Boston Spurs

[PaulAllen]

I might sound a bit crazy but this years team reminds me of spurs basketball. Now not on the same level or even talent wise but well coached, good role players, strong bench, good rebounding, bigs that can shoot from outside, team oriented (high assist ratio), smart basketball. Also dont forget this team is a strong defensive team that really hasnt popped yet, so another potential plus.

[D.o.s.]

I mean they pass the ball from player to player a lot, sure.

[Tr1boy]

I might sound a bit crazy but this years team reminds me of spurs basketball. Now not on the same level or even talent wise but well coached, good role players, strong bench, good rebounding, bigs that can shoot from outside, team oriented (high assist ratio), smart basketball. Also dont forget this team is a strong defensive team that really hasnt popped yet, so another potential plus.

I agree. Vs the Bulls just like the Spurs do to many teams, we were confusing their defense.   4 guys had 4 or more assists.  The team played solid D also.  Nice job by Zeller, Sully and KO to prevent Noah from being a terror on the offensive end and preventing Gasol from getting inside position

[CelticsFanFromNYC]

We ran a play several times where a player  would screen then  cut to the middle for an easy layup.. For some reason, Bulls had no answer for it. Kudos to BS

[ballin]

I might sound a bit crazy but this years team reminds me of spurs basketball. Now not on the same level or even talent wise but well coached, good role players, strong bench, good rebounding, bigs that can shoot from outside, team oriented (high assist ratio), smart basketball. Also dont forget this team is a strong defensive team that really hasnt popped yet, so another potential plus.

Stevens definitely saw what worked during the Spurs' championship run and took a few plays out of their playbook. Frankly, I think a lot of the NBA is trying to emulate the Spurs after watching them DOMINATE a Heat team that was stacked with stronger individual talents in their prime.

The reality is, it's easier for coaches to simply say "give the ball to the best player and get out of the way" than it is to actually impose an offensive system that relies on sharing the ball (*cough* Scott Brooks *cough*). Doing what the Spurs did requires getting players to buy into a system and suspend their egos, which isn't easy when the players know that their individual stats are going to have a direct impact on how much money they get paid. It's a lot easier to do that with a bunch of young guys fresh out of college. You can tell Marcus Smart or Olynyk exactly what they need to do to earn minutes, and they'll do it without asking questions. Imagine trying to tell Russell Westbrook to take fewer shots and work the ball around more - that conversation is NOT going to go well.

So, credit to Stevens where credit is due, and credit to our guys for buying in to the system.

As an aside, as far as defense is concerned I think we're seeing why perimeter defense is slightly overrated. We've got premier wing defenders and our defense is weak relative to our offense, which is interesting considering that we don't even have good individual offensive players. Meanwhile, you can stick guys like Joakhim Noah and Andrew Bogut into a lineup and they'll transform your defense entirely. The Mavs with a top flight defensive center = NBA champions, while the Mavs without a decent center = not a playoff team.

You can't be a good team in this league without a shot blocking big man, and that's a fact. We need to do something to address this hole in our lineup.

[SHAQATTACK]

I like Spurs basketball

Way I was taught to play



You could do a lot worse .....

[Redz]

Simple plays work beautifully in basketball when executed properly.  The Spurs have certainly mastered it, but let's not undersell their talent level either.

[LarBrd33]

Offense looks good.  Defense looks bad.  We are scoring 106 per night and giving up 106 per night.  Makes sense... we lack interior defense, but playing our best shooter at center opens up things for us offensively.  Can't last long-term.  WE'll have to trade someone or bench someone.

[Alleyoopster]

I recorded last year's Miami vs. Spurs games and watched a couple of the games again over the summer and had a similar opinion as the OP.  However, that was only on a couple plays against Chicago.  The offense goes into what I would call automatic mode.  The ball barely touches an offensive player's hand and off the ball goes around to another player...ditto, ditto and then an easy basket.  The defense seems helpless as the ball movement is much too quick for a meaningful reaction. 

[LooseCannon]

Shots that are catch and shoot tend to be more efficient than shots taken off the dribble, so you want players who can make the pass to an open player who can immediately shoot the ball.  You want to avoid players who will dribble the ball while trying to create their own shot.

[Alleyoopster]

Shots that are catch and shoot tend to be more efficient than shots taken off the dribble, so you want players who can make the pass to an open player who can immediately shoot the ball.  You want to avoid players who will dribble the ball while trying to create their own shot.

Good point...

[CFAN38]

I cringe at the comparison to the Spurs. What is true is that we have a great coach BS has these guys playing a great style of basketball. I think it will leave this team in the tough fringe playoff middle ground but this all the picks DA has saved up my hopes are high for the future.

[footey]

We are a long way from playing D like the Spurs. But on the offensive side of ball, it is a good comparison.  Sure makes this team easy to root for. the one game where they really struggled with their ball movement, Houston, was in part because the Rockets did an effective job shutting down their passing lanes.  Will be interested to see if other teams try to take the same tact against them. If that happens, it helps to have a guy like Rondo who makes them pay for over-playing the lanes.

[LooseCannon]

What if Stevens is more like a smarter Mike D'Antoni who actually cares about defense because it is how you start the transition game?  Lots of threes, shot attempts early in the shot clock before the opposing defense is set, big men capable of scoring away from the basket, but with strong perimeter defense and an emphasis on effort on that end of the floor.

If comparing Stevens to D'Antoni makes you cringe, consider that Popovich has labeled the adjustments the Spurs have made to play a more up-tempo offense to compensate for an aging Tim Duncan as "D'Antoni-ish":

"As we got a little bit older and the personnel changed, we were going to go from one of the best defensive teams to a more middle-of-the-road defensive teams," Popovich said. "Something had to change if we wanted to continue to win at a high level. So we went to the offense about two years ago and kind of shifted it to pick up the pace, to shift a little from inside to outside. Some of the offense went from Timmy a little bit more to Manu [Ginobili] and Tony. Attack early in the clock, kind of Mike D'Antoni-ish. We tried to get that into the program."

The Spurs have picked up their pace, gamble a tad more on defense and generally look to push the tempo. Those who haven't given the Spurs a serious viewing over the past couple years might be surprised by what has become some of the most eye-catching offense in the NBA.

It's very possible that Stevens will be disappointing to fans who want to see big men hunkering down in the post, fewer shots early in the shot clock, and less gambling on defense, but will win while doing so.