SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 18: SPURS VS. CELTICS, 26-11-2021, 7:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 96

CELTICS 88

We finish on a 15-0 run to not only come from behind not only 25-11 in scoring in the final Q to actually win the 4TH, but also from a seven-point deficit to ensure a win.

DJ had a MONSTER CLUTCH performance tonight.

I have more to say but really need to calm down a bit. Heart still racing but so full of the good vibes!

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Well, a topsy-turvy game with a strong start, some repeated patterns in the middle, and an unexpected but welcomed late flourish that showed some promise of breaking other patterns emerged.

A huge 1ST Q on both ends led to a 16-point lead, and we kept it up through to the half. By this point, DJ and Derrick were each at 50% efficiency, leading us in scoring, distributing the ball, Derrick even hitting 3-5 from 3. It was a balanced scoring effort with all starters contributing, and the three main bench players chipping in 15 points as well.

But even as the 2ND Q was withing a point, it and the 3RD Q were both true to form in terms of their being our worst Qs in scoring as well as in point differential. The 2ND Q closed the gap well, but the 3RD was true to form with a -8 and a game-low 18 points. Our big double digit lead, once up to 24 points, led to a seven-point deficit when we had only 11 points in the final Q.

Along the way, whereas we scored 5-14 from 3 in the first half, we shot 1-10 in the second; whereas Derrick started 4-8 overall, he finished with 5-16, 0-4 from 3 in the second half; we got a combined 9 points - NINE! - for the whole game from our front court foursome; and we were outpaced 92-87FGAs as well as from 3 by 10 attempts and by 4 in makes.

And yet...

Cue the comeback...

I love that DJ put the team on his back and took the big shots. It felt when our lead was slipping away and then it did that we went back to tentative afraid-not-to-miss mode and hoping that time would just run out with us having the lead rather that stepping up and grabbing the W. That’s what DJ did. He tied a career high 29 points and scored 13 of them in that crucial late 4TH Q run. He read the mismatches, he took on bigger and smaller defenders with different moves, and he read the developing plays like that great left side drive and finishing it high off the glass with a deft touch just out of reach of the taller help defender’s outstretched arms. Gutsy, smart, crafty all rolled into one. And he made a great play to dive for the ball to force a jump ball as well. Just a terrific all around performance. I don’t mind that he takes 20+shots when HE’s the hot hand (12-24, 0-2 from 3, 5-7FTs). Just a stellar stepping up performance.

Keldon was back and his dunk and characteristic rrrooooaaarrr was a huge momentum and energy builder. He was terrific on 7-12, 1-2 from 3, and 2-4FTs – the latter is still a mystery work in progress, but hey he got to the FT line which meant fouls for opponents. He also led us with 14 rebounds and team high 3 on O – a terrific, physical, dynamic double double. Defensively, Keldon had some moments of not getting his hands up to contest again; arms up to contest is a habit he has to make sure becomes automatic.

Lonnie bounced back well with 10 points on 4-8, 2-4 from 3 as one of the three main bench players. The three highest usage players really stepped up tonight.

Lonnie was joined by Tre with a terrific contribution of 5-6, 2-2FTs to lead the bench with 12 points. He was a dogged defender as well, fighting through screens, staying with drivers, disrupting their rhythm in shots and clean passes. He had a team-high +17. And speaking of topsy-turvy continuing, Bryn could find his shot scoring only 1-7, 0-5 from 3 but as a player not known for his defense was the only bench player with any steals, collecting two.

Few on our bench contributed in ways besides scoring, and though some good things done don’t show up on a stat sheet, we do need to help the starting group a bit more with the rebounding, blocking, assists, etc. Tre was nice and assertive and is finding his touch again. He’s a terrific pure PG and a dogged defender who will only get better. Great to see him out there contributing. But in addition to Bryn’s 2 points, that was it from the bench. True the other players each only played fill in minutes - Thad (6), Drew (7), Primo (5) - but combined for 0 points. The entire bench unit combined for 5 rebounds (none on O), 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks, and 2-2FTs (!)

Actually, we did far better in the second half in getting to the FT line. We were only 3-5FTs in the first half and finished the game 14-19FTs to their 10-15FTs; I love that all but Diop from the starters got to the FT line. Even though Derrick struggled on O in the second half, he still got to the FT line (4-4 overall), and he was busy assisting others, leading us with 7 assists, got 1 steal, 2 blocks and grabbed 8 boards (2 on O) while scoring 17 points on 5-16. In fact, the fours starters besides Diop were responsible for all 8 O boards. Derrick drove better, was terrific defensively and contributed more fully on both ends. He was back to leading us in 3s attempts with nine, making three. He got us going early while DJ finished strong on O for us late.

DJ (1), Derrick (2), and Jakob (3) were the Spurs with blocks but variety of front court and back court was telling; the D was a huge difference throughout the game, particularly when we struggled to score through the two middle Qs, and particularly when we went on a 15-0 scoring tear late in the game. We got 10 steals and converted their 10TOs to 13 points. We do have a tendency to leave the dominant scorer when he passes the ball and let him get it back too easily with more room to operate. Still, we held a team averaging 107.1PPG to 88 points.

We won the points in the paint again, 52-40, but we need to exploit using our bigs more – not nearly enough production from them, not utilizing them enough and it puts more pressure on everyone else. We used screens and P&Rs very well and created those pop-a-shots for Jakob so there’s that, but he has a lot more to give, even as his main O game is within 10 feet of the basket and predominantly face-up. He was terrific in grabbing 12 rebounds (2 on O), had 1 assist, and led us in blocks, but scored only 7 points on 3-6 - solid efficiency; low attempts. But Diop only scored 2 points on 1-3 and Thad (0-1) and Drew (0-3) didn't help on O. Diop, Thad, and Drew also combined for 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

Jakob had a couple of missed bunnies and was blocked once as well. Too tentative at times by him but also by a lot of the team. I thought one of the features that stood out in this game was our pulling up a bit at the rim. I loved the drives when we went forward with momentum and intent and physicality but a bulk of opponent blocks came from guys going vertical at the rim, or Jakob mystifyingly fading away on some of his shots in the key, or us not taking that extra step in to get closer to the rim and power through by using the body to shield the ball on the way up. We must get into the habit finishing strong at the rim. When there's a chance to dunk it, do it.

This may not be the best way to win games but winning the game this way feels really good. It felt all but over when we lost the lead and then they grew theirs but we found a way – through the weird TOs, through the clumsy cluttered late clock shots, through Derrick's early scoring and later struggles to do so, through DJ going on a tear to bookend Derrick's strong start, through us getting to the FT line more and making them well enough for it to not hurt us, we found a way and it felt satisfying to do it at home and have the fans push us along.

It goes to show the importance of starting strong, and of staying resilient throughout opponent runs. It goes to show how staying with our good habits reaps rewards, this time not only internally and incrementally but externally with a big leap in a late-game situation that showed in the result as well. Maybe it was DJ just so sick of us losing so many close games, but we finally got enough good contributions be it the early hot scoring, the steady D, the poise late with it even as we were playing through the disappointment of losing a big lead and now playing catch up, and the clutch shooting. It was a growth game whose topsy turvy nature may have been what we needed to experience getting through bad patterns and pushing through to put together bitter lessons into sweet results. Now to build on it...

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