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manu + duncan = disaster for the opposition
Manu Ginobili. That’s about the only way to sum up this game. Ginobili caught on fire and put on the best shooting performance of his career and the Spurs blasted by the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter to win 112-105.
The whole game was a back and forth affair. The Cavs would build a lead and then the Spurs would come back and make it a close game. The Cavs would again build a lead and the Spurs would again respond. The teams kept up this pattern until the Spurs exploded for good in the fourth. With the Spurs trailing 80-72 with just over ten minutes to go in the game, San Antonio would score on every single possession for the rest of the game on their way to a 41-point fourth quarter.
Regarding the Cavs, they actually played really well. They had the Spurs on the ropes a number of times. LeBron James had a great game (39 points, nine assists and six rebounds) and Larry Hughes was uncharacteristically on target (11-for-19 from the field). Cleveland just lost because the Spurs got scorching hot. They couldn’t play much better. The Cavs shot over 51% for the game and most of those shots were contested well by the Spurs. Cleveland basically just got out-Ginobili'ed.
With a 6-3 Rodeo Road Trip, it’s now safe to call the trip a major success. Considering that Brent Barry missed the entire trip and Tony Parker missed almost the entire trip, going 6-3 was fantastic. Hopefully this will provide the momentum needed to make a push at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs.
-Lost in all of Ginobili’s heroics was the fact that Tim Duncan actually played pretty darn well. The Cavs played really good defense on him but Duncan fought the whole game. He missed some shots he usually makes but overall he was very solid. For the game Duncan finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He also led the Spurs in +/- at +21. When he was on the court, he drew a huge amount of focus from the Cavs and opened up lanes for his teammates. Duncan, like usual, was quietly effective.
-Manu Ginobili just went wild. I'm not even sure how to put it into words. He was hitting shots from everywhere. If you watched this game, you got to witness what will go down as one of Ginobili’s most memorable games of his career. He finished with 46 points, eight assists, five rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot, while connecting on 15-of-20 shots from the field and 8-of-11 shots from the three-point line. Amazingly, he did all that while committing only one turnover. It was simply a stunning shooting display by Ginobili. In the fourth quarter alone, Ginobili had 17 points on 5-for-5 shooting and four assists. Wow.
-Bruce Bowen was also a big part of the fourth quarter scoring barrage. With the Spurs down by four with six and half minutes to go, Bowen scored eight of the next 11 points to help tie the game. On the night, Bowen was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field to finish with ten points and three assists in 37 minutes. Defensively, he was doing a good job staying in front of LeBron for the most part but LeBron hit a number of tough shots. Bowen didn’t play NBA Finals level defense but he defended him well. Sometimes great offensive players can overcome even the best defense.
-It wasn’t a very good end to the Rodeo Road Trip for Fabricio Oberto, which is unfortunate because he had played well as of late. In 22 minutes, Oberto totaled four points and five rebounds on 1-for-3 shooting from the field. For whatever reason, Oberto didn’t have the same energy as he’s had in recent games. He seemed a step slow on both ends of the court, especially in the help defense department. Oberto finished the game with a team-worst plus/minus of -25.
-As a Spurs fan, you are likely counting down the day until Parker is healthy enough to return. With the way Jacque Vaughn played tonight, it might be a good idea to get down on your knees and pray for Parker’s speedy recovery. Grab your rosary beads, light a menorah ... do whatever you gotta do to help Parker get healthy faster. Vaughn was absolutely horrible against the Cavs. It had to be his worst game of the season. He was ball-hogging and was shooting mostly contested attempts – and for no reason. He just had it in his mind tonight that he wanted to score and he failed miserably at doing so. In 18 minutes, Vaughn was 1-for-8 from the court to finish with two points and two assists. The best move Pop did all night was take Vaughn out of the game for good a couple minutes into the third quarter.
-Michael Finley played well. His shooting stats don’t look Manu-like but he gave a really good effort and was big down the stretch. He finished with eight points and five assists on 2-for-8 shooting from the floor. Four of his assists led to three-pointers (three to Ginobili, one to Bowen). Finley’s defense was pretty good and he was a solid presence on the court for the Spurs.
