Spurs second half makeover continues with win over Suns
There was a first quarter run that made Spurs fans sweat a little bit, but Sunday’s 107-91 win over the Suns showed two things. The first is that the Spurs aren’t letting games slip away anymore. The second is that Tim Duncan is coming for your soul.
One of the story lines of the Spurs season up until really the last month was that the team had a tendency to blow games they should win. Probably the two most memorable came in mid-March when they had a win against the Cleveland Cavalier in their grasp, but the combo of missed free throws and Kyrie Irving turning into the Human Torch caused an overtime loss that was as hilarious as it was disappointing. Two games later they dropped a giant stinker against the New York Knicks when they were up 10 at the half and managed to lose in overtime. They had been playing pretty well at that point, but the fact remained that they were still having trouble hanging on to leads. While the Spurs appeared to be playing well at the time, that loss to New York appeared to be rock bottom for the team, the wake up call they needed. Since then, aside from a bizarre game in Dallas, they Spurs have gained big leads and held on to them. They’re 14-1 since that Knicks loss with 13 of those coming by double digits. That third quarter swoon that had been going on? Not so much since that Knicks game. Before that loss the Spurs were nearly a point worse than their opponents in the third quarter (-0.7 points). In their last 15 games, they’re a +3.0 in the third quarter. Most of their destruction comes in the first half and the second half is about sustaining those leads, which they’ve been doing in the last month.
Tim Duncan is a wizard. After a very pedestrian March where one could argue the long season and the previous playoff runs were taking their toll on Duncan. Turns out he just wasn’t needed to be All-Star level Duncan. The last two games, with the two seed in their sights, Duncan’s been possessed, averaging 25.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. It’s just two games, but there was a sense of urgency in Duncan’s play that shows his ability to turn it up when the occasion calls for it. Kawhi Leonard will be the key in playoffs as has been in the regular season. But Tim Duncan has turned it up a notch in the playoffs each of the last three seasons. Looks like he’s showing again his offseason regimen and minutes watching during the season is paying off.
The Spurs travel to New Orleans on Wednesday. Matthew Tynan explains the tie-break situation here, but there’s still a lot to play out. The Warriors can do the Spurs a solid Monday night by taking down the Grizzlies. The Rockets are at Charlotte Monday night for the second night of a back-to-back before they close out the season against a very much improved Utah Jazz. The Los Angeles Clippers’ cake walk of a end of season schedule concludes with games against the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. Amazing that so much still needs to be decided with three days left in the regular season. Buckle up!
