timvp
01-12-2009, 07:50 AM
The Orlando Magic came to San Antonio as the best road team in the NBA and left with another notch on their belt. Out-executing the Spurs down the stretch, the Magic were able to pull away late and capture a 105-98 victory.
The biggest play of the game came with about two and a half minutes left in the contest. After Manu Ginobili tied the game at 94, the Spurs were clamping down on D for a stop. However, with just a few seconds on the shot clock, Roger Mason, Jr. inexplicably double-teamed Dwight Howard and in doing so left JJ Redick wide open for a three-pointer. The Magic would never trail again in the contest.
Orlando deserves a lot of props for the win. Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson all played very well. Stan Van Gundy also drew up a masterful gameplan that both limited San Antonio’s three-point opportunities and forced the Spurs to scramble to cover Orlando’s long range shooters. It’ll be tough for the Magic to make it to the Finals this season but they have the look of a legitimate championship contender.
As for the Spurs, it was a difficult loss. The only bright spot is that they can point to one statistic as the reason for the defeat – three-pointers. The Magic hit a stunning 14-of-22 from beyond the three-point arc compared to 3-of-13 for the Spurs. In virtually every other statistic, the Spurs had the edge. That said, a loss is a loss and the Spurs still have a lot to prove – especially against the better teams in the league.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
37 minutes, 18 points, ten rebounds, five assists, three blocks
7-for-14 from the field, 4-for-4 from the line
Tim Duncan came out of the gates on fire offensively, cooled off for a large stretch in the middle and then closed the game decently. Although Howard deserves some credit for defending him well, the Spurs could have used a more demonstrative and aggressive Duncan in the final three quarters. On defense, Duncan didn’t start out too well but eventually got into a good groove defending Howard. Overall, it was an acceptable effort but the Spurs needed an exceptional effort – especially considering that the Magic weren’t sending many double-teams Duncan’s way.
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Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
32 minutes, 18 points, four assists, three rebounds, four turnovers
5-for-13 from the field, 1-for-5 on three-pointers, 7-for-7 at the line
As has been the case lately, Manu Ginobili’s stats look solid outside of his three-point shooting. However, this time Ginobili’s impact wasn’t nearly as positive. He seemed to have difficulty getting into a rhythm on both ends of the court. Ginobili was either trying to do too much or not doing enough. His team-worst plus/minus of -19 is indicative of his struggles on the night. One of his main issues is his three-point shooting. Connecting on just 16.7% of his threes in his last five games seems to have robbed him of some of his confidence and has made him indecisive at times. The good news is that he got to the free throw line seven times for a new season-high mark.
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Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
37 minutes, 31 points, six assists, three rebounds
13-for-22 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers, 4-for-4 at the line
Tony Parker had a peculiar game. He played really well for the first three quarters and then appeared to simply run out of gas down the stretch. In his first 27 minutes, Parker had 29 points and six assists. In his ten minute stretch in the fourth quarter, Parker had only two points on 1-for-4 shooting and didn’t have his usual elevation on two late shots at the rim. Parker’s defense also suffered in the fourth. Heading into the fourth, he had limited Nelson to ten points on 4-for-12 shooting. In the final stanza, Nelson had 12 points in ten minutes. Parker’s fourth quarters struggles tarnished an otherwise fine performance and were strange because the fourth has been his most productive quarter this season.
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Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
31 minutes, ten points, three rebounds, three assists
4-for-9 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
Michael Finley was the one player outside of the Big Three to find a way to hit double figures. He played hard and contributed offensively despite missing all three of his shots from beyond the arc. Defensively, Finley was mostly above average and even made a few of the better perimeter rotations for the Spurs on the night. And, for the first time in eight games, Finley drew a foul to get to the free throw line.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
33 minutes, five points, four rebounds, three assists
2-for-4 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. had a quiet night. With the Magic keying on him, he only got four shot attempts in 33 minutes. To his credit, he made a few good passes to help out a bit offensively despite the lack of attempts. The shame about his botched late game defensive rotation is that he had actually been playing good defense up until that point.
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Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
27 minutes, four points, seven rebounds, two steals
2-for-4 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Like Mason, the Magic purposely tried to limit Bonner’s looks. With a small forward on him for most of the game, Bonner had a tough time getting open. A good sign is that Bonner stuck with it and scored both of his hoops in the final half of the fourth quarter – a point of the game in which production out of Bonner isn’t very common. Defensively, he actually defended Lewis quite well for long stretches. More good news is that Bonner finally had a good rebounding game. The seven boards were the most he’s had since the fateful Hornets game.
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Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
21 minutes, three rebounds
0-for-1 from the field
Bruce Bowen didn’t have a very good game. He was scoreless on the offensive end and he didn’t make too much of a difference on the other end. Bowen’s defensive rotations weren't very sharp and he got beat in a few one-on-one situations. The only aspect of the game where he was helpful was on the defensive boards.
