SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 11: SPURS VS. NUGGETS, 7-11-2022, 8:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

FFS, DOUG! A WIDE OPEN LAYUP...

[G R E Y]

3RD Q: SPURS 89 NUGGETS 94

SIX TOs this Q during their stretch of making us pay for them. We started and finished strong, so I like the fight.

Our guys miss open layups and FTs more tha my girls HS basketball team. Just saying.

Fundamentals, gents!

We need to spam the 3, guard the 3, and be very careful about the transition cherry pick points.

[G R E Y]

Again we're overcooking it. JRich ahd the shot but chose to pass it into too tight a contested space for another TO. We'll have to learn to keep it simple with tough D.

[G R E Y]

Tre change of pace in control was a very pretty addition to the toolkit.

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Devin strip, Devin drive, Devin dunk!

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Super response to get the lead back!

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Pop on the sidelines in the defensive stance he wants Jakob to have is all-in invested!

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GREAT ATMOSPHERE!

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We got pretzeled up on that defensive possession....

[imagump1313]

Denver was blowing it until they got Hyland off the court. Now we're ok........

[G R E Y]

Devin shot fundamentals are so silky and pretty.

[G R E Y]

HHHHHHHHNG GET HANDS ON THE BALL, SPURS!

[imagump1313]

THERE U GO JRICH!!!!!!!! I SEE YOU

[G R E Y]

JRICH AGAIN WITH THE DRIBBLE BOBBLE INTO **** CONTESTED SPACE FOR ANOTHER **** TO WHEN WE HAD GUYS OUT ON THE ARC.

And now a D miscommunication to boot... *sigh*

[G R E Y]

How did we not shadow their PG/C combo on that inbound?!

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 109 NUGGETS 115

More tomorrow. Need some rest...

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Ok, if we had to lose - and I do need to heed gump's reminders that Ls are long-term Ws - doing it while playing some competitive, two-way ball does mitigate the result.

Our better than expected start through the first seven games created some press buzz and raised eyebrows, and I think we would have continued the Ws in at least a couple more competitive games had we been at full strength.

Alas, we've had some creative line-up changes from starters on down due to some key players in and out of the line-up, now due to a couple of longer-term injuries to Blake and Zach, and our backup PG position suddenly becoming tracing paper thin.

So with Romeo, Blake, and Zach unable to play, but with some much needed rest after three games in four nights, including a travel B2B, and our regular starters back, we had more cohesion and energy and fought hard throughout.

We faced a tough assignment with a talented and experienced C/PG combo around whom a well practiced support system orbits and but for dreaded TOs - 24(!) in this one which cost us a whopping 35 points(!) our respective results per Q tracked very similarly.

We still reached our league leading assists mark with 31. Everyone not named Roby (only 2 minutes) who played, scored, andgiven the minutes distribution, we frankly missed the contributions from Collins, Romeo, and Blake.

We relied a lot more on our starters with all but Sochan (28 minutes) played between 32-36 minutes. They combined for 73 of our points, with the bulk of the scoring from our 1-2-3 spots who poured in 67 of them. That's incredible work versus the defensive pressure we faced, but it was also a big load that needed more help on both ends.

Keldon led us with a spirited 30 on 12-20, team best 5-11 from 3, 1-2FTs along with 5 boards (1 on O), 2 assists, 2 steals; Devin returned to the starting role (Mal had the night off) but was chasing efficiency scoring 17 on 6-17, 3-8 from 3, 2-3FTs, along with 3 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals; and Tre stepped up with a career high 20 points on stellar 9-13, 1-2 from 3 (another game, another made 3), 1-1FT along with 3 boards (1 on O), 9 assists, and 3 steals.

Our starting bigs combined for only 6 points on very few scoring chances with 2-3, 0-2FTs for Jakob and 1-4, 0-2 from 3 for Sochan. We know we'll not get floor spreading with Jakob ever, and so do opponents, even as he's shown new additions to his O toolkit with driving putshot floaters, left hook shots, some post up attempts to his previously almost exclusive front facing, more transition oriented points. Sochan has the potential to spread the floor with his distance shooting but at 19.1% from 3 it's still more theory than practice. Still, he's also averaging 2.6 attempts from the arc per game, so he's not shy about continuing to take it which is what we want and have to live with the valleys along the way.

What we do get from our front court is overal terrific defensive coverage and contributions that allow others to flourish. Our team D rank is poor, and along with our league worst TO rate, we show we are truly a new, very young, developing group that is making mistakes along the way when facing more experienced, talented opponents.

