SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 45: SPURS VS. BLAZERS, 26-1-2024, 8:30PM (CT)

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Hate to beat a dead horse, but Cedi ran out to cover the right corner 3, they faked and drove, Zach late help D gets a dunk yammed in his face and gives up the +1.

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Nice physical finish by Julian off glass for the bucket +1. Well done.

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End of Q 3 given up.

And then Blake PASSED the ball instead of heaving it in end of Q situation... sigh...

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3RD Q: SPURS 88 BLAZERS 78

We won this one 26-21 but it wasn't clean. Details like right energy to start the Q, right shots, and end of Q protection need tending to.

Keldon was very good.

Sochan all the more.

Can Zach of yore step up?

We worked too hard to get a 15 point lead to **** it up.

Stay energized, stay focused, stay playing together.

[G R E Y]

Good start to the 4TH Q 8-2.

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Sochan D board.

Sochan brings it up full court. Has Tre up ahead to the left.

Sochan uses him as decoy to take it right down the middle for a two handed dunk RAWR

[G R E Y]

Devin ran a pick and pop with Wemby rolling. TO oof.

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Pop upset at not sure what...

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Sochan. Protect the ball. No need for weird too long passes. Run the clock time.

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Pop calls for a play. Sochan settles the 3 O boards for a screen and a **** off the dribble 3 airball.

Another 3 against us.

Pop timeout.

JUST **** THINK AND PLAY INTELLIGENTLY, SPURS!!!!!!!!!

[G R E Y]

Devin left corner 3 from the ATO.

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Keldon sneaks in behind their D as Tre kept the ball up high. Zip pass inside. Keldon 2.

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We now have Blake, Keldon, Julian, Cedi, Mamu to finish in the last 1:15 or so.

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D to O Keldon transition bucket. Nice.

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4TH Q: SPURS 116 BLAZERS 100

A win is a win, and depending on how you look at it, this opponent’s loss factors into both teams’ seeding, so ‘win’ has many facets. No doubt the game was closer when they had all their players, and no doubt we benefited when two of them did not return from their respective tweaks. All that said, respecting the basketball gods and playing your best falls into good karma accumulation.

We started with another seven-point deficit, but put together a much stronger 2ND Q en route to momentum that carried us to winning the remaining three Qs. Along the way, we had 30 assists, won the rebounding battle 59-37 (!) and 17-8 on O boards (!) for 11-8 edge in second chance points, won 26-14 in fast break points, had 12 steals on their 13TOs, had 5 blocks, won PITP 60-44, and got to the FT line well, making a healthy 22-26.

Cumulatively, these indicated effort on both ends and the helped overcome an unclean, erratic game at times with 17TOs which cost us 14 points (we were actually +3 here), helped overcome inefficient 3s shooting (10-34), and overcome a terrific game by Simons, whose 40 points and 7-10 from 3, including a late one, forced Pop to bring Wemby back into the game when our once-comfortable lead was trimmed to 10 with just a little too much time left.

Although our opponent made only 10-37 from 3, too many of them were too open again. Ten of their attempts were with one of our defenders 4-6 feet away, and they made 5; another 20 (!) attempts were with one of our defenders over 6 feet away! Luckily, they only made 3 of these. So yeah, but for the grace of inaccuracy, this game, even with two players missing, could have been even more interesting in a too narrow a deficit kind of way than it already was.

We were blessed with an accurate hand and a reversal of fortunes as 10 of our arc shots were with opponent defenders 4-6 feet away but we only made 2 of these; however, 22 of our attempts were with an opponent defender over 6 feet away, and we made 7 of them.

In a resurgent game, Sochan led us with 4-7 from 3, finishing with a team-high 31 on 12-20, 3-3FTs, and starter high 14 boards (starter high 4 on O), along with 2 assists, and 2 steals. He was a rebounding force, pushed in transition more confidently, made decisions with the ball more quickly and willingly, sometimes finishing hard with a two-handed dunk down the middle, other times passing ahead for a teammate’s transition 3. He used that spin into the paint fadeaway baby J, he cut across the paint to break down their zone D, and he did finish once with a higher shot at the rim, though it wasn’t going against a big. In doing that, he still doesn’t have the right timing and high arc, but again his improving shot and court vision and reads are encouraging that he will improve. Defensively he was a switching, man D beast. Very good overall game that kept us ahead especially in that 3RD Q when Wemby struggled yet Sochan added to his 11 first half points with another 13 in this Q alone.

Wemby poured in 18 points in 13 first half minutes but started that 3RD Q with a couple of errors and an ill-adsived off the dribble 3 miss that made Pop call a timeout and get into him for poor decisions and play. It was one of those rare games in which Wemby had a quiet second half, going 0-2 in the 3RD and 1-5 and 2-2FTs for 5 points in the 4TH. He ‘struggled’ (by his standards, and the ridiculous great play we’ve already come to expect) to 23 on 7-18, 3-7 from 3, 6-6FTs, 12 boards (3 on O), 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks in 29 minutes. That’s an incredible output for any other rookie. And it still is for Wemby, frankly, even though he had a team high 7TOs, something to look over on film and clean up.

