In a discussion about tanking, the Timberwolves broadcast team, trying to fill the air and assuage the hurt feelings of the T-Wolves fans watching (the few, I suppose) talked about teams that were supposedly tanking but actually had teams filled with hard-playing dudes. “They traded Dejounte Murray and you think ‘tanking’ but they got some guys out here that are playing hard.”
The above picture is a link to a video. Watch Sochan defend Ant Edwards well, in space, one-on-one and help force a miss. Sochan secures the rebound, sprints down the middle of the floor and gets an easy layup. Any high school basketball coach will tell you there are about 10 free points available if you hustle. Now, that is always predicated on being able to compete physically in this league but the point is that if you are talented enough to be on an NBA floor, you posses the tools to run the floor for a bucket or fight for a tip-in.
The Spurs are young and too stupid to know that they aren’t supposed to run the floor, I guess. You can tell why Pop loves to coach these guys. The whole squad is full of dudes that are happy to do the dirty work and it turns out that the ball is less sticky, the rebounds are plentiful, and wow will you look at that there are easy layups to be had.
We wrote last time that the Spurs have to work for their buckets, while the Sixers can just hand to to a genius. They are willing to work, so working the offense for shots is second-nature.
A funny moment when the Spurs were up 111-91 with 5:02 left in the game or so: Devin Vassell drives around a pick, gets into the lane and is looking for a teammate. He finds Keldon Johnson, who was hot that night, and overthrows it. Keldon slips, and falls. Turnover. Vassell runs over and picks him up and sprints back on defense. The camera cuts to Pop who says, gently, “Dev, Dev — just shoot it”.
The Spurs are wholesome, with no stars, and people who do not know their name.