timvp
03-29-2012, 12:05 PM
With a 117-112 victory over the Kings on Wednesday night, the Spurs put the finishing touches on an impressive sweep of a stretch that saw San Antonio play six games in eight nights. While it wasn't pretty, especially on the defensive end, the overall effort by this squad was so commendable that I really can't complain.
While the Kings never led in the game, the score was close virtually the entire night. After Isaiah Thomas hit a three-pointer to cut San Antonio's lead to one-point with 7:05 remaining in the game, the Spurs went on a 10-4 run over the next three minutes to finally get some separation. That run included two points and two assists from Tony Parker and two hoops by Tim Duncan.
This current six-game winning streak has the Spurs 2.5 games behind the Thunder for first place in the Western Conference. And suddenly, the Spurs are only 4.5 games behind the Bulls for the best record in the NBA.
There's still a long ways to go but the Spurs are starting to look deep and quite dangerous. At the very least, it's fun to be a Spurs fan right now.
http://oi39.tinypic.com/2z4we92.jpg
http://oi41.tinypic.com/25hl2rq.jpg
Tim Duncan A-
Considering that Tim Duncan has struggled to produce in back-to-back games this season, his performance against the Kings was better than expected. Defensively, he took on DeMarcus Cousins and did a really good job. He forced the burly headcase into a number of missed shots and turnovers, while offering adequate help elsewhere on the court. Offensively, I thought he got better and better as the game progressed. At first, Duncan wasn't moving very well but by the end of the night, he was a machine -- both scoring and passing the ball. All in all, Duncan had a much more well-rounded outing than he had against the Suns and he was arguably the main reason why the Spurs were able to pull out this victory.
Manu Ginobili B+
Playing in his first back-to-back since Feb. 15, Manu Ginobili looked strong. Perhaps the highlight of the entire game was the fact that Ginobili was able to finish off the Kings with a pair of high pick-and-rolls in which he just shredded Sacramento's defense. Seeing him have that much energy late in the game tells me Ginobili is starting to feel healthy. Offensively, he was a little bit loose with the ball but more than made up for it with precision shooting and great playmaking. As I've said a lot lately, Ginobili's feel for the game on offense is as good as I have ever seen it. Defensively, he wasn't as lively as he was against the Suns but he wasn't a liability.
Tony Parker B-
Tony Parker was playing in his fourth game in five nights and it was obvious he didn't have his legs. Defensively, he wasn't doing anything to thwart rookie Isaiah Thomas. Parker wasn't completely horrible on that end but he definitely was just going through the motions. On offense, it was difficult for him to get to the basket and he had to resort to passing from the perimeter more than usual. Thankfully, Parker found a way to make some plays and finished with double-digits in assists for the 11th time this season. Though he didn't play very well, I thought Parker's performance was gritty considering the circumstances.
Kawhi Leonard A-
I don't even know what to write about Kawhi Leonard anymore. I've run out of superlatives. The fascinating aspect of Leonard's play right now is he's making it look so easy. During the winning streak, he's averaging 13.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in while shooting 55.9% from the floor, 42.9% on three-pointers and 88.9% at the line. I love that he has been extra aggressive in recent games. Sure, he'll make more mistakes playing that way, but it's also the only way he'll continue to grow as a player. Against the Kings, Leonard's defense was also very solid. His main opponent was Tyreke Evans and he shut him down.
DeJuan Blair B
Give credit to DeJuan Blair for playing hard during each of these six games. The execution was rarely perfect but it wasn't for a lack of effort. Offensively against the Kings, Blair was above average. His passing was excellent and he played a cleaner than usual game on that end. Defensively, Blair wasn't much of a factor. And honestly, for him that's a good thing. When Blair can blend into the background on defense and avoid standing out as a huge liability, that's a good thing.
Danny Green C
Coming into the game, Danny Green said his legs were tired. After watching him play, I believe him. He wasn't moving very well on the defensive end, didn't help out on the boards and was far from a disruptive force. Offensively, Green hit enough shots to help out but he wasn't creating anything extra. Even though his lack of vigor was understandable, this is another example of Green not helping his cause if he wants to remain the full-time starter.
Stephen Jackson B+
After his trade to San Antonio, Stephen Jackson told anyone who would listen that he just wants to win. Wednesday night proved that he wasn't lying. Jackson played a very smart game in all aspects. Defensively, while he gave up a few penetrations, he was usually quite good on that end. On offense, Jackson took what the defense gave him and didn't force anything. One missed shot and zero turnovers in 28 minutes of play? That's stunning efficiency for a player who has never been known to think twice.
Boris Diaw B-
This was the first time that Boris Diaw struggled on the defensive end while in a Spurs uniform. He was giving it his all but he was caught out of position a few times. A couple other times Diaw simply rotated to the wrong player, which is obviously something that he will eventually learn to correct. Offensively, even though Diaw didn't hit a shot, he was still an asset. His passing continues to be a beautiful fit in San Antonio's offense.
Gary Neal C+
Gary Neal visited both extremes while in Sacramento. At first, Neal was terrible. He couldn't dribble. He couldn't shoot. He shot selection was bad. His defense was putrid. But then Neal hit a difficult floater at the end of the third quarter ... and that ignited him. Over the course of one minute early in the fourth, Neal poured in seven points. Once his jumper started to fall, his defense improved and he seemed to get more comfortable in his skin. I'm not sure if his struggles are related to his injury, the footsteps he's hearing from Patty Mills or if it's simply just a random slump.
Tiago Splitter C
It was good to see Tiago Splitter back on the court after missing four games due to back spasms. Though his effort was laudable throughout, Splitter just didn't play up to his standards. Defensively, he got pushed around a lot and didn't do a good job protecting the rim. Offensively, he missed some shots he usually makes and his rolls to the basket weren't nearly as brisk as usual. Physically, Splitter looked stiff and he exhausted quickly. Let's hope he can quickly work himself back into shape and that his back will completely heal before the playoffs.
Patty Mills B+
Following Neal's disastrous first stint as backup point guard, Pop switched to Patty Mills in the second quarter. Mills didn't disappoint. He has never been afraid to shoot and his first shot as a Spur resulted in a made three-point field goal. He followed that up with a long two-pointer and a layup -- all in a span of three and a half minutes. So far, Mills is as quick as advertised and his outside jumper looks very smooth. Even though he's short, he has a quick release so he should be able to get it off consistently. And while I haven't seen any ball-handling issues, Mills' court vision does appear to be limited. All told, I'm happy with what I've seen out of him.
Pop A+
Five wins in six nights. Six wins in eight nights. That's all that can be said about Pop right now. In each game, he had a different set of players available to play. (Even against the Kings, the coaching staff had predetermined that Matt Bonner wasn't going to play more than a couple minutes.) Pop made it look easy but to work in three new players while the pieces to the puzzle constantly changed required quite a bit of high-level coaching. I thought he made a mistake by going back to Neal in the second half, yet Pop was absolutely right. Plus, I loved the closing quintet of Duncan, Leonard, Jackson, Ginobili and Parker. I hope we see a lot more of that.
While the Kings never led in the game, the score was close virtually the entire night. After Isaiah Thomas hit a three-pointer to cut San Antonio's lead to one-point with 7:05 remaining in the game, the Spurs went on a 10-4 run over the next three minutes to finally get some separation. That run included two points and two assists from Tony Parker and two hoops by Tim Duncan.
This current six-game winning streak has the Spurs 2.5 games behind the Thunder for first place in the Western Conference. And suddenly, the Spurs are only 4.5 games behind the Bulls for the best record in the NBA.
There's still a long ways to go but the Spurs are starting to look deep and quite dangerous. At the very least, it's fun to be a Spurs fan right now.
http://oi39.tinypic.com/2z4we92.jpg
http://oi41.tinypic.com/25hl2rq.jpg
Tim Duncan A-
Considering that Tim Duncan has struggled to produce in back-to-back games this season, his performance against the Kings was better than expected. Defensively, he took on DeMarcus Cousins and did a really good job. He forced the burly headcase into a number of missed shots and turnovers, while offering adequate help elsewhere on the court. Offensively, I thought he got better and better as the game progressed. At first, Duncan wasn't moving very well but by the end of the night, he was a machine -- both scoring and passing the ball. All in all, Duncan had a much more well-rounded outing than he had against the Suns and he was arguably the main reason why the Spurs were able to pull out this victory.
Manu Ginobili B+
Playing in his first back-to-back since Feb. 15, Manu Ginobili looked strong. Perhaps the highlight of the entire game was the fact that Ginobili was able to finish off the Kings with a pair of high pick-and-rolls in which he just shredded Sacramento's defense. Seeing him have that much energy late in the game tells me Ginobili is starting to feel healthy. Offensively, he was a little bit loose with the ball but more than made up for it with precision shooting and great playmaking. As I've said a lot lately, Ginobili's feel for the game on offense is as good as I have ever seen it. Defensively, he wasn't as lively as he was against the Suns but he wasn't a liability.
Tony Parker B-
Tony Parker was playing in his fourth game in five nights and it was obvious he didn't have his legs. Defensively, he wasn't doing anything to thwart rookie Isaiah Thomas. Parker wasn't completely horrible on that end but he definitely was just going through the motions. On offense, it was difficult for him to get to the basket and he had to resort to passing from the perimeter more than usual. Thankfully, Parker found a way to make some plays and finished with double-digits in assists for the 11th time this season. Though he didn't play very well, I thought Parker's performance was gritty considering the circumstances.
Kawhi Leonard A-
I don't even know what to write about Kawhi Leonard anymore. I've run out of superlatives. The fascinating aspect of Leonard's play right now is he's making it look so easy. During the winning streak, he's averaging 13.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in while shooting 55.9% from the floor, 42.9% on three-pointers and 88.9% at the line. I love that he has been extra aggressive in recent games. Sure, he'll make more mistakes playing that way, but it's also the only way he'll continue to grow as a player. Against the Kings, Leonard's defense was also very solid. His main opponent was Tyreke Evans and he shut him down.
DeJuan Blair B
Give credit to DeJuan Blair for playing hard during each of these six games. The execution was rarely perfect but it wasn't for a lack of effort. Offensively against the Kings, Blair was above average. His passing was excellent and he played a cleaner than usual game on that end. Defensively, Blair wasn't much of a factor. And honestly, for him that's a good thing. When Blair can blend into the background on defense and avoid standing out as a huge liability, that's a good thing.
Danny Green C
Coming into the game, Danny Green said his legs were tired. After watching him play, I believe him. He wasn't moving very well on the defensive end, didn't help out on the boards and was far from a disruptive force. Offensively, Green hit enough shots to help out but he wasn't creating anything extra. Even though his lack of vigor was understandable, this is another example of Green not helping his cause if he wants to remain the full-time starter.
Stephen Jackson B+
After his trade to San Antonio, Stephen Jackson told anyone who would listen that he just wants to win. Wednesday night proved that he wasn't lying. Jackson played a very smart game in all aspects. Defensively, while he gave up a few penetrations, he was usually quite good on that end. On offense, Jackson took what the defense gave him and didn't force anything. One missed shot and zero turnovers in 28 minutes of play? That's stunning efficiency for a player who has never been known to think twice.
Boris Diaw B-
This was the first time that Boris Diaw struggled on the defensive end while in a Spurs uniform. He was giving it his all but he was caught out of position a few times. A couple other times Diaw simply rotated to the wrong player, which is obviously something that he will eventually learn to correct. Offensively, even though Diaw didn't hit a shot, he was still an asset. His passing continues to be a beautiful fit in San Antonio's offense.
Gary Neal C+
Gary Neal visited both extremes while in Sacramento. At first, Neal was terrible. He couldn't dribble. He couldn't shoot. He shot selection was bad. His defense was putrid. But then Neal hit a difficult floater at the end of the third quarter ... and that ignited him. Over the course of one minute early in the fourth, Neal poured in seven points. Once his jumper started to fall, his defense improved and he seemed to get more comfortable in his skin. I'm not sure if his struggles are related to his injury, the footsteps he's hearing from Patty Mills or if it's simply just a random slump.
Tiago Splitter C
It was good to see Tiago Splitter back on the court after missing four games due to back spasms. Though his effort was laudable throughout, Splitter just didn't play up to his standards. Defensively, he got pushed around a lot and didn't do a good job protecting the rim. Offensively, he missed some shots he usually makes and his rolls to the basket weren't nearly as brisk as usual. Physically, Splitter looked stiff and he exhausted quickly. Let's hope he can quickly work himself back into shape and that his back will completely heal before the playoffs.
Patty Mills B+
Following Neal's disastrous first stint as backup point guard, Pop switched to Patty Mills in the second quarter. Mills didn't disappoint. He has never been afraid to shoot and his first shot as a Spur resulted in a made three-point field goal. He followed that up with a long two-pointer and a layup -- all in a span of three and a half minutes. So far, Mills is as quick as advertised and his outside jumper looks very smooth. Even though he's short, he has a quick release so he should be able to get it off consistently. And while I haven't seen any ball-handling issues, Mills' court vision does appear to be limited. All told, I'm happy with what I've seen out of him.
Pop A+
Five wins in six nights. Six wins in eight nights. That's all that can be said about Pop right now. In each game, he had a different set of players available to play. (Even against the Kings, the coaching staff had predetermined that Matt Bonner wasn't going to play more than a couple minutes.) Pop made it look easy but to work in three new players while the pieces to the puzzle constantly changed required quite a bit of high-level coaching. I thought he made a mistake by going back to Neal in the second half, yet Pop was absolutely right. Plus, I loved the closing quintet of Duncan, Leonard, Jackson, Ginobili and Parker. I hope we see a lot more of that.