GT: Spurs vs. Mavericks (KAWHI RETURNS... well hopefully)

[Nolan]

When: Dec 12th, 2017
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas TX

Finally!!! Kawhi returns or at least that's last anyone's been told. Should be a fun as it always is when we play the Mav's, they always play us tough.

Key to this one is controlling the pace. The Mav's are going to want to run so we have to force them to crash the defense glass and we can't loose guys in transition.

Go Spurs!!

[-Sammy-]

Man, I hope Kawhi pops off whenever he finally gets back. I'm a little tired of all this 'the Spurs are still winning; Kawhi's overrated' chatter, and I want to see what people will say if he picks up where he left off last year and our advanced stats blow up with him in the rotation.

Back to the topic, the Mavs always get up for us, so Leonard or not, this ought to be a high-energy one in Big D. GO SPURS!

[imagump1313]

I'm thinking we really wont see a full out Kawhi for awhile. I'm sure he gets eased back into the flow similar to Tony Parker. I think this is a good thing really. We need to have a balance of Aldridge and Leonard so easing Kawhi along might have less risk of Aldridge going back into a shell if he's not a main part of the offense all of a sudden. The key is to get them both playing well at the same time by April.

[ducler]

[G R E Y]

YES! Welcome back, Kawhi!

"Kawhi is back tonight," Popovich said.

Gino:

"He is gifted enough to just start strong. [But] he has never been through a seven-month period without play. He hasn't practiced once with the team. We haven't practiced in a month. We haven't scrimmaged in a long time. He's practicing a lot with the guys who don't play much, or the video guys, stuff like that. But not with the team, full scrimmage."

Love it:

"This is a group that has played together for a quarter of the season, and it'll be on everybody to figure out how to play well together [when Leonard returns]," general manager R.C. Buford told ESPN. "We'll all need to learn how to play together differently. I don't think that there's trepidation. That's just part of team building, growing as a team."

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21749488/san-antonio-spurs-coach-gregg-popovich-says-kawhi-leonard-make-season-debut-dallas-mavericks

GO SPURS!

[G R E Y]

Man, I hope Kawhi pops off whenever he finally gets back. I'm a little tired of all this 'the Spurs are still winning; Kawhi's overrated' chatter, and I want to see what people will say if he picks up where he left off last year and our advanced stats blow up with him in the rotation.

Back to the topic, the Mavs always get up for us, so Leonard or not, this ought to be a high-energy one in Big D. GO SPURS!

I see where you're coming from, but I have the opposite urge - let them doubt the finals MVP (or pick another accolade). Again. And let the Spurs prove the naysayers wrong. Again. Just meet them at the end of the game.

[G R E Y]

Somebody on the Spurs want to defend the three or what?

[G R E Y]

I can't stand that **** peacock hothead Mejri. He keeps looking to stir **** like the whole world did him wrong. What a woeful double foul call on him and Rudy. Ed Molloy - every game he refs something inexplicable happens

And despite an out-of-sync half on both ends, Forbes the baby-faced assassin hits a cold-blooded three to bring the deficit down to only two. What I love too is that there was no stupid posturing at the made shot.

More focus and hustle and together needed on both ends in the second half. LET'S GO!

GO SPURS!

[UDRIH14]

after forbes 3 buzzer beater, heading towards restroom, that mejri clown tried kicking tripping patty? i wish it did connected and injured him...im done with that 50mill man who robbed the spurs..

50mills cant defend anyone, doesnt take charges, gambles to much or slow on rotation giving up easy baskets... dont get me started when he gets the green light to chuck every time he walks the ball down the court and pulls up, or going pass a screen and pulling up...all of sudden this clown thinks his parker with the green light to chuck....the difference between him and forbes? is 50mill contract...

[imagump1313]

Great to see Kawhi again but its still going to be awhile before we see him at 100%. I was cringing watching him move around tonight.

This was a typical Spurs mystery loss that we've seen many times over the last 10-15 years. For some reason we play a lesser team and for a very long stretches in the game we cannot score no matter what we do. Missing very easy shots. I've stopped trying to figure it out and just accept that its going to just happen 3-4 games a year.

[turnmeup88]

Great to see Kawhi again but its still going to be awhile before we see him at 100%. I was cringing watching him move around tonight.

This was a typical Spurs mystery loss that we've seen many times over the last 10-15 years. For some reason we play a lesser team and for a very long stretches in the game we cannot score no matter what we do. Missing very easy shots. I've stopped trying to figure it out and just accept that its going to just happen 3-4 games a year.

It happens to every goo team in the league. Some days goodf shots dont fall for some reason. Physics i guess

[Nolan]

Great to see Kawhi again but its still going to be awhile before we see him at 100%. I was cringing watching him move around tonight.