But with the anchor that Jakob is, and Sochan is growing into, we get terrific man D, help D, switching, arc and rim contesting, hard screens, rolls, and transition pushes. Sochan grabbed 4 boards including starter high 2 on O, and chipped in 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Jakob expanded his distribution role with tying Tre for team high 9 assists which is incredible. If he couldn't get set up to score, he was intent on setting others up to do so. He also grabbed starter high 7 boards and also got 2 steals and team high 3 blocks.

At first sight you think, well our front court was kind muted and underwhelming. Then you have a longer look and realize they were integral in allowing team mates to flourish on both ends. Stat and non-stat stuffers, both.

Pop ran a mostly 10-man rotation with Roby playing just the two minutes.

JRich was the key sixth man with starter-like 28 minutes and led the bench with crucial 22 points on hot 8-11, 2-5 from 3, team best 4-5FTs with 3 boards (1 on O), 3 assists, and 1 steal. His fellow sharp shooting vet, Doug, struggled to 9 points on 3-7, 1-4 from 3, 2-3FTs, plus 1 assist and 1 steal. Doug was well defended and was forced into constant movement, some rushed, almost always contested shots. It's the kind of shadow D presence that likely led to the blown layups (though he's good for one with regular frequency). Diop is a quiet all around comtributor though a feast or famine one on O. He continues to show flashes of smart, creative plays, then at times disappears: 2 points on 1-4, 0-1 from 3, 4 boards (2 on O), and 1 steal.

Enter Charles Bassey: in just 16 minutes, he led the team with 8 boards including team high 3 on O, he registered 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block whil chipping in 2 points on 1-3, 1-2FTs. He tore up the G-League in the first two games, and now with Collins out for about a month, Bassey has the energy, incentive, and opportunity to really show he belongs. It's early, but he's shown good space coverage on D, rotates and helps well, protects the rim, keeps moving to the right places. Bassey is a bit shorter, a bit younger and less experienced than Zach, but he brings a physical dimension, intensity, energy, and just gravity. Such a positive athletic presence. Feels like a man meets opportunity moment for him and I coulen't be happier for Charles and for us.

That said, Zach has been coming along well and contributing well and consistently on both ends. It's been a joy to watch him recover and feel more confident. He's fit right into our culture, and still at just 24, has faced more than his fair share of trials, feels like more of a vet. He's split about 80/20 at C/PF (I think Pop played him with Jakob some which is an interesting tandem), so with Bassey at C and Roby and Diop backing Sochan we have some strong overlap.

Where we get into trouble is ball pressure as we're not a team strong with individual ball handling. Another aspect of TOs is simply a young team learning to play with one another, and it is compounded by line-up variations due to injuries rolling through the roster. Add in learning to deal with zone D, full court press (yes let's not leave Tre on an island in the back court), Pop having Devin and Keldon bring up the ball and practice initiating the O with Tre off ball at times, and it's a lot to take in, learn from on the fly, and adjust to.

And so while we play a far more team-oriented, ball sharing style of play, involving more players of varying degrees of experience and others adjusting to bigger roles, we also make more mistakes doing so.

It's far more fun watching share ball than dribble ball even with growing pains and some players at times reverting to the latter tendency (looking at you, JRich - only irritating when it doesn't work).

The lessons are more fun when you win, but now we have to deal with a season-high four game losing streak despite our better play and facing the challenge of the schedule and line up changes. And it only gets tougher as we're without important contributors for several weeks and facing teams that are geling as the season rolls on.

But we are, too. Keldon and Devin are making shots we've not seen until this year both in diversity and execution. Sochan can switch 1 through 5, helping Jakob in the front court. Tre has emerged as a legitimate starter, already making more 3s this season than he did all of last season, already better at finishing at the rim and using his size to his advantage, already adding a reliable floater. And as he's a pure PG and team-first, we have a steady presence where we thought we would have a dearth of leadership and confidence. Instead, Tre has stepped up to fill the void in a way that brings out the best in others with his support.

Coming up are steeper challenges that will test our resolve to push through and break this streak. More than ever, how we play and what we learn to do better - among the most glaring team-wise include limiting TOs, making FTs, reducing second chance points - are keys to fewer what ifs and more rewards of better play.

[imagump1313]

4TH Q: SPURS 109 NUGGETS 115

More tomorrow. Need some rest...

I need some rest also. I was soo worried we were gonna blow that game. Stupid Bones Hyland. Thank you JRich

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NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

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HIGHLIGHTS

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POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

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