timvp
11-22-2012, 09:54 PM
The casual basketball fan would look at Spurs versus Celtics on the schedule and predict a grind-it-out, low-scoring affair. However, perception isn’t reality in this case -- both teams are better on the offensive end these days. Thus, the Spurs winning on Wednesday night in a 112-100 shootout shouldn’t have been too much of a shocker.
For the first two and a half quarters, the contest was extremely tight. In the latter half of the second period, San Antonio’s offense heated up. Powered by three-pointers from Danny Green, Boris Diaw and Tony Parker, the Spurs outscored the Celtics 18-10 in the final six minutes before halftime to take an eight-point lead into intermission.
That advantage quickly disappeared in the second half. The Celtics began the third quarter on a 14-4 run in the first four and a half minutes. Rajon Rondo was a one-man show during that burst; he recorded five straight assists and then added a bucket of his own at the end of the run.
But San Antonio’s lead reappeared even quicker than it vanished. Over the next two minutes, the Spurs would score nine straight points. After more back and forth action, the good guys scored the final six points of the third quarter to take an eight-point lead into the fourth.
The Spurs started strong in the final stanza and threatened to run away and hide as they quickly created a 16-point spread. But Boston wasn’t dead yet. A Rondo layup with 3:15 cut the lead to only six points. Thankfully, Tim Duncan hit a difficult runner in the lane to halt the Celtics momentum. Two Tiago Splitter free throws bumped the advantage back up to double-digits and that was all she wrote for Beantown.
http://www.spurstalk.com/box121.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box122.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box123.png
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Tim Duncan
http://www.spurstalk.com/td12.png
Tim Duncan took on one of the best forwards to ever play the game and handily outplayed him. Paul Pierce tallied 19 points but was scoreless in the fourth quarter and finished the game without a rebound. Oh, and Boston’s other forward wasn’t very good either. Duncan, as has become routine this season, was just really damn effective. Early on, he set the tone on the boards as he snared rebound after rebound. Throughout the evening, he was the main reason why the Celtics rarely scored in the paint within their halfcourt sets. Duncan smoothly scored in many different ways including on the low-block, by utilizing down-screens, off of pick-and-rolls and in transition. He also got to the line nine times and handed out four assists. While Duncan was sloppy with passes at times and attempted a couple ill-advised shots, his return to ascendency continues to be astonishing.
Final Grade: 95
Season Average: 91.6
Adj. Average: 92.0
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Manu Ginobili
http://www.spurstalk.com/mg12.png
Outside of his wayward marksmanship, Manu Ginobili played reasonably well. I really liked his defense most of the night. He did good work against Pierce and the Celtics were never able to take advantage of the fact that Ginobili mostly played small forward. (In fact, at this stage of his career, I’m almost convinced that he’s a better defender at small forward than at shooting guard.) He gave commendable effort on the boards and also consistently stayed in the passing lanes. On offense, most of Ginobili bright spots were of the passing variety. He controlled the playmaking of the second unit and made prudent decisions. All that said, Ginobili needs to regain his scoring ability because the Spurs aren’t going anywhere unless he is the well-rounded offensive threat he has been his whole career.
Final Grade: 79
Season Average: 80.5
Adj. Average: 80.2
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Tony Parker
http://www.spurstalk.com/tp12.png
Now this is more like it. After an uninspired performance against the Clippers, Parker bounced back with a very focused, uncompromising effort. He probed the Celtics defense all night and was quick to exploit any weaknesses. It was especially promising to see Parker have so much success in the paint. Prior to this game, he was just 39-for-85 (45.9%) on attempts in the paint this season. Against the Celtics, he was 9-for-12. While Parker’s passing wasn’t as crisp as it has been for most of the season, his overall feistiness more than made up for it. On D, he had a few miscues but was mostly a positive despite Rondo’s notable numbers.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 84.5
Adj. Average: 85.2
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Danny Green
http://www.spurstalk.com/dg12.png
The bad: Danny Green had a handful of mental mistakes on defense, which too often bailed the Celtics out of predicaments. His rebounding could also have been better. On offense, his shot-selection was questionable, especially when he was on the move. The good: Green’s energy on D was laudable. He was defending with a purpose -- even if that purpose wasn’t always the most pragmatic. Not only did Green knock down his three-pointers, his playmaking and passing were at higher than normal levels.
