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If you find any grammar mistakes or like that, point them out so I can fix them. Just typed this all up from my handwritten notes and wanted to get it up here ASAP
Game at a Glance
It took a few quarters, but playoff basketball made its official return to the Alamo City with 6 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. Sparked by back-to-back Kawhi Leonard steals, the good guys were able to reel off a magnificent run on offense while also putting together several tough stances on defense with a few lucky bounces off of the rim here and there as well. Despite Dirk Nowitzki being held in check most of the day, and Tim Duncan going off for the quietest 27 point game you will ever see, the Spurs had to grind this one out and came out unscathed.
Player & Coach Grades
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Tony Parker
Out of the gates, Parker was dribble-happy to say the least, and repeatedly passed up open jumpers in favor of drives that were ending in nothing. After finding a bit of a groove, Tony was able to take advantage of Dalembert and Nowitzki being switched onto him and made Dallas pay in the paint. The intensity was lacking up until the point when Devin Harris checked in, and suddenly TP ratcheted up the effort on defense and began to systematically collapse Dallas' interior with the result being an open layup for a teammate or himself. Down the stretch he was invisible for much of the 4th quarter, but was able to come up with a couple of timely buckets to seal the deal.
Final Grade: B
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Tim Duncan
The Big Fundamental opened the game seemingly out of rhythm and extremely rusty. The first quarter featured several catches under the basket where the coordination just wasn't there, and what are normally routine layups, turned into Dallas defensive boards. After going to the bench, Timmy was able to settle in and in the 2nd half went on a tear. He routinely abused Dirk, Wright, and Dalembert in the paint and when he wasn't finishing his shots, he was getting fouled and sent to the line. On defense, he was able to stay around the basket and help off of his man when needed. When the announcers mentioned his 26 points, I had to pull the box score up and see for myself because it seemed like he was more around 15. Hopefully his 15-17' jumper makes an appearance soon.
Final Grade: A-
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Tiago Splitter
When I stopped writing these grades, a common theme for Tiago Splitter was how dominant he was on defense...and how maddeningly horrible he was around the rim on offense. Some things never change. Splitter was fantastic when thrown onto Nowitzki and used his length to make life extremely difficult for Dirk on his jump shots, probably the best job I've seen anyone in a Spurs uniform play Dirk and quite possibly the best anyone in the NBA has played him recently. Tiago was also in full on beast mode rebounding the ball, and was about as angry as I've seen him when competing on the glass. Fantastic play, except for on offense where he was pretty much useless. He had ample opportunities to take the ball up and throw it down or lay it in from directly under the basket, but was so intimidated that he found himself passing out to the wings even when time was running down. Luckily we don't need his scoring in this series, but if the Spurs are lucky enough to move on, Tiago is going to have to find a way to finish at the basket.
Final Grade: B
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Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard's early aggressiveness against Monta Ellis in the paint soon turned into going through the motions for much of the game. The alertness level just wasn't there, and the energy was severely lacking. At times this year the Aztec alumni has had stretches of uninterested play that most assumed would fall away once the playoffs started, and most were disappointed to see it again today. It wasn't until 6 minutes were left in the 4th quarter that Leonard truly made his presence felt when he came up with back-to-back steals that sparked the Spurs run that ended the game. Here's to hoping the light is now on for the postseason, and that Leonard will be back to wreaking havoc in the passing lanes and being the disruptive force he needs to be for the season to end successfully.
Final Grade: C+
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Danny Green
There are games when the box score lies, and games when the box score is all you need to know about a game to make a judgment. Today would be a case of the latter. Danny Green did pretty much nothing in his 24 minutes on the court, as evidenced by his -6 +/-. It wasn't until halfway through the 2nd quarter that he made a positive play off of a horrid pass by Jose Calderon that led to a steal. If you're looking for a positive out of this performance, I guess you can fall back on knowing that Green is one of the most streaky players in the NBA and if he's this cold and dead now, maybe we'll see him heat up over the next couple of rounds when he's really needed.
Final Grade: D+
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Manu Ginobili
The bright spot of an otherwise lackluster performance by the second unit. Ginobili checked into the game and promptly got to work. He repeatedly found himself penetrating deep into the paint and when he wasn't authoring fantastic interior passes to Timmy, he was throwing the ball in from downtown. When it looked as if the Spurs were in for a giant letdown to begin the playoffs, Ginobili single handedly kept the team afloat in the 3rd quarter and was a menace in the passing lanes and on the glass. Most impressive in this game was the fact that he only threw one Manu-ish pass, and not until the 4th quarter.
Final Grade: B+
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Boris Diaw
See: Danny Green. This may not be the series for Mr.Diaw. Unable to get great position against the bigger Dallas frontline, and unable to contest Dirk's high release. My guess is that Boris plays ~15 minutes a game the rest of the series, and cedes a few more minutes to Splitter. When he wasn't being shot over by Dirk, Boris did his best to play like Pre-2014 Diaw while repeatedly looking to do nothing more but pass the ball.
