timvp
12-15-2012, 06:22 PM
Playing the second game of a back-to-back that was also the fifth game in seven nights, the Spurs never looked quite right in their 98-90 loss against the Blazers. Fatigue was definitely an issue as San Antonio dropped consecutive contests for the first time this season, however the young Blazers deserve a lot of credit for keeping the pressure on and decidedly outplaying the visitors.
The first quarter was hotly contested; neither team led by more than four points in the final eight minutes of the period. Portland held a 23-21 advantage at the quarter’s end.
The Blazers started strong in the second stanza, with a Luke Babbitt three-pointer giving them a seven-point lead. The Spurs quickly battled back by scoring the next nine points of the game. Later in the quarter, the Blazers again went up by seven points following an 8-0 run. San Antonio came back but still trailed by four points, 49-45, heading into halftime.
The Spurs were sharp to start the second half -- Tony Parker gave the Spurs the lead two minutes into the third quarter -- but that crispness didn’t last long. San Antonio’s offense dried up and they scored only four minutes over almost seven minutes of the period. By the time the Spurs rediscovered their groove, they were down by double-digits.
Thanks to stout defense, the good guys were able to make it a game in the fourth quarter. From the ten-minute mark to the five-minute mark, the Blazers were held to only two points -- and that allowed the Spurs to get within a manageable amount.
A Danny Green three-pointer trimmed the deficit to three with 2:21 remaining. Damian Lillard responded with a jumper, but Tim Duncan answered right back with a basket of his own. On the ensuing possession, the Spurs got a stop but failed to corral the rebound. Given another chance at it, Nicolas Batum drained a three-pointer with 1:06 to go to put the Blazers up by six points and essentially close the door on any comeback hopes.
http://www.spurstalk.com/box242.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box243.png
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Tim Duncan
http://www.spurstalk.com/td12.png
Tim Duncan looked surprisingly limber early on in the contest. He was moving great, jumping well and was a force on both ends in the first half. He scored ten of his points in the first half on 4-for-7 shooting from the field. Unfortunately, fatigue caught up to Duncan in the second half. He was nearly invisible in the third quarter and although he was better in the fourth quarter, it was obvious that he was running on fumes. Despite the limitations, his defense remained sharp outside of a subpar rebounding performance.
Final Grade: 81
Season Average: 91.1
Adj. Average: 91.3
Last 10 Average: 90.0
---------------
Manu Ginobili
http://www.spurstalk.com/mg12.png
I haven’t seen any confirmation but it was clear to me that Manu Ginobili’s back was bothering him. He grabbed his back on a couple of occasions and never seemed capable of shifting out of first gear. As a result, it was difficult for him to make plays off the dribble or to stay with his man defensively. That said, Ginobili somehow managed to contribute at a somewhat satisfactory clip despite his limitations. While he had a handful of head-scratching decisions, he still dished out seven assists and scored 12 points on seven shots. Additionally, rebounding continues to be a major strength. In his last ten games, Ginobili is averaging 5.1 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game -- a rate that is 32% better than his career rebounding rate.
Final Grade: 75
Season Average: 82.8
Adj. Average: 83.0
Last 10 Average: 84.8
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Tony Parker
http://www.spurstalk.com/tp12.png
Unfortunately, it appears as if Tony Parker’s exceptionally strong start to the season on the defensive end is coming to an end. In the last week or so, he’s switched to regular season doldrums type defense. That was apparent as Damian Lillard scored too easily and the rookie rarely had any difficulties finding teammates. On the other end, Parker was decent. He scored well (his 7-for-7 free throw shooting lifted his season percentage to 81.7%) but his playmaking was below average and his decisions weren’t as quick as usual. For the Spurs to get back to their winning ways, they need Parker to pick up his aggression on both ends and play each possession with more purpose.
Final Grade: 75
Season Average: 87.6
Adj. Average: 87.5
Last 10 Average: 90.0
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Danny Green
http://www.spurstalk.com/dg12.png
After being called out by Pop following the loss against the Jazz, Danny Green didn’t respond very well in his next outing. He didn’t even attempt a shot until his 10th minute of playing time. Green had a couple good passes and hit a big shot late but remained quiet for the duration of the night on the offensive end. Defensively, he was a little bit better but still relatively silent. The Spurs need more ferocity out of Green. Take away his intensity on D and his confidence on O and he’s simply not much of a player.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 82.0
Adj. Average: 82.3
Last 10 Average: 81.4
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Gary Neal
http://www.spurstalk.com/gn12.png
Gary Neal was missing his shots and was equally imprecise on defense, where he habitually found himself out of position. His sloppiness also extended to his ball-handling and passing. Neal rebounded the ball well and I thought his shot selection was decent enough but he can’t play an ill-focused brand of basketball if he wants to keep getting playing big minutes when everyone is healthy.
Final Grade: 74
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 83.1
Last 10 Average: 82.5
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DeJuan Blair
http://www.spurstalk.com/db12.png
Whatever is holding down DeJuan Blair physically -- be it a gimpy ankle, degenerating knees or a recent spike in chubbiness -- is making it difficult to watch him play. He can’t jump or move laterally or run or do just about anything this sport requires. Let’s hope that whatever is limiting him can be solved soon because it’s getting pathetic.
Final Grade: 68
Season Average: 78.3
Adj. Average: 79.6
Last 10 Average: 74.4
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Tiago Splitter
http://www.spurstalk.com/ts12.png
The Bad: I thought Tiago Splitter left a few rebounds out there. I also didn’t love how he defended the rim against penetration. Additionally, his finishing wasn’t as spectacular as it has been lately. The Good: Splitter’s defense against LaMarcus Aldridge was really good. He drew three offensive fouls against the talented bigman and showed the necessary quickness to stay in front of him. Offensively, he remained a big part of the proceedings even when he was paired with Duncan. Splitter’s scoring was good but I was especially impressed by his passing. Each of his three assists was dazzling.
Final Grade: 90
Season Average: 84.3
Adj. Average: 85.2
Last 10 Average: 87.8
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Boris Diaw
http://www.spurstalk.com/bd12.png
The funk continues for Boris Diaw. He now has nine turnovers in his last three games. Considering he was averaging less than a turnover a game in his previous 18 outings, that’s a stupefying amount. He had a few solid passes and hit the shots he attempted but offense was mostly a struggle for the Frenchman. Defense wasn’t much better. His post defense, specifically, was surprisingly weak. He’s usually really good at defending the low block. Hopefully Diaw snaps out of it soon.
Final Grade: 69
Season Average: 79.0
Adj. Average: 80.5
Last 10 Average: 79.0
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Patrick Mills
http://www.spurstalk.com/pm12.png
To say Patrick Mills played bad defense would be putting it kindly. Mills let Lillard repeatedly destroy him with fakes and quick dribble moves. Offensively, the Australian was useful. I really liked his decisions and the way he utilized his speed to force the Blazers to pay attention to him. That said, his defense can’t be that wretched if he wants to earn NBA minutes.
Final Grade: 78
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 82.2
Last 10 Average: 87.9
---------------
Nando De Colo
http://www.spurstalk.com/ndc12.png
Defensively, Nando De Colo authored a few blatant errors. The rest of the time he was average to above average on D, but those types of miscues need to be eliminated if he wants to gain the coaches’ confidence. Offensively, he didn’t do a whole lot. He had a clever drive to the hoop for a bucket and also made a few heady passes but most of the time he was merely observing the action.
Final Grade: 80
Season Average: 81.9
Adj. Average: 83.8
Last 10 Average: 81.7
---------------
Matt Bonner
http://www.spurstalk.com/mb12.png
Where did that hustling, physical version of Matt Bonner go? He was back to being passive during his four minutes in Portland. Defensively, he was basically just a sieve. His transition defense was particularly weak. Add in no rebounds and no offense and it was a forgettable foray onto the court for Bonner.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 84.2
Last 10 Average: 84.1
---------------
Pop
http://www.spurstalk.com/gp12.png
I really thought Pop was going to sit the Big Three this game. In retrospect, I believe it would have been the prudent move. He had a tired team and there was no reason to risk injury. Hopefully David Stern’s actions haven’t changed the way Pop manages his team’s minutes going forward. Outside of that decision, I didn’t have any major qualms. I liked that he played Splitter extra minutes. Then again, he probably could have been more imaginative with his guard rotation in order to find a group that could consistently put points on the board.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 85.0
Last 10 Average: 86.1
---------------
Offense
The offensive numbers on a whole aren’t bad. In most areas, the Spurs did what they needed to do. They didn’t shoot great from three-point land or the charity stripe, however what really killed them was the turnover total (19). Even though the Spurs had no crispness, they might have survived if they would have kept their turnovers at a reasonable level.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 85.0
Last 10 Average: 85.6
---------------
Defense
It’s not easy to find a reason to complain defense-wise. They grabbed rebounds at a healthy rate, limited Portland’s free throw attempts, defended the three-point line well, kept them out of the paint and restricted their assisting. The Blazers won by hitting 15 two-pointers outside of the paint (to compare, the Spurs only had four such shots). Usually this level of defense will produce a victory. On Thursday night it did not thanks to substandard offense and the Blazers hitting their two-point jumpers.
Final Grade: 87
Season Average: 83.3
Last 10 Average: 84.8
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Overall
The Blazers played well. The Spurs were tired. And the good guys lost. While we can point to fatigue, let’s hope that this doesn’t become a common theme this season.
Final Grade: 78
Season Average: 84.3
Last 10 Average: 85.1
---------------
The first quarter was hotly contested; neither team led by more than four points in the final eight minutes of the period. Portland held a 23-21 advantage at the quarter’s end.
The Blazers started strong in the second stanza, with a Luke Babbitt three-pointer giving them a seven-point lead. The Spurs quickly battled back by scoring the next nine points of the game. Later in the quarter, the Blazers again went up by seven points following an 8-0 run. San Antonio came back but still trailed by four points, 49-45, heading into halftime.
The Spurs were sharp to start the second half -- Tony Parker gave the Spurs the lead two minutes into the third quarter -- but that crispness didn’t last long. San Antonio’s offense dried up and they scored only four minutes over almost seven minutes of the period. By the time the Spurs rediscovered their groove, they were down by double-digits.
Thanks to stout defense, the good guys were able to make it a game in the fourth quarter. From the ten-minute mark to the five-minute mark, the Blazers were held to only two points -- and that allowed the Spurs to get within a manageable amount.
A Danny Green three-pointer trimmed the deficit to three with 2:21 remaining. Damian Lillard responded with a jumper, but Tim Duncan answered right back with a basket of his own. On the ensuing possession, the Spurs got a stop but failed to corral the rebound. Given another chance at it, Nicolas Batum drained a three-pointer with 1:06 to go to put the Blazers up by six points and essentially close the door on any comeback hopes.
http://www.spurstalk.com/box242.png
http://www.spurstalk.com/box243.png
---------------
Tim Duncan
http://www.spurstalk.com/td12.png
Tim Duncan looked surprisingly limber early on in the contest. He was moving great, jumping well and was a force on both ends in the first half. He scored ten of his points in the first half on 4-for-7 shooting from the field. Unfortunately, fatigue caught up to Duncan in the second half. He was nearly invisible in the third quarter and although he was better in the fourth quarter, it was obvious that he was running on fumes. Despite the limitations, his defense remained sharp outside of a subpar rebounding performance.
Final Grade: 81
Season Average: 91.1
Adj. Average: 91.3
Last 10 Average: 90.0
---------------
Manu Ginobili
http://www.spurstalk.com/mg12.png
I haven’t seen any confirmation but it was clear to me that Manu Ginobili’s back was bothering him. He grabbed his back on a couple of occasions and never seemed capable of shifting out of first gear. As a result, it was difficult for him to make plays off the dribble or to stay with his man defensively. That said, Ginobili somehow managed to contribute at a somewhat satisfactory clip despite his limitations. While he had a handful of head-scratching decisions, he still dished out seven assists and scored 12 points on seven shots. Additionally, rebounding continues to be a major strength. In his last ten games, Ginobili is averaging 5.1 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game -- a rate that is 32% better than his career rebounding rate.
Final Grade: 75
Season Average: 82.8
Adj. Average: 83.0
Last 10 Average: 84.8
---------------
Tony Parker
http://www.spurstalk.com/tp12.png
Unfortunately, it appears as if Tony Parker’s exceptionally strong start to the season on the defensive end is coming to an end. In the last week or so, he’s switched to regular season doldrums type defense. That was apparent as Damian Lillard scored too easily and the rookie rarely had any difficulties finding teammates. On the other end, Parker was decent. He scored well (his 7-for-7 free throw shooting lifted his season percentage to 81.7%) but his playmaking was below average and his decisions weren’t as quick as usual. For the Spurs to get back to their winning ways, they need Parker to pick up his aggression on both ends and play each possession with more purpose.
Final Grade: 75
Season Average: 87.6
Adj. Average: 87.5
Last 10 Average: 90.0
---------------
Danny Green
http://www.spurstalk.com/dg12.png
After being called out by Pop following the loss against the Jazz, Danny Green didn’t respond very well in his next outing. He didn’t even attempt a shot until his 10th minute of playing time. Green had a couple good passes and hit a big shot late but remained quiet for the duration of the night on the offensive end. Defensively, he was a little bit better but still relatively silent. The Spurs need more ferocity out of Green. Take away his intensity on D and his confidence on O and he’s simply not much of a player.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 82.0
Adj. Average: 82.3
Last 10 Average: 81.4
---------------
Gary Neal
http://www.spurstalk.com/gn12.png
Gary Neal was missing his shots and was equally imprecise on defense, where he habitually found himself out of position. His sloppiness also extended to his ball-handling and passing. Neal rebounded the ball well and I thought his shot selection was decent enough but he can’t play an ill-focused brand of basketball if he wants to keep getting playing big minutes when everyone is healthy.
Final Grade: 74
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 83.1
Last 10 Average: 82.5
---------------
DeJuan Blair
http://www.spurstalk.com/db12.png
Whatever is holding down DeJuan Blair physically -- be it a gimpy ankle, degenerating knees or a recent spike in chubbiness -- is making it difficult to watch him play. He can’t jump or move laterally or run or do just about anything this sport requires. Let’s hope that whatever is limiting him can be solved soon because it’s getting pathetic.
Final Grade: 68
Season Average: 78.3
Adj. Average: 79.6
Last 10 Average: 74.4
---------------
Tiago Splitter
http://www.spurstalk.com/ts12.png
The Bad: I thought Tiago Splitter left a few rebounds out there. I also didn’t love how he defended the rim against penetration. Additionally, his finishing wasn’t as spectacular as it has been lately. The Good: Splitter’s defense against LaMarcus Aldridge was really good. He drew three offensive fouls against the talented bigman and showed the necessary quickness to stay in front of him. Offensively, he remained a big part of the proceedings even when he was paired with Duncan. Splitter’s scoring was good but I was especially impressed by his passing. Each of his three assists was dazzling.
Final Grade: 90
Season Average: 84.3
Adj. Average: 85.2
Last 10 Average: 87.8
---------------
Boris Diaw
http://www.spurstalk.com/bd12.png
The funk continues for Boris Diaw. He now has nine turnovers in his last three games. Considering he was averaging less than a turnover a game in his previous 18 outings, that’s a stupefying amount. He had a few solid passes and hit the shots he attempted but offense was mostly a struggle for the Frenchman. Defense wasn’t much better. His post defense, specifically, was surprisingly weak. He’s usually really good at defending the low block. Hopefully Diaw snaps out of it soon.
Final Grade: 69
Season Average: 79.0
Adj. Average: 80.5
Last 10 Average: 79.0
---------------
Patrick Mills
http://www.spurstalk.com/pm12.png
To say Patrick Mills played bad defense would be putting it kindly. Mills let Lillard repeatedly destroy him with fakes and quick dribble moves. Offensively, the Australian was useful. I really liked his decisions and the way he utilized his speed to force the Blazers to pay attention to him. That said, his defense can’t be that wretched if he wants to earn NBA minutes.
Final Grade: 78
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 82.2
Last 10 Average: 87.9
---------------
Nando De Colo
http://www.spurstalk.com/ndc12.png
Defensively, Nando De Colo authored a few blatant errors. The rest of the time he was average to above average on D, but those types of miscues need to be eliminated if he wants to gain the coaches’ confidence. Offensively, he didn’t do a whole lot. He had a clever drive to the hoop for a bucket and also made a few heady passes but most of the time he was merely observing the action.
Final Grade: 80
Season Average: 81.9
Adj. Average: 83.8
Last 10 Average: 81.7
---------------
Matt Bonner
http://www.spurstalk.com/mb12.png
Where did that hustling, physical version of Matt Bonner go? He was back to being passive during his four minutes in Portland. Defensively, he was basically just a sieve. His transition defense was particularly weak. Add in no rebounds and no offense and it was a forgettable foray onto the court for Bonner.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 84.2
Last 10 Average: 84.1
---------------
Pop
http://www.spurstalk.com/gp12.png
I really thought Pop was going to sit the Big Three this game. In retrospect, I believe it would have been the prudent move. He had a tired team and there was no reason to risk injury. Hopefully David Stern’s actions haven’t changed the way Pop manages his team’s minutes going forward. Outside of that decision, I didn’t have any major qualms. I liked that he played Splitter extra minutes. Then again, he probably could have been more imaginative with his guard rotation in order to find a group that could consistently put points on the board.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 85.0
Last 10 Average: 86.1
---------------
Offense
The offensive numbers on a whole aren’t bad. In most areas, the Spurs did what they needed to do. They didn’t shoot great from three-point land or the charity stripe, however what really killed them was the turnover total (19). Even though the Spurs had no crispness, they might have survived if they would have kept their turnovers at a reasonable level.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 85.0
Last 10 Average: 85.6
---------------
Defense
It’s not easy to find a reason to complain defense-wise. They grabbed rebounds at a healthy rate, limited Portland’s free throw attempts, defended the three-point line well, kept them out of the paint and restricted their assisting. The Blazers won by hitting 15 two-pointers outside of the paint (to compare, the Spurs only had four such shots). Usually this level of defense will produce a victory. On Thursday night it did not thanks to substandard offense and the Blazers hitting their two-point jumpers.
Final Grade: 87
Season Average: 83.3
Last 10 Average: 84.8
---------------
Overall
The Blazers played well. The Spurs were tired. And the good guys lost. While we can point to fatigue, let’s hope that this doesn’t become a common theme this season.
Final Grade: 78
Season Average: 84.3
Last 10 Average: 85.1
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