Quick Grades: Spurs vs. Warriors - Mar. 18, 2019

[timvp]

DeMar DeRozan A
Strong all-around game. Aggressive offensively -- created a multitude of quality shots for himself and his teammates. Made big plays on offense down the stretch to win the game. Defensively, also very good. Quick, smart closeout on shooters. Stingy individual defense in isolations. Quick rotations.

LaMarcus Aldridge A
Uber efficient on offense. Patient, heady decisions all night long. Read the defense very well. Played physically on both ends. Burly in the paint, which led to a game-high in rebounds. Supplied great help on shooters; likely his best game of the season in terms of defending pick-and-rolls.

Derrick White B+
A definite asset on defense. All Warriors had a tough time shaking him unless a screen was set. Extremely quick help-defense and chose spots wonderfully in that regard. Flashed his potential offensively in the first half with a variety of crafty moves and smart decisions. Rushed a bit too much on offense in the second half.

Jakob Poeltl B+
Another rock solid performance. Sturdy in the lane on defense and, more importantly, showed an ability to help out on the perimeter. Swam the deep end to get a hand up to disrupt a number of shots. Crashed the boards on offense, wasn't bashful around the rim and meshed well into the team concept.

Bryn Forbes B-
Shot wasn't dropping. Ball-handling shaky. Palms sweaty. Knees weak. Arms heavy. His defense didn't appear to be overly effective but the Warriors didn't hit many shots in his neighborhood. Mom's spaghetti.

Rudy Gay B
Supplied the bench unit with a much needed go-to scorer. Could have passed a little more but then again he had a majority of the bench's assists. Gave a strong effort in the paint and wasn't bad individually on D. Rotations-wise, though, he was really bad. Made mistake after mistake after mistake.

Davis Bertans B+
Was quick-shooting it in the first three quarters -- might have been too amped up. Settled down in the fourth and hit two key shots, including a decisive three-pointer at the 1:53 mark. Even when he was missing, his aggressiveness created spacing. Defensively, held up really well against Golden State's perimeter talent. Successfully used his length to bother shots and interrupt passing lanes.

Marco Belinelli B-
Offensively, the Spurs needed every drop of his production. Unafraid to shoot but didn't try to do too much. Defensively, his slowness was a glaring weakness that the Warriors successfully exploited on numerous occasions.

Patty Mills B
Good energy. Confidentially let it fly. Pushed the pace well. His ball-handling was even less crisp than usual but he still mostly got the ball to where it needed to go. Got overwhelmed quite a bit defensively but fought enough to avoid becoming too much of a liability.

Pop A-
Smart defensive gameplan that involved a lot of switching and only helping off of certain players. Team bought into it and performed very well on that end of the court. Offensively, Spurs played with a purpose the majority of the evening. Only a few wasted possessions. I liked the rotation: limited Forbes, let Bertans play in crunch time, kept Poeltl involved, rode DeRozan more than usual.

Great win. Nine in a row. Well done, gents.

[DAF86]

_Yhyp-_hX2s

[cmspur]

+1. +1on lose yourself definition. Lol

[Blackhaus]

Watching thos bitch ass warriors complain all night and loose was so gratifying

[R. DeMurre]

:bobo

[Mugen]

Davis with one of the gutsiest 5pt games I've ever seen tbh. Not getting absolutely obliterated by Durant, playing solid whenever he got switched onto Klay/Steph. The fucking cajones to keep shooting til he hit that 3. Kudos to the old man for keeping him in.

[DAF86]

timvp please tell Pop to keep closing games with the White, DeRozan, Bertans, Gay, Aldridge lineup. Thank you very much.

[spurs1990]

Way to shut up all us critics, DeMar

[spurs10]

Great game!Thanks for the grades! Feeling good!

[spurs10]

Way to shut up all us critics, DeMar :tu

[WaywardTexan]

Lose Yourself remixed w “Mom’s Spaghetti” in every line.
https://youtu.be/7r7_jtEpmjA

[ZeusWillJudge]

I wouldn't dare split hairs on that. Nice. And quick. Thanks again.

[RC_Drunkford]

Davis game high +10 shows the impact he had tonight

[DAF86]

0qW7yUqvfto

[timtonymanu]

Lol Bryn still getting a B- after that analysis though. Thanks OP. No disagreements here about this game.

