Season 49, Game 38
San Antonio 100, New York 99
32-6, 2nd in the West
Midway through the 4th quarter, I thought to myself, “Just get to 100 points and the Spurs should win this”.
Nailed it.
The Knicks – much better than their record indicates and playing very well of late – hung around and gave the Spurs one of their first real scares at home. As Calderon’s last second corner 3-pointer hit long off the back iron and the Spurs secured the rebound as time expired, you could feel a collective sigh of relief: the Spurs dodged a bullet.
The best thing to take away from this game is how well the Spurs executed late. With the insertion of Manu back into the game at the under 3-minute timeout, the Spurs offense kept making baskets to keep the Knicks at bay. And they were good baskets. A clever give and go with Manu and LaMarcus (that we’ve seen him run with Tim a hundred times) after the time out; a few pick and rolls with Tony and LaMarcus, one leading to an easy basket for Tony, one an easy basket for LaMarcus; and a Tony drive resulting in a nice floater. Given how the team has played in the few close games this season, it was nice to see the execution we’re used to.
The defense was rock solid down the stretch, as well. But the Knicks were surviving by the adage “sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.” They got two 3-pointers in the final stretch to keep them in touch. The first came off of a lucky bounce to Afflalo after Manu completely swallowed up the drive and blocked it from behind… right to Afflalo open on the wing. Two plays later, the Spurs defense completely shut down every action the Knicks ran, only for Afflalo (again!) to hit another 3-pointer off the dribble from deep with Danny Green all over him.
Thankfully, the luck ran out after 47:57, and Calderon’s final shot missed just long.
The most interesting thing about crunch-time, though, might have been the line-up. Aldridge, Leonard, Green, Manu, and Parker closed the game. No Duncan; no second big. This was in part a response to the Knicks, who love to close with Carmelo at the 4. But you have to think this was also big picture thinking, looking ahead to the playoffs and particularly the Golden State Warriors, who love to finish teams off with their small ball lineup featuring Draymond Green at the 5. While the Spurs have certainly gone against the grain and played the traditional 2 big line-up most of the season, there will come a time when they will have to go small (with Kawhi at the 4), and there’s no better time than now to start rehearsing those moments.
For one night, the reviews were positive.
A few more thoughts from last night’s close victory:
• Danny Green had an outstanding game. His offense was solid, but it was his defense that stole the show. He really shut down Afflalo (whose two big shots were both fortuitous), and even guarded Carmelo effectively, allowing Kawhi to get a breather while Carmelo was still on the floor. This is why Green will continue to start and have a role on this team: his defense is vital to the success of the Spurs, and he’s a perfect complement on the wing to Kawhi.
Photo credit: Soobum Im/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
• Kawhi had a pretty solid game, but struggled a bit on offense. A lot of his success is predicated on what a great shooter he has become. Tonight, his shots just weren’t falling. He still was aggressive and an overall net positive on offense, but he had a few possessions late in the game that could have put it away, and he was unable to convert. Just another step in his maturation.
• Carmelo may be the Knicks best player, but Porzingis is by far the most frightening. I’m pretty sure he didn’t miss a shot tonight (the box score says he missed 10, but I didn’t see them), and with his size and mobility, he is difficult to defend. He can drain the 3-ball with ease, but also drives to the rim really well. I was more frightened of the ball ending up in his hands for the final shot than Carmelo’s.
• The Spurs defense got better as the game wore on, but it was not a highlight evening for them. They gave up 30 in the first quarter, which is really bad. Too often they found themselves in really bad mismatches transitioning from offense to defense, without the Knicks really pushing the tempo or forcing the issue. Just poor communication and lazy transition.
Also of concern: too much easy penetration for the Knicks, and too many wide open 3s. The Spurs defense is predicated on protecting the rim and the 3-point line, so it’s troubling to see the Knicks getting good looks from both areas.
This is something to keep an eye on: as the offense has really come into its own over the last few weeks, it really does feel like the defense has slipped a bit. I prefer the defensive shut down team.
• David West is getting comfortable in the system, and I love it. I thought his stint in the first half helped the Spurs to wake up, and he just played a tough, intense, “Man’s game”. I was worried about his fit over the first quarter of the season, but he’s really finding his spot on this team. What a luxury.
• I loved Aldridge’s game tonight. He was tough on the boards, and really took it into the body of Porzingis on the offensive end. Rather than settling for his jumper (which was a bit flat, though he did hit a huge one late), he used his strength to bury Porzingis under the rim and get his points off layups and tip-ins. The biggest surprise about his game, now that we get to watch him every night, is just how much he scraps out there.
The Spurs hit the road for a back-to-back starting Monday in Brooklyn (Tuesday in Detroit), before returning home for a big game against Cleveland next Thursday.
Go Spurs Go.
