timvp
03-04-2009, 06:00 PM
Coming into the contest riding a two-game losing streak, the San Antonio Spurs hoped they could right their ship against the Los Angeles Clippers. After a sluggish start to the affair, the Spurs got going and cruised to a 106-78 victory.
To put the game away, Tony Parker was re-inserted into the game with nine and a half minutes to go in the fourth quarter and the Spurs up by 16 points. In the next six minutes, Parker had eight points and two assists. When he left, San Antonio was up by 24.
The Clippers have reverted back to being your father’s Clippers. They were decent for a few years but that era is over. The chemistry is horrible and there is no semblance to anything they do on the court. Injuries have hurt Los Angeles but many of their injuries sound like resting-up-for-Cancun type of injuries.
Though beating the Clippers is hardly cause for celebration, the Spurs really couldn’t afford to lose this game and let their slide continue. They played well on both ends and the energy that they lacked in the last two outings was back.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
28 minutes, 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals, two blocks
7-for-11 from the field, 4-for-5 at the line
Tim Duncan didn’t look too spry in his return in Portland. Against the Clippers, he looked much better. Going up against Marcus Camby for much of the night, Duncan stuffed the stat sheet in his 28 minutes of work. His explosion and confidence in his knee isn’t back to 100% yet but it looks to be improving. Duncan also was much better on the boards and on defense. All season long, Duncan’s passing has been very impressive. Although he’s not the devastating scorer he used to be, he’s passing it better than he ever has in his career.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
34 minutes, 26 points, ten assists, three rebounds, three turnovers
10-for-19 from the field, 6-for-6 at the line
Following a pair of games that saw him shoot 10-for-32, Tony Parker was back to being Tony Parker on Monday night. To begin and end the game, he was very good. He played at a smart pace and mixed his scoring and passing well. Parker got a little bit out of rhythm in the middle two quarters offensively but the good news is that his defense remained steady throughout. With a few more difficult games on the schedule in the next week, Parker needs to play at this level for the Spurs to have success with Manu Ginobili on the sidelines.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
31 minutes, two points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks
1-for-9 from the field, 0-for-6 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. played a different role for San Antonio in this game. Though he still started at shooting guard, he also played backup point guard for the Spurs. In spite of an inaccurate shooting night, Mason played well overall. His creativity with the ball was impressive and he continues to show quality point guard skills when asked to play that position. Defensively, Mason was much better than he was in his previous two outings. He also helped out by grabbing a season-high tying nine rebounds. It’ll be interesting to see if Pop continues to play Mason as the backup point guard or if this was just an experiment.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
26 minutes, 14 points, two rebounds
5-for-11 from the field, 4-for-7 on three-pointers
Like he did in recent victories over the Blazers and Mavs, Michael Finley played the role of the second half assassin. In the first six and a half minutes of the third quarter, Finley nailed all four three-pointers he attempted to spark a 15-2 run. Besides that flurry, he also ran the court well and chipped in with motivated defense. After shooting only 40% from the field in the month of January, Finley has bounced back and is shooting 45.6% since then.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
23 minutes, 14 points, three rebounds, two steals
6-for-12 from the field, 2-for-6 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner once again helped out in the scoring department. In his last eight games, Bonner has scored at least eight points in seven of those contests. Since the night Pop benched the Big Three against the Nuggets, Bonner is averaging 11.8 points per game. Against the Clippers, he once again showed a few nice moves off the dribble. His finishing at the rim, both on the move and in a stationary position, has improved tremendously since the beginning of the year. However, with Drew Gooden coming on board, Bonner is going to have to start rebounding at a better rate to keep his minutes.
