Quick Grades: Spurs vs. Timberwolves - Dec. 3

[timvp]

Quick Grades: Spurs vs. Timberwolves (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-grades/quick-grades-spurs-vs-timberwolves/)

http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/dec3grades.jpg (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-grades/quick-grades-spurs-vs-timberwolves/)

[Libri]

Thanks for the grades.

[Yorae]

It's actually pretty sad that i can't see it since that site is blocked from here. :depressed

[EricD]

Great grades as always :tu

[SpursDynasty85]

I think George Hill deserves an A.

[8FOR!3]

I thought I remembered Parker playing a little better. Maybe not.

[200 miles]

I'm mildly surprised that GH3 didn't get an A+, but still good grading.

[8FOR!3]

I think George Hill deserves an A.

He deserves an A+, Derrick Rose-esque performance tbh.

[DesignatedT]

pretty much agree except I think Tony deserved better than a C. He still doesn't look himself but he looked a lot better tonight and the aggressiveness was back when he was not limited by foul trouble.

[Pauleta14]

What does Bonner has to do to get an F? ;)

Manu and Tony deserve better grades, 20pts 50% 5ast were usefull and 13/13 FT is impressive and ... clutch!

[Chomag]

I'll ask again. what is Bonner doing to warrant so many minutes?

I'm sure there is some kind of excuse though.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Hey timvp, can you get the SA Dispatch to fetch us some inside info on Parker? It's obvious to everyone something's going on. He's either suffering some sort of leg or knee or foot or ankle ailment or he's letting his personal shit affect him. Let's get some insider info on this already.

[JR21]

George Hill :tu :meeting:

[JR21]

Matt Bonner was throwing up bricks like a ... When are we going to start playing splitter already shit.

[TJastal]

I'm mildly surprised that GH3 didn't get an A+, but still good grading.

I've noticed the trend too, Hill's grades always come with some nitpick. He could score 40 pts on 80% shooting but he'd still get an A- :lol

[Blake]

Manu's shot wasn't falling, but he was +12 and made all 13 of his foul shots which helped seal the win.

I think he should get a B.

[200 miles]

I'll ask again. what is Bonner doing to warrant so many minutes?

I'm sure there is some kind of excuse though.

Look at it this way, the longer the string of consecutive games where Bonner keeps up with this horrendous playing, the more difficult it will be for Pop to justify his continuation of giving Bonner meaningful minutes.

So in other words, keep sucking, Bonner, just keep sucking!!!

[dastrey]

Popovich A - Spurs lose this game if he doesn't get ejected.

[024]

Look at it this way, the longer the string of consecutive games where Bonner keeps up with this horrendous playing, the more difficult it will be for Pop to justify his continuation of giving Bonner meaningful minutes.

So in other words, keep sucking, Bonner, just keep sucking!!!
not really. see robert horry 2008 and michael finley.

[Pauleta14]

George Hill :tu :meeting:

George is a diesel, he's finding his rythm and his place in the team/rotation.

+ I'm not sure, but as the past 2 years, each time TP is injured or not performing well, George steps up.
Tony's great start of the season and contract extention may have had a role in George bad start...
Maybe he needs to be "needed" to perform? (sorry 4 my english)

[mikepatton]

I've noticed the trend too, Hill's grades always come with some nitpick. He could score 40 pts on 80% shooting but he'd still get an A- :lol

Well, to be fair, grades are (or appear to be) based on the potential the player has. So that only means that he still has the possibility of improving his game (which I believe he does)

[024]

i didn't watch the game but leave it to ginobili to go 1-10 and still score 16 points.

[200 miles]

not really. see robert horry 2008 and michael finley.

Well, needless to say, this team is at the mercy of an extremely stubborn and predictable and possibly insane head coach.

[ducks]

tp had a step in the right direction
scoring will help his confidence back after a 5 game below standard performances

[Pauleta14]

I've noticed the trend too, Hill's grades always come with some nitpick. He could score 40 pts on 80% shooting but he'd still get an A- :lol


Come on! Hill had a great game, but he has been better and can do better!!

A- seems fair to me, maybe in his rookie year he would have deserved more, but now we can expect 20pts on a regular basis, not an "amazing" performance...

[TE]

Hill deserves a A+.

[TJastal]

Come on! Hill had a great game, but he has been better and can do better!!

