Tag Archive for 'San Antonio Spurs'

End of an Era?

Published
by
Chris Iafolla
on May 30, 2008
in NBA
. 0 Comments

As my brother so astutely pointed out in the previous post, what seemed a forgone conclusion in recent days came to fruition last night when Kobe and the Lakers put the proverbial nail in the coffin.  In the end, youth and energy trumped savvy and experience.  Bellyache all you want about non-calls, conspiracy theories and injury problems–it doesn’t change the fact that the Lakers simply were the better team and proved it emphatically.

So for the first time in eight years, we will watch an NBA championship that does not contain men by the name of Duncan or O’Neal.  So the question then becomes, did we just witness the end of an era–both in the sense of the closing of the window on the Spurs dynasty and the era of big men dominance in the NBA?

Each point warrants its own examination (and potentially its own post) so let’s take them one at a time.

The Spurs:

Call it what you want: dynasty, prolonged success, it really doesn’t matter, it’s impossible to deny the success of the Spurs over the last decade.  This is a team that has won four championships during that time and has been a legitimate contender every year.  But their demise this year felt a bit different didn’t it?  This is a team that has never been shy about finishing games that seem to be out of reach–something they failed to do twice in this series with the Lakers.  More than that, the Spurs seemed to be outworked and out willed, something I have never seen happen in my time watching the current variation of the Spurs.  Part of that is a result of simply running up against Kobe Bryant.  Say what you want about him, but the man can play.  He wasn’t going to let his team leave the Staples Center without a Western conference title.

So was this the end of the Spurs?  Are they finally too old?  Is Tim Duncan no longer able to carry a team?  Has the wear of a decade’s worth of extended seasons finally taken its toll?  If you looked at this past series in a vacuum, the temptation would be to write off the Spurs next year.  That would be a mistake.  This is a team that has its entire core group of players signed for at least the next two seasons.  Sure, Tim Duncan might be on the decline, but he isn’t finished yet.  A quick injection of youth and athleticism will have the Spurs right back in the thick of the race next season and possibly one more beyond that.  Let’s not  make this one series out to be more than it is for the sake of manufacturing some drama.

The Fall of the Big Man:

This question is a little bit tougher to answer.  Slowly but surely over the past decade, the NBA has been methodically moving to a different brand of basketball that favors athleticism and agility over size and strength.  It started with the European invasion.

When Europeans began entering this league in bunches, they brought with them a brand of basketball that favored a broad set of skills over specialty players.  Players like Toni Kukoc, Detlef Shrempf, Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis typified this brand of basketball.  Over time, this philosophy had a trickle effect across the league and as players like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson retired–the face of the game looked quite different.

But even in recent years, teams with dominant big men have gone on to win titles (with the notable exception of the Detroit Pistons).  This is probably why teams continue to put a premium on size by drafting Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum with number one picks.  This year is different.  Whatever team wins this year will do so without a traditional dominant big man (apologies to Gasol and Garnett).

I would contend that this year’s NBA playoffs have been a microcosm of the shift that has been taking place over the past few years-the game is moving toward a more guard-dominated league.

Now I know the next argument: the Suns tried the small ball approach and abandoned it in favor of adding the traditional big man to the mix.  To that I would say: “yea, how’d that turn out?”  The Suns abandoned the small ball approach–not the guard dominated approach.  There is a significant difference.  The Suns’ offense was based on the premise that a shot had to go up in seven seconds or less.  Ultimately, this created a tempo of basketball ill-suited for the playoffs and for teams that could impost a physical presence.

As players like Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and next year, Derek Rose continue to emerge, you will see teams grow more comfortable with the idea of a guard dominated team.  If this most recent playoffs was any indication, you better get used to the idea, because it’s already here.

Spurs/Lakers Series Over: A Little Whining From the Writer (Maybe a Conspiracy Theory Too)

Published
by
Anthony Iafolla
on May 29, 2008
in NBA
. 6 Comments

Contrary to what my brother has previously reported (see below), the Spurs are definitely dead.  This is a painful time for me, as I work in an office filled with annoying Lakers fans.  Now I understand the pain, although nowhere near the magnitude, that my buddy Zamp was trying to convey to me after the Giants won the Super Bowl.  He had to go to work everyday in Jersey surrounded by Giants fans, and being a die hard Eagles fan, that is painful.  Either way, the Spurs and Lakers will meet tonight in Game 5 at the Staples Center, and Kobe Bryant will most likely see to it that he and his Lakers teammates do not have to board another plan en route to San Antonio. 

