timvp
03-19-2009, 03:51 PM
A night after a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs returned to San Antonio to learn that Tim Duncan would join Manu Ginobili in street clothes against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Stepping up to the challenge, Tony Parker and the rest of the healthy Spurs were able to defeat the T’Wolves by a final score of 93-86.
With less than eight minutes remaining in the second quarter, San Antonio trailed 28-24 and it appeared as if the offensive woes that haunted the Spurs against the Thunder had returned. Then, an unlikely hero stepped up to the challenge – Ime Udoka. Over the next five minutes, Udoka produced nine of the team’s 11 points (three field goals and an assist). Finally, the offensive began to rediscover its rhythm and the Spurs were able to coast with relative ease to a victory.
As for the T’Wolves, they played decent basketball considering that Al Jefferson is out for the season. Kevin McHale, even though he obviously hates the job, is actually a really good coach. Minnesota would be wise to try to convince him to stick around as coach going forward.
Overall, this was a vital victory. The Spurs simply couldn’t afford to lose consecutive games against the Thunder and the T’Wolves. It would have been easy for the Spurs to fold without Duncan and Ginobili while pointing to the fact that they were playing on a second night of a back-to-back following a close game. Instead, the healthy players came to the office and worked diligently for 48 minutes.
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
35 minutes, 24 points, six assists
9-for-19 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 6-for-8 at the line
Tony Parker once again carried the load for the Spurs. This game was even more impressive than usual because the T’Wolves were sending two players at him whenever he made an offensive move. Parker did a great job of taking what was available and playing extremely smart basketball. Perhaps his best stat on the night was the fact that he finished the contests without a turnover. Parker has now led the Spurs in points for 13 straight games and in assists in 12 of those outings. Without him playing at the highest level of his career, San Antonio would be in a lot of trouble right now.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
31 minutes, 15 points, two rebounds, two assists
5-for-11 from the field, 2-for-7 on three-pointers, 3-for-3 at the line
Roger Mason, Jr. busted out of a mini slump in a big way at the end of the third quarter. From 31 seconds remaining in the third to 7:24 remaining in the fourth, Mason scored 13 of his 15 points. In that five minute stretch, Mason scored just three less points than he did over his previous three games in 98 minutes. Mason should send two Christmas cards to Fabricio Oberto this year after how much he helped Mason get open during his hot stretch by setting picks and/or making the timely pass.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
32 minutes, nine points, five rebounds
3-for-9 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Michael Finley had another positive outing. I thought his defense was good and he helped out on the boards. He didn’t shoot with great accuracy but he took quality shots and he relentlessly ran the court. In the month of March, Finley is averaging 11 points per game on 45.7% shooting from the field and 53.7% shooting from beyond the three-point line. With Ginobili out, the Spurs have needed Finley to step up and he has.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
26 minutes, eight points, six rebounds
3-for-9 from the field, 0-for-6 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner’s three-point shooting continues to be missing in action but the rest of his game was solid. He defended, his effort on the boards was notable and he helped out offensively when he decided to take his man off the dribble. His ability to fake a three-pointer and drive to the basket has improved tremendously from the start of the season. That said, Bonner is going to have to start making three-pointers once again. He has hit more than half of his three-pointers only once in the last 13 games.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
29 minutes, ten points, ten rebounds, six assists, two steals
5-for-10 from the field
Outside of Parker, Kurt Thomas was the best player on the court. To go along with his double-digit points and rebounds, Thomas tied Parker for team-high in assists. Not only were his six assists a season-high for Thomas, it was more assists than he had in his last 12 games combined. The last time he had that many assists was Feb. 28, 2005 when he was with the Knicks playing against the Lakers. Versus Minnesota, Thomas also led the team in plus/minus with a +17. Although his stats haven’t been overly impressive this season, Thomas has played great basketball over the last few months.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
22 minutes, three points, three rebounds
1-for-4 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers
Welcome back to the rotation, Bruce Bowen. After playing scrap minutes the last two contests, Bowen was the team’s sixth man against the Timberwolves and responded with his best game in a long while. His patented defensive intensity had been lacking in recent weeks but he was back on that horse on Tuesday night. If the Spurs are going to win a championship this season, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which that happens without Bowen playing a key role.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
22 minutes, five points, two rebounds, one steal, one block
1-for-2 from the field, 3-for-4 at the line
Pop once again utilized Hill as his Mr. Fourth Quarter. After playing only six of the game’s first 32 minutes, Hill ended up playing the final 16 minutes of contest. In the final stanza, Hill played well. His defense was top notch, his energy was contagious and he made a few big plays on the offensive end. Once Ginobili is ready to return, it’ll be interesting to see if Pop can carve out a role for Hill.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
20 minutes, 12 points, six rebound, three assists, one steal, one block
4-for-4 from the field, 4-for-6 at the line
In just 20 minutes of action, Fabricio Oberto put together the best game of his 2008-09 season. Defensively, Oberto was extremely active, whether it was going for blocks, hitting the boards or rotating to the right position. On offense, he was equally as effective. With the Spurs thirsting for points, Oberto created shots for himself and his teammates. On the whole, his energy was higher than we’ve seen at any point this year. Hopefully that energetic play is here to stay.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
19 minutes, seven points, five rebounds, two assists
3-for-8 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
Though he didn’t do much outside of his heroic second quarter stint, Udoka did enough in that stretch to classify this outing as a good game. Defensively, Udoka did commendable work defensively both on the perimeter and when asked to defend down low. Rebounding was once again a strong point for Udoka. On the season, only four players in the NBA who are 6-foot-6 or shorter are pulling down more rebounds per minute: Jason Kidd, Corey Maggette, Manu Ginobili and Malik Hairston.
-------------------------------
Drew Gooden
http://spurstalk.com/drew-gooden-spurs.jpg
Six minutes, three rebounds
0-for-4 from the field
Everyone knew there would be growing pains for Drew Gooden and Tuesday was one of those nights. Playing all of his six minutes in the first half, Gooden looked unsure of himself on both ends of the court. Defensively, the T’Wolves were taking advantage of his slow rotations to beat the Spurs with backdoor plays. On the other end, Gooden was in the way more than he was helping. Even after such a strong start since signing with San Antonio, Spurs fans have to expect games like this from Gooden until he actually knows the schemes.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Pop coached a serious game for a change. Instead of conducting more in-game experiments with rotations and lineup combinations, Pop went with what he knew would work. I thought it was a great move to bring Bowen and Oberto into the game first to help set the tone. As the game went along, Pop’s rotation illustrated how much he valued this win. Hopefully we begin to see some sort of set rotation from here on out.
-------------------------------
Offense
To begin the game, the offense was flowing. However, after Parker went to the bench for the first time, the offensive side of the court became a struggle. Mercifully, Udoka’s outburst got the team back on track. In the final 32 minutes, the Spurs scored 71 points – a pace of 106.5 points over 48 minutes. On the night, the Spurs shot 42.5% from the field, got to the line 25 times and handed out 21 assists to go along with only seven turnovers. For the second straight game, the three-point shooting (5-for-21) was ugly.
Defense
The Spurs played good team defense for a vast majority of the game. They forced the T’Wolves to score in one-on-one situations and even though Minnesota got hot at some points, the Spurs never fully allowed them to get into a groove. The Timberwolves ended up shooting 46.6% from the floor, however they struggled from beyond the arc (5-for-14) and at the charity stripe (13-for-21) and they finished with almost as many turnovers (12) as assists (13). The Spurs also out-rebounded the T’Wolves by a tally of 44-41.
Drive to Five
After two days off, the Spurs return to the court on Friday against the defending NBA champions. A regular season sweep of the Boston Celtics would definitely be good for the morale.
Believe.
