El Conclusion: Jazz 90, Spurs 81

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San Antonio Spurs 81 FinalRecap | Box Score 90 Utah Jazz
Tim Duncan, PF 28 MIN | 7-14 FG | 0-1 FT | 10 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 3 BLK | 2 TO | 14 PTS | -8 +/-

Really solid game against an incredibly difficult frontline. There was one play where he backed down Rudy Gobert, got him to bite on a pump fake and still got blocked. And Gobert might not be the best interior defender on his team. He probably deserves a better grade, but the team as a whole looked so bad.

Kawhi Leonard, SF 25 MIN | 3-6 FG | 2-5 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 8 PTS | -13 +/-

Defensively he was fine, although Gordon Hayward did a great job of getting to the line. Offensively he was fine too, though I think he might be in his own head with his recent shooting woes. The Spurs tried getting him going in the post, but the Jazz did a good job defending it. We’ll see if they keep working on it.

Aron Baynes, C 25 MIN | 2-8 FG | 0-2 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 4 PTS | -3 +/-

I don’t know, he’s been playing well, but is he the type of guy that should be playing more than 20 mpg? He played hard tonight, but wasn’t very good.

Tony Parker, PG 21 MIN | 2-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 4 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 5 PTS | -11 +/-

If he’s hurt, that’s one thing. Otherwise, there’s no excuse for everything he hasn’t been able to do since returning from injury (which is coming up on a month now). Hamstrings are tricky things, so it might be a health thing or it might be confidence thing. Either way, the Spurs need something close to last year’s Tony Parker and they need it soon.

Danny Green, SG 20 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 2 PTS | +3 +/-

Shot’s not falling, he’d tried the dribbling thing a few times and you can imagine how that worked out. He was fine on defense, but the Spurs really need him to hit his shots.

Jeff Ayres, PF 5 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | +4 +/-

Good on him for making the best of his playing time (except that whole blown dunk thing).

Reggie Williams, SF 9 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | +3 +/-

The James Harden of the D-League. Do with that what you will.

Marco Belinelli, SF 24 MIN | 2-7 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 7 PTS | -13 +/-

You know what, his shot wasn’t falling. But he was aggressive, which is more than 2/3 of this team can say. And he didn’t screw up on defense.

Boris Diaw, C 24 MIN | 5-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 13 PTS | -8 +/-

Probably the best performance of the night. He was definitely the most aggressive Spur on the court. Much more of that moving forward please.

Tiago Splitter, C 7 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -4 +/-

I thought he looked good while he was in there. I don’t know why he’s not getting more minutes. He hasn’t looked as good as last season, but he looked better than Baynes.

Patty Mills, PG 10 MIN | 1-1 FG | 2-2 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +4 +/-

Same thing as Splitter, not sure why he didn’t get more run.

Cory Joseph, PG 21 MIN | 3-6 FG | 4-5 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 10 PTS | +4 +/-

He is playing the best of the Spurs point guards right now. He’s the most aggressive and is playing with the most confidence.

Manu Ginobili, SG 20 MIN | 3-9 FG | 2-4 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 8 PTS | -3 +/-

Shot hasn’t so much been there all season, but I thought he was decent as a facilitator. I think it was just tough for him to find his rhythm.

Gregg Popovich
Given the lack of effort, I don’t think there was a ton he could do tonight, but a little more on that below.

Two Things We Saw

  1. The rotations are still all over the place, which is an issue of guys not playing well enough to get consistent minutes. I took a Twitter poll during the game and only Aron Baynes and Cory Joseph got unanimous votes as players who are having better seasons this year than last. But part of the problem might be the lack of defined roles for each player. For example, as much as Aron Baynes has improved, I don’t think he should play 15-20 minutes more than Tiago Splitter if everyone is healthy.
  2. We probably won’t find out totally what’s going on, but I don’t think shutting down Tony Parker is the answer to his woes. Basically I think he has to play through this (unless he’s still hurt). Keep giving him minutes, make sure his role is consistent.
  • Jwill1919

    Finally an honest grade…..Parker with an F.

