Grades: Spurs @ Clippers - Game 3

[timvp]

You assume incorrectly. You wrote that they started chipping away from the point it was 40-16, as if they steadily cut it from 24 to 10 evenly over the next nine minutes, when that's not really accurate, imo. Mostly they were treading water for the next five minutes, cutting only four points from the deficit. It was still 48-28 with 3:20 to go.

There wasn't too much slow and steady about the game, tbh, it was a story of three runs: 14-0 by LA in 5 mins in the first, 13-0 by the Spurs in about 2:30 in the second and 24-0 Spurs in 8 mins in the third.

Ah, your quibble is with this line:

Slowly but surely the Spurs kept chipping away as their execution sharpened more and more possession after possession.

Tbh, I was going for the the stonecutter analogy with the chipping and the sharpening ... but apparently I failed. I meant that the execution slowly but surely improved, not that that the deficit vanished at an even rate from then on.

And, btw, it was a 15-2 run in the second quarter, if anyone is scoring at home.

[timvp]

Someone on the radio last night while I was driving compared Leonard to a longer young Latrell Spreewell. Intriguing comparison.

Good comparison hair-wise. Both have good motors. But that's about all I see.

[polandprzem]

Are we following the same series? LAL has bottled up OKC for 3 straight games now, and the only reason they lost 2 of those is because they choked at the end. I wouldn't be suprised if the Lakers at least push the series to 6 games, but the Clippers winning more than 1 game seems ludicrous, after their epic chokejob last night.

Also, thanks timvp. I am a bit less disappointed than you with Tiago, seeing as his efficiency from the reg season hasn't really regressed yet, even though his overall D might be worse than usual. Totally agree with the grade though, hope Pop starts him in the 2nd half today regardless of whether or not Diaw is in foul trouble.

Well LAL are no slouch and Thunder are having 3-1 advantage

[quentin_compson]

Right now, it seems that the Spurs just have forgotten how to lose games. The important thing is that they have picked it up defensively since the last stretch of the regular season and now can come back into a game by playing defense as well, not just by their at times almost flawless offensive execution.

[polandprzem]

No way Leo is like a Spree
Spree was an explosive guy and Kawhi is more technical and smoother

[Old School 44]

Kawhi Leonard A+
The rookie is now a man. While the Big 3 all played their roles, I'm not sure anyone was as good as Kawhi Leonard was today. Defensively, he was a one-man hurricane. Wherever he went, destruction was sure to follow. He started the game off on Caron Butler and totally shut him down. The rest of the way, he defended everyone from Blake Griffin to Chris Paul. Individually, he was fantastic at moving his feet and challenging shots. When it came to his team-defense responsibilities, Leonard was even better. He was aggressive when coming over for help and then used his length and anticipation to cut off driving lanes, passing lanes and every other type of lane. To finish off possessions, Leonard was maniacal about going after defensive rebounds. I've thought that Leonard has been somewhat overrated defensively for much of his rookie campaign, but he was legitimately awesome on D in Game 3. Offensively, he was ultra efficient. He took (and usually made) open three-pointers. Off the ball, he sliced wisely to the basket at the right moments. In transition, Leonard ran the court as hard as anyone. Recognizing how great he was playing today, Pop kept Leonard on the court for 27 of the game's final 33 minutes.

Thanks again for the grades! I think a little Aztec home cooking may have helped a bit this game. Kawhi was just awesome. I've always said his ceiling is higher than most people think, especially offensively. I might even have to adjust my ceiling even higher. I don't really know how to explain it, but he's just got "it".

[wildbill2u]

Amazing to see a rookie actually improve and grow DURING the playoffs. Where many rookies would have panicked at 40-16, he picked up his game and calmly went to work.

His confidence should be so high right now. He 'gets it' and is earning the trust and respect from our vets. A grade well-earned.

In contrast, Jax was the worst player on the court for either team in his short stint.
Is there a grade of F-?

Sometimes I'm seeing an expression on Manu's face that looks like "hey, I'm still one of our Big 3" and then he pushes a little too much in order to prove it, but the shots and the rest of his play aren't quite there except in flashes. I still have hopes he will have a break-through game where he dominates the court again and earns an "A".

This win will go down in Spurs history as equal or surpassing the Memorial Day miracle. Great win from a confident, hard-working team.

