San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
In an early-season matchup of potential title contenders, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 92-90 on Wednesday at the Quicken Loans Arena.
It was close throughout, as both teams struggled to find rhythm on the offensive end. A few individual performances stood out.
San Antonio Spurs
Tim Duncan: B+
| Tim Duncan | B+ |
| Tony Parker | D |
| Kawhi Leonard | B+ |
| Manu Ginobili | D |
| Rest of Team | B+ |
| LeBron James | C+ |
| Kevin Love | D+ |
| Kyrie Irving | B- |
| Dion Waiters | D |
| Rest of Team | C |
The Spurs offense looked disjointed at times, causing Tim Duncan to press a little more on offense than he usually does. He took a game-high 17 shots, connecting on seven and scoring 19 points. He also grabbed 10 boards.
Duncan looked spry in his post-ups, getting defenders off their feet, but he struggled to finish. Still, his aggressiveness caused Cleveland's defense to collapse.
Tony Parker: D
Tony Parker had pretty much the opposite impact of Duncan. He played an extremely conservative game, putting up only seven shots and allowing Kyrie Irving to get loose on the other end.
Point guard is typically a matchup San Antonio wins, but Cleveland maintained the advantage there throughout the game. Parker finished with just eight points and three assists.
Kawhi Leonard: B+
One of the themes throughout San Antonio's title run last season was Kawhi Leonard's youth and athleticism in contrast to the rest of the lineup. That showed up again tonight.
His line of 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals might not jump off the page, but there were moments when he even made LeBron James look a step slow, particularly on defense.
Manu Ginobili: D
Manu Ginobili joined Parker in his struggles, shooting just 3-of-7 from the field on the way to seven points. The combined problems of those two certainly made things tougher for the Spurs.
If Ginobili continues to have a hard time with more athletic guards like Irving and Dion Waiters, San Antonio's offense could continue to stall this season.
Boris Diaw: A
The Spurs always seem to have one of their peripheral guys come up with a big performance. Boris Diaw filled that role with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He added seven assists and six rebounds for a huge all-around game.
San Antonio's offense ran smoother when Diaw was operating things from the post than at any other time. It's a nice luxury to have when Parker and Ginobili are off.
Rest of Team: C+
The Spurs' fifth starter, Danny Green, scored eight points on 3-of-6 from three-point range. His ability to space the floor helped open the Spurs offense.
Cory Joseph also got into double figures, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. The rest of the reserves combined to score 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James: C+
Leonard may not have done a lot offensively, but his defense on LeBron James clearly impacted the game. James finished 6-of-17 from the field on the way to 15 points.
Then, when Cleveland had the ball, down two with 10 seconds left, LeBron committed a costly turnover that ended the game.
That's not to say LeBron didn't positively impact the game for the Cavs, though. He was once again Cleveland's best playmaker, handing out a game-high nine assists.
Kevin Love: D+
Kevin Love continues to look like the one member of Cleveland's Big Three who just can't figure out how to click with everyone else. He finished with 11 rebounds and 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
He continues to do little other than launch jump shots offensively, and he gives up plenty of good looks on the other end. Duncan and Diaw got pretty much whatever they wanted.
Kyrie Irving: B-
Irving caught a couple hot streaks on the way to 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting. But once again, he failed to get his teammates involved, as he only dished out two assists.
With LeBron on the team, Irving may be more of a shooting guard all season, but he could still improve the overall flow of the offense by passing a bit more.
Dion Waiters: D
Dion Waiters continues to have a nightmare of a season in this new era of Cavs basketball. He scored just six points on 2-of-7 shooting and looked out of place in most possessions.
He has great scoring ability but simply may not fit the rest of the pieces on this team. The fact that he's already been replaced by Shawn Marion, who's years beyond his prime, in the starting lineup speaks volumes.
Anderson Varejao: A
It's tough to imagine where the Cavs would've been without Anderson Varejao, who scored a game-high 23 points and tied Love for the team lead in rebounds with 11.
It doesn't matter how much the rest of the roster is struggling; Cleveland can always count on Varejao to bring everything he has.
Rest of Team: C-
Shawn Marion has been starting at shooting guard for Cleveland, and it looks like the game is passing him by. He showed he doesn't have the athleticism he once did, finishing with five points on 2-of-6 shooting.
The two other Cavaliers who contributed were Joe Harris and Tristan Thompson, who combined to score 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
Harris continues to look like he might be a better fit than Marion or Waiters among the starters. He is a solid three-point threat and doesn't need plays called for him.
Coming Up Next
The Spurs will continue their road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. The Cavaliers will also be on the road, taking on the Washington Wizards Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
