Spurs grind down Rockets: 3 takeaways from Game 3

The San Antonio Spurs pulled out a win against the Rockets,103-92, to take a 2-1 series lead.

To call Game 3 between the Spurs and Rockets a slop fest would be correct, but it wouldn’t be the whole story.

The slop fest was intentional; the plan for the Spurs all along. On offense, it was about maximizing shots with as few seconds on the shot clock as possible. No matter how ugly the offense could look on certain possessions, it was about maximizing time.

On defense, the slop fest was about denying drives and staying disciplined — more on that in a bit. When a Rocket entered the paint, there would be a collapse or, at worst, a long big just waiting to contest.

The Rockets haven’t scored fewer than 93 points in both the regular and postseasons. Were it not for the sheer greatness of James Harden — who shot 15-29 for 43 points, including 5 3s and 10-11 from the free-throw line — then the final score wouldn’t have been as close as it was.

Though Game 3 could have been the ugliest game of this postseason, here are three takeaways why it was exactly what the Spurs wanted.

Takeaways

Welcome back, LaMarcus Aldridge: The Spurs need Kawhi Leonard to be the focal point of the offense, while simultaneously being their best player on defense. The demand is so great that something has to give. It’s only one game, and the Spurs weren’t at their cleanest in terms of execution, but throughout the game Leonard could be seen doubled over, hands on his knees, gasping for air.

The burden of responsibility for Leonard only increased after guard Tony Parker was injured late in Game 2. Since Leonard isn’t actually a robot, and science’s cloning techniques haven’t reached that level, Parker’s injury meant someone else would have to step up.

Welcome back, LaMarcus Aldridge!

Aldridge had his best game of the postseason, posting a line of 26 points and seven rebounds in almost 40 minutes. The Spurs’ big man shot over 60 percent from the field on 20 attempts, reaching a level of efficiency he hadn’t made since December.

The Spurs outlasted the Rockets with discipline: ESPN color analyst Doug Collins said it during the broadcast — I’m paraphrasing: The downfall of Moreyball lies in its predictability. The Rockets are so against mid-range shots that any drive is either going to be a kick-out or a finish at the rim.

In Game 3, the Spurs packed the paint with length, sticking with their usual two-big lineups. The bigs would sag off pick-and-roll, inviting drives to the hoop for contests. The Spurs collapsed into the paint and then would run off shooters at 3-point-line.

The strategy worked in the first half, as the Rockets finished 4-16 inside the paint. But that level of frenetic defense is exhausting, and in the second half the Rockets were able to get better drives to the basket and more points in the paint.

Moreover, the Spurs were dedicated to stopping the Rockets from getting in transition. At the time the pace was at a crawl, with the Spurs running out the shot clock on offense, and gobbling up rebounds and sprinting back on defense. In Game 3, both teams combined for 18 fast break points. In Game 2 alone, the Spurs had 20.

And, it may have taken a few tries, but the Spurs looked great at not falling for Harden’s patented 3-point foul move. In Game 2, he attempted six free throws on two fouls beyond the arc. In Game 3, it was just one attempt.

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Kawhi Leonard may be getting tired: It’s a testament to a player’s greatness when his true-shooting percentage is 55 percent — around average for any average player. It’s an even greater testament that he can grab 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while having guarding duties on James Harden.

Still, it seems to be not without cost. Leonard looked tired at points. Credit the Rockets for the tenacious defense and attention given to him, but at other times, Kawhi looked exhausted, at one point allowing Harden to blow by with nothing more than a wrap-around swipe at the ball.

Again, it’s a testament to his greatness that his performance tonight is something that could be labeled as slipping. And to be fair, after starting the game 4-12, he ended 5-8. Leonard still is managing to lead the Spurs and play enough lockdown defense to frustrate Harden. But it’s something to keep an eye on as this series goes deeper.