Wow. Another game between the Spurs and Mavs turns into an instant classic. Although the Spurs ended up losing 101-100, it was definitely a memorable evening.
Jason Terry hit a jumper to put the Mavs up by 18 points with 3:43 to go in the third quarter. The Spurs looked tired, lacked energy and otherwise appeared not to be trying too hard, so Pop elected to go to a unit consisting of Gary Neal, Danny Green, James Anderson, Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter. Amazingly, that fivesome erupted and brought the Spurs all the way back.
With three-pointers raining down and big plays from each of those five players, the Spurs actually charged out to a nine-point lead with 5:33 to go in the game. Still leading by seven points with one and a half minutes remaining, the Mavs went on a run of their own to tie the game with 0.5 seconds remaining. Green then hit a Derek Fisher-esque shot to give the Spurs the win … only to have the refs overturn the call.
The overtime featured more back and forth. With 12 seconds remaining, Neal got fouled while finishing a layup but missed the free throw that would have tied the game. Ian Mahinmi then missed a pair of three throws, which gave the Spurs a chance to win with about ten seconds remaining. Unfortunately, Bonner got the ball tipped away and that ultimately led to Green missing a forced three-pointer at the buzzer.
Honestly, I couldn't be too upset with the loss. The bench resurrected the team and almost lifted the Spurs to an improbable win. Let's hope the experience they gained tonight will help in the future. While I'm not much of a believer in moral victories, if such victories do exist, this game could very well have an example.
Tim Duncan C
Tim Duncan was better than he was against the Timberwolves, although that isn't saying much. His stats look good but I wasn't too impressed with his play. He seemed to be going through the motions for the most part. The starters played with almost no passion and Duncan was a leading culprit. He had a few good moves on the offensive end and made a couple solid defensive plays, but all in all it was a hollow night for Duncan.
Tony Parker D
Looking worn down, Tony Parker couldn't get anything going. He missed a number of shots he usually makes. When it came time to pass, his decision-making was often slow and he struggled to make the right reads. Defensively, there was little effort. The Spurs still have a while to go before Manu Ginobili returns. They can't afford for Parker to go through a slump right now.
Richard Jefferson B
Though he still had a lot of room for improvement, Richard Jefferson played his best game in a while. He wasn't hesitating when given an open shot; he even drove the ball to the basket a few times. On defense, he did relatively good work. Jefferson rebounded the ball and was a lot more active than usual. Let's hope this is a sign that he's emerging from his slump.
DeJuan Blair A-
Outside of forcing a few shots, I really can't find anything that DeJuan Blair did wrong. His defense on Dirk Nowitzki was just about perfect, especially considering that Blair is both shorter and slower than Nowitzki. Blair boarded well, made a few really good passes and was moving better than in previous contests. It wasn't pretty but Blair did his job.
Kawhi Leonard D
I'm not sure if Kawhi Leonard has hit an early rookie wall or if the league has adjusted to him but he continues to look lost offensively. He's not being assertive on that end and is instead a liability. He doesn't like shooting jumpers or driving the ball; in fact, he doesn't seem to like to do anything on the offensive end right now. Defensively, he was decent but nothing special.
Matt Bonner B-
While Matt Bonner scored all eight of his points during the flurry, it's questionable how much of an asset he really was considering his defense was shaky and his inability to help on the glass. He also missed a key three-pointer in the overtime that could have given the Spurs a cushion. That said, he definitely played a part in the run so I can't be too negative about his performance.
Gary Neal A-
Gary Neal had easily the best game of his season. Now that he's in better shape, he did pretty good work when running the team at point guard. He's still a questionable ball-handler but he was making plays for himself and others. Neal's confidence to step up and let it fly seemed to rub off on the rest of the bench unit. Yes, he made his share of mistakes in attempting to close out the game but his effort couldn't be questioned -- and that alone separated him from many of his teammates.
Danny Green A-
During the run, Danny Green was doing a little bit of everything. He was hitting threes, breaking down the defense off the dribble, pulling down contested rebounds and pestering on defense. Green's all-around abilities were on full display tonight and no one was competing harder. Too bad his shot at the end of regulation didn't count and too bad he didn't get a better look at the end of overtime. But overall, we have to be excited by what we saw out of Green against the Mavs.
Tiago Splitter C-
Surprisingly, the player who was struggling the most during the Spurs run was Tiago Splitter. The man who had been on fire for a couple weeks actually wasn't doing much right. He defended Nowitzki well at times and made a few big plays but otherwise Splitter played nothing like the player who has been so phenomenal as of late. The good news, though, is it wasn't for a like of heart or hustle.