[_jin]

Good comparison hair-wise. Both have good motors. But that's about all I see.

they both have families to feed, I guess

[doldrums]

Thanks Tim for all the great effort you expend. I always look forward to these grades after a game. So does John Carroll too, apparently

[EVAY]

Couldn't Tim get an A for nothing more than that phenomenal block on Griffin's attempted slam dunk? thought that particular play should be the highlight for every single after game show on every channel.

[therealtruth]

Right now, it seems that the Spurs just have forgotten how to lose games. The important thing is that they have picked it up defensively since the last stretch of the regular season and now can come back into a game by playing defense as well, not just by their at times almost flawless offensive execution.

The Spurs pretty much put on a defensive clinic. The key is not having weak defenders that give up easy baskets. Everything was well defended and then they sealed it off by getting the rebound.

[Legacy]

What a HUGE comeback The Spurs made in the 2nd half after being down a whopping 24 pts. ... And people are saying that The Spurs are not being "tested." BAH, I say!!

Thanks again for the write-up!

[Spurs da champs]

Yeah, not only did we not see Mills, we saw even more of Neal. Neal is in the rotation to stay.

I'll assume that's not directed at me since I covered that.

Nah, I don't think I've ever given anyone an F who only played eight minutes. That's not really fair, tbh.

But, yeah, as I noted, the only thing that kept Jackson from an F was the fact he only played eight minutes.

But if was RJ in those 8 minutes he would've got more than an F. Simply put Jack seems to care more about rapping then basketball. He doesn't look at all engaged in the game.

[AztecSpur]

At the end of the season JAX was picking up his game and Kawhi's minutes were diminishing, and that continued into the Playoffs. As a rookie, begrudginly, I was expecting KL's minutes to continue that trend deeper into the playoffs.

Sure glad I was wrong.

[Legacy]

Couldn't Tim get an A for nothing more than that phenomenal block on Griffin's attempted slam dunk? thought that particular play should be the highlight for every single after game show on every channel.

Yes. That was simply a thing of beauty.

[WaywardTexan]

Watching the game live at Staples, the difference in mindset of the Spurs and Clippers really came through. When the Clippers mounted the big run in the 1st quarter, I saw the Spurs clap their hands or shake their heads a few times, but they never looked down at the ground or showed serious doubt in their body language. On the other hand, when the Clips were hot had this crazy, unearned confidence like "See! We're making these [often very difficult] shots! And the Spurs are missing theirs [many of which were blown layups or missed open 3's but who's counting]! We are now suddenly a better team than the Spurs!"

Then as the game went on, the Clippers tough shots stopped going in, they stopped getting many easy looks, the Spurs adjusted a little bit to the physical defense that was stopped their own layup attempts, and just kept getting to their spots on offense, taking care of the ball, making passes and making shots.

Big runs are part of the game, of course, but talent and execution over time tend to convert to wins much more often than hot streaks. I know the Clips are hobbled, but a less mentally tough team than the Spurs would have folded in that game. It's a great time to be a Spurs fan.

[Obstructed_View]

OV's game thoughts

To start off, I'm going to just give everyone, with two exceptions, a pass on that start, and my grades will reflect that. In addition, I won't go into too much technical breakdown because it was a very emotional win, and I haven't had time to absorb that yet.

It's been discussed elsewhere, but still merits mention: When watching the 2009 or 2010 Spurs get down by 20 points in the first quarter, I'd have been too nervous to watch the game. I paused this game, went to pick up a friend at the airport, and told him I had to get home to watch the Spurs come back and win. This is a special team, folks. Let's hope fortune smiles on their health for nine more games.


When you put a team down in a two game hole, you expect an emotional response in game three, weather that emotional storm, and just play your game. The Spurs took a different tact and decided to hit the snooze bar during all that, taking care of business once they sensed the Clippers' adrenaline wearing off. What resulted was the Spurs pulling off one of the most historic playoff wins in their storied history. That they pulled off said feat with a largely disinterested expression on their faces marks them as a special group of cold-blooded assasins, the likes of which we've not seen around these parts since 2007 or earlier.


Tim Duncan A
Can Tim Duncan do what he does year in and year out for 40 minutes a game? No. Is Tim Duncan as good a defender when you need him as any big in the league? Yep. Any. Big. In. The. League. Yes, I said it. No, I'm not ashamed of it. Duncan's block on Jordan and Griffin are my evidence. I rest my case and at anyone who thought it was such a ridiculous statement to make.

