2016 Western Conference Semifinals
San Antonio 100, Oklahoma City 96
Spurs lead series 2-1

It’s fitting that the Spurs iced the game by making four clutch free throws in the final minute, considering they had suffered from the yips up until that point, missing 10 of their previous 30 attempts.

It’s doubly fitting that the two players who salted the game away with those clutch free throws were the team’s top two performers: Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard.

Before we talk about those two, though, we should mention LaMarcus Aldridge. While he didn’t hit just about every shot – as he did in the previous two games – he was still a beast in this game. What I’ve been most impressed with this season, getting to watch him more closely, is just how hard he plays on both ends. Players labeled as ‘jump shooters’ often also carry the tag ‘soft’, as that is the implication often meant. But LaMarcus is a beast and is happy to do the dirty work. While he may not be the Spurs’ best player, he is the hub through which the offense (and often the defense) is orchestrated. That is hard and thankless work.

After the Game 2 loss, it was clear he needed help. Top of that list: Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs actual best all-around player. To start the game, I thought he seemed to still be pressing on offense and having trouble finding his spots and his rhythm. He looked a little discombobulated. (And yet he finished with 31 points. Naturally.)

What makes Kawhi so special, though, is that when he is locked into a game, his effort and energy alone are off the charts. We think of Westbrook as the prototypical high-energy player, a madman barreling for loose balls and creating fast breaks out of nothing. Kawhi doesn’t make the angry faces, but he plays just as hard. Harder, even. The energy it takes to be a lockdown defender and a primary offensive weapon can’t be overstated. And he did both while playing 40 minutes.

The two plays that stand out in this game to me are the two offensive rebounds Kawhi grabbed in the 4th quarter: one by just completely overpowering Kanter, the other by just wanting it more in the final seconds of the game (as cliche as that sounds). Energy and effort.

Kawhi’s offensive game will sometimes look a little forced and herky jerky. To truly measure his impact, though, you have to look beyond that, because Kawhi affects the game from nearly every possible angle. This is what makes him one of the best players in the league.

Also stepping up? One Mr. Tony Parker. If you want an illustration as to how Parker can age gracefully, the way Duncan and Ginobili have before him, this game is the prototype. Become a more reliable spot shooter while extending to 3-point range, know when to attack the rim, and orchestrate the offense, getting everybody involved. Kind of a late career Jason Kidd. (He did those things while winning a title in Dallas).

Time and again Tony made clutch shots, keeping the Spurs in range or just out of reach. He is shooting the corner 3 with confidence now, and that is huge. As the team evolves toward the Kawhi-LaMarcus iteration, a 3-point shooting PG becomes even more important.

The best part of Tony’s game, though, was the rest of his numbers: 8 rebounds. 5 assists. 1 turnover. 50% shooting. A complete game and a perfect ‘3rd option’ game.

Pop also had a great game. I criticized him after Game 2; he wasn’t messing around in Game 3. The rotation shortened. (Sorry, Kyle.) Aldridge, Parker, Green, and Leonard all played big minutes, and either Green or Leonard was on the court for about 46 of the 48 minutes. Rather than sit Kawhi for long stretches, he gave him short breaks and then put him back in, maximizing both his rest and his court time.

Perhaps most critically, Pop managed the rotation of the second big player expertly. In my notes, I was critical of David West’s game up until the start of the 4th. It really felt like he was trying to do too much. (The whole team, in general, seemed intent on attacking individual weak defenders one-on-one, rather than force them to make their mistakes in team defense.) At the top of the quarter, I wrote: “West closing?”

We forget, though, that West has a career of playing strong and tough in the playoffs, particularly in those runs with the Pacers. This is why we brought him here. And this is why Pop sits where he sits and I sit where I sit. He clearly saw something he liked with West out there with the other four starters, and he rode it.

West’s shot seemed a bit off, but he is very good at passing and keeping the ball moving in the offense, and he made that one huge basket that put the team up by 7 with about 1:20 left.

The more interesting decision, of course, was only playing Duncan 14 minutes: two 7-minute stints to start the game. I don’t want to talk too much about Duncan right now, but it does seem as if he is crossing an imaginary line on the offensive side of the court, where he is unable to produce at the level he thinks he can or that he wants to.

Part of why the Spurs have been able to be so successful as the Big 3 age is that they are honest in their self-assessments and willing to ask for and accept help. And while Duncan is still a tremendous defensive help, he is more and more an offensive liability in certain match-ups. It’s a credit to Pop that he can see this and make the right line-up choices even at the expense of his all-time best (and probably favorite) player. It’s also a credit to Duncan that he can accept this professionally and personally.

And of course, Duncan comes back in for 5 seconds to make the inbounds pass that helps to seal the game. Then he sits back down on the bench and has a good laugh with his teammates. Sometimes images say a lot more than words.

All this writing, and I’ve yet to mention the Thunder. I’ve yet to mention Westbrook, perhaps the most polarizing player in the league. I think he’s a great player that sometimes let’s his greatness hurt the team. I think the Spurs defend him in such a way to bring out his worst tendencies, and the Westbrook we see play against the Spurs is there almost wholly by design of the Spurs’ game plan.

When I watch the Thunder, I also wonder what Durant would look like playing in a more disciplined, egalitarian system. He is a transcendent player, and we may only be seeing 80% of what he is capable of doing. Talent needs discipline to be fully realized. One thing we can say about this Thunder team, without assigning culpability, is that they truly lack a certain discipline.

Of course, their talent alone can beat the Spurs. We’ve all seen that movie before. So while winning Game 3 puts the Spurs back in control of the series, this is far from over.

Game 4 is tomorrow evening.

Go Spurs Go.