Tim Duncan
Going against a noticeably hobbled Dirk Nowitzki, Duncan dominated the Dallas Mavericks. In one of his better outings of the season, Duncan established his presence down in the low blocks and refused to give up position. He finished the game with 27 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. On defense, he was unfazed by the gimmicks Dallas threw at him. He guarded Nowitzki well and when he was switched off to a quick player, he did good job of staying in front.
GRADE: 93
OVERALL: 86.4
Bruce Bowen
Bowen had a well-rounded performance against the Mavericks. Offensively, he hit from a variety of spots on the floor. He finished 4-7 from the court, 1-2 from beyond the arc and 1-2 from the line to total ten points for the contest. He had a pair of vital jumpers as the Spurs were pulling away. On the other side of the court, Bowen played typical Bruce Bowen defense. He held Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse to a combined 7-22 shooting night from the field.
GRADE: 90
OVERALL: 83.6
Rasho Nesterovic
Though he didn’t have a necessarily stellar game, Nesterovic was effective. Erick Dampier was held to one point and four rebounds in 31 minutes, due much to the effort of the Spurs’ center. He also rotated well on defense, stuffing the lane on the driving Mavs. With the Spurs switching on pick-and-rolls for most of the night, he did well when switched onto a smaller player. He missed a couple of easy shots around the basket, but Nesterovic continues to show an improved range on his jumpers.
GRADE: 85
OVERALL: 85.7
Manu Ginobili
A game after going 1-8 from the floor, Ginobili didn’t far much better shooting-wise. He missed four of his six shots, finishing with only four points. Though the Spurs could do a better job involving him in the offense, he was missing shots he was making earlier in the season. Expect the team to run more plays for him in the upcoming games to make sure that he’s involved offensively from the opening tip. Other than his off game from the field, Ginobili was fantastic. He tallied eight rebounds, six assists and three steal as his energy and determination were crucial in the overall effort of the team.
GRADE: 79
OVERALL: 88.7
Tony Parker
In perhaps his most steady game of the season, Parker scored 15 points and dished out nine assists. From the beginning of the first quarter until the end of the game, it seemed as if Parker was in full control. He directed the offense beautifully and got the ball in the spots it needed to be. He also did a good job knocking down his shots (5-10 from the floor), something he’s struggled to do for much of the year. If he can direct and lead the Spurs like he did Wednesday night, they’ll be tough to beat.
GRADE: 92
OVERALL: 79.9
Brent Barry
Barry was deadly efficient against Dallas. He hit all four of his shots and all three of his free throws, finishing with 12 points in 28 minutes. While he’s shooting over 45% from the field for the season, the Spurs need him to be closer to 50%. If he can reach that mark, the opposing teams will be forced to give Duncan more room to operate. Barry also played good defense as he’s continually picking up more and more of the Spurs’ system.
GRADE: 90
OVERALL: 86.1
Malik Rose
While his numbers won’t jump out at you, Rose played well against the Mavs. His energy and physical play in the paint sparked the team. He hit only 2-10 from the field and committed five fouls, but the Spurs can live with that if he’s bringing that mean streak to the court. He finished with six points and five rebounds in 24 minutes, while playing an unusually heavy allotment in the fourth quarter.
GRADE: 85
OVERALL: 85.4
Beno Udrih
After totaling two assists in his last nine games, Udrih broke out of that assist slump by dishing out three against the Mavericks. Perhaps even more impressive, he did so without committing a turnover in 14 minutes of playing time. From the floor, Udrih connected on two of his five shots, including his lone three-point attempt. All told, this performance has to rank as one of the best of his young career.
GRADE: 88
OVERALL: 78.8
Devin Brown
Brown had an off day at the office against Dallas. Although his defense was sufficient, his shooting was off. He missed all four of his shots and also compounded his problem by being hesitant on his decision making. For the game, he scored a point and pulled down a rebound in 14 minutes of action.
GRADE: 70
OVERALL: 82.2
Robert Horry
After some poor performances lately, Horry bounced back with a solid overall outing. He shot 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from downtown and 1-2 from the line. He also tallied a rebound, an assist, a steal and a block in ten minutes of playing time. If he can stay as active as he was against Dallas, he would be a beneficial cog.
GRADE: 85
OVERALL: 82.5
Tony Massenburg
In six minutes of court time, Massenburg did nothing to disappoint. He scored two points and had two rebounds as he muscled around the interior players for the Mavericks. Although his minutes are going to be scattered this season for the Spurs, Massenburg needs to bring this type of strength and at ude to the court each time he’s given the opportunity.
GRADE: 84
OVERALL: 84.7
Beno's play is interesting. Sometimes he gets blown by on defense, sometimes he look awkward on offense, but it seems nearly every other game he knocks down a shot that is very timely and swings the momentum. I guess that says something about his composure.
Tonto not see grades for Dirk and others Tonto not proud
As I watched the game I was wondering what Manu has to do to get the respect of the officials. Seems like he never gets a call. You can see the frustration on his face. But, to his credit he just keeps on playing as hard as he can. And Barry, yes you can see he is really making an effort on the defensive end.
Is it me or Beno has not hit that many mid range jumpers?
I tought he had a really good mid range jumper but in the otherhand he is knocking down the 3 point shot consistenly. Anyway, IMO he has play great as the back up PG and I just hope he stays healthy.
After totaling two assists in his last nine games, Udrih broke out of that assist slump by dishing out three against the MavericksMaybe he'll have 4 in the next game!
IMO Beno did well on defense against Devin Harris.
I havent seen him shoot many mid range jumpers, most long oand outside.
he missed a couple timely shots against Toronto, so I wouldnt go so far as to say EVERY GAME.
IMO Devin Brown has taken a step back, shooting wise.
He also, while being in there, didnt step up other parts of his game.
Like say, his shooting was off, well, his defense was terrible, and his rebounding non existent.
IMO Devin Brown may have taken a couple steps back this season.
Saying that PT hasnt been there, IMO doesnt cut it.
He didnt have the PT last year in the playoffs, but all of a sudden brought that energy and good shot selection.
I agree with everything you wrote, but I think the things Manu did other than having a poor shooting night - his energy, his D, his steals, his assists - all of which you acknowledged in the narrative - should rank him a little higher than a 79.
Yeah I think Devin has not been as good as some people think he could be. His shot has been off but his defense has been there and he just needs to play a good game to get going.
Thanks TimVp your on target.
I have noticed beno hits a big shot
bt it does seem every other game
Exactly what I was thinking.
Thanks Dario, thonking is great, but its probably better to be thinking.
Last edited by smeagol; 11-26-2004 at 10:38 PM.
Watch out, Smeagol is thonking!!
Sorry man, i just had to do it
Beno started the same as in his first "big" team Olimpija, shy with some nice games. I hope that he gets his confidence going real soon and become major threat for other teams
I didn't. I said every other game., so I wouldnt go so far as to say EVERY GAME.
He (Duncan) guarded Nowitzki well - TiMVP
Considering Dirk scored every time Tim guarded him, and failed to score every time Parker guarded him, I dont think the statement above is true. I also think you should have mentioned that Tony's defense on Dirk was outstanding.
Dirk didn't score every time on Duncan.
Duncan did a good job picking up Dirk ... even when he came down with the ball himself.
Spurs' point guards guarding Dirk is nothing new. The Spurs have been switching pick-and-rolls with Dirk since he came into the league. Parker just put his hands up like Avery Johnson, Terry Porter and Antonio Daniels did before him.
If I recall correctly Dirk had a three point play against Parker. On defense Parker would just put his arms up and Dirk simply fail to take advantage.
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