    I think he’s the reason for the struggles of the entire team, he’s way over-dribbling and it’s killing all the movement in the Spurs flow. It’s really disappointing watching these guys stink it up, no heart, isn’t that a Manu thing?

    I don’t know how you can give Pop a B+ after the 3rd straight blowout, albeit to the Jazz. The Truth will set you free Trevor!!

  • brunostrange

    I have a feeling this blog will still be asking is TP is still hurt come April. It ain’t the injury.

  • Gomezd

    So what are we going to tell ourselves to make us feel better this time around?
    Mills is out just wait until he gets back Checked!
    Kwahi is out just wait until he gets back Checked!

    Tiago is out wait until he gets back Checked!
    TP is injured just wait until he is healed Checked!
    December was rough, lets just wait until is over Checked!
    Wait until after all-starbreak thats when we always hit our stride Checked!
    Rodeo trip is where we mold together and get better, after it we will be fine - Pending

  • Spurs fan in Australia

    This is a sad loss. This reminds me of the December from Hell when the Spurs just looked exhausted and so just weren’t aggressive and it was understandable then.

    It doesn’t make sense now when they have just come off a 9 day All-Star break and after 2 tough losses should have been fired up for a scheduled win game.

    Also doesn’t make sense when the best player is the 38y, All-Star, Hall of Fame Bound, Avatar of a Basketball God, Tim Duncan is our best player by far. Out of the entire team the guy with the most reason to feel fatigued would be him, but he just keeps going.

    Tony Parker is a major concern. If he isn’t 100% over the hamstring, then I don’t understand why the Spurs won’t rest him. IF he is over it and it’s a confidence issue then Spurs are in major trouble.

    Would Pop be willing to bring Parker off the bench? And if he does will that affect his confidence even more?

    My biggest fear: We are seeing the dramatic decline of Tony Parker. I always thought he was underrated and the way he ran the Spurs system (and sacrificed for it) was key for Spurs last 2 title runs, but what do we do if he is in decline?

    And finally: Kawhi Leonard. This is the game that the Spurs need him to be clearly the best player on the court. This is the game we need him demanding the ball. Maybe he needed to get selfish and force the issue a few times even to create a spark. But we needed Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard today and he just didn’t show up.

    Hopefully it’s still a developmental issue and he is learning when to pick his spots to try and take over, but I hope he is more aggressive the rest of the season as with Parker’s production dropping off we desperately need it.

    I still love my Spurs and always will, I think sometimes after 16 years of excellence it is hard to stomach mediocrity.

  • Suave Groove

    LOL at Ayres’ missed dunk. That was the Spurs’ season summary and highlights in 2 seconds. Anyways. The team just gotta keep pushing and pushing! (like I should say something for them to do it right?) And hope they can get hot going into the playoffs. I know it looks bad but fk it. Gotta go out in Tony Montana’s mode swinging for the fences.

  • Comrade747

    I’m trying not to overreact.

    I’ll just keep my mouth shut and let the Spurs sort it out.

  • TD BestEVER

    Correct the over dribbling has been a problem his entire career, but he can usually cover it up with being very aggressive and getting a bunch of decent to good looks close to the rim because of it. Lately it just dribbling and if he isn’t given a wide open path to the rim, just more dribbling. I think we should shut him down like the Cavs did LBJ and see if he can come back with some energy. I strongly feel we could have won with CJ or PM in the starting line up last night…. we really just needed a little boost to start the game and the 3rd quarter and just had nothing….

    On another note KL might get a MAX deal but he doesn’t deserve one…… He had one really good series in the playoffs and spark throughout the regular season……But no where close to a consistent level that you would pay 12 million plus for….. Just look at Splitter and how we paid him based off a small sample that has turned into a bad deal, because he isn;t earning half of that 9million!!!!

  • Ray

    I agree with you that we are seeing a major decline in Parker. I am a fan of his but I always thought that his game would not age well because he relies on his quickness to get into the lane. I know he is good at the midrange jumper and the corner 3 shot but I just don’t see him being that effective. I sure hope it’s a confidence thinge though. As a Spurs fan I just want them to win 50 games and make the playoffs to keep the streak alive.

