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Taking it pretty easy on Kawhi, Green and Boris IMHO.
On Thursday night, the Spurs confirmed that they are indeed capable of losing a game of basketball. After 20 straight wins, the Thunder hosted the Spurs in Game 3 and rolled to an emphatic 102-82 victory. Anyone who doubted the Thunder were anything less than a legitimate championship contender experienced a rude wake-up call.
Oklahoma City scored the first eight points of the game but San Antonio came storming back. Three and a half minutes later, the game was tied. At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs had a two-point lead.
Manu Ginobili hit a three-pointer to start the second quarter to extend the lead to five ... but, unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. The Thunder responded with a 24-5 run and exited the court at intermission with a 54-41 advantage.
Coming out of the gates in the third quarter, the Spurs got as close as 11 points before the Thunder stepped on their throats. An 11-2 run put OKC up by 20 and the San Antonio would never trail by less than 15 points again.
For the Spurs and their fans, this was definitely a game to forget. The Thunder obviously played with more passion and more juice. Their desperation was palpable and the OKC fans were into the game from the opening tip. To make matters worse, the Spurs were sloppy with the ball and otherwise technically unsound.
The 20-game winning streak was a memorable ride, however the playoffs have now officially begun for the Spurs. Game 4 is going to be the most difficult game of the season to date. Let's hope the Spurs will be ready and bounce back.
Tim Duncan D
With the typical plays on offense being engulfed by the long-armed athletes on OKC, Tim Duncan tried to carry the team on his shoulders. In retrospect, it was a mistake. These days, Duncan can't win playoff games by scoring from the low block. That is especially true against a Thunder team that has solid post defenders and a bevy of capable double-teamers. Defensively, Duncan defended the rim well but the rest of his D was lacking. His individual defense wasn't as dominating as we've come to expect. His pick-and-roll defense, along with his transition defense, was a step slow. Rebounding was another area of weakness on this night. For the Spurs to win this series, Duncan will need to resume his role and avoid straying from what has worked. I give him credit for trying to come to the rescue but ultimately he just made things worse.
Manu Ginobili D
Lately, Manu Ginobili's decision-making and crispness level have been questionable, even when he's otherwise played well. In Game 3, those negatives shone brightly. Ginobili was too loose with the basketball and wasn't creating well for himself or others. Defensively, he wasn't much better. While his rebounding was a plus, his one-on-one defense was below average and he wasn't causing any havoc away from the ball either. To maximize their depth, the Spurs need Ginobili at the top of his game and surgically picking apart the Thunder's bench unit. That wasn't anywhere close to being the case on Thursday night.
Tony Parker D+
The Thunder had Thabo Sefolosha defend Tony Parker in Game 3 and the adjustment proved very effective. While Sefolosha deserves some credit, Parker helped matters by being too tentative. Instead of attacking north and south, Parker allowed Sefolosha to push him east and west. Turnovers were also a major problem. Sefolosha's length played a role in that but Parker just has to make quicker, smarter decisions and cut harder off of screens to open up space. Defensively, the Spurs avoided a cross-matchup by having Parker mostly defend Sefolosha. Considering that Sefolosha exploded for a career playoff high of 19 points, it's safe to say Parker's defense was also poor on this night.
Danny Green C
Danny Green's struggles are one of the most distressing aspects of this series thus far. Game 3 just added to that. While he didn't overtly struggle as much as he did in Game 1 and the fourth quarter of Game 2, Green clearly wasn't playing with his normal level of confidence. Offensively, he's not amounting to anything more than a one-dimensional three-point shooter. And considering he's 3-for-15 on threes this series, that's not good -- to say the least. Defensively, while Green did a good job of challenging Russell Westbrook's shots, he also gave him way too many driving lanes. Westbrook more than made up for his poor shooting night by penetrating and finding wide open players on the perimeter. If Green is going to continue defending Westbrook, he needs to better stay in front of him.
