost presence, and was beatable ( Spurs won season series 2-1). The Spurs jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, but this time it was slightly different. In the first 2 games of the last few series the Spurs manhandled their opponent. In game one verses the Thunder, the Spurs were knocked back in the first 3 quarters, until the offense of Ginobili and the defense of Stephen Jackson bailed them out for a late victory. In game two, the Spurs returned the favor and got out to a convincing lead. The Thunder never gave up and fought back only to lose by 9. The end of game 2 spelled possible trouble for the rest of the series. After defensive adjustments by the Thunder and poorly timed meltdowns from Spur role players the Thunder won four games straight and ended the Spurs season and advanced to the NBA Finals.

All in all a very succesfull season for the Spurs. The young guns contributed much more than expected and gave the Spurs a reason to believe in the future. With Tim Duncan’s hefty contract coming off the books and a good chance he’ll resign for significantly cheaper, the Spurs have an opportunity to pick up better, mentally tougher role players to replace some of the ones that didnt fair well.

Tim Duncan -  17 pts  9.8 rbs  2.3 blks

The numbers look good, but the reality is that Duncan got those numbers by playing more minutes than he usually does. The lowpost defense of Kendrick Perkins and shotblocking ability of Serge Ibaka had Duncan playing indecisive and at times soft. Kevin Garnett of the Celtics shoots jumpers without hesitation, for a while Duncan did just that. In the WCF, Duncan hesitated and was unsure of what he wanted to do. Eventually Duncan ran out of gas (most notably in the second half of game 6).

Kawhi Leonard – 8.8 pts 7.3 rbs

Leonard did pretty much everything you can ask from a rookie, especially in this series. He did his best to defend Kevin Durant. He played a lot of power forward next to Duncan at center but still held his own on the boards. More amazing is the circumstances he did it in. During this series, lineup changes were made because most of the role players couldn’t handle the pressure that OKC was throwing at them, which lead to DNP-CD’s and limited minutes for them. Because of this, Leonards minutes were increased (41 minutes in game 6 / 30 min avg for series) and he performed well.

Boris Diaw – 5.8 pts 4.8 rbs

Diaw didnt really do anything negative in the series, he also didnt do much positive as well. Basically he didnt do much of anything. His basketball IQ and passing really didnt lead to much production; some games he rebounded well, others he didn’t. He wasn’t running around making poor plays, but he wasn’t a difference maker and simply ate up minutes this series.

Tony Parker – 21.5 pts 6.3 ast

Parker against Westbrook was a key to the Spurs winning this series. Westbrook at times forces the issue and forgets about his teammates (Durant in particular). If Parker simply ran the show and didnt make it a one on one game I figured the Spurs would be poised to win. In games 1-2 and 6 Parker went after Westbrook, the problem was that more than half the role players that Parker had at his disposal during the regular season went missing in action. Parker had to work a lot harder in the latter part of the series and although he had a sensational first half in game 6 (21 pts 10 ast/ finished with 29 pts/12 ast) he along with the remaining Spurs got tired and worn down by the athletic Thunder.

Manu Ginobili 18.5 pts  3.3 ast 3.8 rbs

After coming off the bench for most of the season and playoffs, Ginobili – being one of the few Spurs that had heart – started game 5 of the series. Manu immediately had an impact and poured in 34 pts, but it wasn’t enough for the Spurs to win the pivotal game 5. In game 6 Ginobili played more minutes than he was used to and didnt have alot to give en route to a 107-99 loss to the Thunder. While his scoring in the series was up and down, Ginobili did what he could in other areas of the game as usual. However, like many of the Spurs ballhandlers/playmakers the length and athleticism of the Thunder forced him into  ill-advised turnovers.

The Bench

Stephen Jackson – 11.8 pts 61% 3pt fg

It had been a decent run in the playoffs for Jack, but when the chips were down he rose to the occasion. In game 1 Kevin Durant needed to be held in check and thats exactly what Jackson did. On the defensive end he got “Nasty” with Durant and hit a momentum shifting three pointer and helped the Spurs win game 1. In game 6 he showed true grit. With the Spurs bench cut in half due too poor play, Jackson logged big minutes and produced 5/6 from behind the arc and refused to go down without a fight. He jawed with TNT analyst and Thunder assistant coach Mo Cheeks, and gave it his all. It’s no secret why the Spurs traded for him.

Gary Neal – 6.5 pts 48% 3pt fg

Neal, battling illness for the latter part of the series, did what he could. He shot well, but the athletic Westbrook and the veteran Derek Fisher got the best of him. Going forward, hopefully his ballhandling and defense will improve next season.

