timvp
05-01-2008, 01:02 AM
The game was ugly. The Spurs at times looked more lottery-bound than championship-bound. But at the end of the contest, the Spurs were able to do just enough to edge the Suns 92-87 and advance to the second round of the playoffs.
The Suns had a lot to do with how much the Spurs struggled. Their defense was actually solid for most of the night, holding the Spurs to less than 40% shooting from the floor. Offensively, Phoenix’s main problem was Steve Nash’s inability to play up to his normal standards. The Suns don’t have much to be ashamed about in this series. The Spurs are the more experienced team and they have three star players that can dominant any given night. While this series ended in only five games, the Suns put up a good fight.
Although this wasn’t a very aesthetically pleasing game, the Spurs showed a lot of heart and championship experience down the stretch. They captured a game that would have been very easy to lose. They’ll need to play at a higher level to go on and win a championship but on this night, it was good enough.
Overall, the first round series was a huge success. Most league experts had the Suns winning the series. The Spurs not only won the series, they did it in five games. I guess San Antonio isn’t done, after all.
-Tim Duncan was determined to get the job done and he did just that. He was active on both ends of the court and he made sure that if the Spurs were losing this game, they were going down swinging. On the night, Duncan finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds and three blocked shots, while shooting 13-for-28 from the field. While Duncan also had five turnovers and missed a lot of clean looks, he was a force for the Spurs on Tuesday night. With the Spurs shooting under 40% from the field, Duncan’s nine offensive rebounds were huge in terms of giving the Spurs extra looks at the basket. It seemed like every time the Spurs missed a clutch shot, Duncan was there to grab the board.
-Manu Ginobili had his first poor game of the series. However, his game wasn’t as bad as a quick glance at his stats would indicate. Offensively, he wasn’t having much luck scoring the ball, but he also wasn’t turning it over. After having 15 turnovers in the first four games, Ginobili had only one turnover in Game 5. Defensively, Ginobili was the team’s only halfway decent defender against Boris Diaw. He battled on defense and helped the team get big stops at the end of the game. On the night, Ginobili finished with eight points, three rebounds and two steals, while shooting 2-for-11 from the field. Perhaps the most glaring hole in Ginobili’s stats was his lack of an assist – it was only his second game all season without an assist. He battled foul trouble and was obviously slowed by an injured groin and an injured ankle. For the Spurs to win the 2008 championship, they’ll need Ginobili to return to form. That said, he deserves credit for the effort and guts he exhibited on Tuesday evening.
-Tony Parker was fantastic for much the night. In a team-high 41 minutes, Parker had 31 points, eight assists and three rebounds, while shooting 9-for-21 from the field and 13-for-16 from the charity stripe. He relentlessly attacked the basket and created a majority of the good looks the Spurs got on the night. After missing his first seven perimeter jumpers, he knocked down his final two jumpers at the end of the game to help ensure victory. The Spurs leaned on him heavily, as evident by his team-high plus/minus of +14. Defensively, Parker was very good. He guarded Steve Nash for a majority of the game and Nash struggled mightily against his defense. It was truly a Herculean effort by Parker. While his Game 3 was more spectacular, in this contest he single-handedly carried the team even more than he did in that game. To close out the series, Parker assisted on or scored five of the final six baskets.
-Bruce Bowen had a relatively quiet game. Offensively, he went scoreless for the fourth time in this series. Other than missing his only two field goal attempts, he grabbed one rebound and blocked one shot. On the defensive end, Bowen set the tone against Nash. He flustered the Canadian and never gave him a clean look. At the end of the game, Bowen got his hand on an inbounds pass to create a game-clinching turnover. Bowen had his struggles throughout the game and throughout the series but at the end of the night, he got the last laugh.
-Michael Finley had a mostly invisible 31 minutes of action. He missed his three shots and went scoreless. On the other end of the court, Diaw had success early and often going against Finley in the low block. The best aspect of the game for Finley was his passing. He finished with three assists, which were as many as the whole team combined outside of Parker. The Spurs will need more scoring help from Finley in forthcoming series.
-Kurt Thomas again started at center and played a great game. He played 34 minutes and was a man possessed. Thomas finished with eight points, 12 rebounds, one steal and one block. He hit only 3-of-11 shots from the field, but he did knock down two big free throws at the end of the game. His post defense was outstanding all series and he was at his best in Game 5. Thomas’ 12 rebounds were instrumental in helping the Spurs outrebound the Suns 50-44. It was just a very, very good effort out of Thomas.
-Brent Barry played 15 minutes and wasn’t overly active. He didn’t attempt a shot and his only stats were two assists and three fouls. While it didn’t look like he did much based on the box score, I thought Barry was solid. He helped the ballmovement offensively and played smart defense. The best news regarding Barry is he seems to be about as healthy as could be expected.
