SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 26: SPURS VS. PELICANS, 12-12-2021, 6PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

The fifth game in seven nights, the latter bookend of a second SEGABABA means we're getting right back into it and hopefully with the requisite fury for much better play tonight. Everything can and should be done better: communication, closeouts, boxouts; transition, movement, execution. Only our best two-way play will cleanse the palate.

WHERE: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

WHEN: Sunday, December 12, 2021, 6pm (CT)

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GO SPURS GO!!!

[G R E Y]

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Defense will need some work, but yeah the G-League is a step or two below his level. Great that Jock already got the call up.

Also, Keldon is going to play in the back-to-back. Good to see:

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[G R E Y]

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[G R E Y]

Better start so far. We're working hard to go over screens and when the switch happens, Jakob is up higher on the driver which limits the opponent's space within which to operate.

Jakob is also fronting their C on D which is a stellar adjustment. No easy passes inside. With Jakob out front, DJ sneaks from behind for a quick timely strip for steals.

We have to finish strong and purposefully at the rim. Already we've missed out on at least three baskets with not using the glass well or not dunking. FINISH STRONG AT THE RIM!

[G R E Y]

FFS stop settling for 3s!

[G R E Y]

1ST Q: SPURS 28

PELICANS 26

Solid start, but for the shot distribution. I thought the 9 3s we took were not necessarily too many but too either rushed or off balanced. We did well when we got the ball inside and for some reason went away from that. I lit that we were running at them for FTs chances, but we let our 8-point lead go on a 12-7 run by them to finish the Q. They ended up getting into a rhythm with drives and kick outs that we didn't rotate well enough for their 3s.

Much better ball protection by us, only 1 TO.

Too many missed bunnies - finish strong at the rim.

Contest better, get into their space to force secondary options and get steals for transition D to O points.

[G R E Y]

Doug needs to get scoring, man. Some of his 3s are off balance, and that's in part where we're passing it to him. Has to be in the sweet spot for the automatic release, but at times the passes are too low so he's adjusting or he's sort of falling back.

I'd love to see Doug drive some more to finish at the rim to get his shot going.

[G R E Y]

FINALLY we're getting some down court movement for D to O transition points. Great passing by Tre, great movement and cuts by Doug and reverse finishes at the rim.

[G R E Y]

SO many misses at the rim because we do not have FORWARD motion at the rim. We're either going up or backwards.

GO WITH FORWARD MOTION AT THE RIM LIKE DOUG DID. More cuts, more drives.

AND let's get back on D, too, hmm? A Pop timeout after that lax trot back on D as they scored quick in transition. Cardinal sin. Better to curb it now.

[G R E Y]

2ND Q: SPURS 54

PELICANS 52

Well tough to get the right touch and glass angles for us at the rim, and so I hope it's emphasized that we dunk to ensure finishes. It just creates a better energy than leaving it up to bounces at the rim.

Just about everyone scored in the 2ND Q except for Devin who we have to get going with some drives as well.

We're doing a better job rebounding so far with a 34-24 lead, including 9-4 on O. We have a 32-26 points in the paint edge which helps to some extent mitigate their 3s.

But we MUST be more careful again here: we were 1-5 in the 2ND Q to their 4-12. It's a basic drive and kick that we're once again over-committing too many players down low to and not rotating out for closeouts of their 3s shots. We MUST protect our arc better, and it starts with recognizing not to leave their hottest shooters open. Force secondary options.

Tre's doggedness on D is showing well as he fights through screens and outhustles opponents for rebounds even though he's the smallest player on the floor. Good juice.

We have a balanced shot distribution with everyone getting a chance to contribute. I really like that we're going to Jakob more assertively this game - he already has 13 points on 6-7 - but we have to be mindful not to telegraph passes inside. A couple of our passes were too soft and obvious and too easily picked off.

But overall we're doing a better job protecting the ball with 5TOs.

WE have to be mindful about running back on D as they're leading 11-5 in fast break points.

PROTECT THE ARC, pound it inside, finish strong at the rim, drive with forward motion created from great movement and transition D to O play.

[G R E Y]

Decent pace, but just not quite crisp, like we want to push but conserve energy at the same time to make sure we have something left in the tank for the final Q. I really like our help D when switching down low and I like our drives but really want us to finish above the rim for dunks.

