timvp
11-14-2008, 06:48 AM
Needing all the wins they can muster, the San Antonio Spurs let one slip through their fingers on Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Playing on the road, the Spurs couldn’t hold onto their 12-point halftime lead, falling by a final score of 82-78.
Trailing by 10 points with 3:15 to go in the game, the Spurs furiously rallied to make it a ballgame. After a Michael Finley three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining, Tim Duncan missed a five-footer with five seconds to go in the game that could have tied it.
Although the Bucks were playing without Michael Redd, I was impressed with how they performed. Scott Skiles has his team playing tough defense and rookie Luc Mbah a Moute looks like a second round steal. Mbah a Moute struggled at UCLA to score the basketball but on the NBA level, he has seemingly found his niche and now looks like a legitimate player.
Overall, the Spurs can’t be too disappointed with their effort. Their defense was good for a majority of the game and they did a good job of continually fighting back. The Spurs are going to struggle at times offensively with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sidelined, and along with a poor rebounding effort, that’s what cost San Antonio.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
35 minutes, 24 points, five rebounds, three blocks, four turnovers
10-for-20 from the field, 4-for-5 at the line
Tim Duncan didn’t have a very good game at all against the Bucks. He had a four minute stretch at the end of the fourth quarter where he took over and scored 14 straight points but other than stretch, he was definitely sub par. What stood out the most was his inability to rebound. Five boards isn’t going to cut it, especially when the player he was guarding, Andrew Bogut, had 17 rebounds. Duncan also wasn’t very good distributing the ball, as he finished with twice as many turnovers as assists. The Spurs need Duncan to play like a superstar to win right now – and they didn’t get that on Wednesday night.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
31 minutes, six points, five rebounds, four assists
2-for-10 from the field, 2-for-5 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. had his first disappointing game in a Spurs uniform. Mason again struggled with his shot, but this time he didn’t make up for it in other areas. Instead, he stopped being aggressive offensively and stopped helping boards. In the second half, Mason seemed to lose confidence and missed the only two shots he attempted. It was only a matter of time before Mason was going to cool off, but now he’s shooting just 27% over his last three games. Hopefully he can get back to the rhythm he had to begin the season.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
16 minutes, three points
1-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Pop gave Ime Udoka a huge opportunity when he handed Ime Udoka the starting small forward job. After two games, Udoka has done all he can to make Pop regret that decision. After a poor debut in the starting lineup, Udoka followed it up with an even worse performance. He’s now 3-for-15 from the field as a starter. Against the Bucks, Udoka failing to grab a single board or hand out a single assist was inexcusable. I’m not sure if Udoka is pressing now because he’s a starter, but whatever the reasoning is he needs to turn it around. If not, Bowen may find himself back in the starting lineup out of necessity.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://www.iupuijags.com/images/2007/12/12/player_hill.jpg
22 minutes, four points, three assists, three rebounds
2-for-5 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
George Hill’s second start didn’t go nearly as well as his debut. While his stats look decent, his actual play was much worse. His aggressiveness on the offensive end was non-existent for much of the game. Eventually, Pop had to look elsewhere because Hill was stagnating the offense. Defensively, Hill was decent but not as good as we’ve previously seen out of him. Going forward, Hill needs to up his aggression on offense or else Pop is going to lose confidence in him. The one thing we known about Pop is that he won’t stand for passive point guard play.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
16 minutes, one point, five rebounds
1-for-2 at the line
After Fabricio Oberto’s best game of the early season, he followed it up with another stale performance. His rebounding was actually good but he wasn’t helping out in other areas. His defensive rotations were a step slow and he wasn’t closing off the paint at all. Offensively, Oberto didn’t even get off a shot. While this wasn’t a horrible showing from the Argentine bigman, the Spurs need more than simply decent play.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
30 minutes, 19 points, four rebounds, three assists
8-for-12 from the field, 3-for-6 on three-pointers
After a horrible shooting slump, Michael Finley has now put together two really good games. Once again, Finley got into rhythm by rebounding and moving without the ball on offense. For the first three quarters of the game, Finley even played good defense. But it was his offense which helped keep the Spurs in the game. Finley has been valuable in his two games off the bench, which will hopefully continue down the line. Without him against the Bucks, the Spurs likely would have gotten blown out in the second half.
