SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 67: SPURS VS. THUNDER, 12-3-2023, 6PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

Blake's lone basket comes on a late game O board tip in. Looked relieved and mystified. Poor guy. Goes from Austin GOAT to San Antonio GOOSE. That's the game. Have to just put it behind him and get up for the next one.

[imagump1313]

Doubt we catch Houston or Detroit at this point, even though Detroit is still really trying to win games because they are stupid.

We have a 3.5 game lead on Charlotte but we have 3 in hand. I almost guarantee Charlotte goes on about a 10 game skid as a last chance effort. They have 22 wins so as long as we dont get cute and stay under 22 we will be ok.

[Phreak50]

Rested 3 starters. Still think we aren’t actively tanking Grey?

Also disappointing with SGA. Sat out 26 games last year and will have sat 15-20 this year by the time the seasons is done.

Doing the diva Kawhi thing where he plays part time. Weak minds want full pay and want to be rated highly when too scared to play back to backs.

Screw this joke of an era.

[G R E Y]

Rested 3 starters. Still think we aren’t actively tanking Grey?

Also disappointing with SGA. Sat out 26 games last year and will have sat 15-20 this year by the time the seasons is done.

Doing the diva Kawhi thing where he plays part time. Weak minds want full pay and want to be rated highly when too scared to play back to backs.

Screw this joke of an era.

Why bother?

Playing players who've been playing through injuries (Keldon, who just retweaked it) so as to not strain them? Tre is out with a non-Covid illness. I suppose you think Malaki leaving the game was gamesmanship, too.

You're imputing motives about fear or missing the parts about these very players playing through their health issues. Why play them when they're not fully healthy?

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SGA is not playing B2Bs to manage his treatment, too. He played yesterday. His team won both games.

But really why bother watching this or any team when you have such disdain towards so much of 'this era'?

[imagump1313]

Rested 3 starters. Still think we aren’t actively tanking Grey?

Also disappointing with SGA. Sat out 26 games last year and will have sat 15-20 this year by the time the seasons is done.

Doing the diva Kawhi thing where he plays part time. Weak minds want full pay and want to be rated highly when too scared to play back to backs.

Screw this joke of an era.

I understand what you're saying but honestly at this point, even if we were actually trying to win games we are eliminated from the play-in anyway so we have the perfect built-in excuse to rest anyone.

This is both the easiest and hardest time of year to lose. Easier, because we are eliminated already so there is no point in pushing anyone to play. Harder, because 60% of the league doesn't give a crap about winning games now also.

Its soo frustrating sitting here rooting for us to lose every night, only to see the team we are playing trying to lose even harder than we are.

The last 2 commissioners have turned this league into professional wrestling. It needs a giant overhaul to become actual basketball again.

Yes it is a joke era, until you realize that most of these players care much less about winning games than any fan does. Then it makes sense. Its about how much money they make, how much the league makes and gambling money now.

All of them are making soo much money that none of them really care what we think.

Unless any of the above changes we are stuck with it.

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 90 THUNDER 102

Post-game, Pop said we are not the type of team that can spot an opponent 10 points like we did in the 1ST. True to one of our patterns, our two lowest output Qs, the 1ST and 4TH had us chasing our opponent.

What variance from one game to the next. We just scored 128 on 94FGAs (four more than our opponent) and followed it up with 90 on 88FGAs (7 fewer than our opponent). A 38-point swing can be explained in part by who we had available, and in part the roles they play.

Central to our style of play is movement and distribution among player strengths. Without Tre who is the best at running point and finding team mates, we managed 24 assists, a slower, more slog-like pace, and too many late-clock heaves as a result. It just goes to show how important a pass-first PG is to our system, one sound in various passing fundamentals. With Malaki struggling then leaving due to injury, Blake only finding a lone basket (that on an O board putback) in 12 tries, and Romeo only getting 1-2 chances, we still lost by 12 despite Graham’s 20 points.

I don’t love that he was second in minutes played (32), first in FGAs with 16, first in 3s attempted with 11 (!), but really what other options were available to Pop given the circumstances? Blake (30) and Romeo (26) were top two in bench minutes, respectively already, with the former essentially getting starter minutes for the departed fellow rookie. Blake did lead us with 6 assists, so despite pushing it to score at times to the detriment of leaving open team mates, I did like that he kept finding ways to contribute. He also had 4 boards (1 on O) and a block. Post-game, Graham said that Blake is in the gym almost every night. Love hearing that.

