timvp
03-24-2012, 12:41 AM
Less than a week ago, the Spurs lost to the Mavericks in Dallas. Tonight, the Spurs returned the favor by downing the Mavs in San Antonio by a final score of 104-87.
The first quarter was back and forth but the Spurs opened up the game a bit in the second quarter and led by ten points before going into halftime up 52-45. The third quarter, though, got ugly. With the Spurs offense completely stagnant, the Mavs took advantage by outscoring San Antonio 18-6.
However, that's when the Spurs took over. The good guys went on a 22-2 run ... and the Mavs never recovered. The Spurs held the Mavs at bay for the final nine minutes to increase their lead in the division to six games.
Considering the Spurs were without two key cogs (Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter) and were working in another new piece (Boris Diaw), this was a great win. Not always aesthetically-pleasing but a quality victory nonetheless.
http://oi41.tinypic.com/29cs709.jpg
http://oi42.tinypic.com/27ymntw.jpg
Tim Duncan D+
While the effort was there, Tim Duncan just didn't play very well. He missed 12-of-18 shots from the court but even worse than his shooting percentage was the fact that Duncan was just trying to do too much. He was calling for the ball nearly every time down the court and was resorting to one-on-one basketball. And though he got decent looks, the Spurs were doing much better when they utilized crisp ball-movement to create open shots in rhythm. Thus, it's no accident that the Spurs outscored the Mavs by 25 points during the 15 minutes Duncan was on the bench. In addition to his offensive struggles, Duncan also wasn't providing much help in pick-and-roll defense and wasn't protecting the rim very well.
Manu Ginobili B-
Manu Ginobili started the game at point guard ... and it wasn't pretty. Ginobili had trouble getting the team into sets and his usual pick-and-roll mastery wasn't as automatic as usual tonight. That said, Ginobili eventually found a groove and ended up being decently effective on the offensive end. He had a number of great passes and I liked his tenacity attacking the rim. Defensively, Ginobili had a few lapses but overall I thought he was better than he's been as of late.
Danny Green B+
When Danny Green is playing with a lot of ferocity, he's a legit NBA player. In the first half tonight, his style of play was right where it needs to be. He was aggressive yet smart and was a major asset on both ends of the court. However, in the second half, Green went a bit too far with his aggression. He started forcing shots, breaking the offense, dribbling into crowds and tried to do too much on the defensive end. It wasn't all bad in the third and fourth periods but Green definitely exceeded the boundaries of his role in the final two quarters. More specifically, Green should never shoot 19 times unless he's wide open all night ... and that wasn't the case. All that said, Green was still easily a positive force in tonight's game.
Kawhi Leonard B+
It was just another quiet beast of a game from Kawhi Leonard. The kid just doesn't need many touches to have a notable impact. On offense, he hit all six of his two-pointers by slashing hard to the hoop and finishing with a patient, soft touch. Leonard now has his field goal percentage on the season all the way up to 49.5%. Defensively, Leonard made much fewer mistakes than usual. When matched up against Dirk Nowitzki, Leonard more than held his own. The best thing you can say about this rookie is he makes amazingly efficient games like tonight look effortless.
DeJuan Blair B-
Defensively, DeJuan Blair did just about all he could against Nowitzki. He played him well but the big German still had a lot of success against Blair, which is saying a lot since Nowitzki finished the night 5-for-21. On offense, I thought Blair was above average. He had his customary mistakes mixed in but Blair did a good job converting his looks and he also dropped off a few dimes along the way. On both ends, I thought Blair's physicality was a plus and it set a good tone for the rest of the team.
Gary Neal D
Ugh. I support Gary Neal as the team's backup point guard ... but tonight tested my faith. Each time up the court was an adventure for Neal. He was hurried all game long and was consistently making difficult passes, taking tough shots or otherwise appearing to be in distress. On defense, things weren't much rosier. He was downright difficult to watch at times, especially when attempting to guard Jason Terry.
