timvp
12-03-2004, 02:59 AM
Tim Duncan
Amazing. That is the only word that can describe Duncan’s play against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. He came out, set the tone and just decimated the Sixers. In one of the more unstoppable stretches of his career, Duncan poured in 17 points in the second quarter as the Spurs outscored the Sixers 30-11. While Duncan has had a bunch of MVP-like games this season, this one has to rank at the top. He totaled 24 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks in only 25 minutes of action. He hit 10-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line. Duncan can’t really play much better. His offense was deadly and his defense was supreme.
GRADE: 100
SEASON: 88.7
Bruce Bowen
For the second straight game, Bowen didn’t make his usual impact on the game. He played well defensively against Kyle Korver and Andre Iguodala, but did allow them a couple open shots. The Spurs didn’t use him too much on Allen Iverson because their guards were doing a good job on him. Offensively, he was 0-for-4 from the field, all of which were three-point attempts. On the plus side, he did pull did four rebounds, dish out two assists and get two steals. However, the Spurs need him to shoot better to open the floor for the rest of the team.
GRADE: 77
SEASON: 83.6
Rasho Nesterovic
Apparently, Nesterovic didn’t come to play Wednesday night. Popovich benched him early in the game for missing a defensive rotation. When he re-entered the game, we didn’t make too much noise for the rest of the contest. He was 1-for-4 from the field and finished with two points, six rebounds and a block. The Spurs need him to bring a lot more energy and concentration to the court. They can’t have defensive lapses from their center and win games against elite competition. Nesterovic has played well for most of the season, but recently his attention to detail has begun to dissipate.
GRADE: 68
SEASON: 84.4
Manu Ginobili
Although his statistics weren’t overwhelming against the Sixers, Ginobili did a fine job setting the energy level for the Spurs. He started the game attacking the basket and getting to the line, which the Spurs continued to do for the duration of the contest. He hit only 2-of-6 from the field, but got to the line 11 times – connecting on seven of them. Ginobili also picked up assists and three rebounds in his 23 minutes of play. His shooting could have been better, but he was still very effective for the Spurs.
GRADE: 88
SEASON: 89.2
Tony Parker
For the second time this season, Parker did a fantastic job guarding Allen Iverson. Iverson finished 6-for-17 for the game and a combined 14-for-41 in the two games he played against Parker. The Spurs’ point guard used his quickness to stay in front of Iverson and force him into tough shots. While Iverson is as quick as any player in league history, Parker is right there too. On the other side of the court, Parker did a good job running the offense. He finished with 14 points and five assists, while shooting 6-for-9 from the field in 25 minutes. If he continues to bring that level of defensive intensity, the Spurs will become an even better defensive team than years past.
GRADE: 93
SEASON: 82.9
Devin Brown
I guess all he needed was a chance. Now Brown is making the most of his minutes. In an inspired effort, Brown finished with 24 points on 8-for-14 from the field, 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the line. In his last three games, Brown is averaging 18 points on 60% shooting from the floor, 62.5% from downtown and 92.9% at the line in 23.3 minutes per game. With an already stacked roster, Brown’s play has been the cherry on top for the Spurs. If he can play at this level for the rest of the season, the NBA might as well ship the Larry O’Brien trophy to San Antonio now.
GRADE: 98
SEASON: 85.1
Brent Barry
Barry seems to be rushing it. He’s shooting his shots too fast and is trying to move at full speed each second he’s on the court. Once he calms down and lets the game come to him more, he’s going to start hitting his shots. As it stands, Barry can’t buy a basket. Over his last last four games, he’s shooting 31.3% from the floor and 0-11 from three-point land. Against the Sixers, Barry was 1-for-5 from the field, 0-3 from downtown and scored only two points in 19 minutes. If he continues to struggle, Brown might just take the backup swing spot from him permanently.
GRADE: 73
SEASON: 85.1
Malik Rose
Just like his other game against the Sixers, Rose had a hard time finding the basket. He hit only 2-of-6 from the field, but this time he contributed in other areas. He corralled five rebounds and handed out a season-high four assists. When he puts his mind to it, Rose is a skilled interior passer. While this wasn’t an especially successful game for him, Rose continues to be a spark plug off the bench.
GRADE: 84
SEASON: 85.9
Beno Udrih
It looks as if the Spurs have found another diamond in the rough. Udrih is the real deal. For the second straight game, he came into the game and controlled it. His poise is contagious and he can get the Spurs into their sets effortlessly. On top of that, he’s draining his shots. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field to finish with ten points, three assists and a steal. The Spurs knew he could run a team but couldn’t count on him shooting this well. In his last six contests, Udrih is shooting 57.1% from the floor and 50% from beyond the arc.
GRADE: 96
SEASON: 82.4
Tony Massenburg
Massenburg was his usual physical self. He committed five bruising fouls 15 minutes of action. However, this wasn’t one of his better outings. Though he wasn’t credited with a turnover, he missed a lot of catchable passes. And while the Spurs usually don’t mind him fouling at a feverish pace, they would have liked for him to stay on the court during the blowout. For the season, Massenburg is averaging 9.7 fouls per 48 minutes.
GRADE: 70
SEASON: 82.9
Robert Horry
Horry used garbage time to reacquaint himself to the art of rebounding. Coming into the game rebounding at a sub par rate, Horry grabbed a season-high five rebounds. His previous season-high was three. Getting a couple open looks late in the game, Horry also finished with a season-high seven points.
GRADE: 85
SEASON: 83.6
Mike Wilks
In seven minutes of playing time, Wilks was solid. He didn’t score a point or get an assist, but he ran the offense. He’s a good ballhandler who can beat pressure. Even though he’s small, he’ll fight for his position. He picked up three rebounds and wasn’t afraid to mix it up defensively.
GRADE: 80
SEASON: 84
Amazing. That is the only word that can describe Duncan’s play against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. He came out, set the tone and just decimated the Sixers. In one of the more unstoppable stretches of his career, Duncan poured in 17 points in the second quarter as the Spurs outscored the Sixers 30-11. While Duncan has had a bunch of MVP-like games this season, this one has to rank at the top. He totaled 24 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks in only 25 minutes of action. He hit 10-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line. Duncan can’t really play much better. His offense was deadly and his defense was supreme.
GRADE: 100
SEASON: 88.7
Bruce Bowen
For the second straight game, Bowen didn’t make his usual impact on the game. He played well defensively against Kyle Korver and Andre Iguodala, but did allow them a couple open shots. The Spurs didn’t use him too much on Allen Iverson because their guards were doing a good job on him. Offensively, he was 0-for-4 from the field, all of which were three-point attempts. On the plus side, he did pull did four rebounds, dish out two assists and get two steals. However, the Spurs need him to shoot better to open the floor for the rest of the team.
GRADE: 77
SEASON: 83.6
Rasho Nesterovic
Apparently, Nesterovic didn’t come to play Wednesday night. Popovich benched him early in the game for missing a defensive rotation. When he re-entered the game, we didn’t make too much noise for the rest of the contest. He was 1-for-4 from the field and finished with two points, six rebounds and a block. The Spurs need him to bring a lot more energy and concentration to the court. They can’t have defensive lapses from their center and win games against elite competition. Nesterovic has played well for most of the season, but recently his attention to detail has begun to dissipate.
GRADE: 68
SEASON: 84.4
Manu Ginobili
Although his statistics weren’t overwhelming against the Sixers, Ginobili did a fine job setting the energy level for the Spurs. He started the game attacking the basket and getting to the line, which the Spurs continued to do for the duration of the contest. He hit only 2-of-6 from the field, but got to the line 11 times – connecting on seven of them. Ginobili also picked up assists and three rebounds in his 23 minutes of play. His shooting could have been better, but he was still very effective for the Spurs.
GRADE: 88
SEASON: 89.2
Tony Parker
For the second time this season, Parker did a fantastic job guarding Allen Iverson. Iverson finished 6-for-17 for the game and a combined 14-for-41 in the two games he played against Parker. The Spurs’ point guard used his quickness to stay in front of Iverson and force him into tough shots. While Iverson is as quick as any player in league history, Parker is right there too. On the other side of the court, Parker did a good job running the offense. He finished with 14 points and five assists, while shooting 6-for-9 from the field in 25 minutes. If he continues to bring that level of defensive intensity, the Spurs will become an even better defensive team than years past.
GRADE: 93
SEASON: 82.9
Devin Brown
I guess all he needed was a chance. Now Brown is making the most of his minutes. In an inspired effort, Brown finished with 24 points on 8-for-14 from the field, 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the line. In his last three games, Brown is averaging 18 points on 60% shooting from the floor, 62.5% from downtown and 92.9% at the line in 23.3 minutes per game. With an already stacked roster, Brown’s play has been the cherry on top for the Spurs. If he can play at this level for the rest of the season, the NBA might as well ship the Larry O’Brien trophy to San Antonio now.
GRADE: 98
SEASON: 85.1
Brent Barry
Barry seems to be rushing it. He’s shooting his shots too fast and is trying to move at full speed each second he’s on the court. Once he calms down and lets the game come to him more, he’s going to start hitting his shots. As it stands, Barry can’t buy a basket. Over his last last four games, he’s shooting 31.3% from the floor and 0-11 from three-point land. Against the Sixers, Barry was 1-for-5 from the field, 0-3 from downtown and scored only two points in 19 minutes. If he continues to struggle, Brown might just take the backup swing spot from him permanently.
GRADE: 73
SEASON: 85.1
Malik Rose
Just like his other game against the Sixers, Rose had a hard time finding the basket. He hit only 2-of-6 from the field, but this time he contributed in other areas. He corralled five rebounds and handed out a season-high four assists. When he puts his mind to it, Rose is a skilled interior passer. While this wasn’t an especially successful game for him, Rose continues to be a spark plug off the bench.
GRADE: 84
SEASON: 85.9
Beno Udrih
It looks as if the Spurs have found another diamond in the rough. Udrih is the real deal. For the second straight game, he came into the game and controlled it. His poise is contagious and he can get the Spurs into their sets effortlessly. On top of that, he’s draining his shots. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field to finish with ten points, three assists and a steal. The Spurs knew he could run a team but couldn’t count on him shooting this well. In his last six contests, Udrih is shooting 57.1% from the floor and 50% from beyond the arc.
GRADE: 96
SEASON: 82.4
Tony Massenburg
Massenburg was his usual physical self. He committed five bruising fouls 15 minutes of action. However, this wasn’t one of his better outings. Though he wasn’t credited with a turnover, he missed a lot of catchable passes. And while the Spurs usually don’t mind him fouling at a feverish pace, they would have liked for him to stay on the court during the blowout. For the season, Massenburg is averaging 9.7 fouls per 48 minutes.
GRADE: 70
SEASON: 82.9
Robert Horry
Horry used garbage time to reacquaint himself to the art of rebounding. Coming into the game rebounding at a sub par rate, Horry grabbed a season-high five rebounds. His previous season-high was three. Getting a couple open looks late in the game, Horry also finished with a season-high seven points.
GRADE: 85
SEASON: 83.6
Mike Wilks
In seven minutes of playing time, Wilks was solid. He didn’t score a point or get an assist, but he ran the offense. He’s a good ballhandler who can beat pressure. Even though he’s small, he’ll fight for his position. He picked up three rebounds and wasn’t afraid to mix it up defensively.
GRADE: 80
SEASON: 84