timvp
12-07-2012, 03:42 AM
The Bucks always give the Spurs fits. That was again the case on Wednesday night. It wasn’t until the surprising success of a bench unit in the fourth quarter did San Antonio finally gain control on the way to their 110-99 victory.
Coming out of the gates, the rust from three days off was apparent. However, after scoring only four points in the first four and a half minutes of the game, the Spurs exploded for 25 points in the subsequent seven minutes.
In the second quarter, the Spurs once again started slowly before mounting a comeback. Unfortunately, the momentum was lost heading into the half. The Bucks scored ten points in the final three minutes to take a six-point lead into intermission.
The third period saw the Spurs fall behind by as many as eight points. Thankfully, a quick 7-0 run got the good guys out of that hole. Going into the final stanza, the game was tied at 76.
With a lineup of Nando De Colo, Gary Neal, James Anderson, Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter on the court to begin the fourth quarter, big things weren’t expected. But that’s exactly what the Spurs got from the quintet of reserves. Those five players outscored the Bucks 18-3 in the first five minutes of the period.
From there, the starters came in and managed to hang onto the advantage the bench built. The Spurs continue to play well in fourth quarters and find different ways to win. Those are two encouraging characteristics for this early in the season.
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http://www.spurstalk.com/box193.png
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Tim Duncan
http://www.spurstalk.com/td12.png
In 27 minutes, Tim Duncan was able to squeeze in a full night of production. He was aggressive on both ends and became more limber as the game progressed. Early on, rust was evident in the form of easy misses at the rim and balls bouncing off of his hands. Eventually, Duncan found success against the multitude of bigs the Bucks bring the table. His strength in the paint helped create easy points on offense, while that same trait kept Milwaukee from getting to the rim on the other side of the court. Rebounding was another huge plus for the age-less one.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 92.2
Adj. Average: 92.5
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Manu Ginobili
http://www.spurstalk.com/mg12.png
It was a bewildering evening for Manu Ginobili. While he had a handful of positive moments (mostly of the passing variety), a lot of his minutes were spent making simple plays unnecessarily more difficult. As a result, his shot selection suffered and the offense lacked cohesion when he was on the court. For an offensive savant like Ginobili, that’s a notable oddity. Defense was another area of weakness. The quick players the Bucks employed on the perimeter gave Ginobili problems. That, too, has been a rare sight this season in what has been a strong defensive campaign to date for the Argentine.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 82.3
Adj. Average: 82.7
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Tony Parker
http://www.spurstalk.com/tp12.png
The 22 points and ten assists look good on paper, but Wednesday night wasn’t a smooth ride for Tony Parker. Defensively, other than a couple lapses, he did well against Brandon Jennings. However, on the other end, Parker was bumpy. At times, he was dialed into the right level of attack-mode. At other times, he was slow getting the team into their sets or excessively sloppy when going toward the rim. To his credit, Parker was physical throughout the night and a lack of effort was rarely the culprit.
Final Grade: 86
Season Average: 87.3
Adj. Average: 87.4
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Boris Diaw
http://www.spurstalk.com/bd12.png
Give Boris Diaw kudos for having the flexibility to eat minutes at small forward. However, that’s just about the only positive I can muster for his performance against the Bucks. Defensively, he looked slow and uninspired on the perimeter -- not a mixture for success, to say the least. On the other end, Diaw came out gunning but then became passive again once he missed his few couple shots. As has been the case a lot this season, there just wasn’t much substance to the Frenchman’s outing.
Final Grade: 75
Season Average: 80.1
Adj. Average: 81.9
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Gary Neal
http://www.spurstalk.com/gn12.png
Gary Neal entered the game with a sore Achilles tendon and proceeded to miss his first six shots from the field. At that point, I lost hope in him; he wasn’t getting elevation on his jumper and he seemed to be laboring up and down the court. Suddenly, however, Neal turned it all around. He knocked down seven of his final ten attempts while pulling down a healthy number of rebounds and authoring a couple nice passes. Defensively, while he challenged Monta Ellis’s jumper well, he got burned off the dribble a number of times, which caused the entire D to collapse. All in all, it was a gutsy performance from Neal and proved that his willingness to always shoot the next shot is a positive attribute.
Final Grade: 87
Season Average: 82.7
Adj. Average: 83.8
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DeJuan Blair
http://www.spurstalk.com/db12.png
DeJuan Blair looked helpless against the bouncy starting bigmen on Milwaukee (Larry Sanders and Epke Udoh). He was hyperaware of them when trying to finish, which played a part in him missing easy shots. Defensively, he wasn’t of much help on the boards ... or even just clogging the lane. After one particularly poor sequence in the second quarter that resulted in Blair looking painfully overwhelmed, Pop sat him for the rest of the night. That was a kind gesture by the coach.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 80.7
Adj. Average: 81.7
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Tiago Splitter
http://www.spurstalk.com/ts12.png
In the first three quarters, Tiago Splitter was solidly decent. His defense was attentive and while he wasn’t rebounding especially well, he was being physical. On offense, he was rolling well and setting quality screens. In the fourth quarter, Splitter erupted. He went 5-for-5 from the field thanks to fantastic movement and shrewd finishes at the hoop. The Bucks couldn’t stop his pick-and-roll action so the Spurs milked it. On the other end, Splitter’s energy went up a couple notches.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 82.7
Adj. Average: 83.7
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Matt Bonner
http://www.spurstalk.com/mb12.png
With Diaw moved to starting small forward, Matt Bonner re-entered the regular rotation. The results were mostly positive. Rebounding-wise, this was his best effort in a long while. And not necessarily in terms of quantity, but in how much he battled and how tenacious he was about going after the ball. Overall, I thought his D was good mostly due to his underrated mobility. On offense, Bonner wasn’t quite as dazzling. He uncharacteristically missed wide open looks. That said, he didn’t hesitate and made quick decisions. When he does that, Bonner (in the regular season, at least) is almost always helpful on O.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 82.8
Adj. Average: 84.2
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Nando De Colo
http://www.spurstalk.com/ndc12.png
After sitting on the bench for the game’s first 31 minutes, Nando De Colo came in and finished of the contest in grand style. In the final 17 minutes, De Colo played his best basketball of the season. Offensively, he was a maestro with the ball in his hands. He kept the pace elevated, directed traffic and beautifully ran pick-and-rolls. While his passes stood out the most on offense, his scoring was even more of a story. He attempted contested shots and did so with confidence -- things we hadn’t witness so far in his freshman campaign. Defensively, while he had some rough moments trying to deal with Milwaukee’s perimeter speed, there were definitely some bright spots. De Colo is learning how to use his length to his advantage and his quickness appears to be more than adequate for his size.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 82.0
Adj. Average: 82.9
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James Anderson
http://www.spurstalk.com/ja12.png
Out of nowhere, James Anderson is suddenly making outstanding passes. We didn’t see any of that during his first two seasons in San Antonio. But in the limited minutes he has played this year, he has shown an exciting amount of court vision. Defensively, Anderson was again strong. I continue to believe that he’s a worthwhile 15th man on this roster. He brings liveliness. He understands what’s going on. He plays within the framework of the team. That’s exactly what you want in an emergency player.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 88.0
Adj. Average: 88.0
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Cory Joseph
http://www.spurstalk.com/cj12.png
Cory Joseph was impressive during his nine minutes in the first half. Defensively, he showed off some of his promise. His on the ball defense was very good; his combination of length, quick hands and tenacity gives him a high ceiling on that end. Joseph also came up with a number of loose balls and kept plays alive with his hustle. Offensively, he didn’t do anything great but his ball-handling passed the eye-test and he was sharp with his passes.
Final Grade: 90
Season Average: 90.0
Adj. Average: 90.0
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Pop
http://www.spurstalk.com/gp12.png
It was another very good night at the office for Pop. He played every healthy player at least ten minutes in an attempt to find the right combination. Pop eventually found that combo and it blew the doors open. With Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Jackson, Danny Green and Patrick Mills out injured, he had to get creative and think on his toes. Mission accomplished. Oh, and the $250,000 Miami game continues to pay dividends: That fourth quarter fivesome that did so well against the Bucks was a lineup that debuted and gained chemistry versus the Heat.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 85.6
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Offense
Other than three-point percentage and turnovers, everything else was a plus on offense. The Spurs scored 76 points in the paint or on the line, which alone is superb. They were also great on the offensive glass, shared the ball well and got easy points on the fast break.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 85.1
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Defense
The 99 points allowed appears to be a negative on the surface, but considering that Milwaukee had 100 possessions, it’s a totally acceptable number. The Spurs were also outstanding on the defensive glass (a definite weakness as of late), kept the Bucks out of the paint and allowed only six assists in the entire second half. Two actual negatives: the lack of forced turnovers and the 29 free throws allowed.
Final Grade:82
Season Average: 83.1
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Overall
The Spurs avoided their customary holiday-time loss against the Bucks. The bench grew even more confident. And Stern looks even stupider. Good times.
Final Grade: 85
Season Average: 84.4
---------------
Coming out of the gates, the rust from three days off was apparent. However, after scoring only four points in the first four and a half minutes of the game, the Spurs exploded for 25 points in the subsequent seven minutes.
In the second quarter, the Spurs once again started slowly before mounting a comeback. Unfortunately, the momentum was lost heading into the half. The Bucks scored ten points in the final three minutes to take a six-point lead into intermission.
The third period saw the Spurs fall behind by as many as eight points. Thankfully, a quick 7-0 run got the good guys out of that hole. Going into the final stanza, the game was tied at 76.
With a lineup of Nando De Colo, Gary Neal, James Anderson, Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter on the court to begin the fourth quarter, big things weren’t expected. But that’s exactly what the Spurs got from the quintet of reserves. Those five players outscored the Bucks 18-3 in the first five minutes of the period.
From there, the starters came in and managed to hang onto the advantage the bench built. The Spurs continue to play well in fourth quarters and find different ways to win. Those are two encouraging characteristics for this early in the season.
http://www.spurstalk.com/box191.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box192.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box193.png
---------------
Tim Duncan
http://www.spurstalk.com/td12.png
In 27 minutes, Tim Duncan was able to squeeze in a full night of production. He was aggressive on both ends and became more limber as the game progressed. Early on, rust was evident in the form of easy misses at the rim and balls bouncing off of his hands. Eventually, Duncan found success against the multitude of bigs the Bucks bring the table. His strength in the paint helped create easy points on offense, while that same trait kept Milwaukee from getting to the rim on the other side of the court. Rebounding was another huge plus for the age-less one.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 92.2
Adj. Average: 92.5
---------------
Manu Ginobili
http://www.spurstalk.com/mg12.png
It was a bewildering evening for Manu Ginobili. While he had a handful of positive moments (mostly of the passing variety), a lot of his minutes were spent making simple plays unnecessarily more difficult. As a result, his shot selection suffered and the offense lacked cohesion when he was on the court. For an offensive savant like Ginobili, that’s a notable oddity. Defense was another area of weakness. The quick players the Bucks employed on the perimeter gave Ginobili problems. That, too, has been a rare sight this season in what has been a strong defensive campaign to date for the Argentine.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 82.3
Adj. Average: 82.7
---------------
Tony Parker
http://www.spurstalk.com/tp12.png
The 22 points and ten assists look good on paper, but Wednesday night wasn’t a smooth ride for Tony Parker. Defensively, other than a couple lapses, he did well against Brandon Jennings. However, on the other end, Parker was bumpy. At times, he was dialed into the right level of attack-mode. At other times, he was slow getting the team into their sets or excessively sloppy when going toward the rim. To his credit, Parker was physical throughout the night and a lack of effort was rarely the culprit.
Final Grade: 86
Season Average: 87.3
Adj. Average: 87.4
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Boris Diaw
http://www.spurstalk.com/bd12.png
Give Boris Diaw kudos for having the flexibility to eat minutes at small forward. However, that’s just about the only positive I can muster for his performance against the Bucks. Defensively, he looked slow and uninspired on the perimeter -- not a mixture for success, to say the least. On the other end, Diaw came out gunning but then became passive again once he missed his few couple shots. As has been the case a lot this season, there just wasn’t much substance to the Frenchman’s outing.
Final Grade: 75
Season Average: 80.1
Adj. Average: 81.9
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Gary Neal
http://www.spurstalk.com/gn12.png
Gary Neal entered the game with a sore Achilles tendon and proceeded to miss his first six shots from the field. At that point, I lost hope in him; he wasn’t getting elevation on his jumper and he seemed to be laboring up and down the court. Suddenly, however, Neal turned it all around. He knocked down seven of his final ten attempts while pulling down a healthy number of rebounds and authoring a couple nice passes. Defensively, while he challenged Monta Ellis’s jumper well, he got burned off the dribble a number of times, which caused the entire D to collapse. All in all, it was a gutsy performance from Neal and proved that his willingness to always shoot the next shot is a positive attribute.
Final Grade: 87
Season Average: 82.7
Adj. Average: 83.8
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DeJuan Blair
http://www.spurstalk.com/db12.png
DeJuan Blair looked helpless against the bouncy starting bigmen on Milwaukee (Larry Sanders and Epke Udoh). He was hyperaware of them when trying to finish, which played a part in him missing easy shots. Defensively, he wasn’t of much help on the boards ... or even just clogging the lane. After one particularly poor sequence in the second quarter that resulted in Blair looking painfully overwhelmed, Pop sat him for the rest of the night. That was a kind gesture by the coach.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 80.7
Adj. Average: 81.7
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Tiago Splitter
http://www.spurstalk.com/ts12.png
In the first three quarters, Tiago Splitter was solidly decent. His defense was attentive and while he wasn’t rebounding especially well, he was being physical. On offense, he was rolling well and setting quality screens. In the fourth quarter, Splitter erupted. He went 5-for-5 from the field thanks to fantastic movement and shrewd finishes at the hoop. The Bucks couldn’t stop his pick-and-roll action so the Spurs milked it. On the other end, Splitter’s energy went up a couple notches.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 82.7
Adj. Average: 83.7
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Matt Bonner
http://www.spurstalk.com/mb12.png
With Diaw moved to starting small forward, Matt Bonner re-entered the regular rotation. The results were mostly positive. Rebounding-wise, this was his best effort in a long while. And not necessarily in terms of quantity, but in how much he battled and how tenacious he was about going after the ball. Overall, I thought his D was good mostly due to his underrated mobility. On offense, Bonner wasn’t quite as dazzling. He uncharacteristically missed wide open looks. That said, he didn’t hesitate and made quick decisions. When he does that, Bonner (in the regular season, at least) is almost always helpful on O.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 82.8
Adj. Average: 84.2
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Nando De Colo
http://www.spurstalk.com/ndc12.png
After sitting on the bench for the game’s first 31 minutes, Nando De Colo came in and finished of the contest in grand style. In the final 17 minutes, De Colo played his best basketball of the season. Offensively, he was a maestro with the ball in his hands. He kept the pace elevated, directed traffic and beautifully ran pick-and-rolls. While his passes stood out the most on offense, his scoring was even more of a story. He attempted contested shots and did so with confidence -- things we hadn’t witness so far in his freshman campaign. Defensively, while he had some rough moments trying to deal with Milwaukee’s perimeter speed, there were definitely some bright spots. De Colo is learning how to use his length to his advantage and his quickness appears to be more than adequate for his size.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 82.0
Adj. Average: 82.9
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James Anderson
http://www.spurstalk.com/ja12.png
Out of nowhere, James Anderson is suddenly making outstanding passes. We didn’t see any of that during his first two seasons in San Antonio. But in the limited minutes he has played this year, he has shown an exciting amount of court vision. Defensively, Anderson was again strong. I continue to believe that he’s a worthwhile 15th man on this roster. He brings liveliness. He understands what’s going on. He plays within the framework of the team. That’s exactly what you want in an emergency player.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 88.0
Adj. Average: 88.0
---------------
Cory Joseph
http://www.spurstalk.com/cj12.png
Cory Joseph was impressive during his nine minutes in the first half. Defensively, he showed off some of his promise. His on the ball defense was very good; his combination of length, quick hands and tenacity gives him a high ceiling on that end. Joseph also came up with a number of loose balls and kept plays alive with his hustle. Offensively, he didn’t do anything great but his ball-handling passed the eye-test and he was sharp with his passes.
Final Grade: 90
Season Average: 90.0
Adj. Average: 90.0
---------------
Pop
http://www.spurstalk.com/gp12.png
It was another very good night at the office for Pop. He played every healthy player at least ten minutes in an attempt to find the right combination. Pop eventually found that combo and it blew the doors open. With Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Jackson, Danny Green and Patrick Mills out injured, he had to get creative and think on his toes. Mission accomplished. Oh, and the $250,000 Miami game continues to pay dividends: That fourth quarter fivesome that did so well against the Bucks was a lineup that debuted and gained chemistry versus the Heat.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 85.6
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Offense
Other than three-point percentage and turnovers, everything else was a plus on offense. The Spurs scored 76 points in the paint or on the line, which alone is superb. They were also great on the offensive glass, shared the ball well and got easy points on the fast break.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 85.1
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Defense
The 99 points allowed appears to be a negative on the surface, but considering that Milwaukee had 100 possessions, it’s a totally acceptable number. The Spurs were also outstanding on the defensive glass (a definite weakness as of late), kept the Bucks out of the paint and allowed only six assists in the entire second half. Two actual negatives: the lack of forced turnovers and the 29 free throws allowed.
Final Grade:82
Season Average: 83.1
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Overall
The Spurs avoided their customary holiday-time loss against the Bucks. The bench grew even more confident. And Stern looks even stupider. Good times.
Final Grade: 85
Season Average: 84.4
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