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Thanks as always timvp... I didn't get to watch the game....
The Bobcats are bad. Really bad. The Spurs didn't play very well at all -- San Antonio probably would have lost against most teams in the league with the way they performed as a group -- but on this night it didn't matter. The Bobcats didn't show much of an interest in winning the game, allowing the Spurs to coast to a 102-72 victory.
There's really not much to take from this outing. It was basically a glorified summer league game. The good news is that it didn't appear as if anyone got injured. However, the Spurs are still looking to find the rhythm they had before the All-Star break. Despite what the final score may suggest, tonight wasn't really a step in the right direction.
Tim Duncan C-
Offensively, Tim Duncan just didn't play a very smart game. When matched up against DeSagana Diop, Duncan allowed Diop to use his length to bother his shot. Duncan should have used his mobility advantage versus Diop. When Duncan had Eduardo Najera on him, he made the opposite mistake: staying out on the perimeter when his advantage was in the low post. The poor shot selection led to an off shooting night. Defensively, Duncan was decent but he wasn't too mentally engaged on that end either. It was a forgettable night. Then again, he was probably just bored -- and it's difficult to blame him.
Tony Parker C
For a few stretches, Tony Parker took over the game. When he put his foot on the gas, the Bobcats didn't really have much of a shot of keeping up. But on this night, Parker's offense was mostly discombobulated. His decision-making was iffy and his passes were often late. As a result, he finished with more turnovers than assists for the first time this season. Defensively, though, he was very solid. Parker manhandled D.J. Augustin and was aggressive in his help defense.
Richard Jefferson A
Early on, Corey Maggette was being overly physical with Richard Jefferson. Instead of folding, Jefferson took on the challenge and had one of his better games of the season. He competed on defense and pulled down multiple contested rebounds. He ran the court well, knocked down his open looks and made a couple smart passes. It'd be great if Jefferson showed this level of fight more often.
DeJuan Blair C-
Well, the good news is that DeJuan Blair rebounded again. In his last three outings, he's averaging 10.7 boards per game. Defensively, he was decent enough; he stayed within shouting distance of the mobile power forwards he matched up against. The rest of Blair's evening, though, was brutal. He missed most of his little floaters around the rim. Some of his attempts were so rushed and missed by so much it was difficult to tell if they were shots, passes or something in between. His five turnovers weren't helping matters.
Danny Green D+
Posting a plus/minus of -6 when your team wins by 30 points and no other player has a plus/minus worse than +7 is difficult to do … but Danny Green managed just that. He wasn't as bad as that spread suggests but he wasn't of much help on this night. A couple defensive breakdowns had him sitting on the bench receiving a tongue lashing from Pop. Offensively, he was a pest on the boards but that was about it. All in all, he just didn't seem to bring his normal level of tenacity to this game. Perhaps his bandaged shoulder played a part in his muted performance.
Gary Neal A-
Speaking of wacky plus/minus numbers, the Spurs outscored the Bobcats by 29 points in the half of the game that Gary Neal played. The rest of the time, they only outscored Charlotte by one point. Neal's best attribute on the night was his versatility. At times he ran the offense. At times he was on the receiving end of well-run plays. At times he made something out of nothing. Overall, his aggression really helped the Spurs on this night. Defensively, he stayed in front of his man as well as anyone on the team and boxed out well.
Tiago Splitter C+
Tiago Splitter still has a ways to go before he's 100% but he looked improved compared to the Bulls game. He was moving better and unleashed a few of his pre-injury moves, although his timing in the pick-and-roll and his decision-making needs work. Defensively, I liked how he stubbornly defended the rim and altered a handful of shots. Hopefully he doesn't have a setback and can be whole again in a few games.
Matt Bonner A-
Bad teams just don't respect Matt Bonner enough. Bonner took advantage and played just about about as well as he can play. He had four three-pointers and probably could have had two or three more if the team's ball-movement was better. Defensively, Bonner was solid and he did good work on the boards.
Kawhi Leonard C+
In Kawhi Leonard's first few stints, I thought he was pretty damn bad. Charlotte players were blowing by him left and right on the defensive end. He seemed tentative in his return from a calf strain. On offense, he settled for a couple of flat three-pointers. Thankfully, he vastly improved as the game progressed. By the fourth quarter, he was playing much, much better. He was in the middle of the action on defense and started attacking the rim on offense.
