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 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.