Written by Demetri Inembolidis

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have not beaten the San Antonio Spurs on the road since they did so on February 27, 2009.  That may not seem like that long ago, but the Cavs have not had a lot of luck in San antonio.  When the Cavs beat the Spurs in San Antonio on November 3, 2006, it was the first time they had done so since 1988.  

Considering that the Spurs continue to be an elite team and the Cavs are jockeying for lottery position, it comes as no surprise that the Spurs were able to blow out Cleveland by a score of 114-98.  

There is not a lot to be said other than the Spurs are really good and that the Cavs are not.  Cleveland played hard throughout the game, but San Antonio was too deep, too talented and too fine-tuned for them to ever make it a game.  The Spurs are a real treat to watch because they play the game the right way.  There is a lot of ball movement, but not too much.  Additionally, their front office is very good at finding guys who can contribute without relying too heavily on the draft.  

Speaking of castoffs from other teams who do well for the Spurs, Danny Green continued his stellar play.  Green had 14 points on only 8 shots.  Stephen Jackson was traded from the Bucks to the Warriors and then to the Spurs around the trade deadline.  Jackson, who was disgruntled and causing problems for the Bucks, is contributing very well for the Spurs.  He scored 17 points in the game and had 14 in the fourth quarter to help put the Cavs away.  Manu Ginobili was another Spurs player to come off the bench and play as well as most starters on any given game day.  Ginobili scored 20 points on only 12 shots.  

On the Cavaliers side of things, Kyrie Irving played his third game coming off his shoulder injury.  Irving finished with 19 points and 3 assists in 29 minutes.  One has to question what the purpose is of playing Kyrie Irving in these games because the Cavs are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and he is the cornerstone of the franchise.  It would be shameful to see him hurt himself in any one of these games.  Regardless, he put on a dazzling display of offensive moves.  It took him until the second quarter to make a field goal, but he more than made up for it with a wide array of fantastic layups and even a dunk.

The Anthony Parker era is inevitably nearing an end.  In what will probably be one of Parker’s last games in the Wine and Gold, he pulled down 8 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, had a steam and a block in 30 minutes.  

Tristan Thompson played relatively well.  In 29 minutes, he scored 9 points and pulled down 9 rebounds.  Most impressive were his 2 blocks against Tony Parker and Dajuan Blair.  The lack of Tim Duncan’s presence must have been bittersweet for Thompson because he reportedly idolizes his game.  Then again, it must not be fun for a raw rookie to play against someone as great as Tim Duncan so early in their career.  

The Spurs were able to dominate the Cavs without Tim Duncan.  They are able to not skip a beat without him because of great coaching and because the team has a strong foundation.  The Spurs remind me one of those teams that either beat Team USA or give them a hard time in international play.  They are undermanned in the talent department, but their experience of playing together and great coaching can oftentimes overcome all of that.  Gregg Popovich is able to get the most out of every single player regardless of what their personality is like or if they are not very talented.  He is simply an amazing coach.

The Good: Antawn Jamison surpassed Eddie Johnson on the all-time scoring list in this game.  He now has the 48th most points in the history of the NBA.  I have been hard on Jamison for his shot selection and defense, but that is a pretty incredible feat.  Congratulations to “The Jumpshooter.”

The Bad: Is the season over yet?

The Ugly: The Cavs almost had as many turnovers (13) as they did assists (14).  The Cavs simply are not going to beat the Spurs with that kind of ball distribution.