timvp
03-27-2008, 06:43 AM
The Spurs were headed toward a disastrous loss against the Los Angeles Clippers when suddenly their defense kicked in. With six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Corey Maggette hit a three-pointer to put the Clippers up by seven points. That was the last field goal L.A. would make as the Spurs eked out a 97-88 victory.
Even though the Clippers’ season is over, that team gave a good effort. Maggette is extremely talented at getting to the free throw line. Rookie Al Thornton is already proving to be a Spur Killer. Much like Ron Artest, Bonzi Wells and other strong and thick swingmen, Thornton is a matchup nightmare for the Spurs. He’s too strong for the wings and too fast for the bigs. Thornton has scored 63 points against the Spurs this season in three games. Normally, he averages about 11 points per game.
For San Antonio, there isn’t much to be excited about other than just getting the W. The team played pretty poorly for the first 42 minutes of the game. Obviously tired and without much emotion, the Spurs almost dug themselves an inescapable hole. Thankfully, the late run saved the day.
Overall, it was a forgettable win. That said, I’m happy with the five-game winning streak and I'm happy that the Spurs are now tied for second place in the Western Conference.
-Tim Duncan had another productive night. He finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots, while shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 10-for-13 from the free throw line. It’d be nice to see him get even more touches but he did about as well as possible with the touches he got. He was decent enough defensively and seemed to be one of the few Spurs focused throughout the contest. Recently, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at his low post repertoire. He’s using a left-handed hook that he had all but abandoned for much of the season. Duncan is also using his baseline spin to his advantage more and more. Perhaps he’s dusting off his wares for the playoffs.
-For the first 45 minutes of the game, Ginobili had only four points on 2-for-8 shooting from the floor. The last three minutes, he had nine points on 3-for-3 shooting. Better late than never. He wasn’t playing particularly poorly the first 45 minutes. His defense was solid throughout. Offensively, he just looked tired. Luckily he got a second wind right when the Spurs needed it. Ginobili has really turned into a fourth quarter assassin for the team this year. In clutch situations (defined as less than five minutes to go with neither team ahead by more than five points), Ginobili is averaging 42.2 points per 48 minutes and is shooting 54.9% from the field and 93% from the line. Other than his 13 points against the Clippers, he also had three assists, three steals, two rebounds and two blocks.
-Tony Parker had a decent showing overall. He was far from his best but he did have a big part in the comeback. With the offense stagnant, Parker began pushing the pace and that finally allowed the Spurs to get some good looks. On the night, Parker had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and one turnover, while shooting 6-for-13 from the field. Over the last four games, Parker has only three turnovers in 138 minutes. After struggling with turnovers earlier in the month, he’s had one or fewer turnovers in seven of his last nine games.
-Bruce Bowen had a sub par game for the most part. While his defense on Maggette was good, he committed a couple of bad fouls. Maggette was living at the free throw line and Bowen’s five fouls were helping him pay rent. Offensively, Bowen hit 3-of-9 shots to finish with seven points.
-For the second straight game, Michael Finley looked like a professional basketball player. He was confident offensively and was hitting the boards nicely. Finley finished with 16 points and six rebounds, while hitting 6-of-11 field goal attempts. If he can have more good games than bad games, the Spurs will be happy with that sort of production. From the outside looking in, Finley’s demeanor on the court is greatly improved. He now seems to actually be looking to score rather than hesitating and second guessing himself constantly.
-Fabricio Oberto played really well in his 17 minutes of action. The Argentine bigman had six points, four rebounds and one assist, while shooting 3-for-3 from the field. Defensively he had to step out onto the perimeter more than usual and did a good job. Pop probably should have given Oberto a few more minutes on this night.
-Ime Udoka had an off-night in his 24 minutes on the court. He was 3-for-10 from the floor and while that percentage isn’t great, I have more of a problem with the number of attempts. Udoka isn’t talented enough offensively to warrant that many shots. Udoka needs to realize that having as many field goal attempts as Duncan is a sign he should pass more and shoot less. Defensively, Udoka wasn’t particularly effective against Maggette or Thornton. I did like Udoka’s seven rebounds, though.
-Jacque Vaughn once again chipped in with solid play. In 14 minutes, Vaughn had five points and one assist. His numbers will never blow you away but he’s playing really well right now. He’s pressuring the ball constantly defensively and is making all the right plays offensively. Can’t ask for more.
-Kurt Thomas only played 11 minutes and had three points and one block. Thomas isn’t playing poorly but what he offers hasn’t been needed much as of late. Against perimeter oriented teams, it appears as if Pop has abandoned the idea of playing Duncan and Thomas together. However, if Thomas stays healthy, there will be a point in the playoffs where he’ll become a vital cog in the engine.
-Matt Bonner got some first half minutes as Pop was obviously hoping for an easy game against the Clippers. That didn’t materialize and Bonner was left out of the rotation in the second half. In the seven minutes he was out there, he had two points and two turnovers.
-Damon Stoudamire, Robert Horry and Brent Barry didn’t play. Stoudamire didn’t play because he’s not that good. Horry and Barry are still recovering from injuries. I guess 150 years of veteran experience on the bench can’t hurt.
-Pop coached a decent enough game. He might have pulled the Bonner card a bit too early but other than that I can’t fault his rotation much. The Spurs were obviously tired and Pop had to basically just wait for a run to occur.
I like how Pop is really trying to cut down the whining on the court from the Spurs. While that can sometimes be a difficult chore with this core, Pop has steadfastly discouraged whining to the refs. When the Spurs just play and don't question every call, that's when they are at their best.
