Cry Havoc
02-07-2011, 08:42 PM
The Spurs came into Sac-town having played in an unusual number of close games as of late. Perhaps it could be attributed to the recent lapse in 3 point shooting that has been dragging the Spurs down offensively, or just a lack of competition from being 7 games up in the conference, the Spurs had definitely been playing less than stellar ball as of late. Luckily, they flattened the Kings from the opening tip, and it was never really a close game after 3:00 into the first quarter. The Spurs opened up with a 14-4 run to begin the game, and held a double digit lead after 5:33 for the remainder of the contest. This marks another milestone in the Spurs season so far, as they have tied the mark for the 5th best start in NBA history.
Player of the Game
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/files/2010/12/Tiago-12191-306x416.jpg
Has he arrived? Spurs fans certainly hope so. In what has to be one of the bust-to-breakout games of the season, Tiago Splitter absolutely whopped the Kings. He outplayed the entire Sacramento front line. He outrebounded everyone not named Blair or Cousins. He defended extremely well, arms outstretched, making shots difficult for Kings players to get off. And Tiago Splitter scored... to the tune of 7/8 from the field for 16 points (and he showed some dunking ability, finally). Make no mistake, Tony Parker was probably the best player on the floor Friday night, but he was hardly the story. This is something bigger than him, or any single Spurs player. Because it might be the game that Tiago finally steps up and takes a role in the future of the franchise. Or not. But anyone watching the game would have taken one thing away from it regarding the Spurs young Center: He shows promise. There is potential within his 6'11" frame to play more than adequate basketball. So even though my head tells me to give this award to Parker yet again, my heart says this has the potential to be much bigger than Parker's slightly above average night on the court. He's hoping that we will look back at THIS night as the night that Splitter found his confidence and started to play like the draft pick we waited so long to get. A+. His best game of the season.
Starters
Tony Parker - B+ It is becoming customary to say this, but No. 9 came out with his foot on the gas, and the pedal planted to the floor Friday night. He opened up the lead in the 1st Quarter with an 18 foot jumper from the top of the key and then a big, wide open 3. Tony went 5-7 shooting in the first period, an imprint that took any early momentum the Kings might have had. He has been shooting at a torrid pace lately: aside from the horrible Portland game, Parker has shot 50% or better in every game dating back to January 12th. His consistency and potency with getting in the lane, as well as the 7 assists, were a driving force behind San Antone's early blowout of the Kings. What I would like to see from Parker is a willingness to shut down the other team's PG, as Beno Udrih had one of the best games of the season against the Spurs. Still, 25 points with 7 assists is a number not many PGs in the league could replicate against any team.
Manu Ginobili - D+ I'm officially becoming frustrated with Manu. In the late 3rd/early 4th quarters, Manu suddenly decided to start forcing plays and shots, and he ended up turning the ball over and taking a number of ill-advised shots. On a night when the Spurs needed a kick, it would have been somewhat acceptable for him to take initiative, but why, Manu, why do you think we need heroics when we're up by 15 with a quarter to play? The answer is simple, of course: He's Manu. That's just who he is. He lives to compete, and damn the score. He's going to be the player we've known and loved all these years. But in this game, that was a double edged sword -- instead of putting the Kings away in the 3rd, the Spurs gave up chunks of their lead, and allowed a young, hungry team to stay within striking distance before righting the ship and turning them away late.
Richard Jefferson - A- When he's hot, San Antonio is a war machine. Richard Jefferson continued his streak of good shooting performances, hitting on 6-8 and firing away early to go 3-5 from downtown, with a block, a steal, an assist, and 3 rebounds. One thing I am consistently seeing from RJ is a defensive presence. He is getting hands in the faces of shooters, using his athleticism to force them into bad shots, and generally being a pest. He's also positioning himself extremely well, although he had a few lapses on D. In fact, RJ completely removed Omri Casspi from the game for the most part until very late in the contest. His offense warrants a B, but with his defense added on, I must give RJ a very solid grade for this contest and to hope he continues to improve on both sides of the ball. A few more rebounds wouldn't hurt his stat sheet, either.
Tim Duncan - A- I know that Duncan only scored 12 and 5 in this contest, but when you consider he only played for 13 minutes, that's saying something. Add in the steal and 2 assists, and that means that roughly every 40-45 seconds, Tim Duncan was completing a measurable action that was helping the Spurs win on the court. You can't ask for much more from a player in such limited time. The 2nd game on a B2B provided some rest for Big Funda, and now with 4 days off, he should get a chance to get back to 100% before the next foray on the Rodeo Road Trip. All signs point to a Spurs team that could be very close to 50 wins by the All-Star Break. Remarkable.
DeJuan Blair - B- In case you haven't noticed, Beast Mode has been working his butt off for the Spurs lately. In fact, in 6 of his past 11 games dating back to January 14th, Blair has hauled in double digit rebounding numbers, with a 7th game being a hair under at 9 against Utah. His consistency needs work, but Blair has sufficiently established himself as a player that his efforts and numbers are going to have to go up across the board, because he's elevated the standard by which I'm looking at him at. He has the potential to be a double-double machine, and I expect nothing less. I also expect Blair to be a huge weapon against the Lake Show or the Mavericks in the playoffs, if we get to the WCF. That said, I also want Blair to shut down opposing teams. Get blocks, get steals, Blair. Don't risk too much on defense, but the other team should be scared to go at you for fear of turnovers.
Bench
Tiago Splitter - Look up! :lol
Gary Neal - B- Some might think this is a lenient grade on Neal, who only went 1-4 from 3, but hear me out. Neal didn't force things this game. Even though he shot 25% from downtown, from inside the arc, Neal hit 3-5, including a very solid 2nd quarter which saw him getting into the defense and taking good shots at relatively close range. Realistically, anything inside 16 feet should be butter for a guy with a jumper as sharp as Neal's, and it's yet another deployable weapon in the Spurs arsenal if opposing wings overrun Gary trying to chase him off the 3 point line. His step up shot from the free-throw line extended or from the side in the mid-range could be a valuable way to hurt defenders helping down low or doubling Manu or Parker.
George Hill - C+ Another solid outing from GHill, but this is becoming quite the norm for him lately. Aside from a burst of great play in the late 1st/early 2nd quarters, Hill was largely invisible in this game. But the Spurs didn't need him, and he seems to be developing a lot of mental poise. He could be a very dangerous weapon in the playoffs, especially if he keeps hitting his corner 3s.
Antonio McDyess - C A relatively quiet game for Dice, he nevertheless continues to put solid performances together. His post defense is solid, he grabs some boards, and he's a threat from his patented 18 foot jumper.
Gregg Popovich - A Pop gets a huge thumbs-up this game for finally giving Tiago some real time on the court. His early gameplan was to attack and take the Kings out of their game early, and he had his players engaged from the very beginning of the game, and playing at a high level throughout. 13 points was the final margin, but with Duncan getting just 13 minutes of action, it was a very comfortable win for San Antonio. The Spurs improved to 17-6 on the road, the best mark in the league.
Player of the Game
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/files/2010/12/Tiago-12191-306x416.jpg
Has he arrived? Spurs fans certainly hope so. In what has to be one of the bust-to-breakout games of the season, Tiago Splitter absolutely whopped the Kings. He outplayed the entire Sacramento front line. He outrebounded everyone not named Blair or Cousins. He defended extremely well, arms outstretched, making shots difficult for Kings players to get off. And Tiago Splitter scored... to the tune of 7/8 from the field for 16 points (and he showed some dunking ability, finally). Make no mistake, Tony Parker was probably the best player on the floor Friday night, but he was hardly the story. This is something bigger than him, or any single Spurs player. Because it might be the game that Tiago finally steps up and takes a role in the future of the franchise. Or not. But anyone watching the game would have taken one thing away from it regarding the Spurs young Center: He shows promise. There is potential within his 6'11" frame to play more than adequate basketball. So even though my head tells me to give this award to Parker yet again, my heart says this has the potential to be much bigger than Parker's slightly above average night on the court. He's hoping that we will look back at THIS night as the night that Splitter found his confidence and started to play like the draft pick we waited so long to get. A+. His best game of the season.
Starters
Tony Parker - B+ It is becoming customary to say this, but No. 9 came out with his foot on the gas, and the pedal planted to the floor Friday night. He opened up the lead in the 1st Quarter with an 18 foot jumper from the top of the key and then a big, wide open 3. Tony went 5-7 shooting in the first period, an imprint that took any early momentum the Kings might have had. He has been shooting at a torrid pace lately: aside from the horrible Portland game, Parker has shot 50% or better in every game dating back to January 12th. His consistency and potency with getting in the lane, as well as the 7 assists, were a driving force behind San Antone's early blowout of the Kings. What I would like to see from Parker is a willingness to shut down the other team's PG, as Beno Udrih had one of the best games of the season against the Spurs. Still, 25 points with 7 assists is a number not many PGs in the league could replicate against any team.
