Quick Grades: Spurs vs. Suns - Feb. 27

[timvp]

Tim Duncan C-
Boarded well and got to the line. Everything else was unsightly. O was a struggle, especially on the post. Individual D was scary bad.

Manu Ginobili D+
Looked 35 going on 46. Slow and deliberate with movements. D was hindered by lack of speed. O was also shaky. Costly free throw miss.

Tony Parker B-
Can't complain too much about his statistical production but his energy level was low and his defense could have been better.

Kawhi Leonard B
Great at getting to the line, passed very well and was tenacious on D. Could have been more aggressive on O. Rebounding was MIA.

Danny Green B-
I'm starting to hear circus music when he dribbles. Other than that, though, he was fine. Rebounded, hit shots and played attentive D.

Tiago Splitter C-
Strength on the offensive glass negated by weakness on defensive glass. Wasn't physical enough on D. Not demonstrative enough on O.

DeJuan Blair A-
His athleticism was iffy but he made up for it. Nimble touch around the rim. Exhibited patience on O. Boarded well but D was dubious.

Boris Diaw D+
Non-existent in the paint. Didn't play tough enough. Didn't grab a single board. Made a few plays on O but was mostly quiet.

Stephen JacksonB
Turned an ankle 8 minutes in. Played decently well up until that point. Good effort on the boards and helped the offensive flow.

Patrick Mills C+
Got the first crack at backup PG role; didn't show much. Hustled and authored a few positive moments but was also shaky at times.

Nando De Colo C-
He was the backup PG in the second half. Turnovers remain his bugaboo. Quick to loose balls but otherwise nondescript.

Pop C
Rotations still random. In hindsight more minutes for Green probably would have helped. Playcalling was bland in overtime.

[ElNono]

If Manu got a D+ and was actually the team leading scorer in the 4th quarter, despite the missed freebie, I can't even fathom how terrible the rest were during that time...

[chapnis]

This game was terrible, I'm going to pretend it never happened. It was a trap game and they fell right into it.

[Splits]

Manu Ginobili D+
Looked 35 going on 46. Slow and deliberate with movements. D was hindered by lack of speed. O was also shaky. Costly free throw miss.


"Costly" in the sense that it lost the game. Pathetic. He shouldn't be on the floor in this condition.

[TE]

Just an overall frustrating game TBH.

[TE]

i.e, burn the tape imo.

[siraulo23]

non issue

pop just wanted that 18 game home winning streak to end

[letmk]

In whole, Tony relatively played the best among the big three. But he is our LeBron now(at least that's where the Spurs' hope is at), and he has to play at least B+ day in and day out unless the shooters are on fire for some nights.

[Splits]

If Manu got a D+ and was actually the team leading scorer in the 4th quarter, despite the missed freebie, I can't even fathom how terrible the rest were during that time...

You. Are. A. Fucking. Idiot.

It pains me to say that, because I know you love the Spurs, but your takes are fucking horrible.

[jesterbobman]

It shouldn't come down to that FT shot. If you have the ball and a small lead(where the other team is going to foul) in the last 3-4 seconds, just toss it up in the air. The other team can't foul you, and it uses up the clock. When JR Smith is smart enough to do this(in the NY-GS game today) I wonder why the Spurs don't instruct their players to do so.

Manu just looks old.

[DapDaGenius]

We should've won this game.

[hooperflash]

I'm over it.

[Capt Bringdown]

Spurs have shown progress in their defense recently, but this game was a step backwards and that's why it's a painful loss IMO. Plenty of blame to go around, but I reckon the chief culprit was Blair. You simply can't afford to let the opposing big man get into a rhythm. With Blair on the court, the Spurs are playing 4 on 5 every defensive possession, and the opponents know that. The guy is a cancer.

[Hoops Czar]

Two straight games the Spurs lose the game because Manu can't hit a pair of freethrows.. Anyone who says this team is better than last year's needs to have their head examined. I don't care how much the defense has improved, the offense is way to inconsistent to win a playoff series against the Clippers or Thunder. The Spurs are primarily a jumpshooting team and when the shots aren't falling, they look downright pathetic and it will undoubtedly will be their undoing in the playoffs.

Second chance points continue to plague the Spurs. The difference in offensive rebounding might not seem like a big deal, but when the Spurs get an O rebound, they kick it out. When a Spurs opponent gets an O rebound, they take it up stong for an automatic two. ADVANTAGE opponent.

[Fireball]

Scoring only 1 point in Overtime sucks big time ... who said Manu not hitting his free throws was a non-issue

[John B]

Spurs lost because they couldn't convert a basket in OT. That's a fluke so nothing to worry about. Go Spurs Go!

