Quick Grades: Spurs at Suns - Nov. 3

[timvp]

Quick Grades: Spurs at Suns (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-grades/quick-grades-spurs-at-suns/) @ the San Antonio Dispatch (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/)

Tim Duncan B+ Other than turnovers, Duncan was dominant on both ends.

Manu Ginobili B Very good in first half, mini meltdown in second half.

Tony Parker C+ Started well but effectiveness waned as game progressed.

Richard Jefferson A+ Three-point barrage in fourth basically won the game.

DeJuan Blair C Played a little better but still a long ways to go.

Antonio McDyess B+ Very solid in all aspects. A bit too hesitant at times.

James Anderson A- Illustrated a high basketball IQ. His passing was key.

Tiago Splitter A- Drew three offensive fouls. Great D and post moves.

Garrett Temple C- Struggled on defense. Not too helpful on offense, either.

Gary Neal C+ Defensively overmatched by size. Good aggression on other end.


http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/9290/nov3box.jpg

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/2694/nov3flow.jpg

[BanditHiro]

i would give Duncan an A he more than made up with some of the turnovers he caused

[Josepatches_]

i would give Duncan an A he more than made up with some of the turnovers he caused

[TinTin]

Site doesn't load for me o_O

[DesignatedT]

yeah, not working at the moment.

[bigfan]

no workee

[NASpurs]

You guys hammered the site :lol

[angelbelow]

Im having a lot of trouble accessing the site, maybe the traffics too high?

[suitedkings]

links are broke.

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

Same here

[Nathan89]

Not loading:downspin:




We use to get this stuff delivered to our door now we have to go get the shit at the end of the driveway.:nope

[jestersmash]

I think you're rather harsh on the Big 3 for this game. They shouldered the entire offensive load for the first half.

I usually agree with your grades but not quite this time.

[timvp]

Updated first post. Trying to go too fast apparently killed the other server :wakeup

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Parker deserves at least a B- due to his non-stop energy and effort when he was guarding Nash.

I swear Parker thought it was the playoffs out there when defending Nash.

Very proud of him, in fact, his effort on D might have something to do with lack of energy on Offense. Maybe?

[DesignatedT]

Id prob give duncan an A and I thought Neal played better than a C+ even though he really didn't do much. The guy brings tons of energy and i thought he did a good job staying in front of his guys on defense.

[NASpurs]

Not to sound like a kiss ass but I agree with all those scores.

[ducks]

nash shot terrible
tp sucked on his o second half sat some due to foul trouble
but nash shot terrible

[Sisk]

Lol @ the site crashing..

I didn't get to see the game, but got a few texts about how RJ was amazing

[Nathan89]

Not to sound like a kiss ass but I agree with all those scores.

I've agreed more with some of his other game grades. Some of his others have been spot on IMO but this one is debatable.

[jestersmash]

I don't care how much you turned the ball over, you go 25 and 17 (and 3 blocks) shooting 11-13 from the field and 3-3 from the line especially in an ultimately winning effort, that has A effort written all over it.

Turnovers are bad, but you seem to weigh them more heavily than offensive efficiency.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Parker was straight up playoff effort out there on defense.

Nash did not know what hit him the first time he was defended in both the 1st and 2nd half.

That stun-effect seemed to carry-over and Nash never found a true offensive Nash Style rhythm.

[spurs1990]

Was James Anderson on the floor in crunch time?

If so that is an amazing development considering Pop's prior philosophy.

[DesignatedT]

Id give Pop an A+ in coaching tonight also. I thought everything he did was pretty much perfect. No small ball tonight minus certain situations under 1 minute was a beautiful site.

[NASpurs]

I've agreed more with some of his other game grades. Some of his others have been spot on IMO but this one is debatable.

It's funny because I know his grades are totally an opinion but I found these to be what I agree with and his others a bit off.

[BanditHiro]

Id give Pop an A+ in coaching tonight also. I thought everything he did was pretty much perfect. No small ball tonight minus certain situations under 1 minute was a beautiful site.

Temple for Neal?????

[jestersmash]

I mean, are these grades absolute? Duncan B+, Dyess B+. Does that suggest that both of their efforts were comparable?

