-I'm struggling to digest what I just witnessed. I've tried to write the grades but it's just not possible. This game had so many wild twists and turns that performances can't be summed up with a letter grade. If you missed the game, I recommend you procure a copy and watch it. That's the only way to truly understand what happened.
-Tim Duncan was statistically okay but it was painfully obvious that he was slowed by his illness. He reactions were sloooooooooooow, as were his defensive rotations. Give him credit for trying to play through it -- and actually producing, for that matter -- but it's not a coincidence that the Spurs made their run when he left the court. Let us hope to all that is holy that TD is much closer to 100% for Game 2.
-It's also painfully obvious that Tony Parker isn't physically at his peak. His D was about two steps slower than usual. He also didn't have much of a burst and his jumping was worse than usual. But, like Duncan, he battled. Though he made mistakes throughout, Parker's toughness and will to win were apparent. No matter what was going right or wrong, he kept going at it.
-I loved Manu Ginobili's passing this game. He created countless open looks with pinpoint, perfectly-timed passes. I didn't like his shooting nearly as much -- especially that inexplicable 30-footer with time on the clock that illustrated room temperature basketball IQ. But I did love his final shot. All in all, while he got exhausted at the end due to the extra minutes, I think this was mostly a positive outing. The most important aspect is he looked fine physically.
-This was the ultimate workmanlike performance from Kawhi Leonard. He stuck to his strengths and the numbers at the end of the night hint at his all-around contributions. Leonard's D on Steph Curry was a gigantic key down the stretch. He mixed in a few momentous buckets on the other end. Overall, a very strong showing.
-I think we can officially put to bed the idea that Danny Green is a playoff choker. He had HUGE shots without hesitation. He's a player who runs hot and cold -- so the Spurs were smart to milk his hot hand tonight. Defensively, I wasn't thrilled with his individual D but his team defense was above average.
-Boris Diaw returned after his back surgery -- and while he wasn't too impressive early, he was a key part of the win late. Defensively, his ability to switch and/or hedge on Curry was a game-changer. Diaw exhibited his deceptively quick feet and was able to swallow up a bunch of sets in the fourth and overtimes. And then on O, all of Diaw's points were hugely important. It was almost as if Robert Horry had returned to town. When the Spurs really needed him, the Frenchman delivered.
-Unlike others, Gary Neal peaked early. He got some great shots in rhythm (hat tip @ Manu) and appeared headed to a big game. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. His scoring fizzled out and his defense seemingly got worse and worse.
-Matt Bonner hit two more shots in the playoffs -- so we have to be happy with that. He continues to look confident on the offensive end. Defensively, I wasn't too thrilled with what I saw. His rotations were late and he provided even less resistance in the paint than usual.
-Against the rotting carcass of the Lakers, Cory Joseph looked great. Tonight, he was introduced to a legitimate playoff team. The outcome wasn't nearly as positive. Joseph exhibited moxie at times but he looked like a fish out of water too often. Let's hope he adjusts to going against non-scrubs.
-DeJuan Blair's D was so bad that I can't even give him credit for anything else. From individual defense to help defense and everything in between, he was putrid during his six minutes.
-I'm going to have to come back for more in a few hours. What a game
The one playoff game I could have watched, but missed. 'Tis a shame.
HOLY , THE SPURS WON?!!? I gave up in the fourth quarter after seeing Manu clank jumper after jumper. Can you blame me, I had been awake since 3 AM and it was already close to 11 PM.WTF, double overtime?!? I should just turn in my Spurs fan card. I'm in complete disbelief.
I will track this game down.
I was screaming at my friend (who was rooting for the Dubs), "WHAT IS BLAIR DOING IN THE GAME"
Ugh. He's just awful.
I just decided to watch the last 14 minutes of the game, I feel like the first 44 probably weren't worth it, although Ginobilis dunk was nice.
Great write up.
Your comments about Parker not being right physically, of course, concern me. I mean if you're not going to recover at over a week's rest, then you won't be ok until after an offseason (if then).
Wow! What a game. Danny and Kawhi really hit some big shots. Kawhi's defense on Curry seemed by far the strongest, but I doubt Pop would/could leave him on Curry the whole game. I think you have to mix it up.
And overtime showed us everything frustrating and truly great about Manu. Fortunately greatness won out this time.
My random thought: I'm tired of when reporters ask TP questions postgame about spurts where he dominates, he always said 'I decided to get aggressive'. Seriously, this team has ZERO chance against Miami if TP doesn't play outta hi in mind with the mindset that 'every single second I'm out there I'm going to be a major threat and am not taking my foot off the pedal'.
With so many players contributing and making big shots down the stretch, it's hard to pick one MVP from the Spurs. (The game MVP has to go to Curry.) But I feel Kawhi's defense on Curry is the most critical move.
