We’re debuting a new column this season on SpursDynasty.com. We’re calling it “Three in the Key.”
After key games, two of our analysts will outline their three key takeaways.
We kick things off with Stephen Hale and Trace Ronning’s takes on the Spurs’ season opener against the Warriors. First, let’s hear from Stephen…
1. It’s just one game
This argument is rubbish. The Warriors will get a huge pass on this massive “L” to start the season. That’s understandable, I guess. It is one game. But the San Antonio Spurs have seven new players on their roster. They are also in the post-Duncan era, after having a team defined by him for 20 years. They were missing their starting shooting guard and they were on the road. The Spurs were prepared. Why weren’t the Warriors? I think this speaks to a larger issue: the Warriors might be talented, but lack mental toughness. The Spurs might have both. Also, it’s not just one game. The Spurs now lead the season series, which could impact home-court advantage in the playoffs.
2. That bench though…
… has the potential to be really good. Maybe it was just in comparison to the Warriors bench, which is just flat-out awful. But good Lord, they looked great. Simmons will get the majority of the praise and rightly so. He’s pretty awesome and I’m not sure we will see a better dunk than the one to end the game. But 39-year-old Manu Ginobili and 33-year-old journeyman David Lee were also effective. Lee had a play in the 2nd half where he single-handedly out fought three Warriors for a tipped ball, which eventually landed in Manu’s lap for a layup. I thought Dedmon got some
incredibly useful minutes. He’s long and fast. And Patty Thrills is still Patty Thrills. He hasn’t skipped a beat. The bench was incredible, is good, and could be the best in the league. That’s all I am saying.
3. Kawhi Leonard is really good
I got into an argument the other day with a guy who thinks Kawhi isn’t a top 5 player and would take Paul George over him, easily. Well, that guy is an idiot. Kawhi Leonard is dangerously close to becoming the best player in the entire league. He did it all last night. He set a career high with 35 points and got to the line a ridiculous 15 times and made them all. He hung in the air, he made fadeaways, he attacked, he dunked. He had five steals. Five steals?!?! That’s nuts guys. He’s quiet (although, he’s getting louder) and not flashy, so he gets forgotten about by fans… except by everyone that he plays. Your friends at the water cooler will tell you he isn’t that good. They guy at the rec league will blow him off. I’m sure some maroon will tell you that Paul George is better. Just ignore that. They don’t know anything.
Now let’s kick the ball to Trace…
We’re officially 1/82nd of the way through the NBA season, and while I’m not one to read too much into the standings this early, it’s worth pointing out that the Spurs are tied for 1st in the West, and the Warriors are tied for last. It’s just math, folks. Yes, that’s right, in case you somehow missed it, the Spurs opened the season in Oakland against the new-look Super Warriors and completely demolished them, 129-100.
1. Kawhi was not overwhelmed by the moment
The knock against Kawhi Leonard is that he has played Houdini in each of the Spurs’ last two playoff oustings. I think it’s been a fair criticism and many NBA folks seem to think it’s the only thing standing between Leonard and true superstardom. We shouldn’t rush to judgment after just one game, but Kawhi didn’t shy away from the pressure of facing the Super Warriors in Oakland in the season opener and that’s something to be optimistic about.
He not-so-Kawhi-etly (get it?) dropped 35 pts on 10-21 shooting, made all 15 FTs, and made 5 steals. My personal favorite was Leonard swiping the ball from Curry at halfcourt and then driving to the rim and finishing over Durant on the other end. It was like if Kawhi was Luke Skywalker destroying the first Death Star, except he didn’t need any last-second Han Solo bullshit to get the job done.
Leonard did miss all three of his 3-pt attempts, however. Here’s to hoping that’s nothing to worry about – it was only three attempts after all.
2. LaMarcus doesn’t look like a defensive liability
And he picked a helluva time to show it. Never known as a rim protector, Aldridge seemed to do just fine in game one of the post-Duncan era. He wasn’t credited with any blocks, but he wasn’t afraid to get in the paint and contest shots. Sure, Golden State scored 100 points and we don’t typically think of giving up 100 points as a solid defensive effort, but I’d like to see how many times this Warriors team scores 100 or fewer points this season. It won’t be many. This was a good defensive effort by the Spurs.
Aldridge also picked up eight of San Antonio’s 21 offensive rebounds on the night, which led all players and matched Golden State’s total. That led to 26 second chance points for the Spurs, compared to just four for the Warriors.
3. The Spurs bench is better than yours
It’s still plastered on the side of the Oracle Arena and various Bay Area billboards, but their “Strength in Numbers” motto is just a facade this year. They ran nearly all of their depth out of town in order to bring Kevin Durant on board, and for at least one game, it showed. The Spurs’ annually great bench unit, led by the now-infamous Jonathan Simmons, Patty Mills, and the ageless Manu Ginobili, outscored Golden State’s bench 54-16.
54-16!!
The Warriors’ starters account for 84% of their total points last night. I’m not so sure that’s a viable strategy, night in and night out.
