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There’s a graphic that best describes the San Antonio Spurs’ nearly wire-to-wire win over a lot of men wearing Utah Jazz uniforms Friday. A single visual that wraps up in a tidy bow, my overwhelming feelings after having watched the Spurs go toe-to-toe with a team for which today’s game was all but completely meaningless. One image that shows just how differently San Antonio has been playing since the NBA restarted the season in Disney’s Orlando bubble:
Spurs beat Jazz and lead practically the whole way. I don’t think we’ve seen a game flow graphic like this all season long. pic.twitter.com/L5cbbb0B92
— J.R. Wilco (@jollyrogerwilco) August 7, 2020
In the 2019-2020 NBA season, the Spurs haven’t played a single game in which they never trailed. That was true this morning, and it’s true now. But my, oh my, did they nearly pull it off today. Dejounte Murray hit one of two free throws for the game’s first point. Utah hit a 3-pointer, after which San Antonio allowed a single basket over the next 5 minutes plus, while scoring 18. And they carried over most of that cushion for the rest of the game.
I know this is short (almost as if it was written in the middle of a work day for a game played in the middle of a work day), but there will be much more coverage of the game coming shortly. Just know this: the Spurs playing these final games of the season aren’t the same team we’ve watched all year. They’re young. They’re fun. They’re energetic. And they still have a shot at keeping the postseason streak alive.
I mean, if you care about that sort of thing.