Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Rockets - Dec. 10, 2012

Wow, what a crazy game. On paper, this affair looked to be quite simple for the men dressed in black. They were to take on a Rockets squad they had just blown out a few days earlier -- and this time James Harden would be sitting on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

Fifty-three minutes later, we were again reminded why games aren’t played on paper. When the dust finally settled, the Spurs had escaped Houston with a 134-126 victory. The win is San Antonio’s fifth straight and their tenth in their last 11 games.

The high-scoring nature of this contest didn’t shine through right away. Coming out of the gates, the Spurs went nearly three minutes without a point. On both ends of the court, the good guys just weren’t very sharp. From late defensive rotations to choppy ball movement, even artless aspects of the sport were a chore. As a result, the Spurs were constantly in catch-up mode in the first quarter.

The second quarter wasn’t much better early on. In fact, a barrage of three-pointers put the Rockets up by ten points midway through the period. In what would become a theme, the Spurs came roaring back with eight straight points -- only to see the Rockets respond with a counterpunch that restored their advantage to seven points. San Antonio landed the last blow of the half: a 15-7 run that gave the Spurs the lead at intermission.

In the third period, there were many moments where it appeared as if the Spurs were on the verge of gaining control. Instead, the Rockets went absolutely nuts. The Spurs were up 82-76 with four minutes remaining in the quarter when Houston unleashed a 29-14 run in a span of six minutes. The run consisted of Jeremy Lin going linsane and repeatedly murdering the Spurs with a pick-and-roll at the top of the key.

When Lin went to the bench in the fourth quarter to catch his breath, the Spurs were finally able to restore order. In less than four minutes of playing time, the Spurs went on a 14-2 run to take a three-point lead with 5:20 remaining in regulation. It was then Chandler Parsons’ turn to detonate. The second-year forward nailed three consecutive three-pointers to swing the momentum back to Houston.

With 1:59 to go, Lin hit a difficult 14-foot jumper to give the Rockets a one-point lead. Fourteen seconds later, Manu Ginobili tossed in a courageous three-pointer. Unfortunately, that two-point lead went away when Omer Asik made a clutch jumper with 37 seconds on the clock. After Tony Parker missed a jumper, Danny Green harassed Lin into a shot clock violation. The Spurs had the ball with five seconds to work with but failed to get off a shot.

In overtime, the Spurs scored the first two baskets. Following a pair of free throws by Lin, Gary Neal drained his seventh three-pointer of the game. Then, Duncan got a defensive rebound and fired an outlet pass to Ginobili who finished at the rim while being harmed. The resulting three-point play gave the Spurs an eight-point advantage that they were able to control the rest of the way.

All in all, it was 10 out of 10 in terms of entertainment value. The game was just tremendously fun to watch even if the Spurs never did find much of a rhythm on either end. Then again, if San Antonio can get a win and score 134 points while playing far from their best basketball, it’s difficult to be anything but happy about the result.

