Season 50, Game 26
San Antonio 107, Phoenix 92
21-5, 2nd in the West
The Spurs used two strong extended surges – an 18-4 run to end the 1st half, and a 21-3 run in the middle of the 4th – to seemingly beat the Suns handily.
Surrounding those two spurts, however, was some pretty mediocre play: 39-7 in those two stretches, 68-85 in the rest. The Suns were 17 points better than the Spurs over a much larger margin of this game.
It was obvious, too. The Suns played ball-hawking defense that flummoxed the Spurs, and pushed the offense whenever they could. The Spurs helped them out by throwing errant passes (20 total turnovers), dribbling into double teams, and not moving bodies or ball in half court offense.
Maybe I’m being too critical. A win on the road on the second night of a back-to-back is a good win, regardless of the opponent. There is bound to be a dip in energy and performance, and to ‘gut out’ the win is always a good thing.
But it can be frustrating to watch this team play so poorly for so long, knowing just how good the highs are. This is an eternal mystery of sports to me, the variance of performance in athletes individually and in the collective.
But that’s not what I really want to talk about. I want to talk about LaMarcus Aldridge. After another spotty effort (though he did finally get it going in the 4th to help spark the victory), I’m beginning to question his value to the team.
Aldridge is a star; but why? What are his elite skills?
Shooting. Of course.
But do you know who is a better midrange shooter than LaMarcus this season? Pau Gasol. (Intuitively, I just trust it more when Gasol shoots.)
Well, Aldridge is a big body with long arms who can rebound on both ends, play in the post, and protect the rim.
But is he?
You know who is a better rebounder and rim protector than Aldridge? Dewayne Dedmon.
You know who is a better 3-point shooter than Aldridge? Dāvis Bertāns. (And Gasol.)
You know who is better in the pick and roll? David Lee. (And Dedmon.)
You know who is craftier in the post (and more willing to go there)? Gasol. (and Lee.)
You know who finishes alley oops like crazy? Dedmon.
You know who passes better? Lee. (And Gasol. And maybe Bertans.)
You know who (seemingly) plays with more force and energy on both ends? Gasol. And Lee. And Dedmon. And Bertans.
So what advantage is Aldridge giving us, exactly?
I ask sincerely. I loved the signing two offseasons ago, and the team was historically great last year with him in the fold. Hell, we’re great this year again. But something just feels off.
Maybe he is playing hurt. Maybe he is just working his way into the season again. Maybe it takes him time to build chemistry with new players, and we’ll start to see the fruits of that pay off soon. I don’t know.
What I do know is that I feel better when any other big is on the floor. Gasol will give us that midrange and 3-point spacing and high post passing. Dedmon gives us defense and rebounding and rim running. Lee gives us passing and cutting and craftiness around the rim. Bertans gives us long-range shooting and strong defense.
Aldridge was supposed to be the star frontcourt player who fit with everyone. So far, he is the worst fit of all. Not one of those other players is perfect on their own, but fit together, they make solid frontcourt tandems.
There are no easy answers, and there’s no need to rush to one. This is what the regular season is for. But something smells, if not rotten, then slightly sour right now. And I think either the Spurs or Aldridge will eventually need to figure something out to make this thing work to its fullest potential.
A few more thoughts from Thursday’s win:
• Patty Mills had a rough game. Couldn’t hit a shot, uncharacteristic turnovers and mental mistakes. The Spurs are usually blessed with 48 minutes of solid to great PG play. Tonight was an example of what the team can look like with subpar PG play. Luckily, Parker got it going in the 4th and steadied the team.
• Alley oops are a thing now? I mean, alley oops are a thing now! The one from Kyle Anderson to Dedmon (the half court pass) was sick, but I also loved the one from Gasol to Kawhi. It’s fun to joke about it, but the alley oop has become a really important play in the modern NBA, and a high efficiency scoring play.
• If the Suns had shot it better, they might have run away with this game. Thankfully, in those stretches (the majority of the game, mind you) when they were outplaying the Spurs, they had a lot of trouble hitting shots. The Spurs shot very well, and once they cleaned up their sloppy play, were able to turn the game into a blowout.
The Spurs face the Pelicans at home on Sunday night. A certain former Spurs player will get his jersey retired immediately afterwards. Could be a fun night.
Go Spurs Go.
