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.