timvp
04-02-2008, 02:43 AM
With their second straight dominating performance against a Western Conference playoff contender, the Spurs seem to be gearing up for the playoffs quite nicely. The Golden State Warriors saw firsthand how geared up the Spurs currently are as they fell 116-92 Tuesday night in the AT&T Center.
Offensively, the Spurs shot better than 50% for the fifth consecutive game. San Antonio finished at 55.1% – the highest percentage of the five-game stretch. The turnaround in their offense has been sparked by attacking the basket and better ball movement. Hitting open jumpers also hasn't hurt.
Defensively, however, is where the Spurs are really shining. The Warriors shot only 37.5% from the floor and were held under 100 points for the first time since Jan. 9 – a span of 37 games. Virtually everyone on the team has picked up their perimeter defense and the bigmen are doing a better job of protecting the rim. Slowly but surely, the championship level defense is returning.
The Warriors made a few runs throughout the game but the Spurs kept up their defensive pressure and eventually the Warriors cracked. Even though the Warriors lost this game, they remain a dangerous team in the playoffs. With a gaggle of fearless shooters who seemingly can all penetrate and kick, it’s tough for anyone to stop them if they get hot from the perimeter. Golden State won’t beat you with defense but in a seven-game series, their explosive offense would give any team headaches.
Overall, it was another very good win for the Spurs. Their winning streak stands at eight games and they seem to be peaking at the right time of year. With their offense finding its rhythm and the defense coming back to life, Spurs fans have to be encouraged by what they see at the moment.
-Tim Duncan alone is the reason why the Warriors should desperately try to avoid the Spurs in the playoffs. Duncan puts a damper on what the Warriors want to do both offensively and defensively. He can use his size and patience offensively to score for himself or create open shots for others. On defense, Duncan clogs the middle and can close off the paint. In 28 minutes on Tuesday, Duncan finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and one turnover, while shooting 8-for-12 from the floor. Duncan played very well overall, especially in the first half when he set the tone for the game.
-Manu Ginobili had his ups and downs against the Warriors. Overall, it was more good than bad for Ginobili. He scored 16 points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished two assists and swiped two steals, while hitting half of his 14 shots from the floor. However, Ginobili turned the ball over six times and wasn’t valuing possessions as much as he should against a run-and-gun team that feasts on mistakes. Defensively, Ginobili had by far his best defensive game against the Warriors this season. Pop deserves some of the credit for keeping Ginobili off of shooters like Stephen Jackson, which gave Ginobili the freedom to roam and cause havoc. A few less sloppy plays and Ginobili would have had yet another great game.
-Tony Parker played exactly how the Spurs need him to play. The Warriors weren’t sending much help to the defenders trying to guard him, so Parker took it upon himself to stay ultra aggressive all game long. When he’s in attack mode for 48 minutes, the Spurs become a much better team. On the night, Parker had 26 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while shooting 12-for-19 from the floor. Eventually the Warriors were forced to send help and then that’s when the three-point barrage ensued. Defensively, Parker was impressive against whoever he was guarding – usually Baron Davis and Monta Ellis. These last two games, Parker has played very, very well.
-I didn’t think Bruce Bowen played up to the level that he can defensively but the results point to him having a good game on that end of the court. Jackson and Ellis shot a combined 7-for-28, with Bowen being responsible for a good portion of those misses. A few instances here and there I thought Bowen took shortcuts defensively but overall he was solid. He also helped finish off Warrior possessions by pulling down seven defensive rebounds. Offensively, Bowen hit 4-of-9 shots from the floor on his way to 12 points and two assists.
-Michael Finley wasn’t quite as blazing as he’s been in recent game, but I’ll gladly accept his 13 points, five assists and three rebounds in a team-high 35 minutes. He shot 4-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-8 from three-point land. I liked how he created for himself of the dribble a couple times to get his game going early on. Finley also had a few nice passes – which usually aren't in his repertoire. Defensively, this might have been his best game since early February. Chalk this up as another quality outing for Finley.
-Fabricio Oberto had a really good showing against the small ball Warriors. After starting the game next to Duncan, he took turns with Duncan manning the middle in the remaining three quarters. In 19 minutes, Oberto had eight points, ten rebounds, three assists and two steals, while hitting 4-of-6 shots from the field. Defensively, Oberto was excellent against a team that is difficult for bigmen to play against.
-Ime Udoka played 30 minutes and played well. Udoka played hardnosed defense and gave the Spurs a physical presence – which was especially important because the Spurs were forced to play a majority of the game with a small ball lineup on the court. When Udoka throws his body around, the small ball lineup suddenly doesn’t seem to be as small. Udoka finished with nine points, five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one blocked shot, while going 4-for-7 from the floor. He also led the team in plus/minus with a +29.
-Jacque Vaughn rebounded from a sub par outing against the Rockets with a valuable performance against the Warriors. His stats don’t look like much (three points and two assists in 15 minutes), but Vaughn kept up the defensive pressure and got the ball moving offensively.
-Kurt Thomas, Matt Bonner, Damon Stoudamire and Bobby Jones played in garbage time for the Spurs. Thomas’ bruising play wasn’t a good fit against the Warriors and Oberto was playing well, so Pop opted to keep him on the bench. Bonner and Stoudamire both played pretty well in garbage time. Jones, who was signed earlier in the day to a 10-day contract, looked comfortable and even had a good defensively play and a good assist. Granted, the game was over but he seems like a fit as the team’s sixth swingman. At least until the front office decides to find yet another passenger for this season's end of the bench merry-go-round.
-Pop coached a good game. He obviously wanted the win, as he used an eight-man rotation for perhaps the first time all season. While that was mostly due to trying to matchup against the Warriors, Pop wasn’t messing around this game.
Earlier in the season, the Spurs dropped both of their games in Oakland against the Warriors and I thought Pop’s defensive schemes played a part in each loss. This game, he didn’t try anything too exotic. He kept Parker on Davis for much of the game, which allowed Bowen to lock up wing players. Pop also avoided putting Ginobili on Jackson, which had hurt the Spurs previously.
The entire season Pop has prepped the Spurs for small ball, and that could come in handy once the playoffs hit. On the whole, the Spurs have had a lot of success this season when playing small ball. The biggest improvement has been their ability to rebound when playing small ball, which was apparent tonight as they outrebounded the Warriors 54-37. When the Spurs can rebound in small ball – and Duncan can avoid fouls – the alignment almost always works in the Spurs’ favor.
The bottomline is the Spurs won again, and again it was in dominating fashion against a good team. After a much deserved two day break in the schedule, the Spurs will fly to Utah to take on the Jazz on Friday. A win would make it nine straight and would keep this freight train headed in the right direction.
Remember the elbow.
Believe.
Offensively, the Spurs shot better than 50% for the fifth consecutive game. San Antonio finished at 55.1% – the highest percentage of the five-game stretch. The turnaround in their offense has been sparked by attacking the basket and better ball movement. Hitting open jumpers also hasn't hurt.
Defensively, however, is where the Spurs are really shining. The Warriors shot only 37.5% from the floor and were held under 100 points for the first time since Jan. 9 – a span of 37 games. Virtually everyone on the team has picked up their perimeter defense and the bigmen are doing a better job of protecting the rim. Slowly but surely, the championship level defense is returning.
The Warriors made a few runs throughout the game but the Spurs kept up their defensive pressure and eventually the Warriors cracked. Even though the Warriors lost this game, they remain a dangerous team in the playoffs. With a gaggle of fearless shooters who seemingly can all penetrate and kick, it’s tough for anyone to stop them if they get hot from the perimeter. Golden State won’t beat you with defense but in a seven-game series, their explosive offense would give any team headaches.
Overall, it was another very good win for the Spurs. Their winning streak stands at eight games and they seem to be peaking at the right time of year. With their offense finding its rhythm and the defense coming back to life, Spurs fans have to be encouraged by what they see at the moment.
-Tim Duncan alone is the reason why the Warriors should desperately try to avoid the Spurs in the playoffs. Duncan puts a damper on what the Warriors want to do both offensively and defensively. He can use his size and patience offensively to score for himself or create open shots for others. On defense, Duncan clogs the middle and can close off the paint. In 28 minutes on Tuesday, Duncan finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and one turnover, while shooting 8-for-12 from the floor. Duncan played very well overall, especially in the first half when he set the tone for the game.
-Manu Ginobili had his ups and downs against the Warriors. Overall, it was more good than bad for Ginobili. He scored 16 points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished two assists and swiped two steals, while hitting half of his 14 shots from the floor. However, Ginobili turned the ball over six times and wasn’t valuing possessions as much as he should against a run-and-gun team that feasts on mistakes. Defensively, Ginobili had by far his best defensive game against the Warriors this season. Pop deserves some of the credit for keeping Ginobili off of shooters like Stephen Jackson, which gave Ginobili the freedom to roam and cause havoc. A few less sloppy plays and Ginobili would have had yet another great game.
