Twenty-five games into the 2014-15 season, the Spurs are just
three games off of last year's record at 17-8. As usual, Pop is preparing the
team for the long haul with the playoffs in the back of his mind. While a sidelined
Tim (38-year-old rest), Tony (hamstring), and Manu (lower back) watched the
bench keep pace with Portland on Monday, the loss was somewhat encouraging. The
rookie Kyle “SloMo” Anderson scored a season high 15 points and Kawhi was
looking more comfortable than ever in the drivers seat. He recorded 21 points,
9 reb and 4 ast before re-injuring his bruised left hand late in the 4th
quarter. The X-rays came back
negative, but he will sit out tonight against the Grizzlies because of the
soreness. On top of that, Tony’s hamstring will keep him out of tonight’s
contest.
It’s still very early to make playoff predictions, but if Golden State and Memphis continue to emerge as top contenders, the 2015 post-season
could be a little more interesting than last year. Oklahoma City might finish
as a six or seven seed because of their early season woes, and that is one team San Antonio would not like to see in the first round. Keeping in mind the Spurs delivered
one of Golden State’s three losses, the Western Conference is bound to cool off
a little bit. The top three teams are all on pace for 70+ wins, and I don’t
even think that’s possible. For the Spurs, it’s always been about pace.
Pop usually pushes the gas pedal a little harder around
mid-season. Our Rotations will finally have some sort of consistency when Patty
Mills jumps back in the lineup. If the Spurs can get relatively healthy by that time, San Antonio might be able to start eyeing a repeat.
The Spurs recently beat a Lakers team that isn’t even a
shadow of what they used to be. In the days before the dynasty was built, the
Lakers were always the team to beat. They won three championships in a row
following the Spurs’ first title in ’99 as their dominance proved to be stable.
San Antonio had its first taste of success the year before Los Angeles was
swimming in it.
That’s part of what made the 2003 championship so sweet. We
dethroned the Lakers in the second round with a rookie Manu Ginobili and a
David Robinson in his final season. This was when Bruce Bowen’s corner 3 was
lethal and Tim Duncan could completely take over a game. The veterans were
strong and the potential of the team was even stronger.
I was only eight; probably upstairs playing with Legos
and slightly annoyed the party below me was so loud. We beat the Lakers so what?
Why is everyone so drunk? Well, I would come to understand this growing rivalry
was one of the biggest roadblocks to the Spurs’ championships.
The Lakers were the Anti-Spurs. Shaq and Kobe were showman
and it was easy to hate them in San Antonio. After the second championship, my
parents started watching the games more and I would join them every once in a while.
I remember the Spurs v Lakers games became an event. Family friends would come
to the house or we would go to their house. I was cool with it because their kids
were my friends and we would hang out while the adults screamed at the TV. But
when the games were close in the final seconds, we were all together.
It was just something we had to do—beat the Lakers together.
It was a classic battle of good versus evil. If we won there would be peace and
a general feeling of celebration, even among my childhood friends. Our parent’s
happiness rubbed off on us, and they let us be loud and run around for a while
because that’s what they wanted to do. But if we lost there was a lot of
cursing, and us kids were usually taking refuge at that point.
Fast forward to round two of the 2004 playoffs. It was game five against the Lakers with the Spurs’ backs against the wall as they had just lost
two straight in LA. They were in the exact same position last year and came out
on top of the NBA—San Antonio was confident.
It was another tight
game and I was watching as Tim Duncan hit a fade away jumper to put the spurs
up 73-72 with 0.4 seconds left to play. We won! They couldn’t possibly get up a
shot in time! Then Derek Fisher lobbed up a hail mary
over Manu that splashed in mid-buzzer. The Lakers ran off the court so it
couldn’t be disputed. There was still another game to play, but it felt like we
lost everything.
I couldn’t sleep that night and I’m not even sure why
because I barely watched the spurs all season. I literally could not stop
thinking about that shot and it overwhelmed me with sadness. The heroes of my
city fell hard while the villains literally jumped and screamed out of our
building. At nine years old, I didn’t really know how to deal with defeat. I could
only go to my parents at 2 am in tears and ask why I couldn’t sleep and why
Derek Fisher ruined everything.
My parents were calm and told me that I loved the Spurs. I
guess I didn’t really know I loved them because I hardly watched them, but I
didn’t need to. They brought so much happiness around me in my childhood that
such a defeat was unimaginable.It was
like superman going to the hospital.
The great thing about the Spurs is they let those moments of
defeat fuel them. They came back with a vengeance in 2005 with Tim Duncan
leading the way to another championship. I wore my “Obi-Wan Ginobili” shirt as
I watched the spurs take down the Pistons in game seven of the finals. They would
again rise from the ashes after a bitter loss to the Heat in 2013 with a
historic finals performance in 2014. The Spurs have experienced their fair
share of crushing blows, but like Tim Duncan’s face, the franchise always
remains calm and focused on the goal.
Kobe is the last remnant of a successful Lakers team, and
it’s likely to remain that way with his max contract excluding the possibility
of recruiting talented free agents. While it seems like the Lakers’ best days
are behind them, Tim Duncan’s selflessness has opened the door for guys like
Kawhi Leonard to give the Spurs hope in the distant future. Even when Timmy is
gone, he still won’t let his city cry for too long.
Tim, Tony and Manu reached another milestone as the Spurs
pulled off a gutsy win over the Clippers in LA Monday night. Together they have
500 regular season wins-- second only to Bird, McHale and Parish of the
Celtics. Despite this feat, the trio struggled for most of the game. Tony was
ice cold with only three of his thirteen shots falling. In a very
uncharacteristic and frustrating moment, Manu missed both foul shots
that would have put the Spurs up four with three seconds left in the game. Even
though old man riverwalk put up eighteen, it wouldn’t have been enough if we
didn’t have the cornrowed savior.
Kawhi Leonard carried the boys to 500 with a career high
of twenty-six points. This time it
didn’t come purely out of the motion of the offense. “We ran more plays for him
[Kawhi] tonight than I ever have in his career,” said Pop after the game. If this is what we can expect when more
responsibilities are placed in the largest hands in the NBA, this may very well
be Kawhi’s team by the end of the season. Just imagine when he gets over his
conjunctivitis and his vision is 100 percent.
I love Kawhi Leonard. He’s a Spur to the core and everyone
knows it. That’s why San Antonio collectively shivered when he wasn’t offered a
contract extension by the Oct. 31 deadline, making him a restricted free agent
next summer. However, this morning USA Today released an article where Kawhi spoke
very candidly about his future. “I’m pretty sure ill be in a Spurs jersey for
my whole life,” said Kawhi. Someone in San Antonio is going to make that quote
into a banner and hang it from the Alamo. Local news stations are already
breaking the news.
There is nothing more Spur than loyalty, and after twelve years
the most loyal trio in the NBA need someone strong enough to continue this
tradition. The future of the Spurs is unclear beyond this season, but I see Tony and Kawhi
running the floor together as selfless MVPs and Spurs for life.
When I was about ten years old my Aunt won an opportunity to be a Spurs Pizza Hut Ball Kid at an auction. I was the oldest kid in the family and probably the only one that would actually enjoy it, so she gave it to me. At first I was excited, but it quickly turned into fear when I was directed to the baseline and two regulation size NBA basketballs were placed in my small chest. The coaches told me I was only allowed to bounce pass it to the players on the three point line. Young and embarrassed, I used all my strength to get a solid three or four bounces before the ball practically rolled to the shooters.
I was about to regret saying yes to this marvelous display of my weakness when Manu Ginobili--El Contusione himself--came from behind, grabbed a ball I was holding and smashed it into the hoop right in front of me with both hands. Every sense of self-consciousness I had, dissipated as he tossed the ball back to me with a friendly grin. I don't remember much from when I was ten years old, but I'll always remember staring in awe of Manu's dunk with my adult size shirt draped down to my knees.
I'm twenty now, and the shirt that reads "I was a spurs pizza hut ball kid" fits me perfectly. Manu is thirty-seven with a beard and a bald spot visible from the nosebleeds. He's not as quick off the dribble and the lush locks that were a staple of 2005 championship are long gone. In interviews, he seems painfully aware of this fact and I sense he's prepared for his illustrious career to come to an end soon. But San Antonio isn't ready-- at least I'm not.
Maybe it would be a little easier to accept if he didn't just hoist the Larry O' Brian trophy above his head for a fourth time as the Spurs dominated the 2014 finals. Maybe if we didn't see him drop the hammer on Chris Bosh in game 5 like he was twenty-eight years old again. Maybe if he didn't feel like a part of the city after twelve years of making us scream "GINOBILIIIII!!!"
I took his loyalty for granted in the seven years after the quick championships of '03, '05 and '07. Now in the 2015 season, I'm going to cherish every three-pointer, no look pass, reverse layup and euro-step the old Argentinian vet gives us. Because I just can't imagine a Spurs team without Manu Ginobili.
