San Antonio Report Card: Grading the Spurs' Win Over the Oklahoma City Thunder
After starting the season with a series of cupcake games (with the exception of a surprisingly undefeated New Orleans team), the Spurs finally got their chance to prove themselves, and they did it in great fashion. Despite a tough start with nothing falling, the Spurs dug deep to find a way to win with tough defense, dominant rebounding, and hitting outside shots to open the lane. Who says young-and-athletic is better than old-and-experienced?
Here is a report card grading each Spurs' performance in the game, as well as an overall score for the starters, bench, coaching, and team.
Tony Parker (PG)
1 of 14
Key Stats: 24 points, 5 rebounds
It's unusual for a point guard to get more rebounds than assists (three), but that was the case for Tony tonight (not that there's anything wrong with that). Tony had the best shooting night on the team (with the exception of Matt Bonner) by making 9/15 FG's, and he was able to drive through the lane with ease once the outside shots starting falling for the Spurs. Tony also hit all six of his free throw attempts.
Grade: A
Manu Ginobili (SG)
2 of 14
Key Stats: 21 points, 4 assists
Manu didn't shoot the ball well in this game (4/14 on FG's), but like always he hit the shots that mattered the most in the fourth quarter to help his team pull away. He did make good of his many trips to the line by hitting all eleven attempts. Manu also played some decent defense with three rebounds as well as a block and steal.
Grade: B+
Richard Jefferson (SF)
3 of 14
Key Stats: 18 points, 3 rebounds
It was a typical night for RJ and his re-discovered self-confidense. He didn't quite shoot lights out compared to previous games (5/11 FG, 1/3 from behind the arc), but he was efficient and scored in from all over the court. He is no longer afraid to drive to the basket or create his own shot, which was evident in his seven free throw attempts. He also hit a timely three to give the Spurs a much needed four-point lead when they were just starting to pull away late in the third quarter.
Grade: B+
Tim Duncan (PF)
4 of 14
Key Stats: 6 points, 3 blocks
Timmy only hit 2/7 shots from the field, but his presence was felt for the 23 min he was out there, especially on defense. He probably would have played more if he was needed, but to be perfectly honest he wasn't considering how well the other bigs played. Greg Popovich was probably happy to give him the rest on the second night of a back-to-back while he continues to recover from last week's illness.
Grade: C+
DeJuan Blair
5 of 14
Key Stats: 9 points, 11 rebounds
It's a shame Blair only got to play 16 min due to foul trouble. He was playing very well especially when scoring seven poitns in a row to tie the game early in the second half. His stat of 4/11 on FG's can be misleading considering he had 7 offensive rebounds with several tap-backs. He did an excellent job keeping the ball alive with all those rebounds and a couple of steals.
Grade: B
Overall Grade For Starters
6 of 14
The game didn't start off well at all for the starters, who began the game 1/10 from the field. However they kept the team in the game by being aggressive and getting to the line, making 27 of 29 attempts (the only misses coming from Duncan). The defense wasn't great in the first half either, but they did come back strong in the second half to help win the game. Thanks to strong play from the bench, the starters were able to get some extra rest after playing last night and should be revamped for the Bulls on Wednesday.
Overall Grade: B+
George Hill
7 of 14
Key Stats: 6 points, 5 assists
Hill still hasn't found his shooting touch (1/10 FG's), but he found other ways to contribute with 4/5 FT's, four rebounds, three steals, and five assists. This lead to a lot of extra playing time, including in the fourth quarter when the outcome was still in doubt. He also played some great defense, especially in transition.
Grade: B-
Matt Bonner
8 of 14
Key Stats: 21 points, 7 rebounds
Man of the Match in my opinion. In just his second game back from injury, Matt hit a career high of 7 three-pointers on 7 attempts: one shy of tying Steve Smith's record of three-point efficiency in a game (8/8 on 3's against Portland in 2001). He provided the spark off the bench that the Spurs desperately needed to push ahead, helped open up the lanes, and his very underrated defense was excellent. Who says you need several games to rediscover your form after an injury?
Grade: A+
Antonio McDyess
9 of 14
Key Stats: 5 points, 4 rebounds
Like always, McDyess provided some pesky defense and filled in well for an ineffective Tim Duncan and foul-proned DeJuan Blair. He seemed a little hesitent to shoot at times, passing up several open attempts, but either way he was effective and did his job as back-up center.
Grade: B
Gary Neal
10 of 14
Key Stats: 5 points, 5 rebounds
Like McDyess, Neal may have passed up some open shots, but he did hit the ones he took, including a timely three during the Spurs' decisive fourth quarter flurry of threes. He played some pesky defense and really got under the skin of some of the Thunder players. Neal has been given a prime opportunity to prove himself with James Anderson out 6-8 weeks with a stress fracture, so he needs to take advantage of it.
Grade: B
Tiago Splitter
11 of 14
Key Stats: 2 points, 2 rebounds
Like DeJuan, Splitter was plagued by fouls early, limiting him to 4 min of playing time and no action in the second half. He appeared to fall victim to the "rookie call" on a couple of those fouls, but as he learns the ropes he will be able avoid them. He seems to be learning the Spurs' system quickly, knowing where to be at the right time on both ends of the court.
Grade: N/A
Overall Grade For Bench
12 of 14
The bench saw a lot of playing time in this one, including the most crucial stretch of the game when the Spurs started to pull away. Everyone did a good job in some aspect of the game and helped contribute to the win, especially Bonner. With Anderson probably out until after the New Year, guys like Hill and Neal are going to need to fill in by hitting some outside shots and playing pesky defense. Overall it was an excellent outting for this group, and they helped provide further proof that the Spurs have one of the deepest benches in the league.
Overall Grade: B+
Coaching
13 of 14
Coach Pop did an excellent job in spreading the minutes around after having to play a back-to-back for the first time this season. I like that he still played Duncan despite it being the second night, even if it wasn't for too long. He apparently made some big adjustments on defense during the half, as it was obvious the Spurs were more aggressive and covered better. I also like that he stuck with the bench players in crunch time. They were playing very well, so there was no reason to pull them.
Grade: A
Final Overall Grade
14 of 14
In a game that started rough with nothing falling for them and everything falling for the Thunder, the Spurs found a way to get things done yet again. They finally proved their worth after beating a very good OKC team that everyone thought had the best team behind the Lakers and the next MVP in Kevin Durant (which may still be true).
With an extremely good mix of outside shooters and post players who can suck in the defense, the Spurs have become the best outside shooting team in the league which takes a lot of pressure off the Big 3. They are already off to their best start in franchise history at 8-1, but the schedule is beginning to get tougher, so they need to keep it up and show that they are true contenders from here on out.
Overall Grade: A-
