Season 50, Game 08
San Antonio 99, Houston 101
5-3
In his between quarter interview, Pop did a much better (and more succinct) job explaining this loss than I can, so I’ll paraphrase him: poor transition defense and a lack of organization on offense.
That about sums it up. You want more? OK, I suppose I can expound.
The Spurs’ defense has been all over the place this season. Despite what the eyes tell us, they’re actually ranked in the Top 10 in the league defensively. The real issue is consistency. Wednesday’s loss to Houston is a perfect example: they gave up 63 points in the first half (bad), but a mere 38 points (very good) in the second half, including a 16 point 4th quarter. Allowing 101 points to an offensively-gifted Houston Rockets team is not bad at all, but it’s difficult to consistently have to dig out of first quarter and first half deficits.
More lack of consistency: the Rockets scored 25 or so points in transition, meaning a quarter of their total points came in fast break. Taking the optimist’s view, that means they only scored about 75 points in the half court, which is actually very good. But to see a Spurs team get so shredded in transition defense (perhaps one of Pop’s three biggest basketball tenets) is shocking to watch.
Maybe what makes this early season so confounding is the overall lack of consistency. The bones of a great team are there, but we’re not seeing it night-to-night, quarter-to-quarter. We’re so accustomed to the Spurs always playing within 10-15% of their ceiling, that an up-and-down team probably scares us more than it should. There’s a lot to figure out, and still a long time to do it.
Which brings us to Pop’s second point: lack of organization on offense. This is a perfect way to describe what we’re seeing. It’s not that the offense is bad (and Kawhi’s personal offense is incredible), it’s just that it generally lacks for flow and excitement. When we talk about the ‘beautiful game’ from seasons past, what we’re really talking about is every player knowing exactly what to do and where to go at all times. In less flowery terms: organization.
It makes sense that the Spurs would be deficient in offensive organization. They’re integrating seven new players and pretty much everybody is trying to figure out new roles on the team, regardless of tenure. For the first time since peak Duncan, the Spurs have an isolation scorer who should be relied upon. But that makes everybody else’s role new in the system.
The Rockets scored 16 points in the 4th quarter, and only 5 in the last 5 minutes or so. The Spurs had every chance to steal this game. The defense was working at the end; the offense came up short.
Overall, I thought the team played pretty well. They were really good at times, and just fine other times. Now we know what they need to work on: consistency and organization. How boring. How Spurs.
A few more thoughts from Wednesday’s loss:
• Danny Green played his first game back. I know he’s a popular whipping post for Spurs fans, but I love Green and his game. His defense was missed, and he had some really nice defensive sequences in the game. He shot 2-of-8 from 3, which was not nice. His 3-point shooting is the most important thing to monitor as he eases into the season.
• I’m worried about our starting front court, both individually and as a unit. Gasol is having a harder time adjusting than I thought he would, and Aldridge is off to a slow shooting start and seems to have reverted back to the beginning of last season, when he looked lost and seemed to drift a bit. He’s best when he’s aggressive, but maybe he feels he doesn’t have an aggressive role in the team. His level of engagement is something to monitor.
With both players struggling, their play together has been disjointed and largely responsible for the slow starts for the Spurs in many games.
Lee, Dedmon, and Bertrans are all playing well in back-up roles. But none of those players is the answer in the starting line-up. The Spurs are in a tough spot with their bigs. Every player is cast in the role best suited for them; they just need to perform.
• Simmons has been inconsistent (there’s that word again) to start the season, but when he’s playing well, his spark off the bench is refreshing. I think we’ll see more good juice than bad juice this season, and I think his role will grow more important as the season progresses. His athleticism on the wings (on both ends) is refreshing and unique for the Spurs. It’d take the right opponent, but I’d love to see Simmons, Leonard, and Green all on the floor together. That’d be a dynamic defensive trio.
• Mike D’Antoni without a mustache is… weird.
The Spurs face the Pistons at home on Friday, before returning to the comforts of the road and a rematch in Houston on Saturday.
Go Spurs Go.
