timvp
11-19-2008, 05:15 PM
And the win streak continues. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the San Antonio Spurs got a big shot from Roger Mason, Jr. to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers by a final score of 86-83. The win was their third consecutive and gave the Spurs a 5-5 record on the season.
Leading by 11 points with 6:43 to go in the ballgame, the offense for San Antonio suddenly stalled. Over the course of the next six minutes and a half minutes, the Spurs only scored two points – which allowed the Clippers to come back and tie the game. With the game knotted at 83, Mason used a Tim Duncan pick to get open and drain a game-winning three-pointer.
Although Los Angeles made it a game at the end, their team is … well, not even a team. The chemistry is horrible and on both sides of the court. Baron Davis and Marcus Camby, specifically, were both guilty of playing with no real team concept. The only Clipper who played well was Chris Kaman, who had 17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
For the Spurs, this was another noteworthy win. Usually beating the worst team in the league doesn’t mean much but with the team in survival mode, every game counts. What makes this win even sweeter is the fact that San Antonio once again won it by playing Spurs Basketball – rugged defense and offensive execution at the end of game.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
40 minutes, 20 points, 15 rebounds, six blocks, four assists
9-for-14 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Tim Duncan had arguably his best all-around effort on Monday night against the Clippers. Defensively he was as active as we’ve seen him this season, which led directly to his six blocked shots. He also rebounded the ball very well, which had been a problem for him recently. On the offensive end, he had to deal with both Kaman and Camby but he found ways to be effective. Although he wasn’t able to get as many shot attempts as normal, he continually drew double teams and spotted the open player. Overall, it was a very good performance in which he dominated almost every facet of the game.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
35 minutes, 21 points, three rebounds
9-for-16 from the field, 3-for-5 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. has struggled shooting the recently but that slump ended in a big way. Even before the game-winner, Mason was playing very well offensively. He hit a number of difficult shots and looked extremely comfortable in the offensive sets. While he had a few issues defensively, most of his problems at that end are correctable once he completely learns the system. One interesting aspect regarding Mason is that he’s shooting much better on the road than at home (51% vs. 38%), which may be a sign that he’s pressing in front of the home crowd.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
31 minutes, 19 points, two assists, two steals
7-for-15 from the field, 3-for-5 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
The Michael Finley Redemption Tour continues. For the fifth straight game, Finley played very well. In that stretch he is averaging 15.6 points on 52.5% shooting from the field and 60% shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Just as important, Finely is playing much better on the defensive end. Against the Clippers, he continued the trend by scoring 19 points and playing very impressive defense against Al Thornton, a player who repeatedly hurt the Spurs last season. If Finley can continue playing well on both ends of the court, it’ll be difficult for Pop to remove him from the starting small forward spot.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://www.iupuijags.com/images/2007/12/12/player_hill.jpg
21 minutes, two points, eight assists, five rebounds
0-for-5 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
Although George Hill struggled with his own shot, he did show improvements in other areas of his game. His passing was very crisp, as he hit players with passes in the right spots and at the right time. His overall court vision seemed improved and Hill also did a solid job on the boards. Davis bullied him defensively and kept Hill from getting many open looks, but Hill also hurt himself by not being as aggressive as he’s been in recent games. On the whole, it was another learning experience for the rookie point guard.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
14 minutes
0-for-1 from the field
Fabricio Oberto had one of the most invisible games of his career. In 14 minutes, he failed to score a point or grab a rebound. His rebounding is the aspect to be worried about. Compared to last season, he’s grabbing 36.5% less rebounds. As good as Oberto is as doing the small things such as setting picks and making the right pass, he’s a liability on the court if he can’t grab rebounds. Let’s hope his problems are due to a lack of effort rather than age slowing him down.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
25 minutes, six points, three assists
3-for-6 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers
Bruce Bowen once again played quite well off the bench. His defense was solid and his offense was actually pretty impressive. He’s running the floor hard and is giving the Spurs a nice bit of energy off the bench. For his efforts, Bowen led the team in +/- at +12. With the Bowen off the bench experiment going so well, Pop has plenty of options going forward in terms of how to handle the rotation once everyone is healthy.
