Grades: Spurs vs. Grizzlies - Apr. 12

[timvp]

Following the annihilation at the hands of the Lakers on Wednesday, the Spurs were back in action Thursday night against the Grizzlies. Although there were some definite rough patches, the Spurs did enough to grind out a 107-97 victory to complete a 4-0 season sweep of the team that bounced them from the playoffs last season.

Things looked bleakest for San Antonio in the second quarter when Memphis went up by nine points. Thankfully, the Spurs were able to close the gap by the third quarter. That's when the bench, led by Manu Ginobili, exploded.

Beginning when Ginobili got fouled on a three-point attempt with 3:21 remaining in the third and San Antonio down by two, the Spurs went on a 22-6 run that saw Ginobili score or assist on 14 of the points. Unfortunately, their advantage provided by that run all but disappeared over the next seven minutes due to a total offensive meltdown. But thanks to a three-point play by Tim Duncan with 1:51 left in the fourth that put the Spurs up by six points, the good guys were able to hang on.

While Spurs fans can sit around nitpicking this win, the bottomline is the Spurs got a victory that will hopefully help get this squad back on track.





Tim Duncan A+
With the Spurs needing him more than ever this season, Tim Duncan reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out a vintage performance. Offensively, he made the Grizzlies pay repeatedly until they were forced to start sending double-teams. His 14-point third quarter was a throwback to yesteryear. Instead of running a complicated motion offense, Pop went old school and just called 4-down over and over again. On defense, Duncan did rock solid work against Marc Gasol. He bodied him all night and rarely gave him an inch to operate. When it came to contested boards, Duncan was out-dueling Gasol nearly every time. Even though he had to pay a lot of attention to his man, Duncan still had time to supply adequate help-defense at the rim. Overall, it was great to see No. 21 still have the ability to put this team on his shoulders.

Manu Ginobili B+
To be honest, I was worried about Manu Ginobili at halftime. During the first two quarters, he just didn't look right. His movements were rigid, his defense was mostly lethargic, and outside of a three-pointer and a few stand-still passes, Ginobili simply wasn't carrying his share of the load. Then, in the third quarter, everything changed. Ginobili began running the offense and his pick-and-rolls with Tiago Splitter were impossible for the Grizzlies to defend. The Spurs ran the same play continuously and the South American duo took over the game. Additionally, Ginobili's second half defense was much improved. He played enthusiastic one-on-one defense, swarmed with purpose off the ball and ripped down a few contested boards.

Tony Parker D
Following Tony Parker's dismal performance against the Lakers, he began this game playing really well. In the first quarter, he either scored or assisted on 21 of the team's 27 points. From there, though, things went downhill. He was poor in the second quarter, below average in the third quarter and then fell off a cliff in the final stanza. Parker's struggles down the stretch were shocking since he's been the Lionel Messi of fourth quarters this season. But against the Grizzlies, after Parker entered the game with eight minutes remaining, the Spurs scored three points in the next five and a half minutes. Parker's stats for the fourth quarter: two assists, three turnovers, 0-for-3 from the field and 0-for-2 from the line. The Spurs survived his uncharacteristic choking ... but just barely. Going forward, Parker can't be a liability in fourth quarters if the Spurs are going to have any postseason success.

Danny Green B-
Defensively, Danny Green was a plus throughout the contest. He was contesting shots, swiping for steals and made an impact on the defensive boards. Offensively, Green shot with confidence and was playing well up until the stretch run. However, with the Spurs struggling to score and the game seemingly slipping away, Green made things much worse by missing three shots right at the rim. For being long and reasonably athletic, Green is an unreliable finisher -- to put it kindly. If he can't be counted on to hit a wide open layup, I'm not sure if the Spurs can trust him in tight ballgames. His misses against Memphis were almost San Antonio's undoing.

Kawhi Leonard B+
If the first half, Kawhi Leonard very much looked like a first year player who has hit the rookie wall. His legs lacked explosion and his defense wasn't as sharp as it was the last couple outings against Rudy Gay. In the third quarter, everything changed. Although Duncan was doing most of the heavy lifting early in the quarter, the other Spur who joined him was Leonard. His defense become much more lively and he scored six points in quick succession to hold the hard-charging Grizzlies at bay. Though he sat on the bench for the rest of the game, that third quarter gave me hope that Leonard may be on the verge of breaking through the wall.

DeJuan Blair D-
DeJuan Blair might have started his last game of the season. In the first half, Blair played 12 minutes of subpar basketball. He was mostly out of control on offense, totally overwhelmed on defense and a non-factor on the boards. In the second half, Blair didn't get off the bench. Perhaps the coaching staff will view this as simply one bad game, or perhaps this performance could be sufficient impetus for changing the starting lineup.

Stephen Jackson B-
While Stephen Jackson turned the ball over too much and had a couple bad fouls, the rest of his outing was solid. Offensively, his shot selection was good and he cleverly passed the ball. Defensively, Jackson was stout. He really got up into Gay, banged down low when needed, and was generally a tough and energetic asset for the Spurs on that end of the court. Overall, Jackson is turning out to be a dependable spark off the bench.

Matt Bonner C-
Matt Bonner might have had his worst first half of the season. Not only was he missing shots, he started passing up shots and his passiveness even transferred to the defensive end of the court. But give Bonner credit, he turned it around in the final two quarters. Defensively, while he still wasn't boxing out well or rebounding at all, his help was very good and his effort when defending the post was a definite plus. Offensively, he spread the court with a three-pointer and a pair of long twos. When Ginobili was doing his magic in the second half, Bonner was right in the middle of that. Down the stretch, Bonner was relatively acceptable on both ends.

