SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 48: SPURS VS. MAGIC, 31-1-2024, 7PM (CT)
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Re: SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 48: SPURS VS. MAGIC, 31-1-2024, 7PM (CT)
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G R E Y
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Re: SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 48: SPURS VS. MAGIC, 31-1-2024, 7PM (CT)
Pop coaching Tre up. Awesome.
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop
Re: SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 47: SPURS VS. WIZARDS, 29-1-2024, 7PM (CT)
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G R E Y
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Re: SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 47: SPURS VS. WIZARDS, 29-1-2024, 7PM (CT)
4TH Q: SPURS 98 MAGIC 108
The highs and lows of a rebuilding team. I don’t recall so much variance within games last season, but perhaps I’ve forgotten.
We go through these waves of patterns: bad starts, then stretches of games with good starts, then bad again, and tonight we started out with great cohesive energy.
Sochan made a point to stand out with a first play steal, bucket and foul for the traditional lunch pail 3-point play. He finished the 1ST Q with 9 points on 4-5, 6 boards (4 on O!), 1 assist, 2 blocks for +11 in 9 minutes. He was a defensive menace with strong man D keeping his man in front of him, banging away, great timing for bouncy blocks, terrific dunking. SO much energy, channeled the right way. He was a force.
Wemby joined him with 9 early points on 3-5, 1-2 from 3, 2-2FTs, 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 block. It was hard for him to push through a very physical, big opponent, and we didn’t get the ball to him in the best spots, but he still found ways to contribute on both ways as he does.
Devin led the two-way trifecta with 10 points on 4-7, 1-1 from 3, 1-1FTs, 1 board, 2 assists. Strong drives, absorbing physicality, assertive, looking to make something meaningful happen with the ball.
Tre and Julian were scoreless. Only one of them changed that by the end of the game.
But we couldn’t play the starters entirely, and the good work they did dwindled with the depleted subs. The bench combined for 2 points in the 1ST Q. TWO. A bucket by Dom.
We got outscored 8-0 to finish the 1ST and with really three players scoring and a lone bucket by Dom, it’s a wonder we scored 30 and stayed ahead.
Cue the middle two Qs and the huge swing in variance of play. We lost them combined 64-42. We had 9TOs in them, though it felt like twice as many. We made 1-14 from 3 in them as well. A two-way debacle.
It’s hard to put into words what the D to O against was really like so instead, a 3RD Q visual:
Then we followed that up with:
Pop balanced the more experienced guys with the less experienced ones as best he could in the non-Wemby minutes, staggering him and Devin and the latter was sharing the court with Blake, Branham, and Dom. And so Devin ended up reverting to contested 3s.
Sochan ended up overdribbling when he had teammates open ahead, driving into multiple defenders to once again predictable results – TOs, blocks, misses.
We were unrecognizable with wave after wave of points off TOs and the Jekyll/Hyde level of play was largely from getting defensive physicality imposed on us, from basic fundamentals mistakes (one-handed passes, errant passes, not passing when we should have), from guys trying to do too much themselves and it only doubling down on the problems. We looked completely undone like we had no way out, hoping the standing eight count would rescue us. But there was more than enough time left and the blows kept coming until a hustle steal here and a basket there steadied us. It was a small blessing that we found some end of Q momentum and went on a 6-0 run. Teams with big leads often let up, and it was just the opening we needed to push through. We roared back on a 15-0 run to cut the 20+ point deficit to within 3, a good sign in itself considering we used to wilt for the rest of the game.
But that’s as close as we got as the 4TH Q series of errors returned. Scoring against after bad passes and misses and fouls and TOs mounted. We had a window in which we were aligned and energetic. Pop rewarded the players who got us back in the game with more minutes. Much deserved, but opponent adjustments and fatigue factored in the game changing direction once again.
We showed some pride and made a game of it but we can’t afford even one let alone two players out and the requisite back up strength we were missing hurt us. We showed better fight for more of the game, but now when we dip, we really put ourselves into bigger holes that we spend a lot of energy and time catching up. It’s weird how we switch one bad patter for good and vice versa.
We have to shore up talent:
Even now we can and should do something about the 3 spot. Has there ever been a bigger contract heist than Julian’s $12M guaranteed based off of the final 20 games last season? He was not only missing shots but was slow, out of positioning, blown by, and making weak passes. He was at least a gear behind the other starters, and out of sync because of bad effort and focus. Bad play with effort is one thing; bad play from lack of effort and Julian deserved a benching.
In fact, Julian did not play at all in the 4TH Q. Branham played 9 minutes in the first half, 6 in the second, 3 of which were in the 4TH Q. It was a game in which Branham was brought out of the bad effort dog house to see how he would respond and after only five first half minutes, Pop ended up relying on Blake more in the 3RD Q, playing him for 7 minutes, but none in the 4TH Q. That’s three minutes between three players in the final Q. Gents, bring up your games. Clearly minutes are now tied to higher expectation of play level.
If we could just limit the variance in dips and not play for too long stretches like it’s our first time together, we’d be in more games. Clearly we can ill afford any guys out and clearly the younger guys are not where we want them to be (yet? We’ll see). Playing more together, and with individual standards and pride are crucial for our success.
The highs and lows of a rebuilding team. I don’t recall so much variance within games last season, but perhaps I’ve forgotten.
We go through these waves of patterns: bad starts, then stretches of games with good starts, then bad again, and tonight we started out with great cohesive energy.
Sochan made a point to stand out with a first play steal, bucket and foul for the traditional lunch pail 3-point play. He finished the 1ST Q with 9 points on 4-5, 6 boards (4 on O!), 1 assist, 2 blocks for +11 in 9 minutes. He was a defensive menace with strong man D keeping his man in front of him, banging away, great timing for bouncy blocks, terrific dunking. SO much energy, channeled the right way. He was a force.
Wemby joined him with 9 early points on 3-5, 1-2 from 3, 2-2FTs, 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 block. It was hard for him to push through a very physical, big opponent, and we didn’t get the ball to him in the best spots, but he still found ways to contribute on both ways as he does.
Devin led the two-way trifecta with 10 points on 4-7, 1-1 from 3, 1-1FTs, 1 board, 2 assists. Strong drives, absorbing physicality, assertive, looking to make something meaningful happen with the ball.
Tre and Julian were scoreless. Only one of them changed that by the end of the game.
But we couldn’t play the starters entirely, and the good work they did dwindled with the depleted subs. The bench combined for 2 points in the 1ST Q. TWO. A bucket by Dom.
We got outscored 8-0 to finish the 1ST and with really three players scoring and a lone bucket by Dom, it’s a wonder we scored 30 and stayed ahead.
Cue the middle two Qs and the huge swing in variance of play. We lost them combined 64-42. We had 9TOs in them, though it felt like twice as many. We made 1-14 from 3 in them as well. A two-way debacle.
It’s hard to put into words what the D to O against was really like so instead, a 3RD Q visual:
Then we followed that up with:
Pop balanced the more experienced guys with the less experienced ones as best he could in the non-Wemby minutes, staggering him and Devin and the latter was sharing the court with Blake, Branham, and Dom. And so Devin ended up reverting to contested 3s.
Sochan ended up overdribbling when he had teammates open ahead, driving into multiple defenders to once again predictable results – TOs, blocks, misses.
We were unrecognizable with wave after wave of points off TOs and the Jekyll/Hyde level of play was largely from getting defensive physicality imposed on us, from basic fundamentals mistakes (one-handed passes, errant passes, not passing when we should have), from guys trying to do too much themselves and it only doubling down on the problems. We looked completely undone like we had no way out, hoping the standing eight count would rescue us. But there was more than enough time left and the blows kept coming until a hustle steal here and a basket there steadied us. It was a small blessing that we found some end of Q momentum and went on a 6-0 run. Teams with big leads often let up, and it was just the opening we needed to push through. We roared back on a 15-0 run to cut the 20+ point deficit to within 3, a good sign in itself considering we used to wilt for the rest of the game.
But that’s as close as we got as the 4TH Q series of errors returned. Scoring against after bad passes and misses and fouls and TOs mounted. We had a window in which we were aligned and energetic. Pop rewarded the players who got us back in the game with more minutes. Much deserved, but opponent adjustments and fatigue factored in the game changing direction once again.
We showed some pride and made a game of it but we can’t afford even one let alone two players out and the requisite back up strength we were missing hurt us. We showed better fight for more of the game, but now when we dip, we really put ourselves into bigger holes that we spend a lot of energy and time catching up. It’s weird how we switch one bad patter for good and vice versa.
We have to shore up talent:
Even now we can and should do something about the 3 spot. Has there ever been a bigger contract heist than Julian’s $12M guaranteed based off of the final 20 games last season? He was not only missing shots but was slow, out of positioning, blown by, and making weak passes. He was at least a gear behind the other starters, and out of sync because of bad effort and focus. Bad play with effort is one thing; bad play from lack of effort and Julian deserved a benching.
In fact, Julian did not play at all in the 4TH Q. Branham played 9 minutes in the first half, 6 in the second, 3 of which were in the 4TH Q. It was a game in which Branham was brought out of the bad effort dog house to see how he would respond and after only five first half minutes, Pop ended up relying on Blake more in the 3RD Q, playing him for 7 minutes, but none in the 4TH Q. That’s three minutes between three players in the final Q. Gents, bring up your games. Clearly minutes are now tied to higher expectation of play level.
If we could just limit the variance in dips and not play for too long stretches like it’s our first time together, we’d be in more games. Clearly we can ill afford any guys out and clearly the younger guys are not where we want them to be (yet? We’ll see). Playing more together, and with individual standards and pride are crucial for our success.
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop
Re: SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 47: SPURS VS. WIZARDS, 29-1-2024, 7PM (CT)
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G R E Y
- Senior Mod - Spurs
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Re: SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 47: SPURS VS. WIZARDS, 29-1-2024, 7PM (CT)
NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop
Re: SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 48: SPURS VS. MAGIC, 31-1-2024, 7PM (CT)
-
G R E Y
- Senior Mod - Spurs
- Posts: 43,788
- And1: 33,313
- Joined: Mar 17, 2010
- Location: Silver and Black
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Re: SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 48: SPURS VS. MAGIC, 31-1-2024, 7PM (CT)
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop