Grades: Spurs @ Grizzlies - Jan. 30

[timvp]

A night after an epic comeback against the Mavericks, the Spurs carried forward that hustle and tenacity to stifle the Grizzlies. While the defense wasn't always stellar, San Antonio made up for any deficiencies by out-working Memphis on their way to an 83-73 victory.

The Spurs held the Grizzlies to 37% shooting from the floor and made it count by cleaning up the defensive glass. While the offense wasn't always pretty, the Spurs had good ball-movement and got everyone involved; they finished with 23 assists on 32 made baskets.

Going into this road trip, par for the course was winning one of the three games. The Spurs were able to do that and could have easily won another one. All in all, the Spurs made some strides out on the road as they head into an important three-game homestand.

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/9769/boxjan30.jpg

Tim Duncan B+
Defensively, Tim Duncan was really good. He banged bodies with Marc Gasol and helped hold the chunky Spaniard to seven points on 3-for-11 shooting. Duncan also did good work showing on pick-and-rolls and getting his hand up against jumpshooters. On offense, things weren't always smooth when he called his own number. However, Duncan passed very well and drew enough attention to free outside shooters. Following a listless effort against the Mavs, this was definitely a finer performance.

Tony Parker B
Like in the Mavs game, Tony Parker didn't have much explosion and was having a hard time creating room to get his shot off. This night, though, was different. Instead of forcing the issue, Parker changed gears, took his time and broke down the Grizzlies defense. The result was evident in his 12 assists and only two turnovers. While he never got his own offense going, his playmaking was key throughout. Defensively, I thought his intensity was much better than it was last night as he harassed Mike Conley into a poor showing.

Richard Jefferson B+
Richard Jefferson once again showed some signs of breaking out of his prolonged slump. He's taking his shots when open and is now even mixing in a few drives to the hoop. On defense, he was much more active; Jefferson was diving on the floor for loose balls and battling for boards. I wouldn't exactly call him an asset right now but at least he hasn't hurt the team in the last couple games.

Kawhi Leonard A+
Rudy Gay gave Kawhi Leonard a rude introduction to the NBA when he stole the ball from him and dunked it emphatically in the season opener. Tonight, Leonard got his revenge. Gay had scored at least 23 points in four out of his last six games but Leonard was able to hold him to one point on 0-for-7 shooting from the floor. The rookie wasn't giving Gay any space to operate. In fact, Leonard was making it difficult for him to even get the ball. Offensively, Leonard was able to score by running in transition and pounding the offensive glass. For someone who had been struggling as of late, this was great to see.

DeJuan Blair D
Early on, DeJuan Blair scored three quick baskets to help get the Spurs off on the right foot. But other than that, Blair was bad. He wasn't stopping anyone defensively and compounded the problem by not grabbing any defensive boards. To start the third quarter, he was as sloppy as I've ever seen him. Blair was strong coming out of the gates this season but now he's having a lot of issues with consistency and smart play.

Danny Green B+
If there was one player who was noticeably better after yesterday's near comeback victory, it was Danny Green. He built upon the confidence he gained and was once again a pogo stick of energy. Defensively, he went aggressively after the basketball and disrupted countless plays. While he struggled a bit on offense when it came to finishing and taking care of the ball, he shot the ball well from outside and was all over the offensive glass. Though Green's stats weren't great, the edge and toughness he brought to the court was a big reason why the Spurs were able to cruise to an easy victory.

Matt Bonner A-
Matt Bonner was splashing from downtown and when that happens, that almost always results in a Spurs win. In his silver and black career, the Spurs are now 9-1 when Bonner hits at least five three-pointers. In games in which he hits at least four three-pointers, the Spurs are 18-3. Even if Bonner just hits three three-pointers, the Spurs are 45-10 -- which is a 67-win pace. Besides hitting threes, Bonner was playing with a lot of emotion on both ends and gave good effort on the glass. I'd be thrilled if he played this hard consistently.

Tiago Splitter B-
Defensively, Tiago Splitter was solid. He did good work against whoever he defended, especially Gasol. Rebounding-wise, Splitter was the best on the team. However, offense was a struggle for the second straight night. He continues to turn the ball over too much and he's come back down to earth a bit with regards to how he was previously unstoppable on the post. That said, I can't say I agree with playing him only 15 minutes.

