timvp
03-15-2012, 01:19 AM
If you love offense and aren't a stickler for solid defense, you had a blast watching the Spurs and Magic on Wednesday night. Both teams excelled on the offensive end with a lot of beautiful basketball on display. In the end, the Spurs excelled just a little bit more in the 122-111 victory at the AT&T Center.
Early on, the Magic built a 10-point lead but the Spurs quickly erased their deficit and led 36-35 after the first quarter. The second quarter featured a lot of back and forth action but neither team gained any traction. After halftime, the Magic came out on a 10-3 run to take a six point lead. Following a timeout, San Antonio made a run of their own -- outscoring the Magic 27-16 the rest of the quarter.
In the final period, Hedo Turkoglu hit a three-pointer with 8:22 remaining to give the Magic a one-point lead. But then, the game turned into the Tony Parker Show. In the final 8 minutes of the contest, the star point guard scored 16 points amid cheers of "M-V-P! M-V-P!"
Despite the fact that Orlando shot 52.3% from the field at least partly due to shaky defense by the home team, I thought this was a good win. The Magic are playing their best basketball of the season, having just defeated the Bulls, Pacers and Heat -- arguably the three best teams in the East. Let's hope the Spurs offense continues to produce at this rate when they head out onto the road for a back-to-back that starts in Oklahoma City and ends in Dallas.
http://oi42.tinypic.com/30sg0o5.jpg
http://oi43.tinypic.com/obgp.jpg
Tim Duncan A+
Lost in Tony Parker's outing was a fantastic game by Tim Duncan. Duncan got very little help in defending Dwight Howard and he played the young superstar to a draw. Committing only one foul in his 31 minutes, Duncan was extremely strong in his post defense and was even better at boxing out Orlando's behemoth. On the offensive end, he did a much better job than usual at blending in and not needlessly dominating possessions. Duncan was doing all the little things -- running the court, rebounding on both ends, making smart passes -- and don't look now but #21 doesn't have a turnover in his last 96 minutes of action.
Manu Ginobili A-
Following an injury scare last game, Manu Ginobili was able to play -- off the bench, this time. Offensively, Ginobili was great once again. In addition to knocking down four three-pointers, he turned back the clock and finished a drive with a dunk. Ginobili's passing was brilliant and his floor game was nearly flawless. Defensively, while not at his normal level yet, he was much, much, much improved from his last two outings. He was rotating better and closed out relatively well on shooters. Ginobili's overall energy and athleticism appeared to be improved tonight. Now if he can just string together some healthy games; it's exciting to think how good he'll look once he's back at 100%.
Tony Parker A
While Tony Parker's MVP resume is unlikely to surpass those of players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, I was proud of the San Antonio crowd for showing their appreciation for the work put in by Parker. For the third straight game, he finished with more than 30 points and he's now 54-85 (63.5%) from the floor over his last five outings. In addition to his scoring, Parker also dished out 12 assists as he conducted the offense perfectly all night. With him running the show, the Spurs had very few lulls and seemed to always get good shots. The only blemish on Parker's otherwise pristine night was his early defense on Jameer Nelson. Parker didn't close out well in the first quarter and Nelson remained hot for much of the game. But to Parker's credit, Nelson was only 1-for-4 in the fourth quarter as the Frenchman was dominating the game on the other end.
Richard Jefferson C+
In the first half, Richard Jefferson's pathetic play was worth an F. In the second half, Jefferson stunned everyone by playing A level basketball. So let's go ahead and give him a C+ for the night. In the first two quarters, Jefferson was horrible on the defensive end and a liability on offense. Coming out of halftime, I couldn't wait for Jefferson to get benched. But then a funny thing happened on the way to the pine: Jefferson began to thrive. It started with him drawing a foul on a drive to the basket. He then knocked down a couple threes, made a couple quality passes off the dribble and began to really play aggressive on both ends of the court. If Jefferson could bottle his second half play, the Spurs would be thrilled with him going forward.
Danny Green D
With Pop sending Ginobili back to the bench, Danny Green started tonight. But honestly, Green is showing very little reason to give him any minutes … much less a start. Since the All-Star break, Green has a plus/minus of -33, easily the worst mark on the team. Compared to his play earlier in the season, he just isn't playing with nearly as much tenacity or ferocity. Against the Magic, it was more of the same out of Green. His stats don't look bad but he's just not a useful player unless he's flying around the court wreaking havoc and making plays. I'm not sure if he's in a funk, if he's injured or if he's just tired … but let's hope he turns it around sooner rather than later.
DeJuan Blair C-
In the first few minutes of the game, DeJuan Blair seemed to hurt himself trying to do an up-and-under move. He limped to the bench but eventually returned to the game. However, Blair just wasn't very good after the injury. Defensively, he was rotating slow -- and that's especially deadly against this sharpshooting Magic squad. Blair also wasn't rebounding, which always kills his value to the team. The only thing of note was Blair dunking for the first time this season. Congrats, I guess.