Or is this a "B+ game for duncan" and a B+ game for Dyess?

[DesignatedT]

Temple for Neal?????

yes. we needed another ball handler on the floor. it would have been Hill obviously. I like Neal over Temple but not just yet to handle the ball handling duties when the game is on the line.

[ChuckD]

nash shot terrible
tp sucked on his o second half sat some due to foul trouble
but nash shot terrible

Yeah, he's like 90, and the Spurs made him play about 8 more first half minutes than Phoenix wanted him to by getting Dragic in foul trouble. Nash is having to shoot more from short range with Amare gone, so his flaws are exposed. He also takes some ridiculous shots, and as you get older and less quick and agile, that shit stops falling.

[SequSpur]

dude, duncan got a b but yet he put up MVP numbers...uh ok...

[BanditHiro]

I mean, are these grades absolute? Duncan B+, Dyess B+. Does that suggest that both of their efforts were comparable?

Or is this a "B+ game for duncan" and a B+ game for Dyess?

yeah its relative to what they are capable.

[Cry Havoc]

Parker deserves at least a B- due to his non-stop energy and effort when he was guarding Nash.

I swear Parker thought it was the playoffs out there when defending Nash.

Very proud of him, in fact, his effort on D might have something to do with lack of energy on Offense. Maybe?

Have to bump this post. Nash shot 5-15, if I remember correctly. Fantastic job on him by Tony.

[ducks]

dude, duncan got a b but yet he put up MVP numbers...uh ok...

he also had lots of turnovers dude

[jestersmash]

he also had lots of turnovers dude

And, he also had a game winning block, shot 11-13 from the field, scored 27, had 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks (total).

It's good to look at the big picture, in my opinion, not just focus on points, or just rebounds, or just turnovers, or just assists.

Game changing plays (like that critical block near the end) also tend to get more of a look in my opinion.

But then again this is all opinion there is no right answer. The numbers are what they are.

[jestersmash]

Game securing block, rather, technically not "game winning"

[ducks]

duncan sucked in the first half
he played half a game
he did not have a a game tonight
he had a a plus the second half

[ducks]

Game securing block, rather, technically not "game winning"

rj bailedout his turnovers in the first half that block would not have mattered

45 seconds 9 points

[Cane]

Yea imo Duncan had an A level game but the rest of the grades look good to me. Parker might deserve a little higher rating if you figure his great defense but man did he pick up a lot of fouls.

[jestersmash]

duncan sucked in the first half
he played half a game
he did not have a a game tonight
he had a a plus the second half

Ok, that's your prerogative. We'll agree to disagree.

[timvp]

i mean, are these grades absolute? Duncan b+, dyess b+. Does that suggest that both of their efforts were comparable?

Or is this a "b+ game for duncan" and a b+ game for dyess?

Latter.

[jestersmash]

Latter.

Ah, that makes the grades much more reasonable. Good stuff.

[EricB]

Tony Parker's defense on Nash in the second half was ideal.

So much for that "Parker doesn't play defense" horse shit argument.

[angelbelow]

yes. we needed another ball handler on the floor. it would have been Hill obviously. I like Neal over Temple but not just yet to handle the ball handling duties when the game is on the line.

Could not agree more. Right now Neal is a situational role player. He should not be asked to handle just yet. Hes probably still getting comfortable in his current role. IIRC, asking players to play out of position usually works out badly for us. (Bonner, RJ playing the 4, Mason playing 1 etc.)

[Josepatches_]

Id give Pop an A+ in coaching tonight also. I thought everything he did was pretty much perfect. No small ball tonight minus certain situations under 1 minute was a beautiful site.

Temple over Neal when we were up by 15 isn't to give him an A+

[MaNu4Tres]

yes. we needed another ball handler on the floor. it would have been Hill obviously. I like Neal over Temple but not just yet to handle the ball handling duties when the game is on the line.

Ball handling wasn't the reason why Temple was in over Neal. (Temple actually didn't look too confident bringing the ball up the floor when he was in the game; which lead to Manu bringing it up more often)

Temple over Neal was all about defending Nash in the pick and roll.

[jestersmash]

rj bailedout his turnovers in the first half that block would not have mattered

45 seconds 9 points

Respectfully, your reasoning is all over the place. I don't agree with the flow of logic at all, to be honest, but it is what it is.

Why single out RJ? Why not say "well if Ginobili didn't carry the offensive load initially shooting 4-5 that block would not have have mattered"

Or, "if duncan did not shoot 11-13, RJ's 3 point barrage would not have mattered."

It's a team game, this is a team win. Your reasoning is flawed.

[angelbelow]

Ball handling wasn't the reason why Temple was in over Neal. (Temple actually didn't look too confident bringing the ball up the floor when he was in the game; which lead to Manu bringing it up more often)

Temple over Neal was all about defending Nash in the pick and roll.

I thought Temple's D was passable on Nash. When he was able to stick with him he did a great job contesting, but a few times he would get caught on the screen. All in all he did a better job than I expected.

[Cessation]

Temple did a good job on d, no question duncan A at the LEAST Dick Jefferson was sick well deserved A+.

[jestersmash]

And not that it matters, but Jefferson get's an A+ (as stated); I'd give Duncan an A- to take into account his turnovers. His offensive play was sufficiently spectacular to bump him up into "A" (albeit the lower end) category. Again, just my opinion.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Tony Parker's defense on Nash in the second half was ideal.

So much for that "Parker doesn't play defense" horse shit argument.

The more Parker ages the more he likes playing awesome defense against back-to-back MVP's :smokin

[ducks]

it was a team win
I just did not think duncan desered a grade tonight
the other poster did

duncan is better then what he did tonight with the turnovers

this is a team game
tp started it then manu then duncan and rj

[#2!]

Tim has lost the ball against seemingly every double team this season. Its like watching him get doubled as a rookie again. He'll start making the correct decisions again eventually (which mostly just amounts to making a decision quickly), he just has to remember how.

Tony tried harder on defense tonight to keep in front of Nash, and even get through screens, the area which usually has me yelling at him through the TV screen. I was surprised to see he only had 11 points tonight as he kept the cylinders pumping on the offense throughout the first 3 quarters.


Manu stepped up and took over for a stretch in the first half when we needed it.

Richard took his turn taking over in the 4th. It is great to know that RJ is playing so well that the Spurs can win a high scoring game w/ TP finishing 11/6. Did Richard Jefferson have a 4 consecutive game stretch this good the entirety of last season or the playoffs? Great stuff! He has completely become apart of the team, "one of the guys," which might have been one of the biggest problems for him last here, imo.


Tiago Splitter is a golden god. I was looking over his stats, and despite having 7pts, and 3off boards in just 15 minutes I was left thinking Didn't he do more? Timvp reminded me of his 3 drawn fouls on defense. Having a guy who has such an impact off of the stat lines, as well as one on it, is great and the Spurs couldn't have asked for someone who fits their needs better. Its as if Fabricio Oberto managed to become fast, and picked up an offensive game.:wow


Garrett Temple could barely bring the ball up court, and should probably have his pg minutes given to Manu whenever George is unavailable, and have Neal pickup the extra time at SG.

Finally, I get the feeling James Anderson still isn't quite in the best shape he could be, and in a month or so he will be finishing more of his drives to the rim. His decision making is proving to be fantastic however.

[DesignatedT]

Ball handling wasn't the reason why Temple was in over Neal. (Temple actually didn't look too confident bringing the ball up the floor when he was in the game; which lead to Manu bringing it up more often)

Temple over Neal was all about defending Nash in the pick and roll.

Well the fact that Temple has a lot more experience in this system was the reason. Offensively and Defensively he is better equipped to play when the game is on the line at the moment. Once Hill comes back I would hope Temple is pretty much "buried" on the bench, because I am not very impressed with him so far at all this year.

[ducks]

Tim has lost the ball against seemingly every double team this season. Its like watching him get doubled as a rookie again. He'll start making the correct decisions again eventually (which mostly just amounts to making a decision quickly), he just has to remember how.

.


dude that is why no a grade tonight

[z0sa]

Overall, a pretty sloppy game from the Spurs, but incredibly, our talent actually won the game for us - in the end, we were just too much for the Suns to handle. Compared to last season's semifinals debacle, the Spurs did not seem tired or worn out come the 4th quarter; in fact, it looked like the Suns were the old, tired, outmatched team.

