timvp
11-02-2012, 03:35 AM
In a rematch of a series we Spurs fans desperately want to forget, the good guys were able to beat the Thunder by a final score of 86-84. To begin the game, things weren’t going too swimmingly. Oklahoma City scored the contest’s first eight points and looked ready to run away and hide. Thankfully, San Antonio responded with the game’s next nine points.
From that point on, neither team got much separation until the third quarter. Following a Thabo Sefolosha three-pointer that put the Thunder up by a point with 9:38 remaining in the period, the Spurs went on a 16-5 run over the next six minutes to gain a double-digit advantage. OKC, like they usually do, came roaring back and tied the score at the end of the third on an Eric Maynor 55-foot prayer.
The Spurs built an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter … only to see their spread evaporate again. The Thunder seemed to take control of the game when they had the ball and a three-point advantage with less than a minute remaining. But the Spurs were able to get a stop and follow it up with a corner three-pointer from Tony Parker on a busted play.
The Thunder got the ball back with 28 seconds remaining but they never got off a shot. Instead, Kawhi Leonard recorded his fifth steal on the ensuing possession. With about five seconds to go, Pop drew up a play for Parker out of a timeout. The play worked to perfection and Parker drained a jumper as time expired to give the Spurs the two-point win.
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Tim Duncan
On the second night of a back-to-back, Tim Duncan was no worse for wear. As has been the case since the start of preseason, he looked fantastic. While maybe not quite as spry as he was on opening night, Duncan was all over the place. Defensively, he defended the rim well, ran back to spearhead the transition D and even moved his feet out on the perimeter when there were switches. On offense, his running of the court allowed him to gain advantageous position a majority of the night. He showed great touch around the basket -- that is, when he wasn’t throwing down emphatic dunks. Duncan is playing a very serious brand of basketball right now and it’s a joy to behold.
Final Grade: 94
Tony Parker
It wasn’t the most aesthetically-pleasing Tony Parker has ever played but at the end of the night, it’s difficult to find many negatives. I thought he was really good on defense. He stepped up to the challenge and defended Russell Westbrook very well and was the main reason why Westbrook played so poorly. On offense, Parker once again took care of the ball. Through two games, he has 17 assists and only one turnover. Parker’s scoring touch was missing in action for much of the contest. When it really mattered, though, he was ready to toss in the two biggest shots of the night. What stood out most about Parker’s performance was his maturity. He just kept plugging away and didn’t let anything knock him off course. At the end, despite the ups and downs, the result was a job well done and a W.
Final Grade: 95
Kawhi Leonard
The Good: Kawhi Leonard now has ten steals after two games. And these aren’t gifted steals -- he's earning all of these swipes. His most notable pilfer came at the end of the game when he stole a pass intended for Kevin Durant that ultimately set the stage for Parker’s heroics. The Bad: The rest of Leonard’s game was turbulent. Offensively, he continues to struggle to figure out his niche. His decisions are often slow and he’s having a difficult time converting relatively easy plays. On defense, when he’s not stealing the ball, he has been inconsistent. Sometimes he’s there to get a hand up on a shooter or he’s there to cut off a driver -- but a lot of the time Leonard is out of position and giving up way too much airspace. The silver lining of this game in regards to Leonard is that the bulk of his errors were of commission rather than omission. There’s no doubt that the second year forward is giving it his all out there.
Final Grade: 77
Danny Green
Considering Danny Green’s nightmarish series against the Thunder last season, tonight was a giant step in the right direction. On offense, he exhibited little to no hesitation on his jumper and he *gasp* made his shots. In addition to his shooting, Pop gave Green some playmaking duties from time to time and he usually responded well. In fact, Parker’s game-winner was off of a pass from Green. Defensively, Green wasn’t nearly as pristine. On countless occasions, he was overaggressive and found himself out of position. But, again, the fact that Green was aggressive and at least trying to wreak havoc was a momentous change from the last time he faced Oklahoma City. Sometimes that aggression worked out well, especially on the boards and in loose ball situations.
Final Grade: 89
Boris Diaw
Boris Diaw didn’t exactly turn into Allen Iverson but by attacking offensively just a few smidgens above normal, he made the Thunder pay for shading off of him. He didn’t look comfortable taking jumpers but he had a handful of quality drives to the hoop. Diaw can still afford to ratchet up his willingness to shoot a few notches, though this was definitely a step in the right direction. He has to realize that his passing ability shines brightest when teams are playing him as if he’s a threat to score. Defensively, I liked him much more tonight than in the opener. Diaw boxed out better, grabbed a few contested boards and was more physical in defending the post. Most impressive of all was his pick-and-roll defense. He blew up a few Thunder possessions by switching onto the ballhandler and disrupting his desired path.
Final Grade: 90
Stephen Jackson
Although Stephen Jackson is just 1-for-8 on three-pointers thus far, I really like what he’s doing in the other facets of the game. He’s routinely making strong drives to the hoop in traffic when the offense begins to stagnate. His passing was also once again a plus. All in all, he’s doing just enough playmaking to keep the bench unit afloat. Defensively, he doesn’t give in. His effort when defending Durant was admirable, as was his work on the glass when asked to play power forward. I don’t think it’s possible to understate how valuable Jackson’s toughness is to these Spurs. In low scoring battles like we witnessed tonight, having a player like Jackson who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty is invaluable.
Final Grade: 89
Gary Neal
It was ugly but Gary Neal’s contributions ended up being a key to the victory. His shot selection wasn’t good. His passing wasn’t special. He didn’t run the offense well. But during his 17 minutes, Neal scored enough and made enough plays to justify his touches. Additionally, Neal wasn’t a liability on defense for the second consecutive game. Has Neal improved on defense? I’m not sure yet. Then again, it’d be damn near impossible for him to be worse defensively than he was last season.
Final Grade: 84
DeJuan Blair
Following early foul trouble for Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair got a chance to show his wares. While I can’t fault his liveliness, he wasn’t very good. Blair seemed intent on proving that his jumper is for real. Yes, he made one jumper but none of his outside shots came within the flow of the offense. Defensively, he did what we’ve come to expect from him. He was rarely in the right position and made a few mental mistakes. Thankfully, he helped out a bit by rebounding better than usual.
Final Grade: 77
Matt Bonner
No, this wasn’t a replay. Matt Bonner played a flaccid first half and then sat on the bench for the final two quarters. He passed on a few open looks, which is something a hired gun like him can never do. Defensively, he wasn’t a total disaster but the Spurs looked better on that end with him on the bench. Hopefully either Bonner starts playing better or Pop removes him from the rotation completely. These first half cameos aren’t serving much of a purpose.
Final Grade: 70
Tiago Splitter
While I won’t grade him since he only played four minutes, I was disappointed with Tiago Splitter in the few minutes he did play. He had the fortune of going up against Hasheem Thabeet yet somehow managed to not take advantage. In fact, I’d say Thabeet was outplaying him. That said, I don’t agree with Pop benching Splitter for the second half. He’s too good to keep on the bench.
Final Grade: Inc.
Patrick Mills
Patrick Mills played just two minutes -- but he’s unrecognizable at this point. And not just because he’s lost a lot of weight since last season. The gunning version of Mills has been replaced by a guy who is looking to run the offense. Personally, I think that’s the wrong mindset for Mills. He’s always going to be a gunner; he needs to embrace that. Mills doesn’t dribble well enough or have sufficient court vision to be a playmaking point guard. When he steps on the court, he needs to be ready to let it fly. So far this season, he hasn’t done that.
Final Grade: Inc.
Pop
I’m going to second-guess a couple of Pop’s decisions. I didn’t like that he sat Splitter in favor of Blair. Splitter needs to play -- period. Pop also needs to pick a backup point guard. Switching Neal from point guard to shooting guard and back again makes his job a lot more difficult. Either let Neal play point or go with Mills. All that said, Pop’s decisions at the end of the game played a large role in the Spurs beating the Thunder without Ginobili. The two decisions that really stand out are putting in Leonard for the last defensive possession and drawing up a sexy play for Parker to get a look at the buzzer.
Final Grade: 91
Offense
If we look just at the 86 points scored, we’d be disappointed. However, there are some positive developments below the surface. The one thing that really stands out is the assist total (27), especially considering that the Spurs only had 35 made field goals. The Spurs also took care of the ball (13 turnovers) and won a second straight game without relying on three-point shooting (5-for-19). San Antonio didn’t do well on the offensive boards (6) and didn’t get to the line much (16 attempts), but thankfully they were able to use teamwork to muster just enough scoring.
Final Grade: 82
Defense
For the last seven quarters, the defense for the Spurs has shined. After they hit their first three shots from the field, the Thunder made only 34.2% of their field goals the rest of the way. San Antonio has to be thrilled with that number no matter what asterisks can be attached to this game. Forcing 18 turnovers while allowing only 18 assists are both commendable numbers. The Thunder got to the line 23 times, but considering that they usually live at the charity stripe, that’s an acceptable amount. The Spurs also kept the Thunder out of the paint (24 points) and didn’t allow them to run (six fast break points). The only glaring negative was the 12 offensive rebounds S.A. allowed.
Final Grade: 97
Overall
The Spurs had a few excuses as to why it was okay to lose this game, with exhaustion and the lack of Ginobili headlining that list. However, the Spurs dug deep defensively and executed well enough offensively to gut out a win that will probably have seeding implications at some point. Great effort. Let’s hope this fuels the team’s confidence and leads to more early-season success.
