Season 48, Game 68
San Antonio 101, Boston 89
43-25, 6th in the West
That was a strange game. Whatever the tenor of the game felt like in the moment, the opposite was about to occur. Or at least feel that way.
The Spurs started off the game great, playing wonderfully on both ends of the court and building a double-digit lead within minutes. They were getting whatever they wanted on offense, and holding the Celtics to long jump shots on the other end. They were in complete control.
Somewhere in the 2nd quarter, stretching into the middle of the 3rd, the Celtics by sheer force of will seemed to grab a bit of momentum. And while the score didn’t necessarily reflect it, it actually felt like they were in control of the game a bit. The Spurs were getting hounded by the Celtics’ defense (Parker, in particular, was having trouble holding on to the ball, to the tune of 6 TOs), and their offense seemed to be getting whatever it wanted. The game was dangerously close to actually becoming a competitive game on the floor and the scoreboard.
Enter Kawhi. 13 straight points, steals, rebounds, complete domination. And like that, POOF, it was a 20+ point game and the Spurs were rolling. Game over.
Not so fast. The bench came in to start the 4th and were holding the lead.
Then Marcus Smart took back-to-back cheap shots on Baynes and Bonner (the Bonner cheap shot being more egregious, with a complete wind-up punch into the groin) to get a Flagrant-2 and ejection, the crowd was in a frenzy, and the Spurs seemed to be in complete control.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the blowout. The clean-up crew kept missing shots, and missing shots, and missing shots (so many rimmed in and out and all around, but never down), and the Celtics just kept chipping away. Behind a 16-0 run it was suddenly a 7-point game with way too much time left.
I’m sure many a Spurs’ fan was throwing things, slamming their hands down on things, and cursing imaginary things. Or maybe that was just me. Either way, a sure blowout turned into a game that was about to slip away.
But since it was opposite day, there was nothing to fear. Most of the starters came back in, Parker and Splitter and Leonard established some semblance of control, and the Spurs got their win. Until that final buzzer sounded, though, there was no comfort. Who knew when the next abrupt turn of fortune was about to occur?
There was a lot to like from this game. As I said, the team was sizzling at the start. Splitter, in particular, continued his aggressive and overwhelmingly good play. He’s always had hidden value, doing the kinds of things that win games and championships but don’t always show up in box scores. But now he’s decided to start doing those box score things, too. His post game has magically transformed from a shrug of the shoulders and a laugh into almost-dominant. He’s running the floor great (knock on wood his calf issues are behind him), and he’s just playing with more force.
Leonard bounced back from two sub-par games. His jump shot was on early. His third quarter was just magnificent, almost single-handedly overwhelming the entire Boston team. No one could guard him, no one could get around him.
Boris continued his recent strong play, getting subbed early in the 3rd (for match-ups) and playing most of the quarter. He even made a 3 tonight, which might be his first in about a year. Give or take. If his long-distance shot can return and he keeps playing aggressive….
Parker had an uneven game. He was clearly frustrated early (getting a rare technical foul), and the Celtics have great perimeter D. He turned that frustration into anger, and seemed really determined to drive, score, and force the issue. It was mostly positive, but there were stretches when he was a little too narrowly focused.
The real concern is Patty Mills. His shot is completely missing, and it’s really hurting the second unit. (The absence of Manu is also hurting the second unit, to be fair. Without Manu, it’s a lot of movement leading to very little action; there’s no endpoint.) When his shot is falling, he is an above average player; when it’s not falling, he hurts the team. It’s no coincidence that the team started to unravel in the 4th with Mills at the helm: he just couldn’t get any shot to fall–and he had some wide-open ones. There were other shooters out there also struggling, but it’s Patty’s shooting with that unit that starts everything and keeps the offense open and flowing.
Of course, it also hurt that Reggie Williams refuses to shoot. I can only imagine what it’s like to be a journeyman just trying to stick in the NBA and come to a team like the Spurs. I appreciate that he’s trying to fit in and play within the culture. I actually really like his game and think he has a lot of promise. But this Spurs’ offense requires that all 5 players be a threat offensively in some capacity. So when one player just won’t shoot, it gums everything up.
Mostly it was a really great night. There were also some concerns. On the occasion of Opposite Day, let’s just call it even and take the win.
