Since 1997, when they got the No. 1 pick by shuffling their game, the Spurs turned around and became the dominant player in the Western Conference.
They were the second most successful team in the first decade of the 21st century after the Lakers, reaching the Finals three times and winning three championships, never missing the playoffs, and winning at least 50 games every year in the regular season.
The main theme of the Western Conference is the Lakers-horse competition for supremacy, with the Mavericks and Suns occasionally making noises.
Compared with the Lakers, who have the aura of a big city and are in the top three in revenue, the Spurs, whose boss sells tractors, are a lot stingy.
Because of Duncan's presence and the acquisition of Tony Parker and Ginobili from the low post, the Spurs have always been relatively picky.
Almost none of the three core players has received a real maximum salary. Only Duncan's extension after the end of his rookie contract was a seven-year maximum salary of 122 million.
Although it is a maximum salary, the long tenure of 7 years also means that as the salary cap increases, Duncan's salary will not be particularly high in the future.
Kevin Garnett had already signed a six-year, 126 million super long-term contract in 1997. In 2004, his salary reached 28 million.
Last season, in the last year of Duncan's contract, his salary was only 22 million.
In 2007, he already renewed his contract with the Spurs in advance. In 10-12 years, he signed a two-year contract worth 40 million.
It can be said that the cost-effectiveness cannot be described as high, because for a player like Duncan, when the word "cost-effective" appears on him, it is already an insult to his ability.
As for Parker and Ginobili, based on their performance in 2005 and 2007, they are worthy of a maximum salary on other teams.
But don’t think about it in the Spurs. You won’t give it and you can’t afford it. For the sake of the team and more championships, you have to cut your salary and stay with the team.
This is not only a reflection of the Spurs' good unity and team spirit, but also the confidence of the Spurs to be stingy, so they don't have to pay luxury tax.
At the same time, it further shows the difference between European and South American players and American players. They prefer to stay in one place and play all the time.
And they don’t have many commercial interests behind them, so they don’t have to rush to big cities for commercial value such as exposure and advertising.
Because of this, the Spurs look not only at ability, but also at character and background when selecting players.
After receiving the bonus from European Taobao, they like to use European players. They are cheap and easy to find. Only they have the instruction manual. When renewing the contract, they are not worried about competition from other teams.
Moreover, European players are generally more team-oriented and obedient because of their upbringing. Popovich, who was born in the military, is easy to handle.
American players, especially black players, have a stronger sense of personal heroism and can easily become a thorn in their side. Once they lose control, Popovich will not patiently appease him like Jackson, but will kick him out directly.
Rodman and Stephen Jackson are examples.
In the 10th season, although the Spurs relied on experience to successfully beat the Mavericks, they lacked hard power and were swept out by their old rival Suns 4-0 in the semifinals.
As a famous coach, Popovich has already smelled signs that the league is about to change.
Ten years is a limit, and an era is coming to an end.
After winning the championship in 1999, the Spurs resolutely built their offensive and defensive lineup around Duncan, their only leg.
The ultimate precision rotation defense, with Duncan as the absolute core of the offense, paired with powerful outside breakers and a group of veterans to create a lineup.
Except for Kobe and Dirk, the Spurs basically encountered no insurmountable obstacles on their way to winning the championship.
In the past few seasons, with Duncan's rapid decline, the core pillar of the offense has disappeared.
Continuing to let Duncan play hard in the low post will be harmful to the team's offensive efficiency and Duncan's knees.
In the past few games against the Suns, the Spurs had played relatively easily, keeping Nash and D'Antoni under control.
It doesn't matter whether you play fast break or seven-second offense. I will attack with you, and my offensive efficiency is higher than yours.
Therefore, at that time, the Suns were not defended to death by the Spurs, but were attacked to death because they were unable to defend against the Spurs.
The Suns made changes in 2010. They became more balanced offensively and defensively, and their substitutes were activated.
Gentry is not a rigid eight-man rotation coach like D'Antoni. A 10-man rotation substitute is equally full of firepower.
As a result, the Spurs began to be unable to defend and attack, and were swept 0:4. They lost every game without any suspense.
Duncan is no longer dominant in the series. In fact, his dominance has declined significantly since 2007.
The half-court offensive routine with him as the core is becoming increasingly inefficient. Facing more and more three-pointers and quick counterattacks in the league, this routine is gradually being eliminated.
Of course, it is impossible for the Spurs to give up Duncan. No matter from the perspective of honor, strength, or from an economic and business perspective, Duncan is still the foundation of the Spurs.
Even if he is gradually regressing, the idea of Popovich and the Spurs management is to gradually transform and make good use of Duncan, replace the team's system and configuration, use the old core, new play style, and create a new era in the new era. situation.
The summer of 2010 was very critical for the Spurs, a transition point.
The first player Popovich contacted was Matt Bonner.
Players like Bonner weren't on Popovich's priority list early on.
How useful is an insider who is not very tall, moves slowly, and can run out to shoot three-pointers?
What Popovich wants is a traditional insider who can be by Duncan's side, protect him and provide help.
For example, Nesterovich, Muhammad, McDyess, etc. are all role players that Popovich loves.
However, as the team's overall tactics accelerate, there are more and more three-pointers, and the requirements for court space are getting higher and higher.
This kind of system with two traditional inside players poking into the formation has become increasingly inefficient on offense. Popovich has already begun to try a lineup with one large and four small, allowing Duncan to move to the 5th position.
Bonner began to serve as the team's starter in the 08-09 season, but the playoff results were not good, and the Spurs were eliminated early in the first round that year.
After losing to the Suns in this year's playoffs, Popovich heard about an article circulating in coaching circles called "Victory of Space and Ball Rights," which was a post-game commentary by an unknown author posted by NBA-Batman.
Popovich, who has always been uninterested in these media things, learned that Rick Carlisle liked it after reading it, so he secretly went online to read this post-game article between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.
After reading this article, Popovich watched the videos of the fourth and fifth games of the Clippers and Lakers over and over again, and got a lot of inspiration from them.
Popovich, who had previously refused to use online social media, couldn't help but secretly create a Twitter account and then sent a private message to NBA-Batman: "I am Gregg Popovich, the general manager and coach of the Spurs. Are you interested in working for the Spurs?"
This private message naturally went unanswered, but the seeds of tactical reform have been deeply planted in Popovich's heart and are ready to sprout.
Bonner has become an important chess piece in Popovich's heart, and he has played more and more roles in the past few seasons.
However, after contacting Bonner, Popovich received a reply from Bonner's agent a few days later: "Sorry Greg, Bonner has decided to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers."
Popovich couldn't believe it. The seeds of my reform were pinched before they sprouted?
(End of chapter)
