Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. Clippers - Nov. 19, 2012

[timvp]

For the second time this season, the Spurs lost a game against the Clippers. While the first defeat was somewhat understandable, this 92-87 loss was definitely frustrating. As Pop was quick to point out after the game, Los Angeles won by exhibiting more physical and mental toughness. To lose at home because the opposition wanted it more is, well, unacceptable.

To begin the game, things were actually going quite well for San Antonio. Tim Duncan was dominating the action and the Spurs were sharp on both ends of the court. At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs were up 28-18.

And then the second quarter from took place.

With the two bench units squaring off, the Spurs played their softest basketball of the season. On offense, there was virtually no playmaking and the passing was extremely sloppy. The few clean looks that were created were missed. All told, the Spurs finished the quarter shooting 3-for-18 from the field with seven turnovers.

The Clippers began the second half with a five-point lead and they were able to hold an advantage for the duration of the final two quarters. With 5:26 remaining, Los Angeles went up by nine points after a bucket by Eric Bledsoe. That’s when San Antonio made their final push.

The Spurs got two three-pointers from Matt Bonner and one from Tony Parker to trim into the deficit. Following a Manu Ginobili layup and a defensive stop, the Spurs trailed by two points with possession and approximately 50 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, Gary Neal missed a forced runner in the lane. Chris Paul hit a jumper the other way, the Spurs missed a three-pointer with 15 seconds on the clock and the game was essentially over.

Give the Clippers props for going out on the road and winning in a playoff-style atmosphere. However, the Spurs certainly played a part in digging their own grave.






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Tim Duncan

The one player on the Spurs who showed an adequate amount of compe ive fire was Tim Duncan. In fact, he was erupting with fire at times (such as when he picked up his first technical foul of the season). Duncan played as hard as he could on both ends of the court. While he was overwhelmed by the sheer athleticism of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin at times, Duncan was almost always in the right position. He also rebounded well, altered shots and got back in transition. Offensively, Duncan wasn’t quite as sharp. With teammates suc bing to the playoff-like pressure, he attempted to shoulder a greater portion of the load than usual. Unfortunately, due to quality defense from the Clippers and a few makeable shots that went astray, Duncan couldn’t quite carry the team to victory.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 91.3
Adj. Average: 91.8
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Manu Ginobili

Manu Ginobili offered a mixed bag on Monday night. The Bad: Ginobili was sloppy with the ball for most of the night and his decision making was erratic. His jumping ability appeared to be limited, which distressed his outside shooting and his finishing at the rim. The Good: Ginobili was actually moving rather well. He defended with gusto out on the perimeter in isolation situations. He was reasonably quick getting to the basket and used brute force to get to the line. The Argentine was conscientious about grabbing defense boards (one of the few who could claim that) and added in some wonderful passing. All in all, Ginobili still has some rust to get rid of but he was more of an asset than a liability.
Final Grade: 83
Season Average: 80.7
Adj. Average: 80.4
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Tony Parker

It’s not that Tony Parker was horribly inefficient; it’s that he just didn’t do enough. Shooting 5-for-11 is acceptable, as is racking up six assists to only one turnover. However, with the offense struggling for points -- and an iden y, for that matter -- Parker needed to grab the reins and guide the team. That didn’t happen. Although Chris Paul had a quality game, I thought Parker defended well. He pressured the ball as much as he could in the halfcourt and didn’t give up many open looks. A tip of the beret to Paul.
Final Grade: 74
Season Average: 83.8
Adj. Average: 84.7
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Stephen Jackson

Before he got hurt, Stephen Jackson was playing reasonably well. He was defending, crashing the glass and playing hard on both ends. Unfortunately, he broke his little finger on his shooting hand and will miss up to six weeks of action. It’s never a good time to lose a player as important as Jackson, however with Kawhi Leonard already out with tendinitis, this is particularly poor timing. Get well soon, Jack.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 85.6
Adj. Average: 86.0
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Danny Green

