Game Grades: Spurs @ Heat 4-0

[raybies]

Game thoughts:

First half was really blah and uninteresting, but the second half picked up. Pop was playing mad scientist, but a lot of the lineups made sense and should theoretically work. It's a yearly thing but I like it this year cause the bench is so unexperienced.

I'm not sure I want to blame Pop, but I got the sense that all the rotations were messing with the rhythm. Maybe some simulated adversity.

Just watching Lee and Dedmon, and remembering our suffering last year with the turd towers, I really believe we could of at least made the finals last year or won it all with these two. Just the rebounding, the size, and skill-sets, very versatile. They got upside too, well at least Dedmon does.

Starters:

Tony Parker B : Some might wonder why so high, but the fact that it wasn't about him at all is a huge sign of progress, mentally speaking. I've often thought that he gets jealous of players success or has his moments where he thinks he can be old Parker, but tonight, he only had like one moment where he dribbled the air out of the ball and started forcing things and it was near the end of the second. He's not gonna have the vision of Nico or the shooting of Patty but, if he can do a little of both, he can play his spot. I wonder if watching the ball move with Patty and Nico, inspired him to get others involved, but he really looked to get others shots. He was passable on D in spurts, showing a lot of effort. Hopefully this is the first step to him finding his new role, and what the team needs from him, cause I doubt Pop wants to bench him.

Kawhi Leonard A+ : This man deserves his A+ for the game he showed in crunch time. He absolutely took over. He was everywhere. He quietly had a solid night and was a terror on both ends. I especially liked his new move, down on the post, where he spun off the defender and got to the lane. He did have an offensive foul for using the elbow, but never the less it was still a good move. Had a late game scare, when he needed to come out of the game to receive some stitches after taking an elbow to the face by Tyler Johnson but he came right back.

Kyle Anderson C+ : I mean he doesn't really mess things up and i'm not sure he makes that much of an impact with the role he has. Actually I think Pato could do the same thing he does, but he's in a role and he's low maintenance. Got to commend his team first mentality. He just does what he's told. Cheers for making that 3 tonight Kyle!

David Lee B : At first he looked a little lost out there with the rotations, but he settled in. He was a menace on the offensive boards and quietly made an impact. He plays the role of the garbage man really well, and plays a real heady game.

Pau Gasol A- : Had his first big game as a Spur. On offense he played magnificently, and played alright on D, but he was getting murked by Whiteside in the post. Luckily for us, the best competition we would face on a run wouldn't involve a great big. It's becoming evident that we should expect a defense for offense sub at end of games with him.

Bench:

Jonathon Simmons B- : Had a solid game overall. Missed some easy shots, but it's what he did that I'll give credit for. He played under control the whole game, showing restraint and kept the ball moving when he didn't have anything. He drew two charges and caused another turnover but what I liked the most was his play to close the second half. He was ISOd at the top of the key against Winslow, I believe, yet took him to the rack with a nice spin move and finish. I was like, "Wow, he can do that?" Must be noted, doesn't he have some of the most exciting near finishes in the league? He said he thinks he can be elite at this level and while I wasn't that high on him before, I'm starting to see the light.

Dewayne Dedmon B+ : Gosh, wish we had him last year. He is the athletic big we've wanted for so long. He makes good insurance. And while he was in foul trouble at the end of the first half he rebounded well in the second. He's a pogo stick out there and while not as athletic as Hassan, he could play with him. Although, he wasn't the answer for Whiteside either, he played well and made him work for it. Pau was just getting blown by. I give him this grade for the amount of work he put in in the time he had. Let's not start the per 36 numbers now lol

Davis Bertans B : The Latvian Sniper lived up to the billing. Came in and knocked in two home runs out of three at bats. Defensively he's better as a rim protector than on ball defender, but he shows maximum effort. He's an upgraded Matt Bonner retrofitted with a quicker release, and clutch genes.

Manu C : Had some nice plays, some not so nice plays, but he did fill the sheet. He wasn't invisible or anything. His passion is still there.

Patty Mills A- : He might deserve a B+ tbh for his slow start in the first half, but he really turned it on in the second half when things got close, hitting big shots when we were in dire need of a spark. Tyler Johnson was doing work on him but he's no stopper. Patty had a nice follow up from his game yesterday and things are looking up for him. Now if only we can get Danny back. My gosh....

Nico Laprovittola INC : Came in to wipe the floor and then quickly exited. :)

[HarlemHeat37]

I have a feeling that one of those players' grade is going to receive a lot of scrutiny, tbh:lol

Thanks for the thoughts..

[raybies]

I have a feeling that one of those players' grade is going to receive a lot of scrutiny, tbh:lol

Thanks for the thoughts..

Yeah lol, i would make a bad teacher. I'd probably pass everyone.

[PopTheGOAT]

Not saying I strongly disagree with anything, but the grades seem a bit high across the board considering we barely beat a not very good Heat team. Although it was a back to back away game. I can't complain about 4-0

[raybies]

Since we are making these grades official and all, I can do a consensus of grades and change the op if necessary. This is my opinion of course.

[jeebus]

:lol giving Kancer a C+ for basically being a guy on the court so there'd be 5 guys out there.

[raybies]

Not saying I strongly disagree with anything, but the grades seem a bit high across the board considering we barely beat a not very good Heat team. Although it was a back to back away game. I can't complain about 4-0

Imo the rotations had a huge part in that. Players seemed out of rhythm.

[raybies]

:lol giving Kancer a C+ for basically being a guy on the court so there'd be 5 guys out there.

he made a three ok :p wanted to make SAG happy

[PopTheGOAT]

Imo the rotations had a huge part in that. Players seemed out of rhythm.
We need Green back (and Aldridge obviously). I hope that doesn't result in limited minutes for Simmons though

[Chinook]

Thanks for the grades, Raybies.

With LMA and Green out, the Spurs were lacking some of their best guys. But it's hard to get Miami's sympathy for that. Simmons hasn't been nearly as awful on D has he was last season, but he's not anywhere close to a stopper. I thought Anderson had his worst game as a Spur too, mainly because he didn't rebound well. You know who else isn't rebounding? Kawhi. I was going to put in my thread last night that Kawhi at the two is killing him on the boards and would probably torpedo his MVP chances if he keeps going. But he got seven boards yesterday. I think he'll have to average almost eight to take home the trophy.

The Spurs need a sixth big. The margin for error without one is skin-thin with Bertans needing a bit more seasoning. I don't know where it would come from, but it's definitely something to worry about. I think Pau and the other bigs only survived Whiteside, who made me eat a little crow with his skill in the post. I'm actually amazed at how good Dedmon and Lee's lines looked. Dewayne is shooting very well from the line this year, and that's going to be big for him staying on the floor, because it's not a given that the other team should just foul him if he gets into the paint. And Lee was just solid inside, grabbing some big boards when the team lost momentum.

[Hoops Czar]

I have a feeling that one of those players' grade is going to receive a lot of scrutiny, tbh:lol

Thanks for the thoughts..

Manu had a bad game. Let it go, man. He'll bounce back next game.

[Nathan89]

That definitely wasn't an A+ game for Kawhi.

[Chinook]

Since we are making these grades official and all, I can do a consensus of grades and change the op if necessary. This is my opinion of course.

Nah, it'll even out.

[100%duncan]

Kancer D
Patty A+

[mkurts]

It seems Gasol plays better without Aldridge on the floor, seeing as they play similarly.

Parker needs to come off the bench.

[100%duncan]

That definitely wasn't an A+ game for Kawhi.

Feels good that that kind of game isn't an A+ :tu

[TimDunkem]

We need Green back (and Aldridge obviously). I hope that doesn't result in limited minutes for Simmons though
It'll probably mean that Bertans gets glued to the bench. :depressed

[wildcardX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq9DNZqDI_I

[GSH]

Simmons gets a B- again. Considering the expectation for him ought to be about B-, that's not too bad. A big part of the difference between starters and bench guys is consistency, and that pretty much sums up Simmons right now. Pop had a nice comment about him tonight. (I posted it in the game thread.) Basically there are going to be ups and downs, but he's established that he's got a career in the NBA. Even when he has bad nights (and he will) he's not going anywhere.

The thing I come back to is that he keeps putting pressure on the defense. And if he learns how to use that to its full advantage by drawing the defense in (which he already does) and kicking to open teammates? The second team is going to have some big scoring nights.

[GSH]

The Spurs need a sixth big. The margin for error without one is skin-thin with Bertans needing a bit more seasoning. I don't know where it would come from, but it's definitely something to worry about. I think Pau and the other bigs only survived Whiteside, who made me eat a little crow with his skill in the post. I'm actually amazed at how good Dedmon and Lee's lines looked. Dewayne is shooting very well from the line this year, and that's going to be big for him staying on the floor, because it's not a given that the other team should just foul him if he gets into the paint. And Lee was just solid inside, grabbing some big boards when the team lost momentum.

I agree 100%. I don't know where they can come up with one now, other than the D-League. But you can see that they are really vulnerable if one of the bigs goes down.

If they do put another big on the roster, I'm sure it means Forbes goes to Austin. I really like him, and I was happy when he made the team. And he was no pre-season fluke - his 3P stroke is legit. But to me this roster makes a whole lot more sense with some big man insurance. Murray is clearly here for the duration, and even though a lot of people are down on Kyle, he's not going anywhere either.

[Robz4000]

:lol that Porker grade

Other than that, good write-up.

[SAGirl]

he made a three ok :p wanted to make SAG happy
Appreciate it raybies. :tu

That is fine. I appreciate you noting that he's playing a role. I don't want to comment on him bc he's playing the Danny role, that is not his game. He's a finisher in that role. Strictly speaking when the ball swings to him and it won't be often it's usually to shoot it. He's shooting the 3 well when he's open so that is good. It's unknown what Pop had envisioned for him, but playing the SG spot wasn't it, so not much that I can say about it. I thought he made a few mistakes in this game defensively and Pop was coaching him tough. I hope the tough coaching improves him. He was unremarkable but one almost feels like his game is in a strict leash, bc he has a script he has to run.

[xtremesteven33]

Parker: D for Dog.

As Pop says when his team plays bad. "Played like dogs." Good thing is I dont think Pop will take anymore of Parkers shit. If he can find some sucker out there who would take Parker for a good return, I think Pop would go for it. Sad thing is, I dont see any team out there who would have any use for Parker.

[timtonymanu]

Missed the game. Thanks for these.

[Hoops Czar]

Funny how the two players Pop rested yesterday were both non-existent today.

"rest" :lol

[raybies]

Funny how the two players Pop rested yesterday were both non-existent today.

"rest" :lol

Hopefully pop rests them alot this year. You know, for the playoffs.

[John B]

I love to believe Pops reason for over-substituting is experimenting with different combinations and getting young players in a close game situation, because that's what happened with what should have been an easy win. Spurs squad is months ahead ready.

[SAGirl]

I agree 100%. I don't know where they can come up with one now, other than the D-League. But you can see that they are really vulnerable if one of the bigs goes down.

If they do put another big on the roster, I'm sure it means Forbes goes to Austin. I really like him, and I was happy when he made the team. And he was no pre-season fluke - his 3P stroke is legit. But to me this roster makes a whole lot more sense with some big man insurance. Murray is clearly here for the duration, and even though a lot of people are down on Kyle, he's not going anywhere either.It's kind of tough to consider bc Anthony played well during preseason... In reality, their 5th big is a rookie so considering this fact, I now understand perfectly the perspective to get Bertans playing time early in the season. They don't want to face a situation where they do need Bertans to give minutes bc someone has a bruise or something and he hasn't played. I never considered that until Chinook and you brought it up. We knew they would play smaller.. in fact we were concerned bc Dedmon had not looked good during the preseason games I remember that. We shall see. That one issue is to be pinned for future reference. Luckily Bertans is looking like a player that can contribute when called upon. He played well here.

[ElNono]

Good stuff, Raybies :tu

Don't mind the haters, tbh...

[YGWHI]

Good work! Thanks for the grades :toast



I got the sense that all the rotations were messing with the rhythm. Maybe some simulated adversity.


I love to believe Pops reason for over-substituting is experimenting with different combinations and getting young players in a close game situation

Going deeper: Pop is Pop. Sometimes, too much.

But like these guys say, it's the perfect time to allow the new players and the rookies to gain experience with the team in pressure situations

[ElNono]

Funny how the two players Pop rested yesterday were both non-existent today.

"rest" :lol

Manu was generally bad on offense, tbh... it will happen here or there... I thought it was interesting he still closed the game though. Probably doesn't happen if Danny is healthy.

[raybies]

Good stuff, Raybies :tu

Don't mind the haters, tbh...

Appreciate it :bobo

[pgardn]

Nice stuff.

You said you graded on a curve so all is fair.

[Boomersgold]

Thanks for the grades.

Great to see Kawhi getting those superstar calls. Patty's proved he's worthy of starting and Pau's stepped it up.

[spurs10]

Thanks for the grades! :toast

[99 Problems]

:toast

[Spur|n|Austin]

Thanks raybies, solid write-up

[SAGirl]

I thought Anderson had his worst game as a Spur too, mainly because he didn't rebound well.
He was actively blocking out guys which allowed Lee to go for boards. I thought he was fine on that end bc I noticed him blocking out, then Pau was more active and Lee is always very active on the boards, so I didn't think there was anything damning with his rebounding in this one.

Despite the 3, to me he indeed deserved a C grade bc I thought he had mistakes on defense that were damning. He should be the first man back in transition all the time in my estimation and he had done a solid job against Sacramento for example, (and other games) where he actually frustrated about 4 transition layups or more by himself. He wasn't solid here and it is what caused Manu to play 28 minutes IMO. There was an O board that he decided to go for, when I think that is not his role at all. What he was doing there I don't know, but the Spurs didn't get that board, and the other team scored right back in transition. I felt that though he wasn't the guy that was scored on the way back, that basket was on him, just based on his role as I have observed it, he should have let that go and ran back.

The situation was further complicated with the extreme foul calling, and to be fair to him, Tony was lazy in transition as well. I remember in the 4th Q Kyle running right back in transition but having to pick one guy up at the corner 3 and Tony not picking up Winslow who trailed the play and then drained a wide open transition 3. It wasn't all on him in the 4th Q, but the O board he went for was a sore sight to me. I felt like his attention to detail on defense in this game wasn't his best and that is what caused Pop to play Manu 28 minutes. Kyle has had better games on the defensive end than this one, so I agree this was a C. For his limited role, he wasn't great tonight.

[gambit1990]

Tony Parker B
some people might disagree with that.



i won't, i'll give him that B for staying out of the way.

[tbdog]

Without watching the game, I get more insight from these game grades than official recaps itself.

[r0drig0lac]

excellent, but Bonner does not deserve to be spoken in the same sentence that Bertans ... NEVER

[BillMc]

Nice grades. Thanks.

[ceperez]

Manu kept forcing his shots in the paint. He's 39 years old, maybe he can do that once in a while but he should be making more effort to set up Spurs shooters. I mean, Bertans got one good assist last night and he nailed it from 3 feet away from the 3 point line! C'mon, Bertans needs to be setup! I just hate it when he gets the ball and he's not even in any position to shoot it.

[BillMc]

Manu kept forcing his shots in the paint. He's 39 years old, maybe he can do that once in a while but he should be making more effort to set up Spurs shooters. I mean, Bertans got one good assist last night and he nailed it from 3 feet away from the 3 point line! C'mon, Bertans needs to be setup! I just hate it when he gets the ball and he's not even in any position to shoot it.

+1. Both Manu and Simmons drove but didn't look for Davis.

[BillMc]

Seems like a good place to put this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG1OIn4nbeI

[raybies]

He's a rook. He'll earn that respect with time.

[MaNu4Tres]

If this type of play from Tony continues, Spurs have to do something.

Laprovitolla might be better than Tony right now.

[hater]

Damn if Gasol starts contributing 20 and 10 night in and night out we might win 70 games

[AFBlue]

Thanks for the recap...love these posts, irrespective of the author or grading. Lee continues to impress and Pau continues to grow. Patty and J-Simms are really stepping up. And that Latvian will get more burn in time if he keeps that quick trigger active. Love what I'm seeing early on.

As Spurs fans, I think we've become spoiled by the consistently high performance we've seen regardless of who laces up. It's a testament to the organization and coaching staff that we can lose the greatest player in franchise history, along with other key pieces, and still keep up this level of excellence. Just awesome to behold.

[Fireball]

Thanks for the grades! Good game for Gasol ... guess he will have a rest in the upcoming b2b ... Clippers are no good matchup I guess.

I like what I have seen from Lee so far ... I wish he would not try so hard to immediately convert each offensive rebound into a score. Otherwise him and Dedmon give us everything we need for the regular season.

Bertans is not all gold, but his threes are pure and I do not think Pop will look over his offensive potential as the season goes on.

[Fireball]

Damn if Gasol starts contributing 20 and 10 night in and night out we might win 70 games

that will not happen when LMA is on the floor as well ... I think Gasol can do that here or there like Duncan did in his last seasons ... but not frequently.

[rjv]

given that this was a back to back and the spurs third game in four nights (including going from west to east coast), i'd say these are fair grades (not so sure on parker) because the spurs sure looked like they were running on fumes in that 2nd half. plus, no LMA and no danny.

[GSH]

BTW, Rabies. It takes some stones to do an "official" game grades write-up like this, knowing you're likely to catch shit from one direction or another. All things considered, they're pretty fair grades. Parker and Kyle were going to be trouble spots if you handed out anything higher than a D to either, just because of all the haters.

I thought the whistles were a little lopsided in this game, and that can make for an awkward game where guys look worse than they actually perform.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Nice job on the game grades raybies.

I think your grades for Parker and Anderson were fine. Anderson does a lot of small things on the floor that don't make it into the box score. That being said, the second unit is so fast and generally such good shooters and appear to be forming a great chemistry that I do have concerns about his 'place' on the team once Green returns. I almost see him slipping into the 11th or 12th man spot once Danny's back. Good thing for Anderson is that with Pop's propensity for resting players he should maintain a fairly consistent role as a 'relief' player, which is how I hope Pop uses him. Don't break up the chemistry the second unit is building, but use Anderson as a fill-in when someone is out.

As for Parker, I do think he can still contribute at a fairly high level, and, as stated, it will be important for him to keep his ego in check. Even with Duncan here, the offensive reins were really in Parker's hands the last few years, and handing that off can be difficult. But he's a better facilitator than folks give him credit for and can still find the rim. If I'm Pop I'm really managing his minutes and ask him to assume that mentality that Mills had the last few years of playing all-out when he is in the game. I'd hold him to 15-20 minutes a night, keep him fresh and hopefully as explosive as possible. But I still believe he can be a major part of the lineup.

Good post OP. :tu

[turkish spurs fan]

are you pollyanna or parker's mom?

[spurs10]

Nice job on the game grades raybies.

I think your grades for Parker and Anderson were fine. Anderson does a lot of small things on the floor that don't make it into the box score. That being said, the second unit is so fast and generally such good shooters and appear to be forming a great chemistry that I do have concerns about his 'place' on the team once Green returns. I almost see him slipping into the 11th or 12th man spot once Danny's back. Good thing for Anderson is that with Pop's propensity for resting players he should maintain a fairly consistent role as a 'relief' player, which is how I hope Pop uses him. Don't break up the chemistry the second unit is building, but use Anderson as a fill-in when someone is out.

As for Parker, I do think he can still contribute at a fairly high level, and, as stated, it will be important for him to keep his ego in check. Even with Duncan here, the offensive reins were really in Parker's hands the last few years, and handing that off can be difficult. But he's a better facilitator than folks give him credit for and can still find the rim. If I'm Pop I'm really managing his minutes and ask him to assume that mentality that Mills had the last few years of playing all-out when he is in the game. I'd hold him to 15-20 minutes a night, keep him fresh and hopefully as explosive as possible. But I still believe he can be a major part of the lineup.

Good post OP. :tu These are two thoughts I share. I'm liking the spark of the bench and Simmons is now part of that energy. As for TP, the more his minutes are monitored the more 'explosive' he can be. Good to see Patty playing with so much focus.

[cariocaz]

Good stuff, Raybies :tu
Yes, I appreciate you taking the time to write these up.

[ceperez]

+1. Both Manu and Simmons drove but didn't look for Davis.

In fairness to both Manu and Simmons, they each had an assist to Bertans. Unfortunately, they did it only once.

[jjktkk]

Thanks for the write up.