timvp
12-16-2008, 11:40 AM
Some regular season games are better left forgotten. After the first quarter, the San Antonio Spurs held a 39-19 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Over the course of the remaining three periods, the Thunder actually outplayed the Spurs. Thankfully, the good guys were able to pull away late to secure a 109-104 victory.
The winning bucket came courtesy of Manu Ginobili. Following a Kevin Durant layup that cut San Antonio’s lead to two points, Tim Duncan threw a long inbounds pass to Ginobili who got fouled and then connected on an improbable finish at the rim. Following the Ginobili free throw, the Spurs got a stop and the game was over.
As for the Thunder, they looked better than a team that is now 2-23. Durant and Jeff Green are a dynamic duo who complement each other very well. Compared to last year, Durant has much better shot selection and his defense is vastly improved. However, he might be the worst passing perimeter player in the NBA, which is part of the reason why all the role players on the Thunder are having horrible seasons. Green’s overall game is much stronger compared to his rookie season and he now looks like a legit starter.
The sixth straight wins for the Spurs is noteworthy – even though this latest game wasn’t very impressive. They had a letdown after gaining a big lead and almost lost a home game to a horrible squad. For much of the final three quarters the offense was stagnant and the defense was atrocious. Thankfully the Spurs got the win so they can just burn the game film and move on.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
36 minutes, 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists
6-for-12 from the field, 8-for-10 at the line
Tim Duncan had a relatively poor game. Defensively, his help defense was missing in action for the first 47 minutes of the game. He came up with a key block late in the game, but that was after getting scored on about a dozen times due to either late or halfhearted rotations. On offense, he was passive for a few stretches but did a good job late in the game of upping his aggression. The best part of his night was his passing, especially from the high block.
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Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
30 minutes, 14 points, six assists, five rebounds
5-for-10 from the field, 0-for-4 on three-pointers
Manu Ginobili wasn’t spectacular but he had a solid outing. Defensively, it was a forgettable performance. Offensively, he did a much better job of being patient and not forcing the issue. He even played well with George Hill – which isn’t something we’ve seen all season. Although his three-point shot wasn’t falling, he was able to hit 5-of-6 two-pointers. On the season, he’s now hitting 57.8% of his two-pointers – by far the highest mark of his career.
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Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
37 minutes, 22 points, seven assists
9-for-18 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line
Tony Parker was the poster child for what ailed the Spurs on Sunday night. He was really good to start the game and end the game but wasn’t too helpful in the middle of the contest. Defensively he had his moments, especially when defending Russell Westbrook. His passing was sharp for much of the night, finishing with seven assists and two turnovers. Over his last five games, Parker is averaging 7.4 assists and 1.4 turnovers – giving him a pristine assist to turnover of better than 5-to-1.
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Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
31 minutes, seven points, four rebounds, four assists
3-for-8 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers
Michael Finley had a decent enough outing. His shot selection was good and he also passed the ball well and helped out on the boards. Defensively he didn’t have much hope when matched up against either Durant or Green, but that was a common theme for all the Spurs on this night. Finley is really beginning to lay his claim to the starting small forward position. In his ten games starting at the position, he’s averaging 12.4 points per game on 47.6% shooting from the field.
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Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
34 minutes, 17 points, eight rebounds, two steals
5-for-8 from the field, 3-for-5 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner continues to impress offensively. His 5-for-8 shooting from the field included 3-of-5 from three-point range. He’s averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds in 27.8 minutes over the last five games, shooing 65.9% from the field and 58.8% from beyond the three-point arc. On the other end of the court against the Thunder, Bonner wasn’t nearly as effective. He had a hard time staying in front of Green and got obliterated by Durant in their one-on-one matchups. To Bonner’s credit, he got a little bit better as the game went along. On the season, one interesting aspect to Bonner’s season is he simply doesn’t get to the line anymore. In 438 minutes, he’s gone to the line five times. Last season, he got to the line 44 times in 853 minutes. That means he went to the line four and a half times more often last season.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
28 minutes, 14 points, two assists
5-for-8 from the field, 4-for-7 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. broke out of his shooting slump with 14 points in the first half. Amazingly enough, he played the entire third quarter without even getting off a shot. In the fourth quarter, he shot only once in the two minutes he was on the court. The reason for his drop in production from one half to the next was a result of the offense. The ball movement was good in the first half, specifically in the first quarter. But then the ball movement ceased to exist in the rest of the game. Defensively, Mason was decent but he struggled a bit in transition. Overall, the 14 points marked Mason’s highest output since the Spurs have returned to full strength.
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Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
17 minutes, one rebound, one block
Bruce Bowen was called upon to try to slow down Durant but he wasn’t able to do much. By the time Bowen was put on him, Durant was scoring the ball extremely well. It also didn’t help that there was no help defense behind Bowen. Offensively, Bowen didn’t shoot the ball for the second consecutive game. In the last three games (a total of 51 minutes), Bowen has only one field goal attempt. On the season, his rate of field goals attempted has dropped by about 35% since last season – and last season he set his career-low for field goal attempted per minute.
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Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
14 minutes, six points, three rebounds
2-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Kurt Thomas actually played well against the Thunder. His only blemishes were when he was caught on the perimeter trying to defend Green, which ended as badly as one would imagine. Defensively, he banged well down low and also rebounded well. On the offense end, he was aggressive and once again converted on his free throws. The career 76.4% free throw shooter is 14-for-16 at the charity stripe this season.
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George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
13 minutes, nine points, two rebounds, two assists
4-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Although George Hill only played 13 minutes, he was productive in his time on the court. On offense he continues to move without the ball very well to create easy opportunities for himself. He also connected on a three-pointer for the fifth time in his last six games. Hill’s defense was a bit reckless but it was effective in slowing down the stampeding Thunder. Overall, Hill seems to be carving out a niche that could see him average about eight points, three rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes per game. It’s not the gaudy stats he was putting up earlier when his role was bigger but if he can keep it up, he’ll continue being a very important part of this team.
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Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Pop didn’t have much of an impact on this game. He basically had to just hope that the team could re-energize itself before the Thunder were able to come all the way back. Even though it was a close call, it worked out well enough at the end. I liked that he gave Bonner extended minutes, although I would have liked to see Mason and Hill play a few more minutes. Bowen on Durant or Green earlier in the game probably would have kept one of the two from going off.
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Offense
The offense bogged down in the second and third quarters but clicked well in the first and fourth quarters. All told, the resulting stats say it was a good offensive showing. The Spurs shot 51.2% from the field, connected on 9-of-23 three-pointers and got to the line 25 times. They also had 28 assists compared to only ten turnovers. The Spurs now have 666 points during their six-game winning streak – for an average of 111 points per game.
Defense
The defense started off decently enough but was extremely poor in the final three quarters. After scoring 19 points in the first, the Thunder exploded for 85 points over the remaining periods. On the game, Oklahoma City shot 51.8% from the field and had only ten turnovers. The only bright spots defensively were the three-point defense (6-for-17) and the fact that the Thunder only got to the line 12 times. Rebounding-wise, the Spurs were only able to match the Thunder’s 37 rebounds.
Drive to Five
On Wednesday, the Spurs will have a major challenge when they travel to New Orleans to face the Hornets. It’ll be the first regular season contest between the two teams since the Game 7 showdown last season. Before San Antonio’s victory in Game 7 at New Orleans, the previous five trips into that city last season resulted in five losses by an average of 21.2 points per game. Hopefully the Spurs can make it two in a row in New Orleans.
Believe.
The winning bucket came courtesy of Manu Ginobili. Following a Kevin Durant layup that cut San Antonio’s lead to two points, Tim Duncan threw a long inbounds pass to Ginobili who got fouled and then connected on an improbable finish at the rim. Following the Ginobili free throw, the Spurs got a stop and the game was over.
As for the Thunder, they looked better than a team that is now 2-23. Durant and Jeff Green are a dynamic duo who complement each other very well. Compared to last year, Durant has much better shot selection and his defense is vastly improved. However, he might be the worst passing perimeter player in the NBA, which is part of the reason why all the role players on the Thunder are having horrible seasons. Green’s overall game is much stronger compared to his rookie season and he now looks like a legit starter.
The sixth straight wins for the Spurs is noteworthy – even though this latest game wasn’t very impressive. They had a letdown after gaining a big lead and almost lost a home game to a horrible squad. For much of the final three quarters the offense was stagnant and the defense was atrocious. Thankfully the Spurs got the win so they can just burn the game film and move on.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
36 minutes, 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists
6-for-12 from the field, 8-for-10 at the line
Tim Duncan had a relatively poor game. Defensively, his help defense was missing in action for the first 47 minutes of the game. He came up with a key block late in the game, but that was after getting scored on about a dozen times due to either late or halfhearted rotations. On offense, he was passive for a few stretches but did a good job late in the game of upping his aggression. The best part of his night was his passing, especially from the high block.
