timvp
10-31-2010, 12:58 PM
Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. Hornets (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-game-thoughts/game-thoughts-spurs-vs-hornets/)
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-game-thoughts/game-thoughts-spurs-vs-hornets/
By LJ Ellis (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/author/ljellis/)
San Antonio Dispatch (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com)
The offensive fireworks of opening night were too good to be true. Against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday in the AT&T Center, the San Antonio Spurs proved once again that winning consistently with offense alone won’t be an option. The Spurs fired blanks from long-range and their defense had severe difficulties slowing the Hornets.
Up until halftime, the game was closely contested. However, soon after the third quarter began, things fell apart. In a four-minute span at the start of the third, the Hornets went on a 15-2 run to take a 12-point lead. Their lead grew to 18 points when Marcus Thornton hit a jumper one minute into the final stanza.
To San Antonio’s credit, there wasn’t any quit. A small lineup of George Hill, Gary Neal, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair got the Spurs back into it. In fact, Jefferson missed a three-pointer with a minute and a half remaining that could have tied the game.
But on this night, the Hornets played better and deserved the 99-90 victory. For the good guys, the bottom line is they need to begin showing some defensive mettle or else any championship hopes will go up in smoke.
Tim Duncan
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/tim-duncan.jpg
27 mins (-3), 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers
2-for-10 from the field, 3-for-4 from the line
As well as Tim Duncan played in the first game of the season, that was about as poorly as he played against the Hornets. Most of his offensive struggles occurred in the paint. While New Orleans defended him well at times, Duncan also missed a number of chip shots he always cashes in. On defense, he was decent in the first half, however Duncan’s second half help defense was a step or two slow. As a result, he watched the game from the bench for the final 13 minutes. Let’s hope as the season continues that we see a lot more Game 1s than Game 2s.
Manu Ginobili
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/manu-ginobili.jpg
37 mins (-4), 23 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 turnovers
8-for-19 from the field, 2-for-11 on three-pointers, 5-for-5 at the line
Manu Ginobili has now shot 20 three-pointers in the season’s first two games. That number is simply too high. He’s moving well and can get to the basket when he tries, so there really isn’t an excuse to be shooting that many shots from the perimeter. On Saturday, Ginobili was having a difficult night until he played a staring role in the fourth quarter comeback. Down the stretch, the Argentine star played a determined, hard-nosed style of basketball. More of that during the meat of the game would have really helped.
Tony Parker
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/tony-parker.jpg
27 mins (-11), 13 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 turnovers
5-for-10 from the field, 3-for-3 at the line
Fresh off of signing a four-year contract extension, Tony Parker came out of the gates playing well. He was a bit sloppy but he was helping the team in the first half. In particular, his defense against Chris Paul was very good. The second half was a different story. He missed all four shots and Paul was lighting him up on the other end. Pop subbed Parker out with one minute remaining in the third quarter — and Parker never stepped foot on the court again. The Spurs can’t afford for their starting point guard to have a mid-game massive slump. As we witnessed, Parker struggling can lead to a team-wide collapse.
Richard Jefferson
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/richard-jefferson.jpg
33 mins (-3), 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover
7-for-11 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers, 3-for-5 at the line
If there was a bright spot against New Orleans, it was the play of Richard Jefferson. To put it simply, Jefferson played how the Spurs imagined when the trade was made. Although he didn’t get a ton of touches, he took advantage of just about every touch. When he was open, he shot the ball. When he faced an off-balance defender, he took the ball to the hole. I was most impressed with his mental toughness. He went long stretches without seeing the ball and didn’t fade into the background like he often did last season. Defensively, he didn’t get tested much but Jefferson was fairly impressive on that end as well.
DeJuan Blair
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/dejuan-blair.jpg
38 mins (-6), 4 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnover
2-for-10 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
DeJuan Blair had his second straight sub par game as he continues to start at power forward. On offense, Blair is rushing too much and is making potentially easy shots more difficult. He also seems to be second-guessing on all of his offensive touches. Defensively, he got his hands on a ton of balls and was very active. That said, he got schooled by David West in one-on-one situations. Overall, Blair played better later in the game but we’re still waiting for him to look comfortable in his starting role.
