Cry Havoc
02-04-2011, 11:31 AM
The regular season doesn't matter. At least, that's what Lakers fans will come away saying after the Spurs dealt an 89-88 blow to their hopes for a #1 seed, pushing the Spurs further ahead in the standings. It also has to give one pause to think, because for a game that didn't matter, the latest chapter in the Lakers-Spurs rivalry had all the intensity of a game in May. Manu doing the impossible. Odom playing balls out. Parker slicing through the lane. Role players stepping up. Kobe still hitting shots in clutch time. A very loud, raucous Staples Center that included many moments with a full standing ovation. And lots, and lots, and lots of defense. It is perhaps the most fitting irony that in the end, the Spurs beat the Lakers by getting 3 shots at the buzzer before the final tip in fell through. The Lakers frontline, so vaunted this year as being nearly invincible, were unable to get a rebound in crunch time, and instead it's the Spurs frontcourt (and oldest player) that rose above everyone else to send the Spurs to 41-8.
Player of the Game
http://www.worldcorrespondents.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/tony_parker1.jpg
This was by far the most difficult PotG I've had to give out since starting to cover Game Grades. And it's true that Tony Parker was a complete non-factor in the first quarter and through much of the 2nd. Parker started 1-5, and it looked like he was about to sit back and let other Spurs do work. But near the end of the 1st half, Parker hit a couple of buckets in the final two minutes. SpursFanFirst asked me at the half how the game was going, and I replied that as long as Parker came out in the 2nd half attacking, we would be OK. But even I didn't expect the last two minutes to be such a good omen. Parker scored 12 points on 6-6 shooting in the 3rd quarter, and while the regular season may not necessarily point to post-season success, it definitely has to make Lakers fans wonder how they are going to possibly stop the Spurs potent backcourt. Parker showcased a variety of skills, from finishing in the paint after creating his own shot, to silky backdoor cuts for easy buckets, to an absolutely silly feint at the free throw line that nearly took a switched Lamar Odom off his feet. While the first half was Tony at his worst, the 2nd half was Parker at his best, and it shows just how devastating the Spurs offense is when he's getting penetration. But really, this award could have gone to several players. Tony gets the nod because he completely controlled the game in the 2nd half, and receives an A for his efforts.
Counterpart: Derek Fisher - He was by far the best player on the court for the Lakers. In just 24 minutes of play, Fish compiled gargantuan fantasy stats such as 2 points. Or how about his incredible one rebound? I know everyone was blitzed by his passing skills, as both assists will show. Best of all, Fisher was -14 in the +/-, leading many Laker fans to email Mitch Kupchak after the game to let him know that their point guard of the future has been found, and he already starts at the 1 for LA.
Starters
Manu Ginobili - B+ Is there any doubt about whether or not Manu loves to play the Lakers? He really did everything on the court for the Spurs Thursday night... except scoring efficiently. Manu shot an abysmal 5-17, but the numbers lie here, because he was instrumental in spreading the Lakers defense and forcing them to focus on him, which is one reason Parker was free to penetrate at will in the 3rd. Manu racked up 8 assists to go with 14 points, and had an awesome swat of Kobe Bryant. In fact, I recall two different blocks by Manu on Mamba, but he's only credited with one. Either way, Manu continues to prove his value to the Spurs in every way possible aside from scoring, even though he does that well too. Spurs fans have to be extremely encouraged about his potential in the playoffs, because he is as healthy as ever, and we all know how much more dangerous he's going to be when he's actively trying to get in the lane.
Counterpart: Kobe Bryant - Really, the only reason Kobe didn't get the player of the game award is due to the fact that he was stupid enough to hit a few shots late in the 4th. But the rest of the game, Kobe was a terror, recklessly peeling paint off the rim, yelling hey a lot, beating his fingers on the backboard, and wisely deciding that he should take 18 shots while shooting just a hair under a blistering 28 percent.
Richard Jefferson - A+ This is exactly what we need from RJ. He started the game extremely hot and gave the Spurs an early lead. He cooled down a bit as the game went on, but what I loved seeing from Jefferson was his defense. His footwork was crisp, he made solid rotations, and he used his entire body to stay n front of whoever had the ball. He picked up steal, an assist, a rebound, and a block, but this is a game that stats just can't tell the story. On this night, the Spurs used Dick on the Lakers, and Dick was everywhere, getting in their faces, their hands, and their minds. If Dick puts his shots in the hole this well in even 50% of the post-season, the Spurs are going to have a lot of reason to be cocky. Penis.
Counterpart: Ron Artest - In a fairly rough game for Ron-Ron, he only shot 54.5% from the field, and only scored 3 fewer points than Kobe, despite shooting only 7 fewer shots. Artest only had a couple of steals, but he did shoot particularly well from the stripe (1-4) and was dynamite from three, almost making a shot in 4 attempts.
Tim Duncan - B I'm officially going to start expecting more from Duncan. In 33 minutes of play, Tim scored just 8 points on 3-12 shooting. It's worth mentioning that on most nights, his jumpe.... set shot from the elbow is usually going to go down, and it just wouldn't on this evening. Duncan did have 8 rebounds to go with 2 blocks, and at times played excellent post defense, but a large part of the reason this game remained close was the fact that the Spurs didn't box out on the defensive end, giving the Lakers 12 offensive rebounds. To the Spurs credit, they beat the Lakers on the offensive glass for 10 of their own, but in a playoff game, this would be a simply unacceptable effort from our All-Star power forward. I hope in the playoffs Duncan plays a little more pissed off, and throws it down in Gasol's face a few times, especially since it would cause Pau to fall down 4 times in a row and make the Lakers slower getting up the floor.
Counterpart: Pau Gasol - Pau was easily the worst player on the floor for the Lakers. His 19 points on 10 shots were simply a waste, and his 80% shooting was just unacceptable. He played so horribly I can't even talk about it anymore than these 3 sentences.
Dejuan Blair - B- Blair only stayed on the court for 24 minutes due to foul trouble, but I loved what I did see from him. He has incredibly fast hands and seems to relish every second he's on the court. If desire equaled skill, I'd love to see a game between Blair and Manu, because both guys would play 48 minutes per game if they could. Blair still needs to work on his decision making, because he still commits one or two fouls a game that are completely unnecessary, and blew an early fast break opportunity with a charge. Still, his ability to finish at the rim is uncanny for a big man, and I think he has the potential to at least partially neutralize the Lakers bigs if both teams meet in the playoffs.
Counterpart: Andrew Bynum - Still has functional knees. Bynum only led the Lakers in rebounds and blocks. What a chump.
Bench
Antonio McDyess - A+ Sometimes, the stats tell the whole story. At other times, they convey part of the message but don't give the whole picture. And then, on occasion, you just have to throw stats out the window and forget all about them. Antonio McDyess won the game for the Spurs with a tip in the final .2 seconds that will be fondly remembered as "the tip" if it is an omen for the Spurs potential success in the post-season. His points, rebounds, and assists simply didn't matter in this game. All that matters is that he wanted to win more than the Lakers on the floor in the final second, and rising above everyone, he showed that the Spurs have found yet another old guy who can be clutch for them. It wasn't an Horry 3, but I have to wonder how Big Shot Rob felt watching a game between his two former teams go down to the wire with a final tip to the Spurs.
George Hill - A- Yet another player who doesn't have incredible stats, Hill was valuable yet again tonight for his relentless defense. Aside from Gasol popping open a couple of times, and Bynum getting a putback, the Lakers had almost nothing open for them all night, save a couple of threes by Blake or Artest that had to be drawn up beforehand by Pop. Undoubtedly he told Hill in the huddle, "Okay, if Blake gets the ball on the wing, make it look like you're trying to close on him but actually leave him as open as possible for the shot." And then Hill gives Pop a confused look, and Pop gives Hill a creepy grin and whispers, "It's Steve Blake!" Yes, it's "Steve Blake" indeed. :lol Seriously Phil, could Ebanks or Caracter possibly play worse than Fisher and Blake?
