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Great read!
Thanks Timvp !
This one stings. The Spurs were locked into a tough battle with the Celtics when they just fell apart at the line. In the last two and a half minutes, Michael Finley and Tony Parker combined to go 0-for-6 at the free throw line. The Celtics got just enough offense on the other end to pull out a 80-77 victory.
Outside of the charity stripe debacle, the Spurs played rather well. Their defense gave great energy and performed well. Although the Celtics have a lot of banged up players, San Antonio's defense still deserves a lot of credit.
Offensively, the Spurs had a hard time scoring the ball, especially in the fourth quarter. If Parker didn't create a shot for himself or someone else, there was basically nothing else working. The struggles on offense are somewhat concerning, though they were also understandable. With Duncan still slowed, Manu Ginobili out and the Celtics defense contesting, the Spurs weren't going to light up the scoreboard tonight.
-Tim Duncan was decent in his 32 minutes. He had a few moments throughout where he looked healthier but there's no question he's far away from 100% at this point. Perhaps the best aspect of his performance was his play on the defensive end. Duncan clogged the lane well and was active on the boards. Part of the credit for Duncan's shooting woes should go to Kendrick Perkins. The young Boston big played a physical, mean game and made life difficult for Duncan.
-Tony Parker was a few free throws away from having a very fine outing. On offense, his ability to break down the Celtics defense was impressive, especially considering that Boston boasts the best defense in the NBA. I thought he passed the ball well and kept the tempo at a Spurs pace for much of the game. Defensively, he followed the game plan, helped out on the boards and did good work in the passing lanes.
-I was disappointed with how Roger Mason, Jr. played. Pop at one point had to bench him for being careless with the ball while playing point guard. Although he got to play point guard later in the game, he never looked comfortable running the show. On defense, Mason had no chance against Ray Allen. Mason struggles coming off of screens and Allen is the best in the business at using screens to his advantage. Bad combination.
-Matt Bonner had an average outing. His defense against Kevin Garnett was good in the first half, however it should be noted that KG was coming off of injury and only ended up playing 15 minutes. Bonner also helped out on the boards and didn't back down from the physical play in the interior. He really does need to regain his confidence from the perimeter to once again be a true asset for San Antonio. Bonner shot a little bit better but he needs to shoot more and shoot with more confidence.
-George Hill is really blossoming into a very good defender. His defense against Allen was fantastic and he also had amazing sequences against Eddie House. Since Pop moved him off the ball offensively, Hill has concentrated more on his defense and the result is a player who can impact the game immensely on that end of the court. More good news is he's starting to show an ability to guard shooting guards in addition to point guards.
-Bruce Bowen's revival tour continues. For the second straight game, Bowen played like he could smell the playoffs around the corner. He had Paul Pierce locked up for much of his minutes and even had a rare weakside rejection. If the Spurs can add an energized Bowen to the equation, their overall defense could get a lot better quickly.
-Kurt Thomas played how Kurt Thomas has been playing for the last few months. Very good defense. Powerful on the glass. Physical in the paint on both sides of the court. On this night, it would have been nice if Thomas could find space for his jumper more often but it's tough to critique his performance too much. His offensive rebounding down the stretch almost won the game for San Antonio.
-Drew Gooden bounced back from his first poor outing as a member of the Spurs to contribute a helpful 16 minutes. He rebounded very well and used his athleticism and outside shot to help out offensively. He needs to reel in his shot selection a little bit but that should come naturally as he figures out his niche.
-Ime Udoka only played three minutes but his play was encouraging. He had a block against Pierce and grabbed two rebounds in his limited action.
-I liked how Pop was coaching until a fateful subs ution in the fourth quarter. With four and a half minutes left in the game, he inexplicably put Finley into the game. Finley wasn't doing anything offensively and he came in and quickly made the offense worse.
Sometimes I wonder if Pop remembers that the Spurs win with their defense. Putting Finley in for Bowen just didn't make sense at that point. I'd much rather have Bowen, Hill or even Udoka in the game that was a defensive showdown.
Outside of that move, I don't have too much beef with how Pop coached. I thought he rotated the bigs well, though it was interesting that he didn't play Fabricio Oberto after the Argentine big was coming off of his best game of the season.
Overall, the Spurs are going to be kicking themselves for how they let this one slip away. But the important thing to do right now is to brush it off and get ready for Houston.
Believe.
Great read!
Thanks Timvp !
if finley hit hit those free throws
tp would have it his
4-17
and spurs were right there
The glass half full view on this game is that the Spurs couldn't hit threes, choked at the line, had about 1.7 of the Big 3 healthy and still barely lost against the defending champs.
