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Go Spurs Go!

Scratch That...

...nobody beats the Clippers 19 times in a row.

I Should Just Stop Waiting for the Other Boot to Drop

After a slow, ugly, and unsteady first half that luckily only saw the Spurs down 4, the team came out in the second half with more energy and precision, racing off to a quick 11-4 start and taking the lead for good. Although we were never able to get any real separation from the Bobcats, we were able to hold them off just long enough to come away with a 4 point win and improve our record to 5-1 on the young season.

What I Liked:

--Behind the arc. We got great 3-point shooting, particularly from Neal and Ginobili, who each hit 5 a piece. Throw in Anderson's 2, and you have all of our 3 pointers. But 12 3s in 26 tries is great, and almost always leads to great things for our team. Even more impressive, is that we held the Bobcats to just 6-19 from behind the arc. I believe they hit 4 of 5 in the first quarter, only able to connect on 2 of their next 14 for the remainder of the game. Our 3-point defense in the second half looked particularly sharp as we chased shooters off the line hard, preventing many attempts (and turning them into long 2s) and contesting almost all of them. This is a tenet of Pop's defense, so it's nice to see it starting to take hold this season

--And suddenly there was a bench. The guys over at 48MoH did a fantastic job diving into Pop's reliance on the bench this season and compares it to Alvin Gentry's use of the Suns bench last year. I agree with their assessment, and I like the way our bench is shaping up this year. I'm very impressed with Neal and Anderson's play early; McDyess looks like the player I always coveted when he was with Detroit; George Hill will come around; and Splitter and Bonner offer differing yet both very important skills from our 4th/5th big. Most importantly, I trust each of them to be on the floor at any given point in a game.

--Blair's D. Blair's having a tough start to the season, especially on offense, where I think every one of his shots has bounced off the rim. But I thought he played nice defense on Tyrus Thomas, a player who had a nice game and had his way with McDyess. But when Blair was on him, he was able to stay with him to cut off the driving lanes and still contest his jump shot. Thomas is a type of player (quick, athletic 4s) that gives us fits, so it's nice to know we have at least one player that can defend it.

--Morgan. The Bobcat's play by play guy called Blair 'Morgan' at least 2 or 3 times. Hilarity ensued.

--Splitter's inside presence. It's not always showing up in the box score yet, but I think Splitter is having a nice impact on the interior both offensively and defensively. He's getting some nice Offensive rebound putbacks, and on only play he occupied both Bobcats bigs as they boxed out, allowing McDyess to slide in, grab the rebound, and throw down a dunk. Splitter is still obviously learning the game, learning the system, and finding his legs, but I like what I see.

What I Didn't Like:

--George Hill, Point Guard? Hill seems to be regressing a bit in the early going. The injury may have something to do with it. Perhaps it's the pressure of being expected to be a major contributor. Whatever the reason, he's not given us much in this early season. He's particularly rough at PG. When he was running the offense, it went really stale and just stalled out completely. The ball movement died, the ball didn't reverse sides of the court, and we didn't get a lot of good looks nor run a lot of nice sets. His ball-handling is good, and he's fine in that role, but it's clear that he's better suited as a 2-Guard, and that either Parker or Ginobili will need to be in at all times when the games really start to matter.

--Turnovers, Rebounding, 2nd Chance Points. I haven't harped much on either of these categories this year. The rebounding numbers don't look great, but it doesn't pass the eye test. It feels like we're rebounding better this year and allowing less 2nd-chance points. (This discrepancy could also be because we're allowing opponents to shoot so well that there aren't as many rebounds to collect.) However, in this game, we gave up 15 offensive rebounds and gave up way too many 2nd-chance point opportunities.

We also seem to be turning the ball over way too much this season. We were particularly sloppy in the first half when the Bobcat's aggressive, pressing defense really seemed to bother us into some careless passes and mistakes.