Gary Neal - B Neal played only 15 minutes, but I liked what I saw from him, and I'm sure most Spurs fans enjoyed the end of the first quarter, when Neal hit the single most difficult shot of the game, falling out of bounds with half a second left on the court, Neal grabbed the pass from Antonio McDyess in mid-air and let go of a shot that didn't even graze the rim as it splashed down, giving the Spurs 2 extra points that they would most certainly need. Neal also played active defense, and didn't take any bad shots. I'm a bit confused as to why he only got 15 minutes, actually, as this seemed like one of his better games lately. Perhaps Pop was worried that the buzzer-beater would go to his head and Neal would take the next 35 shots for the Spurs.
Tiago Splitter - Actually gave the Spurs decent play in 4 minutes of action. But let's face it, in big games, Antonio McDyess is a much better player right now. Splitter will have a very difficult time finding playing time when Matt Bonner returns.
The Lakers Bench: Is hilarious.
Gregg Popovich - A Pop gets an A for the Lakers game. His defensive assignments were perfect, and the Spurs held the Lakers to 88 points, and Kobe to 5-18 shooting. It really looks like GP has the Lakeshow figured out. He isn't intimidated by Bynum and Gasol, and seems comfortable letting one Laker player get what they want and shutting down the lesser players on the court + focusing on Kobe. The Spurs have frustrated Kobe and the Lakers 2 games in a row right now, and Phil Jackson doesn't seem to have any answers.
Counterpart: I'm not sure who to give this grade to, because I'm not sure if Phil Jackson or Kobe Bryant is running the show for the Lakers. Either way, the Lakers showed a lot of inconsistencies on offense,, and shot just 2-14 from 3 point range. The Western Conference might go through LA, but I think it would be shocking if they don't make a move before the trade deadline, because the Lakers are severely lacking right now. Still, they almost won the game, so going forward they are not a team to be taken lightly.
Note: Not sure if many people realize this, but the Lakers should probably stop looking up the road to the Spurs and start checking the mirror. The loss to San Antonio drops them behind the Mavs for the 2nd seed. If the regulare season continues "not to matter", the Lakers could be looking at the prospect of only having homecourt through the first round.
Player of the Game
http://www.worldcorrespondents.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/tony_parker1.jpg
This was by far the most difficult PotG I've had to give out since starting to cover Game Grades. And it's true that Tony Parker was a complete non-factor in the first quarter and through much of the 2nd. Parker started 1-5, and it looked like he was about to sit back and let other Spurs do work. But near the end of the 1st half, Parker hit a couple of buckets in the final two minutes. SpursFanFirst asked me at the half how the game was going, and I replied that as long as Parker came out in the 2nd half attacking, we would be OK. But even I didn't expect the last two minutes to be such a good omen. Parker scored 12 points on 6-6 shooting in the 3rd quarter, and while the regular season may not necessarily point to post-season success, it definitely has to make Lakers fans wonder how they are going to possibly stop the Spurs potent backcourt. Parker showcased a variety of skills, from finishing in the paint after creating his own shot, to silky backdoor cuts for easy buckets, to an absolutely silly feint at the free throw line that nearly took a switched Lamar Odom off his feet. While the first half was Tony at his worst, the 2nd half was Parker at his best, and it shows just how devastating the Spurs offense is when he's getting penetration. But really, this award could have gone to several players. Tony gets the nod because he completely controlled the game in the 2nd half, and receives an A for his efforts.
