NBA Finals: Congrats to the San Antonio Spurs

Congrats to the San Antonio Spurs for winning their 5th championship. Coach Pop is simply the best coach in NBA history being able to adapt with the times. I hope by now, this Spurs team won’t be remembered as a “boring” club to watch.

Simply put, the Spurs value things like lateral movement over straight athleticism and skill over flash. When players are able to move laterally quickly and fluidly, they’re able to cover more ground which helps on both ends of the floor. This means that defensive rotations are quicker by closing out on shooters/ball handlers, and players are able to get to their spots faster to receive a pass. Skill is also important as the point of the game is to put the ball in the basket. So when you have guys who are good shooters and passers, the game simply just becomes much easier when it comes to ball movement since the ball will travel faster than any person can.

Assembling the team is one thing, but making it all come together is another. Coach Pop does a great job of this as he simply just put on a coaching clinic. We saw in this Finals match up of one team with great ball movement versus another which had some but had a lot of isolation plays. We see a little more of what Pop does in Euro basketball than we see here which may be why the Spurs have 10 players who are foreign born. It’s not so much that these Euro players work harder but more because the big men over there can be more skilled. Finding skilled players who can move well is as good as it can get. But it’s not just the strict Euro guys for this.

Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is a great example of a guy who embodies all of this. He’s not as explosive as a Kobe Bryant. However, he’s able to cover a lot of ground due to his quickness and length while also being coached up over the years to be a good shooter. He also has great instincts when it comes to recognizing what’s going to happen which helps him take advantage using his abilities which can be said for other Spurs players. Instincts is undervalued and really, a team wants a guy who knows what’s in front of him which the Spurs seemingly scout well.

NBA Finals: Spurs Own Heat….Again! (game 4)

BBallBreakDown: Spurs Destroy Heat (Again)
Coach Nick does a great job breaking down some key plays in game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Spurs have been running the best offense in the league for years now, so it’s always odd for to hear and read about how boring they are. With the Spurs up 3-1, this series is pretty much over.

NBA History: Top 50 Players of All-Time

This is my top 50 NBA players of all-time prior to the 2013-2014 season. LeBron James enters the top 10 this year, actually peaking at 9, while leap frogging Kobe and Hakeem which was mainly due to being the best in the league for a greater period of time, impact on the court, and having good team success. I feel it’s a solid list though I may be underrating the older players a bit due to lack of information and exposure to them.

1. Michael Jordan
2. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
3. Bill Russell
4. Magic Johnson
5. Larry Bird
6. Shaquille O’Neal
7. Wilt Chamberlain
8. Tim Duncan
9. LeBron James
10. Kobe Bryant

11-15 are a group of powerhouses who have career success to back it up

11. Hakeem Olajuwon
12. Oscar Robertson
13. Jerry West
14. Julius Erving
15. Dirk Nowitzki

16-22 are more powerhouses who I feel can still lead a team to a championship though not quite as good as the above whether it is ability, longevity, or what I prefer from a player (ie. love me some offense). Struggled a little with KG here. Part of me wants to put him at 14; bigger part of me would rather have Dr. J or Dirk when starting a franchise.

16. Kevin Garnett
17. Dwyane Wade
18. Karl Malone
19. Charles Barkley
20. Steve Nash
21. Moses Malone
22. Bob Pettit

23-24 are great RS, meh PS. No real rhyme or reason for me to separate #22-24 from the guys below except I think they give teams more of a chance to win. Center bias.

23. David Robinson
24. Patrick Ewing

25-34 are a little less of a center piece on a championship team who may not be truly dominant but you can still build a team around. There’s pretty much a run of SFs here which wasn’t intentional. Centers by far got the move love so far due to their positional impact. Not a whole not of wings have gone aside from the great ones. Clyde may be a little low to some, but his half-court offense does hurt him while I do see some of these other guys having just as good careers. More appreciation for Frazier the more I look him up. Durant might be high.

25. Scottie Pippen
26. Rick Barry
27. John Havlicek
28. Paul Pierce
29. Walt Frazier
30. Kevin Durant
31. Elgin Baylor
32. Clyde Drexler
33. Gary Payton
34. John Stockton

33-38 are still guys you can build around but have more issues. It’s fine if you think I rated Isiah too low though I do feel he is overrated.

33. Dwight Howard
34. Chris Paul
34. Isiah Thomas
35. Artis Gilmore
36. Kevin Johnson
37. Willis Reed
38. Alonzo Mourning

Pretty much interchangable, and players who need another similar talent paired next to them to win.

39. Reggie Miller
40. Kevin McHale
41. Jason Kidd
42. George Gervin
43. Elvin Hayes
44. Pau Gasol
45. Ray Allen
46. Tracy McGrady
47. Sidney Moncrief
48. Dave Cowens
49. Kevin Johnson
50. Alex English

Hubie Brown: Brief NBA History Lesson

Just to get it out of the way, I don’t like the way the video is titled since Michael Jordan was mentioned only briefly in this clip. Rule changes and strategy has certainly evolved over the past 70 years of the NBA. Coach Hubie Brown talks about the lane widening and hand check being eliminated. Widening the lane has definitely made it so that the key isn’t crowded which makes it easier for players to attack the basket. Barring hand checking takes that further which allows the ball handler more room and freedom from the defender.

There is just 1 thing that I disagree with coach Brown even if I’m not qualified to say so in comparison to him. His point that it’s tougher to get shots off and offensive sets in the 80s were a beauty to watch is certainly true. His mention of the Bad Boy Pistons is a great reference to tough defenses of that time, and you can watch the Showtime Lakers or Celtics of that era to see some great offenses. However the NBA has certainly come into its own in the past 5 years or so. Offenses are just so much more fun to watch, and this year’s Finals is just proof of that with the Spurs running possibly the greatest offense ever with their incredible passing, screen plays, zipper cuts, and all the motion that goes on. This style of offense is really what we’ve been seeing just recently as the 2000s was a time of mostly isolation basketball which might have elevated certain players to stardom, but it was rather simple and not as fun to watch. Spacing is better than ever with an emphasis on shooting.

Great short little clip which deserves to be expanded upon.

NBA Finals: Spurs vs Heat; NBA TV’s Open Court

A clip of NBA TV’s Open Court that aired on June 3rd. I wish I still had NBA TV still since I can’t find the full epsidoe anywhere. I wish I could’ve seen Grant Hill play prior to his ankle injury. He’s similar to LeBron James in terms of being a complete all-around player. Incredible 1st step, great passer, solid defensive rebounder, can take a rebound and bring it up court for a fast break or initiate the offense, decent defender, decent mid-range shot. He didn’t have LeBron’s size but was a great finisher none the less. Still had a great career.

Anyways, game 2 of the Finals went to the Heat so the series is tied up and going to Miami. I expect the Spurs to take 1 in Miami, so this series will go 6 games. LeBron is getting a ton of credit for this game as he should while he did get a ton of shit for getting cramps in game 1 during the a/c game. Chris Bosh was clutch though who hit a corner 3 and took advantage of a Tim Duncan defensive mistake (why guard Bosh 3 feet behind the 3 point line?) to drive to the basket and dish to an open Wade to seal the game. Spurs offense was fairly stagnant towards the end of the game too with little motion which may be due to fatigue.

Basketball Porn

Miami doesn’t use Thib’s defensive strategy of taking away the middle and having the big sag off on screens. They hedge a lot. Good if they can rotate which they’re built to do but can get beaten.

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Spurs run a ton of high and low screens or zipper cuts. Both guards can initiate the offense as well as play off ball while having Duncan as a decoy in the post at times.

My NBA All-Star Team Reserves

Since the starters are voted in, only the reserves can be chosen.

WEST
voted starters: PG – Steph Curry (GSW), SG – Kobe Bryant (LAL), SF – Kevin Durant (OKC), Blake Griffin (LAC), Kevin Love (MIN)
PG: Goran Dragic (PHX) – Dragic is posting 20.3/6.2/1.4 while shooting over 50% from the field and better than 40% beyond the arc for an incredible TS% of 61%.
PG: Damian Lillard (POR) – The Oakland native is averaging over 20ppg while being clutch this season and having a super 117 ORTG.
Wing: James Harden (HOU) – Even though he plays terrible defense, Harden is by default the best SG in the league.
Big: LaMarcus Aldridge (POR) – At 28, LMA is having his peak season with 23.9/11.4 though his efficiency could be better.
Big: Dwight Howard (HOU) – A good center in a league void of good low post players.
Big: Anthony Davis (NOP) – Scary how good AD will be, might be the best big in a year or 2, he’s putting up monsterous numbers: 20.5pts, 10.1reb, 3.1blk, 1.6stl. Even though his team’s defense hasn’t been good due to lack of discipline, AD himself has been great on that end by covering a lot of ground and being a shot blocking presence. Offensively, his midrange shot has been money while also being a great finisher.
PG: Chris Paul (LAC) – Still the best PG in the league.
Big: Tim Duncan (SAS) – Duncan replaces the injured Kobe. Old man Duncan is still the defensive anchor on the Spurs. One of the greatest of all time, he should be showcased here.

EAST
voted starters: PG – Kyrie Irving (CLE), SG – Paul George (IND), SF – Carmelo Anthony (NYK), PF – LeBron James (MIA), C – Joakim Noah (CHI)
PG: Kyle Lowry (TOR) – Even though Lowry is known to be a pain in the ass, he’s been the best PG in the East though that’s not saying much.
Wing: DeMar DeRozen (TOR) – Playing great after Rudy Gay was traded.
Wing: Arron Afflalo (ORL) – Afflalo gets better every year, however he benefits from being in the weak East. Still, he’s averaging close to 20ppg and shooting lights out beyond the arc while playing solid to good defense.
Big: Roy Hibbert (IND) – Hibbert will win Defensive Player of the Year.
Big: Paul Millsap (ATL) – Millsap is a huge reason why Atlanta isn’t as horrible as the other East teams.
PG: John Wall (WAS) – Wall is averaging about 20/9/2 though his efficiency has been mediocre. Still waiting for him to really put it together. Still, he’s having an all-star season.
Big: Chris Bosh (MIA) – Bosh has been playing great defense and improved his range more this season.