Spurs Watch Boston Show Them The Way To Victory In Game One Win Over Lakers

San Antonio can take away something from the series between the Lakers and the Celtics, and prepare themselves for the new order of elite teams in the NBA.  The sting of being eliminated in five games by Los Angeles is still fresh, but that should give their organization the impetus to make the necessary changes to stay close to the top.

It was evident that even a defensive minded Spurs team couldn’t slow down the quicker, faster, and longer Laker team.  One of the things that San Antonio needs to consider is the over-all athleticism of their players. 

In game one it was clear that Boston’s combination of physical play and athleticism on defense bothered Los Angeles.  Kevin Garnett starts at power forward and is excellent at guarding the basket, and Kendrick Perkins at center cleans up everything left behind by KG.  Paul Pierce is an above average defender and a good rebounder at the small forward position, and up until this year’s playoffs, was one of the more underrated stars in the NBA.

Fabricio Oberto is serviceable, but he is not athletic enough to adequately defend the David West’s and KG’s of the world.  Unless he is matched up against other plodding power forwards he will not be effective.

Tim Duncan needs another David Robinson type player next to him so he can be at the power forward position and not have to defend the basket by himself.  The Spurs have gotten away this, but since the landscape has changed in the NBA, Duncan will need more help on the inside (someone with size and athleticism).

Kurt Thomas is a crafty veteran, but again is at a disadvantage against forwards like KG and Lamar Odom.  At the small forward position, Michael Finley can shoot, but is not the greatest one on one defender to say the least, and really doesn’t rebound.  Manu Ginobili is good on the defensive end, but because of his size, he can be marginalized by posting him up, like Los Angeles did.

Bruce Bowen is their best perimeter defender, but he can be a liability on offense.  San Antonio excels at playing team defense while relying on Bowen to neutralize the other team’s star player.  That works fine, except when your opponent is athletic and has size.

In game one, the Lakers were not as accurate shooting over the Celtics out stretched arms as they were against the Spurs.  Boston closed out on the shooters well, and their sagging defense as a team shut down the paint.  When Kobe looked to pass when double teamed, the Celtics were able to force some turnovers because of their size and quickness. 

Boston needs to improve their defense against the pick and roll as they at times played like they never saw one before, but on the whole they shut down Los Angeles.  The most telling stat was the way the Celtics man handled the Lakers on the boards 46-33. 

Too many of the Spurs parts proved to be one dimensional.  They need and infusion of six foot eight to six foot ten players around their core group that are effective on both ends of the court.  When I say that I mean players that are able to score within the system, defend, and rebound. 

San Antonio has too many problems scoring points when either Duncan and Parker are not in the game, and that was evident against the Lakers and Hornets.  They beat New Orleans because of their experience and the fact that the young Hornet’s had never been on this stage before.

Changes are needed for the Spurs to get back to winning championships.  Not to the core, just to their supporting cast.  If all else fails maybe they can convince David Robinson to come out of retirement.