Those teams earned each other's respect in the 13 finals. In 14 the spurs came back a slightly improved team (Manu was healthy, Kawhi improved as a scorer), and the Heat were a lot worse (wade was dropping quickly from elite to good, and they had a weak bench).
I understand what you mean. As a Lakers fan in South Texas I’ve witnessed firsthand many battles this team has had with my Lakers. But as a basketball fan this is all textbook fundamental( beautiful) basketball. I can’t hate that.
finally someone did a video on this team. For non-american players, this is the best basketball we've ever seen (and took us all by surprise to see it in the NBA) and this is how every coach wants their teams to play. Just beautiful to watch
Takes an exceptional coach and 15 players willing to put aside their egos and constantly push each other to be better every game to show up like this on the biggest stage. If they had gotten Kawhi in like 2010 they might have won it all 2011-2014.
There’s also a tribute video from a while back on this team that’s very nice, similar clips without as much analysis: th-cam.com/video/T3y7cWmoBCI/w-d-xo.html
@globalicon2012Bosh averaged 14ppg 5rpg 55%fg 38%3pt. Don't expect Bosh to average more than 20 dip shit because we all fucking know that Lebron and Wade are the 1st and 2nd options.
Until this day, I recognized this Spurs team as the greatest I have ever seen and one of the greatest in the modern era. This Spurs team had it all, textbook beauty basketball! Solid on the defensive end and some of the best passing you could see in the Finals. This was the moment I grew a large appreciation for Kawhi Leonard.
one of the reason Spurs can nulify Heat Aggresive Defense, (Double Team opponent PnR Ball Handler) is ball movement and how Boris Diaw use as the roll man, He's very comfortable distributing the ball. Shoutout to Coach Daniel for mentioning Diaw as one of the best passer in this team. On the Defensive end, People always say that Kawhi is the best LeBron stopper, but often forget how Boris Diaw contain Lebron, whether it's one on one or post up.
Manu gets a lot of deserved praise as the "superstar that never was", but Diaw should slip into that conversation. It's different from Manu, as Diaw was not "sealed" to the bench in order to win as a team. But Diaw was absolutely one of the most incredibly skilled players never to get star status because he needed such a perfect team to show himself at his best as a passer, defender and scorer.
The 2013 and 2014 Spurs are among my favorite teams of all time, and they had a major influence on Steve Kerr and what he brought to the Warriors. It’s amazing how differently they played compared to the Spurs teams of the 00’s.
@@jimmyhulton9374 For sure! And the reason a team like the Suns struggled this year is because Chris Paul is the only play maker. The reason LeBron has a losing record in the finals is because he's the only playmaker. When you have 5 play makers willing to put the ball on the deck and keep it moving, it is hard to defend. People love to think that the Warriors just walk across the court and heave and score. Their driving and passing and movement without the ball is way more impressive than their shooting. They never stop moving.
He was a Point Guard/Shooting Guard with the Atlanta Hawks early in his career. Then when he was with the Phoenix Suns, he played as their Power Forward/Center and the backup Point Guard for Steve Nash. What versatility! He said he lost motivation playing basketball when he was in Charlotte, because they played selfish basketball and their coach encourages it. Good thing he ended it with a championship ring with the Spurs, before he called it a career.
The first part immediately reminds me of Yao Ming, who during his entire NBA career couldn't figure out how to deal with post front. Partially because the best passer he ever played with is Alston/T-Mac.
@@Zirc-up3ki T-Mac is an under-rated passer. I think the problem is their other teammates. Duncan is getting these post front plays because the other big (Diaw, Splitter) pulls the defense and knows where to stand. And you won't get that smooth spacing if your power forward is Juwan Howard.
Those entry passes by Manu are so underrated. A lot of players wouldn't even attempt it. They would see it's not available and swing the ball to the other side, effectively giving in to to what the defense wanted.
Now that i think about it, only now did i appreciate how insane the spurs was. You have parker, ginobili, duncan, and kawhii?! AAAND they were coached by popovich.
The thing about this team isnt the collection of talent though. Parker Ginobili and duncan were all out of their primes and kawhi hadn't yet become the Klaw. What really made it special is best summed up by "The beautiful game".
@@brianmontgomery580 Excellent point. People see those names and think "Of COURSE they won." But it took some doing to put that all together at that exact moment in history. Having said that, Duncan was obviously past his best but was still playing at a very high level. I don't know that there were five better PF/C's in basketball, even in 2014.
It broke my heart when they gave up the farm just to aquire Aldridge. I said it was a mistake of epic proportions and was laughed at. Well people aren't laughing anymore and we aren't winning.
@@burninglass The youngest member of the Big Three, Tony Parker, turned 34 that season. This was Tim Duncan's final season. Kawhi, Mills, Ginobili, and Green were still there. What did the Spurs give up to get Aldridge??
This video just show how important was manu team effort in the big 3 succes. He had all this little things, so much sacrifice. Better 6th man of all time.
This man won only 1 6th man of the year award. You look at any of the ones who won the award since the 2000s and only Manu has come up big in the postseason every time. One day they should just rename that title to Bench Scoring Champion.
The '12-15 Spurs all played the beautiful game. '12 they didnt quite have the D to go with it, and they got hosed by Thunderefs. '13 is the great finals series, which you could say was 1 rebound away from a championship, '14 they won the title, and '15 they had injury problems all year and lost to a Chris Paul prayer in game 7...point is, they all played the great offensive scheme. I'd also want to point out that the Warriors dynasty took the beautiful game from the Spurs and slightly tweaked it for their personnel.
@@tristanbreaks9853 they had 2014 timmy. Also didnt say "how much better than TD jokic would be in this offense". I just think jokic would really thrive with this offense as it suits his best abilities. (Btw TD>>>>>>>>>jokic. Its not even a question)
I’ve never noticed this stuff watching these games before. I’m usually fixated on the ball handler, this is phenomenal basketball dude. You have great content man, I love it
I got in a big argument about this finals at my workplace, the "LeBron is unstoppable crowd" at work just couldn't understand what was happening. This was the perfect example of team chemistry over individual excellence.
The “Lebron is unstoppable” crowd understands what is happening with the Spurs. It just takes a monumental amount of execution to achieve this. If it were as simple as just moving the ball around, they could get any group of guys in there to do it. That’s why the star(s) who can just get his shot whenever he needs to is so coveted. The only thing I hate about Spurs analysis is that it totally discounts the fact that they had 3 hall of fame caliber players & another on that track. It wasn’t like they had bums off the street.