--The end of the game. Having stretched our lead to a comfortable 9 points with around 2 minutes left, our next few possessions looked like this: missed 3 from the corner; turnover; missed basket on a poor possession; turnover that led to a 3-point play the other way that turned into a 4 point play when Thomas missed the free throw attempt but the Bobcats rebounded the miss and put it back in. In this run the Bobcats closed the deficit to 2 and put some real heat on our last possession and the last 15 seconds of the game.

Game Ball:

Luckily, we have Manu Ginobili, stone cold assassin. He calmly ran the clock down, drove the lane, got to his left hand thanks to a Duncan pick, and banked in a running sideways leaner that probably almost got blocked and looks completely out of sync and awkward if anybody besides Manu Ginobili attempts it. Throw in his team high 26 points and 5 3-pointers, and you've got yourself a game ball winner.

Looking Forward:

The Clippers come to town Wednesday night. This will be our second meeting already in this young season. I keep expecting a down game from the Spurs, and they keep threatening to deliver, yet winning in the end. Part of me feels like I'm reverse jinxing the team by doing this. So I'll continue to do it. The Clippers seem committed to moving past Baron Davis and letting the kids run the show, and they have some pretty good kids out there. We own the Clippers; but nobody beats the Clippers 18 times in a row, right? Right?

Still, I expect us to win.

Sometimes It's Better to Know the Results Before You Start Watching

I was unable to watch the Rockets game last night as I had an early show that directly conflicted with the game. My plan was to watch it today (Sunday), yet I know, from previous experience, that it's almost impossible to avoid the final score before I start watching. So I don't try anymore.

Boy was I relieved that I knew the final score before I watched that game. I might have thrown my phone (the thing nearest to me) right through the screen of my brand new computer as the Rockets made their run in the 4th quarter and the Spurs seemed to fall asleep at the wheel and give the game away. Luckily, I remained calm, and reminded myself that this all ended in OT with the Spurs somehow securing 3 more points than the Rockets. Wouldn't you know it, that's exactly how it ended.

You have to give the Rockets a ton of credit for playing so hard and so well even as their best scorers went down one by one. First, Yao didn't even play; then Brooks went out with a nasty ankle turn at the end of the half; finally, Kevin Martin's ankle followed suit and put him out of the game. Down to primarily bench players, the Rockets did what they always do, which is to play tough and get scoring from just about any player that seems willing and able.

Luckily for us, this might be the most offensively talented Spurs team in the Duncan era. We have 4 players that can easily score 20 in any given game, and another 3 to 4 that could always end up between 10 and 15 points. We all know about Jefferson's early season resurgence that shows no sign of ending as he grows more assured with every game. But don't let McDyess' improved play from last year get lost in the shuffle. He's shooting that 15 foot jump shot with the scary accuracy that we were all expecting last year. He's also playing solid defense, rebounding very well, and making 2 to 3 really important hustle plays each game. Duncan may be slipping ever so slightly with age, but his offensive game might be more efficient than at any other point in his career. Ginobili and Parker look like the whirling dervishes of years past. Throw in Hill's abilities, and Neal, Anderson, and Bonner's shooting, and it all adds up to 109 points per game, good for 3rd in the league.

However, this may be one of the worst defensive teams of the Duncan era, as well. We're allowing 105.4 points per game, good for 23rd in the league. Ugh. Teams are shooting 48% against us (42% from 3), which might just send Pop to an early grave.

So far the offense is really carrying us and allowing us to win games. While it's nice to have that offensive luxury to increase our margin of error in games, eventually the D will need to come around if we're going to be any sort of serious threat in the playoffs. The good news: we still have 77 games left and Pop as our head coach.

Looking Forward:

We travel to Charlotte Monday for a game against the Bobcats. Last year's game in Charlotte was a painful and ugly ordeal. They play very well at home, and can play suffocating defense. This is a game we can win, and this is a game we should win. Hopefully our newfound offensive prowess can overpower their D, and just maybe our D can start to find some life. But be prepared for a stinker. Or a slog.

The Kid Stays in the Picture

Spurs-Suns games always seem to follow a familiar narrative, regardless of the rotating cast of players. Little runs by each team to go up 6 or 7; opposing runs to level the score; odd shifts in momentum, during which either team looks like they could very easily pull away, yet never do. And always, coming down to under 5 minutes, the score is close. For years, it was always the Spurs who wrote the ending of these stories, breaking the hearts of the Suns and their fans.

Then, last year, a funny thing happened. The Suns flipped the script on us, and rattled off 7 victories against us, including a humiliating 4-game sweep in the playoffs. Suddenly it seemed as if we just didn't have the offensive juice or the defensive mojo to play with these scrappy Suns anymore.

But after last night, all is right with the world again.

There are some teams that the Spurs play with which analysis is mostly futile: the Suns and the Mavs are the most obvious. So let's just enjoy another good victory against the Suns, and thank whatever entity you pray to (or not) that Richard Jefferson seems to be figuring it out and has bought at least a timeshare in the Bruce Bowen corner.

Thank you, Richard Jefferson. I swear I always believed in you, even if my words, my body language, my spirit, my anger, and every fiber of my being said otherwise.

Looking Forward:

The Spurs are back home Saturday night against the Rockets. The Rockets beat us handily a few times last year. They're also struggling this year, having yet to win a game. They will be playing desperate, and they always give us a good fight. I'm hoping for another strong win, but bracing for the possibility of another Hornets-like downgraded effort. Prove me wrong, Spurs.

What Clippers Fans Said

ClipsNation.com:

The Clippers have lost so many times to the Spurs, and usually in such embarrassing fashion, that only being down 10 entering the fourth quarter, forcing Messieurs Duncan and Parker and Ginobili to actually exert effort after 9:30 PM, is a major accomplishment. Especially considering that LA was playing with their third string point guard.

Taking advantage of the ossifying-before-our-eyes Antonio McDyess, Blake Griffin flew straight to the rim on a couple of occasions. The Spurs played off of Blake, as all teams are going to do until he learns to hit a 17 footer, but it surprisingly didn't seem to matter. Even giving him a wide cushion, McDyess was too slow to stay in front of him.

Looking at the box score, you would think it would have been close. The Clippers outrebounded the Spurs 40-39, and enjoyed a 10 to 7 advantage on the offensive glass. They turned the ball over one fewer time than San Antonio. They made the same number of field goals. They took one more free throw.

ClipperBlog.com:

The Spurs dominated with stellar perimeter play, every time the Clippers made a little run there would be three from Manu, Richard Jefferson or Gary Neal. Those three and Tony Parker, he of the $50 million contract extesion (sic), combined for 67 points. Tim Duncan finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds but was no where near as tough a cover as he was even last year.

It was troubling that the solid play didn’t result in a halftime lead even though the Clippers looked active, enthused and they kept Tim Duncan to 4 points on 2-6 shooting. Even with Ginobili and Parker playing well, you shouldn’t expect to be down unless those two were dominating and they weren’t. Parker had 13 and Ginobili had 11. The surprise that made up for Duncan’s absence was Gary Neal, he of the preseason dagger three in Mexico City (if there is such thing as a preseason dagger). Neal scored 16 points in 18 minutes, many on momentum swinging shots.

The second half didn’t bode any better for the Clippers who continually let the lead grow and grow until they lost 97-88. It was simple and gradual and incredibly infuriating, like Chinese water torture. The Spurs kept making shots, Tim Duncan decided to make an appearance in the late third quarter and fourth even though he wasn’t operating much from that extended elbow area that he normally likes.

ClipperBlog.com ("Continuity and Corporate Knowledge – The Clippers and the Spurs"):

With three straight stomach-churning losses to open the season, the last team the Clippers want to see tonight is probably the San Antonio Spurs. Asides from the fact that they’ve lost sixteen straight games to San Antonio, the Spurs franchise embodies a no-frills, quiet professionalism, that stands in stark contrast to the Clippers organization. The Spurs are an old team, and the reign of Tim Duncan is slowly coming to a close. But they are a team that has a clear understanding of who they are; as a franchise, as a unit on the floor, and as individuals, and that makes them dangerous to a Clippers team that is searching for an identity, and is teetering on despair.

Clippers Lose 4 in a Row; Baron Davis Already Checking Out

Ho-hum. As the Clippers announcers said late in the game, sometimes a team just has another team's number. The Spurs have the Clippers number. We've won 17 in a row, apparently, and have barely lost to them in the Tim Duncan era. Granted, the Clippers haven't been all that good ever, really. But they have talent on the team, and they're certainly better than losing 17 in a row to one team.

And the win certainly felt good. After Saturday's iffy performance against the Hornets, it was nice to see the team perform better and secure a fairly easy win. There were still some trouble spots, but it's early, and in general, we played well.

What I Liked:

The shooting. I should single out Gary Neal and Richard Jefferson here. Oh my, can Neal shoot. And with good shooting comes scoring. Looks like Pop and Buford knew what they were doing when they signed him straight out of summer league. If he can give us a solid 10-15 minutes a night and chip in double figure points, that will be a boon for us.

And RJ just looks like a different animal this year. His stroke is much better, he's confident, and he's playing within himself and within the offense. Hopefully scoring will rarely be the issue for this team.

Overall, the team shot really well tonight (48% overall and 43% from 3). When we shoot that well, and especially when we shoot that well from 3, we'll usually win. (Notice how poorly we shot from 3 against New Orleans.)

The Bench. Our second unit just annihilated their second unit. Positive contributions from Neal obviously helped, but McDyess and Anderson also played big minutes, as did Bobby Simmons. In fact, Neal and McDyess had the best +/- on the team with a +14 and +15, respectively. The next closest player was Tony Parker, with a +5 (not counting Hill, who only played 6 minutes). When a team angles to rest its starters in the regular season, a good bench is of paramount importance.

26, 18, 21, 23. The Clippers scoring, by quarter. Only one quarter over 25, and an even 44 split per half. We're still allowing teams to shoot the ball too well, but we're also creating more turnovers than in years past and rebounding better than in the last few years, meaning we're giving teams more empty possessions and less extra possessions. I especially like the competitive will shown by the younger players to get out and guard on the wings.

Tiago Splitter. I know, he didn't play that much or all that well. But it was his first NBA action ever, and really his first time even playing with the team. He made lots of mistakes--some from nerves, I'm sure--but threw down a monstrous dunk after running the floor with Ginobili, made a great baseline pass that led eventually led to a Neal 3, and, perhaps most importantly, showed great lateral quickness on defense.

What I Didn't Like:

Sloppy and stagnant. Seems like we're still a little sloppy and stagnant on O, especially in the half court sets. It used to be we were sloppy out on the break, but now we look very good on the break, but often sputter to a halt in the half court. It's clear we're moving away from giving the ball to Duncan on the block and just letting Parker or Ginobili create from the pick and roll. Hopefully it's just early season growing pains, and we'll figure it out as the season progresses.

Confused Beast. DeJuan just seems out of sorts. He's getting owned by bigger centers on the defensive end, missing easy offensive conversions, and even making sloppy passes and decisions. He earned the starting position with his play in the pre-season, but I still wonder if he's best suited coming off the bench and energizing the second unit (and playing against other teams second units that probably won't contain 7-foot elite centers). Once integrated, Tiago might be the most natural starting center, with Blair coming off the bench with McDyess and Bonner.

George Hill's takedown. Hopefully Hill is OK and will be back in action Wednesday night.

Observations:

Eric Gordon is a really good player. I hope he has a bright future and isn't ruined by the Clipper stink.

Looking Forward:

The old rivalry with the Suns is renewed Wednesday night as the Spurs go into Phoenix for the first time after their season ended their last year. Since then, the Suns have lost A'mare and built an all small forward + Steve Nash offense. By all accounts, they seem to have taken a step back from last year, but whenever these two teams play, all bets are off. Despite our sterling record against them over the last 5 years, the though of Steve Nash running an offense against us still gives my nightmares. Still, this is a game we should win.