Season 49, Game 73
San Antonio 92, Oklahoma City 111
61-12, 2nd in the West

For a quarter and a half, we all dreamed about an upset, of embarrassing the full-strength Thunder squad featuring two All-NBA players on their home court with a Spurs line-up missing its five top players. Oh, what a joy it would have been.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are who they are for a reason, though, and they showed exactly why in the second half. The Spurs never really had a chance in this game, despite the strong start to the game. Talent still reigns supreme on an NBA court, and the Thunder had a lot more of it Saturday night.

We know all about these games, though. When Pop rests his top guys, the other guys can often produce some of the most enjoyable and quirky Spurs games. I love them, personally. No pressure to win with a chance to get to see some of the role players and periphery players in larger roles with more responsibility and scrutiny.

Watching these games, I’m often more interested in moments, in individual performances, in a series of possessions, in line-up combinations. Did Player X show me something with more playing time? Can anything from the game translate to the ‘real’ rotation?

Did we learn anything Saturday night?

David West is still a stud. We might forget, because he’s become a role player and he took such a huge pay cut and he’s a bit older, but West was a top player on a few teams that threatened to make the Finals. He’s different than the usual late-career vet chasing a ring. He’s still got life to give. I think Pop is deliberately monitoring his playing time and role in the regular season, keeping him primed and ready for the playoffs.

Jonathon Simmons is a real NBA player. His greatest skill might be ‘energy’, but boy, does he bring the juice. He is the perfect bench player to insert into the game when the team needs a jolt of life. His first stint began near the end of the first quarter, and just happened to coincide with the Spurs only real run of the game, a 19-3 stretch spanning the first and second quarter. Simmons was energetic on both ends, and was able to attack the rim and get a few fast break opportunities.

As much as we love Patty, he still needs a primary creator out there to fully realize his use and potential. He just can’t break down defenses the way Manu and Tony can. He is best catching the ball and shooting.

Speaking of shooting, the Spurs continue to struggle from the 3, regardless of personnel. Both Mills and Green are in varying degrees of slumps from long, and it’s really holding back the offensive potential.

Andre Miller and Kevin Martin are nice pieces to have, but they will likely have limited roles in the playoffs with quick hooks. Miller is more of a caretaker, a 3rd PG who won’t lose a game for you. Martin has higher upside with his ability to shoot, score, and draw fouls. But if he’s not doing those things, he can become a liability on the court with his lack of system knowledge and his below-average defense. On the bright side, though, he has been hitting his 3s better than most other Spurs (that isn’t saying much currently).

We all love Boban, but he’s not quite ready for prime time. I’m not ruling out the possibility that he could be, though, and that would be huge. He’s shown us a lot to be excited about this season.

The Spurs travel to Memphis for a short-handed squad rematch tomorrow night. It’ll be interesting to see how the game plays out after Friday’s game. The way Memphis played, I’d fully expect them to beat a Spurs squad not at full strength on their home court. However, there is a chance that Kawhi could play, which would tip the scales a bit.

Go Spurs Go.