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Tim Duncan
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Omer Asik may very well be the best defensive player in the NBA. While Tim Duncan was able to best him in their last matchup, Asik won this battle. Duncan never got it going on offense, in large part due to Asik’s defense. The Rockets center was able to body Duncan in the lane and also get out and contest his jumpers. While the 36-year-old looked mortal for perhaps the first time all season, I’m not going to worry too much and will instead chalk it up to a combination of Asik and foul trouble. Besides, Duncan was very solid on the other end of the court. Seven of his 13 rebounds came in the fourth quarter or overtime; it seemed like he was retrieving all the most vital of caroms. Plus, the only way the Spurs found to slow down Jeremy Lin was to have Duncan switch off onto him on pick-and-roll sets. Without Duncan’s mobility, Lin might have gone for 50 points instead of “just” 38.
Final Grade: 77
Season Average: 91.4
Adj. Average: 91.6
Last 10 Average: 91.5
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Manu Ginobili
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Manu Ginobili is getting really, really close. There were still a few bizarre decisions and a couple sloppy plays intertwined into his performance, however Ginobili was otherwise impressive. His passing and rebounding once again looked great. His shot is looking a lot better and he’s showing an ability to get into the lane. Defensively, Ginobili was amazing early on (he forced three air balls by my count) but appeared to get tired late in the second half. Yes, there are still rough edges but Ginobili’s rust is almost a thing of the past.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 83.6
Adj. Average: 84.0
Last 10 Average: 86.2
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Tony Parker
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Congrats to Tony Parker for his first career triple-double. And, honestly, this wasn’t a cheap triple-double. On a few occasions, he was battling in midair against Houston’s bigmen for rebounds. Needless to say, it was by far Parker’s most impressive game of the season on the boards. Offensively, he was also a positive. He consistently made plays for himself and others by using his speed and underrated strength. Perhaps most importantly, Parker kept a steady hand despite the numerous runs by the Rockets. Unfortunately, D was the Frenchman’s Achilles heel on the night. His energy on that end was iffy early on and by the time Parker tried to ramp it up, Lin was blazing. He was later switched off onto other players but he was never able to make an impact on that end outside of rebounding.
Final Grade: 93
Season Average: 88.4
Adj. Average: 88.4
Last 10 Average: 93.0
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Danny Green
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Early on, Danny Green wasn’t doing much of anything. He was lackadaisical defensively and wasn’t involved offensively. However, as the game progressed, Green defrosted. While his outside shooting remained iffy, everything else about his game improved drastically. Defensively, he took on the challenge of guarding Lin and did well. Green also played outstanding transition defense and grabbed a few contested rebounds. On the other end, his ballhandling and passing -- usually not exactly strengths of his -- shined as he became a weapon in just about every aspect of the game. It started off inauspiciously but this game against the Rockets turned out to be somewhat of a breakout game for Green. When he plays with ferocity on both ends and brings more than one or two dimensions to the table, he’s a very good role player.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 82.7
Adj. Average: 83.1
Last 10 Average: 81.8
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Gary Neal
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At the heart of it all, Gary Neal is a shooting specialist. On Monday night, his shooting was definitely special. I lost count of how many huge shots Neal knocked down. He was just stepping up and knocking down cold blooded shot after cold blooded shot. Other than his marksmanship, he didn’t do much. Defensively, he could have been a lot quicker closing out on three-point shooters. And considering how well he has been rebounding lately, the goose egg was surprising.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 83.4
Adj. Average: 84.5
Last 10 Average: 85.0
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DeJuan Blair
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DeJuan Blair’s stats from this game are proof that numbers can lie. He was an undeniable liability on both sides of the court. On D, he was doing a poor job guarding the perimeter and was basically worthless in the paint. Offensively, he kept getting in the way, passed the ball to the wrong player repeatedly and the lack of cohesion on that end had his finger prints all of it.
Final Grade: 74
Season Average: 79.9
Adj. Average: 80.7
Last 10 Average: 78.9
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Tiago Splitter
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In retrospect, Tiago Splitter should have gotten more minutes. When he was on the court, he was quite productive. His finishing at the rim remains very impressive. In his last four games, he’s a stunning 22-for-29 (75.9%) from the field. Splitter also passed well and ran the court hard. On defense, he was aggressive (perhaps too impressive considering his foul trouble) and defended the hoop really well. Right now, Splitter is unquestionably one of the most efficient players in the entire NBA.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 84.1
Adj. Average: 84.9
Last 10 Average: 87.9
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Boris Diaw
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Ugh. Boris Diaw had one of the worst games you’ll ever see him play. When he wasn’t throwing the ball away he was either getting the ball stolen or in the act falling down. The Rockets were doubling off of him whenever they could and he didn’t even come close to taking advantage. Defensively, Diaw wasn’t much better. His rotations were slow and he was weak in the paint. The only silver lining is he was playing with a lot of effort -- and that’s usually half the battle when it comes to the precocious Frenchman.
Final Grade: 69
Season Average: 80.2
Adj. Average: 81.7
Last 10 Average: 82.3
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Nando De Colo
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The Good: Nando De Colo’s shooting is really starting to come around. He’s 15-for-31 (48.4%) from the field and 7-for-15 (46.7%) on three-pointers in his last six games. Versus Houston, De Colo was decent to good on defense. The Bad: The Rockets pressured De Colo and he didn’t handle it well. In fact, the pressure stopped him from creating much of anything when he had the ball. Considering that his ability to create is what makes him an NBA prospect, that’s a worrisome turn of events. Going forward, De Colo has to prove that he can handle pressure. If he can’t, his outlook suddenly doesn’t look very bright.
Final Grade: 78
Season Average: 82.8
Adj. Average: 84.4
Last 10 Average: 83.3
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Patrick Mills
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Pop threw Patrick Mills in the game in the second half. It turned out to be a mistake. With Mills and Neal at the guard positions, neither one was capable of running the show. If Mills isn’t going to show any point guard ability, that’s going to really limit his usefulness.
Final Grade: Inc.
Season Average: 82.2
Adj. Average: 82.2
Last 10 Average: 89.4
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Pop
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I didn’t like Pop’s rotation for much of the game. When Duncan and Splitter both in foul trouble, it wasn’t easy coming up with capable fivesomes but some of the lineups made little sense. When he went to the Mills and Neal lineup in the second half, that was almost the death knell. All that said, give Pop credit for finding a lineup (Duncan, Green, Ginobili, Neal, Parker) that was able to pull out the victory.
Final Grade: 80
Season Average: 86.0
Last 10 Average: 89.6
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Offense
Scoring 134 points on 117 possessions is impressive no matter how you slice it. Even though it was oftentimes ugly, the Spurs found ways to put points on the board. It helped that they shot so well from the line (24-for-26) and canned 14 three-pointers. And while they definitely turned it over too much, their ability to score in the paint continues to be a strength.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 86.0
Last 10 Average: 88.9
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Defense
The Spurs had been doing a really good job of closing out on three-point shooters until this game. The Rockets made things worse by launching (and hitting) bombs from a few feet behind the line but San Antonio could have definitely defended better. Additionally, allowing 36 free throws makes it difficult to win. The bright spots: the Spurs were strong on the defensive glass and defended the paint well (the Rockets shot only 37.3% on two-pointers).
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 83.3
Last 10 Average: 84.2
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Overall
There were many reasons why the Spurs should have lost this game. But, as has become a habit with this team, they found a way to win yet again. Impressive.
Final Grade: 81
Season Average: 85.0
Last 10 Average: 87.0
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Bit harsh on pop LJ


