SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 49: SPURS AT ROCKETS, 25-1-2022, 7PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

Oh my God gump are you watching this timeout thing? There's some auctioneer it's **** HILARIOUS!

[imagump1313]

Rockets mascot is CRINGY....

And you know what's worse? Their **** timeout and half time court entertainment. I know there's a cowboy theme or whatever, but I had no idea how bad it could be. Like baby races are more fun.

I was noticing that as well. I wasn't really watching the halftime but out of the corner of my eye I'm thinking WTF is that?
I've never been to Houston myself but I always assumed SA was way more cowboy than Houston was. I could be wrong.

[G R E Y]

Rockets mascot is CRINGY....

And you know what's worse? Their **** timeout and half time court entertainment. I know there's a cowboy theme or whatever, but I had no idea how bad it could be. Like baby races are more fun.

I was noticing that as well. I wasn't really watching the halftime but out of the corner of my eye I'm thinking WTF is that?
I've never been to Houston myself but I always assumed SA was way more cowboy than Houston was. I could be wrong.

They have a 'rodeo' theme but it sort of feels like they're making fun of it?! Like this can't be serious. It CAN"T be

When they did that bullrider thing all of the players had cowboy hats that were way too small for their heads in the video intro to it.

[imagump1313]

OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING??? That mascot the the fake cowboys LOL

[G R E Y]

Now it's Benny Hill music... Holy ****...

[G R E Y]

WOW amazing what a difference a couple of players can make. We were without Doug and Keldon the last time we played them, and now look...

[imagump1313]

WOW amazing what a difference a couple of players can make. We were without Doug and Keldon the last time we played them, and now look...

Porter Jr. kind of destroyed us that game. He was hitting everything. Tonight he's human.

[G R E Y]

3RD Q: SPURS 105

ROCKETS 74

Make that three 30+ point Qs.

Love our push in transition - looks like those practice fast breaks we used to practice in girls high school basketball. Oof.

It's as much an indication of our good decisions as their poor play, but we're still not settling for bad shots - 33 assists - AND we are rotating and covering the passing lanes and contesting very well.

After Pop called that timeout for allowing a too-easy layup while we were up 15, we went to work.

[G R E Y]

Lonnie. Jesus. He keeps finding creative ways to miss.

[G R E Y]

THAD AND JUANCHO LET'S GO!!!

[G R E Y]

AGAIN. They beat us down the court in transition play, they get an easy dunk, Pop calls a timeout.

Oh you think being up over 30 points is an excuse? No. Nonononononono...

[G R E Y]

Honestly I'd forgotten what a great passer Thad is...

[G R E Y]

Is there something I missed that got Jock in the doghouse?

I think it's more a scouting / match up thing. Drew is a wrecking ball who had a good game against them last time.

We seem to be rotating Drew and Jock as first bigs off the bench. Maybe it's a scouting thing combined with a keep them fresh thing?

[G R E Y]

Sengun is a player. If we were trying to win this year he would have been a much better pick than Primo...

Meh. We already have bigs who don't shoot 3s and are crafty down low. He's ok, but I haven't seen anything that spectacular from him. He will always rely on the ball being passed to him rather than initiating the O.

Huh? WHO?????? Crafty down low???? Eubanks? Landale? Even Poeltl isn't good in the post. Landale can defend and shoot threes at least. Sengun can score inside and out and is a great passer. Needs more effort defensively though. He's not allowed to initiate with the ball yet because he is a rookie and plays the 5. I've seen more NBA talent from him only watching a handful of Rocket games than I've seen from Primo all year.

We can agree to disagree on him but Sengun is always going to be the guy whos career I'm gonna compare to Primos because we passed on him. He is 10x a more useful NBA player than Primo is right now. I'm not saying that will always be the case but it is right now. I really hope I'm wrong down the line for our sake though.

Somehow I missed this earlier. Yeah Jakob is one of the best finishers around the rim. Agree that Sengun is a terrific passer. Jakob is becoming a better one, too. (Forgot how good of a passer Thad is until he reminded us tonight).

Sengun isn't initiating anything with the ball because his position is dependent on other passing him the ball. He's not a Giannis/LBJ hybrid big who can bring the ball up the court and call his own number. Will he be? I mean, Jokic does now, right? But yeah, unless we thought Sengun will be some exceptional level like those guys, he's a talented undersized C but he's also a more traditional one in a more hybrid game.

I mean, we worked him out and interviewed him, so it's not like our scouting was lacking. We just have to be patient with Primo. And we can afford to be patient because of our glut of guards (though our dearth at bigs makes your case right now). You've seen more game from Sengun because he's already played professionally and Primo would still be the youngest draftee in NEXT year's draft, never mind this year. I guess we'll see a couple of years down the road...

[mzfk69]

Sengun is a player. If we were trying to win this year he would have been a much better pick than Primo...

Spurs need a high draft pick, not wins this season.

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 134

ROCKETS 104

Well, it's great to have one of these games now and again, so it takes the stress away from the outcome and you can just concentrate on the how of it all.

We broke our bad habit patterns of starting slow (well, we sort of meandered our way into this one, but once we got going, we did well to keep it going). We finished each of the first two Qs on very good runs and despite some missed bunnies we went into the half leading by 15.

And although we had a strong points in the paint lead, we were only 6-6FTs.

And guess what? We finished the game at 6-6FTs despite scoring 82-58 points in the paint. True we caught them in transition time and again. I mean it was a high school layup drill at times. So long as we just ran out on the sides and passed ahead we got layups galore. but at least we didn't settle for transition 3s unnecessarily or by default.

And so because our opponent was so poor defensively, a lot of our stats were inflated from the score to the near 58% FG efficiency on 101 shots to the huge points in the paint differential to our 38 assists along the way.

Still, we broke out of the shooting long Js to early in the shot clock when up big pattern and kept running and pushing and honouring the fundamentals for good to great shots.

We also forced some clock violations and late clock erratic shots on largely solid rotations, switches, and contests.

We had eight players in double figures, four on each of starters and bench. And because we had such a big lead, everyone eligible played. A terrific bonus considering we have a game tomorrow.

The scoring was well distributed between the starters (73 points) and bench (61), including six 3s from each group. The starters grabbed 24 rebounds (5 on O) and bench, 25 (6 on O); 22 assists to the bench's 16. So another improvement was our bench returning with a solid contribution.

Leading the way was a rejuvenated Tre who was an absolute hound on the ball taking away space in which ball handlers could operate, pressuring them into passing to get rid of the ball rather than advance the play. He was terrific in transition both passing and finishing at the rim, patient on P&Rs, solid using screens to get into open spaces for Js, and ran our only alley oop pass for Drew's dunk. Just a terrific addition that not only eased pressure on our starting back court and gave them some rest but also pressure the opponent so that there was hardly a drop off in the wave of players we put in. He led the bench with 14 points on 6-8, 0-1 from 3, 2-2FTs, along with 2 boards, 4 assists and a steal.

Devin was back in fine efficiency form contributing 12 points on 4-10, 4-5 from 3, along with 4 boards, a block and a career high 6 assists. We did a great job making extra passes and Devin did a great job getting to the right open spaces and squaring up for in rhythm 3s. He was terrific off-ball, but was given more ball handling duties and did well running our plays. He is looking more comfortable in more facets of the game.

Drew was the first big off the bench, and because he did well versus this this opponent we utilized his wrecking ball style once again to good effect. He contributed 13 points on solid 6-9, including the patented hooks in the key. He tied Jakob for team high 9 boards, and led us with 5 on O. He chipped in 2 assists and a block and was a load to deal with down low on both ends.

I like that we alternate Jock and Drew actually. Each guy has some game and using them keeps them sharp and maximizes our collective skills set versus a given opponent.

So Jock we used in end of game minutes and he hit both of his 3s, Juancho grabbed 3 boards and made sure he covered the open man. I do wish we got him in on the scoring. Perhaps next time.

Thad made a rare surprise appearance and you could tell he was bursting to bully guys around in the key and to contribute. As I said before, I'd forgotten how good a passer Thad is, and he showed just how big a body he is down low. Opponents were bouncing off him in both keys. He was able to easily create space on O board putbacks and on post up moves that led to spins in the key ant eh patented lefty hook. A very efficient 12 points in 12 minutes on 6-8, 0-2 from 3, with 1 assist, and 1 steal.

He could have easily had at least a couple more assists had Lonnie made some shots.

Lonnie's D has stood out noticeably better, staying with drivers on great foot movement, wide stance and upright body to absorb contact and provide a wider defensive space presence and good contesting. And while it takes the edge off his O misses, honestly his O misses were so many and varied, it's concerning. He missed uncontested bunnies at the rim from good cuts, he missed all his 3s attempts, missed his Js, missed all but two shots, finishing with 4 points on 2-10, 0-4 from 3, 2 boards, 3 assists (good!), and a steal. His touch is all over the place and while it's great he's finding other ways to contribute, here's hoping he finds a way steady his hand. It's just so noticeable on the court, and cumulatively this season he's averaging a team low - and career low - 38.5%FG and 29.3% from 3 from among players who get regular minutes.

Only Derrick matched him with 5 points but that was on 2-5. He got two of his patented charges - no cuts! thank goodness - and dished out 6 assists. He was assertive in driving and spinning into their key time and again, pressuring and penetrating their defense and either getting fouls or or drawing the attention of extra defenders and then finding the open man. Good control of the game and pushing the pace.

DJ started slow and inefficient, but once again had those stretches where he danced to create open space and made his top of key Js or spins in the key and floaters. He's terrific in the P&R passes, and though he TOd it into Jakob's shins on a contested bounce pass, in several other passes inside to our bigs he made the right high pass into their waiting hands and finishes at the rim. We utilized the high low pass well in this game and good on our bigs to finish them.

DJ had a double double with a team high 19 on 8-15, 1-5 from 3, 2-2 FTs, 5 boards, 10 assists, and 3 steals, a couple of which were of the patented poke away or pounce into the passing lane for transition points.

