How well a team fits together, the criterion should not be the points, nor the record, but the number of assists. Generally speaking, it is not unreasonable that teams with more assists and fewer mistakes will perform better on the pitch. The Suns, the league's first-recorded Warriors, the hottest Warriors, are all the top five teams in the assist list, of course, there is also the Rising Star Charlotte Hornets in the East, also ranked third in the assists list, but there is one team that seems out of place, that is, the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs' average assists per game is second only to the Warriors, second in the league, and fourth from the bottom in the league in turnover rate, and it can be seen from these data that although the Spurs are on the road to rebuilding, they are still one of the best teams in the league. Of course, this is best in terms of tactical execution.
The Suns' head coach Monti, who has played under Popovich for a few years, is also a sight to behold, plus Chris Paul, a top point guard, the team's assists rank fourth in the league, which is also reasonable. Both teams played the same basketball, both team basketball, but the results were completely different.
For example, on this game day, both teams had games, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Charlotte Hornets 137-106, a 31-point win, once again showing their strength. In the whole game, the Suns 9 people scored in double figures, the highest score was McGee's 19 points, the team sent 35 assists, the three shooting rates were 56.8%, 48.8% and 69.2%, the free throw shooting rate was slightly insufficient, but the problem was not big, because they only won 13 free throws and hit 9.
Looking at the Spurs game against the Kings, the 24-point assist is slightly less, but the shooting rate is not bad, the three-point shooting rate is 49.5%, 48.0% and 92.3%, seeing such a shooting rate, whether it reminds you of the Spurs and the Heat Finals that year, the commentary, the Spurs' shooting rate finally dropped to less than 50%. Seeing this, you will probably ask, how many points did Spurs win in this game? Sadly, the Spurs lost, losing 114-121 to the Kings.
In fact, in this game, the Spurs fell behind by 10 points in the first quarter, and then continued to catch up, the third quarter once rebounded, and the point difference between the two teams in the last quarter did not open, but who ever thought that Hield suddenly broke out. A talented shooter, 7-of-9 shooting, 4-of-4 three-pointers, 18 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in a single quarter, a three-point rain that wiped out the Spurs. With three minutes left in the game, the Spurs trailed by 14 points, and Popovich immediately called a timeout and announced that the shot was conceded.
Popovich understands that the team's goal is still to rot, such a game, for other teams, will not give up, but the Spurs will, because this team really does not have that kind of talent, a superstar who turns the tide.
The Spurs and the Suns, both play team basketball, but one is no. 1 in the league and one is fourth from the bottom in the West, for a simple reason. The Suns have superstars like Booker and Ayton, as well as Paul, the former league's number one point guard, Bridges and Crowder, who are quality forwards. The Spurs, on the other hand, are just three reverse rosters and a bunch of young players who have just stepped into the league for a season or two.