Reply With Quote
+1
BTW, I think the biggest reason for the win is Manu's 8 steals + Kobe's 9 turnovers.
After getting back on the winning track against the Bobcats, the Spurs used a big third quarter to overpower the Lakers. This was a very nice win considering how poorly the Spurs played in the first half and how seemingly the whole team had a hand in pulling out the win in the second half.
Regarding the Lakers, you can tell they are a well coached bunch. They played very well in the first half and it took a huge effort in the second half for the Spurs to escape with the win. Ronny Turiaf was especially impressive with his physical play on both ends of the court for the Lakers.
The first half for the Spurs was a nightmare. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili combined to shoot 1-for-12 from the field and the pick-and-roll defense was horrid. The Spurs weren’t rotating defensively and that allowed the Lakers to score at will whenever they passed the ball. Offensively, with Parker and Ginobili struggling, the offense was stagnant and Tim Duncan was the only Spur who could consistently get a good look.
The second half was a much different story. Tim Duncan continued to dominate but role players such as Ime Udoka and Brent Barry came alive to give the team a much needed spark. The defense on Kobe Bryant was great in the second half. Overall, the Spurs outscored the Lakers 31-12 in the third quarter and 58-37 in the half as they won 103-91.
-Tim Duncan played a really good game for San Antonio. His energy was high and he was passionate about finding a way to win this game. When everyone else was struggling in the first half, he was carrying the team. In the second half, he picked up his defensive intensity and the Spurs were able to go on a run. For the game, Duncan finished with 28 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and only one turnover. This was a vintage Tim Duncan performance.
-Manu Ginobili struggled offensively but made up for most of his struggles by playing very good defense. He finished with a career-high eight steals and did so without playing risky defense. He even defended Bryant for a stretch and held his own for the most part. Offensively, he really struggled as he finished only 3-for-16 from the field. I thought he was forcing way too many shots, particularly from the perimeter. He would have been better served to mix in more passes. On the whole, though, Ginobili played well enough as he totaled 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and those previously mentioned eight steals.
-Tony Parker still isn’t back to his regular self but he was decent enough on Wednesday night. After a 1-for-5 first half, Parker went 6-for-10 in the second half to finish with 16 points. His playmaking wasn't as effective as usual, which led to him only having four assists. However, to his credit he took care of the ball and finished the game without a turnover in 37 minutes of action. Parker still has a lot of room for improvement but at least he wasn’t hurting the Spurs too much tonight.
-Bruce Bowen played only 23 minutes as Pop opted to go with players who could provide more of an offensive punch. Although when Bowen was on the court, his defense on Bryant was superb. Offensively, Bowen missed the only shot he attempted. This might be a good time of year to rest Bowen a bit because he was playing heavy minutes while other swingmen were sidelined. Lowering his minutes to around 30 per game for the next month should keep him fresh for a playoff push.
-Michael Finley was one of the few Spurs who in the first half was able to do anything offensively. He helped the Spurs stay afloat heading into halftime. On the night, Finley finished with 11 points while hitting 4-of-10 shots from the field. Finley also played solid defense and gave good energy overall.
-Brent Barry got the start as Pop decided to go small to match the Lakers. With Lamar Odom at power forward, Pop felt more comfortable with Finley on Odom rather than a bigman such as Fabricio Oberto. Barry didn’t do much in his first couple stints on the floor but his play at the end of the third quarter was magical. In the final couple seconds of the third, Barry hit a three-pointer, stole the inbounds pass and then drilled another three-pointer to cap off the Spurs’ run. Barry finished with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the floor in 28 minutes.
-Outside of Duncan, Ime Udoka was the star of the game for the Spurs. Udoka scored a season-high 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-4 showing from beyond the arc. His patience was great in the Spurs offense. Udoka took quality shots all night long and had a number of very good passes. However, it was defensively where Udoka really made his mark. His defense on Bryant and Odom was extremely impressive. In his 24 minutes, Udoka also pulled down five rebounds, handed out two assists, swiped steal and blocked a shot. Hopefully this was a breakout game for Udoka that he can use as a springboard for the second half of the season.
