NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 472 Spurs Assistant Coach

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

The Clippers' starting lineup, playing at home, consisted of Jia Fei, Beverley, George, Gallinari, and Olynyk.

A key reason for the Clippers' confidence in the playoffs is the relative health of their players this season. While minor injuries have occurred—Paul George, Patrick Beverley, and Danilo Gallinari all missed games to varying degrees during the regular season—the team has been careful in utilizing their playing time and during back-to-back games. Essentially, they've adopted a "minor injury, major recovery" and "injury-free load management" approach, which has kept these physically demanding players healthy.

For a team aiming to win the championship, the health of its core players is very important.

The Spurs' starting lineup for the away game is De'Aaron Murray, Patty Mills, Danny Green, Kyle Anderson, and LaMarcus Aldridge.

With Popovich sidelined, Mills was moved into the starting lineup to improve the offense. Popovich always says he hates run-and-gun offense and small-ball lineups, but in the end, he used a small-ball lineup himself. You can't take his words too seriously; this old man is very good at learning and knows how to adapt to the times.

Back when the Admiral and Duncan were on the team, he played the twin-tower superstar basketball, maximizing the offensive and defensive dominance of the twin towers. After the Admiral retired, he created the GDP trio, perfecting pick-and-roll and ball movement. The 2014-15 Spurs were the pinnacle of team basketball, completely dismantling the Heat's Big Three and sending the "Running Man" team back to Cleveland.

In today's small-ball era, the old man is also keeping up with the times. Aldridge, who has played the 4 position his whole life, has been pushed to the 5 position, playing a big man and a small man, and also playing fast-paced transition games.

Why have so many veteran NBA coaches stopped coaching? Many coaches are limited to a single approach. For example, Phil Jackson only used the triangle offense, but now that it's no longer viable, he stopped coaching it. Adelman used the Princeton offense, but it's too demanding on players, and most teams can't execute it effectively, so he gradually withdrew. Some coaches who primarily focus on centers have also found themselves unable to find work due to the decline of the center position.

It seems that only this old thief has managed to dominate for 20 years and master several versions of the game!

Coach Budenholzer is also a member of the "Spurs system," so it's natural for him to greet his mentor when he sees him.

Popovich has mentored countless players, and many teams today consider it an honor to hire coaches from the Spurs system, which is a testament to his personal abilities.

Spurs assistant coach, former Rockets player, Thunder rookie, Suns' legendary doctor...

The Clippers now boast Spurs assistant coach (Budenholzer), former Rockets players (Lou Williams and others), and Thunder rookie (Jia Fei), making them a formidable playoff team.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both teams took to the field.

Neither team has a large roster. Although the Clippers aren't short overall, they still play a lineup with one inside and four outside players. In today's league, one inside and four outside players is the standard, and traditional lineups with two big men are becoming increasingly rare. Everyone is pursuing better offensive spacing and faster transitions between offense and defense.

The Spurs' defensive philosophy has always been consistent.

Popovich's defense was learned from Larry Brown, but with many differences. The Spurs rarely apply pressure; their defensive philosophy is—guide!

Specifically, this involves using lead defense or extended defense to limit the speed of the opponent's ball handler, blocking their penetration through the middle, and forcing them to move to the wing. Once the opponent reaches the baseline, they are allowed to penetrate, and once they do, the weak-side center covers them.

Simply put, it forces the opponent to the narrow corners on the flanks, allowing you to cover with your weak side, thus preventing them from passing the ball nearby. Ultimately, this forces the opponent to either pull up for a mid-range jumper or make a wide-ranging pass.

Such a defensive system requires perimeter defenders with good footwork and a big man in the paint who can control the paint.

So, Tim Duncan was used by the veteran Spurs for 20 years, and he was always the true defensive core of the Spurs. As for offense, in the later stages, he was no longer the team's primary scorer.

Therefore, the Spurs have always been good at dealing with spot-up shooters. For example, during D'Antoni's era with the Suns, the Suns' two corner shooters were unable to perform. They are also good at dealing with penetrating players, such as Wade and the "Running Man" (a nickname for a player who drives to the basket), who had a hard time against the Spurs. However, they are more wary of mid-range shooters with the ball, such as the "Blacksmith" (a nickname for a player who can shoot from mid-range) and the "Silver Horn King" (a nickname for a player who can shoot from mid-range). They are also more wary of players with multiple penetration options, such as the Mavericks of that era.

However, with Duncan's retirement, the Spurs' defensive system will be difficult to maintain.

Aldridge certainly cannot replace Duncan's role. He is indeed good at offense and his mid-range shot is accurate, but his presence on the inside defense is unmatched, even by an older Duncan.

This isn't meant to belittle Aldridge; he's never been a player who could be a defensive anchor in the paint. He's always played the power forward position, and his interior defensive toughness and awareness are generally average. He always had a center to complement him when he played for the Trail Blazers.

Although Tim Duncan has never won the Defensive Player of the Year award, in Jia Fei's opinion, both Duncan and Harden are players who can serve as the defensive core of a team, and can survive and thrive in both the traditional era and today's small-ball era.

The starting lineups of both teams are on the field, and Olynyk and Adriano are preparing for the jump ball near the center circle. The match is about to begin.

The jump ball began, and Olynyk lost it again, giving the Spurs possession for the first possession. DeTaijon Murray dribbled the ball over.

The Spurs are truly one of the best teams in the NBA at developing rookies. Whether it's Morris or Hammer, their draft picks weren't high, but they were still developed into stars, which is really impressive.

With his height and wingspan, Morrie is a shooting guard who can easily outmatch many point guards in the league, creating mismatches. His height and wingspan also allow him to defend three guard positions, making him highly versatile.

The Clippers assigned Jia Fei to guard him, specifically to prevent Beverley from being mismatched due to his short stature. Beverley, on the other hand, was assigned to guard Mills, who was also short.

Paul George guarded against LeBron James, Gallinari guarded against Reinhardt, and Olynyk was matched up against Aldridge.

Morris's offensive strengths include a pull-up jump shot, good court vision due to his height, and speed, which allows him to push the fast break. His offensive weaknesses are an inconsistent three-point shot and a slender build that makes him less adept at attacking the basket. Defensively, his slender build makes him vulnerable to being overpowered by strong guards or wings.

Jia Fei almost completely shut down Mori, which greatly affected his passing and shooting.

Mori passed the ball to Mills, and Aldridge came up to set a screen.

Mills then passed the ball to Kyle Anderson on the other side, who received it and made a second breakthrough, scoring with what is probably the slowest Euro step in the league!

Jia Fei also exclaimed, "The essence of human peristalsis is truly well-deserved of its name!"