beat bostona dn milwuakee 
I told y'all muh'fukkas that Pop's being left behind.....
- Thread starter Gil Scott-Heroin
- Start date
It's certainly a better recipe than shooting long 2s. That much is for certain. And it's not just about shooting more 3s, it's about structuring the offense around generating 3-pt looks, because it opens up MORE space for other types of shots. You can get a better look from the midrange if you prioritize the 3-pt shot, because of the extra space and less defensive attention, rather than prioritizing midrange shots because defenses are playing you for that type of shot.
This actually makes a lot sense, given that this board is generally clueless about the game, because "dumbass shyt" is actually closer to reality than muh'fukkas like you will ever know.
I really don't see how folks can argue against the Spurs have spacing problems, I mean, if a team is opting to take considerably fewer threes than the rest of the league, how do they think teams are defending them v. other teams? Do people not use common sense and see that defenses are stretched more trying to cover more distance defending 3-pt shots?
Lowe: Ten NBA things I like and don't like, including the Spurs' new threat
1. Welcome to the 3-point era, LaMarcus Aldridge!
Turns out, the perception that Gregg Popovich -- increasingly cantankerous about the tyranny of 3s -- hemmed in Aldridge was incorrect. After last season, Popovich approached Aldridge and suggested the team would need him to shoot more 3s, Aldridge told ESPN.com.
The Spurs ranked sixth in points per possession last season, largely on the back of incredible shooting that helped them overcome retrograde shot selection. A small slump, and they would lose their uphill battle against math.
Aldridge amped up his 3-point reps over the summer. And then the season started, and Aldridge barely tried any. The Spurs' shooting indeed fell a bit shy of last season's levels. In mid-December, Popovich met with Aldridge again. It was time, the coach said.
"We had a couple of bad shooting games, and Pop came to me and said, 'I think you need to start shooting it to open up the floor,'" Aldridge said. "It would give DeMar [DeRozan] more room. So I just started doing it."
For reasons Aldridge can't quite explain, he felt ready. He knows the transition came more slowly than fans hoped -- slower than for Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, and Brook Lopez.
"It has taken me longer than those guys," Aldridge said. "I just had to do it my way." Part of that involves taking the occasional off-the-dribble 3 -- including a few step-backs. Aldridge just likes that rhythm dribble. Popovich doesn't mind. "He's letting me shoot them my way," Aldridge said.
Before Dec. 23, Aldridge averaged 1.7 3-point attempts per game. On that night against Memphis, he went 3-of-5. He has jacked 4.7 per game since. The exchange has come almost entirely out of midrange shots. Aldridge has hit a career-best 43% on 3s. He is literally one of the best 3-point shooters in the league right now. Welcome to the party, pal!
Popovich has never urged him to chill with the 3s. "He's been on the other side of the spectrum," Aldridge said. "'You should have taken 10. Take 11.'"
The Spurs rank second in points per possession since that Dec. 23 game. They have outscored opponents by 8.8 points per 100 possessions with Aldridge and DeRozan on the floor over those 15 games, reversing a season-plus of data pointing the other direction.
DeRozan has feasted in open space. He just concluded a streak of 13 games in which he scored at least 20 points on 50% or better shooting. (He still mostly refuses 3s, and even when he tries, he often has a toe on the line. It's almost as if he's doing a bit, only it's more infuriating than funny.) With Aldridge willing to spot up in the corner, DeRozan has taken to running pick-and-rolls with Bryn Forbes and other guards -- daring the opposition to switch a smaller player onto him. If they trap or hedge, DeRozan knifes through crevices and saunters to the rim with no big man help defender in sight.
"I'm gonna start taxing DeMar for all these open lanes," Aldridge chuckled.
Opponents are already switching the DeRozan-Aldridge pick-and-roll more often, rather than allowing Aldridge to flare out for uncontested 3s. Both are exploiting the resulting mismatches.
Every ball handler has noticed the improved spacing.
"It helps me for sure," Dejounte Murray told ESPN.com. "It was just a matter of [Aldridge] feeling comfortable. He's the player. No one else can speak for how comfortable he is."
It seems to be rubbing off on Murray. He has canned 14 3s since Dec. 16 after making only 23 in his career to that point. If Murray can hit jumpers, Popovich might entrust him with more ballhandling. "Hopefully I have freedom to do more," he said.
The change required minimal redesign. That was what grated about Aldridge's stagnancy: San Antonio's offense organically produced chances for Aldridge to launch -- pick-and-pops, trail 3s, natural clearouts to the corner when DeRozan drove. Aldridge would either stop a foot short of the line, or step inside it.
"I had to reprogram my mind: 'Don't take that step in,'" Aldridge said. "'Space to the 3. Don't trail inside for a 2.'"
Aldridge becoming a deep threat might reopen the possibility of him and Jakob Poeltl playing together -- something that could stabilize San Antonio's 23rd-ranked defense. Popovich has largely mothballed that look after using it a lot last season. "The floor was too clogged," Aldridge said. "But [shooting 3s] could help us play bigger."
