Initial Reaction: Spurs vs. Lakers - Jan. 12

[timvp]

Although Pau Gasol missed the game due to injury and Kobe Bryant was forced to leave with a bad back after playing 32 minutes, the San Antonio Spurs will gladly take their 105-85 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs struggled a bit at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth but their big guns played well enough to win with relative ease. It's the first victory this season against a team that is at least four games over .500. About time.

-Tim Duncan had another very productive outing. He had 25 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals. Offensively, he played well all night long. He was strong in the post and mixed in a number of finesse shots. Duncan's post defense wasn't stout but at least he stayed out of foul trouble.

-Manu Ginobili was only 3-for-6 from the field but that doesn't tell the whole story. He was a big part of the win -- mostly due to his very good passing (six assists and no turnovers). He also supplied great energy defensively.

-Tony Parker looked broken in the first half. He could barely move and wasn't doing much right. He turned it around in the second half and finished with a very respectable line of 22 points and six assists. Parker can still get a lot better but his second half was a breath of fresh air for Spurs fans waiting for the TP of old.

-I didn't like how Richard Jefferson played defensively. He got lost a lot, played soft when players were physical with him and picked up a couple cheap fouls. Offensively he was better but he still needs to sharpen his game. His sloppiness stood out like a sore thumb.

-Coming into the game, one would assume Keith Bogans would get the bulk of the minutes against Bryant. On Tuesday night, that wasn't really the case. Bogans was just one of many players the Spurs threw at Bryant. Despite his poor shooting (1-for-6), Bogans partially made up for it by grabbing seven rebounds and playing tough, physical D.

-DeJuan Blair and the rookie wall have become friends. There's no denying that Blair's energy has been MIA the last three games. He started but only played seven minutes against the Lakers.

-George Hill was fantastic. This was one of the best games I've seen him play. He finished with 13 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals while hitting 6-of-7 shots. He made brilliant decisions on the offensive end and his defense was very, very good. The last couple games have seen Hill take a step up in his development.

-Antonio McDyess played how the Spurs expected him to play when they signed him. He finished around the rim, moved well without the ball and played tough. Most impressively, McDyess was able to chase Lamar Odom out on the outside with the quickness of a perimeter player.

-Roger Mason, Jr. played an important role in this win. His dead-eye shooting in the first half helped blow the game open. Mason's confidence level is sky high right now and he's playing really good basketball. Honestly, he probably deserved more than the 17 minutes he received.

-Theo Ratliff played only four minutes but he definitely deserves mention. Defensively, he not only protected the rim but provided very quick help defense. On the offensive end, he picked up a pair of assists by making a number of alert passes. For a guy who plays so sparingly, Ratliff always seems ready to roll.

-I thought Pop coached a good game for the most part. He recognized Hill was playing well and gave him extended minutes. He didn't throw Bogans into the fire right away in his first game against Kobe and the Lakeshow. However, I think Pop panicked a bit and played Duncan too much. The Spurs probably would have won this game even if Duncan didn't play 40 minutes. With a game tomorrow against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road, Duncan may now have to sit out.

[Admidave50]

5:25 am in Paris, I knew it was coming =p

[EricB]

The time he put Duncan back in they were reeling.

I don't think they would've held on had he not come back in.

IMO, Ginobili played wayyy too much for the outside jumper instead of driving to the basket.

[easjer]

Fantastic. I love having the chance to see this so immediately and look forward to further thoughtful analysis.

[TampaDude]

The Spurs were just shooting some shots...

[DPG21920]

Timvp: Asked a few things in the game thread, but will try it again here

1) Why do you think RMJ go so little time in the 2nd half? Was it the turn over at the end of the first?

2) How would you explain the 3rd quarter?

3) Do you think Blair is a terrible match up against LA or is it just the wall?

4) Phil runs the same thing against Tim every time they meet. Single coverage through 3 and doubles in the 4th. Why then is it so effective if the Spurs and Tim know it is coming?