-Fabricio Oberto came off the bench and played 13 minutes. Despite the limited minutes, Oberto made the most of his playing time. In the third quarter, he scored two hugely important baskets when the Spurs’ offense had completely stagnated. On the night, Oberto had eight points and three rebounds on 3-for-3 shooting from the field. With the Spurs struggling for points, Oberto’s eight-point outburst was extremely helpful.
-Ime Udoka saved his best game for last. He struggled for a majority of the first four games but in Game 5, he was arguably the team’s best player off the bench. With the Spurs down 43-40 in the second quarter, Udoka hit a three-pointer and a jumper to spark a 14-2 run to close out the first half. Besides those five points, Udoka also had seven rebounds in his 13 minutes of action. When Udoka is rebounding and knocking down perimeter jumpers, he’s a huge asset for this team. He seems to have gotten over his playoff jitters – which hopefully will remain the case going forward.
-Robert Horry played nine minutes and had a few good moments. Shortly after entering the game, Horry hit a three-pointer. Late in the game, Horry came up with a key steal against Nash. Between those two events, Horry honestly wasn’t too effective. His post defense against Diaw was lacking. His pick-and-roll defense was lacking. However, it’s good that Horry is getting minutes to get back into the groove. Having a player on your side who has a history of coming up with game-changing plays in the postseason isn’t a bad thing.
-Pop had a decent enough game. He didn’t quite have the magical touch that he had early in the series but he put his team into positions to succeed. Hack-a-Shaq was effective for the most part. He went with an odd rotation that was good enough to win the game.
He did have a couple of questionable coaching moves. Using a small player against Diaw wasn’t working too well, however Pop stuck to it. Late in the contest, Pop accidentally took Duncan out of the game for a one and a half minute stretch in a failed Hack-a-Shaq attempt. He also didn’t come up with many plays to help the perimeter shooters get going, as evidence by Finley, Bowen and Barry going scoreless in 62 combined minutes.
Although, for the series, Pop had a massive positive impact. He thoroughly outcoached Mike D’Antoni – both in preparation and in-game adjustments. With four titles in the bag, Pop now coaches like he’s playing with house money. If he has a gut feeling, he no longer will hesitate to see whether his gut is right or wrong.
The bottomline is the Spurs got the job done. The Spurs ended the series sooner than almost anyone expected. It was a hard fought five games but the better team came out on top. Game 5 was a rugged, scrappy cherry on top.
On to New Orleans.
Believe.
The Suns had a lot to do with how much the Spurs struggled. Their defense was actually solid for most of the night, holding the Spurs to less than 40% shooting from the floor. Offensively, Phoenix’s main problem was Steve Nash’s inability to play up to his normal standards. The Suns don’t have much to be ashamed about in this series. The Spurs are the more experienced team and they have three star players that can dominant any given night. While this series ended in only five games, the Suns put up a good fight.
Although this wasn’t a very aesthetically pleasing game, the Spurs showed a lot of heart and championship experience down the stretch. They captured a game that would have been very easy to lose. They’ll need to play at a higher level to go on and win a championship but on this night, it was good enough.
Overall, the first round series was a huge success. Most league experts had the Suns winning the series. The Spurs not only won the series, they did it in five games. I guess San Antonio isn’t done, after all.
-Tim Duncan was determined to get the job done and he did just that. He was active on both ends of the court and he made sure that if the Spurs were losing this game, they were going down swinging. On the night, Duncan finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds and three blocked shots, while shooting 13-for-28 from the field. While Duncan also had five turnovers and missed a lot of clean looks, he was a force for the Spurs on Tuesday night. With the Spurs shooting under 40% from the field, Duncan’s nine offensive rebounds were huge in terms of giving the Spurs extra looks at the basket. It seemed like every time the Spurs missed a clutch shot, Duncan was there to grab the board.
-Manu Ginobili had his first poor game of the series. However, his game wasn’t as bad as a quick glance at his stats would indicate. Offensively, he wasn’t having much luck scoring the ball, but he also wasn’t turning it over. After having 15 turnovers in the first four games, Ginobili had only one turnover in Game 5. Defensively, Ginobili was the team’s only halfway decent defender against Boris Diaw. He battled on defense and helped the team get big stops at the end of the game. On the night, Ginobili finished with eight points, three rebounds and two steals, while shooting 2-for-11 from the field. Perhaps the most glaring hole in Ginobili’s stats was his lack of an assist – it was only his second game all season without an assist. He battled foul trouble and was obviously slowed by an injured groin and an injured ankle. For the Spurs to win the 2008 championship, they’ll need Ginobili to return to form. That said, he deserves credit for the effort and guts he exhibited on Tuesday evening.
