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Glad the Spurs didn't come out flat after having so much rest. Great performance.
Following multiple days of rest and the hubbub created by the decision to sit the Big Three for a game, the San Antonio Spurs were back in action Sunday afternoon against the Boston Celtics. In this battle of the past two NBA champions, the Spurs were able to make the final run and flee Beantown with a 105-99 victory.
The final two and a half minutes featured a lot of back and forth action. With the Spurs up by a single point, Kevin Garnett nailed two consecutive buckets to put the Celtics up by three. Matt Bonner then got a 14-footer in the lane to drop. After a miss by Garnett, Roger Mason, Jr. got the rebound, dribbled the ball up the court, utilized a Tim Duncan screen and buried a leaning three-pointer to give the Spurs a two-point lead with 20 seconds remaining. A litany of free throws by Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley and Mason ensued before the win was a reality.
Despite the loss, the Celtics played well. Their defense is in a little bit of a slump but they are very solid on both sides of the court. On the backs of their Big Three, there’s no doubt that Boston will make a lot of noise once again in the playoffs.
Overall, the Spurs have to be thrilled with this win. It was a fantastic effort all the way around. Even when the execution failed, the energy and determination never waned. The comeback win at the end should give the team even more confidence in late-game situations going forward.
Tim Duncan
39 minutes, 23 points, 13 rebounds, five assists
9-for-16 from the field, 5-for-5 from the line
Tim Duncan had a quiet yet effective performance. He never really stood out as dominating the action but at the end of the day, his presence was undeniable. If have to nitpick, I thought Duncan could have been more aggressive, especially with his post moves in the second half. Defensively, Duncan played well for a majority of the night, however his rotations out to the perimeter were sometimes a step slow. On the whole, Duncan played a very smart ballgame. With the amount of pressure the Celtics apply on defense, they want their opposition to force the action and fall into their trap. Instead, Duncan played it cool and took what was given.
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Manu Ginobili
31 minutes, 19 points, three assists, three rebounds, three steals, four turnovers
6-for-11 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers, 5-for-5 at the line
At the beginning, Manu Ginobili was erratic and appeared a bit frazzled. He missed his first shot and then had three turnovers in the span of a minute. However, after two scores at the end of the first quarter, Ginobili found his rhythm. From that point forward, Ginobili played extremely well. On offense, his shot selection was good and he illustrated a lot of patience. His decisions on when to shoot from the outside, when to try to get to the hoop and when to pass were nearly flawless. Defensively, Ginobili gave a lot of effort. Although Ray Allen got away from somewhat, his physical D on Paul Pierce was impressive. Following Mason’s three-pointer, Ginobili helped seal the game when he recovered an Allen fumble on the inbounds pass and subsequently drew a clear path foul. All in all, Ginobili bounced back very well from his rough start and had himself a fine game.
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Tony Parker
32 minutes, seven points, seven assists, three rebounds
3-for-12 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
The Celtics obviously wanted to make life difficult for Tony Parker and they were wildly successful in doing so. Parker, who was pressured and trapped for almost the entire affair, never found an offensive groove. He compounded the issue by forcing shots and taking the team out of their rhythm, especially in the third quarter. Even though the Celtics deserve some of the recognition for Parker’s struggles, he definitely assisted in his own demise. Thankfully, Parker helped out in the passing department, finishing with seven assists and only one turnover. His defense was somewhat feeble in the opening quarters but he eventually toughened up and brought more energy on that end.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
31 minutes, 11 points, three rebounds
3-for-9 from the field, 2-for-6 on three-pointers
For the first 47 minutes and 40 seconds of the game, Roger Mason, Jr. wasn’t doing much right. If he wasn’t missing shots, he was fumbling balls out of bounds or getting burnt on the defensive end. Then, out of nowhere, he authored his next chapter of game-winning heroics. It’s good to see that even if he’s struggling, Mason has no problem taking and making big shots. On defense, even though he had a lot of points scored on his watch, I thought he showed signs of improvement. His recovery when going around screens is improved and his off the ball awareness is getting more consistent.
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Michael Finley
27 minutes, seven points, two assists
1-for-4 from the field, 5-for-6 at the line
Prior to his free throws at the end of the fourth, Michael Finley wasn’t very helpful. He struggled finding open space on the offensive end and became a liability on the defensive end. Though he’s played decent defense at times this season, this was certainly not one of those times. Finley’s legs seemed to be dragging and he reactions all seemed to be a beat slow. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what Pop saw to warrant 15 minutes of playing time, much less 27 minutes.
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Matt Bonner
36 minutes, 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals
10-for-17 from the field, 3-for-6 on three-pointers
With six possible Hall of Famers on the court, who woulda thunk that the first half was going to be the Matt Bonner Show? The New Hampshire native scored 16 points in the first two quarters in what amounted to a home game. Scoring from both the perimeter and drives to the bucket, Bonner looked as confident as ever. In the third quarter, Bonner appeared to fatigue – although that didn’t stop him from banking in a three-pointer. After regrouping, Bonner scored a rare clutch basket with under a minute to go in the game. And when I say rare, I mean rare. When was the last time Bonner hit a shot with fewer than five minutes remaining in a game and the score separated by five or less points? You have to go all the way back to Nov. 11 against the Rockets when Bonner hit a three-pointer in the outing that helped catapult him back into the rotation.
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Kurt Thomas
19 minutes, six points, five rebounds
3-for-5 from the field
Kurt Thomas gave the Spurs an understated yet valuable performance. Offensively, Thomas made two big baskets at the beginning of the fourth period, one of which was following an offensive rebound. On defense, Thomas did a good job of matching the physicality and effort of the Celtics frontline, though he did have a few miscues on that end. Overall, it was a worthwhile night at the office for Thomas.
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George Hill
16 minutes, seven points, three rebounds, one assist
3-for-3 from the field, 1-for-2 at the line
In George Hill’s first stint of action in the first half, the rookie out of IUPUI didn’t do much of anything. That all changed when Hill entered the game in the fourth quarter. In a stretch of less than three minutes, Hill scored seven points on two jumpers at the end of the shot clock and a twisting layup. In the midst of his run, Hill took a hard hit and fell to the ground holding his shoulder. After his injury was diagnosed as a stinger, he was able to split a pair at the charity stripe. On defense, Hill brought a ton of energy and helped nullify some of Rajon Rondo’s athleticism. On the road against the defending champs, it was great to see Hill step up and have a hand in the victory.
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Bruce Bowen
Seven minutes
0-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Bruce Bowen got most of his minutes in the third quarter following the Celtics’ 10-0 run to begin the half. Though he missed all his shots from the field, Bowen helped cool off Boston. His defense wasn't spectacular but he gave the Spurs a physical defender out on the perimeter that they were lacking.
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Fabricio Oberto
One minute, two points, two rebounds
1-for-1 from the field
After not playing all game, Pop suddenly put Fabricio Oberto into the contest with six minutes remaining in the game. Pop was frustrated with defensive mistakes by both Thomas and Bonner and decided to go with the Argentine bigman for a minute of action. In his 62 seconds on the court, Oberto was able to tally two points and two rebounds. His field goal came off of an offensive rebound following a Duncan miss.
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Gregg Popovich
I thought Pop’s gameplan was very good, especially on the defensive end. He had his team sag off of Rondo and the Celtics bigs and sent immediate help whenever Pierce or Allen got into the lane. The plan basically dared the Celtics to win the game via the jumpshot. On offense, he wanted the Spurs to push the ball and get into their sets earlier than usual to not allow the Celtics to setup their potentially smothering defense. As far as his rotation was concerned, I thought it was smart for the most part. Giving Hill and Bonner more minutes worked out well, though more of Bowen and less of Finley probably wouldn’t have hurt.
