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Favorite play for Belli? the left handed scoop shot easily
great writeup overall
Tonight, the Spurs trounced the Heat, in one of the most convincing statement wins. Here is my take on the players, and their individual performances. Enjoy guys!
Tim Duncan
Grade: A
Our cornerstone, turned in a double-double, with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Tonight, Timmy showed the world, why he is considered the best power forward to ever play the game; leading his team to a victory over the defending champs, at age 38. He was far and away the best big man out there on the court tonight. His defense at the rim was stellar, but not so much on Bosh out on the perimeter. In the second half, Duncan became aware that he is virtually unstoppable by this thin Heat team, and he took advantage, especially of James Hetfield of Metallica and Lebron James' father. Brilliant game from our legendary big man.
Favorite Play: Emphatic jump shot (only one of the game I believe) in the fourth quarter.
Tony Parker
Grade: B+
Our rabid french pug came out at the buzzer, looking for blood. He ended with 17 points, and 4 assists on the night. Tony sure did slow down a bit in the second half, but I thought Tony's defense was amazing tonight, though some may digress. Chalmers was 2-7, 5 points and 4 turnovers. Tony's jump shot looked fluid in the first half, and that allowed him to slice and dice. Later in the game, I felt that he was taking it upon himself too much, which shows in his percentage (6-14). But alas, TP9 had himself a good game, and I'm hoping to see this type of defense from him in the coming games.
Favorite Play: The power through layup on Chris Bosh, in the first quarter. Highlight video on the NBA website.
Kawhi Leonard
Grade: B+
Lil Bow Wow's nephilim cousin did not have the most impressive game offensively, but I was jumping out of my seat at his amazing defense. Tonight Kawhi scored only 11 points, off of 4-13 shooting, but the real story is his steals, 5 big ones. When Lebron shoots a worst percentage than you with 6-18, and has 5 turnovers, you truly need to pat yourself on the back. Kawhi was tenacious in the fourth quarter, and really put the game out of reach with his clutch steals. Leonard sometimes forced the issue on offense, but I liked the ambition to take it at Lebron. James will have nightmares about Kawhi's huge mitts tonight. Magnificent game from the Hand.
Favorite Play: The steal and breakaway dunk in the fourth quarter. A momentum prevention play at it's finest.
Boris Diaw
Grade: B+
Porous Diaw (just kidding) had 16 points off of a madly efficient 5 of 5 shooting, and also 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Buttcheeks had a few lapses in judgement, that awarded him 4 turnovers, but other than that, Boris was a huge part of the victory tonight. His defense on Battier was nice, although Battier didn't attempt many shots. I love Diaw's game, it's a thing of beauty to watch. Good game for the stop motion aficionado.
Favorite Play: The and-1 finish in the first quarter, pocket pass from Splitter. Highlight also on the NBA website.
Manu Ginobili
Grade: B-
The Argentinian Stallion got himself into foul trouble early in tonight's game, but he was still efficient, hitting 3 of his 5 shots, but missing both of his 3 point attempts. Manu had 4 assists, and only 1 turnover, which is a feat in itself. His defense on Ray Allen was good, I don't think I saw Ray Allen get open off a hard cut once in this game. Hopefully next time, Manu won't get in trouble, and will be able to see more court. Solid performance from Gino.
Favorite Play: Manu's determined drive, I think it was at the end of the 3rd. The old man can still careen through traffic and find the open spot.
Danny Green
Grade: C
Danny Boy underwhelmed tonight, on offense. He had 6 points, off of 2 of 8 shooting, 2 of 6 from behind the arc. Green's defense was very decent, and he continues to prove that he is an exceptional transition defender. Not much else to say about Green's game tonight. Serviceable defense, lack-luster offense.
Favorite Play: When he made a 3 pointer? Yeah.
Tiago Splitter
Grade: B
Tiago Split-her had been previously scrutinized for his weak play against the thin front ranks of The Heat. Tonight, for his limited minutes (due to small-ball), he attacked the rim and got to the free throw line. Tiago didn't rebound as well as you'd like him to, but his passing was a huge plus for the Spurs tonight. He finished with 4 assists, and 7 points off his patented, efficient 2 of 4 shooting. Good game for Splitter, in a game where he didn't really belong.
Favorite Play: The pocket pass to Diaw..
Marco Belinelli
Grade: C+
Marco Belinelli had a decent contribution in tonight's show-down. He had 8 points, and 3 assists. He also shot 3-6 from the field. Big Balls Beli hit some nice momentum shots for the Spurs in the first half, but his defense on Wade was at times, sorry. I liked his Neal impression in the first half too, but not really. The man can score, but I don't think he was gifted with an athletic enough body to stay in front of players like Wade. Overall, decent game for Smellinelli.
Patty Mills
Grade: B
Patty Mills almost recorded a double-double tonight, with 9 points (3-6, 2-5 from 3), and a big 10 rebounds. Patty Mills is 6 feet tall, the Heat should be ashamed of themselves, and I'm sure they are. Like a lot of other players in silver and black, Patty hit some big momentum shots in the second half, and provided the spark from down under, like he usually does. Personally, I feel like Patty's ball handling has improved slightly this season, but it doesn't change the fact that he is a shooting guard in an undersized point guard's body. Lastly, his defense on Norris Cole was commendable, and Patty always leaves it all on the court, every night. Good game for Patty.
Favorite Play: The preposterously deep 3 ball, in the second half. Huge for the Spurs.
The Others (Joseph, Daye, Baynes, Bonner)
The outcasts came in for no more than 2 minutes (save for Joseph). Joseph didn't do much except miss a jump shot. Baynes pulled down a rebound. Bonner made a silly little hook shot. And Daye looked like he had some incentive, to knock down those two triples, and pull down a board. Well.. I guess, I hope we see more of what Daye can do in the near future.
Pop
Grade: A
Pop wanted this win, and it was obvious. The rotations out there, looked like our playoff rotation, but you can never be too sure, not with Pop. It was a good move starting Diaw, to match up with Battier. He managed minutes well, considering a lot of players were getting into foul trouble, and his game plan to pound them inside, was smart to say the least. Good win for the senile old man. Good win for the San Antonio Spurs.
Thanks for reading guys. I hope these grades sufficed. Take care.
Favorite play for Belli? the left handed scoop shot easily
great writeup overall
ehhhh... I thought urunobili was going to do the grades... I guess we'll get two...
thanks, BTW
pretty sure like 4 different posters claimed Grades for tonight's game tbh. we'll have to average out to get the final marks. stay tuned.
TE said he was too iirc...
Quality grades, man. Haven't read game grades this well written in a long time.
Danny Green deserves a B, his defense was outstanding on Wade.
Thanks Roger Freemason Jr!!
Just when Miami was showing signs of life in the third quarter, Tim made two big plays. Still elite. The Spurs, Tim, Boris, Kawhi were playing great when it counts -the fourth quarter-.
Last edited by wildchild; 03-07-2014 at 01:34 AM.
Good stuff
Enjoyed the read again. Disagree a bit on Manu's coverage of Ray Allen, who did get a good look and a second not bad look at 3s, but otherwise good stuff.
Very nicely done. I like the "favorite play" thing, nice touch. Lets hope the spurs can build on this one, c'mon #1 seed!!! Go spurs
Dat Red Mamba Shy Hook HNGGGGG
Lebron's sleeves: A
Lebron seemed to be bothered by the sleeves on his uniform most of the evening. After the game, Lebron lamented, "Every time I shoot, it feels like it's just pulling right up underneath my arm. I already don't have much room for error on my jump shot anyways, so it's definitely not a good thing."
Last edited by The_Coyote; 03-07-2014 at 02:46 AM.
Thanks for the grades and especially the 'favorite play' observations.
Like the Spurs last night, a job well done.
Are these graded in relation to how good a player is or just straight up?
I didn't think this was an A+ game for Timmy or B+ for Enrique. IMO In terms of impact Bosh was probably the best big man then Diaw not too far behind.
Diaw was completely nails tonight. Creating for others, hitting 3s, layups, finding the open man, defending Bron for stretches. , he even played SF at one point. His numbers playing alongside Splitter have never looked good, but it worked out well tonight. Diaw 3.0. He should get an A- or A for that effort.
Same with Splitter, the box score doesn't really show his real impact. The second unit (which is now looking better than the stellar 2012 group) ran their offense through the Manu/Splitter PnR and it was pretty beautiful. He even showed he was capable of staying on the floor with Duncan for stretches. Unfortunately for him Diaw was just the better player tonight.
Excellent write-up aside from the minor comma abuse. Thanks for taking the time.
Thanks for the excellent (and humorous) grades!
"James Hetfield of Metallica and Lebron James' father" made me laugh aloud.
I signed the calendar thread pe ioning to do the game thoughts today... I'll do them anyway someone should tell Roger Freemason Jr. to read other threads related to scheduling of game thoughts...
Kawhi Leonard deserves an A. No matter how his offense panned out. It was his defense alone that secured the lead in the fourth quarter. Otherwise good grades! Thanks
he should have left the mask on, tbh
oops, wrong thread
I posted my game thoughts downstairs to avoid multiple ones on the Spurs forum... for those interested in checking them out they're here:
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/show...0036&p=7174775
Can't believe Patty had 10 boards
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