Grades: Spurs @ Clippers - Game 4

[Obstructed_View]

I fell asleep at halftime and woke up just in time to watch the last 90 seconds of the game. West coast starts suck when you have a nine month old baby to chase around.

Thanks for the grades, LJ. Halfway there. Let's get this.

[temujin]

This time I'll probably wait until the series is actually over to write it

Quite the opposite.
Maybe your armageddonish predictions had a part in Spurs taking the Clippers series very seriously.
I am sure some of the Spurs are reading your posts (in fact, I would be extremely surprised if some of the staff didn't), so you should now put some ice on the current too exuberant outlooks.
I would elaborate on the following.
Perkins=Parish
Ibaka=young Akeem
Sefalosha=Bowen
Westbrook=Wade plus brains.
Durant=Dr.J plus Bird (but better at FTs).
And Harden=young and healthy Ginobili.

Mix some stats you are fantastic at coming up with, agitate and serve chilled.
Very chilled.
Time to cool off this euphoria.

[DMC]

I thought Manu was cheating too far off his man, and gambled too often (and fell in love with the 3).

For some reason though, I just trust him to do what's right when it needs to be done.

[DMC]

Quite the opposite.
Maybe your armageddonish predictions had a part in Spurs taking the Clippers series very seriously.
I am sure some of the Spurs are reading your posts (in fact, I would be extremely surprised if some of the staff didn't), so you should now put some ice on the current too exuberant outlooks.
I would elaborate on the following.
Perkins=Parish
Ibaka=young Akeem
Sefalosha=Bowen
Westbrook=Wade plus brains.
Durant=Dr.J plus Bird (but better at FTs).
And Harden=young and healthy Ginobili.

Mix some stats you are fantastic at coming up with, agitate and serve chilled.
Very chilled.
Time to cool off this euphoria.

I understand the giddiness but I sincerely hope the Spurs aren't reading forums to see what they need to do.

[team-work]

Great write-up as usual.

For people like me who don't have the chance to watch the game live, your grades make me feel as if I did watch. It's double enjoyment to know that the Spurs has won and then read your recap.

[rjv]

splitter seems to finally be getting acclimated to the playoffs

[Brazil]

I was wondering myself if Pop wanted to test Green down the stretch on an all star PG (CP3) to see what he can do against Westbrook. I don't see any other explanation. Part of our struggles came from CP3 heating it up in this game while defending by Green. I don't deny that late in the fourth Green played some good D on him but overall I think he did quite a poor job during 3 quarters and half. I don't see any valid reason to not have kept TP on him like the first 3 games other than giving Green a taste of defending a top PG in the PO. I guess we will see a lot of DG on Westbrook.

Also I thought TP was passive during this game, he was giving up the ball especially to Manu at the beginning of the play to transform himself on spot shooter in the corner 3 far from the action (I had some RJ deja vu impression seeing that). Maybe it was on purpose to let Manu going in prevision of the WCF.

I still can't believe some teams are letting Tim wide open on mid range JS, he has been deadly with those. Overall I think the most important/valuable player in the PO so far for the Spurs is Tim, he has been consistently good on both end of the floor and open things up for the team. Once again Spurs rely more on Tim's play than any other player including TP. We can survive with a TP poor game not with a Tim's poor game against the top teams of the league imho.

[polandprzem]

This time I'll probably wait until the series is actually over to write it

[Legacy]

EXCELLENT!!

Thank you so much, timvp!

[Dr Cox]

Maybe it is just me, but I think Bonner was in during the 4th to prepare for "hack a".

Diaw had too many fouls to be in for that.


I thought Pop deserves an A. His play calling was outstanding in the 4th.

but hey that is just me : )

[ducks]

Is it me or is Manu simply looking old? All things LJ worte up about him in this game post are spot on. He really isn't moving his feel well at all and he's lazily reaching more and momre to try for steals. His decision-making has always been "risky", to say the least, but now at 34, he's settling for 3's early in the shot clock and, at times, forcing entry passes into tight spaces, that he probably should not.

Does anyone think he's simply in a slump or is his skills simply deteriorating or both?

he sucks on backto back
tried to tell you that for years

[Fabbs]

I agree about the play-calling, particularly in the 3rd Q when we way-overplayed 4-down. Any idea why Pop would do that when the high pnr and motion sets get us so many easy layups and wide open 3s?

Gave me badd memories too.
Hopefully that was a temporary regression.

[Blake]

Bonner hit some shots and ended with a +3.

People will always gripe about his minutes, I guess.

[wildbill2u]

Is it me or is Manu simply looking old? All things LJ worte up about him in this game post are spot on. He really isn't moving his feel well at all and he's lazily reaching more and momre to try for steals. His decision-making has always been "risky", to say the least, but now at 34, he's settling for 3's early in the shot clock and, at times, forcing entry passes into tight spaces, that he probably should not.

Does anyone think he's simply in a slump or is his skills simply deteriorating or both?

His passing is a great concern. He's trying to make dangerous passes, threading the needle, while simply bringing the ball up the court. You can understand him trying to make such a pass to a cutter to the basket or on a P&R, but at midcourt?

