The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most talented teams in the NBA, although they have let some of the league's worst teams push them around this season.
The San Antonio Spurs, as evidenced by their second-best record in the Western Conference and 3-1 season series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder, are one of the best teams in the NBA.
Another adjective that could be used to describe the Spurs? How about "soft?"
The Spurs are reeling after dropping a nine-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Spurs allowed New Orleans to find its spot in the paint and crash the offensive boards, getting pushed out of position on several occasions.
With similar losses this season to the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, and Houston Rockets, the Spurs have fallen victim to "bully ball" more than their fair share this season.
Spurs Are Aware of Key Shortcoming#
Sure, Victor Wembanyama crashed the glass for 16 boards, but the Spurs lost the offensive rebounding battle 19-10 against the Pelicans.
On top of that, New Orleans had no trouble muscling its way into the paint. Even with Wembanyama swatting away four shots, the sheer volume was too much for the Spurs to overcome.
"We knew that's how New Orleans was going to play this game," said Devin Vassell after his return from injury. "And if they were going to win this game, it was going to be because they were crashing the glass and being more physical. And that's exactly what they did. So just going forward, we just got to have that mindset. We can't be kind of a finesse team or somebody who's just going to let somebody just get pushed around and stuff like that."
Between physically strong players like Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, and Stephon Castle, the Spurs should be able to match the effort some of their opponents have brought to the table. However, the Spurs are yet to tap into that aggressive side.
"I thought New Orleans did a great job," offered Mitch Johnson. "Started the game, started the half of being very physical and setting the tone, and we definitely did not match that."
The Spurs will have two days off to rest and recover before they take on the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.