Grades: Spurs vs. Cavs - Apr. 22

[timvp]

The Spurs have been playing beautiful basketball recently. Tonight, however, was not an example of Baloncesto Bonito. Both the Spurs and Cavs were herky-jerky throughout. Thankfully, San Antonio's offensive firepower was sufficient and carried the team to yet another victory.

The 114-98 win is the seventh straight for the Spurs. During that stretch, they're averaging 115.1 points and have outscored their opponents by 18.7 points per game.

Playing without Tim Duncan, the Spurs went on a run at the end of the first quarter ... and then just hung on from there. The Cavs made a couple runs but nothing too notable. Tony Parker was able to sit out the final 17 minutes and Manu Ginobili only played 22 total minutes.

This victory coupled with the Thunder's loss earlier in the day lowered San Antonio's magic number to one. In other words, if the Spurs win tomorrow night at home against the fadign Blazers, the Spurs will have homecourt advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.





Tony Parker B+
Tony Parker was robotically efficient. He was making plays, getting the ball to the right players at the right time, pushing the pace and making life easier for all of his teammates. When it came to his own scoring, the floater in the lane was his weapon of choice tonight. Defensively, I thought he did fine work against Kyrie Irving when he was assigned to him. In the last five games, Parker is averaging 15.6 points and nine assists in only 24 minutes per game, while shooting 54.4% from the field. Amazingly, he didn't play a fourth quarter minute in any of those five outings.

Manu Ginobili B+
It appears as if Manu Ginobili is getting more and more comfortable in his all-around game. Tonight against the Cavs, he was operating a lot more than usual inside of the three-point arc -- and Ginobili had great success. He was finishing very well around the rim and dropped in some mid-range jumpers, which have been rare for him this season. (In fact, Ginobili has been all about layups and three-pointers this year. His previous season-low in three-point attempts in a game that he attempted double-digit field goals was four.) When Ginobili wasn't scoring, he was showing off his transcendent court vision. To nitpick, he didn't play up to his recent level on the defensive end and he had a few sloppy stretches on the offensive end. That said, in the big picture, Ginobili's play of late should have all Spurs fans excited about the possibilities.

Kawhi Leonard B-
Kawhi Leonard defended four positions tonight. From Irving to Antawn Jamison and a handful of swingmen in between, Leonard's defensive flexibility was on full display. While his actual defense wasn't overly impressive, it was great to see him step up to the challenge no matter who Pop put him on. Rebounding was a definite plus on the defensive end. Offensively, Leonard never found a groove and seemed to be second-guessing his every move. Sometimes he was too aggressive and sometimes he wasn't aggressive enough ... but that's par for the course for all rookies.

DeJuan Blair C-
In the first half, DeJuan Blair was horrible. He couldn't convert offensively, couldn't stop anyone defensively -- he was the round mound of unsound basketball. Blair was headed to a big fat F ... until the second half. In final two quarters, Blair was actually pretty damn good. He made all five of his field goal attempts, rebounded relatively well, dished off a couple assists, played competent defense and made nary a mistake. I'm not sure what Pop told Blair at halftime but he needs bottle that up.

Boris Diaw C
Starting in place of Duncan, Boris Diaw was decent. Offensively, it was the typical story of great passes while inexplicably failing to shoot a few wide open shots. Preferably, Diaw would have stepped up a bit more to carry a larger portion of the slack usually shouldered by Duncan -- but that didn't really happen. Defensively, Diaw was inconsistent. He had a few stellar possessions but then was caught woefully out of position at other times. Fouling too much continues to be an issue for Diaw.

Danny Green B+
With avoiding injuries being of the ultimate importance right now, undoubtedly the most frightening moment of the game was when Danny Green fell to the floor after being hit in the face while trying to convert a fast break layup. The Cavs were assessed a flagrant foul and Green left the court after shooting two one-eyed free throws. To everyone's relief, Green was able to return to action -- and return to putting it on his former team. In 45 minutes against the Cavs this season, he totaled 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the floor. Green is now 32-for-59 (54.2%) on three-pointers in his last 14 games and is shooting 47.4% from deep since the All-Star break. Against Cleveland, he also mixed in a few rugged drives to the rim while playing energetic and attentive defense. Green may be an overlooked member of the 2012 Spurs but he has become an indispensable cog in this machine.