[Keepin' it real]

Suddenly, anything seems possible.

:lobt: :lobt: :lobt: :lobt: :lobt: ... :lobt2:

[FkLA]

Davis with one of the gutsiest 5pt games I've ever seen tbh. Not getting absolutely obliterated by Durant, playing solid whenever he got switched onto Klay/Steph. The fucking cajones to keep shooting til he hit that 3. Kudos to the old man for keeping him in.

His perimeter defense when he ends up on smaller guys is super underrated. I forget what game it was but he won a game by getting a defensive stop on a guard earlier in the year. Against GS he's going to lose his share of battles just due to the talent they have on the perimeter but against most other teams I actually expect him to come up with the stop, tbh.

[timvp]

Davis with one of the gutsiest 5pt games I've ever seen tbh. Not getting absolutely obliterated by Durant, playing solid whenever he got switched onto Klay/Steph. The fucking cajones to keep shooting til he hit that 3. Kudos to the old man for keeping him in.Well said. Big Shot Bert is the type of shooter who always expect to make the next one. It's one of his best traits, tbh.


timvp please tell Pop to keep closing games with the White, DeRozan, Bertans, Gay, Aldridge lineup. Thank you very much.It looks like Pop is set on using White, DeRozan, Bertans and Aldridge in closing lineups now. The fifth spot has varied. Gay could possibly lock it up if he stays healthy ... but I think the other four need to be mainstays.

Bertans is pretty weak as a starter but he's someone you want on the court to end games.


Way to shut up all us critics, DeMarAfter the defense he has played the last couple weeks, there are no more excuses. He's been pretty damn good (for him, at least) defensively so hopefully his loafing days are behind him.

[DAF86]

It looks like Pop is set on using White, DeRozan, Bertans and Aldridge in closing lineups now. The fifth spot has varied. Gay could possibly lock it up if he stays healthy ... but I think the other four need to be mainstays.

Bertans is pretty weak as a starter but he's someone you want on the court to end games.

It's weird that Bertans seems to be the last guy off the bench but still finishes games.

[superbigtime]

Well said. Big Shot Bert is the type of shooter who always expect to make the next one. It's one of his best traits, tbh.

It looks like Pop is set on using White, DeRozan, Bertans and Aldridge in closing lineups now. The fifth spot has varied. Gay could possibly lock it up if he stays healthy ... but I think the other four need to be mainstays.

Bertans is pretty weak as a starter but he's someone you want on the court to end games.

After the defense he has played the last couple weeks, there are no more excuses. He's been pretty damn good (for him, at least) defensively so hopefully his loafing days are behind him.

if rudy isn't hot it ought to be Poeltl. Just more mobile. Those back of rim clangers by Rudy at the end of the game made me think he could sit.

[Mugen]

His perimeter defense when he ends up on smaller guys is super underrated. I forget what game it was but he won a game by getting a defensive stop on a guard earlier in the year. Against GS he's going to lose his share of battles just due to the talent they have on the perimeter but against most other teams I actually expect him to come up with the stop, tbh.

Minnesota / DRose IIRC...

And yeah, Bertans should definitely be on the floor to close games. No fear and he can come up with a big defensive play once in a while.....liability on the boards but he is probably top 2 on the team on who I want to take a big shot.

[timvp]

Davis game high +10 shows the impact he had tonight

Stat of the day: Bertans has led the Spurs in plus/minus the last four games (and was second five games ago). Over the last five games, he's a +84 in 119 minutes. With him off the court in those five games, the Spurs are a -33 in 121 minutes.

Dat impact doe.

[jehawk81]

Hey guys, where can i watch the whole game on replay?
TIA my nigz

[Mugen]

Gonna be really interesting to see Poetl's ceiling tbh.

New age center, mobile, elite rim protector, elite offensive rebounder, good passer, soft touch around the rim...I might have to hand it to RC and the old man for that one tbh, especially considering how OG has looked this season....

[Pavlov]

Hey guys, where can i watch the whole game on replay?
TIA my nigz
watchespn

[jehawk81]

watchespn

Gotta be a subscriber?

[Pavlov]

Gotta be a subscriber?
Yeah. If you search for nba hd replays you'll probably get a hit. They're getting better and better.

