A palpable haze fell over the arena as both the Suns and the Spurs took the court tonight. Greg Popovich addressed the media for the briefest of minutes, issuing a heartfelt statement before exiting stage right before anyone could ask him a question. Devin Booker sported a Sager Strong tee during warm ups, and it was evident early that this game would be played with heavy hearts.
Perhaps that is the biggest reason why both teams came out of the gates a bit sluggish — sports are an escape, but it is difficult to play at your best when your mind is foggy.
Some assorted thoughts:
- Kawhi Leonard initially started the game on Booker before relegating himself to free safety duty. There was a point towards the end of the second where he picked up Book at the half court line and proceeded to snatch the ball from him like a frog snaring a fly. Must be nice to have that in your back pocket.
- Marquese Chriss continues to do useful things that I think nobody expected him to be doing at this stage of his development. There is still a tendency to get lost on defense every now and then — he is a rookie after all — but he has the ability to make up for his warts with unique athleticism. His most impressive play came in the first quarter when he got a pass from either Eric Bledsoe or Booker (I can’t remember), faked a swing pass to the corner to shift his defender out of the way, and then buttered home a three. That fake pass, something I can’t even accomplish smoothly in 2k, is an indication that the game is slowing down for Chriss. When his brain catches up to his athletic gifts, look out.
- San Antonio is mesmerizing to watch live when the machine is rolling. With cuts and screens flowing, every movement on offense serves a purpose and it helps that every player is seemingly two passes ahead of the defense. It really is like clockwork.
- Dragan Bender made an appearance in the second quarter and struck a pose after burying his first three-point attempt. As a tall, goofy white guy myself, I was all about his confidence. He was obviously feeling himself, and I encourage that. Things came crashing back down to Earth when he shot a laser beam from the corner that drew air later in the quarter. Despite a (for now) inconsistent stroke, Bender can really shuffle his feet on the other end, and his length is hell to shoot against in the paint.
- Poor Brandon Knight never gets an opportunity to shine. Even when he is sequestered from the bench, he shares his court time with either Book or Eric Bledsoe, and there are few possessions available for him to be the primary ball handler. Now I am not saying that being the offensive focus is the answer to Knight’s problems, but he should be thrown a bone every now and then. There was a fastbreak opportunity in the third quarter where he was ahead of the pack, but Booker decided to dribble through three defenders to get fouled. No wonder why Knight wants to chuck it up each time he holsters the leather.
- Leandro Barbosa might have had 349 lay-ins rim out tonight.
- Tyler Ulis got some run for a brief period in the second, pushing the pace and setting up a few open threes. This will come when his role becomes more defined, but there are open spaces there for Ulis to shoot that he neglects to feed a teammate. Unselfishness is fantastic, but when you have an open shot, take it.
- Book is noticeably forcing things outside of the context of the offense when he doesn’t necessarily have to. For all of his scoring gifts, he has the capability of being just as lethal of a passer, and I am anxious to see when that realization finally clicks for him on a consistent basis.
Despite the loss, Phoenix was competitive for most of this game before running out of gas late. And that’s all you can ask for from this team: play hard, grow, and lose late so we can secure another young piece in June.
Here is a box score for those interested.