timvp
11-27-2004, 03:54 AM
Tim Duncan
Duncan started off smoking against the Denver Nuggets and never cooled down as the Spurs won 89-75 on the road. Duncan’s offense in the first half was incredible. Scoring on a variety of spin moves down low and arcing jumpers up high, he was unstoppable. On defense, he was just as dominating. He finished with six official blocked shots, but also altered a handful of others. While his numbers dropped off in the second half, his torrid first half was enough to seal the game.
GRADE: 98
SEASON: 87.3
Bruce Bowen
Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points on 22 shots, meaning that Bowen did his job. When he goes up against prolific scorers, his main job is to force them to take around one shot for every point they score. Anthony is a rather tough matchup for Bowen, since the young forward has a height and weight advantage on Bowen. Bowen utilized his foot speed to force Anthony into positions he didn’t want to be in. Offensively, Bowen had some problems shooting the ball. He hit only 2-8 from the field, including going 1-5 from downtown. On the plus side, he connected on three out of his four free throw attempts.
GRADE: 87
SEASON: 83.8
Rasho Nesterovic
Playing only 21 minutes, Nesterovic managed to pull down nine rebounds, score four points and hand out three assists. His post defense was fantastic and he did a good job rotating. As evident by his assists, he was able to find his open teammates. His shooting wasn’t spectacular (2-5 from the field) and he could still be more aggressive when the ball is in his hands, but he’s starting to really assert himself as a worthy starter on the Spurs.
GRADE: 88
SEASON: 85.8
Manu Ginobili
After scoring only 20 points in his last three games combined, Ginobili broke out of his mini-slump by scoring 16 points against the Nuggets. He was 5-11 from the field, 2-5 from beyond the arc and 4-4 from the line. Like always, Ginobili contributed in other areas with six rebounds, five assists and a steal. His defense against Greg Buckner and Rodney White was spectacular, holding the pair to only 2-8 shooting from the floor.
GRADE: 91
SEASON: 88.8
Tony Parker
Though his statistics are not overly impressive, Parker did a great job running the show Friday night. He orchestrated the Spurs’ offensive attack and spearheaded their defense. He finished with ten points and five assists in 33 minutes. More importantly he totally shutdown Andre Miller, holding him to 1-10 shooting from the floor and forcing him into three turnovers. If he can play defense like that one a nightly basis, teams will be hard pressed to score 80 points on the Spurs.
GRADE: 92
SEASON: 80.8
Brent Barry
With his shot not falling Barry turned up his defensive intensity. He led the Spurs with two steals and also contributed two rebounds. Though he shot only 1-5 from the field and missed all three of his three-point attempts, Barry was instrumental on offense with four assists in 27 minutes. The basketball smarts he brings to the court can’t be talked about enough for this team.
GRADE: 83
SEASON: 85.8
Malik Rose
For the fifth consecutive game, Rose has been a positive spark to the team off the bench. His physical play changes the tone of the game and supplies the Spurs with the toughness they sometimes lack. Against the Nuggets, Rose shot 4-6 from the floor and sank 3-4 free throws. For the game he had 11 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes of playing time. If he continues to play at this level, Popovich will find plenty of time for the 30-year-old forward.
GRADE: 90
SEASON: 85.8
Robert Horry
Horry played one of his better games of the season, as he finished with six points and two rebounds in 17 minutes of action. While his numbers won’t jump out of the stat sheet, his heady play is a huge plus for the Spurs. When he’s out on the court as the power forward, it opens up a lot of room for everyone else to operate. The key for him is rebounding on the defensive glass, which he’s struggled to do so far this season.
GRADE: 88
SEASON: 83
Beno Udrih
Matched up against one of the best backup point guards in the league, Udrih held his own against Earl Boykins. Boykins, who came into the game averaging 14.5 points per game, totaled only nine points and one assist. Udrih did a great job staying in front of him and forcing him to shoot contested shots. On the other end, the Slovenian backup point guard did well scoring the rock. He scored six points on 3-6 shooting from the field.
GRADE: 87
SEASON: 79.5
Devin Brown
Brown continues to struggle to figure out his role with the team. Right now, he’s trying to figure out whether to be a scorer or a team player on the offensive end. The coaching staff probably wants him to be as aggressive as he can be with the ball without forcing the issue. It’s a tough line to walk, but Brown will need to figure it out. Against the Nuggets, he scored three points in ten minutes.
GRADE: 82
SEASON: 82.2
Duncan started off smoking against the Denver Nuggets and never cooled down as the Spurs won 89-75 on the road. Duncan’s offense in the first half was incredible. Scoring on a variety of spin moves down low and arcing jumpers up high, he was unstoppable. On defense, he was just as dominating. He finished with six official blocked shots, but also altered a handful of others. While his numbers dropped off in the second half, his torrid first half was enough to seal the game.
GRADE: 98
SEASON: 87.3
Bruce Bowen
Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points on 22 shots, meaning that Bowen did his job. When he goes up against prolific scorers, his main job is to force them to take around one shot for every point they score. Anthony is a rather tough matchup for Bowen, since the young forward has a height and weight advantage on Bowen. Bowen utilized his foot speed to force Anthony into positions he didn’t want to be in. Offensively, Bowen had some problems shooting the ball. He hit only 2-8 from the field, including going 1-5 from downtown. On the plus side, he connected on three out of his four free throw attempts.
GRADE: 87
SEASON: 83.8
Rasho Nesterovic
Playing only 21 minutes, Nesterovic managed to pull down nine rebounds, score four points and hand out three assists. His post defense was fantastic and he did a good job rotating. As evident by his assists, he was able to find his open teammates. His shooting wasn’t spectacular (2-5 from the field) and he could still be more aggressive when the ball is in his hands, but he’s starting to really assert himself as a worthy starter on the Spurs.
GRADE: 88
SEASON: 85.8
Manu Ginobili
After scoring only 20 points in his last three games combined, Ginobili broke out of his mini-slump by scoring 16 points against the Nuggets. He was 5-11 from the field, 2-5 from beyond the arc and 4-4 from the line. Like always, Ginobili contributed in other areas with six rebounds, five assists and a steal. His defense against Greg Buckner and Rodney White was spectacular, holding the pair to only 2-8 shooting from the floor.
GRADE: 91
SEASON: 88.8
Tony Parker
Though his statistics are not overly impressive, Parker did a great job running the show Friday night. He orchestrated the Spurs’ offensive attack and spearheaded their defense. He finished with ten points and five assists in 33 minutes. More importantly he totally shutdown Andre Miller, holding him to 1-10 shooting from the floor and forcing him into three turnovers. If he can play defense like that one a nightly basis, teams will be hard pressed to score 80 points on the Spurs.
GRADE: 92
SEASON: 80.8
Brent Barry
With his shot not falling Barry turned up his defensive intensity. He led the Spurs with two steals and also contributed two rebounds. Though he shot only 1-5 from the field and missed all three of his three-point attempts, Barry was instrumental on offense with four assists in 27 minutes. The basketball smarts he brings to the court can’t be talked about enough for this team.
GRADE: 83
SEASON: 85.8
Malik Rose
For the fifth consecutive game, Rose has been a positive spark to the team off the bench. His physical play changes the tone of the game and supplies the Spurs with the toughness they sometimes lack. Against the Nuggets, Rose shot 4-6 from the floor and sank 3-4 free throws. For the game he had 11 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes of playing time. If he continues to play at this level, Popovich will find plenty of time for the 30-year-old forward.
GRADE: 90
SEASON: 85.8
Robert Horry
Horry played one of his better games of the season, as he finished with six points and two rebounds in 17 minutes of action. While his numbers won’t jump out of the stat sheet, his heady play is a huge plus for the Spurs. When he’s out on the court as the power forward, it opens up a lot of room for everyone else to operate. The key for him is rebounding on the defensive glass, which he’s struggled to do so far this season.
GRADE: 88
SEASON: 83
Beno Udrih
Matched up against one of the best backup point guards in the league, Udrih held his own against Earl Boykins. Boykins, who came into the game averaging 14.5 points per game, totaled only nine points and one assist. Udrih did a great job staying in front of him and forcing him to shoot contested shots. On the other end, the Slovenian backup point guard did well scoring the rock. He scored six points on 3-6 shooting from the field.
GRADE: 87
SEASON: 79.5
Devin Brown
Brown continues to struggle to figure out his role with the team. Right now, he’s trying to figure out whether to be a scorer or a team player on the offensive end. The coaching staff probably wants him to be as aggressive as he can be with the ball without forcing the issue. It’s a tough line to walk, but Brown will need to figure it out. Against the Nuggets, he scored three points in ten minutes.
GRADE: 82
SEASON: 82.2