We're in the comforts of home for this first of our final two games of the year seeking some payback. Making sure we box out and grab rebounds, compete with physicality, and impose our team-oriented game will go a long way to getting it. Oh, and so will making our shots. Let's get after it!
WHERE: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
WHEN: Saturday, December 28, 2019, 7:30pm (CT)
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GO SPURS GO!!!
GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
Moderator: G R E Y
GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
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G R E Y
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GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop
Re: GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
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ducler
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Re: GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
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G R E Y
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Re: GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
We're hitting our 3s at a decent rate, and now need to put extra emphasis on ball protection - rebounds, limiting turnovers, and getting to the FT line - big discrepancy there. We need to pressure them and close the gap.
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop
Re: GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
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G R E Y
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Re: GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop
Re: GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
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G R E Y
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Re: GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 31: SPURS VS. PISTONS, 28-12-2019, 7:30PM (CT)
Small change, big dividends, and that's game.
The small chance was LMA taking his shot farther out, and besides the career-high 5-6 from 3 which was huge in itself, full credit once again to him for the willingness to stretch himself and make the change for the good of the team. Not only did this spread the floor for us so that our 1s, 2s, 3s could penetrate and find open teammates more readily, but I think it takes less pressure off Bryn from being the one guy whose job it is to hit it and so he plays more freely, and hits more shots. (Bryn has a tendency to receive errant passes flat footed and his recovery effort is more leaning in and hands rather than moving his feet, which is weird, but at least there no glaring mid-air passes to no one).
So now we have Bryn, Trey AND LMA in the starting unit who could consistently keep teams honest from the arc. It's a pity that DeMar regresses to the old school mean, but we knew his strengths and weaknesses when we acquired him. So if he refuses to stretch his shot, we as a team have made an important adjustment that allows him to play to his strengths all the more. To his credit, he made a lot of physical drives, and didn't get the calls he should have, but kept at it wince the extra space allowed him to bring out the fuller arsenal of his crafty moves, but he also balanced it well with good reads and accurate passes to open teammates. Win win. And win.
This is the leadership we need going forward: 25 (9-12) / 12 (3on O), 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks. So his O output was matched by yeoman's work on D, including good positioning and fighting for boards. DeMar scoring at will but within himself and our system while finding open guys all game long led us in scoring and assists for 29 / 8.
If LMA can take 5 or 6 3s per game and make 2 or 3, and the rest of the guys around him continue to move as well and find one another, we're going to be harder to defend. I think it also simplifies our game in that we're not over-passing without purpose just keeping the ball outside, and we're taking more shots and more open shots. Drive and kicks without errant mid-air throwaways, smart pick and rolls and pick and pops generating shots in rhythm, good cuts, and some hammer plays, too. We got to our spots and took our shots without the one-pass-too-many or resetting the plays that led to more contested shots too close to the end of the clock. We have a better flow with this small but important adjustment and each guy is still getting his favourite shots in favourite spots.
With the first unit scoring more readily, it also puts less pressure on the bench to bail it out, and though it's the second unit's job to bring the energy, it's better if they keep the O pressure going rather than have more of the pressure to create it. And so the hope is that Beli and Rudy are freed up to just play more openly and with less pressure as well. Rudy was terrific in this game, not pushing it, taking his shots from distance or dribbling up to his spots in a very comfortable rhythm from reading well what the defense gave him. Like LMA, he led us off the bench with 17 points in stellar 6-9 (4-7 from 3), 7 boards, one each of assist, steal, block.
Beli's had better numbers the last 10 games, bringing up his 3% from the bottom of the barrel to being respectable, but though he's shown signs of improvement, it's consistency we're after: in December he's had three solid games, four poor showings. He played only three minutes in this one, much I'm sure, to the delight of some (I'm sometimes in that group) and Lonnie got his minutes.
I think it may have been co-ordinated that Lonnie would play more in this game (Coyote had his shirt on when giving away free t-shirts), but I have to say I wasn't at all impressed with his veiled social media messages that played up the 'he deserves to play' narrative for random fans to rally behind. I do wonder whether if he had something to say he'd just go to coaches and say it. I hope so, and I hope these don't get the social media air in the future. But I have to remember he's just turned 21 and there were no such outlets thankfully when I was that age. Still, if he wants to play more, as Pop says, play so well as to give us no other choice.
Some interesting tidbits of insight into the broader strokes of Lonnie's playing times and how we're bringing him along:
I get the catch-22 that he has to play to learn, but the coaches and vets recognize that there is value in this form of slower development, frustrating as it is, and these hints little as they are suggest they see the potential while acknowledging his need for harnessing it in a way that helps the team best. DJ did have to direct him where to go on half-court O, but in transition he ran the floor like a cheetah, got a couple of great dunks, was in the right position for a putback dunk, and brought the energy and speed we needed to force the opponent defense to have one more thing to deal with.