The Spurs bench had been so dominant in the regular season and playoffs, which helped to keep the big 3′s minutes down.  Tiago Splitter struggled with his free throws and overall play. Dejuan Blair could barely get playing time, and all this left too much on Duncan’s plate. Most notable however, was the decline of Danny Green and Matt Bonner. Green is a streaky shooter, but he was also hesitant and unsure of himself. His minutes were starting to dwindle after game 2 and by game 5 he was out of the starting lineup seeing spot minutes off the bench. His defense wasn’t bad, but his indecisive play on offense cost him. As for Matt Bonner who was key in this series because of his ability to draw out the Thunder’s big men once again came up short in pressure situations. For Matt Bonner its been four straight years of solid regular season play and in those same four seasons, terrible outings in the playoffs. Pop usually allows Bonner to work himself out of funks, but this time he pulled the string. Bonner played 2 minutes in game 4, 50 seconds in game 5 and was benched in game 6. The Spurs may try to part ways with the red rocket for a more reliable playoff shooter.

It was a succesful season, but the Spurs have many big decisions to make. It starts with who to keep and who to get rid of. Duncan will most likely resign for cheaper allowing the Spurs to get a quality playoff performer. Is there another draft day trade in the works for San Antonio? Will Danny Green be resigned? Will Matt Bonner be dealt? Time will tell.

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.

Around this time a year ago the Spurs were swallowing an embarrasing first round exit at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. Getting beat in the first round is definitely demoralizing when you factor having the best record in the Western Conference and obvious championship aspirations to go with it. Many were wondering if this was the last run for the Big 3. Would Parker be traded? Was Duncan too old? Was Ginobili too fragile? Would the Spurs as a whole survive a fast-paced 66 game season?

Those questions were quickly answered, especially after the All Star break. Tony Parker was not traded and he masterfully ran the show for the Spurs en route to a league leading offense (2nd in points and among top 5 in offensive effeciency). Tim Duncan took a few sips from the fountain of youth and played solid in the second half of the season. Manu Ginobili, although hurt during the regular season, went into the playoffs rested and got through the first round healthy for the first time since the Spurs’ 2007 playoff run. And the team as whole. with key additions and youth, once again obtained the best record in the West.

The STARTERS

Tim Duncan – 14.3 pts 8.8 rbs 1.7 blks in 30 mins a game

Remember that song by Cher, “If I could turn back time”? It seems Tim Duncan looked in the closet and pulled out the 2005 version of himself. The jumper, the drive and the moves on the block have been pretty consistent. But the defense is what’s been outstanding; holding Al Jefferson (in some ways a younger version of himself) has been impressive. Contesting shots, bodying him up on the block and not biting on fakes has made Tim Duncan a monster on defense.

Kawhi Leonard 7 pts 3.3 rbs 40% from 3 pt range in 20 mins a game

I expected Leonard to get a few starts in the regular season but getting minutes in the playoffs would be hard to come by. I was wrong and Kawhi started the second half of the season on into the playoffs. Offensively, game two was his best outing when he scored 17 points. Defensively he has been matched up against Josh Howard most of the time. How did he fair? He held the one time All Star to under 4 points and 29% shooting from the field for the series.

Boris Diaw 5.5 pts 4.8 rbs 60% fg in 24 mins a game

Diaw was definitely a “forgotten man” as the great Marv Albert would say. Cast away in Charlotte and not getting along with the coach, his contract was bought out. With a little coaxing from his best bud Tony Parker he signed with the Spurs and worked his way into the starting lineup. Diaw although not very tall has the “girth” to defend post players and has Lamar Odom like skills on offense. He layed low in this series by simply playing solid and effecient. He shot well, defended well, and currently for the playoffs is the Spurs 2nd best rebounder after 4 games.

Tony Parker 21.3 pts 6.5 ast 50% fg in 33 mins a game

Parker was by far the driving force in the first two games. After being outplayed by Mike Conley last season, Parker took on a bigger challenge in Devin harris. Harris, although having trouble adjusting to the flex offense in Utah, is still as quick (maybe slightly quicker) than Parker and has at times gotten the best of parker on the court. Parker torched Harris and also held him to 13 pts and under 4 ast a game. Harris also shot a poor 40% from the field. Stopping Parker’s penetration was impossible in the first two games and as for the games in Utah, Parker made jumpshots and key plays when needed.

Danny Green 8.5 pts 4 rbs 1 blk in 25 mins a game

Danny Green was another surprise starter going into the playoffs. Offensively, Green did a decent job of scoring by hitting a few open 3s and making plays off the dribble. Defensively, Green did his best Bowen impression and was a pest to Utah’s 3rd leading scorer Gordon Hayward. He held Hayward to 7 points shooting only 18% from the field. The Bowen effect was definitely in play; Hayward is probably still having nightmares about being defended by Green.

The BENCH

Stephen Jackson 10 pts 3.8 rbs 53% from 3 pt range in 25 mins a game

The Prodigal son returned. Whenever you trade a guy who goes into hiding during crunchtime (Jefferson) for a guy who says “I still make love to pressure” and is familiar with Spurs basketball, your in pretty good shape. During the playoffs Jackson stepped up his game defensively by defending Paul Millsap when the Jazz went with their big frontline, and offensively by going 31% from the 3 pt range in the regular season to 53% in the playoffs.

