Four Down: Champions

Three Down: Downtown

You will not find any statistics in this article.

Not the score, not the meager shooting or pathetic free throw percentages. I won’t type a single word about rebounding digits, missed layups, or assist to turnover ratios. We all know it was ugly, you don't need me to tell you that.

But a number did decide the game…(in your best Count von Count voice)…”3”. As in game 3, and more importantly the 3-point shot.

While the storylines echo the notion that Cleveland is trying to emulate the Spurs on the court and in the front office, the Cavaliers have failed to integrate one pivotal element, a subtle aspect of basketball that many NBA teams remarkably neglect in their rosters: shooting. Consider it a slight oversight on their part.

The Spurs, fortunately, know the value of long distance specialists.

In their dominance of the first two games these Finals it has been easy to overlook the fact that the Spurs’ shooters had yet to find their rhythm. They were riding Manu, Tony, and Timmy for all they were worth, and with their ease in getting at the basket there was almost no need for the snipers. But for Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Robert Horry and Bruce Bowen, you knew it was only a matter of time before the shooting showed up.

With Duncan in foul trouble, Parker picking his spots, and Ginobili still on the team bus, the team’s outside shooting became the unspoken 4th star to step up. Finley made his first appearance in the series, and Bowen actually carried the offense for stretches. Barry provided a lift from the bench that Manu couldn’t. Veteran players that you can count on finally arrived…players that the Cavs simply don’t have.

Did anyone actually expect Daniel Gibson to carry them from the outside line? Was Donyell Marshall going to open up their offense and give Lebron space to operate? Not likely. That’s the difference playoff experience makes; players can have bad games, but seldom have a bad series. While Marshall and Pavlovic hang their heads, Barry and Finley have the confidence to let the ball fly.

But the Cavs saw this coming. The knock on them all season was their lack of shooting. Yes, a combination of a hot Gibson and Lebron got them past Detroit, but maybe we should consider that a fluke. They didn’t have to perform from the perimeter to get past New Jersey (terrible interior defense) and Washington (terrible… well, everything after their injuries). The East is so weak that Lebron carried them through it almost single-handedly.

Remember the rumors about them trading for Mike Bibby or signing Michael Redd? Remember how everyone said they were a few shooters away? That hasn’t changed, the Cavs just got timely (or lucky). Gibson got hot at the right time against Detroit, and Marshall caught fire at the right time against New Jersey. With those shooting performances, people seemed to forget that they had terrible outside shooting for the rest of both series. And when they needed a 3 the most, the best they could muster was a 28 foot heave from Lebron.

(Who yes, was fouled, but no, would probably not have made 3 free throws.)

R.C. Buford and the Spurs, on the other hand, placed an emphasis on finding veteran shooters to surround their stars, and rightfully so. Time after time the Spurs knocked down open shots, while Cleveland’s role players froze with the ball in their hands. The 3-point shooting wasn’t there for the Spurs all series, but it showed up at the right time. In game 3, the 3 made the difference, and it could affect another “3”…the amount of trophies in the display cases of the AT&T Center.

Two Down: Poetry in Motion

Second verse, same as the first.

(A little bit louder and a whole lot worse).

One Down: The Fresh Face of Tony Parker

Yes, the all-around team defense on Lebron James will eat up most of the headlines tomorrow morning. Rightfully so, since his 4-16 performance was a big part of the Cavs’ offensive struggles (not to mention his terrible shot selection. I don’t care if he did hit back-to-back threes, they were bad shots).

But amidst Duncan’s domination and Lebron’s ineffectiveness, the underlying story of game 1 is the development of Tony Parker on the biggest stage. Parker consistently took over game 1of the 2007 Finals, carving up the defensive interior of the Cavs and making a living in the lane. He pushed the ball when they were sluggish, and picked the Cavs apart on the pick and roll in the half court set. Cavs coach Mike Brown admitted Parker “had us on our heels” the entire night, and he could make few adjustments to stop him.

That’s right, Tony Parker controlled the game. A game in the NBA Finals.

Sound surprising? It should. Amongst the Spurs faithful, Parker’s pension for fading in the limelight has been well documented. It wasn’t just that he was inconsistent, but that he had his worst games at the worst possible times, putting more pressure on Duncan and company to pick up the slack:

- In the clinching game of the 2003 NBA Finals, Parker’s notorious 4 point, 3 turnover feat would lead to his 4th quarter benching in favor of backup Speedy Claxton. He would average a paltry 7 points a game in the final three games of the series.

