Derrick White can’t really be this important, can he? The absence of a second year player who’s only started 33 games shouldn’t make a playoff team look this discombobulated. But at least in the Spurs’ Thursday night thumping in Portland, that’s exactly what happened.
The Trail Blazers’ defensive scheme put the onus on the Spurs’ stars to score in one-on-one match ups, something DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay were able to take advantage of. The two combined for 60 points on just 46 shooting possessions (43 shots and 3 shooting fouls).