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Game thoughts come again.
In the last ten games, the Spurs had an opportunity to fatten up their win column -- and they did just that. Victorious in eight of the contests, the Spurs won by an average of 14.8 points per game. In the ten games, the average score was 102-91.
The two losses came against the Blazers and the Raptors. While the Raptors game was somewhat understandable since it was the sixth game in nine days, the Blazers game was very disappointing. Against a short-handed team, the Spurs laid an egg in front of the AT&T Center crowd.
Overall, it's difficult to be too excited or too disappointed by this stretch. None of the games were against premium opponents and the Spurs were able to come out on top in eight. Ho hum.
Tim Duncan
30:53 minutes, 19.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.20 blocks, 2.0 turnovers
54.3% from the field, 75.9% at the line
Tim Duncan's impressive campaign continues. Despite playing less minutes, Duncan has been able to put up his standard 20 points and 10 boards. His field goal percentage is at a career best mark, he's shooting well from the line and he's scoring as well as he ever has at any point in his career.
Perhaps just as important as the way he's playing, Duncan is starting to regain respect from coaches around the league. In the last ten games or so, we've seen many more squads send double-teams as a part of their gameplan. To begin the season, most teams were playing him one-on-one.
My only gripe with Duncan right now is his passing isn't as crisp as we've seen in the past. He has a tendency to hold the ball in the post too long and isn't responding swiftly to double teams. That said, he'll assuredly remember how to make those passes if teams keep sending help his way. Duncan's rebounding is also down a bit recently, though that likely is due to playing more minutes with DeJuan Blair.
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Manu Ginobili
28:02 minutes, 12.2 points, 4.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.3 turnovers
44.1% field, 32.4% (12-for-37) on three-pointers, 96.6% (28-for-29) at the line
His stats don't jump off the screen but there's one thing to really be excited about: Manu Ginobili is finishing at the basket again. He began the season just 23-for-54 on shots at the rim. In the last ten games, he's 21-for-34. That's a huge increase in both accuracy and quan y, which is a fantastic sign that Ginobili is gaining confidence and explosiveness in his legs.
Ginobili's passing has been amazing in the past ten games. He is once again the quarterback of the second unit and he's playing that role to perfection. The fact that he's running the court and driving to the basket more often has opened up more passing opportunities and Ginobili has consistently delivered. Spurs fans should also be excited about his rebounding, his high number of steals and his relatively low number of turnovers.
Ginobili being at top form is simply life or death when it comes to San Antonio's championship hopes. When he's playing at his best, the Spurs are a championship contender. When he's hobbled or not playing well, they aren't. In other words, Ginobili remains the team's ultimate X-factor. At times, he still seems to holding back and not completely healthy ... but all that can be done is hope that he can survive the season and still have juice for the playoffs.
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Tony Parker
32:11 minutes, 17.3 points, 5.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 2.1 turnovers
49.6% from the field, 25% (1-for-4) on three-pointers, 68.9% (42-for-61) at the line
Compared to last season, Tony Parker is still underwhelming. His stats are down and his energy level has been inconsistent. Sometimes he'll play like the it's May; sometimes he'll play like he's in a summer league game. The good news is that he seems to be progressing in the right direction. His energy lapses are becoming more infrequent and it appears he is figuring out how to use the weapons around him.
The biggest improvement in the last ten games has been his turnovers. In the previous ten games, he averaged 4.2 turnovers per game. Cutting his turnovers in half has helped the offense regain Spurs-like consistency. When Parker isn't turning the ball over, his teammates usually also take care of the ball -- and vice versa.
While Parker is finishing at the rim at a high level, his jumpshot hasn't yet arrived for the 2009-2010 season. His jets are also at less than 100%. Thankfully, Parker has a history of improving both of those aspects as the season goes along. I remain confident that his best play of the season is forthcoming.
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Richard Jefferson
28:55 minutes, 12.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 turnovers
53.3% from the field, 38.1% (8-for-21) on three-pointers, 81.5% (22-for-27) at the line
Is it time to start changing Richard Jefferson's expectations? Coming into the season, Jefferson was supposed to pick up the slack the Big 3 could no longer carry due to age, wear and tear. But with Duncan playing so well, in addition to Parker and Ginobili not exactly shying away from creating, Jefferson isn't really getting the opportunities to produce on a consistent basis. Plus, with a deep set of role players who can put points on the board, Jefferson's offense isn't needed every night.
In the last ten games, Jefferson has taken advantage of his touches on offense. He's shooting well from the field, from beyond the arc and even at the free throw line. Jefferson is making plays for others while rarely turning the ball over. He could score more but who do you want to take shots from? Using Jefferson to the maximum of his capabilities isn't as easy as it appears on paper.
