duncan228
11-17-2008, 12:54 PM
Jeff McDonald: Duncan, Bonner and other thoughts (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2008/11/jeff_mcdonald_d_13.html)
A couple of stray thoughts, while still lamenting the best and worst thing about spending a Sunday morning in Sacramento -- you get NFL football at 10 a.m., but it's the Oakland Raiders ...
* You remember when you were a kid shooting hoops in your driveway, counting down the final seconds of an imaginary game before heaving up what you hoped would be the game-winner? Tim Duncan has been living that dream for near a week now. He's had a shot to win or tie late in three-straight games, coming up short against Milwaukee, but beating Houston and now Sacramento. The way the Spurs are having to play -- try to hold your opponent to 80-something and then try to somehow cobble together enough points to win -- tends to lead to a lot of close games. Odds are good Duncan will have more chances like this in the near future.
* Matt Bonner appears to have gotten the Anthony Tolliver-inspired message. At this point last week, Bonner was the forgotten man on the end of the Spurs' bench, ceding almost all his playing time to the rookie Tolliver. Now he's played crucial minutes -- and a crucial role -- in back-to-back Spurs' victories. The key for Bonner? Don't think, just shoot. "I have a conscience out there," Bonner said, highlighting what he believes to be his biggest weakness. "I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and that can cause me to be hard on myself. I have to keep that shooter mentality, step up and shoot when I'm open."
* George Hill is an exciting rookie, but he's still a rookie, playing the toughest-to-learn position on the floor. He's going to struggle at times with things like tempo and timing and other little nuances. That's why it's good to have a veteran like Jacque Vaughn around. He knows the inner workings of the Spurs' offense like the back of his hand. The Spurs are a more explosive scoring bunch with Hill on the court, but they are steadier and more consistent with Vaughn.
* Gregg Popovich continues to put together the puzzle that is his rotation in a different way every night. Ime Udoka went from starting to taking a DNP last night against the Kings. Kurt Thomas took a suprising DNP as well. Basically, Popovich is a mad scientist, experimenting with all kinds of Frankenstein-ian combinations, trying to find a few that come alive.
A couple of stray thoughts, while still lamenting the best and worst thing about spending a Sunday morning in Sacramento -- you get NFL football at 10 a.m., but it's the Oakland Raiders ...
* You remember when you were a kid shooting hoops in your driveway, counting down the final seconds of an imaginary game before heaving up what you hoped would be the game-winner? Tim Duncan has been living that dream for near a week now. He's had a shot to win or tie late in three-straight games, coming up short against Milwaukee, but beating Houston and now Sacramento. The way the Spurs are having to play -- try to hold your opponent to 80-something and then try to somehow cobble together enough points to win -- tends to lead to a lot of close games. Odds are good Duncan will have more chances like this in the near future.
* Matt Bonner appears to have gotten the Anthony Tolliver-inspired message. At this point last week, Bonner was the forgotten man on the end of the Spurs' bench, ceding almost all his playing time to the rookie Tolliver. Now he's played crucial minutes -- and a crucial role -- in back-to-back Spurs' victories. The key for Bonner? Don't think, just shoot. "I have a conscience out there," Bonner said, highlighting what he believes to be his biggest weakness. "I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and that can cause me to be hard on myself. I have to keep that shooter mentality, step up and shoot when I'm open."
* George Hill is an exciting rookie, but he's still a rookie, playing the toughest-to-learn position on the floor. He's going to struggle at times with things like tempo and timing and other little nuances. That's why it's good to have a veteran like Jacque Vaughn around. He knows the inner workings of the Spurs' offense like the back of his hand. The Spurs are a more explosive scoring bunch with Hill on the court, but they are steadier and more consistent with Vaughn.
* Gregg Popovich continues to put together the puzzle that is his rotation in a different way every night. Ime Udoka went from starting to taking a DNP last night against the Kings. Kurt Thomas took a suprising DNP as well. Basically, Popovich is a mad scientist, experimenting with all kinds of Frankenstein-ian combinations, trying to find a few that come alive.