AP San Antonio has the advantage of continuity.
Sure, they have the advantage of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, too. But the reason they have been as good as anyone in the NBA through the first week is they have continuity — same system, same coach, same core players they have had for a decade. The Spurs had the NBA’s most efficient offense last season and they brought everybody that mattered back. They know who they are and what they are doing every time down the court, while everyone else is trying to find their footing.
So when they run into a Pacers team that has won ugly up to this point, San Antonio dismantles them. Which is what happened in San Antonio’s 101-79 win Monday night.
For all the talk about the Spurs offense, it was their defense that won this game. For the past couple seasons it has been all about the Spurs offense, but at least to start this season they are playing much better defense (they were giving up 100.1 points per 100 possessions before this game, 10th in the league).
Spurs players were in position and challenging Pacers players seemingly every play, and the result was a Pacers offense that crumbled into a lot of isolation. The Pacers settled for bad shot after bad shot, and the result was 18 first quarter points on 27 percent shooting. In the second quarter they were 7-of-21 shooting (and that was with a 13-2 run late in the quarter to get Indiana back within 10.
Overall for the game, the Pacers shot 35 percent — because the Spurs took away much of the Pacers transition game, then in the half court they took away the paint (Indiana scored just 24 points in the paint on the night). Roy Hibbert was non-existent, scoring 2 points and having 5 rebounds. That’s it. Paul George and George Hill combined to shoot 10 of 28.
Meanwhile, the Spurs got the shots they wanted. Their ball movement was again beautiful and crisp.
They ran a lot of Parker driving into the paint with Duncan out near the top of the key, clearing out space and if the defense collapsed the ball flew back out to Duncan for an open jumper. Duncan finished the night with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Which was the exact line for DeJuan Blair, the San Antonio big that rarely gets on the court anymore. He fell out of favor late last season but can still be vintage Spurs — plug him in and he scores buckets and makes plays.
San Antonio’s improved defense is something to watch — is this just early season small sample size at work, or are they a better defensive team this year. If so, they are far more of a threat in the playoffs. We’ll have to see how it plays out.
For now, the Spurs remain a regular season machine. One that ste the Pacers
-
AP
With the Heat season on the brink LeBron James needed to change things up… He ditched the headband. Not exactly ditched, but late in the game LeBron’s headband was knocked off — and then he went off. LeBron played a key stretch of the fourth quarter then all of overtime without it. Couper Moorehead of…
-
Getty Images
That was as great a fourth quarter, as great an NBA Finals fame as you are likely to see. Miami started the quarter down 10 but LeBron James goes on a tear after getting his headband knocked off. The Heat come all the way back to take the lead, then Tony Parker drains a three…
-
LeBron James gets another triple-double, now favorite for Finals MVP
Jun 19, 2013, 4:35 AM EDT
Getty Images
You’ll have to excuses ESPN for not mentioning LeBron James achieving a triple-double during the Heat’s 103-100 win over the Spurs until Game 6 ended. LeBron grabbed his 10th rebound – capping a 32-point, 11-assist, 10-rebound, three-steal game – on Chris Bosh’s block of Tony Parker’s jumper with 31 seconds left, setting off a whirlwind…
-
Reuters
At shootaround on Tuesday before Game 6, Chris Bosh said that hot shooting Spur Danny Green wasn’t going to get clean looks at threes. Then, with the Spurs having one last shot in overtime to tie the game, Bosh made sure his words were good by blocking a Green desperation three to tie the game.…
-
‘Devastated’ Manu Ginobili says he has no clue how Spurs will re-energize for Game 7
Jun 19, 2013, 3:29 AM EDT
Getty Images
MIAMI — After suffering a brutal Game 6 loss that the Spurs had every reason to believe would turn out in their favor, one of the team’s key veterans wasn’t exactly optimistic that they’ll find a way to bounce back emotionally in time for Thursday’s Game 7. Manu Ginobili was the Game 5 hero for…
-
Spurs execution fails them when it matters most. Can they get it back for Game 7?
