SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 36: SPURS VS. MAVS, 31-12-2022, 6PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

What a chance...

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Pop is a **** GOAT with that response to Tre after the FT miss...

[G R E Y]

**** hell

[imagump1313]

LMAO thanks Luka!!!!!

Pop supporting Jones then saying to himself "WHEW!!"

[G R E Y]

LMAO Jason Kidd. Everytime I see his stupid face on the sideline I just laugh. How can that franchise be taken seriously?

"Hit me"

[G R E Y]

LoL at Pop slipping in that, "Ok, have a good night" before the next question is asked.

Savvy vet move to get the **** out of there and celebrate New Year's before we travel tomorrow.

[G R E Y]

Ah well. I have wine and chocolate. It's all good tonight

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 125 MAVS 126

Down 10 coming into the 4TH, and fighting back well from down 17 overall to bring it to within 3 points just past the half way point and to within one with 5:29 left, one of several times the rest of the way, though we couldn’t break through. It was a good comeback, a good test, and important lessons.

I mean, when you lose by one point and one opposing player scores 51, you do a lot of good things along the way. Even if we couldn’t stop him, there are some things we could do better.

What we could control was the D, for instance. Sean mentioned how we could and should have done a better job denying Luka the ball, and then when he gave it up, deny the return pass. Instead, we kept sagging off him, follow the ball instead, and allowing the pass back in particular to happen. I really like gump’s suggestion of a triangle zone D with two Spurs doubling Luka. I hope we try it some time on another hot opponent. Even doubling Luka sooner and for more of the court as he brought up the ball. I liked Sochan’s **** disturbing attempts when the clock was stopped. Sochan was at least a big enough pest that our opponent kept switching away from him. So having Tre on Luka wasn’t optimal even when Sochan was the help D. Figuring out how to switch back or avoid them and stay with the assigned players is a tall but not impossible task.

Look how low our 3s attempts are now. We made only 8-19 to their 14-34. Our shot distribution has decreased favouring the 3s attempts. It was just over 22% of our total shots in this game. It’s a big difference to earlier in the season. We are clearly not relying on bombing away from the arc as we were before.

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Spamming shots from the arc is a way of covering many faults when we get on a hot shooting streak, but we also went away from it in favour of mid range and paint points because when the 3s are not falling, just about everything else breaking down followed suit. We would start games with 3s, miss, and then the energy would wane, especially on D. I like the change in that we are looking for other ways to score beyond setting up outside shots so it makes us creative and gets more guys involved. We use more of the court and more of our strengths. Starting with a vertical push is a different energy level, and we’ve done better in continuing these for longer stretches.

This includes the 4TH Qs of the last couple of games. In the previous one, we scored over 30 and even though we lost it by a small enough deficit to stay ahead and win the game. In this one, we won the last Q 32-23 on really good two-way play. Just shy, though, which brings to mind the ‘every play counts’ adage. Tre, our best FT shooter, was disappointed to miss a crucial FT late, but really as a team we were only 23-32 for 71.9%. We did well to get to the FT line, especially in the 4TH Q when we made 13-16. We were 10-16 in the first three Q’s combined.

Tre was one of four starters and five Spurs in double figures. He scored 18 on solid 7-11, 0-2 from 3 (needs work), 4-6FTs, 5 boards, and tied for team high with 6 assists. He was a driving menace and made 4-5 in the restricted area. He made a couple of pull up Js and a pretty floater from mid range. Love how he’s fitting his growing O within the team flow. He has a knack for changing gears and blowing past defenders ans using screens well to create space and deftly finish in a variety of ways. What a dramatic and gutsy effort late in the game to miss an FT on purpose, get the O board, and get fouled. He said his Mom would tell him to use his legs more on the final FT miss. Looked like he wasn’t dwelling on it, which is good.

His back court partner, Romeo, registered 0 points on 0-6, 0-1 from 3 and 2 assists a game after having a stat stuffing, career high scoring game. We absolutely need consistency from him. Like ONE basket could have made a big difference. Romeo was a team low -16. We missed Devin on both ends a lot tonight.

Keldon led us in scoring again tonight. He was in the shadow of a 51-point game, but he put on a an incredible scoring performance. He scored 17 points on 6-9, 3-4 from 3, 2-2FTs, 2 boards (1 on O) at the half alone; he finished with team bests 30 on 10-19, 4-5 from 3, 6-7FTs and 4 boards (2 on O). It’s hard to criticize him when he puts up such stats, but there are things he can do better, and that’s the point of development.

His use of proper angles on the glass needs a lot of work. First he needs to use glass more consistently, but his angles are so inconsistent, sometimes looking like wayward Hail Mary throws in the general direction. I love the physicality and hustle to work to get the foul, but finishing well is an extra level to the whole attempt. He needs to work on his handles, too. Again, too high and loose on post ups that opponents get hands on too easily. He still cannot break down a defender with his handles and he should be able to. Hopefully it’s something works on and incorporates. Also, although he didn’t do it as much as in previous games, Keldon’s tendency to bulldoze into the key against multiple defenders with team mates open around him simply must get addressed. We had 28 assists in this game but none by Keldon.

