Purists Never Fear, the Spurs Bring Back Team Basketball

In an era of the NBA where Closers are en vogue, big threes are the new model, and announcers preview games by saying “Kobe and the Lakers come to Miami to take on LeBron and the Heat,” The San Antonio Spurs are going off script.  They share the ball, the credit, and are winning every single time they take the court.  Apparently they didn’t get the memo. 

Sure each team in the NBA has a method, but the Spurs have a science, or if you prefer an artistry about them.  

The Heat alternately hand the ball to LeBron or D-Wade and say “go score” while  the other mega-star watches with mild interest waiting for his turn to shoot.   The Thunder fall prey to Russell Westbrook’s hot and cold temperament where he may in fact shoot the ball 5 times in a row no matter the degree of difficulty or how open his teammates may be.  It’s no surprise Westbrook’s idol is Kobe Bryant, because anyone watching the Lakers this year saw Kobe play his share of hero ball as Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum tripped over each other in the paint. 

The Spurs meanwhile are simply a machine, every cog with its purpose, and no mechanism goes unused.  Tony Parker comes off of a Tim Duncan pick, sambas into the lane, and finds Matt Bonner in the corner to knock down a wide open three.  Ginobli Euro Steps into the paint only to pause and scoop the ball to Danny Green for an open layup.  Duncan studies the defense from the high post, only to laser a pass to a cutting Tiago Splitter for an easy two points. 

Now Bonner, Splitter, and Green are not household names, nor are Kawhi Leonard, Gary Neal, or Boris Diaw- but these are precisely the players that make the Spurs the best team in the NBA.  Sure Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli set the table, there can be no disputing that, but the unselfishness of the Spurs great players allows their role players to flourish. 

Watching any Laker, Thunder, or Heat game you can see a look of shock on respective role players’ faces when they get the ball late in the shot clock as they try to hot potato the ball back to one of the stars that “should be shooting.”  Ramon Sessions throws an errant pass desperately looking for Kobe who is double teamed, Kendrick Perkins hurls a panicked hook shot at the hoop, Mike Miller stumbles into the lane and travels, none ready for their moment because they weren’t supposed to get that ball at that time.

This is why the Spurs are great.  There is no “supposed to” with them.  The open man is the most dangerous one for San Antonio and he is the man expected to punish the defense.   Paraphrasing the late great Bruce Lee, the greatest style is no style, and the Spurs seem to follow this axiom to the letter. 

Watching San Antonio is as close to a spiritual experience as basketball can be.  No agendas, no ego, just pure beautiful basketball, a team of individuals united moving together toward a common goal unencumbered by the limits of stardom, status, or roles.  

NBA Top-10: #10 Elgin Baylor and #9 Tim Duncan

10) Elgin Baylor

The only man on my list without a championship ended up being Elgin Baylor.  I’ll explain that, but first you have to know I struggled mightily picking between Baylor, Jerry West (the logo, 27, 7, and 6 on his career) and Oscar Robertson (26, 10, and 8, and averaged a triple-double for an entire year). 

By putting Baylor here I fight the impulse to go the traditional route and simply rely on the championship ring count.  Though titles are important in judging a player’s greatness, it certainly wasn’t Baylor’s fault that he didn’t get one.  He, West, and Wilt Chamberlain all share blame for not winning more titles.  However, once Baylor retired, West and Wilt finally did win one ring with LA. 

Next, judging the standout nature of Baylor’s numbers, he has been historically underrated for whatever reason.  Overlooked perhaps because he was part of the best trio of all time, but then again, Wilt and West get plenty of attention.  I think because West was the rare, great white player, and Chamberlain was the largest human people had ever seen, Elgin slipped through the cracks just a little.  But taking a look at his numbers, one must appreciate him, as evidenced by his placement at #10 on my list. 

For his career he averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds despite the fact that his knees basically quit on him half way through his career.  He looked to be all but finished because of those knees in 1965 when his scoring dipped to 17 points a game, but then he promptly averaged 27, 26, and 25 respectively over the following three seasons.  Over his first seven seasons, before his knee troubles, the 6’5” guard, Baylor, compiled averages of 31 points and 16 rebounds per game.

