Since the San Antonio Spurs started winning championships, they have dominated the Utah Jazz. Until this season. With a 105-98 victory, the Jazz swept the four-game season series with the Spurs.
This was a game of amazing runs. To begin the contest, the Jazz scored the game's first 12 points. Soon after, the Spurs went on a 25-0 run of their own to take control. San Antonio held the lead until the middle of the third quarter, at which point the Jazz went on a 10-2 run to regain an advantage. From that point on, the Jazz never trailed again and the Spurs were left trying to figure out what went wrong.
In the four games against the Spurs this season, the Jazz have played great basketball. Carlos Boozer was amazing and the team's passing was superb. In this game, Andrei Kirilenko looked more like Larry Bird as he finished with 26 points and eight rebounds on 11-for-15 shooting. Utah definitely deserves credit for being far and away the better team over the course of the four matchups.
For the Spurs, this was a very disappointing way to begin their vital six-game homestand. They are finding it difficult to make consistent forward progress this season.
Tim Duncan
35:42 minutes, 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers
5-for-15 from the field, 4-for-6 at the line
Needing 15 points for 20,000, Tim Duncan instead had one of his worst games of the season and finished one point short. After a 1-for-8 start in the first half, Duncan slowly started getting better. However, once he got close to hitting his stride, foul trouble altered the way he had to play. As a result, he was passive for most of his fourth quarter minutes -- until he fouled out. I'm not sure if the pending 20,000th point celebration had anything to do with Duncan's down night but he just didn't have it going this game.
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Manu Ginobili
35:38 minutes, 22 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers
7-for-13 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers, 7-for-8 at the line
If Manu Ginobili's value is ever questioned, just look at this game. As he entered the game, the Spurs were down 12-0. Over the next ten minutes, Ginobili helped the Spurs outscore the Jazz by 24 points. Right when he sat down, the Jazz went on a 5-0 run, which forced Pop to put Ginobli back into the game. Although he was by far the best player for San Antonio on the night, his impact waned near the end of the contest -- likely due to the excessive minutes. That said, it was great seeing Ginobili playing at such a high level.
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Tony Parker
36:57 minutes, 20 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers
7-for-16 from the field, 6-for-7 at the line
Tony Parker had about as bad a game as possible for a player who put 20 points on the board. He began the game as if he were sporting leg shackles. Not only was his slow, he ran the offense poorly and was lacking on the defensive end. He got better later in the game, but the improvement was from "horrible" to "very bad". If Parker doesn't turn it around, there's no way this Spurs team is a championship contender.
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Keith Bogans
11:31 minutes, 3 rebounds, 2 turnovers
0-for-6 from the field, 0-for-3 on three-pointers
Keith Bogans may be playing himself out of the starting lineup. By my count, this was his seventh straight sub par outing. This time around, Bogans couldn't hit an open shot, didn't play good defense and was loose with the ball. To begin the second half, Bogans wasn't on the floor. That may be a sign of things to come.
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DeJuan Blair
28:34 minutes, 4 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
2-for-6 from the field
In his first stint, DeJuan Blair's poor play aided Utah's run. As the game went on, Blair got better but was still making mistakes. Instead of playing solid defense, he was going for too many steals and blocks. His rebounding was again impressive but Blair needs to realize he's a role player who is best when he's playing consistent, unspectacular defense.
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George Hill
32:50 minutes, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers
6-for-12 from the field, 2-for-5 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
In his second straight start, George Hill once again played well. He was one of the few players who played with conviction on the offensive end. Additionally, his defense against Deron Williams was noteworthy. On the other hand, Hill's trio of three-point misses in the fourth quarter were costly. With Richard Jefferson healthy again, we'll see if Hill did enough to remain in the starting five.
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Richard Jefferson
26:44 minutes, 12 points, 2 blocks
4-for-9 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line
After missing a game due to back spasms, Richard Jefferson was back in the lineup -- but came off the bench for the first time this season. He hit two three-pointers to help spark the 25-0 run and played relatively well for the rest of the first half. However, come the second half, Jefferson was invisible. He once again got benched for bad defense and Pop seems to be getting tired of his sloppy ways.
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Antonio McDyess
21:49 minutes, 4 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers
2-for-6 from the field
Although Antonio McDyess struggled from the floor, his passing was good and he rebounded the ball with a lot of energy. Against a very physical Jazz squad, McDyess was one of the few players who fought back. One thing McDyess desperately needs to work on is being ready for passes from Ginobili. At this point, when Ginobili passes it to McDyess, it is almost always a turnover.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
7:04 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds
1-for-3 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers
Considering that the Spurs were desperate for outside shooting, it was rather odd that Roger Mason, Jr. played so few minutes. In fact, he played only three seconds in the first half and didn't re-enter the game until the Spurs were down ten points in the fourth quarter. Mason seemed to spark the Spurs a little bit once he finally got on the court, but it was too little, too late.
