RealGM

After what can kindly be described as a valiant but rough stretch at home, we head on the road where we have fared better this season. In this insular, isolated kind of season, whether it's the bonding nature of traveling together or the team rallying better around one another in these circumstances, the road has been a respite. Whether that remains so will be challenged in this first of five road games versus a strong West opponent on the rise. We're vulnerable but that can make a team dangerous to break through. So it's a clash of streaks tonight. To start to change our fortunes, we must commit to our defensive principles and let our O flow.

WHERE: Ball Arena, Denver, CO

WHEN: Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 8pm (CT)

Earn The Stripes Mode: Defense, hustle, and flow! Oh and it's a Fiesta game!









(Image above from the Twitter account of Reginald Thomas II, Spurs team photographer)

GO SPURS GO!!!

Good news! And I think Dieng is available tonight as well:

Solid start. Much better energy and focus. Lots of missed shots, but we're getting good ones. I like the cuts we're making and moving the ball side to side to move their D and get open lanes. Need to hit the 3 and box out better in our end.

If we could JUST MAKE A SHOT!!!

Fundamentals. Boxing out better to prevent second chance points, run back on D after misses as they are getting quick transition points, better end of Q awareness, precision, and ball protection. We got a bit loose on O and it affected our D as they took up their game a bit in terms of pace and movement for a 10-2 run to finish the 2ND Q. And in a close game, these selective bursts can make all the difference.

I thought Rudy ISO was unnecessary. He's a scorer, that's his main bench role, but it is also tough to come in cold from the bench and make baskets. He got a lot of open looks, but after like four outside misses Rudy could have and should have tried something else like a post up or a drive. Too many outside shots for him. 1-8 at the half.

Jakob is solid on D but is a liability on O so far 0-2 - needs to be FAR MORE aggressive around the basket on the O end.

I like that we generated a lot of shots around their rim. Good movement and ball sharing to do it. But we simply have to make our 3s. We need to make a big smart push here in the second half.

GET RUDY OUT OF THE GAME. HE IS NOT HELPING ON EITHER END.

Feels like those elevator dreams when you're just about to reach the top when juuuust can't make it and starts falling.

I'm working on the Pacers post-game impression, so this one's in the pipeline, but the patterns of late are obviously hurting us. We're tired, sure, but we're too soft overall. Competitive drive is replaced with a feeling of inevitability and we're not only repeating patterns of bad play but mental breakdowns and lack of belief. Starts from the inside out.