Spurs game

[Pereira, Jorge M]

A little late here but finally saw the tape of the Spurs game. Some
thoughts.  

 

PP played a mammoth game.  Rebounding, passing (quarterback to end for
TD type passes like the whole team does so well), and scoring.  Classic
PP drives to the basket netted half of his points.  He appears to be
hitting his stride physically.  Psychologically he was the anchor of
this team when the ship was floundering.

 

Sam Cassell comes in at a time when the second team was running out of
answers, for a few weeks now.  Disheveled and and unable to score, they
found the answer.  Not only does Sam organize but he scores.  I'd
forgotten how good a shooter he is.  He's deadly with the set shot, on
the run, short, medium or long range.  He moves the offense with a
purpose of finding a scorer open as quickly as possible and the team
seems to understand it.  A neat wrinkle.  Sam at point guard and Rondo
at the 2 guard.  Good for when keeping the pace rolling a high level.
Also, Sam moves like a youngster, at 38. We've now added another
dead-eye shooter who doesn't miss free throws.

 

Rondo was exceptional.  His main asset is his speed and he adds a
dimension (along with Tony Allen and others) that Detroit for instance
doesn't have.  Doc made a dedicated effort to run with the Spurs and
they did.  At times, led by Rondo we played like we did when Garnett was
injured.  Rondo shot without fear, shots he wouldn't normally take.  In
this game it was the thing to do.  The inside offense was almost
inexistent (Garnett scored mostly from the outside, Perk very little) as
the game was super fast and exciting, I must say.

 

Another important wrinkle.  The small guys, Rondo, Tony Allen and
Sam/House, covered players that weren't defending them, in order to use
our players optimally both ways.  Tony usually took the hottest one of
the Ginobli, Parker, Sub trio, which left Rondo freer to get loose on
the touchdown passes as well as providing better defensive matchups.
This happened more when the Celts caught up in the score.  

 

Much more to say but have to go.

 

Jorge