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Putting on the brakes Spurs are turning Nets' fast break into a slow crawlPosted: Monday June 09, 2003 8:36 PM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It was a couple days before the start of the NBA Finals, and the Spurs were scrimmaging hard at their practice facility. The starters had the ball and were running a play when coach Gregg Popovich suddenly blew his whistle. "Three seconds," Popovich yelled. As the starters stopped and looked around in disbelief -- no player on their side had been in the lane anywhere near that long -- Popovich had the reserves quickly inbound the ball. The starters had no time to cry or whine; they had to turn and rush back downcourt. "The Nets are the best fast-break team in the NBA," explained Spurs point guard Speedy Claxton, recalling the practice session. "Pop was trying all sorts of stuff to get us to focus on getting back on defense." Talk all you want about Tim Duncan’s passing, Tony Parker’s scoring or Malik Rose’s dunk over Dikembe Mutombo. The real reason San Antonio holds a 2-1 series lead heading into Wednesday night’s Game 4 is because of its Alamo-worthy defense. The Nets have managed 89, 87 and 79 points, respectively, in the first three games. They have shot 38.7 percent from the floor, compared to 44.1 percent during the regular season. While some of New Jersey’s struggles can be attributed to the presence of 7-footers Tim Duncan and David Robinson, as well as a stubborn zone defense, it's also because the Nets have not been able to fully unleash their lethal fast-break offense. The Spurs simply have slammed the brakes on Jason Kidd’s vaunted transition game. They always seem to have three guys back. When the Nets do try to probe, San Antonio has been able to use its length to steal or deflect passes. "They did an excellent job getting back," Nets forward Kenyon Martin said Monday about Game 3. "We turned the ball over, we didn’t get the quality shots we needed." "Looking at the tape, they’ve got four guys back," Kidd added. The Spurs credit their previous opponent, the Mavs, with helping them prepare for the Nets. Like New Jersey, Dallas loves to get out on the run. While the Mavs might prefer to pull up for a 3-pointer, the Spurs say it forced them to focus on transition defense. "The only difference is that against the Mavs we had to get back to the 3-point line," Rose said. "Against the Nets we have to get back all the way because they like to take it to the rim." Like a coach blasting rock music to prepare his team for a hostile enemy crowd, Popovich also used practice tricks to prepare his team’s frame of mind. In addition to phantom three-second calls, he instructed the reserves to run out as soon as a shot went up and allowed them to take the ball right out of the net after made baskets instead of taking it out of bounds. "The idea was to get [the starters] ready for how fast the Nets would [break out]," said Claxton, who got to play the role of Kidd in the practice sessions. "I got a chance to push the ball up the court and throw some wild passes. It was a lot of fun." Despite the success, the Spurs say they aren’t taking anything for granted. They know Kidd is a master at making adjustments, especially in finding secondary options. Before a recent practice, assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo even compared stopping the Nets’ fast break to the little boy in the fairy tale who tried to plug his fingers in the dike. "You have to stay conscious at all times," Carlesimo said. "It’s not just Kidd. You’ve got to watch Martin and [Richard] Jefferson and [Kerry] Kittles. Those guys are all exceptional in terms of foot speed and their ability to finish." The Spurs clearly have spent a lot of time working on their transition defense. It might seem like a little thing, but it just might help them "get back" to the NBA throne. Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment. |
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