Initial Reaction - Spurs vs. Timberwolves Mar. 17 (http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120017)
With less than eight minutes remaining in the second quarter, San Antonio trailed 28-24 and it appeared as if the offensive woes that haunted the Spurs against the Thunder had returned. Then, an unlikely hero stepped up to the challenge – Ime Udoka. Over the next five minutes, Udoka produced nine of the team’s 11 points (three field goals and an assist). Finally, the offensive began to rediscover its rhythm and the Spurs were able to coast with relative ease to a victory.
As for the T’Wolves, they played decent basketball considering that Al Jefferson is out for the season. Kevin McHale, even though he obviously hates the job, is actually a really good coach. Minnesota would be wise to try to convince him to stick around as coach going forward.
Overall, this was a vital victory. The Spurs simply couldn’t afford to lose consecutive games against the Thunder and the T’Wolves. It would have been easy for the Spurs to fold without Duncan and Ginobili while pointing to the fact that they were playing on a second night of a back-to-back following a close game. Instead, the healthy players came to the office and worked diligently for 48 minutes.
Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
35 minutes, 24 points, six assists
9-for-19 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 6-for-8 at the line
Tony Parker once again carried the load for the Spurs. This game was even more impressive than usual because the T’Wolves were sending two players at him whenever he made an offensive move. Parker did a great job of taking what was available and playing extremely smart basketball. Perhaps his best stat on the night was the fact that he finished the contests without a turnover. Parker has now led the Spurs in points for 13 straight games and in assists in 12 of those outings. Without him playing at the highest level of his career, San Antonio would be in a lot of trouble right now.
-------------------------------
Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
31 minutes, 15 points, two rebounds, two assists
5-for-11 from the field, 2-for-7 on three-pointers, 3-for-3 at the line
Roger Mason, Jr. busted out of a mini slump in a big way at the end of the third quarter. From 31 seconds remaining in the third to 7:24 remaining in the fourth, Mason scored 13 of his 15 points. In that five minute stretch, Mason scored just three less points than he did over his previous three games in 98 minutes. Mason should send two Christmas cards to Fabricio Oberto this year after how much he helped Mason get open during his hot stretch by setting picks and/or making the timely pass.
-------------------------------
Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
32 minutes, nine points, five rebounds
3-for-9 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Michael Finley had another positive outing. I thought his defense was good and he helped out on the boards. He didn’t shoot with great accuracy but he took quality shots and he relentlessly ran the court. In the month of March, Finley is averaging 11 points per game on 45.7% shooting from the field and 53.7% shooting from beyond the three-point line. With Ginobili out, the Spurs have needed Finley to step up and he has.
-------------------------------
Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
26 minutes, eight points, six rebounds
3-for-9 from the field, 0-for-6 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner’s three-point shooting continues to be missing in action but the rest of his game was solid. He defended, his effort on the boards was notable and he helped out offensively when he decided to take his man off the dribble. His ability to fake a three-pointer and drive to the basket has improved tremendously from the start of the season. That said, Bonner is going to have to start making three-pointers once again. He has hit more than half of his three-pointers only once in the last 13 games.
-------------------------------
Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
29 minutes, ten points, ten rebounds, six assists, two steals
5-for-10 from the field
Outside of Parker, Kurt Thomas was the best player on the court. To go along with his double-digit points and rebounds, Thomas tied Parker for team-high in assists. Not only were his six assists a season-high for Thomas, it was more assists than he had in his last 12 games combined. The last time he had that many assists was Feb. 28, 2005 when he was with the Knicks playing against the Lakers. Versus Minnesota, Thomas also led the team in plus/minus with a +17. Although his stats haven’t been overly impressive this season, Thomas has played great basketball over the last few months.
-------------------------------
Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
22 minutes, three points, three rebounds
1-for-4 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers
Welcome back to the rotation, Bruce Bowen. After playing scrap minutes the last two contests, Bowen was the team’s sixth man against the Timberwolves and responded with his best game in a long while. His patented defensive intensity had been lacking in recent weeks but he was back on that horse on Tuesday night. If the Spurs are going to win a championship this season, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which that happens without Bowen playing a key role.
