Season 49, Game 35
San Antonio 121, Houston 103
29-6, 2nd in the West

Watching last night’s beatdown of the Houston Rockets felt good, didn’t it? A little bit of payback for the Christmas Day debacle.

It also represented, perhaps, a turning point for the season and perhaps for the franchise. More on this in a minute.

The turning point in last night’s game came in the last three minutes of the second quarter. After Kawhi Leonard tied the game at 50 with a shot at the rim, the Spurs went on a 10-2 run sparked by Aldridge, Leonard and Diaw.

The Rockets would respond with a run of their own in the first three and a half minutes of the third quarter, tying the game at 65-65, but that would be their last gasp.

The Spurs would outscore the Rockets 31-7 in the rest of the quarter and the fourth would be little more than a formality.

* * *

Not a game goes by that I don’t think, what will the Spurs be like when the Big Three – Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker – retire? What will become of the Spurs Dynasty?

Granted, Tony is healthier than he has been in years, and Manu looks rejuvenated, playing with more energy, and less anxious pressure, now that he no longer needs to be one of the team’s superstars.

Duncan is having a good year defensively, but is quietly stepping out of the limelight on the other end.

It’s hard to believe, but Tim is no longer part of the Big Three when it comes to offense, no matter how you look at it.

Win Shares? Tim is 4th.

Points per game? He is 5th, behind Leonard, Aldridge, Parker and Ginobili.

Total points? 7th.

Offensive rating? 11th.

And last night, for the first time in his 19-year career, Tim Duncan didn’t score a single point. And the Spurs won handily.

The Big Three finished with a combined 10 points – 2 points by Parker and 8 points by Ginobili, all scored in just 1 minute 45 seconds, pushing a 13-point Spurs lead to 19.


Photo: NBA.com

Leonard and Aldridge are now the anchors of the team. Last night they combined for 48 points and 15 points.

Call them the Big Two, or two parts of the new Big Three, with a third or fourth teammate stepping up to complete the triumvirate, depending on the circumstances and the opponent.

Two years ago, Duncan not scoring, and Tony only scoring 2, would have been bad news. Now it’s neither a shock nor a reason to be concerned.

This represents a big turning point for the Spurs. They no longer need Tim Duncan to score points to win games.

Last night also represented, we hope, a turning point in the season for Danny Green and Boris Diaw. Both had their best games yet.

Green finished with 18 points behind a season-best six 3-pointers, to go along with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.

Bobo’s game was arguably even bigger. He had a season-best 20 points to go with 8 rebounds, sure, but it was how he scored that was so impressive – from everywhere, in nearly every way…

Last night’s game against Houston was the Spurs fourth in a week against Western Conference teams which likely will be in the lottery, not the playoffs, come April.

The week ahead includes three teams in the Eastern Conference in the same position – Milwaukee, New York and Brooklyn.

The team’s winning ways should continue.

Go Spurs Go.