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Patty Mills looks a lot like DeJuan Blair.
In one of the most remarkable regular seasons wins in franchise history, the Spurs defeated the Bulls on Monday night despite being without the services of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Stephen Jackson. Shorthanded San Antonio utilized chemistry, cohesion and a belief in their system to beat the team with the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference -- on the road and on the second night of a back-to-back, no less. The 103-89 final score is virtually incomprehensible given those cir stances.
The first quarter was tight throughout. With the score knotted at 20 with 48 seconds remaining, the Bulls scored the final two baskets to take a 24-20 lead into the second.
Chicago scored the first three points of the second quarter to bump their lead up to seven. That’s when San Antonio got going. An 18-5 run made it 38-32 with 4:41 remaining in the half. The Spurs kept rolling and got up by as many as 12 points before taking a 51-42 lead into intermission.
Early in the third, the Spurs regained control and soon built a 14-point cushion. Beginning with 5:20 to go in the quarter, the Bulls started to fight back. An 11-2 run closed the gap to five points. The Spurs were able to tread water enough to take a 76-71 advantage into the final stanza.
The fourth quarter began ominously as the Spurs as the Bulls pulled within a point a couple minutes in. Thankfully, the good guys bounced back and over a four minute span, San Antonio outscored Chicago 13-2 to take another commanding lead. The demoralized Bulls began to fracture as the Spurs kept playing practically perfect team basketball. The end result was the astonishing 14-point s acking.
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Kawhi Leonard
With the Big 3 out of the lineup, it was Kawhi Leonard who stepped up and played the starring role. It was actually an astonishingly harmonious transition for Leonard. Using a smooth pull-up jumper off the bounce, the sop re immediately went to work. He mixed in drives, a couple catch-and-shoot attempts and a few baskets in transition to put together his work of art on the offensive end. The amount of talent Leonard possesses is exciting and hopefully it’s something we see more of as the season progresses. Defensively, he might have been even better. He was devastating in one-on-one matchups and played strong help defense. Overall, Leonard was a terror on defense and played like a legit first option on offense.
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Tiago Splitter
Tiago Splitter rolled his ankle early but that didn’t stop him from having a solid outing. While the Spurs rebounded poorly, they were absolutely destroyed when Splitter wasn’t on the court to provide some strength in the inside. Defensively, he kept it simple while playing hard and smart. On offense, Splitter’s pick-and-roll action was the team’s lifeblood. He also authored a wider than usual array of short shots in the paint. Splitter wasn’t great but the Spurs wouldn’t have been able to win this game without his presence.
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Danny Green
Going against Richard Hamilton, a player who uses screens as well as anyone in the league, the prognosis was bleak for Danny Green. However, he was able to overcome his usual inability to navigate screens to do a reasonable job on the defensive end. He competed well, came up with plays in transition and pulled down numerous contested boards. Offensively, Green was quite good. He knocked down three more three-pointers despite not having a star teammate to draw attention. Green connected on a couple of two-pointers and went 5-for-5 at the line. Additionally, his passing and playmaking were improved.
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Nando De Colo
His stats weren’t worthy of a jaw-drop but Nando De Colo was really, really good. In fact, he took a giant step in his journey to capture the backup point guard spot. On defense, he used his length well and didn’t look overwhelmed speed-wise. He also exhibited quick hands and exquisite anticipation in swiping three key steals. Offensively, he ran the show. He did well tiptoeing the line between pushing the action and running halfcourt sets. De Colo was very effective in the pick-and-roll. His passing, particularly on the move, was very impressive. All in all, the freshman Frenchman played a winning brand of basketball and was the floor general the team desperately needed.
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Boris Diaw
To get this win, San Antonio leaned heavily on Boris Diaw’s leadership and veteran savvy. Offensively, he was oftentimes the main facilitator of the halfcourt sets. He did a great job of helping the Spurs get open look after open look -- and doing so without many mistakes. Defensively, he got better as the game progressed. His aggression went through the roof and he was especially effective in the fourth quarter. His rebounding remains disappointing but it’s clear that he’s settling into the Spurs system and his high basketball IQ is becoming an undeniable asset.
