Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Jazz - Dec. 12

[timvp]

The Spurs have pulled out their share of come-from-behind victories this season. Against the Jazz, they once climbed their way out of a hole. Unfortunately, San Antonio stumbled before crossing the finish line and lost the game on a buzzer-beating three-pointer. Utah’s 99-96 victory dropped the Spurs to 18-5 on the season.

Coming out of the starting blocks, the Spurs were playing well. Their defense was timely and they scored enough to build a double-digit lead within the game’s first eight minutes. At the end of the first quarter, the good guys held a 28-22 advantage.

The second quarter wasn’t nearly as kind to San Antonio. The Jazz went on a 17-3 run to turn a nine-point deficit into a five-point lead. The Spurs got back into the game but the Jazz responded with a 10-2 run before halftime. At intermission, the good guys were down 53-44.

The Spurs slowly but surely chipped away at the deficit in the third quarter. Thanks largely to sturdy defense, they were able to tie the score with 3:17 remaining in the period. The two teams entered the final stanza with the score tied 71-71.

The fourth quarter began well for San Antonio. They never trailed as they methodically gained control of the proceedings. A Boris Diaw three-pointer with four minutes to go gave the Spurs an eight-point lead.

That’s when the tide turned. Gordon Hayward hit a three-pointer to ignite a 9-1 run over a span of two minutes to tie it. Danny Green knocked down a jumper to give the Spurs a two-point lead, only to have Paul Millsap knot the score with a jumper of his own. Following a Tony Parker miss, the Spurs forced Mo Williams to miss a shot. Regrettably, the Jazz got the offensive rebound and gave Williams another shot to be a hero. Second time was the charm as Utah’s point guard swished a 27-foot three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.






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Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan decided it was a good idea to turn back the clock in order to give the Spurs a chance to get the win in Salt Lake City. In the guts of the game, Duncan spent a lot of time carrying the load. Offensively, he was able to get points and create opportunities for his teammates by aggressively posting up on the low block. Despite the Jazz swarming him, Duncan kept his errors to a minimum and played with a lot of brute strength. Utah has a ton of talented bigmen yet none of them had any success slowing him down. Defensively, Duncan was challenging everything he could reach with his pterodactyl-like wingspan and he was absolutely wonderful on the glass. To nitpick, the St. Croix native got juked a few times defensively and wasn’t always great at challenging jumpers. That said, his effort was beyond admirable and he was almost able to carry the Spurs to a win like it was 2003 all over again.
Final Grade: 96
Season Average: 91.6
Adj. Average: 91.8
Last 10 Average: 91.6
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Manu Ginobili

It’s safe to say Manu Ginobili was tired (I’m sure a season-high in minutes against the Rockets didn’t help). I’ve never seen him so slow when running pick-and-roll sets. Ginobili simply didn’t have the wherewithal to breakdown Utah’s defense and create on a consistent basis -- and that was most blatantly obvious in the fourth quarter. Ginobili retained some value by rebounding well, defending decently and authoring a handful of very good passes. But it’s plain to see that the Spurs just aren’t a very dynamic team when the animated Argentine doesn’t have his legs.
Final Grade: 75
Season Average: 83.2
Adj. Average: 83.5
Last 10 Average: 85.8
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Tony Parker

It wasn’t a bad night at the office for Tony Parker. Defensively, he was quick and attentive. On the other end, while he missed a few shots he’s been regularly making recently, the vast majority of his looks were clean. Parker also passed the ball well and did so with nary a mistake. My biggest issue with Parker against the Jazz was that he wasn’t always getting the Spurs into their offense rapidly enough. He dribbled aimlessly sometimes and that hurt the team’s rhythm.
Final Grade: 85
Season Average: 88.2
Adj. Average: 88.2
Last 10 Average: 92.3
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Danny Green

Although he shot the ball well and knocked down a huge shot late, Danny Green just wasn’t very good during his 31 minutes. While Pop criticized him for his defense on the final play, I thought he did well enough on that possession -- Mo Williams just canned a tough shot. My issues with Green were elsewhere. Defensively, he was just never an asset. He lost his man too often, his rotations were slow and he committed a few low basketball IQ blunders. On offense, his hands were stone and his dribbling was dreadful. Following a game against the Rockets in which Green appeared to be extremely well-rounded, he reverted to being uncomfortably limited.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 82.2
Adj. Average: 82.6
Last 10 Average: 81.0
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Gary Neal

If Gary Neal is on your team, you have to live with a few cold shooting nights. Wednesday evening was an example of that. However, Neal needs to learn how to impact the game elsewhere so that he’s not a liability when he’s not hitting. Against the Jazz, he took a few bad shots and his passing was often a beat or two slow. On the other end, his effort sometimes seemed lacking and his height, or lack thereof, was a liability against some of the big, bruising lineups the Jazz put on the court.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 82.9
Adj. Average: 83.7
Last 10 Average: 83.9
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DeJuan Blair

I’m going to assume DeJuan Blair is injured because he looked horrible. He couldn’t jump. He had no mobility. His running was labored. When Blair got the ball, it was only a matter of time before something bad happened. His defense was also non-existent. Pop was nice enough to put him out of his misery by not playing him in the second half.
Final Grade: 61
Season Average: 78.9
Adj. Average: 80.0
Last 10 Average: 75.8
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Tiago Splitter

Early on, I wasn’t very impressed with Tiago Splitter. He wasn’t playing with enough force on defense and was allowing too many easy baskets in the paint. His rebounding on the defensive end was also poor. Eventually Splitter warmed up and got going on both ends. He continues to finish well when he’s on the move -- not so much when he’s stationary under the basket. On defense, Splitter made plays later in the game and battled with the necessary physicality.
Final Grade: 83
Season Average: 84.1
Adj. Average: 84.8
Last 10 Average: 86.5
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Boris Diaw

Ugh. The Jazz literally were not defending Boris Diaw. They simply left him on every possession to either pack the paint or double the ball-handler. Given the lack of respect he received, putting nine points on the board was simply not enough. If an inability to force teams to show him even a modi of respect on offense becomes commonplace, Diaw’s value is going to be lost. That’s especially true when he doesn’t bother to grab a defensive rebound. His individual defense was also pretty darn bad against the Jazz.
Final Grade: 65
Season Average: 79.5
Adj. Average: 80.9
Last 10 Average: 79.6
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Nando De Colo

The Jazz (particularly Earl Watson) were playing aggressive defense against the Spurs bench and Nando De Colo again looked vulnerable against ball pressure. This is a huge -- and very worrisome -- turn of events regarding the Frenchman’s ability to play point guard … and his NBA prospects in general. Teams are going to pressure him and if he doesn’t respond, there’s just no way he’ll stay in the rotation this season.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 82.1
Adj. Average: 84.0
Last 10 Average: 81.9
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Patrick Mills

Pop called on Patrick Mills in the closing minutes of the third quarter and the Australian proved he was ready to roll. He came out firing and provided instant energy. Not only did he knock down a couple three-pointers, he used his speed to get an open layup in transition. Defensively, his effort was commendable. This performance should only help Mills’ chances of cracking the rotation going forward.
Final Grade: 90
Season Average: 82.8
Adj. Average: 82.5
Last 10 Average: 89.5
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Matt Bonner

Matt Bonner did next to nothing offensively yet was still helpful. He played good position defense and he once again rebounded very well. Since he keeps playing well when Pop calls on him, it’ll be interesting to see if Pop eventually relents and puts Bonner back in the rotation.
Final Grade: 81
Season Average: 83.0
Adj. Average: 84.4
Last 10 Average: 85.7
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Pop

