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If there's anything that would qualify as a signature early season win, this was it. Kudos to our boys.
With an unusual amount of controversy swirling around the basketball team in San Antonio, the Spurs took on a surging Grizzlies squad that on paper entered the game as the best team in the Western Conference. Following an evening of playoff-like intensity, the Spurs were able to escape with a 99-95 victory.
The first quarter was exceptionally close as neither team led by more than four points. From the end of the first period to the beginning of the second quarter, San Antonio went nearly six minutes without scoring. The Grizzlies went up by as many as six points, however Tim Duncan's MVP-level play brought his team roaring back. Heading into intermission, Memphis held a one-point advantage.
In the third quarter, things fell apart for the good guys. On one end, the Grizzlies were getting clean looks, specifically on mid-range jumpers. On the other end, the pace for the Spurs had slowed and the Grizzlies elite halfcourt defense was suffocating. The result was a deficit as large as 17 points.
Sparked by a trio of bench players (Patrick Mills, Nando De Colo and Matt Bonner), the Spurs eventually got going. A Quincy Pondexter three-pointer put the Grizzlies up by 14 points with 9:41 remaining. Mills responded with, in order, a three-pointer, a steal and a layup. After a Matt Bonner three-pointer, the Spurs had trimmed eight points off their deficit in 90 seconds.
From there, the Grizzlies tried desperately to hold onto their lead while the Spurs kept charging. Finally, with under a minute remaining, Manu Ginobili hit a three-pointer to tie the game for the first time in the quarter. The teams traded a couple stops before the game went into overtime.
In the extra time, Tony Parker took over. He scored six straight points for the Spurs and then threaded a slick pass to Duncan that led to two free throws. Up by as many as seven points, the Spurs weren’t out of the woods yet. Memphis scored five straight points to get back into it, however an errant outlet pass with 11 seconds remaining ended their hopes and handed the Spurs an inspiring comeback W.
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Tim Duncan
At halftime, the Spurs were 0-for-11 on three-pointers. Players outside of the Big Three were 1-for-15 from the floor. So, how were the Spurs only down by one point at intermission? Tim Duncan. The superstar bigman had one of his best first halves ever: 21 points, eight rebounds and two assists on 9-for-12 shooting from the field. He was truly awesome on both ends in the first half. Defensively, he helped hold both Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in check. On the offensive end, Duncan was a monster. When he wasn’t throwing down unforgiving dunks, he was scoring in the post or knocking down shots from the perimeter. In the final two quarters and the overtime, it was obvious that Duncan was tired. His defense slipped, as did his aggression level on offense. Luckily, he was able to summon some energy for the end of the game and the extra time. Duncan’s defense improved down the stretch, he grabbed huge rebounds and scored a couple important hoops. Overall, it was another strong performance from the should-be All-Star and MVP candidate.
Final Grade: 94
Season Average: 92.3
Adj. Average: 92.5
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Manu Ginobili
Manu Ginobili becomes rabid on defense after he makes a mistake on offense. Always has. Thus, even though Ginobili shot poorly from the field and turned the ball over six times, the news wasn’t all bad. Defensively, he was foaming at the mouth nearly the entire evening. He had six steals and countless other quality defensive plays. Both his individual and team defense were very good. On the other end, Ginobili made a handful of important passes and his lone three-point make tied the game late in the fourth quarter. Yes, his shot selection (and shot making, for that matter), decision-making and ball control were all decidedly substandard, but Ginobili managed to mostly compensate in other areas.
Final Grade: 79
Season Average: 82.7
Adj. Average: 83.1
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Tony Parker
The Grizzlies are arguably the best defensive team in the NBA. It’s also arguable that Mike Conley defends Tony Parker better than any other player in the league. With those two considerations in mind, it’s difficult to be anything but impressed with the way Parker played on Saturday night. Offensively, he was aggressive from the opening moments. He didn’t back down from the physicality and instead embraced the challenge. In overtime, Parker hit big shots and orchestrated virtually every positive possession. Passing-wise, he was solid throughout; teammates missing wide open threes hurt his assist total. Defensively, he had a few lapses but Parker was reasonably strong on the whole. All in all, the Frenchman’s improvements in terms of making his skillset more well-rounded has him much better prepared to deal with Memphis’ hardnosed defense than he was just a couple seasons ago.