Exactly my point ! they played with with everybody we played with half of the big 3 and Gooden with 4 games historic with the spurs + 50% FtsThe glass half full view on this game is that the Spurs couldn't hit threes, choked at the line, had about 1.7 of the Big 3 healthy and still barely lost against the defending champs.
Great stuff. A few notes I have:
1. This back-up PG situation is getting ugly. When Parker isn't running the offense we are absolutely stagnant. We weren't great tonight anyway, but especially bad when others were handling the rock.
2. I think Hill is a great slasher and is able to finish well too. Why doesn't Pop use him off picks to attack the basket like Parker when TP's on the bench and we're not scoring? I know he's not as good as Tony, but he seems capable of driving and either finishing or kicking. Certainly more capable than Mason.
3. Speaking of Mason, I think I've fallen out of love with him. His great and clutch shooting earlier in the season were great, but now I'm seeing how he isn't a great defender, doesn't finish well, and doesn't do well as a ball handler. Am I nuts in thinking he's a glorified spot up shooter who is a liability when his shot isn't falling?
4. We really haven't shot well from 3 lately and its killing our offense. Do you think this is an anomaly? Are our stats from 3 going to fall back to earth now? Have teams figured out that this is how to guard us?
5. I like Gooden's energy and I think a lot of his defensive lapses will get better as he learns and becomes more comfortable in the system. That being said, I didn't see him get off a lot of good post moves. It seems he goes for that Garnett/Rasheed-esque fadeaway as his bread and butter. While its a pretty unblockable shot, its also low percentage. Other than that fadeaway the only other offense I've seen is some open jumpers and put backs. Is that all he has? Maybe he looked that way on the low block because of Boston's good D.
6. TP was really good at getting to the paint and they were unable to stop him for a while. He wouldn't be able to get there so easily against a Boston team with a healthy Garnett, right?
7. Finally, these guys got in each others' faces a bit here, especially Timmy and Perkins. It wasn't anything Knicks-Heat, but if they were to meet in the Finals, I think this game established enough of a history that it would be a very nasty, physical, contentious series. And if that happened, both teams have guys you can go to war with.
parker isn't running the offense.. he is doing everything because the rest of his cast sucks.
Garnett just came back from injury and didn't play at all in the 4th quarter, Ray Allen just came back from injury, Pierce shot uncharacteristically bad and they had no Leon Powe. I wouldn't consider Boston running on all cylinders...
Well saidThe glass half full view on this game is that the Spurs couldn't hit threes, choked at the line, had about 1.7 of the Big 3 healthy and still barely lost against the defending champs.
Who knows what a line-up of TP, Hill, Bowen, Gooden/ Thomas and TD in the last minute could've done.
That George Hill is going to make some SG.
JV needs to be the backup point guard. If Pop's going to be in love with veterans, he needs to be in love with the right ones.
When we're playing undersized and average 2s, yeah. I think Ray Allen is about the tallest player we can expect Hill to be able to solidly guard.
Ray Allen is average?
He had 2 made FGs were very tough drives to the hole against the Boston bigs.
That's what I'm saying! Can't we use his ability in this area when TP's not on the floor and the offense is stalling?
average sized. above average everything else.
I was also wondering 'where is Oberto?' early in the game. My thoughts were that Pop didn't like the matchup with Boston's physical bigs, or liked KT and Gooden as more physical presences and Bonner for spacing. Oberto doesn't really seem to have a place in many games this year, with his declining skillset.
Now that truly is pathetic. So now you're blaming Michael cause TP choked? They both choked.
KG played 15 min and bring 10 pts 4 reb and 1 assist which is more than Manu I guess
Ray came back from injury but played 40 mn !!! bringing 19 points, I guess he was ok to play
Pierce shot bad but maybe for once we can give credit to spurs Defense
Powe is not a significant element of the equation.
Boston didn't run on all cylinders but that was more than SA : no manu/tim at 70% and gooden that played only 4 games with the spurs
Just checking. I know I'm in the minority, but I think his length, quickness, and athleticism make up for his lack of height. You may have a problem against a guy like McGrady, but other that I would be okay having a second unit of he, Manu, and Mason....preferably with Manu running point or at least setting up the offense. The Hornets worked it pretty well with Paul and Pargo last season.
Powe is a big asset for Boston. It didn't show as much tonight becuase Moore and Big Baby played pretty well, but Powe is a force on the boards and low block.
Good post, good points !
Would you consider the Spurs playing without Kurt Thomas to be significant? Powe averages more points and rebounds than him. For all we know, Garnett is playing at a less percentage than Duncan and that's possibly why he didn't play at all in the 4th quarter. I understand Manu is a huge loss but neither team was at 100%, so claiming a moral victory for not being blown out doesn't seem all that warranted.
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