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Matt Bonner
3:11 minutes, 3 points
1-for-3 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers
Matt Bonner played three minutes to finish the second quarter. He looked better than the first game of his return from injury ... but he still has a ways to go to reach his previous level.
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Gregg Popovich
I thought Pop coached a poor game. First of all, Bogans should have played even fewer minutes. He was a wreck on offense and wasn't needed on defense. Pop also went to a very questionable lineup that featured Ginobili at power forward in the fourth quarter. Playing Ginobili so many minutes in the first half doomed the team late because the team's best player on the night was running on fumes by the fourth. And finally, bringing Jefferson off the bench hurt the already struggling cohesiveness of this team.
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Offense
The offense continues to sputter. The Spurs shot 39.3% from the floor and hit only 6-of-21 three-pointers. Their 19-16 assist-to-turnover ratio also wasn't good. The Spurs were able to put 98 points on the board thanks to 15 offensive boards and a 22-for-26 showing from the free throw line.
Defense
The Spurs held the Jazz to 45 points in the first half. In the second half, the Jazz exploded for 60 points. Overall, Utah shot 46.8% from the floor and had 30 assists -- a season-high for a Spurs opponent. The Spurs sent the Jazz to the line too many times (28-for-32) and allowed way too many easy shots at the rim -- especially in the fourth quarter.
Drive to Five
The Jazz game was another tough loss to stomach. That said, the Spurs don't have any time to feel sorry for themselves. Against the Houston Rockets on Friday night, the Spurs really, really need to put a W on the board.
Believe.
I think it's time for:
Parker/Hill/Jefferson/Duncan/Blair
Bogans can play spot minutes when more defense is needed (e.g.- to give other guys a breather against Kobe, LeBron, etc.), and zero minutes when not needed, giving the extra minutes to Mason or Finley when he comes back.
Exactly.
(Well, not the "or Finley" part)
That loss has defined the way the Spurs have looked most of the season -- not all there. I don't think we can be satisfied with a win anymore, we need complete 48 minute games from 80% of our players. We need game-to-game consistency. Its a bit scary when you go into a game and as a fan you have no idea how we will play. Will we shoot a terrible ft%? Will we brick all our 3s? Will Manu show up? Tony? Will Bogans hit his shots? Jefferson?
The only real consistency has been from Duncan and Blair, who bring it nearly every night. I think the struggles of Manu and Parker have been contagious. They really need to pick up their games. Thankfully, Manu (minus his shooting) has been looking quite good.
As we progress through the rest of the season the picture should become clear. Unfortunately hindsight will be 20/20 when this season is done, making it difficult to see how we should handle the trade deadline. I think the struggles lie in the inconsistency of our starting unit and not in our personnel make-up.
Houston game will be a good indicator of our progress.
Minus Jefferson.
The guy is a most improbable Spur.
Thanks for the thoughts.
I think Manu played awesome in the 3rd quarter, he tried to get everyone involved and he did it brilliantly. The Spurs had MANY open looks set by him, most of them missed. Had Mason be there then...
I'm sure there was something wrong with Mase last Wednesday, at last game, he must have played at least 15-20 if healthy.
And Keith may be playing himself out of the lineup more than the starting one.
I thought Utah played superb basketball, and when you have a great PG like Williams connecting to hot hands in Kirilenko and Boozer, they are a pretty damn solid team. They suffered in the first half when Williams was benched.
I agree completely. The inconsistency of the team and the indivdual performances this season have been really difficult to watch. How can the same team take us to the high "OMFG GINOBILI JUST LED US ON A 25 POINT RUN" in the second to the ridiculous lows of "...why the did another simple cut result in a wide open layup" in the 4th. It is becoming increasingly hard to believe in this team.
The Spurs don't have anyone who can play more than 35 min and still have juice in crunch time? Bad, very bad.
once against the jazz it was Antonio's fault, the twice in the game before those were classic Manu turnovers, you could tell as soon as the passes left his finger tips.One thing McDyess desperately needs to work on is being ready for passes from Ginobili. At this point, when Ginobili passes it to McDyess, it is almost always a turnover.
textbook poor passes you cant expect Antonio to come up with, stone hands, ball spin or not
I wonder if playing a not healthy TP is a good thing or not. We definitely need his help to contend for a championship, but I wonder if the rest of the team could take up the slack if he got some serious rehab time.