Final Grade: 94
Season Average: 87.4
Adj. Average: 87.5
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Danny Green
After being sent to San Antonio with the rest of the Big Three rather than face the Heat, Danny Green was back in action. As it turned out, he should have skipped this game as well. He was horrid offensively, missing wide open three-pointer after wide open three-pointer. He then began rushing his stroke and eventually was a discombobulated mess. Defensively, I thought he was also below average. To top it off, Green’s night ended prematurely after he suffered a hamstring injury.
Final Grade: 69
Season Average: 81.8
Adj. Average: 82.1
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Gary Neal
When rewatching the game, the aspect that stood out the most that I didn’t notice live was how good Gary Neal was defensively. The players he defended had very little success, even though he spent some important minutes defending Rudy Gay -- a player who should be much too tall and too talented for Neal to cover. While I’d still consider him a below average defender, Neal’s notable improvements on that end have made him a much more valuable player. Against the Grizzlies, it was actually his offense that was the problem. He shot poorly and his passing left a lot to be desired. That said, there was a silver lining: Neal’s scoring came when the Spurs needed it the most. He scored ten points in the fourth quarter -- twice as much as anyone else on the Spurs. Specifically, his two three-pointers in the final period were instrumental in the comeback.
Final Grade: 79
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 83.5
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DeJuan Blair
Back in the starting lineup, DeJuan Blair did very well on the defensive end. He bodied up to Randolph and used his quickness to disrupt. Blair was also able to challenge jumpers and made a few good rotations. Offensively and rebounding-wise, he was very quiet. That said, quiet on offense isn’t necessarily a negative trait for Blair. In fact, many times it’s an improvement … and Saturday night likely qualifies.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 81.3
Adj. Average: 82.2
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Tiago Splitter
Tiago Splitter didn’t have a splashy affair but was reasonably effective. Defensively, he was solid in the post and rebounded well. He also made a couple very good rotations out on the perimeter. Offensively, while Splitter could have finished better at the rim, he was active, set sturdy screens and moved to open spots well.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 82.1
Adj. Average: 83.2
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Matt Bonner
The Spurs were down by 11 points with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter when Matt Bonner entered the game. He ended up playing the rest of the way and played a key role in comeback victory. Offensively, he forced one of their bigs out of the lane, which drastically improved spacing and allowed the perimeter players to attack the basket. Unexpectedly, Bonner might have been ever more important on the defensive end. His fundamentally sound defense against Randolph was huge, as was the fierce effort he gave boxing out the behemoths on Memphis. Bonner would have helped even more if he hit more shots or avoided a couple of his needless fouls, although as it was he was pretty darn valuable.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 82.3
Adj. Average: 83.5
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Boris Diaw
The Good: Boris Diaw hit a three-pointer to improve his season three-point shooting to 50% (9-for-18). Defensively, he had a few positive moments -- particularly when defending the low post. The Bad: Offensively, he was painfully passive. He didn’t shoot enough and also wasn’t making any plays. Astonishingly, he’s gone 55 minutes without an assist. Diaw was also poor on the boards and his rotations were often a step late.
Final Grade: 75
Season Average: 80.4
Adj. Average: 82.3
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Patrick Mills
While his stats aren’t gaudy, this very well may have been Patrick Mills’ best game of the season. When he checked into the contest for the first time near the end of the third quarter, the Spurs appeared to be dead in the water. However, the vivacity that Mills provided paid immediate dividends. He didn’t show any hesitancy on either end. Mills played pressure defense and went for steals. On offense, the Australian took advantage of open space. Mills has value as a change-of-pace guard, as Memphis can now tell you.
Final Grade: 95
Season Average: 81.1
Adj. Average: 80.7
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Nando De Colo
While Nando De Colo wasn’t quite as sharp as Mills, he too played a vital role in the comeback. When he checked in, he pushed the pace and was able to break down the Grizzlies defense off the dribble a few times. On the other end, De Colo crashed the boards and played above average D on the perimeter. While he made some mistakes, I think it’s safe to say he sparked the Spurs and got them off their heels.