RJ played like RJ can for the 4th straight time, and in fact notched his best game of the early season, and one of his best as a Spur. I 100% agree his flurry of three pointers from the corner "basically won the game" for the Spurs. Last season, when all the other Spurs were running out of gas, RJ was unable to step up and make big plays for us down the stretch. He's had no trouble asserting himself throughout the game in this early stretch.

TP9 is another person that some may overlook considering only the box score. His defensive presence on Nash was extremely vital to us managing a win. He wore and wore on him and in the end, Nash was exhausted and too well defended by Parker, leading to a string of bricks when they needed him most. Big props for a strong defensive effort, including battling through foul trouble, despite not turning in a big game on the other end.

Manu was good, but ineffective in the second half. I thought he was a bit careless and just looked out of sync after managing a stretch of 8 straight points in the first half.

James Anderson looks like he could be a big help. His three point stroke seems more than decent, and he demonstrated he already has a feel for his role, shooting, driving, and passing as the situation calls for it. Defensively, he's got plenty of athleticism and length to cause players trouble. I remember him giving the Suns trouble whenever he trapped.

And how could I forget about our most exciting acquisition of the offseason, Tiago Splitter? He's definitely played better than I expected this early in the season, coming off an injury. He's deceptively quick footed and has a very good sense for the game. I also liked how he was aggressive anytime he got the ball in the low block area. His FT stroke is terrible, though. Don't wanna forget Timmy, either, but the description of how he helped us is pretty much by the script .. that amazing game saving block has to be 40th or so of his career..

Overall, can't be disappointed in a win, especially against the Suns on the road.

[#2!]

While I was typing people gave good reason for Temple to be in there, i.e. manu/neal can't stick with Steve Nash. Good point, anyone who said it.

[z0sa]

dp

[#2!]

dude that is why no a grade tonight

Right, I didn't say he deserved one. I agree with the B+, though its hard to argue with 25 and 17 if someone does want to give him the A/A-.

[mingus]

the thing i like this season so far is that this team has so many options. plenty of guys on the bench that can play. plenty of guys that can step up when and win other guys aren't playing well. this is key.

[Cessation]

Pop must be jizzing his pants, feeling like a boy in a candy store. Hes got a ton of options, i also noticed mingus, when one lineup stops working he goes to another one, this was definetly missing last couple of years.

I like,
tp, anderson rj,
and either duncun/splitter or duncan/dice

[DesignatedT]

That TP,Anderson,RJ,Dice,Splitter lineup was moving the ball very well offensively there in the beginning of the 4th

[Cessation]

That TP,Anderson,RJ,Dice,Splitter lineup was moving the ball very well offensively there in the beginning of the 4th


That was a good one too, Anderson is looking better and better with each game.

[analyzed]

The Spurs make-up is transforming from the Big 3 to the fab five of TD, Tony , manu, rj and splitter. If we have any chance of winning another title it's got to come from those 5 guys collectively , we can no longer rely on TD to be a dominant plyer. Our receipe for success will look more like Detriots 5 title team of Billups , hamilton, prince, sheed and big ben

[ORION]

I gave myself a C+

[jestersmash]

The Spurs make-up is transforming from the Big 3 to the fab five of TD, Tony , manu, rj and splitter. If we have any chance of winning another title it's got to come from those 5 guys collectively , we can no longer rely on TD to be a dominant plyer. Our receipe for success will look more like Detriots 5 title team of Billups , hamilton, prince, sheed and big ben

Yes but our defense is nowhere near the elite level of that detroit team's defense. It's currently not anywhere near the elite level of past spurs championship defense.

It would be nice if Splitter can help the spurs take a step in the right direction, at least.

[phyzik]

I was getting frustrated with Parker on Nash....

Not Parkers fault, he was getting shaved off Nash on some REALLY good screens, but I KNEW he was eventually going to get called for something eventually after draping over Nash's back almost the entire game.

I was suprised it took so long and when it DID eventually happen, it should have been an offensive foul with Nash keeping the dribble and backing up into Tony a bit.