[ginobilized]

DeRozan was DeClosin'!
Thanks for the grades, TIMVP.
Great win. I couldn't believe the defense and clutchness of DeRozan tonight.

[jehawk81]

Yeah. If you search for nba hd replays you'll probably get a hit. They're getting better and better.

:bobo thanks brah

[Rummpd]

Of course all BSPN and SI put about game so far in headlines is Curry’s miracle shot when he bricked much of the night. I am a hs basketball official and his complaining deserved at least one T. Cannot stand the entitled GS - hope anyone knocks them off this year!

[Pavlov]

:bobo thanks brah
Give them time to upload

[Rummpd]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ndBf3OhVRYA Highlights at least

[BackHome]

Poodle needs to be a little more aggressive sometimes.

[ZeusWillJudge]

When Curry made that 3-pointer with 1:45 left, and cut the lead to 4, the Spurs could easily have lost that game. DeRozan making that fade-away just before the clock expired was really the dagger that put them away. Nobody wants DDR to be a black hole, and he hasn't been recently. But it's really nice to have a guy who can create his own shot like that in crunch time.

[DAF86]

When Curry made that 3-pointer with 1:45 left, and cut the lead to 4, the Spurs could easily have lost that game. DeRozan making that fade-away just before the clock expired was really the dagger that put them away. Nobody wants DDR to be a black hole, and he hasn't been recently. But it's really nice to have a guy who can create his own shot like that in crunch time.

That was an awful possession though. DeRozan just sucked the air out of the ball and then gave up his drible with nowhere to go. More times than not those are the types of possessions that cost you games.

[Proxy]

Stat of the day: Bertans has led the Spurs in plus/minus the last four games (and was second five games ago). Over the last five games, he's a +84 in 119 minutes. With him off the court in those five games, the Spurs are a -33 in 121 minutes.

Dat impact doe.

bonner-esque

[Chomag]

Davis has shown that he has a little Horry in him, he really seems to have that killer instinct when it's needed as Horry did. Stats don't look great but still has a huge part on helping the team win the game.

[ace3g]

Love this quote from DeRozan on Bertans

https://twitter.com/tom_orsborn/status/1107849266440142849

[spurs10]

Love this quote from DeRozan on Bertans

https://twitter.com/tom_orsborn/status/1107849266440142849 That's the spirit!

[ZeusWillJudge]

That was an awful possession though. DeRozan just sucked the air out of the ball and then gave up his drible with nowhere to go. More times than not those are the types of possessions that cost you games.


LOL. Horrible possession. But DeRozan clearly wanted to get that matchup, run clock, and get his shot. As well as he was defended, most people couldn't have gotten a shot up. My point was just that if the Spurs are down by a point or two, it's nice to have someone who can create a shot, no matter what.

I scream at the TV nearly every time I see Aldridge "back" his man farther and farther from the basket, and then turn around and shoot those horrible, off-balance-looking fade away jumpers. And then he swishes them, and I have to remind myself that anyone else taking that shot would be stupid. Aldridge clearly knows what he's doing.

DeRozan was always a scoring machine. The problem was he was a black hole who didn't play defense. He's tempered both of those bad habits. But it's still nice to have a guy who is capable of being a scoring machine when he has to.

[Chomag]

On a side note, has there ever been a team that bitches at the refs all game long like the Warriors do? Even the ESPN play by play guys were getting sick of it and called it out.

[ZeusWillJudge]

On a side note, has there ever been a team that bitches at the refs all game long like the Warriors do? Even the ESPN play by play guys were getting sick of it and called it out.


The Suns under D'Antoni did a pretty good job of it. It goes all the way to the top.

[MultiTroll]

Of course all BSPN and SI put about game so far in headlines is Curry’s miracle shot when he bricked much of the night. I am a hs basketball official and his complaining deserved at least one T. Cannot stand the entitled GS - hope anyone knocks them off this year!
Just got to tell yourself it's not basketball because it isn't. It's entertainment and rigging pure and simple.
I was semi stunned to see Warrior ass kissing Van Gundy comment on how he does not understand how the refs take it. Of course he did not mention the Warriors but the cameras were replaying Currys completely unjustified whining as Van Grunty commented.

