yourtehclay
04-15-2011, 03:37 AM
Sorry about the lateness of my post, but I've been quite busy. All in all I was extremely impressed with what I saw from the team.
I should note that I tend to be more optimistic in what I see.
Gary Neal - He was one of the more intriguing players in the game. Although many might attribute the Lakers defense to his overall poor finishing around the hoop I felt that many of his shots were excellent looks. His ability to set up the offense and get into the lane are very solid and underrated.
His assertiveness on the boards stood out despite his relatively low number of rebounds. I feel that his physical strength and demeanour will make him a playoff contributor. His major deficiency was his size on defense, but nothing else really stood out as poor.
George Hill - His lack of advanced ballhandling at the point was quite concerning. Despite this, I feel that he moved the ball around well and ensured that the offense functioned properly. In the playoffs he will take advantage of lesser defenders.
Hill's attitude on defense proved to be contagious as he did a respectable job on Bryant and disrupted plays on a number of occassions.
Richard Jefferson - Despite his poor shooting he really attempted to assert himself into the offense. If a couple more of his midrange J's go down, he'd have had a very solid night.
Defensively he was playing with a sense of purpose and urgency that I hadn't seen from him before.
Dejuan Blair - He usually frustrates me defensively whenever I watch him play. However, against the Lakers he seemed very switched on. He was fighting Gasol for position early and finishing plays with defensive boards. His size is still a glaring weakness against Bynum and Gasol but he was making them work and attacking the glass at every opportunity.
Most importanly he showed some ability to make these guys work hard defensively and on the boards. In the playoffs I feel he'll be a solid contributor if partnered with the right players.
Tiago Splitter - Tiago's footspeed and low post defense were very solid throughout the game. He showed some ability to contest Gasol's jumpshot but provided very little deterrance at the rim. Splitter's work on Bynum was perhaps the most promising. He kept his man off the boards extremely well and stopped Bynum from dominating.
Offensively, Splitter was absolutely atrocious outside of a putback and some pick and roll work. Once he develops some semblance of finishing ability he will be an extremely valuable asset.
Matt Bonner - I have to give Matt credit for playing a solid game and actually hitting his threes. I've begun to get a lingering feeling that his basketball IQ is simply not that high. He frequently attempted to dribble past his man and he seems to be constantly out of position on defense. No amount of hustle can mask this. He was on the wrong end of too many Odom highlights.
He seems to disrupt the team on both ends of the floor, but if he can hit his threes in the playoffs this may be negated somewhat.
James Anderson - Despite his horrible finishing, I was very impressed with most of his game. He showed some crafty moves and had opportunities to convert a number of makeable layups. Anderson was one of the few reserves who seemed to be able to find decent shots at the rim.
His man defense throughout the game was outstanding and he showed a real nack for making shooters feel extremely uncomfortable. I wish more Spurs defenders have this ability to force shooters to alter their form.
Danny Green - His shooting was extremely spotty but he seemed to have a sound understanding of where to be and when to pass. He may have been guilty of pressing with the lack of firepower on the floor.
I enjoyed his toughness and effort on the boards. Green appears to be a reasonably polished player with sound fundamentals, but he clearly doesn't possess Anderson's all round talent for the game. He's a very decent emergency guy right now.
Chris Quinn - Offensively he was extremely overmatched, and this showed in the degree of difficulty of his shots. His playmaking was solid but not outstanding, like the assist numbers might suggest.
Interestingly, the Lakers did not seem to be able to take advantage of Quinn's suspect defense. His defensive angles and rotations show that he has a sound understanding of Spurs concepts.
Despite being a solid placeholder, I pray that he doesn't receive too many minutes in the playoffs.
Steve Novak - Played within himself and was an extremely useful piece offensively. Novak has the quick release and in between game that Bonner desperately needs. His shot was not overly bothered by the length of the Lakers.
Unlike Bonner, Novak never uses more than one dribble and moves the ball around very effectively. I really enjoyed the way the offense ran with Novak in the game.
Defensively, I was impressed because I didn't notice Steve. He seemed to play decent positional defense and didnt get taken advantage of a great deal. He also largely prevented his man from dominating the glass as I'd expected.
