Game 1 Grades: Spurs 108, Clippers 92
By Joe Buettner
May 15, 2012; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the second half in game one of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the AT
Attempting to leave behind their “laughing stock” status, the Clippers took a set back Tuesday night. This is the first time the Spurs and Clippers have met in the playoffs, and as anyone who’s watched the regular season series would expect, it was not pretty. Then again, seven days rest is a whole lot more beneficial than one day’s rest.
James Anderson, SG 1:05 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS | -1
I was in another world by the time Anderson took the court. Grade: Incomplete
DeJuan Blair, C 1:01 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | +1
Blair will get plenty of rest before a potential Western Conference Finals series against Oklahoma City. Though, for now, Blair does not work to San Antonio’s advantage against these bigger front courts. Grade: Incomplete
Matt Bonner, PF 7:44 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | -7
The Red Rocket had three rebounds. That’s good I guess. The Spurs definitely were not lacking three-point shooting tonight. Grade: C-
Boris Diaw, PF 27:16 MIN | 3-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 12 REB | 5 AST | 7 PTS | +24
Diaw was cleaning the boards tonight. He really stepped up his game, but he’s still struggling to find his shot. Grade: B+
Tim Duncan, C 34:51 MIN | 12-20 FG | 2-2 FT | 10 REB | 2 AST | 26 PTS | +26
Vintage Duncan at its finest. The more fundamentally sound player topped the young guns with flash, and it should be like this for the rest of the series. Kenyon Martin on the court may have also reminded Duncan how to do work in the postseason. Grade: A+
Manu Ginobili, SG 26:54 MIN | 6-13 FG | 7-8 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 22 PTS | +12
San Antonio was thankful to see a productive Manu. A week’s rest did wonders for a struggling piece of the Big Three. Grade: A
Danny Green, G 29:20 MIN | 6-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 15 PTS | +14
3-6 from beyond the arc. Skrilla added to a big night for the Spurs from long range. Grade: B
Stephen Jackson, SG 20:05 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 3 AST | 3 PTS | -6
As much playing time as Jack got, he really did not call a lot of attention to himself. Other than a three-point shot, ho-hum night for #3. Grade: C
Kawhi Leonard, SF 28:30 MIN | 5-8 FG | 3-4 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 16 PTS | +9
Seriously, this guy is a rookie? Learning on the fly, but I could get used to Leonard play at this level. Grade: B+
Patrick Mills, PG 1:01 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 PTS | +1
Yeah, not much to say about good ole Patty. Grade: Incomplete
Gary Neal, PG 12:06 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 5 PTS | -8
The “Neal Before Zod” tweets have been lacking. We need to fix that. Grade: B+
Tony Parker, PG 38:00 MIN | 1-9 FG | 5-5 FT | 2 REB | 11 AST | 7 PTS | +26
Not easy to finish with 11 assits, but Parker was the floor general the Spurs needed. Making passes all night, while the rest of the guys put points on the scoreboard. Grade: B
Tiago Splitter, C 20:28 MIN | 2-2 FG | 0-2 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 4 PTS | -11
Maybe Blake Griffin’s presence made those two free throws hit nothing but air, but whatever it was, Splitter went quiet in this one. Grade: C
Conclusion. For a minute, the Clippers started rallying, and it looked like just maybe, they would pull off another stunning Game One upset. However, the Spurs shooting was great in the second half, and they pulled away in the end. San Antonio will get a day off before returning to the AT&T Center Thursday for Game Two.