Danny Green’s initial defense was solid. He moved his feet well on the perimeter and even wreaked some havoc in the paint. However, he was much too soft when it came to rebounding. With the team’s two true small forwards out injured, Green needed to step up with defensive rebounds. Grabbing two in 35 minutes isn’t close to adequate. Offensively, his shot selection wasn’t the best. He rushed a few shots and shot others with a hand in his face.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 83.5
Adj. Average: 83.3
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DeJuan Blair

What has happened to DeJuan Blair’s touch around the basket? In his first three years in the league, he had great touch in the paint and his flip shots were nearly automatic. This year, including against the Clippers, Blair has missed a number of chippies in the paint. On the other hand, Blair is playing the best defense of his career. That was also the case against the Clippers early on, however his concentration seemed to fade and he was back to his bad habits by his final stint. Overall, his mental mistakes kept him from being an asset on Monday night.
Final Grade: 77
Season Average: 81.1
Adj. Average: 82.6
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Gary Neal

After missing two games with a finger injury, Gary Neal returned to action against the player in the league who gives him the most trouble. Eric Bledsoe once again proved to be too much. Neal, especially when he has a gimpy finger, can’t handle the ball well enough to do much of anything with Bledsoe on him. On the other end, Neal isn’t quick enough to stay in front of Bledsoe. To be fair, Neal’s poor play wasn’t limited to his time against Bledsoe. The Spurs guard was bad no matter who was around him. Ill-advised shots, weak on the boards, absolutely no playmaking … just an ugly game in all aspects for Neal.
Final Grade: 69
Season Average: 81.7
Adj. Average: 83.4
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Tiago Splitter

I don’t think Tiago Splitter is a soft player but he certainly played soft against the Clippers. Offensively, he didn’t take advantage of mismatches. A few times, the Clippers switched a guard onto him and Splitter either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Defensively, he was ineffective defending the post, didn’t guard well out of the paint and wasn’t nearly sturdy enough on the defensive glass. Splitter is too big and strong to allow himself to get pushed under the basket repeatedly when he’s going for boards. There were some highlights -- he didn’t miss a shot from the field or the line on his way to nine points, plus his help-defense was typically on time -- but Splitter’s positives were outweighed by whatever caused his soft play (be it a lack of confidence, not enough effort or whatever the case may be).
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 79.9
Adj. Average: 80.8
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Boris Diaw

I’m almost ready to sound the panic alarm on Boris Diaw. Last game he showed flashes of competency but he backed that up with his worst game yet. Diaw’s outing against the Clips was miserable. On offense, he didn’t do anything other than turn the ball over or otherwise contribute to the herky-jerky flow. He’s not only passing up open shots, now he’s not even moving to open areas on the court. Defensively, he had little to no success against Griffin or anyone else he attempted to guard. Even worse was his rebounding -- or lack thereof. I’m hoping Pop can light a fire under Diaw because right now he’s not even worth putting on the court most of the time.
Final Grade: 61
Season Average: 78.3
Adj. Average: 81.0
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Matt Bonner

I’ve been against the idea of making Matt Bonner a member of the rotation for a number of years now. I thought his recent DNP-CDs were a step in the right direction for the team. But I gotta admit, I had second thoughts while watching Bonner play a heroic fourth quarter. He came off the bench and played with a focus and fearlessness that was lacking by just about everyone else. Bonner didn’t hesitate at all on his way to ten fourth quarter points. Defensively, I liked how he guarded pick-and-rolls and he was physical in the paint at times. Unfortunately, his inability to rebound played a role in L.A. holding off San Antonio’s charge. Going forward, I’m at a loss of what Pop should do with Bonner. On one hand, we know he can’t perform in the playoffs. On the other hand, he’s a proven regular season player who can play a position that the Spurs aren’t getting consistent production out of on a nightly basis.
Final Grade: 94
Season Average: 79.8
Adj. Average: 80.6
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Patrick Mills