-Jacque Vaughn knocked down a couple important baskets in the first half. He didn’t have a great night but he was his usual solid self. In 11 minutes Vaughn had six points, two assists and no turnovers.
-Fabricio Oberto came off the bench and played only with Duncan on the bench. In his eight minutes of play, Oberto only dented the stat sheet by pulling down one rebound, handing out one assist and turning the ball over once. It wasn’t a great showing for Oberto but he at least kept the floodgates from opening while Duncan rested.
-Robert Horry played six quiet minutes. He missed his only shot and has now missed his last nine shots from the field. Horry has a combined one point in his last six games played. It’s not time to count Horry out yet but it’d be nice if he showed some signs of life here and there during the regular season. Maybe a three-pointer every third game to help Spurs fans remember the glory days. Is that too much to ask?
-Pop coached a pretty good game. I didn’t really agree with starting Brent Barry in a small ball lineup. If Pop wants to start a small lineup, I’d much rather Ime Udoka be involved so that he can defend bigger players and grab a few contested rebounds.
I do like how Pop played Udoka extended minutes in the second half. Udoka was rolling and there was no reason to take him out. Pop also used a bunch of players on Bryant, including Udoka, Bowen, Ginobili and Finley.
Overall, I like this win for the Spurs. I know that it’s only January and that Andrew Bynum was out injured for the Lakers but the Spurs needed this win. The Spurs had lost their last seven games to teams with a winning record and overall just didn’t seem capable of stringing together two solid performances.
It’s starting to feel like the Spurs are preparing for their yearly run. The team is awake and playing with emotion again. With a back-to-back on the schedule against the struggling Miami Heat up next, winning that game is important to keep the team’s confidence high. The Rodeo Road Trip is only two games away so if the Spurs are indeed figuring things out again, it's coming at an opportune time.
+1
BTW, I think the biggest reason for the win is Manu's 8 steals + Kobe's 9 turnovers.
Given Udoka's confident offensive showing the last couple of games I expect Pop will be more confident using him as a PF in a small lineup. I imagine there was hesitation with playing Udoka and Bowen at the same time, but I'm not sure that applies anymore.
word
Bowen and Udoka will be a nasty tag team on players such as Kobe, Allen, Pierce, James, etc.. I was expecting Pop to insert Bowen back in the 4th but I can see where Udoka might log more minutes with his offensive game miles ahead of Bowen's.
Thanks for the game thoughts.
Udoka + Finley made Odom their personal tonight.
Udoka + Bowen forced Kobe into a season high in turnovers and a poor 2nd half.
The 2nd half defense was as impressive as it has been in a long time, but the 1st half pounding the Spurs took in the paint is still reason to worry.
Keep playin the kid.
Udoka will do nothing but get better IMO.
He is easily someone who can tip the scales back in the Spurs's favor regarding vs Dallas.
I was wondering what if Pop said to the guys during halftime clicked & gave them the energy to come back in the game.
Nice props on Tim Duncan. And Ime."'You have to participate in your recovery,"' recounted guard Brent Barry. "I think that stuck with us. When things aren't going well, and you're not playing well, you can't sulk."
spurs only won bc bynum was out!! [/laker fan]
yeah. Just thinking about the Spurs 9 straight road games during Rodeo season is pretty scaryimportant to keep the team’s confidence high.. This is the right momentum that they need.
I take back what I said earlier, I was just frustrated and pissed off because we definitely had a chance to steal that game.
The Lakers lack of maturity showed tonight and they crumbled when the Spurs put the heat on. They stopped moving the ball and didn't even score until like 6-7 minutes into the 3rd. That horrid 3rd quarter really put the game out of reach. The Spurs brought it in the 2nd half and deserved the win.
It was a good loss for our young team because it shows them that no lead is ever safe no matter how bad your opponent is playing. You can't drop your intensity against the Spurs and expect to coast to a victory.
yup
Good game Spursfans. The end of the first half and the whole 3rd qtr killed us. Catch us again when we're healthy.
agree...udoka is bringing it now.
UDOKA, FTW!!!
