UNT Eagles 2016
01-12-2016, 10:43 PM
Tim Duncan B+ Not much to complain about from Timmy tonight. Set the tone for us by pulling down boards and getting Drummond in early foul trouble. Converted in the post most of the time despite limited opportunities. Defended very well in the 1st half, but a bit soft on defense and the boards in the 2nd. Still a pretty good night for Timmy against one of the better young big men in the NBA as well as that pasty sour cream skinned guy they trotted out there when Drummond went out.
Manu Ginobili A- Made some critical plays offensively at critical junctures. Defended pretty well most of the time, got burned a couple times. A huge steal and rebound late. A few bad turnovers including the one when we were up 19 and could have gone up 20+ but instead the Pistons came back and scored on the other end which eventually ignited them. Overall, I think Manu came to play tonight.
Tony Parker A+ WOW! I didn't know the former Finals MVP had this in him, honestly. Amazing work offensively, particularly in the 3rd quarter. Torched anyone the Pistons dared to put on him. Broke ankles, made jumpers, danced to the rim, made floaters, acrobatic shots at the rim, getting fouled, always making the right play and pass... it almost made me cry of nostagia, seriously. Made a few enormous shots including one enormous three pointer that essentially put the game in the bag once and for all. A whopping 31 points, and most undoubtedly the best performance by a Spur this season thus far. Incredible; needs to keep it up!
Kawhi Leonard F Quite possibly the worst game I've seen out of a healthy Leonard in quite some time. Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, wasn't aggressive on either end, repeatedly got burned on screens, lost his man repeatedly defensively. Soft, looked lost and played without heart and effort tonight. Clanked critical free throws. Pathetic performance; is it possible that Leonard simply isn't good enough to take on challenges on a nightly basis.
LaMarcus Aldridge A The man came to play, simply put. When he wasn't knocking down shots, he was grabbing hotly contested rebounds and frequently giving his teammates opportunities to either put the ball back up or score in transition going the other way. Made a few enormous shots in the 4th quarter when we couldn't buy a stop to save our lives in the 4th quarter (we gave up a whopping 33 4th quarter points :wow) to help stem the tide. The two-man game with Tony was incredible tonight; looked very Paul/Blake-esque at times, in all seriousness. Outstanding 22 point performance from LMA.
Danny Green D Outside of his two three-pointers, he was a bone in the Spurs' side once again. Frequently allowed his man to own him on defense, and stunk up the offense for the most part. Botched a three pointer short with literally nobody within 20 feet of him in the 3rd quarter which would have been important for our momentum. Turned the ball over at critical junctures which fueled many of the Pistons' transition opportunities. Absolutely scorched by Caldwell-Pope, and there wasn't a damn thing Green could do about it. Almost as pathetic as that guy he starts with on the perimeter, but not quite given his lower expectations.
Boris Diaw B+ Though he didn't play well early, he certainly made up for it later on. Was a force in the paint offensively after botching a handful of passes in the paint early. Main problem he posed for us was on the defensive glass. Good passing and overall awareness offensively, though his defense left more than a bit to be desired.
Patty Mills D+ Didn't seem to be a factor outside of his deplorable defense. Missed a lot of shots and the "big" one he made didn't even count. A non-factor for the Spurs, but it wasn't for lack of opportunities. A sieve on defense, per par; couldn't guard a soul to save his life.
Jonathon Simmons Inc. Emphatic block on Baynes, fought hard but lost quite a few battles in his limited minutes. It's early in his career, he'll improve.
Kyle Anderson Inc. Got the rebound at the end to make sure the Pistons couldn't get the offensive rebound and get to 100. Not much else to speak of.
Boban Marjanovic Inc. Won some battles, lost some battles against Baynes in his limited minutes early on in the game. Was a non-factor offensively, for a change.
Gregg Popovich C- Even though he won, I thought his responses to situations and adversity were a bit slow and off-kilter tonight. Went up 19, but he couldn't reel his guys in and settle them down so we could pull away and end the game late in the 3rd. Went back up 15, but he failed to do so once again. Ultimately, the players won the game tonight, most particularly Tony and LaMarcus, with valiant supporting efforts from Tim and Manu.
:toast
Manu Ginobili A- Made some critical plays offensively at critical junctures. Defended pretty well most of the time, got burned a couple times. A huge steal and rebound late. A few bad turnovers including the one when we were up 19 and could have gone up 20+ but instead the Pistons came back and scored on the other end which eventually ignited them. Overall, I think Manu came to play tonight.
Tony Parker A+ WOW! I didn't know the former Finals MVP had this in him, honestly. Amazing work offensively, particularly in the 3rd quarter. Torched anyone the Pistons dared to put on him. Broke ankles, made jumpers, danced to the rim, made floaters, acrobatic shots at the rim, getting fouled, always making the right play and pass... it almost made me cry of nostagia, seriously. Made a few enormous shots including one enormous three pointer that essentially put the game in the bag once and for all. A whopping 31 points, and most undoubtedly the best performance by a Spur this season thus far. Incredible; needs to keep it up!
Kawhi Leonard F Quite possibly the worst game I've seen out of a healthy Leonard in quite some time. Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, wasn't aggressive on either end, repeatedly got burned on screens, lost his man repeatedly defensively. Soft, looked lost and played without heart and effort tonight. Clanked critical free throws. Pathetic performance; is it possible that Leonard simply isn't good enough to take on challenges on a nightly basis.
LaMarcus Aldridge A The man came to play, simply put. When he wasn't knocking down shots, he was grabbing hotly contested rebounds and frequently giving his teammates opportunities to either put the ball back up or score in transition going the other way. Made a few enormous shots in the 4th quarter when we couldn't buy a stop to save our lives in the 4th quarter (we gave up a whopping 33 4th quarter points :wow) to help stem the tide. The two-man game with Tony was incredible tonight; looked very Paul/Blake-esque at times, in all seriousness. Outstanding 22 point performance from LMA.
Danny Green D Outside of his two three-pointers, he was a bone in the Spurs' side once again. Frequently allowed his man to own him on defense, and stunk up the offense for the most part. Botched a three pointer short with literally nobody within 20 feet of him in the 3rd quarter which would have been important for our momentum. Turned the ball over at critical junctures which fueled many of the Pistons' transition opportunities. Absolutely scorched by Caldwell-Pope, and there wasn't a damn thing Green could do about it. Almost as pathetic as that guy he starts with on the perimeter, but not quite given his lower expectations.
Boris Diaw B+ Though he didn't play well early, he certainly made up for it later on. Was a force in the paint offensively after botching a handful of passes in the paint early. Main problem he posed for us was on the defensive glass. Good passing and overall awareness offensively, though his defense left more than a bit to be desired.
Patty Mills D+ Didn't seem to be a factor outside of his deplorable defense. Missed a lot of shots and the "big" one he made didn't even count. A non-factor for the Spurs, but it wasn't for lack of opportunities. A sieve on defense, per par; couldn't guard a soul to save his life.
Jonathon Simmons Inc. Emphatic block on Baynes, fought hard but lost quite a few battles in his limited minutes. It's early in his career, he'll improve.
Kyle Anderson Inc. Got the rebound at the end to make sure the Pistons couldn't get the offensive rebound and get to 100. Not much else to speak of.
Boban Marjanovic Inc. Won some battles, lost some battles against Baynes in his limited minutes early on in the game. Was a non-factor offensively, for a change.
Gregg Popovich C- Even though he won, I thought his responses to situations and adversity were a bit slow and off-kilter tonight. Went up 19, but he couldn't reel his guys in and settle them down so we could pull away and end the game late in the 3rd. Went back up 15, but he failed to do so once again. Ultimately, the players won the game tonight, most particularly Tony and LaMarcus, with valiant supporting efforts from Tim and Manu.
:toast