Final Grade: 83
Season Average: 80.8
Adj. Average: 80.9
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Pop
It’s hilarious that perhaps the best coaching stretch of Pop’s career caused a $250,000 fine. Outside of the lost money, everything has played out to make Pop look like a mastermind. His bench almost defeated the Heat. Against the Grizzlies, the rested Big Three had the legs to carry almost the entire load. Without the extra time off, there’s just no way the Spurs pull out an overtime victory on Saturday. Within the game, Pop was also fantastic. In the first half, he got the ball to Duncan to help keep the Spurs afloat. When all seemed lost in the third quarter, Pop figured out how to change the momentum. Subbing in Bonner gave the Spurs more room to operate offensively. Mills and De Colo increased the speed and liveliness. Pop also commanded the Spurs to front the post and he started sending more double-teams. Everything worked out perfectly.
Final Grade: 100
Season Average: 85.2
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Offense
The Spurs struggled to put points on the board against the Grizzlies stout defense, especially in halfcourt sets. The Spurs shot 50% on two-pointers but hurt their overall percentage by shooting (and missing) so much from three-point land. Their passing was subpar and they turned the ball over more than usual. The two bright spots: free throw attempts and fast break points.
Final Grade: 77
Season Average: 84.9
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Defense
This sounds like a broken record but the Spurs were again abysmal on the defensive glass. Pulling down only 66% of available defensive rebounds usually won’t get the job done. However, the Spurs were able to survive on Saturday night because the rest of their defense was so, so good. They challenged three-pointers, limited Memphis to 38.1% shooting on two-pointers and forced 20 turnovers. Additionally, the Grizzlies did minimal damage in the paint and on the break. Considering that this was one of the best offensive teams in the league, it was undoubtedly a great effort (outside of rebounding).
Final Grade:93
Season Average: 83.2
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Overall
While the Spurs were certainly outplayed for a portion of the contest, coming back in the fourth quarter showed great character. The Spurs are deep and they’re showing a great will to win no matter the cir stances. Now San Antonio enjoys some richly deserved rest before getting back on the horse.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 84.7
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If there's anything that would qualify as a signature early season win, this was it. Kudos to our boys.
I really love Mills' steal with the help of Splitter's effort.
I really like to see the Defense grade higher than the Offense grade. Reminds me of the good ol' days.
Nice write-up. I also noticed Bonners D in the post. He really is pretty fundamentally sound. He's not going to block shots but he stays on his feet and contests.
That was a great win, our guys really scrapped for that 1. Props to Timmy for that excellent first half. That rest looked like it really payed off.
if only we could add the rebounding partI really like to see the Defense grade higher than the Offense grade. Reminds me of the good ol' days.
matt bonner is creeping back into the rotation and diaw is creeping back out...
3 things
Duncan is freaking unbelievable.
+
Pop should never rest Danny Green ever again.
+
Matt Bonner is back and he is still the KING of +/-
How does a player Gary Neal's age, after being in the league over 2 years, become a better defender over one offseason? Was it physical drills he decided to start doing in offseason no. 3? Was it mental, and countless hours in the film room? Either way it is weird to me that he would become a better defender at this juncture in his career.
The main reason why Neal is looking better defensively isn't some kind of improvements during this summer, it's that he is back playing primarily SG which is his natural position on both end of the court. Last year, Neal got mostly exposed by quick PGs and he hasn't been matched up against them this year.
When everybody will be healthy and Neal will be again the backup PG, I fully expect to see him struggling again defensively. It's a shame that Spurs had to play Neal at the PG spot because he is much better at the SG spot.
Mostly disagree. I agree that Neal is better at defending SGs than PGs but he has looked much improved defensively even at PG this season (outside of the two games against Bledsoe). Obviously he's still a below average defender at point guard but he's no longer the worst defensive perimeter player in the league like he was last season.
According to 82 games, Neal allowed opposing PGs to post a PER of 21.3 last season. This season, that number is down to 17.7. Still pretty bad but not nearly as much of a killer as last season.
We'll see what happens as the season progresses but I'm pretty confident in saying Neal's defensive is markedly improved across the board.
In a postgame interview a couple games ago, Neal said that Pop has been working extensively with him in the film room to improve his defense. Maybe that's the reason.
Matt Bonner has been great in this change of pace/spacing type role as the 5th big. This is the role that he needs to stay in. Boris simply needs to play better, but no way should Bonner replace him and take his spot.
