GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 19: SPURS VS. NUGGETS, 29-1-2021, 7:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

The next challenge is this first of four remaining home games versus West opponents. It's also the first of a back-to-back, so a strong start, a consistent push, and a focused finish is what we need to compete for the full 48 minutes. Play the right way and we continue our streak.

WHERE: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

WHEN: Friday, January 29, 2021, 7:30pm (CT)

Earn The Stripes Mode: 3 and D for the 11!



GO SPURS GO!!!

[ducler]

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[G R E Y]

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Wonderful ball movement and passing and scoring distribution by us.

They are doubling our ball handlers hard especially trapping on the low left side so we have to make quicker decisions and get into better passing positions to help the ball handler, and then swing it to move their defense.

Speaking of defense, we are leaving them faaaaaaaaaaaaar to wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open on their pick and pop and their 3s. We have to communicate better and rotate better to better contest for their misses.

Oh and if we can just make all our shots we'll be good!

[Phreak50]

Great game so far.

First half was the old Spurs, almost every made shot came from an assist.

We got a bit hero ball in the third from certain guys but are back on track now.

Murray making me a believer but then two seconds later reminding me of his bad decision making and really loose carry. Still not sure what we can expect from him, but overall his quick (and long) hands and decent shot today has been a big plus.

Jakob. What the hell dude? Looking at old Raptor clips, he had a decent looking jumper, ok form, even hit the odd three.

Now? He has got the yips. Massive air ball at the foul line and then yanked as Denver started hack a Shaq on him.

Never been so happy to see Aldridge sub in!

[G R E Y]

FEELS SO GOOD!

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[Phreak50]

Even before tonight's 10 assists, Derozan was 10th in the league in assists per game.

Such a credit to him buying in to the offense and young, skilled players around him.

I'd be happy for him to keep leading the way, because in all honesty, we become a lottery team without his leadership, but would also be over the moon for him to join a real contender and have a chance at a ring.

[G R E Y]

Even before tonight's 10 assists, Derozan was 10th in the league in assists per game.

Such a credit to him buying in to the offense and young, skilled players around him.

I'd be happy for him to keep leading the way, because in all honesty, we become a lottery team without his leadership, but would also be over the moon for him to join a real contender and have a chance at a ring.

He may already be on one

Shhhhhhh!!!!!

[imagump1313]

Even before tonight's 10 assists, Derozan was 10th in the league in assists per game.

Such a credit to him buying in to the offense and young, skilled players around him.

I'd be happy for him to keep leading the way, because in all honesty, we become a lottery team without his leadership, but would also be over the moon for him to join a real contender and have a chance at a ring.

He played well the last couple games but he's still far from the point of me trusting him. I hope we dont do something dumb like sign him to some crazy extension because he played ok for a couple games. I have to give him credit though as he seems to be letting others be more involved. He also seems to have a real bond with Keldon Johnson who is playing out of this world.

[imagump1313]

Murray making me a believer but then two seconds later reminding me of his bad decision making and really loose carry. Still not sure what we can expect from him, but overall his quick (and long) hands and decent shot today has been a big plus.

This cannot be better said! Exactly my feelings on Murray. He is getting closer to figuring it out but still doesn't take ball security seriously.

[G R E Y]

Finally! We finally imposed our speed and transition from the outset and these set the tone for the rest of the game.

Rather than the half court set ups for LMA J’s time and again (and again), we began with a DJ drive and foul on our first play followed by a DJ bounce pass to a back door cutting, shot faking lay in by DeMar.

By pushing the tempo, we were able to establish an energy that kept us going through their runs and helped us keep generating ones of our own. It was a full team win with terrific movement, passing, and aggressive driving. It’s common now to first look at 3s to determine if a team was successful, but our 10-23 to their 14-31 doesn’t paint a full picture. Our driving game got us to the FT line where we made 21-26 to their 13-20 which cut into their 3s advantage. We had a 13-9 fast break point edge which cut into that 3s deficit some more. We pushed the pace and made 44-81 to their 41-78. But the biggest difference in driving at them throughout the game was our 54-36 points in the paint. So the 3s didn’t show the whole picture. Rather the low 3s takes and makes were more complementary pieces of a bigger offensive puzzle.

Our assertiveness also spilled over into getting more rebounds41-37, including 9-7 on O, led by, who else? Keldon with 4, then Jakob with 3, and DJ with 2. It’s both a complement to our ball hound guards and a critique of our bigs that this is the case.

Our 29 assists attests to our ball sharing – that’s when we’re toughest to play against – as does its distribution. DeMar led us with a stellar 10, but all other starters had 3, and three of our four regular bench players registered assists as well, led by Rudy with 5(!), and Patty and Jakob with one each.

