GT: Spurs (29-15) vs. Hawks (11-31)

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GT: Spurs (29-15) vs. Hawks (11-31) 

Post#1 » by Nolan » Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:51 pm

When: Jan 15th, 1:00 PM MT
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta GA

Early start today but we can't us that as an excuse. The Hawks are not a good team and we need to show up for this one and put them away early!

Key to this is going to be intensity. Can't play down to their level and we need to play with energy!

Go Spurs!!
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Re: GT: Spurs (29-15) vs. Hawks (11-31) 

Post#2 » by ducler » Mon Jan 15, 2018 7:11 pm

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Re: GT: Spurs (29-15) vs. Hawks (11-31) 

Post#3 » by G R E Y » Mon Jan 15, 2018 7:43 pm

Aaaaand he's out:
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One day we'll get stability in the line-up. One day.... Until that day comes, we have to continue with the mental fortitude that's getting us through.
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Re: GT: Spurs (29-15) vs. Hawks (11-31) 

Post#4 » by jptremblay » Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:21 pm

What the f* is Pop doing again? Another close game that he helps to throwing away...how do you try to equalize the game down 3 with Kyle Anderson in the final lineup??
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Re: GT: Spurs (29-15) vs. Hawks (11-31) 

Post#5 » by G R E Y » Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:30 pm

^Kyle shot 50% today, and 100% from the FT line, plus he got three steals, he was fine, and wasn't the problem.

Ridiculous. Doesn't matter that Kawhi and Manu were out, not really, we had enough offense on the floor to win, but nobody's going to hand it to you. We didn't move the ball enough for too many stretches, blew an early 14 point lead, and most disappointingly, didn't take care of the ball on the defensive end.

We can't keep giving away games like this...
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Re: GT: Spurs (29-15) vs. Hawks (11-31) 

Post#6 » by Nolan » Mon Jan 15, 2018 11:04 pm

This is a tough one to swallow. We really should of won, can't be giving away games like this and who's in or out of the lineup doesn't matter. Even without Kawhi and Gay we're a better team than the way we played today.
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Re: GT: Spurs (29-15) vs. Hawks (11-31) 

Post#7 » by G R E Y » Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:24 pm

Snce it was Martin Luther King Day, a tribute quote and a mantra: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

About the best thing that can be said about this game is that it was fair: we got the result we deserved. It would’ve been less bitter a loss had the Hawks simply played out of their minds. You’d tip your hat to them and move on, but this outcome was as much on our play as it was on Atlanta’s.

There’s no denying we’re in the doldrums right now, and in need of some backwind. We’re 5-5 in the last 10, with all the losses on the road against the Pistons, 76ers, Blazers, Lakers, and now the Hawks – only the Pistons have a better than .500 home record. On road games, we just look out of sync when we’re out a couple of players and the other team makes a run – maybe it’s a mental vulnerability, a kind of fatigue. I don’t think we’re not trying, we’re just on our heels. Even Pop looks uncharacteristically subdued on the sidelines, like he’s walking around with heavy news that only he knows about.

What we do know about, with Manu now out, is that Pau is also playing through a right hand injury that hampers his ability to follow through with his shot. That explains his less than stellar shooting percentage of late, but also speaks to his grit in playing through it. (He may be out against the Nets).
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Same thing about Lauvergne – still playing through a wonky ankle, and a finger injury that hampers his ability to hold on to the ball. Credit to him as well for soldiering on.

The Hawks got a couple of key players back – Ilyasova and Dedmon, both of whom made a significant contribution. But it’s not as if we didn’t have the personnel to get the job done, just our mental energy and subsequent effort wasn’t there. Despite the early 14-point lead, our D was not crisp. A harbinger of things to come. The Hawks scored 44 points in the first half, at which point we led by 4 points. But they poured in / we allowed them to pour in 58 in the second. They scored 30 points, their highest output, in the 4th, when it mattered most.

They got too many O rebound putbacks (attributable to positioning and effort), and outrebounded us 50-37 overall (we rank 11th in rebounding, averaging 44.3 a game, Hawks rank 26th), they got more fast break points 14-6, and despite our only getting 9 turnovers, they scored 17 points off of them – that’s almost a basket per turnover, very costly. Hawks picked up their defensive pace and intensity, getting to positions and contesting shots, forcing us to make faster decisions. With Kawhi and Manu out, it was clear that our first go-to option was LMA, and we kept being too slow in getting the ball to him, and the Hawks were ready to pick off those telegraphed passes.

Mostly the game slipped through our hands because of the lacklustre D, but not moving the ball enough didn’t help. When we did, we had success; when we didn’t we settled for one and done shots, and no rebounding presence could be set up because the shots went up early in the clock. Their effort to contest shots, and ours to settle for the perimeter began to show: we shot 6-13 from the 3 in the first half, and only 2-9 in the second.

With LMA being the clear go-to guy, he still managed to get 25 points on 11-21 shooting), including 1-2 from 3) while being doubled much of the night, and added 11 rebounds (4 O, 7 D), 3 assists, a steal, and a block. He kills me with all the bunnies, though. Use the glass, LMA, use the glass! Anderson was solid filling for Kawhi, getting 13 points (3-6, 1-2 from 3, and perfect 6-6 FTs), with 6 rebounds, an assist, and 3 steals. Pau had fewest starter minutes, but was once again tied for team-high in assist with 4, and got 2 blocks. Tony pitched in 6 points (3-8), 2 rebounds, , 4 assists, and a team-high 4 steals, while Green was all around steady once again with 11 points (4-7, 3-6 from 3), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block.

Our bench got outscored 44-34 in this game, but despite the scoring, we could use a little bit more of everything from them in terms of assists, rebounds, etc. Bertans had a poor shooting night (4-15, 2-6 from 3 for 10 points), but didn’t really contribute in other ways in his 24 minutes as we’ve seen him do. They did a good job in forcing him off the arc, and rushing his shots. I was impressed with Lauvergne in his limited minutes: 3 beautiful assists (great connection with Murray), and Murray’s excellent rebounding instincts garnered a bench-high 4 boards, and he added 8 points. Mills has been a stalwart filling in both guard positions, and has no ego about coming off the bench, so his leadership, though unheralded, is more needed than ever. He gave us a bench-high 13 points (4-10, 1-4 from 3, 4-5FTs), with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Bryn’s search for consistency continues as he had an off shooting night, just 2-6, and not much else. Like Bertans, he has to find other ways of contributing on both ends.

We have to focus on the fundamentals, and on what we can control. The system works, and we have to play locked in together to execute it. Play hard on D, and run the **** plays Pop calls.

At the end of the day, it is one game; the Spurs get to right the ship, and we get to watch. There are bigger things than basketball, as the perspective of this day reminds us. Some Spurs tributes in MLK’s honour:

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I love this team, on and off the court. GO SPURS!
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Thinking of you, Pop :hug:

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