Season 48, Game 63
San Antonio 117, Toronto 107
40-23, 6th in the West

It’s easy to watch the last 16 minutes of this game and be really frustrated that the Spurs let the Raptors back into this game. There’s nothing worse than watching a 26 point lead get cut to 20, then 15, then 12, then 10, then 8…. It’s why Pop hates huge first half leads so much. The NBA game is long and its teams too talented; there’s always a run lurking.

It’s human nature to let up just a tiny bit when the lead surges to 26. Often, the team on the short end will acquiesce and play out the game. But the Raptors really turned up their energy in the middle of the 3rd quarter, and the Spurs were caught cruising a bit, and it took them a long time to catch up and match the Raps energy. Suddenly Toronto was crashing the offensive glass and getting 2-3 shots per possession; DeRozan and Lowry and Lou Williams started making 3s; and Toronto really pushed the pace and got 5-6 easy dunks in transition.

All frustrating. But if we focus on the first 32 minutes, we see the reason why the Raptors had to play so hard even to get within spitting distance of thinking about making this a game. It was probably one of the most impressive first halves the Spurs have played all season, dominating the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Once again, Leonard was a one-man defense, completely wiping DeRozan out of the offense, getting steals, and owning the glass. On offense, Parker continued to look renewed, using his burst not only to get to the rim, but also to break down the Toronto defense and get easy looks for everybody else. And for the first time possibly ever, the Spurs just dominated the offensive glass. Particularly Kawhi, who decided that every loose ball was his, and was more or less proven right.

Big picture, the best thing that has come out of this recent winning streak is the play of Parker and Leonard. This is now 3 consecutive games when those two have been the absolute best players on the team and the reason the team was able to win so convincingly. But more impressive is seeing each of the players find their own personal groove within the context of the team, and also learning how to run the team together. Leonard is the future and Parker is the present (and somewhat the future), and these last 3 games is a hint of what this team could look like post-Duncan and post-Manu, with Parker still the engine and Leonard the super charged nitro fuel.

(Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)

(Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)

All of the early season force-feeding offense to Kawhi seems to be paying off, as well. It’s like a flip switched once Pop said it was time to start passing again, and he looks like he’s been the focal point of this offense for years. Funny enough, once Parker and Leonard started clicking, the role players started finding and filling their roles again. Danny and Marco are hitting 3s again; Splitter is rebounding and playing solid D; Mills is providing feisty energy (and his shot is slowly coming around); Joseph is providing necessary spot defense; and Baynes is the gentle bruiser. This team is a joy to watch right now.

The six-game win streak has been nice. And with the Mavs’ loss tonight, the Spurs have finally climbed a spot in the West standings. Realistically, though, I was expecting no worse than 5-1 in this stretch. It’s tough to truly gauge where the team is. Beating the teams in front of you convincingly is a good start, but the schedule is about to get a lot tougher as the Cavs come to town Thursday night. I can’t wait to see Kawhi on LeBron and how the Spurs stack up against a Cleveland team that has been rolling for a few months now.

Let’s hope Duncan is ok and that the Spurs are able to get win #41.