Cry Havoc
10-24-2017, 06:39 PM
(2-0) Raptors at (2-0) Spurs – October 23rd, 2017
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio
The Story:
Early season clashes between teams are usually part of a feeling out process for the NBA season. Healthy teams are usually trying to integrate new players, finding where the pieces fit as new players and lineups are integrated.
Not so for the Raptors and Spurs, who arrived in the regular season with injured starters and 2-0 records. The Raptors were without Jonas Valanciunas, (ankle), and the Spurs without Kawhi Leonard (knee) and Tony Parker (AARP benefits expired).
In a match that was close throughout featuring a pretty healthy level of slop, the Spurs finally kicked it into gear early in the 4th quarter and completely dismantled the Raptors on both sides of the ball. Despite numerous defensive lapses that allowed the Raptors to get layups, this was the most impressive Spurs regular season win in some time, featuring standout performances from multiple players.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/spurs/sites/default/files/styles/story_main_photo/public/screen_shot_2017-05-30_at_11.34.40_am.png?itok=ssSw8y8w
Game Ball: Dejounte Murray – A+
If his late-season performances weren’t enough, this game serves to put the rest of the league on notice: The kid has arrived. Murray was a complete player on the court tonight, in fact, if there’s one thing I found that shows room for improvement, it’s that he wasn’t even greedier. Murray scored 16 points on 12 shots, showcasing some truly impressive ball-handling. Even greater is his penchant for finding the rim while moving in traffic, which is a hugely underrated quality amongst guards. Murray flashed excellent control, and led the team not only in assists with 6, but had a game-high 15(!!!) rebounds. And that might not even have been the most remarkable aspect of his game Monday night. On a typical day when the Raps are struggling mightily on offense, they would turn to their vaunted point guard, Kyle Lowry, to shoulder some of the load. But Murray held him to 8 points on 3-11 shooting. The Spurs podcast Spurs82+ called Murray “The Oracle”, because when you look at him, you see the future.
Danny Green – A+
On paper, a 6-15 performance from the Spurs 3 & D guy might not be worthy of a top grade. However, Danny brought it tonight. This was the marquee defensive performance in recent memory for Green. On one possession, he got two blocks in a row, first on DeMar DeRozan, and then on Raptors 7’er Jakob Poeltl. He arguably added a 3rd block a possession later that wasn’t credited to him in the stats column, so his 5 block performance might be selling him a bit short. Danny was a terror this night, getting his hands on the ball no matter where the Raptors tried to put it, and breaking up at least two fast-breaks, which almost seem to be automatic now for the North Carolina standout. Even more encouraging long-term: Danny’s ball handling appears to have shot through the roof this season. Last season he appeared to be somewhere between Brian Scalabrine and Matt Bonner with his handles – the year is early, but is Danny a competent, nay, a GOOD ball-handler now? We can only hope, as him adding that wrinkle to his game would cause defenses to truly have to make some tough choices in guarding his deadly long range shooting.
Rudy Gay – A
Let’s make this simple: Rudy needs the ball more. Every single time he touched the rock tonight, he was aggressive, smart, and made good plays happen. Whether it was taking an open jumper with no hesitation or backing a smaller guard down, Rudy appeared in control, and never seemed to force the issue. What’s encouraging is that he’s also playing some of the best defense I’ve ever seen from him. It’s clear that he’s motivated, and already feeling comfortable in the Spurs system. He could give the Spurs that one extra offensive option they need when the playoffs come round.
Manu Ginobili – A
Lackluster 2nd half aside, the only reason the Spurs were in the game in the first half was because Manu completely terrified the Raptors every time he touched the ball. Honestly, I will take this Manu 10/10 times these days. He was aggressive, he made some absurd moves to the rim, and overall just performed for about 15 minutes like a 28 year old, with a full head of hair. He was hands down the best player on the court for the Spurs in the first half. What a pleasure to see this 40 year old school the young guys.
Kyle Anderson – B+
Very solid outing from Slo-mo. While he doesn’t always show up in the stat column, Anderson was very good on defense tonight and gives the Spurs a super important option at PF. That’s all the more valuable given that Davis Bertans has evidently started the season in Popovich’s doghouse. Kyle will likely never score 30 points in a game, but he plays smart basketball and his positional awareness on defense is improving noticeably from last year. He also shot more willingly Monday night, which was great to see, going 4-9 from the field and making some buckets when the Spurs really needed them.
LaMarcus Aldridge – B+
I’ll be honest, LMA’s play this game probably deserves a B or a B-. But the tenacity and heart he showed in the 4th quarter gets him a bonus. After going through the motions for the first 3 quarters, LMA stepped up his play, and then he and Ibaka collided under the hoop. LaMarcus stood his ground, and when Ibaka approached him, the Dallas native let him know he ain’t about dis life and gave him a rough shove. Double techs were awarded, and LaMarcus demanded the ball on the next play and promptly fouled Ibaka out of the game, further deflating any ideas the Raps had about running back the score. The highlight of the early Spurs season has to be the immediate aftermath of the Aldridge shove, as he walks back to the bench and is intercepted by Pop. Pop, far from wringing him out about the confrontation, gives LMA a sly smile before being cut off by the 7 foot wingspan of DeJounte Murray, who took it upon himself to settle down LA after the heated play. There are simply too many positive takeaways from this to list, but it’s hard not to be ecstatic seeing the fire and leadership intertwining on the Spurs roster, especially with their MVP still recovering from injury.
Joffrey Lauvergne – B
I’d really like to give King Joff a higher grade here. He certainly produced more in this game than I ever thought possible of him. He looked VERY aggressive with the ball, maybe overly so, but it was great to see him making quick decisions as soon as he caught it. He even had some nice scores and grabbed 7 boards in 16 minutes of play. But on the defensive side he needs a LOT of work, because as of now he does not appear to be a reliable inside presence on D for the Spurs. He was a team worst -15 in Monday night’s game, as the Raps went into rim-attack mode whenever he set foot on the floor. Still, the fact that he looks like he might be an NBA player is a massive uptick in his value over his last two performances. He’s a mobile big and can RUN the floor, he just needs a ton of polish and several months of coaching him into his role to be a factor night-in and night-out.
Patty Mills – D
Worry time? Maybe not quite yet. The season is still very young, but Patty is definitely not in sync with this offense. He normally thrives as the sparkplug off the bench, but right now looks more ready for the G-League than the 6th man the Spurs have come to rely on. 0-3 from downtown including one forced shot is just not going to get it done. With Murray rising to the moment, Patty’s playing time in the Spurs rotation may be drastically shortened in the future as Tony returns from injury.
Pau Gasol – D
Oof. Gasol looks rough with the ball in his hands. He shot 0-6 from the game and was clearly out of sorts with the pressure the Raptors were putting on him. However, he saved himself from a failing grade by posting 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Still, that is precious little upside to a guy the Spurs just dropped a mint’s worth of cash on. At this point one has to hope that he’s just pacing himself a la Robert Horry for the post-season.
Forbes and Paul
Hard to say much in a combined 11 minutes of play from the two youngsters. Paul found a couple of dimes in 7 minutes, including a fantastic alley-oop that was bang on target to Aldridge in the 2nd quarter. Forbes looks to be relegated to mop up minutes – if he can’t find time on the court with Kawhi out, it’s doubtful he’ll get minutes when the All-NBA Forward returns.
Pop – A
I got the sense that Pop was just letting the game naturally develop without trying to change up too much. But giving 28 minutes to Murray and letting Danny play 34 is a very encouraging sign on a night that the Tarheel was such a vicious defender. Pop earns an A if nothing else for his handling of the Aldridge-Ibaka confrontation and his seriously nasty defensive lineup at the end of the game featuring LMA, Murray, and Anderson – that sparked a huge Spurs run that took them from down 81-75 to up 96-87.
News & Notes from around the league:
Eric Bledsoe has played his final game for the Suns. This coming directly from the Suns GM after Bledsoe told his team that he was at a “hair salon” instead of a team function. Where he goes is a mystery, and certainly a gamble given his past relationships with teams, but plenty of squads need a capable guard, and the 27 year old is certainly that, when motivated.
If you aren’t watching the Greek Freak, you are missing out on some truly incredible basketball. Giannis is averaging 37 points per game in the first 4 games of the season, and has already demonstrated better passing, ball-handling, and is a terror in both the steals and blocks department.
The 76ers “process” appears to be bearing fruit behind the steady hand of Ben Simmons, who posted the league’s first triple double of the season by a rookie. Philly is expected to contend for a playoff spot this season for the first time since 2012.
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio
The Story:
Early season clashes between teams are usually part of a feeling out process for the NBA season. Healthy teams are usually trying to integrate new players, finding where the pieces fit as new players and lineups are integrated.
Not so for the Raptors and Spurs, who arrived in the regular season with injured starters and 2-0 records. The Raptors were without Jonas Valanciunas, (ankle), and the Spurs without Kawhi Leonard (knee) and Tony Parker (AARP benefits expired).
In a match that was close throughout featuring a pretty healthy level of slop, the Spurs finally kicked it into gear early in the 4th quarter and completely dismantled the Raptors on both sides of the ball. Despite numerous defensive lapses that allowed the Raptors to get layups, this was the most impressive Spurs regular season win in some time, featuring standout performances from multiple players.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/spurs/sites/default/files/styles/story_main_photo/public/screen_shot_2017-05-30_at_11.34.40_am.png?itok=ssSw8y8w
Game Ball: Dejounte Murray – A+
If his late-season performances weren’t enough, this game serves to put the rest of the league on notice: The kid has arrived. Murray was a complete player on the court tonight, in fact, if there’s one thing I found that shows room for improvement, it’s that he wasn’t even greedier. Murray scored 16 points on 12 shots, showcasing some truly impressive ball-handling. Even greater is his penchant for finding the rim while moving in traffic, which is a hugely underrated quality amongst guards. Murray flashed excellent control, and led the team not only in assists with 6, but had a game-high 15(!!!) rebounds. And that might not even have been the most remarkable aspect of his game Monday night. On a typical day when the Raps are struggling mightily on offense, they would turn to their vaunted point guard, Kyle Lowry, to shoulder some of the load. But Murray held him to 8 points on 3-11 shooting. The Spurs podcast Spurs82+ called Murray “The Oracle”, because when you look at him, you see the future.
Danny Green – A+
On paper, a 6-15 performance from the Spurs 3 & D guy might not be worthy of a top grade. However, Danny brought it tonight. This was the marquee defensive performance in recent memory for Green. On one possession, he got two blocks in a row, first on DeMar DeRozan, and then on Raptors 7’er Jakob Poeltl. He arguably added a 3rd block a possession later that wasn’t credited to him in the stats column, so his 5 block performance might be selling him a bit short. Danny was a terror this night, getting his hands on the ball no matter where the Raptors tried to put it, and breaking up at least two fast-breaks, which almost seem to be automatic now for the North Carolina standout. Even more encouraging long-term: Danny’s ball handling appears to have shot through the roof this season. Last season he appeared to be somewhere between Brian Scalabrine and Matt Bonner with his handles – the year is early, but is Danny a competent, nay, a GOOD ball-handler now? We can only hope, as him adding that wrinkle to his game would cause defenses to truly have to make some tough choices in guarding his deadly long range shooting.
Rudy Gay – A
Let’s make this simple: Rudy needs the ball more. Every single time he touched the rock tonight, he was aggressive, smart, and made good plays happen. Whether it was taking an open jumper with no hesitation or backing a smaller guard down, Rudy appeared in control, and never seemed to force the issue. What’s encouraging is that he’s also playing some of the best defense I’ve ever seen from him. It’s clear that he’s motivated, and already feeling comfortable in the Spurs system. He could give the Spurs that one extra offensive option they need when the playoffs come round.
Manu Ginobili – A
Lackluster 2nd half aside, the only reason the Spurs were in the game in the first half was because Manu completely terrified the Raptors every time he touched the ball. Honestly, I will take this Manu 10/10 times these days. He was aggressive, he made some absurd moves to the rim, and overall just performed for about 15 minutes like a 28 year old, with a full head of hair. He was hands down the best player on the court for the Spurs in the first half. What a pleasure to see this 40 year old school the young guys.
Kyle Anderson – B+
Very solid outing from Slo-mo. While he doesn’t always show up in the stat column, Anderson was very good on defense tonight and gives the Spurs a super important option at PF. That’s all the more valuable given that Davis Bertans has evidently started the season in Popovich’s doghouse. Kyle will likely never score 30 points in a game, but he plays smart basketball and his positional awareness on defense is improving noticeably from last year. He also shot more willingly Monday night, which was great to see, going 4-9 from the field and making some buckets when the Spurs really needed them.
LaMarcus Aldridge – B+
I’ll be honest, LMA’s play this game probably deserves a B or a B-. But the tenacity and heart he showed in the 4th quarter gets him a bonus. After going through the motions for the first 3 quarters, LMA stepped up his play, and then he and Ibaka collided under the hoop. LaMarcus stood his ground, and when Ibaka approached him, the Dallas native let him know he ain’t about dis life and gave him a rough shove. Double techs were awarded, and LaMarcus demanded the ball on the next play and promptly fouled Ibaka out of the game, further deflating any ideas the Raps had about running back the score. The highlight of the early Spurs season has to be the immediate aftermath of the Aldridge shove, as he walks back to the bench and is intercepted by Pop. Pop, far from wringing him out about the confrontation, gives LMA a sly smile before being cut off by the 7 foot wingspan of DeJounte Murray, who took it upon himself to settle down LA after the heated play. There are simply too many positive takeaways from this to list, but it’s hard not to be ecstatic seeing the fire and leadership intertwining on the Spurs roster, especially with their MVP still recovering from injury.
Joffrey Lauvergne – B
I’d really like to give King Joff a higher grade here. He certainly produced more in this game than I ever thought possible of him. He looked VERY aggressive with the ball, maybe overly so, but it was great to see him making quick decisions as soon as he caught it. He even had some nice scores and grabbed 7 boards in 16 minutes of play. But on the defensive side he needs a LOT of work, because as of now he does not appear to be a reliable inside presence on D for the Spurs. He was a team worst -15 in Monday night’s game, as the Raps went into rim-attack mode whenever he set foot on the floor. Still, the fact that he looks like he might be an NBA player is a massive uptick in his value over his last two performances. He’s a mobile big and can RUN the floor, he just needs a ton of polish and several months of coaching him into his role to be a factor night-in and night-out.
Patty Mills – D
Worry time? Maybe not quite yet. The season is still very young, but Patty is definitely not in sync with this offense. He normally thrives as the sparkplug off the bench, but right now looks more ready for the G-League than the 6th man the Spurs have come to rely on. 0-3 from downtown including one forced shot is just not going to get it done. With Murray rising to the moment, Patty’s playing time in the Spurs rotation may be drastically shortened in the future as Tony returns from injury.
Pau Gasol – D
Oof. Gasol looks rough with the ball in his hands. He shot 0-6 from the game and was clearly out of sorts with the pressure the Raptors were putting on him. However, he saved himself from a failing grade by posting 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Still, that is precious little upside to a guy the Spurs just dropped a mint’s worth of cash on. At this point one has to hope that he’s just pacing himself a la Robert Horry for the post-season.
Forbes and Paul
Hard to say much in a combined 11 minutes of play from the two youngsters. Paul found a couple of dimes in 7 minutes, including a fantastic alley-oop that was bang on target to Aldridge in the 2nd quarter. Forbes looks to be relegated to mop up minutes – if he can’t find time on the court with Kawhi out, it’s doubtful he’ll get minutes when the All-NBA Forward returns.
Pop – A
I got the sense that Pop was just letting the game naturally develop without trying to change up too much. But giving 28 minutes to Murray and letting Danny play 34 is a very encouraging sign on a night that the Tarheel was such a vicious defender. Pop earns an A if nothing else for his handling of the Aldridge-Ibaka confrontation and his seriously nasty defensive lineup at the end of the game featuring LMA, Murray, and Anderson – that sparked a huge Spurs run that took them from down 81-75 to up 96-87.
News & Notes from around the league:
Eric Bledsoe has played his final game for the Suns. This coming directly from the Suns GM after Bledsoe told his team that he was at a “hair salon” instead of a team function. Where he goes is a mystery, and certainly a gamble given his past relationships with teams, but plenty of squads need a capable guard, and the 27 year old is certainly that, when motivated.
If you aren’t watching the Greek Freak, you are missing out on some truly incredible basketball. Giannis is averaging 37 points per game in the first 4 games of the season, and has already demonstrated better passing, ball-handling, and is a terror in both the steals and blocks department.
The 76ers “process” appears to be bearing fruit behind the steady hand of Ben Simmons, who posted the league’s first triple double of the season by a rookie. Philly is expected to contend for a playoff spot this season for the first time since 2012.