(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The crippled New Orleans Hornets, missing two starters and their sixth man, beat a healthy San Antonio Spurs team 90 to 86.
Why did the Spurs lose to a team with 50 percent of its top six players missing?
Tyson Chandler, the Hornets' dominant defensive player and shot blocker, did not contribute his nine rebounds and nine points per game; Hornets three-point specialist, Peja Stojakovic, did not score his 14 points, nor did he pull down his typical four rebounds a game; James Posey, the Hornets' sixth man, did not score his nine points a game nor add his four rebounds.
So, again, why did the Spurs lose? Here are my five reasons:
1) Defensive weakness: Spurs gave up too many second half critical points in the paint.
The Spurs contested most inside paint shots, yet this resulted in many fouls shots. Popovich stated, “The Hornets were more aggressive and wanted to win the game more.”
Chris Paul and the Hornets exploited the tiring Spurs in the second half because the Hornets believe the Spurs are “weak inside the paint,” and occasionally don't contest shots. Without the defensive presence of Gooden, the Spurs cannot stop the Hornets paint penetration.
When Gooden was in the game during the first half, the Spurs shut down the paint effectively, forcing outside shots—exactly what the Hornets forced the Spurs to do in the second half!
Pop took Gooden out of the game, replacing him with Udoka, Hill, and Thomas. These moves, offensively and defensively, weakened the Spurs, allowing Paul to penetrate at will.
2) The Hornets shut down the middle in the second half, not allowing the Spurs penetration in the paint.
From 8:15 to 4:01 remaining in the third quarter, the Spurs looked very tired; they began taking only long range jumpers without pushing the ball inside for higher probability shots.
The following is an actual shot-distance sequence during the 4:14 time frame:
Parker 19’
Parker 21’
Ginobli 23’
Finley 26’
Duncan 8’ (blocked)
Ginobli 25’
Ginobli 26’
Not one layup!
The Spurs looked exhausted, all due to taking long jumpers and failing to push the ball inside. The Spurs did not score the rest of the third quarter.
Why do the Spurs fall asleep so often during the third quarter? Is it harder for them to warm up after a rest at halftime? Maybe they need warm-up bicycles to flex their muscles, or large doses of Centrum gray vitamins.
3) “Old Man Syndrome”: Spurs score zero points in the final eight minutes of the third and fourth quarters
After chucking several shots from the cheap seats (see above), the Spurs took a total offensive nap.
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