Final Grade: 91
From that point on, neither team got much separation until the third quarter. Following a Thabo Sefolosha three-pointer that put the Thunder up by a point with 9:38 remaining in the period, the Spurs went on a 16-5 run over the next six minutes to gain a double-digit advantage. OKC, like they usually do, came roaring back and tied the score at the end of the third on an Eric Maynor 55-foot prayer.
The Spurs built an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter … only to see their spread evaporate again. The Thunder seemed to take control of the game when they had the ball and a three-point advantage with less than a minute remaining. But the Spurs were able to get a stop and follow it up with a corner three-pointer from Tony Parker on a busted play.
The Thunder got the ball back with 28 seconds remaining but they never got off a shot. Instead, Kawhi Leonard recorded his fifth steal on the ensuing possession. With about five seconds to go, Pop drew up a play for Parker out of a timeout. The play worked to perfection and Parker drained a jumper as time expired to give the Spurs the two-point win.
http://www.spurstalk.com/box21.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box22.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box23.png
Tim Duncan
On the second night of a back-to-back, Tim Duncan was no worse for wear. As has been the case since the start of preseason, he looked fantastic. While maybe not quite as spry as he was on opening night, Duncan was all over the place. Defensively, he defended the rim well, ran back to spearhead the transition D and even moved his feet out on the perimeter when there were switches. On offense, his running of the court allowed him to gain advantageous position a majority of the night. He showed great touch around the basket -- that is, when he wasn’t throwing down emphatic dunks. Duncan is playing a very serious brand of basketball right now and it’s a joy to behold.
Final Grade: 94
Tony Parker
It wasn’t the most aesthetically-pleasing Tony Parker has ever played but at the end of the night, it’s difficult to find many negatives. I thought he was really good on defense. He stepped up to the challenge and defended Russell Westbrook very well and was the main reason why Westbrook played so poorly. On offense, Parker once again took care of the ball. Through two games, he has 17 assists and only one turnover. Parker’s scoring touch was missing in action for much of the contest. When it really mattered, though, he was ready to toss in the two biggest shots of the night. What stood out most about Parker’s performance was his maturity. He just kept plugging away and didn’t let anything knock him off course. At the end, despite the ups and downs, the result was a job well done and a W.
Final Grade: 95
Kawhi Leonard
The Good: Kawhi Leonard now has ten steals after two games. And these aren’t gifted steals -- he's earning all of these swipes. His most notable pilfer came at the end of the game when he stole a pass intended for Kevin Durant that ultimately set the stage for Parker’s heroics. The Bad: The rest of Leonard’s game was turbulent. Offensively, he continues to struggle to figure out his niche. His decisions are often slow and he’s having a difficult time converting relatively easy plays. On defense, when he’s not stealing the ball, he has been inconsistent. Sometimes he’s there to get a hand up on a shooter or he’s there to cut off a driver -- but a lot of the time Leonard is out of position and giving up way too much airspace. The silver lining of this game in regards to Leonard is that the bulk of his errors were of commission rather than omission. There’s no doubt that the second year forward is giving it his all out there.
Final Grade: 77
Danny Green
Considering Danny Green’s nightmarish series against the Thunder last season, tonight was a giant step in the right direction. On offense, he exhibited little to no hesitation on his jumper and he *gasp* made his shots. In addition to his shooting, Pop gave Green some playmaking duties from time to time and he usually responded well. In fact, Parker’s game-winner was off of a pass from Green. Defensively, Green wasn’t nearly as pristine. On countless occasions, he was overaggressive and found himself out of position. But, again, the fact that Green was aggressive and at least trying to wreak havoc was a momentous change from the last time he faced Oklahoma City. Sometimes that aggression worked out well, especially on the boards and in loose ball situations.
Final Grade: 89
Boris Diaw
Boris Diaw didn’t exactly turn into Allen Iverson but by attacking offensively just a few smidgens above normal, he made the Thunder pay for shading off of him. He didn’t look comfortable taking jumpers but he had a handful of quality drives to the hoop. Diaw can still afford to ratchet up his willingness to shoot a few notches, though this was definitely a step in the right direction. He has to realize that his passing ability shines brightest when teams are playing him as if he’s a threat to score. Defensively, I liked him much more tonight than in the opener. Diaw boxed out better, grabbed a few contested boards and was more physical in defending the post. Most impressive of all was his pick-and-roll defense. He blew up a few Thunder possessions by switching onto the ballhandler and disrupting his desired path.