Jakob, bless him, really tried to show more of his O game besides the pop-a-shot in the key or occasional cut and layup. He tried posting up and then saw a chance to drive on the weak left which didn't work out, and another post-up to a hook attempt also didn't work out. You could see he was a bit frustrated, but I loved the effort. He needs to work on these, mainly getting a confidence and rhythm. It reminds me of a couple of years ago when Bryn looked mechanical in his movement in terms of where to go in our O sets, and then a summer later he was flowing in it. Jakob has all the tools he needs to expand his O game in the ways he attempted. If anything, it makes you appreciate LMA's abilities and how easy he makes it look all the more. Jakob did get to the FT line and made them both, and he was also a staunch defender once again with 9 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Our defense on the whole was better as well. We did get caught in transition a few times, and it was hard to stop them from getting to the FT line. In fact, they only shot 56.7% but made two more FTs than we attempted (12-15). They missed a lot of 3s, and though some weren't nearly as contested as they ought to have been, on the whole we rotated and ran out better on them. The next step in our 3 guarding has should be to get there as the ball does at the latest to force either a tight shot or make the shooter think twice and force another play. Our P&R coverage was really solid, with good switches and timing to disrupt passes and contest drives. Far fewer miscommunications and open drives, an improvement which was great to see.
I thought Trey was really aggressive defensively on Griffin - wide stance, physical, hands up, facing up and contesting. He put together numbers across the board, and though they didn't stand out, they reflected his effort in several aspects - rebounding, assists, blocks, steals. He played a big part in our being able to get stops and run in transition.
Patty and Derrick (especially, who needs to find his shot) didn't have great O games, but Patty hit two 3s, so an improvement on the previous game, and they were just enough to put him in rare company. They also did really well to facilitate for others, combining for 8 assists. Patty and Jakob have a nice chemistry, as does the Patty-Derrick-Jakob trio. Derrick showed some synergy with Drew who set a pick and snuck down to the baseline waiting for Derrick's pass and made his money hook shots.
DJ was solid defensively and his instincts and timing garnered 2 steals, but he does get blown by on drives at times. Something to adjust to. He also had an efficient shooting night, even going 2-3 from 3, and his off-ball movement was terrific, but he is the least adept facilitator of the three, and he misses his teammates at times. I'm confident he improves over time (I wonder how many tapes of Tony he watches?) but like LMA said with his 3s - it's about changing one's mindset to expand one's game. DJ I think has a score first mindset, and so the change of finding his teammates for more optimal shots has to start with intent, then recognition. He's already good at doing it in transition and from screens. He did have 5 assists, but if it's also about getting better in addition to what we did well, there were some assists he left on the 'could have' floor.
We fought hard for the rebounds, doing better with boxing out, and won the overall boards battle 51-40 (with a close 10-7 O board edge to the opponents). We also had only 11 turnovers overall, improving in the second half with just 4. We did give up 17 points on them, so something to work on.
Overall, a very solid response to our first game. Each opponent presents unique challenges, and the adjustments we made allowed us to use our strengths to better advantage. The better defensive recognition and effort as well as small changes on O made for a more balanced attack. Some things to learn, but a lot to build on from this game.
NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS
The small chance was LMA taking his shot farther out, and besides the career-high 5-6 from 3 which was huge in itself, full credit once again to him for the willingness to stretch himself and make the change for the good of the team. Not only did this spread the floor for us so that our 1s, 2s, 3s could penetrate and find open teammates more readily, but I think it takes less pressure off Bryn from being the one guy whose job it is to hit it and so he plays more freely, and hits more shots. (Bryn has a tendency to receive errant passes flat footed and his recovery effort is more leaning in and hands rather than moving his feet, which is weird, but at least there no glaring mid-air passes to no one).
So now we have Bryn, Trey AND LMA in the starting unit who could consistently keep teams honest from the arc. It's a pity that DeMar regresses to the old school mean, but we knew his strengths and weaknesses when we acquired him. So if he refuses to stretch his shot, we as a team have made an important adjustment that allows him to play to his strengths all the more. To his credit, he made a lot of physical drives, and didn't get the calls he should have, but kept at it wince the extra space allowed him to bring out the fuller arsenal of his crafty moves, but he also balanced it well with good reads and accurate passes to open teammates. Win win. And win.
This is the leadership we need going forward: 25 (9-12) / 12 (3on O), 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks. So his O output was matched by yeoman's work on D, including good positioning and fighting for boards. DeMar scoring at will but within himself and our system while finding open guys all game long led us in scoring and assists for 29 / 8.
If LMA can take 5 or 6 3s per game and make 2 or 3, and the rest of the guys around him continue to move as well and find one another, we're going to be harder to defend. I think it also simplifies our game in that we're not over-passing without purpose just keeping the ball outside, and we're taking more shots and more open shots. Drive and kicks without errant mid-air throwaways, smart pick and rolls and pick and pops generating shots in rhythm, good cuts, and some hammer plays, too. We got to our spots and took our shots without the one-pass-too-many or resetting the plays that led to more contested shots too close to the end of the clock. We have a better flow with this small but important adjustment and each guy is still getting his favourite shots in favourite spots.
