SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 49: SPURS AT CLIPPERS, 26-1-2023, 9:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

This mascot is the definition of lame.....

I'm telling you, top to bottom, man!

[G R E Y]

Yeah regardless of score or B2B situation, when we get beaten a few times in transition D Pop will always call the timeout to correct it. Always.

[G R E Y]

Another TO leading to a dunk. Can't get beat down in transition D.

[imagump1313]

Charlotte won tonight so another big game for us! GG all!!!

[imagump1313]

Why are their announcers talking like Pop is retiring 100% after the season?

Its like they are wishing for it.

[G R E Y]

^ I didn't get that impression, to be honest. They were respectful and stressed how much Pop loves teaching this group of players.

We don't know his contract status, but it's surely a year by year choice. I think this draft will factor in a lot and we're positioning well for it

[imagump1313]

^ I didn't get that impression, to be honest. They were respectful and stressed how much Pop loves teaching this group of players.

We don't know his contract status, but it's surely a year by year choice. I think this draft will factor in a lot and we're positioning well for it

It was right at the end saying things like "Well, this is probably the last time we see Pop in this building" and "Yes, we are really going to miss him after tonight"

Very weird.....

[G R E Y]

Meh I heard something like the commentator saying he hoped he'd see Pop there again and earlier how they hoped he'll be coaching for many years to come, words to that affect. They'd touched upon it at times throughout the broadcast about how he loved teaching, etc., was still getting all fired up at the refs.

You hear speculation sometimes from opponent broadcasts but I don't expect any of them to have insider info.

I don't get the impression anything is set in stone. Like I said before, let's see what the draft has in store...

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 100 CLIPPERS 138

Missing two starters on a road SEGABABA facing a near full opponent, some of our patterns showed early and late; our two worst points differential Qs are the 1ST and 4TH and that bore out as we lost them 41-25 and 34-19, respectively.

Without two starters who are our best all around defenders, we couldn’t do enough to stop the two main scorers who combined for 62 points on us. But in a 38-point deficit which started as a 16-point one after the 1ST Q, one in which we had fewer points by the end of the game than our opponent had after three Qs, our usual scoring efficiency that allowed us to stay in games was a bit lower to make up for the defensive lapses.

Sloppy play resulted in 12TOs, nine of which were on steals against, and we lost 26 points off of them; on average just about every turnover cost us points. A lot of those TO’s resulted in 4-5 point swings that added up quickly. Running back in transition D consistently continues to be an issue, and we have to know our opponent tendencies as we didn’t protect the ball well enough from all of the pokes and strips. Of course, one handed passes, telegraphed ones into too congested spaces, and weak loopy back passes are habits to curb as well. At times we make some basic basketball mistakes that are head scratchers, and in this one it was an over-and-back TO from an inbound.

Physicality was an element we needed to bring more of and whether it was because of the B2B or being a step behind we didn’t lay our bodies into opponents and make them think twice about having to take a hit. We only forced 5TOs even though we had a clear game plan that we executed fairly well. We doubled quickly in the low post and rotated decently as the ball was passed out. If anything, closing the space on the ball handler was solid, and the final contests were good, too, though sometimes, like in Tre’s case, there’s not much you can do when a much taller player shoots over him. He did everything right from timely doubling to tracking the passes, covering a lot of space and getting to the shooter. Can’t teach height. Other times we were mired in the scenario of five Spurs in the key with no one running out to contest. We freeze when we don’t communicate and get confused about who has to go where. We are actually 6th best with 32 3s attempts per game allowed but we rank last in 3s efficiency 40% against. So the 38 attempts on us were above our average and closer to league worst per game and the 18 makes on us for 47.4% is above our own shabby average.

It’s difficult with not only inexperienced personnel but revolving starting groups and missing best defenders so it’s like we’re running in place sometimes as we don’t have the continuity and uniform growth together. And frankly we also don’t have uniform effort on D which affects solidifying habits team wide; when one player doesn’t hold up his end the rest of the team has to make up for mistakes which at times lead to more.

Keldon led us in minutes, attempts and makes (7-13), FT’s (5-6), points (19) and +/- at -26. Keldon had moments of picking up nobody and instead moving into an empty space, jumping around telling others where to go as if he were in zone and the rest of us were in man D. So either four team mates were wrong or… yeah. He’s not our best defender, but it’s actually looked worse as the season is progressing. And while he also registered 3 boards (2 on O), and 3 assists, the way he’s been scoring – looking off team mates, not showing the best body language when team mates don’t pass him the ball – is increasingly filled with moments that are outside our team-oriented, movement, and extra pass schemes. He takes most of his 2s at 0-3ft and 3-10ft, each of which is at a 25% rate, and he makes them at a 65.8% and 41.1% efficiency respectively. The 0-3ft efficiency sounds high, but it’s actually third worst on our team. And for a player who leads us in usage at 28.1% his inconsistent glass use and erratic angles are frankly undisciplined which in year four is a bit puzzling considering less experienced players are already better at it. I’ve previously called out his handles, but he showed some lower dribbles, tighter handles, and used crossovers to beat his defender, something we’ve rarely seen and hopefully he incorporates more. But overall we need him to lead by example with a two-way, team-first game commitment and consistency.

