Grades: Spurs @ Raptors - Feb. 15

[timvp]

A trip north of the border couldn't cool off San Antonio. Winning their ninth straight game, the Spurs beat the Raptors 113-106 in a surprisingly high scoring affair. It wasn't always a thing of beauty but improving to 5-0 on the Rodeo Road Trip is no small feat.

For the second straight night, the Spurs blew what appeared to be a comfortable advantage. And for the second straight night, the Spurs made enough big plays late in the game to pull out another win. Once again, Tony Parker played a starring role in the final stanza. Playing all 12 minutes, Parker had 14 points and three assists as the Spurs held off a suddenly red hot Raptors squad.

Defensively, the Spurs had by far their worst showing of their winning streak. Going against a team missing three of their top six scorers including leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, San Antonio allowed Toronto to shoot a blistering 54.7% from the field. DeMar DeRozan, who scored 53 points against the Spurs last year in their two meetings, poured in a season-high 29 points.

The Spurs are next in action Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles against that city's best team.

http://oi42.tinypic.com/zjulc0.jpg

http://oi40.tinypic.com/2yxns5e.jpg

Tim Duncan C
Tim Duncan's streak of five consecutive double-doubles came to an end -- partially by design. The coaching staff obviously wanted to rest Duncan as much as possible on the second night of the back-to-back and their goal was accomplished by sitting him for essentially the last 18 minutes of the game. While he was out there, Duncan wasn't very active; it was the first time he looked tired in a couple of weeks. Defensively, he was slow to rotate to defend the rim and didn't offer much help against the pick-and-roll. On offense, Duncan settled for jumpers; seven of his eight shots were outside the paint. It wasn't a horrible night at the office but the future Hall of Famer had been playing at a much higher level as of late.

Manu Ginobili B
Though the rust is still apparent, Manu Ginobili is making strides. Defensively, he looked much better tonight. He was able to stay in front of his man and maneuvered well around picks. In fact, he had more success defending DeRozan than anyone else. Offensively, Ginobili's lack of chemistry with his teammates oftentimes hurt the flow. He wasn't very crisp running pick-and-rolls and his timing was a bit off when it came to passing and spacing. On the plus side, Ginobili was able to score three buckets a night after being held without a field goal. It was great to see him knock down his first three-pointer since his return, if only so he could prove to himself that he can still shoot with four screws in his hand.

Tony Parker A
With Duncan and Ginobili limited, Tony Parker proved once more than his All-Star berth was well deserved. His playmaking was consistently outstanding. He was finding shooters on the perimeter and running two-man sets to perfection. In the second half, I thought Anthony Carter played great defense against him yet Parker still found ways to power the offense to the highest point total since Jan. 7. By going 12-for-12 at the line, Parker is now shooting better than 80% for the season. Defensively, I wasn't too pleased with his play in the first half. However, in the final two quarters, he gave much better effort on that end of the court. Overall, I give a lot of credit to Parker for realizing that the Spurs really needed him tonight and relentlessly attacking from opening tip until the final buzzer.

Richard Jefferson B
I thought Richard Jefferson played one of his better first halves of the season. Defensively, he was energetic and played with much more passion than usual. Instead of just reacting to what the Raptors were doing, Jefferson actually made plays on D -- which has been a rarity for him this year. On offense, he was making quick, sharp decisions. Unfortunately, that quality play took a nosedive after halftime. After getting benched for a couple defensive mistakes in the beginning of the third quarter, Jefferson was silent the rest of the way.

Danny Green B
Like Jefferson, Danny Green thrived in the first half. He hit all four of his attempts from the field, which included three three-pointers, and both of his free throws. For someone who has seen few shots hit net during the winning streak, let's hope it's a sign of things to come. On defense, Green was solid early and especially spectacular on the defensive glass; he had all seven of his rebounds in his first 11 minutes of action. The second half, though, wasn't nearly as kind to Green. Defensively, he was horrible at getting around screens and the Raptors smartly exploited that weakness over and over and over again. On the other end, he was held without a point.

DeJuan Blair C
Looking especially landlocked tonight, DeJuan Blair wasn't of much help. On offense, he was too shot happy and failed to a hit open teammates a few times. Defensively, Blair was bad in pick-and-roll sets, sagged off his man too far, didn't even attempt to protect the rim and only had one defensive board. Blair scored three quick baskets in the third quarter to save his performance from being deemed a complete disaster.

Tiago Splitter B+
Duncan has Tiago Splitter to thank for his half-night off. Splitter was playing well enough on both ends to man the frontcourt basically by himself for the last quarter and a half. Pick-and-rolls and post-ups continue to be his very successful bread and butter on offense. His ability to find open space while he's rolling continues to amaze. Defensively, I thought he could have been better in one-on-one situations but his team defense was good and he did admirable work protecting the rim. Rebounding-wise, he could have been more physical a few times on boxouts but he otherwise he did his job.

Gary Neal C
Tonight, Gary Neal shot well but his playmaking reverted to "highly questionable" status. He had one really good pass to Splitter but the rest of the night he struggled to find the open man. Defensively, Neal reverted a bit as well -- and if you remember his atrocious early-season defense, you know that definitely wasn't a good thing. And even though it looks like he rebounded well, most of those boards were simply a case of fighting his own teammate for an uncontested rebound. All in all, Neal didn't play nearly as well as his stat line suggests.

