2019-2020 SEASON - GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 1: SPURS VS. KNICKS, 23-10-2019, 7:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

It's finally here! We're on the brink of the 2019-2020 season, and with a full, familiar group and a newly extended Dejounte there's renewed enthusiasm for our Spurs to make some noise. I rather like our being under the radar, though I have high expectations for our guys to have a great season. Here's to another exciting journey!

WHERE: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

WHEN: Wednesday, October 23, 2019, 7:30pm (CT)

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[-Sammy-]

Thanks for the great gameday thread to kick the season off, GREY 1769!

I'm excited for this season; I think there's a great combination of potential and sleeper-status for us to have an entertaining, surprising (not to us, but to 'them') year, and that slots perfectly into what I feel is the most exciting, intriguing field the NBA has given us in half a decade.

We never know what we're going to get from the Knicks from one season to the next, but I think they've made strides in their front office and on the bench, and I think they're committed to righting the ship, even if it takes a little while to do. Look for this young crew to give a big effort, and let's not sleep on them.

GO SPURS!

[Baphomet]

There aren't many better feelings than the first game of the NBA season. Let's make it a season to remember.

[imagump1313]

We have many reasons to be excited this year. I can't wait to see how it all unfolds!

Things I'm looking for tonight:

We need to play better defense than we did in the pre-season. It was pretty bad. With that said, it was the pre-season.

I hope people don't put too much into how Murray plays right off the bat. The kid has barely started any NBA games and IMO still pretty much a rookie in many ways. Not only does he need to acclimate himself into playing an NBA schedule with starter minutes, he needs to do it coming off a year long injury. I hope we see some flashes but I really don't think he will start playing consistently well until December if he has no setbacks. We really need his rebounding of all things to ask of a PG.

Aldridge looks as fit and trim as I've ever seen him. Even in Portland. I am hoping he has a big season.

Will DeRozan be determined after seeing his friends win a title and get their rings last night? Or will he run through the motions. He is good enough to run through the motions and still be a great player but if we want to do something special with him and this team, he has to be special and do things better than he has ever done before.

Will White regress this year with Murray back? I think playing for Team USA was a big deal for him confidence wise.

Will Forbes be more aggressive? I can handle some mistakes and turnovers if he is playing aggressively.

Can Patty Mills play like the FIBA Patty Mills just a little bit?

Can Poetl keep improving? And be more assertive?

Can Lonnie Walker prove he belongs or will he be bouncing back and forth to Austin again?

One more year away from the injury but another year older. Come on Rudy Gay! We need you.

[ducler]

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[G R E Y]

Looks like Trey is starting instead of Jakob.

Sloppy start, sort of feeling one another out.

Better to just run, focus, and get after it. Let's gooo!!!

[G R E Y]

DJ cooking on both ends, White too unselfish, LMA & DD look hungover. Better D, better transition, J's still need work. And FTs, too.

[G R E Y]

Beli the shooter ZERO attempts.

Lonnie no minutes.

Both of these need addressing.

We're not playing well yet have a chance to put it away in the second half. I hope Pop is lighting a fire under their collective heinies about shots and turnovers.

Let's gooo!!!!

[Kabookalu]

So is Carroll hurt or did he just not play?

[G R E Y]

So is Carroll hurt or did he just not play?

Not on IR, so the latter. Too bad Lonnie didn't get minutes either. I'd hoped in the third he'd play to bring some juice, but the regulars had to get themselves out of it. Metu didn't play either. Latter two looked a bit put off by it. But we had two new starters at least this game, and Lonnie and Metu are both in the third rotation. More guys to work into the rotation, which is a blessing. They'll get their minutes, starting with DC first, I think.

[-Sammy-]

I always avoid forming any opinions of any kind about an NBA season until every team has 10 games in the books, but in spite of the rough edges on this one, there were lots of bright-spot takeaways. Murray looked good in what I saw; Trey was a nice surprise. The fact that those two along with Jakob were all +9, which was also the final margin, is intriguingly-telling.

It's always good to start the season off with a win. We're undefeated, y'all!

