Grades: Spurs @ Suns - Mar. 27

[timvp]

Fresh off of a sweep of a back-to-back-to-back, the Spurs traveled to Phoenix to take on one of the hottest teams in the league. The game was a shootout until the fourth quarter when San Antonio's defense stiffened and the Suns were unable to keep up. The result was a 107-100 victory -- the fifth win of the last seven days.

For the first three quarters, neither team played much defense. The Spurs led for much of the second quarter, while the Suns led for a stretch in the third. In the final stanza, the Spurs held the Suns scoreless for nearly four and a half minutes as part of a 10-0 run to take an 11-point lead with six minutes remaining. Phoenix never truly threatened again as the Spurs cruised to yet another impressive win.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this streak has been the fact that the team isn't whole. Tonight, Gary Neal was back in action but Tiago Splitter (back) and Stephen Jackson (rest) sat out. Additionally, the Spurs were working in another new player: Patty Mills, the Australian born point guard.

On Wednesday night, the Spurs play in Sacramento to conclude this stretch of six games in eight days. I'm not sure who is going to be suiting up for the game but with how this team is playing right now, I'm confident they'll put in another great effort.

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Tim Duncan C+
After sitting out the previous game to rest, Tim Duncan once again looked very spry. He was moving well and running relatively fast, especially early in the contest. Offensively, Duncan was unstoppable in the first half, hitting 8-of-9 shots on his way to 17 points. He was shooting his jumper with no hesitation and he also delivered a few nice passes. In the second half, Duncan wasn't nearly as effective on the offensive end but he still chipped in when needed. Defense, though, was a different story. Duncan, simply put, was horrible against the pick-and-rolls. Historically, he's had a lot of trouble with the Steve Nash led pick-and-rolls. But tonight, he was a glorified traffic cone for a majority of the game. He didn't switch off onto Nash and he didn't stay with Marcin Gortat. In fact, I'm not sure what he was doing ... he just basically wandered into no-man's land again and again. As well as Duncan played offensively in the first half and as well as he looked physically overall, the Spurs can't have their franchise player going through the motions on the defensive end if they have championship aspirations.

Manu Ginobili B+
Defensively, the real Manu Ginobili is starting to resurface. He went through a stretch where he was brutal on that end of the court but tonight was another step forward. Ginobili's help defense was really good and he played with a lot of tenacity when defending the ball. The Argentine star also had a couple great rebounds that he ripped down in traffic. Offensively, Ginobili wasn't as flawless as we've seen him -- he uncharacteristically missed a few open teammates -- but this was as good as we've seen him in a long time in terms of creating below the three-point line. He's most valuable when he's able to consistently attack the rim so that was great to see out of Ginobili. All in all, he's looking more explosive and more confident by the game.

Tony Parker B+
The Suns threw their entire defensive book at Tony Parker. First, Phoenix sent hard traps at him whenever he attempted a pick-and-roll. When that didn't work in the first half, the Suns attempted an overloaded zone defense to try to get the ball out of his hands. Instead of forcing the issue against these defenses designed to stop him, Parker played it smart and simply passed it to his wide open teammates. Eventually, the Suns went to a more standard defense -- and that's when Parker made Phoenix pay with his ability to score the ball. During San Antonio's 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, Parker had eight points on 4-for-4 shooting and an assist. Despite Parker's good work on the offensive end, he gave back some of it back on defense. In the first three quarters, he didn't play with much intensity and failed to ever take Nash out of his comfort zones. In the fourth quarter, Parker stepped it up on D but, like Duncan, that's not good enough.

Danny Green D+
Offensively, Danny Green just didn't have it; he's proving to be the team's streakiest shooter. On defense, his man to begin the game was Shannon Brown ... and you just have to glance at Brown's stats to see how Green did there. In the fourth quarter, Pop went back to Green -- and Green actually helped out. His defense on Nash was part of the reason why the Suns scored only scored 17 points in the final period. That said, Green can't be a liability on both ends for a majority of the game and hope to hold onto his starting gig.

