Season 48, Game 13
San Antonio 99, Brooklyn 87
9-4, 6th in the West

After a convincing win against a depleted Timberwolves squad in Minnesota (Austin Daye — Austin Daye! — had a double-double, which is about all the information you need to know to understand that game), the Spurs traveled back home to the other end of I-35 to face the Brooklyn Nets.

Just like the night prior, the Spurs controlled the game throughout. Even more encouraging, they finally appeared to resemble the championship squad from the last few seasons.

And it all has to do with Tony Parker.

Sean Elliott commented during the Minnesota game that it appeared the coaching staff had a talk with Parker. Whatever the case, there was certainly a change in Parker’s demeanor and aggression (particularly in contrast to the Cavaliers game) in that game that was even more pronounced in the Nets game, even if the numbers weren’t quite as flashy.

Tony began the season shooting the ball very well, but those high numbers often obscured the fact that he was playing quite poorly. Tony’s game stems from his quickness and his aggression. When he’s at the top of his game, those are the two things that break down the opposing defenses and set up everything else in the offense. Often, as he drives into the lane, regardless of what he does, the possession has already tilted in favor of the Spurs.

We all know how well he can squeak by his defender and put in one of his patented lay-ups (his ability to jump on his off-leg always freezes bigger defenders, usually preventing them from even attempting to block his shot). But if he passes out to the wing, even if the ball zips around a few more times, Parker’s drive is what gives the Spurs’ the advantage. Or when he pulls the Steve Nash move and circles under the hoop and brings the ball back out, he’s also created several mismatches and totally mixed up the defense. Advantage: Spurs.

Tony will never be a PG in the traditional sense. But he is a PG in this respect: his actions and decisions dictate the advantage the Spurs’ offense will have in any given possession. Just by his speed and aggression, the Spurs’ start almost every offensive possession in a position to succeed.

It’s nice to see this Tony back on the court again.

The other noticeable difference over the last few games is Parker’s countryman and best friend: Boris Diaw. We know what he did in Cleveland — he was the best player on the floor. But his upward trend of aggression and engagement has continued, and he has looked very much like the Boris from the playoffs for the last full week. He’s finding the right balance of unselfish play and looking for his own points, which makes him so unstoppable. Defenses usually assume he will make the pass and guard for that, so when he’s aggressive looking to score, it can totally confuse a defense. And Boris has one of the most deceptively devastating post games you’ll ever see (probably because most people make assumptions based on his, shall we say, shape.)

It’s early and there are still many ups and downs and permutations to come. But watching the two Frenchmen find their basketball legs this week has been very encouraging. The Spurs are a basketball organism, with each piece playing critical roles. The definition of “the total is greater than the sum of its parts”. But Tony and Boris are very important pieces.

A few more thoughts from last night’s game:

  • Another nice trend to see is our bench units extending leads in the beginning of 2nd and 4th quarters. Because of injuries and rotational quirks, it’s not quite the full “Foreign Legion” from last year. But it’s still nice to see the Spurs take advantage of other teams’ bench units to push leads.
  • Tim Duncan was magnificent last night. (Copy, paste.) He posted a stat line of 6 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists (click here for video), 3 steals, and 4 blocks. In the first half. That is bonkers. I can’t decide if my favorite “secret” part of his game is how well he blocks shots for such an “unathletic” player (a b.s. narrative to begin with), or what an awesome passer he is.

    I do know that my new favorite thing this season is Duncan touchdown passes to Kawhi Leonard. Duncan loves chucking it up, and who better than Leonard to catch them? Kawhi would probably be an All-Pro receiver if he had stuck with football.

  • Speaking of Kawhi, I love the way his game is developing. That jump shot looks so pure, even if it’s not going in consistently yet (particularly from 3). He’s also working hard on developing his vision and passing, and is showing great improvement. And his post game is solid. He doesn’t quite have the speed or strength to get all the way to the rim to finish; but with that sweet stroke and long arms, he can get himself to about 5 feet away and just toss in a nice little jumper. This is the type of “old man” post game that will stay with him for his entire career, and he’ll be able to rely on it a decade from now.
  • I continue to dislike Austin Daye and his playing time. I understand why he is still getting playing time, and that he fits a role as a stretch 4. But when was the last time he put up a 3 that you expected to go in? If you answered ‘never’, then welcome to the Daye experience. For his career, he is just a 40% shooter, and 35% from deep. This season he is shooting a paltry 26% from 3. But please, keep shooting.
  • On the other side, Danny Green appears to be heating up from 3. Danny’s game is often unfairly judged solely by how well he is shooting from deep. He does so much for this team, and his game has improved dramatically in so many subtle ways over the last few seasons. He has always been a wonderful defender, and is probably the best shot-blocking rim-protecting 2-guard in the league. He is an above average rebounder for his position.

    The best things to see develop have been on the offensive end. Danny has improved his ability to handle the ball (from “complete disaster” to “average”, which is a huge step up). Most impressively is how well he cuts and moves away from the ball. I would encourage you to spend entire offensive possessions just watching Danny. He is constantly moving, getting into the perfect position. Often, it’s just slight adjustments along the 3-point line, inching further away from his defender and into a better passing lane for the man in the post. When the ball is delivered, he is already open and already in shooting position. He also cuts from side to side through the paint so well, anticipating the ball movement. You’ll see him sprinting to the corner, getting there just as the ball is about to be swung, catch it and put it up in perfect rhythm.

  • Pop is a wizard coming out of timeouts. He drew up a play after the under-3:00 timeout in the first half that made me rewind the game a few times just to watch again. I can only describe it as ‘the zig zag play’, and it ended up with a Kawhi Leonard dunk. It was creative and incredible.

The Spurs get a few days off before facing the Pacers on Wednesday.