timvp
04-17-2012, 03:50 AM
Playing against a tanking Warriors squad that was starting four rookies, the Spurs took care of business early and waltzed to a 120-99 victory in Oakland. Within six minutes, the Spurs had a double-digit lead. By halftime, their advantage was 21 points. In the second half, the Big 3 sat on the bench and watched the reserves complete the win.
The fact that none of the Big 3 played more than 15 minutes meant this game was a success. Since this was the first game of a back-to-back-to-back set, Pop now has more flexibility in how he goes about attacking this schedule.
Since the win was a given, the most interesting aspect to me was the fact that the Spurs scored 120 points while only shooting 39.1% from the floor. In the Tim Duncan era, the previous high score in a non-overtime game that saw the Spurs shoot less than 40% was 102 points back in March of 2000. In the David Robinson era, the high was 106 points in February of 1995. Tonight's 120 points blew both of those totals out of the water.
http://dailyelements.com/apr17box1.jpg
http://dailyelements.com/apr17box2.jpg
Tim Duncan A
In only 11:18 of work, Tim Duncan poured in 13 points and helped the Spurs outscore the Warriors 37-17. After scoring a season-high 28 points against the Grizzlies in 35 minutes on Thursday, Duncan has totaled 32 points in 35 minutes over his last two games while posting an unbelievable plus/minus of +51. In his last five games, he is shooting 62.9% (44-for-70) from the field while scoring 93 points in only 134 minutes. Needless to say, Duncan is absolutely on fire. The playoffs can't come soon enough. Please oh please let Duncan stay healthy until then.
Manu Ginobili B+
For the second straight game, the Spurs already had a double-digit lead before Manu Ginobili checked into the game. As a result, Ginobili wasn't needed as much as usual. That said, he still played well. He shot the ball accurately from the outside, attacked the basket with force and had a handful of gorgeous passes on pick-and-rolls. While Ginobili's defense was hit or miss, I really liked the way he went all out for rebounds. It was particularly good to see him go 2-for-3 on three-pointers since he was just three of his previous 16 from deep.
Tony Parker B
The statistics weren't pretty but I thought Tony Parker again played relatively well. While he was a bit too shot happy at times, he mixed in a number of quality passes and was able to quickly get the team into their sets. His early and consistent penetration helped collapse Golden State's defense and kickstart the route. Defensively, Parker was surprisingly good. Never known to bring much defensive intensity against inferior teams, he came out of the gates playing inspired ball on both sides of the court.
Danny Green B
While I like that Danny Green is always willing to shoot when given an open look, sometimes he takes it too far. Tonight was one of those times. When he's run off of his initial look, I much prefer that he passes the ball instead of attempting to create his own shots like he did against the Warriors. (Then again, I can't really complain too much about a guy who is shooting 50% (23-for-46) on three-pointers in his last ten games.) Defensively, he was a plus. He played his man tight, offered timely help and crashed the boards.
DeJuan Blair C+
DeJuan Blair was in his bull-in-a-china-shop mode, especially offensively. Early in the game, I thought he was going to hurt himself. Thankfully, he settled down and was able to offer a few highlights along the way. On defense, he had a lot of ups and a lot of lows but overall he graded out about average for what we've come to expect.
Kawhi Leonard B+
Kawhi Leonard continues to climb over the rookie wall. Even though he only played 16 minutes, he had more rebounds tonight than he's had in any game this month. His 3-for-4 shooting from the floor has his field goal percentage on the season all the way up to 49.7%. It should also be noted that the three-pointer he hit was from straight-away -- only his second straight-away three-pointer all season. Offensively, he was aggressive throughout and showed a ton of confidence, particularly in his passing. Defensively, while the final box score doesn't agree, I thought he did solid work on Klay Thompson.
Gary Neal B-
It was an unusual night for Gary Neal. He made all five of his field goal attempts that were outside of the paint but missed all five field goal attempts that were in the paint. And while Neal was routinely out of control and had some issues with Golden State's pressure defense, he was able to finish the game without a turnover. Although his stats look really good, Neal actually struggled more than the numbers indicate. He never got into any sort of rhythm and he was extremely slow at getting the team into their offensive sets. Defensively, let's just say it's not a coincidence that the Warriors backup point guard led their team in scoring.
Tiago Splitter C+
Tiago Splitter was all over the map tonight. The good: His physicality when going toward the rim (typically off of pick-and-rolls) resulted in a season-high amount of free throw attempts. Splitter pulled down a number of contested rebounds, defended the rim well and authored a few fine passes. The bad: His finishing around the rim was poor -- much worse than we've seen in a long time. Splitter had a lot of trouble recognizing mismatches and was slow to react in most areas of the game. He was also caught with his hands at his side on the defensive end too often.
