SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 40: SPURS AT CELTICS, 17-1-2024, 6:30PM (CT)

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Sochan block in the paint.

Then we TO it lol

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Devin runs ahead behind their D, we pass ahead, he dunks.

Smart, simple, effort-based basketball.

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*sigh* BOX OUT

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See right there. It didn't cost us but...

Awareness 101

Mamu gets the rebound and nobody is even looking back to see if the backup to the backup C needs help bringing up the ball.

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AGAIN Blake had a drive and layup chance but dished it off for a TO. *sigh*

Basic basic fundamentals 101.

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Now Blake to Diakite dish for the dunk. Nice.

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THen Blake attempts a cross court pass to the weak corner and it gets deflected.

We airball the right corner 3 for our final shot. Fitting.

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4TH Q: SPURS 98 CELTICS 117

TBD

I have to rewatch this. Too many things going at the same time plus a crappy stream in much of the game.

Don't want to box score it, though two consecutive games of sub-100 scoring is less than optimal.

It'll likely be around these pillars:

Guarding and making 3s.

Boxing out.

Know your opponent; know your role.

Have to make it easier on ourselves on both ends.

GSG

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4TH Q: SPURS 98 CELTICS 117

I only rewatched the second half. We're well familiar with the consequences of Houdini starts, especially against a top contender that has yet to lose on home court.

First thing to do is watch Pop's post-game presser. Some gems there, including the start of it which I don't want to spoil:

- said we want Devin to get into games from defense not from jump shots - interesting.

- how to keep guys from getting comfortable with losing - said he'll have their ass, but more importantly, "If they're not competing at a certain level or executing at a certain level we'll be on them just as much as if we were winning. And if there's somebody who can't handle that they'll be gone."

Tougher tone, righter leash as the season rolls on. I love it. And you can't help but see who is rising and who is getting outpaced.

So to that, some second half thoughts:

Julian is a good defender. Movement, arms out, understanding of spacing, willingly uses his body, good full court pressure, good switches. Good shooting - 9 on 4-8, 1-2 from 3, with 5 boards (1 on O), good running out and getting to right spots for rim finishes. Making it easier for us to find him not just outside but in transition as well.

Sochan has trouble keeping defenders in front of him after getting beaten by a first step which usually happens from too wide a stance up top and then he can't recover quickly enough. In half court sets, however, he does a great job keeping O players in front of him when they try to beat him with positioning or getting past him with attempts into the paint off a standstill dribble (rather than already in forward motion picking up speed or motion into a quick first step). He moves his legs very quickly laterally and is so upright, balanced, and strong that he imposes his stature.

On O when Sochan goes up against bigs he has to develop high arching variety of shots as opposed to barreling into them in the hope of creating space. He usually gets blocked especially when he is front to front on defenders. Smaller players use their bodies to shield the ball, create space, and find the right higher angles off glass. Smaller players have ways of finishing versus bigs; he can, too. He struggled mightily on O, making only 2-9, 1-4 from 3, but still pushed to contribute to lead us with 7 boards (team high 3 on O), 4 assists, game high 3 steals, and a block.

Tre, for example, uses his speed, right angles, and scoops to score in tight spaces versus bigger defenders (which is almost always the case), and he's got a nifty left side-right hand floater that is pretty and consistent as well. He led us with 11 assists, and also got 4 boards, and 9 points on 4-9. In no world should Tre have a 1-5 profile, specifically the five attempts. Opponents want that. All due respect to Tre, we need him taking higher percentage shots.

Devin was sucking air in the 3RD Q. Part of that is surely from all the drives and physicality absorbed in them. He was wonderful in the variety and creativity of finishes. But I also wondered whether fatigue may be an issue. Facing starting back courts on both ends is a bigger task and he's now in his longest stretch of doing so for his career. And doing so versus a bigger, more experienced opposing tandem is certainly going to take a lot out of you.

Still, he did a much better job moving the ball and finding others. The ball didn't stick with him in terms of his forcing contested shots after overdribbling, in terms of deciding what to do with the ball. He dribbled with his head up looking early for others, drove quickly, shielded the ball with his body, and made strong finishes with both hands. A much more engaged, team oriented, thoughtful, decisive second half. He worked up to having a bounce back game scoring 21 on 7-15, 0-5 from 3 (so despite struggling from the arc, not settling for or doubling down on it), instead working the rim and earning a game high 7-8FTs, along with 2 boards, 3 assists, and the every present steal.

Wemby led us in both halves, finishing with 14 in the 12 minutes of first half play, and finished with 27 on 10-19, 2-6 from 3, 5-6FTs, 5 boards (2 on O), 1 assist, 1 block, but 5TOs. Don't love the six 3s attempts in the shot selection profile, so some decisions about what to do with the ball, though not all 3s are equal. He's almost 10% better on pull up 3s than C&S ones, and it does also depend on time of clock or point in the game.

In other times, Wemby fought really hard for positioning. He's better now in absorbing physicality, in keeping his ground, giving a target hand quickly. And he's better at spinning into the heart of the paint if he's further from the basket to avoid the help D and at spinning towards the baseline when he's closer to it where help D is immaterial as he can dunk over everyone.

