作者RonnieBrewer (Reverse Layup)
看板UTAH-JAZZ
標題Spurs' blowout loss leaves gaping questions
時間Mon Apr 7 21:28:48 2008
Spurs' blowout loss leaves gaping questions
by Charley Rosen
Updated: April 6, 2008, 2:54 PM EST
In years past, the Spurs have stepped-up their often ho-hum regular-season
performances into a full-bore playoff mode during their annual rodeo road
trip, which usually takes place after the All-Star game. But this year,
they've waited until late-March to step on the gas ─ winning eight straight
before getting pounded by the Jazz.
Was the humiliating defeat merely an aberration for the defending champs?
Or did the game reveal any potentially fatal flaws in the Spurs game plan?
Here's what happened.
OFFENSE
The Jazz swarmed to the middle on virtually every ball-penetration. Only Tony
Parker was able to find the hoop (often in sensational style) on his drives ─
7-14, four assists, 17 points. Otherwise, every interior shot was challenged
─ many of them successfully.
In all the Spurs missed nine layups ─ two each by Parker, Eme Udoka, and Manu
Ginobili, and one each by Fabricio Oberto, Jacque Vaughn, and Kurt Thomas.
That adds up to 18 squandered points that would certainly have made a
difference in the outcome.
San Antonio's mid-range game was good enough to win ─ 11-24 ─ but their
3-point shooting was atrocious ─ 2-12 ─ and their interior scoring was
unsteady. For the game, they shot a collective 36.4%.
In addition to collapsing in the middle, the Jazz also slipped a defender
into the direct-line passing lanes. That's primarily why Utah came up with
10 steals.
By scrambling on defense,
the Jazz likewise forced the Spurs to uptempo their
half-court offense ─ a pace that was obviously out of the visitors' comfort
zone.
Oberto, in particular, was a victim of the speeded-up tempo ─ 0-1, no points,
three turnovers. As was Michael Finley ─ 1-4, two points.
I've been insisting all season that the best way
to contain Tim Duncan is to
double him late, i.e., when he puts the ball on the floor ─ which is exactly
what Utah did. As a result, TD was often forced to shoot in a crowd and wound
up with only 6-12, one assist, and 15 points, to go with three turnovers.
Ronnie Price and Andrei Kirilenko both did admirable jobs of
denying Ginobili,
thereby limiting the Spurs' go-to scorer to 2-12, one assist, and eight points,
while also inducing two turnovers.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of Utah's smothering defense was its
physicality. Cutters were bumped, bodies collided, and unavoidable fouls
were committed with bone-to-bone ferocity.
What with the quickened pace and the routine banging, San Antonio's precision
offense simply broke down ─ especially in the 2nd half. A measure of this
was the fact that the Spurs recorded only eight assists on their 24 buckets.
DEFENSE
The Jazz were just as
physical on offense, nailing defenders on brutal
screens, taking advantage of every switch by being extremely aggressive in
post-ups. For example, Kyle Korver versus Parker, Kirilenko versus Finley,
and
Matt Harpring versus everybody.
The Spurs concentrated so much on trying to contain screen/rolls (and did
achieve a modicum of success here) that their strong-side wings cheated
toward the S/R action. Unfortunately for the Spurs, these roving wings were
caught out of position with
snappy passes and their Utah counterparts wound
up with wide-open shots. That, along with some screen/pops, was why the Jazz
shot a sizzling 10-18 from beyond the arc.
Also, whenever the Spurs two-timed Boozer, the Jazz
moved the ball much
quicker than the defense could recover, ergo, even more open shots for Utah.
Utah's
constant off-the-ball movement also caught the Spurs unprepared.
The Spurs did a poor job of controlling their defensive boards. The Jazz
battled their way to 11 offensive rebounds, which included four put-backs.
Kurt Thomas showed that he's not nearly as effective defending face-up
scorers as he is in guarding post-up scorers. Indeed, it looks like he's
lost a half-step in his lateral movement.
While Parker was too weak to contain Deron Williams, Bruce Bowen was too
slow ─ especially in navigating his way around screens.
In fact, the only reliable defense offered by any of the Spurs was provided
by TD, who single-handedly clogged the middle (3 blocks), and stymied most of
Boozer's attempts to score in the shadow of the basket.
So, then, what to make of this game?
Jerry Sloan clearly out-coached Gregg Popovich, which makes any subsequent
rematches in the playoffs that much more intriguing.
The Jazz are well-nigh unbeatable at home against any opponents.
The Spurs must make their perimeter shots to open up the middle for Duncan.
The Spurs must control the tempo and trump quick, aggressive defenses with
slicker passwork (and better passing angles), better screens (some back-
screens would soften ball-denial defenders), more back-cuts, and more
efficient rotations when TD is two-timed down low.
Moreover, the defending champs will be also-rans if they can't improve their
perimeter defense.
Nor can the Spurs afford to be bullied in the paint.
If the Jazz can play with the same consistent intensity on the road as they
generally do at home, they'll have as good a chance as anybody to survive the
conference playoffs.
On the other hand, the lop-sided defeat suddenly puts the Spurs in a crisis
mode.0 With only eight games left, there may be enough time to make the
necessary adjustments and get their game plan back in gear.
Or maybe not.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/7985752
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 59.41.170.61
推 KarlMalone:靠 看不懂啦 04/07 22:48
→ jonrsx: 04/07 23:09
推 Stockton:傳染病滿嚴重的＠＠？？ 04/07 23:15
推 DK47:最近看外電沒有大尾的靠北翻譯感覺怪怪的XD 被寵壞了 04/07 23:16
推 K0RVER:大王翻 大王翻 .. 04/07 23:34
推 Poleaxe:大王翻 大王翻 04/07 23:38
→ LenardLee:大翻~ 大翻~ 04/07 23:54
推 DK47: 翻跟斗 04/08 00:01
推 BlGP: 翻雲覆雨 04/08 00:08
推 Kreen: 翻山倒海 04/08 00:11
推 yellowboy: 番茄炒蛋 04/08 00:35
推 jonrsx: 翻天覆地 04/08 01:11
推 pgg: 翻桌啦 04/08 05:30
推 makswu: 翻山越嶺 04/08 07:51
→ Kiri1enko: 翻盤崩潰 04/08 08:35