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First! Thanks for the excellent job as always!
In a rematch of a series we Spurs fans desperately want to forget, the good guys were able to beat the Thunder by a final score of 86-84. To begin the game, things weren’t going too swimmingly. Oklahoma City scored the contest’s first eight points and looked ready to run away and hide. Thankfully, San Antonio responded with the game’s next nine points.
From that point on, neither team got much separation until the third quarter. Following a Thabo Sefolosha three-pointer that put the Thunder up by a point with 9:38 remaining in the period, the Spurs went on a 16-5 run over the next six minutes to gain a double-digit advantage. OKC, like they usually do, came roaring back and tied the score at the end of the third on an Eric Maynor 55-foot prayer.
The Spurs built an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter … only to see their spread evaporate again. The Thunder seemed to take control of the game when they had the ball and a three-point advantage with less than a minute remaining. But the Spurs were able to get a stop and follow it up with a corner three-pointer from Tony Parker on a busted play.
The Thunder got the ball back with 28 seconds remaining but they never got off a shot. Instead, Kawhi Leonard recorded his fifth steal on the ensuing possession. With about five seconds to go, Pop drew up a play for Parker out of a timeout. The play worked to perfection and Parker drained a jumper as time expired to give the Spurs the two-point win.
Tim Duncan
On the second night of a back-to-back, Tim Duncan was no worse for wear. As has been the case since the start of preseason, he looked fantastic. While maybe not quite as spry as he was on opening night, Duncan was all over the place. Defensively, he defended the rim well, ran back to spearhead the transition D and even moved his feet out on the perimeter when there were switches. On offense, his running of the court allowed him to gain advantageous position a majority of the night. He showed great touch around the basket -- that is, when he wasn’t throwing down emphatic dunks. Duncan is playing a very serious brand of basketball right now and it’s a joy to behold.
Final Grade: 94
Tony Parker
It wasn’t the most aesthetically-pleasing Tony Parker has ever played but at the end of the night, it’s difficult to find many negatives. I thought he was really good on defense. He stepped up to the challenge and defended Russell Westbrook very well and was the main reason why Westbrook played so poorly. On offense, Parker once again took care of the ball. Through two games, he has 17 assists and only one turnover. Parker’s scoring touch was missing in action for much of the contest. When it really mattered, though, he was ready to toss in the two biggest shots of the night. What stood out most about Parker’s performance was his maturity. He just kept plugging away and didn’t let anything knock him off course. At the end, despite the ups and downs, the result was a job well done and a W.
Final Grade: 95
Kawhi Leonard
The Good: Kawhi Leonard now has ten steals after two games. And these aren’t gifted steals -- he's earning all of these swipes. His most notable pilfer came at the end of the game when he stole a pass intended for Kevin Durant that ultimately set the stage for Parker’s heroics. The Bad: The rest of Leonard’s game was turbulent. Offensively, he continues to struggle to figure out his niche. His decisions are often slow and he’s having a difficult time converting relatively easy plays. On defense, when he’s not stealing the ball, he has been inconsistent. Sometimes he’s there to get a hand up on a shooter or he’s there to cut off a driver -- but a lot of the time Leonard is out of position and giving up way too much airspace. The silver lining of this game in regards to Leonard is that the bulk of his errors were of commission rather than omission. There’s no doubt that the second year forward is giving it his all out there.
Final Grade: 77
Danny Green
Considering Danny Green’s nightmarish series against the Thunder last season, tonight was a giant step in the right direction. On offense, he exhibited little to no hesitation on his jumper and he *gasp* made his shots. In addition to his shooting, Pop gave Green some playmaking duties from time to time and he usually responded well. In fact, Parker’s game-winner was off of a pass from Green. Defensively, Green wasn’t nearly as pristine. On countless occasions, he was overaggressive and found himself out of position. But, again, the fact that Green was aggressive and at least trying to wreak havoc was a momentous change from the last time he faced Oklahoma City. Sometimes that aggression worked out well, especially on the boards and in loose ball situations.
Final Grade: 89
Boris Diaw
Boris Diaw didn’t exactly turn into Allen Iverson but by attacking offensively just a few smidgens above normal, he made the Thunder pay for shading off of him. He didn’t look comfortable taking jumpers but he had a handful of quality drives to the hoop. Diaw can still afford to ratchet up his willingness to shoot a few notches, though this was definitely a step in the right direction. He has to realize that his passing ability shines brightest when teams are playing him as if he’s a threat to score. Defensively, I liked him much more tonight than in the opener. Diaw boxed out better, grabbed a few contested boards and was more physical in defending the post. Most impressive of all was his pick-and-roll defense. He blew up a few Thunder possessions by switching onto the ballhandler and disrupting his desired path.