I had been holding out hope that I would not have to see the freakin’ Lakers and Kobe Bryant much more, but it looks like I was wrong.  The worst part about this series is that it has left me with a lot of “what ifs?”  I watched Game 4 in anguish as the veteran Spurs seemed to be allergic to ACTUALLY taking the lead.  They must have tied that game up 6 different times, only to miss wide open looks to take the lead for the first time.  The Spurs have no one to blame but themselves for being in this position.  They have not earned themselves a spot in the NBA Finals. They let the Lakers off the hook.  There is no chance now that the Spurs can win 3 games in a row, two of which would be in Los Angeles.  What this means is I need to spend a few minutes whining and complaining about things that matter very little.  So the pain continues for me. 

Do I think this series would have played out differently if Manu Ginobili could actually move?  Absolutely.  Do I think that the spoiled brat Kobe would be MVP or the Lakers would have even gotten out of the first round if they never were handed Pau Gasol on a shiny platter?  No I do not.  Is it a damn travesty that Joe Crawford, who was basically suspended for his feud with Tim Duncan and the Spurs was allowed to ref a pivotal playoff game?  You’re damn right it is.  Don’t even get me started on that one.  Can you say conspiracy theory? 

Then there is the Brent Barry last second non foul call.  It’s like the NBA welcomes the conspiracy theories.  I am not saying the NBA has instructed officials to help the Lakers reach the finals, or better yet just stop the Spurs from getting back.  But, that doesn’t mean it looks good.  All those who refuse to admit that are just fooling themselves.  No way Crawford should have been anywhere near that arena.  None.  Not in the era of the Tim Donaghy scandal. Who was the official closest to that play?  Oh, that would be Joe Crawford. 

Yesterday the NBA announced that a 2 shot foul should have been called on Derek Fisher.  Sweet!  Thank you David Stern.  Brent Barry definitely should have gone into the air when he had Fisher off balance and forced a foul call, but somehow I doubt that even that would have mattered.  I realize this is all just spilt milk.  I needed to vent, and it would have been much more entertaining if my editor would let me use the words that I really wanted to.  I have to work tonight, and I will be recording Game 5, but I am sure one of the stupid ass Laker fans in my office will let me know the result long before I have watched the game.  I still cling to a sliver of hope that a miracle can happen, but I am not going to hold my breath.  It sure looks like we are headed towards EXACTLY what the NBA wanted all along:  A Celtics versus Lakers NBA Finals.  I will have to sedate myself to get through those two agonizing weeks.

Spurs Not Dead Yet

Published
by
Chris Iafolla
on May 26, 2008
in NBA
. 0 Comments

Too old.  Too slow.  Not enough offensive firepower.  Play an ugly brand of basketball.  Their time has passed.

Sound familiar?  It should.

These are the standard descriptors most often used when discussing the San Antonio Spurs.  It’s a time-honored tradition of the NBA playoffs–write off the Spurs as a team that can’t possibly get it done one more time.  It’s astonishing really when you put it into perspective.

This is a team that has won four titles in the last decade…a team with probably the greatest power forward to play this game as its anchor.  This is a team that plays at the defensive end of the floor the way the game was meant to be played.  Yet we somehow continue to question the ability of the Spurs to advance in the playoffs for any reason we manage to conjure out of thin air.

I’m not throwing stones here–I am guilty of this as well as evidenced by my prediction of the Spurs’ first round demise.  But since that point, I won’t count the Spurs out of this series or any other from here on out.  This team has a level of mental toughness that no other team remaining in the playoffs can claim with the possible exception of the Detroit Pistons.

This is not a team that is rattled by a 2-0 deficit.  No.  Where some teams make the mistake of believing that the NBA playoffs are about bursts of intensity, the Spurs realize that in order to be the one left standing when all is said and done it is about a consistently high level of intensity.

Just like the Hornets series, last night was a shining example of why the Spurs are never quite dead.  Last night, instead of their marquee player leading them to victory, it was Manu Ginobili leading the charge.  Publicly critical of his own play thus far in the series, Manu answered the call by pouring in 30 points against the vaunted Lakers.

