Season 50, Game 12
San Antonio 110, Sacramento 105
9-3, 3rd in the West
The last line of my notes from Wednesday’s win against the Kings was: “How long will Pop let this go on?”
What was shaping up to be a nice little blowout turned into a tense drama (or comical farce, or a horror show, depending on your viewpoint or mood), as the Kings starters made a 14-2 surge in the final two minutes of game action against the Spurs deep bench (“scrubs”, if we’re being less generous).
Pop was going to let it ride, win or lose. I can admire that. But damn, would we have been furious with him if the Spurs had lost that game. Because if they had, that would be on him. He made a choice to let his rookies and unproven players figure it out on their own in those final minutes, come what may.
Most will praise Pop, saying this is the kind of seasoning that young players need to grow. (Hindsight is 20/20, and most reactions are results-based, not process-based.) I can see that argument, and agree with it to an extent. But I think there is a counterargument that could be made, which goes like this: it’s dangerous to let rookies fail so spectacularly in such a public fashion, and it can do real damage to their confidence and psyche.
Of course, the real answer depends on the individual player. And Pop might counter that he doesn’t want a player on his roster who doesn’t have the mental fortitude to withstand that, let alone learn from it, take it to heart, and use it as motivation. Maybe this situation is exactly what Pop wanted to see to evaluate what he has in these players.
If a player is crushed by those three minutes, he doesn’t belong in the NBA. If he belongs in the NBA, those three minutes will strengthen and harden him.
At least we won. It would have been an epic collapse if we’d lost, and Pop would take so much heat for it. And he wouldn’t care. Like I said in my headline, Pop’s got balls.
A few thoughts on the actual game portion of the night:
• Gasol continues to look great. He seems more comfortable and assertive in the system, and his chemistry with Parker is noticeable. (Imagine if the two had been able to play together in their primes?) He is the only player in the NBA shooting 50% outside the paint (minimum 50 shots). The jump shot is money. And he is making a concerted effort to be a playmaker.
If his defense is passable (last night it was actually quite good), he’ll continue to be a huge plus for us.
• Along the same lines, Parker has looked great since coming back from injury. To harken back to a guiding principle of the season, Parker get the offense organized better than any other player on the roster. Couple that with his increased energy and ability to attack the basket, and he is still a very effective offensive player.
When he and Mills are both playing well, it’s such a huge bonus to get 48 minutes of well above-average PG play.
• I’m going to give Aldridge’s offensive woes a pass for now, as he played his butt off guarding DeMarcus Cousins, probably the most difficult cover in all of the NBA. He was relentless and put his whole body into it.
I will note, though, that I lack confidence in his shot. And each of the other four starters had game +/- of +25, +25, +30, and +29, while LaMarcus was a meager +5.
• David Lee has fit in so well with the second unit. He’s not as tricky or as graceful (really) as Diaw, but he serves a similar function. His passing is quite clever, he moves well without the ball, and is just as happy on either end of an assist and basket. I’ve been happy with his defense (where his reputation is bad) and his rebounding.
As long as he’s happy with his bench role and doesn’t agitate to start or for more minutes, he is a steal of a contract.
• Those final minutes aside, Bertans had some solid minutes. His shot is so pretty. He doesn’t seem comfortable shooting yet. He either hesitates or shoots it too quickly. Once he figures that out, look out.
More impressively, his defense and mobility are better than advertised. I’m looking forward to seeing his continued development.
The Spurs finish up this mini two-game West Coast road trip Friday nigth against the Lakers.
Go Spurs Go.