@@bigwilly43729 Thing is, 2 of those 3 hall of famers that you mentioned, namely Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, were late draft picks, they weren't expected to be in the upper echelon of the NBA greats conversation, the team's system and them buying into it is what made them great. It's not exactly a lebron, dwade and bosh team up, who went 1, 4, and 5 in their draft class. The 2005 and 2007 chips aren't even talked about, because this 2014 run, was TEAM basketball executed almost to perfection, they decimated the obvious choice(Miami Heat), which they suffered a heartbreaking loss to, just the year prior. They deserve to be celebrated, this run can be their only argument for hall of fame contention, and the majority will agree.
I hadn't watched NBA much for years(I'm English not many watch it here) and watched the 2013 finals to see LeBron and ended up a Spurs fan by the end 😄
LeBron was unstoppable at that time. The moment he worked on his shot, he had no more flaws in his game. But nobody was going to beat the Spurs 2 times in a row. The Heat were a sloppy team. Sure they won back to back, but I was one of the rare few who knew that the mass would get their revenge.
The Heat fans adopted Seven Nation Army as their chant. I love that the Spurs fans later chanted it back to them because they actually had a seven nation army!
Now Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer admitted a 2 years ago that when he was a San Antonio Spurs assistant coach they BORROWED FROM THE TRIANGLE OFFENSE. 😅😅😅 Changed the names of things, weakside Triangle for Phil Jackson was called a weakside 3-Man Bunch. Pinch Post for Phil Jackson was called "Elbow Series " for the San Antonio Spurs.
DeAndre Page yep, I actually see that now... the same pinch post Rodman would pass out of, is the same “elbow series” that Diaw would pass out if I see it
@@deandrepage1048 pop borrows from every basketball philosophy. That's what makes him the goat, adaptability to the strengths of his current roster, without ego. Phil on the other hand lives and dies by triangle no matter his personnel because of his ego. Big difference.
@@coachtimmeh6826 Phil Jackson has 11 NBA Championship Rings, so he is justified. 😀😀😀 As a former basketball coach myself, I understand that Phil Jackson had to run his Triangle Offense totally different with the L.A. Lakers than he did with the Chicago Bulls. Maybe you don't understand, so let me help you . 😀😀😀 Chicago Bulls had the 3-headed monster approach with their 3 Centers: Will Perdue, Luc Longley, & Bill Wennington. The Center got the ball to as a "decoy" to trigger other offensive "actions," not as a scorer himself. The Lakers afforded Phil Jackson the chance to run the Triangle Offense (Triple Post Offense) the way it was invented during the 1960's = for the Center as a featured scorer.
It was perfected along time ago by birds and magics Celtics and lakers. Both had the mentality winning above any selfishness. Many superstars nowadays should think about it. Or rather most of them...
Steve Kerr played for the San Antonio Spurs before he retired...he has mentioned before that the motion offense that they used in the Warriors system, was taken from Pop's playbook.
It was really amazing in hindsight how the 14 spurs used the low post as the focal point of their offense, just not in a way ppl expect (lots of touches and iso-post-ups) So even though they were trying to be more perimeter-oriented and pass and shoot more 3s, everything revolved around how the defense played against their off-ball post players and how they would counter that.
I haven’t seen a video recently uploaded taking about their game in a looong while. No one talked about how beautiful their game was after the year they won and it’s unfortunate. Not many care about beautiful teamwork
No one needed to. The Spurs were already known for that. I hated that my heat had to play them again because Greg PoP is the coach that you don't want to face off against. Especially two times in a row. The only good coming from it is that I was a Spurs fan because Tim Duncan is my favorite player of all time.
Been a Lakers fan my whole life, but that Spurs team really was a joy to watch. So many unselfish pros and all-stars. Utilizing basic fundamentals many teams in the past few decades have foregone. And the way the passes just flowed non-stop. It really was some top teir sh*t right there. The team they had that year is one of my all time top 5 line ups.
Positive Masculinity That Spurs team lasted so long with the same core players. Gonna miss that beautiful passing system until we see it again and a team gets an insanely post scorer like Duncan or Dirk and build around them 😔
This Spurs team and the D'Antoni Suns played some of my absolute favorite offense of all time. Such a joy to watch both the ball and the players in constant motion until an opening presents itself.
2014 Spurs is the epitome of team basketball. Too bad they lost first round to the Clippers on a game winning shot by the CP3 the following season. Either team could have won that the series.
Seeding was very weird that season. The Clippers were seen as a strong championship contender, too bad they broke down in injuries after they beat the Spurs.
Their loss to the heat in 2013 was more heartbreaking for me, one critical (not exactly a mistake) roster adjustment by Pop led to an unbelievable 3 by Ray Allen. He took out Tim Duncan for that defensive possession, since they were up by 3, they played small so they can defend the perimeter better, and they did...but Bosh was the lengthiest player inside at that moment and got the offensive rebound then we knew what happened. Game 7, momentum was all miami.
Just wanna say thank you, Your videos have helped me a lot with understanding the philosophical/academic ideas of the sport (creating space, defensive gap control, ball movement etc). Thanks again Coach 🙏🏆
it really comes down to exactly what you said, no ball-dominate star/player. everybody on the Spurs knows it’s a possibility for them to get the ball so they not out there just running around for nothing, they truly play as one entity instead of 5 players on a team. and showing the Rockets after them, and then them again after, it’s glaring. as soon as Harden got the ball, there was literally no movement and he put up a contested 3 with 14 seconds left on the shot clock. and then the Spurs come back and as soon as the ball leaves one player’s hands, two others immediately began sprinting, you deadass gotta rewind the video when they playing to see what’s going on. coaching is truly underrated by viewers, myself included
Short answer: he had more talent at every position (4 stars vs 1), a better bench, multiple players who could pass, and a PG who could run the offense. For those reasons and more, he was able to implement his system and win a ring with it. The Sixers system was AI. Nobody else could create their own shot on offense so AI had to play ~40 mins/game. On D, they put a bunch of defensive specialists who could cover AI and let him gamble for steals. You can't win a ring if the team is THAT one dimensional.
I remember watching that series and thinking that was an amazing strategy the Spurs used on the Heat. I don't feel the Spurs get credit for that performance. All people want to do it say the Heat stars all of a sudden got "old" even tho they just beat them the year ago and went back to the finals. I know everybody not from San Antonio hates the Spurs but they deserve their props for that.
This was the most amazing series I've watched as a Spurs fan. We were everything the Heat weren't. No big names (yet), no glitz, no glamor, no outsized personalities, no super team, most boring franchise. And somehow we won.
oh yeah, this is my team right here!! virtuoso performance, almost perfect basketball...this team is right up there at the top with the greatest ever. . props to Lebron though, MJ never faced teams like my spurs...speaks volume to Bron's greatness. mad respect from a spurs fan!! 🙌
"They played the best basketball I've ever seen" "They dominated us" -- Chris Bosh -- Class act, that Chris Bosh. He said this right after the game while frustration was at its highest.
