Game #6 Recap: vs. Knicks

This is my first recap for PtR, so bear with me as I try to separate the snide comments and sarcasm from the facts of the game, so those you not fortunate enough to have watched it could get a feel for what happened.

A couple of lineup notes before the game even started:

- 2 new starters: George Hill got his first NBA start in place of Tony (out with an ankle, if you have been living on another planet); Ime Udoka starts in place of Bowen, who serves as a sub for the first time in 550 games (his entire Spurs tenure). That ticking sound you hear is Father Time, marching on.

- Mason starts: Over Fin again. Might be a trend, but Pop has clearly favored Mason over Findog for the past few games.

- Oberto back at  "center": KT started against Miami, but Fabs moves back into the starting lineup for this game.

1st Quarter:

Timmeh had a hand in the first 6 points: four of his own and an assist to Fabs. Curious George finally got a bucket without TD with a drive and layup. The Knicks first two shots were corner 3s from Zach Randolph and Chris Duhon (both misses). That pretty much summed up the opening stanza.

Tolliver got in midway through the first and managed not to look completely petrified. The JV came in and got off 4 shots in his first 6-7 minutes in the game. Pretty sure that was not in the game plan.

The Spurs defense was poor (more on that later) and the Knicks got a ton of open looks, but only hit about 45%. Fin hit a big 3 that tied the score at 20 at the end of the quarter.

2nd Quarter:

One offensive series: Fabs with a drive from the corner of the key, spins, shoots falling away. Tony, Manu, please come home. A few series later, Pop calls a play for Fab out of the timeout - a turnaround that he buries. It was as horrifying to watch as you might imagine.

The JV starts off the second with a drive and missed layup. The Spurs begin to fall behind a bit as the quarter wears on. The offense looks stagnant, except for the Big Fundamental, who is putting a clinic on for Zach Randolph and David Lee, who appear to have never looked at a scouting tape (guys, Tim likes to put the ball on the floor and spin back baseline quite a bit, or he'll put his head down and drive middle. And watch out for the bank shot jumper, in case you have never noticed).

This version of the Knicks looks absolutely no better offensively than last year's version, despite the new genius coaching them. Methinks D'Pornstache will at some point during this game text Nash: "I miss you."

Halftime: Knicks, 41; Spurs, 38.

Here's the difference defensively this season: other teams get corner / wing 3s against whenever they want to, because the weakside defense is awful. We are late on rotations and the other team either shoots it or gets the running defender in the air and penetrates, creating mismatches. I think it's fixable - the guys on the floor have to better anticipate better where the ball is going to go, not get caught looking where it is - but until it does get fixed, we'll have an inordinate number of: open jumpers from the wing / corner, fouls on bigs trying to contest penetrators, and broken TVs from LatinD and SinCitySpur throwing things at their screens (see Game Thread comments).

3rd Quarter:

Wow - apparently, Pop ripped everyone a new one about the rotations on defense. The Knicks went on a 7-0 run to end the 2nd and scored the first 2 of the 3rd. Then a few minutes in, SA ran off 4 minutes of the quarter where they held NY without a FG (just FTs). Some of it was simply misses by NY (they are not a good shooting team, except maybe Crawford), but the rotations were definitely improved and the bigs did a much better job of stepping out early and corralling dribblers in the paint.

Finley and Hill owned the 3rd quarter. Fin looked as active as I've seen him in ages and Hill ran the point, pushed the floor, and drove well. And oh, by the way, Tim played well in the 3rd also.

Twice in the 3rd quarter, Finley posted up on the block, once against Nate Robinson, who is short, and once against Jamal Crawford, who is not as short. The first one was a disaster. The second one looked bad, but he scored. This might be scary if that one goes in the playbook.

Bowen hit a 3 (he played pretty well off the bench) as time expired and the Spurs led by 3 67-64 to end the 3rd.

4th Quarter:

The Spurs simply took over the game at this point, with their best basketball so far this season (not saying much, I know, but it's something to hang your hat on). The Knicks went scoreless for the first 5 minutes of the game (again, a mix of bad shooting and good defense) and the Spurs began to click offensively. Mason made a sweet backdoor pass to Tolliver for a dunk. Fin shot without hesitation and swished a 3. Hill with an easy layup. Tim was Tim.

The Spurs maintained about a 10-point lead for the rest of the game, after leading by as much as 14. Crawford got hot (had 6 threes for the game), but we answered at every turn, from Bowen to Fin to Hill with more 3s of our own.

Final: Spurs, 92; Knicks, 80.

Random Notes:

- The Knicks shot selection is typical of a D'Antoni coached team, which is to say awful. The difference between Phoenix and NY is that in Phoenix he had guys who could shoot. Other than Crawford (and maybe Lee or Chandler), there's not one guy I'd want on our team.

- No minutes for Marbury or Curry for NY. Way to market them for a trade, guys.

- The JV played only 12 total minutes, none in the pivotal 4th quarter. Hill and Mason split the point duties in the 4th and both played well. With any luck, the JV will be spending most of the season in a suit, with TP, Hill sharing the point and Mason filling in as the 3rd guy.

- Powell is right: the scrubs bring energy. Hill really revved up in the 3rd and Tolliver was a hustler despite a poor night shooting. Oddly, Farmer did not get off the bench tonight.

Your 3 Stars:

1. Tim - The best player for either team on both ends of the floor and it was never close. 23-9-7, 11-17 from the floor, with 2 blocks. He "only" played 36 minutes and was +10 on the night.

2. George Hill - Only 4-10 from the field, but played with poise, played solid defense, and chipped in 5 rebounds. I think he's a keeper.

3. Could go with Finley here (14 pts on 6-9 shooting and 6 boards), but I'm going with Roger Mason, who shot like crap (2-10), but still finished with 10 points, 4 assists, and 7 rebounds. Led with a +13, brought energy and kept JV on the bench in the 4th, for which he gets extra credit. Proved he can contribute when his shot is not falling. He's already the best healthy guard we have.

So, the summary: A win over the Knicks. That's good, but the best part is that in spots of the 3rd and most of the 4th, they looked like the Spurs again, with ball movement, defensive rotations, energy, and a healthy dose of #21 keeping it all together. A loss here would have been a tough thing and this may give Pop some things to build on. I, for one, can't wait for this team to get healthy so we can see Hill, Mason, and Ian integrated in with the rest of the gang.