  • Tyler

    Splitter would get more than what we’re paying him if he was a FA this summer. He’s a starting caliber center and those aren’t cheap. And he’s going to look even cheaper as the cap continues to rise. It was then and still is a pretty fair deal.

    Kawhi hasn’t played well for sure this season, but I think you can chalk a lot of that up to the eye infection and then the hand injury. But he’s worth the max, especially when you consider the potential he has yet to tap. Put it this way - if Danny Green is going to command close to $8-10M, Kawhi is most certainly a max player.

  • brunostrange

    I hope they are indeed swinging for the fences if/when they do go out. Right now, there is just no energy to the team’s play.

  • brunostrange

    I don’t think what ails TP can be corrected by shutting him down for a bit. He just had over a week off with the All-Star break. I was resistant to the idea of benching him, but it seems the team does better when he is off the floor. Teams may not fear CoJo’s offensive prowess, but at this point, they don’t fear Parker either (Golden State was basically daring him to get to the rim couple nights ago), and CoJo provides more on the defensive end, and brings more energy. Parker is simply spent after all these years, and the lack of a credible offensive engine is a concern that the Spurs will seriously need to address in the off-season (I think this takes precedence over going after a marquee big).

    As far as Kawhi is concerned, I think you might be a bit hard on the guy. He’s dealt with two injuries this year, on top of which he - and the team - have struggled to define his new role in the offense (though I hope the Spurs don’t think the future lies in iso-ball, as I think that’d be a huge mistake). The fact remains that he’s hugely talented, has a big work ethic, and this year’s injuries notwithstanding, he’s developed every year he’s been in the league. If SA doesn’t pay him, someone else will.

  • RawJa777

    Without Splitter we don’t win the championship last year and that alone is worth his contract. Tim’s hedging defense on guards attacking the paint is atrocious and no one else on our team would have been able to slow/shut down DA and Dirk. Also, anyone else notice how much more flow our offense has when Splitter is on the court? Tim just can’t get out to set those high screens any more and without Tiago on the court to let him stay home our offense slows to a crawl.

  • Jordan Hedge

    Parker is definitely struggling, but it’s more than that. Guys are not hitting shots like they did last year, and that is causing terrible spacing for the main facilitators (Parker, Ginobili, and sometimes Kawhi). It’s not like Parker is the only one playing poorly. Kawhi looks lost, Green looks tired, Patty is struggling to find space and knock anything down, and Boris is inconsistent. Tiago can barely grab court time.

    I think it’s very telling that the guys who have played the fewest minutes the last few years (Baynes, CoJo, Marco) look the most fresh and energetic.

  • merkin

    “Wait to the playoffs.”

  • thedrwolff5

    Look guys, Every player we try to blame has been injured or a walking bruise for 10+seasons. My question is…Danny Green anyone…Anyone…Boris?…last nights boris for 80% of the games??? IF I had to start a defense in the NBA Timmay, Danny, and Kawhi would be a hard wings and anchor to beat…so we play great defense. Kawhi to injuries and Danny to ??? can NOT find consistently good offense and it’s killing us. Remember when the bench would score 40 a game and we’d blow out teams by 25 in the early fourth. Mills Diaw Manu and Splitter would just KILL the other teams bench. That AINT happenin this year. Mills shoulder and splitters calf along with the amazing disappearing Boris make it hard for Manu to look good. Everyone knows you either have to shoot brilliant from 3 or go to the line a ton to win in this league. We arent getting either…so we lose to utah because thats where we are at.

  • DorieStreet

    I could not see the game; but scanning the play-by-play throughout the quarters reveals how poor the team played.
    Largest lead for the Spurs: 4 (4-0). Lost it less than 5 minutes into the game-and never regained it.
    Started 2nd qtr. down by 6 pts.-fell behind by 12; whittled the lead back down to 6-but never got closer.
    Started 3rd qtr. trailing by 7—but immediately went down 9 pts. Their deficit increased to 14 twice, but they whittled it down back to 9-the difference going into the 4th qtr. They never got closer than that.
    After only a minute and a half, the Spurs fell behind 13 pts. They spent the rest of game down double-digits (10-15 range) until the very, very end—when a FT cut the final margin to 9.