The dude is going to be killer for us come playoff time if he continues to improve like he has.
Now t's a problem.
As I saw the boxscores (and was looking at them the whole 2nd half as I had no chance to watch the game), the spurs were not good on the boards, they lost, the % were almost the same, so I said hmm where is this win?
The win is on the turnover column - that helped spurs survived. 22-9 adventage spurs.
Where is the problem?
The problem is in so called 7-footer.
No - we need a big guy alongside TD to be successfull all in all small ball is not what we need in a long run. I am dissapointed in Elson and Horry but that is not the story I want to tell. Although I do not want Tim to play 40+ minutes because of this.
The swings (guards, whateva) - Bowen is getting less minutes lately and as timvp said he is getting some rest (IMO Oberto as well - Pop taking a chance of a big rotation he have in the backcourt), and that's good. Ime getting more minutes and is being tested on diferent opponents and as you can see he is in the system.
I'm afraid (the problem of being a rich) taht Pop would have to pick between Barry, Finley and Udoka. And that is better motion offense, shooting ability, defense. If Pop can handle it all and mix them (the minutes) on different team he cdan be successfull, but it is hard to do it in the playoffs when it is better to have still 8-man rotation.
I wanted to add something else but I forgott I'm tired and fat. I'm going to sleep just like you. But we have a day here
Spurs win, Lakers lose.
All is right in the universe once more.
Can't wait to hear the purple and YELLOW ball-washers on the radio lamenting about this, that and the other tomorrow!
It's amazing how good this team is when they exert a little energy, passion and effort.
Props to them for an inspired 2nd half performance.
Big props to Udoka for a breakout game. Keep it up!
....and props to Timvp for another great game summary.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 01-24-2008 at 04:30 AM.
Udoka is the next bruce bowen for the spurs. The spurs are starting to push towards the playoffs. The emergence of Udoka in the middle of it is a great contribution (not to mention another problem for the other teams). Now the spurs can probably have a player of stephen jackson-like's presence.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's as good offensively as jackson. I do believe however that Udoka's defense is comparable to jax's. I would relish the thought of having a third wingman to rely on off the bench.
Another great find for the spurs (i just hope I can say the same for the splitter decision-we'll see that next season). My happinest would be complete if the FO would get another point guard to help vaughn. Earl watson would be great
I really believe that Udoka already IS the second best rebounder on the team. Why? Because I've watched how he works for inside basket position at both ends. He's got a knack for chasing the ball, boxing out his man and doing those fundamental elements that often lead to securing a rebound. With more consistent playing time, I believe everyone will see what a good rebounder he is. We already know he's a superb defender.
Gotta love Pop's response to Bucher's Q, if anyone missed it.. " He didn't have a great first half, what made you think he could spur you starting on the 3rd quarter.. Pop deadpanned "he Manu Ginobili".
Spurs after a timeout lifted their intensity in the 3rd .Classic spurs ball. You could say Manu was the catylist but good team effort made the difference.
gr8 recap timvp.. i think Ime should start cutting minute's from Bruce so we have him fresh for the playoffs... and thanks for the fun time to those that where in the chat room during the match
I've noticed in the last few games that Manu has handled more of the playmaking duties, even when he's on the floor with either Tony or Jacque, particularly for the beginning of the second half last night.
When Tony is out I think this is a good way to play it - let Manu initiate the offense while Jacque holds water by giving Tony rest.
I sure miss defense. I don't mean individual defense, as there was a lot of that. I mean team defense. Some of you guys have gotten so accustomed to the the lack of it that you don't even miss it anymore. I guess you want to be the Suns so badly that you let the great outside shooting soothe you into thinking everything is okay.
I thank the Lakers for coming out in the second half and completely abandoning what was working long enough to give away all momentum in the game. The reason the Spurs did so well against the pick and roll in the second half is because the Lakers weren't running it. I also thank the refs for not putting Timmy on the bench for most of the first half, because we've all seen him in foul trouble for way less than what he got away with.
Small lineups, reliance on hot shooting, jumping the passing lanes, no interior defense. Can't wait for the playoffs.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