-------------------------------
Jacque Vaughn
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3195.jpg
23 minutes, four points, five assists, two steals
2-for-9 from the field
While Jacque Vaughn didn’t play as well as he did against the Sacramento Kings, he was still a vital part of the win. His offensive aggressiveness was extremely helpful, especially when the offense began to stagnate. Vaughn’s passing was impressive, as was his physicality on defense. He didn’t have a good shooting game and he had some problems handling the ball, but all in all Vaughn did his job.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
17 minutes, seven points, four rebounds
3-for-7 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
After two very good games, Matt Bonner took a half step back against the Clippers. The good news is that he played well enough to continue getting minutes in the next few games. Most of his negative issues came on the offensive end when he failed to make the right pass. Bonner’s defense was solid and he did a good enough job on the boards. The fact that Pop felt comfortable enough to end the game with Bonner on the court for the third straight contest indicates that Pop’s confidence level in him is high – which hasn’t been the case too often in the last two plus seasons.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
15 minutes, two points, two rebounds
1-for-3 from the field
Kurt Thomas was somewhat useful but not as useful as one would expect going against the massive frontline of Kaman and Camby. His post defense was sturdy but he had a hard time crashing the boards and his jumper wasn’t able to help spread the court. Like Oberto, it’d be nice to see some signs of life out of him in the next few weeks so the Spurs know whether or not they have enough capable bigmen on the roster.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
15 minutes, two points, three rebounds
1-for-3 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Following a DNP-CD against the Kings, Udoka was back in action. Although he didn’t play remarkably well, he played better than he did in any of the three games he started. He rebounded, played defense and wasn’t overanxious offensively. Ideally, Udoka would play well enough to start at small forward. But after his disastrous three-game stretch in that position, he’ll have to regain Pop’s trust.
-------------------------------
Blake Ahearn
http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/4/44070m.JPG
four minutes, three points
1-for-2 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
The newly signed Blake Ahearn got his first action as a Spur. Even though Ahearn didn’t play too well – he had problems handling the ball and his defense was undetectable – it was expected. Since signing with San Antonio, Ahearn didn’t get a chance to even practice with the team before playing in his first game. Despite his struggles, he showed a good outside stroke and didn’t look intimidated by the situation.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
When Tony Parker got injured, I said it was time for Pop to show why he’s a Hall of Fame coach. Four wins in five games later, Pop has done just that. On Monday, he helped coax another win out of a shorthanded roster that was also visibly tired. I like how he’s handling Hill, insofar as he’s balancing winning games with giving Hill experience. Pop continuing to go with Bonner seems like the right move and he also did a good job of finding some minutes for Ahearn to get his feet wet. The one glaring negative was playing Duncan 40 minutes on the second game of a back-to-back. I’m not sure that a November win is worth fatiguing the foundation.
-------------------------------
Offense
The offense was unspectacular yet decent enough. Their main problems came in that six and half minute stretch in the fourth quarter, where the team had five missed field goals and five turnovers. However, most of those issues were probably due to fatigue since the Spurs got uncharacteristically sloppy and had a perceptible lack of energy. Shooting-wise, the Spurs did well, shooting 44.4% from the field and hitting 8-of-20 three-pointers. Where the team really missed Manu Ginobili and Parker was when it came to getting to the line. Their six free throw attempts were a season-low, however they’ve had problems getting to the line even during this latest winning stretch.
Defense
The Spurs had another very fine defensive performance. If it wasn’t for Cuttino Mobley getting hot in the second half, the defensive statistics would have looked even better. As it played out, the Clippers shot only 41.4% from the field and only 3-of-16 from downtown Los Angeles. The eight blocked shots by the Spurs were also good to see. Rebounding, though, remains a problem. The Clippers had a 47-36 advantage on the glass, mostly due to the 14 offensive boards they were able to corral. For the Spurs to eventually return to elite status, they will have to start grabbing more defensive rebounds. The return of Ginobili and Parker won’t mean anything if they keep getting dominated on the boards.
Drive to Survive
Although the Spurs did a great job over the last five games, the schedule toughens up in their next two contests. The Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night will be an extremely difficult matchup, which will then be followed by the equally talented Utah Jazz on Friday. Thankfully, both games are at home so the Spurs should have a fighting chance. Great defense, improved rebounding and aggressive offense is the formula for the Spurs to use to have success and try to secure a another big win.
