San Antonio Spurs

[tackielarla]

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Scalabrine wants to be as good as Kobe rather than Bonner....he wants his goal to be attainable.

I heard Bonner was really tired one game against the Kings and to keep the game from going in overtime, he lifted his finger.

[tackielarla]

Matt Bonner put Humpty Dumpty back together again, only to roundhouse kick him in the face.

Due to high demand, there's now a tick box on the NBA Player's insurance form with Matt Bonner's name next to it.

Matt Bonner ordered a Big Mac at Burger King and got one. --> Ahahahaha!!!

Matt Bonner donates blood to the Red Cross regularly, but never his blood.

MJ retired because he knew Bonner was coming to the NBA.

If you want a list of Matt Bonner's enemies just look at the extinct species list.

Matt Bonner doesn't Hack-a-Shaq: Shaq wants Bonner to hold him just to feel safe.

He's so scary Clint Eastwood cringes at the mention of his name.

Matt Bonner doesn't rebound, the ball automatically falls in his hands for fear of it's life if it bounces anywhere else.

Matt Bonner once made a three pointer in both hoops on the same shot.

Matt Bonner dunked on this one kid.......and then ate him!

Bonner went the Virgin Islands on vacation... now theyre just called the Islands.

Matt Bonner had *** before his father.

Matt Bonner is the only man to ever score a three-point dunk.

Matt Bonner is so bright, his father calls him sun!

Matt Bonner has ordered David Stern to rename the 'Free Throw' to 'Pay-in-Blood Throw'.

[kamikaze426]

up next is minny..

[koontz_circle]

Wow bro.. Matt Bonner is sensational!

[tackielarla]

^ ^ Right on bro.

Here's a little post of the Spurs-Hawks game analysis from the Spurs forum that I'm a member of (Spurstalk)...

After the exhausting double-overtime affair against the Dallas Mavericks, would the San Antonio Spurs have much left in the tank the next night against the Atlanta Hawks? As it turned out, the tank was running dry. Thankfully, the Spurs had just enough to squeeze out a 95-89 victory.

In the decisive fourth quarter, Manu Ginobili scored 14 points in the final eight minutes to help the Spurs to the win. His biggest bucket of the game came with 32 seconds left in the contest when he made a vintage Ginobili layup to extend the lead to four points. Coming off of a Tim Duncan pick, Ginobili put a spin move on Al Horford and then converted at the rim.

As for the Hawks, I was impressed by their effort. Like the Spurs, they were playing a back-to-back and it was noticeable. However, whenever the Spurs the made a run to seemingly put the game away, Atlanta fought their way back into the contest. Joe Johnson and Flip Murray specifically played very well.

The Spurs have to be happy with the win. Even though it was ugly, the team could have easily succumbed to the late runs by the Hawks and blamed their tired legs. Instead, San Antonio gutted out a victory to extend their winning streak to four games and improve to 13-8 on the season.

Tim Duncan

35 minutes, 19 points, 11 rebounds
7-for-15 from the field, 5-for-8 at the line

Considering that Tim Duncan played 50 minutes the previous night, his effort against the Hawks was extremely impressive. He didn’t dominate the action but he made a number of key plays and while everyone else on the court looked tired at times, Duncan consistently hammered away at the rock. Offensively, he played pretty well but on defense was where he really shined. Duncan played very good post defense and his rotations were timely. He ended up playing 85 minutes on back-to-back nights and did so with a strong finish to the Hawks game to help the Spurs go 2-for-2.
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Manu Ginobili

28 minutes, 27 points, five rebounds, three assists, four turnovers
8-for-12 from the field, 5-for-7 on three-pointers, 6-for-6 at the line

Manu Ginobili’s burst at the end of the game was the main reason why the Spurs were able chalk up the W. While it was far from a perfect game for Ginobili, it was good to see him reclaim his shooting stroke. In the previous five games, he was shooting 32.3% from downtown on more than six attempts per game. Against the Hawks, Ginobili struggled a bit with turnovers and his defense was non-existent for stretches but his repeated big plays at the end of the game made up for any miscues. Coming off the bench for the first time in about two weeks, he ended up scoring 27 points in 28 minutes to prove once again that he’s the best in the league at seamlessly switching between starting and reserve roles.
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Tony Parker

26 minutes, six points, three assists, three turnovers
3-for-13 from the field

The last time Tony Parker played in a double-overtime contest, he ended up spraining his ankle in the next game and missing three weeks of action. This time, Parker rebounded from the second double-overtime game of the season by having his worst game of the season – by far. Not only did he look like he was moving in quicksand, his decision making was poor. Of his ten missed field goals, six of them were blocked. On defense, he was a step slow all night. Hopefully this ends up being as bad as Parker plays all season.
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Michael Finley