George Hill
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/george-hill.jpg
27 mins (+3), 6 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
2-for-7 from the field, 0-for-4 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
I’m starting to worry about George Hill’s outside shooting. He’s hesitating to shoot and even when he does shoot, his mechanics look a lot worse than last season. His release is slow and he’s not getting much elevation. Hopefully those issues are simply due to Hill not being confident and not a sign of bigger problems that could lead to a prolonged slump. So far this season, Hill hasn’t done a very good job of running the show. He’s getting the team into their sets late in the clock too often. However, Hill tallying seven assists against the Hornets is a step in the right direction. All of last season, Hill never had that many assists in a game in which he came off the bench. Defensively, Hill did a good job of pestering Paul and upping his intensity as the Spurs attempted their comeback.
Antonio McDyess
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/antonio-mcdyess.jpg
21 mins (-18), 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 turnover
3-for-8 from the field
Antonio McDyess once again played well. He’s really rebounding well to begin the season and he added two blocks to his quality defensive performance. On offense, McDyess needs to take more advantage of being left alone. Attempting more shots and shooting for a better percentage would really help the team. Despite his advanced age, McDyess is moving well and getting good elevation.
Gary Neal
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/gary-neal.jpg
19 mins (+1), 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnovers
3-for-6 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers
With the Hornets daring the Spurs to shoot, Pop played Gary Neal the final 19 minutes of the game. All in all, Neal played well. He shot the ball with confidence and played with toughness on both ends of the court. In addition to his three-point shooting, Neal also showed good touch off the dribble and made a few good passes. In his first extended action in the NBA, he helped cement his role as a floor-spacer Pop can call on to keep defenses honest. Will he continue to get minutes? Perhaps, although the Hornets presented the perfect matchup for Neal: a sagging defense and shooting guards small enough for Neal to defend.
James Anderson
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/james-anderson.jpg
11 mins (-4), 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block
1-for-4 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
All of James Anderson’s minutes came in the first half (Neal took his second half minutes). Anderson hit another three-pointer and had a couple impressive drives to the hoop. However, the rookie is obviously still adjusting to the speed of the NBA — both in terms of mentally knowing what he needs to do and physically getting to where he needs to go. With Neal playing well, it’ll be interesting to see if Pop uses Anderson or Neal in upcoming games.
Gregg Popovich
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/gregg-popovich.jpg
Pop deserves credit for finding a unit that allowed the comeback to take place. On the other hand, I thought it was questionable for Pop to keep Duncan and Parker on the bench for the duration of the fourth quarter. The squad he had out on the court seemed to tire and subbing in Duncan and/or Parker could have given the needed jolt of enegy to give the Spurs the win. Playing Ginobili 37 minutes was a bit excessive, especially this early in the season. Going with Neal turned out to be a good decision. And whatever Pop did to Jefferson in the offseason is paying dividends so far.
Offense
San Antonio’s main problem on offense was their three-point shooting. They made just 6-of-26 three-pointers (23.1%), while hitting 27-of-59 two-pointers (45.8%). The Spurs did well enough at the line (18-for-21) and at handling the ball (24 assists and 13 turnovers). Over the last few seasons, the Spurs have struggled against the Hornets when they miss from the perimeter. That was again the case on Saturday night.
Defense
For the second straight game, the Spurs defense was bad. It wasn’t as obvious at times against the Hornets but that was simply due to the slower pace of the game. New Orleans shot 50% from the field while hitting 7-of-11 three-pointers and 14-of-17 free throws. The Spurs didn’t disrupt what the Hornets wanted to do, as New Orleans finished with 20 assists and 14 turnovers. The Hornets hurt the Spurs mostly with West in isolations in the first half and Paul led pick-and-rolls in the second half.
Drive for 5
We’ll know a lot more about these Spurs after their two-game road trip against the Clippers and Suns. Both teams are quick, athletic and play with a lot of juice. Will the Spurs look old, slow and bad on defense or will they be able to command the flow and play to their strengths? Hopefully it’s the latter.