The bottomline is the Spurs now have a five game winning streak. It’s best to just forget the details of this win and appreciate the ascent up the standings. With the Minnesota Timberwolves coming to town on Tuesday, that’s another win the Spurs have to secure. Victory is a must.
Believe.
Even though the Clippers’ season is over, that team gave a good effort. Maggette is extremely talented at getting to the free throw line. Rookie Al Thornton is already proving to be a Spur Killer. Much like Ron Artest, Bonzi Wells and other strong and thick swingmen, Thornton is a matchup nightmare for the Spurs. He’s too strong for the wings and too fast for the bigs. Thornton has scored 63 points against the Spurs this season in three games. Normally, he averages about 11 points per game.
For San Antonio, there isn’t much to be excited about other than just getting the W. The team played pretty poorly for the first 42 minutes of the game. Obviously tired and without much emotion, the Spurs almost dug themselves an inescapable hole. Thankfully, the late run saved the day.
Overall, it was a forgettable win. That said, I’m happy with the five-game winning streak and I'm happy that the Spurs are now tied for second place in the Western Conference.
-Tim Duncan had another productive night. He finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots, while shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 10-for-13 from the free throw line. It’d be nice to see him get even more touches but he did about as well as possible with the touches he got. He was decent enough defensively and seemed to be one of the few Spurs focused throughout the contest. Recently, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at his low post repertoire. He’s using a left-handed hook that he had all but abandoned for much of the season. Duncan is also using his baseline spin to his advantage more and more. Perhaps he’s dusting off his wares for the playoffs.
-For the first 45 minutes of the game, Ginobili had only four points on 2-for-8 shooting from the floor. The last three minutes, he had nine points on 3-for-3 shooting. Better late than never. He wasn’t playing particularly poorly the first 45 minutes. His defense was solid throughout. Offensively, he just looked tired. Luckily he got a second wind right when the Spurs needed it. Ginobili has really turned into a fourth quarter assassin for the team this year. In clutch situations (defined as less than five minutes to go with neither team ahead by more than five points), Ginobili is averaging 42.2 points per 48 minutes and is shooting 54.9% from the field and 93% from the line. Other than his 13 points against the Clippers, he also had three assists, three steals, two rebounds and two blocks.
-Tony Parker had a decent showing overall. He was far from his best but he did have a big part in the comeback. With the offense stagnant, Parker began pushing the pace and that finally allowed the Spurs to get some good looks. On the night, Parker had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and one turnover, while shooting 6-for-13 from the field. Over the last four games, Parker has only three turnovers in 138 minutes. After struggling with turnovers earlier in the month, he’s had one or fewer turnovers in seven of his last nine games.
-Bruce Bowen had a sub par game for the most part. While his defense on Maggette was good, he committed a couple of bad fouls. Maggette was living at the free throw line and Bowen’s five fouls were helping him pay rent. Offensively, Bowen hit 3-of-9 shots to finish with seven points.
-For the second straight game, Michael Finley looked like a professional basketball player. He was confident offensively and was hitting the boards nicely. Finley finished with 16 points and six rebounds, while hitting 6-of-11 field goal attempts. If he can have more good games than bad games, the Spurs will be happy with that sort of production. From the outside looking in, Finley’s demeanor on the court is greatly improved. He now seems to actually be looking to score rather than hesitating and second guessing himself constantly.
-Fabricio Oberto played really well in his 17 minutes of action. The Argentine bigman had six points, four rebounds and one assist, while shooting 3-for-3 from the field. Defensively he had to step out onto the perimeter more than usual and did a good job. Pop probably should have given Oberto a few more minutes on this night.
-Ime Udoka had an off-night in his 24 minutes on the court. He was 3-for-10 from the floor and while that percentage isn’t great, I have more of a problem with the number of attempts. Udoka isn’t talented enough offensively to warrant that many shots. Udoka needs to realize that having as many field goal attempts as Duncan is a sign he should pass more and shoot less. Defensively, Udoka wasn’t particularly effective against Maggette or Thornton. I did like Udoka’s seven rebounds, though.
-Jacque Vaughn once again chipped in with solid play. In 14 minutes, Vaughn had five points and one assist. His numbers will never blow you away but he’s playing really well right now. He’s pressuring the ball constantly defensively and is making all the right plays offensively. Can’t ask for more.
-Kurt Thomas only played 11 minutes and had three points and one block. Thomas isn’t playing poorly but what he offers hasn’t been needed much as of late. Against perimeter oriented teams, it appears as if Pop has abandoned the idea of playing Duncan and Thomas together. However, if Thomas stays healthy, there will be a point in the playoffs where he’ll become a vital cog in the engine.
-Matt Bonner got some first half minutes as Pop was obviously hoping for an easy game against the Clippers. That didn’t materialize and Bonner was left out of the rotation in the second half. In the seven minutes he was out there, he had two points and two turnovers.
-Damon Stoudamire, Robert Horry and Brent Barry didn’t play. Stoudamire didn’t play because he’s not that good. Horry and Barry are still recovering from injuries. I guess 150 years of veteran experience on the bench can’t hurt.
-Pop coached a decent enough game. He might have pulled the Bonner card a bit too early but other than that I can’t fault his rotation much. The Spurs were obviously tired and Pop had to basically just wait for a run to occur.
I like how Pop is really trying to cut down the whining on the court from the Spurs. While that can sometimes be a difficult chore with this core, Pop has steadfastly discouraged whining to the refs. When the Spurs just play and don't question every call, that's when they are at their best.
The bottomline is the Spurs now have a five game winning streak. It’s best to just forget the details of this win and appreciate the ascent up the standings. With the Minnesota Timberwolves coming to town on Tuesday, that’s another win the Spurs have to secure. Victory is a must.
Believe.