San Antonio — It's on nights like these when the Spurs hope their youthful reserves step up and play well less than 24 hours after a difficult road loss in Milwaukee. But on an evening when Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were supposed to be the tired old guys, they looked very much like the seasoned veterans they are, trying to hold a young group together through trying times.
San Antonio overcame clearly tired legs Wednesday night and hung on for a 101-95 overtime win against in-state foe Houston, and it was an especially brilliant Parker who led the home team to the much-needed victory.
And Parker's performance was especially welcomed after the Spurs were hit with more bad news on Wednesday. Team physician David Schmidt informed the silver and black earlier in the day T.J. Ford would be lost for the next four to six weeks after the backup point guard suffered a small tear of his left hamstring in the first quarter against the Bucks on Tuesday night. Ford was thriving as the head of the snake for the Spurs' second unit, and his contribution as a distributor will be sorely missed on a team already without top playmaker Manu Ginobili.
But, once again, San Antonio found a way to grind out another win on the SEGABABA and keep the Spurs undefeated at home (which turns out to be pretty important given the fact they're winless on the road). And not to be understated was the play of Duncan.
The Big Fundamental was classic Timmy most of the night, getting into the lane with the short hook and fading away over his right shoulder for that unforgettable turnaround. The vintage Duncan performance of 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in just more than 38 minutes of action brought back memories in the AT&T Center (as did the late misses from the free-throw line, but Spurs fans easily dispose of those memories when they see the banners hanging from the arena rafters). And on a night when the four-time NBA Champion passed Larry Bird for 27th on the All-Time scoring list, the stat-stuffing box score was apropos.
via JERRY LARA / blog.mysanantonio.com
The remaining two components of the Spurs' Big 3 played a combined 83 minutes in this one, a total we haven't seen in a while given Pop's tendency to rest his stars on the SEGABABA in recent years. In what have become near must-win games given San Antonio's current set of circumstances, the Spurs don't have the luxury of giving their stars a night off. The consistency from Duncan and Parker are certainly expected, but the constant appearance of another name in these recaps has become a welcomed surprise.
Richard Jefferson hit yet another huge 3-pointer with just more than one minute remaining in overtime to give the Spurs a 94-92 lead, one they would never relinquish. Jefferson is giving us more and more reason to believe he's found harmony within the system, and if he's open from the 3-point line you can forget about it. It's going in. (I realize this is a dangerous mindset to have, as clearly they will not all go in. And it's worrisome that it will get to the point where I become angered when he does miss ... in the fourth quarter ... of the playoffs ... in, like, Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder, or something. I need to stop thinking about that. But, I digress.)
His play, along with the emergence of Kawhi Leonard in his first start and the defensive effort of Danny Green, has become a more than pleasant surprise for the silver and black. One night after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich described his team defensively as the worst he's ever had, it seemed the message was received. It didn't start out well - the Rockets scored 27 points on 65 percent shooting in the first quarter - but the stingy Spurs defense we saw in the first several games of the season showed itself eventually. The insertion of Leonard into the starting lineup gave San Antonio a longer, better defensive team to match up with the opponent's first unit, and that, along with his rebounding, has been critical for the Spurs. Green also got late minutes alongside the rookie Leonard, and his contributions defending Lowry and Martin are becoming commonplace after similar performances against other big scorers over the last week.
This was another one of those games where you were almost positive somebody would pass out around mid-court due to exhaustion as both teams were rounding out a back-to-back. You know, the lockout special? It was the Spurs' sixth game in eight nights, so winning this type of grind-it-out game is huge. We're seeing what LWM is all about right now, and at 4-2 (7-4 overall) during that stretch I think it's safe to say the Spurs have handled it well. But the luck isn't exactly turning in their favor with the loss of Ford providing San Antonio another challenge it could do without. The team's two best passers, Manu and T.J., will not be able to play for what could be the next month and a half, and now the players who are healthy will be asked to step into roles that might not be a natural fit.
Still, Pop has his team ready for all the mixing and matching, and the veteran leadership combined with the youthful energy has created an interesting dynamic on the court. And while lady luck doesn't seem to be on the Spurs' side lately (or at least in their training room), San Antonio is capitalizing on its skill and experience to stay atop the Southwest division.
As Louis Pasteur once said about the idea of luck: "Fortune favors the prepared mind." In the Spurs organization, this is the only acceptable state of mind.
Stars of the game
3. Kawhi Leonard — the rookie scored 11 points and collected eight rebounds while playing more than 37 minutes in his first career start. His work on the boards and on the defensive end has been invaluable for a team starving for that type of play.
2. Tim Duncan — On a night when the Big Fundamental passed Larry Legend for 27th on the All-Time scoring list, it's tough not to put him No. 1. Every minute of Duncan's vintage night was crucial for the Spurs in this one.
1. Tony Parker — It was TP's best night of the year, without a doubt. The relentlessness with which he attacked the paint during his 45 minutes was classic Parker, and on a night when he had to play big, he was huge.
1 recs | 81 comments
Parker/Green/RJ/Leonard/TD = Big Small Ball!
I liked that lineup when Splitter sat late in the game.
Once again, nice write up, Matthew!
grego21 - January 12, 2012
I also liked the Parker/Leonard/RJ/Tiago/TD line up Pops used. Leonard on Kevin Martin, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, etc, looks like a good matchup to me. He might not be as quick, but those long arms more than make up for it. If he learns how to keep his hands up on defense, then I think we have our new perimeter stopper. We can even put him on the bigger scoring SF’s of the league.
anirontag - January 12, 2012
Yeah, I like that unit as well. I thought maybe that Green should take the 2 guard, since he’s got the arms (not Leonard size though) and quickness. But this works too.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
My favorite is the Parker, Green, Leonard, Tiago and TD lineup. I think that’s our best defensive unit.
Fred Silva - January 12, 2012
Yes. RJ is pretty good though. He held is own. I’m happy that the wing defender depth in D is pretty good. 4 deep with Manu.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
The problem was that Houston went small and RJ ended up having to guard Lowry, who promptly hit a three. If the matchup is okay, I like RJ. But if they put three quick guards on the floor, I like Green.
Fred Silva - January 12, 2012
I agree, but I suspect that would put too much pressure on Parker to score on offense. As good as Tim is, he is not effective all nights how he used to be before.
Heman - January 12, 2012
Honestly, whether it is Green or RJ, I think either are fairly interchangeable though since both are more shooter first than slasher. So there’ll always be some pressure on Parker, especially without TJ to spell him.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
Remember when RJ was 98% slasher? Not that i dislike him being a 98% three point shooter now.
Spurs Yoda - January 12, 2012
Well, that’s because he couldn’t shoot. Although he’s lost a step, I prefer his jump shot first. It’s pretty efficient.
His slashing was always dependent on how open a lane he had since he doesn’t have the lateral quickness like a Manu. Also, Spurs still are not that much of a fast break/fast offense team. Here and there, but that definitely hurts his type of slashing.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
I think RJ is a better shooter than Green. But generally, I agree, they are interchangeable
Heman - January 12, 2012
This is an interesting debate. RJ, this year, just might… I don’t know. I need to think about that. He’s really done a great job working hard with Chip and the rest of the staff.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
Mine also. They looked really solid out there together. Tiago has played really well so far this year and he had a decent game early last night
gunnin' gervin - January 12, 2012
Yeah, it was good to see both Green and Leonard out there at the end. This may make our offense a bit iffy, but the on the defensive end, I think we are much tougher to get a shot off on.
quincyscott - January 12, 2012
Leonard also hit a clutch free throw after a strong rebound to close out the game. It was very nice.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
But he also missed a free throw. I think we should never celebrate a professional basketball player hitting 50% of their free throws. At least I think that way
Chilai - January 12, 2012
In that case, trade Timmy and never retire Bowen’s jersey!
silverandblack_davis - January 12, 2012
Timmy’s only weakness is that he sucks shooting free throws. He could be a lot worse (think of Shaq and Howard), but each time he goes to the line with the game close I know he is probably going to miss a couple.
Chilai - January 12, 2012
No, it should be dependent on the situation and the shooter. In that situation, up by three with seconds remaining, our rookie needed one of two. After missing the first, Leonard was under the maximum amount of pressure and he came through. That was a good thing, even though he missed the first one.
Fred Silva - January 12, 2012
This.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
he didnt came through, he made 1 of 2. We were lucky that the score was up 3 for us. What will happen when we are down 2? Again, I think its a huge mistake to give props to a player for hitting 1 of 2.
Chilai - January 12, 2012
He made 1/2. He made the harder of the two. If he had missed both, Houston would have had some chance. But he made the final one, when the pressure was on. He took a deep breath after the 1st and sunk the second. That essentially closed the game.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
We weren’t lucky that we were up by three. That was the situation that Leonard walked into. When that happens to you, and you’re in front of 18,000 people, you do the math. “Okay, I just need one of two here.” After the first miss, now you have all the pressure on that second free throw. You’re even more nervous, and you still can’t believe the first one missed. (It was in and out.) To me, missing the first and making the second was more impressive than if he had made both.
Fred Silva - January 12, 2012
^^agreed. furthermore, making a pressure free throw with the game on the line is more impressive than draining 2 free throws when down by 20 in the 4th quarter.
it’s called coming through in the clutch, and that’s what leonard did.
mikrobass3 - January 12, 2012
So, Duncan is more impressive than Manu in the clutch because he usually only makes 1/2 while manu rarely misses?
