Post#6 » by G R E Y » Sun Dec 24, 2017 6:15 am
Well, Spurs deserved a lump of coal in their Christmas stocking for this one. Winnable game, but there's no bad opponent, only opponents you play badly against. Sean mentioned that keys to this game were to get LMA established and to stop Hood; LMA was limited to 11 shots and four makes for 11 points and six rebounds whereas Hood torched us for 29 points on 50% shooting (12-24), so, no and no. There may have been a third key, but my stream, much like the Spurs execution, was erratic. Maybe it was guard the 3 or the P&R or the opponent O rebounds, etc., but none of those were defended consistently either.
On the one hand, we had six players in double figures, including all five starters, on the other, the highest scorer, Forbes, had 12 points (it was good to see Bryn get his O game going again, 3-5FGs, 3-4 3s, 3-3FTs). On the one hand, we kept having runs to bring us within a point several times, on the other, Jazz responded each time with runs of their own. Each time we did the right things for stretches that brought us closer, we then got imposed upon and went away from what worked. First Q one-point deficit with a few minutes left ended with a 9-3 Jazz run; then their first five shots in the second Q were all 3s - it's sort of my main impression of that quarter, that and the missed bunnies because LMA and Joffrey didn't use the glass. Jazz bettered their first Q lead by 5 and we were down 50-38 at the half. The 38 points didn't bode well for us as the only other time we scored less than 40 points by the half (versus Magic) we lost the game. We finished the mid-way point shooting 37% to their 47% (including 50% from the 3), got outrebounded 24-17, and outscored by their bench 20 to our 6. The numbers reflect the lack of cohesion and rhythm on O and lack of communication on D.
We started the 3rd Q on an 11-1 run, but with all due respect to Lauvergne, he's not yet that guy who can step in to Pau's role and not have a gap, at least not this game. He hit nothing in the second half, and LMA couldn't do it all by himself. As imagump mentioned, so many frustratingly easy points were lost with Lauvergne's misses. He's a bit of an enigma, because he muscles for rebounds and sometimes dunks, but other times he plays like a small 6'11", if you know what I mean. Just too much pivoting and trying to shoot over towering defenders that left Pop pacing and venting on the sidelines. Then again, LMA and Anderson (a combined 6-7 inside), and Patty (4-5, including three 3s) gave us a teasing 72-70 deficit at the end of the Q.
Jazz hit two 3s to start the fourth, and there went another chance to get a lead. We brought it down to one again a third of the way into the Q with Bertans' 3 and Parker's incredible drives and smooth J that carved up the Jazz. Still, Tony couldn't do it all himself. LMA and Lauvergne combined 0-4 in the fourth - too few makes, too few shots. Rudy missed 3 of 4 attempts as well. So they met our initial 9-0 run with a 9-2 of their own. We hit a scoring drought for about four minutes until Rudy hit a bucket with just under 3 minutes left. Combine that with the last five minutes being the Rodney Hood show and that's game for the Jazz.
It was good to see Kawhi hit the 20 minute playing mark. He did well on 4-8 shooting for 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. His shot, though it's falling at a good rate overall, looks flatter than usual, especially at the FT line. Maybe it's just been too long and my memory's playing tricks thinking his shot used to have a bit more arc to it. Anderson, like Kawhi, can provide a bit of everything on both ends, a smart player who's a steady presence for us. Can't wait for him to get more of a chance to show it again.
Balanced minute distribution helped offset new guys in the line-up so they got a chance to settle in and get comfortable which they did sporadically. Pau out of the line-up was tough, though. He was a cog for so many good things we did in the previous game, including a deadly synchronicity with LMA. We had too many stagnant stretches with quick shots, and passing that didn't generate open opportunities. Pop and Patty, I think, were kind in saying that we needed better mental focus. Then again, more of a carrot than stick approach may be what they're going for in a time when you need guys to fill in and show what they've got rather than when they're fighting for minutes on a fully healthy team.
Like us, Jazz were down key players, but established their game with the next player in stepping up (Hood and four others were in double figures). If their pace (74 shots to our 78), P & R, finding the open guy, penetration, 3 shooting , and FT shooting (20-24 for 83.3% to our 11-16 for 68.8%) seemed familiar, it's because they essentially out-Spurs-ed us (edging us 41-38 in rebounding, 18/12 assists/TOs to our 14/14) . I look forward to Spurs regrouping and playing like we know they can.
Didn't like the 'mental mistakes' mostly because they were self-imposed, but I still love this team, knowing their foundation and character. GO SPURS!
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop
#XX
