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  1. #1
    5. timvp's Avatar
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    Welcome back, Spurs Basketball. It’s been awhile.

    Keyed by their defensive effort, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks in the AT&T Center by a final score of 92-80. The win improves the Spurs record to 2-4 overall and 1-3 at home. With both Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sidelined, any victory is a big victory.

    While the Spurs got some good individual performances, the team defense is what brought home the win. Coming into the game, the Mike D’Antoni coached Knicks were averaging 102.5 points per game. The 80 points allowed by the Spurs not only held New York more than 22 points below their average, it was 18 fewer points than the best defensive effort all year by San Antonio.

    Despite the loss, the Knicks look much improved from last season. D’Antoni’s offense fits well with his team’s personnel, with players like Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph very capable of filling up the nets on any given night. Although the Knicks don’t have any lockdown defenders, that aspect doesn’t really matter with D’Antoni as coach.

    For the Spurs, this was a pivotal win and a much needed performance. It may sound overstated but the team needed a W to get off on the right foot as they head into a difficult stretch without two of their three star players. Just as important, their defense showing life should bode well for the upcoming games and gives the Spurs a blueprint for how to win with a depleted roster.

    Tim Duncan

    36 minutes, 23 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two blocks
    11-for-17 from the field, 1-for-3 at the line


    Although Tim Duncan has had better stat lines this season, this performance might have been his best so far. The major difference was his defensive intensity, which hadn’t been evident in the first five games. Even though he was constantly matched up against a smaller and quicker player, Duncan gave great effort in his individual defense, rotated very well and protected the rim. Offensively, Duncan was equally as valuable. He quarterbacked the offense from the low post and made great decisions when it came to knowing when to shoot and when to pass. Overall, this was just a vintage masterpiece that illustrates why Duncan is Duncan.
    -------------------------------

    Roger Mason, Jr.

    38 minutes, ten points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals
    2-for-10 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 6-for-7 at the line


    Roger Mason, Jr. didn’t have a very good night shooting the basketball but he did everything else very well. Defensively he did a fine job, especially when it came to making the right rotation. He crashed the boards and helped scoop up a lot of the long misses by the Knicks. On the other end of the court, Mason didn’t get flustered even though he struggled during the first half. In the second half, he scored nine of his ten points and his play at point guard broke open the game in the beginning of the fourth quarter. Mason made a number of nice passes and smart decisions to help his teammates get open shots, even though Duncan was on the bench. It’s good to see that if Mason isn’t knocking down shots, he can still make an impact on a game.
    -------------------------------

    Ime Udoka

    20 minutes, five points, six rebounds rebounds, two steals
    2-for-10 from the field, 1-for-5 on three-pointers


    Starting in place of Bruce Bowen, Ime Udoka got off to an ice cold start. He missed all eight of his field goal attempts in the first half and generally looked overanxious. Perhaps he was thinking too much about his added responsibilities but thankfully he bounced back and played better in the second half. It’ll be interesting to see if he keeps the starting job, although I suspect that Pop hasn’t set anything in stone. With Parker and Ginobili sidelined, inserting Udoka into the starting lineup makes sense because it gives the Spurs another offensive threat and a player that can help rebound.
    -------------------------------

    George Hill

    31 minutes, 12 points, five rebounds
    4-for-10 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers, 3-for-4 at the line


    Making his first NBA start, George Hill had more ups than downs. While he certainly didn’t play flawlessly, Hill brings an interesting set of skills to the table. Defensively, he can use his long arms to not only disrupt the player he’s guarding but to also play the passing lanes. When there’s a loose ball, Hill turns into a Doberman and seems to react faster than everyone else. He still has a lot of work to do on the defensive end, mostly in terms of knowing when and where to rotate, but he definitely has the physical tools to be a very good defender. On the offensive end against the Knicks, Hill was successful when he attacked. When he played passively he was single-handedly bogging down the offense, but he seemed to learn quickly and stayed aggressive for much of the second half. If he can continue to improve in his starting role, the Spurs may end up okay over the next few weeks.
    -------------------------------

    Fabricio Oberto

    25 minutes, six points, nine rebounds, three assists
    3-for-5 from the field, 0-for-3 at the line