[G R E Y]

How we got there needs some work, but what we did was enough to start the season positively and continue an amazing tradition:

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^Also, home openers.

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Though it's always a team effort, I'm not convinced we'd have overcome the brain cramps were it not for Dejounte, so here are his highlights. Wonderful to have him back leading the way!

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[G R E Y]

Not sure what it is about this opponent, but we, to put it kindly, don't play to the sum of our parts. We had good spurts, but 21 turnovers and having it stolen 16 times is unacceptable.

DeMar will bounce back, but his passive first half effort with lazy one handed passes and lolling about in empty space on defense were issues of fundamentals, focus, and effort. Frankly, a higher level in these is expected of the last guy on the bench, so the lack of it in the starting SF was uninspiring. To his credit, he had a better second half, got to the line and made his FTs, but it wasn't exactly a full 48 minutes of things he can control, so no sugar coating it.

Patty had an off shooting night, too. He's important to the team, but even he said that with more guards at our disposal he can go back to his more free game and spot up shooting. Patty knows the system and is a spark plug, and Beli is great moving off the ball and hitting his shots, but if he's not getting the shots or making them, it's harder to justify his minutes, especially with a hungry Lonnie in the wings. Still, Patty and Beli are the reliable distance shooters, and we had two new starters, so keeping consistency and introducing change gradually is ok.

I think the Patty - Beli line-up will gradually be phased down, especially if they keep combining for the game they had. It's great to have them at our disposal because they're distance spot-up shooters, but without over-relying on them for lack of options. We now have the luxury of introducing those other options at a pace that benefits everyone and raises the floor and ceiling over time.

Bryn was thrown into the fire last season and has earned his spot this season. DJ's driving and Bryn's outside threat compliment one another well. Bryn has better movement off-ball now too, and looks to drive when he can. Lights out reliable shooter, and without Davis, he is all the more important.

I would like to see at some point a DJ - Derrick pairing when we need it (they were paired in practice often enough, so it's something coaches are looking at even if we've yet to see it in games), but I understand why Derrick is the main backup PG right now. It's a strong one-two punch and there's good consistency in terms of defense. Like Bryn, Derrick was thrown into the fire last season (and FIBA for Derrick), and he has grown in terms of learning to run a team. His physical drives and crafty floaters are welcome in addition to his D. Still, with Dejounte back, you can see the leadership, passing decisions, and guys just aligning behind his effort in a way that makes him stand out as the head PG. I'll say it again: his contract will prove to be a steal. Nice to be on this side of one!

Trey quietly had a nice game, contributing more broadly with spot points, good positioning, and rebounding. I think we're moving away from single great-skill players to those who can impact in various ways. He's young so hopefully we can develop more of what he has to offer. He has a really nice shooting stroke at the FT line. I hope he'll gain some confidence and shoot more Js over time.

It was a guard dominant game, but LMA's day at the office production was still central if not garnering attention. I like what Jakob brought with O rebound deflections to keep possessions alive and better positioning in terms of knowing where to be and what to do there. And Rudy has a special inside-outside game that is unique because of his skillset / height combination that provides yet another look that makes defenses adjust and gives us an advantage.

Love the variety available for us, and better defense. If we can be mindful to run in transition more as the season progresses, and take advantage of simpler points (several times guys were in the air for layups and bizarrely made an extra pass - why?), we'll make it easier for ourselves. Looking for a more focused, locked in effort with a more fired up start next game. We have a lot more to show of how well we can play.

[The4thHorseman]

I just got done watching the game. Recorded it from the free preview on league pass so it was Spurs feed shown

Is it just me or was the picture from a far really crappy?? Looked blurry a lot of the time. Close up court view and FTA view was fine but from a far it was ****.

Definitely isnt my TV.

[G R E Y]

I just got done watching the game. Recorded it from the free preview on league pass so it was Spurs feed shown

Is it just me or was the picture from a far really crappy?? Looked blurry a lot of the time. Close up court view and FTA view was fine but from a far it was ****.

Definitely isnt my TV.

I watched the Spurs feed, too, and had no such issues. There have been rumblings in the past about league pass quality on the GB, though, so it may not be you but LP.