Gregg Popovich Credits Defense for Spurs' Surge
Roger Mason and George Hill have added a young, one-two punch that the Spurs' offense haven't enjoyed for some time.
Hill led the team with 20 points against the Grizzlies, a nice follow-up to his 23 point game against the Jazz on Friday night.
The rookie's quick start has Spurs fans asking whether Tony Parker has now become expendable. That thought seems every bit as extreme as Hill's speed. Many of his points have come via slashing cuts straight to the basket.
Roger Mason has started eight consecutive games. During the past two games, he's found that sliding over to the point guard position has allowed him to control the tempo and facilitate a comfortable rhythm for his own offensive game.
In Utah, Mason shot 70 percent from three point land. Against the Grizzlies, he hit five of seven from beyond the arc. That's light out shooting from a player who relies on cadence and uniformity for his shot.
"Yeah, you definitely get more of a rhythm," says Mason. "Starting off with the ball in your hands it helps, especially when you're a rhythm player like myself."
Interestingly, the Spurs have done better without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili than they did when just Ginobili was out. The team went 5-2 without both of its star guards, as opposed to 1-4 when only Ginobili was on the mend.
The team's response during the difficult early stretch was satisfying to coach Gregg Popovich.
"Defense is sustaining us," Popovich explained. "We've played pretty solid defense."
Even if the Spurs start a game playing sloppy offensively, Popovich always teaches his squads that defense can keep them in games. Once they find their shot, like they have during the last two games, they can pull away from their opponents.
"Defense is what allows that to happen for us," Popovich says.
It didn't hurt that Manu Ginobili has found his scoring touch right away. After convincing everyone not to expect too much his first game back from injury, he scored 12 points in 11 minutes.
"I felt pretty good about it. I didn't rush it a lot," Ginobili said. "I took my time, found the open seam, made a couple of shots. I wasn't thinking about a great game on my first one, so I'm happy with what I did."
Parker Update
Tony Parker continues to take steps in his recovery from a sprained left ankle. He joined the team recently for some light shooting. Coach Gregg Popovich said Parker is improving rapidly, but other than saying he's ahead of schedule gave no timetable for his return.
Analyst Sean Elliott has already gone on record predicting that Parker will return to the lineup sometime next week. Parker suffered his injury Nov. 7 against Miami.