    It was great to see one of the complementary bigmen have a good game. Fabricio Oberto took advantage of the smaller Knicks lineups and used his size and craftiness to be successful. Rebounding was his main strength, as he crashed the boards repeatedly on both ends of the court. He also moved well without the ball on offense and found himself free around the rim. This was also the first game of the season where we saw the trademark chemistry between Duncan and Oberto on the offensive end. The Spurs could really use more games like this from Oberto and if he can continue to produce at this level, there’s no reason to believe he’ll lose his starting job at center.
    -------------------------------

    Bruce Bowen

    28 minutes, 13 points, four rebounds
    5-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 on three-pointers


    In the last 550 Spurs regular games in which Bruce Bowen was available to play, Bruce Bowen started. Tonight against the Knicks, that streak ended. Bowen came off the bench in a move partly due to injury cir stance and partly due to poor play from Bowen in the team’s first five contests. No matter the reasoning, Bowen responded in a big way on Tuesday night. Coming into the game, he had ten points all season. Against the Knicks, he finished with 13 points and hit five of his six field goal attempts. More importantly, he looked spry defensively and his overall intensity was much higher than what we’ve seen so far in the 2008-09 campaign. Regardless of what role lies ahead for Bowen, it’s at least good to see that he’s capable of producing and having an impact off the bench.
    -------------------------------

    Michael Finley

    20 minutes, 14 points, six rebounds, three turnovers
    6-for-9 from the field, 2-for-2 on three-pointers


    After connecting on only one of his last 22 shots, Michael Finley seemingly entered this game with a different philosophy. He came out driving to the basket on the offensive end and crashing the boards on the defensive end. Finley’s added effort helped him get going and he played a vital role in the win. He took smart shots and didn’t sulk even when he missed a couple. The Spurs will need Finley’s offense to survive this stretch, so it was good to see him find a way to contribute. While we can’t expect this type of performance every night from Finley, hopefully he figured out that being more active overall can help him get into the flow of the game.
    -------------------------------

    Anthony Tolliver

    20 minutes, five points, four rebounds
    2-for-8 from the field, 1-for-6 on three-pointers


    In his second NBA game, Anthony Tolliver once again showed some promise. On defense, Tolliver uses his quick feet to hustle around the court and cause as much havoc as possible. He’s not going to be a lockdown defender but his energy is invaluable, especially considering that the other bigman options are rather sedentary. Offensively, his shooting remains the big question mark. If he can hit his three-pointers, he has a career in this league. If he can’t, he won’t be able to survive. He knocked down his open three-pointers in summer league, now he has to translate some of that marksmanship to the big leagues. Against, the Knicks Tolliver had a nice backdoor play that ended in a dunk and he also kept a number of balls alive on the offensive glass. Even though it's early in his career, he seems to have a high basketball IQ and a good feel for the game.
    -------------------------------

    Jacque Vaughn

    12 minutes, two rebounds, one assist
    0-for-5 from the field


    Elevated to the backup point guard position, Vaughn had a very rough outing. He forced a number of shots on the offensive end, even when he wasn’t open. Defensively, he gave good effort but the results were lacking. It’ll be interesting to see if Pop continues to use Vaughn as the backup point guard or if he’ll use Mason at both guard spots. In this one game sample, the latter appears to be the better idea.
    -------------------------------


    Kurt Thomas

    nine minutes, four points
    1-for-1 from the field, 2-for-2 from the line


    Kurt Thomas didn’t play in the first half but played well during his stints in the third and fourth quarters. Though not pulling down a rebound is a bit worrisome, his post defense was improved and he even mixed in a jumper on the offensive end. Thomas still looks like he’s working himself into shape but this outing was a step in the right direction.
    -------------------------------

    Matt Bonner

    28 seconds

    Matt Bonner played all of 28 seconds. His time came at the end of the game when the victory was already in hand. That said, he almost fouled David Lee on a late basket even though Pop was screaming to not foul. If the whistle would have blown, we might have seen a Pop meltdown of epic proportions.
    -------------------------------