What doesn’t surprise me anymore is how any given player can lead our team in any given stat. Rudy’s five assists stands out because he’s been known as a scorer almost exclusively, and at times as one with tunnel vision. So for him to recognize and make the extra pass for a good to great shot like finding Patty in the left corner for a 3, or driving and shovelling the no look to Jakob who smartly used the rim for a reverse layup, or finding DJ down low for a dunk. On this last pass, he stayed with the play after missing a 3 and Jakob tapped the O board out. All show his expanding game and how beneficial it is for us that he is contributing in variety of ways. So even – or especially – on nights when Rudy’s shot is not falling (6 on 3-9, 0-3 from 3), he still helped with 6 boards, 5 assists, and 1 steal in a bench low 16 minutes.

Patty led us with 3 steals and was once again terrific and physical against bigger opponents, this time bodying their PF, prevented a drive and actually stripped him for one of our 8 steals. He pushes the ball, handles it well, drives in transition, and is always a threat from the arc. He led the bench with 17 points (4-9, team high 4-8 from 3, bench high 5-5FT’s), plus 2 boards and 1 assist in bench high 28 minutes.

Devin also matched up against their PF at times and forced a double dribble with his shadow D pressure. Ever steady with his D fundamentals and instincts, Devin also is good in finding pockets of space when getting the pass and taking a couple of dribbles, planting both feet for a solid base from which to take a balanced midrange J. He pitched in 9 points on 3-4, 1-2 from 3, 2-3FT’s, this on being on the receiving end of some beautiful passing. It’s great that a rookie is entrusted with being the end point of our O at times in his young career. In a 10-point game, all of his points mattered, and his D contribution helped prevent some points as well.

Jakob is low-key becoming an increasingly solid passer for us. He drove and found DJ on the right side for an easy J so only one in this game, but he’s doubled his assist average (2 per game) relative to his career (1.1). Sure he’s not near the top for his position, but LMA, for comparison, is averaging 2.1 assists this season which is just at his 2.0 career average while playing 27 minutes per game to Jakob’s 20. So all things considering, Jakob’s game is expanding and the improvements are noticeable (FT’s notwithstanding). Jakob chipped in 4 points (2-4 – I would still like to see that average at least 6 per game this season), but tied the bench high with 6 boards, 3 on O, along with an assist and a steal. He’s slowly rounding out other aspects of his game. On O, however, he still tends to freeze up top when he has the ball and too much time to think about it. He’s far better when he needs to make a quick layin or drive or putback or pass. He was essentially left alone there again and his feet were cemented waiting for someone to come to him to take the ball. Our opponents sagged off him and when he had the ball they basically had a 5 on 4 defensively, forcing us to move that much harder to get the ball. Not only does that tend to take up more time than we want, it puts extra pressure on everyone else to make sure we maintain the possession.

If he can develop a J from there to keep defenses honest (I wonder if coaches are in is ear about it like there were with Derrick who was also too hesitant to shoot for a while). He’s ever wonderful and reliable defensively, jumping vertically to contest a shot, stepping up with great timing and positioning to finally get a charge call his way, he does a good job of balancing tapping and grabbing O boards and makes god decisions with his passes. He also did a great job staying with their C off ball and not allowing easy scoring, forcing secondary options. He closed out far better and more consistently than LMA did as well.

This was a rare game in which Jakob (25) actually played more minutes than LMA (22), and LMA actually had more assists, but the point about Jakob’s passing stands, as does the one about closing out. This was one of those games where LMA was slow to contest like his reactions were one move behind those of opponents, and he kept sagging back too much again, leaving far too much space for open J’s.
Another game, another example:

Spoiler:

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It’s one thing to not want to allow their C to penetrate, and another to not bother getting a hand up. This doesn’t happen all the time, but enough that it stands out. It’s frustrating that a vet blows off basic fundamentals at times. Still, LMA’s central issue isn’t lack of effort, just diminishing returns over time with respect to his body. It was a conservative O game from him with only 5 points on 1-3, 1-1 from 3, 2-2 FT’s to go along with 3 D boards and 3 assists, but he’s scored in double figures in four of the last five games. He was trying to stay quick footed when switched onto their guards, and tried to prevent easy points at the rim. Although Jakob was superior defensively, we still were fortunate to have LMA to sub in for him after our opponents used the Hack-a-Jak to get him to the FT line where he went 0-2 *sigh*

What they didn’t expect is our Mustang Honey Badger Keldon to get the O board to maintain our possession. We didn’t score, but we ran down the clock and after they travelled, we were able to sub LMA in. In every game, Keldon makes an impactful play on both ends. This was yet another O board effort among several opponents. Keldon led the starters with 9 rebounds and was a stat stuffer with 3 assists, a steal, and a block (the only one registered for us in this game) to go along with his 19 points on terrific 9-14, 1-2 from 3. Bizarrely, he did not get to the FT line even though most of his points were in the restricted circle. He is so strong but once again each game we see improvements. Whereas he would at times bowl over opponents, his improved body control to bump an opponent just enough to create space but not foul is a nice new addition as are the various ways and touches he has of finishing at the rim. He is moving so well without the ball, too, exploiting back door cuts for reverse finishes, driving along the baseline now in addition to straight line drives down the middle. I like the synergy among the vets and young guys, and Keldon seems to be open to instruction in real time. Towards the end of the game LMA passed it to him in the left corner and KJ was going to pass it back but LMA told him to take it and he got inside the arc and made a stepback baseline J. So much promise still, yet so much more realized already than we anticipated.

