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Diaw, Bonner and Neal at the same time...
Tim Duncan B
Foul trouble plagued Duncan on this night but when he was on the court, he did reasonably well. On offense, he attempted a couple foolhardy shots and passes but generally did okay. It wasn't anything major on that end but at least the Grizzlies had to respect him. Defensively, he had a bigger impact. His rim protection was very good, his rebounding was adequate, and his hands were always up and active. Let's hope Duncan can stay out of foul trouble in Memphis and round out the rough edges in his game.
Manu Ginobili B
I thought Ginobili did well for a lot of the game. He seemed to lose his legs late -- but that happened to a lot of the Spurs players. In the guts of the game, he was making good decisions -- especially in terms of when to pass and when to shoot. He gladly took a backseat when other players were doing well. His defense was aggressive and he was able to make a few plays on that end of the court. Overall, Ginobili did well enough, however the Spurs will need more out of him in Memphis.
Tony Parker B+
Through three quarters, Parker was playing one of the better games of his life. He was by far the best player on the court. His orchestration was as good as I've ever seen it and he had the Grizzlies defense flummoxed. Unfortunately, he totally ran out of gas in the fourth quarters. And it was unsightly. His speed was gone, he couldn't jump and he was left to shoot knuckleballs at the rim that had no chance of going in. Parker picked it up a little bit in overtime but, in retrospect, he either needed a lot more rest or he should have paced himself better.
Kawhi Leonard A-
It was simply another very solid performance out of Leonard. His D was great at times; he made Tayshaun Prince look like an octogenarian. His defensive rebounding was hugely important. On offense, he took quick, confident shots while also mixing in a few plays off the bounce. He had a few intermittent miscues but otherwise Leonard was simply very good again.
Danny Green A-
And why didn't he play more minutes? Green's stroke looked great. His dribble wasn't a disaster and he even authored a couple nice passes. Defensively, his length was an asset -- particularly in transition defense and loose ball situations. Somehow Green got lost in the shuffle rotations-wise, though. Let's hope that doesn't happen going forward.
Tiago Splitter B-
His stats were better this game -- but I don't think he was much better in Game 2 than he was in Game 1. In fact, I think his impact was similar. His pick-and-roll activity was a plus tonight, his passing was better and he did well gathering himself before going up for shots. However, his post defense wasn't as stout, his rebounding remains iffy and he played a less physical brand of basketball. Splitter also had a lot of trouble manning the middle when Duncan was out of the game -- which really hurt on a night in which Duncan was in foul trouble.
Boris Diaw C
I thought Diaw started out well but got worse and worse as the game went along. His defense went from hit-first to passive. On offense, it became increasingly difficult for him to hide. Diaw can be very valuable in this series but he needs more consistency from quarter to quarter. Oh, and hitting a few more outside shots would help.
Gary Neal C-
Ugh. Too shot-happy. I liked his defense for about the first 12 possessions he was in the game -- but then he seemed to lose concentration and it was downhill after that. Mix in his share of mental errors and it was a frustrating night watching him play.
Matt Bonner C-
Bonner came out like he was going to be the second coming of Larry Bird. Unfortunately, his good play quickly ran dry -- yet he still got a ton of minutes. For a while, Bonner was playing damn well at both ends. But by the second half, he was a liability in all aspects of the game. Why he kept playing I'll never understand.
Cory Joseph B-
I continue to like what Joseph is giving the Spurs. At backup point guard, he comes in like his jersey is on fire. He goes 100% and while he probably tried to do too much again tonight, he's yet to turn the ball over in this series. Joseph is also playing staunch defense and his work on the boards tonight was borderline heroic.
Pop C-
First of all, Pop's rotation became discombobulated due to Duncan's foul trouble. However, that's not much of an excuse for his crazy rotations at times. Hindsight tells us Bonner and Neal played too much and Green didn't play enough. Not only did Pop's strange lineup decisions help lead to the fourth quarter collapse, the lack of imaginative playcalling also played a role. Additionally, Parker needed more rest before he was reinserted. All that said, the Spurs are up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals. Life as a Spurs fan is great.
Diaw, Bonner and Neal at the same time...
Leonard does not deserve an A his two missed wide open threes were huge.
I understand grading is based on expectations. But there is no way Timmy gets the same grade as Manu. Timmy had 17pts/9rbs/3assts/4bks/, plus 22 and scored all the Spurs field goals in OT.
great job, LJ. spot on. thanks.
Simulator crew coaching from Pop.
Good grades. Thanks.
I'd bump Duncan up an entire letter for that legendary overtime. He pulled the Spurs' biscuits out of the fire for sure.
thanks for the grades...lets all hope that pop hasn't fallen back in love with bonner and goes back to having a short leash on him...
Thanks for the grades. While the 4th quarter collapse sucked, Spurs being able to regroup in the OT to win this game was damn impressive and showed a lot of poises.
Spurs were obviously a little tired in the second half. It was their 8th playoffs game in 16 days. It's a lot for a team with some old players and some players coming back from injuries. This GS series was a tiring one with a lot of running, 1 1OT and 1 2OT game and quite a long travel.
The 3 days off will help Spurs a lot and, hopefully, allow them to win one in Memphis.
Parker and Ginobilis defense were really bad this game
Parker is just lucky Conley isnt looking to shoot coming off those screens because he was giving him all the time in the world
Ginobili didnt even attempt to fight through the screen and opted to flop giving Bayless wide open huge buckets in the 4th
I hate how relaxed the Spurs were in the 3rd. The Grizzlies getting 14 FTAs that quarter didn't help, but the Spurs didn't look too interested in playing good defense. They shot well, but not treating a WCF team seriously is very arrogant and the Spurs are not good enough to play that way.
Bonner deserves some flak for the Ginobili turnover; chucking the ball up from there, or even holding onto the ball, is better than a hand-off near half-court with 3 seconds on the shot clock.
can't disagree on those grades imo
This. Duncan took over this turd of a 4th and personally won this game with blocks, rebounds, and scoring in OT. How is that not tough enough for an A+++. No Tim, no win.
I thought same same. Overgraded Manu and undergraded the other.
Thanks for the grades, timvp.
Rest up, my Spurs!! Ya'll definitely deserve it!!!
Too low: TD/Splitter
Too high: Manu/Neal/Bonner/Pop
This LOLDiaw, Bonner and Neal at the same time...
agreed
TD deserved an A for saving our asses in OT tbh.
Green didn't play as much because his smothering perimeter defense was not so smothering in the 4th or OT, plus his body language in his 3-pt miss in OT and his bad turnover looked like a carbon copy of 2012 WCF Danny Green.
I hope his mojo didn't run out last night.
Agreed especially re TD, Splitter, and Manu. No-brainer IMO.
Too low: TD/Splitter
Too high: Manu/Neal/Bonner/Pop
Did this happen after he hit the floor and didn't bounce right back up? Hopefully he didn't reinjure himself.
This. The press might say that the time off will give Memphis the advantage and allow them to even the series, but they are short on talent in this series. A fresh Spurs team should be able to take one there. Hopefully!
Agree on the grades. and Bonner playing too many minutes, but since Diaw was struggling as well, along with Duncan in foul trouble, I'm curious as what move Pop could of done to change it up. Small Ball? Blair?
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