5) How do you feel about the win?

6) Is it me or does Gino look to have a lot of his explosiveness back?

[lefty]

Most impressively, McDyess was able to chase Lamar Odom out on the outside with the quickness of a perimeter player

OMG, that's great news

There goes the Lakers matchup advantage.

[StoneBuddha]

Speaking of Hill, it was great watching him guard Artest. His tenacity coming up with loose balls was amazing!!

[EricB]

OMG, that's great news

There goes the Lakers matchup advantage.

Yeah Dyess looked fantastic out there tonight.

best game in a while.

ALTHOUGH, when the Lakers go whole hog, Dyess will guard Bynum or Gasol, Duncan will take the other, and Jefferson would guard Odom.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

-No doubt McDyess's ability to keep up with Odom on the perimeter is huge

-Why do Spurs perimeter players always fail to recognize that Odom is 6'11" and try to pass the ball around him like he's 5'11"?

-Duncan is having an incredible season. Incredible. What a privilege to watch.

-Lakers played like this game did not mean much to them. Kobe went out of his way to do that thing where he shows how great a player he is by never shooting the ball EVER. We were out hustling them for most of this game.

-It drives me crazy when we play against one of our greatest rivals ever, at home, with a lead, we cannot take care of the ball, and insist on shooting jump shots while they are chipping away with inside shots. Don't let the final score fool you the Lakers had plenty of chances after Kobe left.

-Jefferson's defense might have been bad but his passing and decisions with the ball made me puke up my shiner. Sickening.

-I had no idea Artest was so adept at getting the refs to call the whistle on the road. I swear theres no team in the history of sports that gets more favorable calls ever than the la lakers.

-Overall, Pop pick n rolled the lakers to death.

[HarlemHeat37]

some impressions from me..

-The Duncan-Bynum matchup has me more excited than worried..

I don't want Duncan to guard Bynum if we meet them when it matters, because it's going to be tough on Tim..Bynum is extremely tough to guard due to his size and footwork, and it'll have more wear and tear on Duncan in the long run..I think he can guard him a little better if he put more effort into it(he clearly wasn't putting in as much effort as he needed to and looked lazy at times, which isn't something you see when it's Playoffs Duncan..he also never battled with Bynum for position inside, which is something Duncan generally does more when the games matter)..

I like Duncan on Gasol a lot more..Duncan has always defended Gasol very well..Gasol defended Duncan well in the series in 2008, but he hasn't defended him well other than that..even in last year's Mason GW game, Duncan abused Gasol from the 2nd quarter until the end of the game..

The thing that excited me was how Duncan abused Bynum offensively..Laker fans hung their hats on the fact that Bynum can shut down Duncan, but I really don't think he can..when Duncan is going strong like he did tonight, he'll just kill Bynum all day..the only time Duncan looked bad offensively was the shot he got blocked, which is a patented stupid shot that Duncan will bring out once a game or every few games..

The mystery will remain about who helps Duncan up front until next time we play them with Gasol..

-Kobe really made some tough shots tonight..he really only got about 2-3 shots that were easy..I can live with the shots Kobe was taking tonight for the most part..

-Bogans HAS to make shots if he wants to stay on the floor in big games..he's an above average defender and a very good team defender, but he isn't good enough defensively to warrant a position on the floor when his offense is struggling IMO..

-RJ wasn't great, but I really don't mind the RJ-Artest matchup..Jefferson can easily hold his own with Artest IMO, which is all we should ask for..Artest is slow to begin with(for a SF) and it looks like the injuries are piling up for him(he's battling PF, which is a long battle, as us Spurs fans would know)..

-Parker was great in stretches and his stats look nice, but he still looks too slow to me..I still want him to rest up for a few weeks, we have players that can make up for his loss for a few weeks IMO..

-This team still has a serious problem when it comes to staying hungry and aggressive when we have a lead..it has hurt this team in a number of games this season, mostly the games vs. the good teams..