- Parker would continue to improve, but in the 2005 Finals his tendency to disappear remerged. In game 7, Parker would shoot a pedestrian 3-11 and finish with 8 points. He would average 12.3 points a game over the last three of the series.

So when the Spurs signed veterans like Nick Van Exel to back him up and looked to sign Jason Kidd in the 2003 offseason, it made perfect sense. The young point guard seemed to vanish in the clutch, and he would abandon his offensive aggressiveness at the first sign of trouble.

But this isn’t the same Tony Parker.

In game 1 of the 2007 Finals Parker would finish with 27 points on 12-23 shooting to go with 7 assists and 4 rebounds. When the Cavs took the lead, it was Parker that earned a quick bucket with a foul. After missing the free throw, it was Parker that sped to the rebound and got the putback amidst the Cavalier bigs.

The new Tony Parker wasn’t hesitant when things got tight. Instead, he came out with fire. He came out with responsibility on his shoulders, and delivered. When things got tight, it wasn’t that Parker stopped shooting…Pop screamed at Parker for not shooting enough. This Tony Parker didn’t back down, he stepped up right when the Spurs needed him to the most.

Next time down the court, Parker shot a laser pass to Francisco Elson in the open floor to put the Spurs up for good.

A high risk pass? Absolutely.

The best part? He did it anyways.

More Duncan Than Jordan

Originally published at RealGM.com.

The storylines surrounding the 2007 NBA finals will inevitably focus on how these two organizations are so closely intertwined; a relationship fostered by similar principles, fortune, and, perhaps above all else, a surprisingly similar pair of superstars.

Yes, we know Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown was an assistant under Gregg Popovich. We also know that Cavs GM Danny Ferry won a championship with the Spurs in the 2003 Finals. But perhaps the greatest similarity between the two teams is in their franchise players: Tim Duncan and Lebron James.

I know what you’re thinking…the two players couldn’t be more dissimilar. Comparing the full court athleticism of The King to the inside dominance of Duncan is apples and oranges (or, in this case, tejano and rock and roll). Duncan’s kiss off the bank resembles little of Lebron’s high flying maneuvers. Lebron’s speed and quickness won’t remind anyone of Duncan’s methodical, fundamental footwork and poise.

All of the above is true, their similarities may not be evident on highlight reels or boxscores… but it’s what they have in common, not their differences, that have landed their respective teams in the NBA finals.

Both players were the can’t-miss players of their decade; Duncan was an unstoppable college player who was the next great big man in the NBA while James was billed as the savior of a franchise (and perhaps the NBA). Both players have always had games mature beyond their years, Duncan favoring the fundamentals of a wily veteran while James has the poise and mentality of a point guard.

But their connections are rooted in more than on court play. Their similarities are fixated in the intangibles of the game, the smaller aspects of basketball both on and off the hardwood. Both James and Duncan will be the first player on their team to help a teammate off the court. They are the guy that puts his arm around his teammate when he misses the game winning shot, and the first to congratulate him when he makes it. Maybe most importantly, both players are of the rare superstar mold to actually pass up the game winning shot to that teammate in the first place.


Duncan and Lebron don’t get too down when they slump, and they aren’t satisfied with their success. They are mild-mannered off the court, rarely drawing attention to themselves in the national headlines for anything that isn’t basketball-related, and that professional tone helps craft the character of their flourishing organizations. At the early age of 23, Duncan appeared in the NBA Finals. James will do so at 22.

How many other superstars have their combination of leadership, competitiveness, a complete game and a total trust in teammates? Kobe and Iverson don’t. Dwayne Wade, though leading by example, isn’t the vocal leader on a team with Shaq and Pat Riley. Dirk and Nash don’t have enough dimensions to their game, notably on the defensive end. Kevin Garnett may be the closest thing to them, but he hasn’t had the success of Duncan or James, and doesn’t have the same cool, calm and collected demeanor. James and Duncan have a unique breed of humility, trust, and dominance that few, if any, can match.

No, they don’t mirror one another on the court, but while everyone is trying to make James into the next Jordan, perhaps the things that make James unique have more in common with another NBA legend.

A legend he’s about to face for the right to be a champion.

Cuatro: Spurs Dismiss Jazz and Return to Finals

“The day the music died” may be a little cliché, but the Jazz never had a chance in their 109-84 game 5 defeat. They were outwitted, outworked, and outmatched from the first quarter on. It wasn’t a matter of X’s and O’s, but rather determination, focus, and all the other intangibles that separate the Spurs from, say, the Mavericks.

The statistics can be thrown out the window, but this much we know: Fab was fabulous, Parker had no trouble getting to the bucket, and Sloan had given up by the middle of the 3rd quarter, when he had three rookies in the game at the same time.

At one point, I looked at the scoreboard and realized that the entire Jazz offense was running through Rafael Araujo. That’s not just throwing in the towel, that’s heaving the entire bath and beauty section at Target.

Like Matt Bonner, we’re going for 5 points:


- Manu Ginobili is like those physical, rugged 4th quarter running backs. As the season goes on, he just gets tougher, better, and harder to defend. By the time the series is over, you’re just exhausted from dealing with him on every play.

- Derek Fisher may have deserved his 2nd technical in game 4, but not his first. I can see why Jazz fans are livid. Still, they wouldn’t have won this game even if a few of those questionable calls had gone their way. They got beat, and the Jazz fans (who aren’t exactly known as a classy bunch) look like fools for throwing things on the court.

- For how outspoken he was about his teammates already planning vacations, Boozer was a no show on both ends. You can’t blame it on foul trouble, either. He just wasn’t there. Lead by example, and then call out your teammates. It wasn’t as if he left his heart and soul on the court in game 5.

- Horry averaged 1.4 points a game for the series, but forced a few turnovers in game 5 that really broke the Jazz spirit. He tends to hang around the backcourt to swipe at passes…call it crafty if you want, but I think he just really wants to avoid running all the way down court to play defense.

- Oberto and Finley earned their chance at a ring. They are a big part of why this Spurs team may be their best ever.

A New Style of Jazz

Article originally published at RealGM.com.

A New Style Of Jazz
Authored by Elliot Cole - 28th May, 2007 - 3:19 pm

The relentless pick and rolls, the tough guard screens, the constant physicality…the Utah Jazz are not a team that relies on solo performances to win games. Their system, which Coach Jerry Sloan has played to the tune of two finals appearances and 1035 regular season wins, is based on fundamentals, precision, and effort. It’s structured offense at its finest, and as long as the band is in rhythm, the Jazz can make some beautiful music on the court.

Deron Williams, however, seems to like the occasional solo.

The play of Williams and his 30.3 PPG through the first three games of the Western Conference Finals has almost single-handedly given the Jazz life against the once dominant Spurs. With role players like Mehmet Okur (7ppg in the series) and Andrei Kirilenko (8ppg) stifled by the suffocating Spurs defense, Williams has become something that Utah fans haven’t seen in a while: a one man show.

That’s not to say he isn’t distributing and involving his teammates (as made evident by his 9 assists a game through the first three games of the series), but rather than he has become the focal point of the Jazz offense. Whereas most Jazz point guards have been role players in the offense (even Stockton was never asked to dominate a game), Williams has morphed into a legitimate star, able to improvise his way to the rim or to dish the ball off to his teammates. He has a skill set that Sloan has never had before at the point: size, speed, athleticism, and the ability to finish amongst bigger bodies. He has the complete package, and even defensive stalwart Bruce Bowen has failed to shut him down.

Did anyone project the former Illinois star to be this good, this fast? When the Jazz selected Williams with the third overall pick of the 2005 NBA draft, he was regarded as a “system player”, a physical point guard that would fit well into Sloan’s style. Few projected him to be a potential All-Star, and even fewer expected him to be as good as fourth pick and Hornets guard Chris Paul.

“It’s hard to imagine Williams being anything greater than a 6th man or a fringe starter,” said one draft guru, who will remain unnamed (try Google, if you’re greedy). Others questioned his speed, weight, and athleticism.

Looks like those questions have been answered.

As it turns out, Deron Williams could turn out to be the best player in the 2005 draft class. Sure, Paul is special, and 19 year old Laker center Andrew Bynum has a lot of room to improve, but few players have the all the tools at their disposal the way Williams does. Operating in the structured Jazz offense, he has blossomed as a playmaker, clutch scorer, and go-to-guy. While Carlos Boozer may be the engine of the Jazz, Williams is the guy they count on to deliver with the game on the line.

With a trip to the Finals on the line, the Jazz will continue their structured play, but the improv show of Williams is become more and more evident, especially in his dominance of the ball in the half court sets. As the Jazz continue the attempt to come back and surpass the more experienced and savvier Spurs, Deron Williams may have to face a new sound: the expectations of being a star.

Elliot Cole is a contributor for RealGM and blogs at http://www.thesilverandblack.blogspot.com. Emails are encouraged at elliot.cole@yahoo.com