Matt Bonner B
It appeared like Matt Bonner was limping around all night but he still managed to be quite productive in his 20 minutes. With Pop running a few plays for the ex-Raptor, Bonner was as aggressive on the offensive end as we've seen him this season. On defense, while he boarded well, he had a lot of trouble staying with anyone out on the perimeter. When Toronto went small, Bonner wasn't able to keep up and that led Pop to going small as well.

Kawhi Leonard C+
Coming off the bench again, Kawhi Leonard just never made much of an impact. On offense, he was invisible. Defensively, Leonard was active but didn't make much of an impact. And really, the blame isn't all on the rookie. When the Raptors were scorching in the third quarter, Leonard was on the bench the entire period. Personally, I thought that would have been the perfect time to put him in the game but apparently Pop felt otherwise. Leonard got into the game in the fourth but by that time the Raptors had so many players hot that it didn't matter.

Cory Joseph Inc.
Playing in his hometown, Cory Joseph was given a few charity minutes at the end of the first half. As it turned out, it wasn't a very good decision by Pop. Joseph completely stalled the rhythm on offense and was out of position consistently on defense. It was a nice gesture but those few minutes helped the Raptors gain confidence heading into intermission.

Pop C+
Pop made a few iffy decisions in addition to Joseph's charity minutes and Leonard's omission from the third quarter. Playing Parker 39 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back in the middle of a long road trip was reckless. The playcalling in the second half didn't involve many of the role players. I understood going small but playing Parker, Neal, Ginobili and Green together for a key stretch in the fourth was pushing the boundaries between small ball and lunacy. That said, it's hard to argue with the results: another win with Duncan and Ginobili only playing a total of 39 minutes.

[ElNono]

The Spurs are next in action Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles against that city's best team.

:lol thanks for the writeup :tu

[GSH]

Thanks, Timvp. Nice commentary, as usual.

That 3D sign thing at the ends of the court D
It's sort of cool, the first time you see it. But it's also annoying as hell. I put it right up there with Boise State's blue football field.



Does it disturb anyone but me that Danny Green led the team in rebounding, with seven? And he got all of those in the first half?

Or that Tony Parker had 14 assists, but Toronto still had more assists than we did?

Or that Toronto took ten more shot attempts than we did? Ten. Double digits. And they actually made six more field goals than us?

Any win is a good win, but against even a decent team, we would be excusing a loss because it was the second night of a B2B. I'm still a fan of Danny Green, but he sure as hell isn't developing into a lock-down perimeter defender. He does a lot of good things, but Manu needs to teach him how to get around screens. (Manu was awesome at it tonight.)

On a positive note, there were a few times during the last two games when I thought, "Hey, Splitter is making other players better." Most of the people here have watched Tim long enough to understand that without a long explanation. I'm not suggesting that he's playing at the level of a young Duncan, so don't try and start that fight. Just that he's providing more than just his own PER.


Edit: Do you think Neal was bothered by getting his Achilles stomped on last night?

[DesignatedT]

Thought Gary Neal was much better than a C.

[Robz4000]

Good write-up, timvp. Can't really argue with the grades. A win is a win and it's nice to see the win streak continue, but the D really needs to pick up again.

[ducks]

Kawhi Leonard should have played the 3
pop was stupid

[jestersmash]

Good grades all around.

I agree, I was thrilled to see Ginobili swish his second 3 point attempt with perfect form (along with a handful of free throws) because it demonstrates that he can still shoot post-surgery.

[DMC]

Thanks, Timvp. Nice commentary, as usual.

That 3D sign thing at the ends of the court D
It's sort of cool, the first time you see it. But it's also annoying as hell. I put it right up there with Boise State's blue football field.



Does it disturb anyone but me that Danny Green led the team in rebounding, with seven? And he got all of those in the first half?

Or that Tony Parker had 14 assists, but Toronto still had more assists than we did?

Or that Toronto took ten more shot attempts than we did? Ten. Double digits. And they actually made six more field goals than us?

Any win is a good win, but against even a decent team, we would be excusing a loss because it was the second night of a B2B. I'm still a fan of Danny Green, but he sure as hell isn't developing into a lock-down perimeter defender. He does a lot of good things, but Manu needs to teach him how to get around screens. (Manu was awesome at it tonight.)

On a positive note, there were a few times during the last two games when I thought, "Hey, Splitter is making other players better." Most of the people here have watched Tim long enough to understand that without a long explanation. I'm not suggesting that he's playing at the level of a young Duncan, so don't try and start that fight. Just that he's providing more than just his own PER.


Edit: Do you think Neal was bothered by getting his Achilles stomped on last night?

When you play a weird team like Toronto, weird things happen. The Spurs have historically been adept at beating the opponent at their own game, and Toronto's game is much like the Suns' old 7 second offense (just not nearly as well done and effective) so there are weird bounces and crazy stats.

Also, 2nd of a b2b, I don't look too much at anything but the W.

