SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 48: SPURS VS. 76ERS, 23-1-2022, 6PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

*sigh* if we could just hit some **** 3s...

[G R E Y]

LMAO Keldon with the volley ball spike block.

[G R E Y]

3RD Q: SPURS 77

76ERS 86

Hey we won a Q! And hit the 30-point mark doing it on the back of a 6-0 run by us to end the Q.

We can't keep exchanging baskets, though. We're doing a better job on D and on the boards, but we absolutely have to hit a white hot shot-making streak if we're going to make a game of it.

[G R E Y]

We just brough it to within 6 again and again they get a drop step spin INTO our key for prime positioning and 2...

[G R E Y]

We're just too small and not bulked enough...

[G R E Y]

So we over commit on the roller so they get a wide open floater which they miss, then we do not box out as they get an O board, and we foul them... Just little things adding up in each play that accumulate into accrued points against.

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 109

76ERS 115

Well we *juuust* brought it to within five and then DJ made a bad pass TO.

Then we *juuust* brought it ti within TWO points on our inbounds steal and then as Sean was commenting, we JUST got up on them and with our ball pressure we got a steal and a basket and now we were allowing the ball handler space and allowing the pass into their C. Keldon was up on the ball handler because... I don't know, but while he did a good job keeping the PG in front of him, he did not pressure the pass into their C nearly enough. And once we allowed the pass inside, we fouled their C who made both.

Of course, in a close six-point game, the SEVEN FTs we missed stand out and hurt all the more... *sigh*

Well, it's the learning curve of a developing team. The lessons hurt more in losses, and all the more in close ones, especially since we came back from a poor first shooting half to make a game of it after being down, what? fifteen points at one point? The game looked out of hand at that point but we made a game of it.

We won the second half 62-56 on some better shooting: 23-41FG for 56%, 6-16 from 3 for 37.5%, 10-14FTs. SO, much better shooting overall, we got to the FT almost twice as many times as in the first half, too.

It's tough to isolate just one aspect of our play, and with a young team my instinct previously has been to go at us with criticism, but even the mood guys in the locker room per Jakob is disappointment at a wasted opportunity. Post game, Pop sounded a little frustrated as he gave a measured response to our better play in the second half, but mentioned as well that we keep not being physical enough, that we keep starting too slow and we keep giving away quarters and then playing catch up which rarely works versus quality opponents.

So basically Pop's comments align with the eye tests and comments we make in the game threads about our lack of physicality and lack of urgency to start games (something we were better at earlier in the season, so we know we have it in us. Weird).

Not for nothing but I hate seeing Pop disappointed lol I know the guys feel bad in the locker room, and in a way, that's good because one we let slip away should feel that way. It shows we care, and that we know we should play better. We also know we can, so getting that confidence back from a bigger sense of urgency is important and necessary.

Jakob was all kinds of beastly - in his own way. He did get stripped of the ball some, but given the task he had on D, that he scored 25 (11-16, 3-4FTs) and got 10 boards (4 on O) along with 2 assists and 4 blocks showed that he asserted himself against one of the best Cs in the league and did well. I like that Jakob was more assertive with his shot, that he made the effort to call for the ball and post up, that he read the plays and cut well into the key and finished with some crafty up and under finishes.

For all my criticism of Jakob as more of finesse player, and he is more of the off the glass rather than dunk finisher, more of a tip in rather than grabbing with both hands for sure putbacks, he's also a very smart player whose passion doesn't always get manifested with outward display. But he's also in the first full year as a starter, averaging a career best in PPG and RPG, but also assists per game as well. And he's keenly aware of the fact that he can't afford to get into foul trouble because of how thin we are behind him.

Keita, Drew, and Jock combined for 0-6 behind him. So that's three of five bench players who didn't register a point. Add to that Doug's 9 points on 4-9 but only 1-5 from 3 and you can't help but think we left quite a lot of points on the court. Doug's averaging a career best 41.6% from 3, but it's on these feast or famine games from beyond the arc. In this game he was only 20%, and then he has these games where he shoots like 6-7 from 3. I just wish it were more even, more consistent game in, game out, but then again I also wish for us to make our team FTs at a much higher percentage, but wishing does not change the outcome - consistency of a higher level does. More on that a bit later.

I really like what I saw from Lonnie again, despite the bad end of Q TO that led to their O board putback. He had a strong defensive game again with great footwork to stay with drivers and cut off the inner lanes with arms up well, he rotated and switched well, and was generally plugged in much better defensively and was more impactful again.

Lonnie was 2-4, 0-1 from 3 in the first half, but really these were all in the 1ST Q as he didn't even attempt a shot in the 2ND and 3RD Qs. So he was at 4 points coming into the 4TH Q and had a very solid 4-6, 2-3 from 3 and finished with 14/2/2. While most of the time Lonnie's flourish drives have unnecessary movement, there was that one drive from the right side where he did well to protect the ball from two defenders, split them with a Euro step and finished with a scoop at the rim, all necessary, all pretty.

Mostly I really liked that Lonnie is rebuilding his court time from defensive consistency and impact out.

Devin matched him with 15 (6-12, 3-6 from 3)/4/1 in 20 minutes of play, five fewer than Lonnie and -7 to Lonnie's 0
+/- of 0, and both earned their minutes.

