SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 27: SPURS VS. CAVS, 12-12-2022, 7:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

Use the glass, young Spurs!

[G R E Y]

Poise and controlled assertiveness, Spurs!

[G R E Y]

Really good body control, positioning inside and spin and touch by Collins. Solid pass by Doug.

[G R E Y]

Doug with the rolling runner left baseline!

[G R E Y]

DUNK IT, COLLINS!!!

[G R E Y]

Nice slinking through the key and pocket pass to Collins.

And GREAT defensive work previously to get the steal. Hustle and touch.

[G R E Y]

JRich too late recovering on the screen to allow a too open middy.

[G R E Y]

They are TOO OPEN on their mid range Js. Get on up into them and contest!

[G R E Y]

Tre!

[G R E Y]

Keldon mano a mano early in the clock. Nobody else touches the ball. Actually gets to a good position. Doesn't use the bloody glass.

[G R E Y]

Devin floats to his spot, off two feet, high release. Ice.

[G R E Y]

USE. THE. GLASS.

[G R E Y]

GIVE ME A **** BREAK!

[G R E Y]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[imagump1313]

WTF are we doing people??????

Stop winning these meaningless games

At least Detroit knows what they are doing...

[imagump1313]

Never have been a fan of Mitchell. Dude is soo soft and overrated.
Guy is just flopping around around trying to get a call instead of actually trying to score. Weak...

Garland was wide open a second time.

[G R E Y]

Never have been a fan of Mitchell. Dude is soo soft and overrated.
Guy is just flopping around around trying to get a call instead of actually trying to score. Weak...

Garland was wide open a second time.

Yeah my first thought watching it live was Please don't fall for it, refs! Surprisingly they didn't. Collins just got called for a moving / illegal screen O foul where one of their guards fell rather easily.

Here Mitchell gambled and planked - with a jerking twitch - bit in the nose, that, but it was Tre behind him.

Huge gamble to play for the foul. We screwed up a lot late but were actually scrambling and scrapping for a win.

Fall don't lie lol

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 112 CAVS 111

Let’s start with the end again – a sensational block by Keldon who picked up where Jrich guided DM to the right side and Keldon was able to swoop in with a timely sky high stop.

Jrich many not have stopped him, but he did crucial work in picking DM up and ensuring there was a clear single path forward.

Keldon’s subsequent quick recognition, read, and help D response is the stuff of development pride.

Before that, well, it’s the development in progress that we’re learning from. We missed seven shots and made two baskets – four points – in the final 4:35. Keldon missed a couple of those – taking them isn’t the issue. That he rushed some is uncharacteristic of what got us to break through a previous rut and into the energy of the win streak. But that’s what pressure situations will do, expose tendencies and refine them for future situations.

We had multiple O boards for multiple scoring chances that we couldn’t capitalize on. We were dealing with the stress of a dwindling lead, increased defensive intensity against, we had to scramble and hustle our way through it.

Along the way, we also committed five fouls in that time span, four by Collins, who had but one coming into the final Q but with his second earlier in the 4TH, he fouled out once again
and Pop chose to go with Bassey to close out the game once again.

We like the energy and nastiness Collins has, but playing cleanly – even if that depends on ref interpretation – is a next step. Controlled aggression in crucial times is important to not give possessions away.

Funny, though, how rewards for playing with grit works. They had made all of their FT’s up until their final trip to the line where they finally missed one. And that’s why you contest everything and don’t allow easy baskets. Had we given up on that play for an easy 2 points, it’s a difference game, with potentially a different outcome.

So two key defensive plays kept us ahead and ensured a well deserved W for a three-game win streak.

Continuing with the D focus, if you looked at Romeo’s stat line, even the plus/minus, you’d surely think, wow what a lemon of a game after getting a career high in scoring and defending so well. But it really was the D that stood out. He had a tough assignment of guarding the dominant opposing O weapon and did a great job with his physicality, fighting over screens, falling to the floor after deflections, ripping balls out of opponents’ grasp. He was wonderful defensively, no easy baskets, and was important to not only our D energy as the first line of defense but also in maintaining and exemplifying our D principles which have stood out as tiers better in the win streak.

