The Spurs needed Game 2 and they went out and got it. They had more energy and played tougher than the Mavericks all night long and cruised to a 105-84 victory. San Antonio still has a lot of work to go but this was definitely a step in the right direction.
Three things won this game for the Spurs: the team's rotation on defense, the domination of the glass and Tony Parker playing like a superstar. In Game 1, the Spurs had many lazy rotations. In Game 2, seemingly each and every rotation had purpose. And after getting out-rebounded by Dallas in eight straight playoff games, the Spurs finally took control of the boards.
The Mavs don't have too much to be disappointed about. They got the split they needed and they even had a few good runs in this game despite not playing well in any facet. Once they get their home fans behind them, the Mavs are going to play much, much better.
Overall, the Spurs took care of business. Parker came up with a legendary performance and the team played vintage defense for a large amount of the game.
-Tim Duncan didn't dominate the action but he played very well. His defense was very good, especially when he got switched out on the perimeter. Health-wise, the fact that he could move his feet against smaller players is extremely encouraging. Duncan also rebounded, protected the rim and set a physical tone on the offensive end. His passing was also very good -- both out of the low-post and the high-post.
-This game will be remembered as one of Tony Parker's best. After a so-so opener, Parker wasn't letting the Spurs lose tonight. He sliced and diced his way to 38 points and eight assists in less than 33 minutes of work. Amazingly, Parker hit 16 of his first 18 two-point attempts. Defensively, I thought he was very good in the first two and a half quarters. He faded a tad bit down the stretch of the game on D but he was still playing at a high level. All in all, it was a great bounce-back performance from a blossoming superstar.
-Matt Bonner took a lot of flack after his Game 1 performance -- much of it being well deserved. In Game 2, Bonner was very good. Defensively, he played the type of defense he showed in the first half of the season. A deceptively quick player, Bonner's rotations out on the perimeter were outstanding for a bigman. Against a team like the Mavs who utilize a lot of screens, Bonner's quick and on-time rotations were a huge asset for the Spurs. His seven rebounds were also much more than we've come to expect out of the New Hampshire native. Offensively, he drilled a trio of three-pointers and both of his free throws. His missed a number of chippies around the bucket but other than that, Bonner exceeded all expectations and won plenty of playing time going forward.
-Roger Mason, Jr. had a rollercoaster of a game. At some points, he played well. At other times, he was consistently authoring head-scratching plays. His point guard play wasn't pretty at all but he was somewhat effective in that role. On defense, Mason was much more physical and went after loose balls with much more vivacity. All things considered, Mason played well enough, though he still can clean up his work.
-On defense, Michael Finley was much better. He didn't give Josh Howard nearly as much space. While it's true that the Spurs were sending a lot of help his way, I liked that he kept his intensity on that end. Offensively, Finley was a little bit too aggressive. He forced a few shots and could have been a bit more liberal with his passes. However, he had a key five-point spurt in the third that helped keep the Mavs at bay.
-Gotta love Bruce Bowen. He didn't get to do much in the regular season. Pop seemed ready to send him to pasture. Come playoff time, Bowen is back to being a vital cog to San Antonio's machine. Defensively, Bowen didn't just look like he hadn't lost a stepped, the 37-year-old looked like he had gained a step. He was all over the place and whoever he defended simply hand no chance. Bowen mostly took turns making harassing J.J. Barea and Jason Terry. His play in the first half earned him a start in the second half and probably much more minutes going forward.
-Ime Udoka played his role decently well. His six defensive rebounds in 22 minutes were very good to see. His offense was mostly ugly but as long as he's defending, rebounding and hustling for loose balls, he's not a liability on the court. It'd be nice if he could reel in his aggressiveness a little bit on the offensive end, however that's been an ongoing problem with Udoka since he signed with San Antonio.
-Drew Gooden is looking more and more like a Spur. Tonight he came off the bench and his physicality, toughness and will to compete were all very impressive. On top of those intangibles, his offensive footwork and the ensuing production was very beneficial to the team. In the last few weeks, Gooden's per-minute production has been at near All-Star level.
-His effort was better but Kurt Thomas wasn't very good in Game 2 after having a sub par Game 1. He mostly helped out with his physical screens but hurt the team by committing five fouls in less than 13 minutes. Going forward, let's hope Thomas can rediscover his rhythm that made him such a valuable player in the second half of the season.
-Pop made a lot of good decisions in Game 2. I liked that he gave Bonner another shot and it really paid off. Pop also gave Bowen a chance to shine and Bowen didn't disappoint. His adjustments on the defensive end worked to perfection and put the Spurs in a position to win. Additionally, Pop did a better job of finding the needed rest for Parker and Duncan without losing too much momentum.
This is now a series. Time to gear up for Game 3.
Believe.
I thought Duncan quietly made his presence felt tonight. He challenged every shot that came in his way; he did not just stare at the guy and letting him score. Duncan did a great job altering Barea and Terry's lay-ups as well.
