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Spurs Nation Spurs defense passes first test
is the same, said Ginobili, a threetime AllStar in the Italian Leagues from 1999 to 2002. one player. the end of the Spurs 10677 walloping of Ginobili old nemesis, he might have been experiencing a different kind of flashback. To the Spurs defense, circa 2003.
In a preseason that has so far been unexpectedly tough for NBA playoff teams facing foreign foes, the Spurs held Siena to 29.6percent shooting and forced 23 turnovers, good for 34 points.
True, shutting down Viktor Sanikidze in October isn the same as shutting down Kevin Durant in June.
But for a Spurs team that spent an entire summer stewing in its own defensive inconsistency, the results of Saturday opener were heartening.
play the way good European teams play, Ginobili said. and kick, extra pass every time. Our rotations were really good. Everybody was active, getting charges. It was great to see. scored 11 points, tying backup point guard Gary Neal for the team lead, but it was the Spurs attention to defensive detail coach Gregg Popovich emphasis even before the start of camp that stood out.
Though a depleted version of the Siena team that won last year Italian championship,[url=http://nikefree.mobilejeti.com]nike free run[/url], this year squad proved to be a perfect sparring partner for a Spurs club working toward a defensive revival.
Every action by a Siena player had an equal reaction from a Spurs player, resulting in 16 steals. Three Spurs players DeJuan Blair, Cory Joseph and newcomer Nando De Colo racked up three apiece.
One of De Colo swipes gave way to a nifty behindtheback pass to Derrick Brown for a fastbreak dunk, one of the rookie three assists.
new guys did well, Ginobili said. were very active, following what Pop wanted with the game plan. We tried to blitz for a little bit. We tried different types of defenses, and the guys followed. said the offense a little rusty, as evidenced by the 20 turnovers.
For the Spurs, the takeaway Saturday was the same as the takeaway last June, when they could not slow down Oklahoma City in the final four games of the Western Conference finals.
scored enough points, but we didn hold (the Thunder) to what we wanted to hold them to, guard Danny Green said. lot of times, if they offense is clicking or not clicking, you can give yourself a chance if you can play good defense. Saturday win did not come against another NBA team, the Spurs won discount it.
Earlier this week, the Boston Celtics opened their preseason with a loss to a Turkish team, Fenerbache Vikler. Earlier Saturday, the Dallas Mavericks squeaked by the German squad Alba Berlin.
One stretch in the third quarter brought Popovich to his feet. In the span of six possessions, Neal drew a charge and grabbed a steal, Joseph added a pair of thefts and the Spurs forced a shotclock violation.
It still might not be enough to keep Popovich from harping on the Spurs defense. The Spurs will take today off, but players expect their coach to be right back on their backs starting Monday.
been our identity ever since he been here, Jackson said. first. We an efficient offensive team, but we got to get tougher on defense, and that what he been preaching. more things change, it seems, the more they stay the same.