Game 29: Spurs 106 - Pacers 92

Spurs completed the 4 game home stand and improved to 16-0 in San Antonio.  The team is beginning to get a lot of positive coverage in the press as we approach the Christmas Day game against the Rockets.

I was a little surprised to see the Spurs easily dispose of the Pacers.  I heard a number of good things about their team before they came to town and wondered if they would catch the Spurs on an off night.  The Spurs showed up on the second half and put them away like they have so many other teams in recent weeks.


Game 28: Spurs 115 - Clippers 107

San Antonio Spurs took had a quality win over a team that I believe will get things figured out after the Christmas break...   While the Western Conference appears to be having a down year...  the Mavericks, Clippers, Thunder and Warriors - are teams you want to avoid playing 6 or 7 games in a playoff series.

I'm typing this up on Christmas eve and I'm having a hard time recollecting details from the game...  I had really bad back pains and remember watching a lot of the second half while laying belly down in my bed.


Game 27: Spurs 114 - Wizards 95

Spurs continued their dominance at home last night improving their record to 14-0 this season as they slowly begin to pull away with the #2 seed in the West...  I took great interest in seeing how the Spurs would play against a Wizards team that has a young and athletic front court with Wall n' Neal.  As luck would have it... the Wizards have abandoned some basketball principals that worked well for them in hopes of trying to playing a type of game that doesn't suit their personnel.

What I'm trying to say is that the Spurs beat a slumping team and disposed of them as 2 team in the West should.

The biggest take away for me is still seeing Danny Green struggle from behind the arc.  He does a number of things on the court that do not appear on the stat sheet... but I can't shake the feeling that there's something amiss there.

I also don't know why the Spurs went away from Kawhi midway through the third.  He burst to 22 points and I figured he would go well over 30 if they fed him the ball.  They didn't and he ended up with 27 with 38 minutes of play.  He had 4 assists and would have had more if other Spurs sunk their shots...   but I'm being nit-picky about a team who shot over 50% and scored 114 points last night.

This team is so scary deep and good at times...  


Game 26: Spurs 118 - Jazz 81

Spurs kicked off their 4 game home stand against the Jazz last night and won by 37 points.  They've improved their home record to 13-0 and only trail the best record in the NBA by 4 games.  If that wasn't tasty enough...  the Spurs have won 9 games by 20 points or more.

So yeah...  the Spurs are pretty dope and I'm glad I'm taking a lot of time in watching their games this season.  I'm still of the opinion that they make a lot happen by simply wanting it more in December games that other teams do.

The Jazz just played their 5th game in 7 days and are coming off a back to back.  They basically had no chance of beating the Spurs who have managed their team minutes masterfully and are benefiting from mixing and matching their lineups across all three lines so that they can perform effectively in the Playoffs.

So... I say all this and I can't help but feel that the Spurs are kinda beatable.  I don't think they will match up well against teams with stellar front courts (OKC/Golden State) and I don't think they will play very well against teams who are defensively sound like Cleveland and Chicago.

3 games over .500 on the road is the biggest blemish on their resume right now and there's always a chance of a devastating injury to their kinda limited offense.  

I can't help but watch the spurs and wonder what they could do to improve themselves and I can't shake the feeling that Danny Green may be involved in a trade of some kind to help them get over a hump.


Ballers of the Night

  1. Kawhi - 22 points, 7 boards and 6 for 6 from the free throw line
  2. LaMarcus - 18 points and 6-10 from the field...  i love that he's finding his 12 to 18 ft spots on the court - allowing driving guards to kick out to him for his specialized shot.  This is vital for the playoffs - no one has a team designed to take advantage of this like the Spurs.
  3. Parker - 18 points, 7 of 9 from the field in 21 minutes.


Game 25: Spurs 109 - Hawks 78

Spurs handled another back to back by stomping the shit out of the Hawks on Saturday night...  I didn't see most of the 4th quarter because Boban was in street clothes so I had little interest in seeing a game that wouldn't feature my favorite 7'3" goon.

