timvp
10-30-2018, 01:43 AM
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Well, at least they're keeping it exciting. The San Antonio Spurs escaped with a 113-108 overtime victory over the up-and-coming Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. Things looked bleak for the Spurs when Dennis Smith Jr. hit a step-back three-pointer with 90 seconds left in regulation to put the Mavs up by three. Thankfully, DeMar DeRozan responded with a layup and two free throws to help force the extra period.
With under a minute left in overtime, DeRozan won the game for the Spurs with a driving layup followed by a step-back clincher to put San Antonio up by five points with ten seconds on the clock.
The Spurs are now 4-2 and are riding their first winning streak of the season.
https://i.imgur.com/MwCwxYm.gif
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LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
LaMarcus Aldridge’s inability to hit shots remains concerning. After a 6-for-17 showing against the Mavs, he’s now shooting an icy 40.4 percent the field on the season. The story of his missed shots against the Mavs was the same as it’s been all season: misfires from midrange, a lack of physicality leading to unnecessarily difficult shots when posting up and an uncharacteristic lack of touch on gimmies in the paint. In addition to his poor shooting, Aldridge was also weak on the boards and sub par defensively. His pick-and-roll defense and switches out on the perimeter left a lot to be desired. It wasn’t all bad for Aldridge, however. I thought his passing, particularly when facing double-teams, was very good and he took care of the ball well, in general. He also got back on track with his free throw shooting; he entered the game shooting only 66.7 percent from the charity stripe.
Grade: C
Summary: Aldridge’s shooting struggles continued but it he did manage to help in some areas.
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DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
Damn, this guy is pretty good. DeMar DeRozan entered this season as one of the clutchest players in recent NBA history. Six games into his Spurs career and it’s obvious he’s an elite level finisher. He made a number of huge plays against the Mavs while accumulating 34 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals in a game-high 43 minutes. Perhaps just as important as his numbers is the fact that DeRozan was quite impressive on defense. He was probably the team’s best perimeter defender and also impacted the game on that end by reading passing lanes and crashing the boards. On offense, it’s difficult to come up with any negatives. DeRozan spoonfed his teammates with his playmaking ability, assumed point guard duties for much of the night and was deadly in isolations, pick-and-rolls and on the low block. Okay, sure, he had a few questionable attempts from the field but otherwise he was dominant with the ball in his hands.
Grade: A
Summary: DeRozan is good at basketball.
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Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
Whew, that was an action-packed adventure for Rudy Gay. Net-net, it’s difficult to figure out if he hurt or helped the cause. On one hand, he had severe cases of Fumblitis, Can’t Dribble Syndrome and Tunnel Vision that led to seven turnovers and a number of ball hog-ish possessions. His transition defense was also shoddy, as were most of his attempts to stay in front of his man on the perimeter. But on the other hand, he was active enough on defense to swipe six steals and grab a team-high 11 rebounds. When he actually looked to share on offense, he authored a few heady passes. And it should also be noted that he got the team going in overtime by scoring San Antonio’s first three points when it looked like his teammates may have ran out of gas.
Grade: C+
Summary: Gay delivered a pu pu platter of contributions, both good and bad.
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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
The clock hasn’t struck midnight yet. Bryn Forbes once again passed the eye-test as a starter on the NBA level. I liked that he was aggressive looking for his own shots. The Mavs were respecting Forbes’ jumper so he had to get creative and trigger-happy. By doing that, the Spurs starting point guard provides even more spacing for his teammates because opponents need to account for him at all times. He didn’t make many plays with the ball but he also was able to keep mistakes to a minimum. Defensively, I thought he did a good job. His effort level was high, he fought when matched up against bigger players and he was locked in mentally. And although he wasn’t credited with a rebound, he really battled on the boards among the trees.
Grade: B+
Summary: Forbes has emerged as a dependable contributor and shows no signs of slowing down.
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Dante Cunningham
https://i.imgur.com/W3QWUCI.png
Dante Cunningham was his typical try-hard self. The results, though, were lacking. Offensively, he’s an awkward fit. He’s the anti-Forbes in that he doesn’t spread the court at all. He doesn’t appear to be comfortable shooting three-pointers and he’s far from a natural when it comes to finding open spaces to occupy on offense. Defensively, he was physical under the rim but he couldn’t stay in front of his man out around three-point line. Cunningham was also sub par at defending pick-and-rolls when his man was the ballhandler.
