The Spurs won their ninth game in a row, fifth of the Rodeo Road Trip, against the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night in a contest that resembled a video game. Tony Parker led all players in points, with 34, and assists, with 14, as he continued to validate his recent All Star bid. Although both teams were coming off a game the night before, they each managed to shoot a scorching 54% from the field. In the end, the good guys prevailed in a close win that extended their league leading win streak that has them in second place in the West.
At first glance, you may think that this was a trash win against just another Leastern team, but that's simply not the case. Toronto has a decent squad that's been decimated by injuries. Even so, the Raptors are a dangerous team and the Spurs managed to secure a quality win on the second night of a back to back. The Raptors are a sneaky good, bad team; or a sneaky bad, good team. I can't figure out which, but I digress. In their four games prior to this one, the Raptors lost to our Eastern nemesis, the Bucks, by just 6 points. They beat the Celtics by a comfortable 8 points. They then lost to the Lakers by 2 points and then were beat by Jeremy Lin's three pointer that we've all seen way too many times.
Quickly, I am not Linsane, but I don't like Linsanity. As a graduate of Dartmouth, I hate Harvard in general. As a Spurs fan, I do not appreciate the little guy stealing San Antonio's spotlight. The Knicks' 7 game win streak is the little brother of the '08 Houston Rockets' 22 game win streak; it's weak and I'm already tired of hearing about it. So, they beat the Nets, Jazz, Wizards, Lakers, Wolves, Raptors and Kings. Aside from maybe the Jazz and the Lakers, aren't those games that a playoff team is supposed to win? And I'm tired of the myth that New York has the best basketball fans in the world. We've all heard it so many times it's just accepted as a fact at this point. I've been to a game at MSG. I have many college friends from New York. If anything, they know less about basketball. New York is a real city; it's a fantastic city, as opposed to our (beloved as it is) overgrown village that is San Antonio. They have too much going on up there to study the game. I'm a firm believer that the bigger the city is, the less knowledgeable its fans are. Everyone has a finite amount of leisure time each week, and if you have a plethora of options, basketball simply cannot take priority. In contrast, if you live in a place like Oklahoma City or San Antonio, what else do you have to do with your time? Hunting season is only so many months, my friends. The rest of the year is Spurs time. And I digress yet again, back to the win.
At many points throughout the game, the Spurs extended their lead to double digits and always seemed as if they were on the verge of blowing it open. However, costly turnovers and hot shooting by the Raptors kept the game too close for comfort. With two minutes remaining, the Spurs found themselves with a three point lead. Pop chose to close this game with Tony, Manu, Neal, Green and Tiago. This is a luxury that Manu's return gives Pop. He will have the option of resting Tim down the stretch, which is very nice. Let's keep our big guy as healthy and spry as possible.
In the last two minutes Tiago made a great move underneath for two, Manu moved his feet and baited DeRozan into an offensive foul, and Tony attacked the basket and made both free-throws. The Raptors cut it to 5 but turned the ball over which led to more Tony free-throws, where he was a perfect 12 of 12 for the night. The officials called a double dribble instead of a carry; regardless, it was a violation. I don't think the Raptors can complain about the call that sealed the game.
Your Three Stars
3.) Greg Popovich: 24 Curse Words, 34 frowns, 1 Smile, 1 Bottle of Merlot at Halftime (which probably caused the Smile) in 48 Minutes.
I liked how Pop distributed the minutes tonight. In the second game of a back to back, Pop managed to play Tim and Manu only 19 and 20 minutes, respectively, while still coming away with a somewhat comfortable victory. He rode his hot hand, Tony, to victory and didn't try to do anything too crazy.
2.) Tiago Splitter: 13 Points on 6 of 8 Shooting, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists, and 1 Block in 28 Minutes.
Tiago had yet another extremely efficient game. He set solid screens and anchored the defense in his 28 minutes of action. His level of comfort on the floor is so high it's becoming a given from game to game. His sneaky European moves around the basket are a thing of beauty and I like the confused face he makes when he gets called for walking. If the look was verbalized, it would definitely have an accent. I assume that's the face that everyone from Brazil makes when they turn on ESPN and are forced to watch wall-to-wall coverage of Jeremy Lin.
1.) Tony Parker: 34 Points, 14 Assists, 3 Rebounds and 1 Steal in 39 Minutes.
Tony is playing great. There's little to comment about at this point. He's been playing at an elite level all year, and during this 9 game win streak has played simply impeccable basketball. What else can you say other than he's playing as well as anyone in the entire NBA? Good game, good night.
Go here for RaptorsHQ's coverage of the game, and here for the highlights.
