Saturday, April 18th, 2009...9:20 pm
The Postseason Notebook: Spurs-Mavs, Game 1
Tonight’s 105-97 loss to the Mavs leaves reason for optimism as well as concern. After holding the Mavs to 18 points in the opening quarter, the Spurs allowed Dallas to score an average of 29 points per quarter for the remainder of the game. If the Spurs are going to win this series, they have to show poise and intensity on the defensive end of the ball for a full 48 minutes.
The damage Dallas inflicted did not come from the usual suspects. Dirk Nowitzki was held to 19 points; Jason Terry was held to 12. Josh Howard (25 point on 9-18 shooting) played well in an uncharacteristic manner (as opposed to uncharacteristically well); he was a consistent source of points rather than an early presence who became increasingly irrelevant. But my main concern is not Howard. It’s the combination of J.J. Barea, Erick Dampier, Brandon Bass. Each was as prominent a part of the Mavs victory as any of the more recognizable Dallas players.
J.J. Barea is an unbelievable annoyance on both ends of the floor. He is an active defender. He pokes. He prods. He flops. He uses whatever tools are at his disposal to make up for his lack of size. He did an excellent job mitigating Tony Parker’s effectiveness in one-on-one situations (he drew two key offensive fouls out of Parker in the second half). He was equally as problematic on the offensive end. A confident slasher and savvy decision maker, Barea did an excellent job taking advantage of any defensive rotation that came a second too late.
Erick Dampier’s presence was most painfully felt on the offensive glass. Of his 10 points, I believe 8 were second shot attempts. Even when the Spurs successfully altered the initial shot, Dampier solidified his position in the paint easily. In particular, I’d like to see Kurt Thomas (1 defensive rebound) and Drew Gooden (0 defensive rebounds) do a better job controlling the boards when Duncan isn’t on the court.
It’s hard to be positive whether Brandon Bass will continue to be a force as the series drags on. When considered in and of themselves, his points seemed as much a product of luck as skill. But his strength and athleticism are predictably problematic. I don’t imagine he’ll average 77% percent from the floor over the course of the series but I’ll definitely be focused on what percentage of his shots in game 2 strike me as consistently makeable.
The element that unites Barea, Dampier and Bass was their ability to score at the rim. Dribble drives, garbage buckets and isolations on the wing all led to points in the paint. Our interior defense was the key to the first 12 minutes; it’s absence was the key to our defensive failure for the remaining 36. Protecting the rim is priority number one headed into game 2.
The bright spots hidden in tonight’s game lie on the offensive end. The Spurs shot as well from beyond the arc as they have all season. A collective 11-14, they not only hit wide open attempts but shots with a hand in their face. If anything, I’m concerned they won’t be able to muster a repeat performance on Monday. Finley, playing like a man possessed, shot 5-5 from the perimeter. At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I’ll admit I wished we had worked more aggressively to find open 3-point looks. I get frustrated when we experience outside shooting droughts and use more 3-point attempts as a solution. But tonight, that drought never came. If our gunners are dialed in, let them fire away.
Tim Duncan played excellently. During the overtime period of Spurs-Hornets on Wednesday, he shifted into a higher gear. When he stepped onto the court this evening he had yet to shift down. The only question mark hovering above Duncan’s performance was his single free throw attempt. Duncan took 24 shots and made 13. His single free throw attempt came on an “and one.” Dampier does a good job being physical with his chest and hips as opposed to his hands, obfuscating the amount of contact he initiated. Duncan deserved several trips to the line he never received.
The most disappointing performance of the evening came from Tony Parker. Despite his 24 points and 8 assists, Parker looked in turn indecisive and unfocused. He committed 5 of our 9 turnovers and struggled to score when faced with the busy hands and busy feet of J.J Barea. You’d be hard-pressed to fault the effort he gave but as the game dragged on he struggled to maintain his level of energy. He struggled to finish at the rim and failed to find open perimiters shooters if he managed to collapse the defense. My hope is Parker takes this evening’s loss personally.
For the time being, I have few recommendations to give. The theories behind the decisions we made on both ends of the ball remain sound; our difficulties lie in the execution. The most glaring failure was our interior defense: If we limit their points in the paint, we will quickly regain control of the series.
Tim and I will continue to analyze this game in further detail over the next two days. Keep the faith, Spurs fans.
19 Comments
April 18th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Was at the game tonight and am quick to recognize when the Spurs get the short end of the stick, as well as the benefit of the doubt.
Tonight, the Spurs got HOSED. Inconsistent calls, in addition to the MAULING of Spurs players in the paint was just frustratingly bad. I don’t know how it looked on TV, but the entire second half the Mavs dared the refs to call #4 on Dirk or others. The refs did not oblige.
Yes — the Spurs did play relatively poorly, but it is hard to get points in the paint when you are wearing a Mav as an undershirt and can’t buy a foul call.
April 18th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
No it was apparent from all the way over here and I’m in New York. It was a frustrating game. Hope Joey Crawford doesn’t ref the next game.
