Monday, November 23rd, 2009...9:12 pm
Milwaukee Bucks 98, San Antonio Spurs 112: the Early Edition
After blowing a substantial first half lead late in the second quarter, the Spurs regained control during the third and cruised to 14 point victory over Milwaukee Bucks, a franchise which has given us an inexplicable amount of trouble during the Tim Duncan era.
A quick glance at the traditional box score paints a muddled portrait of the game. While we shot well from the field (51.3%) and beyond the arc (47.6%), the Bucks did as well (49.4% and 43.8% respectively). Both teams dished the same number of dimes (24) but Milwaukee won the turnover battle by a wide margin: the Spurs committed 16 turnovers compared to the Bucks 9. This is probably the game’s most surprisingly statistic given that, according to John Hollinger, the Spurs are 5th in the league in turnover ratio while the Bucks are 24th.
On the other hand, the free throw and rebounding columns make it quite clear as to why the Spurs won tonight’s game.
Milwaukee not only failed to take advantage of their trips to the line (9-14), but they also found their way to the charity stripe far less often than San Antonio (22-26). Add on the fact that the Spurs out-rebounded the Bucks 46 to 29 and you’ve stumbled across the reasons why we won the game so comfortably.
The game’s most notable performances came from Tim Duncan, George Hill, and Matt Bonner. (Keith Bogans gets an honorable mention).
Honestly, at this point, when Tim Duncan puts up a 20-10 performance (24-12 to be exact) I hardly know what to say. Pundits can prophesy his demise til their faces turns red. The convenient thing about predicting a player’s drop-off is that your prognostication is sure to come true eventually. In the meantime, I’m more than happy to watch Duncan be one of the league’s savviest, most consistent post presences.
There are lots of good players in the NBA. They just don't look that good when they play the Spurs.
George Hill played well on the offensive end but, unsurprisingly, his most notable accomplishments came on the defensive end. He held the meteoric Brandon Jennings to a 12 point, 6-21 night (with a little help from Tony Parker along the way). Hill’s length and quickness allows him to have the best of both worlds on the defensive end. While most players have to commit to denying the shot or cutting off the drive, Hill can do both. He consistently pressured Jennings near the top of the arc and, because of his aggressiveness, got taken off the dribble quite often. But unlike many of the players who have stood toe-to-toe with Jennings, Hill had the speed to recover and contest his shot, blocking two of his layups and altering several others.
Bonner shot the lights out. At this point none of us necessarily expect that, but we certainly aren’t surprised by it. What we continue to be surprised by is when Bonner reliably cleans the glass and aggressively contests interior shots. Personally, I’m starting to wonder why.
Bonner is averaging 5 rebounds a game this season, up from 3.6 last season (meanwhile his minutes per game are down). And although his physical limitations are ever present, his defensive commitment has been more consistent this season. I tend to think that Bonner deserves less burn because I don’t believe it is as necessary to have a big who spreads the floor. But, despite the criticism he receives, Bonner is slowly but steadily making a case for why he deserves to be on that court.
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23 Comments
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Bonner was lights out. Every shot he takes elicits the “NONO-YESYES response from me. Even the way he runs makes me cringe. Hill was amazing tonight, and it was nice to see Duncan be as spry as ever (I’ve yet to see a decaying of any offensive abilities, only seems a step slow on defense and rebounding).
George Hill continues to amaze me. I didn’t know till tonight that his primary position in college was a 2-guard, so seeing him on the floor with alongside Parker makes a lot more sense to me. It’s odd that I haven’t heard more people gush over him nationally.
Oh well. He can stay our little secret.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:07 pm
I attended this game tonight (thanks to my date) and enjoyed the crap out of myself. Why is it that I continually find myself grinning at the Coyote’s antics and hoping the Kiss Cam finds me and my date? I dunno, going to a Spurs game is always a ton of fun.
Moving on, even though Jennings was locked up by Hill, Bogans, and Parker, I am highly impressed. The guy looked so incredibly confident and smooth. He never forced anything. I can see him being a very VERY good point guard. Even my date commented that he seemed very mature and in control.
He’s Tim Duncan. I rest my case, Your Honor.
Why do teams leave The Ginger open? Percentage-wise, he’s a top 10 shooter. I’m happy that Bonner has turned his game up a notch, from the bench no less, and has become an even more indispensable part of this team. It’s so fun to stand up and yell after he makes a 3, too.
Blair doesn’t excite me. However, he is just right. He does everything proper with the perfect amount of energy and skill. He is going to be a wonderful addition to the team as long as his knees hold out.
I love Spurs basketball.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Graydon,
Hill has been great on the defensive end. Bonner really played well, for the Spurs to win games shooter’s needs to hit their shots. And in this game,
Boy, they did Bonner 7/10, Mason is getting to rhythm slowly going 5/8 and Hill 5/10 but his defense was really great.
It’s good to see the Spurs finally get a win with TD dominating the paint.
You guys are doing a good here at 48Moh please send my regards to Tim.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Perhaps by playing less minutes Bonner is able to exert more effort on the defensive end of the floor. (So increasing his minutes would lead to diminished performance on defense/rebounding.)
Or, it is simply greater focus and/or increase in skill and experience fueling his performance. By this second view, Bonner is simply a better player this year, so increasing his minutes would not diminish the defense/rebounding performance we have seen thus far.
I’m not sure which it is, so I’m not sure if Bonner should play more than the 21 min/game he’s getting so far. (Minutes which I think we all assumed would be even lower this year than they are.)
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I thought Tim had a little more bounce in his game tonight. That’s BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Spurs starting to find their way. I like that Pop is starting a defensive minded unit. That means Bonner and Finley/Mason on the bench.
But, watching Parker, I’m not on the trade him bandwagon but, he doesn’t seem to be jelling with the team. I know he had 6 assists but sometimes the ball movement seems better without him on the floor. That last 5 minutes of the 2nd qtr with his 3 turnovers was ugly.
And of course the Spurs are better when they make shots. So when Mason and Bonner go 12 for 18, Spurs look good. Still need to either post up Jefferson more or get him more pick and roll’s.
Good win the last 2 games. But, Spurs still only 1 of 4 teams in the NBA without a road win.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Happy that people still talks about TD, even if just a little bit. Even here where TD’s greatness is acknolwedges people prefer to talk about speculations about Parker, Bonner, etc, while TD grinds out consistent top performances night after night. How often do we appreciate the solid foundations upon which everything else rests?
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:53 pm
I’ve been reading a lot of comments from fans saying Parker should get traded. Why would we trade him for?if we were to trade him, who would it be for?I think Parker can and hopefully will be valuable late in the season if he can stay healthy.if anyone to worry about, its manu.
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I wasnt aware that there was a trade Parker bandwagon to get on. Trading Parker is the stupidest idea i’ve ever for. Teams don’t trade unselfish SUPERSTARs who work hard and don’t bitch and whine.
November 24th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Obviously Bonner reads 48minutesofhell and saw all of the posts dissing him and decided to prove us wrong, go Matt!
Or it could be that Bonner got used to being a starter last year and the beginning of this season, so when Pop benched him it was kind of a wake up call? Who knows.
November 24th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I can’t imagine TP playing for another team, he’s a true Spur and I hope he stays one for the rest of his career. If some day he gets traded or decides to leave it will be a sad day. But I’m not really concerned about such things because I believe he’ll be around for a long time to come.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
josh and tony,
im not backing up the trade idea, however it wouldnt be stupid to let the guy walk and get nothing. did you guys not read the parker interview? he clearly said ” if timmy retires and were not contenders anymore and then pop leaves, i dont want to be baby sitting, i want to be on a title contending team ” so lets say tim and pop leave together would you just let tony walk?
as for the game, i am so happy that hill loves to play defense!!! today on PTI jennings said that it reallywasnt the spurs it was just one of those nights!! lol that just tells us it’s exactly the spurs!! timmy is getting in to tim duncan shape, and is amazing. bonner as i’ve been praying for is doing great off the bench, and he likes it!!i think pop knows finley should not be starting anymore, and with bogans effort i couldnt be happier. i think bogans is playing better d than bowen did the last 2yrs, which is great. i kinda liked the injury manu got because he can now rest both the groin and the hamstring, and will last that much longer for us down the stretch. ratliff is guarding the post pretty damn good.dice is really consistent, and jeff is about 4 or 5 games away from really fitting in
November 24th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Trade Parker? Am I at the right blog?
