The San Antonio Spurs toppled the Utah Jazz 106-91 Sunday, winning the first game of their 7 game series. Behind Tony Parker’s 28 points and 8 assists to go along with Tim Duncan’s 17 and 11, the Spurs pulled away in the 3rd quarter effectively putting the game out of reach. This is the Spurs 11th victory in a row dating back to the regular season.
Snap Fast Reaction
Tim Duncan looked young all of a sudden. He had a bounce in his step which would remind people of Duncan 5 years ago. While its easy to overreact to a game 1 victory, it seems head Coach Greg Popovich’s plan to rest stars due to their age has worked wonders. At no point in this game did San Antonio show the wear and tear of being elder statesmen in the NBA.
Spurs Star of The Game
Tony Parker keeps doing things that make him the Spurs best player. While people would like to think it is still Duncan or Manu, Parker has clearly taken this team over and has carried his tremendous regular season to this post season. Driving to the basket and hitting shots with ease, Parker shot 52% from the floor leading to 28 points to go along with his 8 assists.
Jazz Star of The Game
Paul Millsap led the way for the Jazz with 20 points and grabbing 9 boards. Oddly enough his +/- for the game was a -23. Obviously getting beat by 15 and playing most of the game Millsap’s -23 was not indicative of his play. Millsap will have to continue to play well for the Jazz to stand a chance.
Manu Has a Room Service Bucket
With 2:52 left in the 2nd period Ginobili showed his age by missing a wide open bucket. It had absolutely zero impact on the game but was rather hilarious. Just imagine if they lost by one Skip Bayless telling you how this dunk cost the Spurs the game.
What The Game Means
Not to much. San Antonio held home court like they are supposed to do. While the Jazz’s front court played well they will need to be even better if they want a chance to even the series. Everybody was counting on the size of Utah to keep them competitive in the series but it did not help much in game 1. The Spurs on the other hand looked how you thought they would. Calm and stoic until the 3rd quarter when they unleashed a 3 point barrage the Jazz could not recover from.
Moving Forward
This was surprisingly an entertaining game until the tail end of the 3rd period. If Utah wants to compete with the Spurs they will have to use their size. Al Jefferson and Millsap both played well but outside of Gordon Heyward they got little help. Derrick Favors needs to be more active and even though they have plenty of size the Jazz will definitely need better guard play. Devin Harris’ 7 points and 5 turnovers are just unacceptable. If he does not get going this series could be over quick.
The Spurs just need to keep being the Spurs. Tony Parker continues his campaign as one of the best players nobody ever talks about. Pretty much owning Harris all game and silencing any critics that he might still have. Popovich is a great coach, so don’t necessarily expect the same game plan going forward. Do expect them to keep the focus on Parker with his ability to score and get other people involved.
Game 2
Game 2 will be played Wednesday at 7pm est on TNT. If you don’t believe me look it up yourself.
Joe Nardone is a Writer/Blogger for Sir Charles In Charge. You can follow him on the twitter machine @DrealJoeMan