GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 7: SPURS AT SUNS, 31-10-2018, 9:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

We've overcome external bad luck we couldn't control and are still adjusting to the subsequent internal changes these have affected, but what we can control is our compete level and consistent quality of play to our standard. Now that we have a two-game home winning streak, we're looking to match it on the road, extend it to three over all, and finish what started as a scary October on a positive note.

WHERE: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ

WHEN: Wednesday, October 31, 2018, 9:30pm (CT)

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GO SPURS GO!!!

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[AustrianHamm3r]

Poeltl not in the Starting Lineup - Im going to bed right now. ._.

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[Kabookalu]

DeRozan improved or added a new skill into his arsenal every single season in Toronto, and I think these new skills he saw as his darlings. He was eager to test them out and use them at every possible instance, and it led him to being way too finesse and not going for the straight forward play.

Against bad opponents like the Suns he'd usually try to outskill them, but I saw him muscle his way through. There was an And1 lay up where he took the contact and kept going. In the past he would have picked up his dribble, pivoted away, and settled for a turnaround fadeaway jumper.

As a Raptors fans it's bitter sweet for me to see him take this next step on another team, but I'm really happy for him. He doesn't deserve the onslaught of hate that our fanbase throws at him.

[G R E Y]

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[SunsRback4Good]

Good game. Best out of 9?

[Ballings7]

Glad Pop has kept going with the longest and most agile line-up currently available for the frontcourt, which includes Cunningham and Gay with Aldridge. Ever since that road Lakers game, that was going to be the one to go with even after going back to Poetl.

Cunningham and Gay can switch and play either forward spot, and are long and agile on defense.

One thing we havent' seen yet is Dante Cuanningham get his 3PT shot going, he can legitmately hit them.

Another great game from Demar.

[Ballings7]

Also am very pleased to see Pondexter getting minutes and in the rotation the last few games -- he isn't the athlete he used to be, but this guy is an adequate player on both ends, and is smart, and tough. Keep playing him, he hasn't even really got his shot going yet out to 3P.

Pau looked really good tonite, and has been doing a great job with his length around the rim the last 2-3 games. I think he's best off the bench and selectively playing late.

Forbes also has found his groove with the team, and is more balanced. Glad to see it.

Once Derrick White gets back, and Walker, this team will be even better and deeper and more athletic. Hopefully one of them is back before end of December.

[Donald Kaufman]

This felt like a summer league game. No intensity. I get that the Suns were missing key pieces, but still.

All we needed to do was neutralise Ayton, and we were good to go.

How good would we look with the two outs, Walker and White, plus Murray? The possibilities...

[G R E Y]

No huge takeaway from this game – we did what we needed to do and got the win.

We did start out a bit tentative, sort of feeling out the other team, and when they got an 8-4 lead Pop called a timeout and righted the ship by putting the ball in LMA’s hands on one end, and Bryn closing out very well on the other. Some good passing, great cuts, high-low passes, steals, D to O transitions and away we went.

It was great that we took control of the game so that not only were the minutes far lower and more evenly distributed (DeMar had the most with 28), but our young guys got some minutes, too.

Our starters put in the work early to rest late: LMA kept getting great positions down low, sealing their C and effectively using his post-up moves. He finally found his shot, hitting 10-13 and 4-4FTs for 24 (plus 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block); DeMar was an even better 10-12 and 5-5FTs for a team high 25 (20 in the first half alone), driving, getting into his pet spots for Js, posting – there was nobody to stop him, and he also helped with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and good awareness on D with a steal and a block; Rudy got us going with some energetic drives and dunks for 12 and solid rebounding (8); Bryn didn’t have the best shooting night (3-7, 1-1FT for 7) but got a career-high 7 assists.

Bryn’s defense, along with Dante’s and Davis’s really stood out. Dante (2-4, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) is emerging as a complementary defensive anchor for us on the starting unit. He is a smart and mobile defender with good size that fills an important need. Bryn was doing a great job when guys were trying to post him, and Davis (who needs more shots, 1-2, 2-2FTs, 4 rebounds, 1 assist) did very well to stay in front of his man with quick feet and great positioning, forcing opponents out of easy lanes, and gave our help D time to adjust. Terrific effort.

Patty (9 on 2-6) and Beli (who needs to find his shot - 14 on 5-14 team-high FG attempts) didn’t have strong shooting nights, but did well to get into those hard to guard spaces with great cuts and off-ball movement. Pau’s patience, fakes to throw off defenders, great passing (4 assists), and rebounding (team-high 9) on 4-7 shooting for 8 helped keep their bigs busy – old dogs with old tricks still works.

