Post#6 » by G R E Y » Fri Jan 10, 2020 10:44 am
This was a really solid backing of our previous game, and some encouraging signs yet going forward.
We had to respond well to the last time we played together, and so we started and stayed focused, executed the game plan, and weathered a run and some chaos to get a hard earned win on the road.
Signs of our consistent play was evident in our 28 assists, these pretty much evenly distributed throughout the four Qs. We had really good off-ball and ball movement in our more space-friendly O, lots of cuts, back door and especially weak side, for many good-to-great looks and four quarters with at least 30 points. We did really well to offset and complement one another this game in our adjusted schemes.
With LMA stepping our farther beyond the arc, though he did not connect well from distance (still a good 5-11 overall), that he has been of late still made the opponent game plan and get attention from there and drew defenders away from over-focusing on Bryn. Gone was the extra stutter step hitch when he released his shot, and he was able to shoot a very good 4-9 from 3 (5-10 overall). He even led the team with 6 assists. We had eight players with assists, and at six with at least 4 assists each. Joining him in a resurgent game on O was Trey with a perfect scoring night (4-4, 1-1 from 3) to go along with 5 rebounds, a steal and a block.
The fulcrum, DJ, is becoming an increasingly steadier presence and blending well with the starters. Efficient on O (5-9), finding others (4 assists), and a steady defensive presence (2 steals). Compared to how he looked in the beginning of the season, he's come quite a way, and there's lots of room to grow. One simple improvement is finishing his sinuous drives with fundamentals off the glass.
One of the biggest benefactors of more space and passing is DeMar, whose efficiency numbers have gone from very good to great. He led six Spurs in double figures with 31 on 10-17 and 11-11FTs, plus 6 boards, 4 assists, and a steal. He played with a steadiness seeing his spots ahead of time and picking apart defenses to orchestrate his shots. It's a pleasure to watch him show his craft - the footwork, the swing through versus certain defenders, spins, drives splitting defenders, simple going over screens, post-ups, trailing cuts and finishing with fundamentals using the glass. Solid, smart body of work reading and responding to defenses. And I like the influence he has on our PGs and guards who look to create space and value the mid-range game in getting to elbows and top of key for Js, floaters at the edges of the paint, crafty drives, etc. The more variety they can add in honing their craft the better.
LMA occupying space farther out more has lowered his rebounding numbered a bit, but team-wide we picked up the slack and once again won the board battle 49-39 (8-8 on O boards), with DJ leading the starters with 7, and Jakob leading the bench unit with 8 and a team-high 4 on O. Rudy struggled to score (his game's been on and off like that for a while) but he contributed with 7 rebounds.
Whereas LMA and Bryn hitting 3s from one game to the next, Rudy and Derrick seem to alternate having good O games. Playing so well within himself and his own inner rhythm, Derrick picked his spots to operate in and around the edges of the paint for a very efficient 5-6, and bench-high 5-5FTs as well as matching LMA for team-high 2 blocks. Three of his shots were from off the dribble and finding space off of screens, and the two down low from bigs passes (a really deft one from Jakob up top to a cutting Derrick was a great look and finish for the duo).
DJ and Derrick were on the whole terrific which offset Patty's cooling off at 3-7 (plus 4 assists) but his constant movement and spark plug energy propelled our O and kept us moving and defenses off balance. Jakob is now consistently at the 13-14 minutes of playing and he's packing in more plays especially defensively: 8 boards, 4 assists, 1 block. I love those plays with PGs as he rolls to the rim beside the PG dribbling and as he gets the pass he has the option to drive (as he's done in the past) and now has added swinging it out to the weak side corner for open 3s. His passing in our sets is getting better. Smooth, at good pace, and in the right spots for shooters to quickly release it.
