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.