Tiago Splitter 8 pts 3.7 rbs in 15 mins game

The injury bug bit Tiago Splitter a bit and he had to miss game two because of a bruised hand. However, Splitter came back strong in games 3 & 4 scoring ten points in each game. Splitter’s length gives Coach Popovich a reliable back up to Duncan and the option of running the twin tower lineup that fans have been begging for.

Manu Ginobili 8.5 pts 3.5 rbs 4.5 ast in 25 mins a game

Ginobili for a while couldnt throw a beach ball in the ocean, but it really didn’t matter because games 1 & 2 were blowouts. In game 4 Ginobili got on track by pouring in a series high 17 points and hitting a couple of 3s in the process. But game 3 was really where Ginobili showed his value. His shot still wasn’t falling but Ginobili stayed relevant and active by handing out ten assists with only one turnover off the bench.

Gary Neal / Matt Bonner / Dejuan Blair

All three helped the cause, Neal and Bonner by shooting over 50% from 3 pt range and Blair by filling in for the injured Tiago Splitter in game 2 where he recorded 10 pts & 7 rbs. Bonner really battled defending the physical frontline of  the Jazz while still hitting a solid percent (50%) from 3. Neal being thrust into the backup point guard role has done a decent job of running the team and has contributed offensively like expected (8.3 pts 56% 3 pt fg). Blair is the surprise, after lossing his starting job and place in the rotation Blair came in with a mature, professional attitude and took care of business whenever his number was called. The Spurs bench as a whole dominated the Jazz. Lets hope the that continues on to the next round.

It’s certainly great to have Basketball back in SA. After the billionaires and millionaires finished dividing the spoils (Or lack thereof they claim) we get to see the big three in action again. Let’s take a look see at this first week where the Spurs went 3-1, and let me tell you there are some bizarre numbers that pop out.

Starting Unit

DeJuan Blair (16 pts/7 rbs) is having a very good start to the season. Although the jumpshot isn’t there and the free throw shooting is a work in progress, he has played solid. Blair on offense is finishing better around the rim and is figuring out how to use his body in the post more. He also has added the “floater” to his offensive arsenal. On defense he is doing a little better job of moving his feet and taking charges, but there is still work to be done in that area. Rebounding has steadily gone up as well.
Richard Jefferson (11 pts/47% 3pt fg) is hitting his jumper like he did last season, but if there is something I really like about Jefferson it’s that he is taking shots with guys in his face. Confidence has always been an issue since RJ has been wearing the silver and black, but so far this season he has been more aggressive taking jumpshots and has had less mental lapses during games.

Tim Duncan (9 pts/6 rbs) has gotten his butt kicked by father time it seems. He is kind of slow on defense and is not the leading shot-blocker for the Spurs thus far (a role he’s had since ……………?????? yeah, that long). In all seriousness though, Duncan has played more of a supporting role, allowing Blair and Splitter to do the heavy lifting for now, which is probably fine with him since the Spurs are winning by comfortable margins. He’ll definitely come around when he is needed.

Tony Parker (13 pts/6 ast) has been solid. His assist numbers are the same as always, but how he is getting them is what impresses me. In years past, the floor would be spread and he would do a lot of dribbling in an effort to get to the paint for a score or an assist for a spot up 3. This year he has been allowing the motion of the offense to develop while he waits for the perfect opportunity to pass to an open player all while he is standing at the top of arc. With Parker this opening week it has been to play smarter not harder.
Manu Ginobili (19 pts/54% 3pt fg) has come out firing and putting teams in the torture chamber (as Sean Elliott likes to say). His shot is on, he’s driving well and his play making is still great, just ask Dejuan Blair. As Manu goes so do the Spurs. His inspiring play fuels the team, as we have seen in game 1 and early in game 2 as he lead the charge in delivering a stunning blow to the heavily favored Clippers. Unlike Duncan, who will pick up the slack as the season goes on, Ginobili will eventually get tired and will need someone from the likes of Anderson or Neal to step up during this fast paced season. That way he’ll have legs left for the playoffs.

THE BENCH: The good, the bad and the ugly

Center, Tiago Splitter is undoubtedly the good (7 pts/6 rbs) finally getting meaningful minutes. Impressive about Splitter is his footwork on defense and his ability to stay in front of his man. Last season Splitter showed his ability to take charges, and that trend has continued this season. What nobody expected was for Tiago to be the teams leading shot-blocker at any point in a season where Tim Duncan is on the team. Splitter has averaged almost 2 blocks a game. Let’s see how long this continues.
Forward, Kawhi Leonard has been a good acquisition for the Spurs. For two seasons the Spurs haven’t had a backup for the sometimes lackluster Richard Jefferson. Kawhi has averaged 6 pts/6 rbs playing behind RJ. The great thing about Leonard is that he is athletic and a good rebounder, which at times allows Coach Pop to play him at PF and not get burned.

Guards, TJ Ford and James Anderson we can say are the bad (or fair). Ford has shown that he has a much easier time being a setup point guard than Parker. However, while he does a good job passing the ball, he also tends to pass up shots and turn the ball over by jumping in the air to pass. James Anderson has played with confidence, but his shot hasn’t fallen as much as he’d like and at times it seems that defense isn’t a priority to him.

Forward, Matt Bonner is obviously the ugly. We know he is a poor rebounder, but averaging 20 minutes a game, being third tallest player on the team, and being next to last in average rebounds at a whopping 1 per game is beyond bad. Bonner’s three point shooting, his and Pop’s usual alibi for his poor rebounding and defense, is fading so far. He has shot only 38% from deep. While that may seem high, it doesn’t look very impressive when you factor in last season where he led the Spurs and the league in 3 Pt FG% and grabbed a few more rebounds (3 per game). This year he already has 2 guys on his team ahead of him.

In a move that came as a surprise to pretty much no one, the Spurs have waived Antonio McDyess. We kind of knew he was going to retire since last season, but it’s a little strange that it took this long for things to materialize. “Dice” was a decent big man for the Spurs over the last couple of seasons, but he’s been on a steady decline for years now and only averaged just over five points and five rebounds in his two seasons with the Spurs. This should clear the way for more playing time for DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter.

Speaking of which…

The Spurs lost to the Rockets in their first preseason game this past Saturday. Blair had 16 points and seven boards in 26 minutes while Splitter scored 13 points to go with three boards in 27 minutes. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker didn’t play in the contest, but recently signed point guard TJ Ford did play. He finished with eight points (1-of-5 from the field) and six assists in 26 minutes of action.

With this lock-out I have had little motivation to talk basketball, but today I managed to dig deep and finish what I started and write for the people. I am excited because it now seems we’ll have a season afterall.

While we have taken a look at the Spurs defense and how it has declined over the years, we’ll now take a look at their offense which is very interesting. But before we take a look forward at some possible changes the Spurs may need to make, let’s take a look back, WAY BACK, to see how the offense has developed to where it is now.

To start this history lesson, we’ll look at the Spurs 1988-89 season – one of the worst seasons the Spurs have ever had (21-61 record). Whats interesting about that season is that two members of the Spurs current team were present and active for the Spurs then as well. Who, you might ask? That would be Gregg Popovich and RC Buford both serving as assistant coaches to Larry Brown back then.

The next season the Spurs made moves, plus got David Robinson, and were successful. However, there was one thing that always hindered the Spurs – their shooting. While Robinson and Sean Elliott both had range, Terry Cummings, Willie Anderson and Rod Strickland had iffy jumpshots. So although Robinson could torch anyone who was guarding him, the opposing team learned to cheat off players by double and triple teaming Robinson with Elliott being the only one that could make them pay on the perimeter.

Popovich saw this for three straight years, so when he finally got another gifted big man in Tim Duncan, he made sure that every season the Spurs had a plethora of shooters to space the floor for Duncan and to a lesser extent Robinson. Since the 2000-01 season, the Spurs have been one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the league.

There is a shocking similiarity to the Spurs 2000-01 season and that of last season. In both those seasons the Spurs led the league in 3-point FG%. Ironically enough, they did this using the same system. In 2000-01 Tim Duncan was unstoppable offensively, and David Robinson still had a solid game. What the Spurs would do is lineup high percentage 3-point shooters in the other three positions (SF – Danny Ferry, SG – Antonio Daniels, PG – Terry Porter).

In the 2001 playoffs the Spurs met up with a Los Angeles Lakers team that suprisingly beat them in four straight games. The Lakers exposed holes the Spurs had on both ends of the floor, especially offensively. With Robinson not having a great series and Duncan now being doubled aggressively,  the Spurs offense came to a screeching halt with Antonio Daniels being the only perimeter player to make plays and using a lot of energy to guard a young Kobe Bryant on the other end.

In the 2011 playoffs the Spurs had a similiar system, except slighty backwards. Instead of throwing it in the post, the Spurs relied on perimeter players to supply their offense. Tony Parker, and to a lesser extent Manu Ginobili, would drive the lanes and either score or kick out to high percentage 3-point shooters. With Tony Parker’s jumpshot being non-existent and Manu Ginobili playing with a bad arm, the Grizzlies halted what seemed to be an offensive juggernaut, and beat the Spurs in six games during the playoffs. Just like Antonio Daniels, Tim Duncan in a reverse situation was the only frontcourt player that was significantly productive on the offensive end and had to guard a prime Zach Randolph and a young Marc Gasol on the other end. Lack of movement on the perimeter was a big reason why the Spurs lost to the Lakers in ’01 and lack of post play was an additional reason the Spurs lost to the Grizzlies last season.