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Gary Neal
In the first half, Gary Neal was very productive. He was taking (and making) smart shots to help keep the Spurs in the ballgame. Without the spark Neal provided from the bench, the Spurs probably get crushed by Chicago’s tenacious defense early on. Eventually, though, Neal became a liability. His shot selection became too liberal and he was dominating the ball way too much. The Spurs were able to make their winning push in the fourth shortly after Neal was sent to the pine. Despite the unhappy ending, I thought this was genuinely a step in the right direction for Neal. He was good enough in most aspects of the game and then aided the cause with a well-timed offensive spark.
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Matt Bonner
The Good: Matt Bonner helped space the court on offense. Since the Bulls defend three-point shooters closer than any team in the league, Bonner’s presence alone helped get one of their bigs out of the lane. That said, he gave it back -- and then some -- on the defensive end. Bonner’s defense wasn’t good, however the main problem was his weakness on the glass. And weakness isn’t even close to an adequate description. Bonner was repeatedly manhandled on the boards as he played the leading role in the Bulls domination in that area.
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DeJuan Blair
DeJuan Blair got some minutes early and didn’t do too badly. He was active on the offensive end and scored on a couple of broken plays. Blair also passed well. On D, his rim protection was weak, he had difficulty dealing with Chicago’s size and he picked up three quick fouls. That said, his effort on the glass was commendable.
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Patrick Mills
Although he didn’t get many minutes, I thought Patrick Mills played fine. His passing was better than usual and his ballhandling wasn’t a liability. The Spurs simply needed playmakers since they were shorthanded and Mills doesn’t fit that bill yet.
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Pop
I think it goes without saying but I’ll say it anyways: This was one of the most extraordinary victories of Pop’s coaching career. It says a great deal about the system Pop has put into place that it is effective regardless of who is running it. If the players buy in, Pop knows how to coach winning basketball. Quite impressive.
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Offense
The Spurs were great on offense, scoring more than 114 points per 100 possessions. They were weak on the offensive glass and the assists were down, however those were the only two weak spots. Turning it over only eight times was outstanding, as were all of the shooting percentages.
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Defense
The Spurs were great on defense; the Bulls were held to less than a point per possession. And while Chicago dominated the glass, the Spurs survived by forcing turnovers, limiting the Bulls fast break points and taking away their open three-point attempts.
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Overall
This will probably go down as the defining moment of the regular season and a game that will be remembered forever. Congrats to everyone who was involved.
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Last edited by timvp; 02-13-2013 at 07:10 PM.
Patty Mills looks a lot like DeJuan Blair.
I'm still very impressed with this win.
That's the ugliest picture of Patty Mills I ever saw.
Blair ate Mills
DeColo was good on defense and did a adequate-to=good job of running the half-court offense. However, he is still making passes that sometimes lead to bobbles by the other teammates and a turn over. With Manu you can overlook that aspect because he makes up for it with his offense.
Without play time, that chemistry will not develop. That said, Nando does a lot of little things (similar to Manu), so it's worth giving him time. Not nearly as great, but he usually is more positive than negative. It's also a good ideal to continue to limit Manu's minutes as much as possible but still have a Manu-like presence.
did this thread seriously get lost? i didn't notice it until just now. one of the best reg season games i can remember and it took me 7 hours to locate timvp's game thoughts. shame on me
Yup, as they usually do during the RRT, the Spurs played two statement games against Brooklyn and the Bulls and won them both decisively. From here on in they will slowly ratchet up the intensity, and I think SPAM and beyond will be a joy to watch this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see a long streak at some point just like last season.
Blair ate Mills
Lots of home games (after the brutal road trips this first half)!! That'll make it interesting this season.
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