Boiling Point?
Last night the Spurs fell to the Houston Rockets but the eventual point spread was not at all indicative of the game itself. For the majority of the game, the Spurs found themselves not only behind but being run out of the gym as the Rockets sustained a double-digit lead throughout most of the game.
The Rockets rode a quick start all the way to the finish line as they capitalized on a slow start by the road team. The Spurs tied a season low for first quarter points as they only managed to get a measly 14 points. For the Rockets, it was their first victory since the deadline deal that brought Kevin Martin among others to H-Town.
The Spurs just never were able to climb the mountain. They trailed by as many as 23 points in the third quarter and every time they went on a little run, the Rockets answered. Not until late in the fourth were the Spurs able to make any sort of substantial run. Unfortunately at that point, it was a simple case of ‘too little too late’. At that juncture in the game, everything would have had to have gone the Spurs way in order for them to have escaped with the victory. The Spurs were able to go on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to three and give themselves a chance, but in the end it just wasn’t enough.
Perhaps the biggest surprise from this game was Tim Duncan’s uncharacteristic technical foul. Just after the second half had started and the Rockets lead had ballooned past the 20-point mark, in an act of foolish frustration, Tim Duncan reached out and picked up his third personal foul and a technical while he was at it. The lashing out and blowing up that ensued was extremely uncharacteristic of The Big Fundamental who it typically mild mannered to say the least. This just goes to show that he’s clearly not alright with being mediocre.
As I’m sure fans can agree, when you are a contender year-after-year, you start to become expectant. It’s not merely about winning and losing. While losing is still unacceptable, simply winning is not good enough either. Effort and holding opponents to below their averages and winning convincingly all come into play. Clearly the Spurs have fallen short of their expectations this year thus far so much so that even Tim Duncan cannot hold it in anymore. Let’s be honest, his display of frustration last night was about the equivalent of getting one of the Queen’s guards to start laughing at Buckingham Palace—it just doesn’t happen.
The Spurs have tonight off before taking on Phoenix at home on Sunday. Tempers are beginning to flare and this team could be just around the corner of doom and destruction. At the same time too, it’s at the moment of such adversity that historically teams have come together to rise up to the occasion. Frustration is beginning to show and there’s no more time for a learning curve. The new pieces have been here all season and mediocrity is unacceptable—with or without Tony Parker in the line-up. Take nothing away from the Rockets but the effort or lack thereof displayed by the Spurs last night was just embarrassing. I feel a players-only meeting followed by a statement game come Sunday against the Suns coming on—just wait…
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