Manu Ginobili A
Manu Ginobili has waited a long time to blow up. I've really been expecting one of his amazing games by this point where he's the best player on the floor. I'm still waiting, but the real Manu Ginobili stood up for a few minutes tonight, and it was beautiful to see. It's a testament to the man's greatness that he's booed in more places than Kobe Bryant.

Tony Parker A
If there's any doubt who the leader of the team is this season, it should have been erased in this game. Tony Parker came to play from the start, was extremely aggressive throughout, played more strong defense, and closed the Clippers out in the fourth. It's really funny to see Parker chatting and smiling with Paul during dead ball before turning on the intensity when the ball's in play. The best closer in the Los Angeles wore silver and black yesterday.

Kawhi Leonard A+
It's too early to say for sure, but it's possible that we will look back on this game years from now as the coming out party for Kawhi, where he lived up to the hopes the defense-starved fans placed on him the day he was drafted. To be completely frank, I don't know that the Spurs even compete in this game without him. He had two or three momentum plays that were absolutely essential to their ability to cut the lead to seven before halftime. His spacing and team play has been so good this postseason that he can impact the game in ways a stat sheet is unable to show, and he did all that and more. He moved his feet on defense better than he's ever done it before, and immediately showed what kind of a force he can potentially be for this team. From frustrating to outright shutting-down, he did a little bit of everything against Clippers at all five positions. It was beautiful to see. If he keeps this up, the word "Bowenesque" will become inadequate to describe him.


Boris Diaw B
Diaw personified the at ude the Spurs started the game off with, and to be honest, was a big reason they were in a hole. No energy, no compete, no real urgency. Then he hit his three pointer to cut it to eight before halftime, and all was suddenly right with the world again. Moving without the ball, passing, and especially defense. Calm and cool, he grabbed his lunch box, said "sorry I'm late" and punched in.

Danny Green B-
Danny Green had an odd game. I'm thinking he read all the papers before game three. That's my only theory. He was bad. He made two absolutely stupid fouls really early and got himself yanked, then came back in later and took a shake and bake step back three pointer that was so wide that the scorekeeper almost recorded it as a pass out of bounds. He was abysmal. Then when the team started to play well again, he said "Oh, this is what I do." and became himself again, at which point he was what we expect from Danny Green, but with better defense.

Gary Neal B-
Gary Neal has not had a good series. The matchups are a nightmare for him, and there's simply no place for him to hide. In spite of all that, he's worked hard and kept his head in the game to a degree that really really impresses me. He got put into a bad position when Danny got into foul trouble and he was suddenly inserted into a nearly impossible situation that he wasn't prepared for. He wasn't any worse or any better than he's been, which is a sign to me that he's simply in a situation that he can't do much about. The cold hard truth is that he's not needed for this series, but he's going to be down the road. It's essential that he keep his game face on, which he's done. A sign of that is he's still hitting shots, and that's simply all that matters.

Tiago Splitter B
Splitter wasn't nearly as bad as LJ says he was. Griffin's a good player, he was full of adrenaline, and he was on a roll. I expected the NBA Jam voice to yell "HE'S ON FIRE!" at some point. Splitter came into that situation, drew several charges from Griffin and actually got the refs to blow the whisle on one of them. He also worked hard to get rebounds. It was his misfortune that he was defending Griffin by himself at the same time that his teammates didn't think they needed to pass the ball to anyone that wasn't in a Clippers uniform. His steal at the beginning of the second quarter was one of those momentum plays like Leonard had. It was the first thing in the entire game to happen that looked like Spurs basketball.

Matt Bonner C
Matt Bonner fills time. He wasn't great, but he hit a shot. He wasn't great on defense, but nobody got going because they were on him. He was tough, he was physical, he was overmatched. He's not a momentum changer. Thank God he's not starting anymore.

Stephen Jackson F
I love you, Jack, but yo outing, clown.

Pop D-
When Danny Green got into foul trouble and the Spurs were playing listless, robotic basketball, there's only one guy in the entire league who plays with passion and lifts the effort level of his team, and that man is...Gary Neal? Stupid, stupid, stupid decision to put Neal into the game next to Parker, particularly when it's been such a proven failure thus far. Pop has been great this year, but his adherence to subs ution schedules has been a major reason why he's been blasted over the last several years. He avoids an F in this game because he went away from that practice later in the game. Leaving the starters in long enough to clean things up was a sensible move, and one that wouldn't even require mention with any other coach.