(Editor's Note: The Spurs have two days off again (for only the 2nd time this season) but brace yourself for a ton of coverage on PtR today and tomorrow, beginning with a podcast in just a few hours. -jrw)
0 recs | 75 comments
I love this.
SpursCupcake - February 16, 2012
we all know you do Cakes… hahaha! Anyway, yeah, Splitter’s fakes, up and under moves are a thing of beauty. It seems awkward at times, but it gets the job done.
Did he already have those moves in Europe? Or did he pick that up in San Antonio? From Timmeh?
anirontag - February 16, 2012
He had ’em already. Definitely.
J.R. Wilco - February 16, 2012
Love for New York
From SA, but lived in New York a long time. It’s a great city that loves basketball and loves their Knicks. They deserve Linsanity.
Imagine if the Spurs were run by borderline insane criminals for 12 years (Issiah, Dolan, et al). If the team was stocked with overpaid loafs (Eddy Curry) and every spark of a good player was shuffled out (David Lee, Kurt Thomas). That would stink. Then an undrafted kid comes out of nowhere and blows up. Wouldn’t we love it?
New Yorkers love players that play hard. They loved John Starks and Spreewell. Lin’s in that mold, he deserves some love.
Most New Yorker basketball fans I know like the Spurs, too. Because they are excellent, and New Yorkers love excellence (and could give 2 squats about LA or Boston). But yeah, if SA and NY switched franchises, Timmy, Tony, Manu & Pop would have Avenues named after them. They would be treated like Jeter times 1000.
PEN - February 16, 2012
PEN, thanks for chiming in on this. It’s a good take on the subject.
I don’t think that many £ers would begrudge NY its savior, but rather that we’d prefer not to have to hear about him (where the national media is concerned) 10 to 20 times as often as we do other noteworthy subjects: namely the NBA’s longest win streak to date, being extended by the easy-to-ignore small market Spurs. This is the kind of attitude I had myself, and why I wrote this (relatively un-read) article last Friday.
And it’s truisms like this:
that add a bit of sting to the understanding that so much of the coverage we see would be different, and the national consciousness about our team would shift dramatically, if those who control the whirlwide liter would simply market the excellent, regardless of where they’re from.
J.R. Wilco - February 16, 2012
Exactly – props to New York and Lin but come on…..both NBA.com and ESPN.com don’t even have the SPURS 9 in a Row on the front page. Give me a break. When Miami won 4 in a row, you would have thought they had won the Championship
Spurs when 9 in a row and there are crickets…
It’s SA vs the World
Joe deLarios - February 16, 2012
And I believe it cost Timmeh an all-star spot:(
p2cat - February 16, 2012 via mobile
Not that he cares at all about that.
J.R. Wilco - February 16, 2012
yeah. he’ll probably spend the all star weekend at home, with his feet up playing modern warfare.
anirontag - February 16, 2012
Or rolling that 20 sided dice.
J.R. Wilco - February 17, 2012
roll Timmy roll
Joe deLarios - February 17, 2012
Ugh. A BIT of sting? More like me raising my fist to the heavens like Liam Neeson, screaming epithets.
DrumsInTheDeep - February 16, 2012
Yeah, it’s just a BIT because it’s tempered by … let’s see … what’s that reason again?
Now I remember, It’s
WATABURGER!
J.R. Wilco - February 16, 2012
I have to say I’m fully enjoying those 10/20 times that Lin is mentioned. It’s a fantastic story, maybe the best one I’ve seen when it comes to underdogs outperforming better players and just carpe diem-ing the hell out of his one single opportunity.
Who cares if ESPN doesn’t mention the Spurs? Whenever they do, they just write crap.
LatinD - February 16, 2012
On the nightly NBA lovefests, the Spurs are rarely mentioned, and, when one of the “experts” mentions that the Spurs are doing well, they blush apologetically for mentioning it.
I think I like it that way. I’m pretty sure Pop does, too.
cocanat - February 16, 2012
Honestly, Lin is a better story than the Spurs. And, yeah, for the Spurs, winning is a normal thing. To me, the bigger story is when the Spurs aren’t. Now, if championship comes, that’s a different story. But yes, Lin is one of the best sports stories in recent years.
grego21 - February 16, 2012
Yeah, I’m not sure the city size statement works. I won’t dispute that there are a lot of stupid/bandwagoner Lakers fans out there, but there is a sizable minority who are very knowledgeable. By contrast, every Clips fan I know who was a Clips fan prior to 3 months ago(you’d be surprised by how many of those there were) is pretty knowledgeable about basketball, but the bandwagon effect has started to infiltrate that fanbase as well.