Even if you want to look at Jefferson's production as a glass half full, his lack of rebounding jumps off the page as a negative. For being as big as he is, there's no excuse for him to average such a low number of boards. His defense has also been shaky at times -- specifically his transition defense. Once the schedule gets more difficult, it'll be easier to figure out what exactly the Spurs need from Jefferson to be an elite team.
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Keith Bogans
21:40 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists
51.3% from the field, 54.2% (13-for-24) on three-pointers, 100.0% (6-for-6) at the line
Defensively, I've been pretty happy with Keith Bogans over the last ten games. Although he tends to foul at inopportune times and lacks the length and quickness we came to expect from Bruce Bowen, Bogans' bulldog mentality makes the Spurs a much better defensive team when he's on the court.
Offensively, I don't know what to think. I'm surprised by how well he's shooting -- especially lately. This is a guy who entered the season as a sub-40% shooter from the field. Some shooters have shot better with the Spurs due to playing with a dominating inside force for the first time in their career but that's not the case with Bogans -- he's played with Dwight Howard, Yao Ming and Emeka Okafor for most of his career. Chances are high that he'll hit another slump and his shooting numbers will retreat to his career averages. If he keeps shooting how he is now? There's no way you take him out of the starting lineup for the rest of the year.
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DeJuan Blair
22:14 minutes, 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.9 turnovers
52.5% from the field, 53.6% (15-for-28) at the line
DeJuan Blair has started eight of the last ten games and he's performed admirably. Heading into the season, I though Blair's ceiling was a high energy seventh or eighth man. As it stands, he looks like a long-term starter at center. Although playing him with the starters sometimes results in Blair getting in early foul trouble, there really isn't any other negative about the current starting alignment.
Defensively, Blair has gone from major liability to solid in record time. He plays good post defense, quality perimeter defense and even has been a pretty darn good help defender. On offense, he sets tough screens and knows how to roll to the basket like a ten-year vet. There's really not much to nitpick with Blair anymore.
It'll be interesting to see how long Blair remains the starter. Since he lacks an outside jumper, Pop may eventually opt for a player who can spread the defense more to open up driving lines. But personally, I'm on the bandwagon to start Blair the rest of the year. Coming out of the gates with toughness, rebounding and energy is a nice (and needed) jolt for this team.
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Antonio McDyess
19:06 minutes, 5.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 turnovers
54.7% from the field, 0.0% (0-for-3) at the line
Antonio McDyess is the rare NBA player who is on record as saying he prefers to come off the bench. His play with the Spurs this year backs up that claim. He started only two of the last ten games -- and his two worst games in that stretch were the two games he started.
Another reason to bring McDyess off the bench is how well he plays with Ginobili. McDyess likes to shoot from certain spots on the floor and Ginobili has been the best player on the team at finding him in those spots.
Overall, McDyess still has improving to do before he lives up to his contract. His numbers over the last ten games have been acceptable but his impact from night to night has largely been disappointing. Hopefully we'll see McDyess' play pick up as the Spurs head to the midpoint of the season.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
24:59 minutes, 11.0 point, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists
51.8% from the field, 46.2% (18-for-39) on three-pointers, 100.0% (6-for-6) at the line
Quietly, Roger Mason, Jr. has played really well over the last ten games. Not only is he shooting well again, Mason is showing growth in other areas. He's rebounding much better, he has been able to drive the ball to the basket to keep the defense honest, he's creating for others, he's playing passable defense and he's limiting his turnovers. With Michael Finley out of the lineup, Mason has stepped into his role and is playing it at a high level.
I know Spurs fans are in a wait-and-see mode with Mason since he faltered at the end of last season and stunk it up to begin this season but his last ten games showed a lot of promise. This team needs Mason's ability to shoot and make plays from the bench. Let's hope he can find a groove and become a consistent weapon.
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George Hill
20:53 minutes, 6.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists
39.7% from the field, 33.3% (6-for-18) on three-pointers, 73.7% (14-for-19) at the line
George Hill has been up and down in the last ten games but there are some good signs if you look closely. He's fouling less, he's playing more consistent defense, he's making more plays and he's starting to rebound the ball once again. When Hill plays solid D and rebounds, he's a major asset on the defensive end of the court.
Scoring-wise, Hill has changed his focus a few times this year. He began the year shooting a lot of threes, then he started looking to draw as many fouls as possible, then he tried to score via his midrange jumper and now he's driving the ball to the bucket looking to finish. The bad part about the recent version of Hill is his scoring efficiency is down since he's not making many threes and he's not getting to the line very often.
All in all, Hill just needs to keep playing hard on the defensive end and transfer his aggressiveness from that end to the other end. Hesitancy is almost always his biggest enemy on the offensive end. When he operates like he knows what he's doing, he becomes a quality player who can help out in nearly every area of the game.
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Game thoughts come again.