-Tony Parker played exactly how the Spurs need him to play. The Warriors weren’t sending much help to the defenders trying to guard him, so Parker took it upon himself to stay ultra aggressive all game long. When he’s in attack mode for 48 minutes, the Spurs become a much better team. On the night, Parker had 26 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while shooting 12-for-19 from the floor. Eventually the Warriors were forced to send help and then that’s when the three-point barrage ensued. Defensively, Parker was impressive against whoever he was guarding – usually Baron Davis and Monta Ellis. These last two games, Parker has played very, very well.
-I didn’t think Bruce Bowen played up to the level that he can defensively but the results point to him having a good game on that end of the court. Jackson and Ellis shot a combined 7-for-28, with Bowen being responsible for a good portion of those misses. A few instances here and there I thought Bowen took shortcuts defensively but overall he was solid. He also helped finish off Warrior possessions by pulling down seven defensive rebounds. Offensively, Bowen hit 4-of-9 shots from the floor on his way to 12 points and two assists.
-Michael Finley wasn’t quite as blazing as he’s been in recent game, but I’ll gladly accept his 13 points, five assists and three rebounds in a team-high 35 minutes. He shot 4-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-8 from three-point land. I liked how he created for himself of the dribble a couple times to get his game going early on. Finley also had a few nice passes – which usually aren't in his repertoire. Defensively, this might have been his best game since early February. Chalk this up as another quality outing for Finley.
-Fabricio Oberto had a really good showing against the small ball Warriors. After starting the game next to Duncan, he took turns with Duncan manning the middle in the remaining three quarters. In 19 minutes, Oberto had eight points, ten rebounds, three assists and two steals, while hitting 4-of-6 shots from the field. Defensively, Oberto was excellent against a team that is difficult for bigmen to play against.
-Ime Udoka played 30 minutes and played well. Udoka played hardnosed defense and gave the Spurs a physical presence – which was especially important because the Spurs were forced to play a majority of the game with a small ball lineup on the court. When Udoka throws his body around, the small ball lineup suddenly doesn’t seem to be as small. Udoka finished with nine points, five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one blocked shot, while going 4-for-7 from the floor. He also led the team in plus/minus with a +29.
-Jacque Vaughn rebounded from a sub par outing against the Rockets with a valuable performance against the Warriors. His stats don’t look like much (three points and two assists in 15 minutes), but Vaughn kept up the defensive pressure and got the ball moving offensively.
-Kurt Thomas, Matt Bonner, Damon Stoudamire and Bobby Jones played in garbage time for the Spurs. Thomas’ bruising play wasn’t a good fit against the Warriors and Oberto was playing well, so Pop opted to keep him on the bench. Bonner and Stoudamire both played pretty well in garbage time. Jones, who was signed earlier in the day to a 10-day contract, looked comfortable and even had a good defensively play and a good assist. Granted, the game was over but he seems like a fit as the team’s sixth swingman. At least until the front office decides to find yet another passenger for this season's end of the bench merry-go-round.
-Pop coached a good game. He obviously wanted the win, as he used an eight-man rotation for perhaps the first time all season. While that was mostly due to trying to matchup against the Warriors, Pop wasn’t messing around this game.
Earlier in the season, the Spurs dropped both of their games in Oakland against the Warriors and I thought Pop’s defensive schemes played a part in each loss. This game, he didn’t try anything too exotic. He kept Parker on Davis for much of the game, which allowed Bowen to lock up wing players. Pop also avoided putting Ginobili on Jackson, which had hurt the Spurs previously.
The entire season Pop has prepped the Spurs for small ball, and that could come in handy once the playoffs hit. On the whole, the Spurs have had a lot of success this season when playing small ball. The biggest improvement has been their ability to rebound when playing small ball, which was apparent tonight as they outrebounded the Warriors 54-37. When the Spurs can rebound in small ball – and Duncan can avoid fouls – the alignment almost always works in the Spurs’ favor.
The bottomline is the Spurs won again, and again it was in dominating fashion against a good team. After a much deserved two day break in the schedule, the Spurs will fly to Utah to take on the Jazz on Friday. A win would make it nine straight and would keep this freight train headed in the right direction.
Remember the elbow.
Believe.