[Manufan909]

Great take once again Timvp!!! Couldn't watch the game tonight, so I really looked forward to your in-depth analysis!!!!!!!! :worthy:

[TDMVPDPOY]

you got tony ranked A? thats a bit too high for my liking...B+

lets concentrate on the negatives
- 5 turnovers, most of it came from running into stupid defenders tryin to coast to coast after every calderon basket (he has nothing to prove against this scrub)
- when we needed baskets, he took like 2-3 straight possessions doing stupid shit like chucking shots
- he was part of that famous 3rd quarter lineup that blow its 9pt lead, only to be save by the bench

BLAIR = C? hahahahaha bullshit


The best thing about this game was playin 40mins and the team only committed 6pfs only...the last 5pfs came in the final minutes of the game....defense all game was lazy shithole, but not many freebies was handed out...

[DMC]

I agree with the grades. I especially agree with what I think you are saying about Pop playing Cory just for the hell of it. I think we lost a lot of momentum during that time and we struggled to get it back.

I know it's his people up there and Pop is a sentimental guy. We won and all, but we seemed to have our foot on their throat and suddenly Pop changes the lineup and we give it all back off stupid turnovers and blown coverages.

[jestersmash]

you got tony ranked A? thats a bit too high for my liking...B+

lets concentrate on the negatives
- 5 turnovers, most of it came from running into stupid defenders tryin to coast to coast after every calderon basket (he has nothing to prove against this scrub)
- when we needed baskets, he took like 2-3 straight possessions doing stupid shit like chucking shots
- he was part of that famous 3rd quarter lineup that blow its 9pt lead, only to be save by the bench

BLAIR = C? hahahahaha bullshit


The best thing about this game was playin 40mins and the team only committed 6pfs only...the last 5pfs came in the final minutes of the game....defense all game was lazy shithole, but not many freebies was handed out...

Really? You can't look at turnovers in isolation. It becomes a meaningless stat. Assist to turnover ratio is ultimately what matters. If you doubt this, just imagine if Tony had 100 assists to 5 turnovers. Would you still point to "5 turnovers" as a "negative" for the game? You have to look at the ratio.

[Calispursfan11]

Thanks for the writeup. Agree Manu is easing back into it. He looked better tonight. I think it's only a matter of time before he's close to top form. Agree though that the screws would throw anyone off mentally even if they don't physically alter his ability to shoot. It's a bit concerning.

[DMC]

you got tony ranked A? thats a bit too high for my liking...B+

lets concentrate on the negatives
- 5 turnovers, most of it came from running into stupid defenders tryin to coast to coast after every calderon basket (he has nothing to prove against this scrub)
- when we needed baskets, he took like 2-3 straight possessions doing stupid shit like chucking shots
- he was part of that famous 3rd quarter lineup that blow its 9pt lead, only to be save by the bench

BLAIR = C? hahahahaha bullshit


The best thing about this game was playin 40mins and the team only committed 6pfs only...the last 5pfs came in the final minutes of the game....defense all game was lazy shithole, but not many freebies was handed out...
I don't agree with the foul take. No personal fouls can mean we aren't playing aggressive defense. In the days we were going deep into the playoffs, it wasn't unusual to have a guy in foul trouble early. An aggressive defense would not have allowed that kind of scoring to happen tbh.

[timvp]

That 3D sign thing at the ends of the court
It's sort of cool, the first time you see it. But it's also annoying as hell.Agreed. I almost wished that it would show some actual advertisements just for variety.


Edit: Do you think Neal was bothered by getting his Achilles stomped on last night?I heard "big toe" on the telecast. Either way, yeah it probably played a role in his slower than normal play.


And listening to the Pop interview now, he said Bonner had a sore knee ... so that would explain the limping and the inability to defend out on the perimeter.

[ducks]

parker has been huge on this trip 3 games over thirty on the road trip
cp3 and tp should be a good battle in la

[TDMVPDPOY]

Really? You can't look at turnovers in isolation. It becomes a meaningless stat. Assist to turnover ratio is ultimately what matters. If you doubt this, just imagine if Tony had 100 assists to 5 turnovers. Would you still point to "5 turnovers" as a "negative" for the game? You have to look at the ratio.

you do know there were parts of the game where he was trying to make a point with calderon who was clearly outplayed and only trading early baskets...

hence 2 of those run in turnovers with defenders, he couldve pass it off, but he wanted to penetrate split the defense for some sort of basket...like i said if he makes shots ppl will glorify him, when he doesnt ppl will hate him...

spurs tend to do alot of stupid plays when theres a lead...

[DMC]

you do know there were parts of the game where he was trying to make a point with calderon who was clearly outplayed and only trading early baskets...

hence 2 of those run in turnovers with defenders, he couldve pass it off, but he wanted to penetrate split the defense for some sort of basket...like i said if he makes shots ppl will glorify him, when he doesnt ppl will hate him...

spurs tend to do alot of stupid plays when theres a lead...
And Toronto hitting 10 or 12 in a row didn't help.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I don't agree with the foul take. No personal fouls can mean we aren't playing aggressive defense. In the days we were going deep into the playoffs, it wasn't unusual to have a guy in foul trouble early. An aggressive defense would not have allowed that kind of scoring to happen tbh.

the defense wasnt there tonight, just lazy effort, but we didnt commit any stupid fouls or givin away freebies...no problem playin down to the competition thinkn they can hang with us, but sometimes i prefer we go for the kill, then toying around with the kill

[ducks]

Oklahoma City 95
Houston 96
Final Box Score

[DMC]

the defense wasnt there tonight, just lazy effort, but we didnt commit any stupid fouls or givin away freebies...no problem playin down to the competition thinkn they can hang with us, but sometimes i prefer we go for the kill, then toying around with the kill
We committed a few stupid "and one" fouls when we should have just stopped the ball. That fast break foul call on RJ was bullshit, RJ didn't even contest the shot and he should have avoided the dude if he wasn't going to contest it. There were a number of times a shooter was fouled but not really defended going to the rim.

Low pfs doesn't mean good play. Wheel chair teams don't foul that much either tbh.

[ducks]

spurs were tired tonight
duncan also played 18 minutes

[TDMVPDPOY]

And Toronto hitting 10 or 12 in a row didn't help.

the spurs lazy defense tonight really turned back the clock for the raptors players in the 3rd quarter...fkn carter, derozan, butler...

[TDMVPDPOY]

has anyone noticed most of duncans points this season all come from that 18ft jumpshot, where else his inside game when contested by a defender are pathetic as blairs inside game


this game
kl and green gambled to much on defense running under the screen and giving wankers like derozan and butler to much spacing (butlers pts came from open jumpshots)

[angelbelow]

Another too close for comfort type game. Raptors have no effective iso scorers (I guess you can argue DeRozan) much like the Pistons and we still struggled defensively. Raptors are averaging 88 points on the season, didn't have their leading scorer and were on a b2b and we still allowed 106. Definitely take the win but the defense needs to improve. (Maybe as simple as timvp's suggestion of taking out Neal for Leonard in attempt to slow down the main catalyst.)

-Neal wasn't helping in the 2nd half, would have liked to see more Leonard, especially on DeMar.
-Manu looked pretty damn good. He made some pretty aggressive passes to Tiago in pick and roll situations.
-Parker exploding tonight certainly wasn't a surprise with Calderon and 36 year old Anthony Carter being the primary defenders.
-Tiago sudden minute increase in relation to Manu's return? Splitter has been the first big off the bench the last 2 games and usually with Manu attached to his hip. Although it was obvious tonight that the goal was to rest Duncan whereas last night Tiago and Timmy actually shared the court a few times.

Also I commented on how Ed Davis and Amir Johnson weren't great from beyond 15 and TD21 said that they were dependable enough. Tonight, they certainly were, Amir even hit one from like 19 feet. Amir would be the perfect Blair upgrade... tough on the offensive glass, shoots from the high post, is not a black hole, and hes athletic and long.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i felt matt bonner offensively played a good game contributing

his 2 missed shots were in the first quarter coming from not taking the stupid 3 and trying to do to much like a pumpfake and getting closer for the midrange jumpshot which his not good at...

defensively everyone was gettin torched, so bonner was no exception....

[TDMVPDPOY]

Another too close for comfort type game.

could it be trying to fit manu now into the rotation who he plays best with when we need a floor general for the 2nd unit.....we already got a solid rotation and still have to fit ford in when he comes back

the experiment of ja, cj needs to be stopped.......hence limit blairs minutes also...he has become a more of a liability then bonner

[jestersmash]

Another too close for comfort type game. Raptors have no effective iso scorers (I guess you can argue DeRozan) much like the Pistons and we still struggled defensively. Raptors are averaging 88 points on the season, didn't have their leading scorer and were on a b2b and we still allowed 106. Definitely take the win but the defense needs to improve. (Maybe as simple as timvp's suggestion of taking out Neal for Leonard in attempt to slow down the main catalyst.)

-Neal wasn't helping in the 2nd half, would have liked to see more Leonard, especially on DeMar.
-Manu looked pretty damn good. He made some pretty aggressive passes to Tiago in pick and roll situations.
-Parker exploding tonight certainly wasn't a surprise with Calderon and 36 year old Anthony Carter being the primary defenders.
-Tiago sudden minute increase in relation to Manu's return? Splitter has been the first big off the bench the last 2 games and usually with Manu attached to his hip. Although it was obvious tonight that the goal was to rest Duncan whereas last night Tiago and Timmy actually shared the court a few times.

Also I commented on how Ed Davis and Amir Johnson weren't great from beyond 15 and TD21 said that they were dependable enough. Tonight, they certainly were, Amir even hit one from like 19 feet. Amir would be the perfect Blair upgrade... tough on the offensive glass, shoots from the high post, is not a black hole, and hes athletic and long.

Better to have these poor defensive outings in the regular season (and on a win to boot).

I was expecting a better defensive effort last night and tonight given that Pop finally had a couple of days to hold a practice (or two) and really drill defensive rotations into our young players.

I'm also not entirely sold on Kawhi "Bowen Jr" Leonard's "lockdown perimeter defense" just yet.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I'm also not entirely sold on Kawhi "Bowen Jr" Leonard's "lockdown perimeter defense" just yet.

the only thing his good at so far this season is picking pockets and defensive rebounding....

defensively he gambles to much by allowing to much spacing between him and his man, running under screens....

it hurts us more when his on the court with someone who is passive on offense like him, only stands around force to be a jumpshooter. teams can maximized by playin lazy defense 5 on 3 against us....cause they know we usually have 2 players on the court who does shit all besides running up and down the court making up the roster

[timvp]

you got tony ranked A? thats a bit too high for my liking...B+

lets concentrate on the negatives
- 5 turnovers, most of it came from running into stupid defenders tryin to coast to coast after every calderon basket (he has nothing to prove against this scrub)IIRC, three of Parker's five turnovers were trying to make passes in the halfcourt. One of those turnovers was when RJ watched the ball go out of bounds thinking it was off the Raptors.

But yeah, I'll take that assist-to-turnover ratio any night.


- when we needed baskets, he took like 2-3 straight possessions doing stupid shit like chucking shots
He didn't miss shots in two straight possessions the entire second half . . .


- he was part of that famous 3rd quarter lineup that blow its 9pt lead, only to be save by the benchHuh? Parker played all but about 50 seconds of the second half. He wasn't "saved" by anyone.


you do know there were parts of the game where he was trying to make a point with calderon

None of Parker's turnovers came after a Calderon basket. Not sure what you are talking about, tbh.


has anyone noticed most of duncans points this season all come from that 18ft jumpshot, where else his inside game when contested by a defender are pathetic as blairs inside gameThat's not the case and has especially not been the case recently. The previous five games almost all of Duncan's damage was done in the paint.

[Dex]

The Spurs are next in action Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles against that city's best team.

Oh snap...Just couldn't help yourself, could you? :blah

[Manufan909]

IIRC, three of Parker's five turnovers were trying to make passes in the halfcourt. One of those turnovers was when RJ watched the ball go out of bounds thinking it was off the Raptors.

But yeah, I'll take that assist-to-turnover ratio any night.


He didn't miss shots in two straight possessions the entire second half . . .

Huh? Parker played all but about 50 seconds of the second half. He wasn't "saved" by anyone.



None of Parker's turnovers came after a Calderon basket. Not sure what you are talking about, tbh.

That's not the case and has especially not been the case recently. The previous five games almost all of Duncan's damage was done in the paint.
Why feed the troll!?! You just strengthen it with your sound logic.:bang

[024]

spurs lucked out. parker decided to will the spurs to a win today. parker may not be so generous the next game. the spurs really need to work on rallying their defense.

[jjktkk]

Thanks for the writeup Tim.

[maddnezz]

IIRC, three of Parker's five turnovers were trying to make passes in the halfcourt. One of those turnovers was when RJ watched the ball go out of bounds thinking it was off the Raptors.

But yeah, I'll take that assist-to-turnover ratio any night.


He didn't miss shots in two straight possessions the entire second half . . .

Huh? Parker played all but about 50 seconds of the second half. He wasn't "saved" by anyone.



None of Parker's turnovers came after a Calderon basket. Not sure what you are talking about, tbh.

That's not the case and has especially not been the case recently. The previous five games almost all of Duncan's damage was done in the paint. Some people just cant separate video games and reality TIMVP. They expect the Spurs to play on superstar settings and the opponet to be on rookie setting. The guys are human and are gonna make mistakes. I dont know why that guy allways complains. You owned every complaint that fool dished out kudos.(p.s. He complains after every game tbh. If your gonna keep bitchin root for a different team ya jack ass.That is all!):king

[Em-City]

i swear - TDMVPDPOY (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=977) is the worst damn poster on this forum. normally i wouldn't give a fuck but the fact that I can't avoid his annoying ass cry-baby posts really shits me.

http://i40.tinypic.com/118hzf6.jpg

[ChumpDumper]

lets concentrate on the negatives:lol

[z0sa]

:lol that 3D "sign" isn't a sign, its a flat piece (pieces, actually) of the court, just FYI for a few of ya..

mostly agree with the grades.. the reality is, this team is YOUNG and INEXPERIENCED.. this 9 game streak has no doubt made them complacent, and it's shown more than ever the past couple games.. that's fine; it's to be expected, and I'll take the wins at any rate.

[will_spurs]

i swear - TDMVPDPOY (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=977) is the worst damn poster on this forum. normally i wouldn't give a fuck but the fact that I can't avoid his annoying ass cry-baby posts really shits me.

Somebody should tell him that we aren't doing the "worst poster of the year" award any more, so he can stop competing against himself for this title.

[SpurNation]

As they say..."A win is a win".

Not sure I'm a fan of starting Green but understand they can't start either Neal or Ginobili at this time. Leonard would have been a better option defensively against DeRozan but limit the Spurs offensively. Neal's talents being reduced as a pg but what can they do?

The team misses (needs) T.J. to be complete in it's ability to distribute and focus the other players in areas they would be better suited to playing in rotation, minutes and position. Look forward to his impending (and hopefully significant) return.

[benefactor]

Somebody should tell him that we aren't doing the "worst poster of the year" award any more, so he can stop competing against himself for this title.
He's competing against TJastal tbh.

Good grades. Any win on a back to back is a good win. On to Clipperland...um..er..Staples.

[Bruno]

Thanks for the grades, timvp.


Something, I've noticed lately is Pop is going away more and more from Blair. When there isn't garbage time, he plays 16-18 mpg and doesn't play at all in the 4th quarter. In fact, Blair hasn't played a single second in the 4th quarter aside of garbage time these past 11 games. Blair is in that weird situation where he is both a starter and somewhat in the doghouse. Spurs are a mess at the PF spot.

[SpurNation]

Thanks for the grades, timvp.


Something, I've noticed lately is Pop is going away more and more from Blair. When there isn't garbage time, he plays 16-18 mpg and doesn't play at all in the 4th quarter. In fact, Blair hasn't played a single second in the 4th quarter aside of garbage time these past 11 games. Blair is in that weird situation where he is both a starter and somewhat in the doghouse. Spurs are a mess at the PF spot.

