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About damn time, imho.
The Lakers won convincingly the first time around. The Spurs dominated the rematch. In the third game between these two teams in ten days, the Spurs annihilated the Lakers in the second half to win again in dominating fashion, this time by a final score of 121-97.
The first two quarters saw each team trade runs. The Spurs got off to to good start but the Lakers stormed back and took the lead by the middle of the second quarter. At the half, the Spurs were up by four points.
Pop called a timeout in the third quarter following a Pau Gasol dunk with the Spurs up by eight points. In the two minutes following that timeout, the Spurs went on an 11-0 run to essentially knockout the Lakers. Los Angeles never threatened again as San Antonio built their advantage as high as 26 points on their way to yet another victory.
The Spurs have now won six games in a row, 9-of-11, 18-of-21, 34-of-41 ... in other words, they're rolling. Other fun facts: This was the fourth straight win by more than 20 points and the third straight game the Spurs shot at least 58% from the field. Let's hope this team can stay healthy and hot as they enter the postseason.
Tim Duncan A+
I'm running out of words to describe how well Tim Duncan is playing as of late. Against the Lakers, Duncan was magnifidominawesome. He nailed a few long jumpers early on and that opened up everything. Once he got the Lakers running at him, Duncan was free to drive to the basket or find an open teammate. His decision-making was flawless and continued to make the Lakers pay whenever they gave him any space. In the current winning streak, Duncan is averaging a breathtaking 30.5 points per 40 minutes on 65.2% shooting from the floor. To say he's on fire is an understatement. On Friday night, as well as he played offensively, he might have been better defensively. Duncan continuously fought Andrew Bynum for position and showed a lot of nimbleness by breaking up or denying numerous passes to the Lakers center. Duncan also kept Bynum off the boards and still had time to protect the rim from wayward drivers. To sum up his great play as of late, Duncan has a plus/minus of +103 in his last four games. In his previous 53 games combined, his plus/minus was +185.
Manu Ginobili A
Manu Ginobili had a memorable outing. When he wasn't delivering amazing passes or knocking down timely shots, Ginobili was doing a lot of the necessary dirty work. Defensively, he snared rebounds, tracked down loose balls and even did very good work when defending Kobe Bryant. Ginobili's overall agility on that end of the court is much better than it was just a couple weeks ago. Offensively, the Argentine star continues to show why he's as impactful as any player in the league. In the third quarter, he scored ten points on only two field goal attempts to lead the charge. Ginobili shot the ball well from the perimeter, finished at the rim and his passing was impeccable. If it wasn't for some intermittent sloppiness, it would have been an immaculate performance.
Tony Parker A
The last time these two teams met, Tony Parker stole the show. On Friday night, he proved it wasn't a fluke by doing it again. The Lakers simply had no answer for him. Parker killed L.A. in transition and then buried them in pick-and-roll sets. If he didn't create an open look for himself or a teammate right away, he was expertly probing until he found the mismatch he wanted to exploit. Brilliant is the only way to describe the level of basketball IQ Parker illustrated on the offensive end. As well as Duncan and Ginobili played, it was Parker's ability to set the pace and wreak havoc in the halfcourt that made the Spurs totally unstoppable on this night. Defensively, Parker was also really good. He harassed Ramon Sessions into a poor game and offered a surprising amount of help by digging down on the low post. Other than a listless stint in the second quarter that included a few mental mistakes, Parker showed no reason why he shouldn't be a top five MVP candidate.
Danny Green B
While Danny Green had a relatively quiet affair, he played hard and gave the Spurs solid minutes. Defensively, despite being about half as thick as Metta World Peace, Green guarded him well while also helping out on the glass. Green took a couple ill-advised shots but otherwise was an asset. His ability to create a little bit off the dribble aids the overall flow of the offensive attack. More and more, Green in the starting lineup looks like genius foresight by Pop.
