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Thanks Sir!
The San Antonio Spurs were desperate for a quality win with the Los Angeles Lakers in town. Following a 105-85 victory, the Spurs and their fans have to be happy. That said, Pau Gasol missed the game and Kobe Bryant missed time during the contest due to back spasms, so the true quality of the win may be in question.
Early on, the Lakers controlled the game. They appeared to be the crisper team and played with much more cohesion. Thankfully, the Spurs got rolling at the end of the first quarter. San Antonio looked really good in the second quarter and until midway through the third. At that point, the Spurs had as much as a 22-point lead.
Then, unfortunately, the wheels fell off for the Spurs. The ball movement stagnated and the defense -- particularly in the paint -- was on life support. Halfway through the fourth, the Lakers had cut it all the way down to a 6-point game. With the game seemingly in the balance, a Tim Duncan layup sparked an 8-0 run and the Spurs were able to blow it open at the end.
As for the Lakers, Bryant looked very good early but he was forced to the locker room a few times due to his back -- and eventually left for good before the start of the fourth quarter. Andrew Bynum showed why he's one of the best young centers in the league, while Ron Artest played a tough, physical brand of basketball. Once Gasol and the rest of the Lakeshow are healthy, there's no doubt that they have to be considered the favorites in the Western Conference.
Overall, the Spurs should be content with the win. The slump in the second half and the fact that the Lakers were short-handed will temper the enthusiasm about a 20-point win against the Lakers, but there is still much to be proud about.
Tim Duncan
39:48 minutes, 25 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 2 steals, 2 turnovers
12-for-19 from the field, 1-for-4 at the line
What more can be said about Tim Duncan this year? He was supposed to be entering the final stages of his career but has instead been as big a part of the team as ever. Offensively against the Lakers, he made L.A. pay for not sending more double-teams. His shot selection was very good and he played under control. On defense, I was satisfied. Bynum scored on him a number of times but Duncan held Bynum to one point per shot (23 points on 23 attempts) and did so without much double-team help or getting in foul trouble. Very good game.
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Manu Ginobili
25:27 minutes, 9 points, 6 assists
3-for-6 from the field, 2-for-5 on three-pointers, 1-for-3 at the line
When Manu Ginobili entered the game in the first quarter, the Spurs trailed by six points. By the time he left the game, the Spurs were up by seven. He had three assists in the first quarter to really get the ball moving and that opened up the offense for everyone. Ginobili didn't shoot much but he was very much a key cog on offense. Defensively, he surprisingly got a lot of minutes against Bryant. While Bryant scored on Ginobili most of the time, it wasn't for a lack of effort by Ginobili. Best of all, Ginobili continues to look healthy.
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Tony Parker
34:26 minutes, 22 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
10-for-18 from the field, 2-for-3 at the line
After the game, we learned that Tony Parker is dealing with plantar fasciitis. That is definitely bad news and could haunt Parker and the Spurs for the rest of the season. Let's hope for the best. As for the game against the Lakers, it was a tale of two halves for Parker. In the first half, he looked like a hobbled man on his last leg. In the second half, he caught on fire and was the reason why the Spurs extended their 12-point halftime lead to 22. To begin the third, he scored or assisted on all 17 points the Spurs scored in the first five and a half minutes. Going forward, Parker's health will be one of the most important storylines of the season.
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Richard Jefferson
34:05 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers
5-for-8 from the field, 2-for-2 on three-pointers
Richard Jefferson was frustrating to watch on Tuesday night. On defense, I thought his play against Ron Artest left a lot to be desired in terms of smarts. He bailed Artest out a few times by just not following the team's defensive principles. The rare times he matched up with Bryant, Jefferson looked to be totally overmatched. On offense, I thought he picked his spots well and did a good job blending in -- although he could have been more aggressive. Most egregious was his sloppy play on the offensive end. All in all, it was a night to forget for Jefferson.