TJ Ford C+
Defensively, TJ Ford played well. He was really hustling and disrupted a number of plays. On offense, while his numbers look good, Ford looked really rusty. He wasn't making the right passes and oftentimes held onto the ball too long. It looks like his main issue right now is a lack of timing and chemistry with his teammates, which is understandable and should improve in time.
James Anderson D+
I know that James Anderson hasn't hit his outside shots consistently since the beginning of his rookie season, but now he's really hurting himself by becoming hesitant from the perimeter. In the last two games, it seems like he's passed up more shots than he had all season. For a swingman on the Spurs, that's the quickest way to get into the depths of Pop's doghouse.
Cory Joseph B+
With all the UT point guards on the floor, Cory Joseph was apparently very comfortable. He didn't do anything spectacular but he had numerous good decisions in a row, which for him is noteworthy.
Pop B
It's difficult to judge Pop right now due to all the gimpy players. Against the Bobcats, the best thing Pop did was just let the bench play and build the lead in the second half. The starters were making the game more difficult than it was. Once Pop realized that, it became a blowout in short order.
Thanks as always timvp... I didn't get to watch the game....
Thanks for the writeup, LJ
Hasn't Diop alwasy been a tough matchup for TD because of his length? I still remember '06 and overtime of game 7. The unfortunate thing is Tim has even less mobility to be able to blow by slower centers.
Blair could help the team more if he focused on his rebounding and didn't look to take up every miss he gets. If he's going to try taking the shot back up he should try using to protect the ball and/or draw a foul.
Blairs rebounding stats are inflated from the repeated slap back and tip back attempts instead of pulling the ball down. I thought Blair was more of a liability than an asset tonight and RJ shines when playing a bottom rung Eastern team. Same can be said for Bonner.
everybody got a pretty average to below average grade yet we still won by 30...shows how horrible the bobcats are.
I see three A's. I wouldn't consider that everybody.
Whatever works, RJ.
I've got to agree with Neal's score; aggressively, Neal was the brightest spot of our offense. Along with finally getting that confident feeling I get with his three ball, I'm also confident with his inside drops. Hope the ice continues to flow strong with this one.
Thanks for the writeup Tim.
lol I reread the quote after reading your post and though that sounded so gay but subtle. haha
Wasn't all bad tbh. TJ is definitely coming along, Splitter didn't look as lost, and Leonard is continuing to develop well. I expect the team to be way more focused come Sunday. Hopefully Manu is back by then as well.
Bonner and RJ getting the best grades. Never thought I'd see this day
Nice to see Leonard hit all his free throws.
Honestly a game like this makes me hate RJ more. He hustles his ass off and tries hard against the ing Bobcats of all teams. Why can't he show effort like this against somebody worth a damn? Then he just goes into his soft ass s .
Watching RJ play like this against a team just makes me madder.
To be a little fair to , this game was one of the few where it looked like they tried to feed him the ball early. Usually its Blair. RJ needs plays and transition buckets, he doesn't really get anything other than 3 point shots. Then again it seems like even the Red Rocket drives more to the paint than RJ
I'm hating the careless basketball that Tony Parker has been playing since the all star break, he's been pretty awful against a great team in the Bulls and a terrible team in the Bobcats. Dude even sleepwalked through the skills challenge but still won anyway. Hopefully he's not injured.
Actually the whole team looked careless. lol@ Duncan's pass that hit Parker in the side of the head, that play is usually automatic
Last edited by Cane; 03-03-2012 at 09:34 AM.
I see what you did there
Yeah, they even tried the backdoor alley-oop at the beginning.
Not much to take from this game. Spurs were rather bad, but the Bobcats were plain awful.
Great to read that all the injured folks minus Manu got some run tonight.
This was a game where a positive takeaway was almost impossible. Charlotte is making a legit run at that Dallas team's lowest all time season win percentage, so unless you beat them by 50 and play flawless ball, it isn't a good outcome. The problem with that is that is inevitable that you look past them because they are so bad. The best thing you can say is that no one else got injured.
Next game, please.
The Bobcats have some good players so I don't quite get how they're that bad. Coaching and chemistry I'm guessing.
I wasn't able to catch the game, thanks for the write-up!
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