Blackjack
12-22-2009, 01:42 AM
Los Angeles Clippers 87, San Antonio Spurs 103: the Early Edition (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/12/21/los-angeles-clippers-87-san-antonio-spurs-103-the-early-edition/)
by Graydon Gordian
There are lots of positives to take away from tonight’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers: the continued excellency of Tim Duncan; Tony Parker’s reignited aggressiveness; and what you might generally refer to as 48 minutes of sustained focus on both ends of the floor. But for me the story of the game is the play of the Spurs second and third tier players: Keith Bogans, Roger Mason Jr., Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff.
Coming into this season, many (including the authors of this blog) speculated that the Spurs would be one of the deepest teams in the league. So far that hasn’t proven to be true, as nearly every Spur except Tim Duncan has struggled to perform well on a consistent basis. But the evenly dispersed contributions of the second unit (Bogans started but I generally categorize him as a member of the “second unit”) speak to the idea that there is still plenty of time for that preseason speculation to be validated.
Although unanticipated, the play of Bogans, McDyess and Mason is in no way surprising. We’ve been watching Bogans relax into his role, drain more and more open threes, and effectively pester opposing wings for the past couple of weeks. McDyess’ fundamentals are so glaringly evident that it was only a matter of time before his 18-footer started dropping and his defensive abilities began to coalesce. And we can all testify to the fact that on any given night Mason’s stroke can look as smooth and sweet as anyone’s in the league.
But the truly surprising, and to some degree show-stealing, performance came from Theo Ratliff. Because of a comfortable lead and the absence of Matt Bonner, Ratliff saw the more court time than in nearly any game so far this season. And how did he repay Pop for the opportunity? By not only remaining active on the glass and playing physical defense, but by whipping out an array of post moves that, in all honesty, I didn’t know he had.
“I had a little bit back in the day,” said Ratliff in a post-game interview. “I have just been watching Tim doing his little running hooks and getting his mid range game together. You are never too old to learn.”
I don’t think you can really say a 36-year-old had a “breakout” game but the big veteran certainly had his best game as a Spur.
Obviously one game a season does not make, and on Wendesday we’ll have a chance to see whether the Spurs can manage to put together an equally impressive performance against a playoff caliber team. But for the moment I’m content to savor the victory and entertain the notion that a number of our offseason acquisitions may finally be rediscovering their swagger.
by Graydon Gordian
There are lots of positives to take away from tonight’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers: the continued excellency of Tim Duncan; Tony Parker’s reignited aggressiveness; and what you might generally refer to as 48 minutes of sustained focus on both ends of the floor. But for me the story of the game is the play of the Spurs second and third tier players: Keith Bogans, Roger Mason Jr., Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff.
Coming into this season, many (including the authors of this blog) speculated that the Spurs would be one of the deepest teams in the league. So far that hasn’t proven to be true, as nearly every Spur except Tim Duncan has struggled to perform well on a consistent basis. But the evenly dispersed contributions of the second unit (Bogans started but I generally categorize him as a member of the “second unit”) speak to the idea that there is still plenty of time for that preseason speculation to be validated.
Although unanticipated, the play of Bogans, McDyess and Mason is in no way surprising. We’ve been watching Bogans relax into his role, drain more and more open threes, and effectively pester opposing wings for the past couple of weeks. McDyess’ fundamentals are so glaringly evident that it was only a matter of time before his 18-footer started dropping and his defensive abilities began to coalesce. And we can all testify to the fact that on any given night Mason’s stroke can look as smooth and sweet as anyone’s in the league.
But the truly surprising, and to some degree show-stealing, performance came from Theo Ratliff. Because of a comfortable lead and the absence of Matt Bonner, Ratliff saw the more court time than in nearly any game so far this season. And how did he repay Pop for the opportunity? By not only remaining active on the glass and playing physical defense, but by whipping out an array of post moves that, in all honesty, I didn’t know he had.
“I had a little bit back in the day,” said Ratliff in a post-game interview. “I have just been watching Tim doing his little running hooks and getting his mid range game together. You are never too old to learn.”
I don’t think you can really say a 36-year-old had a “breakout” game but the big veteran certainly had his best game as a Spur.
Obviously one game a season does not make, and on Wendesday we’ll have a chance to see whether the Spurs can manage to put together an equally impressive performance against a playoff caliber team. But for the moment I’m content to savor the victory and entertain the notion that a number of our offseason acquisitions may finally be rediscovering their swagger.