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.
