Season 49, Game 73
San Antonio 92, Oklahoma City 111
61-12, 2nd in the West

For a quarter and a half, we all dreamed about an upset, of embarrassing the full-strength Thunder squad featuring two All-NBA players on their home court with a Spurs line-up missing its five top players. Oh, what a joy it would have been.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are who they are for a reason, though, and they showed exactly why in the second half. The Spurs never really had a chance in this game, despite the strong start to the game. Talent still reigns supreme on an NBA court, and the Thunder had a lot more of it Saturday night.

We know all about these games, though. When Pop rests his top guys, the other guys can often produce some of the most enjoyable and quirky Spurs games. I love them, personally. No pressure to win with a chance to get to see some of the role players and periphery players in larger roles with more responsibility and scrutiny.

Watching these games, I’m often more interested in moments, in individual performances, in a series of possessions, in line-up combinations. Did Player X show me something with more playing time? Can anything from the game translate to the ‘real’ rotation?

Did we learn anything Saturday night?

David West is still a stud. We might forget, because he’s become a role player and he took such a huge pay cut and he’s a bit older, but West was a top player on a few teams that threatened to make the Finals. He’s different than the usual late-career vet chasing a ring. He’s still got life to give. I think Pop is deliberately monitoring his playing time and role in the regular season, keeping him primed and ready for the playoffs.

Jonathon Simmons is a real NBA player. His greatest skill might be ‘energy’, but boy, does he bring the juice. He is the perfect bench player to insert into the game when the team needs a jolt of life. His first stint began near the end of the first quarter, and just happened to coincide with the Spurs only real run of the game, a 19-3 stretch spanning the first and second quarter. Simmons was energetic on both ends, and was able to attack the rim and get a few fast break opportunities.

As much as we love Patty, he still needs a primary creator out there to fully realize his use and potential. He just can’t break down defenses the way Manu and Tony can. He is best catching the ball and shooting.

Speaking of shooting, the Spurs continue to struggle from the 3, regardless of personnel. Both Mills and Green are in varying degrees of slumps from long, and it’s really holding back the offensive potential.

Andre Miller and Kevin Martin are nice pieces to have, but they will likely have limited roles in the playoffs with quick hooks. Miller is more of a caretaker, a 3rd PG who won’t lose a game for you. Martin has higher upside with his ability to shoot, score, and draw fouls. But if he’s not doing those things, he can become a liability on the court with his lack of system knowledge and his below-average defense. On the bright side, though, he has been hitting his 3s better than most other Spurs (that isn’t saying much currently).

We all love Boban, but he’s not quite ready for prime time. I’m not ruling out the possibility that he could be, though, and that would be huge. He’s shown us a lot to be excited about this season.

The Spurs travel to Memphis for a short-handed squad rematch tomorrow night. It’ll be interesting to see how the game plays out after Friday’s game. The way Memphis played, I’d fully expect them to beat a Spurs squad not at full strength on their home court. However, there is a chance that Kawhi could play, which would tip the scales a bit.

Go Spurs Go.

Season 49, Game 72
San Antonio 110, Memphis 104
61-11, 2nd in the West

That was a bit too close for comfort.

When Pop rests players on the road against good teams, I often applaud the psychological trick: win the game, and it’s an unexpected bonus; lose the game, and it doesn’t really matter, because you were supposed to lose anyway. It’s win-win, and can build confidence for players down the bench.

Friday’s game against Memphis was kind of the opposite of that. Memphis is completely wiped out by injury and has no business playing a competitive basketball game against the Spurs in San Antonio. By resting 3 key players (with Leonard sitting out with a legitimate injury), Pop put the Spurs in a lose-lose situation. Win the game, and it’s expected; lose the game, and it’s a failure and a collapse. Lose-lose. The only way this game could have been a net-positive is if the Spurs had won by 20, and even then it would have been ‘the expected’.

So I’m glad the Spurs won. I’m glad the home record stays in tact. I’m glad Martin and Miller got valuable playing time, and that Simmons found his way back into the rotation, providing some much needed 2nd half energy. But there’s not much else about this game that pleases me. The Grizzlies played harder, showing a defensive energy and tenacity the Spurs couldn’t be bothered to match. They probably deserved the win, all other things being equal.

It wasn’t equal, though, and the Spurs knew that. Aldridge scored 17 points in the first quarter as the Memphis front line looked completely outmatched. The rim was wide open, and the Spurs were feasting.

When the Grizzlies turned up the defensive intensity, though, and effectively closed off the lane and shut down the rim, the Spurs really had no counter. After those 17 first quarter points, you’d think the Spurs would just ride LaMarcus to the easy victory. He only scored 15 the rest of the game, which isn’t bad, except he scored 17 points in one quarter! Get that man the ball.

With the game close throughout the second half, the Spurs hit three 3-pointers in a row, two by Manu, sandwiched around one by Martin. This gave the team just enough breathing room to pull out the win, even though Pop pulled the starters a bit too early and Memphis made it just interesting enough in the final minute.

Ugh. What a horrible game. At least Martin showed he can hit some 3s. That’s good, right?

And if anybody was doubting Green’s value on defense (and Leonard’s, too, obviously), one need only re-watch this game to be reminded of how important wing defense is in the modern NBA. After that first quarter, the Grizzlies – perhaps the most injured team in NBA history – had a near-endless parade to the rim, getting much easier baskets than the Spurs.

The game is over, though, and we got the win. The team has already announced that Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan will not make the road trip and miss the next two games. I’m totally fine with this. I don’t care how the Spurs play the rest of their road games. There’s nothing to be gained, as the team has more or less clinched the #2 seed.

But I hope they keep protecting home court. I hope they go for 41-0 at home on the season. I hope they use their remaining home games to stay sharp and ready for the playoffs.

There are just 4 more, and I want the Spurs to win them all.

The Spurs play Saturday night in Oklahoma City. I expect a loss, but it’ll most likely be one of those shorthanded ‘win-win’ games. It will certainly be less stressful than this game.

Go Spurs Go.