Tag: In the News

Game rewind: Why the defensive switch on Martin changed the game

After Kevin Martin blistered the Spurs for 21 points in the first half on an assortment of jumpers, Gregg Popovich had seen enough.

The Spurs coach changed his defensive strategy with the idea of forcing Martin to drive more after the break.

A rotation of fresh defenders was employed, with Danny Green and Gary Neal getting most of the work.

“A guy like that, once he gets going, you have to throw different things at him,” Green said. “We had multiple guys guarding him. All you can do is to try to deny him catching it. And when he catches it, just be annoying so he doesn’t get rhythm and make shots. Luckily, he cooled down when we needed him to.”

Martin started the game 7 for 10 from the field with five 3-pointers in the first half, but went only 3 for 11 from the field and 1 for 4 beyond the arc in the second half. He was limited to three points in the fourth quarter and missed his final three shots as the Spurs charged back for a 99-91 halftime victory.

“If he’s hot, you have to try to get him the ball,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said.

The Rockets weren’t nearly as successful in that plan in the second half.  And as a result, the Spurs escaped with their biggest comeback victory of the season.

Game analysis: After falling behind by as much as 19 points in the first half and 18 in the third quarter, it looked like a game to punt considering the Spurs were playing on the front end of a back-to-back. Despite that large deficit,  Tim Duncan had a vintage third quarter that pulled the Spurs back into the game and the bench did the rest in the fourth quarter to lead the victory.  

Where the game was won: Neal’s floater gave the Spurs the lead for good at 93-91 with 2:00 remaining. And after Martin had missed a 25-footer and Courtney Lee was called for an offensive foul, Matt Bonner drilled a 3-pointer with 1:04 left to ice the victory.

The turnaround: The Spurs hit Houston with a run of 11 straight points late in the third quarter to pull within 66-63 on James Anderson’s 3-pointer with 1:21 left. Duncan accounted for six points in the run and later added a rim-rattling dunk later in the quarter as the Spurs charged back within 71-67 at the end of the quarter after trailing by 17 points early after halftime.

Player of the game I: Duncan has had a couple of big scoring games this season. But his 25-point effort against the Rockets was more like the old days when he was an inside threat.  Instead of settling for outside jumpers and bank shots, he tormented Jordan Hill after Samuel Dalembert picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter. Duncan also  went to the foul line 10 times in his most active game at the line since the 2010 playoffs against Houston.

Player of the game II: Tony Parker provided 24 points and four assists, including six points in the fourth quarter to help lead the Spurs’ comeback.

Player of the game III: The Spurs didn’t have an answer for  Martin in the first half as he torched them for 21 points. A defensive change limited his touches and open looks in the second half, but he was Houston’s biggest weapon on a night where he accounted for 29 points, a season-best nine rebounds and four assists.

Most unsung: His teammates were joking about his botched breakaway layup, but Bonner provided eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds in a surprisingly bruising game than he normallay accustomed to providing.

Did you notice I: Sitting in the courtside seats near the Spurs bench was North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who tries to visit each of his former players in the NBA when he can. He came to San Antonio to watch Green play Wednesday night. After a slow start where he missed his first five shots, Green rebounded to hit all three of his shots in the fourth quarter as he shared team scoring honors with seven points.

Did you notice II: After starting, Spurs guard Kawhi Leonard didn’t play in the second half.

Stat of the game:  The Spurs charged back from a 19-point deficit early in the second quarter to claim the comeback victory. Their largest previous comeback victory came when they came from 12 down in a 101-95 overtime victory over Houston on Jan. 11.

Stat of the game II: Pounding the ball inside at will, the Spurs had a 42-16 edge in points in the paint. That plus-26 margin was their highest in a game this season,  topping their previous high of plus-22 in their victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 28.

Stat of the game III: Duncan scored 16 points in the third quarter, topping the Spurs’ previous season best of 14 points set by Parker at Orlando on Jan 18 (fourth quarter) and Manu Ginobili against Utah on Dec. 31  (second). It was the most points in a quarter by a Spurs player since George Hill went for 16 points agianst Phoenix last April 3 (first quarter).  