-Overall, my impressions of a potential series didn't change much..

They have a huge advantage in the frontcourt..it's too tough to judge them without Gasol in this regard..it does excite me a little that McDyess and Ratliff came to play, but I still feel like they'll have a big advantage inside..at least Bynum doesn't play as well with Gasol..

The Kobe advantage is still big..he still owns us..

Our advantages are there too though..our bench is a lot better then theirs, and this will come in handy for the playoffs..while the rotations are shortened at that time, it will hurt the Lakers when it comes to injuries/wear and tear from guys like Kobe/Artest/Bynum/Odom constantly playing big minutes..

It will also obviously help us for the short time that our bench will be playing against theirs in the playoffs..

The PG advantage works with the starters AND the bench IMO..Fisher looks like Finley out there, and he will continue to be exploited against us..Hill is a lot better than Farmar/Brown IMO, and he should dominate them like he did tonight, as long as he stays aggressive..

[Cant_Be_Faded]

some impressions from me..

-The Duncan-Bynum matchup has me more excited than worried..

I don't want Duncan to guard Bynum if we meet them when it matters, because it's going to be tough on Tim..Bynum is extremely tough to guard due to his size and footwork, and it'll have more wear and tear on Duncan in the long run..I think he can guard him a little better if he put more effort into it(he clearly wasn't putting in as much effort as he needed to and looked lazy at times, which isn't something you see when it's Playoffs Duncan..he also never battled with Bynum for position inside, which is something Duncan generally does more when the games matter)..

I like Duncan on Gasol a lot more..Duncan has always defended Gasol very well..Gasol defended Duncan well in the series in 2008, but he hasn't defended him well other than that..even in last year's Mason GW game, Duncan abused Gasol from the 2nd quarter until the end of the game..

The thing that excited me was how Duncan abused Bynum offensively..Laker fans hung their hats on the fact that Bynum can shut down Duncan, but I really don't think he can..when Duncan is going strong like he did tonight, he'll just kill Bynum all day..the only time Duncan looked bad offensively was the shot he got blocked, which is a patented stupid shot that Duncan will bring out once a game or every few games..

The mystery will remain about who helps Duncan up front until next time we play them with Gasol..

-Kobe really made some tough shots tonight..he really only got about 2-3 shots that were easy..I can live with the shots Kobe was taking tonight for the most part..

-Bogans HAS to make shots if he wants to stay on the floor in big games..he's an above average defender and a very good team defender, but he isn't good enough defensively to warrant a position on the floor when his offense is struggling IMO..

-RJ wasn't great, but I really don't mind the RJ-Artest matchup..Jefferson can easily hold his own with Artest IMO, which is all we should ask for..

-Parker was great in stretches and his stats look nice, but he still looks too slow to me..I still want him to rest up for a few weeks, we have players that can make up for his loss for a few weeks IMO..

I don't think RJ can hold his own against Artest. Artest was backing him up at will. Alot of his damage was against Ginobili (fuck you refs) but he got some whistles against RJ as well.

[HarlemHeat37]

Artest backs up anybody at will..we'll take that..he has a very poor post game where he just backs up and throws anything up..he wasn't able to beat RJ in face-up situations, and RJ was able to beat him off the ball offensively, which is all we can ask for..

Artest really doesn't worry me at all, which is something I've been saying since they got him..

Against our team, Ariza was a lot scarier IMO..we have a much bigger problem against athletes like Ariza..slow-footed guys like Artest play the type of style that our team enjoys, even though he's stronger than any of our perimeter guys..

[EricB]

Not much to take away, BUT, The Spurs are in MUCH better shape to beat them this year than last. The big situation is so much better than it was last year IMO.

[Phenomanul]

My curiosity was left hanging in not getting to see a Blair vs. Artest matchup...

