GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 22: SPURS VS. ROCKETS, 30-11-2018, 7PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

For our last game of the month (and those that follow), I hope we play with pride and respect for the game for the full 48 (and whatever minutes beyond). We can do better.

WHERE: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

WHEN: Friday, November 30, 2018, 7pm (CT)

Read on Twitter

GO SPURS GO!!!

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[ducler]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[AustrianHamm3r]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[Milenkovic]

The tank is real.

[G R E Y]

A better effort than in the previous game but a similarly lopsided result has us looking around for answers than can only come from within – the locker room and each player. We’re a team put together in forced circumstances, with many changes to adjust to, and putting it all together would have been a challenge with a healthy roster, all the more so given four players have already missed significant time. A depleted roster with guys in positions that they would not otherwise be in (LMA playing the majority of his minutes at the 5; Dante overused as a starter at the 4; Bryn starting as PG) can be an opportunity, but there’s less room for error as more energy is expended with guys out.

There are certain tendencies that have become patterns in the past several games in particular on both ends. On D, though we have players collapsing in the key, we are too easy to bounce pass through (DeMar in the first) and drive at. At the arc, one player’s late recognition leaves a domino effect of late recovery and coverage. When we’re in position, we’re at times ball watching and cutters into the key or backdoor are getting layups or alley oop dunks. There were some 3s where we were draped on them and they still hit the shots. All you can do is tip your hat and go the other way. But we were exploited for late rotations in 3 coverage, whether they passed around the arc or drove and kicked. Just a step late in recognition, and dual tasks of paying attention to/trying to stop ball handlers within the context of seeing what opponents are running overall seems to have us reacting a little late. We’re not communicating as well as we could to help each other out. Some of our defensive issues are guys learning individual D responsibility, others are more of a team nature. It’s a steep learning curve and we can only do it by communicating and better understanding what needs doing individually and collectively.

We began the game contesting and getting after the boards well enough. DeMar got a steal in the first Q that we converted for our first points of the game. When we pushed the ball we were able to prevent them from setting up and moving the ball which resulted in a Rudy 3. But we were on the receiving end of 4- and 5-point swings when they pushed in transition and caught us running back late, or when they got a lot of second chances from O rebounds (49-41 for them, including 13-9 on O boards) that they at first tapped out and then hustled to gain the ball back. It’s a lot of extra energy to keep defending two or three times because of an extended possession.

Gordon torched us on 3s (7 of 11). If you look at their shot chart, they had one made J between the key and the arc. Everything else was either in the key or beyond the arc; they had 98-86 shot advantage, a difference increased by their getting 9 steals and our 13 turnovers (to 24 assists) – 6 in the first Q alone - on which we gave up 15 points. All plays count, but the 15 points from turnovers and 21 from Gordon’s 3s alone accounted for 35 points. Protecting our arc is one aspect, but we also need to be sharp and protect the ball better from getting swiped out of our hands or stolen from errant passes. End of quarter protection is something we need to be focused on as well: they missed their end of first Q shot with Davis contesting well; in the second Q, they got a layup right through three Spurs; they put up but missed a 3 at the end of the third Q; they held onto the ball for their final possession of the game. All the seemingly small details add up.

Their bench outscored ours 60-48 largely because of Gordon. Everyone on our bench scored and on decent efficiency (except for Patty). When the game was out of reach, the bench unit got more minutes. They still got lit up for 3s, but got after rebounds, had more assists than the starters, hustled more, drove, and tried to make things happen.

We missed many bunnies; please, can we use two hands? We play like we are both wanting to score and aware of not wanting to get blocked. It is a duality of putting up shots but almost too self-consciously. Better to get at opponents aggressively, driving more, going inside-out right off the start and staying aggressive regardless of errors which right now we play not to make rather than playing through them. We got down early again, and again resorted to taking too-quick, far too outside shots out of team play and set up, and we sometimes got into doing that two or three possessions in a row rather than trusting our plays. It’s an attempt at compensating for not getting stops at the other end, I think. Better to internalize that defensive intensity is the core from which O gets easier, and on which our foundation is built. In the last five games, in the three losses, opponents shot at least 50%FG; in two wins, below it. Small sample size, but LMA’s 20 points is not the only trending barometer for wins.