There are a few possible reasons, This is really only his 3rd year in the league and second full year, last year with the lock-out probably only counts as about a half a year player development wise. Last year he was also really concentrating on becoming more of a point guard and dedicated to improving his passing and ball handling. While it is still a work in progress, (and I don't think he will ever really be more than a combo-guard capable of some spot point duties), this off season and able to work with the team instead of on his own defense likely took on a more urgent role, especially considering Pop's public declarations to get back to defense. Further learning to play a new position where he was concentrating on passing and ball handling likely allowed him to understand spacing and passing lanes more.
Finally Gary has changed a bit physically since joining the spurs, at least to my eye, he lost a bit of bulk in his arms and shoulders. Since his listed weight hasn't changed I would guess that he has been concentrating on lower body work-outs more. Previously he always seemed a step slow when defending many players, and while not in bad position not in great position either. That appears slightly better as does his anticipation and his speed.
Well, there were too Mo Williams.
Neal hasn't played a lot of PG this year. he mainly did it early in the season before injuries to Jackson and Leonard. He was matched up against Austin Rivers, Maynor, Tinsley, Augustin, Duhon and Ronnie Price. That's not a lot of quality.
82 games isn't that accurate about it since they have Neal playing PG when he is paired with De Colo.
Anyway, opposing PG scored 26.9 points per 48 minutes with a eFG% of .492 against Neal. These are Parker offensive numbers (26.7 with a .500 eFG%). You can't be fine with Neal turning the average backup PG into a scorer of Parker's level.
We'll see what will happen in the future but, so far, with a small and quite low quality sample, Neal hasn't been good at defending PGs.
Two things the lower the better -- Opponent's FG % and Spurs' 3-point %.
Good news on both -- 36.4% and 24.1%.
If Matt Bonner is able to guard a type of player one-on-one, then Zach Randolph fits the description. Not that tall and not athletic, so if Bonner is not called for ticky-tak fouls he can be very effective against that type of player. The gang rebounding helped to limit offensive rebounding ...
Thanks for the Game Thoughts! Mills earned his high grade for sure. That 3 and the steal for the lay-up changed the momentum of the game. Props too, for Matt. I've never seen him play better D, and his bad fouls were a result of his tough play on Randolph. Nando should do well from his stint in Austin. He hesitated on a shot down the stretch that led to a turnover, but otherwise played with a lot of tenacity. Like that kid in the telecast screaming his ass off, I've still got a sore throat from that game!
Mills circus bucket at the end of the 3rd gave the Spurs the needed momentum to come backthanks timvp!
This isn't the first time these Spurs have come back from a large deficit late in the game. That's awesome. Opposing teams can never feel comfortable with us. No matter how large the deficit, it is incredibly difficult to put the Spurs away.
Honestly, I'd rather have wins like this than constant blowout wins like last season. This is a good sign for Spurs fans.
Yeah, that was the beginning of the comeback. For 11 minutes and 59.8 seconds in the 3rd quarter we were horrible!Mills circus bucket at the end of the 3rd gave the Spurs the needed momentum to come back
Pop
It’s hilarious that perhaps the best coaching stretch of Pop’s career caused a $250,000 fine. Outside of the lost money, everything has played out to make Pop look like a mastermind. His bench almost defeated the Heat. Against the Grizzlies, the rested Big Three had the legs to carry almost the entire load. Without the extra time off, there’s just no way the Spurs pull out an overtime victory on Saturday. Within the game, Pop was also fantastic. In the first half, he got the ball to Duncan to help keep the Spurs afloat. When all seemed lost in the third quarter, Pop figured out how to change the momentum. Subbing in Bonner gave the Spurs more room to operate offensively. Mills and De Colo increased the speed and liveliness. Pop also commanded the Spurs to front the post and he started sending more double-teams. Everything worked out perfectly.
Final Grade: 100
Season Average: 85.2
lol wut? Do you see Nando getting sent to the D-League as an inevitability? Cuz I gotta disagree if that's the case.
He was sent down for one game yesterday and is back with the team for tomorrow's game. Got some extra burn.
No, I knew he was just going down for a game to get his shot on. Going to play a game where he could 20 shots instead of 2 couldn't help but be a good thing. His agent said it was just a one game thing to give him a lot of shots. That's what I meant by 'stint.' Nando is a great addition and is on the Spurs roster not the Toros...
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