The game was really fine. Houston looked like they gonna put the spurs away with this deadly striking.
With the spurs struggling on some areas still they were able to contribute on the highest level on else.

Green with key defensive plays and Neal with timely plays.


Fun to watch

That midgetball lineup made me go wtf, but it worked. The Rockets were only getting offensive rebounds from Asik and weren't posting up at all, so having the shooters to space the floor and the speed to close out on 3s were more important than height.

The PF rotation is getting very scary, Boris should be sent to a S&C specialist like Marinovich to get in sf shape and we should trade for a real pf tbh. .

Tight games and nail biters are always frustrating. Most fans wouldn't mind seeing their team come out and obliterate the competition everytime. But playing in, and winning, tight games brings the team together and makes them better.

Good win.

Is it carelessness or early season problems, but why are the Spurs ranked 21st in turning the ball over this year? Or is it not that big of a deal seeing as the Spurs are 3rd in A/TO ratio?

Thanks for the write-up timvp!

TP wasn't great on D during this game, we agree on that point, but can you tell me how many pts Lin scored WHEN Tony was on the floor please?

It seemed to me (live) that Lin scored a bunch of his 38pts when TP was on the bench...

thks

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Originally Posted by NASpurs

Is it carelessness or early season problems, but why are the Spurs ranked 21st in turning the ball over this year? Or is it not that big of a deal seeing as the Spurs are 3rd in A/TO ratio?

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The problem thus far has been the backup point guards and the rest of the bench. With Parker on the court, the Spurs have TOV% of 13.3 -- which would be good enough for sixth in the NBA. When Parker is on the bench, the TOV% spikes to 15.7% -- and that would be far and away the worst mark in the league. At some point, one would imagine that someone will emerge from the bench and be able to handle the ball adequately while Parker rests. As it stands I'm not worried ... but it's something to keep an eye on. Especially because turnovers played a role in the demise of the Spurs last season.

^cojo never turns the ball over ...... cojo play defense..... cojo gets too the rim.... cojo passes ..... what more could u ask from a back up pg .....

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Originally Posted by Pauleta14

Thanks for the write-up timvp!

TP wasn't great on D during this game, we agree on that point, but can you tell me how many pts Lin scored WHEN Tony was on the floor please?