Final Grade: 90
Stephen Jackson
Although Stephen Jackson is just 1-for-8 on three-pointers thus far, I really like what he’s doing in the other facets of the game. He’s routinely making strong drives to the hoop in traffic when the offense begins to stagnate. His passing was also once again a plus. All in all, he’s doing just enough playmaking to keep the bench unit afloat. Defensively, he doesn’t give in. His effort when defending Durant was admirable, as was his work on the glass when asked to play power forward. I don’t think it’s possible to understate how valuable Jackson’s toughness is to these Spurs. In low scoring battles like we witnessed tonight, having a player like Jackson who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty is invaluable.
Final Grade: 89
Gary Neal
It was ugly but Gary Neal’s contributions ended up being a key to the victory. His shot selection wasn’t good. His passing wasn’t special. He didn’t run the offense well. But during his 17 minutes, Neal scored enough and made enough plays to justify his touches. Additionally, Neal wasn’t a liability on defense for the second consecutive game. Has Neal improved on defense? I’m not sure yet. Then again, it’d be damn near impossible for him to be worse defensively than he was last season.
Final Grade: 84
DeJuan Blair
Following early foul trouble for Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair got a chance to show his wares. While I can’t fault his liveliness, he wasn’t very good. Blair seemed intent on proving that his jumper is for real. Yes, he made one jumper but none of his outside shots came within the flow of the offense. Defensively, he did what we’ve come to expect from him. He was rarely in the right position and made a few mental mistakes. Thankfully, he helped out a bit by rebounding better than usual.
Final Grade: 77
Matt Bonner
No, this wasn’t a replay. Matt Bonner played a flaccid first half and then sat on the bench for the final two quarters. He passed on a few open looks, which is something a hired gun like him can never do. Defensively, he wasn’t a total disaster but the Spurs looked better on that end with him on the bench. Hopefully either Bonner starts playing better or Pop removes him from the rotation completely. These first half cameos aren’t serving much of a purpose.
Final Grade: 70
Tiago Splitter
While I won’t grade him since he only played four minutes, I was disappointed with Tiago Splitter in the few minutes he did play. He had the fortune of going up against Hasheem Thabeet yet somehow managed to not take advantage. In fact, I’d say Thabeet was outplaying him. That said, I don’t agree with Pop benching Splitter for the second half. He’s too good to keep on the bench.
Final Grade: Inc.
Patrick Mills
Patrick Mills played just two minutes -- but he’s unrecognizable at this point. And not just because he’s lost a lot of weight since last season. The gunning version of Mills has been replaced by a guy who is looking to run the offense. Personally, I think that’s the wrong mindset for Mills. He’s always going to be a gunner; he needs to embrace that. Mills doesn’t dribble well enough or have sufficient court vision to be a playmaking point guard. When he steps on the court, he needs to be ready to let it fly. So far this season, he hasn’t done that.
Final Grade: Inc.
Pop
I’m going to second-guess a couple of Pop’s decisions. I didn’t like that he sat Splitter in favor of Blair. Splitter needs to play -- period. Pop also needs to pick a backup point guard. Switching Neal from point guard to shooting guard and back again makes his job a lot more difficult. Either let Neal play point or go with Mills. All that said, Pop’s decisions at the end of the game played a large role in the Spurs beating the Thunder without Ginobili. The two decisions that really stand out are putting in Leonard for the last defensive possession and drawing up a sexy play for Parker to get a look at the buzzer.
Final Grade: 91
Offense
If we look just at the 86 points scored, we’d be disappointed. However, there are some positive developments below the surface. The one thing that really stands out is the assist total (27), especially considering that the Spurs only had 35 made field goals. The Spurs also took care of the ball (13 turnovers) and won a second straight game without relying on three-point shooting (5-for-19). San Antonio didn’t do well on the offensive boards (6) and didn’t get to the line much (16 attempts), but thankfully they were able to use teamwork to muster just enough scoring.
Final Grade: 82
Defense
For the last seven quarters, the defense for the Spurs has shined. After they hit their first three shots from the field, the Thunder made only 34.2% of their field goals the rest of the way. San Antonio has to be thrilled with that number no matter what asterisks can be attached to this game. Forcing 18 turnovers while allowing only 18 assists are both commendable numbers. The Thunder got to the line 23 times, but considering that they usually live at the charity stripe, that’s an acceptable amount. The Spurs also kept the Thunder out of the paint (24 points) and didn’t allow them to run (six fast break points). The only glaring negative was the 12 offensive rebounds S.A. allowed.