32 minutes, 15 points, two blocks
6-for-11 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers

Outside of Ginobili and Duncan, Michael Finley came up the biggest in the fourth quarter. In a span of about three minutes in the final stanza, Finley had three consecutive field goals and then handed out an assist. Those eight points kept the Spurs afloat before he handed off the baton to Ginobili's heroics. Defensively, Finley did a fine job when matched up with Marvin Williams – holding the young Hawk to 1-of-6 shooting from the field. On the season, if you ignore the 1-for-22 slump he went through earlier in the season, Finley has a very respectable shooting percentage of 48.6%.
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Matt Bonner

27 minutes, nine points, 13 rebounds, two assists
4-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers

Another night, another good game for Matt Bonner. Against the Hawks, Bonner again shot the ball well. However, it was his rebounding that really stood out. Bonner ended up with a season-high 13 rebounds in only 27 minutes of action. Seven of his rebounds were of the offensive variety. In addition to his rebounding, he once again played very good defense. Even though Josh Smith might have a slight athletic advantage, Bonner was able to stay in front of him and force him into tough shots. On the season, Bonner surprisingly enough has the best defensive stats on the team. For every 100 possessions he’s on the court, the opposition only scores 84.3 points. That’s far and away the best on the team – second best is Bruce Bowen at 89.
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Roger Mason, Jr.

26 minutes, ten points, six rebounds
4-for-9 from the field, 2-for-5 on three-pointers

Roger Mason, Jr. was back in the starting lineup and he had a quiet yet decent performance. He shot the ball well enough, did a good job on the glass and his defense was better than usual. Overall, Mason hasn’t been nearly as explosive in recent games. He hasn’t scored more than 12 points in any of the last six games. While a dip in minutes is part of the reason, the main problem is that he’s simply not getting the looks. With the way he has shot the ball this season, the rest of the team should definitely start looking his way more often.
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Bruce Bowen

24 minutes, two rebounds
0-for-1 from the field

Against Dallas, Bruce Bowen had pedestrian stats but he also had a big impact on the game. On this night, Bowen had pedestrian stats and a pedestrian impact. On offense, he missed his only shot attempt in his 24 minutes of play. On the other end, he gave good effort but was unable to be a difference maker. Coming off the bench, Bowen is going to have to be more of a fire extinguisher rather than his customary role as a stopper. Against the Hawks, he was unable to slow down Johnson much at all once he got rolling.
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George Hill

22 minutes, seven points, five assists, three rebounds
2-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 on three-pointers

With Parker struggling, George Hill was called upon to play a larger role. Although he was unspectacular, he had a solid performance. His passing was impressive and it seems like his court vision is improving as he adjusts to the point guard position. Defensively, he was active and he attacked the boards once again. Hill’s primary negative issues on the night were his stretches of passive play, although he’s getting better and better in that area. It was good to see him play the final seven and a half minutes of a close game and help the team come away with a victory.
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Fabricio Oberto

13 minutes, six rebounds
0-for-3 from the field

Although Fabricio Oberto had problems on the offensive end, his great showing on the boards more than made for his shortcomings. Oberto has now had four consecutive good rebounding games after starting the season with an anemic rebounding rate. As long as Oberto is rebounding the ball, he’s good enough in other areas to be a player in the rotation. Along with his rebounding, Oberto also blocked his second shot of the season.
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Kurt Thomas

Six minutes, two points
1-for-2 from the field

Considering that the Hawks have a small team that thrives on athleticism, it’s not a surprise that Kurt Thomas only played six minutes. In his time on the court, he didn’t make much of a mark. Going forward, it appears as if Thomas is locked into the role as the team’s fourth bigman. The only games he’ll likely get extended minutes are the ones in which the Spurs face a behemoth center.
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Ime Udoka

One minute

For the second straight game, Ime Udoka saw one minute of playing time. After securing a rebound and then throwing the ball away, he was quickly pulled from the game and never seen again.
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Gregg Popovich


Pop did a good job of putting his tired team in a position to win the game. Going with Hill over Parker was absolutely the right move. In fact, more of Hill and less of Parker probably would have been ever better. Pop going with Finley in the fourth quarter paid immediate dividends. I also liked the continuous plays for Ginobili that Pop called. The two questions I had on the night were regarding Bonner and Mason. First of all, what more does Bonner have to do to earn more minutes? Bonner sitting and watching the final ten minutes of the game was surprising. Secondly, why is he limiting Mason’s minutes? This was the fourth straight game with less than 30 minutes. More of Mason and less of Finley is probably good for each player and the team as a whole – both in the short term and the long term.
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Offense

Though the offense definitely struggled at times, the end result was a decent enough showing. On the game, the Spurs shot 44.3% from the field and connected on half of their 20 three-point attempts. Their 18 assists were a bit low as were their 22 free throw attempts, especially since eight of those attempts were a result of either intentional fouls or technicals. The worst stat was the team’s season-high 17 turnovers. Luckily, the Spurs saved their best quarter for last, scoring 33 points in the fourth.