Our other two regular starters, Tre and Jakob, are responsible defenders and held their own on O. Tre scored 8 on 4-10, 0-1 from 3 along with 2 boards, team high 4 assists. This was a better balance with the number of the shots he took. And though he got blocked again, he kept on driving. Relentlessness is becoming a defining characteristic of his play. Jakob faced another counterpart who has given him problems in the past but he was ready with better positioning and quick moves inside. After a slow start of not getting any shot attempts in the 1ST Q (we must do a better job involving him), we got him the ball more in the next two Qs and he finished with 10 on 5-9, 0-2FT (which came in the 1ST Q), 2 boards, and 3 assists. He only played one minute in the final Q so it was a matter of doing the most with the chances we set him up with. He bodied his counterpart well, but had to cover for a lot of earlier breakdowns.

Malaki struggled on O with 2-6, 1-2 from 3 (good) for 5 points. Good shot selection, once again finding shots in three levels. It’s good he is contributing in other ways more with 2 boards (1 on O), 3 assists, and 1 steal when his shot is not falling.

Diop continues to be a solid high floor two-way contributor who uses his length to disrupt defensively. On O he scored 13 on 4-8, 2-5 from 3, 3-6FTs along with 6 boards (1 on O), and 1 assist. He’s always steady and ready.

Roby led the bench with his season high 14 on 5-9, 2-2 from 3 2-3FTs along with 7 boards (team high 3 on O) and 2 assists. After playing sparingly, Roby got early game minutes coming into the game in the 1ST Q and he finished with 21 minutes, more than double his average per game this season. He did a good job playing within our system, finding team mates, making extra passes, fighting for rebounds. It was an infusion of energy and team-focused play that stood out. It’s tough being patient and staying ready, especially when he’s averaging half the minutes he’d been playing the previous two years. He made a good push for more minutes. Good for him.

Collins led us with 10 boards (2 on O), had 2 assists, and 1 block, a balanced contribution when his scoring efficiency, 3-8, 0-1 from 3, 1-1FT for 7 points, wasn’t on point. But we’re relying on him increasingly and he’s becoming more well rounded for us.

Our bigs had a strong collective game.

Stanley led us with 5TOs, almost half our total, in second fewest bench minutes (17). Maybe because he’s from CA and wanted to put on a good show or didn’t get enough rest in coming home or what but he kept making weak back passes that were easily picked off. His game has dipped on O but his D physicality bothers opponents and we rely on his steadiness.

Blake mirrored Malaki with three-level scoring attempts, and did a good job getting to the FT line as well. He scored 6 points on 2-5, 0-3 from 3, 2-4FTs as well as 2 boards, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 21 minutes, the highest he’s played so far.



We did a good job getting to the FT line but made only 18-28. Our FT efficiency has fluctuated so hopefully the floor gets raised as the season progresses. We did well on the boards with a 42-37 edge and 11-6 on O. With points in the paint being just about equal but 9-2 in steals against and 9-1 blocks against we had seven fewer shot attempts and much lower efficiency, so our O did not make up for the D - a pattern we need to keep working for a better balance in. Guys looking to get theirs or hiding their poor D for others to pick up the slack are not the habits we want creeping in. Limiting where and how we bleed points – careless passes and over-dribbling into trouble for TO’s, communication and effort on D, running back, boxing out, and really focusing on how we get them – making the most of steals, O boards, transition opportunities, and extra passes have to be part of building our foundations for the rest of the season. As always, post-game sportsmanship showed true class rising to the top.

[G R E Y]

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

In honour of connections:

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

“We played hard, but we got our butts kicked,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Hopefully, we learn some things game after game. We go home and start up again.”

Zach Collins said he and his teammates appreciate their coach’s positive approach.

“I’m sure it’s frustrating, coming from a lot of success and winning a bunch of championships,” Collins said. “But he doesn’t show that to us, though. He’s always very positive. He’s always telling us how to get better.”

And he knows when to praise and when to criticize.

“He rides a good line of not accepting that we are not winning right now and not being happy about it but understanding that everything is a process and he believes in it. He’s locked in and he’s bought in. We are lucky to have him.”

“He’s our best defender already at a young age,” Keita Bates-Diop said of Sochan, 19. “He does so much for us, all the little things, and they don’t always show up on the stat sheet....”

“It’s going to be a hell of a ride,” Wesley said of the future for him, Branham and Sochan. “I’m just excited and enjoying the process right now.”

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/triple-take-clippers-138-spurs-100-17745568.php