SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 64: SPURS VS. KINGS, 3-3-2022, 7:30PM (CT)

[imagump1313]

Same thing all season. We can get close but our defense is soo bad we get down 10 missing 2 shots in a row.

[G R E Y]

Even usually reliable on D Diop is lackadaisical. What the **** is going on with you, Spurs?!

[imagump1313]

Walker totally got bailed out there LOL. Good challenge by Gentry

Poeltl had a dunk there too if he just gives it up...

[G R E Y]

DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE AT THEM, SPURS!!!!!!!

[G R E Y]

What the **** did I just say, DJ??!

[G R E Y]

**** molasses on both ends. I HATE when we play like this. It's like we think oh well it's only this team we've got this but we don't actually do anything to get it and here we are.

I don't know who the **** we think we are, like our **** doesn't stink, but we're stinking it up.

[imagump1313]

LMAO, McDermott orange cone defense....

[G R E Y]

2ND Q: SPURS 51

KINGS 64

They finish the Q on a 7-0 run as our feet grew roots and our minds fogged over.

Honestly, what a **** **** effort. It's embarrassing.

We keep settling for 3s and are fouling them on their drives rather than driving hard at them and running hard back on D.

We're being outcompeted by a team that is on a SEGABABA which also had travel issues.

If they players aren't bothering to put in any effort, I'll be damned if I expend any on their behalf.

Do everything better, Spurs! EVERYTHING! And it starts with some energy and urgency. There were like two plays that got the crowd going. They need to see something worthy of the money they paid for the tickets to support something that looks like we give a ****.

[G R E Y]

3RD Q: SPURS 82

KINGS 88

From abysmal start of getting down by 19 to hopeful finish of ending this Q on a 8-0 run and cutting their lead to definitely within striking distance.

It's amazing what some good D and baskets in transition can achieve.

We must make our FTs. We must get all rebounds. We must push at them.

[G R E Y]

TWO CHANCES TO SCORE AND WE SETTLE FOR TWO OUTSIDE SHOTS TO START THE 4TH Q.

MAKE THAT THREE OUTSIDE SHOTS TO START THE 4TH Q.

[G R E Y]

Zach looks so bad on those spin dribbles. Loses the ball in the key or gets it easily stolen so often...

[imagump1313]

Zach looks so bad on those spin dribbles. Loses the ball in the key or gets it easily stolen so often...

Yeah, I'm afraid we aren't going to get much out of him until next year if he has a healthy summer

[G R E Y]

How are we so dumb still in end of game execution?

[imagump1313]

How are we so dumb still in end of game execution?

We are dumb the entire game. We just notice it more at the end of the game lol

[G R E Y]

NOW WE **** HIT 3S... **** OFF.

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 112

KINGS 115

I don't even know where to begin.

How about with the appropriate respect for the game, for the opponents who we clearly took too lightly, and for ourselves? How about for Pop?!

We won the second half but so what? After we got the lead up to 4 twice, they went on an 11-3 run and stayed ahead.

DJ attempted but ONE 3 up until he hit the two late in the game. That's not good enough from him.

Up until that point, Devin was the only starter to hit a 3. He made 4-9.

I don't think Doug and Keldon are injured so I can only assume their sub-20 minutes of play was due to getting benched and rightfully so. Neither hit a 3 on which they combined 0-5, and together made 2-11 for a whopping 6 points between them. **** the effort of both. And it's not even the **** efficiency, it's the **** shot selection and execution. No drive to go down hill - I don't recall Keldon making any sort of bully ball drive all game (there was more effort and energy on a single dunk from practice footage than he gave all game) and then there was Doug with his awkward sideways falling backwards contested hook shot miss.

Jakob was solid and stood up well to his counterparts but he got NO help from his bigs teammates. Zach was 2-2 and Diop was 0-2. They combined for 9 boards (2 on O between them) to Jakob's 6 boards (2 on O).

We finished 12-32 from 3 with only three Spurs making any all game until DJ made the two late in the game. Still, that's poor, especially with not getting any from the two players who shoot it best for us.

We were outhustled for O rebounds by a team on a SEGABABA and with travel issues getting to SA. They won the overall battle 49-39 and crucially on O boards 9-6, and with timing being nearly everything, they got some key second chances late in the game to take and keep the lead. **** that effort, Spurs.

Only Doug and DJ made FTs from the starters. Keldon got to the FT line but once, missing both. Tre went 1-4 although he did look better and more controlled and assertive driving to the basket making 3-4.

Primo looked like he was playing more within himself and made a couple of gutsy shots, making 2-3, 1-1 from 3 (off his own dribble).

DJ may have scored 29 /12 (1 on O) /7 but he was -8 for a reason. Poor balance of passing and scoring selection, calling his own number too often on one and done plays, not moving the ball nearly as well, and not pushing it vertically nearly enough. FIVE of our 11 TOs were by him. Unacceptable.

