I live in San Antonio, and they televised tonights game vs. the Heat. I'm not sure where else it was on, but I know it was on in SA and Miami. I just thought I would share my observations with everyone. The starting unit at the beginning of the game looked superb. Manu and Timmy looked great, and they all looked fresh. One thing that caught my attention was the way theu pressed the ball up the court. It really appeared that they made a very conscious effort to run the ball. They scored 35 or so points in the 1st quarter using mainly the starters and Oberto, Finley, Barry and Van Exel of the bench. You could tell that the new guys looked a bit lost at times, but Oberto and Finley still played well. Finley bailed out a few possesions when the offense broke down with tough fade away shots while being closely guarded. The rotation at the onset was bringing in Barry for Bowen and Finley for Manu and then sliding Finley over to the 3 spot to play a bit with Manu. Nick Van Exel was very solid and I could tell he has spent considerable time learning the offense. I think he might have been a bit too selfless at times passing on good looks in favor of moving the ball around. Thats a good sign to me, it appears he truly has bought into the system. The 2nd quarter had starters playing quite a bit too, and they had bit of a let down, allowing Miami to run on them, but they survived and still led by 7 or 8 at the half. The second half was a mixture of familiar faces and new ones. Pop used the time to get a long look at the guys who could make the team as on the inactive roster. Rasho Nesterovic looked absolutely lost at almost all times when he played (more than usual), and he only played with the first team when Nazr was in foul trouble and Oberto twisted his ankle (or knee, can't remember). Beno Udrih looked good in his times in the game, but as usual was a liability on defense. Tony Parker looked very fresh and quick as ever. He hit a couple long contested shots, so hopefully that part of his game will continue to improve. In summary, I feel very good after watching this game. We were flat out dominant at the outset with starters vs. starters, and held our own when our bench and scrubs played against established Heat contributors. The Heat did play some no name guys, but not near as much as the Spurs in the second half. Michael Finley is still feeling his way into the offense, as is Oberto and VE, but it's apparent that they are going to play big roles. Oberto has a great feel for the game, setting screens, playing smart D and made some nifty passes out there. Much like his Argentine counterpart he is a tough nosed guy who isnt scared to hit the floor and take a beating. I would be suprised to see Rasho play very much at all, and I get the feeling the idea is to limit Horry's minutes during the regular season. I think the only things we really have to worry about is Pop developing a rotation and the new guys getting familiar with the system and new teammates. On a side note, Antoine Walker looked very good for the Heat and gave Spurs defenders fits trying to guard him. James Posey also looked very good, and I think he might play a bigger role with them than people think. That game might be a look into the Finals this year, who knows. Jason Williams looked avg at best, but the other Heat newcomers all looked solid. I think PG will be their biggest weakness as I am not sold on Williams or an obviously aged Payton. Here is the boxscore.... http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2005101014
Excellent recap, thanks for sharing it. I could only follow along with the play by play on ESPN, so this recap paints a better image of how the game played out. It seemed like the Heat were struggling to score early on, so they started taking the ball to the rim and got to the line. Sounds like fans from both teams were satisfied with what they saw in the first preseason game.
great post, it summed up the game pretty good. The NBA better watch out for these two teams once the season starts.
I saw the game last nite but was not able to watch the end. Great game...Popovich is just trying out the rotation and see who can contibute best when season starts. The SPURS did look good from the start as DUNCANONU summarized. GO SPURS
Does anyone think Sean Marks will get to play a lot more this year? He was pretty damn good in those games that he played in last year and from what i saw in the Heat game.
thanks for the info. I need to either move or get the nba pass - this would have been great to watch. your comment about Tony - "hopefully that part of his game will continue to improve." Why is it that people are always criticizing Parker instead of just saying he's one of the best point guards in the league. period. not he's still developing or whatever. are we watching the same guy? since he got to the league he has played hard, tough and with signature floater shots, speed that no-one can really match, feeding Timmy great, etc. If you want to talk about guys who need to improve how about Bruce Bowen, whose offense is limited to spot up 3's? Or how about Duncan's freethrows? Is it cause he's French? How many more rings does he have to be a part of for people to say he has arrived? Maybe it's me but i just don't get it. I remember when he TORCHED the 4-HOF Lakers in the first two games of the playoffs in 04, then he had a couple of bad or mediocre games and everyone wants to say he choked. what??? He still has 2 more rings than Jason Kidd has. it's time to give Parker the props he deserves.