Final Grade: D
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Marco Belinelli
Marco never quite found a rhythm, and his shot had a definite hitch when coming off of screens today. This entire afternoon was a game the 2nd unit can't wait to forget.
Final Grade: D
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Patrick Mills
Coming into this series I was expecting Patty Mills to absolutely torch the Dallas backcourt for 15+ points each game, instead we were all treated to the Devin Harris show as Mills let the journeyman point guard put on a basketball clinic from every spot on the floor. He got torched from downtown, to the basket, and in the midrange game while letting his energy and bounciness be used against him and he kept finding himself overplaying and at least 2 feet away from his man. After some time on the bench, the Australian checked back in and competed much smarter on defense but the damage had already been done.
Final Grade: D-
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Pop
Pop's game plan was solid, but the team execution was the problem today. Can you blame him for the lack of energy and effort to open the game? Maybe, but I lay that on the players first.
Final Grade: A
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Offense
The two major catalysts for this Spurs squad all season have been the 3 point shot, and the bench. Today, neither showed up and this Game 1 was a much bigger struggle than most anticipated it to be. It wasn't until 8:24 were on the clock in the 2nd quarter that the first 3 pointer dropped through the net and not for lack of trying. Saying that the bench unit struggled today would be the understatement of a lifetime. Patty Mills, Marco Belinelli, and Boris Diaw combined to score a grand total of 6 points. Yes, 6. Luckily for them, we were treated to a vintage showing by our Big 3 that saw Duncan, Manu, and Tony pour in 65 of the Spurs 90 points. Look for a much more balanced attack to be on display in Game 2.
Final Grade: C-
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Defense
While the offense was dismal, the defense shined over the entire 4 quarters of play today. Tiago Splitter was the most impressive member of the team on that end of the court, and the team as a whole made life very difficult for Dirk Nowitzki in particular. With the exception of Devin Harris, no member of the Mavs was able to find a sustainable groove and were held to their lowest 1st quarter point total of the season. The tone has been set on defense, lets hope it holds.
Final Grade: A-
Last edited by TacoCabanaFajitas; 04-21-2014 at 06:57 PM.
If you find any grammar mistakes or like that, point them out so I can fix them. Just typed this all up from my handwritten notes and wanted to get it up here ASAP
now that's more like it
Love the post, but honestly "TacoCabanaFajitas" is the most stereotypical name a Spurs fan could have came up with
Great read though. I still feel some people are being too harsh on Green, but agree with the rest.
When I left home (San Antonio), Taco Cabana fajitas were the thing I missed most. It's my way of paying homage to one of the truly great ins utions of Texas culture.Love the post, but honestly "TacoCabanaFajitas" is the most stereotypical name a Spurs fan could have came up with
Great read though. I still feel some people are being too harsh on Green, but agree with the rest.
solid writeup, thanks
why people like TC is beyond me
I would upgrade Splitter to an A. Why?,,,,,,because if he can average 8 and 11 in 31 minutes while shooting 50% from the field it means Bonner only gets 2 minutes of play and that is aces in my book.
Good write-up Senor Fajita. Thanks!
Thanks man.
No more Bonner please Pop.
Good read and summary of the game. Thanks!
I have to believe that Patty, Marco, Danny and KL will shoot better next game. I imagine 3's are being shot in the gym a lot for the next one.
thanks op
Nice job
TCF is that
Thanks Great Job!!!!
Why the did Bonner get two minutes and not Baynes, anyways?
Because most people only have Taco Bell for their mexican fast food option, so yeah, Taco Cabana is definitely something to be missed.
BTW, good write-up OP. Solid analysis.
Give me Las Palapas over either of them.
Taco Cabana is pretty good for fast food purposes.
He wasn't dressed. Errors, however, was dressed.
Does anyone else have a problem with Duncan playing the most minutes out of anyone? I mean, the dude is 38 years old and he still has to play the most minutes. I expect more out of Diaw and Splitter in game 2. Duncan doesn't need to be ridden to the ground this early in the playoffs.
The offense is my biggest concern. For this game at least, the team seems to have regressed. I have to believe the offensive struggles of Green, Mills, Belli, etc was at least partially due to a lack of ball movement - even more critical in the post season to get even slightly open shots. Big 3 + nobody else contributing is a recipe for disaster, especially if the Spurs are fortunate enough to advance.
They were really good back in the 80's and early 90's. However, the cook and her name has since been associated with Mama Margies. Mama Margies beef and chicken fajitas are some of the best in SA.
Yes. believe he played the most minutes in the RS, though still low compared to the rest of the league.
But not sure what is up with that, hopefully others step up and he gets rest. Though maybe Duncan wants the minutes and can handle them.
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