-Ime Udoka played 24 minutes, including almost the entire fourth quarter. Defensively, he played well whether he was matched up With LeBron or Hughes. LeBron hit some difficult shots on him but his defense was good. Offensively, Udoka was extremely efficient. He was 4-for-4 from the field, 1-for-1 from three and 3-for-3 from the free throw line on his way to 12 points and three rebounds. Udoka allowed the Spurs to matchup better defensively, which was a big part of the fourth quarter run.
-Damon Stoudamire once again struggled. Against Cleveland, Stoudamire missed all four of his shots and went scoreless. He did get three rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes of playing time, although that didn’t make up for his shooting woes. Stoudamire started 7-for-14 as a Spur but has gone 5-for-24 since. What once looked like a very good signing is now looking questionable.
-Robert Horry once again looked a lot better than he had earlier in the season. His seven points and three rebounds in 16 minutes came at important times of the game. Although Horry is still working his way back into shape, it’s starting to look as if the Spurs should be able to count on him for minutes in the playoffs. His off the charts basketball IQ is still evident every time he plays and that alone is reason enough for Pop to play him in hopes of production down the line.
-Matt Bonner and Francisco Elson didn't play. I'd be interested to see how those two guys have decorated Pop's doghouse.
-Pop coached a very good game. Benching Vaughn for practically the entire second half was a great move. It wasn’t a coincidence that the Spurs responded with 66 points in the second half.
I also liked the bigger small ball lineup he went to at the end with Ginobili at point guard, Finley at shooting guard, Bowen at small forward, Udoka at power forward and Duncan at center. Against a Cavs team with no real point guard, that lineup made a lot of sense.
I know I’ve brought this up a lot but I still don’t like the extended minutes for Duncan and Ginobili. Playing Ginobili 41 minutes and playing Duncan 39 minutes is just playing with fire. Perhaps Pop is thinking that with Parker coming back, the minutes will drop soon enough and that Duncan and Ginobili can rest over the All-Star break. Whatever the case may be, overplaying the stars has never been a part of the Spurs’ recipe for championships.
The bottomline is the Spurs went out on the Rodeo Road Trip and once again made it a successful adventure. The team faced a number of obstacles along the way but return home from the trip playing better than when they went into the trip. As long as Parker can regain his health and the rest of the team can remain healthy, there’s no reason why the Spurs won’t be able to make a push after the All-Star break.
And really, if Ginobili shoots like he did tonight once the playoffs roll around, the Mavs, Suns and Lakers could merge and I’d still like the Spurs’ chances.
Believe.
manu + duncan = disaster for the opposition
I missed the game.....
I watched this game in a Dave and Busters in Rockville, MD, and even non Spurs fans were amazed at the show Manu (and Duncan also quietly did again) was putting on with James trying to match. Don't forget props to Bruce! Great theater!
reiteration...Manu plays 40 minutes going into the 6-day break.
Last edited by Solid D; 02-14-2008 at 01:27 AM.
so did i.I missed the game.....
That was a great game to watch because of both teams. Lebron brought his A game, Larry Hughes brought his A game, and Manu brought his A++ game. Timmy played a pretty smart game and only forced the action a couple times that led to misses or a rare turnover. To beat a pretty good Cavs team on the road when their superstar is on his game and Larry f'n Hughes is on fire is a good accomplishment.
6-3 on the RRT sounds good, but 6-1 (after the first two losses) is really something to build on. Any time you play 7 straight road games and win 6, especially when you were playing .500 ball on the road up to that point, is a great stretch of games.
Thanks, timvp! I was waiting for this.
Yep. It was an especially clean game. Part of the reason, besides the torrid shooting, was the low amount of turnovers (5 for Spurs, 9 for Cavs).
41 point 4th Q is ting on our D. Manu must have been on fire. Who was trying to defend him?
Larry was coming off a 40 point performance the other night and has numbers of an all-star tonight. I hope he has turned the corner for the Cavs and will finally play close to his contract value.