[TJastal]

Amazing to see a rookie actually improve and grow DURING the playoffs. Where many rookies would have panicked at 40-16, he picked up his game and calmly went to work.

His confidence should be so high right now. He 'gets it' and is earning the trust and respect from our vets. A grade well-earned.

In contrast, Jax was the worst player on the court for either team in his short stint.
Is there a grade of F-?

Sometimes I'm seeing an expression on Manu's face that looks like "hey, I'm still one of our Big 3" and then he pushes a little too much in order to prove it, but the shots and the rest of his play aren't quite there except in flashes. I still have hopes he will have a break-through game where he dominates the court again and earns an "A".

This win will go down in Spurs history as equal or surpassing the Memorial Day miracle. Great win from a confident, hard-working team.

I love the bi-polar segments of ST...

[TJastal]

Did anyone catch Leonard's block on Paul? I paused my DVR and watched it in slow-mo. Leonard's length is almost unbelievable. He's like the plastic man of the Fantastic Four.

[therealtruth]

OV's game thoughts

It's been discussed elsewhere, but still merits mention: When watching the 2009 or 2010 Spurs get down by 20 points in the first quarter, I'd have been too nervous to watch the game. I paused this game, went to pick up a friend at the airport, and told him I had to get home to watch the Spurs come back and win. This is a special team, folks. Let's hope fortune smiles on their health for nine more games.

I've got to agree with most of your takes. This Spurs team is different. I wasn't worried when I saw them go down because I knew the Clippers were playing out of their minds. Plus this Spurs team can actually defend. So once the Clippers stopped hitting incredible shots I knew they would go back to the mean. This team is full of guys who can make plays on both ends of the court. We haven't had that in a while.

[therealtruth]

Did anyone catch Leonard's block on Paul? I paused my DVR and watched it in slow-mo. Leonard's length is almost unbelievable. He's like the plastic man of the Fantastic Four.

Yeah. I love watching KL play. One key difference we have with this team is we can put KL and DG on good point guards to wear them down. I think we missed that when we were swept by the Suns in '10.

[SOMA Spur]

Thanks for the grades Timvp...I read them after after every game - great stuff.

Long time lurker but went to the game yesterday and had some thoughts from inside Staples.

I sat a section away from the Kahwi Leonard fan club - 15-20 family members all with Leonard jerseys. Lots of fun watching them get into it as Kahwi made great play after great play. That kid's gone through a lot in his young life - so proud for him and his entire family.

The Reggie Evans situation was hilarious as the crowd went absolutely ape for this guy when he entered the game. And after his rebound/put back, the crowd cheering 'Reggie' was absolutely deafening. I turned to my buddy and asked when did Reggie Evans become league MVP. But a few minutes later as Pop ins uted Hack-a-Reggie, these same fans sitting around me just started laughing at the guy as he missed his free throws. They were just shaking their heads saying ' ing Popovich'. Loved it.

Clips and spurs fans usually get along. I think true die hard Clip fans might be the only fans in the league who hate the Lakers more than the Spurs fans do. Plus there is usually a lot of respect the Spurs/POP get from Clipper nation, so things don't usually get too heated in the stands. But in the third as Duncan kept driving to the whole and making layup after layup, some Clips fans and one Spurs fan wearing a Duncan jersey got into it in the lower level and security had to be called in. It was like 10 Clippers Jerseys surrounding one Spurs fan and of course they threw out the one Spurs fan - messed up.

Overall weird game - both my buddy and I knew the Spurs we going to come back and win, , everyone in the building knew the Spurs were going to come back and win. We were just expecting it to be cut to 10 by half, tied up at the end of 3, and Spurs winning with a Gary Neal 3 point dagger. We got the 'cut to 10 by half' part right, but I blinked in the third and we were up by 12 and the game was over. I guess its just a testament to how good we are this year as a team, or how mediocre the Clips are as a playoff opponent. Hopefully the former - I guess we'll find out next round.

Thanks again for posting...

[TJastal]

I like the way the spurs battled back from that huge defecit to win. But the spurs cannot have let downs like that against Durant & Westbrook in the next round. They will be an entirely different animal. Not saying the spurs can't win it, it's just going to be alot tougher.

Thankfully Pop grew some balls in the latter stages of the regular season and secured the #1 seed which very well may be the deciding factor.

[rasho8]

I love your breakdowns LJ. Please take over for kens5 or something.

I also miss the old GTGs