Outside of a Jan. 12 game against Toronto, Popovich has kept the double-big look on ice. It requires Aldridge to defend power forwards, and he might not be up for that anymore. He has lost a half-step, something that shows up in his decreased free throws and offensive rebounds. Shooting more 3s is also a concession to aging.
Regardless, it helps San Antonio's offense. Aldridge doesn't plan to stop. He's from Texas. He chose the Spurs. He does not want to be on the San Antonio team that busts the franchise's 22-year playoff streak -- especially with Popovich and Tim Duncan, the living embodiments of that streak, watching from the sidelines.
"You never want to be the one that ends the legacy," Aldridge said.
The Devil's Advocate
Call me Dad
Ehhhhh I don't know about that.. Spurs made the playoffs last year. Pop was not being left behind, he didn't have a healthy team, and he coached to what he had...
Soon as the season ended, he went directly to his players and told them to shoot more 3's. It clearly says in the article that Aldridge AND DeRozen just chose not to do so.. So Pop went back again and got on them about it AGAIN. Derozen STILL REFUSES to take 3s.
The problem we all had with the homie, was he was acting like Pop was some idiot, foolishly telling his players NOT to shoot 3s. We kept telling him, maybe they aren't comfortable shooting that shot.. A lot of his other players are injured.. Maybe when they get an offseason, he'll fix it...
According to the article posted, every single one of those things was the case. Not, he's old and stuck in his ways and can't get with the analytics.
I'll give him a 50% credit
Turns out, the perception that Gregg Popovich -- increasingly cantankerous about the tyranny of 3s -- hemmed in Aldridge was incorrect. After last season, Popovich approached Aldridge and suggested the team would need him to shoot more 3s, Aldridge told ESPN.com.
Aldridge amped up his 3-point reps over the summer. And then the season started, and Aldridge barely tried any. The Spurs' shooting indeed fell a bit shy of last season's levels. In mid-December, Popovich met with Aldridge again. It was time, the coach said.
"It has taken me longer than those guys," Aldridge said. "I just had to do it my way." Part of that involves taking the occasional off-the-dribble 3 -- including a few step-backs. Aldridge just likes that rhythm dribble. Popovich doesn't mind. "He's letting me shoot them my way," Aldridge said.
Popovich has never urged him to chill with the 3s. "He's been on the other side of the spectrum," Aldridge said. "'You should have taken 10. Take 11.'"
DeRozan has feasted in open space. He just concluded a streak of 13 games in which he scored at least 20 points on 50% or better shooting. (He still mostly refuses 3s, and even when he tries, he often has a toe on the line. It's almost as if he's doing a bit, only it's more infuriating than funny.)
The change required minimal redesign. That was what grated about Aldridge's stagnancy: San Antonio's offense organically produced chances for Aldridge to launch -- pick-and-pops, trail 3s, natural clearouts to the corner when DeRozan drove. Aldridge would either stop a foot short of the line, or step inside it.
"I had to reprogram my mind: 'Don't take that step in,'" Aldridge said. "'Space to the 3. Don't trail inside for a 2.'"
You're missing the point.
The spacing benefits have been noticeable and quantifiable.
This is what we have been arguing for over a year now.
The Devil's Advocate
Call me Dad
Well I don’t know who was arguing that. Most of us was saying they shouldn’t take more threes with players who couldn’t shoot them. In the end, pop was telling them and they was like saying nah
That’s why I gave him half credit. His game analysis was on point. But it wasn’t for Pops lack of trying
Sooner or later we'll all see who the prophet is....
The Devil's Advocate
Call me Dad
Dwight Howard
Superstar
Get some help
A Tribe Called Quest ™
Make Em Say Ughh ... Silk da Shocker
They looked like ass before corona
Lakerman0834
Veteran
No where to be found when more gravitational pull than Jordan quit after getting culo blasted without kd and klay and Your top 10 player putting up triple single and defensive turnstile without elite perimeter D
DonKnock
KPJ Gonna Save Us
Motherfuccer been hiding like Anne Frank for months
THEY FINISHED A GAME OUT OF 8TH PLACE WITH NO LMA IN THE BUBBLE
AND THEY REALLY SHOULD HAVE 12 GAMES LEFT IN THE REAL SEASON.
AND THEY REALLY SHOULD HAVE 12 GAMES LEFT IN THE REAL SEASON.
THEY FINISHED A GAME OUT OF 8TH PLACE WITH NO LMA IN THE BUBBLE
AND THEY REALLY SHOULD HAVE 12 GAMES LEFT IN THE REAL SEASON.
IT REALLY DOESNT MAKE SENSE TO ME HOW THEY CAN FINISH WIT 38 LOSSES AND WILL STILL BE ELIMINATED BY TEAMS WHO FINISH WIT 39 LOSSES
LESS LOSSES THAN THE 8TH SEED BUT CANT EVEN GET A 9TH SEED, EVEN WIT A WIN TODAY??
TRANNY SILVER DID THEM DIRTY