Boris Diaw & Tiago Splitter Interior Passing An Underrated Asset For Spurs In NBA Finals

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Prior to the start of these NBA Finals I was asked by someone if Tiago Splitter or Boris Diaw would be a factor at all. Obviously I said Boris could give the San Antonio minimal impact on offense while Tiago’s most valuable asset would be in the pick and roll. I was wrong with both, their most valuable asset to the Spurs in this series is their interior passing especially with the these small lineups the Heat love to run. Through the first 2 games of this series Boris Diaw and Tiago Splitter have combined for 16 assists and a plus/minus rate of +27. They are getting production in facilitating the offense and making the right play routinely in the Spurs offense.

Game 1 really proved how valuable Boris Diaw is to the Spurs when he put up 2 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and a plus/minus rate of +30 (A Game 1 high for either team). I think Diaw himself summed it up best calling it “The best 2 point game of my career”. He didn’t need to score a lot to leave his imprint on the game and that’s a valuable trait for any team. At 6-8 Boris Diaw is tall enough to see things most guys can’t and is quick enough to create for his teammates off the dribble. Game 1 was the prime example of how just how effective he can be off the bench for this Spurs team. San Antonio has impeccable ball movement, they were the NBA leaders as a team in assists during the regular season with 25.2 assists per game. Having a floor general like Tony Parker set the tone helps but when your forwards are willing passers like Diaw it makes things that much easier. Diaw 10 games this season of 6 assists or more if you count regular season and playoffs.

When most people talk about Tiago Splitter they usually refer to him getting blocked by LeBron James in last years NBA Finals. He’s used more as a punch line than someone who is an asset to a good basketball team. People don’t give him credit for being a solid player, statistically speaking he isn’t going to enamor you with his stats but he brings a lot of intangibles to the team such as the ability to get on the perimeter and close out a guy like Chris Bosh. Tiago like Boris on a lesser scale can pass the ball, in fact in his 7 of his 20 playoff games he has collected 3 assist or more which is solid for a guy who doesn’t touch the ball that much is pretty good. He won’t be the guy who gets 30 points/10 rebounds but he is still valuable to the team.

So they aren’t marquee, they aren’t flashy and unless you are an avid basketball fan you probably wouldn’t recognize them walking down the street. With all of that said they both have the ability to heavily impact the game with their passing ability and I look forward to seeing what they have in store the rest of this series.