Good win spurs.
Mostly Hughes and (Lebron at one point) contested his threes to no avail
It was a fun game to watch, By the end of the game Manu was being accounted for with double teams, and that guy Udoka, and Bowen open, and they all hit their timely shots.
Not to mention Duncan got single coverage thanks to Ginobil's hot hand.
One positive from this game is not only Manu's explosion, but also that rascal will not be posting here until Manu's next subpar game. Thank god.
BTW that was the best Manu game. The win wasn't nearly as meaningful as 2005 against the Suns (even if the Spurs do win it this year) -- but it was his best game as an NBA player. The type of shots he made over and over were ones he usually doesn't make so often in one game. Step back threes with hands in his face -- shots off the dribble. Incredible game.
Hope Manu has one of these types of games saved for the playoffs....
Really, there are no words to describe what he did... what an awesome game!
Thanks for the recap
The bottomline is the Spurs went out on the Rodeo Road Trip and once again made it a successful adventure. The team faced a number of obstacles along the way but return home from the trip playing better than when they went into the trip. As long as Parker can regain his health and the rest of the team can remain healthy, there’s no reason why the Spurs won’t be able to make a push after the All-Star break.
And really, if Ginobili shoots like he did tonight once the playoffs roll around, the Mavs, Suns and Lakers could merge and I’d still like the Spurs’ chances.
Believe.
Hope our boys get some nice rest, and Parker is ready to return to the action.
I'll have to disagree. It was no doubt his best shooting performance of his career but he's played better overall games. He's had games where he's beaten much better teams almost single-handedly by dominating more facets of the game.
But yeah, I don't know if it'd be possible for Ginobili to ever top this shooting display. I'm not sure many players in NBA history have games on their resume where they hit more difficult shots in one game.
Well it could be the moment, but it was his best game in terms of making difficult shots that he doesn't typically make. He doesn't make step back jumpers too often with a hand in his face. Sure he makes that step back shot reasonably often, but not like tonight.
BTW which games are you referring too out of curiosity?
Comparing this 46 point outing with Manu's 48 against the Suns in 05, the interesting thing is that this was built almost entirely on his jumper, while traditionally his big nights (like the 48) come from going to the hoop time and again. He did the same in Toronto the other night - hit jumper after difficult jumper, and hardly drove at all.
While he had the splint on, Manu's shooting was either way on or way off - he'd hit 6 jumpers one night, then the next he'd have to go to the rack repeatedly in the second half after missing 6 straight Js in the first and looking horrible. Watching Manu destroy these teams (Cleveland, Toronto) with the jumpshot (3s, step backs, and the odd pull-up) has been a true wonder. Manu can beat you in every way possible on a basketball court - like Tim, Manu is a basketball god.
I don't know what else to say except that i need to add some Manu jerseys to my collection of 50s and 21s!
Yeah, I'd say games 1, 2 and 7 of the Finals in 2005 were probably his best games as a balla - the ultimate pressure situation, a great defensive team keyed on stopping him, and he came through with genius.
Yeah it was pretty Jordan/Larry Birdesque jumpshooting performance, you can put 15-20 FG's. 8 -11 3 G's Making all his shots in the 4th quarter against a lot of the scoring binge games of other great SG's, and it remains pretty impressive.
they tried to double team him. that's where he got the assists. cavs announcers said he was sick. dwight gooden was shaking his head in disbelief.
Funny thing is, his shooting performance was within the flow of the game.
It wasn't like his Atlanta Hawks, where they ran all the plays for him. Only until the final minutes when the Cavs looked to be coming away with the game. (I noticed Finley or one of the others looking to get the ball to Manu to watch him do his magic.)
Other than that, I didn't see them relying on Manu much to carry the offense with Vaughn and all others in the first half hogging the ball , he just happened to hit every single jump shot of his to keep the Spurs close, and eventually give them the win.
Doc Gooden
Manu better in be in the Daily Dime tomorrow or I'm gonna in be pissed ...
me I missed the game!
I missed this game too
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