Final Grade: 90
Stephen Jackson
Although Stephen Jackson is just 1-for-8 on three-pointers thus far, I really like what he’s doing in the other facets of the game. He’s routinely making strong drives to the hoop in traffic when the offense begins to stagnate. His passing was also once again a plus. All in all, he’s doing just enough playmaking to keep the bench unit afloat. Defensively, he doesn’t give in. His effort when defending Durant was admirable, as was his work on the glass when asked to play power forward. I don’t think it’s possible to understate how valuable Jackson’s toughness is to these Spurs. In low scoring battles like we witnessed tonight, having a player like Jackson who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty is invaluable.
Final Grade: 89
Gary Neal
It was ugly but Gary Neal’s contributions ended up being a key to the victory. His shot selection wasn’t good. His passing wasn’t special. He didn’t run the offense well. But during his 17 minutes, Neal scored enough and made enough plays to justify his touches. Additionally, Neal wasn’t a liability on defense for the second consecutive game. Has Neal improved on defense? I’m not sure yet. Then again, it’d be damn near impossible for him to be worse defensively than he was last season.
Final Grade: 84
DeJuan Blair
Following early foul trouble for Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair got a chance to show his wares. While I can’t fault his liveliness, he wasn’t very good. Blair seemed intent on proving that his jumper is for real. Yes, he made one jumper but none of his outside shots came within the flow of the offense. Defensively, he did what we’ve come to expect from him. He was rarely in the right position and made a few mental mistakes. Thankfully, he helped out a bit by rebounding better than usual.
Final Grade: 77
Matt Bonner
No, this wasn’t a replay. Matt Bonner played a flaccid first half and then sat on the bench for the final two quarters. He passed on a few open looks, which is something a hired gun like him can never do. Defensively, he wasn’t a total disaster but the Spurs looked better on that end with him on the bench. Hopefully either Bonner starts playing better or Pop removes him from the rotation completely. These first half cameos aren’t serving much of a purpose.
Final Grade: 70
Tiago Splitter
While I won’t grade him since he only played four minutes, I was disappointed with Tiago Splitter in the few minutes he did play. He had the fortune of going up against Hasheem Thabeet yet somehow managed to not take advantage. In fact, I’d say Thabeet was outplaying him. That said, I don’t agree with Pop benching Splitter for the second half. He’s too good to keep on the bench.
Final Grade: Inc.
Patrick Mills
Patrick Mills played just two minutes -- but he’s unrecognizable at this point. And not just because he’s lost a lot of weight since last season. The gunning version of Mills has been replaced by a guy who is looking to run the offense. Personally, I think that’s the wrong mindset for Mills. He’s always going to be a gunner; he needs to embrace that. Mills doesn’t dribble well enough or have sufficient court vision to be a playmaking point guard. When he steps on the court, he needs to be ready to let it fly. So far this season, he hasn’t done that.
Final Grade: Inc.
Pop
I’m going to second-guess a couple of Pop’s decisions. I didn’t like that he sat Splitter in favor of Blair. Splitter needs to play -- period. Pop also needs to pick a backup point guard. Switching Neal from point guard to shooting guard and back again makes his job a lot more difficult. Either let Neal play point or go with Mills. All that said, Pop’s decisions at the end of the game played a large role in the Spurs beating the Thunder without Ginobili. The two decisions that really stand out are putting in Leonard for the last defensive possession and drawing up a sexy play for Parker to get a look at the buzzer.
Final Grade: 91
Offense
If we look just at the 86 points scored, we’d be disappointed. However, there are some positive developments below the surface. The one thing that really stands out is the assist total (27), especially considering that the Spurs only had 35 made field goals. The Spurs also took care of the ball (13 turnovers) and won a second straight game without relying on three-point shooting (5-for-19). San Antonio didn’t do well on the offensive boards (6) and didn’t get to the line much (16 attempts), but thankfully they were able to use teamwork to muster just enough scoring.
Final Grade: 82
Defense
For the last seven quarters, the defense for the Spurs has shined. After they hit their first three shots from the field, the Thunder made only 34.2% of their field goals the rest of the way. San Antonio has to be thrilled with that number no matter what asterisks can be attached to this game. Forcing 18 turnovers while allowing only 18 assists are both commendable numbers. The Thunder got to the line 23 times, but considering that they usually live at the charity stripe, that’s an acceptable amount. The Spurs also kept the Thunder out of the paint (24 points) and didn’t allow them to run (six fast break points). The only glaring negative was the 12 offensive rebounds S.A. allowed.
Final Grade: 97
Overall
The Spurs had a few excuses as to why it was okay to lose this game, with exhaustion and the lack of Ginobili headlining that list. However, the Spurs dug deep defensively and executed well enough offensively to gut out a win that will probably have seeding implications at some point. Great effort. Let’s hope this fuels the team’s confidence and leads to more early-season success.
Final Grade: 91