I’m not sure there is a positive I can milk out of Patrick Mills’ performance against the Clippers. Well, I guess give him credit for not turning the ball over. Everything else was unpleasant. Like Neal, Mills struggled to handle the ball against the Clippers. He failed to use his speed to his advantage and basically resorted to being a spot-up shooter. Defensively, Mills wasn’t very good. He played on his heels too often and he’s just not big or strong enough to do that and succeed. Overall, he has yet to figure out his niche on this team and the result is a subpar season to date.
Final Grade: 70
Season Average: 77.8
Adj. Average: 77.5
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Nando De Colo

Nando de Colo was given a chance to help stem the tide in the beginning of the second quarter. Instead, he played a relatively large role in sinking the ship. The worst basketball played by the Spurs came when the rookie Frenchman was in the game. De Colo was both hesitant and careless with the ball. He didn’t look for his own offense and his defense was porous at best. It was a difficult situation to be thrown into but it’s discouraging that he was so underwhelming.
Final Grade: 71
Season Average: 81.3
Adj. Average: 83.0
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Pop

Pop talked a mean game after the final buzzer, however he sure didn’t push many right buttons against the Clippers. In the first half, I thought he sat Parker and Duncan way too long. With the team struggling so mightily, Pop was too patient and should have gone back to his starters sooner. By the time he did, the momentum had shifted violently. In the second half, Pop tried a lot of different lineups but none of them had any sort of cohesiveness. Playing Bonner in the fourth turned out to be a good move … so much so that one has to wonder why he didn’t play sooner (I didn't enjoy typing that).
Final Grade: 74
Season Average: 82.6
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Offense
The Clippers have been one of the best defensive teams in the league this season and it showed on Monday night. The Spurs shot poorly everywhere on the court. When the good guys did score, it was usually as a result of an individual move or via freebies at the charity stripe. San Antonio didn’t turn it over a ton but they were out of sorts for much of the night. Give credit to L.A. but a lot of their pain was self-inflicted.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 83.5
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Defense
There’s a lot to like about how the Spurs played defense. The Spurs kept the Clippers off the free throw line, limited their assists and caused turnovers. Los Angeles’ three-point shooting was also abysmal. However, one aspect erased all the good work the Spurs accomplished: the 17 offensive rebounds they allowed. The Spurs have become a terrible defensive rebounding team and this was yet another embarrassment. The lack of rebounding is a big reason why the Clippers were able to score 56 points in the paint.
Final Grade: 77
Season Average: 82.5
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Overall
Frustrating. That wasn’t the way the Spurs wanted to embark on a six-game road trip. The injury added to the insult made it even worse. Let’s hope the Spurs respond like they did after the disappointing loss to the Knicks. If they keep playing like they did on Monday night, it’s going to be a looooooong road trip.
Final Grade: 70
Season Average: 83.2
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[TD 21]

Tiago Splitter

I don’t think Tiago Splitter is a soft player but he certainly played soft against the Clippers. Offensively, he didn’t take advantage of mismatches. A few times, the Clippers switched a guard onto him and Splitter either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Defensively, he was ineffective defending the post, didn’t guard well out of the paint and wasn’t nearly sturdy enough on the defensive glass. Splitter is too bigand strong to allow himself to get pushed under the basket repeatedly when he’s going for boards. There were some highlights -- he didn’t miss a shot from the field or the line on his way to nine points, plus his help-defense was typically on time -- but Splitter’s positives were outweighed by whatever caused his soft play (be it a lack of confidence, not enough effort or whatever the case may be).
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 79.9
Adj. Average: 80.8
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I defended him for two years whenever anybody claimed he was, but I give up. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then . . .

I'd have to think about it, but he might be the weakest center in the league. He said a few weeks back that he lost a few pounds in the off season and whether it was intentional or not, that's just insane. He needed to add 10 pounds of muscle.

I knew he wasn't a great post defender, shot blocker or defensive rebounder before they brought him over though. To me, where he's been a disappointment has been his mediocre defense in space. I thought he'd be able to blow up pick-and-rolls and effectively guard the Nowitzki's of the world, but he's just average in all areas.

