How many times does a team need to learn the same lesson before it’s legitimately recitified?
The San Antonio Spurs blew another double-digit lead on Tuesday night in a 111-106 loss to the Houston Rockets. This time, it was a 16-point lead that disappeared halfway through the fourth quarter after a big run from the Rockets. There were no late-game heroics that could save them this time. Houston steamrolled the Spurs for the entirety of the fourth.
The signs are always the same. The offense slows to a halt while the Spurs bleed transition buckets on the other end. Too often, the Spurs exhibit complacency when they hold a big lead. Their ball movement stalls, they get loose with the ball, and they make defensive mistakes in transition and the half-court. The Spurs went scoreless for the first four and a half minutes of the fourth while Houston cut the lead to 1. During that stretch, San Antonio didn’t attempt a two-point shot. They finished the final frame, only scoring 14 points. They looked completely shaken while the Rockets ratcheted up the defensive pressure and overall intensity.
The funny part is that Tuesday’s collapse wasn’t even their worst of the season. They’ve blown bigger leads to worse teams in more embarrassing fashion. But this one was against a rival, so it may sting the team a little bit more. Maybe it’ll be the wake-up call they need to stop blowing leads.
We’ve learned that no lead is safe in the modern NBA. That’s especially true in the playoffs when teams have no reason to take their foot off the gas. This problem isn’t going away without a mindset shift from the players or a tactical change from the coaching staff. If San Antonio wants to contend in the postseason, they have to nip this habit in the bud.