Author: Jeff Koch (Page 5 of 404)

Season 51, Game 73
San Antonio 124, Utah 120 (OT)
43-30, 6th in the West

This is exactly the battle we all expected between two of the best defensive teams in the NBA.

Wait, what?

Sometimes all preconceptions and prologue get thrown out the window, and a single game becomes a unique entry in the ledger, unexpected and perfect. This was one of those games. What a battle. What performances. The Jazz didn’t lose this game; the Spurs went out and won it.

LaMarcus Aldridge continued his late-season push to win over the hearts of every Spurs fan who scorned him last year. Dropping in 45 points on 28 shots, he went at possibly the best defensive backcourt in the league and made them look silly. Like most every game this home stand, LaMarcus was a beast in the paint, diversifying his usual array of midrangers with strong low post play. It’s no coincidence that he helped to seal the game in OT with a huge offensive rebound between the Jazz big men.

This is easily his best season as a Spur, but this might be Aldridge’s best season as a professional NBA player. He might have better seasons as a scorer or as a shooter, but when taken as a whole (and considering defense), this might be it. He is doing exactly what you expect a star player to do on a roster full of good supporting players: carry them to the playoffs.

As was mentioned on the latest Spurs Dynasty Podcast, we might finally have reached the best version of this team. Despite all the drama and the unusual levels of losing, this team appears to be peaking at just the right time. We’re still no match against Golden State and Houston without our missing superstar, but we can compete with anybody else in the West. Yes, this recent 6-game winning streak was all at home. But look at the opponents: with the exception of the Orlando Magic, every team we played was a playoff team fighting for something. It took solid play to win these games. 4-2 would have been a good stretch. 5-1 would have been amazing. 6-0 is perfect…and probably saved our playoff lives.

More than just winning, the team finally looks like a team. The offense looks smooth. The defense is locked in. There is palpable chemistry. We mentioned Aldridge, but other players also seem to be peaking. Manu Ginobili continues his improbable season at age 40, continuing to contribute to winning basketball in every facet of the game. Rudy Gay looks all the way back from his mid-season injuries, and looks very comfortable on both ends of the court. He is perfectly cast as a scoring 6th man, playing alongside other seasoned vets in Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Pau Gasol.

Danny Green, Kyle Anderson, and Patty Mills are playing their roles perfectly in the starting lineup, giving just enough shooting, playmaking, and defense to make that lineup potent.

And Coach Pop seems to have accepted going small, locking into the starting lineup that features Aldridge as the center. He rarely plays Gasol and Aldridge together anymore, rather opting for some version of a stretch-4 (Gay, Anderson, or Davis Bertans) alongside either Aldridge or Gasol. Most importantly, he’s getting lots of reps for lots of different looks for whatever the team might face in the playoffs.

It’s been a disappointing season for so many reasons. But as we head towards the playoffs, it’s nice to see the team finally coming together and playing to the best of their ability, even if that isn’t the lofty reaches we were hoping for in October. It’s fun to watch and cheer for this team again, and that’s something.

The Spurs head out on a two-game road trip, facing the Bucks and Wizards. Both are playoff teams, but both are beatable. 2-0 is possible, but 1-1 seems more realistic.

The fist game is Sunday in Milwaukee.

Go Spurs Go.

Season 51, Game 70
San Antonio 117, Minnesota 101
40-30, 7th in the West

I could get used to this winning thing.

It’s a small hurdle for the usually lofty standards of the Spurs, but Saturday’s win against Minnesota marked the first 3-game winning streak the Spurs have had since the end of December. Almost 3 months without winning more than 3 games in a row (and often losing a bunch of games in a row). On that face, this was another huge win for the team.

But it’s not just that the team is winning; it’s how the team is winning. They are fighting; they are competing; they are playing with an edge. In other words, they look exactly like the Spurs you would expect to see playing without their best player: they might not have the talent to compete with you, but they’ll be damned if you’ll get anything easy or they’ll beat themselves.

And yes, every win has been at home, where the Spurs have been solid all year. But two of the three wins were against West teams competing for the same playoff spot, and getting those wins was crucial to playoff hopes. Basically, every game from here on out is a “Not-quite-a-playoff-game-but-more-than-a-regular-season-game” game, and the Spurs are (finally) showing up for these games.

The story of Saturday’s win against the Wolves must necessarily begin with the play of LaMarcus Aldridge. Granted we’re all subject to recency bias, but this may be the finest game he has played as a member of the team. After a slow start to the game, he was absolutely electric in the second quarter, willing the team to an 11-point halftime lead. He was getting his offense in every way possible: his patented midrange jumpers, bullying in the post, from the flow of the Spurs offense, and fighting his ass off under the rim to get offensive putbacks.

When the game was still in doubt in the 4th, he once again had a little personal scoring flurry, helping to put the game out of reach for good with about 4 minutes to go.

When LaMarcus wasn’t beasting, the rest of the team was playing more in line with “the beautiful game” of seasons past, rather than whatever it is we’ve been subjected to this season. The key to the Spurs’ offense is to play fast but not be in a hurry. Make quick decisions, keep the ball and yourself moving, but don’t settle for anything. Again, over these last three games, something seems to have clicked back into place for the squad, and the offense is just playing at a much higher level.

Rudy Gay also had a really nice game. It feels like he is finally getting comfortable coming back from his injury and fitting into the Spurs’ offense. For a player like Gay, there is a delicate balance of getting your own and flowing in the system. Or, between being too selfish and too selfless. He is a gifted scorer, and that role is much needed coming off the bench. Playing alongside Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker (our new Hall of Fame bench crew) is allowing Gay to fit in perfectly.

Gay has also been better than advertised on defense. In the 4th quarter, he and Aldridge were fierce rim protectors, notching several blocks and generally stopping the Wolves in the paint. If he can play the 4, the Spurs have a potent closing lineup available to them.

A very banged-up Warriors team comes to town Monday night. This isn’t “must win”, but with the state Golden State is in (Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Play Thompson are all out, and Draymond Green is not 100% health), the Spurs should be favored to win the game.

Go Spurs Go.