Pop Culture, Vol. 3

by

While we’ve shied away from the traditional recap that used to take up far too much of our time, we still have a few thoughts after each game. For more thoughts as they happen, be sure to follow 48MoH on Twitter. You’ll find our postgame grades in emoji form there. Seriously. Otherwise, we’re back again with what we’re calling Pop Culture with a few more nuggets following the Spurs’ 95-87 win in Boston on Sunday afternoon. But it’s not a recap.

Caleb Saenz

image00 The lead didn’t increase by much, but there was a three-minute stretch in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s contest where the Ghost of Spurs Future dominated the game. Kawhi Leonard entered for Danny Green, immediately assisted on a LaMarcus Aldridge jumper, and the Spurs were effectively a brand new team. They went to iso ball for three straight possessions, each resulting in an Aldridge jumper, and the only other points scored were on two shots from Kawhi Leonard. The rest of the Spurs—save Tim Duncan, who had two assists and some solid defense in the stretch—were content, happy even, to lean into the new reality. After the game, Popovich said Aldridge “saved [the team’s] ass,” but it was the efforts of the three names you see most in that stretch—Aldridge, Leonard, Duncan—that helped the Spurs put away a game that ended up being much closer than it should have. So as fitting as it was for the Spurs to celebrate a record-setting night for their Big Three against the team whose own Big Three originally held the record, it was also fitting that the Spurs chose the day to establish a new triumvirate. 541 wins from the old Big Three is an incredible achievement, but this season, the Spurs are focused on the 55 or so the new one can deliver. Oh, and the last time Popovich said a player saved his team’s ass? He was talking about Tim Duncan. The game done changed, y’all.

 

Trevor Zickgraf

It would be rude not to focus on the career accomplishments of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili as a trio. 541 wins together is an amazing accomplishment. It’s a testament to all three players’ abilities, relative health, and trust in each other and the team they play for to put them in a position to succeed. And enough praise can’t be heaped on the front office and coaching staff enough for never pushing the panic button with these three players when it looked like the door was closing. It’s going to be a treat watching this trio gun for 600 wins, and maybe beyond.

Having said that, the end of this game became something pretty symbolic. The Celtics were closing in, and then LaMarcus Aldridge hit three straight jumpers and found Kawhi Leonard in the corner for 3-pointer. Leonard then answered a Marcus Smart 3-pointer with another jumper. In the go-to moments of a road game, Duncan, Parker and Ginobili were role players, helping set up open looks for Aldridge and Leonard to put the game away. We’ll see plenty of the Spurs historic Big 3 making big plays in pivotal moments, but on a night where history was made for this trio we saw a glimpse of the future for the Spurs. It might even be the present. I can’t think of another franchise in the last 30-35 years where the past, present and future were so prominently involved in a team’s success.

  • MarkBarton

    Duncan never hurries. He plays like Kyle Anderson wishes he could.

  • MarkBarton

    No literature today? Murakami? Not even Stephen King? I guess with Cory Joseph gone you have to wait for the Raptors game to roll that one out.

  • ringostorr

    I really like the new format!

  • Comrade747

    Giving the new format a chance, good write up guys.

  • Justin

    For the first time in 4 years, I get more in game details from ESPN. Congrats on the new format, I hope th sales of your poetry exceed expectations.

  • Caleb Saenz

    Congratulations on your four-year learning-to-read anniversary! I’ll see if we can use some of our poetry profits to Kickstart a spell check for you.

  • Comrade747

    lol

  • brunostrange

    It’s going to be very intriguing (at least for me) to see LMA, Duncan and Kawhi develop into what should become the dominant front line in the league. The first three games have shown that it’s going to take some time, but given the talent and experience in this team, I can’t wait to see how things look by March.

    Having said that, the second unit is a bit of a worry. Obvious problem is the lack of a rim protector (that is, unless Boban evolves into a regular rotation guy, which remains to be seen). More glaringly is the weakness at the wing. Anderson looks like dead weight out there. I know he shined in the D and Summer leagues, but those are the D and Summer leagues. Hope to be proven wrong, but not too optimistic about him.

    Digging the new format, very NBA Shootaround, ala Grantland (RIP). Whatever you do, please DO NOT hire Shea Serrano.

  • MarkBarton

    Shea Serrano was fine until he tried to be Bill Simmons Jr. BS schtick is annoying when he does it but when someone else tries to imitate it, it becomes toxic.

  • Justin

    I see you’re still not talking basketball Caleb. If you can’t take constructive criticism, I suggest you stay indoors and behind a computer. Otherwise, if you’d like to have a well spirited debate or actually talk about the game, come meet me out for a beer. Don’t talk like a little girl unless you want to get bitch slapped like one.

  • Caleb Saenz

    Cool story, Justin. Thanks for reading.

  • cecilthesheep

    From the above article: “541 wins together is an amazing accomplishments”

  • Caleb Saenz

    What can we say? Poetry is free-flowing, man…

  • Dapimp Ofdayear

    Be nice guys, it’s just basketball.

  • merkin

    Good Insight, Trevor: “I can’t think of another franchise . . . where the past, present and future were so prominently involved in a team’s success.” The transition, the morphing is fun to watch.