    Gregg Popovich


    You have to give Pop major kudos for his coaching. First of all, it took quite a bit of chutzpah to bench Bowen. Even though Bowen hadn’t played well over the first five games, the Spurs have done a whole lot of winning with him at small forward. I’m glad that Pop decided to start Hill at point guard rather than going with go with Vaughn. Pop’s best bet right now is to give Hill a lot of minutes and a lot of responsibilities and hope that he can grow into the role quickly. Speaking of rookies, Pop going with Tolliver as the first bigman off the bench also seems like a winning move. On the whole, the Spurs needed a win and Pop pushed all the right buttons.
    -------------------------------

    Offense

    Although the offense wasn’t anything to tape and keep in the archives, the Spurs seemed to figure things out as the game went along. They struggled mightily in the first half but then shot very well in the second half. San Antonio finished at 44.4% from the field, while making 8-of-19 three-pointers. The aspect going forward to keep an eye on is the aggressiveness level of the guards. If Hill and Mason are continually looking for their shots, the Spurs should be able to score enough points to keep games close. But if those two are passive, Duncan won’t be able to shoulder the whole burden by himself.

    Defense

    Finally. After a horrible defensive start to the season, the Spurs were much better on D tonight. It all starts with an improved intensity level and the cleaner rotations. Duncan and Bowen, specifically, looked much more alive on defense than we saw at any point in the first five games. For the game, the Knicks shot only 38% from the field. The Spurs also did a good job of closing out possessions and cleaning up the glass, as they posted a 52-30 rebounding advantage. Granted, the Knicks aren’t exactly a world class barometer, but this is the type of defense the Spurs need to play to win games in the next few weeks.

    Drive to Survive

    The Spurs don’t have much time to feel happy about themselves. They travel tonight to play the Milwaukee Bucks on the road tomorrow night. Defense, rebounding and offensive aggressiveness will be how the Spurs can sneak out of Milwaukee with a win. Although the Knicks game was a good victory in the Big One Era, the Spurs are far from out of the woods just yet.

    Believe.

  2. #2
    Believe. byrdman31's Avatar
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    awesome. great views thanks

  3. #3
    Inthe land of audiophiles angelbelow's Avatar
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    great read!

  4. #4
    Out with the old... Obstructed_View's Avatar
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    Well done.

  5. #5
    Spurs are Lottery Bound. SequSpur's Avatar
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    Excellent. Mason had a different release tonight from what I noticed. I picked up on that quickly.

    Vaughn take was right on, I wish I could be so eloquent like you.

    Bonner?

    Udoka needs to find his 2007 playoff skills again.

    Spurs need another big guy.

  6. #6
    TheDrewShow is salty lefty's Avatar
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    In the last 550 Spurs regular games in which Bruce Bowen was available to play, Bruce Bowen started. Tonight against the Knicks, that streak ended. Bowen came off the bench in a move partly due to injury cir stance and partly due to poor play from Bowen in the team’s first five contests. No matter the reasoning, Bowen responded in a big way on Tuesday night. Coming into the game, he had ten points all season. Against the Knicks, he finished with 13 points and hit five of his six field goal attempts. More importantly, he looked spry defensively and his overall intensity was much higher than what we’ve seen so far in the 2008-09 campaign. Regardless of what role lies ahead for Bowen, it’s at least good to see that he’s capable of producing and having an impact off the bench.
    That shows how compe ive Bowen is

  7. #7
    fuk yo team clown tp2021's Avatar
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    The dreaded Bucks lie ahead.

    baseline bum, do you still think we need Starbury's offense more so than defense to win?

  8. #8
    Bo Knows Spurs remingtonbo2001's Avatar
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    Fresh from the oven. Another great read.

  9. #9
    Silence surpasses speech. duncan228's Avatar
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    Thanks for the wrap timvp.
    Overall, this was just a vintage masterpiece that illustrates why Duncan is Duncan.
    And he showed us again how he makes everyone around him better.
    We can ride this storm out and be okay when Parker and Manu get back.

    Believe...In Team Duncan.


  10. #10
    Out of the shadows lurker23's Avatar
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    Good job, timvp.

