If the last three games were a microcosm to how far this newly assembled team has come along, then things are really, really terrible.
You know that moment when you take your car to the shop, and the mechanic comes out from the garage, wipes his hands on his grease towel and gives you a look of: “this is way worse than anyone would have speculated,”? What we thought may have only been some squeaks and groans coming from under the hood may actually be a cracked header. Or it’s possible that the engine fell out the bottom completely somewhere on the highway.
Read more after the jump.
First, let’s talk Manu. Manu gets a free pass, right? He’s obviously not himself out there. His big time plays come at meaningless times, and he’s not able to take over the game like we’ve seen him do countless times before. The question here is: is this the recovering from injury Manu, or the aging/broken Manu? I pray for the former, not just for Manu’s career but simply because I never realized that his mojo would run out this fast, and I should have appreciated it more when he had it. But I don’t think that’s the case. I think our Manu, the Manu who has learned to use the Force, the Manu who Kobe laid brief accolades on in the documentary, is due for a comeback. And to be honest, I’d rather it be late in the season than now. Peak at the right time, but just hope that you don’t have to fight home court advantage every round.
Tim Duncan is still Bill Murray trapped in a small Pennsylvania town with Chris Elliot. How blessed are we to be fans of a team he is on?
To Tony Parker and Richard Jefferson: I was a sixth grade first-day cut on the basketball team at an Amarillo Junior High. I had the knowledge of the game, but didn’t have the drive or the passion. A coach took me aside and asked me if I had ever eaten raw red meat. I told him no, I preferred Big Macs. He said that if I don’t get some raw meat in me; If I don’t get some kind of anger on the court, I’d never make the team. Well, I didn’t eat red meat and instead became an avid online gamer. But I think you get my drift. These two, out of all the current players, need to show some anger/passion/grit out on the court. I’ve seen Tony come up with two huge turnovers late in the Celtics/Jazz games, and seem to truly not give a flip, or whatever flip is in French. RJ has show flashes of anger earlier, mostly when he was the lone big scorer on the court, but he somehow needs to translate that into each and every game.
As for the bench, at times they seem like one of the best in the league, while others they falter. I truly believe that if the big four can put together a conglomerate effort in most games, then the bench will truly shine.
As for some good news: the rest of the month looks extremely tame schedule wise, and as Bones put it after the game last night on NBA TV: at least the Spurs only have to play the Jazz one more time.
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Tim Duncan is still looking for help, out of 48 Minutes of Hell