Roby replaced Malaki in the starting group and that balanced us out better. When Malaki is attacking and scoring in mid range, he’s helpful for us. It’s been a good experience for him to be part of the first five, and I liked his man D for the most part. He’s looked more comfortable and with more intentional movement. Improvement over the running into a team mate or him and a team mate going after the same driver.

Still, with facing a giant front court, Roby made more sense and he held his own, especially given we put out a back up C and essentially a third PF as starter. That’s not a denigration, because he’s a young guy who can still develop his game, but we do happen to have a couple of guys ahead of him. If that changes, it’s up to him.

Roby and Collins each scored 9 on 4-7, with Roby making 1-2 from 3 and Collins making 1-2FTs. Collins was also a rebounding beast for us grabbing 10 in total, 6 of which were on O. The 5 assists tied for team high and only 2TOs were both positive trends. Roby chipped in 3 boards (1 on O) and 2 assists as well. I liked his assertiveness in getting to the basket, and that he was a scoring threat from various positions on the court, making 2-3 in the paint (including 2-2 in the restricted area), 1-2 in non-point mid range Js, and 1-2 from the arc. He’s smart and overall dependable, especially on D, and on O when he just takes his shot or drives without anything fancy along the way.

We didn’t stop the opposing giant front court tandem, but we were assertive enough inside and disrupted them enough to give ourselves a fighting chance and we took advantage of it. We just edged them in the rebounding battle 46-44, and that included an impressive 19-15 O board fight.

Though we were outscored 56-52 points in the paint, we made up for it with making four more 3s. And like Our 11-16FTs also shows an ongoing area of improvement. It used to be even a short time ago that we’d be intimidated into settling for more outside shots versus a big front court, but even though we were 7-2 against in blocks, we kept pushing at them. I thought we did well to force refs into some decisions that weren’t made in our favour with our aggressive drives and if we keep that up it will even out to work in our favour. And when we do get the calls, we have to keep our FT percentage increasing. Really only Sochan, 0-2, missed more than one FT so that in itself is a better result.

Keldon’s 3s have been inconsistent, but he’s making up for it with relentless physicality, something that he had settled out of when he’d start games outside-in. A more aggressive approach shows both a willingness to change things up and sets a tone that the rest of the team follows. Keldon struggled through to 8-25, 1-6, but led us with 4-5FTs to go along with 6 boards (2 on O), 2 assists, and of course that game changing block. Really liked how he made adjustments at the rim with very high finishes off the glass over outstretched arms.

One thing I would say about Keldon’s D is his habit of keeping his arms at his torso like a chicken wing. It has a T-Rex arms look that stands out when his arms aren’t out to deflect or contest. He seems to tuck his arms in when making a big shift in movement to cover diagonal or backward space on D, for instance, but having the arms out habit will be so helpful in his getting more stops and forcing ball handlers into more difficult options.

Tre is doing a much better job finding those little openings on drives and getting the ball craftily through them versus much bigger defenders. A quick first step, ball protection by keeping it close to him, using his body or the rim, and finishing in a variety of ways. Loved his continuing to fight over screens and recovering to still bother ball handlers.

We were led by Jrich who had a vintage “Call me!” night, scoring 24 on 9-13, 5-7 from 3, 1-1FT along with a board and 2 assists. He was confident, the ball didn’t stick in his hands as much so that the balance between taking right shots at the right time with getting it to others was better. Fun to see the confident side of him again. We need different guys to step up and help out even as Keldon and Devin are our main contributors, and that’s on both ends. He truly was the 3 and D we expect, and none more so than on the final play in ensuring DM only had the one path.

Devin off the bench was once again a stealth sniper. He scored 18 on 7-14, 2-6 from 3, along with 2 boards, 3 assists, and game high 3 steals. He’s increasingly impressive with his cool late game demeanour and shot making. His handles are noticeably improved so that he could create space with them and get to his spot, and make contested shots with his high release as well. He’s becoming harder to stop on O and harder to get by on D and I’m loving every improved minute of it.