I'm really surprised by how well the Spurs handled this yo-yo schedule in early December.  They masterfully handled the minutes on the bench and they are now about to start a 4 game home stand where I expect them to win all 4.


Game 24: Spurs 109 - Lakers 97

Spurs improved to 5-0 after losses on Friday night against the Lakers...   I watched the first half of the game over at my sister's house with my dad.  It's kinda weird seeing Kobe play his final games in San Antonio and also see him have an above average game from him when all I hear about is him playing so badly.

The Spurs really played the shit out of their bench and this is something they really needed with the yo-yo schedule they've been playing in early December.  I know this is going to be very unpopular to say in San Antonio, but I really hate seeing the Lakers struggle like they have the past 5 seasons.  

I'm also of the opinion that Kobe is a better player than Duncan.


Game 23: Spurs 94 - Raptors 97

After defeating the Sixers in Philly on Monday by 51 points, the Spurs traveled to Toronto for a second consecutive road game...  something I thought they would have welcomed after doing a home/away thing across the United States in early December.

Much to my surprise, the Spurs seemed out of sorts against the Raptors...  they dropped another road game, which puts them 2 games above .500 on the road.  Not truly indicative of what their play has been on the road, but you are what your record says you are.   

I can't believe Kawhi didn't score any points until the fourth quarter and he then pulled out 9 with 7 minutes left in the game.  His inability to get into this game, I believe was reason enough for the Spurs to not win a road game in Toronto.  It also didn't help that they couldn't hit a basket from beyond the 3 point arc the entire night.


Game 22: Spurs 119 - Sixers 68

So the Spurs dropped the hammer on the Sixers last night... I watched a good chunk of the game before switching over to see Cowboys/Redskins - Monday Night Football game.

In a game where Kawhi and Tim Duncan sat out... the Spurs showcased why they may have one of the deepest benches in the NBA.  The Sixers on the other hand showcased why they're the WORST team in the NBA.  The Spurs haven't played the Lakers yet... but I'm going to go on a limb and say they're not going to beat them by 40 points.

Ballers of the Night

  1. LaMarcus - 26 points (20 in the first half) in only 22 minutes...  
  2. Boban - 18 points!   Boban could have scored 6 points and he may make my ballers of the night list... just saying.
  3. Jonathon Simmons - 14 points and continues to make a case to replace Green in the Spurs starting 5.


Game 21: Spurs 108 - Celtics 105

Spurs improved to 11 - 0 on Saturday night and sweep the Celtics on a 108 to 105 victory...  A game I actually tuned out on after three quarters so that I could focus on the two College Football games that were on Saturday night.   

I have a couple of quick take-aways from what I watched...   with roughly 5:30 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter the Spurs had 50 points.  Up to that point they were shooting 60% from the field and I wondered if they could score over 62 points in the first half.  The Spurs went on to only score another 8 points, ending the half with 58.  In my simple head, I always like to see the Spurs get at least 25 per quarter in the first half before they traditionally unpack it all in the 3rd.  I believe they had a lead get up to 17 points when I decided to alter the two television set up I had at home so I could watch both college games.   I was convinced they would simply put them away in the 4th.   Little did I know that the Celtics would drop 34 in the fourth and make it interesting...   I missed out on that last 12 minutes of basketball and I'm kinda kicking myself for it. 

Spurs and Celts on the little TV

Game 20: Spurs 103 - Grizzlies 83

Spurs had an amazing back to back night performance against the Grizzlies in Memphis...  What I'll remember most about this game is 1.) The Memphis home uniforms that I didn't quite understand.  2.) I watched most of the game on my iPhone while playing dungeons and dragons...

I neglected to write up a just after the game but recall Kahwi going 7 of 9 from three point land to lead all players on the Spurs and Grizz.  I believe he leads the league in 3pt percentage.