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Offense
Over the last two seasons, the Celtics have had the undisputed best defense in the league. On Sunday afternoon, the Spurs made Boston look average. The Spurs totaled their 105 points on 48.8% shooting from the field, while hitting 8-of-21 from three-point range and 19-of-21 from the line. The assist-to-turnover ratio of 21-to-13 was admirable. In the second and fourth quarters combined, the Spurs were able to put 69 points on the board.
Defense
Even though the Spurs executed their defensive gameplan rather well, Boston was still able to score points at a healthy clip. For the game, the Celtics shot 50.6% from the floor and handed out 28 assists to only 11 turnovers. Where the Spurs excelled was limited three-pointers (3-for-11) and free throw (8-for-11). San Antonio also had a 40-39 advantage on the glass.
Drive to Five
If this wasn’t the most meaningful victory of the season, it is positively near the top of the list. The Rodeo Road Trip continues in New Jersey on Tuesday when the Spurs take on the Nets. The Nets aren’t a great team at the moment but they’ve won four out of their previous five games and they were able to play the Spurs close in the AT&T Center a few weeks back. Get this win and keep the momentum flowing.
Believe.
Last edited by timvp; 02-08-2009 at 09:24 PM.
Glad the Spurs didn't come out flat after having so much rest. Great performance.
NBA Finals Preview???
I hope so....
Worth noting: Bowen was the one defending Paul Pierce on the inbounds pass that Rayray lost control of.
Wow,nice write up and on the money for the most part. of a win by the good guys.Best win of the year IMO.
TimVp, Finley 5 for 6 on 3's?
I thought that Hill strip of Rondo at the end of the first quarter was crucial as well.
George Hill = Rondo stopper
Fixed. Thx.TimVp, Finley 5 for 6 on 3's?
True. Bowen did a good job of making that inbounds play more difficult than usual. It played a part in Allen coughing it up.
why espn why?
You mean twenty...
Nice synopsis, but do you have to keep using that dreadful picture of Pop?
Try this one......
Thanks.
When they were next to each other, you could see they had almost the same exact build.
Yeah they both have those wide shoulders.
Yep, that was striking
I thought Tony Parker did. Fin certainly did. Actually one could make a case that Duncan did as well.
Manu did alright tonight and that steal was great but I've noticed for a while now that Manu's been trying to do too much when he comes off the bench and has been pretty bad about turning the ball over a lot and shooting dumb shots right after he comes into the game. Luckily tonight it worked out.
rajon had an axe to grind on tony. maybe rajon still remembers what tony said in a french newspaper about him. im glad tony was still able to have a nice game inspite of the celtics defense that was determined to stop him..
Can't agree that Duncan came out flat. Eight points in the first and his defense was solid to start the game. Even Parker seemed to have the most energy in the first.
Finley ... on the other hand .... yeah.
In the third that whole starting lineup looked flat. I was begging for Pop to put Manu in at about the ten minute mark when it was obvious that combo wasn't doing anything.
I was actually waiting for the floodgates to open. Looking at recent history the Spurs are blown out when they do that in the third.
Bowen also forced Pierce to airball a 3 in the last seconds
Yeah, that looked like the Lakers game for a second there . . .
I am happy and now we can all say it was a great shot, but... was it a wise shot to take with lots of time in the clock (If I am not mistaken was 8 seconds into the shot clock, so 16 seconds remaining) and the Spurs down by 2 with 20 seconds left?Roger Mason, Jr.
31 minutes, 11 points, three rebounds
3-for-9 from the field, 2-for-6 on three-pointers
For the first 47 minutes and 40 seconds of the game, Roger Mason, Jr. wasn’t doing much right. If he wasn’t missing shots, he was fumbling balls out of bounds or getting burnt on the defensive end. Then, out of nowhere, he authored his next chapter of game-winning heroics. It’s good to see that even if he’s struggling, Mason has no problem taking and making big shots. On defense, even though he had a lot of points scored on his watch, I thought he showed signs of improvement. His recovery when going around screens is improved and his off the ball awareness is getting more consistent.
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The Spurs were actually only down one point. I don't think that is a shot you want, especially considering no one was in position for an offensive board. It seemed to surprise everyone.
Except for Mason
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