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George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
12 minutes, four points, two rebounds
2-for-5 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
George Hill wasn’t horrible but he also wasn’t as good as he was in his last two outings. His defensive intensity wasn’t at its highest level and he wasn’t aggressive enough offensively. When he attacks the rim with a purpose, he’s good at making plays. But when he goes to the rim unsure of himself, he oftentimes gets caught in no man’s land.
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Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
11 minutes, eight points, three rebounds
4-for-5 from the field
Kurt Thomas had his second consecutive quality showing. On offense, he was setting mean screens and connected on four shots from the perimeter. Defensively, Thomas roamed the paint well, rebounded with authority and played physical post defense. He basically played how the Spurs hoped he’d play when they traded for him last season.
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Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Although it’s tough to beat a team that is shooting lights out, Pop probably would have changed a few things if he could go back and do it again. First of all, it became pretty apparent that Parker needed a few more minutes of rest before his final stint. Also, a few more minutes of Thomas in place of Duncan probably would have helped Duncan at the end. With as much attention as the Big Three were getting, I didn’t think it made much sense for Pop to continually draw up plays for Duncan and Ginobili. More plays for Mason, Bonner or Finley could have helped lighten the load and allowed for more Big Three juice at the end.
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Offense
The Spurs did enough offensively to win the game. If the Spurs score 98 points, they should come out victorious. On the night, San Antonio shot 50.6% from the field, connected on all 17 of their free throw attempts and had 23 assists to only 11 turnovers. The 3-for-13 three-point shooting wasn’t too helpful and it’d be nice if the Spurs could make life easier by getting to the line more often.
Defense
It’d be easy to say that the Spurs played good defense if you ignore the three-point shooting, but it wasn’t like the Magic hit 14 contested three-pointers. In fact, most of their 14 three-pointers were wide open looks. The Spurs were just not very quick on the perimeter rotations, didn’t pick up three-point shooters well enough in transition and collapsed too much on penetration. For the game, the Magic shot 63.6% on three-pointers, 42.3% on two-pointers, hit 19-of-23 from the line and had 22 assists. The Magic only had six offensive rebounds and were outrebounded by a final count of 38-33.
Drive to Five
That was a tough loss to swallow and I’m sure the Spurs players, coaches and fans will have dreams of raining three-pointers. However, the most important thing now is to forget about the Magic and prepare for the test we’ve all been waiting for – the Los Angeles Lakers. On Wednesday, the Spurs and Lakers will rekindle their rivalry in the AT&T Center. A win would be a good way to forget all about the loss against Orlando.
Believe.
The biggest play of the game came with about two and a half minutes left in the contest. After Manu Ginobili tied the game at 94, the Spurs were clamping down on D for a stop. However, with just a few seconds on the shot clock, Roger Mason, Jr. inexplicably double-teamed Dwight Howard and in doing so left JJ Redick wide open for a three-pointer. The Magic would never trail again in the contest.
Orlando deserves a lot of props for the win. Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson all played very well. Stan Van Gundy also drew up a masterful gameplan that both limited San Antonio’s three-point opportunities and forced the Spurs to scramble to cover Orlando’s long range shooters. It’ll be tough for the Magic to make it to the Finals this season but they have the look of a legitimate championship contender.
As for the Spurs, it was a difficult loss. The only bright spot is that they can point to one statistic as the reason for the defeat – three-pointers. The Magic hit a stunning 14-of-22 from beyond the three-point arc compared to 3-of-13 for the Spurs. In virtually every other statistic, the Spurs had the edge. That said, a loss is a loss and the Spurs still have a lot to prove – especially against the better teams in the league.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
37 minutes, 18 points, ten rebounds, five assists, three blocks
7-for-14 from the field, 4-for-4 from the line
Tim Duncan came out of the gates on fire offensively, cooled off for a large stretch in the middle and then closed the game decently. Although Howard deserves some credit for defending him well, the Spurs could have used a more demonstrative and aggressive Duncan in the final three quarters. On defense, Duncan didn’t start out too well but eventually got into a good groove defending Howard. Overall, it was an acceptable effort but the Spurs needed an exceptional effort – especially considering that the Magic weren’t sending many double-teams Duncan’s way.
