Season 51, Game 30
San Antonio 98, Dallas 96
20-10, 3rd in the West
Manu. Ginobili. Again and forever.
With about 6 minutes left in this game, it looked like the team was headed for a very bad week in Texas. After losing to Dallas last Tuesday and then Houston on Friday, a loss on Saturday again to Dallas would’ve been a rotten cherry on top of a turd sundae.
At that 6:00 mark, the score was 93-83. 2 minutes later, it was 96-85. Down 11 with 4 minutes remaining, the Spurs went on an improbable 13-0 run to steal the game from the Mavs.
My three main takeaways from the game:
1. LaMarcus Aldridge has been in a bit of a shooting slump, but–unlike seasons past–he is not letting it affect his effectiveness on the court. He is an absolute beast down low on both ends of the court, playing like a man amongst boys near the rim. He grabs boards, defends the post, and is the big body enforcer the Spurs always rely upon. And even though his shot isn’t falling consistently, he’s still the workhorse late in games that the team needs. Manu secured the highlights, but it was Aldridge’s grunt work that put the team in the position to win late.
2. DeJounte Murray showed off his development nicely in this game. After a hot start to the season, Murray began to show his age and experience and was relegated to a deep bench role. But he didn’t let it affect him. Given the chance to take a lead role agains the Mavs, he showed off his usual prodigious athletic gifts, igniting one-man fast breaks and playing disruptive defense. He is is also trusting his jump shot a lot more, and it looks smoother.
But most importantly, he is beginning to show true point guard skills. He finished the game with a team-high 4 assists, his last one being his most impressive: on a fast break, rather than put his head down and attack the rim, he slowed up, allowing Bryn Forbes to catch up on the left wing. He hit Forbes perfectly in stride for a corner 3 that helped turn the tide and ignite the crowd.
3. Manu is still very good at age 40. Hell, this may be his best season since the 2014 championship. He is perhaps the best inbounds passer ever, and helped to cause that last turnover on the Mavs that gave the Spurs the ball back with a chance to win the game.
And on that final possession, he played it like it was 2007 all over again, holding the ball until the perfect moment, then using a screen from the big to get to his left hand and all the way to the rim unimpeded. That might have been the easiest layup of the night. He looked faster than Wes Matthews on that play, and Wes is easily 10 years younger than him.
I hope Manu never retires.
It’s been a tough week for the Spurs, reintegrating Kawhi Leonard and playing two tough road games (both losses). The schedule doesn’t get any easier, with 4 games in the next 6 nights, 3 on the road. First up, though, a home game against the Clippers on Monday night.
Go Spurs Go.