From the limited games I watched CoJo plays, he is more determined to not get beat by the penetration but pays relatively less attention to contesting jumper shoot. For a player like Curry, although he has fantastic handling and moves, his first objective is not to attack the rim but find a modi of shooting space, which is enough for HIM. So CoJo may be more suitable to defend Jack than Curry --- not that anybody can be said to be good at defending Curry.
This one proves why Diaw is so important to what the Spurs want to achieve. His versatility on both offense and defense is much needed. Bonner is playing okay considering his capability, so if we grade players on expectations, he would get B or B+. But his style or whole package is just not suitable for a win-or-die type physical game. Simple put, Bonner is useful, but when you are facing death sentence, you can't expect him to save you.
OTOH, Blair's defense is C by default, so his offense needs to be at least B+ to not hurt the team. So when his defense is F like tonight, as LJ mentioned, no need to evaluate other parts of his game.
Manu is just Manu, like Pop said, "you want to trade him on spot, then you want to cook him breakfast." Hopefully when Tim recovers from illness, Manu does not need to take that amount of shots. And most importantly, he looks fine physically.
But in the end, like any other team, the Spurs goes as far as their stars take them. The two Tonys before the 4th quarter and from 4th quarter and two OTs are totally different players, so are Spurs the team. Even he is not as hot as Curry is right now, he has to play like top 5 player (at least top 10) for the Spurs to go far.
ehh, it happens.HOLY , THE SPURS WON?!!? I gave up in the fourth quarter after seeing Manu clank jumper after jumper. Can you blame me, I had been awake since 3 AM and it was already close to 11 PM.
I will track this game down.
i rarely quit watching bball, i'm not quite sure why. but i don't blame anyone for tuning out for whatever reasons. i had a feeling they were going on a run, i said so in the NBA Forum, but honestly had no idea this game would turn out how it did.
like i mentioned before, i wasn't sure if the beer had hit me too hard or it was coupled with how unfocused/disoriented the Spurs looked. everything looked and felt like for awhile, and then just all suddenly came together at the end.
so if you track down a copy, send me a PM or post a message on here. I wouldn't mind watching this again.
Hopefully Spurs can continue to build on this and stay healthy as possible.
-- This Stephen Curry guy is no product of a hype machine. He is a genuine gunner, nearly one of a kind, for whom nearly anywhere on the floor is a hot shooting spot. I wouldn't put too much blame on Parker and Joseph for their inability to guard the kid effectively. Green and Leonard's successes were more due to the fact they were guarding him late in the game. I mean, his top of the key/ 26, 27 footers via a screen, off the bounce, off transition - these were just amazing shots and he hit nothing but net and made them look very very easy.
-- Boris Diaw was simply awesome in the fourth and the OTs. I saw him being passive on offense only on one play and otherwise shooting when left semi- or wide- open. That was good Boris on display all along, not to mention the great block on Curry, some excellent P&R defense and some decent sturdy hands on rebounding when needed as well. Diaw's comeback is the unheralded story of the first game.
-- Manu's game was such a roller coaster. He was really bad off jump shots, but was moving so well, with his Eurosteps early on and his passing was stupendous. I really hope his shooting rhythm comes back, for he is definitely the "X" factor in the game.
-- TP's fourth quarter + portions of OT were his best moments.
-- Thank you Richard "major suckitude" Jefferson. Him and Biedrins are the albatrosses that are hanging on the otherwise sterling Warriors squad's necks.
congrats loser. you just missed the best game since the Spurs Suns finley/duncan crazy OT gameHOLY , THE SPURS WON?!!? I gave up in the fourth quarter after seeing Manu clank jumper after jumper. Can you blame me, I had been awake since 3 AM and it was already close to 11 PM.
I will track this game down.
Also, Matt Bonner has zero place in this series. He will be a great asset against Memphis, but the matchup is not good for him. Should see Tiago/Diaw getting 20-25 minutes a piece, Timmy getting 35, and the rest of the 'big' minutes going to Kawhi playing smallball 4.
Tony, to me, looks fine physically. His issue is, when he plays next to Manu, he defers way too much and doesn't have the killer instinct. After looking great at the end of the Lakers series, and an extra long rest between series, injuries are no longer an excuse. Carried us in final 4 minutes and parts of the OT's.
Manu looks great. If his last couple years he continues to play like garbage in the regular season and plays really well in the playoffs, I'll take it. Great to see him out there 36 minutes and still being in one piece postgame. The vitriol he would've taken had he not made that shot at the end would've been intense though.
Tim looked 50 out there today, and still put up 19/11 in 34 minutes somehow. He'll be back with a vengeance in game 2 and this team will be WAY better defensively.
Kawhi hit two huge clutch shots at the end of regulation and played exceptional defense on Curry. If you can contain Curry behind the 3-point line, let him blow past you as many times as he wants. Unfortunately he is a great playmaker, so our rotations have to get cleaned up ASAP. We got a pretty good defensive anchor though, so not too worried.