Tim C. - February 16, 2012
I think if the best term to describe knowledgeable Lakers fans is “a sizable minority” then, perhaps Fred’s generalization is well-deserved.
J.R. Wilco - February 16, 2012
Yeah, the city size thing doesn’t seem to apply to Boston. I haven’t been to a game there personally, but the fans seem to have fairly intelligent reactions on TV.
MiniMegaMoose - February 16, 2012 via mobile
I didn’t mention Boston. Boston is more, um, socio-economically diverse. And a bunch of those dudes are just insane. My brother went to Boston University, my sister went to Tufts; so I’ve spent a good amount of time there. The thing about them is that they do not study basketball because they love the sport; they study basketball so that they can start fights at bars. I’m convinced.
The other point is that in both NY and Boston, basketball is not king. It doesn’t even place second. The NBA perpetually gets the bronze. Yanks, Giants, Knicks. Pats/Sox, Celts. Again, they have options. We live and die with the one team we have, if the Knicks are losing, the Giants are winning. Even if they are die-hard Knicks fans, they still have the Yanks and Giants to lessen the sting. We have no buffer. Either the Spurs win or we all are upset. I like it that way.
Fred Silva - February 16, 2012
Either Spurs win or were upset. Sound about right. Lol
RJSpurs20 - February 16, 2012 via Android app
The aspect of the Lin story that I’m enjoying is that while the Knicks are spending some $50M/yr on Carmelo, Amare and Chandler and had to give up a number of good players to get Carmelo; they’re now winning by using a couple of players picked up off waivers in Linn and Novak along with two recent draft picks in Fields and Shumpert that between them don’t add up to $4M/yr. NY looked like they might not even make the playoffs until Lin began starting. Having the ability to draw high priced free agents to your city suddenly looks less attractive.
Alamo - February 16, 2012
Anybody else starting to think we should extend the rodeo?
Spurs Yoda - February 16, 2012
Lat’s see how the Western end of the trip goes first.
Tim C. - February 16, 2012
Touche.
Im only worried about LA, but SAC is the biggest trap game on the trip IMO?
Spurs Yoda - February 16, 2012
SAC isn’t a TARP because they give us trouble naturally
Joe deLarios - February 16, 2012
I base it off records, and at 10-19 “its a trap!”
Spurs Yoda - February 16, 2012
I think a trap game is based on so much more than just the record of the oppenent.
Perhaps this is a subject that deserves a post in the future.
J.R. Wilco - February 16, 2012
e-r-r-r-r…..SAC isn’t on the RRT.
cocanat - February 16, 2012
I think the fact that they are the one blemish on the Spurs home record should be incentive enough for the Spurs to focus on the game and prevent it from being a trap.
Alamo - February 16, 2012
I, for one, don’t have a problem witht the pub Jeremy Lin is getting. For two reasons: one, as hard of a row as that kid’s had to hoe, and as many doubters he’s proving wrong just by being given a chance to perform, I can’t begrudge him one iota of media coverage simply because, in truth, this is the sort of heralding he should have been getting all along. It’s not like he suddenly developed skills—it’s that people were blind to them for whatever reason and desperation was the only reason he saw the floor in the first place. Didn’t mind Tebow-mania, and I sure as hell have no problem with LinSanity.
Second reason: it’s allowing the Spurs to glide under the radar AGAIN. We are the league’s hottest team, and our point guard (who I firmly believe is the best in the league) has been playing impeccable basketball to help get us there. Our second unit is top notch, and we’ve morphed from a team expected to flounder in LWM to closing within easy striking distance of the West’s best record. And nobody knows about it.
So, thank you, Lin and nYk—here’s hoping for y’all’s continued success and a dream rematch of the ’99 NBA Finals :D
Trey Felder - February 16, 2012
+1
spursfan87 - February 16, 2012
To be honest i’m entirely disappointed in PTR’s coverage of the linsanity. I mean we still have posts about the spurs and none about Jeremy Lin?! So much for this blogs journalistic integrity.
The Calvinator - February 16, 2012
--
DrumsInTheDeep - February 16, 2012
Definitely not serious, im cautious of going to any other website for fear of reading for the 12th time that jeremy lin played last night and won. I’ve started actively hoping he loses so this madness will stop. I mean I always knew i would have to root for his failure because hoping he wins also means hoping Melo wins….and I wont do that.
The Calvinator - February 16, 2012
Jeremy Lin played tonight
and won.
J.R. Wilco - February 16, 2012
and we all won because of that.
grego21 - February 17, 2012
I have no problem with Linsanity because it’s based upon on-court production. This is in no way like Tebowmania, which has no basis in reality and doesn’t change due to performance. Please do not confuse the two.