@@BlackWhite-ru8gmthey were going to give him the max, it's a known fact he left $118 million on the table when he refused the supermax from San Antonio. and how did it take his career to another level? he was already considered top 2 in the league and was always in the MVP voting; was playing for the GOAT coach of the gold standard organization. i guess he got more exposure to the casual fan by being in L.A. but that's not saying much.
This was during a time when Phil Jackson was getting a lot of flack of wanting to implement the triangle offense on the Knicks. You just see triangle and motion principles all over this '14 Spurs team.
Keyword "principles" pop uses any and all basketball philosophies that fit the strengths of his current personnel. Phil Jackson wants triangle no matter what because his ego demands it. Do you really not see a difference?
Neo Eon, Triangle works for any kind of roster. It’s not really a roster dependent system. And every team uses the triangle a little bit today anyway. They just didn’t want to buy in, that’s all. That’s on them. They had Melo those years and Melo is a player perfectly built for the Triangle. He didn’t buy in. That’s on him. It’s also on Phil for not being able to get the guys to buy in. It is what it is.
Prime duncan/ginobli/parker years were some of my favorite years of basketball as fan of the sport. Their basketball offense was how basketball was supposed to be played, no real "super star" that would try and dominate themselves.
did you not here what he said in the video, no ball dominant or star people, just good people who average 15 or under for each, come on parker was built in this greatness for years, what does curry have to do with his relationship and value to the spurs
@NBA Spotlite your right about ball movement, but as a former spurs fan who watched parker for years, it is unfair to compare, simply putting curry in replace of parker when he wasn't apart of the success of building this chemistry and system doesn't sound right, there shouldn't be any replacing two guys are respectfully great on their own drafted teams, please no replacing in a spurs system with modern talent
@NBA Spotlite but thats the point Tony Parker isn't steph, he is Tony Parker, yes Curry is amazing, but as far as imagining curry, he also wouldn't be mvp either in 2015 or 2016, he developed because Kerr strengthened his game, and basically allowed him to do his pull up 3point shooting a lot, watching his games compared to Tony, curry would fit the system perfectly, but he wouldn't be on top of the league as he is now
I think Steph is slightly better than Parker overall but the way Parker move, curl, read the screens and shot floaters is very unique and maybe better than Curry. Probably Parker fits better with this system.
Seriously I'm 40 years old and this might be the first commentary on basketball strategy that I've actually understood. I dunno if that's a compliment to you or a diss on me, but thanks either way! Great video.
There’s a special young talent in the NBA I’d like to see in a Clippers uniform who’d be perfect for this system/playing with Kawhi, George and Pat Bev and he goes by the name of Bam Adebayo. He has the skill set, dexterity, unselfishness and defensive versatility to execute and play at the highest levels IQ wise. He falls under the Diaw line of Basketball Lineage
RicardoAGuitar no im not, I’m talking about him as someone’s who’s underrated and needs to pushed to higher acclaim. You have no tone so don’t misinterpret what I said with how you read and comprehend in your head please, thank you
GHOSTDOGLOPPI no the Clippers aren’t talented enough they’re still in the process of team rebuilding process, there’s a few folks the Clippers cannot take forwards if they want to obtain the next/highest level of competitive basketball that aligns with their “tip hat on defence, unselfish” brand of basketball
I distinctly remember watching them play in the WCF and Finals this season and thinking this is the best i have ever seen a team play together and move the ball. They were clinical
Great video, that final was probably the most rewarding to watch of how great team basketball is. The spurs made that team look like amateurs. Every spurs player on the floor was a threat and that’s a perfect example of spurs basketball.
Boris Diaw was an absolutely perfect role player for this team, dude was incredibly smart when passing and was versatile as hell. I'm gonna give him his flowers cause he was extremely underrated and one of my favorite players on the team during this year
the19trier NBA shifted toward the bombardment of 3s to where post game isn’t that much of a good shot choice anymore. One day we will get to see such a beautiful system again whenever the era of 3s dies down. 2015 and onward was where the game really was being shifted. In my opinion I believe they disbanded the system due to the shift of the game 😔 sad to see it gone
Stars getting old. Kawhi has too much expectations on his shoulders. The emergence of MVP Curry. The long-range pick & roll started to rise. 3s are getting more prominent.
Because Steve Kerr tried a different version of the Spurs offense that fits MVP Steph and Klay Thompson's type of offense which is shooting threes. And the Spurs' big 3 is already getting old
I really enjoyed this video and the analysis, but also you can just appreciate the amazing talent of the actors. Set plays or not, they are also special in the moments as needed.
@@weneedhim526 lebron was a 2 time runner up for Defensive player of the year .... he is a smart defender who plays the percentages, he studies every players fg% and allows the lower % option even if its means a open shot.
@@Grind2Excellence heat was probably his best defensive years, but his footwork on defense isn't as great as Kobe, or a guy like Iggy, he doesn't pressure properly, and he lets guys blow past him, and he is bad at rotation and help defense
This is an underrated point. He began to start I believe in game 3 or so over Splitter. Added essential passing and spacing on the offensive end and probably value on defense too.
The Spurs played like this from the 2011-2012 season till around the 2014-2015 season. It was really amazing to watch, so much movement and the ball was just flying all over the place. Goooood times
This series is one of the best for the spurs..beautiful basketball the motion of their plays the ball rotation is on point and the heat has no answer to this
What this video made me also realize about that season/finals is how much room there is for stardom on a team. Everyone on this squad, even off the bench, had iconic moments. Leonard and Diaw get mentioned but Green and Mills were setting single-game 3 records in 13 and 14, Splitter had become a pick+roll god, even Bonner and Belinelli had moments against the peak-hype Heat. You'd see fans wear jerseys for all those guys. For that to be true in seasons where everyone thought it might be the Big-Three's last, with the comeback narrative, with players asking for pay cuts to keep the team together, with literal heat-tolerance ironically being a winning super power, and most of all to see the basketball world witness this and give it's due respect and recognition in a city no one knows is the 7th biggest in the US. The S.A. community really felt like those pub fans in Ted Lasso where our champions were proving once again that just being a good person who does their job to elevate their neighbor is going to get you to the mountain top.
Diaw is getting the respect he deserves in this comment section. He led everyone in this series in assists. He was clearly the best decision maker on the floor. It was a pleasure watching him play.