And what's with getting trapped or in the air and trying to make a high cross-court pass? Parker was doing the same damn thing, time after time, even though they sometimes got away with it, they were dangerous against a quick Clipper team that was over-playing the passing lanes.

Manu and Parker were the worst Spurs on TOs last night when they should be using their veteran experience to avoid them. Tony was trying to be too aggressive against a team that was bent on keeping him out of the lane. He should have taken the short jumpers they were giving him or passed out to the open man more since he was getting into trouble when going against four players in the lane. That was just demb.

When Manu starts missing 3s short, you know its because of tired legs. He played hard on defense against quicker guards and it showed up in his getting left behind too many times resulting in reach in (or reach from behind) fouls.

You can't say too many nice things about Green in the last minutes. He was ball-hawking all over the court and even when his man got free, he worked hard to recover. Tremendous effort.

[Bruno]

Thanks for the grades.

Parker and Ginobili were a little tired for this game. Since they are the primary ballhandlers, it affected the whole team that was out of sync. Pop's move of putting Green on CP3 was the right choice with Parker tired.

The good news is that Spurs have a long break to be fresh for the WCF. It's going a of a series. After two easy rounds, true playoffs are starting for the Spurs.

[vander]

wow 28 assists

[GSH]

Tim Duncan

Rudy T said, "Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion." But even he might be surprised at the performance of Tim Duncan. We're seeing something truly rare and special here. Enjoy it. Halley's Comet is due to return in 2061. It may be that long before a player turns back the years to perform like Tim Duncan has this season. Well... unless he does it again next year.


Pop

Late in the fourth quarter, the Clippers' offense was killing the Spurs. They were in rhythm, scoring seemingly at will, and the Spurs couldn't buy a stop. Pop's decision to go to the Hack-a-Reggie yet again changed all that. It slowed the tempo of the game, and took control away from Paul and Bledsoe. Best of all it got the Spurs what amounted to stops. Like it or not, that strategy won the game. And Pop proved why he was COY, by injecting himself directly into the game from the sidelines.


Manu Ginobili

Through this whole series, Manu had trouble getting the corner on his way to the basket. You can blame that on the Clippers' youth and quickness - but that's just a more tactful way of talking about Manu's lack of youth and quickness. Maybe there is some lingering lack of conditioning from all the time he missed this season. It's hard to play yourself back into shape, even without all the mileage on Manu's body. Or maybe it's a sign that the future is here today. But when the Spurs are down by one, and the shot clock is turned off, we're not nearly as likely to see Manu swooping down from the 3P line for a game-winning layup.

Perhaps a bigger concern is that, in the past, Manu's outside shot has been a pretty reliable early indicator of his health problems. When Manu doesn't look like Manu, it's usually because Manu isn't Manu. When he can't get the corner AND he can't seem to hit from outside, you have to wonder if he's got some nagging leg problem that he's keeping to himself. Maybe it's nothing, and Manu will explode for 20+ a few times in the WCF. But, just the same, I'm glad for any rest he can get right now.


Tony Parker
Parker used up a lot of energy in that epic Game 3 comeback. He deserved a little bit of a letdown the next night. He struggled with his floater, which is probably a result of legs and lift. But when he really needed it in the fourth quarter, the ball barely rippled the net. Maybe he struggled, but picture what the night would have looked like without him. Then pretend like this is the NCAA, and just give him an "A" whether he earned it or not.


Danny Green

The Reformed Church of Danny Green is still accepting converts. Better late than never.


Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi got pushed by Caron Butler, and he got himself a T for pushing back - but he didn't lose his cool. In fact, he gave Butler a little smile (a huge smile, by Kawhi's standards) like he was amused at the old man for going there. Nothing about this kid says "rookie" - except maybe the fact that you can see he's going to get even better.


Matt Bonner

Bonner doesn't want to take the 3P shot. He's looking to pass, or to get his man off the ground so he can get closer for his running... floating... thingy. To me, it looks like he's afraid any time a defender is closing on him at the arc. If he's not totally wide open, or at least a step or two back from the 3P line, he looks like the teacher just called on him, and he didn't read the chapter. Not only is Diaw a better defender, but he's been a better 3P shooter. There's not going to be a lot of minutes for a big man who's not really a big man, who shoots 3's but not really in the playoffs.


Stephen Jackson

Jackson's toughness and desire are always there, even when he has an off game. And we'll need them in the next two rounds.


Gary Neal

My faith in Neal's ability to hit a timely 3 is unshaken. He's an assasin. And when put in that position, he's as likely as anyone to come up big. Everyone knows that he's vulnerable when he's on the dribble, and they're going to come after him. The Clippers were particularly well equipped to do that, but so are most of the rest of the teams left. It's not fair for him to be in that position, but he's going to have to Neal with it. I hope they get him the shot opportunities to redeem some of the inevitible turnovers.


.

[Rummpd]

Blair an A+ for riding the bench without complaint. It must be killing this guy [if not he needs to leave the NBA] to go from starter to last man off the bench but he has seemingly accepted it. Hope Spurs blow out Thunder or even LAL enough in a game to get him at least a few minute of burn.

[024]

manu actually looks like he's injured and/or fatigued. it's either that or he's getting old. he's a step slow a lot of times, making crazing passes, and gambling a lot on defense. he's definitely not confident on the floor. it's not going to get better next round where he'll face harden directly off the bench and then also deal with sefolosha's defense.

[boutons_deux]

It really was fun while it lasted for the Clippers

I'm sitting here watching a game the Clippers have no chance of winning and it's still a hoot.

Who gets up for a game when already down three games to none to the Spurs and losing the last one after being up by 24?

The Clippers should be deflated, but they are winning, 75-74, after three quarters. Their playoff run is over, and yet they don't seem to know it.

Inspired effort is what fans have been getting from the Clippers all season long, and right now there are 19,000 fans on their feet. They had to come here knowing this was doomsday.

Yet everyone in Lob City is wearing red again, the place alive with noise and so this is what it's like to have fun at a basketball game.

You forget that when you're a Lakers fan.

Winning is the only thing that is fun. Winning championships, as we're repeatedly reminded, is the only thing that counts.

But who had a better time this season, Clippers or Lakers fans?

How does anyone root for the Lakers? I understand history, tradition and all those trophies, but right now how does anyone invest everything they have in these players?

What is it like to expend so much energy loving the Lakers and getting Andrew Bynum in return? Do you think that for one second of his life he gives a rip about any of you?

The Clippers are not the Lakers, and probably never will be as long as most of us live.

But name the last time fun and Lakers were mentioned in the same sentence? Anything but winning seems to result in anger, fans wanting Coach Mike Brown fired and the players now pointing fingers at each other.

Chris Paul is every bit as compe ive as Kobe Bryant. But I can't imagine Paul throwing blame Blake Griffin's way as Bryant has done with Pau Gasol.

If Griffin turned the ball over, somehow got it back and missed the shot, or stepped out of bounds or forgot to shoot and the clock ran out, Paul would say it was all his fault.

But when Gasol made an errant pass, according to Plaschke's online column, Bryant told reporters: "It was a bad read. It was a bad read on Pau's part.''

A kid does that in high school and he gets reprimanded by his coach, his parents and his teammates for singling out a teammate.

Yet Bryant goes on. "Pau has to be more assertive; he's got to be more aggressive. He's looking to swing the ball too much. He just has to shoot it."

All that's true, and add in the frustration that comes with cheering for Gasol while he whines about every foul called and plays so soft at times.

But after a stinging defeat, to get stung again by a teammate -- and a teammate of Bryant's caliber -- is too much.

It's not the first time. This is the same guy who looked as if he would need to be taken him off the court in a straitjacket after Metta World Peace passed the ball to Steve Blake for a last-second three-point attempt earlier in the series.

http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=...%3D0%26DPL%3D3

[MannyIsGod]

Is it me or is Manu simply looking old? All things LJ worte up about him in this game post are spot on. He really isn't moving his feel well at all and he's lazily reaching more and momre to try for steals. His decision-making has always been "risky", to say the least, but now at 34, he's settling for 3's early in the shot clock and, at times, forcing entry passes into tight spaces, that he probably should not.

Does anyone think he's simply in a slump or is his skills simply deteriorating or both?

Too soon to tell but this Manu is definitely not the Manu we've all grown used to. I hope he snaps out of it.

[maverick1948]

After watching the game a second time, I wonder how many of you noticed the BENCH play last night?

Points SA 43 LA 31
Rebounds 12 14
Assists 13 4
Steals 2 3
Blocks 1 1
Turnovers 6 4
Fouls 9 12 (includes 4 hack-a-bad foul shooter from Bonner)

It appears that the regular season rotation of bench seeing a lot of play in b2b paid off. Every bench player contributed to the win. Individually, they each delivered their share.
For all the Bonner haters who think he played bad D. Maybe you should look at the guard who let their man get away from them. Also, considered the 2 uncontested shots counted only 4 points. To contest may have let to +1 making the uncontest the smart move. Jackson played smart. He did not fill up the stat sheet but made a few smart plays both on offense and defense. Ginobili passed up a couple of open 3's, but his pass led to a easier basket. Neal was lights out on the offensive end. What can you say about Splitter but fantastic game. Offense, defense and rotations all were excellent. He didnt get blocks but he altered shots. And he stuffed with more gusto than usual.

Give Pop an A+ for the rotation he put on the court. He trusted each one because they were there in the regular season.

[senorglory]

Blair an A+ for riding the bench without complaint. It must be killing this guy [if not he needs to leave the NBA] to go from starter to last man off the bench but he has seemingly accepted it. Hope Spurs blow out Thunder or even LAL enough in a game to get him at least a few minute of burn.

I've been wondering how Blair is handling this. He must be frustrated. What's his at ude next season?

[Obstructed_View]

Manu hasn't been needed to save the team. His legs will be fresh when they finally face adversity. I'm not worried.

[TDMVPDPOY]

jax had a series, but him holding onto the ball too long isnt great...would prefer he let it go or dribble around to confuse the defense...