Final Grade: 80
Season Average: 83.2
Adj. Average: 83.0
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Gary Neal
http://www.spurstalk.com/gn12.png
It was a strange outing for Gary Neal. Virtually all of his eight attempts were difficult looks he probably shouldn’t have shot … but he connected on five of them. When he looked to pass, he actually made a few fantastic reads. On defense, I thought he was almost always in very good position, yet the Celtics hit many challenging shots over him (led by that ol’ bugaboo Jason Terry). While the end results usually didn’t match the expected outcome, net-net I thought Neal was better than average.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 81.9
Adj. Average: 83.5
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DeJuan Blair
http://www.spurstalk.com/db12.png
DeJuan Blair delivered another constructive performance as a starter. He finished well around the rim, limited his mistakes and played fundamental defense. His intensity from the opening tip is helpful , as is his physicality in the paint. His lack of length or leaping ability hurt him in some situations, but Blair generally controlled what he can control. All in all, he didn’t do anything to make the coaching staff think any less of him and likely aided the argument that he’s a worthwhile starter.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 82.0
Adj. Average: 83.4
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Tiago Splitter
http://www.spurstalk.com/ts12.png
In the first half, Tiago Splitter played decently well. But in the third quarter, the basketball universe made the mistake of getting him angry. After a pair of calls went against him, Splitter shifted into unstoppable-mode and played an enthused, unabashed brand of ball the rest of the way. It was impressive to witness. When Splitter plays physically, refuses to shy away from contact, runs the court and uses all of his gifts, he’s special. All told, in the second half Splitter was 7-for-7 from the field and 5-for-5 from the line for 19 points. Defensively, he was also very good in the second half. He challenged shots with ferocity and was quick to offer help anywhere south of the three-point line. Let us hope that this is the turning point of Splitter’s season.
Final Grade: 97
Season Average: 81.6
Adj. Average: 83.0
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Boris Diaw
http://www.spurstalk.com/bd12.png
This was Boris Diaw’s best game in a while. In most every aspect, he was valuable. I especially liked how he used his underrated ball-handling ability to push the pace and create easy baskets. In both transition and in halfcourt sets, his passing was superb. While he passed up a few shots early, Diaw improved in that regard as the game progressed. On defense, he used his mobility to broaden his influence. He was quick on his help-defense on the perimeter -- but also hustled to get back into the paint and rebound. Note: Pop played Diaw at small forward for a portion of this game. That move forced Diaw into more duties on offense, which seemed to compel him to limit his passiveness. That may be a solution going forward for when Diaw goes ghost.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 79.4
Adj. Average: 81.9
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Nando De Colo
http://www.spurstalk.com/ndc12.png
For someone who barely dented the box score in 11 minutes of play, I thought Nando De Colo actually did quite well. His court vision and passing fit seamlessly into the second unit. He also brought ballhandling and a steady hand to help alleviate pressure from the other perimeter players. Defensively, he was more of an asset than a liability. He got back quickly in transition and was able to stay in front of his man. Overall, I agree with Pop using De Colo instead of Patrick Mills right now. With Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson out due to injury, De Colo’s height is advantageous. It comes down to De Colo’s height and passing or Mills’ speed and shooting … and right now, De Colo’s attributes are more needed. That said, De Colo is going to have to soon show some semblance of scoring ability or else opponents will begin to exploit his one-dimensional skillset.
Final Grade: 86
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 83.8
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Pop
http://www.spurstalk.com/gp12.png
I loved a lot of what Pop did against the Celtics. Handing Matt Bonner a DNP-CD in his homeland couldn’t have been an easy call -- especially since he played well against the Clippers -- but I’m thankful of Pop’s decision. Going with De Colo instead of Mills makes a lot of sense right now. Using Diaw at small forward worked well. Re-inserting Splitter late and pairing him with Duncan -- even though the matchups said not to -- was the right decision. Plus, Pop gets bonus points for flawlessly handling the lack of a true small forward.
Final Grade: 96
Season Average: 83.8
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Offense
A lot of the offensive numbers don’t look very good on paper. San Antonio didn’t get to the line very much (19 attempts), had only 26 assists on their 45 field goals, scored just ten points on the fast break, didn’t hit the offensive glass and turned the ball over 18 times. However, the Spurs were able to score 112 points by attacking the basket and smartly picking their spots from beyond the three-point arc. They scored 58 points in the paint and hit half of their 16 attempts from downtown. It’s amazing how many ills can be cured by simply attacking the rim early and often.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 84.2
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Defense
If you just look at the 100 points allowed and Boston’s 53.2% shooting from the field, you’d assume the Spurs defended poorly. But the Spurs did well in numerous areas. First and foremost was their amazing work on the defensive glass. Yes, the Celtics are a horrible offensive rebounding team but corralling 41-of-42 available rebounds is impressive regardless. Additionally, the Spurs kept the Celtics off the lines (both free throws and three-pointers) and severely limited the assists handed out by everyone not named Rondo. Boston scored 42 of their points on two-point jumpers outside of the paint. That’s not a sustainable number … unless you’re Serge Ibaka in the WCFs, but I digress.