[G R E Y]

Lonnie got completely outdone on that BI drive where he took his eyes off the guy with the ball and that's all it took to get his legs in one place and his eyes on another and we were forced to foul. Attention to the little details.

[G R E Y]

Aaaaaaaand Lonnie too quick in the clock 3 miss. Why this shot? WHY?!?!?!?!

[G R E Y]

Just like that our 7-point lead down to 1 from a TO, and from two shots that were too early in the clock and outside without any movement. Lonnie made the long J before the missed 3, but I didn't like that shot selection either. Again, too early, and not nearly enough team mates are touching the ball to get it moving.

To his credit, Lonnie ran back on D, but that's what he's supposed to do. Now do it on both ends.

Have to build our lead and keep it.

[G R E Y]

3RD Q: SPURS 83

PELICANS 82

Well the pace picked up by both teams, and once again after going up 7 we quickly gave it up with more selfish, low BBIQ plays ie/ shots too early in the clock too far away from basket where we didn't orchestrate good to great chances, and dumb TOs.

We are doing well to get to the FT line and have to keep pushing there as well as getting and protecting points at the arc.

[imagump1313]

Someone in a Spurs uniform FINALLY gets aggressive and good things happen for them..... Funny how that works.

[G R E Y]

G-League reps coming through!

[G R E Y]

Getting a bit sloppy with some WEAK calls against us but we're rallying. Just have to stay the assertive, smart, poised course to finish strong and maintain our output on both ends.

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 112

PELICANS 97

Quality response for a quality result. Given that we were on a SEGABABA it was no guarantee that we would have the requisite energy and focus for the appropriate response. We'd not had it previously, but our response to the previous game was primary and the SEGABABA was not used as a crutch.

Derrick was incredible throughout, and his complete, unique two-way game is showing why we signed him to his contract. He had some rough play to start the season, but he persevered, found his rhythm at his own pace, and is now taking the pressure off of DJ on O for a better balance and carrying the weight.

He led us with 24 points on 9-17, 1-6 from 3 (well, work-in-progress consistency), 5-5FTs, 8 boards, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block for a team-high +25. Like most of our players of late, Derrick's shot chart showed the 3 and key focus. The former wasn't clicking, but his being a threat from there opens up lanes for him. All but one of his shots were in the key, and his relentless, crafty, shifty play and finishes with up and under shots, fakes, spins, floaters, layups off the glass with either hand on either side of the basket made it difficult to stop him because he didn't repeat pet patterns of finishing at the rim. Terrific blend of balanced physicality and finesse. The variety of shot making was bested only by his will and energy to do so.

DJ looked a bit fatigued and affected by the B2B. He tends to leave his shots short or low when tired and his 5-13, 0-2 from 3 attested to it. Still, he worked through the game on both ends to get his fourth triple double of the season (10-12-10), matching his output of last season already. His 3 steals meant that our back court got 7 of the team's 11. That they had 14TOs indicates we were active in pressuring them with our D to force TOs. We scored 18 points off of them, giving up 14 points on our 13TOs, both an improvement from the previous game.

Joining them with 34 minutes played was Jakob who we involved early and often on O where he was a terrific 10-12, 4-9FTs (work in progress *positive thoughts*), 12 rebounds with a game-high 7 on O, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. His finishes around the rim showed more creativity and confidence. Of course all of his shots and makes were in the paint, but he stretched out his range to the top of the key with 11-foot and 13-foot pop-a-shots so he's extending his range a bit, too. Jakob is a face-up rhythm player, and if he's getting his reps and not thinking about his shot mechanics but just doing the motion he's very accurate. The range of the farthest shot is just below the top of the key so it's clearly a shot he can easily make. Cue the FTs: he led us with 9 attempts, and the reps were a benefit because you can tell he's self-conscious of his poor efficiency and the mechanics are in his head. So the more practice he gets, the more he just goes through the shooting motion without overthinking it, and so making 4 is an improvement for him.

Anyway, he was rock solid in rotations. He stayed with ball handlers on the perimeter, he switched to cover others' drivers for blocks and contests at the rim, he stood his ground versus the physical post ups of their big C, and was a big factor in deflecting rebounds on both ends that others got the stat for in grabbing the ball but they wouldn't have had Jakob not been active in swatting it away from opponent hands. I love both his two-way play and that we made such a concerted effort in getting him more involved.

