After a 130-117 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that saw the San Antonio Spurs blown out 44-19 in the third quarter, Mitch Johnson said the team was experiencing some “mental fatigue.” Johnson mentioned that the Silver and Black lacked focus and physicality on the defensive end.
On the surface, it would be easy to blame this loss on circumstance. The Spurs have traveled for their last 7 games in two weeks, including just a short pit stop in San Antonio for a win against the Memphis Grizzlies. During that stretch, they’ve been without stars Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. Against Cleveland, the Spurs were missing both of their rim protectors, as Luke Kornet sat out with an ankle injury. Maybe all of this played into the poor performance, but the overwhelming reason for the loss seemed to be a lack of attention to detail.
The Cavaliers outscored the Spurs 80-44 in the paint on Friday night. Most of their points around the rim were completely uncontested. San Antonio wouldn’t pick up the ball in transition, would allow easy blow-bys, not communicate a switch, ball watch off the ball, and just lose players completely in the half-court. It was one of the worst defensive stretches in the last two seasons.
Not having a big man certainly didn’t help matters. Offensively, the team slowed to a screeching halt in the third. They had almost no flow without Kornet’s hard screens or Wembanyama’s paint presence. If it weren’t for Vassell going absolutely nuclear in the first half, it may not have even been a game heading into the third.
The good news for the Spurs is that this doesn’t seem indicative of a long-term issue. Yes, they have struggled with their off-ball defense at times this season, allowing big runs to the opposing team. But for the most part, the energy and focus have been there, and they are a top-12 defense because of it. The road is tough in the NBA, and it’s even tougher without all of your personnel. It’s on the team now to stop the bleeding and make sure this was just a low moment, and not the start of a trend.