CapHill - February 16, 2012
+eleventy billion
THIS.
Tim C. - February 16, 2012
The problem is that the Broncos started winning when Tebow was named the starting QB. If he would have lost all those games that history is not nearly as big.
spursfan87 - February 17, 2012
I have a slightly different perspective since I live in Denver. Tebowmania did not start when he took over the starting job this year – Tebowmania started the minute he was drafted. His jersey instantly became a best seller league wide and Tebow fans immediately started clamoring for him to start. So have the media hyped him to oblivion? Yes, but you can’t just blame this whole situation on the media – they followed the story created by a fanatical following.
The beauty of the Jeremy Lin story is that he really did come out of nowhere.
CapHill - February 17, 2012
The 2 stories are very different, no doubt about it.
Tebow story was about proving people wrong, at least it started that way. The Lin story is like cinderella, came out of no where, and took the world of basketball by surprised, a feel good story.
The problem with the Tebow story was that it became a religious debate, especially when he started winning. That was where the story became larger than life, and for that I blame the media. Then Tebow became a polarizing figure, either you like or hate the guy.
spursfan87 - February 17, 2012
Thought Pop should have given Tony a break halfway through the 4th. I said “it’s about time” when he sent Neal and Green to the scorer’s table with 4+ minutes left, then couldn’t believe my eyes when they came in for RJ and Kawhi! Tony clearly ran out of gas around the 7 minute mark, started fouling and turning it over, stopped going to the rim as much and missed every shot from that point on. At the pace he goes it’s simply insane to play him the whole 2nd half (except 54 seconds) on a SEGABABA.
Pop’s considered to be a genius at managing minutes, but I question his judgment in this case.
doggydogworld - February 16, 2012
good points. Tony did miss 6 shots in that time period but he also had 8-8 Freebies and it Pop’s defense the game was fairly close all the way up to the end
Joe deLarios - February 16, 2012
I think Pop made the right decision with Parker. Manu is still 1/2 himself. Pop saw this game as winnable and with Splitter on the court, he thought that Parker could milk that or get to the basket.
I don’t trust Neal down the stretch to run the plays. Or Green, who had some troubles in the second half.
grego21 - February 16, 2012
If Tony was still tearing it up, as he was during the late 3rd and early 4th quarter, it might make sense to play him extra minutes to get the win (as long as you don’t go to that well too often). But I think Pop would have improved our chances of winning by resting Tony a bit. Fatigue make him ineffective the last six minutes or so. A two-minute breather around the 6 minute mark would probably have refreshed him enough to come back in and dominate the final few minutes as he’s done so many times this season. Fortunately we got some “correct” whistles and won anyway.
doggydogworld - February 16, 2012
His shot looked weak, but he was driving to the basket when his shot didn’t work. He was aggressive. He was doing what the greats do, drive and make it happen. And then he had Tiago, who has a way of just finding ways to get open.
The team was on the brink of losing it. I thought Pop should get Parker rest in the earlier parts of the game, but Tony is “the man” at the moment and Spurs needed him a lot. Without Tony on the floor, they likely don’t win it.
grego21 - February 16, 2012
Excellent work, Mr. Silva! Delivered with wit and enthusiasm.
Personally, I think the Lin story is a great one. But the media saturation is killing it for me. The kid can play, and New York is such a great venue for him. But enough with the stupid plays on his name, and give me an enormous break on the Tim Tebow comparisons, which are paper thin. Tebow’s me-against-the-world schtick is all in his head, whereas Lin truly has been overlooked by all the basketball experts. I hope the kid continues to succeed, and I’ll be glad when the press finds some other story to overreact about.
quincyscott - February 16, 2012 via mobile
This.
p2cat - February 16, 2012 via mobile
Honestly, if he was a Dartmouth guy, rather than a Harvard guy, you could strike that, reverse it.
Fred Silva - February 16, 2012
Wasn’t this the Spurs’ FIFTH win on the RRT? Not tryin’ to be picky, because I enjoyed Fred’s recap, but gotta give our fellas ALL the credit;) GSG!!!!!
p2cat - February 16, 2012 via mobile
Yes. 5 down, 4 to go.
doggydogworld - February 16, 2012
Whoops, fifth it is. Just made the change.
Fred Silva - February 16, 2012
do we not like tebow here ….. ?
Kyle Gorzynski - February 16, 2012
Speaking for myself, I like Tebow a lot.
Trey Felder - February 16, 2012
Me too
spursfan87 - February 16, 2012 via mobile
I believe there’s a distinction made here between Tim Tebow ‘the player and philanthropist’ and Tim Tebow ‘the 24/7 media sensation’; with many tending to favor the former.
transgojobot - February 16, 2012
Personally, I can’t stand the guy. From a football standpoint, it’s very ugly to watch, but that doesn’t bother me so much. I don’t want an athlete getting in my face with his religion or his politics. Just play ball. I just don’t like a guy using every possible media moment to “witness” to me. And I don’t like the idea that I’m a winner because God is on my side. A lot of athletes subscribe to this, not just Tebow, but it has always rubbed me the wrong way. Hey, probably 98.6% of all those guys are God-fearing and say their prayers and all the rest. So what, they weren’t as holy as him, so God made sure that he won the game? I really hate that. In my book, that is just self-righteous and egomaniacal, and it’s bad sportsmanship.
So, yeah, I myself am not a fan. But I don’t speak for anyone else.
quincyscott - February 16, 2012
Blame the media, I have no problem with the guy, he’s a religious guy I have no problem with that, a lot of athletes are religious and they pray and thank god after the game, the media is the one blame, for the blowing the Tebow thing out of proportion. They needed a replacement after Favre retired and they found Tebow.
spursfan87 - February 17, 2012
I voted 5-4 at the beginning of the RRT.
Guess it can only get better now huh?
Bakkie009 - February 16, 2012
RJ and Bonner have been keys to the winner. Go whipping boys!
grego21 - February 16, 2012
After the road trip is over, the Spurs will have 19 home and 15 away games left. They have a great chance at the #1 west seed.
Its hard to see anyone overtaking Chicago for the #1 overall seed. They have already played 20 road games and only 11 home games.(Unless Derrick Roses back injury turns out to be worse than it seems)
alamobro - February 16, 2012
Actually, Oklahoma will have a very favorable scheduling remaining from here on. They have played 18 road games and only 11 home games so far. They are gonna be tough to catch, but theres a chance.
alamobro - February 16, 2012
Good. Spurs are better off with the 2nd seed. I’d bet money on it that the 4/5 second round matchup will be much worse than the 3/6 second round matchup.
grego21 - February 16, 2012
or 3rd seed.
grego21 - February 16, 2012
10 of OKC’s remaining road games are against probable playoff teams. Only 7 of San Antonio’s remaining road games are against likely playoff teams (only 4 after the RRT is over). I look at it as a virtual dead heat at this point.
cocanat - February 16, 2012
I do think Pop will give Duncan a night off or two. I think he’ll concede some games down the stretch once he knows their seeding is pretty secure.
grego21 - February 16, 2012
That second point of yours is a near certainty.
J.R. Wilco - February 16, 2012
The way the bench is playing, they may not allow Pop to concede anything. :)
cocanat - February 17, 2012
Good point!
J.R. Wilco - February 17, 2012
And that would make the Spurs collective extremely happy (and less likely to drink heavily).
CapHill - February 17, 2012
the Spurs collective….awesomeness
Joe deLarios - February 17, 2012
Pop will push them less down the stretch, so yeah, I do think they’ll fall off the race for first place, if Pop plays it how I think he would.
grego21 - February 17, 2012
loved the typo, it goes well with DUncan and the spurs in general flying under the radar
About the raptors: they suck. With Bargnani at least they were one of those bad teams that had the potential tu upset you from time to time, but withouth him they are a piece of garbage. Magloire and Rasual Butler are rotation players for christsakes. Ed Davis has been a dissapointment so far, Derozan is having a bad year (after a really good one), James Johnson is lebron james physically but withouth basketball skills, Amir Johnson is your typical undersized shotblocker/dunker (there are millions like him), Aaron Gray is the very definition of big white stiff…..and their 3 best players (Kleiza, Barbosa and Calderon) dont have a clue about playing defense.
About Lin: he is one of the best stories about basketball I have ever seen. I LOVE the kid and how he is handling the pressure. The Knicks are a mediocre team at best, and they are going to lose in the first round, but at least now they are going to reach the playoffs because of him.
As Spurs fans, we should love the kid because he is making two complete douchbags in Carmelo and Amare look the stupid, overpaid black holes that they are. I love how now everyone is noticing what most of us here have noticed a long time ago by playing the suns and nuggets countless times.
Chilai - February 16, 2012
At least recently, Spurs fans wanted Butler over RJ…
After his performance against the Lakers (when he was with NO), fans wanted him too.
Agreed. I really dislike the Knicks since the crazy Isiah days and they players they bring in. But Lin is the opposite of all that. And I’ll root for that any day. What a great story for kids to grow up to…
grego21 - February 17, 2012
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