Season 49, Game 65
San Antonio 109, Chicago 101
55-10, 2nd in the West

If there is anybody out there wondering why we picked up Kevin Martin, you only need to know two numbers: 10 and 57.

That would be 10 for 57, or the 3-point shooting for the Spurs from the start of the Indiana game until halftime of the Bulls game. That’s just barely 18%, and that won’t cut it moving into the playoffs.

While the Spurs have stocked up on midrange shooters, their one mini-weakness this season is long range shooting. Their only consistent deep threat is Kawhi Leonard (who shot 4 for 5 last night, while the rest of the team went 2 for 12). The rest are what you might classify as ‘streaky’. Mills, Green (both of whom shouldn’t be streaky but are this season), Ginobili, Diaw, Simmons, Anderson, and Bonner can all hit the three and stretch the defense accordingly, but they are all also prone to droughts.

Let’s be completely up front here: to compete with the Warriors (and the Thunder, to a lesser extent), you have to hit the three and hit it consistently to keep up. No matter how great your midrange game is nor how stout your 3-point defense is, eventually all of their 3s stacked up against your 2s can swing the game.

The Spurs pretty convincingly outplayed the Bulls in this game, yet the Bulls hung around by outscoring the Spurs +15 from behind the line. To win the game by 8, the Spurs effectively had to make up 23 points in other areas.

So think of Kevin Martin as the replacement for Marco. Yes, he can be a liability on defense (though, like Marco, I imagine this will be the best defensive effort of his career). Yes, he might infuriate us at times. But he’ll be put in positions to hit wide open shots, something he’s done effectively most of his career. He won’t be asked to play heavy minutes. If he’s got it going, maybe he’ll get 10-15 minutes a night. If not, he’ll have a quick hook.

I’ll admit, like many of you, I fell in love with Rasual Butler’s energy and work ethic and fit on the Spurs this season. I didn’t want to see him go. But he’s not a knockdown shooter. His skills are mostly replicated in Simmons (who is younger, more athletic, and the Spurs have much more invested in him). Between him and Bonner, Matt has a decade-plus of equity in the organization, and has the benefit of being almost 7′. Yes, that still matters.

Martin got a quick shift against the Bulls. He didn’t put a shot up. He did show me two things, though, one that I knew and one that could be a revelation.

Photo Credit: Soobum Im/USA TODAY Sports

First, he drew a shooting foul, something he’s been known for his whole career. Being able to draw fouls has huge value, not only individually but team-wide. The more fouls he draws, the quicker the team gets to the bonus, and the more free throws everybody gets.

Second, he zipped a really difficult pinpoint pass to West under the basket from the 3-point corner. It was a Manu-esque pass that took vision, precision, and touch. West caught it and botched the layup. But if Martin has even a little bit of passing vision (not something he is particularly known for), he could be a great fit and huge addition to this team.

And let’s not forget: the fate of this team rests in the hands of players like Leonard, Aldridge, and Parker, who combined for 75 points tonight. Parker also chipped in 12 assists, while Leonard and Aldridge combined for 17 rebounds. The new Big 2 were on fire tonight, combining to go 20 for 34 from the field.

So let’s give Martin a chance. I’ve never been a fan of his game, but that silver and black draped on the back has a way of changing hearts and minds.

The homestand continues with Oklahoma City coming to town Saturday night. For a variety of reasons, this is a huge game. The Spurs lead in the standings is pretty much too large for the Thunder to overcome, but both teams are eager for a gauge to see where they stand with each other. The teams haven’t played since opening night. With a potential second-round match-up looming, expect a energetic and contested game.

Go Spurs Go.

Season 49, Game 64
San Antonio 116, Minnesota 91
54-10, 2nd in the West

You know who’s a good point guard? Andre Miller.

Yes, he’s old. The oldest player in the league, in fact. (He’ll be 40 in a few days.) But he’s got game left in those legs. Tuesday against the Timberwolves he showed exactly what he can bring to the Spurs as they start to gear up for a playoff run.

He’s already the best passing PG on the team. Tony and Patty are both natural scorers, and their roles fit the team. When they’re not scoring, they create for others more by breaking down and collapsing defenses than by passing the ball. They all have their value. But Miller, he is a passer. A damn fine one, too. He threw a couple of passes in this game that were Manu-like in their vision and execution.

In a lot of ways, Miller is a natural fit with the starting unit that prefers to play a bit more deliberate and ‘old school’, working out of the post and playing a more physical offense.

Because, oh yeah, Miller is a load in the low post. I remember watching him abuse Tony down there for years. We got a little glimpse of that, as well, as he used his size in the post to get offense for himself and for others, much the way Kawhi can.

While he hasn’t been shooting as well the last few seasons, the Spurs’ offense has a way of giving players the space and freedom to find their stroke. He hit a couple of wide open jumpers against his former team, and he showed just enough to keep defenses honest.

I always liked the Miller signing over the Kevin Martin signing for this very reason. (Now it appears we’re getting both, but we’ll reserve judgment on the Martin signing until it’s official and we see him donning the Silver and Black.)

You know who’s good at basketball-ing? LaMarcus Aldridge.

He was an absolute beast in this game. After a slow start, he got the midrange jumper going, and was almost automatic from out there. But he was mixing it up, getting position in the low post and working out of the block, attacking off the dribble. He would not be denied in this game, and his presence allowed the rest of the offense to function smoothly. (Just imagine if the team could have hit any of the many wide-open 3s they had.)

On defense he went toe-to-toe with the heralded rookie, Karl Anthony Towns. Towns is going to be a beast; he’s already a great player. Aldridge seemed to take this personally, and did his best to show him some veteran know-how on both ends of the court.

Beyond these individual performances, the game was significant in that it presaged a new era. This was the first time the Big 3 all missed the same game that it didn’t feel significant. Because they’re no longer the key cogs of this team. Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker all sat out the game, yet our two best players still suited up and played. There is still so much that those 3 bring to the team, but they are, at this point, mostly high-level role players. Yes, they are critical to our post-season aspirations, but they are not the foundation upon which the team is built. Those honors belong to Kawhi and LaMarcus.

As long as those two play, we have the skeleton of what the team should look like, and the rest is plug and play. Do we miss Duncan’s rebounding? Manu’s playmaking? Parker’s penetration? Of course. But the likes of Diaw, West, Simmons, Anderson, Green, and Mills can all account for that (and even add a little extra).

The Big 3 sat and at no time did I think we were at a disadvantage, because the core of our team was still out there.

The Spurs return to San Antonio to start a five-game homestand that will reveal a lot about where this team is. Starting Thursday, the Spurs face the Bulls, Thunder, Clippers, Blazers, and Warriors in what might be the most difficult stretch of the season.

You can feel the playoffs just around the corner.

Go Spurs Go.