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Great write-up! That was a "48 Minutes of " kinda win!!! I enjoyed every single second of it!
Following a rocky beginning, the Spurs got going in the second half to drop the Grizzlies by a final score of 103-82. With an overtime loss in Memphis still fresh on their minds, San Antonio was able to get revenge in emphatic fashion despite playing without Manu Ginobili.
Midway through the first quarter, Tim Duncan hit a jumper to give the Spurs a 15-11 lead. The Grizzlies responded with a 10-0 run and kept the momentum throughout the rest of the period. Going into the second, Memphis was up 25-19.
The Spurs scored the first two buckets of the second quarter but the Grizzlies were able to regain control. Four and a half minutes in the period, San Antonio scored nine consecutive points to turn a five-point deficit into a four-point cushion. The Spurs nursed their small advantage for the remainder of the first half and took a 57-54 lead into halftime.
The second half turned out to be a great pair of quarters for the good guys. Early in the third, the Spurs went on a 12-2 to take their first double-digit lead of the night. The Grizzlies remained within striking distance until a 7-1 run at the end of the third gave the Spurs a 13-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Neither team scored in the first two and a half minutes of the final stanza. When the ice broke, the Spurs wasted little time. In scoring 14 of the quarter’s first 20 points, the Spurs took a 21-point lead with six minutes remaining to put the Grizzlies out of their misery.
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Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan was back to being the Tim Duncan we’ve known and loved for the majority of this renaissance season. Following a four-game stretch that saw him total nearly as many turnovers (17) as made field goals (18), Duncan was much more efficient on Wednesday evening. He got his jumper going -- five of his nine made shots were from the perimeter -- and that opened up the rest of his repertoire. He still missed a couple chippies but his avoidance of turnovers was key to the offensive flow. Defensively, he was really, really good. He blocked five more shots and is now averaging an astonishing 4.3 blocks per game in his last six outings. His individual defense was very good, as he had a part in slowing both Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Duncan wasn’t a beast on the boards but that was partly by design. Compared to the last time these two teams matched up, he was much more aggressive when defending the pick-and-roll and routinely stepped out on the perimeter to muddle passing lanes and contest shots. All in all, it was another great performance.
Final Grade: 95
Season Average: 89.2
Adj. Average: 89.5
Last 10 Average: 85.5
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Tony Parker
It was heartening to see Tony Parker regain control of the offense. His orchestration had been ungainly recently but he was able to put it together for 35 minutes against the Grizzlies. He was great on the pick-and-roll, found open teammates when penetrating and effectively pushed the pace at times to create easy opportunities. Scoring-wise, Parker started off slowly but he eventually got going. He also accounted for five of the team’s six made free throws. Defensively, Parker was very successful. Mike Conley never got into any sort of rhythm and was ineffective, to put it kindly.
Final Grade: 94
Season Average: 86.7
Adj. Average: 86.7
Last 10 Average: 85.5
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Kawhi Leonard
Although he’s still an afterthought on the offensive end, Kawhi Leonard is slowly but surely carving out a larger role. He’s forcing the issue a bit more and his results were again largely positive. While there were a few intermittent miscues, Leonard also flashed promising potential. His standstill three-pointers looked very smooth, he exhibited a pull-up midrange J that was picture-perfect and also showed off a pretty hook down low. Defensively, Leonard again did good work on Rudy Gay. But again, Gay mostly had a positive night. To Leonard’s credit, he kept competing and was able to make a handful of plays on the defensive end that made life much easier for the Spurs.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 84.3
Adj. Average: 84.1
Last 10 Average: 83.2
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Danny Green
Danny Green didn’t have a major impact on the game but he also avoided mistakes. Offensively, he knocked down his three-point attempts, authored a few good passes and stayed within the framework. On the other end, Green was attentive to his team and individual responsibilities. Throw in his overall energetic play and it was a positive 18-minute showing.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 82.8
Last 10 Average: 82.9
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Tiago Splitter
This was one of Tiago Splitter’s best games of the season -- even if his numbers don’t jump off the page. On defense, he was strong. He held his ground, played above average post defense and made quick rotations. However, where he helped the team the most was on the defensive glass. He grabbed numerous contested boards among the thicket of robust rebounders the Grizzlies employ. Splitter being able to man the backboard allowed the rest of the team to play more aggressively on the perimeter, which made a huge difference. Offensively, the Brazilian was rock solid. He finished extremely well, wisely picked his spots and was lively without getting in the way.
