Spurs at Blazers: Where All Good Things Must End | The Big Fundamental

February 21, 2012

Bart Herridge

Spurs at Blazers: Where All Good Things Must End

This I can guarantee: when the Spurs came back to gut out a tough win in Utah last night (and when he saw the Lakers blew out the Blazers), Pop knew there was almost no chance of the Spurs winning this game. San Antonio has not won in Portland since 2008 and all signs pointed to this being a dud for the Spurs. So, if you are The Popovich, what do you do? If an 11-game win streak is going to end, you do it on your terms, not anyone else’s.

That said, I legitimately thought in the first quarter that the Spurs had a chance to win. Portland relied on an enormous amount of made treys to build a first half lead, especially for a team that does not shoot that well. If the shooting percentages regressed to the mean, the Spurs might have a chance to get hot and steal one. Alas, it was not to be.

Song of the Game:

I’m not a fan of remakes, generally, unless they bring a completely new take on an old classic song. This one does. It’s Blind Melon doing the classic from my childhood “3 is a Magic Number”. The album was a tribute album, released in 1996, with some contemporary and indie artists doing old Schoolhouse Rocks songs. Great stuff all the way around, but this song may have been the best (although a rare Daniel Johnston appearance and Buffalo Tom doing the adverb song are great also).

3s were critical to every aspect of this game. If the Spurs were to have a chance, guys like Bonner and Neal were going to have to make 3s and Portland was going to have to miss them. SA was 8-20 (40%); Portland was 15-28 (54%), including 5 for Jamal Crawford in the first half. Game over.

Play of the Game:

At 5:15 of the 1st, RJ grabbed a board with the Spurs down 17-19 and dribbled to the offensive end. He started the game playing PF, so LaMarcus Aldridge was guarding him. Richard saw the mismatch and saw Aldridge backing up, so he launched a three that hit nothing but net and gave the Spurs their second and last lead of the game. Portland followed that with a 22-0 run and that was that.

Trending Up:

Pop. Just because he knows he can do stuff like this. And he doesn’t care if you or me or David-Freaking-Stern likes it or not.

Kawhi Leonard played this game with the same hustle and demeanor that he has played the previous 32 games. He finished 9-14 with 24 points and added 10 boards, 5 steals, and a block in 43 minutes of action.

Eric Dawson got his first NBA action and first NBA points. I have no idea if he is any good at all, but he’s got a great story to tell. I did like the way he threw his body around, but I think we already have our limit of undersized PF-C types.

Cory Joseph hit a trey! I saw it, I saw it! Then he hit another one! It’s a miracle!

Trending Down:

Nate McMillan. I thought his playing a full-court press defense for about 5 minutes in the first half was chippy. And because he played 2 starters – Gerald Wallace and Crawford – over 30 minutes in a game they led by 38 to start the 4th.

In a game where he had opportunities, James Anderson had a rough time. He got good looks all night and showed a lot of athleticism driving to the hoop. But he just couldn’t finish.

Stat of the Game:

The plus/minus numbers on this game are insane. I can’t even describe them. Just go here and look.

Random Thought:

3 things and I’m done:

1. There’s a pretty good lineup sitting on the bench: Ford at PG, Tony at SG, Manu at SF, Tim at PF, and Tiago at C. You could argue that those are the best 5 players in Spurs jerseys this season.

2. How in the world did San Antonio almost get to 100 points with this lineup and minutes distribution?

3. Have you ever seen an NBA game that looked more like a rec league game at the Y? The 4th quarter did not resemble Spurs basketball or any other kind of pro basketball, for that matter. I think Pop may have been sipping a glass of pinot gris by the time this thing was over.

4 Responses to Spurs at Blazers: Where All Good Things Must End

Bones says:

February 22, 2012 at 11:37 am

Fine time for me to jump in and comment on your new spot, eh?

Not sure which +/- number is crazier: Gerald Wallace’s +42 or Matt Bonner’s – 19 in just under 6 minutes.

Good thing I didn’t actually see this one.

Reply
- Wayne Vore says:
  
  February 22, 2012 at 11:39 am
  
  You wimp. This was a must see. It makes you appreciate every win so much more.
  
  Reply
- Wayne Vore says:
  
  February 22, 2012 at 11:47 am
  
  Oh, and long time no see. Do you guys have plans to come this way this year?
  
  Reply
Bones says:

February 23, 2012 at 9:29 am

I was actually at the Ohio State/Illinois game that evening. I did DVR it, but pretty much decided not to go back and watch upon seeing the score by halftime.

Agreed that watching the scrubs get drilled can be entertaining…..I guess……

I do plan to come down – probably a solo work trip. Probably not until April. Will let you know when it gets nailed down.

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