I love his off ball movement and developing his stock base shots even as he still does well to get into passing lanes on D, and he fought to get in front of the bigger PG he switched on and had to work to keep out of the post. Devin's length didn't match their starting PF's brawn, but I liked what he was trying to do even as he will have to get stronger (and probably will guard PFs less if we can help it).

DJ struggled with efficiency in this game but did a good job getting to the FT line as the game progressed. He finished a team high 7-10FTs, and Keldon followed him with 5-8, then Jakob's 3-4, but that was it for the entire team. So THREE players accounted for ALL of our FTs, and NONE were from the bench.

DJ finished with 19 (6-14, 0-2 from 3)/9 (2 on O)/12 with 1 steal but also a team high 4 TOs which was half of the team total. Although we actually won the points off TOs 18-12, once again in a close game and with the team TOs being close as well, timing was critical. A couple of bad passes late in the game, and a couple of missed shots turned the game away from our reach.

He still made a patented steal and made some clutch shots that generated momentum but we couldn't make enough good plays in the time left.

Derrick struggled throughout the game, making only 4-15, and considering he was 2-7 from 3, that means he was 2-8 everywhere else. Just one of those games where both of our back court players struggled to score in a game we actually really needed them to score well to help compensate for the points in the paint we would give up. Derrick made his patented step up to take a charge and then hit a 3 which is one of my favourite one-two two-way punch from him.

Keldon had a quietly efficient game scoring 17 on 5-7, 2-3 from 3, 5-8FTs with 3/3 and a block. And although Keldon did a better job fighting over screens (in general, the whole team did) and he had a terrific help D block, but he is still not the staunch defender or particularly aware or giving consistent effort on the D end. That space he gave to the when we down 2 late in the game when ball pressure was necessary to prevent the pass to their C - the one play we likely should not have given up.

He had a stretch where he disappeared on O and was inefficient, so it's good to see his O game return, but in terms of growing his game, he will need to make more of a positive defensive impact.

Yes we're a developing team in year one of a rebuild - ok they guys don't like to call it that, so let's say handing the ball over to the young guys - and mistakes come with the territory, but we've frankly regressed in some ways we play and need to get back in gear.

We used to start games well but are now chasing teams too often, regardless of their record, and that comes from a mindset of taking what teams give and responding rather than imposing our game. We're too finesse, too much about constructing points - which in and of itself is good, but it's more about outside shots than a strong downhill push of our transition game. We played better D to start this game which was encouraging, but our end of Q awareness and fundamentals need attention: team mates paying attention to what's happening in the back court to help each other out; making smart, crisp passes; boxing out; just making sure we make a strong push at the end of each one of them. The extra points here and there really count for a lot more towards the end of games, especially close ones. The extra effort, focus and execution in critical moments are the added elements we need to pay extra attention to and not act like the last 5 seconds or so of a Q we can take off because the Q is all but over.

We allowed a lot of spins into the key in this game and keeping opponents out of our paint is another area we have to work on. Some of it was from man D and the early positioning they got on us, some of it was from over-committing to the roller and leaving too much space for the ball handler to shoot uncontested Js. We actually ended up winning the points in the paint battle 60-58, but because we stayed with their roller so much, they drove and drove on us and got to the FT line more, making 20-23.

Refs are human and missed some clear fouls that should have gone our way. It's part of the game. What we can control is how aggressively we drive at opponents despite their bigs being, well, bigger. When we move and cut we can get to open spaces at the basket for dunks and reverse finishes. But we're not as willing to go full gear downhill, and it's clear opponents do this to us better. Yes many are bigger, but it's also a mindset. Go AT them MORE. Break through a wall. Make them thin about more than just weak side or cut passes to worry about. These bigger front court teams often utilize alley oop plays for dunks against us and it's something we don't run nearly enough. I can't wait for Zach to play so we can use a big to big high low play more, but even as we use high low guard to bigs plays, we still rarely run the alley oop with the taller players we do have. It would be nice to expand our bigs plays so as to take pressure off our guards and forwards in doing most of the scoring.

We're also not running back in transition D nearly well enough and it's costing us easy points for the opponent. Yes we have to work more than perhaps other teams because we have to stop other teams' two or more go-to scorers. Such is the lot of a growing team without one. But it's one easy way we can prevent easy points - the mentality that flat out effort on D has to be there.

And that's what it boils down to in small detail aspects of improvement - the mindset that we won't be beat down court, that we will adhere to fundamentals of boxing out and holding onto the ball, that we will start assertively and go downhill at opponents to impose our game form the start. That mindset is the difference between the next tier we want to reach so that that's our new floor. We frankly did that better earlier in the season. Part of it was the chemistry and consistency we developed as a group so we need to get that confidence back to be more assertive, part of it is the grind of the season and guys maybe conserving energy in a year when so many have bigger roles and have to adjust to that raised level of consistency versus other teams' starters, and part of it is learning the professionalism required to play at a better level. Mindset and effort. We know we can do better because we've already done it. We now need to be more mindful and resilient. It's up to us and within us to do better. If we feel bad about one that got away, good. Use it as fuel and channel it in the ways we need to get better.

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

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And with his 16th double double of the season, Jakob breaks last season's record just past halfway through the season.