-------------------------------
George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
22 minutes, five points, two rebounds, one steal, one block
1-for-2 from the field, 3-for-4 at the line
Pop once again utilized Hill as his Mr. Fourth Quarter. After playing only six of the game’s first 32 minutes, Hill ended up playing the final 16 minutes of contest. In the final stanza, Hill played well. His defense was top notch, his energy was contagious and he made a few big plays on the offensive end. Once Ginobili is ready to return, it’ll be interesting to see if Pop can carve out a role for Hill.
-------------------------------
Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
20 minutes, 12 points, six rebound, three assists, one steal, one block
4-for-4 from the field, 4-for-6 at the line
In just 20 minutes of action, Fabricio Oberto put together the best game of his 2008-09 season. Defensively, Oberto was extremely active, whether it was going for blocks, hitting the boards or rotating to the right position. On offense, he was equally as effective. With the Spurs thirsting for points, Oberto created shots for himself and his teammates. On the whole, his energy was higher than we’ve seen at any point this year. Hopefully that energetic play is here to stay.
-------------------------------
Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
19 minutes, seven points, five rebounds, two assists
3-for-8 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
Though he didn’t do much outside of his heroic second quarter stint, Udoka did enough in that stretch to classify this outing as a good game. Defensively, Udoka did commendable work defensively both on the perimeter and when asked to defend down low. Rebounding was once again a strong point for Udoka. On the season, only four players in the NBA who are 6-foot-6 or shorter are pulling down more rebounds per minute: Jason Kidd, Corey Maggette, Manu Ginobili and Malik Hairston.
-------------------------------
Drew Gooden
http://spurstalk.com/drew-gooden-spurs.jpg
Six minutes, three rebounds
0-for-4 from the field
Everyone knew there would be growing pains for Drew Gooden and Tuesday was one of those nights. Playing all of his six minutes in the first half, Gooden looked unsure of himself on both ends of the court. Defensively, the T’Wolves were taking advantage of his slow rotations to beat the Spurs with backdoor plays. On the other end, Gooden was in the way more than he was helping. Even after such a strong start since signing with San Antonio, Spurs fans have to expect games like this from Gooden until he actually knows the schemes.
-------------------------------
Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg
Pop coached a serious game for a change. Instead of conducting more in-game experiments with rotations and lineup combinations, Pop went with what he knew would work. I thought it was a great move to bring Bowen and Oberto into the game first to help set the tone. As the game went along, Pop’s rotation illustrated how much he valued this win. Hopefully we begin to see some sort of set rotation from here on out.
-------------------------------
Offense
To begin the game, the offense was flowing. However, after Parker went to the bench for the first time, the offensive side of the court became a struggle. Mercifully, Udoka’s outburst got the team back on track. In the final 32 minutes, the Spurs scored 71 points – a pace of 106.5 points over 48 minutes. On the night, the Spurs shot 42.5% from the field, got to the line 25 times and handed out 21 assists to go along with only seven turnovers. For the second straight game, the three-point shooting (5-for-21) was ugly.
Defense
The Spurs played good team defense for a vast majority of the game. They forced the T’Wolves to score in one-on-one situations and even though Minnesota got hot at some points, the Spurs never fully allowed them to get into a groove. The Timberwolves ended up shooting 46.6% from the floor, however they struggled from beyond the arc (5-for-14) and at the charity stripe (13-for-21) and they finished with almost as many turnovers (12) as assists (13). The Spurs also out-rebounded the T’Wolves by a tally of 44-41.
Drive to Five
After two days off, the Spurs return to the court on Friday against the defending NBA champions. A regular season sweep of the Boston Celtics would definitely be good for the morale.
Believe.
Initial Reaction - Spurs vs. Timberwolves Mar. 17 (http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120017)