Tiago Splitter B-
Starting against the Lakers for the second straight game, Tiago Splitter did what he was supposed to do as he helped keep the Lakers bigs off the boards and set a tone defensively in the paint. As the game progressed and he no longer had Duncan at his side, Splitter was still able to anchor the defense. He was physical yet was also able to use his quickness to his advantage. Rebounding was another strength of Splitter’s on this night. His weakness was his fouling; he was again in foul trouble against Los Angeles. Offensively, Splitter mostly just stayed out of the way when he was playing with the starters. Even when the bench unit was on the court, the Brazilian remained mostly subdued -- mostly because he didn’t get many touches. It wasn’t Splitter’s most productive game certainly but it’s not a coincidence that the Spurs have matched up much better against the Lakers since Pop decided to put him in the starting lineup.
Kawhi Leonard B+
Facing Kobe Bryant for the first time, Kawhi Leonard did reasonably well. Bryant had a lot of success but Leonard challenged the shots. It’ll obviously take a while to figure out how to defend one of the best scorers in the history of basketball. As it was, Leonard played the passing lanes well and his activity was an asset. His main flaw on Friday night was fouling too much, which is extremely uncharacteristic for the rookie with a microscopic foul rate. Offensively, Leonard canned both of his three-point attempts, which was key because it forced the Lakers to be wary of him on the perimeter and that opened up even more space on the inside for everyone else.
Boris Diaw A
Recently, I’ve commented that I felt Boris Diaw missed opportunities to win postseason playing time. Against the Lakers, he took full advantage of the opportunity and now can’t be ignored when it comes to the playoff rotation. Simply put, he looked like the perfect fit. Offensively, Diaw’s ballhandling, playmaking and passing from the power forward position makes the Spurs much more versatile and even more explosive. On Friday night, not only were those traits on display, Diaw also showed a healthy amount of aggression when it came to looking for his own shot. He was especially impressive at finishing around the rim. Defensively, the job Diaw did on Pau Gasol was extraordinary. While he gives up a few inches, Diaw was able to make up for his lack of height by relentlessly nudging the Spaniard out of position, attacking any exposed dribble and challenging his shots. The bottomline is it was a very good outing by Diaw and he should reap the benefits in the form of more minutes in the playoffs.
Stephen Jackson C+
It wasn’t a particularly poor game from Stephen Jackson … he just didn’t really do anything. Defensively, he was quiet. Jackson had a few opportunities to make a difference on that end but didn’t do anything special; he was relatively solid but nothing more than that. Offensively, Jackson should be given credit for limiting his turnovers and bad shots -- but outside of a couple strong takes to the rim and a couple slick passes, he didn’t provide much tangible assistance.
Gary Neal B-
While Gary Neal’s stats look fine, it wasn’t a very successful outing -- especially when he was playing backup point guard. On this night, Neal was too shot happy, didn’t create much of anything for his teammates and had some trouble dribbling under pressure. Defensively, while Neal had a couple successful hustle plays, he remained a liability for much of the evening. Thankfully, Neal was able to mitigate a lot of the damage he caused by shooting the lights out. In his last five games, Neal is averaging 12.6 points in only 18.4 minutes while shooting 65% from the field.
Matt Bonner B+
I really liked the way Matt Bonner played against the Lakers. Defensively, his toughness was encouraging. Bonner rarely plays with scrappiness but on Friday night he had some bulldog in him. He fought on the low block and didn't back down when the Lakers were trying to rough him up. And while he didn't rebound, his boxing out was superb. Offensively, Bonner didn't force the issue even though his open shots were in short supply. Come playoff time, the game becomes more about heart and determination ... and those are traits Bonner has displayed lately.
DeJuan Blair Inc
DeJuan Blair didn’t get into the game until after the contest was already decided. That said, he gave good effort in mop-up duty. When the Lakers were putting together a couple half-hearted runs in the fourth, Blair’s offensive rebounding and scoring down low helped stem the tide.
