NBA Playoff Schedule 2012: Long Layoff Won't Effect Veteran Spurs Squad
The San Antonio Spurs will finally step on the court again after an eight day layoff when they play the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night, which is just what the doctor ordered for the oldest team in the postseason.
When your star player is benched for an entire game with the justification listed as “old”—no amount of rest is enough.
Some believe the extended layoff can be a huge disadvantage because of the rust factor. How can you ratchet up your intensity level with a flip of the switch after kicking back and relaxing for eight days?
Because you’re the Spurs.
No franchise is better equipped for the layoff, no team has the veteran leadership and no team has the coaching staff that the Spurs do.
In the last 33 days, the Spurs have gone 14-0, with an average victory margin of 17 when the big three (Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili) play. They finished the regular season as the most efficient shooting team while registering the second most points in the league (103.7). They have the stingiest field-goal defense amongst teams in the playoffs.
The Clippers are fresh off a grueling seven game series against a Memphis Grizzlies team that shot itself in the foot far too often. The Grizz should have won the series plain and simple.
But that means nothing now, and the Spurs should certainly be concerned with the sharp-shooting Clippers. Nick Young, Mo Williams and Caron Butler have come alive in the playoffs and have done a masterful job of spreading the floor and allowing Chris Paul to carve up the opposition.
The counter to CP3 is Parker, who arguably had his best season as a pro (21 ppg, 6.5 apg, 3.5 rpg in postseason), and is one of the only players in the NBA with quickness that rivals Paul. While I still give CP3 the advantage in this matchup, Parker has a much better shot of limiting Paul than the overmatched Mike Conley. The health of Paul is obviously a huge concern as well.
That is certainly a matchup to watch, but it's Tim Duncan vs. Blake Griffin that will decide this series.
Griffin averaged four fouls a game during their three regular season meetings (won by SA 2-1) as Duncan used his veteran experience to his full advantage. While he certainly doesn’t possess the quickness of years past, Duncan makes up for it by taking the correct angles, working the referees and relying on his mid-range jumper.
In other words, he is the stereotypical old guy at your local YMCA.
Griffin is battling injury issues that kept him out of the pivotal fourth quarter of Game 7 and has been rather inconsistent in his first playoff appearance (18 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.6 apg). He also seems to get overwhelmed at times in tense moments. In some ways he is the exact opposite of Duncan. Plenty of flash and style—but lacks substance.
This is where Duncan’s incredible playoff experience pays off. Expect him to take full advantage of the mental mismatch and a hobbled Griffin to crush L.A. on the boards and in the paint.
The brilliance of CP3 will give L.A. one game, but that’s about it. The Spurs have three of the best four players in this series, can match the Clips' strong bench and have the Coach of the Year in Gregg Popovich who can coach circles around Vinny Del Negro.
Paul can only work so many miracles.
Prediction: Spurs in 5
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