Kawhi Leonard B+
It was just another productive game out of Kawhi Leonard. For a 20-year-old rookie who is a fourth or fifth option on offense when he's on the court, his consistency lately has been stunning. Defensively, he didn't seem overly involved but considering he was mostly defending Jared Dudley, Leonard was one of the few Spurs players who can claim to have done consistent work on that end. Offensively, he was a bit more aggressive than usual, especially off the dribble. And while the results weren't always positive, I'm hoping the coaching staff is encouraging him to be as active as possible. Leonard's ceiling is too high to restrict his role. Let him continue to spread his wings.

DeJuan Blair C
Defensively, DeJuan Blair wasn't much of a help in terms of rotating to help guard the endless pick-and-rolls, however the job he did staying with Channing Frye out on the perimeter should be commended. Blair usually struggles against shooters but that wasn't the case tonight. But while I realize he was out of the paint more than usual due to chasing around Frye, Blair going without a defensive rebound in 21 minutes is unacceptable. Offensively, Blair wasn't bad but his inability to space the floor made it difficult for the Spurs to attack Phoenix's defense. Plus, he didn't help matters by playing too fast and trying to do too much.

Matt Bonner B
Matt Bonner has never been much of an offensive rebounder but tonight he did some of his best work of the season on the offensive glass. And usually I'm not a fan of him trying to create plays off the dribble, but his success in that area was undeniable. Bonner's only real flaw offensively was the fact that he was 0-for-3 from the field in the fourth quarter. Defensively, there were some instances where he could have been more physical but overall he did a slightly better than average job.

Boris Diaw A-
For the first time since he retired, the Spurs finally have a player who can do some of what Robert Horry used to do. Boris Diaw is a very smart player who has been a seamless fit so far. Defensively, he has a strong base, can move his feet on pick-and-rolls and is rarely caught out of position. On offense against the Suns, Diaw made a few wonderful passes, set mean picks and rolled to the right spots. The best part of the fit with the Spurs is that San Antonio doesn't need him to score. On other teams, his reluctance to shoot the ball would be a liability. Here, the Spurs have enough talented offensive players that Diaw just has to shoot his most wide open of looks.

Gary Neal D-
After missing two games due to a foot injury, Gary Neal returned. That's about the end of the positive things I can write about him. On defense, Neal was really bad. He couldn't stay in front of anyone and he was also allowing shooters enough space to shoot right over the top of him. Offensively, his shot selection was poor and it seemed to get worse and worse the more shots he missed. With Patty Mills on board, Neal is going to have to play a lot better if he wants to retain his role as backup point guard.

James Anderson B
James Anderson has found a niche as a hustle guy who will play D, run the court, attack the basket and miss a couple three-pointers. Oh wait, he actually made a three-pointer tonight? That was his first made three since Feb. 21.

Patty Mills B+
It was solid debut for Patty Mills. Sometimes criticized for shooting too much, Mills instead focused on getting the Spurs into their offense quickly. His decision making was good and he was usually in the right spots when off the ball. Defensively, he let out his pent-up energy by harassing Steve Nash. Technically, Mills' defense wasn't very good but he was so active that it seemed to fluster Nash just a little bit.

Pop A-
Pop continues to be at his best. Each game, he has to juggle a new set of players and he keeps doing a splendid job of pushing the right buttons. In hindsight, Pop could have played Neal less and Diaw more but it's difficult to find something to complain about with Pop right now. It'll be interesting to see how Pop handles the sixth game in eight days against the Kings tomorrow night. Does he spread the minutes even thinner? I guess we'll find out.

[jiggy_55]

In the Tim Duncan section, Marcin GORTAT*.

Agreed with all of your analysis, especially with Leonard and Diaw. Great points made.

[FkLA]

Agreed about Duncans pick and roll defense. It was so sad watching it, time and time again he would back up on Nash and Nash would simply drain a jumper right in his face. It got to the point were Diaw was subbed in for Duncan for defense on a possession in the last minute.

Also kind of disagree with Neals defense. I think especially when he was really hot, Neal did the best job on Shannon Brown. The couple of shots Brown scored on him were tough, contested 3s. Neal was really hounding him and giving him little space.