Although Sochan played only 18 minutes (still on restriction) and was 1-4, 0-2 from 3, 0-2FTs, he grabbed 3 boards and tied Devin for bench high 3 assists. Most importantly, the way he keeps the ball moving on O has been sorely missed. We saw some ‘beautiful basketball’ possessions flowing direction from his vision and execution in getting into the key and swinging it out that we kept moving around the horn until it found the right open man for the best shot. Such a pleasure to watch the rookie create. I can see him with some point forward duties in the future.

Doug was an off ball gazelle making 3-6, 1-1FTs for 7 points. So despite going 0-2 from 3, his constant movement and our better ball movement were rewarded with is making 3-4 of his drives. One wave of attach after another. Sometimes his finishes are erratic but the different looks we get from him are vital to an unpredictable team-wide attack.

Pop played a 10-man unit, rounding out with Bassey who was a beast on the boards, leading us with 11, including tied for team high 6 on O. Along with 1 assist, he made 3-5 in 20 minutes. He was once again given crucial end of game responsibilities and was the one closing out on their final corner miss. Still some space to close the gap, but he was in a forward motion and arm out for the contest. These are huge minutes in crucial game-deciding moments for the young C and his blend of touch at the rim on one end and menace at the other along with shouldering more responsibility on D will only help him grow. He’s earned the chance.

Still, some things to work on: Our 13 TO’s are low relative to our 16.3 per game average, but they still cost us 21 points, 3 more than we earned off of theirs, though getting 18 is a good result. So getting back on D has to be deeply fundamentally ingrained in our minds. We have to clean up the passes so that they go more quickly to the next man up of over rather than weak cross court loops to contested team mates for TO’s. Some guys who don’t have the ball in their hands as much tend to enjoy the dribble up the court but miss the opportunities in transition when defenses aren’t set yet. Once we are in half court, our DHOs need to be sharper and quicker. Sometimes it’s a bit clumsy when we come to the ball but at least these haven’t been picked off. The timing and chemistry needs practice. We gave up too many open 3s chances, something that is a work in progress. And we have to make sure we close space better in getting to ball handlers after fighting through screens. It’s a cat-and-mouse chase, and some PG’s are experts at reading defenses and exploiting even a hesitation in coverage. Facing it will only give us more experience and film to learn from.

After the game, Jrich talked about the change of mindset he conveyed to our young, struggling team – drive with physicality regardless of opponent for a strong start, get stops at every chance, and everything counts. No easy stops add up, hustle plays add up, rebounds add up, and timing - end of Q details, end of game composure – comes with confidence and experience. Part of the confidence is from not wallowing and just moving on to the next play, to the next game, and that has helped lift the fog and to a better way of playing.

Fortune favours the brave. And though I can’t say we didn’t stumble and fumble our way to a couple of wins, we showed a lot of grit and resoluteness to put ourselves in a winning position. That we did it, and did it with defense in this game, is what this season is about.

[G R E Y]

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

HIGHLIGHTS

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

Watch on YouTube

Read on Twitter

“I was going to do whatever I got to do to play,” Johnson said. “I know my teammates need me. I know my coaches need me. And vice versa, I need them. I did what I had to do.”

A more telling moment came seconds later, in the quiet of the tunnel leading toward the Spurs’ locker room.

There, 73-year-old coach Gregg Popovich huddled with Johnson and the 22-year-old Devin Vassell — his two young leading scorers and linchpins of whatever comes next for the rebuilding franchise — in a private pow-wow.

Popovich’s message to Johnson and Vassell after the Spurs’ third consecutive victory was an important one.

“Just keep leading,” Johnson said. “Keep leading the guys.”

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Leaders-young-and-old-help-keep-Spurs-afloat-17651762.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

“For everyone, it was a little annoying,” Sochan said. “It is what it is. It’s better to be a little conservative than rush it....”

“Playing in practice isn’t going to be the same game speed as an NBA game,” Sochan said. “It’s going to take time, but I believe in my abilities. I think the team does as well.”

All in all, Sochan said he appreciated the team playing it safe as he navigated the first injury of his NBA career.

“That means they care about me and think a lot about me,” Sochan said. “It means a lot.”

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Spurs-Jeremy-Sochan-treads-lightly-in-return-17651817.php