A situation remedied next season? A f/a big looking to establish himself on a title contentious team would have ample opportunity with this team.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Nice write up as always.

Was at the game last night and while I knew the Raptors would play the Spurs tough, I didn't expect it to go down to the wire like it did. Figured the Raps would make their run in the 3rd and then the Spurs would blow the lead back up and ride off into the sunset.

Tony Parker was just amazing out there. His A grade was very well deserved. I was surprised at just how loud the cheers he received at the arena were, considering Ginobili usually gets the loudest ovation when his name is announced up here. Women were screaming all over my section and I even had some chick's underwear hit me in the face. Once the game started every shot Tony hit or pass to Tiago for the finish led to groans all over the arena.

Everyone was impressed with Tiago, a lot of people at the ACC still didn't know his name after the game but some in the row behind me referred to him as "the guy who chose 22 as his number to one up Duncan" :lol

Seeing Tiago in person was just awesome. He's like the anti-nazr mohammed when it comes to pump fakes. He fakes 2-3 players at a time under the rim and then nails it.

It was a good game to be at, even if the Spurs D was atrocious. I questioned the lineups Pop used in the fourth, but it was really nice to see lots of Splitter for once. If Tiago can somehow get the benefit of the calls from the refs, he should be an FT machine.

Good game guys, would be HUGE if we can stomp the Clippers this Saturday.

[GSH]

crofl fag its not a sign its a 3d painting
:lol that 3D "sign" isn't a sign, its a flat piece (pieces, actually) of the court, just FYI for a few of ya..


Wow - not one, but two helpers. Thanks for explaining that. Without you, I would have gone through life thinking that the Raptors have a magic court sign that stands up, but suddenly lays down whenever anyone touches it. And now I know that the term "3D" can only be used when the object really is 3D.

BTW, helpers - the company that painted it also calls it a "sign". So you might want to write and set them straight, too. They'll probably give you a cash reward.
http://www.logopaint.com/nc/3d-signs.html


you do know there were parts of the game where he was trying to make a point with calderon who was clearly outplayed and only trading early baskets...

hence 2 of those run in turnovers with defenders, he couldve pass it off, but he wanted to penetrate split the defense for some sort of basket...like i said if he makes shots ppl will glorify him, when he doesnt ppl will hate him...

spurs tend to do alot of stupid plays when theres a lead...


And I especially like the way TVDPMYOB decided to split all his hallucinatory ramblings into multiple posts, so that they dominate the real estate of the entire thread.
So that's helpful. Just lots of little helpers here.

[TDMVPDPOY]

And I especially like the way TVDPMYOB decided to split all his hallucinatory ramblings into multiple posts, so that they dominate the real estate of the entire thread.
So that's helpful. Just lots of little helpers here.

just keeping the fans of certain players are accountable...

[z0sa]

Wow - not one, but two helpers. Thanks for explaining that. Without you, I would have gone through life thinking that the Raptors have a magic court sign that stands up, but suddenly lays down whenever anyone touches it. And now I know that the term "3D" can only be used when the object really is 3D.

BTW, helpers - the company that painted it also calls it a "sign". So you might want to write and set them straight, too. They'll probably give you a cash reward.
http://www.logopaint.com/nc/3d-signs.html

:lol asshurt much?

by your logic, the Raptors symbol in the middle of the court is also a sign. The long and short of it is that giving it a grade and being annoyed by it makes you look silly IE confused about what it actually was, at least, IMHO. If that bothers you, so what. :wakeup

edit: i wasn't even talking to you or anyone directly in my first post. just an FYI, like I said..

[jag]

just keeping the fans of certain players are accountable...

If by "keeping the fans of certain players accountable" you mean "making factually incorrect and nonsensical posts", then yes, you're definitely keeping the fans of certain players accountable.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Why are the spurs so damn bad at defense? Especially when compared to division rivals Dallas and Memphis, Houston, we are simply downright pathetic. That's the main reason I've totally prevented myself from bring my normal superlative self proclaiming how awesome the spurs are. I just can't figure out how a team full of old stiffs like Dallas plays defense light years ahead of us.

[Brazil]

you got tony ranked A? thats a bit too high for my liking...B+

lets concentrate on the negatives
- 5 turnovers, most of it came from running into stupid defenders tryin to coast to coast after every calderon basket (he has nothing to prove against this scrub)
- when we needed baskets, he took like 2-3 straight possessions doing stupid shit like chucking shots
- he was part of that famous 3rd quarter lineup that blow its 9pt lead, only to be save by the bench

BLAIR = C? hahahahaha bullshit


The best thing about this game was playin 40mins and the team only committed 6pfs only...the last 5pfs came in the final minutes of the game....defense all game was lazy shithole, but not many freebies was handed out...

you are posting a lot of BS recently really

[Bruno]

A situation remedied next season? A f/a big looking to establish himself on a title contentious team would have ample opportunity with this team.

Spurs/Pop can't be fine with that situation. They will try to change it as quickly as possible. Saying that, it's going to be difficult to do this year and it's, indeed, more likely that they will solve that this summer.

