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thanks for the writeup.
The second chapter of the 2012 Western Conference Finals was equally as thrilling as the first. When the final horn sounded, the Spurs were able to celebrate a 120-111 victory over the Thunder. Despite the fact that San Antonio never trailed, this game was far from simple.
The Spurs began the contest by scoring the first six points and carried that momentum through the end of the quarter. In the second period, the Spurs grew their advantage to 13 points, however the Thunder rallied -- which would be a common theme in this game -- before the Spurs were able to extend it back out to 55-44 at halftime.
In the third quarter, San Antonio's offense caught fire. In the opening minutes of that quarter, I'm not sure I've ever seen a Spurs team play better offense. The passing was breathtaking. The precision was machinelike. The shot-making was superb. From 10:45 remaining in the third until the 4:47 mark, the Spurs scored 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field to expand their lead to 22 points, 80-58.
To OKC's credit, they fought back once again. The Thunder responded with an immediate 8-0 run and, with some help from Hack-a-Splitter, it was 92-76 heading into the fourth quarter. In the final period, the Thunder went to a small, quick lineup and kept charging back at the Spurs. Two and a half minutes in, their deficit was trimmed to ten points. With 5:39 to go in the game, the Thunder were down by only six.
That's when S.A.'s Big 3 took over. They scored the next 11 points for the Spurs to help push their cushion back to 12 points with 2:51 remaining. While the Thunder kept on thrashing, the Spurs were back in their groove and were able to hold OKC at bay the rest way.
Oklahoma City deserves kudos for getting back up off the canvas each time it appeared the Spurs had landed a knockout punch. But the overriding story is the play of the Spurs. This victory extends their winning streak to an unconscionably remarkable 20 games. While there were some lulls in the action, San Antonio looked downright legendary at times.
It was a great win. Now the task is to go to Oklahoma City and stay healthy, remain focused, carryforward their rhythm and try to at least get a split.
Tim Duncan B
Tim Duncan had a very loud 36 minutes. Seemingly involved in every play, it was a fantastic effort for the 36-year-old -- even if the results weren't always glowing. Offensively, Duncan set countless solid screens and was oftentimes asked to quarterback the plays after catching the ball in the middle of the floor. He responded with one of his best passing games of the season. Scoring-wise, Duncan left a lot to be desired. Other than his stunning one-handed slam over Serge Ibaka, he was only 1-for-10 from the court. He was especially impotent on the low block. The good news is he played tough and his relentlessness earned him ten free throw attempts so his overall offensive efficiency was still decent. Defensively, Duncan was very good in most phases. His pick-and-roll defense wasn't the best (neither was his transition defense) but he protected the rim with ferocity, deleted the Thunder's bigmen from the equation with stellar one-on-one play and rebounded extremely well. All in all, we've seen Duncan produce better numbers in the postseason but tonight he deserves a tip of the hat for leaving every ounce of energy he had out on the court. Tim Duncan will sleep well.
Manu Ginobili A-
For the second straight game, Manu Ginobili showed the world that the rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. While the ride was more bumpy in Game 2 -- some of his decisions were just bizarre -- his production was great and again hugely needed. Half of his 20 points came in the fourth quarter, and it should be noted that he scored well despite only taking 11 shots and playing just 26 minutes. Ginobili's perimeter shot was off but he was amazing around the basket. His explosiveness and body control are at high levels right now. Passing was another strength; when surrounded by four shooters, Ginobili picked apart the Thunder with masterful exac ude. Defensively, I wasn't nearly as pleased. He was sturdy in the first game but was lax tonight. He wasn't fighting around screens very well, he wasn't hustling back enough in transition defense and he could have provided more help on the defensive backboard. But overall, Spurs fans should be overjoyed that Ginobili we all know and love seems to be back.
