Chinook
12-30-2016, 11:55 PM
Overview:
The Spurs came into this game having won four straight, while Portland had just broken a four-game losing streak. Both teams were missing their best players. Despite what some ST threads say, the Spurs were much better able to handle their absence thanks for a pretty even effort.
But it wasn’t pretty starting out. The Spurs got down in the first due to horrible rim-protection leaving perimeter players out to dry and a pretty terrible whistle. On offense, they weren’t able to establish LMA and Pau against a small-ball lineup due to aggressive doubling and digging by the Blazers. Portland, for all of their terrible play, is the closest analogue to Golden State in the league in terms of match-ups. Coming back is awesome, but if the Spurs bigs can’t do a better job imposing their wills, they won’t be able to affect the paint like they need to to give the Spurs a chance to win.
STARTERS
MIN
FG
3PT
FT
OREB
DREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
+/-
PTS
L. Aldridge (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2983/lamarcus-aldridge)PF
29
2-3
0-0
4-4
1
5
6
1
0
1
3
3
+9
8
P. Gasol (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/996/pau-gasol)C
23
4-11
0-0
2-2
2
5
7
3
1
0
1
2
+9
10
T. Parker (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/1015/tony-parker)PG
22
7-15
1-1
3-5
0
2
2
5
0
0
0
0
-8
18
D. Green (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3988/danny-green)SG
31
6-9
6-8
0-0
0
2
2
1
0
1
3
3
+11
18
K. Anderson (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2993874/kyle-anderson)SG
28
2-6
0-2
0-0
2
6
8
1
1
1
0
1
+6
4
BENCH
MIN
FG
3PT
FT
OREB
DREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
+/-
PTS
D. Lee (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2772/david-lee)PF
16
4-4
0-0
0-0
2
2
4
1
1
0
3
0
+14
8
D. Bertans (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6426/davis-bertans)SF
2
0-1
0-1
0-0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
-2
0
D. Dedmon (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2580913/dewayne-dedmon)C
13
1-1
0-0
1-2
2
6
8
1
0
0
1
3
-9
3
D. Murray (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3907497/dejounte-murray)PG
6
1-4
0-1
0-0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
-7
2
P. Mills (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4004/patty-mills)PG
22
3-4
0-0
0-0
0
1
1
4
2
0
2
3
+27
6
J. Simmons (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2579466/jonathon-simmons)SG
30
5-12
2-4
7-8
1
2
3
2
0
2
1
2
+23
19
M. Ginobili (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/272/manu-ginobili)SG
17
4-8
2-5
4-4
1
6
7
2
0
0
2
1
+7
14
TEAM
39-78
11-22
21-25
11
37
48
22
7
5
16
18
11
Grades:
LaMarcus Aldridge – C: It’s really hard to excuse his inability to handle a double-team. He’s not Kawhi. Being a focal point of an offense isn’t new to him. He scored well when he was actually able to go one-on-one. But it ended up getting him benched that he wasn’t decisive enough with the ball. It doesn’t help, either, that he didn’t do anything to make up for his lack of scoring. His D was mostly pretty awful, and he didn’t rebound like he should have against Portland’s front line. Just forgettable, due mainly to other guys getting the win.
Kyle Anderson – B: His D is real. His O is real…ly shaky. Dude used his length very well to play passing lanes and to contest shots, which is something that the stats seem to underestimate. I love his rebounding. He can definitely board well enough for a full-time PF. If he could have made some more shots, he would have be in A range easily. Glad to see that rim bend down to help Kyle dunk.
Pau Gasol – C-plus: I didn’t love it tonight. He was somewhat pressured in the post, but he also missed a number of short shots with little pressure. That and horrible D really sunk him. Good passing and decent rebounding saved his grade. Pau can play much better.
Tony Parker – B-plus: Dude stepped up when the team needed him to. I don’t like his midrange shots, and he took too many, which hurt the Spurs early. But a Tony that gets into the paint is such a huge asset to this team, that not even his shills can articulate it enough. Gotta hope he can have some of that in the playoffs. Just gotta. Could do without the bad D on CJ, though.
Danny Green – A-minus: The TOs and first-quarter D on Crabbe kept him from an A-plus. We know Danny still has another gear. It was nice to see Green more aggressive on offense. He was the minutes leader, and I was happy to see Pop keep him in. Danny didn’t let Portland’s bush-league tactics faze him, and that’s when you know he’s feeling it. He could have scored in the high 20s had the team started looking for him more.
David Lee – B: He was also bad at contesting shots, and those TOs were annoying. But everything else was really nice. His ability to exploit bad defenders in the post is surprisingly and depressingly unique among Spurs bigs, and if the Spurs are to be GS in the WCF, it will involve David neutralizing attempts at small-ball. Can he be Diaw 2.0.1? Hopefully. His ability to score off put-backs is also pretty necessary, given that LMA struggles with tip-ins and Dedmon struggles to score if in general.
