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Great thoughts...
Spurs can't get sloppy on Friday with both Chalmers and Wade combining for 14 steals in last night's game.
Let’s first handle the obvious question. Yes, it was against the lottery bound Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, the San Antonio Spurs needed double overtime and a heroic offensive performance. Yes, the Spurs still need a whole lot of work defensively. But with the team winless after three games, the Spurs going into Minnesota and leaving with a 129-125 in their fourth game of the season was definitely an important victory.
The recap of the game can be written in two words – Tony Parker. Parker finished with 55 points, ten assists and seven rebounds to help carry the Spurs. His biggest basket of the game came at the buzzer of the first overtime period. That shot sent the game into the second overtime, where Parker scored eight points and the Spurs were finally able to slay the T’Wolves and pick up their first win.
Minnesota actually played quite well. Although the Spurs didn’t exactly get in the way that much defensively, Al Jefferson and Mike Miller were impressive. Miller was deadly from the outside while Jefferson did his best Tim Duncan impersonation on the inside. Rookie Kevin Love was a handful for the Spurs and he helped his team immensely by crashing the offensive glass repeatedly.
For the Spurs, hopefully the win will help get the team on the right track. The victory had to help the morale of the team and perhaps that will allow some of the role players to loosen up and help out more. We will see in the upcoming games whether this outcome will inspire positive momentum or whether it was just a fortunate win against a bad team.
Tim Duncan
48 minutes, 30 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, four turnovers
12-for-26 from the field, 6-for-7 at the line
Tim Duncan had a rollercoaster ride of a game. To begin the contest, Duncan couldn’t buy a shot offensively. He finally started heating up at the end of the third quarter but then cooled back down near the end of the overtime periods. All in all, he did well enough offensively. He mixed in a few outside shots with a number of tough interior baskets against the short yet physical bigmen on the T’Wolves. Defensively, he’s slowly getting better as the season progresses but he still has a lot of room for improvement. He got scored on a number of times in one-on-one matchups and was also oftentimes a half step slow on rotations. Despite his imperfections, Duncan played hard during his 48 minutes of action and continues to look very good this season.
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Tony Parker
51 minutes, 55 points, ten assists, seven rebounds, four turnovers
22-for-36 from the field, 2-for-3 on three-pointers, 9-for-10 at the line
This game will undoubtedly go down as one of Tony Parker’s all-time best performances. His 55-point showing only trails David Robinson’s 71 points and George Gervin’s 63 points in the Spurs record books. Parker did a lot of his damage on the pick-and-roll, where he just tortured Minnesota’s defense. If they went below the pick, Parker would rise up and hit the jumper. If they tried to go over the pick or trap him to take away the jumper, he’d just speed to the basket. When he wasn’t putting the ball in the hole himself, he was creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. Going forward, Parker needs to keep this type of scoring mentality for the Spurs to survive the opening month. Though 55 isn’t necessary every night, I’m sure Spurs fans wouldn’t complain if he wanted to do it again.
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Bruce Bowen
34 minutes, three points, three rebounds, two assists
1-for-1 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers
After three poor outings to start the season, Bruce Bowen started to look more like Bruce Bowen in the fourth game. Early on, it didn’t look good as Miller was able to get a number of open shots against him. But as the game went on, Bowen appeared to get into a defensive rhythm and had a number of key plays down the stretch. While it’s too early to say whether or not Bowen is back, this was a step in the right direction. Not a huge step, mind you, but a step nonetheless.
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Michael Finley
33 minutes, three points, five rebounds, two steals
1-for-9 from the field, 1-for-5 on three-pointers
It’s difficult to watch how ineffective Michael Finley is on the court and then try to justify the number of minutes he is playing. Offensively, his shot selection was very questionable. The most questionable one of all came with the Spurs up by two points in the second overtime. Instead of dribbling the clock out, Finley hoisted an unspeakably ill-advised three-pointer that left Pop tearing out hair from every angle of his cranial region. On the defensive end, Finley’s typical matador defense was on full display. When Finley takes smart shots, gives extra effort on defense and runs the court, he’s somewhat useful. When he plays like he did on Wednesday night, you have to wonder how he’s still in the NBA.
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Matt Bonner
six minutes, two rebounds
Matt Bonner started but didn’t play long enough to break a sweat. He played the first six minutes and never came back onto the court. I don’t think he did anything necessarily wrong, he just wasn’t a very good matchup against the T’Wolves. Everyone who he would potentially defend was either too fast or too strong for him.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
44 minutes, 26 points, four rebounds, two assists
9-for-16 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers, 6-for-6 at the line
Lost in Parker’s huge game and Duncan’s gaudy stat line was the extraordinary play by Roger Mason, Jr. Building on what he showed in his first three games, Mason was a tad bit more aggressive and that turned into 26 important points. His outside stroke looks very good right now. He has a rapid release that is so fast that sometimes he doesn’t even have time to square all the way up to the basket. It also doesn’t seem to matter if the shots he gets are off of a stationary catch, off movement or off the dribble – he’s draining them all. Although he did most of his damage from the perimeter, he also demonstrated several crafty ball handling maneuvers that allowed him to attack the basket off the dribble. To cap off his night, Mason grabbed his first two offensive rebounds of the season to seal the victory at the end of the second overtime.