Counterpart: Derek Fisher - He was by far the best player on the court for the Lakers. In just 24 minutes of play, Fish compiled gargantuan fantasy stats such as 2 points. Or how about his incredible one rebound? I know everyone was blitzed by his passing skills, as both assists will show. Best of all, Fisher was -14 in the +/-, leading many Laker fans to email Mitch Kupchak after the game to let him know that their point guard of the future has been found, and he already starts at the 1 for LA.
Starters
Manu Ginobili - B+ Is there any doubt about whether or not Manu loves to play the Lakers? He really did everything on the court for the Spurs Thursday night... except scoring efficiently. Manu shot an abysmal 5-17, but the numbers lie here, because he was instrumental in spreading the Lakers defense and forcing them to focus on him, which is one reason Parker was free to penetrate at will in the 3rd. Manu racked up 8 assists to go with 14 points, and had an awesome swat of Kobe Bryant. In fact, I recall two different blocks by Manu on Mamba, but he's only credited with one. Either way, Manu continues to prove his value to the Spurs in every way possible aside from scoring, even though he does that well too. Spurs fans have to be extremely encouraged about his potential in the playoffs, because he is as healthy as ever, and we all know how much more dangerous he's going to be when he's actively trying to get in the lane.
Counterpart: Kobe Bryant - Really, the only reason Kobe didn't get the player of the game award is due to the fact that he was stupid enough to hit a few shots late in the 4th. But the rest of the game, Kobe was a terror, recklessly peeling paint off the rim, yelling hey a lot, beating his fingers on the backboard, and wisely deciding that he should take 18 shots while shooting just a hair under a blistering 28 percent.
Richard Jefferson - A+ This is exactly what we need from RJ. He started the game extremely hot and gave the Spurs an early lead. He cooled down a bit as the game went on, but what I loved seeing from Jefferson was his defense. His footwork was crisp, he made solid rotations, and he used his entire body to stay n front of whoever had the ball. He picked up steal, an assist, a rebound, and a block, but this is a game that stats just can't tell the story. On this night, the Spurs used Dick on the Lakers, and Dick was everywhere, getting in their faces, their hands, and their minds. If Dick puts his shots in the hole this well in even 50% of the post-season, the Spurs are going to have a lot of reason to be cocky. Penis.
Counterpart: Ron Artest - In a fairly rough game for Ron-Ron, he only shot 54.5% from the field, and only scored 3 fewer points than Kobe, despite shooting only 7 fewer shots. Artest only had a couple of steals, but he did shoot particularly well from the stripe (1-4) and was dynamite from three, almost making a shot in 4 attempts.
Tim Duncan - B I'm officially going to start expecting more from Duncan. In 33 minutes of play, Tim scored just 8 points on 3-12 shooting. It's worth mentioning that on most nights, his jumpe.... set shot from the elbow is usually going to go down, and it just wouldn't on this evening. Duncan did have 8 rebounds to go with 2 blocks, and at times played excellent post defense, but a large part of the reason this game remained close was the fact that the Spurs didn't box out on the defensive end, giving the Lakers 12 offensive rebounds. To the Spurs credit, they beat the Lakers on the offensive glass for 10 of their own, but in a playoff game, this would be a simply unacceptable effort from our All-Star power forward. I hope in the playoffs Duncan plays a little more pissed off, and throws it down in Gasol's face a few times, especially since it would cause Pau to fall down 4 times in a row and make the Lakers slower getting up the floor.
Counterpart: Pau Gasol - Pau was easily the worst player on the floor for the Lakers. His 19 points on 10 shots were simply a waste, and his 80% shooting was just unacceptable. He played so horribly I can't even talk about it anymore than these 3 sentences.
Dejuan Blair - B- Blair only stayed on the court for 24 minutes due to foul trouble, but I loved what I did see from him. He has incredibly fast hands and seems to relish every second he's on the court. If desire equaled skill, I'd love to see a game between Blair and Manu, because both guys would play 48 minutes per game if they could. Blair still needs to work on his decision making, because he still commits one or two fouls a game that are completely unnecessary, and blew an early fast break opportunity with a charge. Still, his ability to finish at the rim is uncanny for a big man, and I think he has the potential to at least partially neutralize the Lakers bigs if both teams meet in the playoffs.
Counterpart: Andrew Bynum - Still has functional knees. Bynum only led the Lakers in rebounds and blocks. What a chump.
Bench
Antonio McDyess - A+ Sometimes, the stats tell the whole story. At other times, they convey part of the message but don't give the whole picture. And then, on occasion, you just have to throw stats out the window and forget all about them. Antonio McDyess won the game for the Spurs with a tip in the final .2 seconds that will be fondly remembered as "the tip" if it is an omen for the Spurs potential success in the post-season. His points, rebounds, and assists simply didn't matter in this game. All that matters is that he wanted to win more than the Lakers on the floor in the final second, and rising above everyone, he showed that the Spurs have found yet another old guy who can be clutch for them. It wasn't an Horry 3, but I have to wonder how Big Shot Rob felt watching a game between his two former teams go down to the wire with a final tip to the Spurs.
George Hill - A- Yet another player who doesn't have incredible stats, Hill was valuable yet again tonight for his relentless defense. Aside from Gasol popping open a couple of times, and Bynum getting a putback, the Lakers had almost nothing open for them all night, save a couple of threes by Blake or Artest that had to be drawn up beforehand by Pop. Undoubtedly he told Hill in the huddle, "Okay, if Blake gets the ball on the wing, make it look like you're trying to close on him but actually leave him as open as possible for the shot." And then Hill gives Pop a confused look, and Pop gives Hill a creepy grin and whispers, "It's Steve Blake!" Yes, it's "Steve Blake" indeed. :lol Seriously Phil, could Ebanks or Caracter possibly play worse than Fisher and Blake?
Gary Neal - B Neal played only 15 minutes, but I liked what I saw from him, and I'm sure most Spurs fans enjoyed the end of the first quarter, when Neal hit the single most difficult shot of the game, falling out of bounds with half a second left on the court, Neal grabbed the pass from Antonio McDyess in mid-air and let go of a shot that didn't even graze the rim as it splashed down, giving the Spurs 2 extra points that they would most certainly need. Neal also played active defense, and didn't take any bad shots. I'm a bit confused as to why he only got 15 minutes, actually, as this seemed like one of his better games lately. Perhaps Pop was worried that the buzzer-beater would go to his head and Neal would take the next 35 shots for the Spurs.
Tiago Splitter - Actually gave the Spurs decent play in 4 minutes of action. But let's face it, in big games, Antonio McDyess is a much better player right now. Splitter will have a very difficult time finding playing time when Matt Bonner returns.
The Lakers Bench: Is hilarious.
Gregg Popovich - A Pop gets an A for the Lakers game. His defensive assignments were perfect, and the Spurs held the Lakers to 88 points, and Kobe to 5-18 shooting. It really looks like GP has the Lakeshow figured out. He isn't intimidated by Bynum and Gasol, and seems comfortable letting one Laker player get what they want and shutting down the lesser players on the court + focusing on Kobe. The Spurs have frustrated Kobe and the Lakers 2 games in a row right now, and Phil Jackson doesn't seem to have any answers.
Counterpart: I'm not sure who to give this grade to, because I'm not sure if Phil Jackson or Kobe Bryant is running the show for the Lakers. Either way, the Lakers showed a lot of inconsistencies on offense,, and shot just 2-14 from 3 point range. The Western Conference might go through LA, but I think it would be shocking if they don't make a move before the trade deadline, because the Lakers are severely lacking right now. Still, they almost won the game, so going forward they are not a team to be taken lightly.
Note: Not sure if many people realize this, but the Lakers should probably stop looking up the road to the Spurs and start checking the mirror. The loss to San Antonio drops them behind the Mavs for the 2nd seed. If the regulare season continues "not to matter", the Lakers could be looking at the prospect of only having homecourt through the first round.