With the first unit scoring more readily, it also puts less pressure on the bench to bail it out, and though it's the second unit's job to bring the energy, it's better if they keep the O pressure going rather than have more of the pressure to create it. And so the hope is that Beli and Rudy are freed up to just play more openly and with less pressure as well. Rudy was terrific in this game, not pushing it, taking his shots from distance or dribbling up to his spots in a very comfortable rhythm from reading well what the defense gave him. Like LMA, he led us off the bench with 17 points in stellar 6-9 (4-7 from 3), 7 boards, one each of assist, steal, block.
Beli's had better numbers the last 10 games, bringing up his 3% from the bottom of the barrel to being respectable, but though he's shown signs of improvement, it's consistency we're after: in December he's had three solid games, four poor showings. He played only three minutes in this one, much I'm sure, to the delight of some (I'm sometimes in that group) and Lonnie got his minutes.
I think it may have been co-ordinated that Lonnie would play more in this game (Coyote had his shirt on when giving away free t-shirts), but I have to say I wasn't at all impressed with his veiled social media messages that played up the 'he deserves to play' narrative for random fans to rally behind. I do wonder whether if he had something to say he'd just go to coaches and say it. I hope so, and I hope these don't get the social media air in the future. But I have to remember he's just turned 21 and there were no such outlets thankfully when I was that age. Still, if he wants to play more, as Pop says, play so well as to give us no other choice.
Some interesting tidbits of insight into the broader strokes of Lonnie's playing times and how we're bringing him along:
I get the catch-22 that he has to play to learn, but the coaches and vets recognize that there is value in this form of slower development, frustrating as it is, and these hints little as they are suggest they see the potential while acknowledging his need for harnessing it in a way that helps the team best. DJ did have to direct him where to go on half-court O, but in transition he ran the floor like a cheetah, got a couple of great dunks, was in the right position for a putback dunk, and brought the energy and speed we needed to force the opponent defense to have one more thing to deal with.
Jakob, bless him, really tried to show more of his O game besides the pop-a-shot in the key or occasional cut and layup. He tried posting up and then saw a chance to drive on the weak left which didn't work out, and another post-up to a hook attempt also didn't work out. You could see he was a bit frustrated, but I loved the effort. He needs to work on these, mainly getting a confidence and rhythm. It reminds me of a couple of years ago when Bryn looked mechanical in his movement in terms of where to go in our O sets, and then a summer later he was flowing in it. Jakob has all the tools he needs to expand his O game in the ways he attempted. If anything, it makes you appreciate LMA's abilities and how easy he makes it look all the more. Jakob did get to the FT line and made them both, and he was also a staunch defender once again with 9 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Our defense on the whole was better as well. We did get caught in transition a few times, and it was hard to stop them from getting to the FT line. In fact, they only shot 56.7% but made two more FTs than we attempted (12-15). They missed a lot of 3s, and though some weren't nearly as contested as they ought to have been, on the whole we rotated and ran out better on them. The next step in our 3 guarding has should be to get there as the ball does at the latest to force either a tight shot or make the shooter think twice and force another play. Our P&R coverage was really solid, with good switches and timing to disrupt passes and contest drives. Far fewer miscommunications and open drives, an improvement which was great to see.
I thought Trey was really aggressive defensively on Griffin - wide stance, physical, hands up, facing up and contesting. He put together numbers across the board, and though they didn't stand out, they reflected his effort in several aspects - rebounding, assists, blocks, steals. He played a big part in our being able to get stops and run in transition.
Patty and Derrick (especially, who needs to find his shot) didn't have great O games, but Patty hit two 3s, so an improvement on the previous game, and they were just enough to put him in rare company. They also did really well to facilitate for others, combining for 8 assists. Patty and Jakob have a nice chemistry, as does the Patty-Derrick-Jakob trio. Derrick showed some synergy with Drew who set a pick and snuck down to the baseline waiting for Derrick's pass and made his money hook shots.
DJ was solid defensively and his instincts and timing garnered 2 steals, but he does get blown by on drives at times. Something to adjust to. He also had an efficient shooting night, even going 2-3 from 3, and his off-ball movement was terrific, but he is the least adept facilitator of the three, and he misses his teammates at times. I'm confident he improves over time (I wonder how many tapes of Tony he watches?) but like LMA said with his 3s - it's about changing one's mindset to expand one's game. DJ I think has a score first mindset, and so the change of finding his teammates for more optimal shots has to start with intent, then recognition. He's already good at doing it in transition and from screens. He did have 5 assists, but if it's also about getting better in addition to what we did well, there were some assists he left on the 'could have' floor.
We fought hard for the rebounds, doing better with boxing out, and won the overall boards battle 51-40 (with a close 10-7 O board edge to the opponents). We also had only 11 turnovers overall, improving in the second half with just 4. We did give up 17 points on them, so something to work on.
Overall, a very solid response to our first game. Each opponent presents unique challenges, and the adjustments we made allowed us to use our strengths to better advantage. The better defensive recognition and effort as well as small changes on O made for a more balanced attack. Some things to learn, but a lot to build on from this game.
NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop