timvp
12-12-2010, 01:20 AM
Quick Grades: Spurs vs. Hawks (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-grades/quick-grades-spurs-vs-hawks/)
Though the 108-92 final score indicates another easy win for the Spurs, that actually wasn’t the case against the Hawks. The two teams were locked in a defensive battle until nine and a half minutes were remaining in the game. At that point, with a stagnant Spurs squad holding onto a one-point lead, San Antonio caught fire and outscored Atlanta 32-17 the rest of the way. A trio of triples by Richard Jefferson and constant creating by Tony Parker caused the combustion. The Spurs improved to 19-3 with the win.
Tim Duncan B-
With 14 minutes remaining in the game, Tim Duncan exited the court with the Spurs up by one point. He never re-entered. Pop stuck with a hot group in the fourth quarter and Duncan led the cheers from the bench. When he was actually playing, Duncan was decent. He passed well and was attentive when defending the basket. The size and length of the Hawks confounded him at times — most notably on the boards and when trying to finish at the rim — but Duncan was able to play mostly solid basketball.
Manu Ginobili D
From the first minutes, Manu Ginobili didn’t seem completely focused. He was extremely loose with the ball and attempted a number of ill-advised passes. Ginobili finished with no assists and six turnovers. Defensively, he was also a step slow getting to his spots. To his credit, Ginobili’s scoring didn’t suffer. He hit half of his 14 shots on his way to 18 points.
Tony Parker A-
It took Tony Parker a while to figure out how to attack Atlanta’s defense … but he finally did in the fourth quarter. With the Spurs up by seven points and less than five minutes remaining, Parker scored or assisted on 12 points in the next three and a half minutes to give the Spurs a 16-point advantage. Even more impressively, Parker did that with both Duncan and Ginobili on the bench. On defense, he did good work on Mike Bibby throughout the night.
Richard Jefferson B
Richard Jefferson relied on his newfound three-point marksmanship against the Hawks. He was 5-for-6 on threes and just 1-for-2 on two-pointers. His three-pointers down the stretch were the nails in Atlanta’s coffin. On defense, however, I wasn’t nearly as impressed. He was slow on closeouts and made a number of errors in rotations. A little more effort on the glass would also have been helpful.
DeJuan Blair A
The rebirth of DeJuan Blair’s season continues. After struggling mightily early on, Blair has found a rhythm. Against the Hawks, he was very good. Defensively, he’s really starting to figure out how to use his nimbleness and good hands to his advantage. He swiped four steals and now has 11 steals in his last four games. Blair also made quality passes, rebounded well and had a number of strong finishes in the paint. He’s starting to now look like a legit starter.
George Hill A-
Fantastic performances are becoming the norm for George Hill. In his 37 minutes off the bench, he led the team in plus/minus with a +20 and his aggressiveness on both ends was very good. Making Hill even more dangerous on offense is his renewed confidence in his three-point stroke; in the last two games he’s 6-for-8 from deep. Quietly, he’s now playing as well as any sixth man in the league.
Matt Bonner C
Matt Bonner isn’t a very good defender but he usually maximizes his ability on that end by not making mistakes. That was not the case against the Hawks. Bonner made a handful of mistakes that burned the Spurs. On offense, he hit half of his four three-pointers but seemed to struggle with his decision making.
Antonio McDyess A-
Up until Parker taking over down the stretch, Antonio McDyess was the team’s best passer. He wasn’t confused by the different looks the Hawks were showing and was able to find the open man. On defense, McDyess rebounded well and blocked a pair of shots. After playing only nine minutes in the previous week, he looked extra energized.
Gary Neal B
Defense is still a struggle for Gary Neal at times. He doesn’t look like a rookie on the offense end — but he does on D. Hopefully the frequency of his mistakes decreases as he continues to learn the system. On offense against the Hawks, Neal missed all three of his three-pointers but otherwise did well enough. He had a few good passes and converted on both of his two-pointers.
Though the 108-92 final score indicates another easy win for the Spurs, that actually wasn’t the case against the Hawks. The two teams were locked in a defensive battle until nine and a half minutes were remaining in the game. At that point, with a stagnant Spurs squad holding onto a one-point lead, San Antonio caught fire and outscored Atlanta 32-17 the rest of the way. A trio of triples by Richard Jefferson and constant creating by Tony Parker caused the combustion. The Spurs improved to 19-3 with the win.
Tim Duncan B-
With 14 minutes remaining in the game, Tim Duncan exited the court with the Spurs up by one point. He never re-entered. Pop stuck with a hot group in the fourth quarter and Duncan led the cheers from the bench. When he was actually playing, Duncan was decent. He passed well and was attentive when defending the basket. The size and length of the Hawks confounded him at times — most notably on the boards and when trying to finish at the rim — but Duncan was able to play mostly solid basketball.
Manu Ginobili D
From the first minutes, Manu Ginobili didn’t seem completely focused. He was extremely loose with the ball and attempted a number of ill-advised passes. Ginobili finished with no assists and six turnovers. Defensively, he was also a step slow getting to his spots. To his credit, Ginobili’s scoring didn’t suffer. He hit half of his 14 shots on his way to 18 points.
Tony Parker A-
It took Tony Parker a while to figure out how to attack Atlanta’s defense … but he finally did in the fourth quarter. With the Spurs up by seven points and less than five minutes remaining, Parker scored or assisted on 12 points in the next three and a half minutes to give the Spurs a 16-point advantage. Even more impressively, Parker did that with both Duncan and Ginobili on the bench. On defense, he did good work on Mike Bibby throughout the night.
Richard Jefferson B
Richard Jefferson relied on his newfound three-point marksmanship against the Hawks. He was 5-for-6 on threes and just 1-for-2 on two-pointers. His three-pointers down the stretch were the nails in Atlanta’s coffin. On defense, however, I wasn’t nearly as impressed. He was slow on closeouts and made a number of errors in rotations. A little more effort on the glass would also have been helpful.
DeJuan Blair A
The rebirth of DeJuan Blair’s season continues. After struggling mightily early on, Blair has found a rhythm. Against the Hawks, he was very good. Defensively, he’s really starting to figure out how to use his nimbleness and good hands to his advantage. He swiped four steals and now has 11 steals in his last four games. Blair also made quality passes, rebounded well and had a number of strong finishes in the paint. He’s starting to now look like a legit starter.
George Hill A-
Fantastic performances are becoming the norm for George Hill. In his 37 minutes off the bench, he led the team in plus/minus with a +20 and his aggressiveness on both ends was very good. Making Hill even more dangerous on offense is his renewed confidence in his three-point stroke; in the last two games he’s 6-for-8 from deep. Quietly, he’s now playing as well as any sixth man in the league.
Matt Bonner C
Matt Bonner isn’t a very good defender but he usually maximizes his ability on that end by not making mistakes. That was not the case against the Hawks. Bonner made a handful of mistakes that burned the Spurs. On offense, he hit half of his four three-pointers but seemed to struggle with his decision making.
Antonio McDyess A-
Up until Parker taking over down the stretch, Antonio McDyess was the team’s best passer. He wasn’t confused by the different looks the Hawks were showing and was able to find the open man. On defense, McDyess rebounded well and blocked a pair of shots. After playing only nine minutes in the previous week, he looked extra energized.
Gary Neal B
Defense is still a struggle for Gary Neal at times. He doesn’t look like a rookie on the offense end — but he does on D. Hopefully the frequency of his mistakes decreases as he continues to learn the system. On offense against the Hawks, Neal missed all three of his three-pointers but otherwise did well enough. He had a few good passes and converted on both of his two-pointers.