Stephen Jackson C
I'm not quite ready to sound the alarm but Stephen Jackson is now only shooting 36.4% from the field and 29.8% on three-pointers while with the Spurs. The biggest reason I'm not panicking yet is because Jackson is still helping in a lot of different areas. Getting to the line is one such area. In 351 minutes with the Spurs, Jackson has gone to the line 40 times. (To compare: In 1,168 minutes before being traded, Richard Jefferson went to the line only 50 times.) Tonight, Jackson continued his career-best rebounding rate, passed the ball very well and played above average defense.
Boris Diaw B
There was a lot to like about how Boris Diaw played tonight. He wasn't passive when given an open look at a shot. He rebounded with authority, especially on the offensive end. His rim-protecting was surprisingly good. Diaw is also now 4-for-9 on three-pointers after starting out 0-for-5. Passing-wise, he wasn't much of an asset tonight. His individual defense also wasn't anything to write home about.
James Anderson D-
Sometimes, James Anderson plays well and I begin to wonder whether the Spurs made a mistake by not picking up his option. Then, he has games like tonight. In 19 minutes, Anderson did little, if anything, right. Offensively, when he wasn't missing shots he was getting in the way or otherwise causing headaches for his teammates. On defense, Anderson was decent at times but spent much of night woefully out of position.
Matt Bonner C
In the first quarter, Matt Bonner had an injury scare when he bumped knees. By the second quarter, he had shaken it off and was ready to go. After missing his first three three-pointers, Bonner hit both of his attempts from deep in the second half. Offensively, I thought he could have done more. He passed up a few open looks and was hesitant to use his dribble move. Defensively, he did a good job of not fouling but that was about the extent of his positive play on that end.
Patrick Mills D-
I'm struggling to come up with anything positive Patrick Mills gave the team tonight. On offense, he was horrific when running the show. Despite dribbling a ton, I can't remember one shot he created for a teammate. In fact, he wasn't even able to create a quality shot for himself. I knew he wasn't a pure point guard when the Spurs signed him but he has looked especially impure in the last few games. Defensively, he had a couple decent hustle plays but was otherwise a liability. I'm assuming that Mills has lost his legs because he looks totally different than the player who first showed up in San Antonio. I think it's safe to say he's not as good as he appeared at first and isn't as bad as he looks to be now.
Pop B+
Pop again managed the minutes very well. Holding out the Big 3 to begin the second half was a little bit risky but it worked to perfection. Now the focus turns to what Pop will do against the Lakers. Will he sit the Big 3 in the middle game of the back-to-back-to-back or did the rest they received tonight change the equation?
The fact that none of the Big 3 played more than 15 minutes meant this game was a success. Since this was the first game of a back-to-back-to-back set, Pop now has more flexibility in how he goes about attacking this schedule.
Since the win was a given, the most interesting aspect to me was the fact that the Spurs scored 120 points while only shooting 39.1% from the floor. In the Tim Duncan era, the previous high score in a non-overtime game that saw the Spurs shoot less than 40% was 102 points back in March of 2000. In the David Robinson era, the high was 106 points in February of 1995. Tonight's 120 points blew both of those totals out of the water.
http://dailyelements.com/apr17box1.jpg
http://dailyelements.com/apr17box2.jpg
Tim Duncan A
In only 11:18 of work, Tim Duncan poured in 13 points and helped the Spurs outscore the Warriors 37-17. After scoring a season-high 28 points against the Grizzlies in 35 minutes on Thursday, Duncan has totaled 32 points in 35 minutes over his last two games while posting an unbelievable plus/minus of +51. In his last five games, he is shooting 62.9% (44-for-70) from the field while scoring 93 points in only 134 minutes. Needless to say, Duncan is absolutely on fire. The playoffs can't come soon enough. Please oh please let Duncan stay healthy until then.
Manu Ginobili B+
For the second straight game, the Spurs already had a double-digit lead before Manu Ginobili checked into the game. As a result, Ginobili wasn't needed as much as usual. That said, he still played well. He shot the ball accurately from the outside, attacked the basket with force and had a handful of gorgeous passes on pick-and-rolls. While Ginobili's defense was hit or miss, I really liked the way he went all out for rebounds. It was particularly good to see him go 2-for-3 on three-pointers since he was just three of his previous 16 from deep.
Tony Parker B
The statistics weren't pretty but I thought Tony Parker again played relatively well. While he was a bit too shot happy at times, he mixed in a number of quality passes and was able to quickly get the team into their sets. His early and consistent penetration helped collapse Golden State's defense and kickstart the route. Defensively, Parker was surprisingly good. Never known to bring much defensive intensity against inferior teams, he came out of the gates playing inspired ball on both sides of the court.
