Missing Aldridge
For the next match, Leonard is listed as “questionable,” which is to say all eyes will again be on Aldridge. The imperative is obvious; for the Spurs to even dream of staying close to the Warriors, they will have to ride on his shoulders. He cannot be tim
Heading into Game Two of the West Finals, not a few quarters understood the importance of LaMarcus Aldridge stepping up for the Spurs. With Kawhi Leonard out of commission due to an ankle injury, he clearly needed to pick up the slack on offense; outside of Manu Ginobili, there was simply no other player in black and silver able to manufacture points with consistency. And even then, the question remained: Would his shift to higher gear be enough to upend the eminently superior Warriors?
As things turned out, Aldridge not only failed to deliver; he didn’t even try. By the time the first quarter ended, he sported a forgettable stat line of one rebound and one assist, with two turnovers and nothing to show on the scoreboard off two shot attempts. No doubt, he wanted to stick to the kind of hoops that hitherto gave the Spurs their edge; having been smothered by double, even triple, coverage given the absence of Leonard in the last quarter and a half of Game Two, he thought it best not to force the issue and instead wait until good opportunities presented themselves. Needless to say, he thought wrong, and he continued to be all but invisible the rest of the match.
For the next match, Leonard is listed as “questionable,” which is to say all eyes will again be on Aldridge. The imperative is obvious; for the Spurs to even dream of staying close to the Warriors, they will have to ride on his shoulders. He cannot be timid anew; as head coach Gregg Popovich underscored, “He’s got a great responsibility in Game Three to come out and get something done.” And, creditably, he promises to be aggressive from the outset. “I’m always better when I take shots earlier, even if they’re tough shots,” he argued.
Of course, a pledge is easier said than done, and especially against the active Warriors defense. Nonetheless, Aldridge knows what is required of him. And he’s capable of it, too; before his lamentable Game Two performance, he had been norming a robust 24.4 points on 51% shooting from the field in his last five outings. In any case, the bottom line is evident: he has to step up and earn his keep. Otherwise, the Spurs have no chance.