Someone needs to step out and cut off the roll more quickly on help defense. There was a number of plays where Tony was helpless and stuck behind Nash because the help defense was totally lacking or was just too late. They just need to get out there and check him off the roll long enough for Nash to think twice and/or allow Tony to get back in position, then get back to their man.

Cut off the screen for Nash and take away a few stupid turnovers and this would have been a blowout in the making.

[TD 21]

Tim Duncan B+ Other than turnovers, Duncan was dominant on both ends.

B+ for Duncan is not high enough. I realize he had 6 turnovers in just over 33 minutes and I realize the Suns didn't exactly have Wallace and Wallace to throw at him, but he also posted a ridiculously efficient line in that time as well. His performance merited at least an A-.

[Fabbs]

DeJuan Blair C Played a little better but still a long ways to go.

I hope this is not another scenario where CIA Popped has taken a player so far out of his natural abilities and role that it dicks with him. Remember when we picked up Stoudamire and he was doing just fine as a facilitator 1st and foremost and then scoring but only when it was a good fit? CIA Popped ordered him to keep horking it up 1st and it just messed him all up. I see some of the same thing with Blair in that he is forcing shots that just do not seem like him at all. He was NEVER selfish last year and certainly played team ball.

Well, 4 games and the Spurs are 3-1 with the Grizzley doing 26 min per game so it can't be all bad.

Agree with your other takes. Yet i know you type up this initial summary quickly so I'm gonna agree with a few other posters that said lets not forget Timmy Dunks 25 and 17 before we say Soft Dick "won the game for us".
Thrilled as we are to see Dick give much effort! That is indeed great to see!

[SenorSpur]

A quality win over a quality team. Duncan was superb. TP and Manu had good first halves, but cooled considerably in the second half, though TP's defense on Nash in the second half was outstanding. Splitter, Dice and Anderson were all stellar. Anderson and Splitter just keep getting better and better. It's going to be a real treat watching their development over the course of this season.

All that said, I'm most proud of the game RJ had tonight. He endured a lot of criticism last season, and rightfully so. Most times, he seemed to be "walking on eggshells" trying to fit in and just never looked comfortable. Since the start of this season, however, we have already seen the results of all the hard work he'd put in over the summer. He's been a much more aggressive and confident player. His free throws are up. He's looked engaged and active defensively. However on tonight, he even took it up a notch above that. He was absolutely brimming with confidence and his 3-pt stroke was picture-perfect.

I'm so glad the Spurs took advantage and came away with the win. It would've been a shame to waste such a scintilating, shooting performance from RJ.

The turnovers still a bit of a concern and made the game a lot closer than it probably should have been. The good news is it's early in the season and as the cast becomes more familiar with one another, hopefully we'll see a dramatic reduction in this area.

[EricB]

If RJ continues this trend a tip of the hat to him and the coaching staff for turning him around. I've never seen a player roll back the clock like he has so far.

[jestersmash]

It's not even a roll back of the clock, this is a level Jefferson has never actually reached before. He's scoring more with much greater efficiency in less minutes of play.

This isn't Jefferson simply "earning" his contract or his starting spot. Jefferson is at an unconscious level right now.

Again, I'm 99.9999999% sure his efficiency is going to go down, but I'm not going to rag on him when it does. It's only human. Like I said, I'm just pleased that he looks so much more in sync out there compared to last season.

[EricB]

Will he continue to shoot that way? No


BUT, if he keeps up the defense, and the aggressiveness? He earns the contract.

Im confident though that outside of his jumper the numbers will be there.

[mingus]

I am a little worried about TPs offense. His shot looks OFF--when he's willing to even take it--and as a result he has been overdribbling at times to try to get nearer to the basket when the opportunity really isn't there.

His defense was great, but there are simply too many pg's in this league that he won't be able to contain (Paul being one) and he's going to have to offset that.

[jestersmash]

I'm never worried about any of the big 3 on our team. They've got championship pedigree, they've been through slumps in the past. They'll be fine.

[Cessation]

I'm never worried about any of the big 3 on our team. They've got championship pedigree, they've been through slumps in the past. They'll be fine.

Well said, tp didnt have that bad of a game 4-11fg, 3-4 ft, 3 boards, 6 assists, played his ass of on d, and had a +10.

