SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 9: SPURS AT MAGIC, 5-11-2021, 6PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

The start of a two-game road trip finds us in a position of frustration and opportunity. If we channel our angst the right way and play together, we have a good chance at compiling a win streak. But it starts and ends with smart TEAM play fundamentals - run back and help on D, box out, pass ahead on the break, find cutters, create good to great made shots. Above all, keep up the energy and stay together.

WHERE: Amway Center, Orlando, FL

WHEN: Friday, November 5, 2021, 6pm (CT)


(Photo from spurs.com)

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GO SPURS GO!!!

[G R E Y]

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[ducler]

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[G R E Y]

Really like the D coverage and D to O transition so far as well as us making extra passes.

Thad is terrific in the P&R and in making crafty passes, but he's already been late for two of their 3 attempts, and just got blown by on a drive - just poor positioning and effort on man D. Help D he's been very good - slid over on a baseline drive and got a strip and I believe one of the several blocks from behind we've made already.

Love the press, too.

Solid start overall.

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1ST Q: SPURS 30

MAGIC 20

Wonderful start overall.

Derrick is struggling to score once again and is making some awkward decisions with the ball but he's been wonderful and on point on D. Hopefully he gets some drives to see the ball go in.

Devin is really developing into a special player on both ends. Quicker decisions, crafty finishes, just flashing somethings new each game.

Diop with wonderful D in his limited time. He's SO long and moving his feet with arms up was a moving wall that forced a pass out from the key.

They got a mini 4-0 run to end the Q with a wonky Derrick miss and a Lonnie TO lost dribble, but Lonnie also made a sweet drive and finish.

Keldon went to his bread and butter and got some points on drives. What's with him missing at least one FT? Is it the new ball? It's not fatigue, it's just the 1ST Q. Just has to get the right feel and range.

Good job on collapsing for team rebounding.

Good job taking eight 3s.

Solid start, just need to make sure we close contest all their shots (sometimes we sag too much), and make sure we remain relentless.

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Keldon dumb shot selection and O stops to watch him... choose to shoot right elbow J miss... Drive or keep it moving, mate!

[G R E Y]

Yeah Thad is showing ZERO interest in running out in earnest to contest shots, man. Like he's just trotting to shooters. Good thing he's reliable just about everywhere else. Conserving that vet energy.

The O is quite stagnant for the last while and we have to move the ball better and stop settling for outside shots.

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2ND Q: SPURS 49

MAGIC 36

Derrick looks hung over on O. Just can't get a good rhythm going, lots of ball bobbling, picking up dribbles, losing balls. Thank goodness his D switches and coverage has been on the whole solid.

I really like our various presses - full court with doubling the ball handler just at half court, great help D and solid collapsing for their attempts inside.

Our O got staid for way too many possessions here.

ONLY ONE ATTEMPT FROM 3 THE ENTIRE 2ND Q - THIS MUST BE BETTER.

We can't get comfortable. No lead is safe. Stay focused and disciplined with contesting shots as well as moving off ball to get more open shots. We keep driving into a tall wall of their front court tandems and dishing to the weak side cutters and reverse drives can help.

Most of all, we must stay hungry, poised, and focused to impose our game on both ends.

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Sure. By all means let's **** settle for outside shots with Keldon barrels through opponents that are right IN FRONT OF HIM. Dumb read and decision time and again here by him.

[G R E Y]

THAT 3 WAS ALL ON THAD AND HIS LAZY ASS TROTTING OUT TO CONTEST.

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3RD Q: SPURS 72

MAGIC 62

Complacent Q with us labouring to score and it taking but one guy not hustling to give up shots - THAD, CONTEST!

SPURS - PUSH! Don't settle for outside shots and move and cut with purpose and finish hard and sure at the rim.

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Like how DUMB are we to settle for one and done missed Js early in the clock? It's literally the LAST **** shot we need.

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D to O looking better. At least our decisions in transition are reaping good results.

[Phreak50]

Contending teams have to be licking their lips at Thad Young.

He did a bit of everything. Very solid, very professional.

I knew after Jock's effort the other night, Pop would follow it with a bunch of DNP.

Ask Lonnie Walker how that helped his confidence a couple years back...

And the 76ers must be kicking themselves for not taking a Dejounte deal. He is actually getting better and looking like he is finally working it all out.

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4TH Q: SPURS 102

MAGIC 89

Solid overall with great D, some lulls on O, but we kept competing for the whole game for the win and our first series win of the season.

I was rather hard on Thad (well he WAS lazy on the 3s contests!) but he's been terrific on D running back for deflections, strips, steals, rebounds, and stepped up to what looked like a charge taken but the call was reversed. Thad was one of six Spurs in double figures, one of two from the bench. He stuffed the stat sheet tonight 4 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, at least two of which were from behind. I loved his hustle in running back and poking balls from behind. He's an important anchor for us already, and shows the importance of us having a big that can read plays and make such deft passes. Disruptive and impactful vet.

