Initial Reaction: Spurs @ Hawks - Mar. 25

[Spursmania]

So even Non-Hawks fans can see this...

Definitely.

[DAF86]

-Although Manu Ginobili was obviously out of rhythm in his return, I was actually very pleased with what I saw. The first time he returned from injury this season, he had a small hitch in his step. Tonight, Ginobili didn't seem to be favoring either ankle. He even showed a few bursts of athleticism throughout his 14 minutes of action. Ginobili's return also seemed to re-energize his teammates and the bench unit already showed signs of improvement.

See, I told you that just having Manu in there would make us better.

[peacemaker885]

So even Non-Hawks fans can see this...

Dood, its obvious. Josh blocks, or tries to block every other shot. This guy is, as timvp says 'uber athletic'. Combine that with what seems like very good at ude, this guy is a winner.

[Blackjack]

-Although Manu Ginobili was obviously out of rhythm in his return, I was actually very pleased with what I saw. The first time he returned from injury this season, he had a small hitch in his step. Tonight, Ginobili didn't seem to be favoring either ankle. He even showed a few bursts of athleticism throughout his 14 minutes of action. Ginobili's return also seemed to re-energize his teammates and the bench unit already showed signs of improvement.

That's pretty much what caught my eye.

It really is uncanny the spark/energy his mere presence creates. You can almost see it in his teammates eye's. It's almost the difference between the vacant, hollow, lifeless eye's of a pornstar, and the eyes of a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed teenager on the prowl. (Alright, a bit of an exaggeration, but it is quite noticeable)

-Tony Parker was brilliant. Considering the cir stances, this may have very well been his best game of the season. 42 points and ten assists on only 25 shots while only turning the ball over twice? Yeah, not bad. Parker has been maligned in the past for not being a fourth quarter player but tonight he played at a superstar level when it mattered. Hopefully Parker can maintain even 90% of his current level heading into the playoffs.

I'm not sure Tony has really played a better, more complete game, than that.

Sure, he's had some more significant games, but in terms of playmaking, dominace, and efficiency?

That one goes up there with some of the best. Mad props to Tony.

-Matt Bonner played a season-high 39 minutes and came through with one of his better defensive showings of the season. Matched up with the uber athletic Josh Smith, Bonner was able to keep him grounded for most of the evening. I was also impressed with Bonner's physicality. In fact, on one play he drew blood from both Smith and Mike Bibby. Smith needed a few minutes to regain his senses, while Bibby required four s ches to close a gash on his forehead. Offensively, Bonner didn't shoot much but he once again appeared to be much more confident than he was just a few games ago.

-Kurt Thomas once again shined in his Duncan-lite role. He rebounded, blocked a few shots and basically owned the paint on both ends. It was also good to see him produce offensively because he has been quiet in that regard as of late. Since the All-Star break, Thomas has been the second best Spur next to Parker.

The physicality displayed by both Matt and Kurt probably would have been the thing that stuck out to me the most, had not that dude wearing the 9 gone completely ape- all over the ATL.

Physicality and Kurt pretty much go hand-in-hand, but Matt finding "Beast Mode???"

You've got to love when your big men give the opposition reason for pause when attacking the rim.

-Midway through the fourth quarter, Mason was red hot from the field and he had 18 points on the board. But after a series of defensive miscues, sloppy turnovers and failing to box out, Mason was a spectator for the entire fourth quarter. Personally, I would have liked Mason to have seen action down the stretch but then again, I don't have a problem with Pop benching players for poor defense.

Mason giveth, and Mason taketh away.

That's pretty much what I thought of Mason's 3rd quarter performance.

He was fantastic shooting the ball for a stretch there but then, inexplicably, he started turning down good shots and eventually playing somewhat flustered when taking over point-guard duties.

I really don't have a problem with him handling the ball in the half-court if he's utilizing a simple screen-and-role to get his shot off the dribble or hit the open man if the shot's not there, but Mason bringing the ball up under any significant defense is bordering on a complete fail.