Gary Neal C
A little more than 24 hours after the best game of his season, Gary Neal wasn't nearly as productive. He didn't score and had a couple ill-timed turnovers. Neal also missed wide open teammates when running point guard. Thankfully, the night wasn't a total disaster because he worked hard on defense and pulled down a couple contested rebounds.

James Anderson Inc.
James Anderson's breakout against the Mavs didn't earn him extended playing time tonight.

Pop B-
I give Pop a lot of credit because it was obvious that his decision to allow the bench unit to compete against the Mavs translated into the same style of play against the Grizzlies. Hopefully we see the Spurs playing this hard a lot more often going forward. They were like a well-oiled machine going up against a collection of spare parts. Pop also deserves credit for sticking with Leonard and letting him play through his relatively poor play as of late. Unfortunately, things weren't all good. Playing Parker 39 minutes in the midst of a four games in five nights stretch was crazy. I would have liked to have seen Splitter play more and Anderson given another chance to shine.

[timtonymanu]

This was the closest to a complete game that the Spurs played on the road.

I hope there are more outings like this. Great read like usual, timvp. :tu

[jjktkk]

Solid analysis, thanks Tim.

[dylankerouac]

Great game and great analysis, thanks for posting.

Hopefully we see more of this as the team goes forward.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Awesome timvp.

Dude, Matt Bonner was electric on both ends tonight....His energy jumping around for loose balls and rebounds was the best I've seen in forever. The only real mistake to his game tonight was that technical foul call.

Danny Green is the bench leader. He's like a mini-ginobili in terms of energy and hustle, bringing the entire bench alive. In fact, he's even more of a ginobili in his seemingly reckless offense, when he can have crazy head-scratching turnovers, yet hit you right back with a clutch shot or pass.

The verdict is in: Pop leaving the bench in last night was a definite positive.

Kawhi is the real fucking deal, I don't care what anyone says. If he just scraps and gets garbage, he is an asset. And if he can't develop a better jump shot after next summer, then Chip Engelland needs to be fired.



All considered, Memphis still looked very tired and flat tonight. But in this season, you take this win and you count it like any other. I'm damn glad that the team came out and out-played a team on the road. Especially a team that has owned us for well over a year.

[mercos]

The seeds Pop planted in the Dallas game clearly bloomed tonight. Yesterday's fourth quarter was the wake up call this entire team needed. The only part of the game I did not like was the last five minutes where the Spurs pulled the equivalent of taking a knee in football. They let off the gas to early. I've seen enough crazy come backs to know that was a mistake. Other than that I loved the hustle the guys showed tonight. They got almost every loose ball and were fighting all night. Good win.

[Darkwaters]

Danny Green is the bench leader. He's like a mini-ginobili in terms of energy and hustle, bringing the entire bench alive. In fact, he's even more of a ginobili in his seemingly reckless offense, when he can have crazy head-scratching turnovers, yet hit you right back with a clutch shot or pass.


Absolutely. I'm laughing about those people that called Danny a low-BBIQ, one-dimensional player in the Mavs game thread (prior to the insane bench run that closed the gap and forced OT). Danny brings so much to this team that we've been missing. Hes an excellent utility glue guy for that second unit. Sure, he can step in with the starters and make an impact. But hes so disruptive to other teams reserves, and plays with so much poise, composure and energy that our second unit often times extends leads (or eats into the opposing team's). Right now our bench is a huge asset, largely because of Mr. Green.

[xellos88330]

This is what I have been waiting for. The Spurs bench, hell... ALL of them just need to be pester the shit out of the opposition. Don't give the other team a break. Pressure from all angles, make them work on the glass on both sides of the court. Let the other team KNOW that you are around. Just sending them that message will throw off their game and they can't get comfortable.

Excellent effort across the board for the Spurs. Wonderful to see.

WAY TO GET YOUR PAYBACK LEONARD!!! Keep it up PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

[ElNono]

Thanks for the writeup

[Cant_Be_Faded]

If we had this Matt Bonner (normalizing his 3 point %) in terms of his hustle, effort, and relentlessness on defense and the defensive glass, this guy would be one of the best spurs of the post championship era

[Sean Cagney]

If we had this Matt Bonner (normalizing his 3 point %) in terms of his hustle, effort, and relentlessness on defense and the defensive glass, this guy would be one of the best spurs of the post championship era

LOL LOVE THE IF! But that won't happen bro! I always wanted the IF to happen, it will at times but more often than not no.

[Borosai]

+21

That's "plus twenty-one" for those who aren't good with digits.

[Obstructed_View]

Jefferson was diving on the floor for loose balls

Well of course he was.

[Darkwaters]

+21

That's "plus twenty-one" for those who aren't good with digits.

Matt "King of the Plus/Minus" Bonner

[Whisky Dog]

The Grizz announcers were saying before the game that the Spurs aren't a good team and the Griz should win by 15 to 20.

After the game they said the Grizz didn't deal with the sloppiness the Spurs brought tonight.

WTF does that mean?

[Snaq O'Meal]

The Grizz announcers were saying before the game that the Spurs aren't a good team and the Griz should win by 15 to 20.

After the game they said the Grizz didn't deal with the sloppiness the Spurs brought tonight.

WTF does that mean?

It simply means they made asses of themselves on national TV. :lol

[NASpurs]

There's something about winning a game in double figures while only scoring 83 points that is satisfying to me.

Reminds me of the good old days I guess.

[Sean Cagney]

The Grizz announcers were saying before the game that the Spurs aren't a good team and the Griz should win by 15 to 20.

After the game they said the Grizz didn't deal with the sloppiness the Spurs brought tonight.

WTF does that mean?

I heard that too, they are some f in idiots......... They are full of shit.

[Capt Bringdown]

Blair's minutes need to be slashed and Splitter needs more PT. I don't know what Pop sees in Blair that says "NBA starter." How does Pop imagine that rolling with Blair is going to be any different than last year?
Not making this change will really fuck up this season. Bitterly disappointing IMO.

[Manu-of-steel]

The Grizz announcers were saying before the game that the Spurs aren't a good team and the Griz should win by 15 to 20.

After the game they said the Grizz didn't deal with the sloppiness the Spurs brought tonight.

WTF does that mean?

That was really a head-scratcher. But in fairness , they appreciated the defensive effort and rebounding motor of Kawhi.

[rascal]

The Grizz announcers were saying before the game that the Spurs aren't a good team and the Griz should win by 15 to 20.

After the game they said the Grizz didn't deal with the sloppiness the Spurs brought tonight.

WTF does that mean?

Both teams played ugly basketball. The Spurs have a way of doing that to games.

[boutons_deux]

Spurs shoot 40% on the road, 41% for 10 3gs, and win. Can't complain.

[boutons_deux]

"In his silver and black career, the Spurs are now 9-1 when Bonner hits at least five three-pointers. In games in which he hits at least four three-pointers, the Spurs are 18-3. Even if Bonner just hits three three-pointers, the Spurs are 45-10 -- which is a 67-win pace."

I guess the W-L record is as dramatically bad when Matt's 3's aren't falling?

Bonner is the make-or-break player the Spurs record depends on? ugh

[TJastal]

No Zack Randolph I take it? Not really a true test without him. And Leonard had his way with Gay with some great defense. I think Young was a better fit for that starting lineup last year IMO, made them more physical and imposing and allowed more ball sharing esp through the high post.

Thanks, Timvp.

[Obstructed_View]

No Zack Randolph I take it? Not really a true test without him.

Yeah, that whole Manu / TJ Ford thing is just overblown.

[acoelho1]

It seems pretty clear that Green and Leonard need to be on the court as much as possible. They have a defensive intensity that neither RJ or Neal can bring to the table. My only disappointment is Tiago not playing enough minutes. We are a pretty good defensive team with those 3 on the floor.

[5in10]

I jus hate when bonner is a reason why we won because we Already know he doesn't give us that during playoffs...

[DPG21920]

I think giving TP a B for 22% shooting when he's our best player and main source of offense is too generous. Even though he had 12 assists, I don't think a lot of them were what you would call true play making. He didn't really harrass Conley IMO either. Conley for the most part got where he wanted and missed makeable shots.

[Blake]

Strange that Parker and Neal are both really shooting guards in point guard bodies, yet combined for just 5 points with Tony getting double digit assists.

Agreed that Pop playing Tony 39 minutes without giving much of a sniff to JA was weird.

[maverick1948]

Awesome timvp.

Dude, Matt Bonner was electric on both ends tonight....His energy jumping around for loose balls and rebounds was the best I've seen in forever. The only real mistake to his game tonight was that technical foul call.

Danny Green is the bench leader. He's like a mini-ginobili in terms of energy and hustle, bringing the entire bench alive. In fact, he's even more of a ginobili in his seemingly reckless offense, when he can have crazy head-scratching turnovers, yet hit you right back with a clutch shot or pass.

The verdict is in: Pop leaving the bench in last night was a definite positive.

Kawhi is the real fucking deal, I don't care what anyone says. If he just scraps and gets garbage, he is an asset. And if he can't develop a better jump shot after next summer, then Chip Engelland needs to be fired.



All considered, Memphis still looked very tired and flat tonight. But in this season, you take this win and you count it like any other. I'm damn glad that the team came out and out-played a team on the road. Especially a team that has owned us for well over a year.

Dude, that may have been the best thing for him. He got the tech because of a bad call and he actually showed some emotion. Then he said "F-it here's 3 in your face." I loved the tech. Got the rest of the team rolling again.

[TJastal]

Dude, that may have been the best thing for him. He got the tech because of a bad call and he actually showed some emotion. Then he said "F-it here's 3 in your face." I loved the tech. Got the rest of the team rolling again.

Did he make the triple shot?

[biskvito]

Blair's minutes need to be slashed and Splitter needs more PT. I don't know what Pop sees in Blair that says "NBA starter." How does Pop imagine that rolling with Blair is going to be any different than last year?
Not making this change will really fuck up this season. Bitterly disappointing IMO.

I won't be surprised if he finds another team to better use his years before he's 30.

[TJastal]

I won't be surprised if he finds another team to better use his years before he's 30.

What I don't understand is Pop should know any quality team that his club will face in the playoffs is going to have quality bigs most likely, if not all-star quality. At some point it will be inevitable that Splitter is required to play
30+ along with Duncan and they will end up sharing court time. Now is the time that Pop should be teaching them how to exist togther on each end of the court (esp offensive).

As always Pop is content riding his magic Bonner carpet to regular season wins with no care to the bigger picture.

[gospursgojas]

In his silver and black career, the Spurs are now 9-1 when Bonner hits at least five three-pointers. In games in which he hits at least four three-pointers, the Spurs are 18-3. Even if Bonner just hits three three-pointers, the Spurs are 45-10

Bringing the goods as always Timvp.

Great stat. When Bonner is hitting, Spurs are hard to beat...but when he is not, he should not even be out there.

[Russ]

The Grizz announcers were saying before the game that the Spurs aren't a good team and the Griz should win by 15 to 20.

After the game they said the Grizz didn't deal with the sloppiness the Spurs brought tonight.

WTF does that mean?

It means they'll be lucky to still be playing NBA ball in Memphis 5 years from now.

[biskvito]

The Grizz announcers were saying before the game that the Spurs aren't a good team and the Griz should win by 15 to 20.

After the game they said the Grizz didn't deal with the sloppiness the Spurs brought tonight.

WTF does that mean?

that poor guy with the funky voice, he's just not savvy and comfortable in his job, I know that feel...

[Fabbs]

and we know when Bonner hits in the regular season it means he is also going to hit in the playoffs. :lmao:
:flypig

Benching Splitter and co, playing Bonbon and Soft Dick.

4 more years! 4 more years! :pop:

[Cane]

I think giving TP a B for 22% shooting when he's our best player and main source of offense is too generous. Even though he had 12 assists, I don't think a lot of them were what you would call true play making. He didn't really harrass Conley IMO either. Conley for the most part got where he wanted and missed makeable shots.

Agreed. Solid grades otherwise. Parker's performance was in the C-range.

[GrandeDavid]

I rarely comment, but I want to express my appreciation of Kawhi Leonard's effort yesterday. WOW!! If we see more of that down the road, we will have really gotten a draft steal.

[DBMethos]

Just got done watching this game. Loved it. Activity on defense, sharing the ball on offense, getting in the head of Memphis' players and coaches (and announcers), winning by double digits when scoring just 83...reminded me of the good old days.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

I actually had the thought watching his D the last few games:

"This guy's going to turn out to be better than Bruce Bowen was."

He really just needs to get used to the NBA game speed and dynamics, so he can cut down on the turnovers and difficult shots, and get more confidence and crispness in his offensive sets. He's already a really good on-ball defender, and rebounder (both offensive and defensive). And he seems to get the defensive rotations very well for a rookie, not that he doesn't make mistakes, but he doesn't look lost like he sometimes does on offense.

[ego]

I think giving TP a B for 22% shooting when he's our best player and main source of offense is too generous. .

What you want from TP exactly ? 30 pts each night with 12 assists !

Ok 2/9 is not exalting ( a bad night is always possible) but with +/- +12 (only Magic Bonner is better), 12 AST only 2 TO , 2 ST and 5 REB
Conley ?? only 5/14 3 AST 3TO 2REB

You want perhaps a trade TP<-> Conley.

I don't know why TP is not efficient actually but after a win, I think TP desserves a B only with what he has shown.

[Horse]

Now you see what happens when memphis plays us without their best player.

[GSH]

DeJuan Blair D
Early on, DeJuan Blair scored three quick baskets to help get the Spurs off on the right foot. But other than that, Blair was bad.




I'm telling you, it's ADD Blair. Look at how often he opens the scoring for the Spurs. And comes out playing good defense on guys like Luis Scola. Then, after the first few minutes, he just sort of loses focus. After taking a break, it's a crapshoot - sometimes he can come back in for some good minutes, sometimes, he never gets it back together. It's not physical - he has the stamina to last longer than that (I think). So what else is left? My point is that Blair is generally more effective for short bursts than long stretches, and I don't think that has anything to do with his knees.

Maybe it's not ADD. I guess if it was easy to keep focused for an entire sporting event, there would be a lot more top-level athletes. I'd like to see Pop try using him in 5-6 minute bursts. But with the team being short a big, that would be tough to do.

[therealtruth]

I jus hate when bonner is a reason why we won because we Already know he doesn't give us that during playoffs...

I've said it before. Winning with Bonner is like cheating on your homework. It comes back to bite you when the test comes.

[therealtruth]

Dude, that may have been the best thing for him. He got the tech because of a bad call and he actually showed some emotion. Then he said "F-it here's 3 in your face." I loved the tech. Got the rest of the team rolling again.

Maybe the way to get him to play better in the playoffs is to get him angry.

[therealtruth]

The FO did a good job with Kawhi. He provides some of the toughness, rebounding, and defense the team has been missing. I wish they could apply that magic to bigs.

[wildbill2u]

Pop B-
I give Pop a lot of credit because it was obvious that his decision to allow the bench unit to compete against the Mavs translated into the same style of play against the Grizzlies. Hopefully we see the Spurs playing this hard a lot more often going forward. They were like a well-oiled machine going up against a collection of spare parts. Pop also deserves credit for sticking with Leonard and letting him play through his relatively poor play as of late. Unfortunately, things weren't all good. Playing Parker 39 minutes in the midst of a four games in five nights stretch was crazy. I would have liked to have seen Splitter play more and Anderson given another chance to shine."

Sorry, but if the standard for grading is what a player or coach does with what he has, then ANY win Pop gets with Manu and Ford out, in a compressed schedule and with a bunch of youngsters playing lots of minutes gets at least an A-.

If he steals one on the road, especially from a playoff team, the grade goes to A or A+.

People around the league are starting to take notice. Did anyone see Around the Horn last night?

[Darkwaters]

Just finished watching the game...

Kawhi Leonard was freaking Batman against the Grizz. Hes was always there is the shadows, poking balls away, grabbing boards and loose balls and getting trash points and break away dunks. I was having a good time just listening to the Grizz announcers complain about him.

If Leonard was Batman, Green was Robin. So much of what he did isn't listed on the stat sheet. While a lot of his shots didn't go down (3-10) he was keeping balls alive with tips all night long and had tons and tons of strips and deflections.

That tandem was so disruptive...the Grizz just had no idea what to do.

[xmas1997]

Get Thomas in there with them and it will be a force.