As a Spurs fan this game is the sweetest and the most beautiful Spurs basketball I've ever seen..... this is the highest pick of Spurs basketball.. what a beautiful plays....I beat a lot of money with my friends where they're all a Heat fans and I won..😁😁😁😁
Grew up a spurs fan because of Tim Duncan, as I got older and the core slowly retired I became a fan of the home state grizzlies but this will forever be my favorite basketball team.
Agreed! Best team play I've ever seen in Finals, back from 2000. These plays were pure teamwork, fun to watch. Too bad it is so rare to get a chance to notice such teamwork. I would rank them best team ever. I no longer pay attention to the NBA these days. Only watch mix and short replays. It got so boring... For threeeeeee... Dear basketball, what have they done to you ?!
![เป็นไปได้ไหม - WanMai [Performance Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Eh5hItD4Mr0/mqdefault.jpg)
Sweetest revenge as a Spurs fan. The beautiful game.
Still can't believe they didn't win in 2013 though
@@yenice3652 for real but that 5 game close out in 2014 felt real good. They were so motivated lol
@@yenice3652 that's cuz they got screwed over and in 2014 beat that ass
Chandasouk is Rudy gay a good player to you?
@@0ffline_155 I never paid much attention to him prior to the Spurs but there was a time when teams that traded him got better (Toronto and Memphis)
During this series, being a Heat fan i really wanted to hate the Spurs. But... that felt impossible. This is too beautiful.
Amen!
Two of the greatest teams of all time but SA was just on top of their game from top to bottom
Those teams earned each other's respect in the 13 finals. In 14 the spurs came back a slightly improved team (Manu was healthy, Kawhi improved as a scorer), and the Heat were a lot worse (wade was dropping quickly from elite to good, and they had a weak bench).
🎯🎯🎯
I understand what you mean. As a Lakers fan in South Texas I’ve witnessed firsthand many battles this team has had with my Lakers. But as a basketball fan this is all textbook fundamental( beautiful) basketball. I can’t hate that.
finally someone did a video on this team. For non-american players, this is the best basketball we've ever seen (and took us all by surprise to see it in the NBA) and this is how every coach wants their teams to play. Just beautiful to watch
Takes an exceptional coach and 15 players willing to put aside their egos and constantly push each other to be better every game to show up like this on the biggest stage. If they had gotten Kawhi in like 2010 they might have won it all 2011-2014.
I feel like the spurs are just an international team. If you look at their 2014 roster, almost everyone is outside of the U.S
There’s also a tribute video from a while back on this team that’s very nice, similar clips without as much analysis: th-cam.com/video/T3y7cWmoBCI/w-d-xo.html
Exactly
@MANCHESTER UNITED F.C in America, that's not happening
I genuinely believed Diaw was in the runnings for finals MVP. Absolutely destroyed the Heat. Pick'd them apart.
i was rewatching that series i forgot if it was game 4 or not but he was torching the heat down low 😳
@globalicon2012 Bosh played good in that finals dummy
@globalicon2012 How many points you want him to average? Check the players stats in that finals dip shit only Lebron averaged more than 20😂
@globalicon2012Bosh averaged 14ppg 5rpg 55%fg 38%3pt. Don't expect Bosh to average more than 20 dip shit because we all fucking know that Lebron and Wade are the 1st and 2nd options.
One man team your ass. Typical Lebron fan. If they win all credits goes to Lebron and if they lose they blame his team mates😂
Until this day, I recognized this Spurs team as the greatest I have ever seen and one of the greatest in the modern era. This Spurs team had it all, textbook beauty basketball! Solid on the defensive end and some of the best passing you could see in the Finals. This was the moment I grew a large appreciation for Kawhi Leonard.
@@DumplingLord89 Don't disrespect the 2014 Spurs. The Warriors never came close to the beauty.
as a spurs fan these clips make me feel way too much nostalgia :(
Scott 56 facts bro 🙁
Yeah. Spurs is shit right now with demar derozan and aldridge.
True..
I do believe they will be back soon tho
Farid Mifthahul Rozaq Nah lol
7:33 that Kawhi dunk was awesome
yeah that was nasty
Dean simmons He was very explosive before the Quad injury 😢
LEONARD ON THE FOLLOW
"Mills...not that time LEONARD ON THE FOLLOW!"
@@abduugas he was also more lighter back then
one of the reason Spurs can nulify Heat Aggresive Defense, (Double Team opponent PnR Ball Handler) is ball movement and how Boris Diaw use as the roll man, He's very comfortable distributing the ball. Shoutout to Coach Daniel for mentioning Diaw as one of the best passer in this team. On the Defensive end, People always say that Kawhi is the best LeBron stopper, but often forget how Boris Diaw contain Lebron, whether it's one on one or post up.
I remember Boris messing up the Thunder in their series too. That versatility.
yep, diaw was underrated in that team.
Manu gets a lot of deserved praise as the "superstar that never was", but Diaw should slip into that conversation. It's different from Manu, as Diaw was not "sealed" to the bench in order to win as a team. But Diaw was absolutely one of the most incredibly skilled players never to get star status because he needed such a perfect team to show himself at his best as a passer, defender and scorer.
Similar to when people blitz curry, shortroll to Draymond is always a great option because he is comfortable as a ballhandler and a great passer
Diaw was so slept on foreal.
The 2013 and 2014 Spurs are among my favorite teams of all time, and they had a major influence on Steve Kerr and what he brought to the Warriors. It’s amazing how differently they played compared to the Spurs teams of the 00’s.
It’s sort of a take on the seven seconds or less offence of the 2000s suns, but with Steve Nash at 1-5, and more impressive off ball creation
@@jimmyhulton9374 ya but the suns offense with amare and Nash was pick n roll and they attacked early and often
@@jimmyhulton9374 For sure! And the reason a team like the Suns struggled this year is because Chris Paul is the only play maker. The reason LeBron has a losing record in the finals is because he's the only playmaker. When you have 5 play makers willing to put the ball on the deck and keep it moving, it is hard to defend.
People love to think that the Warriors just walk across the court and heave and score. Their driving and passing and movement without the ball is way more impressive than their shooting. They never stop moving.
Boris Diaw was a GAME-CHANGER. 😅😅😅
Passer's I.Q. of a NBA point guard.
With a damn near unstoppable low post game.
@@RicardoAGuitar Diaw could make the occasional 3-pointer too.
DeAndre Page I got this man’s rookie card when he played for the Hawks
He was a Point Guard/Shooting Guard with the Atlanta Hawks early in his career. Then when he was with the Phoenix Suns, he played as their Power Forward/Center and the backup Point Guard for Steve Nash. What versatility! He said he lost motivation playing basketball when he was in Charlotte, because they played selfish basketball and their coach encourages it. Good thing he ended it with a championship ring with the Spurs, before he called it a career.
must be because of his high grade coffee!