Matt Bonner A
After missing a game due to back spasms, Matt Bonner returned with a vengeance. It wasn't his best game of the season but it very well could have been Bonner's most well-rounded game. On defense, he defended Nowtizki well a couple times. He made swift rotations and competed on the defensive backboard. Offensively, Bonner knocked down his open threes and had a season-high five assists. He made a lot of smart reads without wasting too much time and was overall just a lot sharper than he had been as of late.
Stephen Jackson A-
Stephen Jackson continues to look like a perfect fit. Honestly, it's difficult to nitpick and find anything he's doing wrong. On offense, he plays at a great pace while showing good vision and good understanding of the situation. Jackson's shot selection has been virtually flawless. Defensively, he's equally as impressive. He plays solid individual defense while also making quick rotations to help his teammates. All in all, Jackson is playing a winning brand of basketball that I didn't know he had in him.
Boris Diaw A
Wow. A few hours after signing his contract, Boris Diaw suited up and played 16 high-quality minutes for the Spurs. The stats don't look like much but Diaw was extremely impressive. Defensively, the Frenchman played outstanding defense against Nowitzki and also defended the pick-and-roll well. When switched onto a perimeter player, Diaw proved he could move his feet. Offensively, his passing was excellent. His ability to create from the power forward position was handy. He set very good screens and simply looked like a natural fit for the offense. Throughout the game, it was obvious that Diaw's basketball IQ could really become an asset for this team. Diaw understands how the game of basketball is supposed to be played and is very willing to play a role. If he can get in good shape and regain some confidence and love for the game, Diaw has a chance to be a very important piece to the puzzle going forward.
Eric Dawson Inc.
Congrats to Eric Dawson for hitting all three of his shots and recording a block in his only minute of play. If he doesn't hang on with the Spurs, his play tonight might have been enough for him to earn a 10-day contract somewhere else.
Pop A
It was another very good coaching performance. With Diaw but without Parker and Splitter, Pop was forced to play a number of completely new lineups. And despite a few questionable decisions here and there, I have to take my hat off to Pop for a job well done. I loved how he threw Diaw in the fire and kept riding him after he succeeded early on. Pop also deserves credit for throwing a ton of different looks at Nowitzki and at least somewhat disrupting Dallas' superstar.
The first quarter was back and forth but the Spurs opened up the game a bit in the second quarter and led by ten points before going into halftime up 52-45. The third quarter, though, got ugly. With the Spurs offense completely stagnant, the Mavs took advantage by outscoring San Antonio 18-6.
However, that's when the Spurs took over. The good guys went on a 22-2 run ... and the Mavs never recovered. The Spurs held the Mavs at bay for the final nine minutes to increase their lead in the division to six games.
Considering the Spurs were without two key cogs (Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter) and were working in another new piece (Boris Diaw), this was a great win. Not always aesthetically-pleasing but a quality victory nonetheless.
http://oi41.tinypic.com/29cs709.jpg
http://oi42.tinypic.com/27ymntw.jpg
Tim Duncan D+
While the effort was there, Tim Duncan just didn't play very well. He missed 12-of-18 shots from the court but even worse than his shooting percentage was the fact that Duncan was just trying to do too much. He was calling for the ball nearly every time down the court and was resorting to one-on-one basketball. And though he got decent looks, the Spurs were doing much better when they utilized crisp ball-movement to create open shots in rhythm. Thus, it's no accident that the Spurs outscored the Mavs by 25 points during the 15 minutes Duncan was on the bench. In addition to his offensive struggles, Duncan also wasn't providing much help in pick-and-roll defense and wasn't protecting the rim very well.
Manu Ginobili B-
Manu Ginobili started the game at point guard ... and it wasn't pretty. Ginobili had trouble getting the team into sets and his usual pick-and-roll mastery wasn't as automatic as usual tonight. That said, Ginobili eventually found a groove and ended up being decently effective on the offensive end. He had a number of great passes and I liked his tenacity attacking the rim. Defensively, Ginobili had a few lapses but overall I thought he was better than he's been as of late.
