timvp
02-11-2012, 11:38 PM
Saturday night's game against the Nets will be remembered for the return of Manu Ginobili after a 40-day absence due to a broken hand. As far as the contest was concerned, there wasn't much of one as the Spurs cruised to a 103-89 victory.
The Nets are a bad team who had lost five games in a row entering the game, so the easy win wasn't exactly a surprise. However, since the Spurs have struggled on the road much of this season, any victory away from home is notable at this point.
Winners of seven straight, the Spurs -- equipped with the greatness of Ginobili once again -- will look to improve to 4-0 on the Rodeo Road Trip Tuesday night at Detroit.
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http://oi43.tinypic.com/2vsjh3m.jpg
Tim Duncan B+
Tim Duncan continues to get better and better as this season progresses. He was bad in December, decent in January and has been very good in February. Against the Nets, he posted his fourth straight double-double despite only playing 24 minutes. For the month, he's now averaging 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game on 53.3% shooting from the field. On Saturday night, he added five assists -- his highest in that category in more than a month. Defensively, he was solid. While his pick-and-roll defense was late at times, he controlled the paint.
Manu Ginobili B
Welcome back, Manu Ginobili. The Argentine superstar came off the bench and played as expected. He was unselfish on the offensive end, made a couple great passes and showed flashes of his scoring ability. Defensively, he has a ways to go -- his lateral movement was especially slow tonight. He didn't use his injured left hand when attempting steals, which is understandable. But since he doesn't have any sort of wrap on his hand, there's no reason for him not to return to his early season form once he's back in shape and confident again.
Tony Parker B
It was good to see Tony Parker finally get a bit of a break. With Ginobili back, Parker was able to play his fewest minutes since the blowout loss to the Heat back on Jan. 17. While his stats weren't too impressive, Parker ran the show very well. His playmaking was superb and he kept his mistakes to a minimum. Defensively, Parker didn't let Deron Williams get many open looks. It was a strong yet unspectacular outing for the All-Star.
Richard Jefferson B-
Richard Jefferson had another typical showing. Offensively, he took his stand-still three-pointers and his two-pointers coming off screens. On defense, he wasn't bad but he did lose Anthony Morrow a few times when making a rotation. Jefferson didn't thrive with Ginobili gone. We'll see if he'll be able to pick up his level of play with Ginobili back in action.
DeJuan Blair B
Speaking of which, DeJuan Blair was the happiest man in the Prudential Center that Ginobili was playing again. Ginobili found Blair a couple times early and that seemed to spark the burly bigman. Blair finished with double-digits in points for the first time in nine games. The confidence he got from scoring seemed to translate to passing the ball, as Blair authored some of his best passes of the season tonight. Unfortunately, he didn't take his improved level of play to the defensive end. He was slow on transition defense, was listless in the paint and wasn't helping out on the defensive glass.
Danny Green B
After 17 straight misses from the field, Danny Green finally got one to go. He started his second straight game and the two days of rest really seemed to do him some good. Green got better elevation on his jumper and he was moving really well on the defensive end. In terms of one-on-one defense, this was one of his better outings. On the other hand, Green was unsure of himself on offense at times and wasn't nearly as disruptive on the defensive end as he usually is. I wouldn't say his slump is over but Green is headed in the right direction now.
Kawhi Leonard B+
For a young rookie, I'm impressed by how Kawhi Leonard is able to stay consistent energy-wise no matter if he's starting or coming off the bench. A reserve tonight, Leonard stepped in and played with a lot of intensity immediately. Defensively, he was successful in a myriad of matchups including Deron Williams to MarShon Brooks. Leonard was once again a beast on the glass and drained his only three-point attempt. He has now connected on five of his last six three-point attempts.
Gary Neal A
For the second straight game, Gary Neal played like a world class backup point guard. Like he did against the Sixers, Neal poured in 18 points -- this time thanks to a strong effort from two-point range. He was 6-for-6 on twos tonight after shooting just 25.9% (7-for-27) on two-pointers over his previous six games. Versus the Nets, Neal's playmaking and passing were also outstanding. In his last two games, he has nine assists and no turnovers in 53 minutes. Defensively, he wasn't quite as sharp tonight but he did help the team by crashing the defensive boards.
Tiago Splitter B+
Tiago Splitter is becoming mighty dependable. Like has been the case over the last few weeks, he was unstoppable in pick-and-rolls, finished off catches in the paint, made heads-up passes, rebounded well, protected the rim and turned the ball over a bit too much. Overall, there's not much to complain about. When he's involved, Splitter contributes. Defensively, he's learning more and more how to use his length to his advantage.
Matt Bonner B-
Compared to recent games, Matt Bonner wasn't very sharp tonight. His closeouts were a beat late and he missed some open looks. But the Nets didn't make him pay for any of his defensive mistakes and the Spurs were scoring well enough to shrug off his misses.
James Anderson B
Showing a lot of explosion and quickness, James Anderson made the most of his nine minutes of playing time. Now if he could just knock down those three-pointers again . . .
Pop B+
I liked how Pop worked Manu Ginobili back into the action. He spread his minutes out and used a couple timeouts to ensure Ginobili never got too gassed. I didn't really follow the logic of starting Green over Leonard tonight but it worked out. Pop didn't panic when the Nets made a few halfhearted runs in the fourth quarter and kept the bench in the game, which was probably his best coaching move of the night.
The Nets are a bad team who had lost five games in a row entering the game, so the easy win wasn't exactly a surprise. However, since the Spurs have struggled on the road much of this season, any victory away from home is notable at this point.
Winners of seven straight, the Spurs -- equipped with the greatness of Ginobili once again -- will look to improve to 4-0 on the Rodeo Road Trip Tuesday night at Detroit.
http://oi44.tinypic.com/2u7cets.jpg
http://oi43.tinypic.com/2vsjh3m.jpg
Tim Duncan B+
Tim Duncan continues to get better and better as this season progresses. He was bad in December, decent in January and has been very good in February. Against the Nets, he posted his fourth straight double-double despite only playing 24 minutes. For the month, he's now averaging 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game on 53.3% shooting from the field. On Saturday night, he added five assists -- his highest in that category in more than a month. Defensively, he was solid. While his pick-and-roll defense was late at times, he controlled the paint.
Manu Ginobili B
Welcome back, Manu Ginobili. The Argentine superstar came off the bench and played as expected. He was unselfish on the offensive end, made a couple great passes and showed flashes of his scoring ability. Defensively, he has a ways to go -- his lateral movement was especially slow tonight. He didn't use his injured left hand when attempting steals, which is understandable. But since he doesn't have any sort of wrap on his hand, there's no reason for him not to return to his early season form once he's back in shape and confident again.
Tony Parker B
It was good to see Tony Parker finally get a bit of a break. With Ginobili back, Parker was able to play his fewest minutes since the blowout loss to the Heat back on Jan. 17. While his stats weren't too impressive, Parker ran the show very well. His playmaking was superb and he kept his mistakes to a minimum. Defensively, Parker didn't let Deron Williams get many open looks. It was a strong yet unspectacular outing for the All-Star.
Richard Jefferson B-
Richard Jefferson had another typical showing. Offensively, he took his stand-still three-pointers and his two-pointers coming off screens. On defense, he wasn't bad but he did lose Anthony Morrow a few times when making a rotation. Jefferson didn't thrive with Ginobili gone. We'll see if he'll be able to pick up his level of play with Ginobili back in action.
DeJuan Blair B
Speaking of which, DeJuan Blair was the happiest man in the Prudential Center that Ginobili was playing again. Ginobili found Blair a couple times early and that seemed to spark the burly bigman. Blair finished with double-digits in points for the first time in nine games. The confidence he got from scoring seemed to translate to passing the ball, as Blair authored some of his best passes of the season tonight. Unfortunately, he didn't take his improved level of play to the defensive end. He was slow on transition defense, was listless in the paint and wasn't helping out on the defensive glass.
Danny Green B
After 17 straight misses from the field, Danny Green finally got one to go. He started his second straight game and the two days of rest really seemed to do him some good. Green got better elevation on his jumper and he was moving really well on the defensive end. In terms of one-on-one defense, this was one of his better outings. On the other hand, Green was unsure of himself on offense at times and wasn't nearly as disruptive on the defensive end as he usually is. I wouldn't say his slump is over but Green is headed in the right direction now.
Kawhi Leonard B+
For a young rookie, I'm impressed by how Kawhi Leonard is able to stay consistent energy-wise no matter if he's starting or coming off the bench. A reserve tonight, Leonard stepped in and played with a lot of intensity immediately. Defensively, he was successful in a myriad of matchups including Deron Williams to MarShon Brooks. Leonard was once again a beast on the glass and drained his only three-point attempt. He has now connected on five of his last six three-point attempts.
Gary Neal A
For the second straight game, Gary Neal played like a world class backup point guard. Like he did against the Sixers, Neal poured in 18 points -- this time thanks to a strong effort from two-point range. He was 6-for-6 on twos tonight after shooting just 25.9% (7-for-27) on two-pointers over his previous six games. Versus the Nets, Neal's playmaking and passing were also outstanding. In his last two games, he has nine assists and no turnovers in 53 minutes. Defensively, he wasn't quite as sharp tonight but he did help the team by crashing the defensive boards.
Tiago Splitter B+
Tiago Splitter is becoming mighty dependable. Like has been the case over the last few weeks, he was unstoppable in pick-and-rolls, finished off catches in the paint, made heads-up passes, rebounded well, protected the rim and turned the ball over a bit too much. Overall, there's not much to complain about. When he's involved, Splitter contributes. Defensively, he's learning more and more how to use his length to his advantage.
Matt Bonner B-
Compared to recent games, Matt Bonner wasn't very sharp tonight. His closeouts were a beat late and he missed some open looks. But the Nets didn't make him pay for any of his defensive mistakes and the Spurs were scoring well enough to shrug off his misses.
James Anderson B
Showing a lot of explosion and quickness, James Anderson made the most of his nine minutes of playing time. Now if he could just knock down those three-pointers again . . .
Pop B+
I liked how Pop worked Manu Ginobili back into the action. He spread his minutes out and used a couple timeouts to ensure Ginobili never got too gassed. I didn't really follow the logic of starting Green over Leonard tonight but it worked out. Pop didn't panic when the Nets made a few halfhearted runs in the fourth quarter and kept the bench in the game, which was probably his best coaching move of the night.