Chilai - January 13, 2012
Yes, because he needs that 1 free throw. He doesn’t need 2.
This is no where near the topic. In the situation, with Leonard, Spurs needed 1 free throw to basically close the game out. Leonard missed the first, which added more pressure. He hit the 2nd one. That was solid for him. Clutch. A good sign for him.
grego21 - January 13, 2012
Exactly
gunnin' gervin - January 12, 2012
He hit the high pressure basket.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
It’s the rebound that is big for me. He gave us an extra possession when we had to have one, against a good rebounding team. He has a nose for the rebound, and the athleticism to grab the board when he isn’t in ideal position. I don’t think we get that possession to begin with if he is not on the floor.
quincyscott - January 12, 2012
Missed the game, but I’m just thankful that we won to break that two-game slide. We’ll probably pay for the consequences of having to play Tim a ton of minutes, but I’ll let the FO figure how to balance out the risk.
silverandblack_davis - January 12, 2012
It was also the 6th game in 8 nights. Brutal.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
wait, we’re playing Houston again on the 21st? Sheesh. Getting sick of Martin and Lowry.
If our D stands, then maybe we can win the next two at home, and get lucky on one of the Heat-Magic back-to-back.
anirontag - January 12, 2012
Yeah, January and the first part of February is brutal.
Big50 - January 12, 2012
Yes. After that, things are much more normal.
quincyscott - January 12, 2012
Which is nice, since TJ and Manu will then be coming back..
grego21 - January 12, 2012
I’m a bit surprised that Tiago is not getting more minutes than he has. Maybe I’m not watching close enough, but he looks like he is playing pretty well. While he played almost 24 minutes last night, it was an overtime game in which Tim played 38 minutes. When he played less than 15 minutes vs. the Bucks, it seemed perhaps he might be given rest for the Rockets game but Tim played heavy minutes anyways. I don’t expect that he’d play a great deal more minutes that he has, and perhaps I’m missing something, it just seems like what is the concern for a 5th big when Tiago doesn’t seem to be getting huge minutes.
Alamo - January 12, 2012
He WAS playing well… but inopportune fouls kept getting him sent back to the bench before he could get a good rhythm going. It just wasn’t his night. Though I’m not sure why Pop didn’t send him back in in the last few minutes of the 4th or in overtime…
anirontag - January 12, 2012
Because he would foul?
LasEspuelas - January 12, 2012
He wanted the small ball unit with Green. It worked pretty well.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
Big win from our friend tenacity.
indiancharlie - January 12, 2012
It always seems to me that teams break out of their shooting funk against us. I can’t really put my finger on why, because our team D looks great at times and they just seem to sink those tough shots over and over.
I relate it to my favorite Premier League squad, Liverpool. Every crappy team they play, their goalkeeper has their best game of the season. We just can’t buy a goal. I listened to a podcast recently and they were describing it as the nature of the game. “It’ll balance out later in the year.”
My mate from Manchester has a different opinion, “They’re just shite, mate.”
So I’m hoping the same cannot be said about our beloved Spurs. I’m most looking forward to our b2b in Florida and what we can get out of that.
Joseph Parkes - January 12, 2012
We’ve definitely been running into hot shooting teams. Our defense is partly to blame for sure, but what’s killing us is that our opponent’s contested outside jumpers are falling at a crazy rate. I think it’ll even out. Especially if Leonard and Green get more playing time. Both of those guys are difficult to shake and challenge shots better than RJ, Tony, or Neal.
Fred Silva - January 12, 2012
Twolves game was the crazy “we contested and everything fell.” By the end of the 3rd Q, they were shooting like 78% from behind the arc with 11 3-pt shots. Freaking crazy.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
I agree completely.
Fred Silva - January 12, 2012
It turns out that the depth we had at the guard position is going to come into play a lot. Neal, Manu and now Ford have already missed games due to injury. Who played backup PG today (all 8 minutes of backup PG play)?
LasEspuelas - January 12, 2012
If Ford was around, TP would have played similar minutes to Duncan no?
LasEspuelas - January 12, 2012
No question…
MatthewTynan - January 12, 2012 via iPhone app
Last night, I had to temporarily renamed my dog to Tony Barker
Spurs Yoda - January 12, 2012
You might be naming your dog that a few times.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
I approve of this.
Hipuks - January 12, 2012
credit you, i must.
Spurs Yoda - January 12, 2012
Nice recap. I saw two plays of this game. The Jefferson 3 and the Duncan missed free-throw that was rebounded by Leonard. Seems like it was a grind it out hustle game. I like to see a few of these a year, it helps toughen a team up.
Big50 - January 12, 2012
the RJ three was clutch. He has played well but never seemed to sink them when they count most. Game one last season at the buzzer to tie, or the Bucks game at the buzzer to tie. I was happy that RJ came through in the end. I noticed that shoots ten times better in the deep corner, then at the top of the parameter.
Spurs Yoda - January 12, 2012
3-pt shot in the corner is way easier, and not as long distance, so yeah, it’s usually easier.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
I don’t think it’s necessarily “easier.” Shooting from the baseline is weird. It’s difficult t gauge the distance since there is no backoard background.
I think it’s the shot that players practice the most because it’s the one you get more often than not. With more practice, player’s can specialize in hitting it. As the ball swings from one side to the other, the corner is the most difficult shot to contest for a defender since if you’re in good help position when the ball is on the other side of the court, you should nearly have a foot in the paint. Then if that guy drives, you’re supposed to help, which means you’re leaning towards the strong side. As the ball is skipped to the corner, recovering to you man is really hard. Practice makes perfect, and I bet if you recorded the areas in which a guy like RJ shoots from in practice the most, it’d be the corner threes.
Fred Silva - January 12, 2012
Some find shooting from the baseline easier because there’s nothing immediately behind the rim to distract your focus and the the plane of the backboard helps to align the shot.
Others, especially inferior shooters with ginger-hate issues, find it “weird” :)
doggydogworld - January 12, 2012
I think it’s easier for players who practice a lot. That doesn’t mean to say it’s the easiest of shots, but all 3pt shooters seem to do better there. It requires less strength from the legs so in a game where your legs are tired, you can usually get a better percentage shot off.
I also find, it’s easier to be open. From the middle parts, you need to usually be further back, which puts you at a disadvantage because you need to use your legs more. The crowd, backboard, clock are all more visible from a more straight on shot.
But if we look at the 3pt contest, a lot of the peeps make the side area. The ones that win tend to make that plus go hot on the middle sections.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
And the top of the key/corner threes are the shots most often open during he game. So they practice them the most and are therefore better at them. I think we’re saying the same thing
Fred Silva - January 12, 2012
yeah, probably…. :)
grego21 - January 12, 2012
I like writing… but then I don’t… weird.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
RJ wanted to take the shot. He was hopping and calling for it in the corner. That makes me happy irrespective of the result. We need that resilience.
Now we need a new squad to build a road team :O
LionZion - January 12, 2012
That’s why he’s different. he wants to make a difference. His attitude is all it is. I like it. That will come in handy during the post season.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
Spurs Yoda - January 12, 2012
Gold....
Tim Duncan what a guy.
ItCouldHappen - January 12, 2012
hq!
Chilai - January 12, 2012
Hah. Someone put this on the quotes page.
LatinD - January 12, 2012
I watched most of the 4th and OT, but I didn’t have access to a computer. If I had been in the game thread, I think most of my comments would’ve been “YES, KAWHI, GOOD D!” The kid has the kind of manic, hyperkinetic attitude that I remember from Bruce. I’m a believer.
LatinD - January 12, 2012
Give Chip, Chad and the other coaches a summer with that kid, and he will be something special.
Tim C. - January 12, 2012
Also, RJ. He worked out with him during the lockout. Big props to him on that.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
That is what I remember from watching him at SDSU. Maybe not the most polished player on the court, but he will almost always be the one playing the hardest.
Ualtar - January 12, 2012
What did you think of his teammate, Malcolm in the Middle?
grego21 - January 12, 2012
Malcolm was good at SDSU, he played good defense, rebounded well, and shoots ok. He isn’t a great free throw shooter, but he always seemed to make the pressure shots at the end of a game. It would seem like he might be something like 2 of 5 on FTs then in the last couple of minutes might go 6 for 6 all the time.
He isn’t as athletic as Leonard, and probably isn’t a NBA starter. He could be a very nice player off the bench though. I like that both these guys are with the Spurs, I think they are the perfect team for them as both guys work hard and play sound defense. That is something I have always admired about the Spurs even though I am not a big NBA fan. Kawhi being on the Spurs is helping to make me more aware of the NBA though.
Ualtar - January 13, 2012
I’m with you. He is special.
Heman - January 12, 2012
As the defense improves, the road wins will finally come…
4Him - January 12, 2012
As they get in a few practices that allow them to test things out, it’ll also improve.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
As they play teams that they don’t have a recent history of struggling against on the road, that will also help.
Tim C. - January 12, 2012
I can almost bet we are going to see a road win before this season is over.
Kondor - January 12, 2012
Wow! An optimist!
Jordan Leithart - January 12, 2012
You are a hardcore homer!
grego21 - January 12, 2012
I know. Even though I try hard to take facts into account, I am still very biased about the Spurs and Matt Bonner. I won’t be even surprised if Bonner had more points than Dirk in one of our games against Dallas this season.
Kondor - January 12, 2012
Nice.
grego21 - January 12, 2012
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Pounding The Rock to post a comment.