Spurs grades 1-13-12

[Finch23]

The Spurs celebrated Friday the 13th with a wacky basketball game. To begin the affair, when San Antonio wasn't turning the ball over they were, well, turning the ball over. Their turnovers fueled Portland to 31-27 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

 

However, from then on out, the Spurs turned up their pressure on defense. A tie game entering the fourth, the Spurs outscored the Blazers 34-18 to coast to a 99-83 victory. While the first three quarters featured a lot of ugliness, the fourth was a beautiful sight for the fans in the AT&T Center.

 

How good was San Antonio's defense? After the Blazers hit 13-of-20 shots to begin the game, the Spurs held the Blazers to 32.8% shooting the rest of the way. That's the type of D that can take the Spurs to where they want to go.

 

 

 

Tim Duncan C-

Sloppy. That's the one word to describe Tim Duncan's game tonight. It seemed like he bobbled the ball every time it was in his hands. Duncan's passes were getting deflected and the Blazers were making it difficult for him to dribble. He had five official turnovers but that doesn't begin to describe how sloppy his play was. Despite the difficulties, Duncan did help in some areas -- most notably on the boards.

 

Tony Parker B+

It was an uneven yet ultimately successful night for Tony Parker. To begin the night, he played a leading role in the Spurs turning the ball over ten times in the first quarter. Fortunately, Parker got better and better as the game progressed. To put the nail in the coffin, he scored ten straight points in less than two minutes in the fourth quarter. Throughout, the Spurs relied on Parker's playmaking and ballhandling. On defense, I thought he really stepped it up in the second half.

 

Richard Jefferson D+

Richard Jefferson struggled with his shooting for one of the rare times this season. He made things worse by playing lackluster defense for most of the night. Near the end, Jefferson showed some hustle -- but all in all it was an evening to forget. Let's hope that Jefferson soon realizes he has bigger shoes to fill with Ginobili out. He needs to be more than a spot-up shooter whose defense ebbs and flows depending on whether he's making his shots.

 

Kawhi Leonard A-

For the first three quarters, Kawhi Leonard was playing quality defense but was silent on the offensive end. In the fourth quarter, that all changed. With the game tied at 67, Leonard hit a three-pointer that keyed a 12-0 run. His three seemed to energize everybody -- including himself. Leonard finished the fourth with nine points and a half dozen great plays on defense. The rookie was arguably the best player on the court in the final stanza and he deserves a lot of credit for this win.

 

DeJuan Blair A-

Yeah, DeJuan Blair had his share of mistakes on defense. But, at this point, those are to be expected out of Blair. The rest of his game, however, was really good. He actually did great work on the defensive glass for the first time in a long while, which was great to see. Blair ran the court tremendously all night. He also was efficient scoring the ball and made a couple very good passes. Quality game.

 

Danny Green A+

Now THIS is how I want Danny Green to play. Instead of trying to do too much, Danny Green was the ultimate trashman. He was doing all the little things, whether it was getting back on defense, helping protect the rim, rotating quickly to thwart an open look, making the right pass or setting the right pick. He's not good enough to be a star. But Green is good enough to be a high-quality role player. His plus/minus tonight of +29 was absolutely no fluke.

 

Gary Neal C-

Well, point guard is going to be a challenge for Gary Neal. I can tell you that much for sure. The Blazers exposed his ballhandling, or lack thereof, and forced him into four quick turnovers. Neal just never looked comfortable running the show. Defensively, I thought he was actually pretty good, which is a huge change from any other point this season. That said, he really needs to clean up his offensive play or else Pop will be forced to look for another player to backup Parker.

 

Tiago Splitter A

Wow. I'm not sure if this was Tiago Splitter's best game of his career, but it was close. The Blazers tried to get away with putting smaller and lighter players on him but Splitter took advantage. He was physical and decisive with his moves and showed tons of confidence. When he wasn't scoring, he was making a great pass. I also loved his work protecting the rim and gobbling glass. The only thing that kept Splitter from going completely nuts was the fact that he played only 20 minutes.

 

James Anderson C+

In his first run, James Anderson looked better than he had all season. He wasn't hesitating and he was finishing off plays. Unfortunately, Anderson reverted back to his normal underwhelming self in the second half. Baby steps? Better than nothing.

 

Matt Bonner C-

Matt Bonner was on the court just long enough to get abused by LaMarcus Aldridge. Tonight, Bonner looked especially landlocked.

 

Cory Joseph Inc.

In his two minutes of garbage time, Cory Joseph had a nice finish at the rim and a good look to find a backdoor cutter. With Neal's struggles, Joseph is probably close to getting the call for real action.

 

Malcolm Thomas Inc.

There was actually a Spur roaming around the court looking to block shots. We haven't seen that in a while. Welcome to San Antonio, Malcolm Thomas.

 

Pop B-

Pop's confidence in Leonard paid off in the fourth quarter. Beating a powerhouse in the West without playing Duncan too much is a plus. He's been yelling a lot at Green in recent games and Green apparently heard the messages loud and clear. I like how Pop kept athletes in the game most of the time when he went small. That said, the aspect that stuck out like a sore thumb was Splitter's lack of playing time. When he has it going like he had it going tonight, Pop needs to ride him. If nothing else, Pop has to allow Splitter's confidence to grow.

[Real Deal]

Camby going down in the second quarter really hurt the Blazers. It's definitely not a big excuse for them, but the injury played a small part in the loss, because aside from Camby, the Blazers don't have another center (Chris Johnson may be 6-11, but he's a primary PF).

 

The Spurs just look so funny not playing through Duncan as much as they used to. You get the feeling they just want to go out and run like crazy, and ignore him...sad stuff, just how cruel Father Time is.