Defense

Usually when you go to grade a defensive performance by the Spurs, the number you look at is the opponent’s field goal percentage. However, on this night, it was the rebounding that really stood out. The Spurs had a monstrous 52-27 advantage on the boards. That advantage helped overcome the 46.8% the Hawks shot from the floor and the fact that the transition defense was poor for much of the game, which allowed Atlanta to outscore the Spurs 25-6 on fast break points. The Spurs also deserve acknowledgment for holding the Hawks to only 14 free throw attempts and limiting the Hawks to 6-for-19 from beyond the arc. Coming into the game, the Hawks were third in the NBA in both three-pointers made and three-point percentage.

Drive to Five

After patting themselves on the back for sweeping a difficult back-to-back set, the Spurs head to Minnesota for a game against Kevin McHale and the Timberwolves on Friday night. Although the T’Wolves are riding a seven-game losing streak, they’ve played much better since the coaching change. Hopefully the Spurs come out with the appropriate fear and take care of business.

Believe.

[tackielarla]

Spurs win vs the Twolves 98-86. Yeee-haw!

[tackielarla]

Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Timberwolves Dec. 13

The last time the San Antonio Spurs were in Minnesota, Tony Parker dropped 55 points on the Timberwolves to help the Spurs win a double overtime thriller and get the first victory of the 2008-09 season. On Friday night, Parker’s 16 fourth quarter points helped the Spurs secure their 14th win of the season.

Entering the fourth with only one point, Parker went 7-for-10 in the quarter and also dished off two assists. The biggest individual shot of the final quarter was authored by Matt Bonner. With the T’Wolves trimming the lead to nine points with six minutes remaining, Bonner hit a three-pointer and Minnesota never broke the double-digit barrier again. When all was said and done, the Spurs had won by a final score of 98-86 to win their fifth straight game.

Regarding the T’Wolves, Al Jefferson is a beast on the low block. There isn’t an NBA player who scores as consistently against Tim Duncan as Minnesota’s starting center. He has a disgusting array of post moves to go along with a delicate touch around the rim. It’s amazing that the T’Wolves don’t give him the ball virtually every time up the court.

The win for the Spurs was another good one. Minnesota has been a difficult destination as of late and even though San Antonio went through stretches where their energy was non-existent, the Spurs were able to turn it up in the second half to come out on top.

Tim Duncan

35 minutes, 17 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks, five turnovers
7-for-13 from the field, 3-for-6 at the line

Tim Duncan had a decent enough outing. Offensively, he scored when he was aggressive on the low post and he also drained a few jumpers. He got caught unaware a few times and was stripped of the ball by help defenders and his passes weren’t as crisp as usual – leading to his five turnovers. On the other end of the court, his individual defense against Jefferson wasn’t very good but his help defense was impressive. When the small bigmen of Minnesota tried to muscle up shots around the rim, Duncan was there to block the attempt. It wasn’t an especially good performance by Duncan but he was one of the players who turned up the energy in the second half to get the win.
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Manu Ginobili

29 minutes, 16 points, four rebounds
6-for-17 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers, 3-for-4 at the line

Manu Ginobili had one of his more hyper games since his return. He was quick to loose balls and made a number of hustle plays. However, Ginobili was a bit too quick with his trigger. A number of times he took quick shots before letting the offense create an open look. As a result of him looking often at the basket, Ginobili finished without an assist or a turnover. Overall though, it was a step in the right direction for the Argentine guard. He’s starting to get his controlled recklessness back, which is an important aspect of his game.
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Tony Parker

36 minutes, 17 points, nine assists, four rebounds
7-for-15 from the field, 3-for-4 at the line

Tony Parker’s first three quarters were rather interesting. He missed all five field goals he attempted but he didn’t seem too distressed about his struggles. Instead, he stayed patient – sometimes overly so – and was content letting others carry the load. In the fourth, he became much more aggressive looking for his own shot and was able to completely shake off his previous struggles. On the night, he also handed out nine assists and didn’t have a turnover. Defensively, he was sleepwalking in the first half but turned up his intensity in the final two quarters. On the whole, Parker’s night had to be considered a good one.
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Michael Finley

28 minutes, 12 points, seven rebounds
5-for-9 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers

Michael Finley didn’t have the best shot selection but he knocked down a number of difficult looks. Defensively, he was solid once again and did a great job helping out on the defensive glass. His offseason weight loss has made him much more agile and he also looks to be jumping better. In the last five games, Finley is averaging 12.2 points per game on 53.2% shooting from the field and 47.4% from beyond the three-point arc.
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Matt Bonner

29 minutes, 12 points, four rebounds, three assists
5-for-7 from the field, 2-for-3 on three-pointers

Matt Bonner once again shot the ball well. He seems to be draining just about every open look he’s getting from the perimeter. Bonner also mixed in a few good passes and his movement without the ball is getting better and better. Defensively, his one-on-one defense was good but he struggled on his rotations for the first time in a while. He also didn’t do a very good job on the defensive glass. Although, all things considered, the Spurs have to be ecstatic with what they are getting from their center position.
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Roger Mason, Jr.

21 minutes, five points, two rebounds, two assists
2-for-6 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers

Roger Mason, Jr. is going through his first slump in a Spurs uniform. He just hasn’t been able to figure out where he fits now that all the pieces are in place. It also didn’t help that he was missing wide open jumpers against the T’Wolves. The good news is he continues to shoot the ball confidently, which should allow him to break out of this slump sooner than later. In his last five games, Mason is shooting 39.5% from the floor and 29.7% from downtown.
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George Hill

22 minutes, nine points, six rebounds, three steals, one assist
3-for-5 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line

George Hill quietly had one of his better all-around games of the season. Defensively, he was exceptional. His one-on-one defense was good but he really shined when it came to his help defense and his rebounding. Hill’s defensive energy seemed to be lacking over the last week but he had boundless energy on Friday night. Thanks to his defensive exploits, Pop used him to close out the game. On offense, Hill picked his spots nicely and coolly switched between point guard and shooting guard duties.
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Kurt Thomas

18 minutes, six points, four rebounds, three blocks
1-for-4 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line

With the Spurs getting beat on the offensive boards, Kurt Thomas was called into action to add some physicality. He did a great job of doing just that. He rebounded well and defended the rim with authority – as his three blocked shots suggest. On offense, Thomas set good picks and his physical play led to a season-high four free throw attempts. After a slow start to the season, Thomas seems to be finding his niche on this team.
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Fabricio Oberto

Ten minutes, one point, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks
0-for-2 from the field, 1-for-2 at the line

Fabricio Oberto continues his positive play. He was a factor on the boards and even blocked two shots – doubling his season total. In fact, he has three of his four blocks in his last two games. Offensively, even though his shot wasn't dropping, he was still effective. He set sturdy picks and he made a few fantastic passes. The area to be most excited about Oberto’s progression is his rebounding. In November, he averaged 7.8 rebounds per 48 minutes. In December, that number has risen to 13.2.
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Bruce Bowen

Ten minutes, one assist, one block

Since Minnesota doesn’t have a perimeter scorer that needs extra attention, Bruce Bowen wasn’t needed much on Friday night. He had a few quality defensive plays while he was in the game but he didn’t play in the final 32 minutes of the contest.
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Gregg Popovich


Pop coached a good game against the T’Wolves. He recognized the need for toughness and Thomas delivered when he was called upon. Playing Hill extra minutes was good to see and had positive results. My only complaint is how he’s handling Mason’s minutes. Mason has had five consecutive games with less than 30 minutes and had only 21 minutes against Minnesota. I’d like to see Pop carve out a role for Mason that has him playing 30-32 minutes per game.
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Offense

The offense started out very slowly but each quarter the Spurs scored more points than the previous quarter. By the fourth, the offense was rolling and they were able to put 32 points on the board. For the night, the Spurs shot 46.8% from the floor, connected on 8-of-18 three-pointers and had 23 assists to only ten turnovers. Don’t look now but San Antonio seems to be climbing the ranks offensively. In their last nine victories, the Spurs are averaging 108.6 points per game.

Defense

The Spurs did a great job defending the T’Wolves. They set a season-high with 12 blocks and held Minnesota to 40.9% field goal shooting. Take out the 8-for-8 showing by the T’Wolves in garbage time at the end of the game and that percentage lowers to 35%. The Spurs also did good work when it came to closing out on shooters, as the T’Wolves shot just 2-for-6 on three-pointers. The rebounding was a struggle at some points but San Antonio came away with a 47-44 edge in that category.

Drive to Five

At 14-8, the Spurs have to be very happy with where they sit. As long as they stay healthy, they should be able to have a good chance at a high seed. On Sunday, the Spurs take on the 2-22 Oklahoma City Thunder. A letdown here is unacceptable, especially considering the difficult set of games on the upcoming schedule. A stomping of the Thunder would be a nice way to get some revenge for the fired PJ Carlesimo.

Believe.

[tackielarla]

Spurs vs Thunder today...

Spurs up 39-19 after one.

[tackielarla]

Spurs 7-11 from 3PT in the 1st quarter.

[tackielarla]

Spurs up 62-44 at the half.