-------------------------------
Malik Hairston
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/rivals/full.48185/a1523cd118938faf9ccbf0d319b2c625/malik-hairston.jpg
23 minutes, eight points, four rebounds, two assists, one block
4-for-7 shooting
For the second straight game, Malik Hairston had more playing time than anyone off the bench. Additionally, he was the first sub in both the first quarter and third quarter against the Clips. His first stint in the game didn’t go too well. After a botched defensive rotation, Pop called a timeout, chewed him out and removed him from the game. But after he re-entered, Hairston played much better and continues to make the case for a spot on the active roster. His biggest flaw remains the range on his jumper but virtually every other phase of his game is intriguing. He’s a good athlete, a willing defender, makes smart decisions and doesn’t try to do too much. All in all, Hairston looks like he has a chance to be a keeper.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
21 minutes, nine points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks
3-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 at the line
Kurt Thomas began the game with hands of stone. Rebounds and passes were uncharacteristically bouncing off of him. Once he settled in, Thomas started playing much better. By the end of the night, his mini slump was over. Offensively, he was aggressive and converted well. On defense, Thomas was very active and rotated perfectly to clog the lane.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
15 minutes, six points, five rebounds, two assists
2-for-4 from the field
After not playing in the first 33 minutes, Ime Udoka entered the ballgame and played out the remaining 15 minutes. He didn’t do anything too spectacular but he was obviously better than he was in his last few outing. Rebounding continues to be a positive with Udoka. His 7.0 rebounds per 40 minutes is one of the best marks at is position. If Udoka could concentrate on rebounding, playing physical defense and hitting open shots, there is still enough time to upgrade his 2008-09 campaign from a nightmare to a bad dream.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
13 minutes, four points, four rebounds, one assist
2-for-4 from the field
Are George Hill’s days as the backup point guard over? They very well could be after Pop decided to go with Mason at that position. Personally, I’m in favor of letting Hill keep that job. He has struggled a bit here and there but on the whole he has been better than advertised. That said, if Pop is going to bench him in the playoffs, it makes sense to start shaping the rotation into playoff form now. Against the Clippers, I though Hill played very well. His defense against Baron Davis in the second quarter was fantastic. Hill also moved well without the ball. For the sake of the future, let’s hope Hill responds well to Pop’s decision and finds a way to win a healthy amount of minutes on a nightly basis.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
12 minutes, three points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal
1-for-2 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Games like the Clippers contest are when it’s good to have Bruce Bowen coming off the bench. Wasting the 37-year-old’s legs in a laugher wouldn’t be too smart. Letting him come off the bench, work up a sweat and then return to the comfort on the sidelines makes sense. However, come playoff time, the equation will change.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
10 minutes, two points, one rebound, one assist, one steal
1-for-3 from the field
Fabricio Oberto, like Udoka, didn’t play in the first two and a half quarters of the game. Duncan, Bonner, Thomas and Small Ball ate all the bigman minutes prior to that point. During garbage time, Oberto didn’t do much good or bad. The signing of Gooden could very well mean doom for Oberto’s minutes. If Gooden can get healthy, it’s difficult to imagine Oberto beating out Duncan, Bonner, Thomas, Gooden and Small Ball for minutes - especially with his lack of rebounding this season.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
The most notable coaching move of the night was replacing Hill with Mason as the team’s backup lead guard. I don’t really like the decision at this moment but we’ll see how it plays out. The other notable move was going with Hairston as the sixth man in both halves. The reasoning might be that Hairston is capable of playing a homeless man’s Ginobili type of role by bringing energy and hustle to the table on both ends.
-------------------------------
Offense
When the Spurs scored just two points in the first three minutes of the game, it appeared as if San Antonio could be in for a long night on the offensive side of the court. Thankfully, the Spurs got it going and finished with quality numbers across the board. They scored 26 or more points in three of the quarters and finished the game shooting 47.8% from the field while handing out 28 assists and only turning it over eight times. The three-point shooting (7-for-23) and the lack of free throw attempts (13-of-14) weren’t great but it was enough to get the job done against the Clippers.
Defense
The defense was reasonably stout, although the rhythmless Clippers attack definitely aided in their demise. On the night, the Clippers shot 36.8% from the floor, hit only 4-of-12 three-pointers and finished with just 16 assists. The Spurs were also able to out-rebound the Clips by a final count of 52-37.
Drive to Five
Can’t be sad about anything regarding the Clippers game. Spurs won, duncan228 got to see her first Spurs game in person (http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118712) and the team stayed healthy. Next up is a showdown with the always difficult Dallas Mavericks. A win on the road without Ginobili in a tough to place to play would definitely be a great victory.
Believe.
To put the game away, Tony Parker was re-inserted into the game with nine and a half minutes to go in the fourth quarter and the Spurs up by 16 points. In the next six minutes, Parker had eight points and two assists. When he left, San Antonio was up by 24.
The Clippers have reverted back to being your father’s Clippers. They were decent for a few years but that era is over. The chemistry is horrible and there is no semblance to anything they do on the court. Injuries have hurt Los Angeles but many of their injuries sound like resting-up-for-Cancun type of injuries.
Though beating the Clippers is hardly cause for celebration, the Spurs really couldn’t afford to lose this game and let their slide continue. They played well on both ends and the energy that they lacked in the last two outings was back.
Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
28 minutes, 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals, two blocks
7-for-11 from the field, 4-for-5 at the line
Tim Duncan didn’t look too spry in his return in Portland. Against the Clippers, he looked much better. Going up against Marcus Camby for much of the night, Duncan stuffed the stat sheet in his 28 minutes of work. His explosion and confidence in his knee isn’t back to 100% yet but it looks to be improving. Duncan also was much better on the boards and on defense. All season long, Duncan’s passing has been very impressive. Although he’s not the devastating scorer he used to be, he’s passing it better than he ever has in his career.
-------------------------------
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
34 minutes, 26 points, ten assists, three rebounds, three turnovers
10-for-19 from the field, 6-for-6 at the line
Following a pair of games that saw him shoot 10-for-32, Tony Parker was back to being Tony Parker on Monday night. To begin and end the game, he was very good. He played at a smart pace and mixed his scoring and passing well. Parker got a little bit out of rhythm in the middle two quarters offensively but the good news is that his defense remained steady throughout. With a few more difficult games on the schedule in the next week, Parker needs to play at this level for the Spurs to have success with Manu Ginobili on the sidelines.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
31 minutes, two points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks
1-for-9 from the field, 0-for-6 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. played a different role for San Antonio in this game. Though he still started at shooting guard, he also played backup point guard for the Spurs. In spite of an inaccurate shooting night, Mason played well overall. His creativity with the ball was impressive and he continues to show quality point guard skills when asked to play that position. Defensively, Mason was much better than he was in his previous two outings. He also helped out by grabbing a season-high tying nine rebounds. It’ll be interesting to see if Pop continues to play Mason as the backup point guard or if this was just an experiment.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
26 minutes, 14 points, two rebounds
5-for-11 from the field, 4-for-7 on three-pointers
Like he did in recent victories over the Blazers and Mavs, Michael Finley played the role of the second half assassin. In the first six and a half minutes of the third quarter, Finley nailed all four three-pointers he attempted to spark a 15-2 run. Besides that flurry, he also ran the court well and chipped in with motivated defense. After shooting only 40% from the field in the month of January, Finley has bounced back and is shooting 45.6% since then.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
23 minutes, 14 points, three rebounds, two steals
6-for-12 from the field, 2-for-6 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner once again helped out in the scoring department. In his last eight games, Bonner has scored at least eight points in seven of those contests. Since the night Pop benched the Big Three against the Nuggets, Bonner is averaging 11.8 points per game. Against the Clippers, he once again showed a few nice moves off the dribble. His finishing at the rim, both on the move and in a stationary position, has improved tremendously since the beginning of the year. However, with Drew Gooden coming on board, Bonner is going to have to start rebounding at a better rate to keep his minutes.