Enter Lonnie. Turning on a gear for strong creative drives? Check. Elbow Js? Check. Threes? Check. Defensively responsible? Check. He is better at reading defenses and picking them apart and using his skills in a variety of ways so he's a multi-level threat. I'm impressed with how quickly Lonnie is able to get defenders off balance and then recover his own for great form on his shots. Much has been made of Lonnie's minutes, that he hasn't gotten nearly enough of them consistently enough, but the argument that he would be giving this same kind of production on both ends all along does not stand. He had to earn them by improving in the consistency of his effort, in defending, in using his athleticism in different ways, and in getting others involved. He isn't the same player who was on a tight leash and on the receiving end of tough lessons. It's not just the what - more minutes - but the how and why that coaches are there to teach and instill, and he's flourishing now with a more complete game.
Even though our 3 wasn't falling, we still maintained a higher shooting rate, almost hitting the 30 attempts mark with 9 of them (making 4) in the 4th Q. That more guys are taking and making them is a big benefit to us and helps the creators in between the basket and arc, too. When we spread the floor we could handle their doubling LMA or our PGs and did well to come to the ball and help as well as pass out of doubles. Moments of the beautiful game were evident in some pretty passing and scoring. There's a lot to be said for variety of shot making that defenses have to prepare for, but aren't necessarily as adept at defending in the modern game. It's why LMA's post-ups and our mid-range game is so effective in addition to adding more 3s to the mix.
We did a much better job of getting to the FT line in the second half. After a 3-3FT first half output, we finished with 24-26. A handful of those came in a single stretch in the 3rd Q when Kemba got ejected, their coach got a tech, and one of our players got fouled. It was a messy series of events that riled up the crowd and ended with a some moronic nutjob throwing his full can or beer onto the court that landed right in front of our bench. I didn't notice it in real time, but the replay showed how close it came and how lucky we were not to have had anyone injured. There is no excuse for such stupidity, and now we know why most other places don't serve beer in cans. Jesus.
So we began the 3rd well enough, an improvement, but a mid-3rd Q let down in focus and ball protection threatened to swing the game. They cut our big lead down to 6 at that point and that series of events could have unnerved and unraveled a team a number of ways, but it actually focused us on the task at hand and we went on a 17-3 run and didn't look back. Basketball-wise, it was a good test to see how we'd respond to the tension and execute despite the distractions.
We won the points in the paint battle 50-36, but gave up 19 points in our 15 turnovers (getting 14 points off of their 15 TOs) as well as being on the wrong end of 15-11 fast break points. On a night when our shooting wasn't as hot, and we made some TO mistakes, it was good to see our D step up. Nine steals and six blocks tells part of the story. To a man we did well to stay in front of drivers and give our help D time to come over. Bryn did a good job with his full court press of their PGs to pester and slow them down so credit to him. In doing both, we forced shooters to pass to secondary options and communicated well throughout.
It would still be good for us to get to the point of getting to the ball right at the pass gets there at the latest, and 3 coverage is still a work in progress - too many open attempts for them, but when we o close out, I like those run outs for side contests so as to not get called for fouls of landing into a shooter's space. It's tricky because once a guy commits he's out of the play, but much of the time it's a good contest. On the whole, you could tell the guys were focused on good positioning - wide stance, arms out - and moving their feet and maintaining good angles to make things difficult for ball handlers and shooters.
I really like Pop's tighter rotations, with starters ranging from 12-16 first half minutes, and the bench unit 7-12 in that time. DeMar (34) and LMA (32) usually lead us in minutes but team-wide the distribution was well balanced, as was who played. With Lonnie now getting up to and around 20 minutes, Beli's have been reduced a lot, and that's just how it is when we have other guys contributing and needing time to grow their games. We haven't really seen a drop off in 3 production team-wide. Beli in many ways duplicates what Bryn brings (though Beli's off-ball movement is superior), and when Bryn hasn't been hitting his shots, having another guy who could step up and fill that role has been the idea on paper. But given their struggles, we've chosen the 3-by-committee approach to good effect. It's what's best for the team right now, and we're developing good chemistry at just the right time.
This was an important win for us, one in which we didn't over-rely on hot shooting but worked to create and stop shots, so it's a matter now of using this as a springboard for the next game.
The Spurs Way
Thinking of you, Pop
#XX