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-game-thoughts/game-thoughts-spurs-vs-hornets/
By LJ Ellis (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/author/ljellis/)
San Antonio Dispatch (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com)
The offensive fireworks of opening night were too good to be true. Against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday in the AT&T Center, the San Antonio Spurs proved once again that winning consistently with offense alone won’t be an option. The Spurs fired blanks from long-range and their defense had severe difficulties slowing the Hornets.
Up until halftime, the game was closely contested. However, soon after the third quarter began, things fell apart. In a four-minute span at the start of the third, the Hornets went on a 15-2 run to take a 12-point lead. Their lead grew to 18 points when Marcus Thornton hit a jumper one minute into the final stanza.
To San Antonio’s credit, there wasn’t any quit. A small lineup of George Hill, Gary Neal, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair got the Spurs back into it. In fact, Jefferson missed a three-pointer with a minute and a half remaining that could have tied the game.
But on this night, the Hornets played better and deserved the 99-90 victory. For the good guys, the bottom line is they need to begin showing some defensive mettle or else any championship hopes will go up in smoke.
Tim Duncan
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/tim-duncan.jpg
27 mins (-3), 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers
2-for-10 from the field, 3-for-4 from the line
As well as Tim Duncan played in the first game of the season, that was about as poorly as he played against the Hornets. Most of his offensive struggles occurred in the paint. While New Orleans defended him well at times, Duncan also missed a number of chip shots he always cashes in. On defense, he was decent in the first half, however Duncan’s second half help defense was a step or two slow. As a result, he watched the game from the bench for the final 13 minutes. Let’s hope as the season continues that we see a lot more Game 1s than Game 2s.
Manu Ginobili
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/manu-ginobili.jpg
37 mins (-4), 23 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 turnovers
8-for-19 from the field, 2-for-11 on three-pointers, 5-for-5 at the line
Manu Ginobili has now shot 20 three-pointers in the season’s first two games. That number is simply too high. He’s moving well and can get to the basket when he tries, so there really isn’t an excuse to be shooting that many shots from the perimeter. On Saturday, Ginobili was having a difficult night until he played a staring role in the fourth quarter comeback. Down the stretch, the Argentine star played a determined, hard-nosed style of basketball. More of that during the meat of the game would have really helped.
Tony Parker
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/tony-parker.jpg
27 mins (-11), 13 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 turnovers
5-for-10 from the field, 3-for-3 at the line
Fresh off of signing a four-year contract extension, Tony Parker came out of the gates playing well. He was a bit sloppy but he was helping the team in the first half. In particular, his defense against Chris Paul was very good. The second half was a different story. He missed all four shots and Paul was lighting him up on the other end. Pop subbed Parker out with one minute remaining in the third quarter — and Parker never stepped foot on the court again. The Spurs can’t afford for their starting point guard to have a mid-game massive slump. As we witnessed, Parker struggling can lead to a team-wide collapse.
Richard Jefferson
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/richard-jefferson.jpg
33 mins (-3), 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover
7-for-11 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers, 3-for-5 at the line
If there was a bright spot against New Orleans, it was the play of Richard Jefferson. To put it simply, Jefferson played how the Spurs imagined when the trade was made. Although he didn’t get a ton of touches, he took advantage of just about every touch. When he was open, he shot the ball. When he faced an off-balance defender, he took the ball to the hole. I was most impressed with his mental toughness. He went long stretches without seeing the ball and didn’t fade into the background like he often did last season. Defensively, he didn’t get tested much but Jefferson was fairly impressive on that end as well.
DeJuan Blair
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/dejuan-blair.jpg
38 mins (-6), 4 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnover
2-for-10 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
DeJuan Blair had his second straight sub par game as he continues to start at power forward. On offense, Blair is rushing too much and is making potentially easy shots more difficult. He also seems to be second-guessing on all of his offensive touches. Defensively, he got his hands on a ton of balls and was very active. That said, he got schooled by David West in one-on-one situations. Overall, Blair played better later in the game but we’re still waiting for him to look comfortable in his starting role.
