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In this highly anticipated encounter between two Western Conference powerhouses during the Easter weekend, the San Antonio Spurs came away with the win on the back of a complete team effort. Missing in their squad was their best player Kawhi Leonard but the valiant efforts of multiple players ensured a convincing and decisive victory in their bid to make the Playoffs.
After 20 years of consistency, the Spurs are threatened by smaller franchises in their playoff bid. They have always ended up winning more than 50 games in the regular season which is questionable this season with their record standing at 45-32 and with only five games of the regular season left and smaller franchises earning similar numbers.
The Houston Rockets' offense has rarely faltered this season but were kept silent by the collective effort of the Spurs. Houston were without star man Chris Paul, who was present during the game on the bench. The Rockets had an offensive night to forget, only making 33.8% of their field goals while the Spurs shot at 49.4%.
Prior to this game, the Rockets had already sealed the best record for the Playoffs and had won a franchise-record number of games (62), so this game was relatively insignificant.
Here are 5 talking points from the game:
#5 Role Players were the stars of the night
When the Spurs last won the NBA Championship in 2014, they had an aged big three in Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan. Leonard was still in his third year in the NBA. There was not a single high scoring offensively capable player on the team. It was a complete team performance with each player contributing effectively to the cause which ended up making the difference. Tonight, against the Rockets they looked like the same team which won the championship in 2014.
They had huge contributions from all the role players at the Spurs. The most notable was Rudy Gay, who scored 21 points in 24 minutes on 69.2% shooting. Patty Mills was on fire in the fourth quarter after Coach Gregg Popovich had a few encouraging words. He knocked down two threes and a long two-pointer halfway through the fourth quarter. Veterans Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili together contributed 10 points and 7 assists.
#4 The rise of Tony Parker's replacement
We all know that Tony Parker is not getting any younger. He is the face and the wall of the Spurs franchise. Coach Pop will surely look for a possible replacement for the irreplaceable French guard. This season, Tony Parker has moved into a bench role giving the younger Spurs guards an opportunity to prove they can fill the mantle. On such a night where everything was going the Spurs way, a ray of hope shined on youngster Dejounte Murray. His offensive display in the first quarter was incredible.
He ended the game with 13 points, 8 of which came in the first quarter. On his drives to the basket, he fearlessly took on Eric Gordon, James Harden, and Clint Capela. His hustle to win back the ball in the seventh minute of the third quarter was the highlight of the evening. He had shown his fearless determination to win the ball back earning the applause of the San Antonio faithful. His contribution of six rebounds to the cause was a sign of his meticulous work rate once exhibited by Tony Parker in his younger days.
#3 Houston laid an egg offensively
Houston were trailing in this game right from the first quarter. They were nowhere close to their best, which we have seen all season. Harden, who scored 25 points on an inefficient shooting of 16.6% on 3's, was kept silent through most of the game by Rudy Gay and Kyle Anderson. Eric Gordon played his Robin role to perfection scoring 18 points.
The offensive prowess of the Rockets were absent tonight as other regular performers such as Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson, Joe Johnson and Gerald Green failed to replicate the form they had shown all season. The four of them combined for a mere 20 points.
The Rockets failed defensively too. They failed to keep LaMarcus Aldridge silent, Murray exploded to the basket more than once. Rudy Gay ran riot through the heart of the Houston defense while Danny Green and Patty Mills were left completely unmarked beyond the ark.
Today game was the lowest total posted by the Rockets this season. They had shooting a field goal percentage of 46.0% throughout the season and today alone they shot only 33.8%. Beyond the ark, the numbers worsen, averaging 36.4% throughout the season and tonight they only 22.6%. Houston also fell in foul trouble as Harden picked up five fouls and so did Gordon. They both were a liability defensively towards the end of the game.
The Rockets are a well-known shooting team. Today was the third time throughout the season where they failed to register a single three-pointer in a quarter. Harden scored his first three-pointer towards the end of the three quarter but immediately picked up his fourth foul. .
#2 Battle of the Coaches
For a coach without his prize possession in the form of Kawhi Leonard, Gregg Popovich seemed very calm throughout the game. He was on the touchline motivating his players to put in strong performances. The most notable was the pep talk with Patty Mills after which he put on a strong offensive display. The introduction of Rudy Gay along with the veterans was the best way to keep the Rockets on their feet. He mainly brought in Rudy Gay to shut down James Harden, who although scored 25 points did not affect the outcome of the game. Greg Popovich came with all the answers to the game and left no stone unturned proving he had a tactical edge over his counterpart.
Mike D'Antoni had nothing going his way tonight. He was frustrated by the collective defending the Spurs are famous for. His tactical awareness in terms of transitional turnovers was excellent, but the double team on Aldridge was not effective as the All-Star still got his way. His animated behavior was one to forget when Rudy Gay blocked the ball going in. He felt a goaltending violation was to be called and jumped to call a timeout to argue with the referee when Houston got the ball.
Nothing went his way on Easter Sunday.
#1 The dominance of LaMarcus Aldridge
Since the injury to Leonard, Aldridge has been put in excellent match winning performances throughout the season. When the six-time All-Star is playing at his best, the Spurs are a tough proposition for any team in the league even at full strength. He has been the rock of the Spurs and carried the team through the regular season. His scoring prowess has helped the Spurs to almost secure a playoff birth with five games of the regular season remaining.
The last nine games, prior to this one, he has been scoring 29.4 points per game with a shooting percentage of 56.8%. Against the Rockets, he was simply phenomenal from the start, not only offensively but defensively as well. He was struggling with the double team initially missing a few shots around the perimeter but took real advantage when his opponents slacked off a bit. He held the paint like no other big man in the game and switched effectively on screens within the perimeter.
He ended the game with 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and his field goal percentage at 57.8%.