Kawhi Leonard A
The growth of Kawhi Leonard continues. His main weakness as a player during his rookie season has been the fact that he bogs down the offense when he's on the court. But tonight, that was absolutely not the case. In his 31 minutes on the court, the Spurs poured in 88 points -- and a lot of it had to do with Leonard's play. He confidently nailed a pair of three-pointers and made a few other great cuts to the basket. Leonard ran the court to occupy Magic defenders and made heady decisions when it came to his passing and overall decision making. Defensively, Leonard did a lot of good. There were some blunders mixed in but his activity level and anticipation were definitely assets. All told, Leonard posted a career-high plus/minus of +19 and he's now +34 in his last two games. Pop is going to have a difficult time keeping him off the court if he's consistently such a difference-maker.
Matt Bonner C-
Offensively, Matt Bonner didn't get many open looks. And while he's usually good about making quick decisions, he was holding onto the ball more than usual tonight. On defense, Bonner not doing well enough out on the perimeter guarding their shooters led Pop to go small. And even when the action came to him, Bonner's defense was forgettable. Other than some defensive boards, nothing was really going right for the eventual Canadian citizen.
Tiago Splitter A-
Though Tiago Splitter didn't do quite as well on Howard as Duncan did, the Brazilian was pretty darn impressive in his own right. He made a few mistakes here and there but Splitter basically held him in check. Additionally, Splitter's help defense was really good and his rotations were crisp. Offensively, his efficiency remains impressive. When he's going good, Splitter just doesn't miss a lot of shots. He's elite in the pick-and-roll no matter who he's running it with. I also liked the toughness he showed when battling on the offensive glass.
Gary Neal B
Gary Neal's second game as the full-time backup point guard was again ugly … but again very effective. It's actually humorous how he seems to barely be able to hang onto his dribble and then he unleashes a great pass out of nowhere or converts on a difficult attempt. Neal took care of the basketball, wisely let Ginobili take his turns running the show and included Splitter in the proceedings. We'll see if it lasts but Neal's play at point guard has been surprisingly effective in recent weeks. Tonight, he slid over to shooting guard for some minutes next to Parker and did so seamlessly. However, no matter what position he plays, Neal is somewhere between "below average" and "bad" on defense.
Pop B+
Pop mostly made the right calls. Although, putting Green in the starting lineup didn't really work. And Anderson's token minutes don't really make sense to me. But otherwise, Pop pulled the right strings. He kept drawing up plays for Jefferson and that eventually helped get him going. I didn't love small ball but it was undeniably effective, especially in the second half. Pop's gameplan against Howard was great and he made good use of both Duncan and Splitter in executing it. I also liked that he allowed Leonard to play extended minutes. Looking forward, Pop usually likes to cement his rotation after the trade deadline so let's see if he shortens it a bit during the quick two-game road trip.
Early on, the Magic built a 10-point lead but the Spurs quickly erased their deficit and led 36-35 after the first quarter. The second quarter featured a lot of back and forth action but neither team gained any traction. After halftime, the Magic came out on a 10-3 run to take a six point lead. Following a timeout, San Antonio made a run of their own -- outscoring the Magic 27-16 the rest of the quarter.
In the final period, Hedo Turkoglu hit a three-pointer with 8:22 remaining to give the Magic a one-point lead. But then, the game turned into the Tony Parker Show. In the final 8 minutes of the contest, the star point guard scored 16 points amid cheers of "M-V-P! M-V-P!"
Despite the fact that Orlando shot 52.3% from the field at least partly due to shaky defense by the home team, I thought this was a good win. The Magic are playing their best basketball of the season, having just defeated the Bulls, Pacers and Heat -- arguably the three best teams in the East. Let's hope the Spurs offense continues to produce at this rate when they head out onto the road for a back-to-back that starts in Oklahoma City and ends in Dallas.
http://oi42.tinypic.com/30sg0o5.jpg
http://oi43.tinypic.com/obgp.jpg
Tim Duncan A+
Lost in Tony Parker's outing was a fantastic game by Tim Duncan. Duncan got very little help in defending Dwight Howard and he played the young superstar to a draw. Committing only one foul in his 31 minutes, Duncan was extremely strong in his post defense and was even better at boxing out Orlando's behemoth. On the offensive end, he did a much better job than usual at blending in and not needlessly dominating possessions. Duncan was doing all the little things -- running the court, rebounding on both ends, making smart passes -- and don't look now but #21 doesn't have a turnover in his last 96 minutes of action.
Manu Ginobili A-
Following an injury scare last game, Manu Ginobili was able to play -- off the bench, this time. Offensively, Ginobili was great once again. In addition to knocking down four three-pointers, he turned back the clock and finished a drive with a dunk. Ginobili's passing was brilliant and his floor game was nearly flawless. Defensively, while not at his normal level yet, he was much, much, much improved from his last two outings. He was rotating better and closed out relatively well on shooters. Ginobili's overall energy and athleticism appeared to be improved tonight. Now if he can just string together some healthy games; it's exciting to think how good he'll look once he's back at 100%.
