Season 49, Game 49
San Antonio 110, New Orleans 97
41-8, 2nd in the West

I have to imagine the Pelicans wish the NBA was just a two team league, and that they could play every game against the Spurs.

I’m told by reliable sources that the Pelicans are having a pretty bad season, and that they’re plagued by injuries. I can verify the second claim, as I barely recognized half of their starting lineup tonight. The first claim, however, would come as a shock to most Spurs fans.

I like to think that every great team has that ‘bugaboo’ team, the one team that always gives them fits, no matter the personnel or situation. While the Spurs did eventually win by 13, the game was much closer than that. The Pelicans had no reason to keep the game that close, as snakebit as this season has been for them. But they were playing the Spurs, so they did.

The Spurs, for their part, continued their sluggish slog through the doldrums of the nadir of the NBA season. I’m happy they continue to win games, but they’re winning no awards for how they’re winning. At a deeper level, I’m concerned that the winning is covering up larger issues with this team, and that the dominating force we saw for a few months is gone.

This can’t all be on the absence of Duncan. Hell, none of it should be. Tim is a 39 year old man with bad knees. A championship-caliber professional basketball team shouldn’t live or die by his health. In his absence, though, things just don’t look right on either end.

The defensive woes are pretty obvious with Duncan out. In particular, the team can’t defend the paint and can’t rebound the basketball. This is something elite teams do at elite levels. The Spurs were elite in this a few months ago. Let’s hope they can return to it.

On offense, it’s a little more subtle, but the flow and motion just seem a bit off. When the Spurs are clicking, it’s an absolute treat to watch them play basketball. Lately, it’s been a bit infuriating. They’re just not clicking. Sets aren’t being run crisply, passes are just a bit off (‘a bit’ is huge in the precision-based offense the Spurs run), players are running into each other. It reminds me of the beginning of the season. Of course, back then, the defense covered up all manner of offensive sin, and the Spurs had time to find their flow. With the defense down, there is a much smaller margin for error on offense.

However, there is one really good thing to come out of Tim’s continued absence: Aldridge blossoming into his role on this team. LaMarcus has been a machine the last few weeks on offense, and it’s started with him being more aggressive and assertive on the offensive end. He’s looking for his shot more, but he’s also not settling for the easy shot. He is attacking the rim, working in the post, and being a bully near the rim. I love it. He took it to Anthony Davis in this game, using Davis’ natural instinct to jump at the first move against him, putting 2nd and 3rd moves on him to get easy lay-ins. Down the stretch, it was Aldridge who was the go-to guy and put the game away.

Along with Kawhi, the two formed a pretty potent hybrid small line-up to close the game. With LaMarcus at the 5 and Kawhi at the 4, the Spurs are technically playing ‘small’, but they run an offense as if they’re playing ‘big’, with two dominating post players. I like it, and it’s a look worth exploring more that will likely become a necessity in the playoffs against some elite teams.

So where does this leave Duncan? That’s the question. I’m most curious to see how this ‘new’ Aldridge fits next to Tim. I think it can work beautifully. Tim was never really holding Aldridge back; Aldridge was, by being overly deferential and wanting to fit in. Now it seems like he’s found the perfect balance. Imagine this LaMarcus playing with Timmy, particularly on the defensive end. That would be amazing.

There will come a time in a close game when only one can be on the floor. More and more, it’s looking like it’s going to have to be LaMarcus. That is why the Spurs signed him, after all. So this time without Duncan is critical to his development, and critical to the Spurs’ future success.

In that sense, these games are wildly successful. Even if they are frustrating to watch.

The Spurs travel to Dallas Friday night to face the Mavs.

Go Spurs Go.