Season 49, Game 02
San Antonio 102, Brooklyn 75
1-1

Any fan who watched that first half might have thrown their hands up in disbelief, called the Aldridge signing a failure, and resigned themselves to the first losing season in decades.

If that fan stuck around for the second half, though, they might be pricing replica championship rings online and wondering what they’ll move to get that 6th banner in the rafters.

It was that stark a difference; the second half was as encouraging as the first half was dispiriting. All the growing pains were on display in those first 24 minutes, in which the Spurs were only able to score 42 points, 6 of them off buzzer-beating 3s. So 36 points in 24 minutes. That’s bad.

Everything looked out of sorts everywhere. The ball was sticking. When it did move, the player movement was a second too quick or a second too slow. If not for the grace of these athletes, I’m sure there would have been several player collisions. It was ugly. It was not fun to watch.

Oh, but that second half. Tony scored 8 points in about 2 minutes, looking ever like the Tony we’ve known for so long. He may have lost a half-step, but don’t write him off just yet. He’s compensated for his slight decline in speed by getting even craftier with his movement, cutting, and change of directions. A few times he used the threat of his speed to get the defender to move too far, only to stop, change direction, and get a really easy lay-up. It might not be as easy as it was, but it’s equally as effective.

Then it was Kawhi time. While Wednesday’s game was certainly more impressive, I was more encouraged by tonight’s performance. He had a pretty mediocre first half. So much so, that Pop sat him for a long stretch of time. In years past, this might have upset his whole night, causing him to be too deferential or tentative. Not this season. He came out in the second half confident and determined. Again, he was the best player on the floor, and the offense exploded from his initiative.

Meanwhile, his defensive game was equally superb. There are no highlights equaling his block on Durant, but he completely erased Joe Johnson from the game, to the point that you’d be forgiven if you didn’t even realize that he had played in the game. It wasn’t that he forced him into bad shots, it was that he completely stopped him from even taking shots. (He finished the game 1 for 7.)

Aldridge’s game was really impressive, too. He was doing the dirty work. Scrapping for rebounds on both ends, cutting hard, playing gritty defense, protecting the rim. He was playing Splitter’s part, only with more skill and talent. While Splitter might be a better fit (for now) in the pick and roll game and man-to-man defense, Aldridge is actually a much better rebounder (a constant source of frustration with Splitter) and has the ability to be a much better team defender. He did great work protecting the rim tonight, and even stuffed Lopez on a great man-to-man defensive possession.

We’ll probably hear rumblings of Aldridge’s ‘selfishness’ and ‘desire to be the man’ for years to come, but watching tonight’s game, he is invested in this team. He wants to win, and he’ll do whatever he needs to get there. If he puts the work in, the huge offensive nights will come a-plenty, as well.

The Spurs scored 42 points in the first 24 minutes, and had doubled it 16 minutes later. The Nets had 47 in the first half, and only 28 the rest of the way. Two completely different halves. Let’s hope tonight’s second half is more the harbinger of things to come.

A few more thoughts from tonight’s game:

• Mills looked a lot better tonight, too. Pesky defense, better shooting and movement in the offense. Funny what not having to guard Westbrook can do for you.

• The big man rotations will be fascinating to keep an eye on in the first few months of the season. With Aldridge and Duncan starting, it’s inevitable that Diaw and West will have to share the court together. But those two are a rim-protecting nightmare, and the defense is prone to collapse during that time. It doesn’t matter how great that second unit’s offense is if they can’t stop anybody.

How Pop staggers the rotation will be fascinating. In the second half, Diaw came in for Duncan, then Duncan came back in for Aldridge. I thought West might then spell Diaw, to keep one of our “true” bigs (Aldridge and Duncan) on the floor at all times. Instead, Aldridge came back in for Diaw. West was out of the rotation until garbage time.

• To go with that, Pop tightened the rotation in the second half and only played players he trusted from the last few seasons, plus Aldridge. Not sure if he just wanted to ensure the win, was unhappy with what he saw from the other players, or a combination. I know West sacrificed a lot to come here, but he still expects to play. Ultimately I think he’ll fit in great, but the first two games have been bumpier than I anticipated for him.

Some of it isn’t his fault; he really needs to play with a more traditional big. So does Diaw. How does Pop find time for both of them while playing them together as little as possible?

• Speaking of big men, Boban made his debut tonight, and it was as glorious as you could hope. It was garbage time, yes, but he looked really good. It’s quite obvious that players just aren’t used to playing against (or with) a player his size. And he has real touch around the rim. It’ll take longer than most of us probably want, but he could be a real rotation player by season’s end.

I hope you enjoyed the home opener, because now the Spurs head out for a little 3-game East Coast swing. They play in Boston on Sunday afternoon.

Go Spurs Go.