Final Grade: 95
Season Average: 85.1
Adj. Average: 85.8
Last 10 Average: 85.7
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Boris Diaw
Memphis decided they weren’t going to defend Boris Diaw on the perimeter. They even decided not to rotate to him even when he was wide open. The Grizzlies were banking on Diaw’s passiveness to be his downfall. Thankfully, on this night at least, that was not the case. Diaw took advantage of the boundless open space around him to pour in 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting on two-pointers. He moved well without the ball and was usually ready to shoot when he caught it. The Frenchman also mixed in great passes while going 29 minutes without a turnover. On the other end, Diaw’s defense was a plus. He was good in transition, defended the low-block well and rebounded enough.
Final Grade: 94
Season Average: 81.0
Adj. Average: 81.9
Last 10 Average: 84.1
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Stephen Jackson
When he’s right, Stephen Jackson is one of the better passing small forwards in the NBA. Versus the Grizzlies, Jackson was right. His passing was absolutely stupendous. No matter if he was stationary or on the move, he threw pinpoint passes that hit his intended target right in the hands. With Ginobili sidelined, Jackson was able to seamlessly absorb some of the playmaking duties, which was a key factor for the success of the bench. Add in a few more made jumpers and it was a fruitful night on the offensive end. Defensively, Jackson was above average. He applied pressure well, used his quick hands to make plays and was physical when needed.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 82.9
Last 10 Average: 82.4
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Gary Neal
Gary Neal was the backup shooting guard with Ginobili out. Statistically, he was fine; he scored the points he needed to score to keep the second unit afloat. Aesthetically, it wasn’t pretty. Neal’s shot selection was iffy and he was often too quick to break the offensive set in order to call his own number. When he did pass, it was usually a beat or two slow. Defensively, he was average, relatively speaking. He gave good effort when he was on the ball but his rotations were sloppy.
Final Grade: 78
Season Average: 80.7
Adj. Average: 81.6
Last 10 Average: 80.1
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Patrick Mills
In his second straight game as the full-time backup point guard, Patrick Mills had an interesting affair. While he was quiet when it came to his normal strengths (namely scoring and pushing the pace), he still put together some positives. His passing was better than usual, he handled the ball without much trouble and got the team into its sets quickly. I thought he could have been more aggressive on offense but it was sturdy, risk-averse performance. Defensively, Mills wasn’t quite as good. He struggled when defending pick-and-rolls and his energy wasn’t as bottomless as it has been in recent games.
Final Grade: 79
Season Average: 83.0
Adj. Average: 82.8
Last 10 Average: 81.6
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Pop
After a wobbly few minutes in the first half in which the team was unsure of how to operate without Ginobili, Pop did well to settle his troops and get them to start scoring by sharing the ball more. He could be seen begging for more passing -- and the results became more and more impressive as the game progressed. Pop’s rotation made a lot of sense and his gamplan on each end was masterful.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 84.1
Last 10 Average: 83.6
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Offense
Considering the Spurs only had 89 possessions, the 103 points they scored against the elite defense of the Grizzlies was awesome. They limited their turnovers, didn’t rely too much on three-pointers and the passing was excellent. The only possible nitpick is the low number of free throws.
Final Grade: 96
Season Average: 84.4
Last 10 Average: 83.7
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Defense
The defense put up some absolutely sick numbers: zero fast break points allowed, only 26 points in the paint allowed against a team that relies on inside scoring, permitting only 11 assists compared to 15 turnovers, and 1-for-9 shooting from three-point land. Oh, and the Spurs unconditionally owned the defensive glass against a team that has historically provided headaches in that very area. Like the offense, the only nitpicking on defense is free throw related.
Final Grade: 97
Season Average: 83.9
Last 10 Average: 85.6
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Overall
Sure, the Grizzlies have slumped since they last defeated the Spurs. But you know Memphis was amped to get this game -- plus the Spurs had to adjust to no Ginobili -- so I’m not going to take anything away from this win. Great job. Onward.
Final Grade: 96
Season Average: 84.1
Last 10 Average: 84.3
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Great write-up! That was a "48 Minutes of " kinda win!!! I enjoyed every single second of it!
Kawhi 23 minutes
Stephen Jackson 24 Minutes
only mistake tbh
and i think it would be better to post the quick grades but not allow any discussion
the post game thought thread is better for it with the player write ups but they usually only get 10ish responses compared to the 60 or so for quick grades
At what point does the backup PG situation become alarming?
Even with Manu out Cojo and De Colo only combine for 8 minutes...
I really feel like being a shooter makes you immune to any compe ion in Pop's eyes... Being a passer, meh he doesn't really give a , shoot the ing 3 if you want him to love you, the more you take the better, nothing else seem to really matter.
That's why Green is a lock to start at SG for the next 10 years, that's why Mills and Neal are ahead of Cojo and De Colo, that's also why Pop doesn't really care about KY midrange game but would rather force feed Danny Green behind the 3pts line...
Imo the greatness of this team lies in the complete opposite, it lies in the strength of its playmakers, Diaw being one of the most important, Sjax being underrated. Not the first time I say this but comparing Pop with Guardiola when he's playing one dimensional strikers (3pts shooters) instead of going with lineups full of creative midfielders (playmakers) is the most re ed thing I've read on this forum. Sure shooters keep the D honest and all that, but TP, Manu, Diaw can shoot the 3 as well as any one dimensional scrub... Maybe even the current version of De Colo can shoot it as well as the one dimensional guys and Sjax can when it matters as well...
Last edited by Paranoid Pop; 01-18-2013 at 05:24 PM.
I also approve of Boris.
Sure the result was great against a team like Memphis, but don't get used to it. Memphis was just coming off a gruesome schedule and was tired.
IF Boris/Tiago can play like they did, i like our chances... It's an odd year...
I don't know if you meant it that way, but to me it read like there was a correlation between Tim getting his jump shot to fall and him avoiding turnovers. I actually think there is truth in that. He seems much more sure of his overall game when his midrange shots are going in, in a way that he doesn't second guess himself offensively and hold on to the ball too long or make questionable passes.---------------
Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan was back to being the Tim Duncan we’ve known and loved for the majority of this renaissance season. Following a four-game stretch that saw him total nearly as many turnovers (17) as made field goals (18), Duncan was much more efficient on Wednesday evening. He got his jumper going -- five of his nine made shots were from the perimeter -- and that opened up the rest of his repertoire. He still missed a couple chippies but his avoidance of turnovers was key to the offensive flow. Defensively, he was really, really good. He blocked five more shots and is now averaging an astonishing 4.3 blocks per game in his last six outings. His individual defense was very good, as he had a part in slowing both Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Duncan wasn’t a beast on the boards but that was partly by design. Compared to the last time these two teams matched up, he was much more aggressive when defending the pick-and-roll and routinely stepped out on the perimeter to muddle passing lanes and contest shots. All in all, it was another great performance.
Final Grade: 95
Season Average: 89.2
Adj. Average: 89.5
Last 10 Average: 85.5
Love how the team is so multi-dimensional compared to previous years where it was mostly the big 3 and 3 point shooters. Great to see Diaw's passing and that SJax can create his own shot when he has to.
Awesome sequence, hit replay a few times times tbh. Tiago much like Blair seems to play better as a starter, he seems way more driven...
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Good thing that wasn't Bonner or Blair there. That would have been an automatic two points for Gasol plus confidence boost.
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