Tony Parker A+
Tony Parker has had some great playoff games in his career but this might have been his best yet. Considering the stakes and the compe ion, Parker was supernatural. I thought he played impossibly well in just about every facet of the game of basketball. His shooting numbers leap off the stat sheet -- as they should. What makes it even more amazing is Parker had few easy shots; the Thunder were throwing the kitchen sink at him. When he wasn't scoring, Parker was brilliantly running the show. He came out of the gates like a bat out of the AT&T Center rafters and never slowed down. He continuously broke down OKC's defense and made the right pass. The pace he played at was perfect, his timing was flawless and he had enough gas left in the take to author a handful of notable fourth quarter moments. And let's not overlook his defense. I thought Parker's D on Russell Westbrook was stupendous. He challenged him at every turn and used his quickness to keep Westbrook uncomfortable throughout. In summation, Parker played about as well as humanly possible and this will be an outing we will remember for the rest of our days.
Kawhi Leonard A
Kawhi Leonard's rookie season just keeps better and better. For a 20-year-old rookie playing in the conference finals, Leonard's stats are mind-boggling. The Thunder had a gameplan of rotating off of him and forcing the rookie to beat them ... and Leonard obliged with nary a smile. His three-point shooting was huge. After his third make from deep, OKC finally decided it wasn't a good idea to leave him open, which then opened up things for everyone else. I also loved how he gravitated toward the rim when he was playing in a small ball lineup. By doing that, he scored a few easy baskets and further jumbled the Thunder's defensive gameplan. Leonard's main flaw on the offensive end was excitement related. It was obvious he suffered from information overload a few times and forgot where he should be in certain set plays. Defensively, I liked what he did against Kevin Durant. It wasn't a shutdown performance by any means but he made Durant work. And even better, the rookie only had one foul in his 35 minutes. Rebounding-wise, his eight defensive boards were especially vital due to how well the Thunder were at getting second chances. To nitpick, Leonard was another Spur who played subpar transition defense and sometimes he got too locked in on Durant to the detriment of his rotations -- but I feel dirty for criticizing a rookie after this type of performance on this type of stage.
Danny Green C+
Well, he's getting better. Danny Green had a Game 1 to forget but he was able to bounce back and get on the right track. Through three quarters, he was definitely an asset on the offensive end. He was 4-for-6 from the field, 2-for-3 on three-pointers and also passed the ball reasonably well. His fourth quarter, though, was forgettable. He missed all four of his shots from the field, which were all attempted from downtown. Green didn't look confident and seemed to hesitate mid-stroke a few times. Defensively, I wasn't too impressed with Green at any point. He had a few decent possessions here and there but he spent too much time chasing his man rather than staying in front. Even worse, for the second straight game Green allowed offensive struggles to negatively impact his play on defense. That simply can't be the case for a player whose role is defense first. But again, Green seems to be heading in the right direction. Let's hope he reaches the destination in Game 3.
Boris Diaw B+
Boris Diaw was beautiful to watch on the offensive end. If the Thunder trapped Parker, Diaw would often get the ball and then play the role of the ultimate bigman facilitator. OKC had no idea what to do with him. Each time Diaw got the ball against a rotating defense, he carved up the Thunder a different way. When the Spurs were at their best, Diaw was usually in the middle of the action. Defensively, while he was decent, the Frenchman fouled entirely too much. Against a team that is so deadly at the free throw line, you can't pick up cheap fouls. Diaw did good work in the paint, rebounded well and showed some quickness on the perimeter -- but that was mostly negated by needless fouls.
Matt Bonner B-
Considering I wasn't expecting much out of Matt Bonner, I was pleasantly surprised. He still wasn't very good but he provided the Spurs some tangible production. Offensively, he hit a three-pointer to make the Thunder pay for ignoring him. While OKC didn't always guard him close, there were a few possessions where his presence on the court definitely helped open up the middle. Defensively, Bonner wasn't given simply tasks. He defended everyone from Derek Fisher to Nick Collison and did so without making too many mistakes. Bonner could have made smarter close-outs to shooters and boxed out better but I thought he competed well and wasn't as awed by the surroundings as he appeared to be in Game 1.
Stephen Jackson B-
After playing a heroic role in the first game, Stephen Jackson was back to playing a supporting role. During his short stints on Kevin Durant, I thought Jackson again showed a lot of promise. It'll be interesting to see how much we see of that in Oklahoma City. My only concern regarding that matchup is Jackson picking up fouls in bunches. Otherwise, he's going to guard Durant about as well as he can be guarded. On the other end, Jackson seemed to be in a hurry. He has typically played with a measure of tranquility on offense since his return to San Antonio, however that wasn't the case tonight.
Tiago Splitter B+
For Tiago Splitter, this game will be remembered as the first time a team employed the Hack-a-Splitter. That's a shame because Splitter was awesome on the offensive end. He set mean screens, rolled very well to the basket and his hands were sure. Best of all, his passing once he got the ball on the roll was really special. There aren't many bigmen in the game who have the coordination to pull that off. As for Hack-a-Splitter, he's probably going to have to hit higher than 50% if he wants Oklahoma City to go away from that strategy. Defensively, Splitter could have been a lot better. I thought he used his size well in the paint but was otherwise underwhelming. He was invisible on the glass, his help defense was slow and he didn't show much interest in venturing out on the perimeter.
Gary Neal D
I've seen some bad defense during my Spurs fandom but Gary Neal's defense tonight reached a whole new level of putrid. In the first half, he was assigned the task of staying with Derek Fisher on the perimeter. Somehow, Neal managed to lose him a couple times. And even when Neal was initially in good position against Fisher, the 37-year-old was able to beat the 27-year-old off the dribble. I don't think Fisher has beaten a player off the dribble since the late 1990s. In the second half, Pop put Neal on Russell Westbrook for a stretch -- and I shouldn't even have to type out how horribly that went. On the other end, Neal hit a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter to temporarily halt a Thunder rally. That was the extent of his positives in Game 2.
Pop B+
Recently, Pop has been on fire in terms of pressing the right buttons at the exact right times. That wasn't always the case tonight. Pop's adjustments seemed like they were a minute or two too slow. Granted, I've been spoiled by how well Pop has coached recently but some of the Thunder's runs could have been halted sooner by Pop if he would have been quicker to react to what was going on. On the positive side, I liked that he continues to show a lot of confidence in Leonard and that he hasn't given up on Green. To begin the third quarter and down the stretch of the game, the playcalling was really strong. As this series shifts to OKC, Pop has his work cut out for him. The Thunder will be desperate and there's no telling what type of rotation they'll use. In Game 2, their coaching staff used just about every conceivable combination. Pop's job will to be help keep the game close through three quarters and then locate a quintet of players ready to shine in the final stanza. It won't be easy but Pop has showed he's been up to the task during this 20-game winning streak.
Last edited by timvp; 05-30-2012 at 07:39 AM.
thanks for the writeup.
TP had an MVP-type performance. He destroyed arguably a top 5 PG. Him and Manu are killing it - collectively.
Tony Parker has officially reached legendary status with his performance tonight. There is something about Westbrook that brings the best out of him, tbh.
Manu Ginobili was unconscious in the fourth quarter. He missed a few shots, but he was simply Mensa in the money period. Excellent performance.
A word about the Thunder. They were magnificent in the fourth quarter. Harden was Manu Ginobili 2.0 with his Eurosteps and finishes at the rim and Kevin Durant is such a beast. First time ever, I felt like wanting the Thunder to keep it close against my team. It was a stupendous performance. Playoff basketball at its best and exhilarating basketball.
I think the Spurs have finally captured the imagination of the basketball watching public. Lets hope that this thing of beauty - Jogo Bonito- endures on for the next 6 games atleast.
Don't want to mess with a good thing, but I wonder if there's room for Mills and Blair to get some burn in this series, based on Neal and Bonner's pitiful showings.
Perfect write up on, Neal. He was horrendous on D. Thanks for the grades, as usual, LJ!
Great grades, agree on all.
As always, thanks timvp.
Damn Timvp where do you get the time to write all that after every game
People can talk up Durant all the want to, but I think Tony's performance tonight goes right alongside LeBron's monster game as the pinnacle performances of the 2012 playoffs so far. On fire doesn't begin to describe it.
Thanks for the write-up, TimVP. As someone who used to do the grades, I know they aren't always easy, although nights like tonight are definitely fun to ponder over, if only to stop one's self from giving every player an A+.
1.
Do you guys get paid by someone to do all this or you just do it for your love of the spurs? It must take up a bit of your time running the site
Parker shoulda been 3rd in MVP voting and all NBA 1st team. He got ripped off being behind Kobe and Paul
timvp is good enough to get paid for it but im sure he does this because of the love he has for our spurs <33
Second Top 5 PG. Before Westbrook, there is Chris Paul whom he also destroyed.
I don't think playing from behind is a good strategy in OKC. This isn't the Clippers. The Spurs are going to want to jump on the Thunder early. Pop has to be concerned with limiting minutes. I think fatigue is starting to affect Duncan. Splitter can't just play 10 minutes when he brings so much. D. Green has got to learn how to force Harden right.
Thanks for the write-up. Agree with all the grades. I hope our killah's Neal and Green will play well in game 3. I'm sure as we'll need them.
Bonner grade is too high imo. His defense and rebounding were MIA. The Thunder had like infinite offensive rebounds with him on court.
At some point of this game I screamed 20 pts lead mother ers! 4am in P_oland but I do not mind.
Let them all hear it. At this point the spurs played like in a heaven of basketball. I was thinking - Have I seen anything better in all basketball games in my life?
Spurs were absolutely amazing
But then the game took the turn starting of hacking our best pnr guy.
Spurs tempo and pace was disturbed. But I was thinking that the spurs are not the team that needs to play pace to make it. This game also Brooks made the adjustment after that. Athletic small ball. Spurs were unable to shake this off; thay did to some degree so they can go away with the win.
Now it's time for the spurs to counter this ball at G3.
Spurs got the weapons to do this. But in OKC with the shape their top3 guys play I don't know if the spurs are not gonna get caught in the 1-1 basketball.
Timmy needs monster game on Thursday. Same with Bonner. I believe he will brake trough in that game and will hit 3-5 3 pointers to kill the Thunder
Tony was in god mode and it showed. Really dominating performance on both ends.
Main difference between OKC and Spurs is the contribution from the bench. Before the series pundits claimed OKC also had a ton of depth, but right now it's all about their big 3 and not much else.
Correction: Spurs were up 80-58 not 70-58, for the 22 point lead.
Good write-up. The Thunder find themselves in a position where they have to a beat a team that's won 20 straight games 4 of out the next 5. Barring something catastrophic, I can't see this occurring, the Spurs a clicking on all levels.
I have 3 things to say:
1) Sorry Danny Green, you were good in the 1st half and the 3rd Q as well, just not the 4th. Hope you can make it there soon.
2) Marv's comments comparing current Spurs to early 70s Knicks, 80s Celts and Lakers, in terms of awesome fundamentals - spacing, passing, screen setting, cutting - was spot on. Nice one Marv.
3) If you don't love watching these Spurs, you don't love basketball (or you're a fan of the team they are currently beating senseless, in which case, fair enough).
4) was I ever wrong in thinking we should have rebuilt two years ago. Never thought the FO could rebuild like this on the fly so successfully - I was convinced we'd have to go the bottom out route. Now, though, Pop and RC have built a contender for another two years if we can keep Diaw, Neal and Green (a tall order). (I figure Tim will take a 2yr 20mil DRob contract, or more likely 2yr 24-6mil). And above all that, THEY'RE SO BLOODY FUN TO WATCH! Thank you Spurs' FO!
Another team I can think of that was so successful so long were Celtics of the sixties
And TD is similar to Russell in a way that he is an anchor of the team. You just need to build around him all the time.
It's tough to do it in todays bball but if the spurs can do it /you know what/ this year it will be awesome.
Not for the reason they are so dominant but for the reason that this team has guys in the roster with so important roles and in other team they were just not worth playing big minutes. More playing big roles.
Rookie
Green
Diaw
RU kidding me?
This are starters on the spurs team.
btw. Kawhi why not 5 yrs ago???
I think Marv was talking more about the style of play. Must admit I've seen little footage of the 60s Celts.
Forgot to say thanks to timvp for his superbly professional and insightful writing throughout the season. A lot of us out here really appreciate it, thanks mate!
Oh, and TP has been the best PG in the NBA this year, shading CP3 who carried Blake and the Clips through a tough season. Glad to hear some of the media now mentioning this.
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