Season 48, Game 14
San Antonio 106, Indiana 100
10-4, 5th in the West

A few nights after the French contingent led the Spurs, it was the Italian’s turn to step up. (Well, the Italian contingent save for the one player actually from Italy, Marco Belinelli, though he did have a solid game.) Manu Ginobili and his old Italian League coach, Ettore Messina, led a lethargic Spurs group past a scrappy but undermanned Pacers team on the eve of Thanksgiving.

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Seeing Messina patrolling the sidelines must have triggered some muscle memory in the wily vet, because Manu played like he was in his early 20s again and winning titles and MVPs in Italy before he made the trip over to San Antonio.

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He put up a tidy 28 points (season high), 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. He scored 21 of his points in the second half, when he (along with Kawhi) put the team on his back and willed them past a Pacers team that didn’t seem to understand they weren’t supposed to win. More impressive than the numbers was Manu’s energy and activity. He was everywhere, doing everything, wreaking havoc. He slithered his way into the lane with ease; he made key defensive plays; he saved turnovers; and he passed with his usual flair.

For his part, Messina was solid as well. It’s hard to gauge anybody stepping in for Pop, as this team can more or less coach itself at this point. The one area of concern with a new coach stepping in would be the team’s focus and intensity, particularly on the defensive end. I imagine the team, not fearing the wrath of Pop, relaxes just ever so slightly. That minuscule let down is enough to allow one of the 5 worst offenses in the league to put up 55 points in the first half. So credit to Messina for sticking on the team and getting the defensive energy needed to put the game away in the second half. The game turned on a 13-0 run in the 4th quarter in which the Spurs prevented the Pacers from scoring a single point in about 4-5 minutes of game time.

Any reasonable recap of this game must also mention Kawhi, who seems to grow little by little each game. He’s really taking control and being assertive on the offensive end, and his jump shot is just so pure right now, even if the numbers have yet to come around. My favorite Kawhi thing might be when he rips down a defensive rebound and just decides to be his own one man fast break. It usually leads to a layup and/or a foul on the other end. Speaking of rebounds, Kawhi was the team leader with 13; the next closest was Duncan with 6. When your Small Forward is arguably the best rebounder on the team, that is impressive. As Sean Elliott said on the broadcast last night, I would start expecting these double-doubles on the regular. An 18-13 night should be a regular stat line for Kawhi.

In spirit of the holiday, here are a few other Spurs-related things I’m grateful for:

  • Tim Duncan’s continued victory against the march of time;
  • Manu Ginobili’s essence and artistry on the court;
  • Tony Parker’s understated and underrated competitive fire;
  • Kawhi Leonard’s freakishly awesome hands;
  • Danny Green’s awesome blocks;
  • Marco Belinelli’s crafty cuts away from the ball;
  • Patty Mills’ Tasmanian Devil energy;
  • Cory Joseph’s aggressiveness;
  • Jeff Ayres’ dirty work;
  • Kyle Anderson’s potential;
  • Boris Diaw’s nonchalant brilliance and sneaky great athleticism;
  • Tiago Splitter’s roll to the basket;
  • Aron Baynes surprisingly soft touch around the basket;
  • Matt Bonner’s goofiness and not-horrible defense;
  • In the ultimate charity of the holiday, the one 3-pointer Austin Daye hits every 3 or 4 games;
  • Coach Pop’s steady hand on the franchise and perhaps his most underrated quality: his heart. Get well soon Coach!

I’m also extremely thankful for the wonderful fans of this team, and especially the great friendships I’ve welcomed into my life through our mutual love of a group of men playing a game. Sports can be about so much more, and at its best, it’s about family. No team embodies that better than our San Antonio Spurs.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving everybody, and we’ll see you back here to beat the Kings Friday night.

Go Spurs Go!