Game 1 grades: Presented by TimVP

[Finch23]

In Game 1 of what promises to be a fantastic series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs blitzed the Thunder late to escape with a hard-fought 101-98 victory. In San Antonio's quest to win a fifth championship, tonight was key. Heading into the final 12 minutes, this game looked headed toward a sour ending. Thankfully, the good guys got it going in time to extend their winning streak to 19 games.

 

The first half was extremely ugly. I'm not sure if it was rust or playoff pressure but the Spurs struggled to do anything correctly. In the first two quarters, the Spurs turned the ball over 14 times, got their shots blocked seven times and allowed nine offensive rebounds.

 

Honestly, going into the second half, I was feeling confident about San Antonio's chances. Despite all those negatives, the Spurs were only down by one point at halftime. But that confidence proved to be erroneous because the Thunder dominated the third quarter. They led the entire quarter and built their advantage up to nine points while looking fresher, more explosive in their movements and more determined.

 

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Spurs were down by nine points. Thankfully, the Spurs were far from done. The Spurs went on a 11-2 run to tie the game with 7:56 remaining. After a Kendrick Perkins free throw put the Thunder back up by a point, the Spurs offense went into hyperdrive. They scored on their next eight possessions and capped off the rally with a Stephen Jackson three-pointer to put the Spurs up by seven points with three minutes remaining. A minute later, Manu Ginobili converted a three-point play to grow the lead to ten points and all but officially seal the victory.

 

It goes without saying but this was a great, great win. The Spurs could have folded under the pressure of a fourth quarter hole but they dug deep once again to get the vital victory.

 

Heading into Game 2, the Spurs have to be encouraged that they were able to play a much cleaner game in the second half. In the final 24 minutes, the Spurs had only three turnovers, got blocked just twice and didn't allow an offensive rebound. If the Spurs can continue that type of mindful play on Tuesday night, they'll have a good chance of taking a commanding lead in the series.

 

 

 

 

 

Tim Duncan B

Tim Duncan simply wasn't as sharp as we've seen him play for most of the 2012 playoffs -- especially offensively. He missed a lot of shots near the rim and his decision-making with the ball wasn't as crisp as usual. That said, he fought through his struggles and was able to put together a solid outing. Offensively, he found a much better rhythm in the second half and his screen-setting, movement and timing were very good in the fourth quarter. Defensively, Duncan also progressively got better. He defended his man and the rim well throughout, however his pick-and-roll and help defense peaked in the final stanza. Duncan can definitely play better but he helped the Spurs start the 2012 Western Conference Finals with a victory.

 

Manu Ginobili A+

I never worried about Manu Ginobili in the first two rounds of the playoffs. His stats were pedestrian but the truth is the Spurs didn't really need for him to do much. Against the Thunder, San Antonio desperately needed him and the Argentine superstar was ready to deliver the goods. Ginobili's awesome night began with a thud. He turned the ball over twice and then got his first two shots blocked. But at the end of the first quarter, he started to take over. He scored the team's final seven points of the period and then opened the second quarter with a three-pointer. However, it wasn't until the second half that Ginobili really became the difference-maker. Even though the Thunder were bottling up everything the Spurs tried to do, Ginobili stayed aggressive and kept probing for openings. In the fourth quarter, Ginobili's tenaciousness paid off and he began shredding Oklahoma City's defense left and right. At that point, it was as if he destroyed the dam and San Antonio's offense was allowed to flow unimpeded. Defensively, I thought Ginobili was mostly good. He was slow a few times getting around picks but he more than held his own when guarding James Harden. Going forward, let's hope Ginobili can continue to find weaknesses in OKC's defense.

 

Tony Parker B-

Game 1 featured a lot of positives and a lot of negatives for Tony Parker. Most of his negatives came in the first half. Parker was doing a poor job running the offense. He was dribbling too much, creating too little and seemingly couldn't figure out how OKC was attacking him. Parker also totaled four first half turnovers and got his shots altered numerous times by the long athletes of Oklahoma City. The second half, thankfully, was much better. Parker got back to buzzing around the court to produce openings for himself and teammates. He took better care of the ball (no turnovers) and his defense intensity went through the roof. He was good defensively in the first half but Parker's D against Russell Westbrook in the final two quarters was special. He was beating Westbrook to his spots and kept up the pressure. Parker also pulled down six rebounds in the second half as he zoomed to long caroms. In the fourth quarter, the Frenchman hit the game-tying jumper and the shot that gave the Spurs their first lead. Overall, though that first half was forgettable, Parker was able to bounce back with a quality final push while continuing his underrated dominance on defense.

 

Kawhi Leonard B

Kawhi Leonard was San Antonio's Kevin Durant defender for most of the game and I thought the rookie did fine work. You're not going to stop Durant but Leonard challenged his shots well, stayed in front of him for the most part and took away catch-and-shoot looks. Best of all, Leonard only had one foul in 25 minutes against Durant. I really can't complain and I'm anxious to see if Leonard can continue to make Durant work for his points. Offensively, I wasn't as happy with Leonard. For the first time in a long time, Leonard actually looked like a rookie. He was too jumpy with the ball and his shot selection left a lot to be desired. Leonard knocked down a three-pointer, hit the offensive boards and made a few nice passes but he simply wasn't what we've come to expect on that end: a calm, collected assassin who picks his spots well. Then again, he wouldn't be human if he didn't show any sort of trepidation during this playoff run.

 

Boris Diaw B

Offensively, Boris Diaw was productive. When he wasn't making heady passes, he was finishing off possessions with shots in the paint. Diaw was very good at recognizing and exploiting interior mismatches. Unfortunately, he just wasn't as useful out on the perimeter. By passing up open shots, Diaw allowed the Thunder to sag off of him, which then subsequently clogged the lane. Defensively, Diaw was mediocre. His help defense was hit or miss and he wasn't very comfortable above the free throw line. When the Thunder went small, Diaw's inability to defend out to the three-point line eventually led to him sitting out the game's final 16 minutes. It was far from a bad game for Diaw but OKC was able to take advantage of some of his shortcomings.

 

Danny Green D-

Danny Green has been a streaky shooter this season. Sunday night was a streak in the wrong way. He missed all six of his shots, five of which came from three-point territory. Considering he was a blistering 11-for-19 (57.9%) on threes against the Clippers, his waywardness tonight was surprising. Green's offensive woes seemed to negatively impact his defense, which is something that should never happen. He alternated between being slow to react and trying to do too much. Let's hope Game 2 is kinder to Green.

 

Gary Neal B+

Gary Neal continues to be a scoring machine in the playoffs. He played the final 15 minutes of the game and was an important cog in the machine, particularly in the final ten minutes. He scored seven points in the fourth quarter and played some of his best defense of the season. While he was assigned to a spot-up shooter, Neal was quick to rotate to the paint and drew a pair of changes down the stretch. While Neal was big when it mattered, he did have a few head-scratching moments. His defense wasn't good in the first half, his playmaking remained iffy throughout and he decided to pull-up for a three-pointer from New Braunfels in the third quarter. But all in all, Neal is giving the Spurs solid minutes -- especially in tight situations.

 

Stephen Jackson A

The legend of Stephen Jackson just grew larger. Defensively, Jackson was fabulous. He took the challenge of guarding Durant and did everything he could to slow the Thunder's natural born scorer. In the 18 minutes he defended Durant, Jackson held him to nine points on 1-for-4 shooting from the field. To bother Durant, Jackson was physical with him from the time he crossed the half-court stripe. Perhaps most importantly, during those 18 minutes, the Spurs outscored the Thunder by 14 points. Offensively, Jackson contributed with the aforementioned momentous fourth quarter three-pointer. His game wasn't flashy but this was a hugely important performance that should make Jackson even more of a fan favorite.

 

Tiago Splitter B+

Outside of going 1-for-5 at the free throw line, I was pleased with how Tiago Splitter played. He had a few moments of sloppiness in the first half but he played hard and was able to provide five key points to begin the fourth quarter. Sets featuring a Splitter pick-and-roll were increasingly effective as the game wore on. When he got the ball down low, Splitter mixed in a few well-timed passes to keep the defense on their toes. The Brazilian has been an important weapon all season and he fit that definition again tonight. Defensively, Splitter was smart and strong. He didn't foul needlessly (in fact, he was able to draw a few fouls), he rebounded very well and he patrolled the paint with purpose.

 

Matt Bonner C-

On offense, Matt Bonner wasn't very good. The Thunder weren't paying especially close attention to him yet he didn't make them pay. He missed both of his three-pointers and didn't look confident in his attempts. Defensively, he was a little bit better ... but not much. The Thunder were able to bump him out of position a few times and he was invisible when it came to protecting against penetration. He was asked to defend out on the perimeter when the Thunder went small -- and that failed pretty quickly. Bonner's saving grace was his effort on the boards.

 

Pop A

This game will probably be remembered for Pop's instant classic "I Want Some Nasty!" soundbite, however his actual coaching was even better than that pep talk. His adjustments from quarter to quarter and minute to minute were amazing. He quickly figured out what wasn't working and kept shuffling the deck until he found a worthwhile equation. Pop's decision to match the Thunder's small ball with small ball of his own was an important subplot of the second half. He was also right to keep Jackson on Durant down the stretch, go away from Green and Bonner, play Neal in the fourth quarter and to call countless movement-heavy plays for Ginobili. Whatever Pop said at halftime should be bottled and sold in stores because the Spurs followed one of their most disheveled halves with a much more pristine effort in the second half. Now the challenge is to start over in Game 2 while attempting to carry over the momentum from Game 1's fourth quarter.

 

TimVP has been doing game grades after every game for like 4 seasons now. He is the owner of a very popular site called Spurstalk. He is easily the most knowledge Spurs poster that I have ever come across. Even recently ESPN completely plagiarized one of his write ups on the Spurs vs Clippers series.