Of Physicality, Execution and the Good Old San Antonio Spurs

The riveting first-round series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies left behind one unfortunate remnant. The very notion of physicality has long sat on a pedestal in NBA circles, but after seeing Reggie Evans, as unlikely a hero as you're likely to find, key his team's efforts with shoves, holds and hard fouls, physical play has been exalted to an even more ridiculous level in the playoff narrative. The usual observations and questions of toughness now cling to their new-found contextual ground; Evans is the patron saint of basketball tough guys and serves as a shining, misleading example of what earns wins in the NBA playoffs.

Toughness is indeed important; if a game or series is refereed as the Clippers' first-round affair was, a team needs to be able to adapt to the range of allowed contact, finish in spite of the hits and be willing to dole out some of their own. But while physical play can win the games in which it's allowed, execution takes them all. Even "tough" players are no replacement for the smart implementation of a sound system, and therein lies one of the fundamental differences between those unquestionably rugged Clippers and that old, tired team in San Antonio.

The Clippers may have Evans, token tough-guy Kenyon Martin and even the ever-fiery Chris Paul, but the Spurs have earned their standing as the postseason's top team thus far through precision. Good technique supersedes physical play, and though it's often pondered whether a team is "tough enough," to win a particular game, series or title, the better question is if their execution is consistent enough to do just that.

The rest serves to drive the narrative, but is often overextended beyond its relevance. Toughness really did serve to pronounce the Clippers as first-round victors in—quite literally—a hard-fought series, but let's not pretend that most (or even many) playoff outcomes are determined by physical toughness. If the Heat don't win the title this season, it will likely be because of Chris Bosh's injury, not some imagined lack of physicality. If the Oklahoma City Thunder are ousted, it will likely be because either their offense or defense crumbled, not because they weren't appropriately tough.

Champions aren't crowned by out-muscling opponents on the way to rebounds, but by having the will and discipline to execute a high-functioning game plan on a regular basis. That truth might not be good for macho-posturing or prewritten angles, but it lies at the heart of the game and, at the moment, at the heart of the San Antonio Spurs.