Popovich Tightens the Screws

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“The Spurs are too old…” is only outdone by “the Spurs will make a late season push” in media circles. These are the two campfire songs everyone knows. These, Tea Cup, and Kumbaya.

I’m dubious about the first claim, but the second one tends to bear out.

Last night’s game against the Pacers wasn’t much to see. Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan dominated a Pacers team that was either tired or disinterested. Whatever the case, the guys from Indianapolis didn’t show up. Don’t take too much from a lopsided victory that felt like a scrimmage.

Nevertheless, I’ll mark this game as important. Four games back, the Spurs lost to Philly by 22, allowing the 76ers to shoot .500 from the field. Ouch. Afterward, Coach Popovich predictably flipped his wig. From his perspective, the most crucial statistic is the opponent’s field goal percentage. He doesn’t care much for recognition, but he would take that trophy every year if he could. Here is a number, he would say, that matters.

Last night marked the 3rd consecutive game that the Spurs held an opponent below .450: Chicago .447, Charlotte .363, Indiana .370. A three game sample against middling teams requires further scrutiny, I admit. But the fact that these three defensive performances come on the heels of Pop’s recent tirade and can be set against the (almost) annual pattern of the Spurs turning it up prior to the Rodeo, grabs my attention.

Taking a more global view, I marvel at Popovich’s ability to get results. Plenty of coaches complain about their team’s defense. But the truth is, very few coaches are capable of turning the ship. Yet here we are again, approaching February, with Popovich and his team showing signs of digging in. Charles Barkley’s “Groundhog Day” moniker deserves wider application.

  • http://mundoalbiceleste.blogspot.com john

    Another electrifying performance from MANu of the match, Ginobili. As long as he keeps this up, there is no denying that the Spurs will be the force of the Western Conference. Spurs badly needed him during the start of the season, but he was injured.

    Now he’s back! Back to re-claim the throne that made him the best reserve player from the bench.

    The Pacers had no answer to what he brings to the court. He scored, he passes and he defense. He’s an all rounder.

    Do you think with performance like this, he can capture the Sixth Man crown once again?

    http://mundoalbiceleste.blogspot.com/2009/01/nba-news-old-manu-re-emerges-against.html

  • Mac

    Hey, new reader here. Looking forward to keeping up with the Spurs via 48 Mins.

    I think the age thing is an issue. It’s not so much the average team age that matters — as per your earlier post rebutting the age argument. It’s specific players. The Spurs, for example, have long depended on Bowen to shut down the studs of other teams. He’s lost a step, and it’s been causing matchup problems for the Spurs. And obviously, Timmy is the heart of the team and he’s getting older. His style of play is an asset to his age, because fundamentals are always the shelter of the veteran, but the older he gets, the more the Spurs will slide.

    What are your thoughts on this?

  • Jake

    Any idea what is going on with Ian Mahinimi (sp?) – he played so well in the D-League last yr and could really give us that energetic, athletic 4 we so badly need…

  • Mike

    Keep up the good work, Tim.

  • http://oddyears.blogspot.com Newmonic

    I’ve heard rumblins of the Spurs intending to add “another quality player” to the roster before the trade deadline. This is a pretty interesting proposition. After watching the Lakers game last week, I didn’t want to change a thing about the Spurs (except for–as Pop mentioned–the opp fg%). But the letdown against the 76ers did tell a different story.

    But it seems to me that if there is a real intention of adding a piece, there are a few opportunities around the league. The guy that comes to my mind first is Gerald Wallace. Wallace hasn’t seemed to coexist that well with Larry Brown, and I’ve heard he was close to being traded a few times. Here’s the scenario that makes sense to me:

    http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=2805~846~866~1026&teams=30~30~30~24&te=&cash=30:24

    Ime, Thomas, and Fab would all be 1 or 2 year contracts, and all seem like guys that Brown might covet just a little.

    And if we’re talking athletic long wing defenders, Wallace has always struck me as one of the better ones in the league–under Pop, I imagine he could be stellar. And help the Spurs on both ends of the floor.

    It seems to me a very similar trade to the Richardson deal a few weeks ago–except the contracts would favor Charlotte.

  • Gianluca

    Newmonic,

    Wallace is a nice idea, but the main problem with the Spurs is not their depth on the wings(although an injection of youth would help), their problem is lack of an athletic-big to play along side Duncan. TD is the only one holding down the fort for the Spurs right now and unless the Spurs address this need (i’ve heard Collison rumors on here) they won’t make it past the WCF.

  • http://www.48minutesofhell.com Timothy Varner

    Hello all.

    Sorry to be so slow in responding, but I’ve been bed-ridden with the flu today. Rapid fire:

    John: smart stuff, as usual.

    Mac: I see your point. But it has to be counter-balanced with Hill replacing Vaughn, Mason replacing Barry-Finley and Finley replacing Bowen, if you follow. Everything skews younger in that regard. But it would be interesting to go back and figure out the age of “core players” for recent championship teams. Regarding Duncan, I agree. Graydon and I did a Christmas Day podcast with Bright Side of the Sun and I made the same point about TD’s age and style of play.

    Jake: we addressed Mahinmi in another comment thread…the short answer is that he remains injured. The last time I addressed his injury in a post was early January. The piece was called Rebounding Redux: A Note in Passing.

    Mike: That’s the plan.

    Newmonic: I think Wallace’s value is higher than you suppose, and the Spurs really don’t have the assets. He’d look nice in Silver and Black, though.

    Gianluca: Depth on the wings is a problem, but I’ve been ringing the athletic 4 bell all season. You’re spot on in that regard. See my recent posts Every Team Needs Two Matt Bonners and The Small Ball Spurs for more of the same.

    Thanks for the comments. It’s early, but it already looks like we’ll have an intelligent readership. That’s a plus.

  • ChillFAN

    New reader, great posts, so give me some time to review past debates. Briefly, As someone who felt lack of team speed, not necessarily age, caught up with the Spurs in the ’08 WCF, i liked todays blog on “spur phrases.” However, I agree with Pop that we are not yet ready for a series with a healthyLaker team, despite the recent fun wins.a win in L.A. Would be nice. Finally, I think Fab and Thomas sit because they stiffle Tony and Manu’s game, which depends on the floor being spread. ESPN calls Collison a young Thomas. Is it a fair assessment, Thunder observers?