[TDMVPDPOY]

Why are the spurs so damn bad at defense? Especially when compared to division rivals Dallas and Memphis, Houston, we are simply downright pathetic. That's the main reason I've totally prevented myself from bring my normal superlative self proclaiming how awesome the spurs are. I just can't figure out how a team full of old stiffs like Dallas plays defense light years ahead of us.

so what are your guys opinion on Greens defensively plays where his biting everything and playing erratically full of energy....seems like pop has given him the keys to roam freely on the court as long no stupid bonehead shit....

[Horse]

A trip north of the border couldn't cool off San Antonio. Winning their ninth straight game, the Spurs beat the Raptors 113-106 in a surprisingly high scoring affair. It wasn't always a thing of beauty but improving to 5-0 on the Rodeo Road Trip is no small feat.

For the second straight night, the Spurs blew what appeared to be a comfortable advantage. And for the second straight night, the Spurs made enough big plays late in the game to pull out another win. Once again, Tony Parker played a starring role in the final stanza. Playing all 12 minutes, Parker had 14 points and three assists as the Spurs held off a suddenly red hot Raptors squad.

Defensively, the Spurs had by far their worst showing of their winning streak. Going against a team missing three of their top six scorers including leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, San Antonio allowed Toronto to shoot a blistering 54.7% from the field. DeMar DeRozan, who scored 53 points against the Spurs last year in their two meetings, poured in a season-high 29 points.

The Spurs are next in action Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles against that city's best team.

http://oi42.tinypic.com/zjulc0.jpg

http://oi40.tinypic.com/2yxns5e.jpg

Tim Duncan C
Tim Duncan's streak of five consecutive double-doubles came to an end -- partially by design. The coaching staff obviously wanted to rest Duncan as much as possible on the second night of the back-to-back and their goal was accomplished by sitting him for essentially the last 18 minutes of the game. While he was out there, Duncan wasn't very active; it was the first time he looked tired in a couple of weeks. Defensively, he was slow to rotate to defend the rim and didn't offer much help against the pick-and-roll. On offense, Duncan settled for jumpers; seven of his eight shots were outside the paint. It wasn't a horrible night at the office but the future Hall of Famer had been playing at a much higher level as of late.

Manu Ginobili B
Though the rust is still apparent, Manu Ginobili is making strides. Defensively, he looked much better tonight. He was able to stay in front of his man and maneuvered well around picks. In fact, he had more success defending DeRozan than anyone else. Offensively, Ginobili's lack of chemistry with his teammates oftentimes hurt the flow. He wasn't very crisp running pick-and-rolls and his timing was a bit off when it came to passing and spacing. On the plus side, Ginobili was able to score three buckets a night after being held without a field goal. It was great to see him knock down his first three-pointer since his return, if only so he could prove to himself that he can still shoot with four screws in his hand.

Tony Parker A
With Duncan and Ginobili limited, Tony Parker proved once more than his All-Star berth was well deserved. His playmaking was consistently outstanding. He was finding shooters on the perimeter and running two-man sets to perfection. In the second half, I thought Anthony Carter played great defense against him yet Parker still found ways to power the offense to the highest point total since Jan. 7. By going 12-for-12 at the line, Parker is now shooting better than 80% for the season. Defensively, I wasn't too pleased with his play in the first half. However, in the final two quarters, he gave much better effort on that end of the court. Overall, I give a lot of credit to Parker for realizing that the Spurs really needed him tonight and relentlessly attacking from opening tip until the final buzzer.

Richard Jefferson B
I thought Richard Jefferson played one of his better first halves of the season. Defensively, he was energetic and played with much more passion than usual. Instead of just reacting to what the Raptors were doing, Jefferson actually made plays on D -- which has been a rarity for him this year. On offense, he was making quick, sharp decisions. Unfortunately, that quality play took a nosedive after halftime. After getting benched for a couple defensive mistakes in the beginning of the third quarter, Jefferson was silent the rest of the way.

Danny Green B
Like Jefferson, Danny Green thrived in the first half. He hit all four of his attempts from the field, which included three three-pointers, and both of his free throws. For someone who has seen few shots hit net during the winning streak, let's hope it's a sign of things to come. On defense, Green was solid early and especially spectacular on the defensive glass; he had all seven of his rebounds in his first 11 minutes of action. The second half, though, wasn't nearly as kind to Green. Defensively, he was horrible at getting around screens and the Raptors smartly exploited that weakness over and over and over again. On the other end, he was held without a point.

DeJuan Blair C
Looking especially landlocked tonight, DeJuan Blair wasn't of much help. On offense, he was too shot happy and failed to a hit open teammates a few times. Defensively, Blair was bad in pick-and-roll sets, sagged off his man too far, didn't even attempt to protect the rim and only had one defensive board. Blair scored three quick baskets in the third quarter to save his performance from being deemed a complete disaster.

Tiago Splitter B+
Duncan has Tiago Splitter to thank for his half-night off. Splitter was playing well enough on both ends to man the frontcourt basically by himself for the last quarter and a half. Pick-and-rolls and post-ups continue to be his very successful bread and butter on offense. His ability to find open space while he's rolling continues to amaze. Defensively, I thought he could have been better in one-on-one situations but his team defense was good and he did admirable work protecting the rim. Rebounding-wise, he could have been more physical a few times on boxouts but he otherwise he did his job.