Pop simply didn’t push the right buttons this game. Playing a 12-man rotation didn’t help matters, especially since the players at the end of the bench had no idea what to expect. At some point, Pop is going to have to make some tough decisions instead of just playing everyone. I also think he should have given up on Blair earlier. Plus, playing Diaw more than Splitter was highly questionable.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 85.5
Last 10 Average: 87.6
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Offense
The Spurs were strong on the offensive glass and shot well from downtown. That’s about the extent of the positives. They only scored 36 points in the paint, didn’t get to the line enough and their two-point percentage (42.6%) was anemic. Perhaps worst of all was their total of only 18 assists. The Spurs are built on their ability to pass and a number that low doesn’t portend a fruitful outing.
Final Grade: 73
Season Average: 85.5
Last 10 Average: 87.0
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Defense
In the big picture the Spurs weren’t bad on defense, considering they gave up 99 points on 99 possessions. They did good work rebounding-wise and keeping the Jazz off the free throw line, but their transition defense was horrible and they were routinely out-muscled at the rim. Allowing the Jazz to ac ulate 27 assists while only turning them over 14 times isn’t an acceptable ratio.
Final Grade: 79
Season Average: 83.1
Last 10 Average: 83.6
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Overall
The Spurs looked tired against the Rockets. They again looked tired in Utah. While they almost pulled out another victory, San Antonio was outplayed for a majority of the game and didn’t really deserve the W. Let’s hope they push through the fatigue and end this road trip with a victory tonight in Portland.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 84.6
Last 10 Average: 85.7
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[wildbill2u]

They lost the lead with Green playing a key role:
1. Continually lost the location of their hot 3 pt shooter Hayward on the perimeter. His defense comes and goes from game to game. Too often he looks like a deer in the headlights.
2. A really bad lazy inbounds pass attempt to Duncan that was stolen and they scored. No excuse for that one either.
3. You expect an NBA player to be able to make layups, especially wide-open shots at the rim. This isn't an exception with Green; he really has a lay-up problem.
4. Everyone in the stadium and at home watching Mo Williams hold the ball knew he was going to try to win the game with a last second shot. Green laid way off because Mo was so far out past the arc, but he should have closed the gap at 5 seconds and harassed his dribble to make Williams worry and possibly change his option from shooting to passing. In the end, Williams made the shot but Green should have made it more difficult.
5. Has no handle. Can't dribble very well and couldn't catch the long outlet pass that Timmy made. Basic stuff that makes you wonder how he made it this far.

[Paranoid Pop]

^Pop fell in love with him for some reason. He decided he's our future SG and it will take years for him to change his mind if that ever happen, Neal and Anderson must seriously wonder how he's so undisputedly above them in Pop's mind. ...

[TheSkeptic]

Pop

Pop simply didn’t push the right buttons this game. Playing a 12-man rotation didn’t help matters, especially since the players at the end of the bench had no idea what to expect. At some point, Pop is going to have to make some tough decisions instead of just playing everyone. I also think he should have given up on Blair earlier. Plus, playing Diaw more than Splitter was highly questionable.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 85.5
Last 10 Average: 87.6

This season I haven't had much to complain about but it does seem like we're headed in the same direction we were last year with respect to Splitter's minutes. Other than TD, Splitter was pretty much the only big who came to play (albeit mostly in the second half). He should've had the second most amount of minutes out of the bigs.

I think that Blair was worse than Diaw last night so I'm thinking that's the guy who should've lost minutes last night though. Pop did adjust after the NY game so maybe he'll do the same here.

Thanks Timvp.

[playblair]

cojo:

A-
1st possession on defense causes a turnover (steal)
has earned pack up pg minutes

[benfti]

Would you go as far as to say Patty Mills is starting to ball?

[Capt Bringdown]

Good point about Splitter scoring better on the move.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I always figured that all the crazy fall and winter lineups were what SPAM was all about. With so many participating in the Olympics and NBA TC being a flitter of time, Popovich needs to see what some of these guys can do. He knows what most of them can do individually but the guys brought in last spring, De Colo he doesn't and he needs to see all of them on the court.

With the schedule as it's been, the team has not had an opportunity to practice much and their two SF are hurt. His coaching right now has the feel of throwing the against the wall but Pop has been a master at seeing what sticks come the spring. It's not like this is a new thing and game tactics should not discount team strategy.

I like this feel better than what we saw last year and them roaring out of the gate. As flawed as some of these lineups have been we are still winning at a good clip and the failed experiments will hopefully end come SPAM.