After coughing up command of the ballgame, the Spurs were able to make enough big plays late to escape Detroit with a 99-95 victory. The win was San Antonio's eighth in a row and they're now 4-0 on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Give the Pistons a lot of credit for fighting back. The Spurs had a 15-point lead with 10:44 remaining. But then, fueled by great play on both ends by future Hall of Famer Ben Wallace, the Pistons went on a 14-0 run in the next three minutes to erase the lead. (In hindsight, it was a bad sign for the Spurs when Wallace calmly drained a three-pointer in the midst of the run; he's hit only one other three-pointer in the last six seasons.)
The Pistons actually led 86-83 with 4:26 left in the fourth but thanks to a few timely hoops and Pop using Hack-a-Ben to slow Detroit's momentum, the Spurs eventually regained the upper hand and avoided what would have been a demoralizing loss.
Tim Duncan A-
School was in session for Greg Monroe and Tim Duncan was the professor. Monroe, who entered the game with the highest PER (24.27) of any center in the NBA, was simply annihilated by Duncan. On defense, Duncan protected the rim with enthusiasm and was especially stingy in one-on-one situations. He also was strong on the boards, which led to his fifth straight double-double. Offensively, Duncan wasn't quite as good -- particularly when Ben Wallace had a chance to gain position on him. But Duncan scored four key points late to halt a Pistons run and get the Spurs back on track.
Manu Ginobili B
The bad: Manu Ginobili didn't make a basket -- and wasn't very close on any of his attempts. Defensively, he had trouble keeping up with anybody. By the end of the game, he was obviously running on fumes. The good: He's Manu Ginobili. He just found ways to help push the Spurs to victory. On defense, he drew a pair of offensive fouls, including a huge one with 1:24 remaining in a tie game. Offensively, though he had only one point, he finished with seven assists and only one turnover; three of his assists were in the final quarter. Ginobili's plus/minus of +17 -- more than double of any player on the team -- is just impossible to ignore. Overall, he has a lot of room for improvement but tonight was further evidence of Ginobili's legendary will to win.
Tony Parker C+
Honestly, I thought Tony Parker was asleep for most of the evening. Since Ginobili's return, it's as if Parker has taken his foot of the gas and has started to coast a little bit. Thankfully, Parker shifted into gear before it was too late. With the game tied 90-90 with with 2:16 remaining, the All-Star point guard scored scored eight straight points to finally put the Pistons away. Considering he had only six points up until that explosion, Parker's late-game heroics were a bit surprising. In the first three quarters, he had some good possessions in the playmaking department but his defense was iffy. Along with the scoring binge late, Parker's defensive intensity was also much better in the final handful of minutes.
Richard Jefferson B-
I don't even know what to think of Richard Jefferson's performance. On one hand, he was brutal defensively. Tayshaun Prince was getting open however and whenever he wanted when Jefferson was supposed to be guarding him. His transition defense was also really, really bad. But on the other hand, he did some things we hadn't seen much of recently. He attacked the basket and earned free throws. He had a key offensive rebound and putback in the fourth quarter. Jefferson also nailed the biggest shot of the game: a three-pointer with 2:20 remaining that put the Spurs up by a point. On top of those two plays, it should be noted that he dove on the court a few times going after loose balls. All in all, I guess the positives outweighed the negatives … but it was close.
DeJuan Blair B-
It looks like DeJuan Blair is finally breaking out of his slump. He scored in double-figures for the second straight outing, the first time he's done that since Jan. 17. Blair also did good work on the defensive glass. That said, it was still unsightly to witness. He's forcing shots and is caught out of position too often on defense. His physicality was better tonight but it wasn't always well-timed. The return of Ginobili seems to have helped; let's hope he can keep progressing in the right direction.
Danny Green B
Danny Green's athleticism appears to have returned. He was once again very good on the glass and swiped three clean steals. Green also made a couple really good passes. Unfortunately, it wasn't all positive. He remains a bit hesitant on the offensive end and was too over-aggressive at times on defense. He almost fouled a three-point shooter late in a play that could have been disastrous. It'll be interesting to see how long Green keeps the starting shooting guard gig now that Ginobili is healthy again.
