Season 49, Game 54
San Antonio 86, Los Angeles Clippers 105
45-9, 2nd in the West
Look, I get it. The first day back at work from a long vacation is really tough. You feel out of rhythm, overwhelmed with all the work waiting for you. Your mind is still stuck back in vacation, and all you can do is think: “what if I never had to work again in my entire life?” Plus, you’re probably a few pounds heavier than when you left, and laboring a bit to keep up.
So I understand the Spurs’ poor performance: vacation hangover. Gets us all.
Hell, the All-Star Break is so freaking long now, I have a hangover from it. I feel like writing this recap is the hardest thing I’ve done in months. My performance will probably be on par with the Spurs’ performance in this game.
The problem is, both teams were coming back from the same vacation. And while the Clippers played just as sloppily and uninspired in the first half, they were able to kick it up a notch in the second half. The Spurs were never able to match.
The Clippers also got surprise performances from some unexpected places to keep them afloat in the first half: Cole Aldrich, the ghost of Paul Pierce, and Jamal Crawford all had the radical notion of making baskets, while the Spurs opted for the alternative of missing every shot. (The starters finished the game a combined 16-46 for 37% shooting…and it’s only that high because Kyle Anderson shot 4-6. I’d tell you what the ‘real’ starters shot, but I don’t want to ruin your Friday.) In the second half, Chris Paul kicked into gear, and the Spurs modest comeback attempt was put to rest.
I’m not even that upset. I mostly expected this game to be a loss. When we found out Kawhi wasn’t playing, then I really expected it to be a loss. As much as the Spurs’ ethos is ‘team first, team everything’, Kawhi is kind of a big deal for this squad. He is the rare superstar who is the lynchpin on both sides of the floor. Without him, the team just looked a little off and out of sync. Let’s hope the injury is more precautionary than anything else and that we’ll see Kawhi back in action sooner rather than later.
Of course, there was also the whole ‘coming back from vacation’ thing, too. So let’s view this game as the cost of getting back in rhythm after a long layoff, and hope that the team has worked out the post-vacation blues and is ready to play real NBA Basketball Friday night against the Lakers. Despite their record, the Lakers have played the Spurs tough this season. But maybe we can catch them on their vacation hangover and eke out a win.
If the team loses tonight, then we can start worrying. Until then…
Go Spurs Go.
