It doesn’t get any easier in the west. The Spurs are the prize of the Texas triangle, and fans in Toronto love making comparisons to them. Today’s guest is Eddie who was kind enough to preview the Spurs for this post.
Eddie McCarthy (@NDEddieMac) is a law student that tries to blog from time to time. He can be found at ndeddiemac.blogspot.com or ndeddiemac.tumblr.com making bad predictions about the Spurs, Notre Dame, and sports in general.
Zombie Spurs – Legacy from the Grave?
Pundits, bloggers, writers, and fans have been bemoaning the end of the Spurs run as near for a few years now. Last year, many thought the quick ouster by the Mavs was the final nail in the coffin in the Spurs run behind Tim Duncan and Coach Pop. Even many Spurs fans, including myself, thought the “Dynasty” if you can call it that, was dead. But if there is one thing you can always count on from the Spurs, it’s that they simply refuse to go away. The end may still be near, but here are a few reasons you shouldn’t count out the Silver and Black just yet.
- Fantastic PG duo: Tony Parker is one of the top 5 PG’s in the league without a doubt. Tony is one of the fastest players in the league with the ball, knows how to find his teammates, and is one of the best finishers in the league. At only 27, Parker is coming off of career records in both points (22) and assists (6.9) per game. While he suffered a minor injury at the beginning of the summer, there should be no long term effects and served to keep him rested for next year. Tony carried the Spurs on his back during injuries suffered by Tim and Manu last year. Add in 2nd year PG George Hill who greatly evolved throughout his rookie year, and the Spurs are better than nearly every team in the league at Point (minus CP3 and maybe Deron).
- Finally Healthy?: Manu Ginobili, when healthy, can be one of the most electrifying players in the game. He has been hampered the last few years by a variety of injuries, especially his ankle. However, by all accounts, Manu has been able to take off more time and should come in to the year in better shape than he has in several seasons. Meanwhile, Tim Duncan has finally gotten over the Plantar Facitis that kept him in check over several seasons. While we are clearly seeing the sunset of the Greatest PF of all time, Tim is driven to get one more ring and is in good enough shape to help make it happen.
- Richard Freaking Jefferson: You’ve gotta hand it to the Spurs GM office, anytime you can trade a retiree, cap casualty, and a 36 year old PF who barely cracks 10 minutes a game for a 20 ppg scorer that can shoot decent from 3 and adds a dynamic scorer from the wing, you win. Bruce Bowen is a big loss, but the Bruce Bowen that was lost was lost whether or not he stayed on the Spurs or not. Sadly Bruce just got old. Now you have a quicker, younger, potent offensive threat to add to Tony, Manu, and Tim. That’s plenty of options.
The Spurs made some huge improvements in the offseason via both trade and the draft. DeJuan Blair could prove to be one of the best 2nd round picks since Ginobili himself. I’m not ready to claim the Spurs are a lock for the ring, but if you are another top Western Conf. team, be sure to aim for the head. The Zombie Spurs are coming.
***************************************************************************
Last Season Record: 1-1
Game 1 between these two teams went in favor of the Spurs. They had 6 players who scored in double figures and pretty much dominated every category. Game 2 was a different story. The Raptors lost the battle on the boards, had fewer assists and more turnovers but managed to grab a win in San Antonio to split the series. Oh Yeah, they got the win with Chris Bosh in street clothes. The Bigs cancelled each other out in both games, but Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili torched the Raptors as they have done for years now.
Stacking Up
The Bigs: The Spurs lost Oberto and replaced him with Antonio McDyess. Tim Duncan isn’t getting any younger. And looking down the list of front court players, Matt Bonner and Ian Mahinmi are hardly guys you spend much time on when putting together the scouting report. So why am I still concerned? Duncan and McDyess both are more effective as PF’s but it looks like Duncan may be playing the 5 a lot this season. Bosh has gained some muscle and upper body strength which should help him hold position and be more effective on both ends against bigger forwards. The added depth for the Raptors (Reggie Evans and Rasho) will also be able to keep the big’s fresh. Andrea will be the x-factor in this series. The team needs him to force the Spurs to come out to defend him, and if his own man-to-man D keeps getting better it could prove to be very valuable. Similar to last season, these two front courts will be effective but not the determining factors in the outcome of the games.
Edge: Even
The Wings: When you have the luxury of bringing Manu Ginobli off the bench and you added players like Richard Jefferson to your roster, you know that this is the last position to be concerned about. I haven’t even mentioned rookie DeJuan Blair so its safe to say this is the MEAT of their lineup. The Raptors on the other hand added Hedo but beyond him, their depth at this position drops off drastically. Hedo is hardly known for his defense so a player like Antoine Wright will get a lot of burn in this series. It has been tough finding positives for the Raptors in this match up with the Spurs boasting so much fire power.
Edge: Spurs
The Guards: Note to the Raptors – Don’t sleep on George Hill. While the team spends most of its time focusing on how to contain All-Star PG Tony Parker, this second year player is developing rapidly already being touted as a defensive stopper. Calderon has always struggled to guard Tony Parker and stay in front of him due to his quickness. A healthy Jose should make it harder but Parker will continue to get his. The team can’t afford to allow players like Roger Mason Jr and Keith Bogans go off from 3 point land. Offensively, they should be able to make use of their newly added athleticism and toughness (DeRozan & Jack). The Spurs have their big 4 now but beyond that its either, a bunch of really old guys or very inexperienced players. The Raptors have to focus on taking advantage when these guys are on the floor and it may well be the 2nd unit that will have to step up with the scoring.
Edge: Spurs
Predicted Record: 0-2 (Raptors are in tough. Game 1 is on the end of a 3 game west coast swing and game 2 comes after a game in Boston the night before)
Related posts:
