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Good grades. Many thanks as always.
Welcome to the modern day NBA, where no leads are safe and defense is only the structure that encloses your yard. After snatching overtime from the jaws of victory by blowing an eight point lead with one minute to go in regulation, the San Antonio Spurs returned the favor by scoring the final seven points in the final 51 seconds of the extra period to eke out a 143-142 victory over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. This was San Antonio's first road victory since February 25th of last season, when they coincidentally defeated LeBron in Cleveland.
The Spurs are now 2-1 on the season and avoided what would have been a painful loss after collapsing late in the fourth quarter. Their late rally in overtime showed a lot of heart. Following a layup by Forbes and a three-pointer by Gay to pull the Spurs within a point, Mills sank what turned out to be the game-winning jumper with 6.8 seconds remaining off of a side out of bounds play.
LaMarcus Aldridge
Heading into this contest, LaMarcus Aldridge was in a bit of an offensive slump. Consider that slump busted. Aldridge was very good on the offensive end -- and it all started with his physicality in the post. He tortured the overmatched Lakers bigmen throughout the night utilizing a combination of his brute strength and his deft touch around the rim. When he wasn't scoring buckets or getting to the line, he was passing the ball really well. Defense, well, that was another story. I thought he was good at that end in the first quarter but he struggled to make any sort of impact in the game's final 41 minutes. The Lakers using small lineups was partly to blame, as was the obvious lack of chemistry with his teammates -- not to mention the lack of defensive talent around him. But overall I was very pleased with what I saw from Aldridge. If he can play at that level, the Spurs are going to be okay.
Grade: A-
Summary: Aldridge was a beast on the offensive end in a performance that gives hope that he's still very much a top tier difference-maker in a quickly evolving landscape.
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DeMar DeRozan
In the first half, DeMar DeRozan was an offensive marvel. He expertly carved up the Lakers defense in a nearly flawless manner. No matter whether the coaching staff put him in pick-and-rolls, isolations or in the low block, DeRozan created great shots over and over and over again. Unfortunately, DeRozan wore down as the game progressed. After hitting his first five shots, DeRozan missed 18 of his final 24 field goal attempts -- including his final eight shots in the fourth quarter and overtime. He particularly struggled to finish in the lane late in the game. His defense was also never too notable; mostly bad on an individual basis but decent team-wise. That said, it's difficult to be too angry with a man who set a career-high with 14 assists while turning it over only twice in a game-high 45 minutes. Oh, and he had 32 points and was two rebounds shy of a triple double. Not a bad night at the office.
Grade: B+
Summary: DeRozan was great early but faded late, though it's difficult to criticize his overall production
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Rudy Gay
Talk about changing one's reputation. Rudy Gay had a very rugged, workmanlike performance in Los Angeles. On offense, he was unselfish and highly efficient. He used his size and length to get shots off the dribble. Gay continued his hot shooting from three-point land, included a monumental trey in overtime with 15 seconds remaining. Defensively, he took the challenge of guarding LeBron James for much of the evening. He had his moments of competency on that end, particularly in the first three quarters. Gay's never going to be a lockdown defender but his effort tonight was impressive and he was one of the few Spurs who was able to offer some semblance of disruption on that end. Further good news for Gay: he looked relatively healthy after hobbling for much of the previous six quarters heading into this contest.
Grade: A-
Summary: Gay put on his blue collar and his marksmanship and intensity were keys to this victory.
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Bryn Forbes
Bryn Forbes is another player who deserves credit for at least giving good effort on defense. The results were shaky but Forbes' heart was in the right place. (He's too slow, short and stubby to do too much damage on D, if we're being honest about the situation.) Offensively, Forbes provided invaluable spacing by way of his picture-perfect stroke from the perimeter. His ball-handling was iffy, his decision-making was lacking and it was often painfully clear he's not a point guard . . . but Forbes competed and did about as well as could have been expected given the cir stances.
Grade: B+
Summary: Another solid game for Forbes. The Spurs couldn't have expected much more from their fourth string point guard.
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Dante Cunningham
Well, I'll gladly eat some crow after Dante Cunningham illustrated it's possible for him to fit on this team. What the coaching staff stumbled upon is that Cunningham is useful as a starting power forward against a small team. With DeRozan, Aldridge and two other shooters on the court, the Spurs can get away with Cunningham spotting up for threes in the weakside corner and the spacing doesn't suffer too much. Defensively, he was pretty good. He defended LeBron in a number of possessions and did reasonably well, though it became an exercise in futility once LeBron had his effort level dialed up later in the contest. Cunningham's rebounding was huge and he also defended the rim well, particularly in transition. He's going to have to learn move to open spaces instinctively (and, for that matter, the fundamentals of the motion offense) but this was definitely a step in the right direction.
Grade: A-
Summary: Cunningham in the starting lineup as a small ball power forward appears to be an option going forward.
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Patty Mills
See, this is how Patty Mills can be useful. After a terrible first half against the Blazers on Saturday, Mills has recovered and had a pretty good performance against the Lakers. Sure, the clutch jumper to win the game was nice but it was more than that. Offensively, his aggression was really good and he continually exerted pressure when he had the ball in transition. Defensively, Mills still got cooked a number of times but the effort and attentiveness were better. He, along with the team, have a lot (lot, lot, lot) of room for defensive improvement but it's possible for him to get there as long as he continues to play with this level of tenacity.
Grade: B
Summary: Mills did more than just hit the game-winning jumper.
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Marco Belinelli
Marco Belinelli was again a hurricane of action. On this night, things mostly went in his favor. He took a few questionable leaners and passed up too many layups . . . but had enough no-no-no-yeses to retain his value. His cutting away from the ball was, as usual, extremely good. Defensively, it wasn't nearly as pretty. He had trouble staying with any of their perimeter players and was caught with his back turned too many times.
Grade: B
Summary: Belinelli gave the Spurs an injection of adrenaline on the offensive end but his D was forgettable.
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Pau Gasol
The production was there for Pau Gasol offensively. His passing, most notably in high-low action to Aldridge on the low post, was very good. He scored at a quality clip and helped on the glass. The problem for Gasol on this night was on defense. He just didn't have the footspeed to deal with the Lakers quick lineups, as his rotations were slow in the halfcourt and he was missing in action in transition D.
Grade: B
Summary: The 38-year-old Spaniard gave the Spurs good bang for the minutes but L.A. was able to exploit some of his natural weaknesses.
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Davis Bertans
Davis Bertans only played eight minutes and his night was highlighted by a three-pointer near the end of the third quarter. However, outside of that one shot, the rest of his outing was a struggle. His perimeter defense was poor and he compounded the issue by being extremely soft on the defensive glass. The Lakers were bullying him in all facets on D to the point that the coaching staff made the correct decision to sit him. Bertans needs to play with more physicality if he's going to become an everyday NBA player.
Grade: C-
Summary: Bertans couldn't stay in front of his man on the perimeter and got pushed around in the paint.
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Pop
Starting Cunningham turned out to be a very wise move. The offense is clicking extremely well. Pop is obviously giving DeRozan the freedom to be an offensive superstar. I had two critiques with the rotation: First, I think the team should always have one of Aldridge, DeRozan or Gay on the court right now. Pop went with a complete bench unit at times and the tides turned swiftly. My second critique, which isn't entirely fair because it's based on hindsight, is that DeRozan wasn't given enough rest. Asking him to play the entire fourth quarter is probably too much, especially when he is taking on extra point guard duties on top of everything else.
Grade: B
Summary: Pop's belief in Cunningham paid off but is he (gasp) playing his star perimeter player too much?
Looking ahead: Good win. Good morale boost. It may sound crazy given that the Spurs just allowed 142 points but I thought the defense was actually better than it was against the Blazers. The effort, if nothing else, on that end was better. The Spurs now return to San Antonio to take on the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in what will be another difficult yet winnable game.
Last edited by timvp; 10-23-2018 at 04:20 AM.
Good grades. Many thanks as always.
thx for the grades ... I agree!
bellis b2b 3s to increase the lead when lakers were chasing down t he lead
yet why wasnt this clown closing the game instead of having 2 midgets trying to defend giving up stupid and1 plays to the lakers....