Believe.
Leading by 11 points with 6:43 to go in the ballgame, the offense for San Antonio suddenly stalled. Over the course of the next six minutes and a half minutes, the Spurs only scored two points – which allowed the Clippers to come back and tie the game. With the game knotted at 83, Mason used a Tim Duncan pick to get open and drain a game-winning three-pointer.
Although Los Angeles made it a game at the end, their team is … well, not even a team. The chemistry is horrible and on both sides of the court. Baron Davis and Marcus Camby, specifically, were both guilty of playing with no real team concept. The only Clipper who played well was Chris Kaman, who had 17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
For the Spurs, this was another noteworthy win. Usually beating the worst team in the league doesn’t mean much but with the team in survival mode, every game counts. What makes this win even sweeter is the fact that San Antonio once again won it by playing Spurs Basketball – rugged defense and offensive execution at the end of game.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
40 minutes, 20 points, 15 rebounds, six blocks, four assists
9-for-14 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Tim Duncan had arguably his best all-around effort on Monday night against the Clippers. Defensively he was as active as we’ve seen him this season, which led directly to his six blocked shots. He also rebounded the ball very well, which had been a problem for him recently. On the offensive end, he had to deal with both Kaman and Camby but he found ways to be effective. Although he wasn’t able to get as many shot attempts as normal, he continually drew double teams and spotted the open player. Overall, it was a very good performance in which he dominated almost every facet of the game.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
35 minutes, 21 points, three rebounds
9-for-16 from the field, 3-for-5 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. has struggled shooting the recently but that slump ended in a big way. Even before the game-winner, Mason was playing very well offensively. He hit a number of difficult shots and looked extremely comfortable in the offensive sets. While he had a few issues defensively, most of his problems at that end are correctable once he completely learns the system. One interesting aspect regarding Mason is that he’s shooting much better on the road than at home (51% vs. 38%), which may be a sign that he’s pressing in front of the home crowd.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
31 minutes, 19 points, two assists, two steals
7-for-15 from the field, 3-for-5 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
The Michael Finley Redemption Tour continues. For the fifth straight game, Finley played very well. In that stretch he is averaging 15.6 points on 52.5% shooting from the field and 60% shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Just as important, Finely is playing much better on the defensive end. Against the Clippers, he continued the trend by scoring 19 points and playing very impressive defense against Al Thornton, a player who repeatedly hurt the Spurs last season. If Finley can continue playing well on both ends of the court, it’ll be difficult for Pop to remove him from the starting small forward spot.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://www.iupuijags.com/images/2007/12/12/player_hill.jpg
21 minutes, two points, eight assists, five rebounds
0-for-5 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
Although George Hill struggled with his own shot, he did show improvements in other areas of his game. His passing was very crisp, as he hit players with passes in the right spots and at the right time. His overall court vision seemed improved and Hill also did a solid job on the boards. Davis bullied him defensively and kept Hill from getting many open looks, but Hill also hurt himself by not being as aggressive as he’s been in recent games. On the whole, it was another learning experience for the rookie point guard.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
14 minutes
0-for-1 from the field
Fabricio Oberto had one of the most invisible games of his career. In 14 minutes, he failed to score a point or grab a rebound. His rebounding is the aspect to be worried about. Compared to last season, he’s grabbing 36.5% less rebounds. As good as Oberto is as doing the small things such as setting picks and making the right pass, he’s a liability on the court if he can’t grab rebounds. Let’s hope his problems are due to a lack of effort rather than age slowing him down.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
25 minutes, six points, three assists
3-for-6 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers
Bruce Bowen once again played quite well off the bench. His defense was solid and his offense was actually pretty impressive. He’s running the floor hard and is giving the Spurs a nice bit of energy off the bench. For his efforts, Bowen led the team in +/- at +12. With the Bowen off the bench experiment going so well, Pop has plenty of options going forward in terms of how to handle the rotation once everyone is healthy.