-Tony Parker was fantastic for much the night. In a team-high 41 minutes, Parker had 31 points, eight assists and three rebounds, while shooting 9-for-21 from the field and 13-for-16 from the charity stripe. He relentlessly attacked the basket and created a majority of the good looks the Spurs got on the night. After missing his first seven perimeter jumpers, he knocked down his final two jumpers at the end of the game to help ensure victory. The Spurs leaned on him heavily, as evident by his team-high plus/minus of +14. Defensively, Parker was very good. He guarded Steve Nash for a majority of the game and Nash struggled mightily against his defense. It was truly a Herculean effort by Parker. While his Game 3 was more spectacular, in this contest he single-handedly carried the team even more than he did in that game. To close out the series, Parker assisted on or scored five of the final six baskets.
-Bruce Bowen had a relatively quiet game. Offensively, he went scoreless for the fourth time in this series. Other than missing his only two field goal attempts, he grabbed one rebound and blocked one shot. On the defensive end, Bowen set the tone against Nash. He flustered the Canadian and never gave him a clean look. At the end of the game, Bowen got his hand on an inbounds pass to create a game-clinching turnover. Bowen had his struggles throughout the game and throughout the series but at the end of the night, he got the last laugh.
-Michael Finley had a mostly invisible 31 minutes of action. He missed his three shots and went scoreless. On the other end of the court, Diaw had success early and often going against Finley in the low block. The best aspect of the game for Finley was his passing. He finished with three assists, which were as many as the whole team combined outside of Parker. The Spurs will need more scoring help from Finley in forthcoming series.
-Kurt Thomas again started at center and played a great game. He played 34 minutes and was a man possessed. Thomas finished with eight points, 12 rebounds, one steal and one block. He hit only 3-of-11 shots from the field, but he did knock down two big free throws at the end of the game. His post defense was outstanding all series and he was at his best in Game 5. Thomas’ 12 rebounds were instrumental in helping the Spurs outrebound the Suns 50-44. It was just a very, very good effort out of Thomas.
-Brent Barry played 15 minutes and wasn’t overly active. He didn’t attempt a shot and his only stats were two assists and three fouls. While it didn’t look like he did much based on the box score, I thought Barry was solid. He helped the ballmovement offensively and played smart defense. The best news regarding Barry is he seems to be about as healthy as could be expected.
-Fabricio Oberto came off the bench and played 13 minutes. Despite the limited minutes, Oberto made the most of his playing time. In the third quarter, he scored two hugely important baskets when the Spurs’ offense had completely stagnated. On the night, Oberto had eight points and three rebounds on 3-for-3 shooting from the field. With the Spurs struggling for points, Oberto’s eight-point outburst was extremely helpful.
-Ime Udoka saved his best game for last. He struggled for a majority of the first four games but in Game 5, he was arguably the team’s best player off the bench. With the Spurs down 43-40 in the second quarter, Udoka hit a three-pointer and a jumper to spark a 14-2 run to close out the first half. Besides those five points, Udoka also had seven rebounds in his 13 minutes of action. When Udoka is rebounding and knocking down perimeter jumpers, he’s a huge asset for this team. He seems to have gotten over his playoff jitters – which hopefully will remain the case going forward.
-Robert Horry played nine minutes and had a few good moments. Shortly after entering the game, Horry hit a three-pointer. Late in the game, Horry came up with a key steal against Nash. Between those two events, Horry honestly wasn’t too effective. His post defense against Diaw was lacking. His pick-and-roll defense was lacking. However, it’s good that Horry is getting minutes to get back into the groove. Having a player on your side who has a history of coming up with game-changing plays in the postseason isn’t a bad thing.
-Pop had a decent enough game. He didn’t quite have the magical touch that he had early in the series but he put his team into positions to succeed. Hack-a-Shaq was effective for the most part. He went with an odd rotation that was good enough to win the game.
He did have a couple of questionable coaching moves. Using a small player against Diaw wasn’t working too well, however Pop stuck to it. Late in the contest, Pop accidentally took Duncan out of the game for a one and a half minute stretch in a failed Hack-a-Shaq attempt. He also didn’t come up with many plays to help the perimeter shooters get going, as evidence by Finley, Bowen and Barry going scoreless in 62 combined minutes.
Although, for the series, Pop had a massive positive impact. He thoroughly outcoached Mike D’Antoni – both in preparation and in-game adjustments. With four titles in the bag, Pop now coaches like he’s playing with house money. If he has a gut feeling, he no longer will hesitate to see whether his gut is right or wrong.
The bottomline is the Spurs got the job done. The Spurs ended the series sooner than almost anyone expected. It was a hard fought five games but the better team came out on top. Game 5 was a rugged, scrappy cherry on top.
On to New Orleans.
Believe.