Danny Green B
While I like that Danny Green is always willing to shoot when given an open look, sometimes he takes it too far. Tonight was one of those times. When he's run off of his initial look, I much prefer that he passes the ball instead of attempting to create his own shots like he did against the Warriors. (Then again, I can't really complain too much about a guy who is shooting 50% (23-for-46) on three-pointers in his last ten games.) Defensively, he was a plus. He played his man tight, offered timely help and crashed the boards.
DeJuan Blair C+
DeJuan Blair was in his bull-in-a-china-shop mode, especially offensively. Early in the game, I thought he was going to hurt himself. Thankfully, he settled down and was able to offer a few highlights along the way. On defense, he had a lot of ups and a lot of lows but overall he graded out about average for what we've come to expect.
Kawhi Leonard B+
Kawhi Leonard continues to climb over the rookie wall. Even though he only played 16 minutes, he had more rebounds tonight than he's had in any game this month. His 3-for-4 shooting from the floor has his field goal percentage on the season all the way up to 49.7%. It should also be noted that the three-pointer he hit was from straight-away -- only his second straight-away three-pointer all season. Offensively, he was aggressive throughout and showed a ton of confidence, particularly in his passing. Defensively, while the final box score doesn't agree, I thought he did solid work on Klay Thompson.
Gary Neal B-
It was an unusual night for Gary Neal. He made all five of his field goal attempts that were outside of the paint but missed all five field goal attempts that were in the paint. And while Neal was routinely out of control and had some issues with Golden State's pressure defense, he was able to finish the game without a turnover. Although his stats look really good, Neal actually struggled more than the numbers indicate. He never got into any sort of rhythm and he was extremely slow at getting the team into their offensive sets. Defensively, let's just say it's not a coincidence that the Warriors backup point guard led their team in scoring.
Tiago Splitter C+
Tiago Splitter was all over the map tonight. The good: His physicality when going toward the rim (typically off of pick-and-rolls) resulted in a season-high amount of free throw attempts. Splitter pulled down a number of contested rebounds, defended the rim well and authored a few fine passes. The bad: His finishing around the rim was poor -- much worse than we've seen in a long time. Splitter had a lot of trouble recognizing mismatches and was slow to react in most areas of the game. He was also caught with his hands at his side on the defensive end too often.
Stephen Jackson C
I'm not quite ready to sound the alarm but Stephen Jackson is now only shooting 36.4% from the field and 29.8% on three-pointers while with the Spurs. The biggest reason I'm not panicking yet is because Jackson is still helping in a lot of different areas. Getting to the line is one such area. In 351 minutes with the Spurs, Jackson has gone to the line 40 times. (To compare: In 1,168 minutes before being traded, Richard Jefferson went to the line only 50 times.) Tonight, Jackson continued his career-best rebounding rate, passed the ball very well and played above average defense.
Boris Diaw B
There was a lot to like about how Boris Diaw played tonight. He wasn't passive when given an open look at a shot. He rebounded with authority, especially on the offensive end. His rim-protecting was surprisingly good. Diaw is also now 4-for-9 on three-pointers after starting out 0-for-5. Passing-wise, he wasn't much of an asset tonight. His individual defense also wasn't anything to write home about.
James Anderson D-
Sometimes, James Anderson plays well and I begin to wonder whether the Spurs made a mistake by not picking up his option. Then, he has games like tonight. In 19 minutes, Anderson did little, if anything, right. Offensively, when he wasn't missing shots he was getting in the way or otherwise causing headaches for his teammates. On defense, Anderson was decent at times but spent much of night woefully out of position.
Matt Bonner C
In the first quarter, Matt Bonner had an injury scare when he bumped knees. By the second quarter, he had shaken it off and was ready to go. After missing his first three three-pointers, Bonner hit both of his attempts from deep in the second half. Offensively, I thought he could have done more. He passed up a few open looks and was hesitant to use his dribble move. Defensively, he did a good job of not fouling but that was about the extent of his positive play on that end.
Patrick Mills D-
I'm struggling to come up with anything positive Patrick Mills gave the team tonight. On offense, he was horrific when running the show. Despite dribbling a ton, I can't remember one shot he created for a teammate. In fact, he wasn't even able to create a quality shot for himself. I knew he wasn't a pure point guard when the Spurs signed him but he has looked especially impure in the last few games. Defensively, he had a couple decent hustle plays but was otherwise a liability. I'm assuming that Mills has lost his legs because he looks totally different than the player who first showed up in San Antonio. I think it's safe to say he's not as good as he appeared at first and isn't as bad as he looks to be now.
Pop B+
Pop again managed the minutes very well. Holding out the Big 3 to begin the second half was a little bit risky but it worked to perfection. Now the focus turns to what Pop will do against the Lakers. Will he sit the Big 3 in the middle game of the back-to-back-to-back or did the rest they received tonight change the equation?