-------------------------------
Malik Hairston
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/rivals/full.48185/a1523cd118938faf9ccbf0d319b2c625/malik-hairston.jpg
23 minutes, eight points, four rebounds, two assists, one block
4-for-7 shooting
For the second straight game, Malik Hairston had more playing time than anyone off the bench. Additionally, he was the first sub in both the first quarter and third quarter against the Clips. His first stint in the game didn’t go too well. After a botched defensive rotation, Pop called a timeout, chewed him out and removed him from the game. But after he re-entered, Hairston played much better and continues to make the case for a spot on the active roster. His biggest flaw remains the range on his jumper but virtually every other phase of his game is intriguing. He’s a good athlete, a willing defender, makes smart decisions and doesn’t try to do too much. All in all, Hairston looks like he has a chance to be a keeper.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
21 minutes, nine points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks
3-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 at the line
Kurt Thomas began the game with hands of stone. Rebounds and passes were uncharacteristically bouncing off of him. Once he settled in, Thomas started playing much better. By the end of the night, his mini slump was over. Offensively, he was aggressive and converted well. On defense, Thomas was very active and rotated perfectly to clog the lane.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
15 minutes, six points, five rebounds, two assists
2-for-4 from the field
After not playing in the first 33 minutes, Ime Udoka entered the ballgame and played out the remaining 15 minutes. He didn’t do anything too spectacular but he was obviously better than he was in his last few outing. Rebounding continues to be a positive with Udoka. His 7.0 rebounds per 40 minutes is one of the best marks at is position. If Udoka could concentrate on rebounding, playing physical defense and hitting open shots, there is still enough time to upgrade his 2008-09 campaign from a nightmare to a bad dream.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
13 minutes, four points, four rebounds, one assist
2-for-4 from the field
Are George Hill’s days as the backup point guard over? They very well could be after Pop decided to go with Mason at that position. Personally, I’m in favor of letting Hill keep that job. He has struggled a bit here and there but on the whole he has been better than advertised. That said, if Pop is going to bench him in the playoffs, it makes sense to start shaping the rotation into playoff form now. Against the Clippers, I though Hill played very well. His defense against Baron Davis in the second quarter was fantastic. Hill also moved well without the ball. For the sake of the future, let’s hope Hill responds well to Pop’s decision and finds a way to win a healthy amount of minutes on a nightly basis.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
12 minutes, three points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal
1-for-2 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Games like the Clippers contest are when it’s good to have Bruce Bowen coming off the bench. Wasting the 37-year-old’s legs in a laugher wouldn’t be too smart. Letting him come off the bench, work up a sweat and then return to the comfort on the sidelines makes sense. However, come playoff time, the equation will change.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
10 minutes, two points, one rebound, one assist, one steal
1-for-3 from the field
Fabricio Oberto, like Udoka, didn’t play in the first two and a half quarters of the game. Duncan, Bonner, Thomas and Small Ball ate all the bigman minutes prior to that point. During garbage time, Oberto didn’t do much good or bad. The signing of Gooden could very well mean doom for Oberto’s minutes. If Gooden can get healthy, it’s difficult to imagine Oberto beating out Duncan, Bonner, Thomas, Gooden and Small Ball for minutes - especially with his lack of rebounding this season.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
The most notable coaching move of the night was replacing Hill with Mason as the team’s backup lead guard. I don’t really like the decision at this moment but we’ll see how it plays out. The other notable move was going with Hairston as the sixth man in both halves. The reasoning might be that Hairston is capable of playing a homeless man’s Ginobili type of role by bringing energy and hustle to the table on both ends.
-------------------------------
Offense
When the Spurs scored just two points in the first three minutes of the game, it appeared as if San Antonio could be in for a long night on the offensive side of the court. Thankfully, the Spurs got it going and finished with quality numbers across the board. They scored 26 or more points in three of the quarters and finished the game shooting 47.8% from the field while handing out 28 assists and only turning it over eight times. The three-point shooting (7-for-23) and the lack of free throw attempts (13-of-14) weren’t great but it was enough to get the job done against the Clippers.
Defense
The defense was reasonably stout, although the rhythmless Clippers attack definitely aided in their demise. On the night, the Clippers shot 36.8% from the floor, hit only 4-of-12 three-pointers and finished with just 16 assists. The Spurs were also able to out-rebound the Clips by a final count of 52-37.
Drive to Five
Can’t be sad about anything regarding the Clippers game. Spurs won, duncan228 got to see her first Spurs game in person (http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118712) and the team stayed healthy. Next up is a showdown with the always difficult Dallas Mavericks. A win on the road without Ginobili in a tough to place to play would definitely be a great victory.
Believe.