The Spurs show flashes of brilliance but are unable to sustain it for 48 minutes. At this point in the season it is pretty disappointing. Then again, there hasn't really been a dominating team in the NBA this year. I still think the Spurs are a lengthy defender away from being a serious threat. They simply don't have a player capable of making Kobe, Melo, Dirk work for their shots.
From what I've seen, Roger Mason's defense the past 10 games is far better than "passable". He's playing better defense than anyone on the spurs right now IMO. We can only hope Poopovich won't bench him or even reduce his minutes once Finley returns but one thing I've learned is there is no given with Poop when it comes to his endless tinkering with things that are working already.
Bogans is a lot like Bowen in the sense that he was a relatively unknown player in the league until joining the Spurs.
And much like Bowen...Bogans is beginning to establish his role quite effectively. Maybe not at the same level yet...but definately getting there.
If Blair starting means Duncan not rebounding as much but shooting more efficiently...I'd take that everyday and twice on Sunday. It will help in allowing Timmy in not having to do as much during his minutes on the court thus help keep Duncan from wearing down as much for the rest of the season.
May we all pray Ginobili remains healthy as he is looking more and more like vintage Manu.
last 10 games we shouldve been 10-0 run
fkn pop v raptors mind games costs us a win....
as long we can get half the teams contribution from the bench, every game is winnable....
cause we know timmay d is going to bring his A game every nite
Yes ! thank you timvp !
My two biggest disappointments in these 10 games: Dice and Hill. I know Dice is slow starter but right now Blair > Dice which is quite surprising.
cheers bud, awesome read
Whoa. I'll have to disagree with that.
Last season, RMJ was a poor defensively player -- especially against quick players. This year, I think he's building towards average. But I'm going to have to shy away from saying RMJ is a better defender than Duncan and Bogans.
Whatever mason did during the offseason, its paying dividends. He's playing looser, more relaxed.. and not forcing things now that he doesn't have to worry about being a PG. His stroke is deadly and he's displayed welcome versatility in his passing, taking it to the rim and defense. He's a defiinite asset and I only hope the Spurs manage to hang on to him.
Dice will turn it up a notch when it matters... thanks timvp!
No comments on Pop
Would have liked to see some words on the scrubs too...
Great read...
Hopefully Parker also regains his touch from the line...
Hopefully Parker learns to pass.Great read...
Hopefully Parker also regains his touch from the line...
Thanks TIMVP. Great read.
I 've really have missed your Game Thoughts.
Regarding George Hill, I think that playing with a new crew (relatively), has thrown him off with his offense. We all know that he's been polishing that corner three for a while now (a Spurs guard requirement?) but playing with RJ, Blair, and the rest of the guys is making him a bit hesitant to use his drive.
I dunno, but that's what I think.
Thanks timvp. Blair's learning curve has been really surprising. Perhaps the most exciting thing about this team is how much better he'll be in another two months.
Have you heard anything about durability issues / concerns? I think we all see a guy built like an 18-wheeler and we assume he's bulletproof (he's certainly looked like it) but are the trainers doing any special monitoring of his knees / legs?
Really good question...
Does anybody remember the play where he tripped over Kevin Love as they dove for a ball? The way he landed on that leg would likely have hurt most normal people... His legs look that strong...
you never fail to deliver pornoying
I still favor the idea of mcdyess closing games. Especially against Dallas. He's the best Dirk defender since Malik rose.
I'll agree with that, but won't compared him to Duncan because they play different positions. I'd love to see RMJ get tenacious on D like Bongans does. To me, when looking simply at skill, Bogans is an average defender. It's his effort, hustle and 100% effort 100% of the time that warrants him the credit of being a good defender. Seeing Mason like that on the defensive end would be godly.
Thanks for the recap Timvp. It's always a relatively thoughtful and accurate analysis from you.
I have to agree with some of the other posters that Mason's defense is much better than passible. Better than Tim, Bogans, Hill or Manu is a stretch, but he is playing great moving his feet and bodying up without drawing the dumb fouls like earlier in the season.
His offensive work is also impressive and I am also hoping the Spurs keep him.
Funny how last night the Piston announcers remarked that Mason looked jacked up and ready to shoot after a drive to the basket. I think one of the best things about RMJ is that he looks like a cold eyed shooter all the time. That keeps his defender on him and off the double teams. Best of all, he makes them pay when they slack off.
Its all good, but try to deny it. You cant!!! Heck, not even Mike Taylor from STSA ticket 760 could deny it when I threw that at him.
Which game was it that Parker was kept out of the lane by a collapsing zone and he continued to shoot bricks from outside. I think he was something like 2-17.
You'd think he wouldve learned by now to give up the ball when the shots aren't falling and they take away your strength.
I won't argue with you about Tony, but using Mike Taylor to validate your take is amusing.
And people say I hate Parker. How lame.
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