Grade: C-
Summary: Cunningham is efforting but pluses were few and far between this evening.
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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
For the second straight game, I thought Patty Mills showed life on defense. He was energetic enough and communicative enough to avoid being too much of a liability on that end. He still got scored on but he wasn’t the limp traffic cone he was in the first few games of the season. Offensively, it was rarely pretty but he did okay. His ballhandling was poor and he struggled to do anything point guard related but he provided just enough of a scoring punch to help out.
Grade: B-
Summary: Mills did just enough to not be a negative.
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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
Marco Belinelli is another player for the good guys who rode a roller coaster. He started off incredibly shaky with a multitude of poor decisions -- shot-wise, passing-wise and defense-wise. But to his credit, Belinelli shook off the miscues and led a personal 8-0 run late in the third quarter that brought the Spurs back from a six-point deficit. His determination seemed to spark the team and helped lift San Antonio out of a rut. He continued making good plays until a couple poor defensive possessions in the fourth quarter got him benched by Pop.
Grade: B
Summary: Belinelli experienced ups and downs but his ups were momentum-changing.
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Pau Gasol
https://i.imgur.com/oF0jVre.png
In his 15 minutes, Pau Gasol packed in the production with five rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocked shots. His defense in the paint was really good and he seemed more spry on that end overall. Offensively, he picked apart the Mavs, mostly from the high post. He tried to do too much at times on offense and he didn’t really use his size to his advantage on that end . . . but all in all Gasol was a positive contributor on Monday night.
Grade: B+
Summary: Gasol was busy and undoubtedly helped the Spurs win the game.
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Quincy Pondexter
https://i.imgur.com/loUbrtn.png
Welcome to the rotation, Quincy Pondexter. Kind of. Pop went to Pondexter for five first half minutes and then he didn’t play in the second half. During his first five minutes of meaningful playing time for the Spurs, I thought Pondexter was fine. He was relatively quick to the ball and his defense was relatively solid. While I still question whether Pondexter has regained enough athleticism following his many injuries and ailments, I’m intrigued by his ability to handle the ball a bit. An extra ballhandler would be helpful with this current group.
Grade: B
Summary: Pondexter wasn’t overly impressive but he didn’t do anything to hurt his case going forward.
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Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
Davis Bertans seemed to get the message loud and clear after he was kept on the bench in the first half in favor of Pondexter. When Bertans returned to the rotation in the second half, he played with more toughness than we witnessed in recent outings. Unfortunately, that toughness didn’t translate to much of anything tangible. Bertans didn’t grab a rebound and, more damning, missed a few rotations that left Pop on the verge of blowing a gasket. He still has a ways to go to win over the coaching staff, it’s safe to say.
Grade: C
Summary: Bertans’ grasp on a spot in the rotation is tenuous.
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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
I didn’t disagree with starting Cunningham but it wasn’t much of a success in retrospect. Giving Pondexter some playing time turned out to be a pretty good idea. It seemed like Pop was hesitant to go back to Mills to close out the game but resorted to the two point guard lineup after other players (namely Belinelli and Bertans) made boneheaded defensive mistakes. And it actually worked out in an unlikely manner: the Mavs became so consumed with exploiting the mismatches that they lost their rhythm. Whatever works, I guess. Pop does deserve a round of applause for allowing DeRozan to fully spread his wings and dominate to the full extent of his capabilities. Good coaching.
Grade: B
Summary: Pop mixed and matched but knew who to go to when the game was on the line.
Looking ahead: Good win. Luka Doncic looks like a superstar in the making and the Mavs have plenty of talent, though they’re likely a year or two from playoff contention. Once they make Doncic they're full-time primary playmaker, watch out.
More important than just the win is that San Antonio’s defense appears to be on the mend. The Mavs scored 108 points in 112 possessions. A defensive rating of 96.4 is a huge, huge improvement for the Spurs, who entered the game with a defensive rating north of 118 -- the second worst mark in the league.
Now the Spurs try to extend their winning streak (and their defensive resurgence) to three games on Halloween night in Phoenix.
https://i.imgur.com/yem7ChD.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/t8c2WTZ.jpg
Well, at least they're keeping it exciting. The San Antonio Spurs escaped with a 113-108 overtime victory over the up-and-coming Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. Things looked bleak for the Spurs when Dennis Smith Jr. hit a step-back three-pointer with 90 seconds left in regulation to put the Mavs up by three. Thankfully, DeMar DeRozan responded with a layup and two free throws to help force the extra period.
With under a minute left in overtime, DeRozan won the game for the Spurs with a driving layup followed by a step-back clincher to put San Antonio up by five points with ten seconds on the clock.
The Spurs are now 4-2 and are riding their first winning streak of the season.
https://i.imgur.com/MwCwxYm.gif
https://i.imgur.com/Ad5NGOh.gif
https://i.imgur.com/jdoNIgl.gif
https://i.imgur.com/83PDyyN.gif
LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
LaMarcus Aldridge’s inability to hit shots remains concerning. After a 6-for-17 showing against the Mavs, he’s now shooting an icy 40.4 percent the field on the season. The story of his missed shots against the Mavs was the same as it’s been all season: misfires from midrange, a lack of physicality leading to unnecessarily difficult shots when posting up and an uncharacteristic lack of touch on gimmies in the paint. In addition to his poor shooting, Aldridge was also weak on the boards and sub par defensively. His pick-and-roll defense and switches out on the perimeter left a lot to be desired. It wasn’t all bad for Aldridge, however. I thought his passing, particularly when facing double-teams, was very good and he took care of the ball well, in general. He also got back on track with his free throw shooting; he entered the game shooting only 66.7 percent from the charity stripe.
Grade: C
Summary: Aldridge’s shooting struggles continued but it he did manage to help in some areas.
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DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
Damn, this guy is pretty good. DeMar DeRozan entered this season as one of the clutchest players in recent NBA history. Six games into his Spurs career and it’s obvious he’s an elite level finisher. He made a number of huge plays against the Mavs while accumulating 34 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals in a game-high 43 minutes. Perhaps just as important as his numbers is the fact that DeRozan was quite impressive on defense. He was probably the team’s best perimeter defender and also impacted the game on that end by reading passing lanes and crashing the boards. On offense, it’s difficult to come up with any negatives. DeRozan spoonfed his teammates with his playmaking ability, assumed point guard duties for much of the night and was deadly in isolations, pick-and-rolls and on the low block. Okay, sure, he had a few questionable attempts from the field but otherwise he was dominant with the ball in his hands.
Grade: A
Summary: DeRozan is good at basketball.
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Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
Whew, that was an action-packed adventure for Rudy Gay. Net-net, it’s difficult to figure out if he hurt or helped the cause. On one hand, he had severe cases of Fumblitis, Can’t Dribble Syndrome and Tunnel Vision that led to seven turnovers and a number of ball hog-ish possessions. His transition defense was also shoddy, as were most of his attempts to stay in front of his man on the perimeter. But on the other hand, he was active enough on defense to swipe six steals and grab a team-high 11 rebounds. When he actually looked to share on offense, he authored a few heady passes. And it should also be noted that he got the team going in overtime by scoring San Antonio’s first three points when it looked like his teammates may have ran out of gas.
Grade: C+
Summary: Gay delivered a pu pu platter of contributions, both good and bad.
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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
The clock hasn’t struck midnight yet. Bryn Forbes once again passed the eye-test as a starter on the NBA level. I liked that he was aggressive looking for his own shots. The Mavs were respecting Forbes’ jumper so he had to get creative and trigger-happy. By doing that, the Spurs starting point guard provides even more spacing for his teammates because opponents need to account for him at all times. He didn’t make many plays with the ball but he also was able to keep mistakes to a minimum. Defensively, I thought he did a good job. His effort level was high, he fought when matched up against bigger players and he was locked in mentally. And although he wasn’t credited with a rebound, he really battled on the boards among the trees.
Grade: B+
Summary: Forbes has emerged as a dependable contributor and shows no signs of slowing down.
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Dante Cunningham
https://i.imgur.com/W3QWUCI.png
Dante Cunningham was his typical try-hard self. The results, though, were lacking. Offensively, he’s an awkward fit. He’s the anti-Forbes in that he doesn’t spread the court at all. He doesn’t appear to be comfortable shooting three-pointers and he’s far from a natural when it comes to finding open spaces to occupy on offense. Defensively, he was physical under the rim but he couldn’t stay in front of his man out around three-point line. Cunningham was also sub par at defending pick-and-rolls when his man was the ballhandler.
Grade: C-
Summary: Cunningham is efforting but pluses were few and far between this evening.
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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
For the second straight game, I thought Patty Mills showed life on defense. He was energetic enough and communicative enough to avoid being too much of a liability on that end. He still got scored on but he wasn’t the limp traffic cone he was in the first few games of the season. Offensively, it was rarely pretty but he did okay. His ballhandling was poor and he struggled to do anything point guard related but he provided just enough of a scoring punch to help out.
Grade: B-
Summary: Mills did just enough to not be a negative.
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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
Marco Belinelli is another player for the good guys who rode a roller coaster. He started off incredibly shaky with a multitude of poor decisions -- shot-wise, passing-wise and defense-wise. But to his credit, Belinelli shook off the miscues and led a personal 8-0 run late in the third quarter that brought the Spurs back from a six-point deficit. His determination seemed to spark the team and helped lift San Antonio out of a rut. He continued making good plays until a couple poor defensive possessions in the fourth quarter got him benched by Pop.
Grade: B
Summary: Belinelli experienced ups and downs but his ups were momentum-changing.
-------------
Pau Gasol
https://i.imgur.com/oF0jVre.png
In his 15 minutes, Pau Gasol packed in the production with five rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocked shots. His defense in the paint was really good and he seemed more spry on that end overall. Offensively, he picked apart the Mavs, mostly from the high post. He tried to do too much at times on offense and he didn’t really use his size to his advantage on that end . . . but all in all Gasol was a positive contributor on Monday night.
Grade: B+
Summary: Gasol was busy and undoubtedly helped the Spurs win the game.
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Quincy Pondexter
https://i.imgur.com/loUbrtn.png
Welcome to the rotation, Quincy Pondexter. Kind of. Pop went to Pondexter for five first half minutes and then he didn’t play in the second half. During his first five minutes of meaningful playing time for the Spurs, I thought Pondexter was fine. He was relatively quick to the ball and his defense was relatively solid. While I still question whether Pondexter has regained enough athleticism following his many injuries and ailments, I’m intrigued by his ability to handle the ball a bit. An extra ballhandler would be helpful with this current group.
Grade: B
Summary: Pondexter wasn’t overly impressive but he didn’t do anything to hurt his case going forward.
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Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
Davis Bertans seemed to get the message loud and clear after he was kept on the bench in the first half in favor of Pondexter. When Bertans returned to the rotation in the second half, he played with more toughness than we witnessed in recent outings. Unfortunately, that toughness didn’t translate to much of anything tangible. Bertans didn’t grab a rebound and, more damning, missed a few rotations that left Pop on the verge of blowing a gasket. He still has a ways to go to win over the coaching staff, it’s safe to say.
Grade: C
Summary: Bertans’ grasp on a spot in the rotation is tenuous.
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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
I didn’t disagree with starting Cunningham but it wasn’t much of a success in retrospect. Giving Pondexter some playing time turned out to be a pretty good idea. It seemed like Pop was hesitant to go back to Mills to close out the game but resorted to the two point guard lineup after other players (namely Belinelli and Bertans) made boneheaded defensive mistakes. And it actually worked out in an unlikely manner: the Mavs became so consumed with exploiting the mismatches that they lost their rhythm. Whatever works, I guess. Pop does deserve a round of applause for allowing DeRozan to fully spread his wings and dominate to the full extent of his capabilities. Good coaching.
Grade: B
Summary: Pop mixed and matched but knew who to go to when the game was on the line.
Looking ahead: Good win. Luka Doncic looks like a superstar in the making and the Mavs have plenty of talent, though they’re likely a year or two from playoff contention. Once they make Doncic they're full-time primary playmaker, watch out.
More important than just the win is that San Antonio’s defense appears to be on the mend. The Mavs scored 108 points in 112 possessions. A defensive rating of 96.4 is a huge, huge improvement for the Spurs, who entered the game with a defensive rating north of 118 -- the second worst mark in the league.
Now the Spurs try to extend their winning streak (and their defensive resurgence) to three games on Halloween night in Phoenix.