As Kawhi Returns, so do ‘Those’ Spurs
Terry Stotts was quick to point out the nearly unanimous sentiment in the arena after the Spurs’ 110-96 throttling of the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. “San Antonio looked like the team that won the championship tonight.”
The lineup that’s started the majority of Spurs games over the last three-plus years — Duncan, Splitter, Kawhi, Green, Parker — was on the court for just the second time this season, and for the first time looked like the team that wiped Miami off the floor last June. It also helps to have the MVP of those Finals back on the court.
Leonard made his return to action after 15 consecutive games missed with a torn tendon in his right hand, sporting a shooting sleeve that helps stabilize the injured area of his hand; his presence in the lineup did the same for the inconsistent Spurs. It was as if he never left.
Kawhi went for 20 points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals in 31 minutes, and the Spurs were dominant when he was on the floor, outscoring the Blazers by 24.8 points per 100 possessions — a team high. When he was off the court, San Antonio had a net rating of minus-14 — a team low.
The Leonard effect is palpable — by the eye test, the smell test, the math test — and the Spurs have missed him sorely. San Antonio was the healthiest it’s been all season on Friday, and by no coincidence, was at its best.
“He adds so much to us in a lot of different ways — in subtle ways and obvious ways. It is a fine performance for somebody who has sat out for the last 30 days,” Gregg Popovich said after the game. “I thought the whole team competed well, executed well for more of the 48 minutes than I think we have all year.”
Popovich went on to talk about consistency, and how the return to health allows for this team’s depth to truly manifest itself. The players in the locker room echoed that thought, adding to what felt like an overall feeling of relief.
“A team feeds off of each other and (Kawhi) has been an obvious important part of how we do things,” Pop said. “Everything fits better together. Everybody communicates better. Everybody understands what to do in various situations much better.”
Whatever the reason, they simply were better than they’ve been in a while. The 34 assists on 42 baskets, the 11 3-pointers, the 12 steals, the plus-17 rebound advantage — it was the Spurs of old, all the way down to Patty Mills diving into a scrum to chase a loose ball with two minutes left in the game and his team up 19 points, prompting Pop to jump up out of his chair with his hands grasping his already white-haired head in disbelief.
For weeks, the chain that kept this roster linked together has been broken. The domino effect of Leonard’s absence created weaknesses in nearly every facet of the game, and for the first time in a while things seemed to be working properly again. The Spurs held a top-10 offense to fewer than 100 points; they broke down a top-3 defense to the tune of 110 points. On one end, San Antonio had its anchor on the first line of defense; on the other, it had its mismatch nightmare penetrating, pick-and-rolling, posting up, and shooting.
Everything that’s appeared to be a struggle this season looked easy once again.
“I won’t say we are where we were last year, but a couple more games we have got to see that we are going on the right pace,” Leonard said afterward.
It’s only one game, but it looked like so many we’ve seen before.
