Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. Hawks - Jan. 19

[timvp]

Playing without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili -- Duncan was resting on the back-to-back and Ginobili is still dealing with his hamstring injury -- the Spurs were in Atlanta to take on the Hawks. Despite being shorthanded, San Antonio was able to gut out an impressive 98-93 victory. The Spurs competed at a fantastic level and got surprising contributions to snap their three-game losing streak on the road.

The first was a hotly contested quarter from the outset. However, the Spurs made their run in the final two minutes of the period. An 8-0 sprint authored by Nando De Colo, DeJuan Blair and Matt Bonner gave the good guys a 25-16 lead going into the second quarter.

Blair scored the first three points of the second period to bump the lead up to 12-points. Unfortunately, Atlanta responded with a 21-10 run to erase San Antonio’s advantage. Before the end of the half, the Spurs got going once again and scored 12 of the final 15 points in the quarter to take a 52-42 lead into intermission.

San Antonio’s offense stagnated to begin the third quarter. In the first seven and a half minutes, the Spurs only scored eight points. With the Spurs failing to capitalize, the Hawks came all the way back and went up by a point on a Josh Smith layup. Apparently, that served as a wakeup call because the Spurs immediately responded with eight straight points. But that momentum was short-lived as the Hawks made it 72-70 heading into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Spurs defense shined. After Kyle Korver hit a three-pointer to bring Atlanta within one point with 9:33 remaining, the Spurs held the Hawks scoreless for more than four minutes. During that time, the good guys built a ten-point advantage. Atlanta kept pushing to get back into it but Tony Parker kept them at bay by supplying a sufficient amount of offense down the stretch. Game over.






---------------
Tony Parker

It wasn’t the prettiest game Tony Parker has ever played, but considering the cir stances – on the road during a back-to-back with no Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili -- he was pretty darn awesome. He concentrated on creating for his teammates during the first three quarters … and the results were sublime. Parker had 11 assists through three quarters and was masterfully running the show. Perhaps his most important number of all is the single turnover. To handle and create as much as he did against the Hawks and only have one turnover speaks to the precision of which he played. Scoring-wise, Parker has been better -- but, again, he usually doesn’t have the entire opposition focusing on his every move. On the defensive end, he was painfully weak in transition on a handful of occasions but was good to really good at defending halfcourt sets. All in all, it was a fantastic effort.
Final Grade: 95
Season Average: 86.9
Adj. Average: 86.9
Last 10 Average: 85.1
---------------
Kawhi Leonard

Coming off of his worst game of the season, Kawhi Leonard was much better. He scored ten of his points in the first half and was far from the hesitant, unconfident mess he was last game. He shot the ball with sureness and looked comfortable on the dribble. Defensively, he was a positive. He made Josh Smith work for every inch. Leonard also played the best defense of anyone when matched up against Kyle Korver. He contested well on the glass and was able to make plays away from the ball.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 83.8
Adj. Average: 83.6
Last 10 Average: 80.9
---------------
Danny Green

Offensively, it was a strange game for Danny Green. It seemed like he missed his easier looks and connected on the more difficult ones. The good news is he was forced into more of a playmaking role at times and did commendable work. Defensively, he was substandard to begin the game; he lost his man way too much and really struggled to get around screens. As the game progressed, Green got better on D. Screens still gave him trouble -- but not as much. He kept closer tabs and was able to successfully contest a number of shots.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 82.7
Adj. Average: 83.0
Last 10 Average: 82.8
---------------
Tiago Splitter

In the first half, Tiago Splitter was surprisingly quiet. Without Duncan in the lineup, one would assume the Brazilian would hoist more than three attempts in the first two quarters. Thankfully, Splitter got it going in the second half. His defense was much improved and he became a difference-maker on the offensive end. Specifically, his pick-and-roll movement became the lifeblood of the offense for long stretches of time. In the fourth quarter, Splitter’s rebounding was huge. He didn’t back down from battling against Al Horford and was able to grab more than his share of boards.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 85.4
Adj. Average: 86.1
Last 10 Average: 86.1
---------------
Boris Diaw