The first part immediately reminds me of Yao Ming, who during his entire NBA career couldn't figure out how to deal with post front. Partially because the best passer he ever played with is Alston/T-Mac.
I'm pretty sure Steve Francis is better than Alston and T-Mac when it comes to PASSING.
@@Zirc-up3ki T-Mac is an under-rated passer. I think the problem is their other teammates. Duncan is getting these post front plays because the other big (Diaw, Splitter) pulls the defense and knows where to stand. And you won't get that smooth spacing if your power forward is Juwan Howard.
Those entry passes by Manu are so underrated. A lot of players wouldn't even attempt it. They would see it's not available and swing the ball to the other side, effectively giving in to to what the defense wanted.
Now that i think about it, only now did i appreciate how insane the spurs was. You have parker, ginobili, duncan, and kawhii?! AAAND they were coached by popovich.
The thing about this team isnt the collection of talent though. Parker Ginobili and duncan were all out of their primes and kawhi hadn't yet become the Klaw. What really made it special is best summed up by "The beautiful game".
@@brianmontgomery580 Excellent point. People see those names and think "Of COURSE they won." But it took some doing to put that all together at that exact moment in history.
Having said that, Duncan was obviously past his best but was still playing at a very high level. I don't know that there were five better PF/C's in basketball, even in 2014.
It broke my heart when they gave up the farm just to aquire Aldridge. I said it was a mistake of epic proportions and was laughed at. Well people aren't laughing anymore and we aren't winning.
@@burninglass The youngest member of the Big Three, Tony Parker, turned 34 that season. This was Tim Duncan's final season. Kawhi, Mills, Ginobili, and Green were still there. What did the Spurs give up to get Aldridge??
None of them were in their primes that year.
Hard to imagine that the 2014 Spurs played very different to the 2013 Spurs. They really changed the pace of their game and revenge was sweet. 🏆
they didn’t. they were the same team. it was just one shot that caused them not to 2 peat
This video just show how important was manu team effort in the big 3 succes. He had all this little things, so much sacrifice. Better 6th man of all time.
Volvió Mr.fresco
This man won only 1 6th man of the year award. You look at any of the ones who won the award since the 2000s and only Manu has come up big in the postseason every time. One day they should just rename that title to Bench Scoring Champion.
The '12-15 Spurs all played the beautiful game. '12 they didnt quite have the D to go with it, and they got hosed by Thunderefs. '13 is the great finals series, which you could say was 1 rebound away from a championship, '14 they won the title, and '15 they had injury problems all year and lost to a Chris Paul prayer in game 7...point is, they all played the great offensive scheme.
I'd also want to point out that the Warriors dynasty took the beautiful game from the Spurs and slightly tweaked it for their personnel.
Yeah for real. The Spurs-Warriors between 2012 and 2017 played the best team basketball ever since Magic and Bird were in their primes.
Then they were too desperate to find a Tim Duncan replacement and got rid of all their depth for Lamarcus Aldridge who ruined their playstyle.
Their '16 team may have been their best but they just ran out of steam in the Playoffs
I still wished the clippers didn't win that series. CP3 was injured and didn't play so they ended up losing next round.
Warriors wouldn't be anything without Kerr. And agreed. The should have won at least 3 other championships.
That’s what you have when everybody buys into the system and everybody is coherent. That’s what a lot of teams are missing. It’s beautiful
Imagine jokic on this offense...
They have Timmy why tf you need jokic🤣
@@tristanbreaks9853 they had 2014 timmy. Also didnt say "how much better than TD jokic would be in this offense". I just think jokic would really thrive with this offense as it suits his best abilities. (Btw TD>>>>>>>>>jokic. Its not even a question)
Entalpia Na I get you it’s just I’m not sure who jokic would replace I’d take Boris over jokic any day in this series
but Jokic doesn't have a defense, unlike TD.
Daaamn
I’ve never noticed this stuff watching these games before. I’m usually fixated on the ball handler, this is phenomenal basketball dude. You have great content man, I love it
I got in a big argument about this finals at my workplace, the "LeBron is unstoppable crowd" at work just couldn't understand what was happening. This was the perfect example of team chemistry over individual excellence.
The “Lebron is unstoppable” crowd understands what is happening with the Spurs. It just takes a monumental amount of execution to achieve this. If it were as simple as just moving the ball around, they could get any group of guys in there to do it. That’s why the star(s) who can just get his shot whenever he needs to is so coveted.
The only thing I hate about Spurs analysis is that it totally discounts the fact that they had 3 hall of fame caliber players & another on that track. It wasn’t like they had bums off the street.
@@bigwilly43729 Thing is, 2 of those 3 hall of famers that you mentioned, namely Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, were late draft picks, they weren't expected to be in the upper echelon of the NBA greats conversation, the team's system and them buying into it is what made them great. It's not exactly a lebron, dwade and bosh team up, who went 1, 4, and 5 in their draft class. The 2005 and 2007 chips aren't even talked about, because this 2014 run, was TEAM basketball executed almost to perfection, they decimated the obvious choice(Miami Heat), which they suffered a heartbreaking loss to, just the year prior. They deserve to be celebrated, this run can be their only argument for hall of fame contention, and the majority will agree.
I hadn't watched NBA much for years(I'm English not many watch it here) and watched the 2013 finals to see LeBron and ended up a Spurs fan by the end 😄
LeBron was unstoppable at that time. The moment he worked on his shot, he had no more flaws in his game. But nobody was going to beat the Spurs 2 times in a row. The Heat were a sloppy team. Sure they won back to back, but I was one of the rare few who knew that the mass would get their revenge.
@@younglove3362 Facts, the 2010-2014 Heat was a very sloppy team.But Bron in his athletic prime hid a lot of the chop from the casual fans.
1 argentinian
1 italian
1 virgin islands
1 canadian
1 brazilian
2 french
2 australians
And 1 robot
and pop
Did u forget Americans
The Heat fans adopted Seven Nation Army as their chant. I love that the Spurs fans later chanted it back to them because they actually had a seven nation army!
Actually manu was an Italian that was born in argentina
People always underestimated Diaw's contribution, the guy was so important in this system !
facts, Diaw was so underrated on the team. great passer and very versatile player
The beautiful game indeed. Go Spurs Go
Here's to another decade of greatness with Wemby
Out of 5 championships this was my most gratifying. It was like an orchestra that came together and it was beautiful to watch 😢
That made the warriors in 2015 Kerr being new coach fresh from popovich's lessons.