    Here are a couple additions from my end:

    George Hill: There are generally two types of mistakes that rookies make: correctable mistakes, largely caused by being inexperienced or not yet fully comfortable in a certain team's system, or mistakes that look uncorrectable, made because the player either doesn't have the skills or the basketball IQ to make it at the highest level. Thankfully, Hill's mistakes largely appear to be from the first category. When Hill didn't make the right pass a couple of times in the Spurs offensive set, it looked to be because he hasn't fully grasped what the Spurs do on the pick-and-roll (for example). When this happened, Pop pulled him out of the game for 30 seconds to tell him how he should handle that play in the future, then promptly put him back in. Spurs fans should be very happy with Hill's play, and the fact that he has the potential to be much better with experience.

    Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka: The first question people always ask about Bruce Bowen is, "Has he lost a step?" For the last few years, the answer to that has been an emphatic "no!" This year, it's hard to tell so far. However, even if he has lost a step it doesn't mean he can't contribute significantly to this team. If age has finally caught up to the age-less wonder, then coming off of the bench is a good spot for him. It allows him to conserve his energy, harass players using his defense in short, effective bursts, and let the opposing team sleep on that deadly corner 3 even more. I fully support starting Ime for an extended period of time, especially if his shot goes down more than it did tonight (which it will). Ime brings a lot of stuff to the table that the Spurs need in the starting lineup while Manu is out. It can be re-evaluated when Ginobili returns, but until then, I believe the situation tonight was the best way to handle it.

    Jacque Vaughn and Roger Mason: As far as the PG position behind George Hill goes, I support giving about equal minutes (at PG) to these two players. Vaughn is generally effective as a stop-gap, allowing Hill to rest, so long as he doesn't try to take long jumpshots as he did tonight. Mason, meanwhile, showed a good handle on the quarterback position in the Spurs offense. I'd break it up this way: Hill 30 minutes, Vaughn 9 minutes, Mason 9 minutes (with RMJ getting much more from the SG position, of course).

  11. #11
    I want some nasty mVp's Avatar
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    Matt Bonner played all of 28 seconds. His time came at the end of the game when the victory was already in hand. That said, he almost fouled David Lee on a late basket even though Pop was screaming to not foul. If the whistle would have blown, we might have seen a Pop meltdown of epic proportions.
    LOL

    Nice recap, as usual.

  12. #12
    DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY!!! YODA's Avatar
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    TIMVP...always a great recap, but a few questions.

    1. Whats the deal with Kurt Thomas? injured? old? jsut playing bad? Think about it, tollliver who was out a few games comes in ahead of him and bonner. What gives??

    2. I kinda think benching Bowen might have lit a fire under his but. I kinda like to see a little more scoring threats out there. Bowen beem passing up alot of opportunites to shoot and tonight he didnt. Was the GG due to the fire or just happpened?


    3. Id like to get more input on tolliver. I didnt see whole game, but from what I saw, he hustles all the time and not scared to get physical.

    4. LAstly, What rumors have u heard about spurs going after a big man if any at all? FACT or rumor?

    You write what I think most times, but put it in words all can understand.

  13. #13
    Veteran Manufan909's Avatar
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    Hey timvp, what do you think about Toll playing in the paint a bit more? I bet he would be more comfortable mixing it up closer to the rim. And I have to disagree about him needing to make 3's to be in the NBA, his all-around game is stellar, probably only second to Tim in the bigman rotation right now. I'd like to see what he has in his arsenal, besides dunks and treys.glad

    Also, Hill is a godly defensive player, I love his energy, and length, which enables him to rebound, defend, and get steals more than any other current Spurs guard.

    And I'm glad Ime and Mason proved they can both contribute even if they have an offnight offfensively.

  14. #14
    Indubitable Super Saiyan Cloud786's Avatar
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    Hill's rebounding is absolutely sick. I love it!

  15. #15
    Out with the old... Obstructed_View's Avatar
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    Hill's rebounding is absolutely sick. I love it!
    I liked the steal at the end of the game, too. He had a block against Chalmers that was noteworthy. The best arms since Dave.