Keldon was once again the recipient of many DeMar passes who led us in many categories and this reflected the incredible all around game he had for us. He poured in a team high 30 points on incredible 11-14, 1-2 from 3(!), team high 7-7FT’s, and 1 rebound in team high 36 minutes. His patience, his leadership in telling players where to go, his vision, his footwork, his body balance, and his crafty finishes were on full display. We may not have a C passing wizard, but we more than matched their ball sharing with DeMar as our central distributor.

They tried doubling ball handlers hard on the sides but DeMar was deft in finding the open man like when he zipped one to Lonnie for a 3 in the 1ST Q. He passed on drives back to a trailing Rudy for a lay in. Smart play, that, to create space and then pass to an open, bigger teammate. Good to great. He used his signature fakes to good effect, getting to the FT line. When he plays with such concentration to fit within the team concept he is most dangerous, and can score effortlessly, going on a 10-0 by himself to bring our lead up to 69-61. The one mental lapse was holding the ball on our final possession of the 3RD Q with time left to try and do something with it. Just a strange decision to not even try a contested heave, but a minor point relative to all else that he contributed. Still, we want to improve all facets of our game, so end of Q execution – something I’ve noticed we’ve been more equitable about with respect to not just DeMar taking all the ISO’s – is important to keep sharp. Most other times, though, DeMar was locked in, recognizing when we needed help and getting into the right spots like when DJ saved the ball from going out of bounds and DeMar stepped up to grab it, pass it right back to DJ for a right corner 3 and a 107-100 lead.

DJ led us in shots, making 10-19, and in assertive pace, driving time and again with half being inside the restricted circle. His midrange wasn’t really on point as it usually it (2-6), but his outside shot (1-3 from 3) and speed as well as our movement and passing opened lanes for us so that he made 5-7FT’s. He once again made a crucial late game steal on which he drove, missed, got the O board on two defenders (one was their C), and made a putback. He just never gives up on a play whether pouncing after a ball to keep it from going out of bounds, pouncing on opportunities to poke the ball out of opponent hands, or pouncing on drives. His 7 boards (2 on O), 3 assists (I like his using well angled bounce passes more), and that crucial steal (timing was, again, everything). His is improving in all aspects of his game.

Lonnie’s game is a work in progress and games like today show the inconsistencies he at times struggles with. He was only 1-5 (that lone 3) with 5 boards and 3 assists. He had trouble keeping steady hands on the ball, at times due to opponent pressure which he has trouble with. He got stripped of the ball as they collapsed on him late in the clock. He is better at protecting the ball as he drives, but at times exposes it too much where opponents can wrest it from him. His team high 4 TO’s attest to an off night in terms of ball protection. Still, he was part of the team concept in moving the ball along, especially quickly in transition after steals like when at 109-100 he passed it ahead quickly to DJ who drove in for a layup and a double digit lead.
I was impressed with our resilience when our opponent made runs and with our tenacity in responding with our own time and again. Tied 95 all, we used our D, hustle and crisp passing for a 6-0 run and a lead we would not relinquish for the rest of the game.

That we asserted ourselves and our passing and transition game from the outset established our mindset and helped us overcome some aspects of our game that need improving. We can defend very well because we do it in the 2ND and 4TH Q’s so well. So why do we start games with miscommunications and bad rotations where we have two players unintentionally covering the same guy leaving open opponents? It’s great we figured it out and improved as the game progressed, but this is a pattern of weakness we should strengthen. Having Derrick back will help.

We left far too many open shots, especially at the arc, and in a modern game with 3s being central to the success of so many teams (and often the last resort of bad ones), we can’t rely on misses but must rotate and contest hard.

We got out of their aggressive traps on the sidelines well enough, but once again had issues with zone D. We don’t have time to practice these with games seemingly every other day for over a month (except recently due to the postponed game), but we need more than Keldon being able to break these down with quick drives.

I do like that we increased our blitz doubling of their C especially in the 4TH Q to disrupt his comfort zone and rhythm. We kept these random but when we sneaked up on him we forced passes that we picked off, forced contested misses, or just made it harder for him to operate. Smart to use more man D early (well that wasn’t going to last long, was it? Can’t let him get his shot rhythm going) and then varying it up with the aggressive doubling. He’s obviously the main instigator of their O, so to trap him cleanly, get some stops and points in transition was a job well done.

This was a full team effort, and with a more resolute push in using our transition game, especially from the start. (Side note: I wonder whether Will scouted this game as he went to sit in Pop’s chair at one point during the timeout to give quick instructions while the rest of the coaches were still conferring on the court). The game plan was a solid one, and we did very well to execute it, especially late. That we stayed true to our pattern and had a great 4TH Q on both ends outscoring them 32-23 is impressive. That we started the 1ST Q against our pattern and pushed the ball, asserted our game and led 37-30 is impressive, too. We can use our 3 more, but we are more than our increased 3s. These small changes are already reaping big rewards for us.

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

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