[Darkwaters]

Thanks LJ!

[TE]

Good grades.


Going forward, who do you think will be the odd man out given this deep roster?

[Fireball]

I know that Tims D was bad ... but I still give my man a solid "B"

Thanks for the write-up ...

[sananspursfan21]

Thanks and always very accurate... Lazy defense first 3 quarters, every pick set by the suns looked like a brick wall

[jiggy_55]

Good grades.


Going forward, who do you think will be the odd man out given this deep roster?

I would imagine that Blair's minutes are decreased even more if Diaw keeps up his great work. Unfortunately, I don't see Bonner's minutes decreasing much, but I would rather Bonner be dropped and we play a 4-man rotation of Duncan, Diaw, Splitter and Blair.

And then maybe either Green or Neal will fall out due to the depth at SG with Manu and many others capable of playing there. Green has proven to be hit or miss, while Neal hasn't been himself recently but his track record proves he can make the big shots which might be needed. Definitely one of them will lose most of his minutes once the playoffs starts, I can't see Pop going this deep to his bench in the playoffs.

[timtonymanu]

Like the Diaw-Horry comparison.

A closing lineup with Tony, Manu, Leonard, Diaw, and Timmy would be a close replica of the lineup in my sig.

[ElNono]

Thanks!

[jestersmash]

I agree with your take on Kawhi.

I think there was a play in this game where Kawhi had the ball on a fastbreak and I'm screaming "Slow it down! Give the ball to Tony (or Manu, I forget). Let's run a set." and Kawhi goes crashing into an opposing defender for an offensive foul :lol

But, right afterwards I figured I have to cut this guy some slack. He's been nothing short of phenomenal all season long given the circumstances (20 year old rookie with no actual training camp) and we have yet to really tap into his full potential.

I think it may have been the Philly game, but I remember a telling instance in that game. Kawhi ran the ball down the court (after a defensive rebound) and initially it seemed like the Spurs were wanting to run pick and roll between Tony and Tim. Kawhi, however, signaled to Tim to set a screen for him and tried to do a little pick and roll with Tim himself. The play wasn't successful (he didn't come off the screen properly and didn't penetrate far enough, leaving Timmy well guarded at the top of the key), but it was a telling play nonetheless. It showed just how confident and comfortable Kawhi is becoming with this team and how much confidence the big 3 (Tim particularly, in this case) have in him.

I'm more than willing to cut Kawhi some slack as he tries to expand his game and his role on the Spurs. To put up 14 and 7 so nonchalantly without ever really having any plays called specifically for him is pretty remarkable.

[Manufan909]

Thanks for the grades timvp!!!! Can't wait until everyone is healthy and is put out on the floor, but with this schedule and Tiago's slow healing ability, that might not happen.
:depressed

[jiggy_55]

I think there was a play in this game where Kawhi had the ball on a fastbreak and I'm screaming "Slow it down! Give the ball to Tony (or Manu, I forget). Let's run a set." and Kawhi goes crashing into an opposing defender for an offensive foul :lol

But, right afterwards I figured I have to cut this guy some slack. He's been nothing short of phenomenal all season long given the circumstances (20 year old rookie with no actual training camp) and we have yet to really tap into his full potential.

He definitely deserves some slack, but that specific play was awful :rollin. Something like a 1 on 3 or 1 on 4 and with no where to go. If people like us with no professional experience can tell it's an awful play, he should 100% know that was terrible and he should just hold the ball up.

[freetiago]

People thought i was crazy when i said kawhi wasnt a good finisher yet
hes still just bull rushing into players and tonight someone finally drew the charge
he did have that one aggressive take to the rim where he showed some nice handles where
it also looked like channing frye fouled him but it was no call
otherwise i wouldnt imagine kawhi bricking the ball that bad from so close

and pop deserves an F to be honest
i still dont understand on his insistence to go underneath screens
every team knows spurs do this and they just start jump shooting right away
nash abused them early on when parker kept going underneath the screen
you can never let nash whos arguably the greatest shooter in the history of the game have free looks all night
shannon brown whos not known for anything but a few highlight dunks here or there was abusing them from the 3/mid range
and its because he tells the players to go underneath screens everytime
needs to mixup it up more or at all
its why random scrubs always get career nights vs the spurs
he lets them get hot by making the least efficient shot in basketball at will then they start draining everything else

[angelbelow]

Duncan's 2nd half struggles were painfully obvious. I originally said that he should take tomorrow off to rest but I actually forgot he rested for the sixer game and you seem to think Duncan's was throw off by Nash. If that's the case then he should play if he feels fresh.

The Suns took control during the first half of the 3rd quarter and they had strong momentum driving them. That stopped when Manu and Boris entered the game. Those two set the tone both offensively and defensively and helped us regain the lead. Leonard was also a big positive during that stretch as well - he was the beneficiary of a few slick passes from Boris.

Blair was terrible outside a few strong plays in the 1st quarter. If we had our full roster tonight, Blair would probably not have played the 2nd half.

Despite missing all his 2nd half 3s, Bonner played well once again. His defense on Warrick was better than I thought (1-3FG against Matty) or maybe Warrick is just that bad (he was getting destroyed right before he got subbed out by Diaw and Leonard.) And there is something to be said about his offensive rebounding tonight. This season, Matt averages 0.4 offense rebounds per game. While he doesn't have the reputation as a rebounder, 0.4 is well below his previous career low of 0.8 (happened twice in his career, 12.5mpg and 18mpg). Matt's offensive rebounding per36 is a lowly 0.6.

[stéphane]

Thanks for the grades.
You're the best.

[will_spurs]

I've said this before but it's a joy to see Kawhi develop as a player right now. I could swear the progress is noticeable every day (anybody who's been around a baby on a daily basis knows the feeling) and each and every game it seems like he's doing something new, or something better. I really wonder how high the ceiling is for him.

More than ballhandling or passing, I think the Spurs right now are one of the teams with the highest BBIQ in the league, thanks to the Big 3 + Leonard + Diaw (and even Bonner).

[chazley]

Please don't ever compare Robert Horry to Diaw. There are a few similarities, but Diaw will never step up and hit a huge shot for this team the way Robert did for every team in his career. Diaw is a passive, pass first power forward.

[100%duncan]

Didn't see a C+ coming for Tim. Deserved a B, imho.

[therealtruth]

People thought i was crazy when i said kawhi wasnt a good finisher yet
hes still just bull rushing into players and tonight someone finally drew the charge
he did have that one aggressive take to the rim where he showed some nice handles where
it also looked like channing frye fouled him but it was no call
otherwise i wouldnt imagine kawhi bricking the ball that bad from so close

and pop deserves an F to be honest
i still dont understand on his insistence to go underneath screens
every team knows spurs do this and they just start jump shooting right away
nash abused them early on when parker kept going underneath the screen
you can never let nash whos arguably the greatest shooter in the history of the game have free looks all night
shannon brown whos not known for anything but a few highlight dunks here or there was abusing them from the 3/mid range
and its because he tells the players to go underneath screens everytime
needs to mixup it up more or at all
its why random scrubs always get career nights vs the spurs
he lets them get hot by making the least efficient shot in basketball at will then they start draining everything else

As inefficient as the midrange jumpshot is NBA players will shoot 70-80% on jumpers if unguarded. You want them to shoot it but also give a good contest.

So what are Pop's plans for improving the defense? Does he care or he's going to stick with outscoring? He claimed before the season he could get them top 7-8 in defense.

[freetiago]

he just has to mix it up sometimes
i think hes reluctant to let them go over if they get beat because we have blair and bon bon harassing the paint
which is one more reason splitter should play
allows them to have 2 shotblockers and mix up the screens
iirc spurs are currently ranked last in defending screens and near last in pick and roll
and its because they never fault from going under

its also why mo williams happened
randy foye
jarret jack
and now shannon brown

and there have been many more
those were just of the top of my head of scrubs who turned into ray allen and had career nights shooting

[benefactor]

I know one thing...that 3rd quarter lineup of Mills, Neal, Manu, Diaw and Bonner should never be used on against any NBA team by another NBA team at any time.

[timvp]

In the Tim Duncan section, Marcin GORTAT*.
Thanks :tu


Also kind of disagree with Neals defense. I think especially when he was really hot, Neal did the best job on Shannon Brown. The couple of shots Brown scored on him were tough, contested 3s. Neal was really hounding him and giving him little space.Yeah, Neal's defense was best in the third quarter after Pop put him in for Green. However, Brown was so hot by that point that Neal couldn't do much.

[Keepin' it real]

Tim Duncan goes for 26 and 11, and you give him a C+??? Maybe we didn't watch the same game last night, but he played well and is the primary reason the Spurs won the game I watched last night.

[timvp]

Please don't ever compare Robert Horry to Diaw. There are a few similarities, but Diaw will never step up and hit a huge shot for this team the way Robert did for every team in his career. Diaw is a passive, pass first power forward.Horry's clutchness was only about 1% of his value to the Spurs. Horry's defense, screen setting, passing, knowledge of where to be and his overall basketball IQ were only traits that were much, much more valuable. If Diaw plays like Horry but misses every clutch shot, he'd still be a huge asset.


Good grades.


Going forward, who do you think will be the odd man out given this deep roster?Pop's Big 4 is a lock to be in the rotation (Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and Bonner). Then we know Jackson and Splitter will get some time. Eventually you gotta think Diaw takes Blair's minutes. Behind Parker, it'll either be Neal or Mills. Then there's room for another swingman, which will be Leonard, Green or Neal (if Neal isn't the backup PG).

My guess is the rotation will eventually look like:

C Duncan
PF Diaw
SF Leonard
SG/SF Jackson
PG Parker

C Splitter
PF Bonner
SG Ginobil
PG Neal



With Green used as depth at the wing and Mills used if Neal goes cold.

[Blake]

Tim Duncan goes for 26 and 11, and you give him a C+??? Maybe we didn't watch the same game last night, but he played well and is the primary reason the Spurs won the game I watched last night.

Ditto

[Blake]

Patty MillsB+
It was solid debut for Patty Mills. Sometimes criticized for shooting too much, Mills instead focused on getting the Spurs into their offense quickly. His decision making was good and he was usually in the right spots when off the ball. Defensively, he let out his pent-up energy by harassing Steve Nash. Technically, Mills' defense wasn't very good but he was so active that it seemed to fluster Nash just a little bit.

I don't recall Mills ever touching the ball other than grabbing a rebound. Mills did a good job of staying out of the way on offense.

On defense, he got blown off of a pick bad enough to be left at the top off the key while Nash was already in the paint. I also thought it was painful to watch Brown pull a dribbling skills bit before blowing by him towards the rim.

C at best.

[spectator]

agree with the analysis on tim's D. however, he played the exact game last time vs. PHO - shot well, defended poorly, rebounded well. i saw both games and he was as much of a traffic cone in that one as he was in this one. sad, b/c timmy is my favorite player, but timmy should get more than a C+. IIRC, last time his grade was B+ or better.

[Solid D]

Thanks for the time spent doing these summaries timvp.

While the Spurs did play much better D in the 4th, the Spurs really capitalized on Steve Nash sitting during his last rest on the bench. The Suns led 81-80 when Steve went out and when Nash re-entered 6 minutes later, the Spurs had a 9 point lead. That proved too much to make up with the Spurs hitting their shots.

Patty Mills did his job but was much better in his defense than I thought he'd be. Sure, he got beat by Nash but so did Parker and Green. He played 40 defense like he's supposed to and he smartly overplayed the comfort side.

[Old School 44]

As always, thanks for the grades!

What impressed me, with the Spurs shooting so poorly from 3 and Shannon Brown going off, they still pulled out the W. Not to sound too overly optimistic, but even though this game was close, I never had any doubt the Spurs would win.

[ace3g]

Zach Lowe ‏ @ZachLowe_SI

Close

My god, some of the passes San Antonio pulled last night. Duncan-Blair high-lo early, ridiculous Manu no-look to Duncan late. Joy.

[DBMethos]

Zach Lowe ‏ @ZachLowe_SI

Close

My god, some of the passes San Antonio pulled last night. Duncan-Blair high-lo early, ridiculous Manu no-look to Duncan late. Joy.

I like Lowe. You can tell this guy really watches and enjoys the Spurs' style of play, rather than regurgitating the same old "Spurs are boring" mantra coupled with the begrudging "respect" for what the team is still able to accomplish.

[GSH]

Horry's clutchness was only about 1% of his value to the Spurs. Horry's defense, screen setting, passing, knowledge of where to be and his overall basketball IQ were only traits that were much, much more valuable. If Diaw plays like Horry but misses every clutch shot, he'd still be a huge asset.




Horry was also king of the long outlet pass. I used to love it when, after the other team had just scored, Horry would grab the ball, leap out the end line and send a perfect strike to the other end for an instant score. You can't get by with that on every possession, but every cheap bucket helps. And Horry was all about cheap buckets and extra possessions.

With what we've seen of Diaw's passing abilities, he might have that in him too. He's just getting his feet wet, so we haven't seen the best of him yet.

[slayermin]

Boris Diaw is my kind of player. He can do a little bit of eveything and it seems like he makes everyone better around him when he's on the court. I especially liked how he was banging on Robin Lopez last night.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

On Diaw: you warned us that we may hate him for his passiveness, but his value on defense and finding the open man are mad impressive.

I say screw any master plans and try to hold onto this guy.


I doubt we are able to hold onto him, which is sad, but on the flip side: his stats here will be so pedestrian the rest of the way, maybe that will reduce the money thrown at him and increase our chances of keeping him. Maybe.

[crc21209]

Thanks as always for the grades timvp! :tu Hopefully we see Blair's minutes slowly but surely dissapear and land in Diaw's lap. And Neal better get his act together as well, or he may end up losing his job...

[jiggy_55]

On Diaw: you warned us that we may hate him for his passiveness, but his value on defense and finding the open man are mad impressive.

I say screw any master plans and try to hold onto this guy.


I doubt we are able to hold onto him, which is sad, but on the flip side: his stats here will be so pedestrian the rest of the way, maybe that will reduce the money thrown at him and increase our chances of keeping him. Maybe.

Add that most will think he is extremely out of shape, and that he is best friends with Tony Parker and hey we have a chance at keeping him. He said he's really enjoying playing here.

[ajballer4]

Finally the king of +/- is dethroned

[TDMVPDPOY]

patty mills did nothing this game, and you give him a C?

C = average b4 u log any pt??

[YoMamaIsCallin]

I usually don't post on your grades because I usually find them pretty solid. But this time...

The key to the game was the Spurs defense in the 4th. This was led by Green defending Nash and Duncan underneath cleaning up the mess. Along with Parker's offense, that is what won the game. Bonner getting a key offensive rebound with under 2 minutes to go didn't hurt either.

And yet you give Green and Duncan bad grades? Especially after Tim carried them offensively in the first half?

I'll make my other comments based on this quote:



and pop deserves an F to be honest
i still dont understand on his insistence to go underneath screens
every team knows spurs do this and they just start jump shooting right away
nash abused them early on when parker kept going underneath the screen


Are ya kidding me? Pop has Nash's number and knows how to beat Nash's Suns. This has been proven over and over again. The formula is, let them run their pick and roll crap until the 4th, and just keep up with them scoring wise (which is not hard to do given their lack of defense). Then switch it up in the 4th, put your best defender with size on Nash, deny the pass to the screener, and make Nash try to score on his own. Usually he wilts.

This worked perfectly with the Nash/Amare combo. Gortat is good but he's no Amare, so it's even easier now. Remember how Amare would go off for 40 points but the Spurs would still beat the Suns? That's how it was done.

BTW this game would not have been close if Shannon Brown had not been out of this world hot on jump shots.

[Dex]

Danny Green D+
Offensively, Danny Green just didn't have it; he's proving to be the team's streakiest shooter. On defense, his man to begin the game was Shannon Brown ... and you just have to glance at Brown's stats to see how Green did there. In the fourth quarter, Pop went back to Green -- and Green actually helped out. His defense on Nash was part of the reason why the Suns scored only scored 17 points in the final period. That said, Green can't be a liability on both ends for a majority of the game and hope to hold onto his starting gig.


When the hell is Danny Green going to learn to go OVER screens?

I know, it can't always be done (especially if the screener sets it right), but he needs to learn to fight for early position or push his man out so he can get around the screen.

He goes under on like 95% of his screens, ends up getting brushed off, and recovers just in time to get a J popped right in his face. Shannon Brown was making a killing off of those screens last night, and it showed.

[acoelho1]

I was wrong about Diaw and he is much more physical than I remember him in Phoenix.

[arakkus]

Horry's clutchness was only about 1% of his value to the Spurs. Horry's defense, screen setting, passing, knowledge of where to be and his overall basketball IQ were only traits that were much, much more valuable. If Diaw plays like Horry but misses every clutch shot, he'd still be a huge asset.

Pop's Big 4 is a lock to be in the rotation (Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and Bonner). Then we know Jackson and Splitter will get some time. Eventually you gotta think Diaw takes Blair's minutes. Behind Parker, it'll either be Neal or Mills. Then there's room for another swingman, which will be Leonard, Green or Neal (if Neal isn't the backup PG).

My guess is the rotation will eventually look like:

C Duncan
PF Diaw
SF Leonard
SG/SF Jackson
PG Parker

C Splitter
PF Bonner
SG Ginobil
PG Neal



With Green used as depth at the wing and Mills used if Neal goes cold.

OMG! Thats exactly the starting roster/rotation I wanted for the playoffs With Green/Blair used for energy and/or certain matchups. Its amazing to me how good Diaw fits despite looking like he has been living at a Krispy Kreme for the past 6 months. Such an upgrade defensively and good decision making and we have yet to take advantage of his 3 point shooting.

However, with so few games left is Pop really going to move the starting power forward and make him 5th big guy....I have my doubts. I'm thinking odd man out on might Diaw or worse Tiago....

[timvp]

The key to the game was the Spurs defense in the 4th. This was led by Green defending Nash and Duncan underneath cleaning up the mess. Along with Parker's offense, that is what won the game.The defense was key but you are misremembering Duncan and Green's involvement. While I gave Green credit for his D against Nash in the fourth, the truth is Green wasn't put on Nash until after the Spurs were already up by nine points. He didn't make enough of an impact to overcome his otherwise poor game.

Duncan entered the game, the Suns miss a pair of outside jumpers and the Spurs are up by nine points. The Spurs then get a pair of steals on the next two possessions and they're up by 12. I don't see how Duncan had too much of an impact on defense during that stretch. Yes, his defense in the fourth was his best of the game but that's saying much since he didn't play defense in the first three quarters.


On defense, he got blown off of a pick bad enough to be left at the top off the key while Nash was already in the paint. I also thought it was painful to watch Brown pull a dribbling skills bit before blowing by him towards the rim.

C at best.Mills isn't a very good defender. Last night was about as good as it gets for him on that end of the court.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

However, with so few games left is Pop really going to move the starting power forward and make him 5th big guy....I have my doubts. I'm thinking odd man out on might Diaw or worse Tiago....

No way, odd man out will definitely be Blair, no question.

[Mugen]

Agree, the best we can expect out of Patty from a defensive standpoint is to be "pesky".

I thought Pop's rotations were a bit shaky in the second half especially for the extended run in the 3rd where he sat TP for Patty.

It ended up being a good move since TP dominated from the start of the 4th but i'd rather Pop bring in TP around the 8 min. mark and let him finish the game rather than start the 4th and have to come out for a breather in between.

