timvp
01-27-2012, 11:53 PM
The Spurs and Timberwolves battled in a physical, low-scoring affair. After much back and forth, Gary Neal hit a three-pointer to put the Spurs up by two points with three and a half minutes to go in the game. Unfortunately, the Spurs never scored again and the T'Wolves ran away with a 87-79 victory.
This season, the Spurs have been able to blame their defense for virtually every loss. Tonight the defense was fine -- it was the offense that let the team down. The Spurs never scored more than 22 points in a quarter and they saved their worst offense for last. Down the stretch, the Spurs had only one field goal in the final seven minutes.
I give Minnesota a lot of credit. They pressured the Spurs throughout and fought for every inch of space in the paint. On offense, defending Ricky Rubio on pick-and-rolls proved to be very difficult.
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2291/boxjan27.jpg
Tim Duncan D-
Early on, Tim Duncan was dominant on defense and on the boards. But as the game progressed, Duncan got worse and worse and worse. In the second half, the T'Wolves were pushing him around and he looked helpless, I hate to say. Some creature called Nikola Pekovic was simply using Duncan as a punching bag in the final two quarters. On offense, Duncan was soft, selfish and mistake-prone. Late in the fourth, he wouldn't get out of the way even though he was a disaster on that end all night. The sooner we all forget this game took place, the better.
Tony Parker C
We've seen this script from Tony Parker quite a bit recently: take a backseat early and then turn on the afterburners in the fourth. But Parker didn't execute it well tonight. During the "backseat" phase, he wasn't making plays for teammates or doing much of anything. He was basically playing like a well-paid version of Cory Joseph. Parker was able to get his points in the second half but, by that time, everything was so stagnant that it really didn't matter. He also seemed to run out of gas late in the fourth.
Richard Jefferson C-
Richard Jefferson connected on four field goals in the first eight minutes of the game. Inexplicably, he played 29 more minutes even though he was doing nothing. He didn't score a point the rest of the way and was an airhead on the defensive end. It's getting apparent that even his teammates are getting tired of his lackluster act. The cherry on top of Jefferson's poor night was a missed three-pointer late in the game in which he was wiiiiiiiiide open that could have made it a one-point game.
DeJuan Blair C-
To begin the game, I thought DeJuan Blair was pretty good. He had three assists on the first four baskets and was playing quality defense against Kevin Love. But Blair quickly wore down, which led to him having trouble running the court and staying in front of Love in transition. Blair also wasn't helpful on the boards and was held without a point. It's getting more evident that this compressed schedule is taking its toll on the undersized bigman.
Kawhi Leonard C+
On defense, I really liked Kawhi Leonard's activity level. This was the first game we really saw him attacking ballhandlers and playing a disruptive role on that end; I assume the coaching staff told him to be more aggressive defensively. The tactic backfired a bit because Leonard got in early foul trouble. But where he really struggled was on offense. Leonard has regressed on that end and is again having trouble finding his niche. To begin the game, the Spurs were trying to take advantage of the fact that the T'Wolves were using Luke Ridnour to defend him but Leonard failed to make Minnesota pay.
Tiago Splitter B+
Tiago Splitter's role is growing. His 27 minutes were his most in a game since opening night (outside of that one game Duncan sat out). Splitter responded with more really good play on the offensive end. On the low block, he's far and away the team's best player. When he's not scoring, he's able to find an open teammate. Against the T'Wolves, he was really good at defending the rim. But the glaring negative for Splitter tonight was his inability to defend Love out on the perimeter. While that is definitely a daunting task, it's the type of matchup Splitter is going to have to master if he wants consistent time in fourth quarters next to Duncan.
Gary Neal B
With the Spurs struggling for offense, Pop gave Gary Neal extended minutes. The results were mostly positive. He shot well enough and his three-pointer late in the fourth was the only shot anyone hit down the stretch. His decision-making was iffy but on the other end his defense is improving. Overall, Neal is starting to look like the player we came to expect last season.
Matt Bonner C+
On offense, Matt Bonner pulled his weight. Along with his trio of triples, Bonner hit a hook at the end of the third to tie the game ... and, shockingly, even got to the line. Things weren't as rosy on the other side of the court for Bonner, to say the least. He wasn't rebounding or being physical. And when the T'Wolves isolated against him, they usually had success. A few times, he got so twisted around that he lost sight of the ball.
Danny Green C
Chalk this up as a "trying too hard" performance for Danny Green. He's had his share of these so far this season. On offense, he too often was attempting to create when there was nothing to be had. I liked his rebounding on the defensive end but the rest of his activity didn't lead to many positives. Screens were, once again, an issue for Green. (All that said, Pop should have played him more instead of Jefferson. At least Green was hustling.)
Cory Joseph B-
I liked that Cory Joseph was pushing the pace to the best of his ability. But once he got the ball in the frontcourt, he was far too inactive. He wasn't breaking down the offense or creating offense. Instead, he resorted to simple passes that allowed Minnesota to set their defense against the struggling San Antonio offense. The good news is he was an asset on defense, especially when it came to helping versus bigger players.
Pop C
I've been begging for Pop to play Splitter more minutes and to finish the game with the Brazilian on the court. Against the T'Wolves, Pop did just that -- so I give him credit for that decision. I'll take a few losses now because I think it'll translate into more wins later. But there were definitely some other areas where I'm second-guessing Pop's decisions. The Spurs were going under the screen against Rubio all night long, and though it was a sound strategy since Rubio was in a massive shooting slump of late (22.8% in his last five games), Pop should have changed it up at some point. Rubio made the Spurs pay for showing him so little respect, finishing 7-for-12 from the floor. Pop also played Jefferson way too much and probably should have found more minutes for Parker to rest in the first three quarters. And that offensive implosion at the end was partially due to some poor playcalling by Pop. To be blunt, he should have called more plays that didn't involve Duncan.
This season, the Spurs have been able to blame their defense for virtually every loss. Tonight the defense was fine -- it was the offense that let the team down. The Spurs never scored more than 22 points in a quarter and they saved their worst offense for last. Down the stretch, the Spurs had only one field goal in the final seven minutes.
I give Minnesota a lot of credit. They pressured the Spurs throughout and fought for every inch of space in the paint. On offense, defending Ricky Rubio on pick-and-rolls proved to be very difficult.
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2291/boxjan27.jpg
Tim Duncan D-
Early on, Tim Duncan was dominant on defense and on the boards. But as the game progressed, Duncan got worse and worse and worse. In the second half, the T'Wolves were pushing him around and he looked helpless, I hate to say. Some creature called Nikola Pekovic was simply using Duncan as a punching bag in the final two quarters. On offense, Duncan was soft, selfish and mistake-prone. Late in the fourth, he wouldn't get out of the way even though he was a disaster on that end all night. The sooner we all forget this game took place, the better.
Tony Parker C
We've seen this script from Tony Parker quite a bit recently: take a backseat early and then turn on the afterburners in the fourth. But Parker didn't execute it well tonight. During the "backseat" phase, he wasn't making plays for teammates or doing much of anything. He was basically playing like a well-paid version of Cory Joseph. Parker was able to get his points in the second half but, by that time, everything was so stagnant that it really didn't matter. He also seemed to run out of gas late in the fourth.
Richard Jefferson C-
Richard Jefferson connected on four field goals in the first eight minutes of the game. Inexplicably, he played 29 more minutes even though he was doing nothing. He didn't score a point the rest of the way and was an airhead on the defensive end. It's getting apparent that even his teammates are getting tired of his lackluster act. The cherry on top of Jefferson's poor night was a missed three-pointer late in the game in which he was wiiiiiiiiide open that could have made it a one-point game.
DeJuan Blair C-
To begin the game, I thought DeJuan Blair was pretty good. He had three assists on the first four baskets and was playing quality defense against Kevin Love. But Blair quickly wore down, which led to him having trouble running the court and staying in front of Love in transition. Blair also wasn't helpful on the boards and was held without a point. It's getting more evident that this compressed schedule is taking its toll on the undersized bigman.
Kawhi Leonard C+
On defense, I really liked Kawhi Leonard's activity level. This was the first game we really saw him attacking ballhandlers and playing a disruptive role on that end; I assume the coaching staff told him to be more aggressive defensively. The tactic backfired a bit because Leonard got in early foul trouble. But where he really struggled was on offense. Leonard has regressed on that end and is again having trouble finding his niche. To begin the game, the Spurs were trying to take advantage of the fact that the T'Wolves were using Luke Ridnour to defend him but Leonard failed to make Minnesota pay.
Tiago Splitter B+
Tiago Splitter's role is growing. His 27 minutes were his most in a game since opening night (outside of that one game Duncan sat out). Splitter responded with more really good play on the offensive end. On the low block, he's far and away the team's best player. When he's not scoring, he's able to find an open teammate. Against the T'Wolves, he was really good at defending the rim. But the glaring negative for Splitter tonight was his inability to defend Love out on the perimeter. While that is definitely a daunting task, it's the type of matchup Splitter is going to have to master if he wants consistent time in fourth quarters next to Duncan.
Gary Neal B
With the Spurs struggling for offense, Pop gave Gary Neal extended minutes. The results were mostly positive. He shot well enough and his three-pointer late in the fourth was the only shot anyone hit down the stretch. His decision-making was iffy but on the other end his defense is improving. Overall, Neal is starting to look like the player we came to expect last season.
Matt Bonner C+
On offense, Matt Bonner pulled his weight. Along with his trio of triples, Bonner hit a hook at the end of the third to tie the game ... and, shockingly, even got to the line. Things weren't as rosy on the other side of the court for Bonner, to say the least. He wasn't rebounding or being physical. And when the T'Wolves isolated against him, they usually had success. A few times, he got so twisted around that he lost sight of the ball.
Danny Green C
Chalk this up as a "trying too hard" performance for Danny Green. He's had his share of these so far this season. On offense, he too often was attempting to create when there was nothing to be had. I liked his rebounding on the defensive end but the rest of his activity didn't lead to many positives. Screens were, once again, an issue for Green. (All that said, Pop should have played him more instead of Jefferson. At least Green was hustling.)
Cory Joseph B-
I liked that Cory Joseph was pushing the pace to the best of his ability. But once he got the ball in the frontcourt, he was far too inactive. He wasn't breaking down the offense or creating offense. Instead, he resorted to simple passes that allowed Minnesota to set their defense against the struggling San Antonio offense. The good news is he was an asset on defense, especially when it came to helping versus bigger players.
Pop C
I've been begging for Pop to play Splitter more minutes and to finish the game with the Brazilian on the court. Against the T'Wolves, Pop did just that -- so I give him credit for that decision. I'll take a few losses now because I think it'll translate into more wins later. But there were definitely some other areas where I'm second-guessing Pop's decisions. The Spurs were going under the screen against Rubio all night long, and though it was a sound strategy since Rubio was in a massive shooting slump of late (22.8% in his last five games), Pop should have changed it up at some point. Rubio made the Spurs pay for showing him so little respect, finishing 7-for-12 from the floor. Pop also played Jefferson way too much and probably should have found more minutes for Parker to rest in the first three quarters. And that offensive implosion at the end was partially due to some poor playcalling by Pop. To be blunt, he should have called more plays that didn't involve Duncan.