Season 48, Game 02
Phoenix 94, San Antonio 89
1-1
There were no treats for us on Halloween; the Spurs ran out of tricks–and gas–late, falling to the Suns 89-94.
It’s not that I hate losing. Losing happens. It’s a long season, and there will be nights when a loss is just in the cards.
What I have a hard time with is losing so poorly. When the final score is more a result of miscues, lethargy, a lack of urgency, poor execution, sloppiness, and what can best be described as a comedy of errors. Phoenix fought tough and played great late; they deserved the win. But this game was there for the Spurs, and the team just gave it away over the final 6 minutes. Turnovers. Passes out of bounds to nobody in particular. Passes out of bounds to a player cutting away from the passed ball. Missed free throws (3, to be exact). Offensive rebounds (nothing makes me want to throw the remote control more than giving up an offensive rebound in late game situations). A flipping 5-second violation on the last play of the game! From the team renowned for its execution on set plays.
And yet, even with the expanse of poor play, the Spurs were right there in the final minutes with a chance to win a tough road game. So I suppose it’s not all bad. As the eternal optimist, I might point out that Tim Duncan looks really good in the post in this young season (and as stout as ever protecting the rim). Tony Parker is playing great, and seems to have added a 3-point shot to his arsenal (he is 5-5 in two games). If he can hit a three-pointer, he might actually be the best PG in the league. Joseph had a solid game. Austin Daye made a few good passes. (This is a reach for me: Austin Daye is easily my least favorite Spur, perhaps ever. But he did have two nice passes. The next time he shoots over 40% from 3 in a game, however, will be the second. Please play Bonner instead.) And the D was very good in the first half.
We just have to wait and assume that the kinks will iron themselves out; that the execution and precision will return with time and repetition; that Splitter’s D and ability in the pick and roll will help solidify the rotation; that Mills injection of energy and shooting will open up the bench again; and that Kawhi will keep ascending.
Let’s talk about Kawhi for a minute. There are a couple of story lines here to discuss. This was his first game of the season, and his first time playing after a long layoff from conjunctivitis. He certainly looked a little rusty, and his jumper was really short, a sure sign of legs not quite in game shape yet. He also appeared to be on a minutes limit from the coach, only playing 24 minutes, almost entirely absent from the 4th quarter (when the team surely could have used his defense against one of the guards shredding through us). He also was visibly looking for his own offense, attacking in the post, playing in isolation, and pushing the break for himself. While it was detrimental in this game, this is a long-term project that must begin now. The only way for him to take on more of the offensive load is to actually start taking on more of the offensive load. There will be growing pains, but it will pay dividends down the road.
There’s a macro story here, as well. The deadline for Kawhi to sign an extension with the team came and went Friday night without a deal getting done. Kawhi is seeking the max, and the Spurs chose not to offer it to him. Yet. Before we all start freaking out about losing the Finals MVP and future of this team, understand that the word ‘yet’ is critical here. There is a lot going on here, but it can be boiled down to this: by waiting until next summer (when Kawhi will be a restricted free agent) to sign Kawhi, the Spurs get more cap flexibility (around $9 million by most estimates) to sign another marquee free agent while still signing Kawhi to a max contract. Had they signed him now, his new salary would count agains the cap next summer and the team would be more hamstrung next summer. As a restricted free agent, they can still offer him the max or match any offer from any other team, but the new salary does not count agains the cap heading into free agency. This gives the Front Office more room to play with and the capability to possibly sign another future building block to pair with Leonard.
This move is not without risk. A team could offer a backloaded contract that would be hard for the Spurs to swallow. Leonard could opt for unrestricted free agency and play out another year on his original contract. There’s no telling what impact this will have on Leonard psychologically and emotionally throughout the season. So much of this team’s success is built on chemistry and teamwork, and an unsettled and unhappy teammate could upset that. Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors, but we have to hope and imagine that the team is doing everything to reassure Kawhi and moving forward as if he is part of the long-term future.
This will all play out in time. For now, the Spurs played poorly and lost to the Suns. As angry as it made me in the moment, it’s just 1 of 82. The team will live to play another day. Wednesday, to be exact, when the Hawks come to San Antonio.
