When I reviewed the basic box score for the February 21st game at Phoenix, something “Spursy” jumped out at me.
It wasn’t the number of assists (23) or points by the bench (55). Despite being well known for dominating these categories, I feel these no longer differentiate the Spurs from the rest of league.
While casual fans look at how much a player scores (particularly when it’s 30 or higher), points only tell the story of a great offensive effort, where maybe the matchup was just right, or the player was just feeling it that game.
The fan who watches SportsCenter will pay closer attention to players good at getting the double-double. Because points scored is usually one of the categories involved – I am sure there are a few exceptions to this – I consider this distinction just another indication of a dominant attacking game.
True fans of basketball may proclaim that the real measure of an elite player is the triple-double. I would counter with the question: How many times does this result from a great offensive night combined with timely rebounding? When the secret could be fortunate positioning or playing against a team attempting a high volume of long-ranged jump shots, the triple double might simply be a circumstantial statistic, indicating nothing more than a solid offensive plan.
Of course, I am ignoring the rare players who consistently finish with 30+ points or a double-double; or those extremely talented ballers who produce triple-doubles as if a quota of them were a part of their contract. The operative phrase I am getting to is “individual effort.” Such impressive individual effort don’t guarantee a win.
What really gets my attention is how many players have a complete game. The way I define “complete” is to ask one question: Did they a put up a number in all five major statistical categories: rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and points?
Even if they only score two points, when a player fills the line (FTL) it means he was everywhere on the floor during his minutes played. I applaud finding a way to matter on both ends of the floor – what Coach Pop calls playing all 48 minutes.
Usually I note one Spur with that kind of effort for the night. You may or may not be surprised that, for our team, Danny Green has the honor of most FTL games this season.
Going back to reading the above mentioned box score, five players (four of them starters) had a complete game Sunday night. Sure, none of them actually played 48 minutes individually, but collectively it looked like a complete team effort on paper. Looking further, two other players had complete games but for one category.
I don’t care that the opponent was awful – the Suns worked hard on their home floor that night.
Prior to the match-up, the Spurs had beaten Phoenix six times in a row; the last four were won by 20+ point margins and the Suns were facing a season series sweep – something no team wants another to have on them.
Phoenix played for pride and it showed with their high scorer, a Tim Duncan understudy, having a career night. Even Fox Sports Southwest commentator, Sean “Grumpy Old Man” Elliot, said that he couldn’t be upset at the close score with the performance the Suns had.
Fortunately, our Spurs put on a better one, thanks to a collective effort that will go under the radar of the general media. And that’s just the way our Spurs like it.