If Tony, Manu, Hill, or Vaughn are not bringing up the ball, I think it might be a good idea for the team to start looking to advance the ball, via the pass, as much as possible. , I'd even consider the 4's and 5's bringing it up on occassion, if the opponent isn't in any kind of press.

-Drew Gooden got his first start with the Spurs and did a fairly good job. His team defense was underwhelming but his individual defense was a positive during a few possessions. Offensively, he's still looking for his niche but he seems to be progressing in the right direction. Rebounding-wise, he had three boards in the first two and a half minutes of the game but only one in his final 21 minutes.

"He has an incredibly high BBIQ", the words of Coach Brown in the post-game with B. Schoening.(In reference to his ability to pick-up schemes quickly)

Although, I still see plenty of room for improvement, it was nice to see a glimpse of the type of player/role Gooden could have in the future.

He was solid offensively, he made the offender shoot over him and work for his shot, and his activity on the offensive-glass was noteworthy.

I haven't been one to trash Gooden's BBIQ (although, his poor decision-making under pressure has lead me to question his nerve, at times) but if Brown isn't being disingenuous, it could bode extremely well for the Spurs with Gooden's impending free-agency.(If Gooden's problems are of the effort and focus variety and not intelligence, that is)

-Ime Udoka led the bench in playing time but his actual production was far from impressive. Defensively, he gave good effort against Johnson but he got burned repeatedly off the dribble. He was also late a few times getting back on transition. Offensively, he missed three of his four shots. Pop apparently liked the moxy and energy Udoka was providing because he wasn't giving many tangible reasons to warrant his 26 minutes.

That about sums it up.

Between Pop's praise of Ime's defense on J.J. and Brown's quote about Drew's BBIQ, it really makes you wonder.

Pop definitely put his chips in with Ime, and although Ime's play hasn't really warranted Pop doing so, he seems to at least be coming around a little bit as of late. (I've got to wonder how Ime's role would have been had Hairston been with the team from the start of the season, though.)

-George Hill got his first DNP-CD of the season. With Pop showing less and less confidence in him as of late, it wasn't really a surprise. It's safe to now say, barring injury, that Hill is out of the rotation and is a longshot to be a factor in the playoffs. I don't exactly agree with the decision but with the way Pop has been yanking him around in the last month, it actually might be better for his long-term growth. In theory, putting him in a position where he won't have any pressure to produce would allow him to grow over the next year. However, if Pop has actually fully given up on Hill, that would definitely be a mistake. Hill hasn't been perfect but he's shown enough flashes of brilliance to view him as a vital part of the future.

Didn't Hill have 2 or 3 DNP-CD's to start the season? Maybe even 1 or 2 during???

I'm definitely on the same page as you, as far as how Pop is (or more appropriately, is not) using Hill.

There's no doubt in my mind that Hill has the mental-toughness to play through mistakes and the potential play a significant role, or make a key-contribution down the stretch, but it can't happen if Pop doesn't show some faith and hand him the key's.

Pop's potentially taking a pretty useful weapon out of his arsenal for down the stretch, so I hope it's something he doesn't live to regret.

-I was much happier with Pop's coaching against the Hawks. His rotation actually had some logic behind it and he even made time for Gooden to grow. Looking back on it, he also deserves credit for sitting Duncan since the Spurs got the win without him. Going forward, if Pop prayerfully considers his rotations on a nightly basis, the Spurs should have enough time to gear up for the real season.

Yeah, his rotations actually bordered on normalcy.

I still don't understand the rationale in utilizing Duncan the way he did against G.S. (Had he just played Duncan normally and allowed nature to take it's course, Tim would have been sitting by the end of the 3rd. There's a reason G.S. hasn't won in S.A. in 20+ games, and he wears 21.) but I guess, all's well, that ends well.