With the the advantage pgs have in the league today, he contributed well enough. The win was a team effort. You cant have 20 and 9 every game.

[AussieFanKurt]

I just hope TOs cut down and its the vets committing them..

[ezau]

The Spurs make-up is transforming from the Big 3 to the fab five of TD, Tony , manu, rj and splitter. If we have any chance of winning another title it's got to come from those 5 guys collectively , we can no longer rely on TD to be a dominant plyer. Our receipe for success will look more like Detriots 5 title team of Billups , hamilton, prince, sheed and big ben

Wow, never thought of the comparison with that Pistons team before. Very good point though:toast

[TMTTRIO]

I wouldn't even give Manu that. So far this season he has been very careless with the ball and bad on defense.

[Brazil]

I am a little worried about TPs offense. His shot looks OFF--when he's willing to even take it--and as a result he has been overdribbling at times to try to get nearer to the basket when the opportunity really isn't there.

His defense was great, but there are simply too many pg's in this league that he won't be able to contain (Paul being one) and he's going to have to offset that.

I'm not worried by TP Offense, he is still right there continuing the 1/2 stat.

In fact I'm very happy with the way he handles this game. He had some trouble with his shoot as a consequence he took only 11 of them letting the hot hand (RJ) shinning and he focused on distributing the ball and chasing Nash on D. His D on the second half was his PO D, I was not used to see that at the beginning of the season. I think he realized Nash was not in a good day and he didn't want to give him a chance to heating up.

For the rest, the big 3 seems to be healthy which is the most important, RJ so far is above expectation and Tiago is going to be key for this team.

[romain.star]

Wow, never thought of the comparison with that Pistons team before. Very good point though:toast

On the paper, it could be kind of similar but IMHO, the mid 00s Pistons' defense was... much, much better and despite Tiago's arrival, I don't think the Spurs can reach that level for an entire post-season

[SenorSpur]

Regarding RJ's performance last night, Buck Harvey asked a great question - something I thought of during the latter 4th quarter. Why didn't RJ's teammates keep feeding him after he hit the first 3 shots? It seemed like they unconsciously drifted back into finding their own offense and forgot that RJ was on a tear.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/04/next-time-rj-will-get-a-heat-check/

[Solid D]

Who would have thought that the Spurs could miss 10 FTs, commit 23 TOs, allow 110 points to be scored and still win the game?

The Suns are a tricky team. Perimeter length and quickness. Dragic runnnig the screen/roll more like his mentor, Steve Nash, every day. Bringing help from the corners to the middle on the Spurs screen/rolls. They just lack an interior threat. Warrick has been doing his best this season to be a Stoudemire replacements. He's done a decent job, there.

The difference in this win was RJ and Timmy. Fortunately, Manu resisted temptation to hoist threes from the top. RJ's stroke is pure. He's shooting 66% from the floor so far this season, 53% from the arc. The Spurs had a strong enough will to finish well.

Kudos:
To Parker for his effort to keep engaged with Nash. It's tough to do.
To Anderson for the little things he did. The steal, a couple of good skip passes that were needed with Suns defense. A timely three. Closing-out to his man.
To Splitter for his savvy play in the post and defending the Suns screen/roll offense. He sold a couple of charges - something that McDyess wasn't willing to do last night. For going to the floor to dig-out a 4th quarter turnover.

[mingus]

Well said, tp didnt have that bad of a game 4-11fg, 3-4 ft, 3 boards, 6 assists, played his ass of on d, and had a +10.

With the the advantage pgs have in the league today, he contributed well enough. The win was a team effort. You cant have 20 and 9 every game.

no shit. but RJ isn't going to have 28 points a game either. Duncan probably isn't going to score 25 every game.

they're giving Parker the open 15-footer and he either isn't taking it or isn't looking for the shot. just saying Parker from 05-08 was shooting that with more confidence and i'd like to see him have th same confidence in it.

[Xylus]

I really wish Jefferson hadn't hit 4 straight threes from the exact same spot, because I really wanted people to talk about Goran Dragic and how he was just buttfucking his defenders.

Good game, though. Practically a tie game from start to finish. Great defensive finish by the Spurs.

[EricB]

8 points is a buttfucking?

If thats the case WTF did Jefferson do?

