Tim Duncan A-
Extremely steady throughout. Duncan appeared to be over his illness because he was moving much better, which especially helped him on D. His increased mobility allowed the Spurs to rotate properly and scramble less -- and that made a world of difference. On offense, he hesitated at times but other than that I don't have a beef with him. Duncan always seemed to be ready with an answer when the Spurs needed it. Well done.
Manu Ginobili B
Sure, we would have all loved for Ginobili to have hit more three-pointers -- but other than that, I don't have much complaints. He didn't score in the first half but he also wasn't a liability thanks to solid D and wise decisions. He got going more in the second half and authored key plays. He can play better but the Spurs can survive as long as he's healthy and playing smart.
Tony Parker A
That first half was epic. Honestly, it was probably a season-saving type of performance. Parker took the air out of the building and refused to let the Warriors sustain momentum. He ran out of gas a bit in the second half but he continued to attack. Very strong game on both ends -- and it couldn't have come at a better time. Let's hope he's healthy and ready to go for Sunday.
Kawhi Leonard B+
While Leonard had a few blatant mistakes on both ends, all in all he was extremely stout. Offensively, he was unsure of himself at times but he ended up with a very efficient statline. Defensively, he was assigned the task of slowing down Thompson and he succeeded.
Danny Green A+
That was by far the best defensive game I've ever seen Green play. And since Bowen retired, it might be the best perimeter defensive performance in a Spurs uniform. He was focused, utilized his length perfectly and seemingly never took a wrong step. I can't stress enough how impressed I was with his D.
Tiago Splitter D+
I was happy to see Splitter in the starting lineup again … but the Spurs need more from him than he supplied tonight. Overall, he was just too soft. He was particularly pliable when he was involved in a battle for a contested rebounds. He was bad at holding his position and just generally played weakly. Hopefully Pop keeps going with Splitter but the Brazilian needs to start showing some semblance of a backbone.
Boris Diaw B+
Diaw passed up a few shots but he also made plays at times when the Spurs were struggling to find mismatches. In fact, at times he was as demonstrative as he's been all season. I loved seeing that from him. When he attacks, he's a damn good offensive weapon. That said, there were other times where he simply floated out there and didn't do much.
Gary Neal B
He scored only two points in 10 minutes -- but I was pleased Neal's performance. He didn't hog the ball at all, played palatable defense and remained within the framework of what the Spurs were trying to do. This is how I want him to play when he's not getting clean looks. Play smart, create a bit off the dribble and wait for your moment.
Cory Joseph B+
Joseph didn't play much but this was definitely a bounce-back performance for the sop re. He was successful on the defensive end for the first time this series. He got back to being a pest in loose ball situations, which is very valuable against a pesky team like Golden State. On offense, Joseph pushing the pace really helps the second unit find early-offense scoring opportunities.
Matt Bonner D-
Yeah, no, that first round magic against the Lakers is gone. It's back to typical playoff Bonner, unfortunately. I really don't know a reason why he should play again this series. Tonight, he didn't shoot a couple open shots. On the other end, he got manhandled by a crippled David Lee. Yeah, no, no, no, no.
Pop A-
Other than going to Bonner, I really liked how Pop coached this game. Starting Splitter was absolutely the right call. Pushing players to their maximum minute threshold had to be done because this was the most winnable of the road games in the series. Great job going back to basics -- and stay on this track, please.
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