Stephen Jackson B+
The Spurs (specifically Parker) were making a point of giving Stephen Jackson plenty of touches. Since Jackson is still working his way into shape, it was a good way to knock off some rust. By the fourth quarter, the Port Arthur native looked as comfortable as he has since he arrived back in San Antonio. In the final period, Jackson poured in 13 points on five field goal attempts and added a pair of assists. Defensively, while he had a few miscues, Jackson was mostly solid. His toughness in the paint remains an asset, as does his anticipation on the perimeter. If Jackson can find his touch, this team can get even scarier on the offensive end.

Gary Neal C
Gary Neal was another player who just never found a rhythm. Offensively, his passing was painful to watch, his ball-handling was shaky and his shot selection was subpar even for by his loose standards. For the first time in this win streak, he hit less than half of his shots from the field. Defensively, Neal was relatively good. The effort was there and I liked that he helped out on the defensive backboard.

Tiago Splitter B+
I have been underwhelmed by Tiago Splitter's defense recently but I was impressed with what I saw tonight. Not only was he protecting the rim, he wasn't hesitant to switch off onto a perimeter player and defend all the way out to the three-point line. Splitter also hustled back in transition and rebounded with authority. Offensively, it seemed like the only time he received the ball was following pick-and-rolls with Ginobili. Getting Splitter more touches should be a priority for the second unit going into the playoffs since he's so proven to be a potent scoring option.

Matt Bonner C-
While Matt Bonner was again playing with more than his usual amount of toughness, his misfirings in April continue to be worrisome. He's now 14 for his last 49 from three-point land for an anemic 28.6%. Against Cleveland, Bonner got wide open looks ... he just couldn't hit. Let's hope he heats up before the playoffs begin because Bonner isn't a good enough player to overcome a treasonous shooting touch.

Pop B+
After the Thunder lost, Pop reportedly decided to sit Duncan. It turned out to be a wise move. Add in limited minutes for Parker and Ginobili and Pop couldn't have hoped for much more. My favorite part of his coaching tonight was his lack of trepidation when the Cavs made their runs; Pop just let the players on the court figure it out. Calling numerous plays for Jackson was astute and could pay dividends down the road.

[Splits]

Thanks for the grades, Timvp. This is the first game I haven't watched all season, so I'm curious why Patrick didn't receive a grade with a pretty decent stat line? All garbage minutes?

[Paranoid Pop]

Thanks for the grades, didn't catch that one.

Sounds like Manu adn Danny played great.

[Cane]

Good stuff but I think Danny's grade is missing, hopefully the Spurs can rest the Big 3 after tomorrow. Watching Wade dislocate his finger and Harden getting clobbered this late in the season makes me remember Ginobili's injury Thankfully Danny Green's eye is okay

[TheSkeptic]

Thanks Timvp

To be honest, I think Diaw/Blair isn't a very good combination as far as the starting line-up goes. I typically find that the defense is shakier (than normal to start ) and that Diaw is a little too much of a facilitator to make it work against other starting lines with Blair.

If the stats say something different I might change my stance on that but I just don't really like them together tbh.

[TJastal]

lol forgetting Green again

[timtonymanu]

timvp must really hate Green. He has a habit of leaving him off game grades.

[timvp]

@ timvp

Safe to say my subconscious isn't CoG.

[FromWayDowntown]

Speaking of streaking, since the trade deadline, the Spurs are a ridiculous 19-3. No other team has won more than 16 games in that span and no other team has lost fewer than 6. The Spurs are fully 3 games better than anyone else in the league just since March 15.

Since the bench's moral victory in overtime in Dallas on January 29, the Spurs are 35-7. No other team has won more than 31 games in that span (both Miami and Chicago have won 31 and OKC has won 30) and no other team has lost fewer than 11 games.

Shades of 13 years ago.

[freetiago]

this game as a whole was just going through the motion for everybody
spurs players didnt even try to contest some of the 2/3s most cavs players were taking, luckily they missed a lot
only things to take away are jack is looking a lot better, hopefully it wasnt a fluke like his first game back was
and ginobili is looking like the ginobili of old
he was scoring at will whenever and wherever he wanted to and he even hit a dirk fadeaway
only thing that concerns me about manu is that he actually doesnt pass it to spliter much
whenever they run the pick and roll he was always looking for the outside shooters and even had his passes read a few times
splitter scored or got fouled pretty much every time he did get the pass on the PnR
Tony actually passed it to blair more which is why he was scoring

[Spursfanfromafar]

What has Danny Green done to you, LJ? Why this hate?