Best era of Spurs. Very cool for eyes to watch. Duncan, Parker and Manu definitely made this team threat way back. Plus, no one is lazy back then
I remember trying to tell people how amazing this spurs team was. The passing was just absurd
5:30 triangle offence principles in action. Always enjoy watching it.
Now Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer admitted a 2 years ago that when he was a San Antonio Spurs assistant coach they BORROWED FROM THE TRIANGLE OFFENSE. 😅😅😅
Changed the names of things, weakside Triangle for Phil Jackson was called a weakside 3-Man Bunch.
Pinch Post for Phil Jackson was called "Elbow Series " for the San Antonio Spurs.
DeAndre Page yep, I actually see that now... the same pinch post Rodman would pass out of, is the same “elbow series” that Diaw would pass out if I see it
@@deandrepage1048 pop borrows from every basketball philosophy. That's what makes him the goat, adaptability to the strengths of his current roster, without ego. Phil on the other hand lives and dies by triangle no matter his personnel because of his ego. Big difference.
@@coachtimmeh6826 Phil Jackson has 11 NBA Championship Rings, so he is justified. 😀😀😀
As a former basketball coach myself, I understand that Phil Jackson had to run his Triangle Offense totally different with the L.A. Lakers than he did with the Chicago Bulls.
Maybe you don't understand, so let me help you . 😀😀😀
Chicago Bulls had the 3-headed monster approach with their 3 Centers:
Will Perdue, Luc Longley, & Bill Wennington. The Center got the ball to as a "decoy" to trigger other offensive "actions," not as a scorer himself.
The Lakers afforded Phil Jackson the chance to run the Triangle Offense (Triple Post Offense) the way it was invented during the 1960's = for the Center as a featured scorer.
@You mad Bro!? definitely not a bad thing having 11 rings. But he got pretty lucky with his personnel lol
When I watched their playoff run, this was the greatest display of team basketball I have ever witnessed in my life!! Just pure beauty!
The 2014 Spurs made Team ball cool again
And they say the passing of warriors is amazing but the truth is the spurs implemented and perfected team basketball before the warriors
kerr mentor is pop
It was perfected along time ago by birds and magics Celtics and lakers. Both had the mentality winning above any selfishness. Many superstars nowadays should think about it. Or rather most of them...
Steve Kerr played for the San Antonio Spurs before he retired...he has mentioned before that the motion offense that they used in the Warriors system, was taken from Pop's playbook.
Yeah both finals teams this year in 2022 obviously took some inspiration from these spurs ( both coaches were mentored under Pop)
Its like watching 5 JJ Redicks at once.
5 JJ Redicks with Nikola Jokic's passing
lmao
why? Redick doesn't have great passing skills. More like watching 5 Steve Nash's on the court.
@@s_ame1135 5 redicks because everyone moves all the time just like JJ
It was really amazing in hindsight how the 14 spurs used the low post as the focal point of their offense, just not in a way ppl expect (lots of touches and iso-post-ups)
So even though they were trying to be more perimeter-oriented and pass and shoot more 3s, everything revolved around how the defense played against their off-ball post players and how they would counter that.
I haven’t seen a video recently uploaded taking about their game in a looong while. No one talked about how beautiful their game was after the year they won and it’s unfortunate. Not many care about beautiful teamwork
People called them boring because they weren't unnecessarily flashy but they got the job done.
No one needed to. The Spurs were already known for that. I hated that my heat had to play them again because Greg PoP is the coach that you don't want to face off against. Especially two times in a row. The only good coming from it is that I was a Spurs fan because Tim Duncan is my favorite player of all time.
Been a Lakers fan my whole life, but that Spurs team really was a joy to watch. So many unselfish pros and all-stars. Utilizing basic fundamentals many teams in the past few decades have foregone. And the way the passes just flowed non-stop. It really was some top teir sh*t right there. The team they had that year is one of my all time top 5 line ups.
Just realised that team has 4 legit future HOFers
Positive Masculinity That Spurs team lasted so long with the same core players. Gonna miss that beautiful passing system until we see it again and a team gets an insanely post scorer like Duncan or Dirk and build around them 😔
@@kennynguyen6246 You think Jokic could be that next big time post player?
@@yimbaiyoko why not
the big 3 + pop and kawhi. that makes 5
Who were all out of their primes.
This Spurs team and the D'Antoni Suns played some of my absolute favorite offense of all time. Such a joy to watch both the ball and the players in constant motion until an opening presents itself.
2014 Spurs is the epitome of team basketball. Too bad they lost first round to the Clippers on a game winning shot by the CP3 the following season. Either team could have won that the series.
Damn that was hard to watch but I remember Duncan carrying them in some games.I can't remember what game it was in that series where he dominated.
Seeding was very weird that season. The Clippers were seen as a strong championship contender, too bad they broke down in injuries after they beat the Spurs.
Spurs could have won a championship that year and the Clips probably would have too if CP3 didnt get injured. It was basically a WCF in the 1st round.
Doc Rivers coached a 2008 Boston team that was similar to this spurs team. Any other coach that coached that clippers team would have lost
Their loss to the heat in 2013 was more heartbreaking for me, one critical (not exactly a mistake) roster adjustment by Pop led to an unbelievable 3 by Ray Allen. He took out Tim Duncan for that defensive possession, since they were up by 3, they played small so they can defend the perimeter better, and they did...but Bosh was the lengthiest player inside at that moment and got the offensive rebound then we knew what happened. Game 7, momentum was all miami.
Coach Pop,legend..The trio Parker,Duncan,Ginobli..Legends!!
This a God tier breakdown video! Such a good watch
This was the most beautiful basketball I've ever seen from the best Spurs team Pop ever had
ESPN is gonna send G-men to your door to make this footage of Lebron getting schooled Disappear.😂
*Nike
Damn ...is this Spurs vs Heat or Spurs vs LeBron?
This aint about the heat, or lebron, bum
@@ssongacs1773 The bronsexuals have arrived 😂
@@JoeSmoe1 i aint a lebron fan, never been. If anything seems Lebron living in yo head rent free
Loving this channel than Bball breakdown. No ridiculous ads, no cheesy narration, just pure intellectual basketball fundamentals.
Got the Oh Honey instrumental in the background, I see you coach.