He and Devin both contributed 12 points, Thad on a stellar 6-7, Devin on a tougher 5-12. Our bench scored 35 overall with Bryn going scoreless and was rendered less than useful by his getting switched on D and driven by. He didn't get any shot attempts in his 3 minutes and it's just as well. We need scoring but from him it's for the C&S variety and that's it. How refreshing that we don't have to over-rely on him anymore.

As for our 3s, well we got lucky that our mere 6-19 didn't haunt us. They shot 12-41(!), a team that leads the league in 3s attempts. We were 3-8 in the 1ST Q, 0-1 in the 2ND, 2-7 in the 3RD, 1-3 in the 4TH. *Sigh* Luckily the attempts distribution was readjusted so credit to DJ and Derrick for getting Doug the ball, even though he was only 1-5 from the arc. DJ was 1-2 and Derrick was 2-6, respectable, but his 4-14 overall was... not. You could tell he was pushing it to be more assertive but he looked weirdly uncoordinated tonight. Hopefully his rhythm will return. He stepped up to take another charge, so fortunately for us his D timing is excellent.

There a weird correlation between our guys settling down and poor play. Derrick got married over the summer and he's yet to find his shot; Wiesy got engaged and his shot disappeared as well; most recently Lonnie got engaged and he's back to missing fancy bunnies at the rim. Keep it simple, Guey! Lonnie had a nice finish at the left side of the rim early in the game, nice and simple, and he had a sweet step back J, too, but things like losing his dribble at one end, driving with a too fancy miss, and taking a one and done shot way too early in the clock are some decisions and habits I'd hoped he'd rim himself of.

Luckily we stopped settling for outside shots and made concerted efforts throughout the game to get points in the paint: P&Rs, great Thad high low passes to back door cutters, passes to trailers, drives and dishes, and passes ahead in transition. Very solid variety and shot distribution. We pushed for and made a much improved 16-18FTs, and all five starters got to the FT line. Terrific.

Devin is incredible defensively. It's like he has a sixth sense of when the pass is coming and he just gets in the lanes for steals. Love his rebounding. I thought some of his finishes were pretty and effective, but he has to make sure he prioritizes fundamentals finish at the rim rather than a soft touch that can miss, like the bunny instead of dunk he chose and missed in transition. He has that behind-the-back dribble and step back for a J which is smooth, and he finishes well in transition. The next step is handles to beat his man off the dribble. That he's already being entrusted by Pop to finish games is a huge step forward.

Keldon giveth and taketh away and giveth again. He made some flat out bad reads trying to run through opponents in front of him and the Euro step looks to be well scouted now. He got stripped of the ball in the key. I hated the one and done J misses, but loved his play in transition and that he's making his FTs again. He led us with 4-5 and had 20 points on solid 8-15 plus 9 boards, 2 assists, and a steal. I loved his full court press legs at work with arms out. Very disruptive. His rebounding in traffic was great, too.

DJ had a much better PG game, managing it well, settling the team when the opponent went on a run or when our O got stagnant with another PG. He was much better at running the clock, balancing between moving the ball and taking his own shot (his recognition of taking Js when defenders go under screens is excellent as is his willingness to take the shot and make it). He was just better overall at being a proper floor general and combined with his stellar D, he gets full credit for leading us through the ups and downs of the game. A double double of 20/11 with 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block showed his two-way game in full bloom. He and Derrick combined for 32/21/11 and a +24 rating. Great back court work considering it's still a work in progress.

We didn't wilt in the 4TH Q despite their making some 3s. We need to take better advantage of our excellent D and reward ourselves more for it. I thought we could have recognized that driving against their very tall C was a bad idea but we kept trying. Maybe reversing it or weak side drop offs can help.

We kept going inside for 48 points in the paint, used our transition game for 15 points and got 18 points off their 17 TOs. I loved our gang rebounding. I think we still have several gears of higher level play especially on O. Our D is better than our O right now, and the latter has a lot to do with recognition and execution with fundamentals. I thought our man and help D were terrific. Even though some of their turnovers were unforced, it was our initial coverage and end of play help D that forced them a lot of the time. DJ, for instance, leaped into the ball handler preventing a 3 attempt and forced a covered drive and pass inside to which Derrick rotated and stripped the ball from behind. I'm so happy when I see us playing so well on D. No more weak guy to cover for and the D keeps breaking down because of it. Feels so nice!

I'd love it if Tre and Jock got more minutes, but I get that with Jock it's more like when the game's at hand and we could ill afford putting in a player when the game's not really decided. Still we did a good job staying ahead throughout their counterpunches and bookended our 1ST Q 30 points with a 4TH Q 30 points. We didn't stay complacent and found different ways to score and didn't stay in the outside shot settling doldrums for too long.

Recognition from individuals about open teammates and finishing with fundamentals are keys for us, as are more effort to generate 3s. We got away with it tonight because our opponent shot poorly, but we can't exchange 2s for 3s and need to get comfortable creating more arc shots. We did well to capitalize on our strengths on O and I hope this is a foundation for us to incorporate more schemes, particularly of the 3s kind. Our D was at least half responsible for our win tonight. We won in large part because of it and I can't wait to see us clicking fully on both ends. Good hustle and focus win.

[G R E Y]

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