Pop A
Pop is having a heckuva season and this was one of his better coaching jobs. I didn't have any issue with his rotation. I'm thrilled that he went back to the Duncan and Splitter pairing to begin the game and I liked that he had enough confidence in Diaw to lean on him when needed. His playcalling out of timeouts was even more effective than usual. Pop was also able to keep the minutes in check. As it stands, the Spurs have a legit chance to finish with the best record in the NBA if Pop decides to keep his foot on the gas.
About damn time, imho.
Thanks!
Thanks timvp.
I was worried about Danny's ability to keep Artest of the boards but i thought he played very well in that regard.
If the Big 3 is healthy, Diaw is starting, and the role players are hitting timely shots then its gg NBA, tbh.
Thanks as always Tim can't be happier than when the Big 3 and Pop all get A's, if there was a grade above A+ Duncan would deserve it for that dominant performance. There was a stretch in the first half where the bench lineup looked lost without a clue but they did better in the 2nd half.
thanks
I thought Leonard got called for a couple of things that he wouldn't have if he weren't a rookie, but managing 2 steals in 18 minutes is phenomenal. On one of them Bryant never had a chance at the ball because Leonard is so damn long.
And how about Danny blocking Metta on that drive?
Thanks.
Tough night for Kawhi, he did a good job but Kobe is way too experienced drawing fouls.
Thanks for the grades!
Yes, Pop did a great job. I like what he said in one of the huddle "wired" segments on the national broadcast about not rushing, saying..."nothing's going to happen fast". When the Spurs start clicking and getting the oohs and aahs from the fans, they sometimes tend to get hurried and sloppy which leads to unforced turnovers. Nice job of settling them down and reigning them in.
I don't watch alot of Euro league basketball, but I'm amazed how good perimeter defender that Manu is compared to other international wing players who have played in the NBA.
True. I rewatched the local broadcast and then fell asleep rewatching the national broadcast and woke up with a Spurs hangover, tbh.
I like how Patty Mills got in on the bukkake
Thanks timvp!!! Great game thoughts as always. Quick question, do you think Diaw starting the game would make more sense than Tiago, considering how the 3rd quarters have gone the last two LAL games, compared to the 1st quarters? Timmy did express satisfaction at having size in the game with him, so maybe Pop should just give The Big Fundamental what he wants.
meh,
Tony Parker F
Dear Spurs fans it is clear now that we're losing Tony to Los Angeles when his contract is up. Teams of writers are currently rewriting scripts so that the flash can be played by a black man. you Hollywood
Manu Ginobili B+
Getting the cold shoulder from the Bronco's for next season's starting job has obviously lit a fire under his Italian ass. Too bad touchdown passes are not worth 6 points in the NBA.
Stephen Jackson A+
I'm not getting on captain Jack's bad side.
Tiago Splitter B-
Today was a step in the right direction. There were moment where you could recognize Elvis' lip curl on Tiago's face, but there's still work to be done.
Matt Bonner A+
Timvp's kid is going to own this forum one day - and the color grey doesn't agree with me.
Kawhi Leonard A
Best hair on the team and frankly after the Manu debacle, Popovich's new styling and the loss of Eva this team needed that.
Andrew Bynum A
His two rebounds might not sound like much, but they came at a crucial time.
Tim Duncan Inc.
Too bad he didn't play tonight.
What do you mean 21 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks? Haha you almost got me there!
timvp, does the last two games change how you think the Spurs would fare against the lakers in a playoff series?
Pop starting Tim/Tiago and giving heavy minutes to Diaw has got me back to thinking that the Spurs would prevail.
I'd still rather have them go through OKC but the Spurs hanging on to the 1seed and the Lakers/Grizz beating each other up in the 1st round doesn't seem like too bad of a scenario now.
Despite poor shooting and some pretty pedestrian performances, I'm absolutely convinced that swapping RJ for Jack was an essential piece in the transformation from pretender to contender.
Great write-up.
Thanks for the grades.
I really like what Spurs have done offensively against Lakers in their 2 wins.
Lakers are maybe the slowest team in the league and Spurs have done a great job at keeping the pace up and getting easy fastbreak points. They have scored 42 fast-break points in the two wins. While pushing the tempo is an obvious move against Lakers, Spurs have been great at it and have exploited this weakness.
Bynum defending the high pick and roll is really bad. He is slow and clueless. Spurs have the perfect player with great pick and roll ballhandlers (TP and Manu) and great pick and roll screeners (Tim and Tiago). This play is even more efficient when Gasol is far from the paint defending Diaw or Bonner.
Defensively, Spurs have done a great job against Bynum. They don't have the power to counter him but they played some smart and active defense. They got him confused.
Spurs defense has been greatly helped by Gasol. He settled for perimeter shots instead of being aggressive. When he plays that way, Lakers are way easier to defend. By looking at his stats, it looks like he has done that the whole year. He needs to go back to the way he played before last year playoffs.
And after the Spurs two Lakers blowouts. There is no way Lakers won't try hard to keep the 3rd seed. A 4th seed will mean a first round against Memphis with a potential WCSF against Spurs and a WCF against Thunder. I'm quite sure they don't want that.
And
I highly disagree on Jackson not doing anything. He had few impact plays, defense and passes that really impressed me.
You could say Jefferson didn't do anything. But Jax is always there, I have a high respect for him. He's taking his role really really well. And that's to those who wondered how Jax would respond to join the spurs at this age (one of those timvp)
On point. When Bynum switched onto Manu, he ran up and guarded him tight when Manu was probably 30ft from the basket. I think manu was more surprised than anything, drove right past him and picked up two free throws.
This game was an absolute treat to watch, I was going absolutely nuts watching it. I am really starting to believe this team has what it takes to go all the way.
It was awesome seeing Pop choose Splitter for the starting lineup again which is doing wonders for his confidence (finally!) and the big Brazilian responded by playing more comfortable out there and really turning the heat up on the laker bigs and allowing nothing easy to start the game.
While I won't hold my breath, I am holding out hope that perhaps from here on out Pop will continue to start Splitter, and not just against teams like the lakers. Because even against smaller teams I think Splitter can be a better option than Blair. Plus he also adds alot of intangibles that Blair can't such as taking pressure off of Duncan which helps keep the 35 year old fresher all game long. Duncan even expressed his gra ude about having another 7 footer out there beside him to help out. I think this is a BIG part of Duncan's resurgence, he has been waiting YEARS for some help in the paint.
As for Diaw, I like the role Pop has found for him; he is a great backup to Splitter and a great curveball to throw as the game progresses. More of both, please Pop. And less of whatablairger. Like garbage time only.
As far as the grades go, I think Green deserves at least an A-. This guy has shown a knack for making key plays in pressure moments. This game was no exception. Those 3's early on we're at key times and really put the lakers on their heels. For his coup de grace he provided that magnificent block of Artest on one end and subsequent layup/and-1 on the other end that started a huge SA run which included Leonard's key steal and bucket on the other end.
Also did I mention how impressed I have been with Matt Bonner this year? He is shedding the soft label and has been much more active on the defensive side of the ball than in year's past. I continue to be amazed at how fast he is rotating, moving his feet against the P&R and playing tough in the paint. Also he has added a few wrinkles to his offensive game. Can't call him a 1 trick pony anymore. Hope he can keep this up once the playoffs start.
The 2 wide open corner 3s in the first half were by Leonard.
(doesn't mean I don't agree re: Green, btw)
Remember that the grades are based on individual curves, so a "Jack didn't do much" game is far far better than an "RJ didn't do much" game, even though the grades are the same.
Say what you want about Bonner but he's really solid on the boards.
Right, when I read 'not doing much' I tend to remember Jefferson (damn it even makes me ache when I type his name) litterally being useless out there. Lets get the RF thing over, Jack is back
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