-------------------------------
Anthony Tolliver
http://msn.foxsports.com/fe/img/NBA/Headshots/140x170/4371.jpg
28 minutes, nine points, six rebounds, three assists
4-for-10 from the field, 1-for-6 on three-pointers
Anthony Tolliver is quickly earning more and more minutes. Against Milwaukee, Tolliver played 28 minutes of the bench and performed quite well. His energy is infectious on both ends of the court. He gives good effort going for rebounds and his defense is already pretty solid. Offensively, I’ve been very impressed by his passing abilities. For a bigman, he’s a heady passer who can even handle the ball a little bit. Tolliver’s weakness remains his shooting, as he shot 1-for-6 from three-point range for the second consecutive game. If he can start making his threes, he could really become a weapon for the Spurs.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
27 minutes, four points, four rebounds
2-for-3 from the field
Coming off the bench for the second consecutive game, Bruce Bowen once again played relatively well. He was a pest on defense and pulled down a few tough rebounds. Offensively, Bowen didn’t force anything but did a good job of staying involved. Since going to the bench, there has been an obvious increase of energy out of Bowen. Earlier in the season it looked like his NBA career might be done, but if the last two games are any indication, Bowen’s career still a pulse.
-------------------------------
Jacque Vaughn
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3195.jpg
20 minutes, four rebounds, six assists
1-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Bouncing back from a poor game, Jacque Vaughn actually played well against the Bucks. He’s going to be an offensively liability any way you slice it with Parker and Ginobili out, but he did his part by handing out six assists and pushing the pace. Defensively, Vaughn was very solid, especially in the first half. If Hill struggles in upcoming games, expect to see more and more of Vaughn, whether you look it or not.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
13 minutes, four points, four rebounds
2-for-5 from the field
Like Bowen, Kurt Thomas has begun to show some life after losing his usual spot in the rotation. Now that he’s the team’s fourth bigman, Thomas is playing tougher and with more heart. While his lack of mobility is still hurting the team, he seems to be slowly but surely rounding into form. His rebounding and post defense were two bright spots in Wednesday night’s game.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
I though Pop coached well enough for the Spurs to win. He has a difficult juggling act right now because he has to find combinations that can make up for the lack of scoring without being too porous defensively. On top of that, he has to find a way to limit Duncan’s minutes. Rebounding was a problem but considering the Spurs played two bigmen together for 44 of the 48 minutes, you can’t put too much of that blame on Pop. I like how he’s giving Tolliver extended minutes even though there are a lot of other bigs who have more experience and are being paid a lot more. Regarding Hill, Pop needs to be patient and let him learn on the fly. Benching him like he did against the Bucks won’t help him figure things out.
-------------------------------
Offense
A lack of aggressiveness doomed the Spurs offensively. The guards, namely Hill and Mason, didn’t attack nearly enough. The lack of aggression was evident in the fact that the team had only nine free throw attempts in the game – and five of those were in the final three minutes. With Parker and Ginobili out, the guards need to be attack mode for 48 minutes and the bigs need to crash the offensive glass. Otherwise, the Spurs are going to end up depending on three-point shooting and heroics from Duncan each and every night.
Defense
The defense wasn’t the problem. The rotations were good for most of the night and the Spurs competed very well. Milwaukee finished with a field goal percentage of 41.3% and they hit only 2-of-11 three-pointers. Rebounding, however, negated a lot of the defensive effort. Allowing the Bucks to get 14 offensive rebounds was the number one reason for the loss. Last season, the Spurs were the best defensive rebounding team in basketball. This season ... not so much. Hopefully this game is a lesson that even if you play good defense, it doesn’t matter if you can’t get the resulting rebound.
Drive to Survive
Next up on the schedule for San Antonio is the Houston Rockets. Usually, no matter which players are in uniform, games between the Spurs and the Rockets are close. However, with the Rockets healthy and the Spurs not, this one may get out of hand unless San Antonio plays much better than they did against the Bucks. A win against the Rockets would be huge at this point of the season.
