timvp
03-04-2005, 05:52 PM
Tim Duncan
Duncan has been playing well recently, but he didn’t have it against the Raptors. Toronto did a great job of collapsing on him and sending double-teams at him from every angle. Additionally, the individual defensive play by Donyell Marshall and Chris Bosh was stellar. For the game, Duncan finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 35 minutes.
GRADE: 83
Bruce Bowen
Jalen Rose is one of the players that Bowen has historically played very well and it was no different Wednesday night at the SBC Center. Bowen held Rose to 4-for-13 shooting from the field. On the offensive end, Bowen had a good game as he shot 4-for-7 from the field on his way to ten points.
GRADE: 89
Rasho Nesterovic
Nesterovic did a great job of coming out of the gates and establishing himself right away. When he does that, he seems to stay active on both ends of the court for the duration of the contest. He played 21 minutes and finished with eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and a block. Truth be told, he probably should have played a little more minutes.
GRADE: 88
Manu Ginobili
As the Raptors made a furious fourth quarter comeback, it was Ginobili who stepped up to the plate to keep the Spurs afloat. Overall, it was another outstanding performance for the Argentine All-Star. He finished with a team-high 17 points, while shooting 7-for-10 from the floor and collecting six rebounds, four assists and a steal.
GRADE: 89
Tony Parker
It was an up and down game from Parker, but he did enough for the win. He had 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the floor, scoring on a variety of moves around the basket. Parker had some good moments passing the basketball as he had seven assists. His problems came during the stretches when he wasn’t being aggressive and played carelessly. The Spurs need a more focused effort from Parker to become the great team they hope to be.
GRADE: 82
Brent Barry
Barry played the most of any player off the bench with 18 minutes. In that time on the court, he didn’t do much other than anger Pop with some ill-advised passes. He missed three of his four shots and had only one assist compared to two turnovers. The Spurs need him to be far more consistent and be willing to make the right play instead of the spectacular play.
GRADE: 73
Robert Horry
Horry played his best game in a long while against the Raptors. He finished with 13 points, two rebounds and an assist in 16 minutes of play. He hit 3-of-5 from the field, including going 2-for-2 on threes and 5-for-6 at the line. If he can give that type of effort every night, Spurs fans will forget all about Malik Rose.
GRADE: 88
Devin Brown
While his minutes have been sporadic over the last month, Brown has failed to perform. He had a great stretch earlier in the season, but has really tailed off as late. He finished only 1-for-6 from the field and had a few mental errors on the court. He needs to find his rhythm soon, or he’s in jeopardy of not being a part of the rotation come playoff time.
GRADE: 70
Beno Udrih
Udrih was aggressive, as the Spurs want him to be, but his high turnover number is something the Spurs can’t afford. The Slovenian backup point guard had three turnovers in 11 minutes, which is unusual for him because he’s almost always careful with the ball. On the plus side, he finished 2-for-5 from the field and scored five points to go along with an assist.
GRADE: 83
Tony Massenburg
Massenburg has been ineffective as of late, but had one of his better showing Wednesday night. In seven minutes he had four points and three rebounds. He used his muscle around the basket and sparked the Spurs with a couple of physical plays. He needs to play this way when called upon, especially with Horry limping and Mohammed trying to get used to the system.
GRADE: 87
Nazr Mohammed
In his first game in front of the home fans, Mohammed had a couple of good moments. He had a nice move in the lane that ended with a short turnaround jumper. He had a blocked shot and a rebound to round out his six minutes of play. The bad news is he re-aggravated a groin injury and is question for the game against the Chicago Bulls.
GRADE: 86
Duncan has been playing well recently, but he didn’t have it against the Raptors. Toronto did a great job of collapsing on him and sending double-teams at him from every angle. Additionally, the individual defensive play by Donyell Marshall and Chris Bosh was stellar. For the game, Duncan finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 35 minutes.
GRADE: 83
Bruce Bowen
Jalen Rose is one of the players that Bowen has historically played very well and it was no different Wednesday night at the SBC Center. Bowen held Rose to 4-for-13 shooting from the field. On the offensive end, Bowen had a good game as he shot 4-for-7 from the field on his way to ten points.
GRADE: 89
Rasho Nesterovic
Nesterovic did a great job of coming out of the gates and establishing himself right away. When he does that, he seems to stay active on both ends of the court for the duration of the contest. He played 21 minutes and finished with eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and a block. Truth be told, he probably should have played a little more minutes.
GRADE: 88
Manu Ginobili
As the Raptors made a furious fourth quarter comeback, it was Ginobili who stepped up to the plate to keep the Spurs afloat. Overall, it was another outstanding performance for the Argentine All-Star. He finished with a team-high 17 points, while shooting 7-for-10 from the floor and collecting six rebounds, four assists and a steal.
GRADE: 89
Tony Parker
It was an up and down game from Parker, but he did enough for the win. He had 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the floor, scoring on a variety of moves around the basket. Parker had some good moments passing the basketball as he had seven assists. His problems came during the stretches when he wasn’t being aggressive and played carelessly. The Spurs need a more focused effort from Parker to become the great team they hope to be.
GRADE: 82
Brent Barry
Barry played the most of any player off the bench with 18 minutes. In that time on the court, he didn’t do much other than anger Pop with some ill-advised passes. He missed three of his four shots and had only one assist compared to two turnovers. The Spurs need him to be far more consistent and be willing to make the right play instead of the spectacular play.
GRADE: 73
Robert Horry
Horry played his best game in a long while against the Raptors. He finished with 13 points, two rebounds and an assist in 16 minutes of play. He hit 3-of-5 from the field, including going 2-for-2 on threes and 5-for-6 at the line. If he can give that type of effort every night, Spurs fans will forget all about Malik Rose.
GRADE: 88
Devin Brown
While his minutes have been sporadic over the last month, Brown has failed to perform. He had a great stretch earlier in the season, but has really tailed off as late. He finished only 1-for-6 from the field and had a few mental errors on the court. He needs to find his rhythm soon, or he’s in jeopardy of not being a part of the rotation come playoff time.
GRADE: 70
Beno Udrih
Udrih was aggressive, as the Spurs want him to be, but his high turnover number is something the Spurs can’t afford. The Slovenian backup point guard had three turnovers in 11 minutes, which is unusual for him because he’s almost always careful with the ball. On the plus side, he finished 2-for-5 from the field and scored five points to go along with an assist.
GRADE: 83
Tony Massenburg
Massenburg has been ineffective as of late, but had one of his better showing Wednesday night. In seven minutes he had four points and three rebounds. He used his muscle around the basket and sparked the Spurs with a couple of physical plays. He needs to play this way when called upon, especially with Horry limping and Mohammed trying to get used to the system.
GRADE: 87
Nazr Mohammed
In his first game in front of the home fans, Mohammed had a couple of good moments. He had a nice move in the lane that ended with a short turnaround jumper. He had a blocked shot and a rebound to round out his six minutes of play. The bad news is he re-aggravated a groin injury and is question for the game against the Chicago Bulls.
GRADE: 86