Thank God that’s over with. Spurs win 87-81.
The Spurs swept the Jazz Monday night in a contest where the Spurs controlled the entire game. The Jazz made a late run based mostly on the hustle of DeMarre Carroll, but it fell short went the Spurs picked off a pass and Manu Ginobili daggered the Jazz with a layup. It was the same stuff you’ve seen in the other three games. The Jazz missed a ton of looks at the rim, couldn’t hit from the perimeter, and got lost in the dizzying array of Spurs rotations. Oh, and Tony Parker sliced and diced the Jazz to pieces. The end.
Where Utah goes from here: How much better could the Jazz have been had they drafted anyone else in the first round? Kawhi Leonard would have given them a versatile wing to put on Manu Ginobili (and they wouldn’t have been facing him). Tristan Thompson would have given them more concerted effort and a bigger big with better hands. But most importantly, Brandon Knight would have given them a shooter point guard to pace Devin Harris with some legs. So Utah goes forward, trying to figure out where to go from here. Obviously Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap is a great combo, but the problem is, neither one is likely to get considerably better at their age. So do you stick with that combo or go elsewhere and try and upgrade? Do you trade in Millsap for a few upgrades at a few spots, knowing Gordon Hayward will improve? Point guard is going to be another area they have to look at.
In other words, the Jazz have some work to do. But this year was a good year of progression for them. They gained some experience, and learned that they have a core to go forward with. Now it’s just a matter of being smart with how they construct from here.
Where San Antonio goes from here: Home, to rest. The semi-finals will feature back-to-backs, so getting this rest is crucial for San Antonio. They’ll face either the Clippers or Grizzlies who will be coming off a tough, physical series, even if the Clips close out Memphis in five. Getting healthy so they can dispatch their next opponent in due time is crucial for the. The Spurs can run, but they can also get banged up. They need to stay ahead of the schedule. This was step one, and it was crucial.
Beyond that, San Antonio proves that last year’s Memphis series was a fluke. They get the ghosts off their back and get back to dominating first-round opponents like they traditionally have done. The Spurs made a statement. They were not built for the regular season, they are deadly, and they are coming. The Plague is coming.