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Keith Bogans
24:35 minutes, 2 points, 7 rebounds
1-for-6 from the field, 0-for-4 on three-pointers
This game was supposed to be about Keith Bogans getting his first shot in a Spurs uniform against Bryant to show what he could do. As it turns out, Bogans didn't spend much time on Bryant. Though it was difficult to measure considering Bryant's injury issues, Bogans appeared to do good work against the Lakeshow's superstar -- especially on the low block. Offense was a totally different story. The Lakers were leaving Bogans open and Bogans couldn't deliver. Since Bogans has been red hot as of late, hopefully this was just a one game aberration.
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DeJuan Blair
7:07 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds
1-for-2 from the field
DeJuan Blair doesn't back down from many opponents. However this time, the burly rookie has met his match: the rookie wall. At Pittsburgh last season, Blair played in 35 games. He just played in game number 36 for the Spurs. This is the exact point in the season in which rookies hit the wall. Versus the Lakers, he played seven empty minutes. When will he defeat the wall? Will he defeat the will? We'll have to wait and see.
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George Hill
27:57 minutes, 13 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
6-for-7 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers
I've been hard on George Hill for most of the season. I just wasn't seeing the progress I wanted to see from his rookie campaign to his sop re campaign. Now, if he keeps playing how he did against the Lakers, you can go ahead and scratch all my criticism. Hill was awesome. His defense against both Bryant and Artest was very, very good. He battled on the boards and his ability to get out and run the break is weapon. Offensively, Hill handed out a season-high six assists. He played very smart on offense and made near flawless decisions. Not surprisingly, Hill lead the way in plus/minus with a +17.
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Antonio McDyess
23:36 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds
4-for-6 from the field, 0-for-1 at the line
Antonio McDyess continues to atone for his sins against the Dallas Mavericks last week. His chemistry with his teammates is rising, which allows him to make smarter cuts away from the ball. He's letting his jumper fly but isn't as much of a one-trick pony because he's actually getting into the painted area at times. On defense, his perimeter defense on Lamar Odom was outstanding. When in the post, his defense was also really good. All told, it was a good night for McDyess.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
17:28 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds
4-for-9 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. shouldn't be overlooked. At the end of the first and the beginning of the second, he might have been the best player on the court for the Spurs. He shot well, took the right shots, made the right plays and performed with loads of confidence. When he's playing like that, Mason is a really good piece to the puzzle. Mason didn't get much time in the second half but he more than did his part in the first two quarters.
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Theo Ratliff
3:54 minutes, 2 assists
Theo Ratliff played the first four minutes of the second quarter to buy some rest for Duncan. In that short stint, Ratliff was very effective. His defense was stellar, as he used his athleticism to both protect the rim and play strong team defense. Even though he didn't come down with any boards, his effort on the glass was commendable. On the offensive end, he uncharacteristically made a number of quality passes.
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Gregg Popovich
Pop coached like he really wanted this win. He played Duncan 40 minutes (it would have been longer if not for the blowout at the end) and trimmed his rotation in the second half. I can't be too angry with any of his decisions. Perhaps more Mason and less Jefferson in the second half, although Jefferson getting playing time now is important. Hill getting bonus minutes was a smart move. We'll have to see how the Spurs play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday to determine whether or not Pop provided sufficient rest against the Lakers.
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Offense
The best offensive season in the Tim Duncan Era continues. The Spurs shot 57.3% from the floor and hit 7-of-16 three-pointers. The Spurs finished with 29 assists and 12 turnovers -- both good numbers. The only thing that can be complained about is the free throw quan y and accuracy (4-for-11). Take out the slump in the middle of the second half and this was some of the best offense we've seen from the Spurs this season.
Defense
The defense wasn't great but it was steady. The Lakers never scored more than 23 points in a quarter and shot 44.2% from the floor. The Spurs defended the three-point line well (2-for-7), kept the Lakers off the line (16), limited assists (13) and had the advantage on the boards (39-37). While the Spurs aren't too concerned with forcing turnovers, their 15 forced turnovers proved crucial because they directly led to 27 points on the other end.
Drive to Five
In a way, the meaningfulness of this win against the Lakers will be easier to quantify following Wednesday's game at Oklahoma City. The back-to-back will be challenging but a win against the Thunder in this situation could be a turning point in the season.