[letmk]

That RJ plays soft worries me as well. We can see that Manu got beat badly by KB (when his back was still good) in the first quarter, but he plays tough, to the best of what he can do defensely. While RJ seems to be easily pushed away. Props to Bogans and especially George, not only against KB but even plays Artest tough.

RJ should learn from those teammates. Talent or not, only toughness can get a player and a team to the top.

[callo1]

Gasoft out and Kobe taking an early exit. Not too much to get real excited about here other than the play of George and Antonio.

A win is a win, and it helps when headed out on a four game road trip.

I would have like to have seen Hairston on Artest, but oh well, that won't happen any time soon.

I think Ian gets moved soon. Right now the Spurs are still one big away from an even wash with the Lakers front court, but clearly have the back court and bench.

I just worry that Timmy would get in serious foul trouble in a playoff situation with the current roster...sure you can bring in Theo, but then lose some offense.

It will be interesting to see what Pop decides...work to get another big, or roll the dice and play a small lineup with TP and Hill in at the same time...that worked well tonight.

[Man Mountain]

Thanks.

[Soul_Patch]

Richard Jefferson's sloppy, non-chalant type play is just enfuriating. He acts like a giant douchebag on the court, any pressure at all, and he coughs up the ball. That is terrible, especially for the ammount of money that dude is making.

[Fabbs]

-I didn't like how Richard Jefferson played defensively. He got lost a lot, played soft when players were physical with him and picked up a couple cheap fouls. Offensively he was better but he still needs to sharpen his game. His sloppiness stood out like a sore thumb.
Could some media member address this with Jefferson or do we have to have the usual kiddie gloves ala Michelle Finley? It's been 40 games, enough with the excuses. Jefferson is turning out to be the homo i feared he would be -at 16 mil per year.


-DeJuan Blair and the rookie wall have become friends. There's no denying that Blair's energy has been MIA the last three games. He started but only played seven minutes against the Lakers.
Or did stupapuck Pop order him to "tone it down"? Wouldn't put it past him. Hit the *rookie wall* like GHill did last year? :rolleyes


-I thought Pop coached a good game for the most part. He recognized Hill was playing well and gave him extended minutes. He didn't throw Bogans into the fire right away in his first game against Kobe and the Lakeshow. However, I think Pop panicked a bit and played Duncan too much. The Spurs probably would have won this game even if Duncan didn't play 40 minutes. With a game tomorrow against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road, Duncan may now have to sit out.
I dunno, is a 21 point lead with the Lakers missing two of their top players (Gasol and Joey Crawford) and Kobme mailing it after he got picked by GHill enough? Please. What an understatement.

You also say nothing about Ians absense.

[Brazil]

I loved to see Hill energy on defense, it's the first time since the beginning of the year I've seen him grabing decise tough rebounds !

[ElNono]

Are there going to be Game Thoughts? :hungry:

[PDXSpursFan]

Hill's defense was impressive. Highlights: steal on Kobe for the dunk and the rebounds against Artest

[timvp]

1) Why do you think RMJ go so little time in the 2nd half? Was it the turn over at the end of the first?No I doubt it was the turnover. I think it was a matter of Pop giving more minutes to Hill (deservedly so) and giving Jefferson his standard minutes (questionable). With Manu and Bogans also getting minutes on the wing, there weren't many minutes left over for RMJ.


2) How would you explain the 3rd quarter?The Spurs are far from a finished product. They've consistently had stretches where they just totally look out of rhythm on both ends. For this year's team, things tend to unravel quickly ... for whatever reason.


3) Do you think Blair is a terrible match up against LA or is it just the wall? I think rookie wall. Blair has played well against big, strong teams (Boston comes to mind). I could see him being able to defend Bynum. His post defense against bigs has been pretty impressive -- like against Kaman.


