SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 38: SPURS VS. BULLS, 13-1-2024, 7:30PM (CT)

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Good man D by Keldon...

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NO no no no no no no no no no no!!!!!!!!1

My neighbors probably think I am murdering someone watching this nonsense....

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"Thanks" Devin...

"Thanks" a lot...

**** Houdini act.

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These people dancing while the game is over are almost as dumb as our players........

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Pop's like "No foul" lmao he's seen enough

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4TH Q: SPURS 116 BULLS 122

Good fight to come back from an 18-point deficit.

Better resoluteness to win another 3RD Q AND get an 8-point lead in the 4TH Q.

The fight of too few to push through early struggles and coast through too much of the game wasted the great heart and effort of Tre and Keldon and even Sochan, though he struggled from the field. At least he tried hard.

Self-described leader Devin was nowhere to be seen through just about the whole game.

When we needed a tone setting start, he was 0-4 in the 1ST Q, 0-2 from 3 but neither of the other two shots were in the paint. Both were elbow misses.

In the 2ND Q, he was 1-3, making 1-2 from 3 and getting blocked at the rim on his LONE SINGLE DRIVE ATTEMPT OF THE HALF. No FTs.

In the 3RD Q, Devin was 0-2, a missed 3 and a missed floater in the paint - again, not a hard drive at the rim. 1-1FT.

In the 4TH Q, he was 0-4 which comprised of 0-3 from 3 and a lone left elbow J miss.

And he added 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal in team high 34 minutes.

It's a wonder we were even in this game considering everyone except Tre, Keldon, and Cedi shot it poorly, but truly we need FAR BETTER from our leader.

Devin comes across as a beta in these types of games. Sure he was guarded by Caruso, but ONE SINGLE DRIVE to the rim in the shot profile? Even if it was a couple more, his energy, passive approach throughout the game, and lack of impact in other areas of the game - hustle plays, defensive intensity, passing was disappointing.

It's like he showed up for the cheque, mailing the game in in return, riding the slip stream of Tre's and Keldon's leadership and energy by example.

If your shot is not falling, try creating other shots not double down on the flaccid shot selections that you keep missing. Try setting up others more rather than using so much of the clock dribbling to finally find an open team mate who could have been passed to sooner.

Sure, be about the BFF status with Wemby, but goodness does he ever need to show up as the second best player on the team. The mental approach, especially to start the game, when Tre was carrying the team pretty much by himself on O, really needs an adjustment. We get an even poor game from Devin as opposed to the one that needed a defibrillator and we win this game.

What a waste of shot chances and minutes.

Julian was 1-4, 1-3 from 3, 3-3FTs for only 6 points but at least he had 5 boards and 4 assists.

Barlow was 2-5, 1-2FTs for only 5 points but got a team high tied 4 O boards for 6 in total but he also had 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block for the lone plus performance by the starters with +5. We were badly outmanned in the front court and lost PITP 46-36, but we had plenty of chances that we flat out missed.

As our two undrafted starters combined for 3-10, Sochan struggled through 4-15, 2-6 from 3, 1-1FT for 11 points. But at least all of the other FGAs not from the arc were deep in the paint. At least he imposed his will and physicality to take the punishment and get inside. Hello Devin..........

Sochan also grabbed 4 O boards for 7 in total (starter high) and dished 2 assists. He was a defensive pest, **** talker, got under opponents' skins again, used his physicality on both ends. Impactful despite struggling to score. Hello Devin..............

All three above really need to work on the details of their shots, making paint push shots or baby Js or right angles off glass in finishing at the rim depending on the opponent far more automatic than the unpredictable shots they are now. It shouldn't be a hope but an expectation that these go in. They put themselves in good positions to take them. Work to make them automatic.