George Hill
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/george-hill.jpg
27 mins (+3), 6 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
2-for-7 from the field, 0-for-4 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
I’m starting to worry about George Hill’s outside shooting. He’s hesitating to shoot and even when he does shoot, his mechanics look a lot worse than last season. His release is slow and he’s not getting much elevation. Hopefully those issues are simply due to Hill not being confident and not a sign of bigger problems that could lead to a prolonged slump. So far this season, Hill hasn’t done a very good job of running the show. He’s getting the team into their sets late in the clock too often. However, Hill tallying seven assists against the Hornets is a step in the right direction. All of last season, Hill never had that many assists in a game in which he came off the bench. Defensively, Hill did a good job of pestering Paul and upping his intensity as the Spurs attempted their comeback.
Antonio McDyess
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/antonio-mcdyess.jpg
21 mins (-18), 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 turnover
3-for-8 from the field
Antonio McDyess once again played well. He’s really rebounding well to begin the season and he added two blocks to his quality defensive performance. On offense, McDyess needs to take more advantage of being left alone. Attempting more shots and shooting for a better percentage would really help the team. Despite his advanced age, McDyess is moving well and getting good elevation.
Gary Neal
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/gary-neal.jpg
19 mins (+1), 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnovers
3-for-6 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers
With the Hornets daring the Spurs to shoot, Pop played Gary Neal the final 19 minutes of the game. All in all, Neal played well. He shot the ball with confidence and played with toughness on both ends of the court. In addition to his three-point shooting, Neal also showed good touch off the dribble and made a few good passes. In his first extended action in the NBA, he helped cement his role as a floor-spacer Pop can call on to keep defenses honest. Will he continue to get minutes? Perhaps, although the Hornets presented the perfect matchup for Neal: a sagging defense and shooting guards small enough for Neal to defend.
James Anderson
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/james-anderson.jpg
11 mins (-4), 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block
1-for-4 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
All of James Anderson’s minutes came in the first half (Neal took his second half minutes). Anderson hit another three-pointer and had a couple impressive drives to the hoop. However, the rookie is obviously still adjusting to the speed of the NBA — both in terms of mentally knowing what he needs to do and physically getting to where he needs to go. With Neal playing well, it’ll be interesting to see if Pop uses Anderson or Neal in upcoming games.
Gregg Popovich
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/gregg-popovich.jpg
Pop deserves credit for finding a unit that allowed the comeback to take place. On the other hand, I thought it was questionable for Pop to keep Duncan and Parker on the bench for the duration of the fourth quarter. The squad he had out on the court seemed to tire and subbing in Duncan and/or Parker could have given the needed jolt of enegy to give the Spurs the win. Playing Ginobili 37 minutes was a bit excessive, especially this early in the season. Going with Neal turned out to be a good decision. And whatever Pop did to Jefferson in the offseason is paying dividends so far.
Offense
San Antonio’s main problem on offense was their three-point shooting. They made just 6-of-26 three-pointers (23.1%), while hitting 27-of-59 two-pointers (45.8%). The Spurs did well enough at the line (18-for-21) and at handling the ball (24 assists and 13 turnovers). Over the last few seasons, the Spurs have struggled against the Hornets when they miss from the perimeter. That was again the case on Saturday night.
Defense
For the second straight game, the Spurs defense was bad. It wasn’t as obvious at times against the Hornets but that was simply due to the slower pace of the game. New Orleans shot 50% from the field while hitting 7-of-11 three-pointers and 14-of-17 free throws. The Spurs didn’t disrupt what the Hornets wanted to do, as New Orleans finished with 20 assists and 14 turnovers. The Hornets hurt the Spurs mostly with West in isolations in the first half and Paul led pick-and-rolls in the second half.
Drive for 5
We’ll know a lot more about these Spurs after their two-game road trip against the Clippers and Suns. Both teams are quick, athletic and play with a lot of juice. Will the Spurs look old, slow and bad on defense or will they be able to command the flow and play to their strengths? Hopefully it’s the latter.