On O, we now keep starting out getting LMA (20 on decent 7-16, 6-6FTs, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) and DeMar (21 on 5-13, 8-10FTs, 8 rebounds, 1 assist) going, and that’s fine, so long as it’s also within the context of moving the ball and moving without the ball which we did so well the first eight or so games. We do of course need both of them to be scoring well, but their points were constructed in a more movement-oriented style earlier in the season.

It requires constant motion, cutting, and quick decisions which is something of a work in progress when our first options are prevented. We tend to rely on individual habits when things aren’t working, so when some plays aren’t executed, guys tend to get into their pet spots and shots, which again is ok now and again to get going and when within the context of our system, but when we revert to guys standing around and then not rebounding or following drivers for second chances, it hurts us.

There’s an imbalance with players out, so we can’t use either Jakob or Pau at the starting 5, moving LMA to the 4, and Dante to the bench, for instance. We’re making a concerted effort to incorporate Derrick more, and he had a good O game in 33 minutes (11 points on 5-8, 1-3 from 3, bench-high 5 rebounds, team-high 9 assists). We started him in the second half in place of Dante who did not score in the game. It skews perspective when someone is a starter, but we should not be expecting him to be a scorer, really. Bryn continues to be a pleasant bright spot, doing what he can to fill in at the starting PG (10 points on 4-8, 2-5 from 3, 2 assists). He is good at finding open spaces and driving, something I hope we incorporate more of team-wide, whether to get fouls or kick out for 3s. We do drive at opponents to their basket, but tend to do more of it as the game progresses.

Something’s off with Rudy. Ever since the foul at the end of the Grizz game, he hasn’t really been the same. After that game, Pop said we have to mitigate our mistakes, and didn’t address the egregious non-call against us. It was a factor, but in the end, we create our own fate with enough good plays. Rudy addressed his foul as a contribution to the outcome, but said also that it sucked for the game to be decided on something beyond our control. He had a great game, and perhaps it’s harder in that circumstance to accept the one thing that was so costly all the more.

Since that game, he had 11 points on 3-8 (along with 7 assists and 12 rebounds), 10 points on 5-9 with 4 turnovers, 8 points on 3-7 (2-3 from 3) in 17 minutes (lowest of all starters), 3 points on 1-5 (1-4 from 3) in 19 minutes and team-worst -33, and 9 points on 4-8 (1-2FTs, plus 8 rebounds) in 25 minutes and team-worst -31. His body language isn’t the greatest either. Losing badly is frustrating. I hope he re-engages and chooses to be part of the team solution.

At practice after this most recent game, Patty said that guys have to accept constructive criticism so we can play better as a team. It can be tough to hear what needs improving when you’re frustrated, but accepting it and holding each other up and accountable is the way through it. We did the best we could to assemble a team that could play a different style going into this season. I think there were some roster surprises along the way, and one that was forced upon us, but with Dejounte out, the style of play was altered quite a bit. We still have choices in how we hustle and the effort we put into each play. We did it earlier, so we know we are capable despite challenges of learning and implementing a system at just about the same time. Rudy tweeted today that the word of the day is ‘compromise’. I think the words of the season are ‘team first’.

[G R E Y]

Post-game interviews.

Pop:

Read on Twitter

Full quote, a single statement summing up the game on the spurs.com video section - https://www.nba.com/spurs/video/teams/spurs/2018/12/01/2361430/1543637448443-gregg-popovich-postgame-11-30-2361430

DeMar:

Read on Twitter

Full interview - https://www.nba.com/spurs/video/teams/spurs/2018/12/01/2361432/1543637518832-demar-derozan-postgame-11-30-2361432

Derrick:

Read on Twitter

Patty:

Read on Twitter