timvp
12-22-2008, 05:17 AM
After a pair of demoralizing losses, the San Antonio Spurs needed to bounce back with a solid victory. Against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night in the AT&T Center, the Spurs successfully ended their losing streak. Using long range bombs, San Antonio came out victorious by a final score of 107-97.
Although the Spurs lead for the final 31 minutes of the game, the Raptors were able to close the gap to six points with approximately three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan responded with two straight buckets and Tony Parker hit a jumper to close out any hopes for Toronto.
I wasn’t too impressed with what I saw out of Toronto. They looked substantially worse than they did last season. Their interim head coach Jay Triano had one of the worst game plans I’ve ever witnessed. He basically dared the Spurs to win by hitting wide open three-pointers. When the Spurs got figured it out and got hot from the outside, Toronto's game plan remained exactly the same. It’s rare when the opposing team never even attempts to make an adjustment during a game.
As for the Spurs, they have now won 14 straight games in which they’ve scored at least 90 points. In their last 11 wins, they have averaged 108.5 points per game. While it’s good that the Spurs have been so dominant when their offense shows up, this is not exactly the championship formula the Spurs have used in the past. Over the years, the Spurs have made a living of winning low scoring affairs. This year’s version of the Spurs may have to rely on their offense to come through like it did against Toronto.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
34 minutes, 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four blocks, four turnovers
8-for-14 from the field, 3-for-7 at the line
Tim Duncan had a good yet unspectacular game. He wasn’t as involved as he typically is offensively, although he stepped up at the end of the game when the Raptors made a run. Defensively, he was above average – especially in the first half. His one-on-one defense slipped a bit in the second half and he didn’t rebound well the entire night. Overall, considering how much the Raptors were packing the paint on defense and going to their bigmen on offense, Duncan did enough to rise to the challenge.
-------------------------------
Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
25 minutes, 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four turnovers
4-for-8 from the field, 3-for-5 on three-pointers
Manu Ginobili didn’t have a loud game but he chose his spots well. With the Raptors giving up the three-pointer, Ginobili spent most of his time on the perimeter on offense. Defensively, he played hard and crashed the boards extremely well for the third consecutive game. Turnovers, however, were again a problem for Ginobili – who now has 12 turnovers in the last three games. The best news is that his athletic ability seems to be improving slowly but surely.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
39 minutes, 24 points, ten assists, eight rebounds
11-for-19 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Tony Parker rebounded from his worst game of the season by having one of his best performances of the year. He repeatedly sliced Toronto’s defense by getting into the paint and finding open shooters. When he wasn’t setting up his teammates, he was scoring a team-high 24 points. Parker also had eight rebounds – falling two rebounds shy of his first career triple-double. Perhaps most impressively, in his 39 minutes of creating shots almost every time up the court, he had only one turnover to go with his ten assists. If Parker can continue to play at this level, the Spurs would become an extremely tough team to defeat.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
33 minutes, 14 points, three rebounds, two assists
5-for-10 from the field, 4-for-8 on three-pointers
After three straight sub par games, Michael Finley had a good outing against the Raptors. His four three-pointers made and eight three-pointers attempted with both season-high marks. The three-pointers were especially nice to see considering that he was two for his last 12 from deep. On defense, he actually did a good job against Jamario Moon – even though Moon had a substantial athleticism advantage.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
29 minutes, 14 points, three rebounds, three assists
5-for-8 from the field, 4-for-7 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner’s shooting disaster against the Hornets is now all but forgotten. Against Toronto, he shot the ball with confidence and drained four of his seven three-point attempts. He’s once again leading the NBA in three-point percentage at 49.3%. Additionally, his two-point percentage of 56.6% leads the Spurs. Bonner played well on defense on Saturday night, however he struggled on the boards for the second straight game.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
30 minutes, 16 points, five rebounds, three assists
6-for-11 from the field, 4-for-6 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. had one of his better games of the last month. He shot the ball well, especially from beyond the three-point line. He helped out on the boards and made some good passes. Defensively, he played better than usual and did a much better job of fighting around screens. In his 30 minutes, Mason finished with a team-best plus/minus of +12. His minutes played were the most he’s seen since Dec. 2 against the Pistons.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
25 minutes, four points, 12 rebounds, three blocks
2-for-6 from the field
Off the bench, Kurt Thomas played fantastic basketball. He had a season-high 12 rebounds and tied his season-high with three blocked shots. His defense on the low block was really good and he did a fine job of protecting the rim. Although he missed a few easy shots offensively, he showed good effort and kept balls alive on the offensive glass. If he keeps playing well, he could carve out a substantial role that sees him playing around 20 minutes per game.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
9 minutes, one turnover
With the way Parker was playing, the Spurs needed him out on the court as much as possible. As a result, George Hill only played nine minutes. It also didn’t help that with the Raptors packing the lane, Hill was unable to penetrate and kick to disrupt their strategy. Although his defense was solid, the Spurs need Hill to make more of an impact – even if his minutes are limited.