Overall the team was playing with great intensity and cohesion. I really hope that the A squad is able to flip a similar switch against Memphis.
I should note that I tend to be more optimistic in what I see.
Gary Neal - He was one of the more intriguing players in the game. Although many might attribute the Lakers defense to his overall poor finishing around the hoop I felt that many of his shots were excellent looks. His ability to set up the offense and get into the lane are very solid and underrated.
His assertiveness on the boards stood out despite his relatively low number of rebounds. I feel that his physical strength and demeanour will make him a playoff contributor. His major deficiency was his size on defense, but nothing else really stood out as poor.
George Hill - His lack of advanced ballhandling at the point was quite concerning. Despite this, I feel that he moved the ball around well and ensured that the offense functioned properly. In the playoffs he will take advantage of lesser defenders.
Hill's attitude on defense proved to be contagious as he did a respectable job on Bryant and disrupted plays on a number of occassions.
Richard Jefferson - Despite his poor shooting he really attempted to assert himself into the offense. If a couple more of his midrange J's go down, he'd have had a very solid night.
Defensively he was playing with a sense of purpose and urgency that I hadn't seen from him before.
Dejuan Blair - He usually frustrates me defensively whenever I watch him play. However, against the Lakers he seemed very switched on. He was fighting Gasol for position early and finishing plays with defensive boards. His size is still a glaring weakness against Bynum and Gasol but he was making them work and attacking the glass at every opportunity.
Most importanly he showed some ability to make these guys work hard defensively and on the boards. In the playoffs I feel he'll be a solid contributor if partnered with the right players.
Tiago Splitter - Tiago's footspeed and low post defense were very solid throughout the game. He showed some ability to contest Gasol's jumpshot but provided very little deterrance at the rim. Splitter's work on Bynum was perhaps the most promising. He kept his man off the boards extremely well and stopped Bynum from dominating.
Offensively, Splitter was absolutely atrocious outside of a putback and some pick and roll work. Once he develops some semblance of finishing ability he will be an extremely valuable asset.
Matt Bonner - I have to give Matt credit for playing a solid game and actually hitting his threes. I've begun to get a lingering feeling that his basketball IQ is simply not that high. He frequently attempted to dribble past his man and he seems to be constantly out of position on defense. No amount of hustle can mask this. He was on the wrong end of too many Odom highlights.
He seems to disrupt the team on both ends of the floor, but if he can hit his threes in the playoffs this may be negated somewhat.
James Anderson - Despite his horrible finishing, I was very impressed with most of his game. He showed some crafty moves and had opportunities to convert a number of makeable layups. Anderson was one of the few reserves who seemed to be able to find decent shots at the rim.
His man defense throughout the game was outstanding and he showed a real nack for making shooters feel extremely uncomfortable. I wish more Spurs defenders have this ability to force shooters to alter their form.
Danny Green - His shooting was extremely spotty but he seemed to have a sound understanding of where to be and when to pass. He may have been guilty of pressing with the lack of firepower on the floor.
I enjoyed his toughness and effort on the boards. Green appears to be a reasonably polished player with sound fundamentals, but he clearly doesn't possess Anderson's all round talent for the game. He's a very decent emergency guy right now.
Chris Quinn - Offensively he was extremely overmatched, and this showed in the degree of difficulty of his shots. His playmaking was solid but not outstanding, like the assist numbers might suggest.
Interestingly, the Lakers did not seem to be able to take advantage of Quinn's suspect defense. His defensive angles and rotations show that he has a sound understanding of Spurs concepts.
Despite being a solid placeholder, I pray that he doesn't receive too many minutes in the playoffs.
Steve Novak - Played within himself and was an extremely useful piece offensively. Novak has the quick release and in between game that Bonner desperately needs. His shot was not overly bothered by the length of the Lakers.
Unlike Bonner, Novak never uses more than one dribble and moves the ball around very effectively. I really enjoyed the way the offense ran with Novak in the game.
Defensively, I was impressed because I didn't notice Steve. He seemed to play decent positional defense and didnt get taken advantage of a great deal. He also largely prevented his man from dominating the glass as I'd expected.
Overall the team was playing with great intensity and cohesion. I really hope that the A squad is able to flip a similar switch against Memphis.