Almost anyone on the planet would be ignoring conventional wisdom by deciding to dribble a basketball in the direction of Rudy Gobert as he lurches patiently under the basket. The defending Defensive Player of the Year and owner of a 7’9” wingspan represents a physical manifestation of an opponent’s bad intentions, poised to obliterate shots at the rim at any moment.
And yet that seemed to be a fundamental part of San Antonio’s gameplan in Sunday night’s 110-97 win over the Utah Jazz. Every Spur from Bryn Forbes to LaMarcus Aldridge drove confidently into the paint (and at Gobert’s outstretched arms), where they outscored the visitors, 52-to-38.