-------------------------------
Anthony Tolliver
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4371.jpg
8 minutes, two rebounds, one assist
0-for-5 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers, 0-for-2 at the line
It’s tough to figure out Anthony Tolliver. He shot lights out during summer league. In his recent stint with the Austin Toros, he shot 48.8% from three-point territory. Against the Raptors, Tolliver missed three more three-pointers and is now just 6-for-31 (19.4%) on the season for the Spurs. A couple of his latest misses weren’t even close. Outside of his inability to shoot from downtown, Tolliver actually played pretty well. He hustled, he ran the court extremely well, he defended with aggression and he was strong on the glass. That said, he’s going to have to find his three-point stroke to stick on the NBA level.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
four minutes, one steal
0-for-3 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers
Ime Udoka got some first quarter minutes for the second straight game. However, for the second straight game, Udoka didn’t play well in his first quarter stint. This time he missed all three of his three-pointers and wasn’t a factor on the defensive end of the court. It seems like every time Pop gives Udoka a chance to get back into the rotation he responds with a clunker.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
four minutes, three points, one rebound
1-for-2 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Bruce Bowen was the first player off the bench for San Antonio. After playing four minutes, he never saw the court again. Bowen’s lack of minutes somewhat made sense considering that the Raptors don’t have a perimeter scoring threat to warrant his attention. Plus, with all the room the Spurs had out on the perimeter, getting the most scorers out on the court was the right way to go.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Pop coached a pretty good ballgame. He put a lot of responsibility (and playing time) on Parker’s shoulders and Parker responded very well. He also juggled the lineup until he could find the three-point shooting combination that could take advantage of Toronto’s defensive strategy. I’m glad that he gave Mason more minutes than usual and even ran a few plays for him. Going forward, hopefully Pop continues to realize Mason is an important part of the team who needs to stay involved.
-------------------------------
Offense
Usually when the Spurs rely too much on three-point shooting it’s a bad thing. But on Saturday night, San Antonio was just taking what Toronto was offering. As a result, the Spurs tied their franchise records in three-pointers (16) made and attempted (35). Overall, the Spurs shot 48.8% from the field and had 26 assists to only ten turnovers. The 13 free throw attempts were low but not at all surprising considering the number of threes they shot.
Defense
The defense on the night was adequate. The Raptors shot 45.5% from the field, 33.3% on three-pointers and shot only 15 free throws. The Spurs also did a very good job on the boards – outrebounding the Raptors 48-38. The bad news is that the defense got progressively worse as the game went on and the Spurs were only able to force four turnovers. Truth be told, the Spurs haven’t had a really good defensive showing for a few weeks now.
Drive to Five
The win against the Raptors improved the Spurs’ record to 16-10. They now have a back-to-back at home against two teams they should beat. First comes the Sacramento Kings on Monday, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. The Spurs need to get both of these games.
Believe.
Although the Spurs lead for the final 31 minutes of the game, the Raptors were able to close the gap to six points with approximately three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan responded with two straight buckets and Tony Parker hit a jumper to close out any hopes for Toronto.
I wasn’t too impressed with what I saw out of Toronto. They looked substantially worse than they did last season. Their interim head coach Jay Triano had one of the worst game plans I’ve ever witnessed. He basically dared the Spurs to win by hitting wide open three-pointers. When the Spurs got figured it out and got hot from the outside, Toronto's game plan remained exactly the same. It’s rare when the opposing team never even attempts to make an adjustment during a game.
As for the Spurs, they have now won 14 straight games in which they’ve scored at least 90 points. In their last 11 wins, they have averaged 108.5 points per game. While it’s good that the Spurs have been so dominant when their offense shows up, this is not exactly the championship formula the Spurs have used in the past. Over the years, the Spurs have made a living of winning low scoring affairs. This year’s version of the Spurs may have to rely on their offense to come through like it did against Toronto.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
34 minutes, 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four blocks, four turnovers
8-for-14 from the field, 3-for-7 at the line
Tim Duncan had a good yet unspectacular game. He wasn’t as involved as he typically is offensively, although he stepped up at the end of the game when the Raptors made a run. Defensively, he was above average – especially in the first half. His one-on-one defense slipped a bit in the second half and he didn’t rebound well the entire night. Overall, considering how much the Raptors were packing the paint on defense and going to their bigmen on offense, Duncan did enough to rise to the challenge.
-------------------------------
Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
25 minutes, 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four turnovers
4-for-8 from the field, 3-for-5 on three-pointers
Manu Ginobili didn’t have a loud game but he chose his spots well. With the Raptors giving up the three-pointer, Ginobili spent most of his time on the perimeter on offense. Defensively, he played hard and crashed the boards extremely well for the third consecutive game. Turnovers, however, were again a problem for Ginobili – who now has 12 turnovers in the last three games. The best news is that his athletic ability seems to be improving slowly but surely.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
39 minutes, 24 points, ten assists, eight rebounds
11-for-19 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Tony Parker rebounded from his worst game of the season by having one of his best performances of the year. He repeatedly sliced Toronto’s defense by getting into the paint and finding open shooters. When he wasn’t setting up his teammates, he was scoring a team-high 24 points. Parker also had eight rebounds – falling two rebounds shy of his first career triple-double. Perhaps most impressively, in his 39 minutes of creating shots almost every time up the court, he had only one turnover to go with his ten assists. If Parker can continue to play at this level, the Spurs would become an extremely tough team to defeat.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
33 minutes, 14 points, three rebounds, two assists
5-for-10 from the field, 4-for-8 on three-pointers
After three straight sub par games, Michael Finley had a good outing against the Raptors. His four three-pointers made and eight three-pointers attempted with both season-high marks. The three-pointers were especially nice to see considering that he was two for his last 12 from deep. On defense, he actually did a good job against Jamario Moon – even though Moon had a substantial athleticism advantage.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
29 minutes, 14 points, three rebounds, three assists
5-for-8 from the field, 4-for-7 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner’s shooting disaster against the Hornets is now all but forgotten. Against Toronto, he shot the ball with confidence and drained four of his seven three-point attempts. He’s once again leading the NBA in three-point percentage at 49.3%. Additionally, his two-point percentage of 56.6% leads the Spurs. Bonner played well on defense on Saturday night, however he struggled on the boards for the second straight game.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
30 minutes, 16 points, five rebounds, three assists
6-for-11 from the field, 4-for-6 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. had one of his better games of the last month. He shot the ball well, especially from beyond the three-point line. He helped out on the boards and made some good passes. Defensively, he played better than usual and did a much better job of fighting around screens. In his 30 minutes, Mason finished with a team-best plus/minus of +12. His minutes played were the most he’s seen since Dec. 2 against the Pistons.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
25 minutes, four points, 12 rebounds, three blocks
2-for-6 from the field
Off the bench, Kurt Thomas played fantastic basketball. He had a season-high 12 rebounds and tied his season-high with three blocked shots. His defense on the low block was really good and he did a fine job of protecting the rim. Although he missed a few easy shots offensively, he showed good effort and kept balls alive on the offensive glass. If he keeps playing well, he could carve out a substantial role that sees him playing around 20 minutes per game.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
9 minutes, one turnover
With the way Parker was playing, the Spurs needed him out on the court as much as possible. As a result, George Hill only played nine minutes. It also didn’t help that with the Raptors packing the lane, Hill was unable to penetrate and kick to disrupt their strategy. Although his defense was solid, the Spurs need Hill to make more of an impact – even if his minutes are limited.
-------------------------------
Anthony Tolliver
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4371.jpg
8 minutes, two rebounds, one assist
0-for-5 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers, 0-for-2 at the line
It’s tough to figure out Anthony Tolliver. He shot lights out during summer league. In his recent stint with the Austin Toros, he shot 48.8% from three-point territory. Against the Raptors, Tolliver missed three more three-pointers and is now just 6-for-31 (19.4%) on the season for the Spurs. A couple of his latest misses weren’t even close. Outside of his inability to shoot from downtown, Tolliver actually played pretty well. He hustled, he ran the court extremely well, he defended with aggression and he was strong on the glass. That said, he’s going to have to find his three-point stroke to stick on the NBA level.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
four minutes, one steal
0-for-3 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers
Ime Udoka got some first quarter minutes for the second straight game. However, for the second straight game, Udoka didn’t play well in his first quarter stint. This time he missed all three of his three-pointers and wasn’t a factor on the defensive end of the court. It seems like every time Pop gives Udoka a chance to get back into the rotation he responds with a clunker.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
four minutes, three points, one rebound
1-for-2 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Bruce Bowen was the first player off the bench for San Antonio. After playing four minutes, he never saw the court again. Bowen’s lack of minutes somewhat made sense considering that the Raptors don’t have a perimeter scoring threat to warrant his attention. Plus, with all the room the Spurs had out on the perimeter, getting the most scorers out on the court was the right way to go.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Pop coached a pretty good ballgame. He put a lot of responsibility (and playing time) on Parker’s shoulders and Parker responded very well. He also juggled the lineup until he could find the three-point shooting combination that could take advantage of Toronto’s defensive strategy. I’m glad that he gave Mason more minutes than usual and even ran a few plays for him. Going forward, hopefully Pop continues to realize Mason is an important part of the team who needs to stay involved.
-------------------------------
Offense
Usually when the Spurs rely too much on three-point shooting it’s a bad thing. But on Saturday night, San Antonio was just taking what Toronto was offering. As a result, the Spurs tied their franchise records in three-pointers (16) made and attempted (35). Overall, the Spurs shot 48.8% from the field and had 26 assists to only ten turnovers. The 13 free throw attempts were low but not at all surprising considering the number of threes they shot.
Defense
The defense on the night was adequate. The Raptors shot 45.5% from the field, 33.3% on three-pointers and shot only 15 free throws. The Spurs also did a very good job on the boards – outrebounding the Raptors 48-38. The bad news is that the defense got progressively worse as the game went on and the Spurs were only able to force four turnovers. Truth be told, the Spurs haven’t had a really good defensive showing for a few weeks now.
Drive to Five
The win against the Raptors improved the Spurs’ record to 16-10. They now have a back-to-back at home against two teams they should beat. First comes the Sacramento Kings on Monday, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. The Spurs need to get both of these games.
Believe.