The Spurs' Achilles' Heel

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>The Spurs' Achilles' Heel</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Marilyn Corbell</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br>
<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>SpursCentral.com Columnist</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br>
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We all know the story of Achilles. According to Greek mythology, he was the son of Thetis and Peleus, and was the bravest hero in the Trojan War.<br>
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When he was born, his mother, Thetis, tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. She held him by one heel and forgot to dip him a second time so the heel she held could get wet too. Therefore, that heel remained untouched by the magic water of the Styx and that part stayed mortal or vulnerable.<br>
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The Spurs, also, have an Achilles heel. It is otherwise known as our free throw shooting percentage. And it is making us look very mortal. <br>
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In the previous series, the Spurs averaged 28 personal fouls per game. In Game 1 of this series they had 36. The Mavs had 36 personal fouls also, but 4 or 5 were intentional ones on Bruce Bowen in the second half.<br>
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Yes, the refs did call a tight game. Is that good or bad?<br>
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As Spurs fans, we would have said calling a tight game in the Lakers series was a good thing. Why? 1) We usually commit fewer fouls than our opponents, and 2) a tightly called game would get Shaq off the floor sooner. Spurs fans would have loved a game that saw every one of Shaq’s fouls called.<br>
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On the other hand, many Spurs fans are now saying that calling a tight game against the Mavs was a bad thing. Why? 1) We committed more fouls than usual last night, and 2) the Mavs were shooting 98% from the free throw line. Now the Spurs fans are complaining about a ‘free throw shooting contest’ because the Spurs won’t win it.<br>
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The refs are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.<br>
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There were a few mistakes and bad calls, against both teams, but on the whole it was a fairly called and consistently called game. Even though the fouls on Bruce were intentional, they were still opportunities to score – if he had just made them. Note: Bruce shot 5-10 at the free throw line. That is an increase from his average of 40%.<br>
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So why did we lose this game? 1) Loss of focus, letting another double digit lead slip away, 2) too many personal fouls, letting a superior free throw shooting team beat us at the charity stripe, and 3) an inability to take advantage of our own opportunities at the free throw line. <br>
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I have to admire Don Nelson. When his team was down by 18, he knew his one advantage, his one strength (at least on this night) was his team’s free throwing shooting ability. He wielded that advantage masterfully with intentional fouls on our weakest free throw shooter and having his players draw fouls at every opportunity. He took a certain defeat and changed it into an astounding victory.<br>
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The Mavs were only shooting 40% from the field, so they actually started concentrating on drawing fouls rather than taking serious shots. A foul was a sure two points. The fourth quarter saw this strategy become an art. Most importantly – it worked. At least for one game.<br>
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Will this loss change the way the Spurs play defense? Not intentionally. I don’t think it will <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>change</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> the way they play defense, but I think it may <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>affect</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> the way they play defense. Last night anyway, a foul meant two points for the Mavs. So, on Wednesday, will there be an extra millimeter of space between our defenders and their shooters? <br>
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Without the Spurs style of defense, the Mavs won’t be held to 40% on their field goal shooting. The Spurs are going to have to walk a fine line between an aggressive defense and a too aggressive defense. They are going to have to play smarter – not committing touch fouls or frustration fouls - and maintain an aggressive offense for four quarters.<br>
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I don’t anticipate an exceptionally high number of free throws for the Mavs in Game 2. For one thing, there will be a different set of refs calling the game. And secondly, the Spurs will be prepared for the Mavs attempts to draw fouls. The Spurs will play with hindsight and forewarning. <br>
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The Spurs will play the next games while protecting their Achilles heel. They must take steps to ensure that, unlike their Greek counterpart, their weak spot does not become their downfall.<br>
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Bring on Game 2!<br>
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<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><br>
"We're probably the only team in the league with a free-throw coach," Nelson said. "Tonight we really needed it."<br>
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I can't believe this. How can the 3rd worst free-throw shooting team in the league not have a coach specifically for that purpose?<br>
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That is just unreal. <p>-Brian</p><i></i>

Great piece, Marilyn! And I agree 100%. Tomorrow night the game will flow freely because the zebra-nazi Salvatore will not be in our city (where his sorry rear end is no longer welcome, btw!). The ratings will fast go to hell if this series continues to be a free throw parade and I`m sure that the other officiating crews realize this and/or have been reminded by the league`s front office. <br>
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Game 1 was a fluke and I`m sure the Spurs are embarrassed. In Game 1 against Phoenix free throws also killed us. Then the Spurs responded. I expect more of the same starting Wednesday. The Spurs need to continue to play aggressive defense on the Mavs and simply sack up and hit a couple more free throws. <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.sahoops.net/"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RwC7BM4UPN4vSzvW7PLtkWgZAuhj38V0TWfeUgTe5oMC4wVam*gsnDSWBHC8gBmc*VJHFg2ilkI*7kxgMXbp5uqYP9JIkWMH8B4h4FlPcaI/GD-final.jpg"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--></a><!--EZCODE LINK END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--> </p><i></i>

Don Harris/KMOL has been critical of Tony Parker all year. He says the reason the Spurs lose leads is because Parker fails to get the team into their Offensive sets. Especially in critical 3rd/4th quarters. If this is true who's fault is it. Shouldn't Pop be the one who controls his young point guard? If he's the coach he should control Parker to make sure the play he called is run. For that matter where is the vetern leadership on the team who should pull Parker aside and settle him down.Because as we all know when Parker,Sjax,Manu perform exceptionally well the Spurs win. I sure hope the Spurs can stay focused tonight,another critical "MUST WIN" game. I still say Spurs in 6 close hard fought games.<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.myezboard.com/projects/ezboard/ezboard_userimages/spursdominion/images/turquoisesmilewinkgrin.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p>SPURSMANIA - <br>
AAaaaahhhuuua! Go Spurs Go!</p><i></i>

This is a good piece and quite detailed. As damning as it might feel we are still in the driver's seat and we may continue to give up big leads. That's evidence of our youth but we have to be thrilled by the way we get buckets against good teams and hence big leads against good teams. <br>
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I think if SA improves its defense in the 3rd and 4th quarters we should be ok. If you recall all of those games that we gave up big leads we did not get back in transition and neither did we crowd the shooters on the perimeter. We saw it in game 4 of the Phoenix series, and game 4 of the LA series. The effort and focus seem to wane in the latter parts of the game. Our turnovers are huge but I think that can be combatted with the same energy and focus on defense. <br>
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I heard Steve Nash say that they have learned a lot from the previous series but have they really? I have yet to see them actually do anything differently as proof of this learning. SA on the other hand seemed to have protected the ball a little better as the playoffs have gone on. Last game they only had 9 turnovers. I see evidence of them learning from their mistakes. Giving up leads is also a bit mental. Eventually what you think is actually what you become. Expect a better output from this team. They have the right cast of characters for a championship run. They remind me very much of the Bad Boys from Detroit minus the dirty tactics. Good guard play, rebounding, defense, and a good mix of old and young players. <br>
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I maintain Spurs in 6. <p></p><i></i>