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Thanks for the quick grades. Good to know that Corey Joseph is having another positive night as a starter.
Tim Duncan A-
Held the ball and dominated it too much at times but was otherwise splendid. Great D in the paint. Strong on the boards. Provided the Spurs a foundation to build around on both ends.
Manu Ginobili A
Had a few bouts of sloppiness -- even on D -- but overall played really well. His aggression on O was hugely helpful and his passing was marvelous. His ascension into a larger role has been seamless thus far.
Kawhi Leonard A-
Tenacious on D -- sometimes he was actually too ferocious and got out of position. But, all in all, D was a plus. On O, his finishing was strong. His confidence on this end is blossoming right in front of our eyes.
Danny Green B
The Bulls are great at defending the three-point line, which limited his impact. But, nevertheless, he found ways to chip in. He took quality shots, didn’t force things and limited his mistakes on both ends.
Cory Joseph B+
His stats look pedestrian but I thought he did well. His running of the O was inconsistent but he took care of the ball and was mindful about pushing the pace. His D was solid and his rebounding was stout.
Tiago Splitter A-
The Bad: His post-up game wasn’t working and he didn’t attack mismatches well. The Good: Most everything else. Great on the boards. Played physically. Rolled to the hoop well. Good passing.
Stephen Jackson C+
His turnovers drew Pop’s ire at times -- and rightfully so. He’s still too inconsistent from play to play. That said, his D was above average, he hit the glass and put together a few positive moments on O.
Patrick Mills A-
It was great to see him play well in meaningful minutes. His playmaking wasn’t anything to write home about but he didn’t turn it over while knocking in 13 key points. Hopefully this jumpstarts his season.
Boris Diaw A-
During the most important stretch of the game, he was outstanding. His ability to score or pass from the high-post was flummoxing Chicago. Looked a bit winded but it was a successful return from injury.
Matt Bonner C
Played a mostly forgettable eight minutes. Tried hard on O but wasn’t helping much. Chicago’s physicality diminished his value on D.
DeJuan Blair C+
Active on D but not always in the right places. On O, he was involved -- but, again, not always in a good way.
Pop A-
Can’t complain much. The rotation was weird sometimes but he ended up pushing correct buttons. He harped on limiting turnovers and doing that in the 2nd half was perhaps the No. 1 key to the victory.
Thanks for the quick grades. Good to know that Corey Joseph is having another positive night as a starter.
TD/Jack grades are too low. Diaw too high.
Thanks.
I like Joseph's inability to turn the ball over while forcing the opponent to turn it over.
More minutes for CoJo!!!!
Thought Cory did damn well, and his positives translate to playoff ball better than Mill's chunking. JMO
Tiago's post up game has been nonexistent for most of the season. His back to the basket game is painful to watch and typical ends up with an awkward hook.
That said, he's dynamite on the pick and roll, and even when he faces up, he has that nifty up and under he always goes to, Scola style
Thanks LJ.. Agree with that other poster that Jack's grade is too low.
You don't need a back to the basket game if you're not a first option in the post fwiw.
I know. I'm not unhappy with Tiago at all, don't get me wrong. I just think it would come in handy if OKC tries to play us small or they switch on a Tiago screen. It would be easier to punish them for that if he was able to back people down a bit better
Timvp comes off like he's surprised that Manu's having success playing in a larger role. Uh, there is a track record of him having success before...
Splitter took Noah into the post twice and scored. He backed Boozer in a couple of times as well. Remember he missed a gimme off that in the first quarter.
Grade inflation for Blair, as per usual
I think Manu's W-L record as a starter speaks for itself, but I'd keep on bringing him off the bench if I were Pop.
Not a word about Diaw's defense? I think this was one of the main aspects that helped turn this game around.
It's the best way to ensure one of the big 3 are on the court at all times.
I don't know if Spurs win this game if Diaw can't play tonight; Pop would have been forced to go small (which might have worked) or had to give some minutes to Bonner/Blair in 2nd half; which would have been a disaster.
I like CoJo finally get some chance to show his capability, and hopefully it's not too late for him to become part of playoff rotations. But I would give Baynes some chances as well. Blair and Bonner cannot contribute to the playoffs anyways, what's the harm to give Baynes some minutes?
A win is a win, but it was not a good one IMO. The bench players will get better with more minutes, CoJo's handle will get better, Mill's shooting cannot get much more effecient. However the not good aspect was the offensive boards, SA are weak, looked weak and the stats across the last 10 games confirm it. Playoff time will change the game and they need more boards when the defensive pressure grows and the shot percentage shrinks.
no more game thoughts threads? holy you've gotten lazy.
smh
LOL True... we've been on vacation for almost the last three weeks.
--Kori
Does the bat get a grade?
This was another example, that if Pop leaves Blair and Bonner on the bench our D is so much better ... game was over with that decision, so it was a good game
Are we undefeated when the bat shows up? I think we're 3-0.
Bonner and Blair individually are obviously not as good defensively as the other bigs, but the difference is amplified when they play together. It's just a bad combination.
I doubt Corey is fully confident offensively(Natural, I don't think that he's played 100 significant NBA minutes yet) but he's definitely looking solid defensively. Kept upright, knew where screens were and contested shots. You can't really ask for more. That's true regardless of the success of shots.
I'll also add that I like the fact that in transition, the Spurs are back screening a big man on the drive to prevent a contest. Happened with Kawhi's RH dunk(Duncan screening Noah) and Baynes screened(In the Bobcats game) on an S-Jax drive. Clever way to open up holes.
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