Kawhi Leonard B-
On the defensive end, I wasn't displeased with Kawhi Leonard. Even though the Thunder won, it wasn't due to a Kevin Durant explosion. In fact, a lot of Durant's damage came in the open court off of turnovers and long rebounds. Leonard was also really good on the boards in addition to being one of the few Spurs who was willing to throw his body around in the paint. Offensively, though, things didn't go nearly as swimmingly. Leonard was rushing when he got the ball. He needs to settle back into his role and take what the defense gives him. Leonard was benched for good after taking a contested step-back three-pointer with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter. I don't think we've seen that shot from Leonard all season.
Boris Diaw C-
It was a muted evening for Boris Diaw. On offense, he was too passive when it came to his shot selection. And while his passing was good, his decisions weren't as flawless as they were in the first two games. With the Spurs desperate for playmaking, it would have been great if Diaw stepped up to fill that void ... but that didn't happen. Defensively, he was largely a non-factor -- both individually and team-wise. His rebounding was also missing in action.
Stephen Jackson C+
Statistically, Stephen Jackson appeared to have a breakout performance. However, he just wasn't very good when the game was still up for grabs. On offense, he was tentative with his shot and his ballhandling and passing were weaknesses. Eventually, Jackson stopped being tentative and started letting it fly. The results were positive -- but it was too late. Defensively, he had the opposite problem. At first, he was too aggressive and got caught out of position few times. That said, his defense on Durant continues to be a positive in this series. Going forward, let's hope Jackson will continue to shoot when he's open while also finding the right balance of aggression on defense.
Gary Neal C+
It was an uncharacteristic game for Gary Neal. Defensively, he wasn't that bad; Neal was actually attentive with his rotations while offering a little resistance in individual matchups, which is more than we can usually say. On offense, Neal was having issues with his shot-making. The Thunder were forcing him to shoot off the dribble and the strategy worked for OKC. Surprisingly, Neal's playmaking was also a positive and he took care of the basketball, especially compared to all the other ballhandlers on the team.
Matt Bonner D-
Ugh. Is Matt Bonner capable of thriving at this level of compe ion? I just don't see it. Defensively, he lacked in physicality and swiftness. To make matters worse, he made a few mental mistakes in rotations. While he rebounded at an halfway acceptable clip, his boxing out was poor. Offensively, not only was he missing shots, he was passing up open looks to dribble the ball into the middle. Against the Thunder's length and activity, that's suicide for Bonner. Since the first game of the playoffs, Bonner is shooting 26.9% from the field and 26.3% on three-pointers. As much as I want to find a rational explanation for his lack of marksmanship, the reality that Bonner is a playoff choker is just becoming impossible to overlook.
Tiago Splitter D
One of the most effective adjustments the Thunder made was to switch on picks set by Tiago Splitter. The reason it was so effective was because Splitter failed to score when defended against much smaller players. As I'm sure Pop will hammer into his brain over the next 24 hours, Splitter has to bury smaller players under the basket and then go straight into his shot. Catching the ball and relying on post moves to score on players much smaller than him is a losing proposition. Let's hope Splitter can make the adjustment because he's a vital part of this team. If the Thunder effectively negate his effectiveness for the duration of the series, the Spurs are in seriously trouble. Defensively, Splitter was also quiet. He was usually a step slow when it came to protecting the rim and he didn't always use his length to his advantage.
James Anderson Inc.
I was pleasantly surprised with James Anderson's defense and rebounding. He was active, physical and ready to play despite the long layoff. Offensively, he didn't do much but his decisiveness was commendable. I don't think Anderson will play a notable role going forward but his play in Game 3 probably improved Pop's confidence in him.
DeJuan Blair Inc.
DeJuan Blair played the final ten minutes of the game and continued his habit of destroying the Thunder. For whatever reasons, he just always plays well against Oklahoma City. Obviously, there wasn't much on the line during garbage time but Blair's production might be difficult for Pop to totally ignore. (And I don't know if it's an optical illusion due to his haircut but I thought Blair looked noticeably skinnier than the last time we saw him play.)