Stat of the game IV: The Spurs extended their home record this season to 11-1. They are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most home victories in the Western Conference and trail only Philadelphia’s 12 home triumphs.

Stat of the game V: After  combining to hit only 3 of 15 from the field and account for 10 points through three quarters,  Neal and Green hit  6 of 7 shots and combined for 14 points in the fourth quarter.  

Weird stat of the game: After averaging 15 foul shots in their last four games and notching only two games of more than 20 foul shots in their last nine games, the Spurs went to the line 31 times to match their season best. Their previous high was set in their victory over Utah on Dec. 31. 

Weird stat of the game II: The Spurs forced 21 Houston turnovers, their most since forcing 25 in their season-opening victory over Memphis on Dec. 26. It came within one of the Rockets’ season high of 22 turnovers, set Jan. 10 at Charlotte. 

Weird stat of the game III: The Spurs’ point total improved in all four quarters for the first time in a game this season. They scored 16 points in the first quarter, 23 points in the second quarter, 28 points in the third quarter and 32 points in the fourth quarter.

Not a good sign: The Spurs started slowly with only 16 points, which was their second-lowest point total in a home first quarter this season. The low is 14 against Memphis on Dec. 26.

Best plus/minus scores: Neal was plus-26, Bonner was plus-20 and Green was plus-14.

Worst plus/minus scores: Richard Jefferson and Leonard were minus-15 and Blair was minus-14.

Quote of the game: ”Tim Duncan went to the Fountain of Youth or something yesterday because today he looked phenomenal. We fed off Tim. He played great and everybody else kind of got their energy from Tim,” Neal, describing Duncan’s vintage second-half performance.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs will face the back end of a home back-to-back when New Orleans Thursday night before concluding the homestand Saturday night against Oklahoma City and starting the Rodeo Road Trip Monday night in Memphis. The Rockets will host Phoenix on Friday before traveling to Minnesota for a Saturday game and playing Monday in Denver. 

Injuries: Ginobili missed his 18th game (Spurs record 11-7) after undergoing surgery for a fractured fifth left metacarpal.  T.J. Ford missed his 13th game (Spurs record 8-5) with a torn left hamstring. Parker was dazed in the fourth quarter after taking a shot to his nose, but did not miss any playing time. Houston reported no injuries.

Spurs patching up defense on the fly

By Jeff McDonald

PHILADELPHIA — A 14-point lead had vanished. The Memphis Grizzlies had awoken to take a six-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. The Spurs were on the verge of a disheartening opening to their 10th annual rodeo road trip.

On the edge of unraveling Monday night in Memphis, Tenn., the Spurs called on an old friend.

Their defense saved them, holding the Grizzlies to just 11 points in the final frame as the Spurs rallied for an 89-84 victory they hope sets a tone for the rest of the nine-game trek.

“That’s what we’re going to have to bank on,” forward Tim Duncan said. “We’re not going to score a bunch of points every night.”

As their epic road jaunt continues tonight in Philadelphia, the Spurs know their defense is still light years from the unit that once strangled opponents en route to four NBA titles.

In truth, it might never get there.

Even so, there’s no disputing the Spurs are playing better defense now than they were on Jan. 10, when they shot 60 percent and lost at Milwaukee, causing coach Gregg Popovich to bemoan “the worst defensive team we’ve ever had.”

“I think we’re starting to understand the system a little better, taking a little more pride in it, becoming a little more consistent in execution,” Popovich said. “We’re making fewer mistakes in certain areas.”

Tonight in Philadelphia, where points are sure to come at a premium, the Spurs’ ability to keep the score low will be paramount. Under coach Doug Collins, the 76ers are allowing an NBA-best 86.64 points per game.

“Since I’ve been in San Antonio, we don’t have a good record in Philly,” said point guard Tony Parker, whose team has lost four straight in the City of Brotherly Love. “They always play well against us. We’re going to have to match their energy.”