We were facing a team that takes an average of only three 3s more per game than we do at worse efficiency. Knowing that, we played the percentages and made more of our other strengths, namely points in the paint, knowing that it was likely that we wouldn't have to be trading 2s for 3s. True to form, they started hot from 3 but regressed to the mean making 8-29 to our 7-25. Neither was a difference maker, and luckily we didn't need it to be.

It allowed us to orchestrate other shots even from our 3s shooters. Doug started slow, and although was 1-4 from 3 (he has to find his touch from the arc, has struggled somewhat recently) his off ball movement, cuts, and curl drives carved them up inside for layups and floaters in the key, finishing with 6-11 for 13 points, 4 boards, and 1 assist. His speed fits so well with us and is a big advantage for us.

Keldon led us in 3s making 3-5. He's the only Spur who made more than one from the arc, and after starting an abysmally low percentage from distance, he has worked his way to now leading the team in efficiency from the arc with 44.4%, joining Bryn and Doug as the three players who are above the 40% mark. His physicality was an important addition for us and he was both harder to drive past or through and harder to stop on his drives. He did get stripped a couple of times in the key before he brought the ball up to shoot so there's just a slight adjustment in ball protection he can make. His shot chart was 3s and paint but he actually made more outside shots than in the paint (2-7). But he kept barreling through and was rewarded for 4-4FTs, finishing with 17 points, 4 boards (1 on O), 1 assist, and 1 steal. I really like that the ball no longer predictably sticks with him once he gets a pass. He's doing a far better job continuing the play, looking for cutters or passing to the weak side to open team mates. It's a far better balance of taking his shots and helping set up others within the flow of our play than before.

So all five of our starters scored in double figures, and joining them was Lonnie 2.0. The assertive version of LWIV has now scored in double figures for the third straight game. He scored 11 on 4-11, 1-4 from 3, 2-2FTs along with 2 boards (1 on O) in bench-high 22 minutes. It wasn't an efficient night, and the feast of famine ride continued. Like last game, all of his shots were in the first 3Qs: 3-5FGAs (2-3, 1-2 from 3) in the 1ST Q, 0-4 (0-3 in the key, 0-1 from 3) in the 2ND, 1-2 (1-1 long range 2, 0-1 from 3) in the 3RD.

I like the more assertive version of Lonnie, but he's now more the player with whom the ball sticks. He keeps making weird flair moves when finishing drives and I have no idea why he does that. When he talks he tends to use a lot of extra adjectives, is very descriptive, and his drives 'read' the same way - a lot of excess but it isn't helping him make the final point at the rim. It's fine to sway the ball out of the way of opponent swipes, but when there aren't any or when the contest is at the body not the ball, he still makes all these extra flair moves and can't finish well at the rim. I just don't understand the penchant for this and I hope the habit changes to lose the unnecessary movements.

Anyway, he's working through a more assertive phase and except for the long 2 (which he happened to make, but it still wasn't a good shot - too early in the clock, nobody else touched the ball, shot just inside the arc) all of his attempts were at the arc or in the paint, making 1-4 from 3, 2-6 in the key, 3-7 from 2s overall. That he had 2 boards and no assists or other stats doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't contributing in those areas, but it does point to scoring being the primary focus without a lot more besides it. He did well to stay with drivers and is more noticeably better in moving his feet, though at times he still gets caught ball watching and gets blown by. It's not about perfection but attention to detail, and though he still has lapses in attention, he's a lot better being engaged on both ends of the court. And no TOs! We did commit an unforced TO just before he checked in which made me laugh; some sort of residual ripple effect.

Tre is getting a lot of praise for his strong PG play, for his control of the game and getting others involved on O as well as his doggedness on D. He's little but fierce in the way he fights over screens, stays with drivers, gets after the ball on 50/50 plays and rebounds. He finished with 7 points on 3-5, 1-2 from 3, 3 boards (1 on O), and 2 assists and led the bench with a +7 in 18 minutes.

