timvp
03-31-2008, 04:11 AM
Now this was Spurs Basketball. The Spurs took on the Houston Rockets in a game with a mass amount of playoff implications – and the Spurs routed the Rockets. The final score (109-88) doesn’t even indicate how much the Spurs dominated this game. San Antonio got up big early and never looked back.
The Rockets are actually a good team, which makes this domination by the Spurs actually mean something. On paper and on the court, Houston might not look like much – but they’ve played excellent basketball over the last couple months. Tracy McGrady is playing well and they have a seemingly endless supply of quality role players. Without Yao Ming they probably aren’t a championship contender but they’re a tough minded team that can execute on both ends of the court.
The Spurs have had a lot of games recently where they’ve played well for a few minutes here and there but this game was a breakthrough. For at least 40 of the minutes, the Spurs were playing as well as they have all season. Defense was suffocating, while the offense stuck to the game plan and was relentless.
Overall, this was a game to get excited about if you are a Spurs fan. After months and months of mediocre play, the Spurs finally had a near complete win over a quality opponent. This had to be the best game the Spurs have played tip to buzzer since November.
-Tim Duncan wasn’t spectacular but he didn’t need to be in this game. He played solid defense and quarterbacked the team from the low post on offense. He was far from flawless and his stats don’t look outstanding, but Duncan had a quality outing. He finished with 13 points and six rebounds, while shooting 6-for-12 from the floor. Compared to how he usually plays in morning games, Duncan was great.
-Manu Ginobili personified controlled chaos against the Rockets. He came into the game looking to make things happen all over the court. The best part is he did so while also limiting his mistakes. In 27 minutes, Ginobili had 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and no turnovers, while shooting 3-for-8 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line. I especially liked how he kept the Rockets on their heels and continuously tortured them on the pick-and-rolls. He didn’t get up many shots but it was another very good game for Ginobili.
-Tony Parker had a near flawless outing. He came out in attack mode and got the Spurs off on the right foot. Parker looked confident shooting his jumper, as he knocked down 8-of-11 outside shots. When Parker wasn’t sticking a jumper, he was pushing the tempo and creating shots for himself and others. He finished with 22 points, six rebounds, five assists and no turnovers, while shooting 10-for-15 shots from the floor. Defensively, he really got up on Rafer Alston and defended him well. When Parker plays like this, the Spurs are virtually impossible to beat.
-Bruce Bowen struggled a bit defensively coming out of the gates but really picked it up as the game went on. By the end of the game, McGrady was 5-for-22 from the field – mostly thanks to Bowen’s defense. Offensively, Bowen hit half of his six shots to finish with nine points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one blocked shot.
-Michael Finley continues to play like he made a deal with the devil. Out of nowhere, Finley all of a sudden can’t miss. Even his energy on defense is greatly improved from just a couple weeks ago. Finley finished with 22 points and six rebounds, while knocking down 9-of-13 attempts. He’s playing very well right now. My one critique is that Finley can’t decide to only defend and rebound when his shots are going in. When he’s struggling with his shot – and that will happen at some point again – he has to continue to bring energy and not mope around.
-I wasn’t too impressed with Fabricio Oberto’s first stint on the court, but he bounced back and played much better as the game went on. In 29 minutes, Oberto had eight points, five rebounds and five assists, while hitting all four of his field goal attempts. It was just an all-around impressive showing from Oberto. His interior passing was on full display as he played the most minutes he had logged in about five weeks.
-Kurt Thomas really played his role well. He banged bodies in the inside and was a defensive presence throughout the game. Thomas totaled ten points, seven rebounds, an assist and a steal, while shooting 4-for-9 from the floor. He still has some small kinks to work out in his acclimation to Spurs Basketball but overall he’s learning everything quickly.
-Jacque Vaughn’s great play seems to be running out of steam. He wasn’t as great last game and now had a sub par game against the Rockets. Hopefully he can find that balance he had for that five or six game stretch. Against Houston, Vaughn had four points and two rebounds on 2-for-8 shooting. Most of Vaughn’s problems came on the offensive end, as his defense was rather solid.
-Ime Udoka played another controlled game. When he doesn’t try to do too much, he’s a big asset for the Spurs. In 15 minutes, Udoka had five points, four rebounds and played good defense throughout. Like Bowen, he had a couple of difficult possessions against McGrady, but eventually Udoka figured it out.
-Damon Stoudamire and Matt Bonner both played limited minutes. It was good to see Stoudamire bounce back from his putrid game against the T’Wolves. He actually looked ready to play this time when Pop called his number. Bonner played in garbage time and didn’t do much. Robert Horry and Brent Barry remain sidelined with injuries.
-Pop has to be happy with how the Spurs are playing right now. The defense has been good recently. Against the Rockets, the defense was as consistent as it has been in a while. Offensively, the Spurs seem to be kicking it into gear. The Spurs have now shot 50% or better from the field in four straight games, including the 53% the Spurs shot against Houston.
Putting Finley back into the starting lineup and proclaiming the rotation set looks like a genius move now by Pop. Finley was horrible but that one coaching move seems to have saved his season. When Finley is hitting outside jumpers, the Big Three gets a lot more room to operate.