James Anderson A+
That was fast. Just a few days after the Spurs declined his option for next year, James Anderson already has the front office questioning their decision. Considering how bad he's been this season, Anderson's play tonight was outstanding. He knocked down momentous shots. He was strong on the glass. He made plays off the dribble. He passed the ball very well. Anderson basically did everything the Spurs wanted out of him when the season started. If he keeps playing like this, the front office will look quite foolish.
Cory Joseph D-
Ugh. Cory Joseph's five minutes were a disaster. Tonight especially, he just didn't look like an NBA player. He wasn't creating anything and played a role in stagnating an already ugly offensive showing.
Pop B
I thought Pop made the right move in keeping the bench unit out there. Sure, he could have gone back to the starters but those bench players deserved a chance to finish what they started. However, I don't agree with Pop not playing Splitter at all in the second quarter. That didn't make any sense. I also didn't like that he put the ball in Bonner's hands at the end of overtime. Even though Bonner wasn't being asked to shoot, he's such a proven choker that he shouldn't be anywhere near a pivotal possession.
Last edited by timvp; 01-30-2012 at 05:17 AM.
Anderson looked better tonight than he has since injury. It was nice to see.
Danny Green and Gary Neal were great. They bring so much energy, swagger and confidence. That pair really has the ability to energize a second unit.
The Spurs are so deep on the wings. It's a nice change from recent years.
I apologize for the lateness. The family decided to stop by just as the game was ending
Bonus stats:
In the first half, the bench was 1-for-9 from the field, 0-for-5 on three-pointers and scored four points.
In the second half and overtime, the bench was 20-for-38 from the field, 9-for-12 on three-pointers and scored 51 points.
Seems obvious to me all of Pop's insults of Splitter in the media is starting to have its effect on his confidence. Just when he was starting to take off, too. And still with the sporadic PT how the can a guy get in a rhythym and used to anything out there when there is no consistency to his subs itutions? And Pop gets a "B"?
I also think it's hogwash that he left the bench unit in the game the entire way, and totally gassed at the end. The message of his "dissapproval" had already been sent. Once the lead was secured, the starters should have been brought back in to win the game. Period. I don't know how anyone can conclude otherwise.
Pop: F
Bonner wanted nothing to do with that ball. He didn't want to dribble it, didn't want to shoot it, didn't want it period, yet Pop puts him out there for the last play of the game.
SUCH a gutless player. Spurs only needed a two to win and he wanted nothing to do with it. Pissed himself.
I think RJ was motivated because he was playing against Carter. Hopefully it does carries over for us.
Mentioned this is the game thread but this was Blair's best game in a long time. Maybe it was the challenge of guarding Dirk or the fact that he just didn't play enough to contribute negatively but he did a great job tonight. Visibly annoyed Dirk and even forced a reaction out of the Dallas fans.
I defended Splitter's play in a few threads but the grade here is quite appropriate. While I like the quality of shots, the game ended with him shooting a poor 33% from the field (although you make make an arguable that he was fouled on the majority of his shots.) The good news is his poor shooting didn't affect his play in other areas. He had 2 nice put back dunks, rebounded well, played solid defense, and even hit two clutch free throws. 1 ill-advised turnover and poor shooting but everything was pretty good. But again, don't mind the grade because him shooting closer to 50% would have given us a big boost and likely would have sealed the win.
I wouldn't read too much into Blair.
According to mav fan Blair got away with a lot of illegal contact on Dirk. I'm betting this is probably a forewarning to the mavs that they (the league) are not going to allow Wade / Lebron to choke another chip away.
Now if the league would just allow Blair to physically assault everybody he faces his surrendered opponent PER might just actually drop from "MVP" levels to mere "superstar" levels ....if he's lucky that is.
Think the league is gonna play ball with us on that? Right, neither do I.
splitter wouldve had more points if neal was good at the PNR...
If you're going to blame anything for this loss, blame the 2 man game with Parker and Duncan that completely drags the offense to a halt. That backup unit came into the game and ran the motion offiense, passing and sharing the ball, which is how the Spurs score points.
Did they lean on the 2 man game against the Timberwolves too? That would be why they couldn't score points.
Tony Parker D
Looking worn down, Tony Parker couldn't get anything going.
Kawhi Leonard D
I'm not sure if Kawhi Leonard has hit an early rookie wall or if the league has adjusted to him but he continues to look lost offensively.
Gary Neal A-
Yes, he made his share of mistakes in attempting to close out the game but his effort couldn't be questioned -- and that alone separated him from many of his teammates.
Tiago Splitter C-
Surprisingly, the player who was struggling the most during the Spurs run was Tiago Splitter.
James Anderson A+
If he keeps playing like this, the front office will look quite foolish.
Tony Parker D
He did look run down, and who could blame him? But it's no secret by now that Parker is the head of the snake. Without anyone else on the court for the Mavs to respect, stopping him was a lot easier. Duncan wasn't going to beat them, for sure. Jefferson? Leonard? Blair? Stop Parker, and you stop the Spurs. Prepare for a lot more of it, especially until Manu comes back.
BTW - it shouldn't be any mystery now whether Manu will start or come off the bench, when he comes back. This starting unit MUST have some help. Right now they're pretty much one-dimensional, except on those nights when Tim is feeling spry. And even then, stopping Parker looks to be enough.
Kawhi Leonard D
It's looking like it was too much, too soon for Leonard. I really think some of the defensive assignments he's drawn were just too much for him. I've heard a lot of players over the years talk about how much faster the NBA game is. I think Kawhi is feeling that in a big way right now. I don't envy Pop the decision about what to do with him, and not kill his confidence even further.
Gary Neal A-
Neal doesn't have the handles OR the court vision to be a PG. At the end of the game, he went into PG mode TWICE. And twice he got stripped, and gave up easy buckets at the other end. It wouldn't be fair to say those two plays lost the game, because they're just like every other blown play for 48 minutes. But they were two very avoidable plays. Pop needs to officially end the experiment, and make sure he knows it. When he can focus on one thing (scoring), he's an assasin. He looked more like the old Gary Neal the rest of the night. I'd like to have that guy back permanently, and forget about the other one.
Tiago Splitter C-
Tiago had 8 and 7, but it was a man's 8 and 7. The Mavs were physical in the paint, and Splitter took his share of abuse. His teammates had a hard time finding him underneath, and everything he got was heavily contested. Still, if he gets the respect of a couple of whistles, and a couple of shots bounce a hair the other way, we'd be talking about 15-16 points in 26 minutes. He didn't look like he could dominate around the basket, like he has in recent games, but his play was far from soft. If we could clone him, I'd love to have two.
It's worth noting that he had to guard Nowitzki for an extended time, and Dirky was doing everything in his power to suck out whistles. (And crying every time he didn't get one.) The foul situation may have hampered Tiago a bit. Also worth noting is that the PnR is all about timing. Tiago isn't playing with a true PG most of the time, nor with the same squad. Put him with a consistent lineup, and a true point, and his numbers would improve a lot.
James Anderson A+
Or... maybe the FO will be asking why he didn't play with this kind of intensity BEFORE they decided not to renew his contract. I also think Anderson should get the same treatment as ANY other player would get - which means a bunch of people saying, "It's just one game." There will be plenty of time for FO bashing, if he plays like this the rest of the way out.
Any thought to the idea JA tanked the first part of the season so the Spurs wouldn't pick up his option?
Will someone again explain to me why Bonner had 30 minutes? Granted, his stats were not completely terrible(for him) but they were not very productive for 30 minutes of play.
Bonner had his typical share of minutes in the first half and belonged to the bench group that played most of the second half and OT because Pop believed they deserved to try to win the game. Nothing else ...
-RJ looked like the same RJ as usual to me. This guy has to be the most frustrating spur of all time.
-At this point I think we should keep Anderson glued to the bench so no other team tries to outbid us on him, Which I think we can only offer 1.5mil at this point. Although I guess we could still trade him and get something for him. His ability to create is better than anyone else on the bench.
-Splitter was rolling well to the basket, but was never found by neal, or when he was, it became a turnover by Neal.
-Wtf happened to Kawhi? I see him just standing there watching plays, when he could make good cuts for easy baskets. I also wouldnt mind seeing post ups for him, because usually he is bigger than the man guarding him, and it would add another dimension to our offense.
I really don't know whats happened to Neal. Last season he was able to run the PnR better than George, but tonight he completely ignored Splitter. TP really would have been the better choice, because he can do the bounce pass which rarely results in a TO.
Absolutely on the bench part. Yeah cool to leave them in for the majority and like you said until the lead was secured, then again did that really take any brains. But to leave them all in for 19 minutes straight? Loser Coach and his pettiness continues.
Ice009Who other then Poop would have inserted Bonbon to receive the inbounds pass at such a critical juncture?Bonner wanted nothing to do with that ball. He didn't want to dribble it, didn't want to shoot it, didn't want it period, yet Pop puts him out there for the last play of the game.
SUCH a gutless player. Spurs only needed a two to win and he wanted nothing to do with it. Pissed himself.Poops coaching had long ago gone beyond pathetic.