Boris Diaw was thrust into the starting lineup with Duncan resting. Overall, Diaw did well. On offense, he was ready and willing to shoot it, passed the ball great and limited his mistakes. (He doesn’t have a turnover in his last three games -- a span of 76 minutes.) Defensively, he had some problems against Smith but was otherwise above average. Diaw rebounded adequately and his energy level throughout was more than adequate.
Final Grade: 87
Season Average: 81.3
Adj. Average: 82.2
Last 10 Average: 84.7
---------------
Gary Neal

For the second consecutive outing, Gary Neal had a lot of difficulty shooting it straight. More than that, his shot selection is on the fritz. He’s obviously pressing in an effort to replicate what Ginobili brings to the table. Neal needs to realize he’s not Ginobili and he’s not going to become Ginobili. Settling down and playing within the offense would do wonders for his ability to positively impact the proceedings. Once again, he didn’t help out on the boards, didn’t make very many good passes and played deficient defense.
Final Grade: 69
Season Average: 80.0
Adj. Average: 81.0
Last 10 Average: 77.7
---------------
Matt Bonner

Wow, where did that come from? Matt Bonner had undoubtedly his best game of the season against the Hawks. In addition to dropping each of his three three-point attempts, he was doing things within the arc we almost never see from him. He crashed the offensive glass at times, smoothly made plays off the dribble and even used a post move when guarded by a smaller defender. Defensively, Bonner was also solid. He rebounded well, played good pick-and-roll defense, contested a couple shots and was reasonably physical in the paint. Give Bonner heaps of praise for his ability to stay ready even though his minutes have been sporadic this season.
Final Grade: 98
Season Average: 80.8
Adj. Average: 83.1
Last 10 Average: 75.7
---------------
Nando De Colo

The Good: Nando De Colo hit another three-pointer and now has his three-point percentage up to a very respectable 41%. De Colo had a couple good defensive plays, was strong on the boards and his court vision was impressive. The Bad: De Colo turned it over too much. If he can’t figure out how to take better care of the ball, he doesn’t have a chance to remain in the rotation. His running of the offense was also chaotic. De Colo got the team into its sets late and he was uncharacteristically ineffective running pick-and-rolls. On defense, he was again prone to blatant mistakes.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 81.2
Adj. Average: 83.2
Last 10 Average: 76.3
---------------
DeJuan Blair

Nothing much is expected out of DeJuan Blair these days but he did really well in Atlanta. He was very strong on the boards and his activity on defense was admirable; Blair seemed to consistently be in the middle of the action when he was on the court. On offense, Blair had his blunders here and there but was more than tolerable. He went hard and did pretty well for a guy who can’t get more than six inches off the ground. All told, Blair seems to be adjusting to his lack of athleticism and has been passable his last few outings.
Final Grade: 93
Season Average: 79.0
Adj. Average: 80.5
Last 10 Average: 82.7
---------------
Stephen Jackson

I’m not quite sure what was wrong with Stephen Jackson. In fact, he may very well have been hobbled. He was extremely slow in the first half; he appeared to be jogging everywhere instead of hustling. Jackson did little right before gingerly going to the bench. He then didn’t play in the second half. It’s something to keep an eye on.
Final Grade: 70
Season Average: 81.9
Adj. Average: 82.5
Last 10 Average: 81.5
---------------
Pop