I'm glad Bruce Bowen has played some minutes tonight and has become effective. And finally, Hill plays as well.
Parker should be a beast this series, hopefully Jason Kidd won't hit threes that accurately next time.
my summary: Mavs choked.
Good defense leads to good offense. Not a hard concept. Great win.
Fifth!!!
And no love for Hill, JV, or Fab, timvp?
It was a team effort and it was Spurs basketball. Parker was unreal. Role players stepped up. But the thing that makes me most confident going forward is Duncan. His footwork was great, his defense was there. His timing is back, with 3 blocks to show for it too. With the day off and Dallas being an easy trip things look good for Duncan to stay healthy. And that matters to how far we go.
Pops adjustments did work beautifully, now lets see the Mavs adjust. What do you think the Mavs will do to counter how the Spurs hedged/flashed/showed and closed out?
Where has this defense been all year?? Hint: On the bench (Bowen). It'd be that much better if Hill was playing. I know Pop thinks he makes too many mistakes, but so does Mason if not not more. And with Hill you'd get his great reach on D and athleticism.
timvp, do you still think Pop will still keep Hill glued to the bench when the series shifts to Dallas? I was hoping to see whether Pop would play Hill tonight or not, but judging by the margin victory, I guess there was no need to use George.
It's all in the sig
It's great to see opposing players get frustrated by Bruce's D.
I thought the Spurs needed Hill for Barea because Barea burned Bowen badly a couple times in the regular season. I guess I didn't factor in Bowen's ability to up his game come playoff time.
If Bowen can keep defending Barea like he did tonight, the Spurs don't need Hill for that matchup.
defensively, i think that they will play a lot more zone and pack it in the lane. no way they can have TP just waltz into the lane every time. our shooters gotta come up big in these dallas games
i still think they try to iso dirk/howard more cuz i dont think they are convinced that matt and fin can stop and frankly neither am i.
our closeouts were great but i thought that a lot of the mavs passed up some open threes that they should have taken, notably howard and barea.
+28 for Finley to lead the team?
I gotta watch it again to look more closely. But theoretically, if a team is hedging all game you can get open shots if you have quick ball movement out of the pick-and-rolls. It seemed like the Mavs were holding it a bit too long and giving the Spurs enough time to recover to the shooters.
Rotations were great with certain groups of players. I noticed Bowen cheats big time off the weak side and it really helps clog the middle. I hope to see more of that from different players.
Im starting to love the drives of Bonner. He finally has confidence driving the lane.
Interior D without Tim in game is horrible. Expected, but wish it was better. bonner D actually seemed to work this game or at least it seemed that way.
Parker rules!!!
a game 3 win would really e up this series. GO SPURS!
Playing most of your minutes with both Duncan and Parker on the court does wonders for the ol' +/-.
JJ Barea got shut down. It'll be interesting to see how what positions they try to get him into next game to see if he can be that sparkplug again.
Dirk had a very uncharacteristic scoring night, his second in a row - but I put a good amount of that Dirk performance on the Spurs defense. All night, Dirk was played physically and the spurs definitely have gameplanned for his scoring better in Game 2. They forced him to dribble and were throwing double teams as soon as he did, while mixing up the coverage. I honestly thought both Bonner and Gooden did excellent jobs making him work, Thomas did okay. I don't know how you get Dirk in a better position to score than that isolation at the top of the key, and we're playing it about as well as you could ask. Anyone think the physical play is getting to his head a little?
I presume they will work something out with Terry. Both he and Dirk had two off nights in a row. Dirk you can count on scoring at the AAC, Terry might need even more attention from Bowen if need be.
Bruce, Ime, and even Bonner made some great defensive rotations alongside Tim. I hope to god they keep this up.
Anyone else as worried about Drew as I am though? I couldn't handle another injury
Bonner was making good decisions and really testing the Mavs defense with his attempts, rebounding and passing out of tough situations. While we did win by 20, chances are a couple of those gimmes roll in next time and we need Bonner attacking his big man off the dribble when they're flying out to rotate on his shot. Those plays almost always create a broken defensive situation the Mavs can't adjust to.
Yeah, they lucked out a bit that the Mavs didn't seem to anticipate some of those and get the shooters ready to pull the trigger. The Spurs are going to have to mix it up a bit on the defensive end after Dallas adjusts.
I don't really see Dallas making an adjustment offensively, other than getting away from Barea a bit..I can't believe he became their #1 option for a while, even with the Mavs star players on the floor..they'll play their normal game that we have trouble with..going to Howard on a mismatch, and Dirk on a mismatch..everything else will work from there, since we'll surely send some doubles their way..
the defensive adjustment will clearly be more zone IMO..it was working well for them, I don't know why they went away from it..I'd be surprised if we didn't see it early in game 3..
As does working a little harder at keeping close to your cover.
Bowen starts the second half.
Makes you wonder if that could hold for game 3.....
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