A- seems fair to me, maybe in his rookie year he would have deserved more, but now we can expect 20pts on a regular basis, not an "amazing" performance...

lmao 20pts off the bench not good enough

[team-work]

Thanks for the grading. It's great for people like me who could not watch the game and only have the stat sheet or the NBA recap to look at now. I needed to go out after the 3rd quarter and thought it was definitely a L, so how surprised I am now to find out another comeback victory vs the Twolves!

Even though it was another win, I'd still have the same concern. And that is the health of our key players, especially the Big 3. The team looked tried as least in the first 3 quarters. As much as I want Timmy to get his 5th ring, I wish he remain healthy after his retirement. I don't want to see his "wheels fall off". And similar for Manu. As the beginning of the season, the team seemed determined to get a better record than last year, and they more than accomplished that. I think it's now up to the coaching staff to better manage the minutes, and to use the key players wisely.

We see Timmy's minutes dropping, but in fact is he sharing a less workload? It's not much different from previous years, when he was working alone in the paint. I respect Pop's basketball knowledge and coaching experience, which is light-years ahead of me. But I do hope he truly stays away from the idea of surrounding TD with 4 shooters in order to create space for him to work inside. This caused overwork for him for many years. Namely I'd like Splitter to play more minutes and a great role on both ends of the court. When it saw timvp's grading about Tiago, which said he did more fundamentals this game instead of doing too much like last game, I hoped it'd be a step in the right direction.

[TJastal]

Thanks for the grading. It's great for people like me who could not watch the game and only have the stat sheet or the NBA recap to look at now. I needed to go out after the 3rd quarter and thought it was definitely a L, so how surprised I am now to find out another comeback victory vs the Twolves!

Pop was the mvp of this game for ejecting himself.

A+

:lol

[Pauleta14]

lmao 20pts off the bench not good enough

A+ doesn't mean "good enough", IMO it means "amazing" game...

I can understand you'd prefer an A, but A+ is like he was at his max!
You know it's not the case!

Anyway,compared to the start of the season, we can all be happy to see the real Hill back...

[TD 21]

Duncan deserves a better grade. For a big man with his mileage to play back-to-back 30+ minute games, get only one day off, then put in another roughly 35 minutes (with, for the most part, no one to help him protect the rim) and put up the line he put up, that's easily an A caliber performance.

If you're comparing him to the guy who was the best player on the planet and playing at a level few have matched or exceeded in the history of the game, then maybe it's a B caliber performance. But those days are gone and so too should be you holding him to that standard.

This is the part where you claim you're not holding him to that standard. But if you really weren't, then his grade would have been higher.

[Chieflion]

Matt Bonner deserves an "A", tbh. I wonder why nobody has mentioned it yet. This clearly is the maximum standard for Matt Bonner in the playoffs, regular season not withstanding.

[ALVAREZ6]

Manu will bounce back. Next game, he's gonna dominate to make up for the past 2 lackluster performances. Book it.

[Pauleta14]

Manu will bounce back. Next game, he's gonna dominate to make up for the past 2 lackluster performances. Book it.


I hope he won't need to...

And Manu doesn't have to "make up" for anything! (except maybe that 2006 last play of game 7...:lol)

[Dalamar_the_Dark]

Agreed that Manu should be given at least a B. Sinking those foul shots in the fourth quarter was big. He knew his shot wasnt falling and he continued to attack the basket and get fouled. Most importantly, he made those shots. Big time free throw shooting to pull the Spurs back into the game.

And I dont think Bonner deserved an D. He made a the big 3 in the fourth quarter to cut the lead.

[spurs10]

TP looked a lot more like himself tonight. They won this game with D and one helluva lot of energy in the 4th. Good win!

[crc21209]

What about Pop's grade? Does he get an incomplete for being ejected? :lol

[ChumpDumper]

And I dont think Bonner deserved an D. He made a the big 3 in the fourth quarter to cut the lead.That's about the only positive that made it a D.

[polandprzem]

What does Bonner has to do to get an F? ;)


Shoot 0/27
No rebs, assists, points blocks, steals
FT 0/9
35 turnovers
And score 14 pts for the opponets by a 'mistake'

[Darkwaters]

Spurs used an 11 man rotation tonight with the player getting the fewest minutes (Ime) still logging nearly five. Lone man out was Quinn.

That, at least, is good to see when considering preserving the longevity of the team's vitality.

[Spurs Brazil]

Thanks timvp

Nice to see Hill playing well after that tough start.

[Doctor J]

Manu's shot wasn't falling, but he was +12 and made all 13 of his foul shots which helped seal the win.

I think he should get a B.