Joe Soria also the instrumental for Cali Life Style-Lost
Great video. Reminding of the days as a kid watching the Spurs. The beauty of fundamentals with class. Strength and skill
Just wanna say thank you, Your videos have helped me a lot with understanding the philosophical/academic ideas of the sport (creating space, defensive gap control, ball movement etc). Thanks again Coach 🙏🏆
this video was a joy to watch coach Daniel
it really comes down to exactly what you said, no ball-dominate star/player. everybody on the Spurs knows it’s a possibility for them to get the ball so they not out there just running around for nothing, they truly play as one entity instead of 5 players on a team. and showing the Rockets after them, and then them again after, it’s glaring. as soon as Harden got the ball, there was literally no movement and he put up a contested 3 with 14 seconds left on the shot clock. and then the Spurs come back and as soon as the ball leaves one player’s hands, two others immediately began sprinting, you deadass gotta rewind the video when they playing to see what’s going on. coaching is truly underrated by viewers, myself included
Will forever be my favorite team. Crazy how they don’t get enough love and praise
Can you PLEASE analyze the 2004/2005 Pistons team and what Larry Brown did different with those guys as opposed to AI/Sixers?
Short answer: he had more talent at every position (4 stars vs 1), a better bench, multiple players who could pass, and a PG who could run the offense. For those reasons and more, he was able to implement his system and win a ring with it. The Sixers system was AI. Nobody else could create their own shot on offense so AI had to play ~40 mins/game. On D, they put a bunch of defensive specialists who could cover AI and let him gamble for steals. You can't win a ring if the team is THAT one dimensional.
I remember watching that series and thinking that was an amazing strategy the Spurs used on the Heat. I don't feel the Spurs get credit for that performance. All people want to do it say the Heat stars all of a sudden got "old" even tho they just beat them the year ago and went back to the finals. I know everybody not from San Antonio hates the Spurs but they deserve their props for that.
This was real basketball, love this
This was the most amazing series I've watched as a Spurs fan. We were everything the Heat weren't. No big names (yet), no glitz, no glamor, no outsized personalities, no super team, most boring franchise. And somehow we won.
Kawhi is a legend!
Thx most likes ever
FinleyandAidan Thomas dang just 5?
Yeah
Oh now 6 😁
11? haha
oh yeah, this is my team right here!! virtuoso performance, almost perfect basketball...this team is right up there at the top with the greatest ever. .
props to Lebron though, MJ never faced teams like my spurs...speaks volume to Bron's greatness. mad respect from a spurs fan!! 🙌
I miss this team so much :,)
"They played the best basketball I've ever seen" "They dominated us"
-- Chris Bosh --
Class act, that Chris Bosh. He said this right after the game while frustration was at its highest.
Idk why this was in my recommended videos, but this was a great video 💯
Thanks for the breakdown. Their offense was poetry in motion!
If Kawhi wasn't injured in that Western Final game 1.. their legacy will continue
Yep.
Quite possibly.
I doubt it..because Spurs was not gonna pay him the type of money he's getting now...that Championship with Raptors took his career to another level..
@@BlackWhite-ru8gmthey were going to give him the max, it's a known fact he left $118 million on the table when he refused the supermax from San Antonio.
and how did it take his career to another level? he was already considered top 2 in the league and was always in the MVP voting; was playing for the GOAT coach of the gold standard organization.
i guess he got more exposure to the casual fan by being in L.A. but that's not saying much.
@@Vastatio you're 100% right my brother...
Boris Diaw orchestrated the Beautiful Game like a true Maestro, Im from Houston and Im a Spurs fan.
This was during a time when Phil Jackson was getting a lot of flack of wanting to implement the triangle offense on the Knicks. You just see triangle and motion principles all over this '14 Spurs team.
Keyword "principles" pop uses any and all basketball philosophies that fit the strengths of his current personnel. Phil Jackson wants triangle no matter what because his ego demands it. Do you really not see a difference?
You also need the right kind of players to make that work. Carmelo's game play isn't going to fit the triangle.
Neo Eon,
Triangle works for any kind of roster. It’s not really a roster dependent system. And every team uses the triangle a little bit today anyway. They just didn’t want to buy in, that’s all. That’s on them.
They had Melo those years and Melo is a player perfectly built for the Triangle. He didn’t buy in. That’s on him. It’s also on Phil for not being able to get the guys to buy in. It is what it is.
@@sakamoto8354 carmelo is a midrange shot creator like kobe and mj theres no reason he wouldnt have fit the triangle.
@@jamesdouglas03 Most of Carmelo's shots came from his iso, Jordan can iso but many of his shots came off the ball
Boris Diaw is sooo underrated. Every Spurs fan will know how important he was during the 2014 finals.
You got a NBA Hall of Famer on the bench as your 6th Man = Manu Ginobili. 🤣🤣🤣
This is about a System Offense.
I’m so glad I got to experience this, and experience my home town team bringing a championship back home , I’ll never forget it
5:40 LeBron's attempt at contesting a 3 😂
Like in 2K when animation is late lol
Prime duncan/ginobli/parker years were some of my favorite years of basketball as fan of the sport. Their basketball offense was how basketball was supposed to be played, no real "super star" that would try and dominate themselves.
Please analyse the Dallas Mavericks offense because they have the best offensive rating of all time. Thanks!!!
Thanos Thinking Basketball made a vid on it.
Jessie V this year
People don’t appreciate the Spurs this is old ,but it dismantled everyone
Absolutely beautiful gorgeous thanks for the video
~spurs fan
imagine steph in place of parker in the PG spot. this offence would be truly unstoppable.
Yeah Steph is ridiculously great off the ball.
did you not here what he said in the video, no ball dominant or star people, just good people who average 15 or under for each, come on parker was built in this greatness for years, what does curry have to do with his relationship and value to the spurs
@NBA Spotlite your right about ball movement, but as a former spurs fan who watched parker for years, it is unfair to compare, simply putting curry in replace of parker when he wasn't apart of the success of building this chemistry and system doesn't sound right, there shouldn't be any replacing two guys are respectfully great on their own drafted teams, please no replacing in a spurs system with modern talent
@NBA Spotlite but thats the point Tony Parker isn't steph, he is Tony Parker, yes Curry is amazing, but as far as imagining curry, he also wouldn't be mvp either in 2015 or 2016, he developed because Kerr strengthened his game, and basically allowed him to do his pull up 3point shooting a lot, watching his games compared to Tony, curry would fit the system perfectly, but he wouldn't be on top of the league as he is now
I think Steph is slightly better than Parker overall but the way Parker move, curl, read the screens and shot floaters is very unique and maybe better than Curry. Probably Parker fits better with this system.
Seriously I'm 40 years old and this might be the first commentary on basketball strategy that I've actually understood. I dunno if that's a compliment to you or a diss on me, but thanks either way! Great video.
