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Nice recap, thanks. I do like getting something so close to the game.
Oh, Friday night, not Saturday.
With Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker healthy and on the court for the first time since the All-Star break, the Spurs made quick work of the Clippers. After a run by San Antonio in the third quarter, the fourth was 12 minutes of garbage time before the 111-98 final score became official.
I know it was just the Clippers but watching the Big Three dominate the action was great to see. Also, the Spurs needed this type of dominant performance after a stretch of close game after close game. The Big Three playing nearly flawless basketball was a giant cherry on top.
Like is usually the case, the Clippers have talent but they just don't care about putting all the pieces together. They seem content playing as five individuals with absolutely no team concept. Writing any more about the Clippers would require more thought than Los Angeles exhibited on Friday night in the AT&T Center.
For the Spurs, this performance shows exactly what this team is capable of doing if they can remain healthy. Hopefully the team uses this outing as a springboard to catapult themselves to a strong finish.
-Tim Duncan was back after a one-game respite and played very well without breaking a sweat. His effort in terms of defending and running the court wasn't where it'll need to be in the playoffs but the only news that matters is that Duncan is looking healthier. He appears to be strong and isn't being pushed around as easily as just a week ago. Duncan performing very well in limited minutes was the best possible outcome to this game.
-Manu Ginobili had a difficult debut but his second game was spectacular. It's tough to isolate the best aspect of his performance. His passing was amazing, he shot the ball well from the perimeter and finished well at the rim. He even defended and hustled at near his usual levels. Watching the difference between how the second unit plays without him compared to how they play with him just goes to show how great of a basketball player Ginobili is and how he makes everyone else's job easier.
-Tony Parker couldn't have played much better. He finished with 18 points, six assists and no turnovers in 17 minutes, while knocking down 8-of-10 field goals including a three-pointer. Perhaps most impressively, Parker had a plus/minus of +24 in his limited time on the court. Right now, Parker is playing with as much confidence as he ever has in his career. Combine that with good health and the complete understanding of the offense and you have a point guard playing at a superstar level.
-If there was one player who benefited most from Ginobili's return it was Roger Mason, Jr. With the Clippers forced to keep an eye on Ginobili at all times, Mason was freed up to make plays. As a result, Mason had one of his best all-around games of the season - scoring eight points, pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out six assists while finishing without a turnover. Mason didn't shoot the ball well but if he can become the fourth playmaker on this team, it'd make the Spurs even more difficult to defend.
-Matt Bonner continued his physical play. He was throwing around his body and delivered a few hard hits. Offensively, Bonner's slump appears to be nearing an end. He's not hesitating at all on the offensive end and that should result in his three-point stroke returning. The bad news is that Bonner once again didn't help out on the boards. On the season, his rebounding is down approximately 10% from last year.
-I liked the way Michael Finley played against the Clippers. He took smart shots, didn't force the issue and constantly tried to move to the open spots. Defensively, Finley gave very good effort and was actually effective on that end. Now that Finley is back to being the fifth option, it's imperative that he continues to be aggressive and shoot his open attempts. He doesn't help out enough in other areas if he doesn't shoot it early and often.
-George Hill led the bench in minutes one game after registering his first DNP-CD of the season. Hill struggled a bit in the fourth quarter in garbage time but I thought he played well during his first couple of stints. He defended with a good amount of energy and offensively he obviously attempted to attack more than usual. He had mix results on offense but it was good to see that he recognizes where the coaching staff wants him to improve.
-Ime Udoka continues to play like he thinks he belongs. Gone is that version of Udoka of earlier in the season where he was second-guessing each step on the court. His play is still not very consistent but Pop is likely to reward him for his gritty play. An added bonus of playing Udoka is that he's a perimeter player who rebounds like a big. Over his last six games, Udoka is averaging 8.6 rebounds per 40 minutes. To compare, Bonner averages 8.2 rebounds per 40 minutes on the season.
-Drew Gooden got his first extended playing time with Ginobili and that combination looked promising. With Ginobili's passing and Gooden's finishing ability, there's a potential for a lot of connections between the two. Gooden also continues to show that he's capable of scoring in one-on-one situations. Defensively, Gooden took a step backwards against the Clippers. The Spurs just have to hope that there's enough time for him to get up to speed before the playoffs begin.
-Kurt Thomas once again provided another solid night of work. He rebounded and defended like usual. On offense, he was able to find open spots off of pick-and-rolls. Currently, Thomas is literally playing as well as possible. There's not another level he could take his game - he's at the top of his capabilities.
-Jacque Vaughn got 19 minutes of action in this blowout. The talk about Vaughn's relentless work at staying in shape is obviously true. Despite not playing much this year, Vaughn played like he's been a part of the mix all season long. As far as third string point guards are concerned, Vaughn is top notch.
-Bruce Bowen was a defensive ace without a player to key on during the game against the Clippers. He didn't play particularly bad but he also didn't seem as energized as usual. With the Big Three back in working order, it'll be interesting to see the type of role Pop has planned for Bowen down the stretch of the season and into the playoffs.
-Pop pushed all the right buttons on Friday night. He was able to use the game as a confidence builder while at the same time limiting everyone's minutes. It didn't hurt that the Big Three combined for 45 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers in 48 minutes. Or that the Big Three hit 18-of-23 shots from the field. The coaching challenge will come on Sunday against the Hornets. Pop has a roster filled with players who could make a case for minutes. Instead of giving everyone time, it'd be nice if Pop would begin to form his rotation and give his team the best chance to win this important divisional contest.
Believe.
Last edited by timvp; 03-28-2009 at 02:06 AM.
Nice recap, thanks. I do like getting something so close to the game.
Oh, Friday night, not Saturday.
I realllly liked that I saw with our guys back. I know it's against the Clips but at 100% with the addition of Gooden I get scary good feelings.
Fixed. Thanks.Oh, Friday night, not Saturday.
Ginobili + Gooden =
great recap as usual...
That Gino-Gooden connection is going to be huge for us. Those two have the talent to absolutely destroy opposing second units.
o all,
THANKS Timvp, for the thoughts...
being an almost everytime reader of your thoughts since they came to life, (5, 6 or seven years ago ?), it is one of those regular moments in my day... So much time spent for us, readers, THANKS !
I do BELIEVE in this team.
I've always feeled (felt?) Manu would be OK, I still have a bit of stress concerning Tim, but the staff is doing a great work to manage time for rest and the race for the second seed..
I have as well the feeling, that Bruce will be present in the rotation, i am just wondering if the lack of regularity use will prevent him from bringing his usual part on the offensive end.
Seriously, I might be mad, but with our "big 3" healthy and the new players we have, + the core, I am not that afraid of the Lakers...
yeah it's a 6-7 games series but my point is we have a shot at it ! Is is "faisable" (makeable)..
OK, we have a long way before but we might be overall in a better shape this year than last year at the same period.
BELIEVE
Xap'
Last edited by xapatan2; 03-28-2009 at 07:17 AM.
Thanks for the great breakdown as always...
One thought on Gooden, his defense. Seriously it. I don't care if he is a matador. As long as his body is there and he gives effort, he is bound to make make a few shots more difficult, and he only needs to play as a second string big man.
There are very few teams that have two low post offensive threats, Very few, and most of those are missing one of their tandem (Bynum and Amare) With Kurt Thomas and Duncan to put next to Gooden, he can always be hidden on a weaker opponent. Sure he may give up a few penetrations but he more than makes up for that by rebounding the shots that Duncan and Thomas alter.
But more than that all he needs is to be able to keep momentum going or prevent it from shifting. And tonight I think he proved that he is more than capable of it. When he gets beat he goes and gets it back on the other side. He is capable of ending a run by getting the crowd into with a thunderous dunk.
If he is giving effort he should be on the floor.
I missed the game
Thanks timvp!
Man, these are simply the best out there on the web.
I look forward to reading this on every game!
I'm looking forward to seeing more of that myself.
Very nice game!! Gooden did great, as did Tony of course and ginobili!! I hope tony continues, to lead the game though and score as much as he can even if manu is back now.
although it was just the lowly clippers we have beaten, i saw several positives in how we played. if i were a fan of other western conference team, i wouldn't want the spurs to be matched with my team in the 1st round. it's really scary. to the non-believers, hope you all see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Sunday is an important game. I hope Pop play a playoff like rotationPop has a roster filled with players who could make a case for minutes. Instead of giving everyone time, it'd be nice if Pop would begin to form his rotation and give his team the best chance to win this important divisional contest.
during the bits & pieces of the game that I watched, it seemed that the clippers were scoring at will against gooden.
I am looking forward to seeing more manu to gooden plays though!
+ mother ing1 Like someone said, Gooden and Manu will tear this UP!!! The Spurs used to have one player who could start on alot of teams coming off the bench, now they have two. yeah baby, go spurs!
How many dunks did he have, anyways? I remember 2, a tip shot, and a jump hook. But there's 2 shots that I don't know the nature of.
Manu's assists yesterday were sick... the one to Hill's dunk and the one to Gooden's dunk were awesome! Manu will have lots of new weapons to toy with with the second units.. i like what i am seeing a lot...
My personal favorite was the behind the back pass for Parker's three. Just beautiful.
Seeing Manu and Tim play that well has put me in the best mood I've been in weeks.
This is a tiny bit of a surprise to me, LJ. You really want Manu and Tim playing playoff rotation type minutes against the Clippers? We needed people like Jacques (19) and Bruce (16) eating minutes against an obviously inferior opponent.
Ridiculous note of the night: the Spurs were two baskets away from having nine players scoring in double figures. Mason and Hill both had off nights shooting and finished with 8 points each, to go with the seven players who DID finish in double figures scoring.
Well, I used to think the Warriors were the worst defensive team in the NBA, but after watching the Clippers, I'm not sure. One thing I'm sure of, Zach Randolph is the worse defensive player above 6'3 in the league. He is the counterpoint I use when people argue about a player's worth with stats. In a couple of those years he was putting up better numbers than Duncan.
Randolph is the current poster child for wasted talent..
as for the game..
it's ridiculous that I actually had to explain to a NUMBER of people here how Manu impacts the game for us..you had a bunch of idiots claiming Manu wouldn't be a huge help to this team in a thread last week..
Al Harrington would give him a run for his money in that category.
nice recap
It's funny how everyone is so excited over Gooden these days. It was just a few years ago that the thought of including Scola into the rotation would be folly by many people's standards. And yet Gooden (another player that can play the post, but lacks defense) seems to be a nice fit. Not trying to shift the focus, I'm just pointing it out.
Just a great game by everyone and Pop managed minutes very well. The Clippers are great medicine for a team needing to get their groove back. Manu makes the second unit twice as good. Even JV played well. No complaints. Fab's absence may give Gooden and Manu the opportunity to really develop some good chemistry. Great seeing Manu back! Manu!
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