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tnx for the grades
Tony Massenburg A+
Offense
Massenburg was the Spurs’ only low post presence in the game against the Clippers. He kept LA honest inside with his bruising play. He got credited for six offensive rebounds, while numerous other second chances were a direct result of his work in the paint.
Defense
Massenburg played rugged defense in his 32 minutes on the court. He muscled around the Clippers’ inside players and made it tough on them to make shots. He also rotated defensively better than he has all season.
Overall
This was a great game to play the best ball of the season. Massenburg did just that and with this game, likely earned a spot on the playoff roster. In the playoffs, he could get another opportunity like this and now the Spurs know he can produce.
Manu Ginobili A
Offense
After halftime, Ginobili played inspired ball. He finished with 40 points, nine assists, six rebounds and a steal. It was easily one of his better games of the season. He’s proving to be exceptionally clutch and his will to win is unmatched.
Defense
Ginobili didn’t have a great defense game as he missed on a couple of rotations and went for some ill-advised steals. But he competed well on that end of the court and came up with numerous hustle plays in the fourth quarter and overtimes.
Overall
When Ginobili plays as well as he did against the Clippers, it’s easy to see why a lot of league pundits believe the Spurs will win the championship. Ginobili has the ability to catch fire and will his team to victory, as he did Saturday night in LA.
Robert Horry A
Offense
Horry played one of his better all-around games as a Spur. He finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, six steals, four assists and three blocks. With the Spurs down by a pair late in the ballgame, Horry stepped up and drilled a huge three-pointer to put the Spurs up by one.
Defense
After hitting that three-pointer, Horry saved the game with a blocked shot on the Clippers’ final possession. It was a huge play by Horry, who played his best game defensively he has in a long while. He was incredibly active and was all over the court.
Overall
If Horry can continue to play like this, the Spurs are going to be in great shape in the playoffs. Horry will most likely finish most games for the Spurs, so he’ll have plenty of opportunities to come up big in crunch time like he did Saturday.
Tony Parker A-
Offense
Parker carried the Spurs in the second quarter. Without his 20 first half points, the Spurs would have probably been blown out by halftime. That was the good. The bad was Parker only finished the game with 27 points, despite the game going into two overtimes.
Defense
Although he wasn’t matched up against him for all of the night, it’s never a good thing when the team’s opposing point guard scores a career-high. Rookie point guard Shaun Livingston had 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Clippers.
Overall
27 points and nine assists is a great night by any standards, but the Spurs need to make sure that Parker is as aggressive in the second half as he is in the first half.
Bruce Bowen B+
Offense
Bowen didn’t shoot much in his 40 minutes on the court, but did a good job of knocking down the shots he did take. He finished 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Defense
Corey Maggette played well, but also had a lot of close calls go his way. He finished 6-for-10 from the field and 11-for-13 from the line. Bowen didn’t play Livingston well in the last two Clipper possessions.
Overall
Bowen did what the Spurs want him to do -– take on the other team’s best player and make the open shots on offense.
Rasho Nesterovic B
Offense
Nesterovic shot 4-for-6 from the field and was punishing the smaller defenders of the Clippers. He was doing a better job than he normally does of establishing his position on the low block.
Defense
Nesterovic had an average defensive game. Nothing too spectacular. With the Clippers shooting as well as they did, you can argue that he didn’t do a good job of clogging up the lane..
Overall
The big news regarding Nesterovic is his ankle. He sprained his ankle Friday night and it’s being reported that he’s going to be out until at least the playoffs. If that is accurate, that would be a major blow.
Brent Barry B-
Offense
All five of Barry’s shots were from beyond the arc, as he finished 1-for-5 for the game. He connected on all five of his free throws and finished with three assists in 20 minutes.
Defense
Barry is starting to figure out the Spurs’ system. Even so, if he’s not producing offensively at a good rate, his defense still makes him a liability on the court.
Overall
Although it wasn’t a very good outing for Barry, he did have a couple of clutch plays -– including the assist to Horry for the game-winning shot. With Ginobili most likely sitting out the Golden State game on Sunday, the Spurs will need Barry to step in and perform at a high level if they have any hopes of coming out victorious.
Sean Marks B-
Offense
Marks only hit 1-of-4 shots in his 13 minutes on the floor. However, his one shot was a follow dunk that seemed to give life to the Spurs. Marks has carved out a niche for himself as an energy player for the Spurs, especially offensively.
Defense
Marks’ defense wasn’t too great. Sometimes it seems like he knows what to do, but then other times he appears to be clueless. For him to get any type of minutes down the stretch, he’ll have to start rotating faster.
Overall
Since he appears to still be ahead of Mohammed in the rotation, the chances of him making the playoff roster seem pretty good. When Duncan gets activated, it’ll be interesting too see who is placed on the injured list. While it might be Marks, he’s played well enough to stay on the active roster.
tnx for the grades
Nice thanks LJ, Marks is interesting, does h end up with a playoff roster spot after sitting most of the year?
I wouldn't mind it his feisty and every shot in the lane is a dunk attempt or so it seems.
Where is the grade on Nazr?, brief appearance help cut big lead in half end of 2nd. Great rebounding, tough shot, made Ft. Unfortunetely missed what would have been a monster slam but he was effective in limited minutes.
nice grades. i agree with the tony parker comment. im tired of him not applying pressure on them consistenly in the duration of the game. and he takes too many jumpshots and that's not his game. take it to the friggin hole.
Players under 10 minutes don't usually get a grade. But Nazr had a great burst there.
may be off topic slightly, but livingston is gonna be a of a player if he puts a little more muscle on and adds some durability. 6'7" point guard with skills like that is a really tough matchup, and he really kept the clippers in the game in the ot's
timvp
who is the valedictorian this year?
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