timvp
04-09-2012, 01:40 AM
The Spurs led from start to finish during their 114-104 victory over the Jazz. While the Jazz never truly threatened, it wasn't an easy game due to Utah's physicality and relentlessness.
The win was San Antonio's 11th straight and their 14th in their last 15 games. With the Bulls losing earlier in the day, the 40-14 Spurs are now tied with Chicago for the fewest losses in the NBA.
Tomorrow night, the Spurs get to do it all over again. With Pop likely holding back a few of his stars and the Jazz playing in front of their rabid home fans, it's sure to be a much more difficult contest for S.A.
http://oi40.tinypic.com/jgtt1w.jpg
http://oi43.tinypic.com/2j1lq3s.jpg
Tim Duncan A-
Tim Duncan's dominance of the defensive glass has been a quiet yet very important storyline for the Spurs this season. Tonight, Duncan had eight defensive rebounds in the game's first 9:13 and those boards allowed the Spurs to get out on run and jumpstart their offense. When Duncan wasn't rebounding, he was playing very good post defense and defending the rim with gusto. Offensively, when he made strong, determined moves toward the basket, he was usually successful. However, a few times Duncan was a bit lackadaisical and allowed the Jazz to bump him off of his spots. He also has been turning the ball over quite a bit lately -- he has 13 turnovers in his last 94 minutes.
Manu Ginobili A-
Talk about an unexpected stat line, Manu Ginobili had more free throw attempts tonight than he had in his previous 12 games combined. On the season, his free throw rate is by far a career low -- so this was definitely a good sign. Ginobili attacked Utah's physical defense over and over again. While I thought his passing wasn't nearly as crisp as it has usually been this season, Ginobili made up for it with his aggression. Defensively, he did reasonably good work. His individual defense was really active, though he did tend to stray far from his man when defending off the ball.
Tony Parker A-
I liked what I saw out of Tony Parker tonight. He looked explosive and energetic -- two traits that have been lacking of late. He made Devin Harris look foolish a handful of times in transition and, like Ginobili, he got to the line a bunch. The Jazz were going under screens against him most of the night so Parker was smart to keep his foot on the gas scoring-wise. Defensively, I wasn't too impressed. Parker had his moments but he was mostly listless on that end.
Kawhi Leonard B
Kawhi Leonard had a nondescript affair but was still effective. On defense, I liked how he defended Gordon Hayward. Leonard rarely let him get a good look and mostly kept him out of the paint. Offensively, Leonard picked his spots well and again illustrated some playmaking ability on the break. While he has definitely cooled off in the last five games, Leonard can still make a positive impact even when his numbers aren't flashy.
Danny Green A
Games like this make you believe Pop knows what he's doing by starting Danny Green. On both ends of the court, Green was great at times. His individual defense was solid but where he really shined was with his help defense. Green was extremely active and oftentimes swarmed in from out of nowhere to breakup a play. On offense, he wasn't bashful about shooting the ball but he also picked his spots well. This was the best I've seen him in terms of being patient with the ball and letting plays develop. The result was a very efficient offensive outing that included a team-high in assists.
Boris Diaw B-
Inserted in the starting lineup for a resting DeJuan Blair, Boris Diaw had his moments. His passing and ability to shoot from the outside were on full display on the offensive end. He has so many skills the opposition has to be worried about that it opens up the court for others to attack. Defensively, I thought he was poor when it came to doing his work early. To thrive in San Antonio's defensive system, Diaw is going to have to do a much better job of getting back in transition and not allowing his man to gain prime position. To Diaw's credit, he was usually very, very good once his man got the ball and was the leading reason why Millsap had such a poor night.
Matt Bonner C-
I wasn't too impressed with Matt Bonner on this night. Offensively, his shots were a little bit rushed and he didn't help out in any other facet of the game on that end. Defensively, while he was more physical than usual, the results weren't there. He got overpowered a number of times and didn't do a good job on the boards. To survive against the Jazz, Bonner is going to have to take it up another level or two in the toughness department.
Gary Neal D+
Gary Neal got minutes at point guard and shooting guard but didn't have success anywhere. Defensively, he was consistently poor. Neal had trouble staying in front of his man and his rotations were slow. He also didn't do a very good job of contesting jump shooters. Offensively, he took a couple forced shots and his playmaking was non-existent for a majority of the evening.
Tiago Splitter A-
It was just another night at the office for Tiago Spitter. His per-minute production is just getting ridiculous now. In his five games since returning from his back injury, Splitter is averaging 25.6 points, 15.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per 40 minutes on 70.4% shooting from the floor. Honestly, I don't think Splitter can do much more production-wise; I don't know if anyone could. Defensively, I thought he was a little bit soft tonight when the Jazz went right at him. But overall, he again did well with the minutes he was given.
Patrick Mills C-
Well, I guess Patrick Mills is capable of struggling. After playing astonishingly well to date, Mills had some growing pains tonight. His shot selection was somewhere between bad and horrible; he really doesn't need to force three-pointers when he has so much talent around him. Mills was loose with the basketball and, for the first time, it was obvious he lacked chemistry with some of his teammates. Defensively, he was decent and his pressure on the basketball was useful. Despite his struggles, Mills continued to play very hard ... which is something the coaching staff loves to see.
Pop A
Again, it's hard to find fault in anything Pop did. He gave DeJuan Blair and Stephen Jackson a night off and didn't play anyone else 31 minutes, yet the Spurs won without much worry against a team fighting for a spot in the playoffs. I thought it was great that he started Diaw to give him some experience with the starting unit (especially since that's an alignment the Spurs will probably need to employ full-time at some point). Experimenting with Mills and Neal together was also smart. My only nitpick is I wish he would have given some of Bonner's minutes to Splitter. But alas, I guess I should give up on that wish since Pop seems to have abandoned any plan of playing Splitter at PF.
The win was San Antonio's 11th straight and their 14th in their last 15 games. With the Bulls losing earlier in the day, the 40-14 Spurs are now tied with Chicago for the fewest losses in the NBA.
Tomorrow night, the Spurs get to do it all over again. With Pop likely holding back a few of his stars and the Jazz playing in front of their rabid home fans, it's sure to be a much more difficult contest for S.A.
http://oi40.tinypic.com/jgtt1w.jpg
http://oi43.tinypic.com/2j1lq3s.jpg
Tim Duncan A-
Tim Duncan's dominance of the defensive glass has been a quiet yet very important storyline for the Spurs this season. Tonight, Duncan had eight defensive rebounds in the game's first 9:13 and those boards allowed the Spurs to get out on run and jumpstart their offense. When Duncan wasn't rebounding, he was playing very good post defense and defending the rim with gusto. Offensively, when he made strong, determined moves toward the basket, he was usually successful. However, a few times Duncan was a bit lackadaisical and allowed the Jazz to bump him off of his spots. He also has been turning the ball over quite a bit lately -- he has 13 turnovers in his last 94 minutes.
Manu Ginobili A-
Talk about an unexpected stat line, Manu Ginobili had more free throw attempts tonight than he had in his previous 12 games combined. On the season, his free throw rate is by far a career low -- so this was definitely a good sign. Ginobili attacked Utah's physical defense over and over again. While I thought his passing wasn't nearly as crisp as it has usually been this season, Ginobili made up for it with his aggression. Defensively, he did reasonably good work. His individual defense was really active, though he did tend to stray far from his man when defending off the ball.
Tony Parker A-
I liked what I saw out of Tony Parker tonight. He looked explosive and energetic -- two traits that have been lacking of late. He made Devin Harris look foolish a handful of times in transition and, like Ginobili, he got to the line a bunch. The Jazz were going under screens against him most of the night so Parker was smart to keep his foot on the gas scoring-wise. Defensively, I wasn't too impressed. Parker had his moments but he was mostly listless on that end.
Kawhi Leonard B
Kawhi Leonard had a nondescript affair but was still effective. On defense, I liked how he defended Gordon Hayward. Leonard rarely let him get a good look and mostly kept him out of the paint. Offensively, Leonard picked his spots well and again illustrated some playmaking ability on the break. While he has definitely cooled off in the last five games, Leonard can still make a positive impact even when his numbers aren't flashy.
Danny Green A
Games like this make you believe Pop knows what he's doing by starting Danny Green. On both ends of the court, Green was great at times. His individual defense was solid but where he really shined was with his help defense. Green was extremely active and oftentimes swarmed in from out of nowhere to breakup a play. On offense, he wasn't bashful about shooting the ball but he also picked his spots well. This was the best I've seen him in terms of being patient with the ball and letting plays develop. The result was a very efficient offensive outing that included a team-high in assists.
Boris Diaw B-
Inserted in the starting lineup for a resting DeJuan Blair, Boris Diaw had his moments. His passing and ability to shoot from the outside were on full display on the offensive end. He has so many skills the opposition has to be worried about that it opens up the court for others to attack. Defensively, I thought he was poor when it came to doing his work early. To thrive in San Antonio's defensive system, Diaw is going to have to do a much better job of getting back in transition and not allowing his man to gain prime position. To Diaw's credit, he was usually very, very good once his man got the ball and was the leading reason why Millsap had such a poor night.
Matt Bonner C-
I wasn't too impressed with Matt Bonner on this night. Offensively, his shots were a little bit rushed and he didn't help out in any other facet of the game on that end. Defensively, while he was more physical than usual, the results weren't there. He got overpowered a number of times and didn't do a good job on the boards. To survive against the Jazz, Bonner is going to have to take it up another level or two in the toughness department.
Gary Neal D+
Gary Neal got minutes at point guard and shooting guard but didn't have success anywhere. Defensively, he was consistently poor. Neal had trouble staying in front of his man and his rotations were slow. He also didn't do a very good job of contesting jump shooters. Offensively, he took a couple forced shots and his playmaking was non-existent for a majority of the evening.
Tiago Splitter A-
It was just another night at the office for Tiago Spitter. His per-minute production is just getting ridiculous now. In his five games since returning from his back injury, Splitter is averaging 25.6 points, 15.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per 40 minutes on 70.4% shooting from the floor. Honestly, I don't think Splitter can do much more production-wise; I don't know if anyone could. Defensively, I thought he was a little bit soft tonight when the Jazz went right at him. But overall, he again did well with the minutes he was given.
Patrick Mills C-
Well, I guess Patrick Mills is capable of struggling. After playing astonishingly well to date, Mills had some growing pains tonight. His shot selection was somewhere between bad and horrible; he really doesn't need to force three-pointers when he has so much talent around him. Mills was loose with the basketball and, for the first time, it was obvious he lacked chemistry with some of his teammates. Defensively, he was decent and his pressure on the basketball was useful. Despite his struggles, Mills continued to play very hard ... which is something the coaching staff loves to see.
Pop A
Again, it's hard to find fault in anything Pop did. He gave DeJuan Blair and Stephen Jackson a night off and didn't play anyone else 31 minutes, yet the Spurs won without much worry against a team fighting for a spot in the playoffs. I thought it was great that he started Diaw to give him some experience with the starting unit (especially since that's an alignment the Spurs will probably need to employ full-time at some point). Experimenting with Mills and Neal together was also smart. My only nitpick is I wish he would have given some of Bonner's minutes to Splitter. But alas, I guess I should give up on that wish since Pop seems to have abandoned any plan of playing Splitter at PF.