This brings us to Tre and his new career (and game) high 30 points on a stellar 10-13, 4-6 from 3(!), tied for team high 6-6FTs. He drove, he got to open spaces, he made his 3s, pushed the pace, controlled the pace, set up teammates, just a terrific all around game. But even with 9 boards (1 on O, scoring on another trailing putback), and 4 assists, there was only so much he could do without the help of teammates we need to step up. I love his looking for and finding open seams to drive through, in telling teammates where to go, in taking on the challenge of shouldering the team. He did get beaten on first step drives by his bigger stronger faster counterpart but didn't give up on hounding him from behind (didn't matter much to the outcome, but the effort is notable itself). His value for us just keeps rising. He does more than he talks about doing.

Our bench once again outscored its counterparts 59-42 on the strength of Keldon's bench high 26 points on 8-14, 4-5 from 3, tied for team high 6-6FTs. He pushed through early struggles (he was only 2-5, 1-2 from 3, 2-2FTs for 7 points and 2 boards at the half) to put together a complete game with 4 boards and team high 5 assists in bench high 29 minutes. Yes he heaved some woeful passes, yes he didn't look smart and polished to start the game, and yes he was defensively deficient in too many instances but he had some good man D sequences on DD. He also overcame tendencies of yesteryear where he'd drive into multiple defenders in the paint and just throw the ball up and had trouble initiating the O (he was the ball handler too often earlier in the game with Branham and Blake playing off him). A great patient pass to a cutting Tre stood out well. But overall it was his energy and all around contribution that on the whole lifted the team. We just needed that one extra push...

Never shy to let it fly Malaki took a tied for team high 15FGAs in only 21 minutes. The cheek. He made only 6, with 2-8 coming from 3, with only 1 board, and 1 assist. I get we're trying to get him going, trying to give a young guy minutes to expand his game, but when his shot isn't falling and when that's his bread and butter, he HAS to find other ways to contribute (well, he has to contribute in other ways anyway, but all the more so when his shot's not falling) and his abysmal defense is just such a hindrance that I'm starting to get Bryn/Lonnie mix flashbacks. Hands at his sides, in empty spaces not picking up anyone, getting blown by, not rotating out to his man and running out to contest, just trotting into the TV frame as the shot goes up completely open. Frustrating. He should have a look around and notice that he's no longer starting. Not the shot selection (he has a nice driving and finishing toolkit package but took more shots from 3), not the defense, not the contributions besides scoring (though he did get 3 steals, good). 14 points in 15FGAs. Oof. Just not enough.

Blake is a blur, again fantastic in transition, brings a defensive intensity that is disruptive, and is becoming more impactful even when he's not scoring. He chipped in 2 points on 1-3, 0-2 from 3, with 1 board, but 3 assists in only 11 minutes. He played more off ball than on, made a great cut and finished a good bounce pass from Branham with a great dunk. Even with the D and transition profile, and even with not running the half court O well, he's going to overtake Branham if the latter keeps being so one sided and less dimensional.

Love Cedi and his reliable game. He scored 9 on 3-5 with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal. Good consistent energy, excellent movement, strong physicality, solid fundamentals.

Mamu is a bit of a chucker. Maybe he's been green lit to take these shots but the ball tends to not move on from him once he gets it. He scored 8 on 3-7, 1-3 from 3, 1-2FTs, bench high 8 boards (2 on O), 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He rewarded himself for the contributions elsewhere, and I guess with nearly everyone else struggling, we needed to find some sort of O punch somewhere.

It's a pity not everyone brought their A energy and hustle game. Despite high inefficiency (39-95) we made 3s very well (18-46) and scored very well from the FT line, 20-23. We outrebounded them 12-7 on O boards, had 7 steals and only 8TOs but they cost us -5 in points against from them.

It was a messy game, one we fought hard to push through mistakes and early unfocused, more ISO oriented play of, but we needed more from our leader on either end. Passivity is a death knell to a roster lacking talent and experience, particularly from our apparently second best player. Missed opportunity. Devin has a lot to improve in terms of always bringing his best. Can't leave your hustling team hanging. Every player has something to work on. The mental aspect - both tough resilient competitiveness and BBIQ - is certainly one that we need to see more of more consistently. It affects play, and can keep us mired or lift us. A game like tonight shows how crucial a foundational underpinning it really is. It's something to monitor the rest of the season.

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