SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 58: SPURS AT PELICANS, 12-2-2022, 6PM (CT)

[imagump1313]

LOL, I knew there was no way Walker was passing when he got it with 7 seconds left

[G R E Y]

Sure sure Lonnie. You go ahead and kick out your legs like you're doing air splits to foul bait and for it to back fire on you at the end of the Q. Brilliant.

[G R E Y]

3RD Q: SPURS 98

PELS 82

Very solid 10-point Q win here on the foundation of D to O transition, picking up of our energy, driving at them far more to get to the FT line, and hitting some timely shots.

Our bench has been providing terrific support tonight.

[G R E Y]

LONNIE ENDS THE RD Q WITH A TO AND STARTS THE 4TH Q WITH AN IN AIR PASS TO. BRILLIANT.

[G R E Y]

GET OUR STARTERS IN, POP

[G R E Y]

OK. GOOD JOB LONNIE STAYING IN FRONT OF CJ TO PREVENT THE EASY PASS AND THEY TO IT. GOOD JOB.

[G R E Y]

**** OFF LONNIE WITH YOUR ONE AND DONE EARLY CLOCK 3 AFTER WE JUST STOLE THE BALL!!!

[G R E Y]

DJ's understanding of the game is growing by leaps and bounds. Reads their adjusted defense, reads their double or big switch and that they're not blitzing him, and take their C time and again.

[imagump1313]

DJ's understanding of the game is growing by leaps and bounds. Reads their adjusted defense, reads their double or big switch and that they're not blitzing him, and take their C time and again.

I really don't want to go overboard on him like everyone seems to be doing since he made the All-Star team, but his consistency on offense the last 2 games is what's won them for us. Both games you could see us going off the rails and letting teams back in the game then he settles in and hits a couple of necessary shots until we get our composure back.

He also has grown and doesn't pop off in media like he used to. He seems focused now and humbled. He doesn't tell us what he is going to do anymore, he does it. I'm impressed with what he is turning into.

[Phreak50]

I thought Walker played well.

I still have faith he'll work it all out one day.

I no longer see him as a potentially very good player but he can still be a good one.

Every team in the league would take him on a not too big contract. I hope we keep him.

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 124

PELICANS 114

Well a SEGABABA win was the dessert to yesterday's tasty dish, made all the sweeter versus a team with tall talent and bulkier bigs, both of which have challenged us.

DJ's absolutely (forgive me) cooking right now. He feels the moments of when to step up and take over to score, knows where his guys will be for quick passes (so he doesn't waste any time), is aware of time and situation better, and has the right pass/shot balance each game. What great flow by and from him. Team high 31 on 13-22 (timely picking of his spots of when to take over and pour in his O), 2-4 from 3, 3-3FTs, with 7 boards, 12 assists, 2 steals. He truly is the cog that keeps us turning.

And while I was busy micro-criticizing Lonnie's every move, he actually had many good moments tonight. Defensively he was absolutely spot on in terms of fulfilling the assignment which for specific spots was staying with CJ regardless of where he was on the court. We've made the mistake in other games of allowing the hot hand to get the pass back easily and keep torching us so it was good to see us making this adjustment. And Lonnie fulfilled it very well, even forcing a TO with his shadow D. We made it harder for their dominant new scorer. Job well done.

I think with Lonnie I've seen the same mistakes so many times that when he makes them I have a bigger reaction. He baffles. That said, I'm surprised gump and Phreak are still willing to give him a chance. He's sort of becoming to me what Bryn was to gump. Yes Lonnie has way more physical talent, and yes, he's made improvements with his engagement when off ball, on D, and in passing. But each year he's also slipped in efficiency in 2s and 3s, and still ranks last on the team in finishing at the rim from players who get regular minutes. It's astonishing.

That said, fair play to give credit where it's due. Lonnie had a great game, drove well, didn't hold onto the ball that long in making decisions, even if his decisions are still suspect. Those **** one and done 3s, contested, early in the shot clock are the absolute worst when the opponent is on a run and closing the gap in our lead. He just can't **** help himself. And there I go again lol

I'll try again. Lonnie was our most impactful bench player. gump was right in that few minutes in one game of the back-to-back meant more in the next, but that was also dependent on Lonnie playing well. In 30 minutes, he scored 17 points on 8-13, 1-5 from 3, weirdly no FTs or rebounds, but 2 assists. I think we're back to giving him specific tasks for him to focus on so he doesn't spread to thin or try to hard to do too much and end up forcing it and making those weird mistakes he's prone to. He still had them, predictably after good plays, but we had enough of a cushion to absorb them. It's telling that DJ said post-game that Lonnie is special and just needs to believe it. We'll see how he handles it.

Devin is handling the starting role with expected ups and downs in efficiency but also providing steady D and showing new moves on O with each game. Small sample size, but here's how he's doing so far:

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This is already helping to fill the void that Derrick's departure left since he was second on the team in drives. So the work he does, along with Lonnie and others, will be important here.