When he was in Utah, Jerry Sloan used a system called the Flex-Offense. Its a motion offense mixed with variables. Players would make certain cuts during the first run of a play, and if that didn’t produce a score they would repeat, but with the same players making different cuts. They had a nice mixture of low post up opportunities, elbow jumpshots, and 3-point shots. Sloan, with the way he ran his offense, was able to get the maximum offensive production out of players who really didnt seem all that capable (Matt Harpring, Ronnie Brewer). Everyone looked at the pick-n-roll between Stockton and Malone or Williams and Boozer. But the cutting, back picking, and pin downs that the Jazz regularly used is what gave the role players quality shots.

For everyone to thrive in the Spurs offense, a balanced offensive structure is needed. The flex-offense is exactly that, an offense which allows you to employ players with different/unique skill sets. In the Spurs system, 3-point shooting is vital to their success. Every high scoring role player outside the Big Three are high percentage three point shooters (Jefferson 44% / Neal 42% / Bonner 46%) except for Dejuan Blair, who may I add lost major minutes when the playoffs came around.

The 2009-10 Utah Jazz (I used the 09-10 Jazz simply because trades and loss of coaches kinda changed their entire scheme in the 10-11 season) were a well oiled machined offensively and only had one player that shot over 40% from behind the arc (Kyle Korver 53.6%).

If Coach Pop can employ the use of a motion offense then the Spurs can be a high scoring team that is difficult to defend all around, as opposed to other teams keying in on their main weapon and iniatator of the offense – Tony Parker. Using this offense will allow them to use a big man that has post skills or is a solid defensive player next to Duncan.

The Season is just around the corner and many questions are still waiting to be answered. Will this be Tim’s last year? Are the Spurs going to make a major trade? Will it involve Tony Parker? Will their defense improve? Stay tuned as this season gives way to a Spurs team that is full of question marks. Whether they win or lose, however, let’s always keep in the mind the four championships that have been brought to the city and go down with the ship if this is it. But no matter what happens – GO SPURS GO – and I’ll talk to y’all again in late December… Maybe sooner if the Spurs make a major move.

Thus far, we have looked at the Spurs personnel and what they may or may not need to get to that fifth title. Now we’ll look at their defense overall.

DEFENSE – Since the 1989-90 season the Spurs have always received a high defensive rating (per 100 possesions). There have only been three seasons the Spurs ranked 10th or worse defensively since David Robinson’s rookie debut. The first was in 1992-93 (ranked 10th), a season in which they went through three coaches. 1996-97(ranked 29th), a season full of injuries and a significant coaching change which enabled the Spurs to get “Timmy” the following season. And finally, last season 2010-11 (ranked 11th), although despite the low rank in defense per 100 possesions, they had the 2nd best record in the league, but then were beaten significantly in the first round.

Since the drafting of Tim Duncan the Spurs philosophy on defense was pretty simple, run perimeter players baseline to Duncan or the second big (Robinson/Mohammed/Oberto) and force them into a difficult pass or shot attempt or best-case scenario, block the attempt and start the break. That philosophy got even better as the Spurs upgraded perimeter defenders like Mario Elie and Sean Elliott for quicker, younger players like Bowen and Ginobili.

Today things have changed drastically. Bowen is retired, Ginobili is older and carries a heavy load on the offensive end. As for Duncan, he is still effective on the court. However, he must do much more on the defensive end than ever. Why? Because the Spurs have done away with that 2nd big that would help Duncan defend the paint and get the boards. That’s really where the Spurs have declined. In years past, Robinson or Mohammed would have grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked  two shots all while Duncan got his usual 20 and 10. Even Oberto would grab his share of rebounds, and while he didn’t block shots he drew just as many offensive fouls.

Players at both the 4/5 positions are shorter, quicker and more athletic  these days. The Spurs have  changed with the times to try to match and still keep their defensive identity, and that hasn’t worked well at all. However, take a look at the Lakers who haven’t changed their sizable frontcourt tandem in 3 years. Whats the result? Two finals appearances and 2 championships. Note that the team that knocked them off had two 7-footers of their own.

Quick trivia…we all remember the twin towers, but does anybody remember the triple towers? In the 1997-98 season the Spurs had many injuries at the small forward position so Coach Pop enlisted the Triple Towers: Will Perdue at Center, David Robinson at Power Forward, and a mobile rookie named Tim Duncan at Small Forward. The result? Spurs went 17-5 when they played that lineup and held most of their opponents to under 40% fg and outrebounded them significantly.

The point? Yes, size matters, but more importantly size and mobility matter. Andrew Bynum, like Duncan, has no chance of guarding many of today’s power forwards, while Gasol (his defensive partner) does. Granted, he is tall and will get burned sometimes by some of the smaller, quicker forwards, but on those occasions that’s where help defense comes into play. They also have the luxury of bringing Lamar Odom (a hybrid 3/4 player himself) off the bench.

