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Thanks for the writeup Tim.
The Spurs entered this game with seven straight wins. The Cavs entered with seven straight losses. Following a run by San Antonio at the end of the first quarter, the suspense was over and the streaks would continue. When the final buzzer sounded, the Spurs had a 125-90 victory.
While, yes, the Cavs are a bad team, this was a beautiful game to watch. The Spurs ball-movement was excellent and the shooters were scorching. There were highlights galore -- even defensively.
The Spurs are back in action tomorrow night in Boston. Obviously, that contest will be much more of a test. I'm excited to see if San Antonio's high-octane offense can thrive against a defensive squad like the Celtics.
Tim Duncan B-
Tonight turned out to be a glorified summer league game. I don't even think Tim Duncan broke a sweat ... or even bothered to bend his knees at any point. Offensively, he kept it basic and was mostly seen missing jumpers on the perimeter. Defensively, he protected the rim well, cleaned up the glass and challenged a few outside jumpers. Duncan's energy level was low but that was by design -- there was no reason for him to take it out of first gear.
Manu Ginobili A
I'm getting more and more enthusiastic about Manu Ginobili's defense. Against Cleveland, he was incredibly annoying. Whenever a Cavs player exposed the basketball, Ginobili was there to snatch it or deflect it. It's that type of tenacity that has made Ginobili a quality defender over the years and it's what he has to get back to doing by the time the playoffs arrive. Offensively, it was just another classic example of the way he's playing this year. Ginobili was efficient with his scoring while showing off amazing court vision and playmaking ability.
Tony Parker A
Tristan Thompson scored to give the Cavs a 1-point lead with 7:24 to go in the first quarter. And then Tony Parker decided to switch to God-mode. In the next four minutes, he had nine points on 4-for-4 shooting to go along with a pair of assists. By the time his one-man flurry was over, the Spurs were up by nine points and San Antonio would never look back. Parker's passing was great all night; he was more aware and had better vision than usual. When he wanted to score, he scored. Overall, he gave Kyrie Irving a nasty introduction to the NBA.
Kawhi Leonard B-
I like that Kawhi Leonard has been more aggressive lately in terms of looking to score and create. However, tonight he was attacking by himself a few times even though the Spurs were having unlimited success by moving the basketball. It might have been the first time I thought Leonard should have passed the ball more. But honestly, I'd rather him be too aggressive than too passive since he's such a productive player. Defensively, he was really good. Leonard engulfed Alonzo Gee while also playing quality help defense.
Danny Green A+
Apparently, Danny Green doesn't have love for the team that drafted him. He enjoyed every second as he demolished the Cavs on both ends. Defensively, he was flying all over the court. When Green starts wreaking havoc on that end, that's when he's most valuable. Offensively, he was burying three-pointers with some of the best form he's shown all season -- his stroke was compact and fast. Tonight was an example of why the coaching staff has to think long and hard before they decide to remove Green from the starting lineup. When he's going good, he's a huge asset on both ends.
DeJuan Blair C
While plus/minus stats rarely tell the whole story, it's difficult to ignore Blair's numbers tonight: When Blair was off the court, the Spurs outscored the Cavs by 32 points in only 27 minutes. In the 21 minutes he was playing, San Antonio only outscored Cleveland by three points. Defensively, he began the game against Antawn Jamison, which is obviously a mismatch. Predictably, Blair had no hope. Blair ended up in foul trouble during the first, second and third quarters. He didn't score a point until garbage time in the fourth.
Boris Diaw A
Wow, this guy can really pass the ball. I knew Boris Diaw was a really good passer but the Spurs system accentuates it to another level. Tonight, he totaled nine assists in 25 minutes with only one turnover. And he didn't have a cheap assist all night. He was actively making plays -- either with a dribble move, a quick spin or movement off the ball. The rest of Diaw's game was also impressive. He was more aggressive shot-wise than we've seen him. Diaw rebounded the ball, played solid defense and overall appeared to be a step quicker than his first few games in silver and black. The coaching staff really needs to find a niche for this guy ASAP.
Patty Mills A+
Pop called on Patty Mills in the beginning of the second quarter and the Australian firestarter wasted little time heating up. He came off the bench looking to contribute and he succeeded in a supremely impressive manner. For a player looking to gain an everyday role, Mills played about as well as possible. Defensively, he was a pest who pressured the ball whenever possible. His help rotations were really good and he showed toughness when caught on bigger players. Offensively, he got the Spurs into their sets quickly. There were very few wasted dribbles and when he got a crack of daylight, he had no hesitation in rising and firing. All in all, I was most impressed by how well Mills uses his speed. The NBA is littered with fast players but Mills uses his speed nonstop. He does everything fast and isn't worried about conserving energy ... and that's what you want out of a backup point guard.
Tiago Splitter A-
It was just another quietly dominant performance by Tiago Splitter. He got lost in the shuffle with so many other players doing well but Splitter really deserves a lot of credit for breaking Cleveland's spirit. For a period of time, the Spurs just ran one play: High pick-and-roll with Splitter. And the play worked over and over and over again. By the end of that run, the Cavs were ready to quit. Splitter is just so great at rolling to the basket that it's an extremely difficult play to stop. Defensively, he was solid in all aspects and also active on the boards. The only downside is Splitter seemed to get exhausted pretty quickly. Then again, it was probably taxing running pick-and-rolls every time up the court.