It seemed to me (live) that Lin scored a bunch of his 38pts when TP was on the bench...

thks

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Very fair point and I probably should have specifically mentioned it. In the eight and a half minutes Lin was on the court with no Parker, he scored 18 points :wow

So yeah, Parker deserves some defensive blame -- but Lin basically lit up everyone.

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Originally Posted by playblair

^cojo never turns the ball over

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Yeah, except that he's statistically the most turnover-prone player on the team this season.

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Originally Posted by timvp

Yeah, except that he's statistically the most turnover-prone player on the team this season.

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Yeah, but who cares about statistics when evaluating players.

that stat is misleading ..... cojo protects the ball

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Originally Posted by polandprzem

Bit harsh on pop LJ

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Perhaps but playing Splitter 18 minutes with Duncan in foul trouble, Blair sucking and Diaw a total mess isn't too forgivable. I know Splitter was also in foul trouble and the Rockets went small ... but still Splitter has to play more given the circumstances.

Plus Pop almost lost it when he went with the Mills/Neal duo in the backcourt. Neither one has played point guard lately (it's been Parker, De Colo or even CJ) and to put them out there against Tony Douglas was nearly suicide.

Speaking of Douglas, if he can ever consistently shoot it straight, he has a bright future. His pressure defense was spectacular. He was even able to pressure Parker ... and Parker rarely if ever gets pressured since he's so fast.

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Originally Posted by playblair

that stat is misleading ..... cojo protects the ball

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yes, when saying a player protects the ball and doesn't turn it over, turnover rate definitely is a misleading stat

Thanks Timvp

What the fuck is "adj. average"? tbh.

Thanks! :toast

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Originally Posted by timvp

Perhaps but playing Splitter 18 minutes with Duncan in foul trouble, Blair sucking and Diaw a total mess isn't too forgivable. I know Splitter was also in foul trouble and the Rockets went small ... but still Splitter has to play more given the circumstances.

Plus Pop almost lost it when he went with the Mills/Neal duo in the backcourt. Neither one has played point guard lately (it's been Parker, De Colo or even CJ) and to put them out there against Tony Douglas was nearly suicide.

Speaking of Douglas, if he can ever consistently shoot it straight, he has a bright future. His pressure defense was spectacular. He was even able to pressure Parker ... and Parker rarely if ever gets pressured since he's so fast.

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I'd say it was tough to find a lineup for this houston team. Pop might thought that playing Mills and Neal will give some more fire power. But it did not happened.

All in all spurs are starting to play less energetic and that is a prognostic for a loss in near game. UT or POR.


btw. You putting so much effort on the forum lately
:worthy

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Originally Posted by timvp

Very fair point and I probably should have specifically mentioned it. In the eight and a half minutes Lin was on the court with no Parker, he scored 18 points :wow

So yeah, Parker deserves some defensive blame -- but Lin basically lit up everyone.

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Thanks, that's what I thought...

I remember clearly at the end of the 3rd begining of the 4th, McHale finally sat him when... Tony came back in!

I think part of their game plan was to make Tony work on D, and take advantage of Tony's resting time to increase Lin's confidense offensively...

Thanks for the thoughts. :tu

Pop needs to find an answer on how to fight on ball pressure defense when Parker is on the bench. Clippers are killing Spurs bench on a regular basis with it and Houston did it too in that game. It shouldn't take long for the rest of the teams to see how Spurs bench struggles against that kind of defense.

How can mills show anything in 1.57 of playing time?

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Manu Ginobili is getting really, really close.

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So how much better do you think he can get? At this point in his career I think this may be the best he can get and we'll take this as long as he stops turning it over a million times and trying to shoot himself into rhythm.

I think de Colo is the answer. He is a good ball handler and protects his dribble with his body. Most of his turnovers come from steals when is making a less than crisp 7-15 foot pass to someone behind him. His bounce passes rarely get picked off. Cory is okay too. Spurs just don't have an established backup but hopefully someone will convincingly claim that position by the time of ASG. Pop's going to have to pick someone and stick with him.

Timvp, I agree that the defense could have been better, but one thing you fail to do is give credit to the Rockets. The Rockets played some pretty good ball last night. Excellent ball movement and sharp passing. No one expected Lin to go off like he did. Nor do anyone expect Toney Douglas to come off the bench and hit 5 of 7 3 pt. shots. Parson hit 4 3's. Most of the shot were contested but went in. The biggest thing the Spurs had going for them last night? Houston didnt play any D. Spurs scored at will. Fast break point 20 to 10 Spurs. Points in the paint? 56-38 Spurs. 4 mins into the 2nd Quarter Spurs had 8 asst. Then they went to sharing the basketball and came back. Results 31 asst. for the game. No where in the game did any Spurs panic because the Rockets were meeting them head on. They keep trying to work their game and in the end, the win came home.

