SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 29: SPURS VS. HEAT, 17-12-2022, 4PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

Anyway, 31-17 in the final Q did us in. Win three Qs, lose one by enough, and that's game.

[imagump1313]

YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!

STANLEY JOHNSON BIATCHESSSSS!!!

[imagump1313]

TERRIBLE NBA TV COVERAGE. Cutting the beginning parts of the game, cutting the final part of the game, cutting the honouring of great players at half court. ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL.

NBA TV is a joke, it really is.

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 101 HEAT 111

Well, the quest for a full 48-minute two-way game continues. A slightly slower start that put us down 11, a big resurgence on the foundation of a 19-0 run, and solid two way play for three Qs, all of which we won, only for us to unravel in the final Q, pretty much from start to finish undid us.

We scored only 7 points by the halfway point of the 4TH, and that was on but one actual basket, the rest on FTs. And then we scored only 10 points the rest of the way.

Along with our D that fell apart in the final Q, our second half O fell off a cliff:

We made 8-16 from 3 in the first half; we made 2-11 from 3 in the second.

Keldon 4-7, 3-4 from 3, 6-6FTs in the first half; 2-7, 0-1 from 3??, 1-1FT in the second.

Devin 4-8, 1-4 from 3, 1-2FT in first half; 1-6, 0-3 from 3, 6-7FTs in second.

Tre 1-8, 0-1 from 3, 0-0FTs in the first half; 1-2, 0-1 from 3, 5-6FTs in second.

Sochan 0-4, 0-0 from 3, 0-2 Fts; 1-1, 0-0, 0-2 FTs in the second.

Jakob 2-4, 0-0 from 3, 1-2FTs; 1-2, 0-0 from 3; 1-4FTs in the second.

About the only thing we did at least as well in the second half was getting to the FT line, making 11-15 in the first half and 14-18 in the final 24 minutes.

Yes it hurt to not have Jakob in the final 7 minutes of the game, but we had lost the lead and didn't get it back with him in the first five minutes anyway.

We not only didn't make our shots, we also gave the ball away far too much. We allowed 14 steals against, 7 in each half, but 5 were in the 4TH Q.

We finished with 17TOs, 10 in the second half, but SEVEN of those were in the 4TH Q. We had seven TOs in the entire first half. Our TOs cost us 15 points. Although we scored 18 points off of their 14 TOs, in this case when the TOs happened affected us.

We got caught on bad mismatches on D so that Doug and Tre were on the more talented or bigger opponents and we paid the price. They caught up to us with rebounds on both ends, leaping us to win 40-38 and 8-7 on O boards, increased their drive game and won the points in the paint 50-42. They also caught and surpassed us at the arc, making 11 3s (6 in the second half, after 5 in the first) to our 10.

So the areas we needed to protect - paint, arc, and boards, were compromised in the final Q. JB was always going to be a load, was always going to be the player we had to be weary of late, and sure enough he went from 11 points on 5-8, 0-1 from 3, 1-2FTs in the first half to a game high 26 on 9-15 (so 4-7 in the second half) and 7-10FTs. We kept getting the wrong players on him, allowing him in the paint and to operate and exploit on the right side of the of the O court. We didn't do a good job keeping the ball out of his hands, staying in front of him or angling him out of the key but to his best spots, and even when we did put a bigger body on him ie/Sochan, we didn't stay on our feet and instead bit on vet fakes and fouled time and again.

Considering our scoring troubles by the starters in the second half, that we still won the 3RD Q was indicative of at a D that at least held it's own to keep our lead. That communication, effort, and doing all the right things all but left us on both ends in the final Q.

Still, there were some positives. Our bench outscored theirs 43-27. Our bench scored 22 points of our 46 second half points, meaning our starters scored 24 in the last 24 minutes. After starting some games with Jakob out, Collins was excellent as back up C, leading the bench with 13 on a near perfect 4-5, 1-1 from 3, 4-4FTs, bench high 6 boards (2 on O), bench high 5 assists, and team high 2 blocks. He jumped straight up to contest at the rim, was timely on help D coverage, and picked his spots on O well. He did pass up some shots after having a smaller player on him when he got O boards but he was better in the second half with quick decisions in the post as he spun and drove better.

