Reply With Quote
"What you want me to do LJ? Play with two centers?"
Thanks for the writeup
Revenge is best served in the playoffs, but so far this regular season the Spurs have done a good job of reminding the Grizzlies about the true hierarchy in the Western Conference. The latest reminder was an 89-84 victory that featured a number of runs.
The Spurs led by as many as 14 points in the first half, however a ragged end to the second quarter helped the Grizzlies cut their deficit to six points by halftime. In the third quarter, the Spurs pushed their advantage back to 13 points. Unfortunately, San Antonio's offense stalled and went scoreless for the next six minutes, which allowed Memphis to go on a 25-6 run to close the third.
In the final stanza, the Spurs went back to the basics: stout defense on one end and pounding the ball into the paint in the other end. The result was a 22-11 quarter and the five-point victory.
Overall, it was a very good victory. The Spurs could have crumbled after that third quarter drought. Instead, they ramped up their defensive intensity and gutted out a quality road win. Holding the Grizzlies to 37.3% shooting was great way to begin the 2012 Rodeo Road Trip.
Tim Duncan A
Defensively, Tim Duncan was outstanding. In fact, there's little doubt that this was his best defensive effort of the season. His protection of the rim, especially late, was otherworldly. He battled Marc Gasol for positioning all night. His pick-and-roll defense was splendid throughout. On offense, he was mostly really good. In the fourth, he scored a number of key hoops to steady the ship. The only complaint I have was that Duncan seemed to tire in the third quarter and wasn't nearly as effective for a stretch. That said, since he came back and played so well in the fourth, I should probably just shut up.
Tony Parker B+
For a time in the first half, Tony Parker was playing flawless basketball. He was carving up the Grizzlies off of pick-and-rolls and in transition. Even on defense, Parker seemed to be a step ahead of everyone else. In an attempt to slow Parker, the Grizzlies started pressuring him more and threw a number of traps at him -- and the strategy worked. Not only did it get Parker out of his sweet spots, breaking the press exhausted him. In the final two quarters, he wasn't nearly as good. Although, when the Spurs really needed him, Parker resurfaced. With the Spurs trailing by one point with five minutes remaining, the All-Star hopeful scored four straight points and San Antonio never trailed again.
Richard Jefferson C+
It was more of the same out of Richard Jefferson. This time, though, Jefferson didn't hurt the team much because Pop limited his minutes. I give him credit for knocking down half his shots and giving adequate effort on the glass, but that's about it. Jefferson was especially useless when the Grizzlies started trapping the Spurs because he's such a poor ballhandler and passer that it put even more of the onus on Parker to carry the load. Thankfully, Pop realized that and kept him on the bench for most of the game's final 18 minutes.
DeJuan Blair C+
The good: DeJuan Blair did a better than normal job on the defensive glass and his D was relatively good. Plus, going 2-for-4 was a step in the right direction considering he was 2-for-10 in his last three games. The bad: Blair isn't running well and his usually sneaky-good passing skills have vanished. All in all, it's obvious that he's not feeling 100% physically and he's making things worse by forcing the issue too often.
Kawhi Leonard B
For the second consecutive game, Kawhi Leonard played very good defense against Rudy Gay. While it wasn't quite the mastery we witnessed the last time these two teams played, Gay was held to 5-of-13 shooting with no assists and four turnovers when Leonard was on the floor. The rookie's quickness and length is a good set of tools against a player like Gay who usually just shoots over opponents. Offensively, Leonard was a liability. He knocked down his first shot -- a three-pointer -- but was otherwise either getting in the way or suc bing to the ball pressure applied by the Grizzlies.
Danny Green C+
What an odd outing by Danny Green. As you can tell by the stats, he wasn't exactly on fire from the field. Additionally, he made a handful of mental mistakes that had me questioning why Pop was sticking with him. Then, in the fourth quarter, Pop's trust in him paid off when Green delivered three fantastic passes. The first one resulted in a layup for Tiago Splitter. He then zipped a one-handed, no-look bounce pass to Splitter for a layup and a foul. Green's final amazing pass led to a dunk by TD. With the Grizzlies trapping Parker, the Spurs needed someone to find the open man against the scrambling defense and Green stepped up to that challenge. He also played good transition defense in the fourth and was his usual disruptive self on the boards. For someone who did so much wrong, Green actually played pretty darn well -- if that makes any sense.
Matt Bonner B-
Matt Bonner didn't score after midway through the second quarter and wasn't of much help on the boards, yet was on the court for 29 minutes. While it's questionable whether he deserved that much playing time, he wasn't hurting the team when he was out there. On defense, Memphis wasn't going at him at all. Offensively, the Grizzlies paid a lot of attention to him so that allowed him to be of some value despite the lack of scoring.
Gary Neal C
Within three minutes of playing time, Gary Neal had drained two three-pointers. The rest of the night, Neal's offense wasn't pretty -- to put it nicely. He wasn't finding open teammates and the Grizzlies pressure really bothered him. The scouting report on him is starting to get around because every team now knows to pressure his weak dribble and then jump the passing lanes. The result is usually Neal either turning it over or almost turning it over. Defensively against Memphis, Neal had a couple of bad fouls that added to his misery. However, he also played some strong defense at times; it can't be stated enough how much Neal's D has improved from earlier this season.
Tiago Splitter A-
This is the type of game we are coming to expect out of Tiago Splitter. Offensively, he just doesn't miss around the basket. He knows where to go to get open and his decision-making regarding how to finish at the rim has been impeccable. If anything, Splitter can afford to pass less and look to score even more often when he gets the rock. Defensively, he had a slow start, especially guarding the post, but he turned it around and was very good by the fourth quarter. When Duncan and Splitter are both playing this well, the Spurs constantly have a very capable bigman on the court at all times -- and that's a big reason why the team has been able to survive the injury to Manu Ginobili so well thus far.
James Anderson B+
The human igniter, also known as James Anderson, once again played a role in sparking a run by the Spurs. Pop likes to turn to him when everything seems to be spiraling out of control and, for some reason, the Spurs start playing better right when Anderson steps on the court. I can't explain why but it's definitely become a pattern. Versus the Grizzlies, Anderson's lone made field goal was a gigantic three-pointer in the fourth quarter that gave the Spurs the lead for the first time in the final period. Other than that, Anderson did a good job of running the court and he showed great intensity on the defensive end.
Pop B+
Pop allowing a struggling Green to play important minutes turned out to be a genius move. Giving Duncan a lot of rest leading up to his fourth quarter stint was vital. Sitting Jefferson was also a key adjustment. Playing Anderson worked out in Pop's favor, even though I think he might have left him in a minute or so too long. Pop's refusal to play Duncan and Splitter together throughout the season hurt tonight because even though both were playing well, it just didn't work to play them together late in the game due to a lack of chemistry. Pop was right to go back to Bonner but he was only right because he hasn't allowed Splitter to learn how to coexist next to Duncan.
Thanks for the writeup
Bonner soaring from the paint to contest Gay's shot at the end. A+
Spot on grades Tim, thanks.
I missed the game since I was working. Anyone know where I can go to watch it?
(PM me)
Duncan had a vintage game and from what I read and heard from people, was a monster on the defensive end.
timvp, you giving green a C+ for tonight's performance means you have definitely raised the bar on his game. I mean, a month ago, tonight's game is definitely a B+ at least. Not that I'm ing....he's played good enough to warrant raising the bar.
james anderson b+? 8min only...
Thanks, good read! Green was indeed vindicated at the end of the game. The ft's were just what we needed. The 3 T's were hard to beat to be sure..
Nice way to start the RRT. I was very impressed with the way the team was able to claw its way back after falling behind by 6 on the road in the fourth quarter. It is really surprising to me how much better Duncan looks this year compared to last year. I think the weight cut is really helping him on the boards. His back to the basket game has suffered a bit, but it was a worthy sacrifice imo. The few minutes that Duncan and Splitter played together were good to see. They completely sealed the paint and played some terrific defense in a very important stretch of the game. Good win, hopefully more will follow.
Thanks timvp. Some thoughts:
-you can honestly count the times RJ has driven to the hoop this season with one hand. Bonner has taken it to the basket more than him this year. It's really sad considering he was at one time one of the best finishers in the league.
-memphis does a good job of being physical with the screener on the PnR. it throws off the timing of the offense often resulting in the TP fadeaway jumper
-kawhi has been moving a lot better laterally the last couple of weeks. When the season started, he was a lot slower than i expected and not really that athletic. he's done a better job moving side to side as well as running through picks the last couple of games
-i like Danny and the intangibles he brings but he makes some dumb plays. This is the 2nd game in a row where he's given up an And 1 by goaltending after a foul. I'm not gonna complain too much because hes great at recovering with a block but he needs to play smarter.
Question, do you think Tiago and Tim can ever be effective together on offense? I know they haven't seen much time together and there's a lot of room for improvement. But the only way i see it working is if they alternate touches on the low block which isn't exactly the smartest way to attack defenses especially with great PnR players like TP and Manu.....
green is a d not c
Good defense on that play by the sandwich man.
Think I'd give Green a C-. He made a couple nice plays here and there but he hurt us too more then he did good.
When the Spurs fell into that 6 point hole in the 3rd, Pop threw that Dallas comeback lineup out there (Neal,Green,Anderson,Tiago,Bonner). They struggled a bit scoring the first couple of possessions, but the defense really picked up. I have a feeling we're going to see a bit more of that second unit lineup if they keep playing D like that.
They just need to attack the weaker defender on the low block. It will probably be Tiago with the height advantage over the power forward. It will probably force the teams to double and make it easier for everyone. When's the last time Blair or Bonner force double teams? But both Tiago and Tim can force doubles.
Missed the game so thanks for the write up.
Duncan is doing fine work for my fantasy team. Oh, and I guess hes not bad for the Spurs either.
Personally I'd say B- to a solid B
He made plays when we needed to wrap up the win.
His defense on Rudy Gay in transition was absolutely perfect (I think Gay freaked out by how high Danny jumped and thats why he missed the easy lay in), he made clutch passes when the Spurs offense was struggling....
The guy will get better come April, mark my words. He's a freakin player, and the Spurs FO is showing that they have found a diamond in tha doodoo yet again.
shouldnt pop allow KL to play more freely and roam on defense with erratic play, like how GREEN is doing....hence on offense he should be more attacking and less passive on the sidelines
Could this be the reason Pop won't start Splitter?
The most compelling argument thus far for no Splitter in the starting lineup/being paired with Duncan is the bench problem. So I definitely feel like that's one major reason pop isn't rolling with Duncan and Tiago. However, I personally favor the Duncan and Splitter starting line up with those two getting most of the big men minutes.
I feel like the pros would outweigh the cons. Our best defensive front court starts and sets defensive tone for the game. Our offense would be more than fine with Ginobili back, Duncan playing the high post (which hes been doing for most of the season), and we could even move RJ to the bench and have Leonard start as well. And you could still stick Tiago with that energy lineup of Neal, Green, Anderson and Bonner. Unless Tiago has cardio problems (which I doubt and could actually be fixed if he played more), I don't see why he shouldn't be getting 25-30 minutes a game for the rest of the season. He's proven to be that kind of player. Even on off-nights where his shooting was off, he still found other ways to contribute (offensive rebounds, solid defense, hustle, etc.)
Our 2003 championship team didn't really have a deep front line either. Outside of the starting duo of Duncan and Robinson, it was Rose who would take the majority of the remaining minutes. Next in line were Danny Ferry and Kevin Willis. Both Ferry and Willis played limited minutes that season. So it was basically a 3 man rotation of Duncan, Robinson and Rose.
Personally, I think Pop feels he gets enough offense running through Tim, Tony and eventually Manu as far as starters are concerned. Blair is (or I should say, was) a scrapper guy that gets his from misses. Jefferson has been neutered enough to be a spot up shooter in that role (or any role, seemingly) also.
It's difficult to get Tiago involved offensively with that lineup if you don't post him up, etc. Considering how much Blair has regressed though, I much rather have Tiago out there, even just for defensive/paint protection/rebounding purposes.
Then there's the obvious problem of playing the Bonner/Blair duo from the bench... There's no solution to that unless Splitter plays with the second unit or the Spurs somehow acquire a serviceable big to play that role.
Frankly, I don't see why Tiago couldn't be playing at the very least 25mpg other than foul trouble... He's been by far our best rim protector alongside Tim this season. The guy had his good and bad games, but defensively he's at the point where he's altering shots just being there.
Maybe another reason is Splitter has proven that he can produce coming off the bench, where as Blair showed last year that he didn't handle losing his starting gig well and handled his coming off the bench, poorly.
Well, at some point you have to put the team over the individual. I mean, right now Blair is giving us very little as a starter too.
That might change a bit when Manu comes back, but on things like rebounding, he just has to put more effort in there.
Thats whats killing me about Blair. The only guy on this roster that just tries to coast out there.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