Boris Diaw B-
When Boris Diaw entered the game in the second quarter, his first few trips up and down the court were disastrous. However, he soon found his rhythm and played well enough to close that quarter to convince Pop to start him in the second half. In the final two quarters, Diaw wasn't exceptionally good or anything but he mostly stayed out of the way -- and that's more than you could say for Blair on this night. Defensively, he again fouled too much but he had a few strong plays on the low block and rebounded well. On offense, he still has a lot of room to improve but it's obvious the potential is there for him to be a really good fit.

Gary Neal B
Gary Neal was back after a one-game absence due to a stomach ache. Sure, his shot selection was a bit too generous and he failed to register an assist, but all in all I thought Neal did well enough. He realized when to get out of the way to let Ginobili run the show and finished without a turnover for the third time in his last four games. Defensively, Neal was still slow in one-on-one matchups but he made up for it a bit by being active in the passing lanes. When it comes to Neal and defense, he has to give maximum effort to even be halfway competent on that end.

Tiago Splitter A-
Welp, I guess we're just going to have to deal with it. Tiago Splitter played only 13 minutes but he was really good in that short amount of time. Offensively, he set mean screens, rolled with purpose and finished strongly at the rim. Defensively, his work guarding the low block was stupendous and he crashed the boards with moxie. While I thought he could have hustled more after loose balls, that's about the only critique I can offer.

Pop C
First of all, it's getting crazy that Pop doesn't even let Duncan and Splitter attempt to play together anymore. I realize Pop doesn't want to use it down the stretch but playing that duo together here and there can't hurt. Splitter is simply playing too well to ignore that possibility altogether. I also thought Pop should have given Leonard another run in the fourth quarter after his strong play in the third. Pop sticking with Green down the stretch was almost a calamity. On the plus side, I agreed with going with Diaw over Blair in the second half. As we head into the final two weeks of the regular season, it'll be interesting to see if Pop figures out a rotation before the the start of the postseason.

[Obstructed_View]

If it weren't for the same certainty that Pop will mismanage Splitter as I had last year, I'd be really excited about this team. They got whipped by the Lakers, but they're clearly in some sort of a funk at the moment. They did a good job of working their way out of it. That sequence where Parker got popped in the head with no whistle, the Grizzlies player traveled badly before taking the shot, and then Duncan was called for over the back seemed to piss everyone not named Parker off a lot. They showed up with a bit of focus that's been missing the last week or so.

[Blake]

Matty Plus just doing what he does best

Lmao +22

[Splits]

Matty Plus just doing what he does best

Lmao +22

In only 22 minutes. Splitter with a +11 in only 13 minutes.

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

Bonner having a good game probably is the wrong lesson for Pop to take away from this. Splitter doesn't equal success in the playoffs, but at least he gives the team a chance to succeed in the slow-moving, swamp-like conditions of the playoffs.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

How is +/- calculated? I don't get how Bonner rules that stat.

[Splits]

^ it is the difference in the score while the player is on the court.

[z0sa]

Splitter playing only 13 minutes is a huge problem. Pop deserves a D or less for his misuse of the big Brazilian.

[2centsworth]

You're spot on, except Bonner was better than C- down the stretch.

[gambit1990]

from an article posted on may 13, 2011 [link]:

“I think Tiago has to be a linchpin for our future here, because he has the size, the length, the toughness, the grit, the consistency,” Popovich said. “He’s going to be a stalwart of this team going forward.”

yet he only averages 19.3 minutes per game this season. less than duncan, bonner, and blair. diaw has played 11 games with us and averages the same amount of minutes [link].

sad . i like that diaw's at least getting playing time, but blair needs to be the 5th big.

[DBMethos]

Good grades, as usual. I mentioned in another thread that 48MoH's grades for this game featured a B for Parker and a C- for Splitter. Wait...what?

[JRHernandez88]

[Bruno]

Thanks for the grades.

Parker's struggles down the stretch were shocking since he's been the Lionel Messi of fourth quarters this season.

[ElNono]

he's been the Lionel Messi

How dare you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





















Thanks for the writeup.

[Splits]

Parker's struggles down the stretch were shocking since he's been the Lionel Messi of fourth quarters this season.

How many goals did Messi score in the 2010 WC?

[ElNono]

How many goals did Messi score in the 2010 WC?

haters gonna hate

[ElNono]

Just hope Tony doesn't pull a Ronaldo again...

[ElNono]

Please keep the soccer comments in the MMA forum.

Thanks

[Legacy]

Thanks for the grades, timvp.



MOAR, MOAR, MOOOAAAR MINUTES FOR TIAGO, PLLEEEEEAASSE!! DAG ENNABBIT!

[Brazil]

How many goals did Messi score in the 2010 WC?

where is DAF when we need him ?

[dylankerouac]

Thanks for the grades.

[Obstructed_View]

How is +/- calculated? I don't get how Bonner rules that stat.

Bonner plays with Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Splitter. Splitter plays with Bonner.

[Blake]

You're spot on, except Bonner was better than C- down the stretch.

Agreed. He hit some big foot on the three point line shots down the stretch.

[Blake]

Bonner plays with Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Splitter. Splitter plays with Bonner.

So that explains Splitters nice +/- last night.

[siraulo23]

tp hasnt been the same since he had that, hamstring injury

also he's been playing high quality basketball for a quite a long time and has carried the spurs when manu was out

hopefully it's just fatigue and he plays like an all star before the spurs head into the PO's....

The spurs need him...