Tim Duncan
Duncan was a defensive monster tonight. He had nine blocks to go along with 24 points and 13 rebounds. When he's able to stay out of foul trouble and be that active on the defensive end of the court, he's as good of a defender as there is in the league. Offensively, he hit 11-of-19 shots, including a huge one late in the fourth.
Grade: A
Manu Ginobili
This was the performance Spurs fans have been waiting for out of Manu. 33 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals on 11-for-17 shooting from the field? That's just ridiculous. Ginobili was everywhere. When he's playing like this, he's one of the top ten players in the game. He again set up his outside shots with early drives to the basket. After he got the Suns guessing what he was doing, it was game over for Phoenix.
Grade: A+
Tony Parker
Parker kept the Spurs in the game early and was aggressive throughout. When Parker brings this much energy and focus, the Spurs rarely lose. He did have an off shooting night as he finished 11-for-27, but it's tough to complain about 30 points, six assists and one turnover. Defensively, he continued to play stellar defense. The way he single-handedly shut down Leandro Barbosa this series was amazing. I'm not sure any defender in the league could stop Barbosa as well as Parker did.
Grade: A-
Bruce Bowen
Bowen struggled with Nash all series but in this close out game, he finally was able to figure him out. He harassed Steve Nash all night and put him into uncomfortable situations. He had Nash crying to the refs all game long and that no doubt how a negative impact for the Suns. At 35 and a good six inches taller than Nash, it's a great sign that he could keep up with the two-time reigning MVP. Perhaps he isn't as done as some would make it seem.
Grade: B+
Francisco Elson
Elson wasn't horrible but also wasn't that great. He had some decent rotations defensively. He knew where to be more times than not. However, watching him fumble away rebound after rebound got annoying after a while. Even his teammates started to get frustrated by his clumsiness. But with Elson, you take whatever good you can squeeze out of him.
Grade: B-
Michael Finley
Finley was quiet for much of the contest, but answered with some big shots late in the game. So far in the playoffs, it seems that he has a knack of knocking down momentum saving shots. His defense was also better than it had been since early in the series.
Grade: B
Brent Barry
Barry played 11 ghost minutes. He missed both of his shots and only cracked the stat sheet with one assist and one steal. Although he did have a couple good defensive plays.
Grade: C
Fabricio Oberto
When he was on the court, Oberto was an effective player. The problem was that he was in foul trouble for almost all game. Again, Oberto was noticeably into the game right from the tip. His energy and attention to detail has been fantastic so far in the postseason.
Grade: C+
Robert Horry
This one was for you, Rob
Grade: A
Jacque Vaughn
Major props to Vaughn for having his best playoff game when the Spurs needed it most. His play late in the third quarter was huge. He had a couple baskets and a pair of assists to help increase the lead.
Grade: A
Pop
The only real negative you can take out of this game coaching wise is that the Spurs continually stepped off the gas after establishing leads in this series. The blame has to go somewhere and it starts with the head coach. You don't win championships if you let teams back in games time and time again. Other than that, I thought the rotations were very good and I didn't disagree with any of the strategy.
Grade: B+
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