[freetiago]

lol at pop having nashes number
your comparing possibly the greatest spurs championship team assembled vs a young unproven up and coming suns team

and pop definitely had nashs # in 2010 playoffs
he just let them do the pick and roll thingy til he decided he would take them seriously right

spurs have to mixup screens to at least keep them guessing
easiest way to lose is to tell your opponent exactly what youll do everytime
its the reason why brown went off
and the only reason most teams have chances of keeping up with the spurs
mo williams not dropping 30 vs spurs = spurs win
jarret jack not dropping 30 = spurs blowout instead of possible upset at the end
shannon brown cooling off gave spurs the win
nashes pick and roll still worked til the very end
they just blew some very easy baskets like wide open layups

[therealtruth]

Horry was also king of the long outlet pass. I used to love it when, after the other team had just scored, Horry would grab the ball, leap out the end line and send a perfect strike to the other end for an instant score. You can't get by with that on every possession, but every cheap bucket helps. And Horry was all about cheap buckets and extra possessions.

Horry was also good at reading the body language of the opponents to figure out what they were going to do. For instance he used to be good at stealing inbound passes that way.



Are ya kidding me? Pop has Nash's number and knows how to beat Nash's Suns. This has been proven over and over again. The formula is, let them run their pick and roll crap until the 4th, and just keep up with them scoring wise (which is not hard to do given their lack of defense). Then switch it up in the 4th, put your best defender with size on Nash, deny the pass to the screener, and make Nash try to score on his own. Usually he wilts.

He sure had Nash's number in the 2010 playoffs when the Spurs got swept by Nash using that same strategy. One of the strategies he's used in the past was when he used to put Bowen on Nash to frustrate him. Bowen was long enough to make his passes more difficult and keep him uncomfortable.

[callo1]

Mills looked solid, I was impressed by his play. While he did nothing exceptional, he didn't look lost, and was under control...his quickness was evident, especially on defense.

The team as a whole played garbage defense until they needed to. It was like they turned on the switch

[jjktkk]

Thanks for the writeup Tim. :tu

[T Park]

Mills doesn't have to be great. Channel his faster Jacque Vaughn.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Timvp, a great writeup as usual. I've said it many times...I go to your grades rather the the game articles after every contest.


I was at the game last night and had a good time. Always nice to see the Spurs win in the other guy's gym. It didn't feel/look like the Spurs were trying until they went on that 4th quarter run. Not a lot of intensity from either team last night, especially from the Spurs through 36 minutes...felt almost preseason-ish. I think the 6 steals and 0 blocks on the Spurs stat sheet speak to that a little bit as half those steals were really just mishandled balls on the Suns' part.

[Splits]

As to all the complaints about getting around picks on the perimeter, don't forget that Channing Frye set moving screen after moving screen and I can only remember him getting called for 1 of them. But virtually every one he would absorb the initial contact and keep his body with the defender (usually Green) and start moving. Those are illegal picks and they weren't being called (Diaw also did this once or twice and didn't get called).

[Spurs Brazil]

Diaw has been a great surprise, especially on D. Very solid player

[ace3g]

anyone know what our bench PPG has been since acquiring both SJAX and Diaw

[Fabbs]

Tim Duncan goes for 26 and 11, and you give him a C+??? Maybe we didn't watch the same game last night, but he played well and is the primary reason the Spurs won the game I watched last night.
But Bonbon got a B. :lmao

I've asked before if the grading is in relation to the players potential.
Is that it?

Also
Diaw A+ end of discussion.

[TD 21]

I'd dock Duncan some points too for his defense or lack thereof, particularly in the first half. But there's been many a game this season when Ginobili was poor defensively, but because he facilitated so well offensively, he'd get a high grade and there wouldn't be a comment about "the Spurs just can't have their best player going through the motions". People were so quick to anoint him the team's best player, but if that's true, then he has to bear that tone setting responsibility.

Duncan goes for an efficient 26/11 in 32 minutes, against a quality center and get's a C+? If Nowitzki had done that against the Spurs, you wouldn't have said a word about his defense. Instead, you'd have sung his praises to no end.

[Obstructed_View]

As to all the complaints about getting around picks on the perimeter, don't forget that Channing Frye set moving screen after moving screen and I can only remember him getting called for 1 of them. But virtually every one he would absorb the initial contact and keep his body with the defender (usually Green) and start moving. Those are illegal picks and they weren't being called (Diaw also did this once or twice and didn't get called).

Those only get called on Splitter.