Jun 19, 2013, 2:24 AM EDT
Getty Images
For three quarters, as it has been for much of the NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs execution was just too much for the Heat to handle — the Spurs shot 50 percent, they played smart defense, they moved the ball, Tim Duncan was playing like a man possessed with 30 points and 14 rebounds,…
-
Ray Allen giving Heat exactly what they expected this season, including his clutch 3-pointer in Game 6
Jun 19, 2013, 2:06 AM EDT
Getty Images
Ray Allen faced a potentially awkward moment before he even played his first game with the Miami Heat. Not only were the Heat facing his old team, the Boston Celtics, his new teammates were receiving their 2012 championship rings. Miami had won a hard-fought seven-game series over Allen’s Celtics on its way to the title,…
-
Heat force a Finals Game 7 with thrilling overtime win over Spurs
Jun 19, 2013, 1:53 AM EDT
Getty Images
MIAMI — The Spurs were on the brink of winning a championship. With 28 seconds remaining in the fourth, they held a five-point lead, were on a 10-2 run over the last four minutes, and fans were heading for the exits while arena staffers lined the court to rope off the crowd in preparation for…
-
Getty Images
Chris Bosh, the Heat’s center, was the Miami player who took the necessary step of declaring Danny Green was done getting open looks. When push came to shove, Bosh – the Heat’s center (!) – backed up his words, which really should have come from one of the perimeter players who kept leaving Green open.…
-
Tony Parker makes step-back 3-pointer, steals ball, makes spinning jumper (video)
Jun 18, 2013, 11:43 PM EDT
Tony Parker, who made the defining play of the series, his twisting, shot-clock beating clincher in Game 1, is at it again. He stepped back to create space for a game-tying 3-pointer, got a steal on the other end and then drove into the paint for a short jumper to put San Antonio up by…
-
NBA Finals Game 6: Heat comeback in fourth, win in overtime to force Game 7
Jun 18, 2013, 10:27 PM EDT
Getty Images
That was a great game. And Game 7 sets up to be something special. For three quarters San Antonio’s execution was too much for Miami and the Spurs entered the fourth up 10 (75-65) and just 12 minutes away from a title. Tim Duncan had been a force, with countermoves spinning Chris Bosh around and…
-
MIAMI — The Spurs lead the Heat 50-44 at halftime of Game 6 of the Finals, and if Miami is to prevent a championship celebration tonight on its home floor, they must find an answer from what is developing into an all-time great performance from Tim Duncan. Duncan has been unstoppable thus far, and has…
-
Getty Images
Mike Miller remained in the starting lineup, but that merely made him the guy in the way of Kawhi Leonard. This ferocious dunk gave Leonard eight early points after he made a three-point play and a 3-pointer.
-
LeBron would like to see Mike Miller more involved for Heat in Game 6
Jun 18, 2013, 8:39 PM EDT
MIAMI — Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra hinted that a lineup change might be possible in advance of Game 6, but wasn’t going to reveal it until absolutely necessary. “I’ll turn in my card at 45 minutes,” he said. There was no lineup change to be found when the time came, however, as three-point specialist…
-
Getty Images
Miami has gone very small against the Spurs — and it worked at first, the Heat won a game and forced the Spurs to adjust to them. However a consequence of that has been Chris Andersen has slid out of the rotation. The Birdman’s size was key against the large Pacers front line last series,…
-
Getty Images
Kansas’ Ben McLemore was pretty much a top three pick on everybody’s board a month ago, but he may be sliding down some boards right now. In part that is because the smooth-shooting guard out of Kansas didn’t help his cause in some recent workouts, reports Chad Ford at ESPN.com (Insider). Multiple sources told me…
-
Reuters
I know, there’s some irony to Chris Bosh talking about physical play. But the thing is, he’s right — the Miami Heat have to come out with their best defensive effort they are not going on to a Game 7. They need to stick with shooters on the perimeter, make crisp rotations and stop cheating…