6’5”.  16 rebounds per game. 

I know you can’t take away injuries—they’re part of every sport, and plenty of careers have been ruined, shortened, or diminished by them—but perhaps there is no greater example of what could have been than with Elgin Baylor.  Even despite his horrible knees, he was a dominant player.  Before he battled injuries he was in Wilt-territory in terms of statistical production. 

Baylor was the 1959 Rookie of the Year, made 11 All-Star teams, and was a ten-time All-NBA First Teamer.  For ten years of his career, he was among the five best players in the league.  He never won an MVP award but was a top-5 finisher seven times and a top-3 finisher four times, perhaps due to splitting votes with his superstar teammates West and Chamberlain.  Seven times Baylor was a top-10 rebounder, top-5 four times.  He was top-5 in scoring seven times and finished second three times.  Baylor was also a top-10 assist man six seasons.  In his best season Baylor averaged 38 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.  Nobody—save for Wilt—has ever had a year like that.  22nd on the all-time scoring list, Baylor is also the 25th-best all-time rebounder, an extraordinary accomplishment for a guard. 

I realize that some of this may seem like I’m a Baylor apologist, and maybe I am.  But when the man was healthy, he was a force like we’ve never seen.  An athlete before his time, in a seven year window he was the best guard/forward in the league.  Even after his knee injuries, he had five First Team All-NBA seasons.  His toughness, production, and dominance when healthy are what make Elgin Baylor 10th on this list.  If he had been as lucky as, say, Kobe Bryant in terms of health, we might be listing Baylor as the best player of all time.

#10 Elgin Baylor

9) Tim Duncan

I kept trying to slide “The Big Fundamental” down my list, and that has been the story of Duncan’s career.  He’s great, but maybe so great that we forget about him: at least 20 and 10every year in a quiet way.  Never does Duncan get a technical, soar for a spectacular dunk, or wow us with a Dirk Nowitzki-like inside-outside game.  Duncan lives in the post, scores efficiently, owns the boards, blocks shots, and is perhaps the smartest player of his era.

Always a mix between forward and center, Duncan faced plenty of elite competition throughout his career.  Early on he battled Karl Malone.  In their respective primes Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, and Duncan faced off constantly, and Shaquille O’Neal was also an omnipresent nemesis.  Through it all Duncan was profoundly great, never disappearing in big games, never frustrated by one particular matchup.  He had a way to beat everyone, and with four championships, he did just that.

Also consider Duncan’s help.  Early he had an aging David Robinson, later he had very good but never great wingmen in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli.  Duncan has never had a Hall of Famer in his prime as a teammate.

For his career Duncan averages 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game all while shooting 50% from the field.  In his best season he put up 26 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks per game.  In the playoffs Duncan’s career averages rose to 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Four rings and never lost once he reached the Finals.  Two regular season MVPs, three Finals MVPs, was the 1998 Rookie of Year, made thirteen All-Star games, and nine times finished top-5 in MVP voting.  Led the league in rebounds once and was top-5 eleven times.

Thirteen times Duncan made the All-NBA team, including nine times on the First Team.  He also made thirteen All-NBA Defensive Teams.  For six consecutive years Duncan made First Team All-NBA and First Team All-NBA Defense.  In other words, he was the best offensive and defensive player at his position for six straight years and was never far off the rest of his career.

In Duncan’s time the Spurs racked up thirteen 50-win seasons, including three 60-win campaigns, and the one time they didn’t they went 37-13 in a lockout-shortened year.  Keep in mind though, the year the season was shortened San Antonio was on pace for 61 wins. 

Duncan could definitely be higher on this list because when he’s on your team, you’re a title threat.  At this point in his career obviously he is declining, but if you gave him a solid, supporting cast during his 12-year prime, Duncan could win a ring.  Additionally Duncan receives points for staying with one team his entire career, and ensuring that every single year, Spurs fans root for a major contender.