Boris Diaw

I’m almost ready to sound the panic alarm on Boris Diaw. Last game he showed flashes of competency but he backed that up with his worst game yet. Diaw’s outing against the Clips was miserable. On offense, he didn’t do anything other than turn the ball over or otherwise contribute to the herky-jerky flow. He’s not only passing up open shots, now he’s not even moving to open areas on the court. Defensively, he had little to no success against Griffin or anyone else he attempted to guard. Even worse was his rebounding -- or lack thereof. I’m hoping Pop can light a fire under Diaw because right now he’s not even worth putting on the court most of the time.
Final Grade: 61
Season Average: 78.3
Adj. Average: 81.0
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I thought he wouldn't revert to his old ways on this team, but I was wrong. He was clearly only going hard to secure a decent contract and because he had a legit shot at a championship. Now that the former is taken care of and the latter won't be up for grabs for months, he's on cruise control until then.

He'll inevitably get it back at some point, because Blair and Bonner are just that bad, but for now, I think he's lost his spot in the rotation. Between his uninspired play, Bonner's inspired play in the 4th and them being in Boston (which is essentially home for Bonner), it all adds up.

[Paranoid Pop]

I think that Tiago needs to start if he can keep shooting FTs like that. Problem is he's the only one who can rebound on the bench...

[timvp]

Unfortunately, I can't really argue against those takes, TD 21.

Hopefully both players prove the current perception to be false.

[freetiago]

splitter has to guard all the guards that neal and manu have blow by them and hes out of position for rebounds
its up to diaw/jack to grab them and they just couldnt
his post defense was bad on griffin in 1v1 situations to, he just let him go middle instead of forcing him base
diaw/splitter in theory is fine but 2 players cant both be soft for it to work

[silverblk mystix]

This was the 2nd game against the clippers that I noticed this and wonder if anyone else did;

Matt Barnes is a dirty mother er - but especially against Manu. It seems that Barnes likes roughing up Manu and he has been getting away with some bush-league for whatever reason. It also seems like he really gets under Manu's skin for some reason.

If the Spurs and clippers meet in the playoffs it will be fun to watch Manu get the best of this little .

Does anyone think there is bad blood between them and do you think that this might be a reason the spurs never really tried to pursue Barnes when he was available?

[TheSkeptic]

I think that Tiago needs to start if he can keep shooting FTs like that. Problem is he's the only one who can rebound on the bench...

I mostly agree with this except that I think Blair theoretically has the tools to be a rebounding big off the bench.

Either way though I think Pop needs to promise Splitter 20+ minutes in exchange for more assertive play or something. He's a good player when he's not hesitating out there. With the team missing people right now the Spurs could use the Tiago that played against LAL.

I'm technically still fine with Diaw starting but I'd be lying if I didn't say his recent play has me rethinking my position. Didn't Parker promise to keep Diaw in line? I really want Bonner out of the rotation when our injured basketball players get back (if not before).

Tough game all around. Just couldn't get over the hump at the end there but I liked that the Spurs kept it close. Terrible timing on that injury. The Heat will be running through our perimeter "defense" like it's nothing without Leonard and Jax playing.

[Ice009]

This was the 2nd game against the clippers that I noticed this and wonder if anyone else did;

Matt Barnes is a dirty mother er - but especially against Manu. It seems that Barnes likes roughing up Manu and he has been getting away with some bush-league for whatever reason. It also seems like he really gets under Manu's skin for some reason.

If the Spurs and clippers meet in the playoffs it will be fun to watch Manu get the best of this little .

Does anyone think there is bad blood between them and do you think that this might be a reason the spurs never really tried to pursue Barnes when he was available?

I think I recall Matt Barnes laying dirty fouls on Manu back when he was with Goldenstate. I think Jack used to step in. I think it really goes back a long way like you are saying. Every time Barnes does it, he also seems pretend that he didn't mean it. I'd say Manu thinks it's bull and that he's had enough of it.