Agreed!

Also, he snatched a monster rebound from Love which was followed by two freethrows at the crunch time.

[quentin_compson]

Other than the Spurs coming back and Hill looking more and more like his old self, this was a very forgettable game.

[Pauleta14]

Shoot 0/27
No rebs, assists, points blocks, steals
FT 0/9
35 turnovers
And score 14 pts for the opponets by a 'mistake'

:toast

Tkanks, I needed to know...

[dn0774]

Bonner handing over 2 straight inbounds passes in the 2nd to the Wolves "earned" him an automatic F imo.

[spurspokesman]

Hill deserves a A+.

Yup. And dejuan came thru with some key offensive boards down the stretch. Otherwise good grades tim

[DBMethos]

Shoot 0/27
No rebs, assists, points blocks, steals
FT 0/9
35 turnovers
And score 14 pts for the opponets by a 'mistake'

And even then he'd still magically end up with a positive +/-

[cutewizard]

Quick Grades: Spurs vs. Timberwolves (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-grades/quick-grades-spurs-vs-timberwolves/)

http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/dec3grades.jpg (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-grades/quick-grades-spurs-vs-timberwolves/)



Thanks for the grades. Keep them coming!!!!!!!!!!

[polandprzem]

And even then he'd still magically end up with a positive +/-

And if you are correct - then there is absolutely no chance that Bonner will get F from our timvp ...

[TDMVPDPOY]

even if someone on the team gets a A+ rank, haters will always find something to hate about??

in this case, timvp is pissed his member aint schlong like gh3

[lurker23]

Once again, LJ, this is why you stopped doing grades in favor of Game Thoughts. People spend too much time quibbling over half a grade point rather than talk about the game. Perhaps this needs to be converted to "Quick Thoughts."

[ALVAREZ6]

Once again, LJ, this is why you stopped doing grades in favor of Game Thoughts. People spend too much time quibbling over half a grade point rather than talk about the game. Perhaps this needs to be converted to "Quick Thoughts."

Good point, but perhaps it should just stay as "Quick Grades" ... emphasis on quick, implying they aren't necessarily perfect.

[Manufan909]

I think timvp should go back to Game Thoughts AND remove letter grades from the equation. But as long as the Ellis' have a 1-36 month old baby, we'll have to deal with quick grades.

And chieflion brought up an interesting point, does timvp change the grading for the playoffs? Cuz Bonner would be allowed to suck more when it counted if that were true.

[ChumpDumper]

I think it's funny just how seriously people take half a grade on a blog entry.

[wildbill2u]

Just looking at Manu's shooting stats and FTs makes me wonder if the Wolves just decided to stop him by fouling (Hack a Manu) and see if he could beat them at the line.

Could anyone who saw the game and their defense comment on this?

[Chomag]

Just looking at Manu's shooting stats and FTs makes me wonder if the Wolves just decided to stop him by fouling (Hack a Manu) and see if he could beat them at the line.

Could anyone who saw the game and their defense comment on this?

If that was what they planed to do then thats a very flawed logic to foul that teams best free-throw shooter. :lol

[ChumpDumper]

Just looking at Manu's shooting stats and FTs makes me wonder if the Wolves just decided to stop him by fouling (Hack a Manu) and see if he could beat them at the line.

Could anyone who saw the game and their defense comment on this?Given Manu's FT%, he's probably the last person on the team to hack.

The small ball lineup was very aggressive and Manu as a primary ballhandler was a big reason for that. It really put the Wolves on their heels in the fourth.

[benefactor]

Once again, LJ, this is why you stopped doing grades in favor of Game Thoughts. People spend too much time quibbling over half a grade point rather than talk about the game. Perhaps this needs to be converted to "Quick Thoughts."
:tu

It's also a bit ironic how they beg and plead for them then piss and moan about them with they get them. Spurstalk = insatiable masses.

[jag]

Once again, LJ, this is why you stopped doing grades in favor of Game Thoughts. People spend too much time quibbling over half a grade point rather than talk about the game. Perhaps this needs to be converted to "Quick Thoughts."

Pretty much. Although I do enjoy seeing heated arguments over subjective grading. People also act like LJ isn't analyzing ever facet of each game. People get hung up on a guy hitting his free throws and want to give him high marks for his performance. Do you honestly think Manu shooting 1-10 is an above average performance for him, a player who has carried this offense to a 16-3 season?

If nothing else, Timvp is consistent with his method. And it's nice to check out the grades if you missed the game.