-------------------------------
Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
30 minutes, 14 points, six assists, five rebounds
5-for-10 from the field, 0-for-4 on three-pointers
Manu Ginobili wasn’t spectacular but he had a solid outing. Defensively, it was a forgettable performance. Offensively, he did a much better job of being patient and not forcing the issue. He even played well with George Hill – which isn’t something we’ve seen all season. Although his three-point shot wasn’t falling, he was able to hit 5-of-6 two-pointers. On the season, he’s now hitting 57.8% of his two-pointers – by far the highest mark of his career.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
37 minutes, 22 points, seven assists
9-for-18 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line
Tony Parker was the poster child for what ailed the Spurs on Sunday night. He was really good to start the game and end the game but wasn’t too helpful in the middle of the contest. Defensively he had his moments, especially when defending Russell Westbrook. His passing was sharp for much of the night, finishing with seven assists and two turnovers. Over his last five games, Parker is averaging 7.4 assists and 1.4 turnovers – giving him a pristine assist to turnover of better than 5-to-1.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
31 minutes, seven points, four rebounds, four assists
3-for-8 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers
Michael Finley had a decent enough outing. His shot selection was good and he also passed the ball well and helped out on the boards. Defensively he didn’t have much hope when matched up against either Durant or Green, but that was a common theme for all the Spurs on this night. Finley is really beginning to lay his claim to the starting small forward position. In his ten games starting at the position, he’s averaging 12.4 points per game on 47.6% shooting from the field.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
34 minutes, 17 points, eight rebounds, two steals
5-for-8 from the field, 3-for-5 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner continues to impress offensively. His 5-for-8 shooting from the field included 3-of-5 from three-point range. He’s averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds in 27.8 minutes over the last five games, shooing 65.9% from the field and 58.8% from beyond the three-point arc. On the other end of the court against the Thunder, Bonner wasn’t nearly as effective. He had a hard time staying in front of Green and got obliterated by Durant in their one-on-one matchups. To Bonner’s credit, he got a little bit better as the game went along. On the season, one interesting aspect to Bonner’s season is he simply doesn’t get to the line anymore. In 438 minutes, he’s gone to the line five times. Last season, he got to the line 44 times in 853 minutes. That means he went to the line four and a half times more often last season.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
28 minutes, 14 points, two assists
5-for-8 from the field, 4-for-7 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. broke out of his shooting slump with 14 points in the first half. Amazingly enough, he played the entire third quarter without even getting off a shot. In the fourth quarter, he shot only once in the two minutes he was on the court. The reason for his drop in production from one half to the next was a result of the offense. The ball movement was good in the first half, specifically in the first quarter. But then the ball movement ceased to exist in the rest of the game. Defensively, Mason was decent but he struggled a bit in transition. Overall, the 14 points marked Mason’s highest output since the Spurs have returned to full strength.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
17 minutes, one rebound, one block
Bruce Bowen was called upon to try to slow down Durant but he wasn’t able to do much. By the time Bowen was put on him, Durant was scoring the ball extremely well. It also didn’t help that there was no help defense behind Bowen. Offensively, Bowen didn’t shoot the ball for the second consecutive game. In the last three games (a total of 51 minutes), Bowen has only one field goal attempt. On the season, his rate of field goals attempted has dropped by about 35% since last season – and last season he set his career-low for field goal attempted per minute.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
14 minutes, six points, three rebounds
2-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Kurt Thomas actually played well against the Thunder. His only blemishes were when he was caught on the perimeter trying to defend Green, which ended as badly as one would imagine. Defensively, he banged well down low and also rebounded well. On the offense end, he was aggressive and once again converted on his free throws. The career 76.4% free throw shooter is 14-for-16 at the charity stripe this season.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
13 minutes, nine points, two rebounds, two assists
4-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Although George Hill only played 13 minutes, he was productive in his time on the court. On offense he continues to move without the ball very well to create easy opportunities for himself. He also connected on a three-pointer for the fifth time in his last six games. Hill’s defense was a bit reckless but it was effective in slowing down the stampeding Thunder. Overall, Hill seems to be carving out a niche that could see him average about eight points, three rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes per game. It’s not the gaudy stats he was putting up earlier when his role was bigger but if he can keep it up, he’ll continue being a very important part of this team.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Pop didn’t have much of an impact on this game. He basically had to just hope that the team could re-energize itself before the Thunder were able to come all the way back. Even though it was a close call, it worked out well enough at the end. I liked that he gave Bonner extended minutes, although I would have liked to see Mason and Hill play a few more minutes. Bowen on Durant or Green earlier in the game probably would have kept one of the two from going off.
-------------------------------
Offense
The offense bogged down in the second and third quarters but clicked well in the first and fourth quarters. All told, the resulting stats say it was a good offensive showing. The Spurs shot 51.2% from the field, connected on 9-of-23 three-pointers and got to the line 25 times. They also had 28 assists compared to only ten turnovers. The Spurs now have 666 points during their six-game winning streak – for an average of 111 points per game.
Defense
The defense started off decently enough but was extremely poor in the final three quarters. After scoring 19 points in the first, the Thunder exploded for 85 points over the remaining periods. On the game, Oklahoma City shot 51.8% from the field and had only ten turnovers. The only bright spots defensively were the three-point defense (6-for-17) and the fact that the Thunder only got to the line 12 times. Rebounding-wise, the Spurs were only able to match the Thunder’s 37 rebounds.
Drive to Five
On Wednesday, the Spurs will have a major challenge when they travel to New Orleans to face the Hornets. It’ll be the first regular season contest between the two teams since the Game 7 showdown last season. Before San Antonio’s victory in Game 7 at New Orleans, the previous five trips into that city last season resulted in five losses by an average of 21.2 points per game. Hopefully the Spurs can make it two in a row in New Orleans.
Believe.