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Fabricio Oberto
31 minutes, two points, three assists, two rebounds
1-for-2 from the field
Fabricio Oberto had a lot of court action but not that much statistical production. While he did struggle rebounding the ball and defending in the post, he did do some of the dirty work the Spurs needed. He set more than a dozen solid picks during the game, with most of them helping free up Parker. Oberto also made a couple of very good passes. While the dirty work was definitely appreciated, Oberto needs to start helping out on the boards and find a way to score some points. Hopefully those aspects appear after he gets back into shape following his heart condition scare.
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Ime Udoka
21 minutes, eight points, two rebounds
4-for-5 from the field, 0-for-1 at the line
After an outing where Ime Udoka shot the ball too carelessly, he improved greatly in that area against Minnesota. Instead of forcing three-pointers, he showed off his in between game, which is actually quite good. Defensively, Udoka hustled but still didn’t put it all together yet as he got caught chasing instead of defending a few times. Rebounding-wise the Spurs could have used more help, but overall it was a solid game out of Udoka.
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Kurt Thomas
13 minutes, three rebounds
Hopefully Kurt Thomas has some sort of nagging injury because otherwise it’s difficult to explain why he looks so bad. His post defense, which is the bread and butter of his basketball existence, was extremely poor. A number of times he’d be left totally out of position and watching as his man blew right by him. He’s also not helping much in terms of team defensive play. Offensively he was invisible and his rebounding was sub par.
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George Hill
10 minutes, two points, three assist, three rebounds
0-for-2 from the field, 2-for-4 at the line
George Hill didn’t get much playing time in his second NBA game but he played decently well. He didn’t have the huge scoring outburst he had in his debut but Hill showed other areas where he can help. Offensively, he made a few things happen in the pick-and-roll sets and made a few quick, good passes. On the other end of the court was where he really stood out. His individual defense was good once again, although he still needs work in learning the defensive system. What’s exciting about him on the defensive end is that he almost turns into a bigman once the shot is in the air. He’s not afraid to box out bigger players and he’s a physical rebounder who will sky to grab boards. The sample size has been small but I like what I see so far out of the rookie point guard.
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Gregg Popovich
I thought Pop did a pretty good job. I question why he played Finley so much, especially when if Finley wasn’t taking bad shots, he was ruining inbounds plays by making the wrong pass. And while the bigmen outside of Duncan are struggling, Pop isn’t helping matters by giving them each sporadic playing time. The minutes played by Duncan and Parker were again high, even before the overtime sessions, although with the Spurs needing the win it’s hard to blame Pop too much. Pop excelled at calling plays for the right player at the right time. He didn’t get too predictable and kept the T’Wolves guessing whether the ball was going to go to Parker, Duncan or Mason.
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Offense
The offense was again quite good. 129 points on 51.5% shooting from the field, 45.2% from beyond the arc and 82.1% at the free throw line are all good numbers. The Spurs also only had 12 turnovers and dished out 25 assists. Even though the offense wasn’t too varied (Parker, Duncan and Mason scored 111 of the 129 points), you can’t argue with the results. The next step is to incorporate the role players into the mix.
Defense
The defense was again pitiful, especially in terms of Spurs standards. The T’Wolves got almost any shot they wanted throughout the game. The Spurs also had a tough time grabbing defensive rebounds, which led to 25 second-chance points by Minnesota. When the Spurs tried to lock down to get a stop, they were rarely successful. Most of the problems on this end of the court can either be attributed to a lack of aggression or a lack of an interior presence. Over their first four games, the Spurs are averaging a shockingly low amount of steals (3.25) and blocks (1.75) per game. If they don’t step up their level of intensity on defense and find someone willing to patrol the paint, the Spurs are going to need superhuman offensive efforts each and every night.
Drive to Five
Next up for the Spurs are the Miami Heat on Friday night in the AT&T Center. To keep the mojo flowing in the right direction, a win would be much appreciated. Bowen will have his hands full with Dwyane Wade and it’ll be an opportunity to see how much gas Bowen has left in the tank. The game is going to be more difficult than expected because Miami has a lot of favorable matchups against San Antonio but hopefully the Spurs will carve out win number two.
Believe.
Great thoughts...
Spurs can't get sloppy on Friday with both Chalmers and Wade combining for 14 steals in last night's game.
Your organization is very professional.
thanks as always...
Regarding George Hill, there are some nuances that Hill still needs to assimilate into his game. He missed a couple of opportunities to drive and kick to open up spacing...instead choosing to just pass over to the wing, enabling the defender to close-out easier. Hill also did not take the proper angle running the right wing on the fast break one time, which really broke down the whole transition opportunity. These are things he'll learn over time.
Tony was so good from everywhere on the floor and his shot was so smooth! He was unstoppable. With a long defender like Cory Brewer on him, it was even more surprising.
Kevin Love was extremely impressive.
solid report, thanks as always
If i was Pop i would start Udoka in place of Finley for defensive purposes.