GSH Tiago Splitter C-
No ky additionally robbed Splitter of a couple good clutch hoops by obviously fouling him. Yet no call. Very late when Neal dribbled the ball off his own foot for a turnover, Splitter was w-i-d-e open on the PnR.Tiago had 8 and 7, but it was a man's 8 and 7. The Mavs were physical in the paint, and Splitter took his share of abuse. His teammates had a hard time finding him underneath, and everything he got was heavily contested. Still, if he gets the respect of a couple of whistles, and a couple of shots bounce a hair the other way, we'd be talking about 15-16 points in 26 minutes. He didn't look like he could dominate around the basket, like he has in recent games, but his play was far from soft. If we could clone him, I'd love to have two.
It's worth noting that he had to guard Nowitzki for an extended time, and Dirky was doing everything in his power to suck out whistles. (And crying every time he didn't get one.) The foul situation may have hampered Tiago a bit. Also worth noting is that the PnR is all about timing. Tiago isn't playing with a true PG most of the time, nor with the same squad. Put him with a consistent lineup, and a true point, and his numbers would improve a lot.
Splitter easily gets at least a B.
Pop is trying to get a feel for what the youngsters will give him later in the season and perhaps in the playoffs. This was an excellent time to test them in the clutch and to express some confidence in them.
Putting a tired, cold TP in at the finish might have won the game, but Pop won the youngster's hearts and souls. I bet they will listen to his coaching and run through walls for him now.
I think he's handling these young players masterfully. You can't knock a coach who has put so many youngsters in a position where they are playing to win a close game in OT against the NBA champs at home.
You don't expect to win every game away from home. At the beginning of the season you might have penciled this one in as a "probable loss" anyway. So this was a great loss.
I liked Pop's decision last night to keep the bench guys in for the whole fourth quarter, but after sleeping on it I love the decision. I think two positive outcomes came from the choice. First it gave the bench a lot of confidence as they played extremely well. Hopefully this will get Gary Neal to playing at the level he achieved last year. If he can continue to play like that we can shelf Corey Joseph.
Secondly, it sent a message to the starters whether or not Pop intended it to. Our starters have not shown a lot of heart recently. With the exception of TP they just did not seem to be playing hard lately. Maybe seeing the bench go out there and put in some real work against the defending champs will motivate the starters.
On a side note, Splitter finally had a weak shooting night after being on fire the past few games. It happens to everyone. He still hustled and got good looks so I am not at all concerned. I was very impressed with his defense against Dirk, though the sharpshooting German had an off night and we can not hope to continue this level of success against him in the future.
Do you think putting Duncan and/or Parker in for the last minute and a half of reg would have ruined the parade the youngsters put on?
For that matter putting Duncan/Parker/AnyoneNotNamedBonner in for the final play of OT? How would that have doused the party?
Splitters lack of playing time until recently? Really?I think he's handling these young players masterfully.
Soft having the 2nd most minutes per game on the team?
BonBon getting 18 min per game robbing one of these "youngsters"?
Which doesn't make sense they're playing (the 2 man game on offense) since it was evident earlier in the season they (Parker and Duncan) were sharing the ball more and getting better results than being selfish with the ball.
I'm Poplovin' it! This is great stuff.
And those young players who played their hearts out will wake up stiff and apply the icy hot to their sore, fatigued muscles and slowly come to the realization that Pop was using them in his little tantrum of dissapproval to the starters whom he has no plans of removing. That should only serve to inspire them to keep playing even harder I'm sure *cough cough*.
And I think you underestimate here. It was more than a great loss. It was a fantastic loss. Words cannot even adequately gauge the greatness. Can't wait to see more.
Yes, he's so good that he purposely made all of those 3's go in&out.
Wow.
Great job timvp, I thought you went a little hard on the rookies though. Kawhi wasn't his normal self, but he hustled on the boards and made a few shots. Didn't play THAT bad, just not up to standards. Cory Joseph had an off night, but he wasn't expected to play for us this year by many in the first place. His grade was probably about right, but I don't think saying he doesn't look like an NBA player is fair. He's a rookie point guard, they're going to go through times when they don't look like an NBA level player.
Where were the Monday morning quarterbacks back in 2003 in a game that played out almost exactly the same? Spurs down big in the third, start to make their run in the end of the third, not only catch up but take a lead with a few minutes left in the game. I don't remember hearing too many complaints that Pop should have put in Tony Parker for Steve Kerr and David Robinson for Malik Rose.
It's easy to second-guess after a loss but unless you were complaining then, you don't have room to complain now.
Crazy talk.
Splitter was playing well before and after Pop said whatever he said. Splitter was more than due for a bad game; nobody shoots 75% for weeks at a time. And even this "bad" game wasn't very bad.
Even with the loss it didn't upset me, the spirit and fight that the bench showed last night more than made up for it.
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