timvp
11-20-2007, 10:45 PM
The Spurs did a good job of being just too experienced and cohesive for the Hawks for much of the game. The first half was some really nice offense by the Spurs aided by some really bad defense by the Hawks. However, the Hawks have beaten some quality teams this year so it was good to get out of Atlanta with a win.
As far as the Hawks go, they have some nice players. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams are all quality talents. Al Horford could become a beast if he continues to develop. I have to give props to Mario West (who I didn’t even know was on the Hawks) for coming in and being the catalyst in making it an actual competitive game. He fouled out in eight minutes but he woke up an otherwise dead arena.
-Tim Duncan was decent. The Hawks were paying a lot of attention to him so he responded by handing out six assists. He only had 13 points, seven rebounds and a block but he played a little better than those stats indicate. Duncan gave far from a playoff effort but he gave more of an effort than he did in a couple earlier games this season.
-In the first half, Manu Ginobili was really good. On both ends of the court, he was coming up with big plays. I thought his first half defense was some of the best defense he’s played all year. In the second half, Ginobili took his foot off the pedal. West came in and disrupted him and Ginobili got thrown off rhythm. However, by the end of the game Ginobili was playing well again.
-Tony Parker had a really nice game. 31 points and nine assists while hitting 13-of-20 shots from the field is a good day for anybody. I really liked the way he attacked the basket and relentlessly created plays for himself or others. When he plays hard and with purpose, there are few better point guards in the league. Also of note is that Parker had two turnovers in the first couple minutes of the game … and didn’t have another for the rest of the night.
-Bruce Bowen played nice defense on whichever of the quick swingmen he was asked to defend. Nothing overly special; just another night at the office for Bowen. His defense is so good there really isn’t much to say from game to game this year. At the beginning of last year, his defense wasn’t always there. That hasn’t been the case this season.
-It was good to see Michael Finley have back-to-back good outings. He hit 4-of-9 shots from the field and even played some defense. The Spurs don’t need much from Finley this season but if he can at least hold serve and mix in a couple of explosive outings, he’ll be doing his job. You can file this game under the “holding serve” category.
-Fabricio Oberto was just too crafty for the Hawks. He’s another player, like Finley, who has now put together a pair of good showings in a row. Oberto finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. Most of his production was just by knowing where to be on both ends of the court.
-Matt Bonner finally had a decent game. He had been struggling of late but his energy and effectiveness were higher this game. He was 1-for-5 from the floor but I can live with him missing shots as long as he’s playing halfway competently. His defense was better and his rebounding (6 in 22 minutes) was nice.
-Again, you look at Jacque Vaughn’s line (2 points, 2 assists in 14 minutes) and you aren’t blown away. But I’m starting to see why Pop was so eager to get him back on the court. He’s becoming a team leader and you can count on him to at least bring energy. I’m still not convinced he won’t be a liability in the playoffs but for now, Vaughn is doing his job.
-Where has Francisco Elson gone? He had some nice games earlier in the season but these sort of disappearing acts aren’t great to see. Two points and one rebound in 12 minutes against a team that likes to run up and down the court? I’m not sure if Elson missed the bus to the game but it’d be nice to get back the player who was at least active earlier in the season.
-Ime Udoka was put into the game in the first half and Udoka responded by burying a three-pointer. In the second half, Udoka got some more playing time but his shot was off. He ended up missing his final three shots from the field. You can tell that Pop is hoping to ease Udoka into the mix but as of yet, Udoka hasn’t seized the opportunity. He’s experiencing some of the first-season-with-the-Spurs shooting woes, which isn’t helping.
-Pop coached a pretty good game. The Spurs got lazy a bit defensively and Pop called a timeout to correct it. When the Hawks made their run, Pop didn’t call a timeout and forced the Spurs to figure it out by themselves. He also didn’t play anyone over 35 minutes, which should help on the back-to-back against the Orlando Magic tomorrow night. One thing I do find weird, however, is the fact that Brent Barry got a DNP-CD. Pop recently said he wanted to find a way to get Barry some more playing time. Perhaps Pop was resting Barry for tomorrow or didn’t want Barry trying to chase around the Atlanta athletes. Whatever the case, it appears that Pop is counting down the days before Udoka can claim that fourth swingman spot in the rotation.
As far as the Hawks go, they have some nice players. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams are all quality talents. Al Horford could become a beast if he continues to develop. I have to give props to Mario West (who I didn’t even know was on the Hawks) for coming in and being the catalyst in making it an actual competitive game. He fouled out in eight minutes but he woke up an otherwise dead arena.
-Tim Duncan was decent. The Hawks were paying a lot of attention to him so he responded by handing out six assists. He only had 13 points, seven rebounds and a block but he played a little better than those stats indicate. Duncan gave far from a playoff effort but he gave more of an effort than he did in a couple earlier games this season.
-In the first half, Manu Ginobili was really good. On both ends of the court, he was coming up with big plays. I thought his first half defense was some of the best defense he’s played all year. In the second half, Ginobili took his foot off the pedal. West came in and disrupted him and Ginobili got thrown off rhythm. However, by the end of the game Ginobili was playing well again.
-Tony Parker had a really nice game. 31 points and nine assists while hitting 13-of-20 shots from the field is a good day for anybody. I really liked the way he attacked the basket and relentlessly created plays for himself or others. When he plays hard and with purpose, there are few better point guards in the league. Also of note is that Parker had two turnovers in the first couple minutes of the game … and didn’t have another for the rest of the night.
-Bruce Bowen played nice defense on whichever of the quick swingmen he was asked to defend. Nothing overly special; just another night at the office for Bowen. His defense is so good there really isn’t much to say from game to game this year. At the beginning of last year, his defense wasn’t always there. That hasn’t been the case this season.
-It was good to see Michael Finley have back-to-back good outings. He hit 4-of-9 shots from the field and even played some defense. The Spurs don’t need much from Finley this season but if he can at least hold serve and mix in a couple of explosive outings, he’ll be doing his job. You can file this game under the “holding serve” category.
-Fabricio Oberto was just too crafty for the Hawks. He’s another player, like Finley, who has now put together a pair of good showings in a row. Oberto finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. Most of his production was just by knowing where to be on both ends of the court.
-Matt Bonner finally had a decent game. He had been struggling of late but his energy and effectiveness were higher this game. He was 1-for-5 from the floor but I can live with him missing shots as long as he’s playing halfway competently. His defense was better and his rebounding (6 in 22 minutes) was nice.
-Again, you look at Jacque Vaughn’s line (2 points, 2 assists in 14 minutes) and you aren’t blown away. But I’m starting to see why Pop was so eager to get him back on the court. He’s becoming a team leader and you can count on him to at least bring energy. I’m still not convinced he won’t be a liability in the playoffs but for now, Vaughn is doing his job.
-Where has Francisco Elson gone? He had some nice games earlier in the season but these sort of disappearing acts aren’t great to see. Two points and one rebound in 12 minutes against a team that likes to run up and down the court? I’m not sure if Elson missed the bus to the game but it’d be nice to get back the player who was at least active earlier in the season.
-Ime Udoka was put into the game in the first half and Udoka responded by burying a three-pointer. In the second half, Udoka got some more playing time but his shot was off. He ended up missing his final three shots from the field. You can tell that Pop is hoping to ease Udoka into the mix but as of yet, Udoka hasn’t seized the opportunity. He’s experiencing some of the first-season-with-the-Spurs shooting woes, which isn’t helping.
-Pop coached a pretty good game. The Spurs got lazy a bit defensively and Pop called a timeout to correct it. When the Hawks made their run, Pop didn’t call a timeout and forced the Spurs to figure it out by themselves. He also didn’t play anyone over 35 minutes, which should help on the back-to-back against the Orlando Magic tomorrow night. One thing I do find weird, however, is the fact that Brent Barry got a DNP-CD. Pop recently said he wanted to find a way to get Barry some more playing time. Perhaps Pop was resting Barry for tomorrow or didn’t want Barry trying to chase around the Atlanta athletes. Whatever the case, it appears that Pop is counting down the days before Udoka can claim that fourth swingman spot in the rotation.