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 27th 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 8th 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