And that is the difference with these Spurs.  Never rattled, the Spurs turned to their second offensive weapon to lead them to victory when the season was on the line.  So like I said, before, until the Spurs lose a game on their home floor, I won’t count them out of any series.  And if it gets to a game 7, old, slow, lack of offensive firepower and ugly basketball will suddenly translate to battle-tested, crafty, controls the tempo of the game and plays lock down defense.  Sounds like a winning formula to me.

NBA Conference Finals Preview

Published
by
Anthony Iafolla
on May 20, 2008
in NBA
. 4 Comments

We’re down to the Final Four in the NBA Playoffs.  As far as my picks, I have so far done well in the Eastern Conference, and not too well in the Western Conference (some of that due to my desire to see the Lakers go down).  Although I did say a couple weeks ago that I felt the Spurs would replace the Suns and go to the Finals.  I think we have two great match-ups here, so let’s break it all down. 

Pistons vs Celtics

This is the match-up that has been expected pretty much since the beginning of the season.  You can throw the regular season games out the window.  The playoffs are here.  This should be an awesome series to watch.  It won’t always be pretty, but it will be physical, intense, and most likely come down to execution in the fourth quarter.  These are probably the two best defensive teams in the NBA.  What I love about this series is that these two teams do not like each other and it is filled with some great individual match-ups.  The Pistons are seasoned and rested.  They have been here before.  Many of the Celtics have not.  The Celtics have gone through two grueling seven game series, but have not faced the type of test they will get from the Pistons.  How will they respond?  Let’s look at the match-ups: 

1)       Point Guard- If Chauncey Billups’ hamstring is healthy, then this is one sided.  Rajon Rondo has made strides in these playoffs and he hit some big shots against the Cavs, but he has not proven that he can do it consistently.  Chauncey?  Been there, done that.  With his size and strength advantage over Rondo, I look for the Pistons to use Billups in the post more often.  I am curious to see how Rondo reacts under the pressure of getting the Celtics back to the Finals.  I have a feeling he might look like a deer in headlights.

2)       Shooting Guard- I’ve always loved Rip.  Although the whole mask thing has dropped him a couple notches for me.  I remember seeing his Coatesville team go up against Kobe Bryant’s Lower Merion team back in high school.  Ray Allen has looked like he aged 40 years since the end of the regular season.  The Celtics need Allen to step up and they should make a conscious effort to run him off screens and get him in a rhythm early.  I think both these guys will have a good series.  With the great team defense played by both teams, no one will blow you away with their high field goal percentage.  I still give a slight advantage to the Pistons in this match-up.

3)       Small Forward- This is a great match-up.  For most of the Cavs series, I though Paul Pierce did a great job defending LeBron James.  His offense suffered because of it.  Until, of course, Game 7.  Pierce impressed the hell out of me, and it’s a good thing, too.  The player previously known as Ray Allen was not helping much, and KG certainly wasn’t going to carry the Celtics in a tight Game 7.  I look for Tayshaun Prince to play the role of Paul Pierce here.  Prince probably will not contribute much offensively, save a few threes, but his main focus will be on stopping Pierce.  We all know that Prince can defend anybody.  He has about a 94 foot wingspan.  Prince should do a great job on Pierce, putting more pressure on Garnett and Allen.  I still think Pierce will have a few games where he is just on.  So offensively, Pierce will certainly contribute more, but this is still a close one.  Slight edge to the Celtics.

4)       Power Forward- You are not going to find too many match-ups better than this one.  I could go on and on about it, but I wouldn’t do that to you.  Both are great defenders, and both are important offensively as well.  They probably will not spend the entire time guarding each other, but when they do it will be physical and fun.  Wallace has way more big game experience, but Garnett is hungry.  Maybe he will finally shake the reputation of not taking over big games when his team needs it.  I doubt it, but maybe.  Wallace will mix in his three point shooting, post moves, and great defense.  Same for Garnett, except his outside shooting will be a little closer to the basket.  Both guys are great competitors and I think both will play well.  I am sure I will get some crap for this but I see this one as a draw.  Garnett is great, but Wallace will be great at the exact moments his team needs him to be.  Will Garnett?