Final Grade: 97
Overall
The Spurs had a few excuses as to why it was okay to lose this game, with exhaustion and the lack of Ginobili headlining that list. However, the Spurs dug deep defensively and executed well enough offensively to gut out a win that will probably have seeding implications at some point. Great effort. Let’s hope this fuels the team’s confidence and leads to more early-season success.
Final Grade: 91
First! Thanks for the excellent job as always!
Do we even have to say "great write-up" anymore?
The thing I agree with the most is Splitter needs to play more. Even if he isn't playing well, I think he'll get much better if he gets consistent minutes so he can get in the groove of a game to find his niche. There was a 16 game stretch last season where Splitter scored double digits in 12 of them and averaged over 7 rebounds per game throughout that stretch. A center off the bench putting up double digits? That's invaluable. If we can get that going again this year, only good things can happen. It should be noted that those stretch of games ended when he went down with injury, and he never quite played at that level consistently again. He put up a respectable 7 and 6 in 15 minutes against the Hornets
Lets also realize that Duncan played 33 and 34 minutes in our 2 games so far, and Diaw has played 29 and 35 minutes. While its awesome to see how well Timmy has been playing, getting his minutes closer to 28 like last year should be a goal, and Diaw should also have his minutes hover around 30. Splitter is going to have to end up playing over 20 minutes a game to make those a reality.
And I don't even know what to make of Blair. I was fond of the way he played in the regular season the past 2 years. I just think in very specific matchups like against the Lakers or Grizzlies they have to think twice about playing him. That doesn't mean we have to ignore him completely. Now he's an "unhappy soldier" and looks very slim, to the point where its probably hurting his game. He was always undersized, but his girth made him a presence down low. He averaged over 20 minutes per game for the last 2 seasons and his per minute numbers, at least as far as scoring and rebounding were always quite solid. He when he gets his minutes though, he needs to play way more active than he did tonight. The grizzly Blair we all love(d) is the one that battled for offensive rebounds and made a living off of putbacks. The jumper is a decent addition to his game, but shouldn't be his go-to.
The coach grade must be on scale of 90-100.
Not choosing to play Splitter is terrible decision that already pushes his grade below 90. He needs court time vs a good team to get better not sitting on the bench thinking about how much the coach hates him. The decision also force Duncan to play 34 minutes on a b2b. What happened saving our guys for the playoffs?
Also putting Leonard in was an obvious move to make. His closing play is was the only saving grace.
This is what makes Spurstalk so great. First Timvp's always good analysis, and then an intelligent and well-described post. Hats off to both of you!
Dejuan Blair tbh. Trade him. The only thought he has when he comes into the game is to get his, the little rushed hook and that face-up contested jumper in the 4th were ridiculously stupid one-on-one plays. Even if he has developed a jumper hes too ing stupid to realize that hes supposed to utilize it off of kickouts when hes wide open.
I can live with low scoring games like the past two if it means the Spurs aren't the no D version we've seen over the past two seasons. Having Kawhi being out there and simply wreaking havoc on passing lanes or taking on the opponent's offensive wing helped a lot, but without Tim Duncan this wouldn't be possible.
Tbh, if Blair realized his value was in being an prodigious rebounder (why, Dennis Rodman won multiple rebound les despite being 6'7") or a finisher rather than trying to be a Brandon Bass, Pop wouldn't put him in his doghouse.
But hey, scoring gets you paid I guess
I despise how Blair tries to tip misses back into the basket like he is 6'11, when he could easily just grab the board and throw some fakes, see if he can get a shot, or more preferably, pass it back out.
Bizarro game. Neal's only contribution was on defense, Patty Mills is looking like Damon Stoudamire after the "shoot-when-open" command. Green channeling Fin and standing around in the paint on defense. Blair was much more effective on offense before he had a jumper. Duncan absolutely tore it up inside like it was 2003. Chuck on TNT after the game unable to explain OKC's field goal percentage. Apparently it's been a while since the Spurs played defense.
Good measuring-stick game. The Spurs' ceiling is higher than OKC's at this point. Excellent win.
BTW, is there some reason De Colo hasn't played? Mills and Neal look so bad I'm wondering where Cory Joseph is.
I'm always pissed whet TP wants to be a hero. I know it b4 he makes the play for himself that he screws it up! I mean in 99% of the time he fails. But when in a flow of the game he is pretty clutch. When he is not overthinking he is lethal. That happened in 2 first games of this season.