This was a typical Spurs mystery loss that we've seen many times over the last 10-15 years. For some reason we play a lesser team and for a very long stretches in the game we cannot score no matter what we do. Missing very easy shots. I've stopped trying to figure it out and just accept that its going to just happen 3-4 games a year.

He looked amazing and not so good at the same time somehow. Jumper was smooth as ****, the hustle was there, but he was not that mobile and it really showed on the defensive end.

Also side note on Kawhi is it just me or does his upper look extra jacked? Really looks like he's been hitting the weights hard lately.

[Nolan]

after forbes 3 buzzer beater, heading towards restroom, that mejri clown tried kicking tripping patty? i wish it did connected and injured him...im done with that 50mill man who robbed the spurs..

50mills cant defend anyone, doesnt take charges, gambles to much or slow on rotation giving up easy baskets... dont get me started when he gets the green light to chuck every time he walks the ball down the court and pulls up, or going pass a screen and pulling up...all of sudden this clown thinks his parker with the green light to chuck....the difference between him and forbes? is 50mill contract...

Don't get the Patty hate. Don't blame him for the contract he got, if you want to blame anyone blame the market because that was the going rate for a decent PG which is exactly what Patty is.

His defense isn't always the greatest but's one of the best hustle players we have. His shooting numbers will come up now that everyone is back and the offensive load has been taken off of him.

[Nolan]

Disappointing loss and just not a great effort last night. Sean threw out an interesting little observation in the second half about these games after a couple days off. He basically said that after being out of the gym for a couple days really used to throw him off big time, his body would feel great but his game would just be off and that's really how we looked last night. Just off on both ends.

Things I liked:

LMA - Missed some easy ones throughout the game but man did he battle in the paint last night.

Gay - 8/11 from the field, made some great defensive play and was just a massive spark plug for us at times. I really like the little taste we got of him and Kawhi playing together, looking forward to seeing a lot more of that duo.

Kawhi - Didn't look 100% but he showed some flashes of brilliance and some great hustle. 13 points, 6 boards, 1 steal and a block on 16 minutes is a pretty damn impressive stat line all things considered.

Things I didn't like:

Rebounding - Mav's killed us on the glass. We did a horrible job keeping them off the offensive glass and those extra possessions really were one of the reasons we lost this one.

Defense - The effort was not great. When we got beat we fell apart and never recovered. Mav's got a lot of open looks from 3 and way too many easy chances around the rim.

The overall effort - We were flat and just off on everything. Lots of missed easy shots close to the rim, bad cuts and just a lame performance. But credit to the Mav's they always play us hard and that effort won them the game last night.

Back to the drawing board now! We have some things to work on before we're ready for the Rockets on Friday.

[Nolan]

I can't stand that **** peacock hothead Mejri. He keeps looking to stir **** like the whole world did him wrong. What a woeful double foul call on him and Rudy. Ed Molloy - every game he refs something inexplicable happens

And despite an out-of-sync half on both ends, Forbes the baby-faced assassin hits a cold-blooded three to bring the deficit down to only two. What I love too is that there was no stupid posturing at the made shot.

More focus and hustle and together needed on both ends in the second half. LET'S GO!

GO SPURS!

Me too Grey. He's just such an ***. Which sucks because he's actually a pretty good player and could be an even better one if it wasn't for his attitude.

[G R E Y]

I can't stand that **** peacock hothead Mejri. He keeps looking to stir **** like the whole world did him wrong. What a woeful double foul call on him and Rudy. Ed Molloy - every game he refs something inexplicable happens

And despite an out-of-sync half on both ends, Forbes the baby-faced assassin hits a cold-blooded three to bring the deficit down to only two. What I love too is that there was no stupid posturing at the made shot.

More focus and hustle and together needed on both ends in the second half. LET'S GO!

GO SPURS!

Me too Grey. He's just such an ***. Which sucks because he's actually a pretty good player and could be an even better one if it wasn't for his attitude.

Yeah there's a long line of players who could've been more than what they were, those who mystify fans and organizations because they never quite put it together or somehow got in their own way. Whatever's between the ears and under the rib cage will either limit or spring board physical tools.

Sometimes a player's difficult circumstances garner sympathy or understanding, but Merji was rude to Pop so all he gets from me is the satisfying amusement of watching him play with an attitude that hinders him.

[G R E Y]

after forbes 3 buzzer beater, heading towards restroom, that mejri clown tried kicking tripping patty? i wish it did connected and injured him...im done with that 50mill man who robbed the spurs..

