Season 48, Game 39
Washington 101, San Antonio 93
23-16, 7th in the West
This was the best thing that happened to the Spurs in Washington, D.C. You should watch it. It’s really good. (And Tim Duncan doesn’t wear a tie to the White House to meet the President?! I don’t even know what to call that, but that’s a man’s move.)
Even had the Spurs beaten the Wizards, the trip to the White House would probably still trump it. And the Spurs didn’t look all that bad against the Wizards. The offense was moving the ball really well, and they were getting a lot of really great open looks out of it, particularly from 3-point range. That’s great to see. Patty Mills is starting to look like the Patty we all know and love. Boris was really aggressive again in the 4th quarter, and was instrumental to the team fighting back and even taking a lead for a short period of time.
The problem is we missed a lot of those wide open 3s. (Danny was an abysmal 2-10.) And Tony played poorly in inverse proportion to Boris, fulfilling some apparent unwritten law that requires balance in the Spurs’ French players. Manu turned the ball over 4 times, many in critical stretches in the 4th quarter. We had trouble stopping John Wall, who has really blossomed into a complete PG, a scary complement to his crazy athleticism. In the closing minutes of the game, our offense turned to crap, and we gave up offensive rebounds, second chance points, and fouled to send them to the free throw line. A step-by-step guide in how to lose a close game.
Washington is a really good team, and losing to them at home is not a bad loss. But there’s just this sense of stagnation with this team, a complete inability to get any sort of forward progress moving. Even within the game, we fought back from multiple 8-10 point deficits, only to let the Wizards re-seize control of the game. We can’t get any rhythm on the floor, and our engine and PG is having a quietly terrible season. We haven’t won 3 straight games since beating Philadelphia on Dec 1. There is no flow to the team or the season. It comes in fits and starts, and it’s frustrating. Pop is still tinkering with rotations and player combinations, in large part out of necessity. That chemistry from last year is really lacking.
Every time we think we might have turned a corner, it’s another tough loss. The Spurs have another chance to get something going Wednesday night in Charlotte.