There’s no need for us to discuss something that ridiculous, moving on.
I’m beginning to worry about Jefferson. I just don’t see him be as aggressive as he has proven he can be. With manu out and tony playing limited minutes, I expected RJ to cut loose. The most disturbing thing is that it’s not that he isn’t being aggressive, it’s that the other spurs don’t get him involved. I saw 3 straight offensive possessions where he didn’t touch the ball, his teammates, didn’t even look for him. He was so invisible that every time he touched the ball I went, ” oh! rich is in. I thought that was bogans.”
As long as it’s driving to the basket, i don’t really think pop cares how many shots RJ takes. penetration and kick outs/low post and kick outs and an occasional pick and roll. Spurs offense isn’t that difficult RJ.
P.S.
Cubits is my favorite player as well
November 24th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I have to wonder if Pop and the Spurs aren’t thinking of grooming another backup point. Because I believe the “eventual” future starting and FINISHING backcourt of the San Antonio Spurs will be Tony Parker and George Hill.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
david no im responding to a statement on why everyone is talking about trading parker. and yes it is a stupid idea, again no one here is saying lets trade parker for the hell of it.
November 24th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
and i do agree with you on RJ, i dont see tony dishing it to rj that much, maybe cause he doesnt feel comfortable with him, who knows, but one option would be replacing rj and manu’s role so that rj will be the offensive threat we need, and manu would have instant chemistry with everyone. seems like he (rj) does so much better when he’s option #1 on offense
November 24th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Finally Bonner is getting SOME of the recognition he deserves. But it is truly a shame that he needs to put up numbers HIMSELF for others to recognize what he does for the Spurs. In reality, it is not what HE does, but what he allows OTHERS to do.
The author of this blog said that he doesn’t see the merit in a big spreading the floor. I say, WHAT!?!?! All you have to do is check out Bonner’s +-, and it is an incredible +10.8 points! Yes, the Spurs are 10.8 points BETTER when he is on the floor compared to when he is off. I’m getting my numbers from 82games.com, so i am assuming it is adjusted +-. This number is 2nd best on the Spurs, only to Parker. Do you think it is a fluke because of the young season? Well, Bonner had an incredibly high number throughout all of last year. If memory serves, it was the best on the Spurs.
Don’t you wonder WHY? It is because he spreads the floor, and takes a big man with him. This allows Duncan room on the block, less doubles, etc. But much more importantly, it allows Parker and Ginobli to do what they are truly great at, and that is drive the lane and exploit the defense.
The numbers are representing something, and that’s the importance of having Bonner on the court. The numbers don’t lie, all of your most productive 5 player line-ups have Bonner in the mix. Here are the top 2:
Parker-Ginobli-Jefferson-Bonner-Duncan
Hill-Ginobli-Jefferson-Bonner-Mcdyess
The first lineup outscores opponents by +17 points while the second does it by +11 points. The next best lineup outscores opponents by only +4.
http://www.82games.com/0910/0910SAS2.HTM
November 24th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
I’m wondering if anyone else saw the stupid, stupid article by Tim Legler, suggesting that the Spurs won’t make the playoffs.
Legler actually picked the Spurs to win the title before the season began, but now he’s given up on them completely.
Obviously, there are numerous strong arguments to counter Legler, but I just can’t believe anyone with a job in sports would want to sound so stupid as to predict that the Spurs won’t make the playoffs.
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-091123/seeding-west
November 25th, 2009 at 12:45 am
@AP, I think John Hollinger, who loves the point differential, will agree with you and chuck Utah out of the projections, who despite getting strong individual perfomances from its players, is somewhat messy with its team effort and just scrapping out the Ws. On this I’m glad Pop and the team have been working on gelling together (PtR is kind enough to point out, for example, the work needed for RJ to mesh with the defense) instead of wasting effort to scrape the Ws (which I think is what Legler means by the team ‘looking disinterested’)
November 25th, 2009 at 12:46 am
Kaveh,
A lot of us are down on Bonner for one simple reason: unlike clutch players like Horry or Sheed from his jail blazer days, Matt tends to shrink from the big stage. Just take a look at his career numbers in the playoffs-27% FG, 24% 3PT.
