Season 49, Game 30
San Antonio 108, Minnesota 83
25-5, 2nd in the West
We learned a few valuable lessons in this game:
• Kawhi Leonard, despite popular opinion, is a human being. Or, at least more human than machine.
He can have a poor game, drift a bit on both ends of the floor, press on offense, and generally be below average (for him). And accounting for all of this, he can still be a positive influence on the floor with his defense and general gravity, as the opposing teams have to account for him at all times.
Or course, he turned it on in the 4th, scored 12 points, and this game quickly went from ‘marginally close’ to ‘blowout’.
• The Spurs margin for error this season is ridiculously high.
The biggest difference from last season to this season (and from the 3 seasons preceding last season) is that the Spurs don’t have to play perfectly to win. Last year, a game like this, with the team a bit lethargic and generally off, would have remained close throughout. The Spurs might have won, sure, but it would have been competitive throughout.
This season, even with all cylinders NOT firing, the Spurs can just grind teams into dust. The biggest difference is the emergence of Kawhi as a night-to-night dominating force. But it’s also Aldridge and West, the renewed vigor of Parker and Manu, and Patty and Boris having bounce back seasons. The Spurs run 11-12 deep, and if one spot is not quite there on any given night, the next man will step up and play great.
The best example of this: the Wolves went on a quick 6-0 run to start the 3rd quarter, pulling within 8 about one minute in. What does Pop do? Call timeout, sub everybody. The bench came in, had their own 7-0 run over the next two minutes, and pretty much sealed the game from that point on.
How many teams have benches so deep that they are interchangeable with the starters? Manu, Patty, Boris, and David are all really solid players, and could start for many teams. This is why they have such great success as a bench unit.
The other benefit of this? Once the starters do come back in, they are playing against the opposing team’s bench, and should extend the lead even more.
• The offense is still incredibly efficient.
Just because the Spurs aren’t playing strict “Warriors Ball”, doesn’t mean they aren’t still playing efficient offense. Yes, they aren’t afraid of the dreaded long jumper. They also have players for whom that is an efficient shot.
In last night’s game, the Spurs scored 54 points in the paint, 30 points from 3, and 10 points from the line. That’s 94 of 108 points. The Timberwolves had 83 points in total.
• The defense is the backbone upon which this team will succeed.
The Wolves offense had no prayer against the Spurs defense. They could barely cut or pass against it. It looked like me and my buddies trying to run plays out there. Any success the Wolves had came entirely from individual talent or the Wolves making the shots the Spurs were forcing them to take. If Dieng is going to make 18-footers all night, so be it. The Wolves aren’t beating anybody that way.
• The Duncan to Aldridge high-low is my new favorite Spurs’ play.
• OK, maybe it’s any time Boris uses his butt to back down a poor defender in the post.
You can almost see them thinking, “This guy is beating me?!”
• The Spurs are as deep as they’ve ever been.
Kyle Anderson had a great game. In the right spots with the right surrounding players, he is a legitimate NBA player. His shot is greatly improved, and he is sneaky with the ball around the basket. The things that make him a ‘tweener’ – too short to be a big, too slow to be a guard – are also what make him so effective. His length can completely stifle and surprise opposing guards, and bigs can’t really stay with him.
Simmons is a complete surprise. His athleticism is a nice change up on this roster, and he has the basketball IQ to back it up. I love his aggression and confidence.
David West is our 9th man. He is a multiple time All-Star. Think about that.
The Spurs have a good-to-great backup at every position, and more than one backup at a few positions. In crunch time they have Boban. Once he gets used to the NBA game and figures out how to use his size, he’ll be a legit bench player.
• I love this team.
Not something new I learned, but still worth affirming.
Up next is the Christmas game against Houston. With Houston stumbling, this game has lost a little luster nationally. But not in Texas. These two teams don’t have much love for each other, and I’m sure that enmity spreads to the fans. Personally, I want to destroy the Rockets.
Go Spurs Go.