Consistent effort on D is another element of Keldon’s game that can take him to the next level. One great D sequence stood out; he was flat out excellent when he stayed with Luka, bodied him, didn’t bite on pump fakes, contested well with arms out. Absolute perfect sequence. And when he shows it, you can’t help but wonder where it is at other times as well as be hopeful at the impressive flashes.

I loved the work our front court did. We looked to exploit Jakob versus a less experienced counterpart and he used his speed and size to good effect. He scored 19 on 7-10, 5-7FTs (great!), grabbed a game high 15 rebounds, game high 7 on O, tied for team high 6 assists. What a monster performance, and the thing is, it was also such a matter-of-fact contribution we have come to expect from him.

A word on FT’s. Jakob used the one-handed technique last season, I believe, and I criticized it heavily. It was a little different than Sochan’s who uses one hand for the entire sequence. Jakob would take his left hand off the ball at the end last part of the motion if memory serves. I see now it was part of the same attempt to fix something that needed improvement. Jakob’s shooting arm was still moving too much at the release point, I think, whereas Sochan has one fluid motion that is better aligned. Anyway, Jakob’s version of the one-hander wasn’t nearly as successful last season as Sochan’s version is this season, but Jakob’s current iteration has much better results. In the last 10 games, he is averaging 66.7%FT’s, This is 10.4% better than this season’s average, and 14.4% better than his career FT average. He has never averaged anything in the .600s from the line in his entire career, so this stretch is at once a small sample and an encouraging positive trend.

Sochan was all around terrific, too, including 4-6FTs as part of a 20-point game on 7-12, 2-3 from 3. He also grabbed 6 boards (1 on O), had 2 assists, and 1 steal. He was a pest on D, a strong presence on the boards in getting into position and nudging opponents out, brought the ball up, and hounded the ball handler late for a steal. Big opportunity, but like in some other games, Sochan got a bit of tunnel vision in driving the ball versus a bigger defender and not using the right shot height and glass angles.Keldon was wide open on the upper right arc, arms up calling for the pass, alas. That was at least one other option. I really like the courage in trying to make an impact after he already was part of the tandem to get the steal on D late in the 4TH Q. This was part of a very good full court press with under 20 seconds left. We doubled Luka at the baseline, forced a pass then doubled their other guard for the strip. Inexperience and initiative is what we live with in developing rookies.

In terms of tendencies, Collins and late game fouls is a pairing that needs a split; Keldon with his arms bent at his sides on D as he moves sideways is a strange habit. We need him with his arms out; We seriously need to use the glass as a rule unless impossible, use angles properly, and dunk when we have a chance to so as to limit missed bunnies. Some defensive ATO inexperience showed at times like when w left Luka alone and he hit a wide open 3.

Overall, we contested the 3s noticeably better. Jakob stood out well in particular, covering a lot of perimeter ground and contesting energetically. We had many more guys flying out at shooters from the side, arms up, which was good to see both in terms of the final step and rotating well to do it.

We may have shifted shot priorities away from the arc, but we do need to do a better job ensuring we use our best strengths. Doug (9 points on 4-7, with 5 boards, 1 on O, 2 assists) was only 1-2 from 3 and even then these were both in the 4TH Q. He was 3-4 in the paint in the first three Q’s combined. JRich (4 points on 2-4, 4 boards, 1 on O, bench high 5 assists) was only 0-1 from 3, the lone attempt in the 3RD Q. He combined for 2-3 in and around the paint for the game. Though I like that we used their off ball movement and shot creation abilities for other scoring chances, we can’t have our best distance shooters combining 1-3 from 3 for the whole game.

We were led by Collins’ 13 on terrific 5-6, 1-1 from 3, 2-2FTs (better!), 5 boards (2 on O), and 2 assists. Pop played a strict 10-man rotation. Malaki was part of it with 21 minutes in which he scored 6 on 3-6, 0-2 from 3, 1 O board, 1 assist. He operated strictly on the right side, using screens to create space well and make shots along the right side of the paint. Rounding it out were Stanley with 6 on 2-4, 0-2 from 3, 2-4FTs, 3 boards and 2 assists. He bodied Luka well on D, too. It’s hard to move Stanley and his low center of gravity once he gets into the wide-legged stance on D.

Our bench outscored theirs 38-18; we outrebounded them 48-26, including 15-6 on O boards; we had 13TOs (below our 15.9 per game again); we had a 14-4 fast break advantage as well as a dominating 64-50 in points in the paint. So many good things. Details like giving up 19 points off our Tos and missing 9 Fts added up, but I loved our grit and heart and poise and hustle. Bottle these, and open them in the following games and we give ourselves a great chance at positive rewards.

[G R E Y]

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

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POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

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Sochan’s season high of 23 points came in a loss to New Orleans on Dec. 22, but Saturday’s game might have been his most active on that end of the floor.

The Baylor-ex scored on cutting dunks, tip-ins, driving layups and even tossed in a pair of 3-pointers. He also had two assists and hit 4 of 6 free throws with his unique one-hand shot.

“On the offensive end, he was everywhere, slashing, making great cuts, making great reads, passes, hitting the boards, hitting some threes,” Spurs point guard Tre Jones said. “When he is doing stuff like that, it takes us to a whole different level.”

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Spurs-Jeremy-Sochan-impresses-with-active-17688671.php#photo-23324245

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