#9 Tim Duncan

--from @AdamHocking

(first image, second image)

7 Players for a 7-Game Series

I wanted to take a look at what I think is an interesting premise.  Who are the best players, not for a full season, but for a seven game playoff series?  Who can best win four out of seven games when the pressure is at its highest?  The players on this list score in a variety of ways, have a tough mental makeup, bring a skill that’s tough to defend, and impose their will on the game.

1. Kobe Bryant

You’re probably thinking that I invented the whole premise of this article so I could configure a list where Kobe could be number one.  You’re right, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is no other player I would want for one single series.  His Finals numbers are not quite where one would expect them to be, but he’s won five of the seven times he’s been there.  Seven Finals appearances and five rings add up to 26 victories just in those series for Bryant.  That’s incredible.  In addition, Bryant insatiably craves winning and seems to get better come playoff time.  Sometimes he over-shoots, but he also makes shots nobody else could, an important trait as playoff defenses ratchet up intensity.  He has the rare, seemingly genetic ability to control the flow, pace, and mood of a game.

2. Dwyane Wade

He’s the closest thing to Bryant we have in the league.  When Wade's healthy he can be absolutely dominant, like in 2006 when he carried a mediocre supporting cast to an NBA championship.  He plays with tremendous energy at both ends of the floor, which is rare for a certifiable superstar.  Wade can get to the line when he needs to, shoot from outside, involve his teammates, and make momentum-swinging plays like an earth shattering dunk, a crushing buzzer beater, or a perfectly timed steal.

3. Tim Duncan

I take the guy here with four Finals appearances and four rings.  When he sees the ultimate prize, he finds a way to get there.  Duncan’s older now, but there isn’t a smarter, more experienced, or more level-headed player in the game.  Winning in the postseason requires players that won’t overreact to a bad loss in a series; if you lose your focus, you can be swept in an eye blink.  Duncan won’t allow his team to get off track.  An excellent passer from the post, Duncan can still score at will when he gets enough touches and is a terrific rebounder.  He’s a huge half-court weapon, and the playoffs are a half-court game.

4. Paul Pierce

He’s a very good player during the regular season, a top-25 guy.  In the playoffs, he’s top-5.  Another one of those players that relishes every obstacle, every challenge, he perceives everything he hears to be a personal insult.  His body and his game are perfect fits for the playoffs, big and strong so he can take the inevitable playoff pounding and still get where he needs to on the floor.  Pierce has a lethal midrange jumper, can hit the three, and put the ball on the deck.  Like I’ve said, you must be able to score in multiple ways, because in the playoffs, defenses shut down the one trick ponies.

5. Dwight Howard

His teams haven’t come up huge in the playoffs yet, but it’s not his fault.  Howard dragged pedestrian supporting casts to the NBA Finals and East Finals the past two years.  If you have a guy that protects the rim and rebounds, you have a nice advantage.  When you have a guy that does both those things better than any other player, you should chase a championship every year.  To rise higher on this list, Howard must become more polished with his post game.

6. Derrick Rose

There’s just no way to guard him.  His jumper has gotten really good, you can’t keep him out of the lane, and he gets the opponent in foul trouble.  Fearless on the court, Rose isn’t intimidated by big time opponents (looking at you LeBron).  Typically a scorer first, but with 8 assists per game D-Rose certainly keeps his teammates involved.  As soon as he realizes he can dominate a game on defense, he can top this list.

7. Steve Nash

Even though Nash can’t play much defense, which is why he’s this low on the list, he’s as dangerous as it gets offensively.  A 6-foot point guard that shoots 52% from the field is incredible, a testament to just how smart a player he is.  In order to shoot that well, you basically need perfect shot selection.  40% from three and 91% from the line ain’t bad either.  Basically, in Nash you have the best passer in hoops who also happens to be the best shooter in the game, and oh yeah, makes the right decision on virtually every possession.

--from Adam