For the Spurs, Duncan has the mobility of a Center, PERIOD. Finding a tall or decent sized Power forward ( at least 6’9″) that can play 30 minutes a game and grab his share of rebounds (say 7 or 8), keep his man in front of him, and give them something significant on offense will do the trick. While Tiago Splitter might be that guy for good portions of a game (when they wanna role out the twin tower look), some of his weaknesses on offense might hurt the Spurs overall if he plays too many minutes with Duncan.

On the Perimeter the Spurs could use a defensive stopper. Kawhi Leonard has been said to be a promising defensive player and a solid rebounder, but the Spurs could use someone that is a little smaller and a little more mobile out on the floor.

For the Spurs defense to return to where it was a few years ago, they’re going to need two players. 1 – a mobile 4 that can rebound, defend, and and hold his own on offense. 2 – a perimeter defender who is young and athletic and has the lateral quickness (something Leonard may not have) needed to defend the 2′s and 3′s in the leauge. Next week we’ll look at their offense.

To start,  tell me if this simple stat line seems familiar: 30 points and 5 assists. Instead of Magic or Stockton taking  fewer than 10 shots, feeding the post, and handing out somewhere around 14-16 assists a game,  you now have guards scoring 25 points a game while taking 25 shots as well.  It’s a guard driven league like never before, and if there is one thing the Spurs have a lot of, it’s guard firepower.

Tony Parker  ht 6-2 | Last season 17.5 pts  6.6 ast  1.2 stls (52% fg) in 32 mins a game. PLAYOFFS 19.7 pts 5.2 ast in 37 mins a game.

Looking at Parker’s numbers, its pretty apparent he had a solid season. He scored in the high teens while shooting a very good percentage from the field. He also looked to get out in transition more by playing the passing lanes which resulted in him getting over a steal a game. As for the playoffs, overall he had better numbers in scoring and a slight drop in assists. By digging deeper we see some real issues though. Scoring 19 points a game is good, but shooting 46% from the field isn’t, especially if it was significantly higher during the regular season. Five assists a game isn’t bad, but 3.3 turnovers a game is. His opposite (Mike Conley) did a much better job of running the Grizzlies offense with higher assists (6.1) and lower turnovers (2.1). It is important that Parker once again go to work on his midrange jumpshot.

Manu Ginobili ht 6-6 | Last season 17.4 pts 4.9 ast and 1.5 stls in 30 mins a game. PLAYOFFS  20.6 pts 4.2 ast and 2.1 stls in 35 mins a game.

Manu Ginobili – a legend amongst Spurs faithful. Unbelievable as it may seem, Manu Ginobili played with a banged up arm (fractured to be exact) and still led the Spurs in scoring during the playoffs. Ginobili is not the same guy he was in the 2005 playoffs, or even the 2008 regular season. He shoots a lot of 3′s and no longer tries to go one on three during fast breaks. He is still  just as effective though. His assist numbers have climbed, and  he has become a great facilitator. He also still shows brilliance at the end of games. Manu was able to score in the playoffs despite having to deal with a physical, trash-talking defender in Tony Allen and behind him Shane Battier. Unfortunately, one thing that has stayed the same is that he is injury prone at the wrong time. 2011 playoffs (fractured arm), 2010 playoffs (broken nose), 2009 and 2008 playoffs (bad ankle).

Gary Neal ht 6-4 | Last season 9.8 pts (42% 3pt fg) in 21 mins a game. PLAYOFFS 7.7 pts (26% 3pt fg) in 19 mins a game.

Gary Neal – a nobody that the Spurs signed. That nobody turned out to be one of the purest scorers/shooters the Spurs had last season. Neal had no conscience while launching and hitting from everywhere on the court. The playoffs were different though, and he – like many of the Spurs shooters – couldn’t find the bottom of the net. Neal can produce off the bench with no problems, and has no confidence issues like a few other Spurs on the team.

James Anderson ht 6-6 | Last season 3.6 pts (39% 3pt fg) in 11 mins a game.

Anderson was supposed to be the Spurs back up shooting guard, however an injury sidelined him a few games into the season. That, plus the emergence of Neal, put him on the bench most of the time. Anderson has good size, is young, can obviously shoot, and can also play decent defense.

ANALYSIS: The Spurs have one of the best guard combinations in the league and can score a lot from both guard positions. However, the last team that won a championship with their guards being the main source of offense was the 89′ and 90′ Detroit Pistons (Thomas/Dumars/V Johnson). Is there a difference between them and the Spurs of today? Yes, their big men. Each big man of the Pistons brought either rebounding, defense, athleticism and/or toughness (in the paint especially). We know what Duncan brings, but Blair, McDyess, and Bonner don’t equal Laimbeer, Rodman, and Mahorn. The Spurs do have a nice guard combo, but in order to win the title the Spurs are going to need more balance offensively and not rely on their guards so much. Next week we will look at the Spurs roster/system overall and how they may fare this coming season.

