Spurs of the Moment

By Mason Pitluk

On a night when the Spurs got off to a fast start, things turned awfully bad really quick. After jumping out to an early 7-0 lead, San Antonio quickly found themselves down 25-35 entering the second quarter, a quarter which would see starting shooting guard Manu Ginobili fracture the fifth metacarpal in his left hand. This injury is devastating for both the Spurs and their star lefty who, as Tony Parker pointed out post-game, “was playing at an All Star level.” There will be plenty of time to discuss Ginobili’s injury in depth (as I plan to do soon in my next article), so let’s focus on last night’s contest alone, and what, beyond the loss of Ginobili, is worth noting.

Road Woes

A very brief look at the Spurs’ five games this season will reveal a pretty black and white blueprint for Silver & Black success; stay in San Antonio. In three home games this year the Spurs have blowout victories over their two toughest opponents thus far, the Grizzlies and Clippers, as well as the Utah Jazz, while their two road games have both ended in blowout losses to the Rockets and now the Timberwolves. Needless to say, if the Spurs can’t find a way to start picking up victories away from home they could be in danger of being out of playoff contention by the time Manu returns.

DeJuan Blair’s Defense

Throughout his time in San Antonio the biggest hole in DeJuan Blair’s game has been his defense. So far this season Blair has looked improved on both ends, especially offense, but last night he got torched. Kevin Love absolutely abused Blair on pick and pop three pointers, particularly in the first quarter, time and again receiving ample space to shoot from Blair, even after knocking down three after three. Blair’s help defense was also noticeably off last night. Much like taking a bad pursuit angle in football, Blair kept trying to meet driving guards around the free throw line, rather than lower in the paint, and more often than not was blown by as Ridnour, Rubio, or some other Minnesota guard finished easily at the rim. Obviously, listed very generously at 6’7’’, no one expects him to be a shot blocking force, but Blair has to position himself better to at least be able to contest shots as they go up. Overall, DeJuan had a really rough game, going 2 of 9 from the field for just 6 points to go along with only 3 rebounds in 28 minutes. For the Spurs to be successful Blair must continue to improve defensively, return to rebounding the ball at the high rate he had in his first two seasons, and continue along the offensive pace he set in this season’s first few games.

The Timberwolves Shooting

aka “Dr. K. Love (Or: How We Learn That Some Nights Teams Are Just On Fire and Win the Game)”

Minnesota ended the night shooting an amazing 58% from the field and 57% from three, but those numbers are misleading; the T-Wolves actually shot the ball way better. With about half the third quarter gone, the Timberwolves were still above 70% shooting from the field. Entering the fourth quarter Minnesota had hit 11 of 14 three pointers, a whopping 79%. No, these aren’t typos. Wesley Johnson, for example, had been averaging just over 5 points per game on 31% shooting. Last night he went 6 of 6 for 14 points. Overall as a team, the Spurs weren’t playing defense that terribly*. The younger Wolves, who were noticeably more energetic despite beating Dallas the night before, simply shared the ball to perfection. Playing the exact sort of balanced, pass-first, efficient and effective offensive that new coach Rick Adelman is known for, the home squad bombarded the visiting Spurs with bucket after bucket. When a team is playing that lights out, chances are they’re going to win, and unlike last year when Minnesota twice surrendered big leads to San Antonio, the Timberwolves never really let the Spurs back in it as they coasted to a 106-96 win.

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*Actually, on second thought, they were. Surrendering 35 first quarter and 66 first half points to a team on the second night of a back to back is pretty terrible.

In what was supposed to be a big time early season test for the new look Los Angeles Clippers, the hometown San Antonio Spurs completely humbled the visitors 115-90. Second year star Blake Griffin posted impressive numbers of 28 points and 9 rebounds, but was mostly embarrassed on the defensive end en route to a shockingly poor -37 plus/minus. Overall, the Spurs looked very much like a well-oiled machine on the night, where as Los Angeles looked very much like a squad that still has plenty of questions left to answer after acquiring Chris Paul just two and a half weeks ago. While it should come as no surprise that the accomplished squad with the intact core K’O'ed the hastily assembled young guns, the extent of the beat down still surprised many. How the Spurs were able to pull off the victory was a testament to perhaps basketball’s two most important factors; defense and efficiency. Here’s a look at those two aspects and one more that helped shape last night’s game.

Offensive efficiency:

Last night the Spurs shot an excellent 56.3% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times, with the starters combining for just 6 turnovers all night. Most impressively, the Spurs made over half their three point attempts, going 10/19, and made every single one of their 15 free throws. That’s right, the Spurs went 100% from the stripe. Our starters dominated, posting a plus/minus average of +18.4. The individual play of four particular starters stood out, especially in terms of how efficiently they played last night. Manu Ginobili once again led the Spurs with 24 points, going 6/10 from the field, 5/8 from three, and 7/7 from the line. Tony Parker shot an excellent 6/9, working for his shot all night long and setting up teammates when it wasn’t there. In the end, TP ended up with 9 assists in 26 minutes, and only turned the ball over once. DeJuan Blair absolutely abused Blake Griffin on the offensive end. Granted, he didn’t offer much resistance against the superstar defensively, but any night Blair can post 20 points on 10/15 shooting San Antonio will gladly take it. Lastly, Richard Jefferson was an absolute marvel against the Clips, facing off against his would-be replacement, Caron Butler, and totally outshining him. Going 8/9 from the field (3/4 from three), Jefferson looked like he couldn’t miss, and to be honest I don’t even remember the one time he did so. Finishing with 19 points to go along with his 14 on Monday, Jefferson is having the exact start to the season Spurs fans were hoping for…though maybe not expecting. The Spurs had 27 assists on the night and ultimately just looked like a team that has few kinks left to work out early on in this strange season. Clippers coach, and former Spur, Vinny Del Negro summed up San Antonio’s performance on the night while simultaneously pointing out exactly what separates our squad from his in his post-game comments.  The Spurs  “shot it really well tonight,” said Del Negro, “They hit some tough shots when they had to. But you expect that. They have been together for awhile.”

Defense:

Coming into the game, the main question was whether San Antonio’s thin frontcourt could keep up with the dynamic athleticism of Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and the Lob City Clips. Fortunately, that question was answered not through individual efforts, but a stifling brand of team defense that never allowed the Clippers to get hot and gain momentum. Very few highlight plays were allowed by the Spurs D, and likewise San Antonio allowed few easy buckets. On the night, San Antonio held L.A. to just 39.2% shooting, and though they forced only half the turnovers they did against Memphis, the Spurs never allowed the Clippers to get comfortable on offense. This fact is best represented by Paul’s numbers, as the superstar floor general went a disappointing 3/10 from the field for just 10 points to go along with 9 assists in 36 minutes.

Minutes:

Spurs fans will be happy to see that no member of the big three played over 27 minutes, and neither, for that matter, did any other starter. Overall, ten Spurs played somewhere between 18 and 27 minutes, a stat that not only bodes well for the depth of the squad, but also sets us up nicely heading into tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets. Blow out wins are nice, but they are especially nice on the first night of back-to-backs, and Coach Popovich has to hope more games in this condensed season will see a similar distribution of minutes.

Last night I had the good fortune to get a last minute invite to the Spurs season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies. Beaten down by a long week of work and illness, followed by a long weekend of good times in my hometown, tied up with previous plans in place and faced with a daunting, late-night drive back to Austin ahead of me, I naturally jumped at the chance. The people of San Antonio were more than ready for the return of their Spurs, and, needless to say, the stadium was rocking from the tip. The Spurs rode the home crowd through an offensively offensive first quarter to a one point halftime deficit, before completely locking down the Grizz in the third, building a big lead, and finishing the night with a 95-82 victory and a 1-0 start to the season. Rather than further recap the game in length, this article will focus on a few individual Spurs of interest, and what we can take away from their performances on opening night.

Manu Ginobili (by far a team high +17 when on the floor) – What can be said about San Antonio’s fearless Argentine that hasn’t been already? A classic performance from Manu, as, once again, he did it all last night. I remember one point, very early on in the game, I looked up at the score board to check Manu’s stats. So amazed was I with his heart and hustle, I simply had to check, and what did I see? 0 points, 0 fouls, 2 assists, and 1 rebound. Not the type of line that most players would be satisfied with, even in the first quarter, but, at that point, Manu had to have already taken two charges, drawn at least three offensive fouls of some kind in total, and gotten at least one of his three steals. Manu was the heart and soul of the team last night, and if he has many more games like this 24 point, 5 rebound, 4 assist, 3 steal, 1 block performance, the Spurs should be in for one heck of a season.

Kawhi Leonard – Leonard made his NBA debut last night, and the nerves were obvious. In his first trip to the line Leonard missed two free throws, and, later on, got his “Welcome to the NBA” moment via a Rudy Gay strip and steal that led to a monster dunk from the Memphis forward. Leonard simply couldn’t get anything going offensively at first, and yet his impact was impossible to miss. Unable to hit a shot from the field, Leonard helped his team with a flurry of hard-nosed rebounds and steals, using those legendary massive hands to wreak havoc on defense and poke away the ball time and again. Leaving the game I honestly thought Leonard had more steals than the two in the box score, but such is the disruptive force of Leonard’s style of play. An offensive rebound and put back led to one of Leonard’s two field goals, but it was the other that truly impressed. In the Spurs highlight of the night, Leonard drained a corner three after a behind the back dish from Ginobili following the veteran’s sick crossover and split of two defenders. There was an audible “ooo,” from the crowd, and the pressure was definitely on the rookie to make the shot, and after he once again rose to the occasion  for the Spurs (preseason game winner, anyone?) the stadium rewarded him with perhaps its biggest roar of the night. When it was all said and done, Leonard finished with 6 points on a disappointing 2 of 9 shooting, 6 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 steals, and an assist in just 14 minutes.

Tiago Splitter – With Tim Duncan in foul trouble all night, Splitter played 33 minutes, tied with Tony Parker for the most on the team, and was a really big part of the Spurs’ victory. Offensively, Splitter left a lot to be desired, shooting 2 of 7 from the field with both buckets coming off of nice assists. Defensively, Splitter was a force. Splitter was a huge part of a Spurs defense that forced Memphis into committing 24 turnovers, and held Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to a combined 23 points and 12 boards. The Brazilian big man finished the night with 2 steals and 2 blocks to go along with his 5 points and a solid 8 boards.

Richard Jefferson – The embattled RJ did exactly what the Spurs needed him to on opening night. After an offseason which saw him narrowly escape the amnesty axe, Jefferson came out last night like a professional and dropped 14 points on a solid 5 of 11 effort from the field, including 3 of 7 from behind the arc. Most impressively, with the big three on the bench for a stretch in the second quarter, Jefferson scored two or three buckets while he and the Spurs reserves regained the lead.

James Anderson – A lot of people in the Spurs fan base are expecting a lot of things from the second year Anderson after his rookie campaign was cut short by injury. Anderson got 21 minutes in the opener, getting a nice 9 points on 4 of 9 shooting, though he went a disappointing 1 of 5 from three point range. What impressed me most about Anderson wasn’t apparent in the box score. From the minute he stepped on the court until the end of the game, Anderson was ready to shoot. The former Big 12 scoring champ was fearlessly looking for his shot all night long, yet he played within himself throughout the game and very rarely forced it.

Matt Bonner – Oh dear. Where to begin? Bonner had one of those incredible absentee performances that, especially upon seeing how many minutes he was out on the floor later, truly boggles the mind. In 28 minutes (fifth most on the squad), Bonner managed to grab exactly ZERO rebounds, while scoring three points on 1 of 6 shooting (1 of 5 from downtown), getting two assists, and posting a donut in every other statistical category. How this line is possible for a 6’10’’ man in 28 minutes of play is entirely beyond comprehension, though one thing that is easy to understand is the soon to be reignited vitriol sputtering forth from many Spurs fans toward the Red Rocket.

Let’s be honest, there are few among us who actually care what’s in the new collective bargaining agreement; we’re just happy it’s in place. That said, if you really care about the league, you should care about the new CBA, because the details of the deal will determine how the league functions for at least the next six years. It’s no secret that Spurs owner Peter Holt participated heavily in discussions throughout much of the negotiating process. Holt is among the least wealthy owners in the league (which makes his aggressive spending these past couple years all the more commendable), and the hard-line stance taken by the league in negotiations was largely on behalf of small market owners like Holt. Dan Gilbert of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Michael Jordan of the Charlotte Bobcats, for example, were also prominent, hard-line voices in the discussions. As such, it should come as little surprise that, though not quite as extensively as the Holts, Gilberts, or Jordans of the league may have wanted, the new CBA is undoubtedly a victory for the owners, and for small market franchises like our San Antonio Spurs. So how, exactly, will this new agreement effect our ball club? Let’s take a look.

Basketball Related Income:

The biggest obstacle in negotiations was the division amongst players and owners of the so-called BRI, or basketball related income. To keep it simple, look at BRI as basically just the I; the term essentially encompasses nearly all of the income the league generates in a given season. This division of revenue was especially complicated by two factors. First of all, the league famously argued from the onset of negotiations that, over the last three years combined, the owners collectively lost over a billion dollars. These losses were the impetus for the hard-line stance taken by the league. In the eyes of the owners, the new CBA had to invoke drastic change in order to restore conditions of profitability. Secondly, the last CBA gave players 57 percent of the BRI. Basically, last time around the players negotiated one hell of a deal, which meant they would have to make some serious concessions for the owners to be happy. Unfortunately for the players, this is exactly what happened. Over the course of the new CBA, players and owners will split revenues more or less right down the middle, a change that should certainly see more teams out of the red and more teams with money in their pockets.

How this affects the Spurs:

For smaller market clubs like San Antonio, this is just what the doctor ordered. Barring gross mismanagement or a drastically serious backlash from fans, the post-lockout landscape should allow every team to make money, meaning less financially flush clubs, like our Spurs, will have the ability to spend, and no excuses not to.

The Luxury Tax:

The league and the owners desperately wanted a hard cap in the new CBA, but ultimately the owner’s were not able to fully protect themselves from, well, themselves ($80 million over five years for Rudy Gay, for example). Settling instead for substantially harsher luxury tax penalties for those who spend beyond the salary cap, the owners will now seriously have to think twice when considering spending past what the league allows, while the players can claim a victory which allows for the possibility of teams contributing towards player salaries past a certain fixed point. It is important to note, though, that the new luxury tax rates won’t kick in for three years.

How this affects the Spurs:

In the long term, this news is fantastic for small market teams like San Antonio who can’t afford to keep up year after year with the overspending of rich, large market clubs like the Mavericks or Knicks.

The Amnesty Clause:

The buzz around negotiations was that Holt was amongst those leading the charge for the inclusion of an amnesty clause in the new CBA. The amnesty clause will function as follows; a one-time, take-it-or-leave-it option of the teams to waive any player on their roster at any point in the life of the CBA and have that player’s salary not count against the team’s salary cap. The player must still be paid, of course, but if they are resigned by another team, the team that originally waived them will only be responsible for the remaining difference between their old and new contracts. Lastly, only contracts signed prior to the lockout are eligible to be amnestied.

How this affects the Spurs:

If reports are true, and they certainly appear to be, the Spurs will be using their amnesty on Friday on Richard Jefferson, jettisoning the small forward after two terribly disappointing years in silver and black.

-Contributed by Mason Pitluk