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Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
32 minutes, 18 points, four assists, three rebounds, four turnovers
5-for-13 from the field, 1-for-5 on three-pointers, 7-for-7 at the line
As has been the case lately, Manu Ginobili’s stats look solid outside of his three-point shooting. However, this time Ginobili’s impact wasn’t nearly as positive. He seemed to have difficulty getting into a rhythm on both ends of the court. Ginobili was either trying to do too much or not doing enough. His team-worst plus/minus of -19 is indicative of his struggles on the night. One of his main issues is his three-point shooting. Connecting on just 16.7% of his threes in his last five games seems to have robbed him of some of his confidence and has made him indecisive at times. The good news is that he got to the free throw line seven times for a new season-high mark.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
37 minutes, 31 points, six assists, three rebounds
13-for-22 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers, 4-for-4 at the line
Tony Parker had a peculiar game. He played really well for the first three quarters and then appeared to simply run out of gas down the stretch. In his first 27 minutes, Parker had 29 points and six assists. In his ten minute stretch in the fourth quarter, Parker had only two points on 1-for-4 shooting and didn’t have his usual elevation on two late shots at the rim. Parker’s defense also suffered in the fourth. Heading into the fourth, he had limited Nelson to ten points on 4-for-12 shooting. In the final stanza, Nelson had 12 points in ten minutes. Parker’s fourth quarters struggles tarnished an otherwise fine performance and were strange because the fourth has been his most productive quarter this season.
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Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
31 minutes, ten points, three rebounds, three assists
4-for-9 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
Michael Finley was the one player outside of the Big Three to find a way to hit double figures. He played hard and contributed offensively despite missing all three of his shots from beyond the arc. Defensively, Finley was mostly above average and even made a few of the better perimeter rotations for the Spurs on the night. And, for the first time in eight games, Finley drew a foul to get to the free throw line.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
33 minutes, five points, four rebounds, three assists
2-for-4 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. had a quiet night. With the Magic keying on him, he only got four shot attempts in 33 minutes. To his credit, he made a few good passes to help out a bit offensively despite the lack of attempts. The shame about his botched late game defensive rotation is that he had actually been playing good defense up until that point.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
27 minutes, four points, seven rebounds, two steals
2-for-4 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Like Mason, the Magic purposely tried to limit Bonner’s looks. With a small forward on him for most of the game, Bonner had a tough time getting open. A good sign is that Bonner stuck with it and scored both of his hoops in the final half of the fourth quarter – a point of the game in which production out of Bonner isn’t very common. Defensively, he actually defended Lewis quite well for long stretches. More good news is that Bonner finally had a good rebounding game. The seven boards were the most he’s had since the fateful Hornets game.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
21 minutes, three rebounds
0-for-1 from the field
Bruce Bowen didn’t have a very good game. He was scoreless on the offensive end and he didn’t make too much of a difference on the other end. Bowen’s defensive rotations weren't very sharp and he got beat in a few one-on-one situations. The only aspect of the game where he was helpful was on the defensive boards.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
12 minutes, four points, two rebounds
2-for-5 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
George Hill wasn’t horrible but he also wasn’t as good as he was in his last two outings. His defensive intensity wasn’t at its highest level and he wasn’t aggressive enough offensively. When he attacks the rim with a purpose, he’s good at making plays. But when he goes to the rim unsure of himself, he oftentimes gets caught in no man’s land.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
11 minutes, eight points, three rebounds
4-for-5 from the field
Kurt Thomas had his second consecutive quality showing. On offense, he was setting mean screens and connected on four shots from the perimeter. Defensively, Thomas roamed the paint well, rebounded with authority and played physical post defense. He basically played how the Spurs hoped he’d play when they traded for him last season.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Although it’s tough to beat a team that is shooting lights out, Pop probably would have changed a few things if he could go back and do it again. First of all, it became pretty apparent that Parker needed a few more minutes of rest before his final stint. Also, a few more minutes of Thomas in place of Duncan probably would have helped Duncan at the end. With as much attention as the Big Three were getting, I didn’t think it made much sense for Pop to continually draw up plays for Duncan and Ginobili. More plays for Mason, Bonner or Finley could have helped lighten the load and allowed for more Big Three juice at the end.
-------------------------------
Offense
The Spurs did enough offensively to win the game. If the Spurs score 98 points, they should come out victorious. On the night, San Antonio shot 50.6% from the field, connected on all 17 of their free throw attempts and had 23 assists to only 11 turnovers. The 3-for-13 three-point shooting wasn’t too helpful and it’d be nice if the Spurs could make life easier by getting to the line more often.
Defense
It’d be easy to say that the Spurs played good defense if you ignore the three-point shooting, but it wasn’t like the Magic hit 14 contested three-pointers. In fact, most of their 14 three-pointers were wide open looks. The Spurs were just not very quick on the perimeter rotations, didn’t pick up three-point shooters well enough in transition and collapsed too much on penetration. For the game, the Magic shot 63.6% on three-pointers, 42.3% on two-pointers, hit 19-of-23 from the line and had 22 assists. The Magic only had six offensive rebounds and were outrebounded by a final count of 38-33.
Drive to Five
That was a tough loss to swallow and I’m sure the Spurs players, coaches and fans will have dreams of raining three-pointers. However, the most important thing now is to forget about the Magic and prepare for the test we’ve all been waiting for – the Los Angeles Lakers. On Wednesday, the Spurs and Lakers will rekindle their rivalry in the AT&T Center. A win would be a good way to forget all about the loss against Orlando.
Believe.