Graham does provide some juice and we needed some energy shifts given that were didn’t have Tre’s dishing ability, Sochan’s movement off ball and his ability to find team mates with it, and Keldon’s bully finishing which gives us a more balanced inside-out attack.

Both teams made 10 3s on similar attempts but we lost points at the FT line (14-19 to their 20-23) and PITP (42 to their 46), and had 19TOs which cost us 17 points.

We didn’t have many efficient players so Collins’ consistency was a relief. He was the highest scoring backup C and now since the trade:

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A game after he got kicked out for going after a guy who taunted him, Collins got two quick fouls in the 1ST. He settled in for the rest of the game, though, and had 20 points by the 3RD Q. He finished with a team high 23 on 7-14, 4-5 from 3, a shot that’s looking more confident on those top-of-arc pick and pops, 5-5FTs, 11 boards (2 on O), and 4 assists. He made terrific over the top high-low passes and pin point bounce passes to cutters, and was the recipient of several good ones on P&Rs and pops. He’s an increasingly aware facilitator and assertive scorer inside and out for us. Patience is paying off.

Diop the good, co-ordinated version showed well scoring 13 on efficient 5-7, 1-3 from 3, 1-2FTs, 7 boards (2 on O), and 4 assists. He’s quietly reliable whatever role he’s given. It’s important to have guys like that on the team.

Devin was hounded by their D all game and despite his getting to his middy spots, he was contested much of the night. Without three other starters, he was clearly the shut-down target. He had less time and space to get his shot off. He was 2-10, 0-2 from 3. Of those, only two were drives at the rim (one of which he made) and the remaining six around the elbows. I’m sure he’s still getting his legs under him and getting his rhythm back. Hopefully he’ll drive more and we get him more chances on back door cuts at the rim as well. He also contributed with 6 boards (2 on O), 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Doug led the bench with 11 but he came down to earth a bit as these were on 5-13, 1-4 from 3. I did like that we got him multiple chances, fully utilizing his movement ability. He got chances in three levels, and although he missed all three of his non-paint 2s, he did make 4-5 in the paint, including 2-3 in the restricted area. He got 1 board, but that he had 4 assists was a good sign for us.

Doug was the only bench player to make a 3 despite four of five reserves attempting at least one. So on the one hand his value stands out, and on the other I do like that we have a bench full of guys who can take and make them. Bassey was the only one to not attempt one from deep. We know he has the range as he’s shown it in Austin. He’s working his way to stretching the floor as he solidifies other areas; he had 8 points on 3-5, 2-4FTs along with 6 boards (2 on O), 1 assist, and a team high 2 blocks in only 15 minutes. We have guys like Diop, Doug, and Bassey who are, you can say, stars in their roles, and with lots of floor spacing room to grow for Bassey in particular.

Knowing your role and trying to shine in as the rest of your game grows is so important. I like that each guy looks for ways to contribute. Mamu wasn’t efficient (1-6, 0-3 from 3) but he led the bench with 7 boards (1 on O), led the team in FT attempts making 4-6, and got 1 block in 17 minutes.

Our bench, usually a dependable support, was outscored 40-29.

Because we were missing guys who keep the ball moving, we got stagnant. Diop picked up his dribble early, Romeo did, too, as he got caught on a double screen just after passing half court. It’s times like these we have to be more cognizant of helping team mates out and come to the ball quicker and at better angles to get passes. Awareness of the situation and movement, movement, movement. The ball pressure led to all those TOs but there are things we can do off ball to help one another and maintain possession better.

Speaking of helping, Pop got a tech for fuming at the ref on a Collins non-call after getting hit by two defenders. I love that he sticks up for guys especially those who keep putting their body into it. I think it means a lot to the players that Pop will take one for them, especially after Collins took one for the team and got tossed in the previous game.

It was nice to see that our attendance was 94% for this game after seeing some empty seats in the lower levels early in the game. I wonder how many fans were caught off guard by the time change? Anyway, good Sunday crowd, supportive throughout the game. Considering the rebuild, it’s nice to have the support. Fans understand the directive, and when we hustle and play hard, they cheer us on. Big picture on the court and in the stands.

[G R E Y]

POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

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