April 18th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
All great points, Graydon. I felt like a hypocrite, too, begging for more three-point shooting, but that’s exactly what I was doing midway through the third until the end of the game. I’d like to think that Bonner staying in for so long was part of an effort to get him involved with our long range shooting. I’d like to think that because that’s the only explanation that makes any sense. I like the guy and appreciate what he brings, but he’s not our Ray Allen. If it’s not falling, we have other options, and we should use them accordingly.
I heard one of the commentators, either Hubie or Mike, say that we got one point — one! — from our bench in the second half. That is astounding. Regardless of the horrible calls throughout the game, including some blatant fouls ignored right in front of the refs, I find this stat the most discouraging. Here’s hoping Gooden gets more significant minutes down the stretch and that Bonner is used more selectively.
I still think we’ve got the series, and my pick was also us in 6. I’m standing by it. As crazy as our 3-point percentage was, it was even crazier to see Parker so mediocre under crunch time and Bass, by contrast, so spectacular. I suspect these trends will not continue in Game 2, ultimately to our benefit.
April 18th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
I think it’s worth pointing out that the Spurs have lost the first game of the playoffs in each of their 4 championship runs.
April 18th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
“My hope is Parker takes this evening’s loss personally.” - Could not agree more. Game 2 will be his opportunity to be on a Manu-like mission to fix the mistakes from one game to the next. He should not score under 30 in any game this series.
I am grateful that we have a team that does not panic. One game does not a series make. Pop will certainly make any necessary adjustments but there is little that needs changing. A combination of missed fouls, missed tip-ins and shots that rolled out for us and in for them could swing game two in our favor by itself, to say nothing of needed improvement in defensive rotation and rebounding. A larger problem is the amount of pressure this took from the Mavs’ shoulders and they did it without a great game from Dirk or Terry.
I’m not one who picks on Bonner or believes that Pop needs to be told what to do. I do know that Bonner had a poor game and when he’s not scoring he provides little other than fouls (though to be fair, Dampier and Bareja were allowed more contact w/out any call). I also know that Hill would have been quite useful at the start of the 2nd quarter when we have a double digit lead, TP is resting and Bareja is on the floor. Those minutes could have been useful to Hill so that he could return to the game specifically to bother Bareja in the 2nd half. Carlisle trusted his little bench guy for an energy boost and it paid off. I think it would’ve been useful had we done the same.
April 19th, 2009 at 12:10 am
Say what you will about the offensive end, but how did Mason end up on Nowitzki like three times in a row at the end of the game? That was a disaster.
April 19th, 2009 at 6:23 am
If you would have told me before the game that we would shoot 11-14 from the 3pt line, Fin would score as many points as Dirk, Tim would have 27 and we would hold Jet to only 12 pts I would have taken that and chalked up a win. For the first 18 minutes of the game the Spurs were playing Spurs basketball. Tony was getting in the lane, shooters were hitting open 3’s and they were playing great defense. And then the wheels started to fall off. The open shots the Mavs were missing early started to fall. Barea & Howard started getting to the rim. The help defense was horrible. Dallas scored on 6 of their last 7 possessions of the 2Q. 2 because of offensive rebounds. The Mavs hot shooting continued throughout the 3rd. When a team gets hot like the Mavs did, the Spurs don’t have the offensive firepower to keep up for a long period of time. Tony didn’t have one of his best games. Give Barea credit for part of that. He was tired in the 4th and when he gets tired he quits attacking the basket and settles for the mid range jumper which falls short.
Couple of quick thoughts: If we continue to allow them to score 100+ points this series will be over quick…Matt Bonner is who we think he is, an 8-10 min a game player off the bench (at best!), give his minutes to Gooden. He can’t be any worse defensively plus he’s much better offensively…GHill is not the series savior, he’s an offensive liability but he couldn’t have done any worse on JJ…Did Pop get out coached? Carlise made great adjustments after the first 18 minutes…Fin 5-5 3pt, what a waste!…I know we’ve lost 1st games of series before but this team doesn’t have the talent of years past…I’m keeping the faith but Monday, obviously, is a MUST win!! Go Spurs!!
April 19th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Couple quick thoughts: The reason the Spurs lost is Tony Parker got absolutely torched by JJ Barrea.His stat line was deceiving, just getting to the rim allowed his team to get so many offensive rebounds. Parker was gassed. Pop’s gotta find a way to get him some more meaningful rest, but there’s simply nothing on the bench to help with that.
Duncan was spectacular, especially considering he was mugged the entire night. Was at the game, watched on and off the ball. He was getting mauled at every turn. His free throw attempt(s), or lack thereof, was a joke. Even though he was brilliant, the Mavs could afford more single coverage on him because he was forced into taking such difficult shots.
That being said, Spurs would be in a good position if they could get anything from Bonner and their bench.
April 19th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Can you elaborate more on this - “The theories behind the decisions we made on both ends of the ball remain sound”?
