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Another Spur in the saddle
by Dean Serravalle / June 15, 2003 - Quotes Game 6

At every position on the court, the Spurs dominated a matchup in size and skill. All except for one, and that is at point guard, although many would argue that Tony Parker and Speedy Claxton made up for it with speed and timely shots. Speaking of timely shots at the guard position, who made them consistently in this series for the New Jersey Nets? With the exception of Jason Kidd's clutch shot in Game 1, the Spurs backcourt out shot their counterparts on New Jersey.

Although the Nets countered themselves with some brilliant athletic moments a la Jefferson's over the top dunk, and some back rim shooting spurts from Kerry Kittles in Game 2, they lacked a consistent outside shooter who could open up lanes and post up opportunities for Kenyon Martin. Because of this dreadful outside shooting, the Spurs collapsed into their zoned assignments, while rotating guards like Tony Parker and Speedy Claxton dropped quickly into weak side coverage forcing turnovers.

Ironically, on the other side of the court, the Nets' guards had problems defending the penetration of Emanuel Ginobili, Tony Parker and/or Speedy Claxton. Take your choice. As a result, when Tim Duncan wasn't dominating in the post, there was a guard or small forward there to slide in for an easy lay-up from one of his brilliant passes. And if that didn't create problems, factor in the three-point shooting of Jackson, Bowen and Kerr, and you have an attack on all fronts, full court or halfcourt, inside and outside, run or shoot.

Which brings us to a haunting reality when considering matchups in a heavily contested NBA Finals Series -- halfcourt offense vs. halfcourt offense. Both teams managed to play formidable zone and man defenses. However, it was the execution of the Spurs halfcourt offense that prevailed due to their matchup advantage at every position. Along the same front, there were more players on the Spurs squad who could create their own shot when most of the shots were being fired -- in the last ten seconds of the shot clock. Which begs the question, who would you rather have with the ball in their hands with three seconds left on the shot clock? A Tim Duncan with his diversity of inside/outside moves, or a Kenyon Martin with one slama-jama move?

In the same light, would you bet on Jason Kidd, with the weight of a whole team on his shoulders, who was at best one-dimensional this series in quarters 2 and 4, or a young, ready to prove himself, nothing to lose twenty-year old who could answer every doubtful question about him with an irrelevant shot or pass? Putting all names aside and with due respect to Jason Kidd, he has proven time and time again that he can make a team better. On the flipside of this matchup coin we had a player like Tony Parker who is made better by his team, and the matchup problems they create. And this was the difference in this series. If you are Jason Kidd, and about to double down on Tim Duncan, this is your dilemma: either run out to one of the fastest guards in the league because he can hit that shot, or stick to the big guy, who will definitely hit that shot if you leave. Quite the conundrum. And fouling wears thin when you have a thin bench.

Which begs the comparison of offensive bench production, another determining factor in this series. Countless times when Tony Parker was struggling in a quarter, Gregg Popovich exercised the luxury of a Speedy Claxton, or Plan A, dump everything into the NBA MVP, Tim Duncan. Lending weight to this imbalance was an unconsciously confident Ginobili, who relentlessly drove the net while creating anything he so pleased off the dribble. There is that phrase again, "off the dribble" and it must be running through the mind of Byron Scott as many times as the word "matchup." The Spurs boasted three first class players who could create off the dribble -- namely Ginobili, Parker and Duncan. All three are adept passers and three-dimensional players to boot. The New Jersey Nets had but one player who could create off the dribble although he was limited to passing because of a poor shooting stroke.

When measured up on this scale of matchups, there really is no comparison. Factor in the low post advantage of height on a Spurs team that lends itself to more offensive rebounds, fouls, and high percentage shots and you have your recipe for an NBA championship. Tragically, and for most Eastern Conference teams, this is not as easy to cook up as it seems. Just ask a Spurs team who have their cake and are eating it too.

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