  16. #16
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    a couple more things re: Hill

    1. I'd like to see the Spurs put in some lobs for Hill alley-oop dunks. At times during the past few games I've seen the openings either off cutting from Duncan or where he would have been open coming in from the corner. Tonight a lob from Duncan wasn't really open because Robinson kept on Hill but it's been there other nights.

    2. In the postgame interview on FSN, Hill claimed that when he first saw Pop telling him to push the ball with the arm windmilling motion he was confused thinking it was the signal for a set play instead of pushing the ball. I couldn't tell if Hill was joking or not. If not, just shows how much better he can get once he learns the ins and outs if he was able to produce tonight still being as green as he is.

  17. #17
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    I think Kurt Thomas looked solid tonight..much more active defending in the post and moving around offensively..

    Hill's only defensive flaws so far has been missing some rotations..once he gets used to our system, watch out..he's going to be a SCARY defender IMO..he's already been great at defending his own man..the ability is there..he just needs to rotate better..he also needs to follow his man for rebounding, because Nate Robinson got a few offensive boards where George should have been there..

    Mason's shot looked off on a few attempts..his form wasn't there on a few..might be thinking about it too much with the added pressure and bigger role he's going to have in the next few weeks..

    Tolliver can be a very solid contributor if he could actually make some shots..his defense isn't anything great, but he moves around much better than any of our other big men..he went after rebounds with intensity and plays with a lot of energy..NEEDS TO MAKE SOME SHOTS THOUGH..

    my belief in this team lies with the fact that we have the best big man on the planet and the best coach in the NBA..2 legends..

  18. #18
    Out with the old... Obstructed_View's Avatar
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    Mason's shot looked off on a few attempts..his form wasn't there on a few..might be thinking about it too much with the added pressure and bigger role he's going to have in the next few weeks.
    When Mason's shot isn't going down for him, he needs to go back to that 20 footer from above the key that's been money for him. He hit one with about a minute to go in the third and it just seemed to switch him on for the rest of the game. He only made one other basket but he started doing damage from that point on.

  19. #19
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    agreed..I don't worry so much about Mason though, he's a streak shooter..he just needs to make 2 or 3 and he'll be fine the rest of the way..I just like seeing that he can contribute in other ways..I didn't like how he was passing up some shots though..2 of the shots he passed up turned into bad turnovers..

  20. #20
    Out with the old... Obstructed_View's Avatar
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    Yeah, he really struggled until he made that jumper. If he doesn't make that shot, I don't know if he makes the nice assist to Bowen at the end of the quarter. His defense was so good that he didn't have to score a load of points, which could be a really good sign going forward as he gets more and more comfortable with his role.

  21. #21
    Veteran milkyway21's Avatar
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    Matt Bonner played all of 28 seconds. His time came at the end of the game when the victory was already in hand. That said, he almost fouled David Lee on a late basket even though Pop was screaming to not foul. If the whistle would have blown, we might have seen a Pop meltdown of epic proportions.


    I still want Bonner to work harder and improve his game ..

  22. #22
    Spurs in Oz mattyc's Avatar
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    Good to see Hill go alright and settle a bit. The next few games should do him wonders.

    Go Udoka.

  23. #23
    Out with the old... Obstructed_View's Avatar
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    I still want Bonner to work harder and improve his game ..
    So do I, but he came really close to ing up the short amount of time he was given. He might not even get Copa time for the next couple of games.

  24. #24
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    Mason's game tonight reminded me of some of Hill's games this summer-- even with his shot not going down, he found ways to contribute: tonight Mason was 6-7 from the FT line, had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. He also led the team in +/- with a +13. If in the future, Hill, Mason (or Manu), and Bowen are coming off the bench, the Spurs will have a much improved 2nd squad over last year, especially defensively.

  25. #25
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    there's a HUGE difference between Tolliver and Bonner..

    Bonner is actually a better shooter and they aren't much different defensively IMO..

    Tolliver moves better and is a better rebounder, but that's not the difference..AT has a lot of balls, and he has no conscience..he'll take any shot, he'll go after any rebound, he plays with confidence..Bonner has no confidence and fears Popovich after every play..if Bonner had Tolliver's balls, he would be a serious asset to this team..it's too bad it's probably too late for him to develop that at ude..

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