The Hangover’s Bad but the Party Was Fun, So Let’s Do It Again
It’s a stat that just sticks in your head like a shitty Carly Rae Jepsen song: The Spurs went 21-4 over their final 25 games, including an 11-1 stretch to end the season; and as their grand prize for sporting the league’s best record and best net rating during that stretch, they moved from seventh to sixth in the standings.
Should’ve gone 22-3, I guess.
San Antonio looked mortal for the first time in weeks — perhaps with the exception of Friday’s thriller in Houston — in a game with stakes as big as you’ll see in a season finale, losing 108-103 in New Orleans. A win would’ve earned the 2-seed; the loss dropped them into a 3-v-6 matchup with the Clippers.
But first things first: Bravo, Pelicans. That was a do-or-die game — easily the biggest of the Anthony Davis era — and they freaking killed it. That team deserves to be in the playoffs, not the Thunder (not an indictment of OKC, it’s just been an awful, awful year). I’m really, really looking forward to that matchup with the Warriors, and I think it’ll give Golden State a bigger test than Russell Westbrook and Co. would have.
Back to the Spurs. For the first time during this entire run of elite play, that team looked tired. When it made its run in the second half, that extra boost wasn’t there, and for the first time in a long time, the defense was getting picked apart.
When was the last time San Antonio gave up at least 108 points? It was the night Kyrie Irving lit the AT&T Center on fire, in overtime, more than a month ago. Hell, prior to last night, the Spurs had allowed 100 points in just one of their last 11 games.
Still, there’s no sense in dwelling on this. Be honest with yourself: A month ago, most of you would’ve been OK with, “Well, it’s been a rough year overall, but they’re playing really well right now so I’ll take the 6-seed.” I know it’s sort of torturous to watch this team go on such a brilliant run to the finish line, only to trip over the last hurdle. I get that. It feels like there was a lot of energy wasted.
But I don’t tend to look at it that way. It wasn’t long ago that the 2-seed was just a pipe dream, a mirage in the brutal Western Conference desert. You had already stocked up on water and supplies for that trek through the playoff landscape. You were prepared for THIS.
And up first on the docket: the Clippers.
It’s a great matchup, but it’s sort of a shame. You could argue these are two of the best three teams in the conference, and I’m not sure many objective viewers would debate it. But here they are, meeting in the first round.
Then again, you can also look at it in a different light: The first round of the Western Conference playoffs is going to be a blast. Warriors-Pelicans is going to be great, pitting a fire-breathing dragon against the Brow in his playoff debut; Rockets-Mavs is a hate-filled battle between Morey and Cuban; Grizzlies-Blazers is going to be entertaining in a weird, these-teams-are-beat-up-and-sort-of-have-a-chance-to-recover-now sort of way; and Spurs-Clippers is a matchup between two of the league’s best.
It was going to be a difficult path either way, but it certainly is unfortunate for the Spurs that home court is now gone. We all praise San Antonio for its ability to win on the road, and rightfully so; but the truth is, there’s been a drastic difference between the Spurs dressed in white and the Spurs dressed in black.
Life has been difficult away from the AT&T Center this year, particularly on the offensive end. San Antonio has been consistent defensively regardless of where the ball is tipped, but the offense is a different story. The Spurs’ offense has hummed along at home this season, scoring more than 110 points per 100 possessions, which would be a league-best; on the road, that number drops to 102 pp100p, which is very, VERY average. Even during their recent run, the offense has been pouring in more than 11 pp100p more than it does on the road (117.3 to 106.2).
Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan seemed genuinely happy for Monty Williams as they hugged at mid-court. It was a big accomplishment, both for Williams and the team’s GM Dell Demps, who reportedly had a mandate to make the playoffs, injuries or no. But that had to sting. The Spurs charged hard after that 2-seed, a lot more ferociously than we’re accustomed to seeing. There were no rest nights, no limitations on minutes — there was no secret they wanted that advantage.
But at the last second, it slipped, and they’ll live with it. After all, they were shocked to be in position to move up in the first place, considering the way the season has gone. It is what it is, as Pop always says.
We’ll dive into things a bit more in the coming days, but there’s a reason we’re all a bit hungover. That party was fun. Still, there’s another one right around the corner, and the Spurs are still the favorites to win the series.
The playoffs are here, so puke and rally, folks! Let’s do it again.
