timvp
04-27-2012, 01:33 AM
San Antonio's wildly successful regular season has come to an end. With a 107-101 victory over a tanking Warriors squad, the Spurs finished 50-16 -- a winning percentage that translates to 62 wins over the course of a normal 82-game season.
First of all, I'd like to thank everyone associated with the Spurs for a highly enjoyable season. Sure, the year will be made or broken in the playoffs, but the effort, smarts and dedication needed to have the success they did in this condensed season is worthy of praise. Thanks, the 66 games were a blast.
As for the goings-on tonight, it was a glorified scrimmage. Well, not even that because the Warriors desperately needed to lose the game; a win would have basically ended their hopes of keeping their lottery pick. This non-contested exhibition, I guess I'll call it, was close until Patrick Mills hit back-to-back three-pointers with 5:30 remaining to put the Spurs up by six points.
Now the fun starts. The Spurs begin their postseason quest Sunday at noon against the Jazz. But before we get to that, here are the grades for the last time in the 2011-12 regular season.
http://dailyelements.com/apr26box1.jpg
http://dailyelements.com/apr26box2.jpg
Patrick Mills A
The Spurs needed offense tonight and Patrick Mills was more than ready to step up to the challenge. While the competition was obviously questionable, you can't argue with the numbers Mills was able to post. Scoring-wise, he showed off a silky smooth outside stroke that is deadly when he's standing still. Mills can also hit mid-range shots off the dribble, finish with floaters in the paint and score with creativity at the rim. At this point, I think it's safe to say Mills is a legit scorer on the NBA level. Passing-wise, Mills still has a lot of room to develop but he was much better tonight in that area. He's best at passing on the break or finding stationary shooters when he's penetrating to the hoop. He doesn't have much ability in pick-and-roll sets or passing in the interior but for a 23-year-old, Mills is a solid prospect who has a good chance to make a career as an above average backup on the right team. Defensively against the Warriors, his pressure was again an asset and his toughness allows him to battle players who are much bigger and stronger.
James Anderson C
James Anderson was able to explode for a strong third quarter but was otherwise underwhelming again. In his 31 minutes outside of the third, he was 2-for-11 for five points. Give him credit for the one strong period but he honestly hasn't looked like an NBA quality player in his last handful of outings. Anderson needs to go some place where he will get a lot of minutes so he can work on his confidence and figure out his strengths on the basketball court. Good luck in the future, J.A.
DeJuan Blair B
If DeJuan Blair hadn't figured out he's the team's fifth bigman, he should know after tonight. With the other bigs getting rest, it was up to Blair to finish out the string. Even though he missed a number of easy shots, didn't always give supreme effort on the glass and was simply lackadaisical most of the night, Blair was just too talented not to put up an impressive stat line.
Cory Joseph C+
After looking improved last game, Cory Joseph reverted to his previous form on the offensive end. In fact, the only reason he wasn't more of a disaster was that he was playing shooting guard for vast majority of his minutes. Joseph isn't completely worthless offensively but he just doesn't do anything at an NBA level. He's not much of a shooter, finisher, passer, ball-handler, facilitator ... the list goes on. The best part of Joseph's game is his defense. He has a deceptive amount of size to him and a willingness to stick his nose in. Unfortunately, he looks better defending shooting guards than point guards, which is a problem since he'd have to make it in the NBA as a point guard. Overall, I'm not ready to label Joseph a complete bust but he has a lot of work to do this summer.
Derrick Byars C
The newest Spur got his first (and perhaps last) extended minutes and there wasn't much to get excited about. He has good size for a swingman (6-foot-7, 220 pounds) but his athleticism doesn't wow and his fluidity is average at best. In this game, he lost confidence in his outside shot and thus became a liability on the offensive end. Defensively, he showed a willingness to try to stay in front of his man but the results were mixed.
Boris Diaw B-
It was another mostly quiet evening for Boris Diaw. Offensively, he hit a three-pointer, a two-pointer with his foot on the three-point line, passed great and turned the ball over a bit too much. The game would have been easier if Diaw would have stepped into a bigger role. (I'm starting to sound like Paul Silas.) Defensively, he didn't venture out of the paint much but was a rock down low and was able to negate a lot of Golden State's athleticism with superior positioning.
Matt Bonner C+
I was hoping that Matt Bonner could get his offense going in these last few games -- but it didn't really happen. He knocked down one three-pointer but his form looked more strained than usual (he had even more of a slingshot motion than we're used to seeing). I guess we all just have to hope Bonner can rediscover his stroke in the postseason. Defensively, Bonner was solid (other than when the Spurs ran zone; he had no idea what to do then). He was sturdy in the paint and chased players out on the perimeter when necessary.
Danny Green A-
Danny Green played the opening eight minutes of the game and looked like the best player on the court. Defensively, he was extremely impressive. Not only was he staying with his man, he was hustling to protect the rim whenever possible. Offensively, the North Carolina product knocked down a couple more three-pointers to finish the season at a blistering 43.6%. Green deserves applause for being the only player to play in all 66 games this season.
Tiago Splitter B
In his seven minutes, Tiago Splitter rebounded well, ran the court well and had a few quality defensive possessions. Overall, Splitter's sophomore regular season was very much a success, especially on a per-minute basis.
Bud B+
Can't complain about anything Bud did in his second game in charge. He got the win while also letting the less important players shoulder most of the load. Once again, his plays out of timeouts were impressive. What I liked most is he didn't panic and change the fourth quarter lineup even when things weren't going swimmingly. Winning tonight, while preferred over losing, wasn't anywhere near the top of the to-do list.
First of all, I'd like to thank everyone associated with the Spurs for a highly enjoyable season. Sure, the year will be made or broken in the playoffs, but the effort, smarts and dedication needed to have the success they did in this condensed season is worthy of praise. Thanks, the 66 games were a blast.
As for the goings-on tonight, it was a glorified scrimmage. Well, not even that because the Warriors desperately needed to lose the game; a win would have basically ended their hopes of keeping their lottery pick. This non-contested exhibition, I guess I'll call it, was close until Patrick Mills hit back-to-back three-pointers with 5:30 remaining to put the Spurs up by six points.
Now the fun starts. The Spurs begin their postseason quest Sunday at noon against the Jazz. But before we get to that, here are the grades for the last time in the 2011-12 regular season.
http://dailyelements.com/apr26box1.jpg
http://dailyelements.com/apr26box2.jpg
Patrick Mills A
The Spurs needed offense tonight and Patrick Mills was more than ready to step up to the challenge. While the competition was obviously questionable, you can't argue with the numbers Mills was able to post. Scoring-wise, he showed off a silky smooth outside stroke that is deadly when he's standing still. Mills can also hit mid-range shots off the dribble, finish with floaters in the paint and score with creativity at the rim. At this point, I think it's safe to say Mills is a legit scorer on the NBA level. Passing-wise, Mills still has a lot of room to develop but he was much better tonight in that area. He's best at passing on the break or finding stationary shooters when he's penetrating to the hoop. He doesn't have much ability in pick-and-roll sets or passing in the interior but for a 23-year-old, Mills is a solid prospect who has a good chance to make a career as an above average backup on the right team. Defensively against the Warriors, his pressure was again an asset and his toughness allows him to battle players who are much bigger and stronger.
James Anderson C
James Anderson was able to explode for a strong third quarter but was otherwise underwhelming again. In his 31 minutes outside of the third, he was 2-for-11 for five points. Give him credit for the one strong period but he honestly hasn't looked like an NBA quality player in his last handful of outings. Anderson needs to go some place where he will get a lot of minutes so he can work on his confidence and figure out his strengths on the basketball court. Good luck in the future, J.A.
DeJuan Blair B
If DeJuan Blair hadn't figured out he's the team's fifth bigman, he should know after tonight. With the other bigs getting rest, it was up to Blair to finish out the string. Even though he missed a number of easy shots, didn't always give supreme effort on the glass and was simply lackadaisical most of the night, Blair was just too talented not to put up an impressive stat line.
Cory Joseph C+
After looking improved last game, Cory Joseph reverted to his previous form on the offensive end. In fact, the only reason he wasn't more of a disaster was that he was playing shooting guard for vast majority of his minutes. Joseph isn't completely worthless offensively but he just doesn't do anything at an NBA level. He's not much of a shooter, finisher, passer, ball-handler, facilitator ... the list goes on. The best part of Joseph's game is his defense. He has a deceptive amount of size to him and a willingness to stick his nose in. Unfortunately, he looks better defending shooting guards than point guards, which is a problem since he'd have to make it in the NBA as a point guard. Overall, I'm not ready to label Joseph a complete bust but he has a lot of work to do this summer.
Derrick Byars C
The newest Spur got his first (and perhaps last) extended minutes and there wasn't much to get excited about. He has good size for a swingman (6-foot-7, 220 pounds) but his athleticism doesn't wow and his fluidity is average at best. In this game, he lost confidence in his outside shot and thus became a liability on the offensive end. Defensively, he showed a willingness to try to stay in front of his man but the results were mixed.
Boris Diaw B-
It was another mostly quiet evening for Boris Diaw. Offensively, he hit a three-pointer, a two-pointer with his foot on the three-point line, passed great and turned the ball over a bit too much. The game would have been easier if Diaw would have stepped into a bigger role. (I'm starting to sound like Paul Silas.) Defensively, he didn't venture out of the paint much but was a rock down low and was able to negate a lot of Golden State's athleticism with superior positioning.
Matt Bonner C+
I was hoping that Matt Bonner could get his offense going in these last few games -- but it didn't really happen. He knocked down one three-pointer but his form looked more strained than usual (he had even more of a slingshot motion than we're used to seeing). I guess we all just have to hope Bonner can rediscover his stroke in the postseason. Defensively, Bonner was solid (other than when the Spurs ran zone; he had no idea what to do then). He was sturdy in the paint and chased players out on the perimeter when necessary.
Danny Green A-
Danny Green played the opening eight minutes of the game and looked like the best player on the court. Defensively, he was extremely impressive. Not only was he staying with his man, he was hustling to protect the rim whenever possible. Offensively, the North Carolina product knocked down a couple more three-pointers to finish the season at a blistering 43.6%. Green deserves applause for being the only player to play in all 66 games this season.
Tiago Splitter B
In his seven minutes, Tiago Splitter rebounded well, ran the court well and had a few quality defensive possessions. Overall, Splitter's sophomore regular season was very much a success, especially on a per-minute basis.
Bud B+
Can't complain about anything Bud did in his second game in charge. He got the win while also letting the less important players shoulder most of the load. Once again, his plays out of timeouts were impressive. What I liked most is he didn't panic and change the fourth quarter lineup even when things weren't going swimmingly. Winning tonight, while preferred over losing, wasn't anywhere near the top of the to-do list.