Season 48, Games 74 & 75
San Antonio 95, Miami 81
San Antonio 103, Orlando 91
49-26, 6th in the West

That was a productive two days in Florida.

Neither Florida team is any great shakes, but turning a ‘should win’ into a ‘did win’ is never a guarantee. Particularly when so many of those games have turned against the Spurs’ favor this season. (Read: a loss to the Knicks and the Lakers.) Beating the teams at the top of the league is always more impressive, but great teams also take care of business at the bottom.

There were plenty of circumstances that could have turned either game into a loss. Miami is without LeBron and Bosh and hardly the team from last year’s Finals, but they still have Wade and Dragic, are still well-coached, playing at home, and fighting for a playoff spot. Orlando is a young team full of athletes and players looking to prove their spot on the team in the league. They had been resting for nearly four days, while the Spurs were on a back-to-back. San Antonio had every reason to give that game away and lay an egg. That the team went 2-0 on this little swing tells me more about them than the competition faced.

The story of the trip was the bench. In both games, the bench served as catalyst for the wins. In Miami, it was the long-distance shooting and the energy of CoJo that helped to really open up the game. In Orlando, the bench straight up buried the Magic bench, outscoring them 48-4 through three quarters–at which point the game was essentially over. The bench really saved the starters’ ass in Orlando, as they looked sluggish and disinterested.

Baynes had a tremendous game in Orlando and has really solidified the 4-man Big rotation heading into the playoffs. Now that Diaw is awake, I’ll put our frontcourt against any other frontcourt in the league. They can all pass, cut, set screens, rebound, and score in multiple ways. Boris, in particular, has been in attack mode. More than any other big, he often finds himself in a mismatch on the offensive end with a smaller defender on him. More than ever he has been attacking these mismatches directly, using his *ahem* wide base to bully his way straight to the rim and get an easy two.

The best part of the trip was the play of Cory Joseph, which creates a real dilemma. We all know the virtues of Joseph and the virtue of Mills and how each benefits the team. We also all know that Mills is in a huge slump and needs time to get out of it. But if Cory is going to play like he did in the last two games, he might be the better option, straight up. I think a non-slumping Mills is the better option because of how quickly his shooting can turn a game. But an attacking and aggressive Cory can also easily turn the game, particularly on the defensive end. In Miami, his defense in tandem with Kawhi was frightening, and left the Heat guards and wings baffled. Throw in Green, and that’s as scary a defense 1-2-3 as you’ll find in the league. If he can stay aggressive on offense and keep hitting his jump shot, he might just earn the back-up spot.

Kawhi was spectacular yet again. He tortured Wade in Miami on defense and anchored the offense with his jumper and his play in the post. If he continues to play this confidently in the post and keeps expanding his vision, the Spurs will be very tough to beat. If he continues to play this well and stay healthy, he’ll be an All-Star for years to come.

I am slightly worried about Parker. His play has been subtly so-so since his huge “resurgence” a few weeks ago. He’s not bad, like he was for a few weeks after coming back from injury. He still has his legs and is attacking well. His performances have been spotty, his shot isn’t falling consistently, and he seems to be pressing and forcing the issue way too much, rather than fitting into and relying on the system. The great play of Kawhi and others has masked it a bit, and it obviously hasn’t been costing the team any wins. It’s something to keep an eye on as the season winds to a close, though. The team can win games and series and titles with a “good but not great” Parker, but they are sunk with just an “average” Parker.

Up next, Denver comes to town Friday night as the Spurs look to get their 50th win for like the 50th straight season (all numbers approximate) and continue jockeying for playoff seeding.