Couple these underwhelming numbers with the huge defensive liability he presents when faced with the task of guarding mobile bigs (Aldridge, Dirk, Odom/Gasol) and that +/- doesn’t mean squat. Come playoffs, I won’t be surprised when Kobe guards Bonner for stretches to get a breather.
In the Dallas series last year, I can’t count how many open three’s he missed, and when he’s missing shots, defenses just sag towards the paint and prevent penetration from Tony and Manu, while also making life hard on Duncan.
Without question, all of us Spurs fans are hoping that Bonner will start playing up to his potential in games that matter, but until he proves it, Bonner’s still (too big of) a question mark for a team with serious championship aspirations.
November 25th, 2009 at 12:54 am
Even though Parker leaves a lot to be desired as a point. He has great chemistry with Duncan. So it balances out in that aspect. You also have an explosive 2nd unit if the 1st unit is not functioning during the game. Hopefully they can all get healthy and gel. That’s the biggest factor because the potential to have two awesome units is there.
Bonner coming off the bench means he gets to play against more 2nd string guys. There’s also less pressure on him since those guys tend to not be as good. So his defensive abilities are hidden. And he doesn’t have to worry about missing his rotations because there are better big men this season.
It’s not more believable when Pop says, “don’t worry about it” now that he can put in a guy if he really is mad about the defensive qualities.
I think Bonner’s rebounding has also improved because the team has improved in terms of the talent around to hit the boards. It hasn’t been consistent, and will take time. However, I think that helps factor into it, because some guys will box out and Bonner can sweep in and grab the rebound.
November 25th, 2009 at 7:58 am
The trade Tony Parker bandwagon is a small sect of the rare unintelligent (in a strictly basketball sense) Spurs fan who also argue that Blair is the next Barkley and Hill is the next Pippen/Payton hybrid (I love both players, but come on now).
I like the sound of Parker and Hill being the starting backcourt of the future, as I believe their games complement each other nicely. Hill being the superior defender/spot up shooter, Parker the superior playmaker.
I’m not sure what Parker leaves to be desired as a point guard. That he’s not Chris Paul? Who is? A point guard’s, nay, an offense’s role is not to fit in some strict definition of roles that so-called purists thought out years ago. It’s to create as efficient a shot as possible. Parker creates layups, the most efficient shot in basketball. And wide open three-pointers, the second most efficient shot.
Perhaps many hate him because he a.) can’t shoot three pointers, b.) doesn’t produce the same system inflated assist totals that Nash and Paul generate, c.) doesn’t thread daring passes or lob alley-oops, or d.) is french.
But you can’t argue with the results. You’re talking about a guy who last year twice, if you count up all the points he directly was involved with (scored or assisted on), outscored two playoff teams by himself!
Mark my words, you will never get anything of equal value for Parker. And to let him walk for nothing would be a disaster for the Spurs.
November 25th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Re: Matt Bonner
On my own blog I wrote a post not too far back explaining why I didn’t mind him in the starting lineup. I still don’t. There’s a reason he has one of the highest +/- numbers on the team. That being said, I do like him better at 20 minutes than 30 minutes.
As I’ve said numerous times, neither of our best two players (Parker, Duncan) are explosive. They need space. Bonner keeps a big off Duncan and away from Parker. Like many of the shooters early this season, he had a slump. But he’s one of the best non-star shooters in the league.
We can go back and forth on this all we want, but the simple fact is when Bonner is hitting his shot we are as unstoppable as any offense in the league. And the percentages favor that happening.
Now, I hear you on the playoffs and your fears of his clutch ability. But one playoffs is too small a data sample to reach a conclusion. Plus you have to factor everything else into his performance. By last spring Duncan was good enough to score 20 points, but not good enough to command a double team. Parker was breaking down the defense but Dallas was selling out in rotating to shooters without fearing any further dribble penetration (all our players were spot up shooters). At that point, it’s easy to account for Bonner.
Ultimately Bonner is the sort of limited player who is unappreciated on horrible teams but can make a big impact in a defined role on good teams. Last year, by the playoffs, we simply weren’t a very good team. And that’s the lasting memory you have of Bonner.
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