Spurs 92 @ Bulls 87 (I was there)

I spent the weekend in Chicago and attended this game. Going in, I had my doubts. The Spurs are never good in the tail end of back to back games and they were trounced the previous night in Philadelphia. Tony Parker, specifically, has looked awful in the back to backs, (which really doesn’t make any sense given that he is one of the youngest players on the team.) The 78-90 loss in Orlando after losing 83-90 to New Orleans comes to mind. Tony was 3-17 from the field for 9 points with 4 turnovers and only 4 assists. So, having to chase the standout rookie Derrick Rose seemed like a recipe for disaster. Also, after beating the Lakers in a truly fantastic 112-111 battle, the Spurs were due for an emotional letdown. My hope was that the loss to the Sixers would serve as a brief letdown and that the Spurs would rebound against the Bulls. Historically, the Spurs rebound very well after a loss, especially to one of that magnitude.
The United Center is substantially bigger than the AT&T Center. The United Center was not sold out and still posted an attendance upwards of 22,000, compared to a sold out AT&T center crowd of 18,675. Even so, I swear you could hear a pin drop for most of the game. Several times during the game I asked aloud, “Why is it so quiet in here?” but did not receive a response. By far the loudest spectator was the ice cream peddler whom you could hear from 4 sections over, “ICE CREAM!” It became the running joke of the night. If you were in a Chicago bar later that night and heard people randomly screaming, “ICE CREAM!” That was us.
The game was, as expected, an ugly one. The Spurs led for most of the game, but seemed to be half awake and could never maintain a lead. However, the Spurs managed to grind out a win. This is a game that gives me confidence. In ’99, ’03, ’05, and ’07, these are the kind of games the Spurs seemed to always win. It would be ugly, low scoring, and frustrating in that you knew the Spurs were the superior team, but they could never get any separation. But with the score close and two minutes remaining, the Spurs would always make a few big shots and get a few big stops for the win. They have won many of these types of games this season.
Chicago is a great city. If you have never been, you should definitely give it a try. Chicago is incredible because it is the third biggest city in the US, but still has that Midwestern, Southern mellow feel to it. People are not as crazy or hurried as they are in other big cities, like NYC. My good friend from Dartmouth, The Big Talc, currently resides in Chicago, which is why I made the trip. He basically took me on a tour of his favorite bars, (we hit 12 different bars in two nights.) My favorite was a place called the Hidden Sham. It was a multi-story bar that offered a great drink special in the basement. $3 Jameson Shots. Seriously? Any place that gets people to drink straight whiskey is cool in my book. (I am Texan, remember?)

PLAYERS: Jacque Vaughn

(Editor’s Note: I wrote this mid-season of the ‘07-‘08 campaign. Everyone take a moment to thank the Basketball Gods for George Hill.)

Alright, let’s get this party started. Jacque Vaughn is an abomination on the basketball court. Jacque Vaughn is averaging 4.1 PPG, 1 RPG, 2.2 APG, and .72 TPG in 15 minutes. He is shooting 42.4% from the field. His numbers look horrible, but what they do not capture is how the opposing point guards fare when going head to head against Vaughn. (They destroy him.) They also do not reflect his momentum killing contributions. When Jacque enters a game, you can expect a turnover, two wide open missed shots, and Vaughn’s go-to move which consists of driving into the lane, realizing he’s a midget, and circling back out, thereby wasting 5-10 seconds off the shot clock. He is also prone to air-balling lay-ups. This is due to the fact that he is tiny, can’t jump, and is not quick. If he gets a step on a defender, the defender can recover in plenty of time to alter his shot. So why does Popovich insist upon playing Jacque? He has the wily veteran Damon Stoudemire rusting on the bench while Vaughn handicaps the team. I am of the opinion that when Popovich looks at Jacque Vaughn, he sees Avery Johnson. Jacque Vaughn is a poor man’s Avery Johnson. For his career, Avery averaged 8.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 5.5 APG and 1.6 TPG in 25 minutes. Compare those numbers to Jacque's listed above. If you take into consideration that Avery averaged 10 more minutes per game, their numbers are nearly identical. Seriously, it’s almost spooky. Both players are short, slow, and they can’t jump. Avery had a knack for finding the open man, which is why Jacque is a step below him. Jacque should be playing golf, not playing backup point guard for the defending champs. Jacque Vaughn makes my head hurt.

San Antonio Spurs Insight

This blog will consist of four different sections all of which will be periodically maintained: Players, Games, “48MinutesofHell” Rebuttals, and Random Insight. “Players” will provide insight upon the individual players of the Spurs. I will provide analysis and thoughts that you will not find anywhere else. “Games” will consist of recaps from Spurs games and if something noteworthy happens outside of a Spurs game, you will find it here. “48MinutesofHell” is the blog that ESPN’s TrueHoop has chosen to represent San Antonio. I find most of their posts inaccurate and will prove their pessimistic arguments inadequate in this section. “Random Insight” will contain general analysis of the Spurs and whatever else I feel like writing about. The ideas and analysis that you find on this blog will be highly original, at least that is the goal.

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