The NBA playoffs open up with the San Antonio Spurs in their lowest playoff seeding of the Tim Duncan Era. But to understand why the Spurs are not discouraged about opening on the road in Dallas, instead of the friendly confines of the AT&T Center, there must first be an understanding of their philosophy. San [...]
According to Winston, the Spurs will beat the Mavericks so long as Keith Bogans doesn’t receive too much burn. That, and DeJuan Blair and Matt Bonner should play together. (They did last night, and it didn’t seem to hurt.) You’re right, it’s not that simple, but Winston raises several interesting points. Here’s how the Spurs [...]
AT&T CENTER-George Hill made his triumphant return to the starting lineup. Tony Parker, starting on the bench, followed shortly after in reaffirming that the Spurs backcourt rotation is more than Manu Ginobili and company. Playing together for the first time since March 6, Parker and Hill managed to sidestep any questions as to who should [...]
One thought I can’t chase away, no matter how remote the possibility, is the thought of LeBron James coming west this summer. Imagine a conference featuring Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Brandon Roy and LeBron James. Killer, right?
Wayne Winston, who achieved celebrity status at Dorkapalooza 2010, emailed this morning to say the Spurs should be fine without Parker, at least over the balance of the season. Obviously, they’ll need Parker in order to compete in postseason play. The APM answer to Tony Parker’s injury, at least in the short term, is to [...]
R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich may still be combing the waiver wire and developmental league to fill their 13th roster spot following the unexpected release of Michael Finley, but in all likelihood the Spurs best chance of improving or adding another rotation player lies internally. Matt Bonner, finding time in the rotation once again with [...]
Our friend Sebastian Pruiti of NetsAreScorching and NBA Playbook took a closer look at the Spurs’ ball denying efforts at the end of regulation and overtime against the Thunder. It’s a helpful look at the team’s defensive triumphs and failures. This is one image from a larger collection of grabs (with notes):
There are lots of positives to take away from tonight’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers: the continued excellency of Tim Duncan; Tony Parker’s reignited aggressiveness; and what you might generally refer to as 48 minutes of sustained focus on both ends of the floor. But for me the story of the game is the [...]
Above is the play-by-play for the final ten seconds of last night’s game against the Indiana Pacers. Hidden inside this very standard and typically unhelpful form of score-keeping is a wealth of information about what has been going right and wrong for the Spurs this season.
Well, that was far more stressful than I had anticipated. In a game that Gregg Popovich described as an “ugly win,” the Spurs defeated the Pacers on a go-ahead dunk from Tim Duncan with four seconds left. After an excellent 1st quarter that ended with a Matt Bonner and Manu Ginobili led run, the team [...]
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Philadelphia 76es 97-89 last night, extending their winning streak to 5. The Spurs are now 9-6. So far as winning streaks go, the current run is nothing to brag about. The Spurs have played 4 of 5 at home, beating Washington, Milwaukee, Golden State, Houston and Philadelphia. Prior to [...]
You know what they say about a team’s final five being more important than its starting five. Well, that’s all true. In a perfect world, one free of foul trouble and injury concerns, a coach finishes the game with his best five players on the floor. Through 8 games, George Hill is unquestionably the Spurs’ [...]
Although the tactical details of basketball can be rather complicated, the underlying strategy is surprisingly simple. At a certain point, it is merely a question of number and proximity.
NBA Stats As the “L” emerged from underground somewhere between North/Clybourn and Fullerton, I hurriedly checked my phone to learn the score of the game. Typically I am not that anxious when I miss the first half of a game; I’ve missed plenty before. But when I checked the score before I left the newsroom, [...]
An under-reported Spurs story through six games is their three point shooting slump. Have a look: Season Three Point% Career Three Point% Roger Mason Jr. .238 .392 Matt Bonner .345 .407 Richard Jefferson .294 .352 Manu Ginobili .387* .376 Quick Thoughts: I’ve included Manu Ginobili in the slump chart because his 6-8 performance against the [...]