[z0sa]

no shit. but RJ isn't going to have 28 points a game either. Duncan probably isn't going to score 25 every game.

they're giving Parker the open 15-footer and he either isn't taking it or isn't looking for the shot. just saying Parker from 05-08 was shooting that with more confidence and i'd like to see him have th same confidence in it.

Remember in the 07 finals when Parker was banging in 3's? Remember how he was going to start shooting three's in 08?

He doesn't even shoot the midrange jumper often enough, imo. He never even looks for 3's. It is what it is, I suppose. The longer Parker goes without shooting them, the more it seems he is never going to be a great shooter despite all the work he's put in.

[Xylus]

8 points is a buttfucking?

If thats the case WTF did Jefferson do?

Dude had 8 assists in 16 minutes, and that was where he did his damage. I read somewhere that the Dragic-led offense was 18 of 28 from the field, while the Nash-led offense was 24 of 64.

[Cessation]

no shit. but RJ isn't going to have 28 points a game either. Duncan probably isn't going to score 25 every game.

they're giving Parker the open 15-footer and he either isn't taking it or isn't looking for the shot. just saying Parker from 05-08 was shooting that with more confidence and i'd like to see him have th same confidence in it.



I've see all the games this year, and i gotta disagree, parkers confidence in his jumper is fine. He picked his spots and made open jumpers. I think with the scorers this team has taking a 17 footer isnt the best choice, he can do that anytime.

It looks like pop, first of all, wants him to penetrate and take the higher percentage shot inside or kick it out. Also there's a chance to get fouled and get opposing teams bigs in foul trouble, which is much better than taking jumpers, wouldnt you agree?

[CubanMustGo]

Matt Bonner A++++

[Bruno]

During years, there have been talks that Stoudamire was a product of Nash.

This start of the season shows that it wasn't the case and that the one who suffer the most of their split is maybe Nash.

[admiralsnackbar]

I'm not worried by TP Offense, he is still right there continuing the 1/2 stat.

In fact I'm very happy with the way he handles this game. He had some trouble with his shoot as a consequence he took only 11 of them letting the hot hand (RJ) shinning and he focused on distributing the ball and chasing Nash on D. His D on the second half was his PO D, I was not used to see that at the beginning of the season. I think he realized Nash was not in a good day and he didn't want to give him a chance to heating up.

For the rest, the big 3 seems to be healthy which is the most important, RJ so far is above expectation and Tiago is going to be key for this team.

I'd add that most of Tony's offensive problems last night are very likely the result of his hustling his ass off on D. Once he gets back in real game-shape, he'll have more energy to play both sides of the court.

As for why Temple was in over Neal towards the end, I think it probably had to do with Temple's height. Suns are fielding a pretty tall team, and having Temple in meant having somebody who could stay with Nash and potentially rotate to cover taller players. At that point in the game, the only thing that was going to win the game was D -- we had enough offensive weapons on the floor.

[Cessation]

Dude had 8 assists in 16 minutes, and that was where he did his damage. I read somewhere that the Dragic-led offense was 18 of 28 from the field, while the Nash-led offense was 24 of 64.


For sure it looke like dragic was better, every time he touched the ball it seemed hed penetrate or score. :toast

I think the suns made this game tough because they were still riding the confidence they had from sweeping the spurs in playoffs. So next game will be easier for the spurs, I hope, lol.

[admiralsnackbar]

I think the suns made this game tough because they were still riding the confidence they had from sweeping the spurs in playoffs. So next game will be easier for the spurs, I hope, lol.

I hope so, but the Suns remain a match-up nightmare for us in a way a lot of teams won't be. I thought losing Stoudemire would make life a little easier, but it only did so marginally. Suns are really damn tall, and they have great shooters, and are even buying into playing D (save Nash, of course). Taller teams can contain them, but we'll probably continue to struggle against them.

[Spurs Brazil]

Tiago and Anderson were very good, nice to see rookies playing this well so early

TD was a great and RJ with a monster solid game again, props

[Blake]

Duncan 25 pts 17 reb 3 blk, shooting 11-13 FG= A-

team free throws: D+

Pop: nobody played more than 34 minutes, got decent minutes from rooks = A-