Season 48, Game 41
San Antonio 110, Portland 96
25-16, 7th in the West
Welcome to your title defense, San Antonio Spurs.
It only took half the season, but the championship hangover seems to have subsided, and the injury bug is packing his bags and moving on to his next stop. (Knock on wood.)
This game is the first game we’ve gotten of the full roster (well, minus Marco, but a full roster of the really important players), and, wouldn’t you know it, it’s the first game that the Spurs have really looked like the Spurs. It’s been an up and down first half of the season, but the Spurs are still on pace for 50 wins, and I imagine that the second half of the season will have a lot more wins than the first half, so I expect the team to still end in the 52-58 win range. Whole at last, they are poised to go on a nice little run and hopefully make a move in the packed Western Conference standings.
The story of this game was obviously the return of Kawhi. In my recap of the Jazz game, I talk a lot about what he means to this team, which I won’t rehash here. But watching the Blazers game (out of order), I did notice a few thing about Kawhi’s game, some of which I hadn’t noticed before.
Sean mentioned in the telecast that the time off might have served Kawhi well in some aspects. For one, he looks really fresh and aggressive. But Sean’s larger point is that observing the game from the sidelines might have allowed Kawhi to see things from a new perspective, and broaden his understanding of the game and the Spurs’ systems. Whatever the case, his work as a playmaker has certainly improved. He’s now making passes that Manu, Tony, and Tim often make, and when he drives or isolates, he’s a threat to both shoot and pass. His on court awareness looks even better.
He also seems to be playing with a sense of aggression and ownership, demanding the ball, snatching defensive rebounds and taking the ball up the court himself. He is no longer deferring; he is demanding. It’s awesome, especially since he isn’t operating outside of the offense to do it. He is the player who can put the most individual pressure on an opposing team’s defense, and it’s good to see him do it without being asked.
There’s also an edge, an anger that I haven’t seen in him before. I mean this in the best possible way. Maybe it’s just letting go of all of the frustration of this season (first the eye, then the hand), but he’s much more demonstrative (by his standards) and forceful. I like Angry Kawhi, in much the same way I like Angry Manu. We very much like them when they are angry. (Other teams don’t, though.)
Suddenly, the malaise of the season has lifted, and I can’t wait to see what this team becomes over the back half. Watch out, NBA: the Spurs are coming.
A few other thoughts from the Blazers game:
–Danny Green is quietly having the best year of his career. He’s still a dead-eye (though still very much IcyHot) 3-point shooter, but his game has expanded so much. He can now dribble without me having to avert my eyes–at least enough to keep defenses honest. And he’s worked on his driving tear drops, and his two dribble drive and pull up, necessities for long range shooters.
But what is most impressive is how innately he understands the Spurs’ offense and where he fits in it. He moves and cuts so well, always probing, and seeing where his opportunity is going to come well before anybody else does. It’s so much fun to watch.
He is also steadily improving on the defensive end, gaining the reputation as a chase down shot blocker and probably the best shot-blocking 2-guard in the league. Often when defensive role players expand their offensive game, it’s at the expense of their defense. It’s nice to see this is not the case with either Danny nor Kawhi. For my money, that is the best defensive pair of wings in the NBA.
–I know I talk a lot about the difference to this team between Patty and Cory, but I think I can best sum it up like this:
*In a good quarter, Cory can come in and score 10 points; Patty can score 10 points in 3 minutes;
*Patty perfectly complements the play of Manu and Tony; Cory mostly duplicates it, with a slightly lower ceiling.
Cory is great and I love how hard he’s worked and how much he has improved, but Patty is an integral piece to the team’s championship aspirations.
Up next, the Spurs wallop the Jazz by 20.