Excellent writeup. Agree about DeRozan's minutes. And I think "ejection of adrenaline" will become my new favorite phrase.
Good write-up Señor Ellis. Aldridge was a beast. Good to see that he can still dominate inside.
great read and I completely agree that DDR (and imho also LMA) are actually playing too many minutes...
However I think that will be avoided in the long run considering that DDR is taking at the point all the minutes that should be played by White (big point guard minutes) and that Poeltl is going to play some of LMA Center minutes once he gets more acclimated on the system (he's a good player and can run the floor).
In this game, imho, we have seen the reason of the Cunningham/Bertans signings...the former play small ball four when the opposing small ball pf is a still mobile but more phisically strong one; the latter when the opposing small ball pf is more a wing, aka a mobile but more finesse player.
Looks like our starting five, with the exceptions of DDR and LMA (and maybe Gay and, next year, Murray) is gonna constantly change game by game depending on opponents starting five...
cunningham did good with his minutes, crash the boards, and body lebron using up his unlimited fouls against leRef bailing him out every time he drive to the rim
I continue to be concerned about Gay's ability to play a lot of minutes. In an overtime game 33 minutes is rather low. I mean, it understand Rudy's situation, and if he can't give more than 27ish mpg, that's what it is. But the team then needs a viable fourth option. OP mentioned that Pop should have one of Gay, DeRozan or Aldridge on the court at the same time. I submit that he should have two of them on the court. That's an average of 32 mpg, and it should be doable with enough planning. But you'd want to keep the guys under that given their (especially Gay's and LMA's) ages and the need for them to be healthy and fresh to carry the offense. Ideally, Pau would be that go-to scorer, but so much of his effectiveness comes down to how hard Gasol wants to try that day.
I'm just wondering if it might be easier for the team to find a scoring guard to come off the bench than it would be to find a defensive wing. I don't mean someone like Beli or Forbes who can do okay but needs a play-maker to set them up. I mean a bona-fide 15ppg guy who can get his own shot and score his points with decent efficiency. I understand the idea of offense by committee, but with three guys who thrive in iso plays, it might back the team more stable to find a fourth.
Thanks Timvp!
What are the chances of DeMar having a Harden - esque resurgence this season?
Resurgence isn't the word that I would use but I do think he could average something like 22ppg and 7 assists and 4 rpg. That's a more complete offensive version of him.
Interesting that Poltl didn’t play and Davis stayed st just 7 or so minutes. The team is definitely top heavy with a few roleplayers worth playing when it matters at least until some injuries heal up in the team...
I appreciate the review, the game was too late for to even attempt watching and considering it went to overtime I am glad I skipped it but it seems like a thriller.
Still early in the season and minutes will help DeRozan and Aldridge to become more familiar with each other's games.
DeRozan was a monster when he was fresh. He'll just need to learn how to get that second wind come crunch time.
Poeltl's in the doghouse after those horrid first two games.
Would you say if he had played they lose the game?
The most encouraging thing is that they didn’t fold in overtime and Cunningham might have a place on this team after all (fingers crossed). Thanks for the write-up!
Lakers have no backup center really. Kuzma kinda plays backup center. And beasley did a bit too. The Zubac guy had 5 fouls in 4 minutes. So really, there was no need for our third string center to play. I know he started last 2 games, but he is in the Blair role atm. Minute eater. While also getting time to work on his game, in game.
Ok thanks for that feedback. Not having watched it it's impossible to know things like this.
Today's NBA...
Thanks for the thoughts timvp
Any idea why Poetl didn’t play?
Always enjoy a TIMVP summary/grades after a game, thanks for the efforts.
We really need Bertans to become consistent and Jakob to be able to be good enough to play 8-12 minutes. If this can happen along with DWhite coming back, then hopefully we can better manage LMA, Gay, DDR minutes.
Definitely thought fatigue played a part in Demar's struggles. On the flip side if at the time of the trade someone told me DDR would have several games of 10+ assist games I probably would have laughed at them. Based on small sample he is well on his way to doing that and will easily set career high in assist.
DeMarcus DeAldridge's gonna have to drag this team to 8th seed
+ 100000000000000Today's NBA...
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