50mills cant defend anyone, doesnt take charges, gambles to much or slow on rotation giving up easy baskets... dont get me started when he gets the green light to chuck every time he walks the ball down the court and pulls up, or going pass a screen and pulling up...all of sudden this clown thinks his parker with the green light to chuck....the difference between him and forbes? is 50mill contract...

Don't get the Patty hate. Don't blame him for the contract he got, if you want to blame anyone blame the market because that was the going rate for a decent PG which is exactly what Patty is.

His defense isn't always the greatest but's one of the best hustle players we have. His shooting numbers will come up now that everyone is back and the offensive load has been taken off of him.

Neither do I! The market is one thing, but there's also the known commodity factor - Pop knows who he's got in terms of skills and character, AND Patty doesn't have to be taught the plays. Knowing them and being able to help the younger PGs while filling in for an injured Tony - which he's done defty, by the way, and hasn't complained about coming off the bench again with Parker back - is invaluable. Given the bloated numbers given out to other players, that $12.4M/yr is great in and of itself, but given all he's provided for the team, Patty's contract is already looking like a bargain. He's reliable, energetic, and clutch, and is a terrific bridge between TP and the younger players learning the system.

[G R E Y]

I hate losing to a team we should beat, but there is no ‘should’ when that team executes better and outplays you on both ends. They deserved to win based on both how they played and how we played.

My overall sense of the game was that we couldn't decide what kind of team we wanted to be tonight; that'll come with time together, but this was a lot more of a feeling out process than I thought it would be. Kawhi returned with very solid play in limited minutes even if he looked a bit bottom heavy - unsurprisingly, not so much lift in the legs, at least until the 3rd when it seemed like he warmed up (and/or maybe felt more comfortable) and fought hard for that O rebound and putback. (I wince when he takes that side twist J and lands with his feet wide apart, though. That takes up a lot of landing space and I always hope his feet touch the court and nothing else). We went a lot to Kawhi and in only 16 minutes he got 13 points (6-12), six rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. Instant and efficient impact on both ends, and this without a team practice.

Now, LMA's been an anchor for us on both ends and has been terrific overall. I thought that because the Spurs started with such a Kawhi focus, they then went too much with LMA to the team's detriment. Not sure if it was a conscious effort to compensate or make it up to him or what, but when Pau has only two FGAs and sharp shooter Bertans has none, we're not maximizing strengths. Mavs had some nice alley-oops against us, and I thought given out LMA/Gasol tandem that we could've used this as well, or at least establish more of an inside game instead of taking a lot of quick Js. LMA finished with 23 points (but on 9-23), 13 rebounds and two assists. Only Kawhi, LMA, and Rudy (21 points on excellent 8-11 with 2-2 3s, 3-4FTs, 5 rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocks) were in double figures, and the team shot 40.2% FG (just less than the Mavs) with poor 3PT shooting at 25%. Yikes. And not that any one factor is solely attributable to a loss, but the 63.2%FT was even worse than against the Suns (72%). We lost by six points, missed seven FTs. Just saying. The FT shooting simply needs to be better. Needless to say, yet it always bears repeating, it's critical in close games.

Nolan mentioned Sean's comments about being sluggish after not playing for a couple of days, and stats show that compared to zero and one day rest, Spurs actually have their worst results after two days rest: worst W-L record of the three, worst 3PT%, and TEN fewer points on worst FG%.

Also, our D was not good. Spurs couldn't stay in front of Mavs - Barea basically got whatever he wanted inside and out. He carved us up driving, and we gave up too many 3s, whereas the Mavs were able to neutralize our strengths - rushed LMA, doubled him, etc. If there are a couple of gripes I have about LMA's game it's that his finishes are too soft around the basket (and he needs to get closer for strong dunks) and that he tends to get hurried out of taking a guy inside if he gets muscled.

Usually we bring up our game in the 4th, but on this night we wilted, getting outscored 28-20 and scoring the fewest points of any Q. We just looked off most of the game, including another slower start (need more urgency and focus from the beginning). There's only so much you can do without a full team practice and Kawhi coming in. I liked that he and Tony would talk over plays and positioning between whistles, but D is not about a new guy in the line-up (besides, Kawhi didn't play in the 4th) but about effort - contesting passes and shots, forcing opponents to make faster decisions, etc. We had some good effort on D, moments like Green's hustling back after a TO, LMA's huge block or the charge Paul took, but it wasn't cohesive enough, team-wide enough, for long enough to get or deserve the win. Reality check. We look tired and a bit out of sync right now. I'm sure we'll put it together. I trust the system; time and practicing and playing together will take care of it so that the little things will be paid attention to and executed with better precision.

I love this team. GO SPURS!

[-Sammy-]

Excellent commentary and postgame analysis, GREY!