Robz4000
12-16-2016, 12:57 AM
The Story:
The Spurs came into Phoenix on the second night of a Back-to-Back (games in which they've managed to own this year) against a scrappy, guard-heavy Phoenix Suns team. This had all the markings of a trap game and for a while there it sure seemed like this was gonna be a dogfight. The Spurs started off the game lackluster once again with Phoenix racing out to a 7-point lead. Then the starters began to get going a bit behind Kawhi and Gasol with the bench helping to finally turn the tide with energetic play.
The second quarter saw the Spurs fall behind once again with some sloppy turnovers and awful transition defense. There was one sequence in the second where Simmons turned the ball over going for a dunk, Phoenix threw the ball up court, and managed a dunk before a Spur managed to even cross half court. Thankfully the team buckled down late in the half to regain the lead and grow it to 8 points before the half.
The third quarter saw Phoenix quickly draw even behind some tough calls (and no calls) at the rim for both teams. LMA and Gasol proved inept at doing anything to prevent the Suns from scoring at the rim, so Pop was quick to insert Dedmon. From there the matter improved dramatically and the Spurs retook a 10-point lead. Towards the end of the quarter Devin Booker started heating up to bring the Suns back within three to end the quarter.
In the final stanza Phoenix managed to retake a brief lead behind Barbosa abusing the Spurs like one would a Brazilian hooker (or Avante in every single Club or NFL thread ever). Thankfully it didn't last and behind some inspired defense by Simmons on Booker to cool him off the Spurs managed to take over the game behind Kawhi and LMA deciding to show up. One play in particular signified the Suns' capitulation: after a no-call by the refs (even with the Spurs still getting the rebound and put-back) Leonard took it upon himself to rip the ball out of Tyson Chandler's hands and dunk it in his face to make his point. After that play you could taste the despair in the Phoenix Suns and they never threatened in the game again.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the teams' performance tonight; this had all the makings of a trap but the team managed to turn it on and make it a laugher in the end.
Some things I noticed during the game:
-The LMA/Gasol tandem just isn't going to cut it. They're 26 games in and they still can't both play well at the same time to start games, and defensively they're softer than Kool's schlong when he sees a Victoria's Secret catalog.
-Simmons is really coming into his own on defense. He still has his lapses ala Green and gets put in Pop's doghouse but his strides on that end have been evident this season. Good to see he's become a legit NBA player.
-We all know Pop is stubborn, but he can't just ignore how big of an impact Dedmon has on both sides when he's in the game. Despite his foul prone nature you have to figure his insertion into the SL isn't far off especially if LMA/Gasol continue to struggle. Then again, this is Pop we're talking about.
-I'm not too high on Devin Booker, but he definitely has the potential to be a star in this league. Unfortunately for him he's playing for a bad organization so he may never reach that ceiling.
-Phoenix in general has a lot of really nice young(ish) pieces. If they are looking to offload LMA at some point soon they would be a great trading partner.
-LDN hit both of his threes tonight, but overall he's been playing terrible ball the past 4-5 games. If Simmons continues to show strides on the defensive end it isn't out of the realm of possibility LDN loses his starting job (at least for a few games).
Grades:
Kawhi Leonard - B
Kawhi had an all-around great game, but his hesitance to assert himself on offense early on really hurt the team. Defensively we saw a fair amount of that whole parking-Kawhi-on-a-corner-against-a-3&D-guy in Tucker, but it didn't really take him out of the game defensively which was a great sign. He came alive with some big plays in the fourth including a nice little steal-and-dunk on Tyson Chandler under the rim that just sucked the soul right out of Big Daddy TC. My main complaint is his hesitance on offense: no way he should only be taking 12 shots tonight.
LaMarcus Aldridge - D+
Don't let his stat-line fool you; LMA was pretty awful tonight. Not sure if it was his "nagging" injuries, playing soft, or just not giving effort, but LMA was pure trash tonight for the most part after five days off. Couldn't score against Phoenix's smaller players, couldn't score against Chandler, couldn't defend the rim, couldn't defend the perimeter, etc. He managed to turn it on in the fourth a bit while being spoon fed by Gasol/Leonard/Parker, but if he can't start bringing it from the start of the game on he won't have a place on the team much longer.
Danny Green - D-
Hasn't been much to LDN about these past few games for Green. He made the most of his limited shot opportunities tonight by making both his threes while contributing a rebound and assist, but other than that he was awful. He couldn't stop fouling Booker and Bledsoe, and his greatest strength, transition defense, was nonexistent tonight. He ended up getting benched after his fourth foul and never saw any action again.
Tony Parker - B-
He scored fairly well tonight and only took two bad shots during the meat of the game. However, managing only one assist while being the primary ball-handler is inexcusable especially with all the weapons this team has. He also froze Leonard out at times, especially when Phoenix was making their comeback runs in the second and third quarters. Part of that is on Kawhi for not being assertive, but the HOTS should know better.
Pau Gasol - B
Not much more you can ask of MVPau on offense. He scored efficiently and from a variety of spots. Also rebounded pretty well against the likes of Tyson Chandler. However, he's a big problem on defense especially against teams with a lot of quick, skilled guards like Phoenix. This was on full display in the second quarter when Gasol couldn't even make it past half court before Phoenix managed to score a layup.
Dewayne Dedmon - A
Just not much to dislike about this guy; he does it all. Dedmon brought loads of energy on both ends, often intimidating Phoenix's guards when they weren't raping the Spurs in transition. Offensively he's starting to show an impressive post game with some patience and excellent body control. Been awhile since the Spurs had a big man with this level of athleticism so enjoy him while you can.
Manu Ginobili - C+
Manu looked like he was going to start the game off well with some nice playmaking, but unfortunately he devolved into Turnobili quickly. He managed to recover and be an overall plus by not forcing anything on offense and playing solid D.
Patty Mills - D
Not a good game from Patty. He couldn't guard any of the Suns' guards, and often found himself struggling against their full-court press on D. To add to his woes his shot just wasn't falling tonight. After a strong start to the season on the road for Mills, his last four road games haven't been pretty; this was the case last year as well where Mills wasn't able to get it going on the road. Let's hope he turns it around.
Jonathon Simmons - B-
Was gonna give him a D up until the fourth quarter, then he went Tony Allen lite (coined by Kawhistorm) and shut Devin Booker the fuck down. An understated part of the reason the Spurs' bench has been so good on D is thanks to JSimms becoming a good (sometimes great) defender. Just need to hope he starts taking his open shots.
Kyle Anderson - A-
Fathead has quietly put together a nice string of good outings for this team. Although the eye test still doesn't say he's an elite defender, his length and growing abilities to use it have made up for his slower speed (slow being an understatement for the resident billboard) and his rebounding abilities, especially against bigger players and in crowds, are definitely strong. His lack of ability to even knock shots in from 16-18 feet out really hurts him on offense, but he can get those shots whenever he wants.
David Lee - B
Another strong outing for the surprise pick-up of the season. He didn't finish particularly strong outside a nice And-1, but his rebounding and energy brought nothing but positives to the team tonight. It's been mentioned a few times so far this season, but the most surprising aspect from DLee is the fact he isn't a liability on defense; he guarded opposing teams in many different aspects and done well for himself. His four turnovers, unfortunately, did lead to fast break points for the Suns which is why his grade isn't higher. Other than there wasn't much to hate from his play tonight.
Bench Scrubs - C
They didn't choke a 3-1 lead.
Pop - B
I felt Pop didn't call timeouts when he should've while Phoenix went on their runs in the second/third quarters, but other than that not much to nitpick about his coaching tonight. His defensive assignments for each player were great and he managed everyone's minutes pretty well. He even showed some fire by yelling at everyone he could early on to help breathe life into certain players. JUst need to hope he's seeing what we're seeing with the bigs situation.
The Spurs came into Phoenix on the second night of a Back-to-Back (games in which they've managed to own this year) against a scrappy, guard-heavy Phoenix Suns team. This had all the markings of a trap game and for a while there it sure seemed like this was gonna be a dogfight. The Spurs started off the game lackluster once again with Phoenix racing out to a 7-point lead. Then the starters began to get going a bit behind Kawhi and Gasol with the bench helping to finally turn the tide with energetic play.
The second quarter saw the Spurs fall behind once again with some sloppy turnovers and awful transition defense. There was one sequence in the second where Simmons turned the ball over going for a dunk, Phoenix threw the ball up court, and managed a dunk before a Spur managed to even cross half court. Thankfully the team buckled down late in the half to regain the lead and grow it to 8 points before the half.
The third quarter saw Phoenix quickly draw even behind some tough calls (and no calls) at the rim for both teams. LMA and Gasol proved inept at doing anything to prevent the Suns from scoring at the rim, so Pop was quick to insert Dedmon. From there the matter improved dramatically and the Spurs retook a 10-point lead. Towards the end of the quarter Devin Booker started heating up to bring the Suns back within three to end the quarter.
In the final stanza Phoenix managed to retake a brief lead behind Barbosa abusing the Spurs like one would a Brazilian hooker (or Avante in every single Club or NFL thread ever). Thankfully it didn't last and behind some inspired defense by Simmons on Booker to cool him off the Spurs managed to take over the game behind Kawhi and LMA deciding to show up. One play in particular signified the Suns' capitulation: after a no-call by the refs (even with the Spurs still getting the rebound and put-back) Leonard took it upon himself to rip the ball out of Tyson Chandler's hands and dunk it in his face to make his point. After that play you could taste the despair in the Phoenix Suns and they never threatened in the game again.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the teams' performance tonight; this had all the makings of a trap but the team managed to turn it on and make it a laugher in the end.
Some things I noticed during the game:
-The LMA/Gasol tandem just isn't going to cut it. They're 26 games in and they still can't both play well at the same time to start games, and defensively they're softer than Kool's schlong when he sees a Victoria's Secret catalog.
-Simmons is really coming into his own on defense. He still has his lapses ala Green and gets put in Pop's doghouse but his strides on that end have been evident this season. Good to see he's become a legit NBA player.
-We all know Pop is stubborn, but he can't just ignore how big of an impact Dedmon has on both sides when he's in the game. Despite his foul prone nature you have to figure his insertion into the SL isn't far off especially if LMA/Gasol continue to struggle. Then again, this is Pop we're talking about.
-I'm not too high on Devin Booker, but he definitely has the potential to be a star in this league. Unfortunately for him he's playing for a bad organization so he may never reach that ceiling.
-Phoenix in general has a lot of really nice young(ish) pieces. If they are looking to offload LMA at some point soon they would be a great trading partner.
-LDN hit both of his threes tonight, but overall he's been playing terrible ball the past 4-5 games. If Simmons continues to show strides on the defensive end it isn't out of the realm of possibility LDN loses his starting job (at least for a few games).
Grades:
Kawhi Leonard - B
Kawhi had an all-around great game, but his hesitance to assert himself on offense early on really hurt the team. Defensively we saw a fair amount of that whole parking-Kawhi-on-a-corner-against-a-3&D-guy in Tucker, but it didn't really take him out of the game defensively which was a great sign. He came alive with some big plays in the fourth including a nice little steal-and-dunk on Tyson Chandler under the rim that just sucked the soul right out of Big Daddy TC. My main complaint is his hesitance on offense: no way he should only be taking 12 shots tonight.
LaMarcus Aldridge - D+
Don't let his stat-line fool you; LMA was pretty awful tonight. Not sure if it was his "nagging" injuries, playing soft, or just not giving effort, but LMA was pure trash tonight for the most part after five days off. Couldn't score against Phoenix's smaller players, couldn't score against Chandler, couldn't defend the rim, couldn't defend the perimeter, etc. He managed to turn it on in the fourth a bit while being spoon fed by Gasol/Leonard/Parker, but if he can't start bringing it from the start of the game on he won't have a place on the team much longer.
Danny Green - D-
Hasn't been much to LDN about these past few games for Green. He made the most of his limited shot opportunities tonight by making both his threes while contributing a rebound and assist, but other than that he was awful. He couldn't stop fouling Booker and Bledsoe, and his greatest strength, transition defense, was nonexistent tonight. He ended up getting benched after his fourth foul and never saw any action again.
Tony Parker - B-
He scored fairly well tonight and only took two bad shots during the meat of the game. However, managing only one assist while being the primary ball-handler is inexcusable especially with all the weapons this team has. He also froze Leonard out at times, especially when Phoenix was making their comeback runs in the second and third quarters. Part of that is on Kawhi for not being assertive, but the HOTS should know better.
Pau Gasol - B
Not much more you can ask of MVPau on offense. He scored efficiently and from a variety of spots. Also rebounded pretty well against the likes of Tyson Chandler. However, he's a big problem on defense especially against teams with a lot of quick, skilled guards like Phoenix. This was on full display in the second quarter when Gasol couldn't even make it past half court before Phoenix managed to score a layup.
Dewayne Dedmon - A
Just not much to dislike about this guy; he does it all. Dedmon brought loads of energy on both ends, often intimidating Phoenix's guards when they weren't raping the Spurs in transition. Offensively he's starting to show an impressive post game with some patience and excellent body control. Been awhile since the Spurs had a big man with this level of athleticism so enjoy him while you can.
Manu Ginobili - C+
Manu looked like he was going to start the game off well with some nice playmaking, but unfortunately he devolved into Turnobili quickly. He managed to recover and be an overall plus by not forcing anything on offense and playing solid D.
Patty Mills - D
Not a good game from Patty. He couldn't guard any of the Suns' guards, and often found himself struggling against their full-court press on D. To add to his woes his shot just wasn't falling tonight. After a strong start to the season on the road for Mills, his last four road games haven't been pretty; this was the case last year as well where Mills wasn't able to get it going on the road. Let's hope he turns it around.
Jonathon Simmons - B-
Was gonna give him a D up until the fourth quarter, then he went Tony Allen lite (coined by Kawhistorm) and shut Devin Booker the fuck down. An understated part of the reason the Spurs' bench has been so good on D is thanks to JSimms becoming a good (sometimes great) defender. Just need to hope he starts taking his open shots.
Kyle Anderson - A-
Fathead has quietly put together a nice string of good outings for this team. Although the eye test still doesn't say he's an elite defender, his length and growing abilities to use it have made up for his slower speed (slow being an understatement for the resident billboard) and his rebounding abilities, especially against bigger players and in crowds, are definitely strong. His lack of ability to even knock shots in from 16-18 feet out really hurts him on offense, but he can get those shots whenever he wants.
David Lee - B
Another strong outing for the surprise pick-up of the season. He didn't finish particularly strong outside a nice And-1, but his rebounding and energy brought nothing but positives to the team tonight. It's been mentioned a few times so far this season, but the most surprising aspect from DLee is the fact he isn't a liability on defense; he guarded opposing teams in many different aspects and done well for himself. His four turnovers, unfortunately, did lead to fast break points for the Suns which is why his grade isn't higher. Other than there wasn't much to hate from his play tonight.
Bench Scrubs - C
They didn't choke a 3-1 lead.
Pop - B
I felt Pop didn't call timeouts when he should've while Phoenix went on their runs in the second/third quarters, but other than that not much to nitpick about his coaching tonight. His defensive assignments for each player were great and he managed everyone's minutes pretty well. He even showed some fire by yelling at everyone he could early on to help breathe life into certain players. JUst need to hope he's seeing what we're seeing with the bigs situation.