[TJastal]

Seems to me that Pop is trying to appease or perhaps get comfortable all 5 of his bigs with staggered starts...wish he'd just make his mind up and stick with it, the less confusion/drama heading into the final week of the season the better.

[T Park]

Theres no confusion at all. Only amongst the people that wish there to be.

[jjktkk]

Thanks for the writeup Tim.

[TJastal]

this game as a whole was just going through the motion for everybody
spurs players didnt even try to contest some of the 2/3s most cavs players were taking, luckily they missed a lot
only things to take away are jack is looking a lot better, hopefully it wasnt a fluke like his first game back was
and ginobili is looking like the ginobili of old
he was scoring at will whenever and wherever he wanted to and he even hit a dirk fadeaway
only thing that concerns me about manu is that he actually doesnt pass it to spliter much
whenever they run the pick and roll he was always looking for the outside shooters and even had his passes read a few times
splitter scored or got fouled pretty much every time he did get the pass on the PnR
Tony actually passed it to blair more which is why he was scoring

This is somewhat dissappointing to me. If anyone needs more reps and practice heading into the playoffs with the starting lineup it's Splitter. Even Splitter and Diaw will most likely see more playoff time and could have even used more reps together (for the 2nd unit). Instead, Pop goes with the Blair & Diaw combo. Really Pop, why? When the are you going to ever use that combination in the playoffs? Arrrrr...

[TheSkeptic]

Seems to me that Pop is trying to appease or perhaps get comfortable all 5 of his bigs with staggered starts...wish he'd just make his mind up and stick with it, the less confusion/drama heading into the final week of the season the better.

Ever since the Laker beatdown I've actually been really happy with Pop's adjustments. Limiting Blair, playing Bonner less, Diaw/Splitter more, giving Tim more support, etc. It's not exactly as I would like it but it's close enough that I have no real complaints and there's no arguing the results.

Against teams like the Kings or the Cavs the old big rotation isn't going to sink the Spurs and as long as the recent changes we've seen are permanent I think it'll be fine. Have faith.

[Legacy]

Thank you for the write-up again, timvp.

Yeah... the game was a tad sloppy, but all in all it was another W.

I'm just happy with our team in general right now.

[Manu-20]

Speaking of streaking, since the trade deadline, the Spurs are a ridiculous 19-3. No other team has won more than 16 games in that span and no other team has lost fewer than 6. The Spurs are fully 3 games better than anyone else in the league just since March 15.

Since the bench's moral victory in overtime in Dallas on January 29, the Spurs are 35-7. No other team has won more than 31 games in that span (both Miami and Chicago have won 31 and OKC has won 30) and no other team has lost fewer than 11 games.

Shades of 13 years ago.

Ive been noticing the similarities too. The 99 spurs started off a bit shaky so did this years spurs even being the 9th seed early in the year but now are kicking into another gear headed into the playoffs just like the 99 team.

[100%duncan]

@ green. Thanks,Timvp.

[SA210]

Speaking of streaking, since the trade deadline, the Spurs are a ridiculous 19-3. No other team has won more than 16 games in that span and no other team has lost fewer than 6. The Spurs are fully 3 games better than anyone else in the league just since March 15.

Since the bench's moral victory in overtime in Dallas on January 29, the Spurs are 35-7. No other team has won more than 31 games in that span (both Miami and Chicago have won 31 and OKC has won 30) and no other team has lost fewer than 11 games.

Shades of 13 years ago.

Wouldn't it be something to almost sweep thru every team in the postseason too lol

[Fireball]

Wouldn't it be something to almost sweep thru every team in the postseason too lol

Lets just do it

[benefactor]

Thanks for the grades. Take care of business tonight and they can breathe a little easier.

[buttsR4rebounding]

No props to Danny Green for 1 of 2 Popeye Free Throws?

[wildbill2u]

Can't disagree with the grades since the game was sloppy against a poor opponent.

On the other hand, this was potentially a 'trap' game, coming off a big win against an old nemesis Laker team who's been acting like they might be a hard compe or in the playoffs. Spurs could have lost focus and let the Cavs upset them.

But good teams take care of business against poor opponents and the Spurs did that. Got the win, got some rest for the Big 3 and the bench played adequately.

All in all, nothing memorable but a good solid workmanlike job by all concerned.

[Bruno]

No injuries + limited minutes = great win.

It would be great if Spurs beat Blazers today and clinched the 1st seed before their b2b road trip @PHX and @GS. It would put them in a perfect situation to prepare the playoffs.