Haven't been posting much, but I've been thoroughly enjoying your game thoughts, grades ect. Very well done.

I have one gripe though. Something I've never understood. (highlighted in bold)

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Originally Posted by timvp

When Duncan and Splitter both in foul trouble, it wasn’t easy coming up with capable fivesomes but some of the lineups made little sense.

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How on earth is Splitter ever considered in foul trouble if his ceiling for minutes is 25 at most?? I never understand how Pop has such a quick trigger when bigs outside of Tim pick up 2 fouls in the 1st, 3 fouls in 2nd or 4 fouls in the 3rd. They are not playing significant minutes, so what makes Pop believe he needs to be cautious about fouls???

Especially Splitter, the most effective and efficient big outside of Tim on the team. Spurs need him on the floor for as much of the 18-24 minutes Pop gives him. Sitting Splitter for most of the rest of a game because of 2 fouls in the first quarter does the team more harm than good, and Pop does it often. Sorry for venting, I just never understand how Pop tries to preserve Splitter's fouls to prevent him from fouling out-- when the guy hardly plays less than half the game. It's mind boggling, tbh.

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Originally Posted by DAF86

What the fuck is "adj. average"? tbh.

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It accounts for minutes played. For example, if a player gets a high grade but only plays ten minutes, that doesn't hold as much value as getting a low grade when playing a lot of minutes. Tbh.

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Originally Posted by maverick1948

Timvp, I agree that the defense could have been better, but one thing you fail to do is give credit to the Rockets. The Rockets played some pretty good ball last night. Excellent ball movement and sharp passing. No one expected Lin to go off like he did. Nor do anyone expect Toney Douglas to come off the bench and hit 5 of 7 3 pt. shots.

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Well said. If I didn't credit the Rockets, I apologize. They had players step up and knock down huge shots. Lin got a chance to control the show and he proved yet again that if you let him play that high pick-and-roll and space the court for him that he's capable of putting up huge numbers.

When you're forced to defend Lin's outside shot, his quickness getting to the rim and his elevating once he gets there are pretty darn impressive.

It'll be really interesting to see if they can somehow mesh Harden and Lin. It's going to be tough since they both REALLY need to have the ball in their hands to be effective.

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Originally Posted by MaNu4Tres

How on earth is Splitter ever considered in foul trouble if his ceiling for minutes is 25 at most?? I never understand how Pop has such a quick trigger when bigs outside of Tim pick up 2 fouls in the 1st, 3 fouls in 2nd or 4 fouls in the 3rd. They are not playing significant minutes, so what makes Pop believe he needs to be cautious about fouls???

Especially Splitter, the most effective and efficient big outside of Tim on the team. Spurs need him on the floor for as much of the 18-24 minutes Pop gives him. Sitting Splitter for most of the rest of a game because of 2 fouls in the first quarter does the team more harm than good, and Pop does it often. Sorry for venting, I just never understand how Pop tries to preserve Splitter's fouls to prevent him from fouling out-- when the guy hardly plays less than half the game. It's mind boggling, tbh.

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I actually 100% agree. Benching bench players because they are technically in foul trouble makes no sense unless they are closers like Ginobili or Horry. Splitter probably wouldn't have fouled out if he played six more minutes. And if he does, so what? He's already won't be playing those minutes anyways.

A lot of coaches do it and it just isn't logical.

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Originally Posted by timvp

It accounts for minutes played. For example, if a player gets a high grade but only plays ten minutes, that doesn't hold as much value as getting a low grade when playing a lot of minutes. Tbh.

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Thanks. tbh.

How do you do to determine how much value it gets? tbh.

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Originally Posted by DAF86

Thanks. tbh.

How do you do to determine how much value it gets? tbh.

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It's just a basic formula: The sum of (Grade * Minutes Played) for all graded games divided by the total minutes played in games that a grade was given.

Tbh.

Thanks again. tbh.

Tbh.

tbh imo tbh...