There’s a special young talent in the NBA I’d like to see in a Clippers uniform who’d be perfect for this system/playing with Kawhi, George and Pat Bev and he goes by the name of Bam Adebayo. He has the skill set, dexterity, unselfishness and defensive versatility to execute and play at the highest levels IQ wise. He falls under the Diaw line of Basketball Lineage
Why are you talking about him like he's some sort of diamond in the rough that you just discovered??
and also, aren't the clippers talented enough? you want to give them ALSO Adebayo?
RicardoAGuitar no im not, I’m talking about him as someone’s who’s underrated and needs to pushed to higher acclaim. You have no tone so don’t misinterpret what I said with how you read and comprehend in your head please, thank you
GHOSTDOGLOPPI no the Clippers aren’t talented enough they’re still in the process of team rebuilding process, there’s a few folks the Clippers cannot take forwards if they want to obtain the next/highest level of competitive basketball that aligns with their “tip hat on defence, unselfish” brand of basketball
@@tellyyytelly7583 he was selected as an allstar this year whereas boris was never an allstar what are you talking about
I distinctly remember watching them play in the WCF and Finals this season and thinking this is the best i have ever seen a team play together and move the ball. They were clinical
One thing you need to make something like this happen are some very coachable stars
Great video, that final was probably the most rewarding to watch of how great team basketball is. The spurs made that team look like amateurs. Every spurs player on the floor was a threat and that’s a perfect example of spurs basketball.
the greatest basketball team in history
Boris Diaw was an absolutely perfect role player for this team, dude was incredibly smart when passing and was versatile as hell. I'm gonna give him his flowers cause he was extremely underrated and one of my favorite players on the team during this year
Why did Spur disband such a beautiful system one year after they won the champion with it?
the19trier
NBA shifted toward the bombardment of 3s to where post game isn’t that much of a good shot choice anymore.
One day we will get to see such a beautiful system again whenever the era of 3s dies down.
2015 and onward was where the game really was being shifted. In my opinion I believe they disbanded the system due to the shift of the game 😔 sad to see it gone
Stars getting old. Kawhi has too much expectations on his shoulders. The emergence of MVP Curry. The long-range pick & roll started to rise. 3s are getting more prominent.
@@kennynguyen6246 Spurs in fact made more 3s in 2014 ball-moving championship season than 2015
Because Steve Kerr tried a different version of the Spurs offense that fits MVP Steph and Klay Thompson's type of offense which is shooting threes. And the Spurs' big 3 is already getting old
the19trier I mean it took the clippers 7 to beat them barely so can’t fault the spurs too much in 2015.
I really enjoyed this video and the analysis, but also you can just appreciate the amazing talent of the actors. Set plays or not, they are also special in the moments as needed.
LeBron's fans : "he can guard the 5 positions" .. well, let's see 🧐
I'm a Bron fan and I think he is a lazy bad defender, even on the heat, he only plays good defense in the 4th, he can not guard all 5 positions
@@weneedhim526 lebron was a 2 time runner up for Defensive player of the year .... he is a smart defender who plays the percentages, he studies every players fg% and allows the lower % option even if its means a open shot.
@@weneedhim526 thank you for being honest !
@@Grind2Excellence heat was probably his best defensive years, but his footwork on defense isn't as great as Kobe, or a guy like Iggy, he doesn't pressure properly, and he lets guys blow past him, and he is bad at rotation and help defense
@@sticky-fingers anytime
Spurs dynasty pass game was pure art. Never seen a better pass game since. It was a privilege watching such beauty
This all worked because of diaw
This is an underrated point. He began to start I believe in game 3 or so over Splitter. Added essential passing and spacing on the offensive end and probably value on defense too.
@@coachdaniel8163 he was good on defense too. Along with kawhi he would also regurlarly guard lebron
@@coachdaniel8163 yow thanks for the notice
The most fundamentally sound basketball team of all time. No question
Who are the 7 thumbs down?! Probably Heat fans 😆
lebum fans
The Spurs played like this from the 2011-2012 season till around the 2014-2015 season. It was really amazing to watch, so much movement and the ball was just flying all over the place. Goooood times
Lebron fake goat James just standing doing nothing in these highlights 😂 just like what he do today
Using the delegation oh honey instrumental for the background is the best part about this video
The beautiful game was at its best when Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw were in the lineup. Tiago Splitter's passing is very underrated
This series is one of the best for the spurs..beautiful basketball the motion of their plays the ball rotation is on point and the heat has no answer to this
What this video made me also realize about that season/finals is how much room there is for stardom on a team. Everyone on this squad, even off the bench, had iconic moments. Leonard and Diaw get mentioned but Green and Mills were setting single-game 3 records in 13 and 14, Splitter had become a pick+roll god, even Bonner and Belinelli had moments against the peak-hype Heat. You'd see fans wear jerseys for all those guys. For that to be true in seasons where everyone thought it might be the Big-Three's last, with the comeback narrative, with players asking for pay cuts to keep the team together, with literal heat-tolerance ironically being a winning super power, and most of all to see the basketball world witness this and give it's due respect and recognition in a city no one knows is the 7th biggest in the US. The S.A. community really felt like those pub fans in Ted Lasso where our champions were proving once again that just being a good person who does their job to elevate their neighbor is going to get you to the mountain top.
Diaw is getting the respect he deserves in this comment section. He led everyone in this series in assists. He was clearly the best decision maker on the floor. It was a pleasure watching him play.
One of the best teams of the last 20 years IMO.
As a Spurs fan this game is the sweetest and the most beautiful Spurs basketball I've ever seen..... this is the highest pick of Spurs basketball.. what a beautiful plays....I beat a lot of money with my friends where they're all a Heat fans and I won..😁😁😁😁
Thanks to all of you for appraisals of my home town team. A fan from year one. Texicans never say die. Texicans Never Surrender !!!
I think about this finals series so often. Best basketball I've seen!
Grew up a spurs fan because of Tim Duncan, as I got older and the core slowly retired I became a fan of the home state grizzlies but this will forever be my favorite basketball team.
With the sound of The Delegation in the background. Beautiful 🔥
Pop is really a genius! Thank you for posting this
These videos are awesome and the plays are great but this young raw kawhi highlight are really cool to see again. He was an animal back then.
About time someone shows my Spurs some love. Thanks for this video
Agreed!
Best team play I've ever seen in Finals, back from 2000.
These plays were pure teamwork, fun to watch. Too bad it is so rare to get a chance to notice such teamwork.
I would rank them best team ever.
I no longer pay attention to the NBA these days. Only watch mix and short replays. It got so boring...
For threeeeeee...
Dear basketball, what have they done to you ?!