Those passes and blocks, though... goodness. Another pin point accurate full court pass to Cedi for a layup and finding a cutting Sochan again with the ball right in the sweet spot ready for a shot; a thunderous spike tracking a driver from behind that looked more like a volley ball spike (it stands out that so many of Wemby’s blocks remain live balls we can then push in transition) as well as covering unbelievable amount of space to prevent a jumper. It’s such a pleasurable wonder every game!

Devin stood out with some impressive physical drives and finishes through contact, close, physical man D, and absolute all out effort in tracking right switches quickly and covering rotations. One play that stood out was his contesting the left corner 3, running back to the key, seeing the switch of his teammates and continuing to run full out to the right corner to then contest *that* 3 as well. Incredible. Really good, timely help D as well. This is the smart, hard, competitive two-way play we are banking on. He finished with 15 on 5-14, 2-7 from 3 (so again, shot profile of nearly half his attempts from the arc needs some reconsidering, especially in games when the shot isn’t falling), 3-5FTs, 4 boards, 2 assists. Although he struggled with efficiency, he was positively impactful with +19.

Tre returned and led us with +24 in 24 minutes. He finished with 9 on 3-4, 1-1 from 3, 2-2FTs, 1 board, starter high 7 assists, and game high 3 steals. We automatically looked more cohesive with him back at the PG helm, and he was a menace fighting over screens to get deflections, running ahead in transition off ball, and keeping us moving while he kept his dribble live, a much improved addition to his game.

Although Julian starts, he plays bench minutes, and in the 19 he played he chipped in 9 points on 2-4, 0-2 from 3, 1-1FT from an +1 layup he made through contact.

Keldon is the sixth man who plays starter minutes and finishes games, and in 31 he led the bench with 21 on 9-15, 0-2 from 3, 3-4FTs, game-high 16 (and game high 8 on O!), with 1 assist, 1 steal, and tied for team high 2 blocks. Pure hustle and energy, with good passes, incredible, relentless, physical drives with a variety of crafty finishes at the rim. Except for his two 3s attempts, all of the other shots were deep in the paint, so much so that all but one were in the restricted area. He forced the issue, created energy, moved defenders out of the way with it, and led the charge with a beat down down low. We know that at his best, this is what provides well. Even more impressive because he’s not as known for it was his defensive IQ, coverage, and overall intensity. Stingy man D, solid help D, and absolute all out hustle to run out to contest outside shots. Very very impressive.

So our main four scorers, anchored by our main distributor in Tre all showed up on both ends. Around them, Blake has emerged as the back-up PG unless someone pries it from his quick hands and relentless effort. His shot consistency needs work, we know this, even as his finishing at the rim is better. His four attempts there resulted in two misses and two blocked shots. So like with Sochan, higher, earlier releases have to be added to the toolkit. And yet his stingy full court man D, his fighting through screens, switches, and setting up others is earning him minutes and solidifying his spot on the roster even as he has room to grow on O.

Blake played 24 minutes like Tre, and the 0-5 (but he’s also had four efficient games before this one) was offset by team high 8 assists, along with 2 boards, and 2 steals. Helping yourself by helping the team with your honed strengths stands out here.

Of note: with Tre back abd Blake backing him, Branham, after a bench high 28 minutes in a return last game played abysmal defense, worse yet, on poor effort, and got benched once again. So outside of that ‘show us what it means to you’ game, he’s played 4 minutes in three other games. At this point, getting minutes in Austin to at least learn where to be on D and how to get there is a positive. I don’t know how we fix lack of effort on this end, but one way or another this will get resolved.
Zach was a staunch rim protector last season. Not sure where that player has disappeared to but it may be affected in part by his lack of lift and with it his dwindling confidence. He finished with 4 on 1-6, 0-4 from 3 (so a C taking more shots from the arc than down low, this with him struggling mightily from the arc... ok... oof), 2-2FTs, 3 boards (2 on O) in 18 minutes. He’s getting torched at the rim by drivers, he’s playing smaller on both ends, and he’s not making his outside shots. So the base profile of piss and vinegar nasty effort and floor-stretching shooter is the reality we hope to see again. It is all the more important given how he’s just about the only other C available for us right now. We need a stronger holding of the line from him to both ensure Wemby gets the proper rest and there’s a lessened drop off.

Cedi was a running, passing, finishing energy bringer. He chipped in 7 on 3-4, 0-1 from 3, 1-1FT, with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block in 18 minutes. He’s always supportive and positive both on the bench and on the court. It’s important to have someone who knows and excels in his role – fundamentals based, smart spark plug.

Whatever our team will look like after the trade deadline, Cedi is one of those guys that any team, especially a young one like ours, can benefit from.

We have adjusted to having various players in and out of the lineup for various reasons to varying degrees of success. Cedi is an example of how valuable consistency throughout a season’s fluctuations is. It, along with his energy, is an example to the younger guys of contributing.

Finding a way is probably the best way to describe this game. When we have games that aren’t as clean or efficient, finding ways to make a positive difference to the team and the outcome is something every Spur has within him to do. Basketball gods pay attention.

[G R E Y]

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