Manu Ginobili - D+ I'm officially becoming frustrated with Manu. In the late 3rd/early 4th quarters, Manu suddenly decided to start forcing plays and shots, and he ended up turning the ball over and taking a number of ill-advised shots. On a night when the Spurs needed a kick, it would have been somewhat acceptable for him to take initiative, but why, Manu, why do you think we need heroics when we're up by 15 with a quarter to play? The answer is simple, of course: He's Manu. That's just who he is. He lives to compete, and damn the score. He's going to be the player we've known and loved all these years. But in this game, that was a double edged sword -- instead of putting the Kings away in the 3rd, the Spurs gave up chunks of their lead, and allowed a young, hungry team to stay within striking distance before righting the ship and turning them away late.
Richard Jefferson - A- When he's hot, San Antonio is a war machine. Richard Jefferson continued his streak of good shooting performances, hitting on 6-8 and firing away early to go 3-5 from downtown, with a block, a steal, an assist, and 3 rebounds. One thing I am consistently seeing from RJ is a defensive presence. He is getting hands in the faces of shooters, using his athleticism to force them into bad shots, and generally being a pest. He's also positioning himself extremely well, although he had a few lapses on D. In fact, RJ completely removed Omri Casspi from the game for the most part until very late in the contest. His offense warrants a B, but with his defense added on, I must give RJ a very solid grade for this contest and to hope he continues to improve on both sides of the ball. A few more rebounds wouldn't hurt his stat sheet, either.
Tim Duncan - A- I know that Duncan only scored 12 and 5 in this contest, but when you consider he only played for 13 minutes, that's saying something. Add in the steal and 2 assists, and that means that roughly every 40-45 seconds, Tim Duncan was completing a measurable action that was helping the Spurs win on the court. You can't ask for much more from a player in such limited time. The 2nd game on a B2B provided some rest for Big Funda, and now with 4 days off, he should get a chance to get back to 100% before the next foray on the Rodeo Road Trip. All signs point to a Spurs team that could be very close to 50 wins by the All-Star Break. Remarkable.
DeJuan Blair - B- In case you haven't noticed, Beast Mode has been working his butt off for the Spurs lately. In fact, in 6 of his past 11 games dating back to January 14th, Blair has hauled in double digit rebounding numbers, with a 7th game being a hair under at 9 against Utah. His consistency needs work, but Blair has sufficiently established himself as a player that his efforts and numbers are going to have to go up across the board, because he's elevated the standard by which I'm looking at him at. He has the potential to be a double-double machine, and I expect nothing less. I also expect Blair to be a huge weapon against the Lake Show or the Mavericks in the playoffs, if we get to the WCF. That said, I also want Blair to shut down opposing teams. Get blocks, get steals, Blair. Don't risk too much on defense, but the other team should be scared to go at you for fear of turnovers.
Bench
Tiago Splitter - Look up! :lol
Gary Neal - B- Some might think this is a lenient grade on Neal, who only went 1-4 from 3, but hear me out. Neal didn't force things this game. Even though he shot 25% from downtown, from inside the arc, Neal hit 3-5, including a very solid 2nd quarter which saw him getting into the defense and taking good shots at relatively close range. Realistically, anything inside 16 feet should be butter for a guy with a jumper as sharp as Neal's, and it's yet another deployable weapon in the Spurs arsenal if opposing wings overrun Gary trying to chase him off the 3 point line. His step up shot from the free-throw line extended or from the side in the mid-range could be a valuable way to hurt defenders helping down low or doubling Manu or Parker.
George Hill - C+ Another solid outing from GHill, but this is becoming quite the norm for him lately. Aside from a burst of great play in the late 1st/early 2nd quarters, Hill was largely invisible in this game. But the Spurs didn't need him, and he seems to be developing a lot of mental poise. He could be a very dangerous weapon in the playoffs, especially if he keeps hitting his corner 3s.
Antonio McDyess - C A relatively quiet game for Dice, he nevertheless continues to put solid performances together. His post defense is solid, he grabs some boards, and he's a threat from his patented 18 foot jumper.
Gregg Popovich - A Pop gets a huge thumbs-up this game for finally giving Tiago some real time on the court. His early gameplan was to attack and take the Kings out of their game early, and he had his players engaged from the very beginning of the game, and playing at a high level throughout. 13 points was the final margin, but with Duncan getting just 13 minutes of action, it was a very comfortable win for San Antonio. The Spurs improved to 17-6 on the road, the best mark in the league.