Spurs running a clinic on winning without superstars....Rockets need to take a lesson

I keep hoping that you simply cannot be as stupid as your thread would make it appear but posts like this one do you no justice. Let me get this straight: Duncan is NOT the centerpiece to a championship team? Well, three NBA titles (with a likely 4th one this year) since 2000 say otherwise. With Duncan at the core, the Spurs have crafted a team around him that takes advantage of his talents and compliments them. Make no mistake about it: the one constant in SA's continued success has been Tim Duncan - he sets the tone for that team. His professionalism and determination to win form the standard by which the other players are measured AND are the driving force behind that team. Now THOSE are qualities that only a true superstar player can give you. You can keep trying to belittle what he's done all you want but all you'll end up doing is sound like yet another jealous and whiny Rocketsheep loser.

 

I haven't read any posts in this thread but the title. But the Spurs have only one lottery player, Tim Duncan. I think the team average is 4-5 lottery players.

 

It is difficult to isolate players from their team mates and the system they play in. If you pulled them out of the SA system the Spurs probably have 3 WC all stars IMHO. Not 3 super stars. They have 1 definite HOF player and 2 possible HOF players. But current super stars? That is a really short list.

And it shows how powerful a properly implemented offensive strategy can be. Most of their shots are not highly contested. A majority of their shots may even be open looks.

 

RK PLAYER GP MPG TS% AST TO USG ORR DRR REBR PER VA EWA
1 LeBron James, MIA 62 37.5 .605 19.4 10.7 29.8 5.0 19.7 12.6 30.80 704.8 23.5
2 Chris Paul, LAC 60 36.4 .581 32.1 7.3 24.9 2.3 9.4 5.8 27.09 523.7 17.5
3 Dwyane Wade, MIA 49 33.2 .559 17.0 9.8 28.9 5.6 11.6 8.7 26.37 385.0 12.8
4 Kevin Durant, OKC 66 38.6 .610 11.6 12.4 28.4 1.9 20.4 11.8 26.26 598.9 20.0
5 Kevin Love, MIN 55 39.0 .568 7.4 8.5 26.0 11.6 26.4 19.0 25.41 445.4 14.8
6 Dwight Howard, ORL 54 38.3 .569 8.3 13.9 23.6 11.0 33.1 21.9 24.29 423.0 14.1
7 Manu Ginobili, SA 34 23.3 .668 27.7 11.8 22.1 2.7 13.9 8.4 24.18 161.7 5.4
8 Blake Griffin, LAC 66 36.2 .557 13.2 9.4 24.7 10.7 25.1 17.8 23.50 428.3 14.3
9 Derrick Rose, CHI 39 35.3 .532 25.0 9.7 30.4 2.2 8.4 5.3 23.10 248.4 8.3
10 Russell Westbrook, OKC 66 35.3 .538 17.7 11.7 30.4 5.0 9.4 7.4 23.00 417.6 13.9
11 Andrew Bynum, LAL 60 35.2 .594 7.2 12.9 21.5 10.6 26.1 18.7 23.00 390.9 13.0
12 Al Jefferson, UTAH 61 34.0 .520 10.1 4.7 23.7 7.3 25.3 16.2 22.88 380.3 12.7
13 LaMarcus Aldridge, POR 55 36.3 .560 10.2 8.5 24.5 8.6 17.5 12.9 22.73 334.2 11.1
14 Tim Duncan, SA 58 28.2 .531 12.3 9.1 23.7 7.9 28.2 18.3 22.60 292.6 9.8
15 Greg Monroe, DET 66 31.5 .563 12.5 13.3 21.8 13.3 23.6 18.3 22.09 357.1 11.9
16 Tony Parker, SA 60 32.1 .539 28.4 9.4 27.1 1.3 8.7 5.1 22.04 317.0 10.6
17 Kobe Bryant, LAL 58 38.5 .527 13.2 10.2 33.0 3.5 11.8 7.8 21.95 381.5 12.7

Three players with PERs above Kobe's. Imagine if they didn't have to share the ball as much. No superstars? I think the problem here is a couple people defining superstar by media hyped perception.

However yes I will give most of the credit to Pop. He is the true superstar of the league and makes the most ordinary guys shine like they are geniuses.