  • John T.

    2014-15 Spurs could end up like that great television show you watched for years that has finally jumped the shark. I already imagine in the 30 for 30 documentary on the Duncan/Pop Era directed by Robert Rodriguez and narrated by Danny Trejo that it ends with game 5 of the finals and never mentions this season unless they catch lightning in a bottle.

  • fkj74

    POP knows more ball than I will ever know. I do not understand how Mills and Leonard do not play more. Belli is ok, but he does not have Leonard’s dynamic effect. When Mills is making shots our offense is better, and lastly Cojo needs to start letTPgo strong for a few minutes. This season can still end well, but the time is now! Go Spurs

  • DorieStreet

    Of course Baynes and Joseph will have the fewest minutes -their Spurs/NBA careers are miniscule compared to most of their teammates.
    Baynes joined the team two seasons ago (’12-’13) and basically was a project his rookie year.
    It was the same for Joseph; his first two years (’11-’12 & ’12-’13) he split time between the Austin Toros and the Spurs. And when he was with San Antonio back then, a good deal of the time he was in street clothes or nailed to the pine—-Gary Neal was the backup to Parker, and got the vast majority of playing time.
    As for Belinelli—prior to joining the Spurs, he’s logged 6 seasons for 4 other teams.
    If you throw out his rookie year stats, he averaged around 25 minutes a game as a primary guy off the bench, and even started a couple of seasons at one of his previous stops.

  • brunostrange

    I think the Spurs are more of a Linklater movie - not flashy, years-in-the-making.

  • Ed Yates

    What playoffs?

  • Ed Yates

    It was a good run. They look tired and uninterested…after a long All-Star break. I salute them and all their accomplishments but I expect nothing more from the Spurs, except a transition starting this off-season….about May.

  • Jordan Hedge

    Sorry Dorie, I should’ve spelled it out for certain readers. My point is that the minutes over the past 3 years (3 WCF, 2 Finals, and all the series leading up to those) seems to be catching up with everyone on the team. The guys who have played the least seem to be the guys that still have the energy to put forth a high level of effort consistently (well, them and TD who is just a freak of nature I guess).

    IMO the struggles seem to be more about guys just not having the energy and “juice” to compete at the same level as last year because of the grind of the last 3 years rather than a lack of effort or complacency setting in.

  • Jimbo

    I don’t doubt Parker is in decline-he’s old by NBA standards and has played a ton of miles. But a player doesn’t go from borderline All-Star to scrub in the span of 6 months. He’s hurting for sure.

  • brunostrange

    And yet neither Parker nor Popovich say the injury is an issue. And just the other night Manu said something to the effect that the team is healthy. I’m not trying to sh*t on Parker, I simply think the mileage finally caught up with him.

  • TD BestEVER

    To those saying that the injuries are keeping us back, how many times do you get to use those excuses….. I’m at the point where I don’t care about what afflicts some of these guys because it’s ALWAYS something. TP just needs to be shut down until he is mentally and physically ready to play. It’s not like we are asking him to put up 18/8 every night…. We are asking him to put up 14/5. Those are pedestrian numbers. With as mush as he has the ball and with all the screens he is getting i can’t for the life of me figure out why he can’t score(he is a scoring pg in an offense that gives him the green light) 14 consistently….. Not 25 one game and 5 the next. How are the role players gonna play their role when the starts aren’t consistently playing their roles.

    As far as those saying Splitter is a starting caliber Center in the NBA, and we wouldn’t won it w/o him. Really, No one is saying the guy is GARBAGE!! But who cares how good he is in one or two series when he drags all regular season making other people carry the load for him. Also keep in mind he also go exposed last year by the Thunder and Heat when POP had to go to Diaw to win those series. He has had a few good stretches with the Spurs they are so few and far between I just don’t see him getting paid that amount anywhere else. Especially to only play the 20mpg we ask him to play.