Danny Green B+
When Danny Green is playing with a lot of ferocity, he's a legit NBA player. In the first half tonight, his style of play was right where it needs to be. He was aggressive yet smart and was a major asset on both ends of the court. However, in the second half, Green went a bit too far with his aggression. He started forcing shots, breaking the offense, dribbling into crowds and tried to do too much on the defensive end. It wasn't all bad in the third and fourth periods but Green definitely exceeded the boundaries of his role in the final two quarters. More specifically, Green should never shoot 19 times unless he's wide open all night ... and that wasn't the case. All that said, Green was still easily a positive force in tonight's game.
Kawhi Leonard B+
It was just another quiet beast of a game from Kawhi Leonard. The kid just doesn't need many touches to have a notable impact. On offense, he hit all six of his two-pointers by slashing hard to the hoop and finishing with a patient, soft touch. Leonard now has his field goal percentage on the season all the way up to 49.5%. Defensively, Leonard made much fewer mistakes than usual. When matched up against Dirk Nowitzki, Leonard more than held his own. The best thing you can say about this rookie is he makes amazingly efficient games like tonight look effortless.
DeJuan Blair B-
Defensively, DeJuan Blair did just about all he could against Nowitzki. He played him well but the big German still had a lot of success against Blair, which is saying a lot since Nowitzki finished the night 5-for-21. On offense, I thought Blair was above average. He had his customary mistakes mixed in but Blair did a good job converting his looks and he also dropped off a few dimes along the way. On both ends, I thought Blair's physicality was a plus and it set a good tone for the rest of the team.
Gary Neal D
Ugh. I support Gary Neal as the team's backup point guard ... but tonight tested my faith. Each time up the court was an adventure for Neal. He was hurried all game long and was consistently making difficult passes, taking tough shots or otherwise appearing to be in distress. On defense, things weren't much rosier. He was downright difficult to watch at times, especially when attempting to guard Jason Terry.
Matt Bonner A
After missing a game due to back spasms, Matt Bonner returned with a vengeance. It wasn't his best game of the season but it very well could have been Bonner's most well-rounded game. On defense, he defended Nowtizki well a couple times. He made swift rotations and competed on the defensive backboard. Offensively, Bonner knocked down his open threes and had a season-high five assists. He made a lot of smart reads without wasting too much time and was overall just a lot sharper than he had been as of late.
Stephen Jackson A-
Stephen Jackson continues to look like a perfect fit. Honestly, it's difficult to nitpick and find anything he's doing wrong. On offense, he plays at a great pace while showing good vision and good understanding of the situation. Jackson's shot selection has been virtually flawless. Defensively, he's equally as impressive. He plays solid individual defense while also making quick rotations to help his teammates. All in all, Jackson is playing a winning brand of basketball that I didn't know he had in him.
Boris Diaw A
Wow. A few hours after signing his contract, Boris Diaw suited up and played 16 high-quality minutes for the Spurs. The stats don't look like much but Diaw was extremely impressive. Defensively, the Frenchman played outstanding defense against Nowitzki and also defended the pick-and-roll well. When switched onto a perimeter player, Diaw proved he could move his feet. Offensively, his passing was excellent. His ability to create from the power forward position was handy. He set very good screens and simply looked like a natural fit for the offense. Throughout the game, it was obvious that Diaw's basketball IQ could really become an asset for this team. Diaw understands how the game of basketball is supposed to be played and is very willing to play a role. If he can get in good shape and regain some confidence and love for the game, Diaw has a chance to be a very important piece to the puzzle going forward.
Eric Dawson Inc.
Congrats to Eric Dawson for hitting all three of his shots and recording a block in his only minute of play. If he doesn't hang on with the Spurs, his play tonight might have been enough for him to earn a 10-day contract somewhere else.
Pop A
It was another very good coaching performance. With Diaw but without Parker and Splitter, Pop was forced to play a number of completely new lineups. And despite a few questionable decisions here and there, I have to take my hat off to Pop for a job well done. I loved how he threw Diaw in the fire and kept riding him after he succeeded early on. Pop also deserves credit for throwing a ton of different looks at Nowitzki and at least somewhat disrupting Dallas' superstar.