I loved Doug's movement and soaring dunk. He had a bounce back game scoring 15 points on 6-11, 3-5 from 3, 2 boards (2 on O), 2 assists, and 1 block. This was a perfect opponent for his game and he thrilled with slashing and arc shots. Best of Doug now has another season highlight with that thunder dunk.

Joining him were Lonnie with one in transition, and a couple from Keldon who had open lane after open lane to punish the rim. Keldon scored 16 on 7-10, 2-5 from 3, 4 boards (1 on O), an assist, and 2 steals. Keldon switched well and was conscious of passing the ball ahead and it's good to see both his efficiency return but also contribute beyond scoring.

That we went to Jakob early and often opened up the rest of the court for us. But because they had no answer for Jakob, he got plenty of chances to showcase more moves in the key. He's a rhythm from reps player, and though he's also mostly a face up big, he got a chance to set up positioning on the left block and make some moves. Sure enough he showed a spin to the basket for an easy 2, and got into the key several other times from the post and finish at the rim. He used the basket well to protect the ball and reverse it off the glass. He's a finesse big and likes those finishes best (he said post game he is not a dunk everything type of player and actually prefers layups) and so he scored 18 on 9-13 along with 9 boards (2 on O), 3 assists, and 2 blocks, and disrupted several other shots. I like seeing the expanded O game he has and though he doesn't show it often, it's good to see he has some post moves, too.

So a game like this can magnify some things like our scoring, and it can open up chances to let us do what we like to do best - move, push in transition, pass for good to great shots, get as many involved as possible. But it also tends to hide some things we do need to work on.

Some of these stats are altered because of our end of bench players being in the game longer and getting scored on, but they did nearly double us 10-6 on O boards - something that is still a work in progress for us (mind you, it's also a function of us having fewer chances because we were far more efficient, and the opponent having more chances because it was not).

We had 13 TOs and gave up 15 points off them. We did score 26 off of their 15TOs so we got the edge there, but they beat us on several plays that made Pop call a quick timeout and light a fire on the players on the bench. You could see him from the back all animated gesturing to guys on where they should have been sooner. You could see the players all looking at him intently so despite the big lead, we still played better out of them.

They also had a 19-15 edge in fast break points, which isn't a big difference but if you consider that meant we didn't run back on D well enough, it's a cardinal sin.

So we started stronger and made good runs to end Qs, we took and hit above our average in 3s, we assisted very well, but need to be careful about protecting the ball from rebounds in our end, and getting back on D.

We needed a game like this to get our momentum going and do some good things, but we can't be complacent about what we need to improve with tougher tests ahead. Good habits now are good habits then. A solid team effort on both ends and looking forward to seeing how we respond from this game.

[imagump1313]

Sengun is a player. If we were trying to win this year he would have been a much better pick than Primo...

Spurs need a high draft pick, not wins this season.

Yes I agree. Was just trolling Grey a little bit about Primo

[imagump1313]

Meh. We already have bigs who don't shoot 3s and are crafty down low. He's ok, but I haven't seen anything that spectacular from him. He will always rely on the ball being passed to him rather than initiating the O.

Huh? WHO?????? Crafty down low???? Eubanks? Landale? Even Poeltl isn't good in the post. Landale can defend and shoot threes at least. Sengun can score inside and out and is a great passer. Needs more effort defensively though. He's not allowed to initiate with the ball yet because he is a rookie and plays the 5. I've seen more NBA talent from him only watching a handful of Rocket games than I've seen from Primo all year.

We can agree to disagree on him but Sengun is always going to be the guy whos career I'm gonna compare to Primos because we passed on him. He is 10x a more useful NBA player than Primo is right now. I'm not saying that will always be the case but it is right now. I really hope I'm wrong down the line for our sake though.

Somehow I missed this earlier. Yeah Jakob is one of the best finishers around the rim. Agree that Sengun is a terrific passer. Jakob is becoming a better one, too. (Forgot how good of a passer Thad is until he reminded us tonight).

Sengun isn't initiating anything with the ball because his position is dependent on other passing him the ball. He's not a Giannis/LBJ hybrid big who can bring the ball up the court and call his own number. Will he be? I mean, Jokic does now, right? But yeah, unless we thought Sengun will be some exceptional level like those guys, he's a talented undersized C but he's also a more traditional one in a more hybrid game.

I mean, we worked him out and interviewed him, so it's not like our scouting was lacking. We just have to be patient with Primo. And we can afford to be patient because of our glut of guards (though our dearth at bigs makes your case right now). You've seen more game from Sengun because he's already played professionally and Primo would still be the youngest draftee in NEXT year's draft, never mind this year. I guess we'll see a couple of years down the road...

I think our scouting staff pretty much thought exactly what you're saying. Lets roll the dice that Primo will be the one with the higher upside down the road. We aren't going to win much this year anyway regardless. My impatience to be good again ASAP wanted Sengun because IMO he's a better player right now. This is why I'm not a GM