Tiago Splitter B+
It was another highly productive outing for Tiago Splitter. Playing 13 straight minutes in the first half and then nine straight minutes in the second half, Splitter was always in the middle of the action. Offensively, he was again a constant threat in the pick-and-roll sets and mixed in a few post-ups. He didn't finish as well as he usually does but he made up for it with a season-high in free throw attempts. Defensively, while he wasn't very good on the boards, he played solid positional defense and rotated quickly when needed.
Matt Bonner C+
Matt Bonner drained his first four field goal attempts from the floor and was playing really good pick-and-roll defense. That was the good news. The bad news was everything else. In a game in which the Spurs were struggling to corral defensive boards, Bonner was held without a rebound. To make matters worse, he wasn't playing tough enough when the Pistons upped their level of aggression in the fourth. On offense, he missed an open three-pointer late -- but the true choke came at the free throw line. He was 14-for-16 (87.5%) at the charity stripe on the season when he stepped to the line with the Spurs up by one point with a minute to go. Bonner, in what hopefully isn't a preview of the playoffs, promptly missed both freebies to give the Pistons additional life. To say it very nicely: Matt Bonner's intestinal for ude isn't a strength.
Kawhi Leonard B
Looking much more relaxed from the beyond the arc, Kawhi Leonard hit his first two three-pointers before missing his final three on a heave at the end of the shot clock. Before that miss, Leonard had connected on seven of his previous eight attempts from long distance. He's now shooting a very respectable 37.8% from three-point range on the season. Defensively, he was really good against the Pistons -- especially when compared to Jefferson. His length and relentlessness resulted in numerous positive plays. Leonard also boarded well due to impeccable timing. Turnovers, though, were an issue for the typically mistake-free player. In the first six games of the month, Leonard had only two turnovers. His three TOs tonight matched the amount he had in his previous 161 minutes.
Gary Neal C
Just when it looked like Gary Neal rediscovered his stroke, he had another clunker. While he's probably always going to be streaky to a degree, it'd be nice if he could become more dependable as the season wears on. Defensively, he also wasn't very good versus Detroit. Playmaking-wise, though, Neal was a bright spot once again. In the second half, Neal appeared to twist his ankle and he limped off the court. Thankfully, he later returned to action. However, that's something to keep an eye on.
Pop A
I liked a lot of what Pop did tonight. He played Duncan and Splitter together more than usual. I agreed with him when he kept the cold-shooting Ginobili in the game. Pop gave Parker adequate rest, which aided his fourth quarter charge. I thought he was playing Jefferson too much but RJ responded with some big plays late, so Pop made the right call there. And the decision to go Hack-a-Ben, though risky, turned out to absolutely be the correct decision. It stalled Detroit's momentum, allowed the Spurs to gather their thoughts and muddied the game enough to allow San Antonio to sneak away with a W.
Question: Does the SpursTalk populace prefer comprehensive grades like the above post that takes longer to put together ... or would do you prefer a less in-depth version that would be posted quicker following games?
Thank you in advance for your input
My vote is for the more comprehensive coverage.
I prefer this version since I miss games sometimes like tonight for V-Day because it gives me a more in depth look at what happened rather than just looking at a box scoreQuestion: Does the SpursTalk populace prefer comprehensive grades like the above post that takes longer to put together ... or would do you prefer a less in-depth version that would be posted quicker following games?
Thank you in advance for your input
You know I wouldn't be opposed to a shorter, less in-depth version of grades with something like the following format -
Player X <grade>
The good: (bullet points)
The bad: (bullet points)
Maybe a one or two sentence summary
I say this because timvp tends to engage in the discussion after the grades anyway.
The advantages of having a shorter, less in-depth version of grades are two-fold:
1) I'm sure it'll be easier on timvp ( , he's basically having to write the equivalent of an entire article right after the game. It's not easy)
and
2) We'll get a nice postgame discussion going immediately after the game when thoughts are still fresh.
Don't get me wrong, I love the comprehensive takes, but I certainly wouldn't mind if we saw a shorter version in the future.
Keep this format TIMVP
Just saw the game on replay and just cringed as Matt Bonner showed his un-clutchness again by bricking two improtant FTs ...
Comprehensive coverage. You do a great job at making points about each player's performance and is unreal at being accurate. Keep doing your thing man.
Another great write-up, timvp. It's really shocking when you look at the box score; Duncan's the only guy to leave no zero's (other than 3PAs lol). That alone should warrant an A+. If not for Tim this game is a big damn L. After a few weeks of solid to great play, Bonner looked like crap (albeit he did his damn job early). Jefferson surprised the out of me tonight: he was aggressive and didn't choke when it mattered. Give him his B+/A-.
Pop should've gotten a C at best (only because the team won), plain and simple. He killed the momentum and gave Detroit it's confidence when he went small. Should've also started Leonard on Prince; if he doesn't go off early the Spurs win by 20+. Lastly, when Bonner was playing as bad as he was (and when he had 0 rebounds by the 4th Q) he needed to stick with Splitter.
Parker and Manu were solid, but it's evident that Ginobili is needed at 100% for this team to keep winning. Che-ago got his extended playing time, alongside Duncan nonetheless, and showed he deserved it. Neal was playing pretty good before the sprain, but I agree with the grade. Green is looking great again, hope he keeps it up. Leonard with another great night on both ends; love when he's aggressive.
I'd like you to keep with the in-depth reports, always enjoy reading them after the game's result has had time to sink in.
This is my vote. As long as you don't mind doing that, we would prefer more comprehensive coverage. Sometimes I work late so I'm not able to watch the games live.
To me, considering the momentum change at the end of the game, that Tony scoring 8 points in the last 2 minutes gives him a B+. All in all, he won the game for us, at least on the offensive side.
Also, LJ, do we look too greedy of asking you to put out two versions of grades, one shorter and less in-depth and one longer and more detailed?
Something I took away that was interesting during the game that the cameras might not have caught: The Spurs had to shoot a tech and the entire team was looking to Manu to shoot it, he waved them off and said he couldn't. That isn't a good sign.
I vote for a comprehensive coverage that would be posted quicker following games......
Stat of the game:
In the 24:48 Manu Ginobili played, the Spurs outscored the Pistons 59-43.
In the 23:12 Manu Ginobili was on the bench, the Pistons outscored the Spurs 52-40.
P.S.
I know the official stats show Ginobili with a plus/minus of +17 but I counted twice and came up with +16 both times. Perhaps I'm missing something . . .
I like just the way it is, I am truly enjoying your threads timvp
Good to see RJ has stepped up his game, I think he is feeling Kawhi's breath over his shoulder. Well there is also the Manu effect, ask Blar hehehehe..
What do you guys think of this idea -
From now on after a game, timvp can make a "Grades" thread with a placeholder as the first post (with something like "Grades coming..."). This way, spurstalk can immediately start posting/replying in the thread as a hub for postgame discussion before timvp is done with grades.
Once timvp finishes his grades, he can simply edit his first post and the discussion can continue. This will at least solve #2 in my list.
One problem I do have though is your grade on Pop... An A? I think the decision to play Bonner when he was literally playing like a pussy in the fourth quarter (almost the entire fourth quarter) was questionable. But what the heck, we know Pop is gonna keep ol' ginger out there when it counts. I'm just saying...
I agree with this, quicker shorter grades would spark more discussion I think but great job anyway. If Manu gets a B for that outing then the expectations don't match the "best player of the team" le.
"Make quality posts but do it quicker"
I'm pretty amazed at how quickly he gets these grades up to begin with. You know timvp would like to enjoy watching the games as well right.
Maybe the technical foul at the end?
I also prefer the longer breakdown. Thanks again for a fantastic writeup!
Thanks for the write ups, timvp. I vote for a comprehensive coverage.
Danny Green B
Danny Green's athleticism appears to have returned. He was once again very good on the glass and swiped three clean steals. Green also made a couple really good passes. Unfortunately, it wasn't all positive. He remains a bit hesitant on the offensive end and was too over-aggressive at times on defense. He almost fouled a three-point shooter late in a play that could have been disastrous. It'll be interesting to see how long Green keeps the starting shooting guard gig now that Ginobili is healthy again.
IMHO. it was a foul that was not called by the refs.
Screw that! We need to rush him back to the starting lineup ASAP, so he can resume being the MVP of the team!
comprehensiveQuestion: Does the SpursTalk populace prefer comprehensive grades like the above post that takes longer to put together ... or would do you prefer a less in-depth version that would be posted quicker following games?
Thank you in advance for your input
Is this the real Leonard we are seeing regarding his 3's? Or is he just a raw, streaky shooter who just happens to be hot
37% on the year is freaking good for a player like him
To be fair, I have very low standards..."Make quality posts but do it quicker"
I'm pretty amazed at how quickly he gets these grades up to begin with. You know timvp would like to enjoy watching the games as well right
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