 

It has gone beyond the absurd - it is no longer homerism but a full fledged loser mentality. The real objective behind this thread is the assertion that the Spurs' success isn't because they aren't really as good as they appear. No, it's the product of a "system". Now, if that is indeed the case, then this approach would suggest that the competitive gulf between the Rockets and Spurs may not be as great as it appears. Reality dictates otherwise but then, when you keep drinking the red koolaid, reality is the first thing that goes out the window.

 

I wouldn't go as far to discredit the system, Buford's done a great job of finding role players, drafting internationals, and Popovich is a great coach. But Duncan was the key to starting the dynasty. Without him, they're nothing.

 

They are not superstars in the sense that they will be playing at this level for the next 5-10 years like the LeBron's, Wade's and Durant's of the world, but make no mistake about it, at this moment, during this playoff run Duncan, Ginobili and Parker are all playing at superstar levels.

Ginobili is taking over games late. That is what a superstar does. No argument here.

Duncan is controlling the paint and making life miserable for Oklahoma's wings. Just look at the body language from Durant, Harden and Westbrook. All these guys can't figure out how to finish at the rim with Duncan down there. Also Duncan is killing OKC's and everyone elses bigs in the post offensively. Again this is what your superstar big should be doing.

Parker, there is no denying this one. He played at a MVP level all season! That right there is a superstar. But in addition he is getting to the basket whenever he wants. Now he also has a deadly deep 2 off the screen which makes his game scary.

I' sorry these guys aren't in their mid 20's, but to not consider them superstars is absurd. Are Kobe and Pierce not superstars either? What about Steve Nash? Do you lose your superstar status once you reach a certain age or play a certain amount of years?

 

McHale is a doorknob. Do you HONESTLY mean to assert that he is someone in the same league as a Popovich, Carlisle, Thibodeau? Hell, he's not even in the same league as Stan Van Gundy. Vinny Del Negro is more of a legit head coach than is McHale but you go right ahead and keep on making excuses for him while parroting the Rockets' company line. After all, wihen it comes to the Rockets, it's not about results but rather, justifying their continued lack of success and on that note McHale is perfect head coach for this team.

 

No, the key is to set 45034985080394 screens per game. Learned that from watching the spurs.

 

You do realize that most of the Spurs rotation players have only been on the roster for 2 years or less right? That includes three of their starters in Diaw, Green, and Leonard and three of their bench players in Jackson, Splitter and Neal. Outside of the big 3, Bonner is the only player that played last night that has been on the roster for more than 2 years.

 

Not only that but tip toe moving screens all game.

 

Where did you get that from my post? Of course Tim D is one of the best PF/C of all time. But he's not the same player he was when they were winning titles. All I'm saying is at this stage of their careers, you're not going to trade for one and build a team around him. Lets be real here, NOBODY was talking about the Spurs winning the title before the season. Hell, I'm sure most didn't expect the Spurs to sweep through the playoffs like they are doing.

they're a package, how about a SuperTeam or SuperTrio?

 

Parker is definitely playing the best ball of his career. I can see what you're getting at with Ginobili and Duncan but Parker is blowing by Westbrook. A guy that's probably the fastest player in the league.

 

Ok, whether or not they have any SUPER stars is irrelevent, I think we can all agree they have 3 star players, whereas the Rockets have zero at the moment.

DD

 

The Spurs have the same nucleus that has won multiple championships. They have played together for years. They have three all stars, at times in their careers, superstars. They have great young talent. They have a great system. They have a great coach. They have a great owner. There are Reasons for success just as there are reasons for failure.

 

Makes no sense. Top 5 mvp, 2nd team all nba player, all time multiple championship great player, stars whoeve played together for 10 years and overall talent as good as anyone else's in the final four.

The OP has a theory, and he's trying to massage the Spurs into something they are not to prove it.

They have no value in looking at the future of the Rockets.

 

Nope, I am just saying that McHale's grade as the Rockets coach last year is an incomplete. He had no time to prepare the team, and the team finished exactly where Adleman's 2010-2011 did. If my logic was as faulty as many posters here I would be proclaiming McHale as Adleman's equal. But I am not, I am just waiting to see what happens next season. With out jumping to conclusions.

 

The Spurs have done a remarkable job this year and in years past. Their system is something to be emulated.

I don't know if watching the playoffs without the Rockets is the cause, but a lot of these folks seem to be a little more cranky than usual.

 

Nope the cranks are all still here. :grin: