timvp
03-26-2008, 06:01 AM
In winning their fourth straight game, the Spurs went to Orlando and dismantled the Orlando Magic. This was a key game to validate the current win streak and continue the confidence building process.
The win against the Magic was a lot like the win against the Mavs – but the upgraded version. In both games the Spurs didn’t play too well in the first half but kept it close at the half. The Spurs made their run in the third quarters of each game, however the Spurs sustained their improved level of play better against the Magic than they did against the Mavs. And while the Mavs lost one player due to injury (Dirk Nowitzki), the Magic topped that by losing two players due to injury (Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson).
While I wasn’t too impressed with how the Spurs played against the Magic in the first half, I did like their second half performance. Their defense was very solid and their offense had a purpose. Although I’d like more than just one good half of basketball out of this team, it was better than the four or five minutes of good basketball we saw against the Mavericks.
Overall, it was a nice win. The Magic, with all their perimeter shooters who can also slash to the basket, are a tough matchup for the Spurs. San Antonio responded well to the challenge and now that four-game losing streak seems to be a thing a past.
-In the first half, I thought Tim Duncan was good. His one-on-one defense wasn’t great but it wasn’t too horrible. Offensively, he was very smooth. However, what I’m most excited about is his second half play. Duncan simply dominated the third and fourth quarters. Defensively in the second half Duncan was great. He defended Dwight Howard amazingly well and even rotated to cut off any drivers in the lane. Duncan finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and three assists. He shot 7-for-10 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Considering that Duncan has struggled a bit over the last few weeks, it was great to see this level of play out of him.
-Manu Ginobili was once again very good. He has mastered the art of coming off the bench and instantly heating up. If Vinnie Johnson was “The Microwave” then Ginobili is at least “The Toaster Oven”. He roasted the Magic all night long on his way to 28 points, five assists and two rebounds. Ginobili connected on 10-of-19 shots from the field and all seven of his free throws. The one problem I had with Ginobili’s game tonight was he wasn’t looking for Duncan nearly enough. With Howard routinely fronting Duncan, the ball would get swung to Ginobili and Ginobili wasn’t making the entry pass to Duncan like he was supposed to. Instead, Ginobili would start freelancing. Even Duncan, who rarely ever gets mad at his teammates, was a bit perturbed at Ginobili not hitting him a couple of times when the Spurs were specifically running a play to get Duncan open. While Ginobili is playing great right now, he has to know that feeding Duncan should still be high on the list of priorities.
-All things considered, I thought Tony Parker played reasonably well. He had nine assists to only one turnover and was constantly attacking Orlando’s defense. Defensively, while Parker wasn’t great in terms of one-on-one defense, his team defense and rotations were very good. He was even throwing his body around a bit defensively, which is something we don’t see very often. That physical play also showed up in the rebounding department (6). Shooting and scoring was a struggle for Parker (4-for-13 for 11 points) but the rest of his play made this at least a par outing.
-Bruce Bowen played a team-high 42 minutes and did a nice job while he was on the court. In the first half he harassed Turkoglu and held him to only two points in ten minutes. While I don’t know if he was responsible for Turkoglu leaving with an injury, I’m sure Suns fans think he was. In the second half, Bowen switched onto Rashard Lewis and did pretty good work. Offensively, Bowen had 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field. While I’d be worried about Bowen playing big minutes as of late, he never looks tired so it’s tough to worry too much about him.
-I’m not sure who was wearing Michael Finley’s jersey tonight but it sure didn’t look like the Finley we’ve come to expect over the last couple weeks. This Finley was confident, aggressive, willing and able to knock down jumpers. He had a bounce in his step that had vanished recently. Hopefully this is the real Finley and he decides to stick around for a while. Finley ended up leading the starters in scoring with 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field. I was shocked to see Finley play so well after the horrible game he had against the Mavs. With Brent Barry back on the bench, perhaps Finley heard footsteps. While that doesn’t seem too plausible since Finley is such a professional, Jacque Vaughn is equally as professional and he suddenly started playing a lot better once Damon Stoudamire was signed. The survival instinct can do amazing things.
-Fabricio Oberto started but played only 11 minutes due to matchup issues. With the Magic starting four perimeter players, Oberto wasn’t needed much in this game. He finished with two points, two rebounds and an assist.
-Ime Udoka didn’t shoot well but I though his overall game was solid. He played 24 minutes and had three points, four rebounds and two steals on 1-for-7 shooting from the floor. His defense was impressive and offensively he wasn’t forcing many shots. I can live with Udoka not knocking down shots as long as he stays calm offensively and brings it defensively and on the boards.
-I’m not sure what’s up with Jacque Vaughn but he’s playing outstanding right now. He’s not over-dribbling offensively and defensively he’s applying pressure without constantly getting burned. On this night, Vaughn finished with seven points on 3-for-3 shooting. Vaughn needs to bottle how he’s played in the last five games and save it for the playoffs.
-Like Oberto, Kurt Thomas wasn’t needed in this game. He came off the bench to play seven minutes and score two points. A matchup like the Magic is the reason why I always thought he should come off the bench. You have Duncan and Thomas on the court at the same time against the Magic and they’d go crazy from three-point land.
-Matt Bonner got one minute of garbage duty. Amazingly enough, Bonner didn’t get off a shot. You don’t see that often. In garbage time, Bonner usually plays like he has a bonus in his contract that will kick in if he can average more than two shots per minute. Damon Stoudamire didn’t play in garbage time. I don’t know if he was even at the game. Robert Horry also didn’t play but the news regarding his knee injury sounds positive. He should return in the not too distant future.
-Pop coached well. He went to small ball early and often, which was the right call. If you play two traditional bigs against the Magic you’re toast. Whatever Pop said at halftime worked because the Spurs really picked up their defense in the second half.
I hope that Pop doesn’t fall into the trap of starting Ginobili in the second half, like he did against the Magic. Ginobili coming off the bench works for a multitude of reasons but in the second half it’s important for Ginobili to get his rest early. When Pop starts Ginobili in the second half, he almost always overplays him and Ginobili is running on fumes in the last few minutes. While the Spurs have struggled to start the third quarter in recent games, the answer isn’t starting Ginobili.
The bottomline is the Spurs won again and their confidence seems to be building. The team needs to start putting together games where they bring defensive intensity from tip to buzzer, however the good news is that it appears as if the team is slowly but surely headed in that direction. Tonight the Spurs take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the AT&T Center. Though fatigue could be an issue, this is a win the Spurs need to go out and get. No excuses.
Believe.
The win against the Magic was a lot like the win against the Mavs – but the upgraded version. In both games the Spurs didn’t play too well in the first half but kept it close at the half. The Spurs made their run in the third quarters of each game, however the Spurs sustained their improved level of play better against the Magic than they did against the Mavs. And while the Mavs lost one player due to injury (Dirk Nowitzki), the Magic topped that by losing two players due to injury (Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson).
While I wasn’t too impressed with how the Spurs played against the Magic in the first half, I did like their second half performance. Their defense was very solid and their offense had a purpose. Although I’d like more than just one good half of basketball out of this team, it was better than the four or five minutes of good basketball we saw against the Mavericks.
Overall, it was a nice win. The Magic, with all their perimeter shooters who can also slash to the basket, are a tough matchup for the Spurs. San Antonio responded well to the challenge and now that four-game losing streak seems to be a thing a past.
-In the first half, I thought Tim Duncan was good. His one-on-one defense wasn’t great but it wasn’t too horrible. Offensively, he was very smooth. However, what I’m most excited about is his second half play. Duncan simply dominated the third and fourth quarters. Defensively in the second half Duncan was great. He defended Dwight Howard amazingly well and even rotated to cut off any drivers in the lane. Duncan finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and three assists. He shot 7-for-10 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Considering that Duncan has struggled a bit over the last few weeks, it was great to see this level of play out of him.
-Manu Ginobili was once again very good. He has mastered the art of coming off the bench and instantly heating up. If Vinnie Johnson was “The Microwave” then Ginobili is at least “The Toaster Oven”. He roasted the Magic all night long on his way to 28 points, five assists and two rebounds. Ginobili connected on 10-of-19 shots from the field and all seven of his free throws. The one problem I had with Ginobili’s game tonight was he wasn’t looking for Duncan nearly enough. With Howard routinely fronting Duncan, the ball would get swung to Ginobili and Ginobili wasn’t making the entry pass to Duncan like he was supposed to. Instead, Ginobili would start freelancing. Even Duncan, who rarely ever gets mad at his teammates, was a bit perturbed at Ginobili not hitting him a couple of times when the Spurs were specifically running a play to get Duncan open. While Ginobili is playing great right now, he has to know that feeding Duncan should still be high on the list of priorities.
-All things considered, I thought Tony Parker played reasonably well. He had nine assists to only one turnover and was constantly attacking Orlando’s defense. Defensively, while Parker wasn’t great in terms of one-on-one defense, his team defense and rotations were very good. He was even throwing his body around a bit defensively, which is something we don’t see very often. That physical play also showed up in the rebounding department (6). Shooting and scoring was a struggle for Parker (4-for-13 for 11 points) but the rest of his play made this at least a par outing.
-Bruce Bowen played a team-high 42 minutes and did a nice job while he was on the court. In the first half he harassed Turkoglu and held him to only two points in ten minutes. While I don’t know if he was responsible for Turkoglu leaving with an injury, I’m sure Suns fans think he was. In the second half, Bowen switched onto Rashard Lewis and did pretty good work. Offensively, Bowen had 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field. While I’d be worried about Bowen playing big minutes as of late, he never looks tired so it’s tough to worry too much about him.
-I’m not sure who was wearing Michael Finley’s jersey tonight but it sure didn’t look like the Finley we’ve come to expect over the last couple weeks. This Finley was confident, aggressive, willing and able to knock down jumpers. He had a bounce in his step that had vanished recently. Hopefully this is the real Finley and he decides to stick around for a while. Finley ended up leading the starters in scoring with 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field. I was shocked to see Finley play so well after the horrible game he had against the Mavs. With Brent Barry back on the bench, perhaps Finley heard footsteps. While that doesn’t seem too plausible since Finley is such a professional, Jacque Vaughn is equally as professional and he suddenly started playing a lot better once Damon Stoudamire was signed. The survival instinct can do amazing things.
-Fabricio Oberto started but played only 11 minutes due to matchup issues. With the Magic starting four perimeter players, Oberto wasn’t needed much in this game. He finished with two points, two rebounds and an assist.
-Ime Udoka didn’t shoot well but I though his overall game was solid. He played 24 minutes and had three points, four rebounds and two steals on 1-for-7 shooting from the floor. His defense was impressive and offensively he wasn’t forcing many shots. I can live with Udoka not knocking down shots as long as he stays calm offensively and brings it defensively and on the boards.
-I’m not sure what’s up with Jacque Vaughn but he’s playing outstanding right now. He’s not over-dribbling offensively and defensively he’s applying pressure without constantly getting burned. On this night, Vaughn finished with seven points on 3-for-3 shooting. Vaughn needs to bottle how he’s played in the last five games and save it for the playoffs.
-Like Oberto, Kurt Thomas wasn’t needed in this game. He came off the bench to play seven minutes and score two points. A matchup like the Magic is the reason why I always thought he should come off the bench. You have Duncan and Thomas on the court at the same time against the Magic and they’d go crazy from three-point land.
-Matt Bonner got one minute of garbage duty. Amazingly enough, Bonner didn’t get off a shot. You don’t see that often. In garbage time, Bonner usually plays like he has a bonus in his contract that will kick in if he can average more than two shots per minute. Damon Stoudamire didn’t play in garbage time. I don’t know if he was even at the game. Robert Horry also didn’t play but the news regarding his knee injury sounds positive. He should return in the not too distant future.
-Pop coached well. He went to small ball early and often, which was the right call. If you play two traditional bigs against the Magic you’re toast. Whatever Pop said at halftime worked because the Spurs really picked up their defense in the second half.
I hope that Pop doesn’t fall into the trap of starting Ginobili in the second half, like he did against the Magic. Ginobili coming off the bench works for a multitude of reasons but in the second half it’s important for Ginobili to get his rest early. When Pop starts Ginobili in the second half, he almost always overplays him and Ginobili is running on fumes in the last few minutes. While the Spurs have struggled to start the third quarter in recent games, the answer isn’t starting Ginobili.
The bottomline is the Spurs won again and their confidence seems to be building. The team needs to start putting together games where they bring defensive intensity from tip to buzzer, however the good news is that it appears as if the team is slowly but surely headed in that direction. Tonight the Spurs take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the AT&T Center. Though fatigue could be an issue, this is a win the Spurs need to go out and get. No excuses.
Believe.