Author: Jeff Koch (Page 4 of 404)

Season 51, Game 75
San Antonio 106, Washington 116
43-32, 6th in the West

The Spurs are a bad road team.

One of the things that makes this season so (un)remarkable is just how bad the Spurs are on the road. One of the consistent pillars of the teams string of 50-win seasons has been their ability to take care of business on the road. They always have a winning road record. Always. A shorthand to gauge the true greatness of a team is to compare road wins to home losses: the greater the difference, the better the team. Right now, the Spurs are +6.

For comparison, the Rockets (the best team in the league) are +24. The Warriors are +16. The rest of the bunched up West fighting for the playoffs are all similar to the Spurs, which only goes to prove how ordinary this team is.

What’s more disturbing, though, is that the Spurs are the worst road team of any current playoff team, East or West. Dead last. Only the Nuggets (still fighting, but outside of the playoff picture) are a worse road team. Not a good stat for a team certain to start the playoffs on the road against a better team.

Honestly, this road mediocrity was the first sign that this season wasn’t going as planned. Even before the big swoon that dropped the team from 3rd in the West to 10th, they did not have a good road record. The signs were there, they were just able to paper over them. But now we know: the team is just kind of meh.

As for the actual game, there’s not much to say. They were kind of meh. LaMarcus Aldridge left the game late in the first half with what is being called a knee contusion and really this season just keeps getting worse. The hope is that he won’t be out long. Even if he plays, the schedule is not easy the rest of the way, home or road. But without LaMarcus, this team is absolutely dead in the water screwed.

But hey, at least our next game is at home. Against the Thunder, a team that has given us big problems this season.

Go Spurs Go.

Season 51, Game 74
San Antonio 103, Milwaukee 106
43-31, 6th in the West

The Spurs dug themselves into two big holes against the Bucks; they were only able to climb out of one.

Had the game gone about 45 more seconds, they might have come all the way back for a second time and secured the win. But the team didn’t play the full 48, and paid the price for it.

The team fought hard in both the 2nd and 4th quarters, showing a lot of fight in character in coming back from double-digit deficits in each half to make the game competitive. When the shots weren’t falling, they kept pounding that rock. But the odd numbered quarters count, too; and if you get outscored 68-43 in a 2 quarter sample (the 1st and 3rd), you’re probably going to lose the game.

Our big men came to play. LaMarcus Aldridge continued his run of superlative games, scoring 34 points on 21 shots and generally anchoring the offense. This is everything we always hoped from him. It’s tough to enjoy this season for a variety of reasons, but hopefully we can find a bit of joy in watching Aldridge blossom into being a true Spur.

Pau Gasol also had a wonderful game, with 22 points and 13 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action. The two bigs activity and determination in the 4th quarter is what allowed the Spurs to actually make it a game again, with a chance to tie in the final possession.

Alas, there wasn’t much to be found elsewhere. DeJounte Murray continued his up and down play, struggling to run the offense under defensive pressure from the Bucks. He can be a passing guard, and he can score well, but he has trouble blending the aspects of his game, and knowing when to do what. This season is learning by experience with nary a safety net to be found, so it’s hard to fault him. He plays hard and he is determined to be a great player and great in the team’s system; it’s going to take time.

To that end, I don’t fault Murray in the least for the final play. Pop often doesn’t like to call a timeout so as to prevent the defense from setting. I agree with that decision. It’s usually Parker or Ginobili with the ball in that case, but it still serves as good experience for Murray. However, the rest of the team didn’t really race up the court with him, so when he was on the wing with the ball, the rest of the team was still setting up, and nobody had a really good idea of what to do.

At that point, Pop should have called timeout. With about 6 or 7 seconds left, they could have gotten a good look. But nobody called timeout, and Murray took a relatively contested 3. I didn’t see any better option for him, as no better shooter seemed to be in a position to get the ball with a good look.

It was a smart idea, poorly executed by inexperienced staff. But the best way to learn is to go through it in an actual game, to live it in your bones.

The game was lost long before that missed 3; it was a miracle the team even got back in it. If the loss helps Murray grow, then it might be worth it. It doesn’t make it feel any better.

The Spurs finish up their East Coast swing Tuesday night in Washington D.C. against he Wizards.

Go Spurs Go.