 | Tim Duncan, C 26 MIN | 10-15 FG | 1-1 FT | 8 REB | 3 AST | 21 PTS | +26Last year Tim Duncan was a good, solid player. This year he is a legitimate match up problem once again. There is a large difference between the two, and the Spurs surge in the second half of the season coincides with Duncan own reemergence as a fundamental force. |  |
 | Kawhi Leonard, SF 19 MIN | 3-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +13Made Kobe Bryant work for his shots, even if the final box score doesnât show it. Hit a few corner three-pointers. Heâs not Bruce Bowen, not by a long shot, but those first two sentences are a familiar formula for success. |  |
 | Tiago Splitter, C 20 MIN | 2-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 4 PTS | +2Worked the glass and had his usual floor game, but got into a little bit of foul trouble. |  |
 | Tony Parker, PG 28 MIN | 8-14 FG | 4-5 FT | 1 REB | 10 AST | 20 PTS | +24Even in a game where he wasnât going supernova, as he did earlier in the week, Tony Parker still completely exploited the Lakers pick and roll defense and set the tone for the game. If being a point guard is about setting the proper pace, this game was clearly under Parkerâs command. |  |
 | Daniel Green, G 26 MIN | 3-7 FG | 1-1 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 8 PTS | +20Solid effort from Danny Green in a season full of them. I absolutely trust in Green headed into the playoffs. |  |
 | Stephen Jackson, SG 22 MIN | 1-3 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 4 PTS | -2Still finding his way in the offense, but the defensive effort is noteworthy and the size he brings on the on the wings is a big difference maker from last year. |  |
 | Matt Bonner, PF 18 MIN | 3-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 7 PTS | -1There was a sequence, matched up with Pau Gasol, where Matt Bonner absolutely got after it on defense, forcing a shot clock violation. There were also a couple times he struggled to recover to Gasol popping out. A lot of big men have this problem. Heâs not a great or good defender by any means, but heâs far from the complete liability some make him out to be. |  |
 | Boris Diaw, PF 24 MIN | 3-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +19In the small sample size that has been his Spurs career, Diaw has proven to be somewhat of an expert at defending jump-shooting European seven-footers. The extra aggression on offense is a revelation. |  |
 | Manu Ginobili, SG 25 MIN | 6-9 FG | 5-5 FT | 6 REB | 7 AST | 20 PTS | +15GINOBILI!!!! The play where he caught and delivered a bullet of a pass to Matt Bonner in one motion was an absolute thing of beauty. And a thing of beauty is a joy forever. My man Keats said that. |  |
 | Gary Neal, PG 19 MIN | 5-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 12 PTS | -4Vastly improved from a year ago in creating his own shot and settling into his role as backup point guard, even if pressure still gets to him from time to time. Gary Neal is proving to be quite a bit more than a three-point specialist. |  |
 | DeJuan Blair, F 7 MIN | 2-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 6 PTS | +2Good effort in garbage minutes. There will be other matchups for Blair, but this will not be one of them. |  |
 | James Anderson, SG 3 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | +3Was on the court for three minutes. |  |
 | Patrick Mills, PG 3 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 3 PTS | +3Iâm going to continue running with my theory that the Spurs are undefeated in playoff series with an Australian player on the roster. |  |
No comments:
Post a Comment