My god Timmay. How is it possible after having so much wear on his body to produce so well at his age? He amazes me when I though he will not be able to do it.
Right now it all depends on his mobility. How can he handle the season. Other then that he knows what to do.
I do agree LJ with the situation of Neal. The guy needs to know his role. He is not a combo player. He is well ... a role player.
IMO he needs to be a SG that's all him. TP has the backup in patty and De Colo. Pop just needs to trust all his PGs, that's it.
That gives the two spot a great spectrum of guys - Green, Gino, Neal, Jack. three spot has it Kahwi and Jack with a frontcourt of Diaw, TD, Splitt, Blair and Booooo
IMO that's as simple as POp can do it and not try to make as many player combinations as possible. Just fit the guys with their roles.
Now when fricin Bonner is out of the rotation the spurs ofense is not quite there where it was a year ago. We may wait for gino but the spurs probably gonna be worse on ofense then last year. Hopefully thay can get way better on D.
Good game as for the second in the season and b2b
timvp- those grades?
Why not make it 1-10?
1-100 will make impossible to give anybody a 30grade
How about grading the opposition?
My grade for Russell Westbrook: Re ed, send to special school.
We should also grade on size of testicles. Tony: extra large.
Just some quick notes.
I'm not sure why they had Westbrook on Parker when Thabo has given Tony some problems but I'll take it.
Duncan was amazing, I'm not sure what he's doing but he needs to keep doing it. When he dunked on Serge I was screaming out "2003!!!"
Diaw needs to go at Ibaka more often. He doesnt struggle to score on him and has showed more then enough junk in his game to keep Ibaka off balance.
I can't believe Harden shot 60% from 3 against us last year. Hurts because he was so ty in the Finals.
LJ is either too generous or too low giving in his grades.
I agree with this. I don't even know anymore about Blair. It's like he if he isn't getting his minutes he is going to complain but if he does get his minutes he is going to fail trying to prove that deserves minutes.
Thanks for the grades Tim, but our spurs looked horrible in spurts when they could have easily put there foot on the throats of okc and our fortunate to have won this contest. With that being said okc is not the same team without harden and will be in deep trouble against us when manu returns. If by a miracle LA fakers implode San Antonio may be in better shape than we all expected.
He's accepted his role and it's great to see. He's a BIG part of this team. I for one want him as a Spur for life.
About Bonner, timvp notes "Hopefully either Bonner starts playing better or Pop removes him from the rotation completely. These first half cameos aren’t serving much of a purpose."
While I agree (I'd like to see him removed completely), I wonder if Pop is trotting him out each game to see if he's got his 3-ball touch going. If so, keep him in; if not, give him the fast hook. Given that the RR put up some gaudy shooting numbers the last couple of seasons, that would seem a reasonable approach.
Westbrook was awful. Brooks needs to whip his ass. Late in the game they shoud've had Maynor at 1 and Westbrook at 2. A bit surprised Jones didn't get some minutes last night. I was actually very pleased with Martin. Martin played very well given the cir stances adn given the fact that Westbrook was doing absolutely nothing in terms of trying to run an offense. Kinda hard to get in a groove with your new offense when one guy dribbles out the shot clock out and throws up some shot. But Martin's 15 on 10 shots and 5 assists with just 1 turnover was very nice. All in all, nothing to get worked up about. Horrendous shooting and many poor individual performances on the road against one of the leagues best teams and it took a buzzer beater to do them in.
My two favorite stats from the game:
Spurs 3 point shooting -- 5-19.
Thunder Field Goal Percentage -- 37.7%
There's hope.
And let me say this - that > halfcourt shot by Maynor was not as big of a fluke as you'd think! Ok, any shot made from that distance is part fluke, but for a backup PG (or anyone for that matter), this guy seems to be either making or nearly making WAY too many halfcourt + shots. He's done it 3-4 times over the last few years and I can recall a few more than were near misses. ODD.
There is a huge gap in quality between the first unit offense and the second unit offense. Even if in this game it wasn't a big deal since the second unit score some shots, it isn't sustainable in the long run.
Manu coming back and taking the ball away from Neal and Mills hands should do wonders because both have been really bad in the playmaking area. The Ginobili/Splitter pick and roll is a heck of play that should be the foundation of the second unit offense. Blair was too a ballhog on the offensive end and really hurt the team offense.
And Thunder really missed Harden in this game. It's possible they find some answers with more chemistry but their offense really lack of smoothness.
Blair jacking up silly shots is just daring Pop to trade him. It's the on-court equivalent of tweeting.
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