timvp
01-25-2009, 07:17 AM
In yet another nail-biter, the San Antonio Spurs were able to survive. Although the New Jersey Nets never led in the fourth quarter, they remained within striking distance and forced the Spurs to execute down the stretch. The game wasn’t pretty but the Spurs won 94-91 and now lead the NBA with nine wins with a final margin of three or less points.
In the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, Tim Duncan and Michael Finley were the heroes. Duncan scored three baskets in that time frame – two of which came courtesy of his bank shot. Finley hit a pair of free throws to give the Spurs a four-point lead with just under four minutes remaining in the game. Up by one point with less than 30 seconds to go, Finley hit a three-pointer on a set play out of a timeout to once again give the Spurs a four-point cushion.
As for the Nets, they have some good pieces. Devin Harris and Vince Carter play very well together and they form one of the most formidable backcourts in the NBA. Rookie center Brook Lopez also illustrated intriguing potential as he spent most of his 36 minutes going up against Duncan.
Overall, it wasn’t a very memorable win but the defense was once again solid and the Spurs made enough offensive plays down the stretch to get the victory. With an ungodly forthcoming schedule, taking care of the Nets was essential.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
34 minutes, 30 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, four turnovers
13-for-21 from the field, 4-for-4 from the line
Tim Duncan carried the Spurs early and often against the Nets. In the first quarter, he had 14 points, seven rebounds and a block in ten minutes of action. He continued to play well in each of his stints and ended up having one of his best games of the season. His 30 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks were all highs for him in the month of January. Overall, it was the first time in nearly five years that anyone in the NBA has posted at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in a game. Duncan last accomplished the feat in March of 2003. The fact that Duncan can have a historic game without breaking a sweat is a pretty good indication that he’s still decent at basketball.
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Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
23 minutes, eight points, four assists, three rebounds, two blocks, three turnovers
3-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
This was a game that Manu Ginobili would love to just forget. Outside of a three-minute stretch between the third and fourth quarters, Ginobili didn’t score and his play was noticeable for the wrong reasons. In the first quarter, he got benched for careless plays on both ends of the court. At the end of the game, he bizarrely lost control of the ball when trying to dribble out the clock. While it’s true that he had some good plays sprinkled in throughout, the Spurs will need him to be much more focused and in rhythm if they are to survive the upcoming gauntlet.
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Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
35 minutes, 17 points, four assists, two rebounds, four turnovers
6-for-16 from the field, 5-for-6 at the line
In the first half, the Nets were giving Tony Parker extra attention to try to get him out of his comfort zones. The strategy worked and Parker helped it work by playing passively. In the third quarter, he was able to free himself – finishing the period with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. The fourth quarter saw more struggles from Parker. Overall, Parker didn’t play that well. Ignoring the third quarter, Parker was extremely poor. The only bright spot is he defended Harris decently well, especially compared to the lack of success others had against him.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
28 minutes, 14 points, three assists, two rebounds
4-for-9 from the field, 2-for-6 on three-pointers
Defensively, Roger Mason, Jr. wasn’t very good. His main defensive assignment was Carter and Mason didn’t do much to stop him. On offense, Mason was about average. Since the last Lakers game, Mason’s offense has been missing in action. In those five contests, he’s averaging 8.8 points on 34.9% shooting from the field and 30% shooting on three-pointers.
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Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
28 minutes, 11 points, three rebounds, three assists
4-for-7 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
Michael Finley shook off his shooting slump to post only his third 50% or better shooting night of the month. The most meaningful of his four shots was the corner three-pointer he hit late on a pass from Ginobili. Besides his shooting, Finley also rebounded well, made good decisions passing the ball and played surprisingly stout defense. Hopefully all of this is a sign that Finley’s slump is coming to an end.
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Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
27 minutes, three points, eight rebounds, one block
1-for-5 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers
Even though Matt Bonner didn’t shoot the ball well, his rebounding was impressive for the fourth straight game. In those four games, Bonner is averaging 17.1 rebounds per 48 minutes. In his previous 14 games, Bonner was only averaging 7.4 rebounds per 48 minutes. It’s no coincidence that the Spurs are suddenly a better defensive team when the bigman next to Duncan is helping out on the boards. As long as he continues to rebound and give effort on D, the rest of his game will take care of itself.
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Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
24 minutes, three points, four rebounds
1-for-2 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
After Carter had 15 points in the first half, Bruce Bowen got the call to start the second half and San Antonio’s perimeter stopper answered the bell. He harassed Carter for much of the second half and helped hold him to 4-for-11 shooting in the final two quarters. Bowen also had his second strong rebounding game. His nine rebounds in his last two contests matched the number of rebounds he had in the last ten outings.
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Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
21 minutes, six points, six rebounds
2-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Kurt Thomas wasn’t flashy but he got the job done. On offense, he set very good screens, aggressively looked for his shots and battled on the offensive glass. Defensively, Thomas guarded the block, rotated well and pounded the boards. With most of the upcoming games against teams that play big, Thomas will be extremely important.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
13 minutes, two points, one assist
1-for-3 from the field
George Hill didn’t have a very good showing. He was somewhat aggressive offensively but his decision-making was shaky. On defense, Harris got the best of him more often than not. Most of the time, Hill either conceded the basket or sent Harris to the line. On the whole, Hill remains streaky – as is the case with most rookies.
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Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
Six minutes, two rebounds
With the Spurs not playing too well, Fabricio Oberto get six first half minutes next to Duncan. The result was underwhelming. Oberto got two offensive rebounds but his defense wasn’t very strong and his rhythm offensively isn’t where it needs to be. Considering that he hasn’t been in the rotation for a while, the rust isn’t too surprising. However, what is surprising is the fact that Oberto simply can’t rebound on the defensive end of the court anymore. His last eight rebounds in the previous five games have all been offensive.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Most of Pop’s moves turned out for the better against the Nets. His biggest move was drawing up the play for Finley to hit his late three-pointer. Starting Bowen in the second half was a correct move. Pop also made sure Duncan got plenty of touches down the stretch. On the other side of the coin, I don’t totally agree with his Ginobili benching because Ginobili is still working his way back into condition and slip-ups are inevitable – even mental slip-ups. It was also fairly chilling that when he decided to start Bowen in the second half that he benched Mason rather than Finley.
-------------------------------
Offense
The offense was respectable. There were stagnant stretches but they usually found their rhythm before it got too bad. The Spurs finished the game shooting 46.7% from the field, tallied 21 assists and hit 18-of-19 free throws. The three-point shooting was off (6-for-18) and the 14 turnovers were a bit too high.
Defense
The defense was solid yet it was far from championship level. San Antonio held New Jersey to 42.5% shooting, however the Nets helped out by missing a lot of bunnies at the rim. Holding the Nets to 16 assists was good, as were the 18 free throw attempts. To their credit, the Nets did a great job taking care of the ball (five turnovers) and they shot the ball well from deep (6-for-15 on three-pointers).
Drive to Five
The Spurs now play 11 of their next 12 games on the road. On Sunday afternoon, this stretch will start off with a bang as the Spurs travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers. With the Lakers wanting revenge, this is surely going to be an extremely difficult test. A second win of the season against the Lakers would be huge for the confidence level.
Believe.
In the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, Tim Duncan and Michael Finley were the heroes. Duncan scored three baskets in that time frame – two of which came courtesy of his bank shot. Finley hit a pair of free throws to give the Spurs a four-point lead with just under four minutes remaining in the game. Up by one point with less than 30 seconds to go, Finley hit a three-pointer on a set play out of a timeout to once again give the Spurs a four-point cushion.
As for the Nets, they have some good pieces. Devin Harris and Vince Carter play very well together and they form one of the most formidable backcourts in the NBA. Rookie center Brook Lopez also illustrated intriguing potential as he spent most of his 36 minutes going up against Duncan.
Overall, it wasn’t a very memorable win but the defense was once again solid and the Spurs made enough offensive plays down the stretch to get the victory. With an ungodly forthcoming schedule, taking care of the Nets was essential.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
34 minutes, 30 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, four turnovers
13-for-21 from the field, 4-for-4 from the line
Tim Duncan carried the Spurs early and often against the Nets. In the first quarter, he had 14 points, seven rebounds and a block in ten minutes of action. He continued to play well in each of his stints and ended up having one of his best games of the season. His 30 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks were all highs for him in the month of January. Overall, it was the first time in nearly five years that anyone in the NBA has posted at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in a game. Duncan last accomplished the feat in March of 2003. The fact that Duncan can have a historic game without breaking a sweat is a pretty good indication that he’s still decent at basketball.
