Season 50, Games 67 and 68
San Antonio 106, Portland 110
San Antonio 96, Memphis 104
52-16, 2nd in the West
After taking the 1-seed (and taking control of their seeding destiny), the Spurs went on a 2-game losing skid and lost both.
The Spurs have the toughest schedule remaining, with most games against playoff teams fighting for seeds or teams fighting for their playoff lives. In a sense, the playoffs have begun.
The Spurs, however, are not ready for the playoffs just yet. On Wednesday night, they faced a playoff-level offense in the Blazers, and the defense was not up to the task. On Saturday night, they faced a playoff-ready defense in the Grizzlies, and the offense was not up to the task.
In both games, the team played fine…for the regular season. There was nothing egregiously bad about either game. The other teams just played with a higher level of intensity over the 48 minutes and took the win, rather than hoping for it. The Spurs were just a step slow on rotations, a moment slow on making the right read and proper play out of it, and just not ready for the increased intensity of the game.
It seems as if the Spurs won’t have the luxury of gliding into the playoffs. They may not be ready for the playoffs, but the playoffs are ready for them. Their remaining schedule includes the Grizzlies twice, the Jazz twice, the Warriors and the Cavs once each, the Mavs, the Clippers, the Wolves, and the Thunder. All of these opponents will have stakes and will be looking for the “big win” against San Antonio. The Spurs better be ready.
Many of these teams could also be first-round opponents. The most likely first-round match-up at this point is Memphis, Oklahoma City, or Los Angeles. All three teams have presented problems for the Spurs this year (combined, the Spurs are only 2-5 against those three teams this season), and could be a heavy burden in the first round.
On the plus side, nothing sharpens a team for the playoffs like a tough schedule. We hope.
A few more thoughts from these two games:
–It was great to see LaMarcus back, and without limitations. He was definitely rusty against the Blazers, and it might have cost the team. But he looked sharper against Memphis, and his ability to hit that midranger and bang in the post will be critical in the playoffs. He has a lot riding on these playoffs.
–Memphis’ defense was about as good as we’ve seen this season. Tony Allen on Kawhi was surprisingly effective, and their rotations and close-outs clearly had the Spurs moving quicker than they would like. Adding a semi-potent offense to this defense makes Memphis a scary first-round opponent. Even if you beat them, you pay a toll.
–So much of the NBA these days is the variance of 3-pt shooting. There is much belief that the only real defense for 3-pt shooting is just preventing the shot. Outside of that, it’s mostly just noise and anomaly. In these two games, the opponents shot a combined 22-for-52 from 3, for 42%. That’s really good. If the two teams shoot closer to league average, that might be the difference between two losses and two wins. Sometimes, all you can do is shrug.
–Simmons had a good game against the Grizzlies after spending a few weeks in Pop’s doghouse. Hopefully this is a sign of things changing for him. His athleticism and skill will be needed in the playoffs.
The Spurs return home for a quick back-to-back against the Kings on Sunday night. Sacramento gave the team quite a scare a few weeks ago, so here’s hoping the team can take care of business and get back on the winning track.
Go Spurs Go.
