GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 66: SPURS AT KINGS, 7-5-2021, 9PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

An important game that decides the series between two teams on opposite streaks. We would dearly love to end ours. To add to the winning column, we must defend like every possession is the last one because every possession counts; we must protect the ball because every second possession thwarted counts; we must run in transition and move the ball for good to great shots because every point counts. We know what we must do.

WHERE: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA

WHEN: Friday, May 7, 2021, 9pm (CT)

Earn The Stripes Mode: To a man, we're all in.



GO SPURS GO!!!

[ducler]

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[G R E Y]

LET'S GO, LONNIE!!!

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[G R E Y]

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The game is close because we are 2-14 from 3. Luckily they are but a little better, but we can't let them get into a rhythm. We MUST drive harder after moving their D out of position more, too.

DeMar is cooking and we need him to. We frankly need our bench to just **** step up. Nine points at the half is not enough support. That said, DeMar needs more support from his fellow starters, too, with Keldon at 2-7 and Lonnie at 3-8. EVERY POINT, EVERY POSSESSION COUNTS!!!

Finally we only have 2 O boards (so do they) but we are not even boxing out for possessions on the O end. Just need us to get clean D stops and not settle for outside shots. In the 1sST Q we did a great job getting to the FT line and we need to continue to put pressure on them and get them into foul trouble. Do more of what works, Spurs!!!

[G R E Y]

Our belief is affecting our performance.

[G R E Y]

YES, OUR BELIEF AFFECTED OUR PERFORMANCE!!!

[G R E Y]

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Our will won us this game. How else to explain an abysmal 4-22 from 3 - Keldon was the only starter to make one when DeMar and Jakob took none and DJ and Lonnie were 0-5 each yet we persevered.

We led in double figures in the first half only to have it cut, then led in second half only to give up some runs and the lead yet we persevered, didn't hang our heads and pushed through with some key plays on both ends.

DeMar in the first half and DJ in the second just refused to let us lose our grip on this game. They were each integral to our win, each taking the lead in pulling the team along until we got some momentum.

DeMar brought out the bag of tricks tonight and full credit to him for all of it. An efficient 25 on 7-14, 6 rebounds and 3 assists and getting to the FT line time and again were all huge for us.

Each time they got close or took the lead there was DJ with some gutsy shot making after some great handles got defenders off balance. Good patience, too, on that one play in the 4TH Q when he picked up his dribble at the left elbow, pivoted, got defenders to sag off him expecting a pass out, and instead he used the space created to take an open J. No panic, just solid responding to what the D gave him. It looked, too, as if DJ adjusted in getting around screens with slightly smaller steps and better head swivels to anticipate their timing. Good hustle.

I have to say, we are a team that tends to respond to the ripples of a play be it bad or good. When we were up 11 and DJ missed a 3, Jakob got the O board but missed a bunny on this end began their big run to cut it to a sliver of a lead. There's just something about those soft plays that seeps into the team, and were it not for DeMar and DJ, then rippling into Rudy and Lonnie, it could have been the single turning point on which the game slipped away.

Jakob rewards himself with these riskier bunnies after scoring on dunks. And it's bloody frustrating to watch him do that and affect the team. But to his credit he did still get 5-7 and 1-1FT for 11 points and team-high 11 rebounds, including some crucial ones on O - 3 registered but he kept the ball alive for us on several others.

He was one of six Spurs in double figures - ALL of the starters and Rudy.

And the momentum swung our way as DeMar drove and got to the FT line (leading us with 11-13), DJ with his mid-range J's and crafty passes (leading us with 7), and some cat-like hands for a patented timely poke of the ball for a steal. He is getting better at the P&R with Jakob, and it's games like these that we see his growth with his handles, vision, and determination.

Keldon and Lonnie had rough first halves, but really came through with great cuts, with hard, physical drives, with great finishes at the rim. Loved Keldon's bodying them inside - an element of our game that we have missed. Loved Lonnie using his speed and deft touch at the rim to blow by defenders.

Lonnie hustled hard on D and was energized by stops - this is great to see as clearly this is a focus of his and our development. He got caught a couple of times on screens face to face with the setter, but overall he read the plays well and fought hard to get into position to contest well. Even DeMar did well staying in front of drivers to close up open lanes. His P&R D didn't work but you can tell he was conscious to quickly make it up by scoring on the other end. It's far better than no effort on D and trading shots. Watch out when Lonnie gets more consistent because his reading of developing plays and seeing lanes is improving. LOVED his and Keldon's contributions tonight. We saw a glimpse of what a unique threat each is with his burgeoning skill sets.

Rudy really came through for us with some important O. He's slower but bulkier so he can post up and get to his spots in the key after bodying opponents to create space. He's been on a great O streak with double figure games, and we frankly need to keep getting that from him. Old dog, old tricks which still work.

Patty helped by not shooting but got some key rebounds and a steal. I think we're trading his poise that infuses the line-up with calm in storms for the lack of scoring. He took a couple of shots, made 1-2 and that was that. Baby steps. I like the switch in strategy - takes the load off Patty and he can ease into finding his stroke while he helps in other ways.

Devin is so sound defensively - you can see the way he anticipates what an opponent wants to do and angles his body to force a lesser option and in the way he gets into passing lanes. He and Lonnie in particular stood out in doing a great job on man D.

We were playing desperate and that at times can result in some mistakes - just something to clean up in terms of how we run our fast breaks as we gave up some chances in turning the ball over right after we stole it. One handed, telegraphed passes, weak telegraphed passes, passes in the air, passes into too congested areas.

Our bench got outscored 39-23, but Pop stuck with a tight nine-man unit that as a collective found ways around the poor 3 shooting: we increased our physicality on drives, we responded to pace and aggression with pace and aggression, we finally outrebounded an opponent 44-35 (including 7-4 on O boards), and had 7-3 advantage in blocks, led by Jakob's four. It meant a lot of minutes for four of five starters, but we didn't let fatigue defeat us. Despite some mental errors that led to TO's, the mental side of our game, the one needed to push through tiredness, kicked in. The jolt of adrenaline from a close game was the boost we needed, it seems. The key difference was the belief - whether it was from desperation or sheer will to grab a game within reach or some combination of both, we willed ourselves to keep fighting.

We went to our bread and butter plays and shots and defensive reactions and it paid off. We got 20 points off of their 16 TO's and despite the poor efficiency from the arc, we still managed an overall 51.7FG% on an 89-84 edge in FGA's. Most of all, we played with the right kind of desperation, the kind that when we got our backs to the wall, we kept pushing through, we kept making plays on both ends, we kept going to what we knew are our tried and true bests on both ends. Feels great to be rewarded for it.

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

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