Diop started in Sochan's place to begin the second half, likely due to Sochan's first starting game where he still needs to get his legs, timing, and rhythm under him. I think he's still on a minutes restriction, but if not, Diop was the better O player today, scoring 10 on 5-9, 0-2 from 3 along with 4 boards (2 on O), 4 assists, and 1 steal. Doug was a surprising +9 and made 8 on 3-8, 2-6 from 3, 5 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block. I say surprising because he got targeted on D a lot and was torched time and again. He was moving backwards and arms up but crafty opponents on O know how to exploit a moving defender.

Rounding out Pop's nine man unit was Malaki who, wouldn't you know it, had his most efficient game as a Spur scoring 12 on 4-5, 3-4 from 3 (tying Keldon for team high in made 3s), 1-1FT, and 1 steal. A very solid, confident, two-way game for him. He's looking more like he understands where to be and what to do, is taking his shots and drives without hesitation (quick first step!), and doing well to find spaces. I like that he's consistent with his hands out on D, and uses his feet better, too.

Some other highlights: Jakob led us with 7 boards (2 on O) and tied Malaki with team high 2 steals; Tre led us with 9 assists; Keldon and Devin led us with 7 made FTs each (Devin with 9FTAs) as well as 22 and 18 points, respectively.

And some details to work through: Collins (5) and Tre (4) led us with TOs, something that's a work in progress for us. We keep making poor passes that are too long and easily picked off. At times when in trouble we picked up our dribble and team mates didn't come to help with better passing angles.

Our inbounds sets both on O and D still need work. On O we need to move better to give the inbounder a cleaner, surer target, and not leave the ball handler by himself in the back court. The opponent full court press from the baseline and sideline actually helped us practice it. On D, not sure why had Tre in their much bigger inbounder on our baseline. He then ahd to cover both the inbounder and the shooter on the right corner with no help. We also got caught on a baseline inbounds with a back door cut and open basket, so these still need practice.

Working to break down zone D is something we need to better recognize and quickly penetrate.

You can tell that the elevation affected both teams with players sucking air, hands on hips, tugging on shorts. But that's the thing - both teams were under the same conditions, and we had an extra day to acclimate (not sure that would make a difference, but we had an extra day nevertheless, so rest from travel alone should have helped, even if we had a busy schedule before the actual game).

And of course we were playing a more experienced team looking for revenge. We wilted at the worst time, but it's also fair to say that in a game of runs and counter runs, we got pushed back on and couldn't push back enough. We need to learn to be more mentally tough and defensively prideful. It will come with film, with reps, with chemistry, ongoing communication for the whole game. Back to the basics, keep working on the details, stay together.

[G R E Y]

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

“It’s a 48-minute game, and we played pretty good defense for 36,” Popovich said. “In the fourth quarter, our defense went into the toilet, and they took advantage of it with their good three-point shooting and their great movement that they do for (coach) Erik (Spoelstra).

“Our young guys didn’t keep up with that for the full 48, so they paid the price in the fourth quarter.”

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Triple-take-Heat-111-Spurs-101-17661733.php#photo-23285261

The Spurs led 84-80 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Heat outscored the Spurs, 31-17, in the fourth.

"Our defense went into the toilet," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Jimmy-Butler-leads-Heat-past-Spurs-in-Mexico-City-17661552.php

Watch on YouTube

“They just picked us apart in the fourth quarter,” Spurs point guard Tre Jones said. “An old veteran team like that, they know how to get to their spots, and then they got stops as well. We struggled to get stops, and that’s what helped us get a lead and maintain a lead. That’s what it came down to.”

Due to his minutes restriction, Poeltl played only three minutes in the fourth.

“His rim protection, holding us together on the defensive end but then also keeping plays alive on the offensive end and making the right reads would have definitely helped," Jones said.

“Malaki played with confidence, that’s definitely the main thing,” Jones said. “He looked hungry out there. I think playing last night (in the Austin Spurs loss to the Mexico City Capitanes) helped him a little bit, especially with the elevation. But he got some open looks tonight and knocked down some big shots.”

“Once I started playing more, I’ve started to connect with the group, with where I want to go, where I want to be at on the court,” Branham said.

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Triple-take-Heat-111-Spurs-101-17661733.php#photo-23285261