Season 49, Game 33
San Antonio 101, Minnesota 95
27-6, 2nd in the West
For a night, Boban Marjanovic was our only hope.
The best part of this young season for me hasn’t been watching Kawhi ascend, or Aldridge acclimate, or pinching myself every day knowing that our 10th man is David West. All of those things are amazing, but they are a set-up for the long game: April, May, and hopefully June.
No, the best part has been the surprises at the end of the bench. In his second season, Kyle Anderson is finally showing that he belongs in the league. Every once in a while he’ll do something that makes you think he can be even more. At the very least, he is the perfect Spur: smart, humble, all about the team. He still has a short leash from Pop, but he is committed to being a great player.
Jonathon Simmons has been a revelation, from earning a spot on the Austin Spurs from an open tryout to playing big minutes in important regular season NBA games. His athleticism stands out the most, a curveball the Spurs can so rarely throw. But it’s his play making, defense, and overall intelligence which are going to allow him to be a critical rotation piece on this veteran squad with Title aspirations.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, has been Boban. A crowd favorite from the moment he arrived in San Antonio, Boban has earned every ounce of adoration he receives. At 7’3″ with a 9’7″ standing reach, there will probably always be a spot for him on a basketball court. But Boban is showing us that he is a basketball player, not just some really tall dude who fell into the sport because of his height. He is nimble on his feet, has a soft touch, and great court vision. Oh, and he just completely overpowers opposing big men, making them look like me out on the court.
In Monday’s game against Minnesota, he was the spark that ignited the Spurs to victory. In 15 minutes of play, he scored 17 points on a mere 7 shots. He played solid defense, at one point completely swallowing up the 6’11” Dieng on a putback layup attempt.
More importantly, he energized the home crowd and the home team, when both seemed ready to sleepwalk through the game. His two stints (one in each half), were the turning points for the Spurs getting back into the game (1st half) and then taking control of the game (2nd half).
We already knew that the Spurs rolled 9 deep with top-notch quality NBA players. Throw in Anderson, Simmons, and Marjanovic, and we’re up to 12 players that could find consistent minutes on most NBA teams. And we have Butler, Bonner, and McCallum to boot.
The Spurs have top-level talent and extreme depth, a rarity in this league without getting lucky or spending money. To win the title in today’s NBA, it takes a village surrounding superstars.
Luckily, the Spurs have both. Not a bad roster, indeed.
The Spurs play the Phoenix Suns tonight.
Go Spurs Go.
