Season 49, Game 28
San Antonio 114, Los Angeles Clippers 107
23-5, 2nd in the West
This is why we brought LaMarcus Aldridge to San Antonio.
Last year’s season-ending series against the Clippers was, above all else, agonizing. It was hard fought, well played, and exhilarating basketball. But for Spurs fans, it was agonizing. Not just the losing, and not just the manner of losing, but what the losing might have ultimately represented.
When that final horn sounded in Los Angeles, it not only signaled the end of the game and the series and the season, it very well might have signaled the end of a dynasty.
Aldridge’s arrival signaled the fortification and the future of the dynasty.
Aldridge is doing a magnificent job fitting in to the culture and the system. It’s obvious that he enjoys playing here, and equally obvious that he’s a natural personality fit on this team. He seems happy. He’s playing well. He’s willingly sacrificing personal accounting stats for team wins. But when we get down to the nitty gritty, make no mistake: the Spurs wanted LaMarcus because of what he can do in the most heated moments of the playoffs: score points.
The dirty secret of the Spurs over the last several seasons is that they really haven’t had any player that can create offense simply for themselves. This is why the beautiful game evolved. Duncan could no longer do it, Manu and Tony were starting to decline in that area, and the rest of the roster was full of top-shelf role players who require help getting their scoring opportunities.
In close games, it became a real problem. In close games in the playoffs, with defenses well-coached and offenses well-scouted, it became an even bigger problem. Sometimes you just need a player who by virtue of having the ball in his hands is a high-efficiency option. We saw this issue rear its ugly head several times in that series last season, when the Spurs had games there for the taking and just couldn’t muster enough offense down the stretch to hold off the Clippers.
With the rise of Kawhi, the Spurs now have two of those options. (With Tony playing the way he is, we could argue they have three.) But even in Friday’s game, we see that Kawhi is still learning how to be that option. Aldridge, on the other hand, already has 8 years of experience being that option. While he’s never been in the pressure cooker of the late playoff rounds, he’s been in plenty of close games with the responsibility of the offense squarely on his shoulders. And by virtue of his height, his release point, and his smooth stroke, there really is no ‘bad’ shot from Aldridge.
That goes a long way against really good teams.
In this year’s playoffs, there may come a point, late in a close out game, with the Spurs in desperate need of a basket. The ball will be swinging, the shot clock will be dwindling, and the defense will be scrambling, shutting down every tendency that the Spurs favor. And the ball will find its way into Aldridge’s hands at the elbow extended.
In this moment, we’ll all understand the signing and the change in offensive philosophy. And we’ll also be damn happy we have #12 on our team.
A few more thoughts from Friday’s win:
–I really hate playing the Clippers. I just think they’re a bad match-up for the Spurs. Even though I think OKC is better, I’d almost rather face them in the second round of the playoffs. OKC has better top shelf talent, but an easier system to scout and defend well. The Clippers have a terrific offense, and one that really flummoxes the Spurs’ defense.
Part of this is there is no good spot to put Kawhi. I don’t think guarding PGs is his best strength, and he’s not quite big enough to guard Blake. He can chase Redick around, but he’ll likely still get enough daylight running through enough screens. This also minimizes his effectiveness as a roamer and weak side helper.
We saw in this game that Pop resorted to hacking Jordan in large part because the Spurs could just not stop the Clippers’ offense in the third quarter.
–I really do hate the hacking strategy, and I do think it’s more harmful than helpful in most cases. However, in that 3rd quarter, it did seem to help stem the tide and allow the Spurs to grab control of the game. The use of it in the 4th quarter had the opposite effect, and thankfully Pop went away from it rather quickly.
–Parker was magnificent late when the Spurs’ offense really seemed to be struggling (thankfully, so was the Clippers’ offense). He hit some huge shots and made sure the offense never totally went off the rails.
–Kawhi, on the other hand, did seem to struggle a bit late in the game. Maybe it’s just the Clippers. He missed a couple of easy shots late that would have given the team even better separation. He also had trouble containing Chris Paul on defense. In one late play after a time out, he was late making a back cut to the rim on a pet play the Spurs run all the time after time outs. Parker inbounds to Duncan, who passes the ball to the player making a surprise back cut from the FT line to the rim. It’s often Manu in that position, but Pop put Kawhi there. The defense might have sniffed it out a bit, but Kawhi was late with the cut.
–Interesting to note that Simmons got 8 minutes of playing time and Anderson got 0.
–Oh, and Aldridge’s line: 26 points (team high), 13 rebounds (team high), and 3 assists. Not too shabby for Tiago’s “replacement.”
–All in all, that was a really exciting and energetic game, and as close as you can get to a ‘playoff’ atmosphere in December. Everybody on the team played really well overall. This game really helped to illustrate how poorly the Spurs played in that playoff series and how well they’ve addressed last season’s issues, whether through signings or internal player development. There is not doubt this team is better than last season… and last season they were perhaps a fingertip’s length away from making it as far as the Conference Finals, and perhaps even to the Finals.
What I’m trying to say is: this team is really good. And really fun to watch. And we’re only 28 games into the season.
The Spurs close this home stand on Monday when the Pacers come to town.
Go Spurs Go.
