Spurs new starting lineup is the archangel of death.

Then came LaMarcus Aldridge. 

Your starting five: 

Tony Parker 

Kawhi Leonard 

Danny Green 

LaMarcus Alrdridge 

Timmy D 

Excuse me while I gush. 

After the Spurs dominated the 2014 finals with a fast pace offense so majestic the rest of the nba had to try it, they set a precedent for finding the open shooter. 

Now it's all about spacing the floor from behind the 3-pt line with small ball tactics. So what do the Spurs do ? Build on the trend they set ? Of course not.  They destroy it with a small ball incinerator. 

Danny and Kawhi, two elite perimeter defenders, will stand alongside two 7 foot meat grinders in Tim and LaMarcus. As if Kawhi wasnt enough to make sure you wanted to go home by halftime, another huge guy with tat sleeves will be waiting for you down low. Yes, you. 

Tony will run a very different offense. One with elevated scoring prowess. LA is clever in the post, but can also hit 18 foot fade-away jumpers just to piss you off. He might get doubled before they realize a 39 year old man who almost has a statue in front of the alamo is giving free bank shot lessons, and a pair of eagle claws is about to swoop in and take your love of the game. 

Okay, I know. I'm overreacting. LA is not a great rim protector and a relatively inefficient scorer. But he did carry a much heavier workload in Portland. Their ball movement was OK and he had to create for himself most of the time. With the intelligence of Tim and Tony, LA will get better looks. Not to mention the insane isolation plays Pop will run. 

The last guy we ran consistent isolation plays for was Tim Duncan, so it's going to be interested to see what pop does. At this point, I would trust Pop with my life. And it looks like that won't change for the next four years. Reports say he plans to finish out the five year contract he signed last summer. I assume he wants to see a successful passing of the torch from Tim Duncan to LA and Whi; because, let's be honest, it would take two men to fill those shoes. 

You Do The Voodoo

When Manu slammed “the dunk” on Chris Bosh in game 5, the long-time voice of Spurs radio Bill Schoening screamed “Oh Manu, that is why you do the voodoo!”

This might be the last thing I’ll remember from the great Argentinian. I’m almost certain that he will retire after this year because he’s noticeably in pain. In a recent interview with an Argentinian daily he said, “Everything hurts,” which is an obvious indicator to me. This is the spur I’ll miss the most.

I’ve been watching the regular season and playoff games like they’re history, because they are. Manu is still hell-bent on making San Anto’s heart stop while he throws a deadly bullet pass in the middle of 4 defenders. I laugh every time. He could be hobbled and broken, and still find ways to scare the crap out of us.

Duncan and Pop have won more playoff games together than any other duo in NBA history. Timmy single handedly won game 2 with 28 points and some obscene amount of rebounds I can’t remember. All while he was guarded by DeAndre Jordon—who was 10 years old when he watched the big fundamental hoist his first Larry O’ Brian trophy.

Now Kawhi knows it’s his turn. Somewhere in his shy demeanor, his confidence is budding. I don’t need to talk about whi, because everyone else is noticing him. DPOY and MVP could just be stepping stones for what is to come in the next few years. But we all know this. Even if the dudes lose this series, Kawhi will give spurs fans a reason to hope. His hands are big enough to wave goodbye to silver legends, and feed the fire they left burning.

The Spurs hit their stride with the end in sight.

The Spurs are back. They have won 7 out of the last 8 games, with their only loss coming from a record-breaking performance by Kyrie Irving. It took him 57 points and a full rosary to trip the Spurs in their stride.

I felt bad for Minnesota in the next game because the Spurs needed a punching bag. Pop cleared the bench after taking a 40-point lead in the second half, holding the injury-laden Wolves to 13 points in the third quarter.  It was like watching a scarred boxer straddling a downed opponent, dripping sweat and staring as they struggle to stand up. 

While it seems like their 50-win season streak will remain intact, the true test is approaching. Next week, it’s going to be the Hawks, Mavs, Thunder, Mavs again and the Grizz. How the Spurs fare in this stretch could paint an accurate picture of how playoff ready they are. But as long as Tony Parker keeps flirting with 30-point performances, and Kawhi’s hands continue to give everyone nightmares, they should be fine.

Another thing going for the Spurs is the plethora of injuries in the West. Serge Ibaka, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Jamal Crawford and Mike Conley could potentially miss upcoming bouts with San Anto. Manu is among those on the injured list (ankle, 7-10 days), but he has some time to recover while the spurs play 3 sub .500 teams before Atlanta on Sunday. Banger is also listed as day-to-day with a rib contusion.  

As usual, it’s going to be a scramble to the end of the regular season in the Western Conference, and the Spurs will be smack in the middle.

Here's a video of young Matt Bonner throwing it down.

Timmy is dragging the Spurs through inconsistency.

Maybe if the Spurs’ offense still revolved around Tim Duncan, the rodeo road trip (2-4) might be going a little smoother. In last night loss to the Jazz…the jazz…Timmy posted his 27^th double double of the season, the fourth most in the league. He’s been remarkably consistent as always. He even hit a 3-pointer in a 30 point performance against the clippers last Thursday. Yet the Spurs still can’t find a rhythm that holds.

This final third of the season is usually when they hit the next gear and steamroll their way to the playoffs, but recently they have been very weak offensively. The ball movement of last year’s finals shows up occasionally, but the decision-making is spotty.  The spurs had a 4 on 1 fast break opportunity against warriors last Friday, and it ended in a three pointer from Belinelli. Even though he sunk the shot, I didn’t understand why a championship team that outpaced opponents with sharp passes and sweeping fast breaks were having this much trouble finding good shots.

Spurs beat writer Jeff McDonald attributes it to 3 consecutive lengthy post-season pushes. Even young teams would feel the fatigue after that many extra games. It’s just strange that the 38 year old seems to look the most fresh. I won’t go into detail about Tony Parkers struggles, because the numbers are very depressing.

The Spurs aren’t themselves right now, and they have until the playoffs to get it together. The team to beat is Golden State, and if OKC keeps making this late season push led by Westbrook, the silver and black might see the Warriors in the first round as the 8^th seed. But everybody knows, the Spurs are a postseason team. Let’s see what happens when a championship defender riddled with injuries throughout the season will react.

Frenchies

The only time I stepped on the hardwood at the AT&T Center was when I was a Spurs “Ball Kid” in 2004 as a 10 year old. I saw Tim, Tony, and Manu in person and couldn’t believe how big they were. I thought that was the closest I would ever get to the Spurs.

A few days ago, I watched Danny Green, Corey Joseph and Kawhi Leonard practice mid-range jumpers from the sideline. I was sitting next to Tony Parker’s mom, talking to her about how us 20 something year olds are growing closer to the Spurs (especially the big three) as they age with us.

I was only sitting there because of two Frenchmen from Reunion Island. One of them was living in my parent’s house.

Nelson and Nathan were the first basketball players in their organization, Region Reunion, to come to the United States. Tony’s mother knew their coach and made this opportunity possible for them through her connections. They would play basketball for my alma mater, Central Catholic High School, and hopefully get noticed by college coaches in order to move to the next level. My mother is the school’s secretary and she would easily be able to accommodate one of the “Frenchies” with more room in the house after I left for UNT. She also had my senior brother at Central and a convenient schedule that lined up with basketball practice.

Nelson, shy and tall at 6’2, moved his things into the front room in September.  He spoke very little English yet he was supposed to take regular junior level classes at a college preparatory high school. A veteran English teacher would try to explain the literary meaning behind Huckleberry Fin, and an outgoing History teacher would describe what caused the American Revolution. After several months, it is still an understandably difficult transition.

Then Tony Parker’s mom offered to take them to a Spurs game last week. She extended the invitation to the kids they were living with—My brother and Sophomore Travis Berlanga. However, my brother is violently indifferent to all sports teams; even the one thriving in San Antonio. He declined the invitation and I was next in line.

I shook Tony’s hand and slurped up a little bit of drool. I was geeking out more than I did when I was a Ball Kid.  He spoke a little bit of French to Nelson and Nathan, who were equally star struck. Boris was very approachable and asked where they went to school (in French, of course). 

While they were talking, Kawhi was dribbling the ball so hard we could feel our legs vibrate. Watching him crossover from one claw to the next, I thought about what it would be like to guard that beast. It was a surreal experience. 

I saw Tim Duncan’s aged and expressionless face when I realized I probably wouldn’t see him in a Spurs jersey this close ever again. We snapped a quick picture with him and he ducked away into the tunnel just as I said “you’re a hero Tim!” I don’t think he heard me, but I don’t care.

He posted yet another double-double against Miami that night. 

Kawhi gives Spurs life and rhythm

All Kawhi had to do was extend his massive arms to create offense. In the first quarter of last night’s game against Denver, he tipped a pass intended for Randy Foye and Boris Diaw helped him with an easy layup in transition. If this was late December, that possession would have ended in points for Denver. Instead, Foye was on his back covered in spilled beer.  Kawhi ended the night with 17 points and 15 rebounds.

This has been the story for every game since Leonard’s return. With Kawhi back, the Spurs have won every game in double digits—a luxury that just didn’t seem possible last month. We all knew how important he was, this is just a powerful reminder. After Kawhi’s return against Portland, Spurs beat writer Jeff Mccdonald tweeted: “The difference between the Spurs’ roster that labored to fend off Charlotte 2 nights ago and the one that blitzed Portland tonight is one guy.”

Kawhi was guarding Wesley Matthews that night, the same guy that turned the bruised hand into a torn ligament. “You tried to put me out for the season,” Leonard told him. Kawhi said it was a joke in his postgame interview, but Matthews walked out of the at&t center with two points, hitting one of four shots. No one was laughing.

The Spurs still aren’t completely whole with Marco out, but the rotations are getting consistent and they have a little rhythm back after winning four straight. Now that Kawhi is filling his enormous role, the rest of the spurs can focus on their strengths.

We Miss You Kawhi

After one of the toughest months in franchise history where the Spurs scathed by with a record of 8-10, January looks much more promising. The New Year brings hope with the return of Tony Parker, and an opportunity to dig themselves out of the seventh seed in the West. The majority of the opponents in January are from a softer Eastern Conference, and even without Kawhi the Spurs should be able to take advantage. 

It was the second game of the brand new month and the Spurs led the Pistons by eighteen halfway through the second quarter, until they broke down again. The rebounds that would normally be gobbled up by the claws of Kawhi Leonard turned into second chance points for a talented Detroit frontcourt. In the third quarter, the eighteen-point lead would turn into a ten-point deficit. Once again, a small fourth quarter push brought the game down to its final seconds. Once again, the Spurs couldn’t finish a sub .500 team.

This is all to say that the Spurs have been missing their two best players (Tony only played 13 minutes against the Pistons) and the rotations have been unorthodox. Pop has often been subbing five for five to keep the energy up, and there has been a recent shift to zone defense to make up for Kawhi’s absence. But last year it didn’t matter who the Spurs were missing, as long as they were moving the ball they were winning.

The Spurs are struggling now, but Kawhi’s hand is getting better and he is predicted to return in two weeks. We are also an even deeper team with Cory Joseph showing his true potential. Pop doesn’t care what seed we are; he just wants to get to the playoffs. For now, the veteran Spurs will get back to work and San Antonio will not worry. Because the last time the Spurs had similar mid-season trouble, they won the championship in 1999.