CENTER: Probably the most vital position on the floor as it concerns defense. Whether a team is good defensively or horrible, the Center is always important. For good defensive teams that rotate well on the perimeter, a center is needed to clog the middle, secure rebounds and deny second shot opportunities (offensive rebounds). On a bad defensive team that either gambles for steals a lot on the perimeter or simply isn’t interested in staying in front of their man, a Center is essential for not only rebounding and taking up space in the paint, but for blocking or altering any shot attempt that comes his way, thus stopping a guaranteed basket for the opposing team.

Tim Duncan ht 6-11 | Last season 13.4 pts 8.9 rbs 1.9 blk in 28 mins a game PLAYOFFS 12.7 pts 10.5 rbs 2.5 blk in 35 mins a game

The Tim Duncan everyone tries to remember is the Duncan that had a solid back to the basket game, a face up game as well, which included some of the best footwork of that time, and when it was all said and done a jumper with range out to about 16-18 ft. Last season the Spurs went away from Duncan on offense. They also overworked him on defense by having guys who either don’t rebound or play defense next to him at the Power Forward slot. Duncan did well for most of the season, trying to use his older slower body to grab most of the rebounds and attempt to clean up all the defensive mistakes that the other Spurs made. Thats a lot to ask an aging Center in a youth-filled league. In the playoffs it took its toll. Duncan had to guard Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, and try to protect the paint all by himself. It didn’t work!!!!! Duncan has limited mobility, but his I.Q. on defense  and offense are enough to help the Spurs go far, provided he gets legit help at the Power Forward position.

Tiago Splitter ht 6-11 | Last season 4.6 pts 3.4 rbs in 12 mins a game PLAYOFFS 6.7 pts 4.7 rbs in 17 mins a game

Tiago Splitter definitely got the 08-09 George Hill treatment. Yeah sure, they raved about him before he got here and then the guy barely played. Sure he got a few injuries; but come on, seriously??? Splitter, like Hill in his rookie season, showed signs of being able to contribute on a nightly basis. In Hill’s case, Pop wouldn’t let him get past Jacque Vaughn, and for Splitter he couldn’t get past Blair, Bonner, or McDyess. In the 08-09 playoffs the Spurs were eaten alive by the smallest guy on the court (maybe the smallest guy in the building), JJ Barea, and after going down in the series Pop put in Hill who did well. Not to mention what he did to the Mavs the next year in the playoffs. Splitter was put in the same situation. Tim Duncan can’t stop two good big men(much less one) and protect the paint at the same time. Splitter came in and did a better job than all the Spurs bigs except Duncan (obviously), and maybe Dice gets a slight nod. Splitter, despite not having a jumpshot, is mobile on both ends, is an Oberto-like rebounder (thats a good thing), and has some solid post moves.

ANALYSIS: The Spurs have decent size, good rebounding, and available low-post scoring. The Spurs, as mentioned, went away from the low-post game while allowing Parker and Ginobili to run around and do the scoring and distributing. However, if you look at the last six teams to win the Championship, they all have something in common – low-post threats on offense and equally defensive minded big-men*. With Duncan being the only big guy to get consistent touches on offense and at the same time the only legitimate big to protect the paint, the Spurs would have never made it far even if they had somehow managed to beat the Grizzlies. To get back to championship level basketball, the Spurs must once again establish a post game. This does not mean they force feed Duncan, but simply get him more consistent touches on the block, mixed in with Splitter and Jefferson getting post-up opportunities a few times a game as well. You can also never have enough big men. So if the Spurs would like to add an extra guy, free agent Aaron Gray, formerly of the Hornets, may be the answer. He’s not much statistically, but he can bang with the Bynums and Howards of the league. Next week we’ll look at the Guards.

*Lowpost threats and defensive bigmen of the last six championship teams

2011 (Nowitzki/Chandler)

2009 and 2010(Gasol/Bynum)

2008(Garnett/Perkins)

1999,2003,2005,2007 (Duncan/Robinson 99′ an 03′ – Duncan/Mohammed 05′ – Duncan/Oberto 07′)

2004(Rasheed Wallace/Ben Wallace)

2000-2002 (Shaq)

POWER FORWARD – a position once dominated by Tim Duncan. But now with smaller, quicker more athletic players in the league the days of the having a 7-foot power forward and forming twin towers is all but over. Over the last few years the Spurs have made offensive and defensive changes to adjust to a changed NBA.

Antonio McDyess  ht 6-9 | last season 5.3 pts 5.4 rbs in 19 mins a game. PLAYOFFS  5.7 pts and 5 rbs in 24 mins a game.

McDyess is a savvy veteran, decent defender, plus he is still somewhat athletic/mobile and can hit the midrange jumper with consistency. In last season’s playoffs Dice did OK, but not nearly what was expected of him. His defense didn’t look very effective against either Memphis big-man Randolph or Gasol. Did McDyess show his age during that series or were the Spurs asking too much from someone his age? Dice will turn 37 next month.

Matt Bonner ht 6-10 | Last season 7.3 pts and 3.6 rbs (45.7% 3pt fg) in 22 mins a game | PLAYOFFS 6.3 pts and 3.2 rbs (33% 3pt fg) in 21 mins a game.

Matt Bonner, aka the ‘Red Rocket’, was lighting it up from downtown for most of the regular season. However, the playoffs were a different story, and the ‘Red Rocket’ missed his targets (his 3pt percentage dropped 12% from the regular season). Matt Bonner is a solid 3pt shooter, but he is no Robert Horry. Robert Horry could miss 2o shots in a row spanning some games and still have the guts to take and make a clutch basket with no problem. Bonner is the reverse. He is 6-10 and can a make a defense pay with his shooting, but his rebounding and overall defense are poor for a player his size playing his position. His defensive rotations are OK, the problem is when he does rotate it doesn’t really bother the offensive player, usually resulting in a foul or and old fashioned three point play. For Gregg Popovich it seems that Bonner’s one plus outweighs his many minuses. As long as he hits threes and rotates on defense (regardless of the result) then he’ll get minutes.

Dejuan Blair ht 6-7 | Last season 8.3 pts and 7 rbs (1.2 stls) in 21 mins a game | PLAYOFFS  4.3 pts and 3.3 rbs in 13 mins a game

Dejuan Blair, solid energy guy. Sadly, the saying ‘energy guy’ usually means you’re lacking in something. In Blair’s case it’s height. Even though he is only 6-7, he was the Spurs 2nd leading rebounder averaging 7 rpg to Duncan’s 9 rpg. He also had a knack for making up for his height by using his quick hands getting at least one steal a game. Blair isn’t great defensively though, and his gambling to get steals also led to easy baskets for the person he was guarding. He doesn’t have a jumpshot, so you can definitely leave him to go double team someone else.

SMALL FORWARD

Richard Jefferson ht 6-7 | Last season 11 pts (44% 3pt fg) in 30 mins a game | PLAYOFFS  6.5 pts (35% 3pt fg) in 29 mins a game.

In the 2009-10 season, Richard Jefferson seemed to be the whipping boy for everything that went wrong in that season. Jefferson shocked the world a few times; first by opting out of his contract (worth $15 million) then second by resigning long-term with the Spurs. Third, Jefferson worked out tirelessly with Gregg Popovich during the offseason. Fourth, Jefferson like Bonner, hit an unbelievable percent from behind the arc. Jefferson has many different offensive skills and is athletic. With the Spurs he is nothing but a knockdown shooter that can drive (when necessary). He also is not the defender that the old 08-09 Bruce Bowen was. In the playoffs he hit a decent amount of his 3pt shots (35%), but overall his scoring average and field goal percentage was not nearly good enough to overcome the beating that the Spurs interior defense was taking.

Kawhi Leonard ht 6-7 | 2010-11 stats from San Diego st. 15.5 pts and 10.6 rbs (1.4 stls) in 33 mins a game.

The Spurs traded a fan/Pop favorite George Hill to acquire Leonard. Leonard has an athleticism the Spurs haven’t seen since…??? Well, you get the idea. They haven’t!! He is a solid rebounder, a raw defender, and he is young (21). He doesn’t have a consistent jumpshot and tends to gamble on defense. With some work and dedication to the system, Leonard can be a priceless piece on the Spurs roster. He can (hopefully) play/defend the 3/4 position that has given the Spurs problems over the years. He seems athletic enough to guard the hybrid forwards (Gerald Wallace, Josh Smith) that a lot of teams have today.

ANALYSIS: The Spurs have good shooting and experience at the Power forward position. The height, defense and stability are an issue. To explain, not every team can boast that they have the best 3pt shooting big man in the league. At the same time none of the players the Spurs have can play 30-35 mins a game for a full 82 games+ playoffs. McDyess is too old, Blair is too short, and Bonner – aside from being a very poor rebounder – has a number of issues defensively. At Small Forward the Spurs have two unknowns. Leonard was good in college, but what about the NBA? Jefferson is a slasher and finisher, and not a natural 3pt shooter even though his percentage was high last season, so you can’t expect him to be like Bruce Bowen from the corner all season. If the Spurs are expecting him to produce consistently and maximize his potential, then it is vital that they run a decent number of plays for him on a nightly basis. Him coming off curls, and getting a few post up opportunities a few times every game should do the trick. To solidify the PF position the Spurs have a few free agent and trade options. What the Spurs want is a magical 6-11 big-man who is young, mobile, can rebound, defend, oh and my personal favorite – be able to shoot from a good distance. They’re not gonna get all that in one player. However, they do have a few options in that position to look at acquiring: Carl Landry and Kris Humphries. Either guy can come in and play lengthy minutes at the PF position because of their age and abilites. Next week, we’ll look at the Center position.