San Antonio Spurs Looking Red Hot
Down in the Southwest Division of the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs are looking red hot as we approach the halfway mark. While the Rockets keep nipping at their heels the Spurs have managed to stave them off and maintain a record of 30-8. They’re currently the second best team in basketball behind the Warriors, ahead of the Cavaliers.
So what makes the Spurs so good?
It starts with Gregg Popovich. Not only is the guy a silver fox with a sharp tongue. But, he’s the best head coach in the league. He’s the longest tenured by 12 years. He’s been coaching the Spurs since Biggie Smalls was alive. And he’s on the verge of tying Phil Jackson for 20 consecutive winning seasons. But more to the point, he has built an exceedingly successful system that properly utilizes every player on the roster. He cultivates the sort of chemistry that players buy into. And most importantly, like the best players in the history of the game he makes everyone around him better. You know how they say the camera adds ten pounds? Well the same goes for Gregg Popovich’s coaching.
Heretofore I’ve avoided writing an article about the Spurs due to their reputation as a boring team. But this isn’t that same Duncan-led squad. This is Tony Parker’s team. Or rather, Kawhi Leonard’s. It’s a team that moves the ball around the court at blurring speeds, shifting seamlessly between the fast break and a set up; a team that knows how to create open shots and disrupt defenses. Not only can everyone on the roster shoot from distance, but they utilize multiple screens on and off the ball to move shooters into position. They shift players around the court constantly, forcing defenses to play more help ball than they’d prefer. They play an extremely methodical style of basketball. Aside from the Warriors, they’re the most efficient field goal and free throw shooters in the league.
Plus, they’re ravenous defensively. Currently, there are three teams holding opponents below 100 points per game. Those are the Jazz, the Grizzlies, and the Spurs who keep teams to an average of 97.8 points a game. Among the top five teams in the league, they are the best defensively. How do they do it? If you watch their highlights, you’ll see a trend: Popovich’s players are constantly moving in and out of the paint, using the three second rule to their advantage. This means no easy baskets–forcing teams to pull up and take tough shots more than they’d like. No they’re not the most dazzling offensive team. They don’t put up 117 points night in and night out.
Individually they don’t exactly have the most inspiring stat lines. In fact, if you were going off the stat sheet alone you might wonder how the heck they’re winning as many as they are. Kawhi Leonard is averaging 24.1 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. LaMarcus Aldridge has 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. But beyond that it’s nothing special. Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, and Patty Mills are all hovering around eleven points a game. Danny Green around eight.
They don’t have a James Harden or a Russell Westbrook. But they have each other, as corny as it sounds. As a unit they arguably comprise the league’s best team. A sum greater than its parts. Sure, the Warriors can shoot. They can put up 117 points night in and night out. But that’s why they win games–because they score so much; because they’ve got tons of offensive firepower. The Spurs win because of Popovich; because of the system he’s designed–a system that amplifies the talents of its players and gives opposing teams fits every single year. Considering how San Antonio fared in the season opener against the Golden State Warriors, in which they dominated 129-100, it’s not so crazy to think the Spurs are the NBA’s top dog. Unfortunately, we won’t find out until March if it wasn’t just early season jitters that spoiled Kevin Durant’s Oakland debut.
While we wait, I suggest everyone keeps an eye on the Spurs. Tonight they destroyed their cross-state counterparts, the LA Lakers, by 40 points. They scored a season high 134 points (31 of which belonged to Kawhi Leonard) while shooting 61 percent from the field and holding the Lake Show to 94 points. That puts them at 31 wins and 8 losses on the year. Is it possible that the fun’s only just beginning for this already dominant Spurs squad? Guess we’re going to find out soon enough.
