Dex
12-30-2016, 07:26 PM
Sorry about the lateness for the grades. Somewhere between traveling and holidays, I got my wires crossed and thought I was scheduled for tonight (12/30).
Here are your Better Late Than Never Game Grades sponsored by Timex:
http://i.imgur.com/Fmq7c40.png
http://i.imgur.com/nsONDli.png
The slumping Phoenix Suns came into San Antonio on Wednesday as losers of 4 of their last 5 contests and fighting the Dallas Mavericks for the worst spot in the West. The Spurs entered off an inspiring effort against a surprisingly gritty Bulls team for a rare, but not fabled, Christmas victory. In retrospect, this had the makings of a trap game written all over it, especially when it was announced that the Spurs would be without Kawhi Leonard due to some bad eats.
The game began as a bit of a see-saw. The Spurs were getting good action down low by Pau and Aldridge, but Bledsoe and Chriss also established early for the Suns. Both teams started off sloppy with some turnovers, and then the bench crew game in. Through some beautiful ball movement and hustle on the glass, Mills, Lee, and Simmons helped to mount a 7-point lead for the Spurs. They also established early that they could contest the offensive glass with their size. However, a couple of Knight threes kept Phoenix in the hunt. Mills and Simmons combined on a nifty bounce off-the-glass 'oop to end a high-octane first quarter.
For all of their firepower in the first quarter, the bench struggled to execute in the second, and Phoenix seized the opportunity. Warren, Bender, and the Brazilian Blur (...sounds like a Harry Potter book) started hitting shots from all over, and the Spurs suddenly found themselves in a 10-point hole against one of the worst teams in the NBA. The starting unit came to the rescue this time, but not before having to temper the momentum of the blazing star that had become the Phoenix Suns. More buckets by Gasol and Aldridge (still riding his hot streak), and a nice swing around to the corner for a Green333 kept the game to a manageable six points at the half.
Whatever Pop said in the locker room at halftime, it showed its effects in the third quarter. The Spurs came out looking much more precise as a unit, and quickly mounted their counter-attack on the Suns. Tony Parker looked like he was fresh out of the Wayback Machine, and the Suns inexplicably kept daring Danny Green (yes, the guy with the Finals record for 3PMs) to shoot. To their credit, Phoenix kept scrapping and got it back down to a 1-point game late in the third, but two straight threes from Manu broke their spirits and it was all downhill for the purple and orange from there. When Ol' Man Ginobili is getting breakaway dunks on you and swatting your shots, perhaps its just not your night.
The Suns dug back to within 5 early in the fourth, but the game was further apart than the scoreboard indicated. The starting unit pretty pretty much tucked away the game from there by stretching the lead to 16 before the Austin Brigade came in. Murray showed some glimpses of why the Spurs were willing to waive Laprovitolla with some aggressive drives to the basket, and a nice lob to our resident dunk-man, Dwayne "Dead Man Walking" Dedmon.
http://i.imgur.com/zNK8jmI.png
http://i.imgur.com/qk9ltzX.png
Parker: A
Holy Moly. The Parisian Torpedo had a throwback game on this one. Parker was able to get to the rim at will tonight, and put the Phoenix big-men on skates several times. His jumper also seems to be looking better these days, especially going left. He finished with 20 points, mostly on drives to the bucket, and 3 dimes. Parker is expected to be more of a distributor these days, but when he is scoring like that, it's hard to deny that his gravity sucks the entire defense to the paint.
Aldridge: A+
The L-Train had his second straight scorcher, putting up 27-8-2-1-1 in 32 and a half minutes on 12 shots. He is shooting the ball great right now, and still pitching in on the other work. Still, there is a concern to be noted: How does your leading scorer (who started the game 8 for 8) only get 12 shots, especially with Kawhi Leonard out? In my opinion, that falls on his teammates tonight, who weren't going to the guy with the obviously flaming sneakers. LMA played within his game tonight and did it well without forcing anything, and he deserves his plus.
Kawhi: DNP.
F for fart. Gotta lay off that Wing Stop bro.
Green: A-
Had a very solid performance within his role. Showed his short-memory mentality by nailing two big threes immediately after missing prior attempts. Was disruptive on defense with his deflections. Got bitched out by Pop (jokingly) for making some bonehead passes that started the game of Let's All Make Bonehead Passes.
Gasol: B+
Combined his size with Aldridge to dominate the Suns smaller interior players. If we had gotten 16 and 12 with two steals, a block, and an assist from Tim...we would've taken that to the bank. What we don't get from Pau, obviously, is his defense. I think it's pretty well established that this guy is slow and can't stick with a pick and roll to save his life. Still, the Spaniard put together a solid night, and he obviously wasn't brought here to play defense.
Anderson: F
Ugh. I just don't know what else to say about Kyle that hasn't already be said, but this performance was particularly gruesome. Fathead missed every shot he took, including some absolute bunnies, and constantly found himself in the wrong spots on offense. There were times where he would take a good play...stagnate out to the perimeter...and try to set up a bad play. Still, he did distribute the ball well enough, particularly out to shooters on the perimeter, but he was also a wreck on defense and couldn't keep up with the speed of the smaller Suns. The Spurs will be known for finding many diamonds in the rough...but it is looking less and less likely that Kyle Anderson will be one of them.
Simmons: B
I won't try to squeeze another pun out of this review for Simms. He didn't shoot the ball great, but he showed his trademark activity and athleticism on the court. His hustle manufactured plays and second-chances for his teammates, and he played well within himself (which sometimes seems to be a challenge). I also like to see him being more confident with that jumper.
Manu: B+
The Antsy Argentinian was all over the place tonight, stuffing the stat sheet off the bench with 12 points, 5 boards, 3 dimes, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. But wait: there's more! Manu also finished the night without a turnover, which is better than receiving a subscription to the Jelly of the Month club for Christmas! He forced a couple of shots, but I'll take that if it means keeping this guy active and engaged for one more run. He also hit two big threes to help bury the Suns. Manu is a bad bad man, and I would recommend against him owning any summer property in the Phoenix area.
Patty: D
Overall, a pretty quiet night from the Aussie. Missed both of his threes, hit two shots and a couple of free throws to finish with 6 points 2 assists, and 4 turnovers. That sloppiness is not going to get it done most nights, but fortunately for Mills, his heroics weren't much needed tonight. Everyone has a bad game here and there, and let's hope that's all it was for Patty.
Lee: A-
David Lee continues to look more and more like another 5-star pickup for the Spurs. He has taken over the role of "point-forward" from Boris Diaw on the bench, and has seemingly fit right in. Tonight he chipped in 12 points (on 6/7 shooting) with 3 rebounds and 2 assists, as well as flashed his range with a little jab-step to freeze Bender before the pop-a-shot. He may not be the passer or character that BoBo was, but Lee seems to love playing here and his energy is infectious. People seem to forget that he is not long removed from playing well with the champion Warriors or helping the Mavs over-achieve, but I think his addition will pay big dividends down the line.
Dedmon: C
This was not Dedmon's finest outing. He seemed hesitant and out of place on several occasions, and never really seemed to establish a rhythm. The Suns also had great success penetrating against his defense, which is something he needs to shore up. Still, he pulled down 4 rebounds, had a couple steals, and gave us another one of his signature rim-rockers. That's like what...4, 5 straight games with an 'oop? Someone check Pop to make sure there is not a tiny alien living in his brain.
Murray: B
Came in to help close out the game, and made 4 strong plays including two shots, a shiny dime, and a couple of freebies. Murray is obviously still raw, but I agree with the move by the FO to let him get honed by experience on the biggest of stages. He had Sean going on and on about his comparison to Russell Westbrook...but the kid needs to learn to shoot and defend before we can start entertaining those fantasies.
Bertans:C-
Can't truly judge Bertans off much of his three minutes. It was mostly garbage time featuring Dejounte Murray, but he still managed to pick up three fouls and a turnover to his name...and that's all. What concerns me most about Bertans is his newfound hesitance to shoot...and I don't think it's a coincidence that it coincides with his lack of play since the Bucks' ejection.
Here are your Better Late Than Never Game Grades sponsored by Timex:
http://i.imgur.com/Fmq7c40.png
http://i.imgur.com/nsONDli.png
The slumping Phoenix Suns came into San Antonio on Wednesday as losers of 4 of their last 5 contests and fighting the Dallas Mavericks for the worst spot in the West. The Spurs entered off an inspiring effort against a surprisingly gritty Bulls team for a rare, but not fabled, Christmas victory. In retrospect, this had the makings of a trap game written all over it, especially when it was announced that the Spurs would be without Kawhi Leonard due to some bad eats.
The game began as a bit of a see-saw. The Spurs were getting good action down low by Pau and Aldridge, but Bledsoe and Chriss also established early for the Suns. Both teams started off sloppy with some turnovers, and then the bench crew game in. Through some beautiful ball movement and hustle on the glass, Mills, Lee, and Simmons helped to mount a 7-point lead for the Spurs. They also established early that they could contest the offensive glass with their size. However, a couple of Knight threes kept Phoenix in the hunt. Mills and Simmons combined on a nifty bounce off-the-glass 'oop to end a high-octane first quarter.
For all of their firepower in the first quarter, the bench struggled to execute in the second, and Phoenix seized the opportunity. Warren, Bender, and the Brazilian Blur (...sounds like a Harry Potter book) started hitting shots from all over, and the Spurs suddenly found themselves in a 10-point hole against one of the worst teams in the NBA. The starting unit came to the rescue this time, but not before having to temper the momentum of the blazing star that had become the Phoenix Suns. More buckets by Gasol and Aldridge (still riding his hot streak), and a nice swing around to the corner for a Green333 kept the game to a manageable six points at the half.
Whatever Pop said in the locker room at halftime, it showed its effects in the third quarter. The Spurs came out looking much more precise as a unit, and quickly mounted their counter-attack on the Suns. Tony Parker looked like he was fresh out of the Wayback Machine, and the Suns inexplicably kept daring Danny Green (yes, the guy with the Finals record for 3PMs) to shoot. To their credit, Phoenix kept scrapping and got it back down to a 1-point game late in the third, but two straight threes from Manu broke their spirits and it was all downhill for the purple and orange from there. When Ol' Man Ginobili is getting breakaway dunks on you and swatting your shots, perhaps its just not your night.
The Suns dug back to within 5 early in the fourth, but the game was further apart than the scoreboard indicated. The starting unit pretty pretty much tucked away the game from there by stretching the lead to 16 before the Austin Brigade came in. Murray showed some glimpses of why the Spurs were willing to waive Laprovitolla with some aggressive drives to the basket, and a nice lob to our resident dunk-man, Dwayne "Dead Man Walking" Dedmon.
http://i.imgur.com/zNK8jmI.png
http://i.imgur.com/qk9ltzX.png
Parker: A
Holy Moly. The Parisian Torpedo had a throwback game on this one. Parker was able to get to the rim at will tonight, and put the Phoenix big-men on skates several times. His jumper also seems to be looking better these days, especially going left. He finished with 20 points, mostly on drives to the bucket, and 3 dimes. Parker is expected to be more of a distributor these days, but when he is scoring like that, it's hard to deny that his gravity sucks the entire defense to the paint.
Aldridge: A+
The L-Train had his second straight scorcher, putting up 27-8-2-1-1 in 32 and a half minutes on 12 shots. He is shooting the ball great right now, and still pitching in on the other work. Still, there is a concern to be noted: How does your leading scorer (who started the game 8 for 8) only get 12 shots, especially with Kawhi Leonard out? In my opinion, that falls on his teammates tonight, who weren't going to the guy with the obviously flaming sneakers. LMA played within his game tonight and did it well without forcing anything, and he deserves his plus.
Kawhi: DNP.
F for fart. Gotta lay off that Wing Stop bro.
Green: A-
Had a very solid performance within his role. Showed his short-memory mentality by nailing two big threes immediately after missing prior attempts. Was disruptive on defense with his deflections. Got bitched out by Pop (jokingly) for making some bonehead passes that started the game of Let's All Make Bonehead Passes.
Gasol: B+
Combined his size with Aldridge to dominate the Suns smaller interior players. If we had gotten 16 and 12 with two steals, a block, and an assist from Tim...we would've taken that to the bank. What we don't get from Pau, obviously, is his defense. I think it's pretty well established that this guy is slow and can't stick with a pick and roll to save his life. Still, the Spaniard put together a solid night, and he obviously wasn't brought here to play defense.
Anderson: F
Ugh. I just don't know what else to say about Kyle that hasn't already be said, but this performance was particularly gruesome. Fathead missed every shot he took, including some absolute bunnies, and constantly found himself in the wrong spots on offense. There were times where he would take a good play...stagnate out to the perimeter...and try to set up a bad play. Still, he did distribute the ball well enough, particularly out to shooters on the perimeter, but he was also a wreck on defense and couldn't keep up with the speed of the smaller Suns. The Spurs will be known for finding many diamonds in the rough...but it is looking less and less likely that Kyle Anderson will be one of them.
Simmons: B
I won't try to squeeze another pun out of this review for Simms. He didn't shoot the ball great, but he showed his trademark activity and athleticism on the court. His hustle manufactured plays and second-chances for his teammates, and he played well within himself (which sometimes seems to be a challenge). I also like to see him being more confident with that jumper.
Manu: B+
The Antsy Argentinian was all over the place tonight, stuffing the stat sheet off the bench with 12 points, 5 boards, 3 dimes, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. But wait: there's more! Manu also finished the night without a turnover, which is better than receiving a subscription to the Jelly of the Month club for Christmas! He forced a couple of shots, but I'll take that if it means keeping this guy active and engaged for one more run. He also hit two big threes to help bury the Suns. Manu is a bad bad man, and I would recommend against him owning any summer property in the Phoenix area.
Patty: D
Overall, a pretty quiet night from the Aussie. Missed both of his threes, hit two shots and a couple of free throws to finish with 6 points 2 assists, and 4 turnovers. That sloppiness is not going to get it done most nights, but fortunately for Mills, his heroics weren't much needed tonight. Everyone has a bad game here and there, and let's hope that's all it was for Patty.
Lee: A-
David Lee continues to look more and more like another 5-star pickup for the Spurs. He has taken over the role of "point-forward" from Boris Diaw on the bench, and has seemingly fit right in. Tonight he chipped in 12 points (on 6/7 shooting) with 3 rebounds and 2 assists, as well as flashed his range with a little jab-step to freeze Bender before the pop-a-shot. He may not be the passer or character that BoBo was, but Lee seems to love playing here and his energy is infectious. People seem to forget that he is not long removed from playing well with the champion Warriors or helping the Mavs over-achieve, but I think his addition will pay big dividends down the line.
Dedmon: C
This was not Dedmon's finest outing. He seemed hesitant and out of place on several occasions, and never really seemed to establish a rhythm. The Suns also had great success penetrating against his defense, which is something he needs to shore up. Still, he pulled down 4 rebounds, had a couple steals, and gave us another one of his signature rim-rockers. That's like what...4, 5 straight games with an 'oop? Someone check Pop to make sure there is not a tiny alien living in his brain.
Murray: B
Came in to help close out the game, and made 4 strong plays including two shots, a shiny dime, and a couple of freebies. Murray is obviously still raw, but I agree with the move by the FO to let him get honed by experience on the biggest of stages. He had Sean going on and on about his comparison to Russell Westbrook...but the kid needs to learn to shoot and defend before we can start entertaining those fantasies.
Bertans:C-
Can't truly judge Bertans off much of his three minutes. It was mostly garbage time featuring Dejounte Murray, but he still managed to pick up three fouls and a turnover to his name...and that's all. What concerns me most about Bertans is his newfound hesitance to shoot...and I don't think it's a coincidence that it coincides with his lack of play since the Bucks' ejection.