Final Grade: 85
Season Average: 82.8
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Overall
Very good win. Literally every player did their part in order to begin this road trip on the right foot. To survive the injury woes, that’s the type of unity needed. Hopefully it carries over to the rest of the trip.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 83.7
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For the first two and a half quarters, the contest was extremely tight. In the latter half of the second period, San Antonio’s offense heated up. Powered by three-pointers from Danny Green, Boris Diaw and Tony Parker, the Spurs outscored the Celtics 18-10 in the final six minutes before halftime to take an eight-point lead into intermission.
That advantage quickly disappeared in the second half. The Celtics began the third quarter on a 14-4 run in the first four and a half minutes. Rajon Rondo was a one-man show during that burst; he recorded five straight assists and then added a bucket of his own at the end of the run.
But San Antonio’s lead reappeared even quicker than it vanished. Over the next two minutes, the Spurs would score nine straight points. After more back and forth action, the good guys scored the final six points of the third quarter to take an eight-point lead into the fourth.
The Spurs started strong in the final stanza and threatened to run away and hide as they quickly created a 16-point spread. But Boston wasn’t dead yet. A Rondo layup with 3:15 cut the lead to only six points. Thankfully, Tim Duncan hit a difficult runner in the lane to halt the Celtics momentum. Two Tiago Splitter free throws bumped the advantage back up to double-digits and that was all she wrote for Beantown.
http://www.spurstalk.com/box121.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box122.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box123.png
---------------
Tim Duncan
http://www.spurstalk.com/td12.png
Tim Duncan took on one of the best forwards to ever play the game and handily outplayed him. Paul Pierce tallied 19 points but was scoreless in the fourth quarter and finished the game without a rebound. Oh, and Boston’s other forward wasn’t very good either. Duncan, as has become routine this season, was just really damn effective. Early on, he set the tone on the boards as he snared rebound after rebound. Throughout the evening, he was the main reason why the Celtics rarely scored in the paint within their halfcourt sets. Duncan smoothly scored in many different ways including on the low-block, by utilizing down-screens, off of pick-and-rolls and in transition. He also got to the line nine times and handed out four assists. While Duncan was sloppy with passes at times and attempted a couple ill-advised shots, his return to ascendency continues to be astonishing.
Final Grade: 95
Season Average: 91.6
Adj. Average: 92.0
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Manu Ginobili
http://www.spurstalk.com/mg12.png
Outside of his wayward marksmanship, Manu Ginobili played reasonably well. I really liked his defense most of the night. He did good work against Pierce and the Celtics were never able to take advantage of the fact that Ginobili mostly played small forward. (In fact, at this stage of his career, I’m almost convinced that he’s a better defender at small forward than at shooting guard.) He gave commendable effort on the boards and also consistently stayed in the passing lanes. On offense, most of Ginobili bright spots were of the passing variety. He controlled the playmaking of the second unit and made prudent decisions. All that said, Ginobili needs to regain his scoring ability because the Spurs aren’t going anywhere unless he is the well-rounded offensive threat he has been his whole career.
Final Grade: 79
Season Average: 80.5
Adj. Average: 80.2
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Tony Parker
http://www.spurstalk.com/tp12.png
Now this is more like it. After an uninspired performance against the Clippers, Parker bounced back with a very focused, uncompromising effort. He probed the Celtics defense all night and was quick to exploit any weaknesses. It was especially promising to see Parker have so much success in the paint. Prior to this game, he was just 39-for-85 (45.9%) on attempts in the paint this season. Against the Celtics, he was 9-for-12. While Parker’s passing wasn’t as crisp as it has been for most of the season, his overall feistiness more than made up for it. On D, he had a few miscues but was mostly a positive despite Rondo’s notable numbers.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 84.5
Adj. Average: 85.2
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Danny Green
http://www.spurstalk.com/dg12.png
The bad: Danny Green had a handful of mental mistakes on defense, which too often bailed the Celtics out of predicaments. His rebounding could also have been better. On offense, his shot-selection was questionable, especially when he was on the move. The good: Green’s energy on D was laudable. He was defending with a purpose -- even if that purpose wasn’t always the most pragmatic. Not only did Green knock down his three-pointers, his playmaking and passing were at higher than normal levels.