I could only find the away commentary stream, and although Lonnie had a great O game and frankly kept us in it, they did say about Lonnie, "He kept the 'i' and threw all the other vowels away." That is PERFECT summation of him during his scoring streak. Perfect. Part of the issue with bench scoring is shot distribution. Lonnie had 20 **** shots and no one else sniffed more than 4FGAs (Tre). Two Spurs had 3 shots, two others had 2.

This is NOT Spurs basketball. This is Lonnie I-me-mine ball because my contract negotiation is up this summer. And again, the makes kept us in it, and the makes make up for a lot of our mistakes, and the makes cover for the going away form our system, but the TAKES - the attempts - they expose how badly our bench is unbalanced right now because he's a **** ball hog.

Then what happens is the other players who barely touch the ball rush or don't pass it along and take awkward shots - thirsty so you take the drops you get to quench your thirst. It's very poor basketball with him in the game, again, even with him making these now. His habit of getting so many early led to his takin gso makny late and it was late when he was missing them: 0-4 in the 4TH Q, ALL LONG SHOTS FROM THE MOST ATHLETIC PLAYER WE HAVE, WHO ONLY GOT TO THE FT LINE ONCE, MAKING 1-2.

This is at least as much a complement as it is not. And it is a telling comment. His teammates see it. Commentators of other teams see it. Surely our coaches see it:

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DEFENSE: I don't even know where to begin. When we bothered to play any, we actually forced shot clock violations, bad passes and got steals. Then there were all the other times when we got beaten down the middle, when help D was late, when we didn't move our feet but instead reached in TIME AND AGAIN to foul them TIME AND AGAIN.

They went at us early and often and it accumulated so that by the end of the game when we had to foul them they had a ton of practice, making 27-32.

We instead made, wait for it...8-16FTs. In a THREE POINT GAME. We shot FIFTY PERCENT - FROM THE FT LINE. We went full Jakob mode team wide.

So in a game where we took more shots (93-84), MADE more shots (46-39), in which we MADE two more 3s in the same number of attempts, and in which we got 9 steals to their 6, 4 blocks to their 2 (again timing being crucial, DJ got blocked on a late mano-a-mano drive into too contested a key), and in which the opponent had 14 TOs to our 11, and a game in which we won 64-46 points in the paint, we not only were so very poorly disciplined as to keep fouling, we didn't put nearly enough effort in to driving to get to the FT line. And in the times we did, we completely **** up in not making them.

I don't want to hear about oh sometimes there will be games like this. And it's not even that this is part of growth or whatever.

With all due respect to the opponent who outplayed us, they didn't really do anything special we couldn't stop. We embarrassed ourselves, gave a crappy performance for the fans, and worst of all, didn't play hard for Pop, for whom this is a CARDINAL SIN.

So, despite some decent stats, there's a shift that's happened and we need to address it quickly.

Outside of this game when Doug and Keldon sucked and didn't get a chance to put up more shots, the starters usually have a balanced shot attempt number. Remember, we're AT OUR BEST when we are a multi-player threat. This has been the case with our bench, too - multi-threat, and thus led us to being the top scoring bench in the league. But since the Derrick trade, this has resulted in a shift to the starting role and more minutes for Devin, Tre, and Lonnie, yes, but in practice, it has led to a HUGE imbalance in how the bench plays. Again, they haven't signed up for the Lonnie I-me-mine show. I KNOW he got us 30 points tonight, again, it's about HOW we are getting points.

Ever since the AS game, DJ has lost his fine edge in scoring and getting the ball to others in crucial moments. He takes it upon himself to take the crucial points regardless of whether he is the best option. And ever since the Derrick trade, Lonnie has been on a scoring tear that is completely outside out system, is too predictable to stop - same with DJ - and it needs an adjustment right quick. We're only as good as what the WHOLE team contributes. Having guys go one and done affects not only the shot selection but in making sure the entire team involved.

It didn't help that after misses we got beaten down the floor in transition and caught out of position time and again. I think this subtle but definite shift of the 'I'm the man" show has affected us badly on both ends.

From the start nobody was really hustling well and if it weren't for Lonnie we'd have been down far more than 13 at the half. Then we got down 19 and once again had to fight back, using energy we could have used for smarter two-way play.

I'm upset most of all for Pop when on the cusp of such a huge and rare honour, the team was utterly disappointing and embarrassed its organization and its coach.

Do. Better. Rise to make our history proud that you wear the name on the FRONT of the uniform.

p.s. You know it's bad and Pop's really pissed when post-game he gives the 'played soft' and 'not mentally ready' assessment for a developing team he usually finds praise for. When you can't praise the effort, there's no sugar-coating it.

Oof. Yep. And then he got up and left.

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[Phreak50]

Sorry, but no other bench player could even hope to score.