Before the season, Popovich announced his intention to return the Spurs to the top echelon of NBA defensive teams. Twenty-one games in, that goal remains elusive.

The Spurs rank 24th in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 45.3 percent. They are 12th in scoring defense (93.5 points per game).

Over the past eight games, however, the Spurs’ defense has shown palpable signs of life.

They didn’t surrender triple digits in regulation in any of those contests, limiting foes to 42.9 percent shooting and an average of 87 points.

With a handful of young players populating the rotation — including rookie forward Kawhi Leonard, third-year swingman Danny Green, and a pair of second-year players, center Tiago Splitter and guard Gary Neal — improvements have had to come almost exclusively on the fly.

“It’s almost all from playing, because there aren’t any practices,” Popovich said.

“While they’re playing, we’re coaching and teaching and making adjustments, and getting on them, and congratulating them, and getting on them — just so they understand what we’re looking for.”

Monday in Memphis provided the blueprint. Against the Grizzlies, the Spurs’ defense allowed them to hang on despite a nearly six-minute scoring drought in the third quarter.

The Spurs took control by holding Memphis without a point for the first 5:23 of the fourth quarter, then sealed the game when Duncan blocked Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol in the last 34 seconds.

With Memphis down three, Gay had a chance to tie, but his 3-pointer out of a timeout was well defended and hit nothing.

“We know the fourth quarter is where we need to focus on defense, make our stops,” Green said. “If we make our stops, we know we’ll be OK.”

The phrase “stops on demand” used to be a popular T-shirt slogan around the Spurs’ practice facility. Lately, that motto has seemed to go the way of “Where’s the Beef?”

If Popovich gets his wish, stops on demand might be back in style again.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

What the Spurs and Hawks said after the game

Here, thanks to the folks in the Spurs’ media services office, is a sampling of some of the post-game comments from both locker rooms after the Spurs’ 105-83 victory over Atlanta. 

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

(How impressive was the lift from the bench?)

“Our bench was fantastic.  A number of people came into the game and played good solid basketball, both at the defensive and offensive ends.  I was really pleased with the bench.”

(On Matt Bonner…)

“When Matt makes shots like that, it certainly helps offensively and he was on tonight.”

(On Cory Joseph…)

“I was really pleased with Cory’s aggressiveness.  He didn’t play tentatively, as if he was trying to learn about the league or anything like that.  He just played basketball in a very aggressive manner and that was great to see.”

(On the defensive effort of Tiago Splitter …)

“It was no different than any other night.  What you see Tiago do, you’ve seen him do every single night that he plays.  That’s what makes him special.”

(On a nightly basis, what are you looking for out of DeJuan Blair?)

“Just to be a player who compliments Timmy and Tony.  That’s what they all do.  Everybody is a role player, complimentary player around those guys right now.  Everybody has the same job to know their roles and play it.  I think all those guys are getting a lot of experience and getting better at it.”

(This is a very good Atlanta team and you pretty much shut them down for most of the game. What do you attribute that too?)

“It’s just one night in the NBA and we played, expect for that period in the first half. We played real solid defense, we rebounded well, we executed and made shots.  We played better than they played tonight, but it’s just one night in the NBA.  We’ve had our nights where we haven’t played well also.”

San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner:

(On his hot shooting touch…)

“I had the first couple to go down. It always makes things easier. My teammates did a good job of finding me when I was open, moved the ball, and got good shots. “

(On Spurs sharing the ball with 29 assists…)

“That’s what we focus on, offense. Do not hold the ball. Either you attack or move it and get the defense on their heels and get great shots.”

(Was the Spurs bench a big factor?)

“I think so. We came out a little stagnant in the third quarter and Coach Pop got really mad and made some quick substitutions, so we knew we had to come in with energy to get things back on track and luckily it worked out for us.”

(On third quarter positive play…)

“Half of the time I am not looking at the scoreboard in the third quarter but the ball was going in. It was not any one individual. I think it was a team effort. Everybody was executing, setting good picks, attacking and finding the open man.”

(On team defense holding the Hawks…)

“Well, defense is always the key. It is great to share the ball and get a lot of assists and shots. Not every night the ball is going to be going in like that and that is where the defense comes in and keeps us in games. Tonight we played great defense and made a lot of shots.”

(On Cory Joseph…)

“He looked really comfortable out there and did a good job leading us into sets and getting us in the right spots and also on defense.”

 (Is Cory Joseph growing up a little bit?)

“Tonight he did, hopefully he can keep it going.”

San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair:

(On playing a great Hawks team)

“We beat a great team and we played great. Pop got after us over the first half. So we came out after half and got out there and did a great job.”

(On understanding Popovich messages by calling timeouts…)

“Yes, of course we do. It’s a quick season and we want to get through and go. We can’t be half playing.”

(On keeping Tim Duncan rested…)

“We just have to keep playing hard and try to give the big man as much time off as possible. I know we want him out there, but we need him for the long run.”

Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew:

 (On the Spurs shooting tonight…)

“They shot the ball extremely well tonight, but we had some defensive breakdowns that allowed them to really get some good looks at the three. We climbed back in it right before the end of the first half. All the things that we talked about that we needed to do at a defensive standpoint; we didn’t get it done. We had multiple defensive breakdowns. When you allow them to get going particularly at the three, you are asking for trouble. We just didn’t do a good job at defending the three.”

(How uncharacteristic of your team is that?)

“In most cases, we do a good job at defending the three. It just seemed time and time again, we just kept losing people for whatever reason. At the same time you have to tip your hat to the Spurs. I thought the things that they ran; the things that they exploited, it got them going. Matt Bonner hit three threes in the third quarter. It’s just something we talked about prior to the game. Making sure we didn’t lose him, but we did time and time again. He knocked down some big three’s. It’s just one of those games, they outplayed us. If you look at that stat sheet, they beat us in just about every category. If you allow a team to shoot 51 percent on you from the field you’re not going to win many ball games, so we just have be better.”

(On the nice effort from Jeff Teague tonight…)

“Jeff has really been playing well for us all year. He was able to match speed for speed with (Tony) Parker. He got in the paint a few times and shot some nice floaters. I was very encouraged by Kirk’s performance tonight. I thought he would come back a little more winded. He played with a nice rhythm and his shot looked good. We’re just really pleased that he is back and hopefully there are no setbacks with his shoulder. In moving forward, we will learn from this game and get ready for the next one.”

Hawks forward Josh Smith:

(On the Spurs’ play in the second half…)

“They went on a run.  We were unable to score the basketball. This is a good team where whenever you allow Tony Parker to get in the paint and Tim Duncan is getting involved, they’re a hard team to beat.”

(On Matt Bonner’s play…)

“Somebody’s going to step up. No matter who it is, everybody is a professional. Matt Bonner’s a stroker. They have good sets with the pick and roll play. They had us confused on the pick and rolls. Any kind of step-in, they were finding him with his quick release tonight.”

(On playing against the Spurs defensively…)

“They’re very simple. Simple on offense, but they never stop moving. You really can’t get relaxed and they make you help, and when we were helping on the defensive end, they were finding guys on the perimeter and they just made the right play.”

(On the Spurs’ defensive adjustments in the second half…)

“I just think that we got a little stagnant on the offensive end. The ball stayed on one side of the floor. When you’re playing against a great (team), no matter how old or whatever people say they are, they’re a smart team. They play great defensively as a team. You have to make the ball move from side to side against this team and when we got stagnant on the offensive end. We were in low shot clock situations where we had to take shots that we really didn’t want to take.”

Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich:

(On what did the Spurs do well on defense…)

“They stopped the ball when guys got in there (the lane), they played with confidence, they were aggressive and we just got outplayed tonight.”

(On what was different in the second half…)

“They just shot the ball well all night and especially in the second half. They are a smart, veteran team and they took advantage of our mistakes.”