-------------------------------
Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
23 minutes, eight points, four assists, three rebounds, two blocks, three turnovers
3-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
This was a game that Manu Ginobili would love to just forget. Outside of a three-minute stretch between the third and fourth quarters, Ginobili didn’t score and his play was noticeable for the wrong reasons. In the first quarter, he got benched for careless plays on both ends of the court. At the end of the game, he bizarrely lost control of the ball when trying to dribble out the clock. While it’s true that he had some good plays sprinkled in throughout, the Spurs will need him to be much more focused and in rhythm if they are to survive the upcoming gauntlet.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
35 minutes, 17 points, four assists, two rebounds, four turnovers
6-for-16 from the field, 5-for-6 at the line
In the first half, the Nets were giving Tony Parker extra attention to try to get him out of his comfort zones. The strategy worked and Parker helped it work by playing passively. In the third quarter, he was able to free himself – finishing the period with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. The fourth quarter saw more struggles from Parker. Overall, Parker didn’t play that well. Ignoring the third quarter, Parker was extremely poor. The only bright spot is he defended Harris decently well, especially compared to the lack of success others had against him.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
28 minutes, 14 points, three assists, two rebounds
4-for-9 from the field, 2-for-6 on three-pointers
Defensively, Roger Mason, Jr. wasn’t very good. His main defensive assignment was Carter and Mason didn’t do much to stop him. On offense, Mason was about average. Since the last Lakers game, Mason’s offense has been missing in action. In those five contests, he’s averaging 8.8 points on 34.9% shooting from the field and 30% shooting on three-pointers.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
28 minutes, 11 points, three rebounds, three assists
4-for-7 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
Michael Finley shook off his shooting slump to post only his third 50% or better shooting night of the month. The most meaningful of his four shots was the corner three-pointer he hit late on a pass from Ginobili. Besides his shooting, Finley also rebounded well, made good decisions passing the ball and played surprisingly stout defense. Hopefully all of this is a sign that Finley’s slump is coming to an end.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
27 minutes, three points, eight rebounds, one block
1-for-5 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers
Even though Matt Bonner didn’t shoot the ball well, his rebounding was impressive for the fourth straight game. In those four games, Bonner is averaging 17.1 rebounds per 48 minutes. In his previous 14 games, Bonner was only averaging 7.4 rebounds per 48 minutes. It’s no coincidence that the Spurs are suddenly a better defensive team when the bigman next to Duncan is helping out on the boards. As long as he continues to rebound and give effort on D, the rest of his game will take care of itself.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
24 minutes, three points, four rebounds
1-for-2 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
After Carter had 15 points in the first half, Bruce Bowen got the call to start the second half and San Antonio’s perimeter stopper answered the bell. He harassed Carter for much of the second half and helped hold him to 4-for-11 shooting in the final two quarters. Bowen also had his second strong rebounding game. His nine rebounds in his last two contests matched the number of rebounds he had in the last ten outings.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
21 minutes, six points, six rebounds
2-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 at the line
Kurt Thomas wasn’t flashy but he got the job done. On offense, he set very good screens, aggressively looked for his shots and battled on the offensive glass. Defensively, Thomas guarded the block, rotated well and pounded the boards. With most of the upcoming games against teams that play big, Thomas will be extremely important.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
13 minutes, two points, one assist
1-for-3 from the field
George Hill didn’t have a very good showing. He was somewhat aggressive offensively but his decision-making was shaky. On defense, Harris got the best of him more often than not. Most of the time, Hill either conceded the basket or sent Harris to the line. On the whole, Hill remains streaky – as is the case with most rookies.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
Six minutes, two rebounds
With the Spurs not playing too well, Fabricio Oberto get six first half minutes next to Duncan. The result was underwhelming. Oberto got two offensive rebounds but his defense wasn’t very strong and his rhythm offensively isn’t where it needs to be. Considering that he hasn’t been in the rotation for a while, the rust isn’t too surprising. However, what is surprising is the fact that Oberto simply can’t rebound on the defensive end of the court anymore. His last eight rebounds in the previous five games have all been offensive.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Most of Pop’s moves turned out for the better against the Nets. His biggest move was drawing up the play for Finley to hit his late three-pointer. Starting Bowen in the second half was a correct move. Pop also made sure Duncan got plenty of touches down the stretch. On the other side of the coin, I don’t totally agree with his Ginobili benching because Ginobili is still working his way back into condition and slip-ups are inevitable – even mental slip-ups. It was also fairly chilling that when he decided to start Bowen in the second half that he benched Mason rather than Finley.
-------------------------------
Offense
The offense was respectable. There were stagnant stretches but they usually found their rhythm before it got too bad. The Spurs finished the game shooting 46.7% from the field, tallied 21 assists and hit 18-of-19 free throws. The three-point shooting was off (6-for-18) and the 14 turnovers were a bit too high.
Defense
The defense was solid yet it was far from championship level. San Antonio held New Jersey to 42.5% shooting, however the Nets helped out by missing a lot of bunnies at the rim. Holding the Nets to 16 assists was good, as were the 18 free throw attempts. To their credit, the Nets did a great job taking care of the ball (five turnovers) and they shot the ball well from deep (6-for-15 on three-pointers).
Drive to Five
The Spurs now play 11 of their next 12 games on the road. On Sunday afternoon, this stretch will start off with a bang as the Spurs travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers. With the Lakers wanting revenge, this is surely going to be an extremely difficult test. A second win of the season against the Lakers would be huge for the confidence level.
Believe.