Gary Neal C
Tonight, Gary Neal shot well but his playmaking reverted to "highly questionable" status. He had one really good pass to Splitter but the rest of the night he struggled to find the open man. Defensively, Neal reverted a bit as well -- and if you remember his atrocious early-season defense, you know that definitely wasn't a good thing. And even though it looks like he rebounded well, most of those boards were simply a case of fighting his own teammate for an uncontested rebound. All in all, Neal didn't play nearly as well as his stat line suggests.

Matt Bonner B
It appeared like Matt Bonner was limping around all night but he still managed to be quite productive in his 20 minutes. With Pop running a few plays for the ex-Raptor, Bonner was as aggressive on the offensive end as we've seen him this season. On defense, while he boarded well, he had a lot of trouble staying with anyone out on the perimeter. When Toronto went small, Bonner wasn't able to keep up and that led Pop to going small as well.

Kawhi Leonard C+
Coming off the bench again, Kawhi Leonard just never made much of an impact. On offense, he was invisible. Defensively, Leonard was active but didn't make much of an impact. And really, the blame isn't all on the rookie. When the Raptors were scorching in the third quarter, Leonard was on the bench the entire period. Personally, I thought that would have been the perfect time to put him in the game but apparently Pop felt otherwise. Leonard got into the game in the fourth but by that time the Raptors had so many players hot that it didn't matter.

Cory Joseph Inc.
Playing in his hometown, Cory Joseph was given a few charity minutes at the end of the first half. As it turned out, it wasn't a very good decision by Pop. Joseph completely stalled the rhythm on offense and was out of position consistently on defense. It was a nice gesture but those few minutes helped the Raptors gain confidence heading into intermission.

Pop C+
Pop made a few iffy decisions in addition to Joseph's charity minutes and Leonard's omission from the third quarter. Playing Parker 39 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back in the middle of a long road trip was reckless. The playcalling in the second half didn't involve many of the role players. I understood going small but playing Parker, Neal, Ginobili and Green together for a key stretch in the fourth was pushing the boundaries between small ball and lunacy. That said, it's hard to argue with the results: another win with Duncan and Ginobili only playing a total of 39 minutes.
Great job as always. I do however think sometimes you can't just go on FG% to see how the D played. I know they've played better but teams this yr have a real knack for hitting tough shots or shots you want them to take, and last night was no exception. I don't know if I've ever seen a game where a team hit as many long 2's as the raptors did.

[ChumpDumper]

:lol that 3D "sign" isn't a sign, its a flat piece (pieces, actually) of the court, just FYI for a few of ya.. Well, maybe it's a flat sign on the court.

Whatever. They're big in Europe; no surprise the Raptors would adopt it.

[phxspurfan]

Pop better not throw one of the remaining games to prove a point that we're not perfect. That would be incredibly stupid.

[The Truth #6]

Given how well the bench has played I imagine it's more difficult for Pop to "throw a game" other than playing the Turd Towers or Joseph. More often the bench has outplayed the starters. Maybe he'll "throw a game" by playing that unskilled Brazilian guy a lot of minutes. Ha.

[greyforest]

But it's also annoying as hell. I put it right up there with Boise State's blue football field.


You take that back. Nothing is more annoying than that neon blue football field.

[Obstructed_View]

Wow - not one, but two helpers. Thanks for explaining that. Without you, I would have gone through life thinking that the Raptors have a magic court sign that stands up, but suddenly lays down whenever anyone touches it. And now I know that the term "3D" can only be used when the object really is 3D.

:lol I was wondering how someone actually thought you didn't know what it was, and then a second one spoke up.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

That raptors sign was super annoying. It made my eyes cross or something

[MI21]

your posting is a lot of BS always

fify

[Manufan909]

Why are the spurs so damn bad at defense? Especially when compared to division rivals Dallas and Memphis, Houston, we are simply downright pathetic. That's the main reason I've totally prevented myself from bring my normal superlative self proclaiming how awesome the spurs are. I just can't figure out how a team full of old stiffs like Dallas plays defense light years ahead of us.

Do the stats back up what you say about Dallas? It's not that I don't believe you, I just didn't think they were much better than average this season. I know the Spurs are still below average by most defensive measures, but besides the last 2 games, I thought they were getting better.

And timvp, if Tiago had scored 6 of 8, and manned the paint all by himself for around 18 minutes, along with recording a block and several rebounds/assists in the first game of the season, would he have gotten an A+, or an A++?:p:

[Brazil]

fify

:lol you are probably right...

[therealtruth]

Why are the spurs so damn bad at defense? Especially when compared to division rivals Dallas and Memphis, Houston, we are simply downright pathetic. That's the main reason I've totally prevented myself from bring my normal superlative self proclaiming how awesome the spurs are. I just can't figure out how a team full of old stiffs like Dallas plays defense light years ahead of us.

They need better defensive schemes. I think with TD and TS playing together you can change up the schemes and allow the perimeter players to be more aggressive.

[xapatan2]

Thanks for the Grades Timvp !

I did not reply to the question concerning the grades, but, yes, if you still continue to manage to have the time, the way there are, it is just superb and worthy...

I am happy to feel you now came back to full form&energy...

Xap'

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Do the stats back up what you say about Dallas?

Dallas is easily a top 5 team defensively this year. It's been surprising since they lost Chandler, but they are significantly better than SA defensively.

Hopefully the Spurs can figure something out moving forward. Their D wasn't this bad prior to the Raps/Pistons games.