Dewayne Dedmon – C-plus: Hard to hate on a perfect FG% and eight boards in 13 minutes. But his D was horrible tonight, and that’s what he’s judged by. I don’t like that his IQ is seeming to atrophy from the beginning of the year. He hasn’t been all that great at contesting shots recently, and he’s been even worse at avoiding stupid fouls. Get it together, Dewayne. The team will need you.
Patty Mills – B-minus: Can’t give him too high of a grade with him not even attempting a three. He showed he can do some other things if he’s not scoring, and that’s really nice. He led the team in plus-minus due in large part to him not forcing anything, moving the ball and pressuring opposing guards. He can’t have this offensive production every game. But he contributed.
Manu Ginobili – A-minus: Half man and half u, the dude continues to impress with his ability to hit timely threes. I really like his energy level right now. He made some stupid passes, but on the whole, it was a pretty heady game. He was in the right spots to get boards and took open shots when the rest of the team was overthinking things. For just a 17-minute outing, the results were pretty remarkable.
Jonathon Simmons – A-minus: He deserved a high grade for being the high scorer. Him deciding to take and make open threes definitely helps raise that grade further. I honestly don’t remember his blocks, and I don’t want to rewatch the game to find them right now. But I thought his D was pretty lackluster. He had a hard time containing penetration. But his main match-up shot 27 percent, so I don’t think I can ding him too much on that end. Great game, Jonnie.
Davis Bertans – INC: Missed his only three attempt but got a steal. Just garbage time.
DeJounte Murray – INC: Might have played enough minutes to get a grade, but I don’t think he deserves to be evaluated for that first stint. That unit was horrible. Still needs to work on his body so he can finish better at the rim. But his length is such an asset when guarding on the ball. Dude could be Livingston 2.0 with his ability to shut down opposing points off the bench. Hopefully, his offense develops differently than Shaun’s did, though.
Pop – C: Honestly thought this was a below-par effort by Pop. His lineup changes were terrible. All the team needed to do was settle into the game, which is what they did once Pop let the regular rotation play out. I hated most of his timeouts, especially the one that came after the Spurs regain momentum. Pop really wanted to call it when Portland had closed the gap to one, but the Spurs ended up scoring on three-straight possessions before some non-CJ player made a long-two. I just didn’t think he pushed the right buttons. The team got it together though, to #EndsJustifyMeans ?
The Spurs came into this game having won four straight, while Portland had just broken a four-game losing streak. Both teams were missing their best players. Despite what some ST threads say, the Spurs were much better able to handle their absence thanks for a pretty even effort.
But it wasn’t pretty starting out. The Spurs got down in the first due to horrible rim-protection leaving perimeter players out to dry and a pretty terrible whistle. On offense, they weren’t able to establish LMA and Pau against a small-ball lineup due to aggressive doubling and digging by the Blazers. Portland, for all of their terrible play, is the closest analogue to Golden State in the league in terms of match-ups. Coming back is awesome, but if the Spurs bigs can’t do a better job imposing their wills, they won’t be able to affect the paint like they need to to give the Spurs a chance to win.
STARTERS
MIN
FG
3PT
FT
OREB
DREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
+/-
PTS
L. Aldridge (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2983/lamarcus-aldridge)PF
29
2-3
0-0
4-4
1
5
6
1
0
1
3
3
+9
8
P. Gasol (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/996/pau-gasol)C
23
4-11
0-0
2-2
2
5
7
3
1
0
1
2
+9
10
T. Parker (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/1015/tony-parker)PG
22
7-15
1-1
3-5
0
2
2
5
0
0
0
0
-8
18
D. Green (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3988/danny-green)SG
31
6-9
6-8
0-0
0
2
2
1
0
1
3
3
+11
18
K. Anderson (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2993874/kyle-anderson)SG
28
2-6
0-2
0-0
2
6
8
1
1
1
0
1
+6
4
BENCH
MIN
FG
3PT
FT
OREB
DREB
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
PF
+/-
PTS
D. Lee (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2772/david-lee)PF
16
4-4
0-0
0-0
2
2
4
1
1
0
3
0
+14
8
D. Bertans (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6426/davis-bertans)SF
2
0-1
0-1
0-0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
-2
0
D. Dedmon (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2580913/dewayne-dedmon)C
13
1-1
0-0
1-2
2
6
8
1
0
0
1
3
-9
3
D. Murray (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3907497/dejounte-murray)PG
6
1-4
0-1
0-0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
-7
2
P. Mills (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4004/patty-mills)PG
22
3-4
0-0
0-0
0
1
1
4
2
0
2
3
+27
6
J. Simmons (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2579466/jonathon-simmons)SG
30
5-12
2-4
7-8
1
2
3
2
0
2
1
2
+23
19
M. Ginobili (http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/272/manu-ginobili)SG
17
4-8
2-5
4-4
1
6
7
2
0
0
2
1
+7
14
TEAM
39-78
11-22
21-25
11
37
48
22
7
5
16
18
11
Grades:
LaMarcus Aldridge – C: It’s really hard to excuse his inability to handle a double-team. He’s not Kawhi. Being a focal point of an offense isn’t new to him. He scored well when he was actually able to go one-on-one. But it ended up getting him benched that he wasn’t decisive enough with the ball. It doesn’t help, either, that he didn’t do anything to make up for his lack of scoring. His D was mostly pretty awful, and he didn’t rebound like he should have against Portland’s front line. Just forgettable, due mainly to other guys getting the win.
Kyle Anderson – B: His D is real. His O is real…ly shaky. Dude used his length very well to play passing lanes and to contest shots, which is something that the stats seem to underestimate. I love his rebounding. He can definitely board well enough for a full-time PF. If he could have made some more shots, he would have be in A range easily. Glad to see that rim bend down to help Kyle dunk.
Pau Gasol – C-plus: I didn’t love it tonight. He was somewhat pressured in the post, but he also missed a number of short shots with little pressure. That and horrible D really sunk him. Good passing and decent rebounding saved his grade. Pau can play much better.
Tony Parker – B-plus: Dude stepped up when the team needed him to. I don’t like his midrange shots, and he took too many, which hurt the Spurs early. But a Tony that gets into the paint is such a huge asset to this team, that not even his shills can articulate it enough. Gotta hope he can have some of that in the playoffs. Just gotta. Could do without the bad D on CJ, though.
Danny Green – A-minus: The TOs and first-quarter D on Crabbe kept him from an A-plus. We know Danny still has another gear. It was nice to see Green more aggressive on offense. He was the minutes leader, and I was happy to see Pop keep him in. Danny didn’t let Portland’s bush-league tactics faze him, and that’s when you know he’s feeling it. He could have scored in the high 20s had the team started looking for him more.
David Lee – B: He was also bad at contesting shots, and those TOs were annoying. But everything else was really nice. His ability to exploit bad defenders in the post is surprisingly and depressingly unique among Spurs bigs, and if the Spurs are to be GS in the WCF, it will involve David neutralizing attempts at small-ball. Can he be Diaw 2.0.1? Hopefully. His ability to score off put-backs is also pretty necessary, given that LMA struggles with tip-ins and Dedmon struggles to score if in general.
Dewayne Dedmon – C-plus: Hard to hate on a perfect FG% and eight boards in 13 minutes. But his D was horrible tonight, and that’s what he’s judged by. I don’t like that his IQ is seeming to atrophy from the beginning of the year. He hasn’t been all that great at contesting shots recently, and he’s been even worse at avoiding stupid fouls. Get it together, Dewayne. The team will need you.
Patty Mills – B-minus: Can’t give him too high of a grade with him not even attempting a three. He showed he can do some other things if he’s not scoring, and that’s really nice. He led the team in plus-minus due in large part to him not forcing anything, moving the ball and pressuring opposing guards. He can’t have this offensive production every game. But he contributed.
Manu Ginobili – A-minus: Half man and half u, the dude continues to impress with his ability to hit timely threes. I really like his energy level right now. He made some stupid passes, but on the whole, it was a pretty heady game. He was in the right spots to get boards and took open shots when the rest of the team was overthinking things. For just a 17-minute outing, the results were pretty remarkable.
Jonathon Simmons – A-minus: He deserved a high grade for being the high scorer. Him deciding to take and make open threes definitely helps raise that grade further. I honestly don’t remember his blocks, and I don’t want to rewatch the game to find them right now. But I thought his D was pretty lackluster. He had a hard time containing penetration. But his main match-up shot 27 percent, so I don’t think I can ding him too much on that end. Great game, Jonnie.
Davis Bertans – INC: Missed his only three attempt but got a steal. Just garbage time.
DeJounte Murray – INC: Might have played enough minutes to get a grade, but I don’t think he deserves to be evaluated for that first stint. That unit was horrible. Still needs to work on his body so he can finish better at the rim. But his length is such an asset when guarding on the ball. Dude could be Livingston 2.0 with his ability to shut down opposing points off the bench. Hopefully, his offense develops differently than Shaun’s did, though.
Pop – C: Honestly thought this was a below-par effort by Pop. His lineup changes were terrible. All the team needed to do was settle into the game, which is what they did once Pop let the regular rotation play out. I hated most of his timeouts, especially the one that came after the Spurs regain momentum. Pop really wanted to call it when Portland had closed the gap to one, but the Spurs ended up scoring on three-straight possessions before some non-CJ player made a long-two. I just didn’t think he pushed the right buttons. The team got it together though, to #EndsJustifyMeans ?