The bottomline is the Spurs finally got the dominating win we Spurs fans have been hoping for since the early parts of the season. The key now is to prove this one game wasn’t a fluke. The Golden State Warriors come to town on Tuesday and the Spurs need to extend this seven-game winning streak.
Believe.
The Rockets are actually a good team, which makes this domination by the Spurs actually mean something. On paper and on the court, Houston might not look like much – but they’ve played excellent basketball over the last couple months. Tracy McGrady is playing well and they have a seemingly endless supply of quality role players. Without Yao Ming they probably aren’t a championship contender but they’re a tough minded team that can execute on both ends of the court.
The Spurs have had a lot of games recently where they’ve played well for a few minutes here and there but this game was a breakthrough. For at least 40 of the minutes, the Spurs were playing as well as they have all season. Defense was suffocating, while the offense stuck to the game plan and was relentless.
Overall, this was a game to get excited about if you are a Spurs fan. After months and months of mediocre play, the Spurs finally had a near complete win over a quality opponent. This had to be the best game the Spurs have played tip to buzzer since November.
-Tim Duncan wasn’t spectacular but he didn’t need to be in this game. He played solid defense and quarterbacked the team from the low post on offense. He was far from flawless and his stats don’t look outstanding, but Duncan had a quality outing. He finished with 13 points and six rebounds, while shooting 6-for-12 from the floor. Compared to how he usually plays in morning games, Duncan was great.
-Manu Ginobili personified controlled chaos against the Rockets. He came into the game looking to make things happen all over the court. The best part is he did so while also limiting his mistakes. In 27 minutes, Ginobili had 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and no turnovers, while shooting 3-for-8 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line. I especially liked how he kept the Rockets on their heels and continuously tortured them on the pick-and-rolls. He didn’t get up many shots but it was another very good game for Ginobili.
-Tony Parker had a near flawless outing. He came out in attack mode and got the Spurs off on the right foot. Parker looked confident shooting his jumper, as he knocked down 8-of-11 outside shots. When Parker wasn’t sticking a jumper, he was pushing the tempo and creating shots for himself and others. He finished with 22 points, six rebounds, five assists and no turnovers, while shooting 10-for-15 shots from the floor. Defensively, he really got up on Rafer Alston and defended him well. When Parker plays like this, the Spurs are virtually impossible to beat.
-Bruce Bowen struggled a bit defensively coming out of the gates but really picked it up as the game went on. By the end of the game, McGrady was 5-for-22 from the field – mostly thanks to Bowen’s defense. Offensively, Bowen hit half of his six shots to finish with nine points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one blocked shot.
-Michael Finley continues to play like he made a deal with the devil. Out of nowhere, Finley all of a sudden can’t miss. Even his energy on defense is greatly improved from just a couple weeks ago. Finley finished with 22 points and six rebounds, while knocking down 9-of-13 attempts. He’s playing very well right now. My one critique is that Finley can’t decide to only defend and rebound when his shots are going in. When he’s struggling with his shot – and that will happen at some point again – he has to continue to bring energy and not mope around.
-I wasn’t too impressed with Fabricio Oberto’s first stint on the court, but he bounced back and played much better as the game went on. In 29 minutes, Oberto had eight points, five rebounds and five assists, while hitting all four of his field goal attempts. It was just an all-around impressive showing from Oberto. His interior passing was on full display as he played the most minutes he had logged in about five weeks.
-Kurt Thomas really played his role well. He banged bodies in the inside and was a defensive presence throughout the game. Thomas totaled ten points, seven rebounds, an assist and a steal, while shooting 4-for-9 from the floor. He still has some small kinks to work out in his acclimation to Spurs Basketball but overall he’s learning everything quickly.
-Jacque Vaughn’s great play seems to be running out of steam. He wasn’t as great last game and now had a sub par game against the Rockets. Hopefully he can find that balance he had for that five or six game stretch. Against Houston, Vaughn had four points and two rebounds on 2-for-8 shooting. Most of Vaughn’s problems came on the offensive end, as his defense was rather solid.
-Ime Udoka played another controlled game. When he doesn’t try to do too much, he’s a big asset for the Spurs. In 15 minutes, Udoka had five points, four rebounds and played good defense throughout. Like Bowen, he had a couple of difficult possessions against McGrady, but eventually Udoka figured it out.
-Damon Stoudamire and Matt Bonner both played limited minutes. It was good to see Stoudamire bounce back from his putrid game against the T’Wolves. He actually looked ready to play this time when Pop called his number. Bonner played in garbage time and didn’t do much. Robert Horry and Brent Barry remain sidelined with injuries.
-Pop has to be happy with how the Spurs are playing right now. The defense has been good recently. Against the Rockets, the defense was as consistent as it has been in a while. Offensively, the Spurs seem to be kicking it into gear. The Spurs have now shot 50% or better from the field in four straight games, including the 53% the Spurs shot against Houston.
Putting Finley back into the starting lineup and proclaiming the rotation set looks like a genius move now by Pop. Finley was horrible but that one coaching move seems to have saved his season. When Finley is hitting outside jumpers, the Big Three gets a lot more room to operate.
The bottomline is the Spurs finally got the dominating win we Spurs fans have been hoping for since the early parts of the season. The key now is to prove this one game wasn’t a fluke. The Golden State Warriors come to town on Tuesday and the Spurs need to extend this seven-game winning streak.
Believe.