Believe.
Trailing by 10 points with 3:15 to go in the game, the Spurs furiously rallied to make it a ballgame. After a Michael Finley three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining, Tim Duncan missed a five-footer with five seconds to go in the game that could have tied it.
Although the Bucks were playing without Michael Redd, I was impressed with how they performed. Scott Skiles has his team playing tough defense and rookie Luc Mbah a Moute looks like a second round steal. Mbah a Moute struggled at UCLA to score the basketball but on the NBA level, he has seemingly found his niche and now looks like a legitimate player.
Overall, the Spurs can’t be too disappointed with their effort. Their defense was good for a majority of the game and they did a good job of continually fighting back. The Spurs are going to struggle at times offensively with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sidelined, and along with a poor rebounding effort, that’s what cost San Antonio.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
35 minutes, 24 points, five rebounds, three blocks, four turnovers
10-for-20 from the field, 4-for-5 at the line
Tim Duncan didn’t have a very good game at all against the Bucks. He had a four minute stretch at the end of the fourth quarter where he took over and scored 14 straight points but other than stretch, he was definitely sub par. What stood out the most was his inability to rebound. Five boards isn’t going to cut it, especially when the player he was guarding, Andrew Bogut, had 17 rebounds. Duncan also wasn’t very good distributing the ball, as he finished with twice as many turnovers as assists. The Spurs need Duncan to play like a superstar to win right now – and they didn’t get that on Wednesday night.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
31 minutes, six points, five rebounds, four assists
2-for-10 from the field, 2-for-5 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. had his first disappointing game in a Spurs uniform. Mason again struggled with his shot, but this time he didn’t make up for it in other areas. Instead, he stopped being aggressive offensively and stopped helping boards. In the second half, Mason seemed to lose confidence and missed the only two shots he attempted. It was only a matter of time before Mason was going to cool off, but now he’s shooting just 27% over his last three games. Hopefully he can get back to the rhythm he had to begin the season.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
16 minutes, three points
1-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Pop gave Ime Udoka a huge opportunity when he handed Ime Udoka the starting small forward job. After two games, Udoka has done all he can to make Pop regret that decision. After a poor debut in the starting lineup, Udoka followed it up with an even worse performance. He’s now 3-for-15 from the field as a starter. Against the Bucks, Udoka failing to grab a single board or hand out a single assist was inexcusable. I’m not sure if Udoka is pressing now because he’s a starter, but whatever the reasoning is he needs to turn it around. If not, Bowen may find himself back in the starting lineup out of necessity.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://www.iupuijags.com/images/2007/12/12/player_hill.jpg
22 minutes, four points, three assists, three rebounds
2-for-5 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
George Hill’s second start didn’t go nearly as well as his debut. While his stats look decent, his actual play was much worse. His aggressiveness on the offensive end was non-existent for much of the game. Eventually, Pop had to look elsewhere because Hill was stagnating the offense. Defensively, Hill was decent but not as good as we’ve previously seen out of him. Going forward, Hill needs to up his aggression on offense or else Pop is going to lose confidence in him. The one thing we known about Pop is that he won’t stand for passive point guard play.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
16 minutes, one point, five rebounds
1-for-2 at the line
After Fabricio Oberto’s best game of the early season, he followed it up with another stale performance. His rebounding was actually good but he wasn’t helping out in other areas. His defensive rotations were a step slow and he wasn’t closing off the paint at all. Offensively, Oberto didn’t even get off a shot. While this wasn’t a horrible showing from the Argentine bigman, the Spurs need more than simply decent play.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
30 minutes, 19 points, four rebounds, three assists
8-for-12 from the field, 3-for-6 on three-pointers
After a horrible shooting slump, Michael Finley has now put together two really good games. Once again, Finley got into rhythm by rebounding and moving without the ball on offense. For the first three quarters of the game, Finley even played good defense. But it was his offense which helped keep the Spurs in the game. Finley has been valuable in his two games off the bench, which will hopefully continue down the line. Without him against the Bucks, the Spurs likely would have gotten blown out in the second half.
