Robz4000
12-21-2016, 03:47 AM
The Story:
The Spurs entered the Toyota Center riding a four game win streak (and the winners of 18 of their last 20), but this paled in comparison to Houston's 10 game winning streak which started with a double OT win against the Dubs in Oracle Arena. Due to both teams' rather scorching play of late this game was seen as one of the top marque games of the young season, and it certainly didn't disappoint.
The first quarter started off as a back and fourth affair where no team led by more than 5 points throughout. The Spurs from the get-go emphasized running the Rockets' shooters off the three-point line and hotly contesting those they couldn't. This resulted in Houston shooting an opening 0-11 from 3. However these misses on top of poor boxing out/hustle from the Spurs resulted in 10 offensive rebounds in the quarter that more often than not led to easy Houston buckets that kept them in the game. The Spurs, meanwhile, took advantage of Houston missing their best rim protector/post defender in Capela to try to get LMA/Gasol going to varying success. By the end of the quarter the Spurs had a 2-point lead.
The second quarter saw the Spurs gain some separation behind a strong showing from LMA (11 points). However, some lax defense and bad turnovers got Houston going from 3 and sparked a quick run that shrank a Spurs' 10 point lead down to 1. Thankfully, the team managed to recover and take a 7 point lead into the half.
The third quarter is where we saw the team unravel a bit. Behind some great ball movement, penetration from Harden, and more bad turnovers/possession by the Spurs, Houston found a bit of rhythm on offense despite only hitting two threes. On top of some homecooking Houston reversed the game's fortunes and took a 7-point lead into the fourth.
The final stanza saw the Spurs open up with a quick run after falling down 9 to take a brief lead, only for Houston to explode in transition (and at the line) to race out to a 13-point lead with 4:30 to go in the game. Luckily for the Spurs it was LDN, Manu, and Mills to the rescue. Behind some sharp shooting, clutch defensive plays, and some fire from Pop towards the refs, the Spurs managed to claw back into the game and eventually retake the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Mills set up nicely by Ginobili in the wanning seconds. After forcing a miss by Houston on the next possession, Manu bricked both game-sealing freebies giving the Rockets one final opportunity. Luckily Harden channeled his chucking instincts and shot a contested three that careened off the back of the rim.
tl;dr The Spurs snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the 135637634yue784th time this season.
Some things I noticed during the game:
-Once again the LMA/Gasol tandem reared it's ugly head. It can't be overlooked how soft these two play together. When separated each individually can play like 7 footers but for whatever reason when combined they're softer than baby poo.
-The Rockets bring out the best in LDN; this has been observed plenty in the past. Usually it's the same with LMA. I'm sure there's more than a few Spurs that may like a potential matchup in the second round.
-Playing D'Antoni brings out the best in Pop as well, so that's another point in favor of a series with the Rockets.
-Ryan Anderson, whose been a thorn in the Spurs' side most of his career, has had three straight games against the Spurs where he was a non-factor. Unfortunately, Eric Gordon continues to rape the Spurs (albeit tonight he was rather quiet).
-God I love MVPatty. He just plays with so much energy and you can tell he loves playing for the Spurs. Unfortunately, the better he plays the harder it's gonna be for the Spurs to retain him in the offseason. Enjoy him while you can, Spurs fans.
-Despite how well Green and Ginobili played tonight the lack of a consistent guard on offense outside Mills just murders this team. Again, this is something that's been discussed ad nauseum, but it needs to be addressed if the team has any hope of getting past LAC or GS.
Grades:
Kawhi Leonard - C+
Despite the win, this was one of Kawhi's worst games from an offensive/decision-making perspective. His decision-making on offense, or lack thereof, resulted in terrible possessions and turnovers that fueled Houston's offense. When he did make a decision it resulted in a miss more often than not, and even when shooting wide open from the perimeter his shot was way off. He had plenty of moments on defense, luckily, but none of his steals resulted in buckets on the other end like we're used to seeing and one sequence saw him proceed to turn it over for a fastbreak point in the other direction. Thankfully he decided not to force anything towards the end and let Manu do his thing.
LaMarcus Aldridge - B-
LMA did a little bit of everything tonight, especially early on. However, despite all of that he found himself benched in the fourth due to his inability to score consistently especially when matched on a smaller defender. When his outside shot isn't falling LMA needs to be able to go to work in the paint and score efficiently rather than become Softridge, otherwise this team can't get to that next level. His defense started off iffy after getting blown by by Harden twice, but as the game wore on his switching and ability to stay with perimeter players improved (except against Harden).
Danny Green - A
LDN must have some kind of side bitch in Houston because seemingly every time the Spurs play there he was a great game. Danny was the only one who could reliably guard Harden tonight, including blocking several of his shots (despite only getting credited for one). He hit half of his shots including two huge ones in the fourth to help in the comeback. His biggest impact was playing with tons of energy that helped to ignite his teammates throughout the game. One has to wonder if maybe drawing Houston in the second round would be the best possible scenario for the Spurs if they hope to topple the Dubs come May since it could result in LDN developing a rhythm.
Tony Parker - B-
Expected a bit of a better night for Tony, especially when he had his jumper going early. However, he just couldn't get to the rim and when he did Beverly was there to eat his meal (which obviously didn't sit well with Porker). His defense was actually above average for the most part even when switched onto bigger players such as Ryan Anderson and Ariza. He also hit a big three that parked the run when the team was down 13 late. However, his inability to consistently do things on offense besides "set it up" really hurts the team at times and is a huge reason Mills is closing out games (and rightfully so).
Pau Gasol - C+
Not Gasol's best game on either end, but managed to hit timely buckets early on and got his hands on more than a few shots at the rim that resulted in 10 rebounds. However, he really does play some lazy defense at times and his attempts to make up for getting blown by do more harm than good. His being a threat in the low post opened things up for the shooters, but while the double-double was nice he really needs to play a bit smarter on D.
Dewayne Dedmon - B-
The jury must be out on Dedmon since Houston did well to guard against the lob tonight. Loved Dedmon's boxing out tonight in a game where most of the team was terrible at it. However, no shot attempts (especially when he had the ball in the paint against smaller defenders), a couple of dumb fouls, and just more need for a bigger offensive threat in the middle resulted in Pop benching him for the night.
Manu Ginobili - A-
Manu helped will the Spurs back into this one with his huge 3s in the fourth and spectacular playmaking. Also made some heady plays on the defensive end during the decisive run at the end of the fourth. Would've given him an A but he had some terrible TOs early on in the game and missed the freebies that would've sealed the game instead of giving Houston one last gasp.
Patty Mills - A-
Like LDN and Manu, the Spurs don't win this game without Mills. On top of hitting the game-winning 3 he was a constant threat on offense that forced Houston to account for him (which opened things up for the rest of the team) and while he only had one assist it should've been closer to 5 or 6 if his teammates don't hesitate on open looks/finish in the paint. He's been closing games in Parker's stead these days and has done a great job seemingly every time. Rumbles for MVPatty as 6MotY are beginning to rise up (fortunately or unfortunately depending on whose view points you look at), so hopefully his play continues to stay at a high level.
Jonathon Simmons - C+
Only played limited minutes but I liked his energy for the most part on both ends. However, his hesitance to shoot is becoming maddeningly similar to a certain other Spur we all know and love/hate/want dead. If he doesn't start making defenses pay for sagging off him when he's at the corner he's gonna start losing minutes to the aforementioned Spur. It should be noted he played great D on Harden at the end to force him into a contested 3 which almost got called for a foul, but Harden was seemingly looking for a call instead of getting a good shot so the refs let it go.
Davis Bertans - Inc
Only played for about 2 mins so I can't give him much of a grade. While he was on the court he passed up a shot he should've taken which led to a TO, but also had a nice assist to Manu. Let's just pretend he never checked in...
David Lee - C+
Similarly to JSimms, Lee played with plenty of energy, rebounded decently, and scored efficiently. However, he just couldn't stay with anyone on defense and gave up a terrible And-1 after getting blown by for a dunk. The pace-and-space Houston plays with and the lack of a true big for him to guard just makes this a bad matchup for him.
Kyle Anderson - A+
Ahhhh, Fathead. Just not a game grade thread without mentioning his name. Managed to not fuck things up by not playing.
Pop - B+
Not much to complain about tonight for Pop; his rotations were on point for the most part and the team had a definite game plan coming in and stuck to it for the most part. Saw plenty of fire from him tonight. My only issue was not calling a timeout when the Rockets took control in the third, but it might've just been him "trying to make a point" as he's wont to do.
The Spurs entered the Toyota Center riding a four game win streak (and the winners of 18 of their last 20), but this paled in comparison to Houston's 10 game winning streak which started with a double OT win against the Dubs in Oracle Arena. Due to both teams' rather scorching play of late this game was seen as one of the top marque games of the young season, and it certainly didn't disappoint.
The first quarter started off as a back and fourth affair where no team led by more than 5 points throughout. The Spurs from the get-go emphasized running the Rockets' shooters off the three-point line and hotly contesting those they couldn't. This resulted in Houston shooting an opening 0-11 from 3. However these misses on top of poor boxing out/hustle from the Spurs resulted in 10 offensive rebounds in the quarter that more often than not led to easy Houston buckets that kept them in the game. The Spurs, meanwhile, took advantage of Houston missing their best rim protector/post defender in Capela to try to get LMA/Gasol going to varying success. By the end of the quarter the Spurs had a 2-point lead.
The second quarter saw the Spurs gain some separation behind a strong showing from LMA (11 points). However, some lax defense and bad turnovers got Houston going from 3 and sparked a quick run that shrank a Spurs' 10 point lead down to 1. Thankfully, the team managed to recover and take a 7 point lead into the half.
The third quarter is where we saw the team unravel a bit. Behind some great ball movement, penetration from Harden, and more bad turnovers/possession by the Spurs, Houston found a bit of rhythm on offense despite only hitting two threes. On top of some homecooking Houston reversed the game's fortunes and took a 7-point lead into the fourth.
The final stanza saw the Spurs open up with a quick run after falling down 9 to take a brief lead, only for Houston to explode in transition (and at the line) to race out to a 13-point lead with 4:30 to go in the game. Luckily for the Spurs it was LDN, Manu, and Mills to the rescue. Behind some sharp shooting, clutch defensive plays, and some fire from Pop towards the refs, the Spurs managed to claw back into the game and eventually retake the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Mills set up nicely by Ginobili in the wanning seconds. After forcing a miss by Houston on the next possession, Manu bricked both game-sealing freebies giving the Rockets one final opportunity. Luckily Harden channeled his chucking instincts and shot a contested three that careened off the back of the rim.
tl;dr The Spurs snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the 135637634yue784th time this season.
Some things I noticed during the game:
-Once again the LMA/Gasol tandem reared it's ugly head. It can't be overlooked how soft these two play together. When separated each individually can play like 7 footers but for whatever reason when combined they're softer than baby poo.
-The Rockets bring out the best in LDN; this has been observed plenty in the past. Usually it's the same with LMA. I'm sure there's more than a few Spurs that may like a potential matchup in the second round.
-Playing D'Antoni brings out the best in Pop as well, so that's another point in favor of a series with the Rockets.
-Ryan Anderson, whose been a thorn in the Spurs' side most of his career, has had three straight games against the Spurs where he was a non-factor. Unfortunately, Eric Gordon continues to rape the Spurs (albeit tonight he was rather quiet).
-God I love MVPatty. He just plays with so much energy and you can tell he loves playing for the Spurs. Unfortunately, the better he plays the harder it's gonna be for the Spurs to retain him in the offseason. Enjoy him while you can, Spurs fans.
-Despite how well Green and Ginobili played tonight the lack of a consistent guard on offense outside Mills just murders this team. Again, this is something that's been discussed ad nauseum, but it needs to be addressed if the team has any hope of getting past LAC or GS.
Grades:
Kawhi Leonard - C+
Despite the win, this was one of Kawhi's worst games from an offensive/decision-making perspective. His decision-making on offense, or lack thereof, resulted in terrible possessions and turnovers that fueled Houston's offense. When he did make a decision it resulted in a miss more often than not, and even when shooting wide open from the perimeter his shot was way off. He had plenty of moments on defense, luckily, but none of his steals resulted in buckets on the other end like we're used to seeing and one sequence saw him proceed to turn it over for a fastbreak point in the other direction. Thankfully he decided not to force anything towards the end and let Manu do his thing.
LaMarcus Aldridge - B-
LMA did a little bit of everything tonight, especially early on. However, despite all of that he found himself benched in the fourth due to his inability to score consistently especially when matched on a smaller defender. When his outside shot isn't falling LMA needs to be able to go to work in the paint and score efficiently rather than become Softridge, otherwise this team can't get to that next level. His defense started off iffy after getting blown by by Harden twice, but as the game wore on his switching and ability to stay with perimeter players improved (except against Harden).
Danny Green - A
LDN must have some kind of side bitch in Houston because seemingly every time the Spurs play there he was a great game. Danny was the only one who could reliably guard Harden tonight, including blocking several of his shots (despite only getting credited for one). He hit half of his shots including two huge ones in the fourth to help in the comeback. His biggest impact was playing with tons of energy that helped to ignite his teammates throughout the game. One has to wonder if maybe drawing Houston in the second round would be the best possible scenario for the Spurs if they hope to topple the Dubs come May since it could result in LDN developing a rhythm.
Tony Parker - B-
Expected a bit of a better night for Tony, especially when he had his jumper going early. However, he just couldn't get to the rim and when he did Beverly was there to eat his meal (which obviously didn't sit well with Porker). His defense was actually above average for the most part even when switched onto bigger players such as Ryan Anderson and Ariza. He also hit a big three that parked the run when the team was down 13 late. However, his inability to consistently do things on offense besides "set it up" really hurts the team at times and is a huge reason Mills is closing out games (and rightfully so).
Pau Gasol - C+
Not Gasol's best game on either end, but managed to hit timely buckets early on and got his hands on more than a few shots at the rim that resulted in 10 rebounds. However, he really does play some lazy defense at times and his attempts to make up for getting blown by do more harm than good. His being a threat in the low post opened things up for the shooters, but while the double-double was nice he really needs to play a bit smarter on D.
Dewayne Dedmon - B-
The jury must be out on Dedmon since Houston did well to guard against the lob tonight. Loved Dedmon's boxing out tonight in a game where most of the team was terrible at it. However, no shot attempts (especially when he had the ball in the paint against smaller defenders), a couple of dumb fouls, and just more need for a bigger offensive threat in the middle resulted in Pop benching him for the night.
Manu Ginobili - A-
Manu helped will the Spurs back into this one with his huge 3s in the fourth and spectacular playmaking. Also made some heady plays on the defensive end during the decisive run at the end of the fourth. Would've given him an A but he had some terrible TOs early on in the game and missed the freebies that would've sealed the game instead of giving Houston one last gasp.
Patty Mills - A-
Like LDN and Manu, the Spurs don't win this game without Mills. On top of hitting the game-winning 3 he was a constant threat on offense that forced Houston to account for him (which opened things up for the rest of the team) and while he only had one assist it should've been closer to 5 or 6 if his teammates don't hesitate on open looks/finish in the paint. He's been closing games in Parker's stead these days and has done a great job seemingly every time. Rumbles for MVPatty as 6MotY are beginning to rise up (fortunately or unfortunately depending on whose view points you look at), so hopefully his play continues to stay at a high level.
Jonathon Simmons - C+
Only played limited minutes but I liked his energy for the most part on both ends. However, his hesitance to shoot is becoming maddeningly similar to a certain other Spur we all know and love/hate/want dead. If he doesn't start making defenses pay for sagging off him when he's at the corner he's gonna start losing minutes to the aforementioned Spur. It should be noted he played great D on Harden at the end to force him into a contested 3 which almost got called for a foul, but Harden was seemingly looking for a call instead of getting a good shot so the refs let it go.
Davis Bertans - Inc
Only played for about 2 mins so I can't give him much of a grade. While he was on the court he passed up a shot he should've taken which led to a TO, but also had a nice assist to Manu. Let's just pretend he never checked in...
David Lee - C+
Similarly to JSimms, Lee played with plenty of energy, rebounded decently, and scored efficiently. However, he just couldn't stay with anyone on defense and gave up a terrible And-1 after getting blown by for a dunk. The pace-and-space Houston plays with and the lack of a true big for him to guard just makes this a bad matchup for him.
Kyle Anderson - A+
Ahhhh, Fathead. Just not a game grade thread without mentioning his name. Managed to not fuck things up by not playing.
Pop - B+
Not much to complain about tonight for Pop; his rotations were on point for the most part and the team had a definite game plan coming in and stuck to it for the most part. Saw plenty of fire from him tonight. My only issue was not calling a timeout when the Rockets took control in the third, but it might've just been him "trying to make a point" as he's wont to do.