Lonnie's scoring would be wanted by at team.

DJ is quickly proving to be a stat chaser and not a game winner.

Should have freaking moved him while his value was up.

Mini Westbrook incoming for the next few years for Murray.

Poeltl and Doug do not start on ANY other NBA team.

[G R E Y]

DJ and Jakob have improved in almost EVERY statistical category this season. DJ is top three in assists, top in steals. These are impactful stats, even as he didn't play well tonight as I stated. When DJ and Jakob don't play, we don't win. It's that simple, and verified with our W-L record without either, much less both not in the line up.

DJ not being a game winner - you have to back that up. He's actually made more game winners than any other Spur this season. If you want to argue we won't get far with him as our best player, most agree, but we are in year one of a rebuild focusing on development.

Jakob was sought after by many teams needing his services. He is one of the best defensive bigs in the game. One of the rebounding bigs in the game, and near the top in O rebounding for a big.

This is truly the worst season to pick on DJ and Jakob.

To that end, DJ, Jakob and Devin have made the biggest strides.

Lonnie's had FIVE or SIX consecutive games in his final contract season. he ranks LAST - DEAD LAST! - among his draft in terms of winning impact. And when he wasn't taking 20 **** shots per game the rest of our bench had a better contribution. Lonnie scores well yet is STILL a net negative. He has to pour in 30 on decent efficiency just to get to net 0. He contributes nearly nothing else when he's not scoring, hence, being DEAD LAST in winning impact among his draft class. A handful of games doesn't change that. He has to play in a ball dominant, ball hog way which takes every one else out of plays we normally run to get these points. 30 minutes, 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal. +/- 0. That's bad for a player who scored 30. It just is. If you want to talk about a low impact to winning player over the season, Lonnie's your guy and it's not even close.

I give full credit when Lonnie plays well. Sorry but I don't see DJ and Jakob being given the same credit when we win because of them. Can't just focus on one side of things. And although there haven't been many wins, many have been through their effort on both ends.

[mikejames23]

Reading off of the B-ref numbers and Dejounte/Poeltl are constant NBA leaders in every advanced metric. It's pretty rare for these types to be bad players. I don't think Dejounte/Poeltl is the central issue for this team, even if we obviously need to retool the entire roster.

[imagump1313]

Sorry, but no other bench player could even hope to score.

Lonnie's scoring would be wanted by at team.

DJ is quickly proving to be a stat chaser and not a game winner.

Should have freaking moved him while his value was up.

Mini Westbrook incoming for the next few years for Murray.

Poeltl and Doug do not start on ANY other NBA team.

There is no more denying that Murray is the guy here now. He's taken it and run with it. And this is coming from a guy that absolutely hated Murray more than anyone including Phreak50

Sure he wet the bed last night but when becoming the guy you are still going to have bumps in the road and hopefully he learns from it.

I remember a play last night where Murray drove the lane and spun and just lost the ball. It was a key play late in the game. He started yelling at someone, I forget who. Vassell or Walker to come to the ball. Well he needs to learn that you cannot have a turnover there no matter what anyone else does, whether its their fault or not. He cant just give up on the play because someone didn't do their job, he has to maintain the possession and not just give the ball up. Thats what leaders of winning teams do. He is the leader of this team now which is a huge step for him. Now we have to become a good team making good decisions.

Poeltl has also taken some pretty big leaps. I'd say him not starting for anyone else in the league is stretching it a little. There are 10-15 teams he could start for. Sure he's not a dominant big but for the price he fits what we need here exactly. We just need to keep reinforcing his confidence and get him to play as aggressively as we can and he will be fine. If we want Embid at center here, we are going to have to pay for Embid. Our chance as a small market team is getting the most out of him as possible. We aren't going to win here paying guys 40+ million a year. Sure, he will never be as good as Embid but he can be serviceable on a good playoff team. He has a lot of talent but needs to be pushed.

Don't get me started on McDermott. I said he was a mistake the second we signed him. I was talking with Grey and IMO, if McDermott would just stay in his lane and shoot like Duncan Robinson does for the Heat he would be ok. But the Heat are a playoff team and can afford to have a player like that. We have too many gaps to fill to need just a shooter. It doesn't matter anyway because McDermott doesn't do what hes paid for anyway and tries to be Kobe flying to the basket and looking stupid and overmatched all the time. IMO we should have never signed him and had Weiskamp play his role. He would make a lot of young mistakes but McDermott is a walking mistake that makes $13 million more.

Walker is doing exactly what he should be doing. He is trying to show out for us or whoever else might want to pay him this summer. He makes tons of bad decisions and his BBIQ is lower than an anthill, but he has the physical talent to be in the league if he can put it together even a little bit. He is frustrating to watch but this is his chance and I am impressed with him running with it. If the price is right I wouldn't mind keeping him around.