[Dice]

Just looking at Manu's shooting stats and FTs makes me wonder if the Wolves just decided to stop him by fouling (Hack a Manu) and see if he could beat them at the line.

Could anyone who saw the game and their defense comment on this?

Manu did a great job of drawing the contact and then just heaving it at the goal the best he could to get the shooting foul. Second game in a row where he caught a guy reaching out at the three point line and got the foul. He was getting the contact on his own so, no, I don't think the wolves intentionally fouled.

[benefactor]

I want the quick grades!

What does Bonner has to do to get an F? ;)

Manu and Tony deserve better grades, 20pts 50% 5ast were usefull and 13/13 FT is impressive and ... clutch!
lol

[DPG21920]

People can want the grades and also disagree with them. It's why they like them. It is a topic of conversation and obviously everyone will not agree.

Wanting the grades and not agreeing with some of them are not mutually exclusive imo...

[Darkwaters]

Bonner should get an F for giving up two consecutive turnovers while trying to inbound the ball.

[ducks]

I think it's funny just how seriously people take half a grade on a blog entry.

I think it is funny how you think you know more then anyone
also this is a forum to discuss thinks but you think people can not give them what they think. No disrespect to anyone here but what they think is not always right. That also goes to the spurs coaches and players

[jjktkk]

I think it is funny how you think you know more then anyone
also this is a forum to discuss thinks but you think people can not give them what they think. No disrespect to anyone here but what they think is not always right. That also goes to the spurs coaches and players

I don't know if Chump thinks he knows more than the rest of us, but I love the back and forth arguements. Good stuff.

[ducks]

Given Manu's FT%, he's probably the last person on the team to hack.

The small ball lineup was very aggressive and Manu as a primary ballhandler was a big reason for that. It really put the Wolves on their heels in the fourth.

what put them on their heels was they lack confidence in the 4 quarter

they also knew spurs came back 21 against them a few games ago

[ChumpDumper]

I think it is funny how you think you know more then anyoneWhen have I ever said that, ducks?

also this is a forum to discuss thinks but you think people can not give them what they think.Well I know I never posted a sentence like that, but when have I ever said something like that, ducks?
No disrespect to anyone here but what they think is not always right. That also goes to the spurs coaches and playersWhen have I ever said anything different, ducks?

Expressing one's opinion is what this message board is all about. I express mine in a way that leaves scores of whiny, butthurt e-grudge holders in my wake who constantly have homosexual fantasies about me.

Tough shit.

[ohmwrecker]

Hill deserves a A+.

I would give it to him just for showing a little fire and passion on that loose ball play. I haven't seen a lot of that yet. The Spurs have to be careful not to get too lazy and staisfied. They need to stay hungry and motivated.

[Whisky Dog]

This is that lull time in this too long of a season between game about 19/20 through about game 60. The Spurs are a little tired but mostly they're a but unfocused. They think they can beat the wolves by going all out in the 4th and they did. The only reason Minn was so close in the 1st meeting was due to Darko hitting every ridiculous shot he threw up. Today he didn't and the 4th quarter barrage got it done. I do think Manu needs a couple games off here and there.

[FilSpursFan]

George Hill :tu

[Agloco]

Just looking at Manu's shooting stats and FTs makes me wonder if the Wolves just decided to stop him by fouling (Hack a Manu) and see if he could beat them at the line.

Could anyone who saw the game and their defense comment on this?

Don't need to watch the game to know the answer......

Manu shoots around 90% from the line this year. He's a bad candidate for Hack-a-<Insert Name Here>.

[Agloco]

Expressing one's opinion is what this message board is all about. I express mine in a way that leaves scores of whiny, butthurt e-grudge holders in my wake who constantly have homosexual fantasies about me.

Tough shit.

:lmao:lmao:lmao

[ajballer4]

If nothing else, Timvp is consistent with his method. And it's nice to check out the grades if you missed the game.

:tu

[ducks]

When have I ever said that, ducks?
Well I know I never posted a sentence like that, but when have I ever said something like that, ducks?When have I ever said anything different, ducks?

Expressing one's opinion is what this message board is all about. I express mine in a way that leaves scores of whiny, butthurt e-grudge holders in my wake who constantly have homosexual fantasies about me.

Tough shit.

OH NO NOW WE HAVE A INTERNET BULLY:lmao

[ChumpDumper]

OH NO NOW WE HAVE A INTERNET BULLY:lmaoWhat part of that made you feel bullied, ducks?