As you said timvp, we're not going far in the playoffs without him...again thanks for your thoughts.
you dont have to thank him, hes just doing his job and ST runs on LJs sense of self satisfaction
LOL Keith Bogans! Where did you find that guy?
ST is a very cool forum for folks like myself who are over the top Spurs fans. So I am indeed thankful for those of you that contribute your insights to the team. The anti Mavs and L.A. Fakers rants can be big fun as well. I'm still wanting to hear your feedback regarding TP's obvious problems. Can we play without him for a few weeks and not drop off the face of the earth?
McDyess made so many completely boneheaded mistakes, I'm amazed you let him get away with them. McDyess is putting up Francisco Elson numbers with the Spurs so far, and I'd submit that the expectation for him is quite a bit higher than it was with Elson.Antonio McDyess
21:49 minutes, 4 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers
2-for-6 from the field
Although Antonio McDyess struggled from the floor, his passing was good and he rebounded the ball with a lot of energy. Against a very physical Jazz squad, McDyess was one of the few players who fought back. One thing McDyess desperately needs to work on is being ready for passes from Ginobili. At this point, when Ginobili passes it to McDyess, it is almost always a turnover.
35 minutes is the standard for NBA starters. Pop has been 'resting' players too much and they don't have the gas left in the tank if they have to go beyond 25.
This is a demanding and exhausting game that takes a lot of minutes played, game after game, for the players to be able to play those minutes. It's called game condition.
I think it's time for:
Parker/Hill/Jefferson/Duncan/Blair
Bogans can play spot minutes when more defense is needed (e.g.- to give other guys a breather against Kobe, LeBron, etc.), and zero minutes when not needed, giving the extra minutes to Mason....
I'd support that lineup.
A couple of thoughts:
1. TP looks turribull. He needs to rest or rehab. He's almost a hinderance to the team's chances when he's playing like he is. Parker without his wheels is a below average point guard.
2. Mason needs more minutes.
3. Bogans, as I've said several times, is not going to be the second coming of Mr. Bowen no matter how much Pop wants him to be.
4. The team is better with Hill on the court at the 2.
5. Re-sign Ginobili!!!! Pull the f'n trigger Pop. We've thrown away good money on worse players than the guy that was an instrumental part of two les, and is still a difference maker.
6. Jefferson - his expiring contract will hopefully entice some trade offers this summer.
7. Timmy wasn't there. You can tell when he's just not on his game, and the Utah game was one of those games. Maybe his head was hurting from his pregame interview with ey V.
8. Nice game thoughts, Timvp!
One more thought...
I noticed the Spurs' lack of ability at stopping the Jazz from taking it to the hole in the 4th. Granted, the Spurs were driving on the Jazz pretty successfully as well. But we couldn't make stops, and that was depressing to watch.
We missed some wide open 3's, for sure, but the old Spurs would have gotten some stops and additional chances to score. Pop needs an anchor late in the game when that's happening. I was screaming for Ratliff, but alas, Pop couldn't hear me from 800 miles away...of course he might have had he been listening.
One more thought...
Speaking of potential stoppers, how about a little time for Ian, Pop?
Most teams have always played their best players as starters. That's the match ups that teams usually have to face.Exactly.
(Well, not the "or Finley" part
Against the Spurs their top players can play against the likes of Bad News Bogans, Bonner and McDyess or some combination thereof.
Pop keeps Ginobilli on the bench. We need him to start and force the other teams to match up against him.
What's wrong with Duncan, Parker, Ginobilli, Blair, Jefferson? It ought to be line up that would give most teams fits.
Hill, Bonner, McDyess, Mason, and Bogan would be fine as a second group to match up with the other teams' bench.
Pop has four rings. You have none. Shut up.
/Tpark
Timvp GT are the best read about Spurs games for me.
but it would be great if it came a little bit sooner after the games. i find it a shame that the GT lost a lot of interest because the next game come just after the thread is brought and so is less discussed after that.
I know it takes time to write such interesting stuff, but i'd prefer quicker GT after a game and no initial reactions than GT of the last game just before another game.
anyway, great read, thanks.
Ha, I knew I'd get that reaction from a few people if I mentioned Finley.Exactly.
(Well, not the "or Finley" part
I think Finley's offense can still be an asset for this team. That said, I think the Spurs can fill that part of the rotation without him, and he's potentially very valuable in a trade. I fully support exploring those trade options.
I thought Pop playing Timmy as the only big man in the 4th hurt most. Timmy playing with 5 fouls is not going to be as aggressive on defense. He needed another big to play alongside.
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