Final Grade: 80
Season Average: 83.2
Adj. Average: 83.0
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Gary Neal
http://www.spurstalk.com/gn12.png
It was a strange outing for Gary Neal. Virtually all of his eight attempts were difficult looks he probably shouldn’t have shot … but he connected on five of them. When he looked to pass, he actually made a few fantastic reads. On defense, I thought he was almost always in very good position, yet the Celtics hit many challenging shots over him (led by that ol’ bugaboo Jason Terry). While the end results usually didn’t match the expected outcome, net-net I thought Neal was better than average.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 81.9
Adj. Average: 83.5
---------------
DeJuan Blair
http://www.spurstalk.com/db12.png
DeJuan Blair delivered another constructive performance as a starter. He finished well around the rim, limited his mistakes and played fundamental defense. His intensity from the opening tip is helpful , as is his physicality in the paint. His lack of length or leaping ability hurt him in some situations, but Blair generally controlled what he can control. All in all, he didn’t do anything to make the coaching staff think any less of him and likely aided the argument that he’s a worthwhile starter.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 82.0
Adj. Average: 83.4
---------------
Tiago Splitter
http://www.spurstalk.com/ts12.png
In the first half, Tiago Splitter played decently well. But in the third quarter, the basketball universe made the mistake of getting him angry. After a pair of calls went against him, Splitter shifted into unstoppable-mode and played an enthused, unabashed brand of ball the rest of the way. It was impressive to witness. When Splitter plays physically, refuses to shy away from contact, runs the court and uses all of his gifts, he’s special. All told, in the second half Splitter was 7-for-7 from the field and 5-for-5 from the line for 19 points. Defensively, he was also very good in the second half. He challenged shots with ferocity and was quick to offer help anywhere south of the three-point line. Let us hope that this is the turning point of Splitter’s season.
Final Grade: 97
Season Average: 81.6
Adj. Average: 83.0
---------------
Boris Diaw
http://www.spurstalk.com/bd12.png
This was Boris Diaw’s best game in a while. In most every aspect, he was valuable. I especially liked how he used his underrated ball-handling ability to push the pace and create easy baskets. In both transition and in halfcourt sets, his passing was superb. While he passed up a few shots early, Diaw improved in that regard as the game progressed. On defense, he used his mobility to broaden his influence. He was quick on his help-defense on the perimeter -- but also hustled to get back into the paint and rebound. Note: Pop played Diaw at small forward for a portion of this game. That move forced Diaw into more duties on offense, which seemed to compel him to limit his passiveness. That may be a solution going forward for when Diaw goes ghost.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 79.4
Adj. Average: 81.9
---------------
Nando De Colo
http://www.spurstalk.com/ndc12.png
For someone who barely dented the box score in 11 minutes of play, I thought Nando De Colo actually did quite well. His court vision and passing fit seamlessly into the second unit. He also brought ballhandling and a steady hand to help alleviate pressure from the other perimeter players. Defensively, he was more of an asset than a liability. He got back quickly in transition and was able to stay in front of his man. Overall, I agree with Pop using De Colo instead of Patrick Mills right now. With Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson out due to injury, De Colo’s height is advantageous. It comes down to De Colo’s height and passing or Mills’ speed and shooting … and right now, De Colo’s attributes are more needed. That said, De Colo is going to have to soon show some semblance of scoring ability or else opponents will begin to exploit his one-dimensional skillset.
Final Grade: 86
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 83.8
---------------
Pop
http://www.spurstalk.com/gp12.png
I loved a lot of what Pop did against the Celtics. Handing Matt Bonner a DNP-CD in his homeland couldn’t have been an easy call -- especially since he played well against the Clippers -- but I’m thankful of Pop’s decision. Going with De Colo instead of Mills makes a lot of sense right now. Using Diaw at small forward worked well. Re-inserting Splitter late and pairing him with Duncan -- even though the matchups said not to -- was the right decision. Plus, Pop gets bonus points for flawlessly handling the lack of a true small forward.
Final Grade: 96
Season Average: 83.8
---------------
Offense
A lot of the offensive numbers don’t look very good on paper. San Antonio didn’t get to the line very much (19 attempts), had only 26 assists on their 45 field goals, scored just ten points on the fast break, didn’t hit the offensive glass and turned the ball over 18 times. However, the Spurs were able to score 112 points by attacking the basket and smartly picking their spots from beyond the three-point arc. They scored 58 points in the paint and hit half of their 16 attempts from downtown. It’s amazing how many ills can be cured by simply attacking the rim early and often.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 84.2
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Defense
If you just look at the 100 points allowed and Boston’s 53.2% shooting from the field, you’d assume the Spurs defended poorly. But the Spurs did well in numerous areas. First and foremost was their amazing work on the defensive glass. Yes, the Celtics are a horrible offensive rebounding team but corralling 41-of-42 available rebounds is impressive regardless. Additionally, the Spurs kept the Celtics off the lines (both free throws and three-pointers) and severely limited the assists handed out by everyone not named Rondo. Boston scored 42 of their points on two-point jumpers outside of the paint. That’s not a sustainable number … unless you’re Serge Ibaka in the WCFs, but I digress.
Final Grade: 85
Season Average: 82.8
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Overall
Very good win. Literally every player did their part in order to begin this road trip on the right foot. To survive the injury woes, that’s the type of unity needed. Hopefully it carries over to the rest of the trip.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 83.7
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