This allowed the rest of our young group to finally get some court time. Bryn, Beli, Quincy, Metu, and Jakob were in together from around the 8 minutes mark in the 4th, and we finished the game with, Q, Dante, Metu, Davis, and Jakob, with Q playing PG. Q has a low center of gravity and is stocky but agile enough for his build, so opponents feel his presence on both ends. Made a good all around contribution, shooting 2-4 (plus 2-2FTs) and grabbing 4 rebounds to go with 2 steals and an assist. Metu is smart, moves well, and is assertive, perhaps at times a little too much so that the shot gets away from him (1-4) but each time he plays he gets to the line. Jakob was clearly executing his positioning and plays that he’s practising. Setting screens comes naturally, but playing up top at the arc, dribbling to the right and passing off to a moving guard and then taking a post position is something I don’t recall seeing him do before; next up, learning to execute the high-low pass like Pau does. He executed his part of plays well even if it showed he was thinking through it a bit (sort of like Bryn did last season, and now look at him). Jakob’s J at the right elbow looked good, as did his hustle on the O boards when he grabbed it to maintain our possession to end the game.

Our middle two quarters were our highest scoring, but not without some reminders about playing the right way along the way. Once again, an opponent finished the first half on a run (10-0 in this one). In the second Q, Beli made a poor pass that got stolen and he was quickly subbed; early in the 3rd Q, despite a 23 point lead, Pop called a timeout after our turnover led to their dunk in transition; we’re learning as we go.

A lot of our numbers and efficiency were inflated because our opponents are young and need to learn how to play and play together (all of our players scored, and all were in the plus; all of theirs, in the minus). But for the most part, we executed as we were supposed to. We shot 81% in the paint in the first half, finishing 66-52, and had a 55-44 rebounding advantage. We also committed only 14 fouls, and made excellent 24-26FTs after concerted efforts to get to the line. Still, to our 24 assists, we were 10 steals against, and our 14 turnovers cost us 18 points (more than their 15 TOs for 15 points for us). We had 55.4FG% but our 3 was a poor 22.2%. When we attempt them so judiciously, we need to make them at a better rate. But we’ve been shooting it very well overall, so hopefully our aim returns. So some things to clean up on both ends.

I like that our assistant coaches were giving instructions to our players in the fourth (in addition to Ime’s quick reviews with DeMar at the start of third quarters) and that overall we did what we sought to do – implement the game plan, get a big enough lead, rest the starters, and give playing time for the young guys. A solid overall effort in terms of being able to accomplish more for our team as a whole than we have been able to previously.

Noteworthy achievements

LaMarcus:

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DeMar:

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Bryn:

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[G R E Y]

There don't seem to be any post-game interview videos, so photos and quotes it is:

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“That was big tonight,” DeRozan said. “That was one thing that was on my mind today. At shootaround, it was something me and Pop talked about it. And then we went out there and did what we were supposed to do, so we would be able to rest.”

Said Aldridge, “We tried to come in and take care of business. Guys came focused from the beginning, and it’s always nice when your shots go in. DeMar started out hot, and I got it going in the third....”

“I was just trying to get a rhythm, trying to get a burn,” Aldridge said of not getting a breather in the third. “I was in foul trouble, so I didn’t play much in the second. Just trying to get some cardio....”

Like with DeRozan, Popovich can’t seem to say enough good things about what it’s been like coaching Aldridge.

“He’s been fantastic,” Popovich said. “He’s been a warrior. He’s been there night after night after night, scoring and nailing down the defense and rebounding for us. It was a tough season last year, but he was the reason we were able to win 47 games because of what he did and everybody fed off of him.”

[About DeMar] “He’s been a pretty quick study,” Popovich said. “It’s not like at the end of some of those games I said, ‘We are going to draw this really cool play and you are going to do this’. I didn’t say crap. He took the ball and went down and either posted up or did what he did and isolated himself and went and scored. It had absolutely nothing to do with me. It’s nice to have that. We didn’t have that last season, so he’s picked everything up very quickly....”

One thing that’s helped DeRozan is knowing he’s got Aldridge by his side.

“I’ve been a fan of his since he was at Texas,” DeRozan said. “Being able to play with a guy like that is fun. The last couple of years I challenge myself to be the best mid-range shooter and shoot more mid-range shots than him. Now that we are teammates it’s fun to play off him, see his work ethic and just go out there and do things with him.”

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Spurs-knock-out-Suns-with-DeRozan-Aldridge-13353376.php

p.s. I hope everything is all right with Ettore. Pop said he missed the game because he had some family business to take care of. Hopefully he returns soon.