-------------------------------
Jacque Vaughn
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3195.jpg
23 minutes, four points, five assists, two steals
2-for-9 from the field
While Jacque Vaughn didn’t play as well as he did against the Sacramento Kings, he was still a vital part of the win. His offensive aggressiveness was extremely helpful, especially when the offense began to stagnate. Vaughn’s passing was impressive, as was his physicality on defense. He didn’t have a good shooting game and he had some problems handling the ball, but all in all Vaughn did his job.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
17 minutes, seven points, four rebounds
3-for-7 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
After two very good games, Matt Bonner took a half step back against the Clippers. The good news is that he played well enough to continue getting minutes in the next few games. Most of his negative issues came on the offensive end when he failed to make the right pass. Bonner’s defense was solid and he did a good enough job on the boards. The fact that Pop felt comfortable enough to end the game with Bonner on the court for the third straight contest indicates that Pop’s confidence level in him is high – which hasn’t been the case too often in the last two plus seasons.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
15 minutes, two points, two rebounds
1-for-3 from the field
Kurt Thomas was somewhat useful but not as useful as one would expect going against the massive frontline of Kaman and Camby. His post defense was sturdy but he had a hard time crashing the boards and his jumper wasn’t able to help spread the court. Like Oberto, it’d be nice to see some signs of life out of him in the next few weeks so the Spurs know whether or not they have enough capable bigmen on the roster.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
15 minutes, two points, three rebounds
1-for-3 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Following a DNP-CD against the Kings, Udoka was back in action. Although he didn’t play remarkably well, he played better than he did in any of the three games he started. He rebounded, played defense and wasn’t overanxious offensively. Ideally, Udoka would play well enough to start at small forward. But after his disastrous three-game stretch in that position, he’ll have to regain Pop’s trust.
-------------------------------
Blake Ahearn
http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/4/44070m.JPG
four minutes, three points
1-for-2 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
The newly signed Blake Ahearn got his first action as a Spur. Even though Ahearn didn’t play too well – he had problems handling the ball and his defense was undetectable – it was expected. Since signing with San Antonio, Ahearn didn’t get a chance to even practice with the team before playing in his first game. Despite his struggles, he showed a good outside stroke and didn’t look intimidated by the situation.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
When Tony Parker got injured, I said it was time for Pop to show why he’s a Hall of Fame coach. Four wins in five games later, Pop has done just that. On Monday, he helped coax another win out of a shorthanded roster that was also visibly tired. I like how he’s handling Hill, insofar as he’s balancing winning games with giving Hill experience. Pop continuing to go with Bonner seems like the right move and he also did a good job of finding some minutes for Ahearn to get his feet wet. The one glaring negative was playing Duncan 40 minutes on the second game of a back-to-back. I’m not sure that a November win is worth fatiguing the foundation.
-------------------------------
Offense
The offense was unspectacular yet decent enough. Their main problems came in that six and half minute stretch in the fourth quarter, where the team had five missed field goals and five turnovers. However, most of those issues were probably due to fatigue since the Spurs got uncharacteristically sloppy and had a perceptible lack of energy. Shooting-wise, the Spurs did well, shooting 44.4% from the field and hitting 8-of-20 three-pointers. Where the team really missed Manu Ginobili and Parker was when it came to getting to the line. Their six free throw attempts were a season-low, however they’ve had problems getting to the line even during this latest winning stretch.
Defense
The Spurs had another very fine defensive performance. If it wasn’t for Cuttino Mobley getting hot in the second half, the defensive statistics would have looked even better. As it played out, the Clippers shot only 41.4% from the field and only 3-of-16 from downtown Los Angeles. The eight blocked shots by the Spurs were also good to see. Rebounding, though, remains a problem. The Clippers had a 47-36 advantage on the glass, mostly due to the 14 offensive boards they were able to corral. For the Spurs to eventually return to elite status, they will have to start grabbing more defensive rebounds. The return of Ginobili and Parker won’t mean anything if they keep getting dominated on the boards.
Drive to Survive
Although the Spurs did a great job over the last five games, the schedule toughens up in their next two contests. The Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night will be an extremely difficult matchup, which will then be followed by the equally talented Utah Jazz on Friday. Thankfully, both games are at home so the Spurs should have a fighting chance. Great defense, improved rebounding and aggressive offense is the formula for the Spurs to use to have success and try to secure a another big win.
Believe.