4) Phil runs the same thing against Tim every time they meet. Single coverage through 3 and doubles in the 4th. Why then is it so effective if the Spurs and Tim know it is coming? It's about the shooters. It's hard to stand around for 36 minutes without any opportunities and then all of a sudden have open shots when all the pressure is on. Jackson also does a great job of locating the choker and doubling off that player. Hopefully this team has enough clutch shooters so that strategy won't be as effective.


5) How do you feel about the win? Good win. Not great win but obviously a good win. Much better than a loss. Statement game? Probably not but if the Spurs bounce back with a win today, it could be seen a statement pair of games.


6) Is it me or does Gino look to have a lot of his explosiveness back?I like what I'm seeing. He's definitely headed in the right direction. He has room to improve but compared to earlier in the season it's night and day.

[EmptyMan]

Mason has really stepped it up this season. His ball-handling has become so much better than last season along with his passing and decision making.

[timvp]

Good posts, HH and CBF. Not notch :tu


Are there going to be Game Thoughts? :hungry:

Yeah, starting in a few minutes. :wakeup

[EricB]

If gasol had been there it wouldve been interesting if pop wouldve gone to Blair ratliff or mcdyess. Dice played a damn good game so most likely him.


Dice see s to be oberto reincarnated. Plays mediocre in medium to low games and shows up for the big ones.

[Flux451]

DEFENSIVE INTENSITY

Man, they were hustling out there last night. I was really pleased with Parkers defense and intensity. He seemed to stay with his man which has been mediocre this whole season. IF only the Spurs can keep this up, then we might have something here. Hill needs to keep his energy high on all opponents, not just cuz its Kobe or RonRon....who does stupid shit all game, like bumps, grabs, streetball mentally fo sho.

[ElNono]

Yeah, starting in a few minutes. :wakeup

Thanks! :toast

[TJastal]

So about Bogans. Kudos to his defense. BUT...

Is Bogans using up so much energy at the defensive side of the ball when it comes to the good teams/good players that he cannot shoot properly?

This 1 for 6 shooting nights against +.500 teams are becoming the norm for him. Meanwhile, Roger Mason played another outstanding defensive game to go along with clutch shooting (as is the norm for him against +.500 teams)

I think Roger is slowly making a case to be in that starting lineup.

[EricB]

Bogans brought alot more than defense. His rebounding and other intangibles were fantastic last night.

[Flux451]

I am starting love how our line up and rotations are shaping. Our team is starting to inch its way toward elitism.

[newacc]

Better a win than a loss, but it was hard for me to be happy beating a team with Kobe for only one quarter and no Gasol.

When Kobe played in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, he could barely move which broke the measuring stick the Lakers were supposed to be. It looked like the Spurs had the edge on this one anyway - Kobe or not - but I wanted to see them finish strong and get win against a venomized Laker team.

On the other side, if I'm the Lakers I would start sitting Kobe for awhile. I read he said he'd be fine for the Mavs game. That guy has a ton of mileage and while he's still got the talent and smarts, his athleticism is waning and his wear and tear is adding up. If the Lakers don't rest him, he's going to break down during the playoffs.

[Bender]

remember Blair's comment a while back...?

"I don't plan on hitting any rookie wall..."

:lol

[wildbill2u]

Now that we know Tony has plantar fasciatis our evaluation of the team for the rest of the YEAR will have to be recalibrated. He's been the engine that makes the Big Three go and his injury will hurt in so many ways.

[Sportcamper]

Hey…They are talking about a Sasha for George Hill trade…Is this true?

[Obstructed_View]

The Spurs are far from a finished product. They've consistently had stretches where they just totally look out of rhythm on both ends. For this year's team, things tend to unravel quickly ... for whatever reason.

Thought I'd share the reason: Go back and watch the third quarter. There are two Spurs offensive plays for the bulk of it that weren't jumpers. Parker's and-1 against Bynum was the only one until Manu's cut if memory serves. When they hit the third or fourth jumper to extend the lead in the third, I actually turned to my wife and said "The Spurs are about to give up this big lead and lose the game".

The only reason they didn't lose the game is because the fool's gold feeling from hitting all those jumpers actually helped them play with energy on the defensive side, which isn't always the case. Once they missed a couple of them, the floodgates opened. They were able to get it back under control with some inside play and some good defense, and hit some more jumpers late to inflate the margin back, but the all-jumpshot mentality they came out with to start the second half could have been the killer.

[SpuronyourFace]

Good win, but it doesn't mean much beating the Lakers without Kobe the Ripper and Pau.

[ElNono]

Good win, but it doesn't mean much beating the Lakers without Kobe the Ripper and Pau.

Kobe actually played...

[pookenstein]

Hey…They are talking about a Sasha for George Hill trade…Is this true?
:vomit:

good game but when the fakers put together their run late in the third i really thought we might blow the game again like we did against the mavs, okc or utha.
but fortunately we stepped up on the defensive end and went to the basket instead of just settling on jumpers.
now lets go on and beat the thunder!:flag:

[Obstructed_View]

Good win, but it doesn't mean much beating the Lakers without Kobe the Ripper and Pau.

Actually, it means exactly the same either way: 1 in the W column. Only a fool would really try to make the case that a game on January 13 means any more than that. Tonight's just as much a measuring stick game as last night's was for the Spurs.

[Brazil]

Thought I'd share the reason: Go back and watch the third quarter. There are two Spurs offensive plays for the bulk of it that weren't jumpers. Parker's and-1 against Bynum was the only one until Manu's cut if memory serves. When they hit the third or fourth jumper to extend the lead in the third, I actually turned to my wife and said "The Spurs are about to give up this big lead and lose the game".

The only reason they didn't lose the game is because the fool's gold feeling from hitting all those jumpers actually helped them play with energy on the defensive side, which isn't always the case. Once they missed a couple of them, the floodgates opened. They were able to get it back under control with some inside play and some good defense, and hit some more jumpers late to inflate the margin back, but the all-jumpshot mentality they came out with to start the second half could have been the killer.

For me it's more like ouch Tim is on the bench opponent team is going to make a run.

[Obstructed_View]

For me it's more like ouch Tim is on the bench opponent team is going to make a run.

Maybe on the defensive side, but they were playing with energy on both ends while those jumpers were falling, and I don't think Timmy was shooting them.

[mingus]

-the biggest thing that sticks out for me is the offensive balance. the points came from different players, and that's what it going to take. it's not like it was before where if one of the big three was off, the game was likely over. this is exactly (and of course their stellar defense) what made the '03 team so damn good.

-Tim Duncan showed why he's still as good as Kobe and Lebron.

-Parker never became the Spurs leader, or best player. it's Duncan and it always will be if you want to call this team a championship team. Duncan's got to be the best player.

-Manu's passing and court awareness has gotten better.

-George Hill is a capable defender on Bryant. he made him work. id' still like to see him be more aggressive with his offense. seems to defer too much, when he's got the athleticism and quickness to get to the basket and score.

-Mason has to be kept on this team. his hot shooting is an x-factor. he can put up points in a hurry and is a great guy to put in the game when the stadium starts to feel like minnesota for the Spurs. he can singlehandedly rectify a sinking offense with his shooting. i've been a critic of him in the past, but he's a neccessity and great alterantive when you have a guy like Bogans that can sometimes burn you as bad with his inablity to shoot as he can help you with his defense.



^^^ a poor man's game thoughts :lmao

[Old School 44]

Glad we got the win, but the thing that disturbed me was the turnovers when the Lakers made their run. It wasn't like the Lakers were playing stellar defense. It was mostly sloppy passes and poor decisions on our part that changed the momentum. If Kobe was in, a lapse like that would have cost us the game. Good thing is, in time, I think this can be corrected.

Hopefully, beating the Lakers (even without Gasol and a less than 100% Kobe) gets us over the mental hump of "beating teams with over .500 records". I expect big effort and a big win tonight over OKC.