Unlocking the growing facets of his O game is a wonderful and welcome addition to our starting group. In this game he played 31 minutes and scoured 14 on 5-12, 3-6 from 3 to go along with 4 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

Our back court is now taller and longer, still has 3 and D and even more of it, younger, at least in this game taking and making more 3s (this trend has to keep up), and long-term arguably more versatile. Love his game, and watching his confidence grow as his instincts and skills are honed.

We haven't used Jakob on O as much the last couple of games. He scored 7 points on 3-7, 1-2FTs, missing some pop-a-shots in the key he normally makes. Perhaps fatigue from the previous game's banging versus bigs, and he continued it in this game. He was a team high +14 for a reason. His 11 boards (team high 5 on O), along with 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks - some of the running down from behind and help D variety - were timely and crucial to not only getting stops but pushing the ball in transition for points the other way. This is a big benefit of Jakob being more mobile. On the whole, it's a fair trade off of not having him bulk up.

His bench counter part, Jock, filled in well, especially with us missing Keita and Zach, who does not yet play on back-to-backs. Zach's been looking a bit uncoordinated with less bounce and touch at the rim. More minutes after such a long absence will make for quicker fatigue, so there are benefits beyond his ankle to the rest.

Anyway, Jock stretched the floor for us, making 10 on 4-10, 1-4 from 3, 1-2FTs, along with 2 boards and 1 assists in 19 minutes of play that also allowed Jakob to rest. I like how Jock attacks the rebounds and plays with a blend of physicality and skill to give us a different look than what Jakob provides. I thought our front court would be overmatched but we managed to mitigate their bigs advantage with pressure on their guards as well as collapsing to seal up the paint whenever the passes got through.

Keldon uncharacteristically struggled from the 3 making only 2-8 but still provided 16 points on 6-13, 2-2FTs, an effort which made up for lack of efficiency. He kept driving, running out in lanes, getting after rebounds, just finding ways to try to help the team while figuring out ways to score. He got 2 boards, 1 assist (hopefully this continues to get better), and 2 steals. He did allow drives into the key rather than angling them outside of it. He's doing a better job in having his arms up on D and fighting over screens even if at times he's still a bit late in responding to run out to contest. The right steps are there.

Doug will never be accused of being a D-first guy, but he too has gotten better in keeping his arms out on D and trying to stay with guys on drives and bodying up enough on post ups to give us time to rotate over on help D. His main contribution is obviously on O and he did just that: 15 on 4-10, 4-8 from 3, 3-3FTs plus 2 boards. Off ball movement, drives, 3s. Great fit for what we run, and was a +13 doing it all.

Pop ran a mostly nine man unit, with Tre and Primo filling the other two bench roles. Primo looks to be getting regular minutes now. With that he at times looks like the rookie he is, over-matched in some moments, looking to show his game in others. He chipped in 9 on 2-2, 1-1 from 3, 4-4FTs, along with 1 O board, 1 assist, 1 steal. He was more within himself rather than trying to overplay and over shoot, and he drove well, too, another player who can fill in the driving gap, and with hi 4-4FTs he led the team in attempts and makes at the line. He took some contact on those drives too and still finished, so these are positives. He still makes those one handed passes, and at times gets burned by more experienced scorers, but the talent is undoubtedly there.

Tre is looking increasingly like the SL confidence is returning. He finishes with higher arcs off the backboard on drives, he drives more, and shows some crafty moves at the rim. He scored 5 points on 2-4, 0-1 from 3, 1-2FTs, along with bench high 4 boards (1 on O) and bench high 3 assists in 16 minutes. Ever the hound dog on D, he was relentless. If he can develop his 3 shot, it will really help our bench. As it stands it is already more balanced, and with Tre manning the point in ways we can rely on and trust increasingly, it allows DJ some good rest without a big drop off from one unit to another.

We did a good job of fighting over screens, of shadowing perimeter players, of sealing up the key when passes were made inside, and of switching and rotating well to close contest gaps. So the opponent missed a fair share of open shots, but our pesky D ensured that enough contesting was effecting their effort. It also helped us push the ball in transition: 13-9 in fast break points, 15-5 in points off TOs in our favour.

We actually won the points in the paint, too, 50-42, and that was affected by another terrific night from the arc where we made 14-37, both numbers well above our average. Most were within the flow of our passing and movement system, and in driving more in the second half, we improved from 4-7FTs in the first 24 minutes to finishing at 16-19FTs to close the gap.

Just a solid all around effort that resulted in a big enough lead to absorb their end of game run, one which we didn't really expend a lot of energy stopping, but running the clock deftly and protected the ball to allow the inevitable result to come. So our 19-point lead ended up being 10 at the end. No matter. The result is what counts, and given we were on the second of a back-to-back on travel no less, it was a stellar effort and result.

It was on the foundation of a very good start on both ends and imposing our game more, as well as ensuring we made a strong push in the 3RD Q, two patterns we haven't always done, but good to see our recognition of their importance and responding to it.

There's surely lingering emotions, but our response to some big changes has on the whole been a huge positive. More minutes for more players, bigger roles, and they're channeling that energy into good two-way play. I can't wait to see how we grow from here.