Danny Green. Gotta give him props for game 1, but I still worry about him. I think he will become a liability in this series if at any point he doesn't score from 3, because his defensive is notoriously horrible when he has to fight through screens, and as the Warriors make adjustments I'm sure they'll pick up on that and DG will have 1-2 absolute stinkers in this series.
Boris Diaw. Remarkable showing, arguably the Spurs MVP tonight. Duncan is out, and he's the only big out there for most of crunch time. Held his own against Bogut down low, and was incredible guarding Curry as the help man.
What a game is right.
Interesting tidbit from ESPN
Just shows that even though Corey has some potential, putting him on a star isn't going to work...
Game was great but I wonder if Pop still gonna try double-teaming in this series. GS totally threw spurs allover the court when that happened.
Pink.HOLY , THE SPURS WON?!!? I gave up in the fourth quarter after seeing Manu clank jumper after jumper. Can you blame me, I had been awake since 3 AM and it was already close to 11 PM.
I will track this game down.
thompson was huge this game, him fouling out helped obviously. Going forward, if danny/kawhi are on curry, gsw can counter by posting parker by either barnes/thompson, theyre both capable of scoring over tp consistently
I can't sleep.
Just have Green and Leonard alternate on Curry, don't help unless he drives. Leonard should defend him in crucial moments like the 4th or the end of quarters.
What a game indeed ...
Brutal loss for the Warriors as they were outplaying the Spurs in pretty much every aspect for like 44 of the first 48 minutes of the game. They were executing better than our guys, were defending better and - obviously - shooting better. The Spurs, on the other hand, were letting themselves being forced to play the game the way the Warriors wanted to, which was really disappointing. They also had a lot of stretches were they didn't move the ball enough and didn't move off the ball enough, and thus they struggled to create good looks.
Curry was out of his mind in the third quarter. I didn't mind that much seeing him hit difficult threes or shots where he had to pick up the ball from the floor. But what really hurt the Spurs at least as much was him getting a free line to the basket for easy layups or easy passes pretty much whenever he wanted.
There was just no rim protection for the Spurs in this game. Granted, Tiago was missing, and Duncan was obviously not healthy enough to play dominant defense. Still, this is something the Spurs need to adress one way or another.
Blair and Bonner both were terrible in my opinion. Blair was getting schooled by Landry repeatedly, and Matty was a lost cause defensively as well. They were such sieves on this end of the floor that it negated the small number of good things they might have done offensively.
I liked what Kawhi and Diaw did defensively down the stretch against Curry. Sure, it was also him being tired, but throwing size at him at least seems to be an option going forward.
Damn, we "miracled" our way thru that one (but Ill take it!) Saw something last night that said the problem isnt Curry, you have to shut dowm those other dudes to win, Curry is going to get his regardless. One of the gutsiest wins by the Spurs Ive ever seen.
Even though I kept watching this game, I have to admit that I had given up any hope of the Spurs mounting any sort of comeback. Based upon their rusty performance throughout the first 3 & 2/3 quarters, there was simply nothing to indicate that there was any kind of rally forthcoming. Their overall shooting percentage was subpar, they were slow to loose balls and they were getting pummeled both in the paint and on the glass. It seemed as though the entire team was playing in mud. Meanwhile, the Warriors were in complete command of the game. They were quicker on both sides of the ball, they limited the Spurs to one shot and just out-executed the Spurs in every way. Meanwhile, Curry was putting on an absolute masterful shooting display, rarely seen, in the 3rd quarter, which caused the Warriors lead to swell to 18. All looked completely lost.
When the Spurs finally did mount their comeback, I felt that it was blown up by Manu. My continuing frustration with his decision-making, his shot-selection, and careless passes, proved to be detrimental to the Spurs comeback. That ill-advised, 30-ft 3-pt shot, at the top of the key, when the Spurs were in the throes of their comeback, basically sealed the Spurs fate - or so I thought. Who knew what was in store?
How this team forced the game into overtime (twice) is still something that I can't explain. Great writeup on an inexplicable and improbable outcome.
This was indeed a uva game and it has to be considered one of the most thrilling playoff games in recent years. Congrats to the Spurs for their successful comeback and to Manu for saving the day. I watched it and I still don't believe it!
It was an exciting game but far from great.
We got to witness some of the best/worst basketball the playoffs have ever produced.
The most striking event for me was the miscommunication by GS on the last Spur possession. You play 2 over times, spill your guts, and then allow a team to have multiple players open? How does this happen? I would really like a breakdown of what happened because that lookedlike a bad AAU team defense. And not getting a timeout during the Spurs run when Tony was shredding them...?
I also found out Mark Jackson is the team psychologist and not the coach. Not calling ANY play on either end? That's what it looked like. True exposure. How is this guy going to last? This is not Mack Brown college football.
Last edited by pgardn; 05-07-2013 at 07:24 AM.
Me 2. It sucks having a hater watching the game with you especially when your down big lol
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