Believe.
Thanks Sir!
The Parker PF news was definitely a downer. Looking at the schedule the Spurs could give Tony a solid 15 days off around the all star break - last game 2/8 vs the Lakers, then missing:
2/11 @ Denver,
2/17 @Indy,
2/19 @ Philly &
2/21 @ Denver.
First game back could be 2/24 vs OKC. Too bad the break would be over the rodeo road trip that typically is the capstone for team chemistry building.
Plus I seem to recall with Duncan's PF that two week's rest really wouldn't help - that what was needed was a longer chunk of time. Anybody recall?
I'm worried about Tony's injury, he got hot last night in the second half but it was mainly because his jump shot started to fall, we need Tony to be able to get to the rim.
WRONG.Roger Mason, Jr.
17:28 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds
4-for-9 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
Roger Mason, Jr. shouldn't be overlooked. At the end of the first and the beginning of the second, he might have been the best player on the court for the Spurs. He shot well, took the right shots, made the right plays and performed with loads of confidence. When he's playing like that, Mason is a really good piece to the puzzle. Mason didn't get much time in the second half but he more than did his part in the first two quarters.
During that stretch, he was absolutely the best player on the court for the Spurs. If that Roger Mason shows up for the rest of the season, not only will he be starting by the all-star break, the Spurs will be very very tough to beat.
Very good after game report..thanks
there's always a spring in my step when we beat Los Angeles. Food tastes better, beer is colder, SO is .....never mind.
Mason seems like the one player who sometimes has that Go-Big-Or-Die-Tryin' swagger that Stephen Jackson brought to the 2003 underdog team. That will be needed when the Spurs try to slay the giants.
I was even impressed by Ginobili's lone rebound which didn't make your summary.
Until his shot goes cold and he subsequently loses all of his confidence.
Yes, couldn't agree more.
I hope Pop recognizes this, and has this same mindset for OKC as he did for the Lakers.
RMJ was superb in the season, but disappeared in the playoffs.
Some players step it up, some step it down.
So you want pop to play Duncan 40 minutes again?
Not necessarily, I just don't want him to concede the back-to-back by starting Ratliff and McDyess.
I really liked what Hill, Bogans, and Manu brought to the table defensively. It was a shame that Manu's block against Artest was called a foul. Duncan has had better games defensively to be sure, but it was an impressive performance nonetheless.
Overall, it was a needed and well-deserved win against a quality opponent, even though we shouldn't read too much in it with Gasol being out and Kobe banged up.
Yet, he's a kind of player that depends absolutely on his shooting, at the same time, he's a streaky shooter, therefore I think it'll be a matter of catching the right wave at the right time.
Mason seems like the one player who sometimes has that Go-Big-Or-Die-Tryin' swagger that Stephen Jackson brought to the 2003 underdog team. That will be needed when the Spurs try to slay the giants.
The Spurs are just lucky they made their shots. What happens when those shots don't go in? They're going to be in trouble.
I really don't understand how anyone could think your broken record ass could be the best caller on Kori's show.
So grumpy. Take it out on a pillow :-)
Kid's gone through a brutal shooting slump. He's going to be hot and cold for a while because coming off those kinds of slumps are akin to getting to where you trust a healed ankle or knee. Last night was the first time I've seen any of that swagger from him this season. I expect that if he can keep his head up and his shot continues to fall he'll have the confidence to play through it on nights where his shot's not dropping.
Not sure what that means. You're like ducks with the ability to capitalize and punctuate.
Insufficient sample size for you to make that claim.
Much of his drop in play was due to the absence of Ginobili....
When the coach proclaims to the heavens for a year that the team doesn't stand a chance without a healthy player X, and then player X goes down, what does anyone expect?
One thing about Tony's injury: even WITH it, the Spurs are having their best offensive season in years. Obviously if he was completely healthy, we'd be scary good in terms of scoring, but even with his foot problems, we've got the personnel to cover for it on that end of the floor.
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