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There’s something about the number 11.
I was born on the 11th. I grew up with the German soccer novel “11 Freunde müsst ihr sein”. Later came “11 Freunde”, a wonderful monthly magazine about soccer culture. But if I’m being honest, my favorite association with the number 11 has nothing to do with soccer at all — it’s the movie “This Is Spinal Tap”.
Because 11, as we all know, is louder. 1 louder, to be precise.
I have a very good friend with whom I spend my summers at festivals, my winters at club gigs, and every now and then all year hanging out in his rehearsal room. Over time, “Eleven” has become a running gag between us — the kind that quietly takes on a life of its own.
It has gone so far that other people have had custom T-shirts made for us, with our names printed on them alongside the word “Eleven.” Someone even made us an engraved house number sign — our names on it, and the number 11. Whenever we’re at a festival, we hang it on our tent.
So yes, eleven means something to me.
And now the Spurs have won eleven in a row.
Takeaways
- The Spurs are winning games — even back-to-back road games — despite their sole superstar going through a rough offensive patch. Victor Wembanyama shot below 40 percent for the third game in a row, taking only nine field-goal attempts (mostly jump shots) and making just three of them in only 26 minutes of playing time. He’s clearly knackered and probably needs a break.
- But a break could possibly spell the end of his MVP case. With Joker and SGA in similar trouble — and Giannis already out of the race — the very best players are struggling to meet the minimum-games-played requirement. That doesn’t feel right.
- One reason why the Spurs were able to extend their winning streak to eleven was — it has to be mentioned — a weak and at times careless opponent. On the other hand, the Spurs continued to play good basketball: the driving and cutting guards were finding their way to the rim with ease, and they were also finding the shooters out on the perimeter. Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell — for the third game in a row — combined to shoot better than 60 percent from deep on 16 attempts.
- Additionally, the Spurs were able to rely on their bench mob. Dylan Harper has turned into a bit of a shadow starter, in the sense that he — as in the Toronto game — played 29 minutes, which was the most of any Spur last night. Harper struggled with his three-point shot but was his usual self as a driver, rim finisher, and passer.
- Realistically, Harper isn’t in the race for Rookie of the Year, since there’s no way past either Kon Knueppel or Cooper Flagg at this stage. But maybe he should at least be considered for Sixth Man of the Year? Yes, his box-score numbers don’t jump off the page, but his play-by-play data certainly does. On the season, the Spurs are outscoring their opponents by 10.5 points per 100 possessions with Harper on the court — and his on/off differential per 100 possessions sits at plus-6.6. These are ginobilicious figures.
- After a couple of quiet games, Keldon Johnson was almost perfect (six of seven from the field) as a bucket getter off the bench and is probably the Spurs’ more realistic Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Whether he wins it or not, I’m glad Keldon is having a season that proves he’s not just the heart and soul of the team — but a serious contributor on a winning, possibly contending team.