No Duncan. No Ginobili. No problem. First of all, sitting out Duncan was the right move. Duncan had played 32 strenuous minutes the previous night against the Warriors. During the game, Pop was smart to keep going back to Bonner since the redhead had somehow channeled Hakeem Olajuwon for this game. And even though the Spurs were heavily dependent on Parker on this night, Pop was able to give the Frenchman enough rest to allow for a strong finish in the fourth.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 84.0
Last 10 Average: 82.2
---------------
Offense
The offense wasn’t great by 2013 Spurs standards but one positive aspect stood out: the nine turnovers. This team has struggled turning the ball over so it was great to see them take care of it so well on the road. Those extra possessions proved to be the difference in this game.
Final Grade: 86
Season Average: 84.1
Last 10 Average: 81.1
---------------
Defense
None of the stats look too remarkable on the defensive end other than the 41.2% the Hawks shot from the field. Subjectively, the Spurs did a great job of contesting shots -- especially attempts in the paint. San Antonio struggled rebounding-wise without the Duncan’s services but they were able to stay afloat in each category enough to allow their energy and effort to win out.
Final Grade: 90
Season Average: 84.1
Last 10 Average: 84.2
---------------
Overall
This was a really good win. The Hawks aren’t a great team or anything but this had all the markings of a loss when the ball was tipped. Instead, the Spurs ended their road woes by playing hard and playing as a team. Job well done.
Final Grade: 94
Season Average: 84.2
Last 10 Average: 83.1
---------------

[Dex]

DeJuan Blair

Nothing much is expected out of DeJuan Blair these days but he did really well in Atlanta. He was very strong on the boards and his activity on defense was admirable; Blair seemed to consistently be in the middle of the action when he was on the court. On offense, Blair had his blunders here and there but was more than tolerable. He went hard and did pretty well for a guy who can’t get more than six inches off the ground. All told, Blair seems to be adjusting to his lack of athleticism and has been passable his last few outings.
Final Grade: 93
Season Average: 79.0
Adj. Average: 80.5
Last 10 Average: 82.7

Is it time to officially be worried about Blair? Your 'lack of athleticism' comment, as if that is something that is common knowledge, is troubling.

Blair's limitations have always been pretty well known (i.e. he's undersized, and plays out of control sometimes). However, when he came into the team, he seemed like a guy who knew how to maximize his abilities. Now, he seems like the opposite (this game notwithstanding).

At first, I assumed maybe he just had some kind of nagging injury. But considering it's now been a couple of months and he's had more than enough time on the bench to rest, his athleticism just does not seem to be coming back. When Blair was picked up, the concerns about his lack of ACL's speculated that he may not be able to play more than 4-5 effective years. Are we starting to see the results of that?

[Darius McCrary]

Is it official that DeJuan's knees have caught up to him? Or has he just had nagging injuries?
Poor guy.

[Paranoid Pop]

Nando is a SG, I said it a while ago, while I've my share of takes, that wasn't one of them. He's not a point, he's a Manu lite, litterally.

For some reason Pop loves monkeyballers at SG, guys who can't make a simple pass/layup but are only good at one thing, like savant monkeys : shoot the 3. If you try to do anything else it hurts your value in Pop's eyes pretty much, if you have other skills you better try to hide them to get a spot in the rotation... Danny Green and Pop, such a heartwarming love story...

[Hoops Czar]

Nando is a SG, I said it a while ago, while I've my share of takes, that wasn't one of them. He's not a point, he's a Manu lite, litterally.

For some reason Pop loves monkeyballers at SG, guys who can't make a simple pass/layup but are only good at one thing, like savant monkeys : shoot the 3. If you try to do anything else it hurts your value in Pop's eyes pretty much, if you have other skills you better try to hide them to get a spot in the rotation... Danny Green and Pop, such a heartwarming love story...

I wouldn't go around calling him Manu lite just yet. I'm sure once he gets his feet wet, he'll be a decent NBA role player for the Spurs someday but he's basically accomplished nothing out there yet and for some reason, he has a higher adjusted seasonal average than Diaw, Neal, Bonner, Green, Blair and S-jax. Go figure. I've got to be missing something.

[TrainOfThought5]

I wouldn't go around calling him Manu lite just yet. I'm sure once he gets his feet wet, he'll be a decent NBA role player for the Spurs someday but he's basically accomplished nothing out there yet and for some reason, he has a higher adjusted seasonal average than Diaw, Neal, Bonner, Green, Blair and S-jax. Go figure. I've got to be missing something.

this being his first season in the NBA and with the team, im going to give him time to polish his game and improve his weaknesses before i annoint him as Manu-lite or shelf him as a "Role player". two years ago Splitter looked like soft euro trash. now hes a strong starter. give De Colo some time.