Tony Parker A
While Tony Parker's MVP resume is unlikely to surpass those of players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, I was proud of the San Antonio crowd for showing their appreciation for the work put in by Parker. For the third straight game, he finished with more than 30 points and he's now 54-85 (63.5%) from the floor over his last five outings. In addition to his scoring, Parker also dished out 12 assists as he conducted the offense perfectly all night. With him running the show, the Spurs had very few lulls and seemed to always get good shots. The only blemish on Parker's otherwise pristine night was his early defense on Jameer Nelson. Parker didn't close out well in the first quarter and Nelson remained hot for much of the game. But to Parker's credit, Nelson was only 1-for-4 in the fourth quarter as the Frenchman was dominating the game on the other end.
Richard Jefferson C+
In the first half, Richard Jefferson's pathetic play was worth an F. In the second half, Jefferson stunned everyone by playing A level basketball. So let's go ahead and give him a C+ for the night. In the first two quarters, Jefferson was horrible on the defensive end and a liability on offense. Coming out of halftime, I couldn't wait for Jefferson to get benched. But then a funny thing happened on the way to the pine: Jefferson began to thrive. It started with him drawing a foul on a drive to the basket. He then knocked down a couple threes, made a couple quality passes off the dribble and began to really play aggressive on both ends of the court. If Jefferson could bottle his second half play, the Spurs would be thrilled with him going forward.
Danny Green D
With Pop sending Ginobili back to the bench, Danny Green started tonight. But honestly, Green is showing very little reason to give him any minutes … much less a start. Since the All-Star break, Green has a plus/minus of -33, easily the worst mark on the team. Compared to his play earlier in the season, he just isn't playing with nearly as much tenacity or ferocity. Against the Magic, it was more of the same out of Green. His stats don't look bad but he's just not a useful player unless he's flying around the court wreaking havoc and making plays. I'm not sure if he's in a funk, if he's injured or if he's just tired … but let's hope he turns it around sooner rather than later.
DeJuan Blair C-
In the first few minutes of the game, DeJuan Blair seemed to hurt himself trying to do an up-and-under move. He limped to the bench but eventually returned to the game. However, Blair just wasn't very good after the injury. Defensively, he was rotating slow -- and that's especially deadly against this sharpshooting Magic squad. Blair also wasn't rebounding, which always kills his value to the team. The only thing of note was Blair dunking for the first time this season. Congrats, I guess.
Kawhi Leonard A
The growth of Kawhi Leonard continues. His main weakness as a player during his rookie season has been the fact that he bogs down the offense when he's on the court. But tonight, that was absolutely not the case. In his 31 minutes on the court, the Spurs poured in 88 points -- and a lot of it had to do with Leonard's play. He confidently nailed a pair of three-pointers and made a few other great cuts to the basket. Leonard ran the court to occupy Magic defenders and made heady decisions when it came to his passing and overall decision making. Defensively, Leonard did a lot of good. There were some blunders mixed in but his activity level and anticipation were definitely assets. All told, Leonard posted a career-high plus/minus of +19 and he's now +34 in his last two games. Pop is going to have a difficult time keeping him off the court if he's consistently such a difference-maker.
Matt Bonner C-
Offensively, Matt Bonner didn't get many open looks. And while he's usually good about making quick decisions, he was holding onto the ball more than usual tonight. On defense, Bonner not doing well enough out on the perimeter guarding their shooters led Pop to go small. And even when the action came to him, Bonner's defense was forgettable. Other than some defensive boards, nothing was really going right for the eventual Canadian citizen.
Tiago Splitter A-
Though Tiago Splitter didn't do quite as well on Howard as Duncan did, the Brazilian was pretty darn impressive in his own right. He made a few mistakes here and there but Splitter basically held him in check. Additionally, Splitter's help defense was really good and his rotations were crisp. Offensively, his efficiency remains impressive. When he's going good, Splitter just doesn't miss a lot of shots. He's elite in the pick-and-roll no matter who he's running it with. I also liked the toughness he showed when battling on the offensive glass.
Gary Neal B
Gary Neal's second game as the full-time backup point guard was again ugly … but again very effective. It's actually humorous how he seems to barely be able to hang onto his dribble and then he unleashes a great pass out of nowhere or converts on a difficult attempt. Neal took care of the basketball, wisely let Ginobili take his turns running the show and included Splitter in the proceedings. We'll see if it lasts but Neal's play at point guard has been surprisingly effective in recent weeks. Tonight, he slid over to shooting guard for some minutes next to Parker and did so seamlessly. However, no matter what position he plays, Neal is somewhere between "below average" and "bad" on defense.
Pop B+
Pop mostly made the right calls. Although, putting Green in the starting lineup didn't really work. And Anderson's token minutes don't really make sense to me. But otherwise, Pop pulled the right strings. He kept drawing up plays for Jefferson and that eventually helped get him going. I didn't love small ball but it was undeniably effective, especially in the second half. Pop's gameplan against Howard was great and he made good use of both Duncan and Splitter in executing it. I also liked that he allowed Leonard to play extended minutes. Looking forward, Pop usually likes to cement his rotation after the trade deadline so let's see if he shortens it a bit during the quick two-game road trip.