    As far as solutions, I’m up for anything they fell will turn this around for us, but here are a few ideas that I think will help not in any order.

    1. Shut down TP - see above
    2. Put Manu in the starting lineup. Green can give you his numbers off the bench and Manu can help us not start off all these games in these holes. He will help will ball movement and scoring.
    3. Splitter back as starting Center. Just to see if he can up his play with the starters and to see if him and TD can get it going like they once had(although if he could shoot like Baynes that would help with spacing which is already looking cramped.
    4. Hail Mary - get a T. Prince or AK 47 if they are bought out and run them at the 4 and just go small and forget the 2 big strategy all together.

    Whatever we can do just to get some momentum going…. i mean all we need is a little 5 or 6 game win steak to be in the 3rd seed.

  • Steve

    Spurs can still get it going before the playoffs, but need to start playing better than they have. They look like the 80’s Celtics when the Big Three got really old and couldn’t bring it every night. The sad fact is, you shouldn’t have to rely on a 38 year old TD every night to be your best player.

  • spurs10

    Well it’s going to be interesting seeing if TP can turn the corner. It’s hard to believe he’s 100%.

  • Suave Groove

    What about Derrick Rose people? Man, it sucks! I wonder if he’s thinking about retiring? If D-Rose finally recovers, I do not think he should keep playing for the bulls. At least while Thibs is their Coach. His style of play is extremely demanding and physically hard on players.

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  • thedrwolff5

    Things change…it’s the only real constant in life. How psychologically weird is it that for the first time in 15 years NEITHER Timmay or Kobe look strong to win the title? Do we realize the magic-bird rivalry that was never made into a rivalry. 13 of those 16 years one of them was in the title round. 10 times they came away with it. Dirk twice and then OKC’s aberration (San Antonio was on a 20 game win streak KILLING everyone and OKC played out of their minds for 4 games only to revert back in the finals and look weak). Really thats 15 of 16 years with Dirk eeking out 2. Far longer then the 60’s boston run or the magic-bird relevance. Where is the league going now that LA in just 3 seasons is a joke and the last stalwarts of a generation are fading out. For the first time in 15 years it’s not about hyping everything as COLOSSAL MATCHUPS when we all know either Duncan/Kobe or Dirk are going to the finals. Thats 15 appearances over 16 years. Maybe we don’t even realize what a huge step it was for OKC to even GET to the finals over those three. But that has changed. Do we truly have parity for the first time in the west. Memphis, Golden State, even Portland have real shots and not just a media lip service chance to keep fans from being bored and drama involved. Lebron is going in the east…because he’s Lebron…in his prime…and he’s in the east…and cleveland as a city is just due in any sport. The wheels came off in chicago and Washington while toronto and atlanta have no real rim protection. Memphis/OKC/Golden state is an exciting mix to go from the west. Golden state is a Dark horse because they haven’t paid their dues. Memphis HAS and OKC has while Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and NO PERKINS is the scariest looking monster since a younger Timmay, Tony, Manu. Is OKC, Memphis, Golden state the new LA, San Antonio, Dallas? No way, None of those guys have a title and they are all at least 25. Kobe had 3 and Tim 2 by then. NO ONE on ANY of those three teams is great…yet. They are just media hyped. Win a couple of titles and THEN we will discuss greatness. Till then Durant is George Gervin. Scores a lot and no title. Mark Gasol is Kevin Garnett. Plays well and his teams win…but he cant win a title because the competition is better. and Curry/Thompson are Del Curry/Glen Rice. Win a couple of titles and THEN we can discuss greatness…

  • Filemon

    Well… at this time i don’t ask a lot from this team. I root for at least 50 wins, then Duncan and Manu retire, trade Parker. It’s a good ending. I don’t think we can win one round, but in the long run it doesn’t matter in the legacy of the big three. Now for Kawhi things look much more uncertain…