-------------------------------
Anthony Tolliver
http://msn.foxsports.com/fe/img/NBA/Headshots/140x170/4371.jpg
28 minutes, nine points, six rebounds, three assists
4-for-10 from the field, 1-for-6 on three-pointers
Anthony Tolliver is quickly earning more and more minutes. Against Milwaukee, Tolliver played 28 minutes of the bench and performed quite well. His energy is infectious on both ends of the court. He gives good effort going for rebounds and his defense is already pretty solid. Offensively, I’ve been very impressed by his passing abilities. For a bigman, he’s a heady passer who can even handle the ball a little bit. Tolliver’s weakness remains his shooting, as he shot 1-for-6 from three-point range for the second consecutive game. If he can start making his threes, he could really become a weapon for the Spurs.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
27 minutes, four points, four rebounds
2-for-3 from the field
Coming off the bench for the second consecutive game, Bruce Bowen once again played relatively well. He was a pest on defense and pulled down a few tough rebounds. Offensively, Bowen didn’t force anything but did a good job of staying involved. Since going to the bench, there has been an obvious increase of energy out of Bowen. Earlier in the season it looked like his NBA career might be done, but if the last two games are any indication, Bowen’s career still a pulse.
-------------------------------
Jacque Vaughn
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3195.jpg
20 minutes, four rebounds, six assists
1-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Bouncing back from a poor game, Jacque Vaughn actually played well against the Bucks. He’s going to be an offensively liability any way you slice it with Parker and Ginobili out, but he did his part by handing out six assists and pushing the pace. Defensively, Vaughn was very solid, especially in the first half. If Hill struggles in upcoming games, expect to see more and more of Vaughn, whether you look it or not.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
13 minutes, four points, four rebounds
2-for-5 from the field
Like Bowen, Kurt Thomas has begun to show some life after losing his usual spot in the rotation. Now that he’s the team’s fourth bigman, Thomas is playing tougher and with more heart. While his lack of mobility is still hurting the team, he seems to be slowly but surely rounding into form. His rebounding and post defense were two bright spots in Wednesday night’s game.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
I though Pop coached well enough for the Spurs to win. He has a difficult juggling act right now because he has to find combinations that can make up for the lack of scoring without being too porous defensively. On top of that, he has to find a way to limit Duncan’s minutes. Rebounding was a problem but considering the Spurs played two bigmen together for 44 of the 48 minutes, you can’t put too much of that blame on Pop. I like how he’s giving Tolliver extended minutes even though there are a lot of other bigs who have more experience and are being paid a lot more. Regarding Hill, Pop needs to be patient and let him learn on the fly. Benching him like he did against the Bucks won’t help him figure things out.
-------------------------------
Offense
A lack of aggressiveness doomed the Spurs offensively. The guards, namely Hill and Mason, didn’t attack nearly enough. The lack of aggression was evident in the fact that the team had only nine free throw attempts in the game – and five of those were in the final three minutes. With Parker and Ginobili out, the guards need to be attack mode for 48 minutes and the bigs need to crash the offensive glass. Otherwise, the Spurs are going to end up depending on three-point shooting and heroics from Duncan each and every night.
Defense
The defense wasn’t the problem. The rotations were good for most of the night and the Spurs competed very well. Milwaukee finished with a field goal percentage of 41.3% and they hit only 2-of-11 three-pointers. Rebounding, however, negated a lot of the defensive effort. Allowing the Bucks to get 14 offensive rebounds was the number one reason for the loss. Last season, the Spurs were the best defensive rebounding team in basketball. This season ... not so much. Hopefully this game is a lesson that even if you play good defense, it doesn’t matter if you can’t get the resulting rebound.
Drive to Survive
Next up on the schedule for San Antonio is the Houston Rockets. Usually, no matter which players are in uniform, games between the Spurs and the Rockets are close. However, with the Rockets healthy and the Spurs not, this one may get out of hand unless San Antonio plays much better than they did against the Bucks. A win against the Rockets would be huge at this point of the season.
Believe.