Bowen on Wade
Udoka on Beasley
Bonner on Marion
For once maybe Bonner could come in handy
Tony Pizzle was off da chain. It was a great game to watch. It was history in a way and never understood why people on here post threads suggesting trading Tony.
Great recap as always!
timvp, I know during the summer you said the Spurs chances this season rely heavily on Roger Mason Jr. Seeing as how he's played very well so far, and while the team is still without Manu, I gotta ask - How important does Ian Mahinmi become?
If the Spurs are gonna play poor defense this entire season it will be an uphill battle with or without Manu, but seeing how thin are front line is, and the mostly AWOL performances by Bonner and KT, I'm starting to feel like Ian almost HAS to play for the Spurs this season (as oppose to the Toros). I'm sure a trade could be in the works for another big, but do you think Ian's success for the Spurs this season is perhaps more important than what we once thought, considering how bad we're getting outworked on the boards and lack a shot blocker outside of TD?
This guy's been trying to shoot his way out of this slump since October .................................................. .............. 2007Michael Finley
33 minutes, three points, five rebounds, two steals
1-for-9 from the field, 1-for-5 on three-pointers
i agree with the last part. wade will be a good gauge for bowen.
I couldn't believe how fast mason shot the ball a few times, I was thinking..."no way...too fast...not set yet..." but it went in almost every time.
I need to get myself a Mason jersey... hope no one will think its a rasho jersey.
I'm so glad you aren't the coach.
Love the new format.
Amazing games by the Impromptu Big Three last night.
I really can't wait to see this team once Manu and Spurs Defense returns.
ok maybe not start all at once, but i want to see that lineup at certian points...finley should not see daylight in this game
Thanks as always timvp. Your thoughts are the best thing going, local or national. Appreciate the time and effort you put into them for us.
I have no doubt that Duncan will get into form quicker than prior seasons. He's already shown us that he was ready out of the gate. Any improvement needed will come quick.
I thought Love was pretty impressive and played Duncan well for a rookie. There was one point where Duncan gave him a playful pat, smiled, and then when play resumed hit the bank against him. You could see the respect on Love's face.Rookie Kevin Love was a handful for the Spurs and he helped his team immensely by crashing the offensive glass repeatedly.
Love gets a close-up look, and a long one, at Duncan
By Jerry Zgoda, Star Tribune
Timberwolves rookie Kevin Love faced the man -- well, one of them -- after whom he has patterned his game Wednesday, banging bodies with San Antonio's Tim Duncan.
By night's end, he not only had gotten over his awe, he had played his way into crunch time for the first time in his four-game pro career.
His 37 minutes eclipsed by 15 the most he had played in the season's first three games, and when he came out with the starters in place of Ryan Gomes to open the second half, Wolves fans got a look at the team's future, with Love and Al Jefferson playing side by side with Randy Foye, Corey Brewer and Mike Miller, who asserted himself for the first time for a 25-point game that included five three-pointers.
Love finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots and admiration for an opponent he calls "probably the best winner in the past 10 years."
"Even though I'm an inch or two smaller, he is a person I've looked up to," Love said after Duncan delivered a 30-point, 14-rebound game in the Spurs' double-overtime victory. "I did well, but at the end of the game, he got his."
Why would you convert to Pizzle without deploying the obvious chizzle?
Great report, thx
same here
Nice. It sucks that Mason isn't eating Finley's minutes yet. I think I'd compare him to prime Finley, but alot less offense and way more defense(but they're on the same general level). This truly shows you that some players need a chance. And with Gilbert playing in front of him, Money needed an injury to show his true worth.
Finley on Love in the 3rd quarter was basically re ed. And that ill advised 3 at the end of the game was almost beyond one of Bonner's brain farts.
The positives are still the new guys and the negatives are the old veterans. Our defense might not be suffering from simply a lack of aggression but a lack of athleticism. Blocks, rebounds, and steals are way down. At some point I have to think our lack of athleticism has finally caught up in the worst way possible.
Outside of Tim (who is obviously extremely skilled) our best players have been the most athletic - Tony, Mason, and Hill. If I recall, in addition to Tim, they have the highest PER on the team. Assuming this theory is pointing in the right direction, I have hopes that Ian, once he returns, can make a substantial contribution, or at least something, especially on defense. If he does pick up the slack that does alter the iden y of the team considerably: an athletic C, an MVP PF, SF (a weak spot), a very effective SG (Mason) and a superstar PG (Parker). That still makes us very thin but if Tolliver can at least make shots, and Farmer can get PT and hit a good % of his shots, we should at least be a compe ive .500 team until Manu returns. We'll see.
Nice recap. Last year I relied on these recaps for any game I was unable to watch. Timvp's reporting exceeds anything else out there.
Mahinmi Or Bust!!
I dont think Bonner can start the next game, he literally cant guard anyone outside of Haslem (he cant guard him either), who would be left for Tim. I think Oberto on Beasley might be the way to go, and go smaller throughout the game.
Nice report. The one thing I'd add is an explanation for Finley's ill-advised 3-point hoist. I think he had a mental lapse and thought the shot clock was expiring. He spaced out on the fact that Mason's offensive rebound was off the rim.
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