April 19th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Hollywood,
What I meant was that there are no major strategic adjustments we should make, despite having lost. Our defense struggled because we made slow rotations and didn’t control the defensive glass. Our offense was able to produce penetration consistently.
I guess all I’m saying is, there comes a point in a series where you need to reconsider your broader approach but last night was not it.
April 19th, 2009 at 11:05 am
True, Graydon. The strategy was there; the execution was not.
Watching Barea get into the lane on consecutive possessions was so frustrating. He just did the same thing almost every time - used a ball screen. You’ve GOT to use your head and make an on court adjustment as a defender! The big man (frequently Bonner, unfortunately) whose man is screening has to show better and push Barea out so Tony can go under without a) getting burned, or b) allowing a mid-range J. Honestly, I believe that if we could have stopped 2 or 3 of Barea’s drives last night that game would have been ours. The energy he brings to the Mavs reminds me of someone we all know. Manu, I miss you dude.
April 19th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Finley was -20 in 32 minutes. He was just getting torched by Josh Howard and Brandon Bass.
Ugh. Pop- stop playing Finley 30+ minutes. PLEASE!!!
April 19th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I wouldn’t say the Spurs got hosed by the officiating. Truly, it was bad reffing the whole game for both sides. As it turns, the refs gave the Spurs the benefit in the first half, and the Mavs the second half. I will say that when Damp put Duncan on the floor it was a foul, and I’m a Mavs fan (although when Damp went straight up later it was not a foul, no matter what Hubie said, its called verticality and its not a foul). Either way, Parker needs to step up for SA, there is no answer fo him, but conversley, I’m not sure the Spurs have an answer for when J.J. and Bass play like that. If JJ and Bass keep it up Mavs should win, if not Parker will eat them up.
April 19th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
The spurs lost because of kurt thomas, Gooden and bonner did nothing in 50 something minutes combined. Whats the status on oberto? i’d rather see him instead of Bonner.
Bonner has been on a huge slump since the all star break, maybe Graydon can show some of the numbers?
April 19th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Juan,
I’ll look around and see if I can find any stats that track Bonner’s production (or lack thereof) since the all-star break.
Also, Oberto’s lack of playing time this season has been a bit of a mystery but it may have something to do with the irregular heartbeat he has been experiencing periodically throughout the season.
April 19th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
In a way I was surprised the Spurs lost when looking at the stats. But looking at the game was a different story.
First of all TP was clearly dead at the end, I don’t think he’s used to play 40+ minutes, maybe his style is a bit too energetic for that. But obviously the Spurs can hardly stop playing him. Tough.
Second the defense on Barea was a joke, this kind didn’t have a contested shot in the whole game, which obviously makes him look much better than he is. I think the refs were very nice to him with the 2 offensive fouls, so in the end his performance looks all white - not sure he can do that again though.
Third the Spurs were killed on second-chance shots, Bass seemed to have scored I don’t know how many tip-ins. That was sour.
Fourth, and the most worrying for me, is that in the 4th quarter the Spurs completely lost their poise, everybody was trying to turn into a hero instead of the “play calm, follow the plan, find the open man” which is usually prevalent. The Spurs really look lost and looked like they couldn’t imagine anything. Only one minute from the end did they seem to realize that they were actually allowed to shoot some 3s.
April 19th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I was wondering about Oberto as well. If Parker isn’t consistently finishing in the lane and after Duncan rotates nobody can grab a defensive rebound, then I don’t understand leaving Oberto on the bench for Bonner or one of our other bigs. It’s great when Bonner streaches the floor, but if when we’re down to only one slasher in Parker, it’s less important, and I think Duncan can still operate with Oberto on the floor (he is also much better at setting screens than our other bigs).
Also I have no confidence in Udoka. Everything that has been said on this blog about Hill’s defense and our not taking advantage of his usefullness was only further highlighted by J.J. Barea.
April 19th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
[...] appraisal from Graydon Gordian of 48 Minutes of Hell: “For the time being, I have few recommendations to give. The theories behind the decisions [...]
April 19th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Some great posts.
Brian - I believe you are looking through Mavs glasses to think the Spurs got the officiating benefit in the 1st half. A handful of times in the 1st quarter both Duncan and Parker were fouled at the rim w/out calls. A few were obvious but I’m fine letting the little ones go, if that’s the case on both ends. It was not on Saturday. Dirk and/or Damp could’ve fouled out with a decent crew but were at least deserving of joining Bonner and his fouls on the bench.
Juan - My guess on Oberto is that he and Manu have such a good chemistry with picks and passes that the loss of Manu means less playing time for Fab.
Will - Complete agreement about the lack of poise in the 4th. Sadly, we’ve seen such playoff games end this way before, especially at home, when a lead is blown and the offense becomes stagnant. They’ve always bounced back but with less margin for error this post-season, it hurts to see a game given away because we acted like a playoff novice. Meanwhile a young Bulls team went into Boston and showed poise down the stretch to pull out a win.
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