Wake Up Call

Not that it should be too much of a surprise, but last night’s effort was just another in a string of lackluster, poor performances from the San Antonio Spurs. First of all, you pretty much knew that Detroit wasn’t going to lose 3 games in a row. The showdown came on the heels of the Pistons losing in Big D, after coach Flip Saunders had accused his team of not giving a full effort. Think they were up for last night?

How about 60% FG in the first half? Jason Maxiell hitting 20 foot jumpers…30 first quarter points…The list goes on, and, for my own sanity, I’ll stop.

What had to bother you most from the game was an obvious lack of effort in the first half, compounded by an obvious lack of quality play from Tony Parker. He missed 9 of the 13 shots attempted, while turning the ball over more than he assisted it. I don’t have the exact totals, but from my memory he missed at least 5 layups. Easy, bunny layups. I’m not a brain surgeon, but I do know that a better effort is required to beat a team like the Pistons.

The real concern is, when will this team wake up from the fog they’ve been under for the past month. Since December 11th, they’re 6-8. Over that stretch, the Blazers are 14-1, the Mavs 10-3, and the Lakers 11-3. And (big shock here), they’ve since dropped off the top spot in the Southwest, and subsequently all the way to the 5th spot in the Western Conference. Don’t look now, but the number 9 seed is only 4.5 games back of them. And, who, might you ask, holds that spot? The Western Conference finalists of last year, the Utah Jazz.

Nothing is drastic yet, but don’t fool yourself, this team isn’t playing well at all lately. This isn’t just a bad run. When they lost 4 of 6 earlier in December without Duncan/Parker, that was a bad stretch. Now, everyone’s back. Ginobili’s cast is a hindrance, but isn’t an excuse. If it’s that bad, he shouldn’t be playing.