Patrick Mills Inc.
The chances of Patrick Mills earning playing time in this series took a hit when the Australian turned the ball over within two seconds of checking into the game. From there, Mills didn't do enough right on either end to prompt Pop to second-guess his choice of backup point guard.
Pop C-
The players didn't seem ready for the amount of fire the Thunder would bring to the game. Pop, too, seemed unprepared. His playcalling oscillated between non-existent and confusingly bland. The Thunder threw the book at the Spurs and I didn't see many in-game adjustments by Pop. Rotations-wise, I was disappointed. Matt Bonner was overwhelmed yet Pop inexplicably continues to show belief in him. I thought Diaw and Leonard should have played more. When things started going south, going to Blair to try to change the tenor of the game would have been worth a shot, especially since the Spurs were lacking interior scoring and energy -- Blair's two strengths. Heading into Game 4, Pop has a lot of decisions to make when it comes to countering the Thunder's adjustments. Perhaps even more importantly, Pop needs to ensure that his troops bring the appropriate amount of enthusiasm and desperation.
Taking it pretty easy on Kawhi, Green and Boris IMHO.
Every man on the roster contributed to the scoreboard....except one ultra con uous individual.
The Spurs were just out there making some turnovers...just losing to a team that was supposed to beat them...no surprises there.
So, to summarize.
Manu and Tony need to get back to God mode.
Bonner needs to get out of Dear God mode.
Green needs to stop his God, What's Happening? mode.
Tiago needs to snap out of his God I Have The Ball What Do I Do? mode.
Leonard and Neal need to forget trying to get to God mode.
Crazy Jack needs to get OKC thinking God, What Just Happened? mode.
And TD needs to kick ass.
Man they stunk it up and Pop couldn't find his towel quick enough. Not sure what he was doing leaving Manu out there when it was clear Pop was moving on. Next.
If you think Bonner is such a choker this year, why is this your first grade of D for him?
Everything else has been Cs and Bs.....
thanks for the writeup, LJ!
Without knowing your specific areas of disagreement, those three earned a slight break for not playing a large role in the collapse. Plus they didn't exactly have a ton of opportunities to attempt to make a difference.
I knew he was a playoff choker coming into the playoffs. Low expectations, tbh.
You still claiming small sample size or you have moved on to another Bonner excuse?
Didn't the lakers switch pick and rolls, along with packing the paint in their numerous playoff best downs of the spurs?
Pop's seen these tactics before.
It's why I said prior to the series our guards' jump shots need to be on for us to win.
Tbh the defense wasn't going to give him anything. Mostly because our offense was so stagnant and there was barely any ball movement. Even cuts were hardly gonna be effective tonight. Our playmakers just did a very poor job. I would agree it's no good forcing the issue, but at least he was willing to try and make something happen. Like you said, he was probably one of the few, if not only spur who seemed willing to put up a fight.Kawhi Leonard B-
On the defensive end, I wasn't displeased with Kawhi Leonard. Even though the Thunder won, it wasn't due to a Kevin Durant explosion. In fact, a lot of Durant's damage came in the open court off of turnovers and long rebounds. Leonard was also really good on the boards in addition to being one of the few Spurs who was willing to throw his body around in the paint. Offensively, though, things didn't go nearly as swimmingly. Leonard was rushing when he got the ball. He needs to settle back into his role and take what the defense gives him. Leonard was benched for good after taking a contested step-back three-pointer with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter. I don't think we've seen that shot from Leonard all season.
I didn't remember those grades existed but you are right. However I don't agree it's Splitters fault if the refs decide to give him phantom fouls. He had Fish on him and did what he was supposed to do and got a BS call. Splitter is better than Blair. I hope people remember that. That said Blair is better than Bonner.