5)       Center- Both Kendrick Perkins and Antonio McDyess are responsible for doing the little things.  Defend, rebound, get easy put-backs, keeping plays alive.  McDyess does possess the ability to hit the open 14-18 footer.  I don’t see any clear edge in this match-up.  I’ll call this a draw.

6)       Bench- Detroit and Boston have excellent benches.  Typically, teams do not get this far in the playoffs with weak benches.  Bench play usually just comes down to who is going to step up from game to game and make an imprint.  There are plenty of guys capable on both sides.  Even Sam “The Alien” Cassell.  Guys like Posey, Powe, and House for the Celtics, and Hunter, Maxiell, and Stuckey, will go far in determining who comes out on top in this grudge match. If fouls become an issue, the benches will have an even greater impact.  It’s hard to really call a favorite here.  We’ll see how they react once the pressure is on.I have already written that I think the Pistons win in seven.  I actually think it could be six, but I will stick with seven.  Yes, seven.  The Pistons can win on the road.  There’s a novel idea!  I think it is important for the Pistons to win game 1 and put the pressure on Boston.  Either way, this is going to be closely contested, physical, and fun to watch. 

Spurs vs Lakers

Everybody at this point knows what I want to see happen.  Especially so that I do not have to pay out some bets that I made with friends of mine who are Lakers fans.  I previously picked the Suns to be here, and then, using a mulligan, said that the Spurs would be here.  I was hoping the Jazz would take the Lakers out, but that turned out to be wishful thinking.  Now, I worry that with Kobe Bryant able to smell the Finals, it’s too late to stop the Lakers.  Ahhh… But of course, they are playing the defending world champions.  A team that already has 4 rings to boast about.  Will the Spurs end my misery of watching the Lakers cruise to the NBA Finals?  Man, I hope so.  This promises to be another hard fought, tightly contested series. 

1)       Point Guard- The more I watch Derek Fisher, the more respect I gain for him.  He plays hard and physical defense.  He almost never misses an open jumper.  He hits clutch shots in almost every game.  His counterpart, Tony Parker, is one of the fastest and quickest players in the NBA.  Not an easy match-up for Fisher.  Parker will try to get in the lane and set up easy baskets for teammates as well as run the break when it is open.  I will give a slight edge to Parker in this battle.

2)       Shooting Guard- The interesting thing in this series is the defensive match-ups.  Ginobili will not be guarding Kobe.  Bruce Bowen and Kobe Bryant will renew their long lasting love fest.  I don’t think I even need to go into either Manu or Kobe’s credentials at this point.  They are both great. Kobe, of course, is all time great.  What is great about this series is that it is filled with players that will step up in the clutch.  I am not enough of a hater to give the edge to the Spurs here.  Edge to the Lakers.

3)       Small Forward- Bruce Bowen’s main job will be to try and slow down, frustrate, elbow, scratch, kick and do whatever else is necessary to Kobe Bryant.  He will find himself open for the corner three from time to time, and he needs to knock those down.  Lamar Odom almost always poses match-up problems with his ability to handle and shoot.  Again, I reiterate that match-ups will be key in this series.  Both team will be moving different defenders around, so it’s hard to talk about head to head, but I give the edge to Odom and the Lakers here.

4)       Power Forward- The Lakers have absolutely no one that can guard Tim Duncan, so I look for a huge series from him.  I’m sure Phil Jackson will throw double teams and different bodies at Duncan, but Gasol, or Turiaf, and whoever else do not stand a chance.  Radmanovic is mainly just an outside shooter and to be effective and even have an impact he must hit shots.  Huge edge to the Spurs.

5)       Center- Oberto is another dirty work guy.  Gasol is another case of a guy who will create match-up problems for the Spurs.  He can inside and out with great efficiency.  What bothers me about Gasol is that he’s so soft.  That being said he and the Lakers have a huge advantage here.

6)       Bench- Both teams have great benches, but I do think that the Lakers have a younger and fresher bench.  It seems that everyone that comes off the bench of both team has the ability to play well and hit shots.  The Spurs bench is experienced, and it remains to be seen how the Lakers bench will perform as the series rolls on.  I call this one even. There are so many great match-ups and players in this series that you just know its going to be great.  Two great coaches involved in a chess match.  The Spurs have the experience, but they might have tired legs.  The Lakers have Kobe Bryant.  This is a tough one to call, and it will come down to defense and execution.  I just feel that at the end of the day, the Spurs have enough in them to take down the Lakers in seven.  Again, the Spurs need to steal one of the first two, or else Kobe will smell blood and drop 50 in San Antonio to put the Spurs against the wall.  