Even with his better efficiency and success there, I'm not convinced Wemby will be our long-term 5. We need him there, and it's a much more defined role for him, but that benefits everyone else at least as much. It gives him good reps and experiences to fight for spaces and shots inside (imagine him with a sky hook) but he's more of a roaming type of player, very intuitive with high BBIQ, creating more expansively from more diverse positions, and it's something we have to learn to play off of better, get more in sync with his flow as we get more experience and talent.

The 1 and 3 are the most common spots mentioned as needing upgrades, and that's no slight at Tre, who is growing before our eyes. He's more confident with his ball handles, can beat defenders with his changes of speed, has terrific vision, is expanding his passing arsenal. He's in constant motion, a big advantage to counter his size deficiencies. As his skill set grows, he continues to punish opponents with his effort. This naturally draws teammates to and around him.

Sochan gave him the ball in the back court willingly and we did so well moving out of the way of anyone with the ball. Just a much better quicker spacing, much better movement, and much better synergy. This tends to continue on into lineups that don't have Tre on it. Trickle effect.

Still, I do like that Pop calls for different guys to bring up the ball and continue getting reps initiating O, even with Tre on the floor. It's important for the collective development, and guys are emulating Tre more with the selflessness and quicker decisions. Not exactly .5 yet, but better and more cohesive than earlier in the season.

Barlow with a right corner 3 and an O board putback shows the fruit of his effort and of his growing confidence in a burgeoning skill set.

Our bench couldn't score. Well we only had two players in double figures, and we couldn't hit a 3 (7-34 OOF), but too few found other ways to score. Keldon struggled mightily (5 on 2-4, 1-2 from 2), got banged up on both ends, and the best thing you could say is that he didn't stop fighting. Our 3s vet twins Doug and Cedi combined 0-2 from 3 and 2-6 overall.

Blake only played 7 minutes and was only 0-2 but was an absolute blur with pushing the ball but being a defensive hound who just makes everything harder for anyone bringing up the ball. Good full court pressure, too. He's earning his way to more minutes.

Branham led the bench with 8 points. Oof. he made 4-9 (both bench highs), 0-3 from 3, with 1 board, and 1 assist. There are basic things he is not doing in approaching perimeter ball handlers and still gets absolutely blown by first steps. Coming up on point of attack he doesn't make the little two foot stop, legs bent and wide, prepared to defend. Holy moly is he not doing himself any favoursby making it more difficult for everyone else behind and around him to make up for the mistake or lack of effort. When he doubles down on the other end by taking a Devin drive and kick out, ignoring the three other open Spurs around him, not bothering to look at any other teammate before heaving the 3 miss. Just not enough team orientation on either end in these sequences when the ball gets by him too easily on D and sticks with him too much on O. Following up that miss by trotting back on D rather than running back like there's a lava flow right behind him just completed the trifecta. The heat he should be feeling is other players coming for his spot and playing time.

Still, have to give credit where it's due. On other possessions he was standing in better spots, arms out, attentive to ball-you-man positioning (even though at times it looks like he's in a one-man zone D), he swiped at drivers and then got back into his spot and stayed with his man who cut, preventing a pass down low.

On the whole he has to do a better job fighting through screens, but in the instances where he did fight through one up top then followed his man to another, he earned an O foul on the opposition for a moving screen. Effort can make up for a lot. He tends to get pancaked on screens, not utilizing that first step Blake does so well to get over them, but the fighting stood out in that O foul earned. He did run out hard to contest a left corner 3.

With Pop calling for various guys to bring up the ball, Branham needs practice giving up the ball (good habit for him; he has to trust he'll get it back within the flow of team O) and he did a good job finding Wemby in the right block twice. Timely, well placed passes. So he is capable. Good to know.

At one point when Wemby was at the FT line, Pop was having an animated teaching moment to Branham on the sideline before the latter went to the bench, rather slow walk to the end of the bench, head down. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it. Fine. But the -20 in 16 minutes even with some good D moments, even versus a very challenging and experienced opponent, emphasizes his D gap and his needing to make it and more team oriented plays a priority. It may all be too much for him. Focusing on specific things he can do better with effort is a start. I love his smooth O game but see him struggling with growing pains and hope he finds his way. Pop's words at the top here ring...

Even if we won the 3RD Q because the opponent let up a bit after a big lead, we didn't wilt. Control what you can, and to that end, we've been pushing our game whether we have been down or up in games. We brought a 30-point deficit down to 13 at one point, so it continues to be a good recent pattern.

Pop put in Graham, Blake, Dom, Mamu, Diakite in the last 4:49. Mamu was better sharing the ball; Diakite is impressive with fundamentals and understanding the game.

Good switches, good full court press, good ball and off ball movement. We got lit up for 18-38 from 3 but we had fewer instances of five Spurs in the paint with no one contesting. Woeful boxing out once again. It's a mystery how we keep not doing a basic basketball component. Is there such a thing as a boxing out coach? Can we get one anyway?

Stronger starts, more two-way team play by more guys, more personal responsibility in effort. We have to build on better patterns.

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