[Slippy]

Was trying hard to figure what POP wanted out of this game , aside from the win. Rotations and subs didn't make sense.

Suns are soft in the paint, hardly went there using post offense with Tim. Tiago made mince out of scola last game, didn't see one post up this one.

Pretty much played into suns hands.

[Richie]

SpursTalk meltdown in full swing. I bet most of those calling for Manu to retire were saying the same thing about Timmy a few years ago and wanted us to trade Parker in the summer.

Manu hasn't had consistent minutes for a while. We have nearly the whole month at home, enough time for him to get his rhythm back. He'll be fine.

[Slippy]

Forgot to add, Oneal and suns got going with Diaw and Blair as Spurs bigs. They made a concerted effort to attack the paint. POP needs to go back to having atleast TIm or Tiago anchoring the middle.

[J.T.]

Man, Ginobili you used to be my boy dude but fuck you man. Ain't done shit since fouling Dirk in 2006.

[Fabbs]

Pop rounding into playoff form.

[urunobili]

I think this one is on Pop. The Suns comeback was all during De Colo's time on the floor. He had already sucked against them in the previous game yet he gave him the 2nd half backup PG duties.... lol Manu's score less than De Colo's

[callo1]

Long road trip, trap game, and big home cooked meals after returning home. I'm going to bet things are cleaned up considerably next game

Tim needs to rest. Splitter and Baynes for a few games.

Tim's defense looked really bad, but part of that was the exceptional play of O'Neal. He gives TD problems.

[ElNono]

You. Are. A. Fucking. Idiot.

It pains me to say that, because I know you love the Spurs, but your takes are fucking horrible.

:lol nothing like attacking the messenger when your shit gets constantly pushed in... pretty telling you decided not to address the post at all...

[ElNono]

Two straight games the Spurs lose the game because Manu can't hit a pair of freethrows.. Anyone who says this team is better than last year's needs to have their head examined. I don't care how much the defense has improved, the offense is way to inconsistent to win a playoff series against the Clippers or Thunder. The Spurs are primarily a jumpshooting team and when the shots aren't falling, they look downright pathetic and it will undoubtedly will be their undoing in the playoffs.

Second chance points continue to plague the Spurs. The difference in offensive rebounding might not seem like a big deal, but when the Spurs get an O rebound, they kick it out. When a Spurs opponent gets an O rebound, they take it up stong for an automatic two. ADVANTAGE opponent.

This is a good post, but I'll point out that, historically, having a better defense is preferable to having a better offense, especially when the playoffs roll around. IMO, they're better than last season as a team overall. Even last night game, we could not put the ball in the basket for the entire OT, but we also held them scoreless for 4 out of the 5 OT minutes.

That doesn't mean this team has enough to win it all though....

[Ice009]

These last two losses showed that our chance to win it is very, very small.

Ball movement crumbles when the other team is locked in on D and TP can't seem to avoid huge drops off when he is covered by a taller defender.

I really think that Kawhi needs to move up to the third option on offense. We really need someone to create for themselves, or at least, draw fouls and get to the free throw line. Can't rely on hitting jump shots and ball movement to win every game. Elite defenses aren't going to allow you to pass the ball around willy nilly. You're going to need a few players that can create shots for themselves. Kawhi is one of them, and he needs even more reps so we can see what he can do. Gary Neal is another. Even though I do not want him at backup PG, I at least like that he can create his own shot. That will be valuable in the playoffs, but I don't know if his other short comings should allow him to be on the court much.

I will say that at least the defense has improved. That is a very good thing. They need to keep working on that and try to get even better on the defensive end of the court.

[bklynspursfan]

We were due one upset at home this year. I think the Kings beat us at home last year while we were hot. Losing to the Knicks and Clippers early on was "ok" at least they're playoff teams. This will be our 1 fluke.

I do hope Tim starts to get back into the form he was early on this season, I know he missed a lot of games. But we need he and Manu to start getting back into game shape soon.

[tp2021]

Tim, Tony, Manu, Kawhi, Dejuan, and Nando all missed at least one free throw in that game.

Not hitting free throws has cost them a road game against a WC playoff team, and a home game against a WC lottery team, 2 out of the last three times they have stepped on the court.

I wonder if the All-Star break and homecoming have affected the team's collective focus? Not a good sign for a team that depends on crisp execution to defeat their opponents.

Hopefully last night was the wakeup call needed to kick off a successful homestand, with some curse-laden Pop tirades thrown in for good measure.

[jag]

It shouldn't come down to that FT shot. If you have the ball and a small lead(where the other team is going to foul) in the last 3-4 seconds, just toss it up in the air. The other team can't foul you, and it uses up the clock. When JR Smith is smart enough to do this(in the NY-GS game today) I wonder why the Spurs don't instruct their players to do so.

Manu just looks old.

JR Smith has a much different thought process than everyone else.

[Embedded]

They deserved a night off.

[silverblk mystix]

Last night was the after-effects of that delicious In-&-Out meal..it just took a couple of days to get washed out of the system. They will be fine next game.

[TDfan2007]

Tim Duncan C-
Boarded well and got to the line. Everything else was unsightly. O was a struggle, especially on the post. Individual D was scary bad.

His numbers look solid, but after watching the game I completely agree with the grade.

It's pretty telling that a 34 year-old Jermaine O'Neal who has been hobbled for much of his recent career was elevating over Timmy on every play. All of his misses were short, his free throws were flat, his post moves lacked any fluidity, and his defense was weak. He got pushed around in the paint all night. I'll give it two more weeks. If he's not back to form in two more weeks, then it'll be clear that his issues are due to the knee injury. If that's the case, then this team's chances of ringing just went from slim to none.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Just a really sloppy all around game from the spurs i.e missed freethrows, not executing a fastbreak. They showed flashes like the were ready to blow the game wide open but then they would turn it over or take a bad shot and continue to let the suns hang around. It also didn't help that Jermaine O'Neal played like it was 2003.

[superbigtime]

Disgusted. going to the game Friday. They better get their shit together. Sick of these shitty free throw displays. WTF Manu. My hero is a human.

[FrenchSpur]

I'm not worried about this one, they just hit every long 2s if you watch closely the game (especially in the first quarter) and a miraculous shot. If guys like abaka and Arthur have to look like all stars to beat us then we have to tip our hat to them...

[TDfan2007]

I'm not worried about this one, they just hit every long 2s if you watch closely the game (especially in the first quarter) and a miraculous shot. If guys like abaka and Arthur have to look like all stars to beat us then we have to tip our hat to them...

Almost any NBA player can hit wide open mid range jumpers, which is exactly what the spurs were giving up all night.

[bklynspursfan]

We got Sac at home tomorrow, which will probably a bounce back win. OKC is in Denver on Friday, LAC are in Indy tonight. Gotta start taking care of business while the teams behind us deal with their tough schedule.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Don't sleep on Sac, they took Miami to double OT, and murdered the Magic.

The Magic aren't very good obviously, but I didn't expect Sacramento to blow them out of the water.


Spurs need the #1 seed more so than any of the other top 4 teams in the West. Going by how poor the Spurs have played on the road in the playoff series they have been eliminated in the past 4 years I would say HCA is crucial for SA.

[Hoops Czar]

This is a good post, but I'll point out that, historically, having a better defense is preferable to having a better offense, especially when the playoffs roll around. IMO, they're better than last season as a team overall. Even last night game, we could not put the ball in the basket for the entire OT, but we also held them scoreless for 4 out of the 5 OT minutes.

That doesn't mean this team has enough to win it all though....

True, I'd take a solid D over a solid O anyday. But just to clarify what I meant, I think both the Clips and Thunder can score on this defense and at some point, it's going to come down to the offense. The Spurs just played two poor defenses in the Warriors and Suns while barely cracking the century mark in against both. The depth just isn't there like it was last year. Manu has taken a step backwards, Duncan's lost on offense settling for mid range jumpers eventhough his shot is way off, S-jax is finished, Neal can't buy a basket most nights, De Colo as a backup pg makes me want to vomit, and Splitter's numbers are down from last year with the exception of his freethrow % ( Yes, Splitters's defense has improved but primarily because he plays alongside Duncan).

Bad games happen but the Spurs have had more than their fair share of close calls where TP had to take over late. Tony Parker can't do it all. Somebody else is going to have to step up eventually if the Spurs want to win no. 5. Personally, I still think there are too many question marks surrounding this team right now to think they have a legitimate shot at a championship but we'll see.

[bklynspursfan]

Don't sleep on Sac, they took Miami to double OT, and murdered the Magic.

The Magic aren't very good obviously, but I didn't expect Sacramento to blow them out of the water.


Spurs need the #1 seed more so than any of the other top 4 teams in the West. Going by how poor the Spurs have played on the road in the playoff series they have been eliminated in the past 4 years I would say HCA is crucial for SA.

Oh yea most definitely. I think this team does a fairly good job of bouncing back after a loss. Had they won vs. Phoenix, I think the probability of losing to the Kings would be higher.

Absolutely must take care of business to get HCA.

[FrenchSpur]

Almost any NBA player can hit wide open mid range jumpers, which is exactly what the spurs were giving up all night.

You are right but I'd rather take a long two than a three or a lay-up (even contested) and you can't stop everything efficiently, unfortunately...

[loveforthegame]

A little worried about Duncan. His numbers look good enough but he's moving around like an old man.

Don't know what else to say about Manu and his missed free throws.

Really enjoying how Leonard is finding ways to get to the line.

We really need to figure out what to do when teams put a bigger defender on Parker. It's alarming that they haven't figured out an answer to that yet. Good thing Leonard and Green are getting better at handling the ball, distributing, etc... because that will only help in the playoffs.

[benstanfield]

One problem is that we're asking Tiago to make up the difference between Prime-Duncan and Now-Duncan, but that gap is growing wider by the day. At a certain point I think Tiago is gonna have to be the main big on offense. If Duncan can give us long jumpers, picks, and solid defense that's great, but getting post touches over Tiago isn't really effective at this point. Tim's reached that point in the season where his game slows way down and his post touches become unsightly, but Stiffler seems surprisingly effective with his back to the basket.

[SpurYank]

I've been wondering when the crying would start.You guys bitch like this every year. I am great at my profession. But I have had days when everything went wrong and it has always been a for a great number of reasons. Notice I use the plural form of the noun reason.

So it is every year with our Spurs. After we lost those 3 games at Detroit during the NBA championships a few years ago you were all saying the same thing. Took that blocked shot at the last second to seal our 7th game victory, and the NBA championship.

This is another odd year.

I am confident, still. Been here before. EVERY year.

[emanueldavidginobili]

People are over reacting to this loss, the Spurs played a very, very bad game last night and we lost that is expected a couple of times over the entire season it happens to every single team. The Thunder have lost to Cavs, Wizards and Timberwolves and the Timberwolves practically have everyone injured on that team. The Spurs played hard and were on the road for a long time during this RRT, they came back to SA a little relaxed and there wasn't much effort during the game and the Suns played a good game, stuff like this happens. The Spurs played a absolutely terrible game and we lost by a Manu missed free throw and a Wes Johnson buzzer beater with 3 seconds left for them to beat us. I guarantee they bounce right back.

[moisaenz]

We are just tanking to evade the lakers...

[Seventyniner]

This is another odd year.

I am confident, still. Been here before. EVERY other year.

Fixed.

[wildbill2u]

If you watch enough games you'll find every NBA team has some inexplicable last second losses or someone does something spectacular to send a game into overtime.

Look at Sean's "miracle shot' or the last second 3 put up against the Lakers by Tim followed by Derek Fishers .4 shot. Last night in Houston, some team dribbled the ball for 20+ seconds and then passed to a guy who hit a falling backward 27 foot 3 to win the game.

So last game Manu uncharacteristically misses a FT and O'Neal makes a perfect outlet pass to an uncovered teammate downcourt who hits a shot to send it into overtime.

Not the end of the world. Shit happens.

[Budkin]

If you watch enough games you'll find every NBA team has some inexplicable last second losses or someone does something spectacular to send a game into overtime.

Look at Sean's "miracle shot' or the last second 3 put up against the Lakers by Tim followed by Derek Fishers .4 shot. Last night in Houston, some team dribbled the ball for 20+ seconds and then passed to a guy who hit a falling backward 27 foot 3 to win the game.

So last game Manu uncharacteristically misses a FT and O'Neal makes a perfect outlet pass to an uncovered teammate downcourt who hits a shot to send it into overtime.

Not the end of the world. Shit happens.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4-RNTsgHLw

[racm]

If you watch enough games you'll find every NBA team has some inexplicable last second losses or someone does something spectacular to send a game into overtime.

Look at Sean's "miracle shot' or the last second 3 put up against the Lakers by Tim followed by Derek Fishers .4 shot. Last night in Houston, some team dribbled the ball for 20+ seconds and then passed to a guy who hit a falling backward 27 foot 3 to win the game.

So last game Manu uncharacteristically misses a FT and O'Neal makes a perfect outlet pass to an uncovered teammate downcourt who hits a shot to send it into overtime.

Not the end of the world. Shit happens.

We call those things statistical outliers. :D

And re Manu's missed FT: There's a reason his foul on Dirk and his missed FT will live on in infamy. Because the guy makes a lot of game changing plays, and he's not a perfect guy, so even he will make bad plays, but overall his impact on the game is positive because he makes five great plays for every bad one.

[weeks]

This game was terrible, I'm going to pretend it never happened. It was a trap game and they fell right into it.
yeah. when they made that buzzer beating three to send us into overtime, i somehow knew the game was over.
they built the momentum and we had nothing.

this isn't the first time this year we've had an overtime game where we barely scored any points at all. it worries me the team didn't respond yet again; and a home game at that.