In the first 15 games, Tre reached double digits in minutes played only three times; in the last nine games, all of them. He's gone from averaging 8.1MPG to 16.1 in these splits. He was inefficient in only six games, and has steadily increased his efficiency, PPG, assists, and rebounds. He's still learning about finishing at the rim versus bigger NBA players, but is getting better at adjusting to it, uses his speed to get ahead and his body to shield the ball from swipes, and he's getting better at finding pockets of space for Js with either his dribble or off-ball movement. Most importantly, he has increasingly earned the trust of Pop to put him in for longer stretches and teammates with whom he's developing better chemistry. This allows our starter guards to get more rest, and we get more balance and energy through the line-up because of it.

Devin flat out struggled on O (1-7, 0-2 from 3), but took good shots. I love his getting into his spots and then getting a high vertical jump off two feet for a very hard to contest, high release shot. Pretty mechanics. He also made 2 assists, and grabbed 3 boards (2 on O) but still finished with +3 because of his solid D. His movement, positioning, active arms for deflections, blocks (2), steals (1) kept disrupting their attempts. There were some questionable fouls called against him, but some were legitimate and he played through the frustration.

Drew was the first and only big off the bench playing 14 minutes, making 2-3 for 4 points and also getting a bench-high 7 rebounds (2 on O), a bench-high 3 assists, and 1 steal. Jakob got into foul trouble (4) but we still rolled with the two of them. Like in the previous game, we would use the rest of the players if necessary. Then, we took the main rotation players out in a blow out to keep them fresh; now, Pop went with his main nine-man unit for most of the game.

gump will surely be happy that Bryn got 0 minutes in this game, but perhaps puzzled that Thad did as well. Dec. 15, I think, is a contributing factor. I wonder if that's the case for both of them?

Only four of our players got to the FT line -- Keldon, Jakob, Derrick, and Lonnie - but we both took and made above our average, 15-20FTs. Only Jakob missed. With the 3s being almost equal for both teams and so not a factor, we drove time and again, forcing the issue inside, getting to the FT line and also winning the points in the paint 66-52.

We made sure to put more effort into rebounding, getting 55-42 and 15-11 on O. Defensively, we were actively looking to front their C to prevent easy passes inside, and we were looking to help D from behind to deflect any passes. We collapsed very well to prevent easy baskets inside and made a concerted effort to deflect, strip, get hands up or flat out hard foul to prevent baskets inside. At times we over-committed on their drives once again leaving several options open on the arc that we didn't rotate out to. We got away with it in this game, but we won't be so fortunate with others. This is a pattern we tend to repeat, so something to be more aware of and curb. When we did contest 3s, I really like that we did that jump contest to the side so that we both got a hand up and landed beside the shooter to prevent dumb fouls at the arc. Good discipline. I also liked that we got Jakob to get up higher on P&R switches on D so as to close the gap opponents had to work with. Better switches, better help D, better reads, better activity and effort for deflections and steals. Terrific response to the egg we laid previously.

I hope Lonnie 2.0 settles into a better shot/pass balance, that we rotate out on 3s better, make more of our own (smart ones, not the dumb early in the clock one-and-done shots when we don't need it), and make sure we get better angles on the glass for transition makes. Too many missed bunnies of late, and these makes or misses tend to create a certain energy or frustration that stems energy, so it's a simple way to get easy points that reward our good D play.

A full team effort and a fantastic, energetic response in this game. Glad everyone was on the same page about it. Honestly I thought that staying just about even with our opponent and several times losing a seven or eight-point lead was going to tricky for the final Q as they were the fresher team. I expected them to come blazing out in the 4TH Q but it was us who coalesced and blew the game open on a 7-0 run to start that grew to an 18-7 run by the half-way point of the Q and a 19-point lead with 1:27 left in the game. And it was fun because it was strong D to O rewards that did the damage. Still some work to do, but that we've responded like this while not even at our strongest yet and on a SEGABABA is a positive sign. Bottle it, uncork for the next one.

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

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[Phreak50]

Lonnie is the most frustrating player to watch.

When he gets to the hoop, he freaking glides like almost no other player.

When he floats for layups, he could dunk his head but insists on weird runners.

When he drives, he almost always uses his right hand (even when driving left) but he always leans away from the hoop and rarely makes the tough finishes.

If he was on a useless team like Detroit or Orlando, he'd get 25 shots a game and quickly learn how to use his left hand and how to finish strong.

And unless you have a MJ, Kobe or Kawhi type work ethic, you won't learn that stuff outside of games.

Ugh.