Gary Neal D
If Gary Neal doesn't start to play some defense, he could find himself on the bench for good. Lester Hudson, a player on a ten-day contract, scored six straight points on Neal -- and Pop finally had enough. He benched Neal for his lazy defense and went with Mills. With as well as Mills played, Neal probably won't be sleeping well tonight. But honestly, Neal needed a lesson. He's been horrible all year on defense; tonight was just the crowning moment. Play defense or sit, Gary.
James Anderson B+
James Anderson was a ball of energy when he was allowed to hit the court. I think that he has shown enough promise in the last few weeks to get a contract from someone this summer. I doubt he's coming back to San Antonio but he can probably land a fully guarantee minimum deal somewhere.
Matt Bonner B-
Apparently, Matt Bonner played ten minutes tonight. I don't remember him doing much of anything. If I commented further on him, I'd just be making something up -- so I'll give Bonner a B- and leave it at that.
Stephen Jackson B-
Though Stephen Jackson had a couple of his patented turnovers where you wonder how he can suddenly lose all semblance of hand-eye coordination, I thought he otherwise played pretty well. Whenever a smaller player attempted to defend him, Jackson immediately went to the post and demanded the ball -- that's the type of tough-mindedness that can be contagious. He gave good effort on the glass, made a couple nice passes and was energetic on defense. With the Spurs up by so much, Pop didn't even bother playing him in the second half.
Pop A-
Pop didn't play anyone more than 26 minutes, which is all that really matters. I do like how he benched Neal for poor defense and gave Mills a shot. Giving Diaw a quality run should help him in the upcoming games. Heading into the Celtics game, it'll be interesting to see if Mills or Diaw did enough tonight to crack the regular rotation.
Last edited by timvp; 04-04-2012 at 12:51 AM.
Thanks for the writeup Tim.
Hooray for copy and paste.Thanks for the writeup Tim.
thanks for the grades...wow im sorry i missed this game. it was against cleveland so i kinda thought the big 3 would rest up for boston. hoping for somewhat of a repeat?
Solid grades. Thanks!
good write up man!! and my patty getting an A+, ur a very good teacher
On Pop's grade..
"Pop didn't play anymore more" just saying.
And I owe an apology to Bill Walton for ridiculing his "Rennaissance remark" on Boris Diaw. Diaw is overweight, is generally passive and has a lot of flaws, but boy, isn't he Showtime with those passes!
Kawhi attacking off the dribble tonight is a good thing. He's push his boundaries and this will allow him to grow as a player. He rarely does this and when he does you mention it as a negative. It's part of the process. It won't happen in the playoffs.
I think it's time for Pop to try Diaw in place of either Blair in the starting lineup or Bonner in the 2nd unit.
And as much as I have been propping Neal all year, if Mills can play like this going forward I think he's a lock to take Neal's PG duties.
And no I don't think Neal should replace Green in the starting lineup. Tough break for a very talented player, but he's still handy for late game situations as another clutch shooter.
Good write-up. Surprised Blair got a better grade than Neal, but then again Blair was at way too big a disadvantage tonight to really warrant that much hate. Hope Neal picks it up defensively, but I can't see Mills taking his spot; Neal is just too clutch and battle-hardened to bench.
I don't think Green should lose his starting spot, nor will I think he will. Even if he struggles, this starting lineup has been working for the team. I think Blair will continue to start too, but will come out at about the six minute mark and will never see the floor the rest of the half, because it's obvious diaw is a far superior player
Thanks for the grades!
What do you think of adding a paragraph grading overall defense, for those of us who cant watch most games... Sometimes stats dont tell the whole story!
Last edited by timvp; 04-04-2012 at 01:00 AM. Reason: please don't quote whole thing thx
If Diaw is far superior then why not just start him?
Doesn't matter he only get 12-13 mpg in the playoffs.
Neal's problem defending is not a lack of effort, it is a lack of talent. He's just a bad defender, a step slower than PGs and his rotations are late. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to get solid minutes.
Please don't "quote" timvp's entire original post when responding.
Team has plenty of shooters now with Jackson, Green & even Leonard, what it needs now is an extra ball handler who is quick on his feet and can defend those smaller pesky little point guards.
It would be cool if you highlighted the player's name in red or something who you thought was the "Player of The Game". Just throwing it out there for some fun, I'm sure you would get a lot of disagreement in some of the games.
I would nominate Danny Green as Player of the Game.
Thanks, as always!
Matt Bonner B-
Apparently, Matt Bonner played ten minutes tonight. I don't remember him doing much of anything. If I commented further on him, I'd just be making something up -- so I'll give Bonner a B- and leave it at that.
There have been several times this season where the offense has stalled and Neal got it going again. He's a good ball handler and knows the team and it's plays already. His only real flaw is on defense, and I'm not convinced Mills can play any better than Neal. Neal has also proven he can produce when it counts, which only Jackson has shown in the past.
Thanks
This is the first time I've ever complained about it.
It's actually been the opposite:
And that's just in the last couple games . . .Offensively, he was a bit more aggressive than usual, especially off the dribble. And while the results weren't always positive, I'm hoping the coaching staff is encouraging him to be as active as possible. Leonard's ceiling is too high to restrict his role. Let him continue to spread his wings.
That Green can guard PGs like Paul and Irving to spare Tony from chasing fast opponents alone makes him valuable as a starting SG.
-i just (always) hope ginobili doesn't break his hand/elbow swiping for the ball.
-parker and diaw both deserve an A+. parker killed the cavs' spirit early with his scoring, assists. and when's the last time someone at least 6'8" had 9 assist for the spurs?
-i absolutely love what mills did on the court... he seems to be cold blooded like gary neal, as opposed to our other back-up pgs (udrih, hill). in the few games he has played in, he does not hesitate and shoots confidently.
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