I’m with Sean Elliott; I hate getting big leads early in games. It’s just a matter of time before the other team makes their run. Talent and player quality aside (that’s a big aside, I know), early leads are usually generated by a higher energy level by the winning team. When the losing team invariably raises their energy and makes their run, it is then incumbent on the team with the lead to raise their level to match. But when you race out to a big lead, you usually settle in to an energy level and a rhythm, and you start coasting. When the other team makes it’s run at you, it can be very hard to shake out of that complacency. Before you know it, a 17 point lead is now a 5 point lead, all momentum has swung in the other team’s favor, and suddenly your gasping to keep up. This usually isn’t an indictment of the winning team’s play; it’s just a function of the opposing team’s (and hence, the game’s) rise in energy level.
In that light, I found the Spurs’ victory over New Orleans more impressive than a blow out win. We got big leads on them several times and we were effectively able to take their best shot on the chin, raise our level of play, and beat them. That’s good practice for the playoffs. If everything is in preparation for the playoffs, then a game like this is much more valuable than a blowout.
Looking Forward:
Utah is in town Wednesday night for the 41st game of the season, which for you math majors, marks the midway point of the season. After the game I’ll have a more thorough mid-season analysis, but several weeks ago my projected (ie, hoped for) win total after the 41st game was 26 wins. So if we can get the win, we’re right on pace. This is also our last game against the Jazz this year, who have spanked us three times prior, so a bit of revenge/pride will be in play. Also, there is a high probability that Tim Duncan will pass the 20,000 point milestone during the game, which probably means very little to him, but should mean a lot to those of us that follow and love him. And the game is on ESPN.
Should be a fun night.