Thanks for the grades. Twas a tough game to watch but hopefully the Spurs come rumbling back. I hope our bench shows up for the next game.
You can do it!
I mean you did it.
Lets hope the rest (of the real team) just had a group brain fart game.
Correct you are senor.
2004 when up 2-0 on the Lamers to be exact.
CIA Poop failed to adjust the rest of the way.
Let's get back to the 20 win strategies.
I bet you would have also allowed Bonner to slam your girl while you watched.
in' amazing.
I think it's fair to expect more production out of Boris Diaw than Splitter and Bonner, so I don't really agree with Diaw's 1-3-2 getting him a C- while Splitter and Bonner get D & D- for their 1-2-1 & 0-4-1.
I agree that Leonard was good on the boards, but beyond that I thought he fluttered between being invisible and being lost. I thought Durant's non-explosion was more a result of him defering to teammates than what Leonard was doing to him defensively. Generally, to me a B- grade means you're saying to yourself "he had a pretty good game". I just can't say that about Leonard's performance last night.
Green's grade I have the least problem with, but a C for 21 minutes with a whopping 3 points just seems a bit much IMO.
Still a good write up which I appreciate as always. I'm just nitpicking a bit.
The Lakers packed the paint but they didn't switch pick-and-rolls. You can't switch pick-and-rolls when you have Shaq on your team, tbh.
I can't absolve Splitter. When you see the other team is switching pick-and-rolls and you'll end up with a midget on your back, any bigman worth their salt would position themselves right under the basket and go straight up into a shot.
Even getting to the point of being forced to use a post move against Fisher was a failure, tbh.
True. Going away from Splitter after one bad game would be crazy.
The strategies were the same last night. The execution, especially in terms of reacting to the Thunder's adjustments, was simply severely lacking.
I've claimed that his ” choking” in the past has been overblown.
I think I've asked you this three times now: Has Bonner been a choker this year?
Parker seemed to not be worried about Thabo on him during the press conference.
He said the thunder had done that a lot in the past two years and he will adjust.
Also he interrupted a reporter asking about switching picks and said they mostly did that to manu. That they mostly trapped him off pick and rolls. And he said he would adjust.
Confidence?
Good acting?
Hope Parker figures it out
His past playoff choking is pretty damn obvious. Not sure how it can be overblown.
In the playoffs? Obviously, yes. But he was a known choker already to anyone paying attention. Shouldn't be surprising when he misses (or doesn't shoot) a wide open three-pointer in pressure situations.
This, to me, was the key for that game. Players didn't seemed unprepared but unmotivated. They might be too overconfident? We still have to make 2 more. But i gotta agree that I don't see Thunder winning this game but actually Spurs losing it because of lacking motivation and will. And that is something the thunder might not be seeing, neither the announcer of tnt. I hope im not being too homer.I didn't see many in-game adjustments by Pop.
I'd love to see Pop just throw Bonner on the end of the bench at least for this ing series and play Blair who he just seems to destroy and make them call him daddy.
Bonner looks like a re ed moron out there in this series in all phases. If he cant make a ing shot, he is of absolute zero use. If i see him do that stupid dribble drive and up again in this series I might be driven insane.
As the #5 big, Bonner is fine. As the #3 big, Bonner is useless.
rofl assuming Pop had a different strategyCIA Poop failed to adjust the rest of the way.
Let's get back to the 20 win strategies.
Getting old watching Bonner stand around in the paint like a stiff watching the action while Collison works on his volleyball skills above the rim. Also getting old watching Pop pretend this isn't happening. I'm not sure if Blair would do better but it seems after being a starter for the better part of two years he should have at least gotten more of a look (especially in this series where Blair has been successfull against the thunder).
Pop has always been reeeeeeeaaaaaaalllllyyy sssssllllloooooowwwwww to make adjustments when they're needed unfortunately. Would be nice to see a Splitter-Blair 2nd unit frontcourt in like the next game, Pop.
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