I don’t care what anybody says about the Spurs being boring and all that crap.  Both these series are going to be entertaining and great for the NBA.  These are the four teams that should be here.  It will be a great couple weeks in the NBA, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.  Let’s all kick back and enjoy the games.

Peering into the Crystal Ball: The Future of the Eastern Conference and a Few Lessons Learned

Published
by
Chris Iafolla
on May 6, 2008
in NBA
. 4 Comments

The first round of the NBA playoffs has provided a plethora of lessons learned and plenty of intrigue.

The two series that most proclaimed experts felt would be the least competitive in the Eastern Conference turned out to provide the most hotly-contested series in the Eastern Conference thus far. Both the Sixers and Hawks were written off as mere bystanders on the path to a Celtics/Pistons clash. But those experts forgot to tell the Sixers and Hawks, because they put up a fight that just may have provided a glimpse into the future of the Eastern Conference.

Sure, the Pistons and Celtics will likely have their inevitable showdown to determine Eastern Conference supremacy. But both of those teams have a veteran core whose window is rapidly closing with each passing day. On the other hand, the Sixers and Hawks are following a similar model: a young athletic core paired with an established, veteran point guard to direct the troops. Sound familiar? It should. This is a model the Detriot Pistons have been using for years. In Chauncey Billups, the team has a solid veteran presence at point guard coupled with versatility at the remaining four starting positions. Lump all of that together with a tough-minded approach to defense and you just might have concocted a GM’s cocktail for championships. Goes down smooth huh? Both the Sixers and Hawks are a couple of pieces and years away from seriously contending for a championship. But the current playoffs may have provided a glimpse into the future of the Eastern Conference–a world where the Sixers and Hawks reign supreme.

And now, on to the lessons learned:

  • Predictions Schmedictions: Chief among those lessons was that predictions are not my forte. Already, my Western conference champion has fallen victim to a team that simply understands how to win playoff basketball–the San Antonio Spurs. I still have a chance at my other prediction, albeit a bit of a cop out, that the Spurs come out of the West. I felt that the winner of that series would prevail in the conference, so at least that one is still alive (not looking too promising either). While the Spurs have looked old thus far, I won’t count out Tim Duncan and the gang until they are beaten on their own court.
  • Don’t overemphasize the value of experience: In some circumstances (see San Antonio Spurs) playoff experience equates to playoff success. Because of this, we have a tendency to place too much value on the ability of a veteran team to win a playoff series based solely on the fact that it has fought more battles than its opponent. I was a victim of this trap when I thought the savvy and physicality of the Mavericks would wear down the Hornets and Chris Paul. In reality, Chris Paul was so much better than any player on the courtthat he single-handedly propelled that team to victory.
  • The Nuggets are who we thought they were:In the infamous words of Denny Green, The Nuggest “are who we thought they were.” I’m pretty sure I could drop 30 on that defense. So while the Lakers won convincingly, I’ll jump on the bandwagon when they beat a team that actually believes in the concept of defense.
  • Celtics Lack Go-to Guy: All season long the media trumpeted the success and harmony of the Big Three. And while the success in the season is all well and good, it all amounts to nothing if you can’t get it done in the playoffs. The problem with this Celtics team is it lacks a scorer that is willing to step up and get it done in the clutch. Garnett refuses to attack the basket and becomes a passive participant in the game come crunch time , Ray Allen has trouble creating his own shot and Paul Pierce does not have enough proven late-game ability to solidify his position as a go-to-guy. All season, these three have coexisted as equal parts of the greater whole–now that it is playoff time, one of them needs to step up and become the most important cog in the wheel.
  • Dwight Howard is a Monster: We knew that Howard likes to pose as Superman, but I’m not sure many of us believed he actually had the ability to leap tall defenders in a single bound. Once Howard refines his offensive game to include a bit of finesse as opposed to pure power, he will be near impossible to stop. Not since a certain 7 foot 300-pound big man donned an Orlando Magic jersey have we seen a big man with this much upside.