Sure as a ref and viewer you saw Durant go mini Zaza with the blatant extended foot plant under jump shooting DD. Not even close and a blatant violation of giving landing space. He wined and wined like it was some unjustified call. They are insufferable.

But ya it's not basketball.

[Mugen]

Man, if we just got this Demar in the playoffs and going forward it'd be nice tbh....

Let DWhite be the main facilitator, pick and choose your spots, always be in downhill mode, be average on D and crash the boards.....

20-6-6 with solid defense ain't bad....

[TE]

Been awhile since I read your Quick Grades, timvp.

Thanks for sharing :toast:toast

[phxspurfan]

Loved Berts length versus their shooters. Hated Draymonds dirty play after dirty play per usual

[phxspurfan]

On a side note, has there ever been a team that bitches at the refs all game long like the Warriors do? Even the ESPN play by play guys were getting sick of it and called it out.

Every Lakers team during both of their runs did it a lot

[John B]

Thanks Timvp. This team is finally poised, and they believe in it. Confidence is building. They can beat any team with team defense and ball movement. Beautiful game 2 in the making.

[Slippy]

Watching thos bitch ass warriors complain all night and loose was so gratifying

Vagundy touched on this without calling out the warriors. They are relentless with the complaining. He basically said they havnt stopped all game.

[spurraider21]

:lmao Forbes b-

[vavvi]

Great win! Best DeMar's game in a while. Great coaching. I liked that Pop didn't force Forbes back in the game.

Nevertheless, after this game I'm only more sure that nobody defeats these Warriors in a 7 games series again.
If they don't play too much Cousins that is. Without Cousins they are pretty good.

[Sunmaster14]

Stat of the day: Bertans has led the Spurs in plus/minus the last four games (and was second five games ago). Over the last five games, he's a +84 in 119 minutes. With him off the court in those five games, the Spurs are a -33 in 121 minutes.

Dat impact doe.

Damn, and that is even without his shot falling particularly well too. Thanks for the grades!

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

LOL. Horrible possession. But DeRozan clearly wanted to get that matchup, run clock, and get his shot. As well as he was defended, most people couldn't have gotten a shot up. My point was just that if the Spurs are down by a point or two, it's nice to have someone who can create a shot, no matter what.

I scream at the TV nearly every time I see Aldridge "back" his man farther and farther from the basket, and then turn around and shoot those horrible, off-balance-looking fade away jumpers. And then he swishes them, and I have to remind myself that anyone else taking that shot would be stupid. Aldridge clearly knows what he's doing.

DeRozan was always a scoring machine. The problem was he was a black hole who didn't play defense. He's tempered both of those bad habits. But it's still nice to have a guy who is capable of being a scoring machine when he has to.

You ain't never lied with this comment. Lol. Some of the shots these guys take make you yell at your television but when they hit them you have to realize that's just the way they play and it isn't necessarily a bad shot for them. Aldridge and his turn around jumper is more money than a damn layup for him. Lol.

You need guys like DeRozan and Aldridge who can take and make tough shots.

[monty4329]

That was an awful possession though. DeRozan just sucked the air out of the ball and then gave up his drible with nowhere to go. More times than not those are the types of possessions that cost you games.

Exactly. DDR good game but he finished the first half trying again to be the man, playing heroball. Still, he hit some important shots and tried hard on defense. I liked his body language, positive.

And as I keep saying for months: when he takes up to 15-17 shots we win. It is an infallible rule.

[monty4329]

Great win! Best DeMar's game in a while. Great coaching. I liked that Pop didn't force Forbes back in the game.

Nevertheless, after this game I'm only more sure that nobody defeats these Warriors in a 7 games series again.
If they don't play too much Cousins that is. Without Cousins they are pretty good.

Yes. They didn't even try that hard.

[r0drig0lac]

-Derozan has been playing as a 2-way star post ASG and is our best player at the moment.

- Bertans is showing a series of improvements in ball handling and clearly adding moves in his game.

- A lineup without players below 6'4'' makes me think that Pop knows this is the best lineup we have, because it was used at the most important moment, and his case with so many minutes for Forbes and Mills has more to do with the group than with the basketball.

[SouthTexasRancher]

Thanks for the grades, timvp. That was a team win and it's going to give the guys confidence going into the playoffs. Beating teams like the Bucks, Nuggets and Warriors in this streak is pretty impressive.

[Fireball]

Great post ... great game ... awesome!

[vavvi]

-Derozan has been playing as a 2-way star post ASG and is our best player at the moment.

- Bertans is showing a series of improvements in ball handling and clearly adding moves in his game.

- A lineup without players below 6'4'' makes me think that Pop knows this is the best lineup we have, because it was used at the most important moment, and his case with so many minutes for Forbes and Mills has more to do with the group than with the basketball.

Agree on takes 2 and 3.
Our best player post ASG though is LA which is pretty obvious to me.

[vavvi]

Yes. They didn't even try that hard.

Exactly. Actually I was surprised they decided not to bother trying to go for a win in the end -- which given our late-game execution and their 3pt power was realistic

[pgardn]

When Curry was on Forbes the cold sweat broke out on poor Bryn.
He was terrified to dribble the ball.

Bryn Forbes B-
Shot wasn't dropping. Ball-handling shaky. Palms sweaty. Knees weak. Arms heavy. His defense didn't appear to be overly effective but the Warriors didn't hit many shots in his neighborhood. Mom's spaghetti.


Dont think Bryn even deserves a grade. He was basically brought along by the rest of the team. We hit a good number of very tough shots. Durant could not hit a 3. Thompson was harassed enough to miss. We win.

Dont want them or Houston in the playoffs.

Give me a plate of Denver. This now looks relatively unlikely, 1st round anyway.

[BillMc]

Thanks TiMVP as always

[GusT15]

Exactly. Actually I was surprised they decided not to bother trying to go for a win in the end -- which given our late-game execution and their 3pt power was realistic

Excellent observation.
This is the most disinterested Golden State has ever looked in a regular season since 2015.And i get that they are going for a 3peat and are probably the heaviest favourite in the history of the NBA but being down 6 in the last minute,shooting 3 3pointers and not fouling not even once with the game on the line says a lot.

They are arrogantly bored with the regular season.They obviously think they can flip a switch in the playoffs and destroy everybody.
And they probably can do just that.But if someone beats them and then they split up it's gonna be sweet.For basketball reasons if not for anything else.

[John B]

Agree on takes 2 and 3.
Our best player post ASG though is LA which is pretty obvious to me.
Our best player has been White. His defense and Poeltl rim protection and rebounding dictated the defensive tempo. But Aldridge and Demar responded great and have been tearing it both sides of the court. But again I’d say it started with White and Poeltl of all people.

[tbdog]

On a side note, has there ever been a team that bitches at the refs all game long like the Warriors do? Even the ESPN play by play guys were getting sick of it and called it out.

How about Curry going after the ref after getting called for a clear foul and not receiving a T. While Trae Young gets a second T for looking at another player.

[sasaint]

Thanks, timvp. Unable to watch the game, I was especially eager to read your write-up on this BIG win!

[monty4329]

They are arrogantly bored with the regular season.They obviously think they can flip a switch in the playoffs and destroy everybody.


They will. They did it already, it works, they know how to do it. They lost to CLE once just for their arrogance, and they didn't repeat the mistake. I'll keep rooting against them, though

[John B]

They will. They did it already, it works, they know how to do it. They lost to CLE once just for their arrogance, and they didn't repeat the mistake. I'll keep rooting against them, though
I’d give them their due, but they were also lucky nephew got injured and left the team. I think a healthy Kawhi/Gay/Aldridge would’ve made it interesting

[cutewizard]

Magnificent win by the magnificent Spurs!!!

[GusT15]

They will. They did it already, it works, they know how to do it. They lost to CLE once just for their arrogance, and they didn't repeat the mistake. I'll keep rooting against them, though

The team that lost to Cleveland wasn't only arrogant,it was flawed as well.If they hadn't signed Durant they would ultimately fail as Raymond regressed.
Actually i honestly believe that if we didn't fail against OKC in 2016,the Warriors wouldn't even have made it to the Finals that year.We would knock them out.

And that's my biggest issue with them as a team.You learn to deal with their antics,the shimmys,the rain of 3's,the illegal screens.And then they take advantage of an uneven salary cap raise and Curry's ultra team friendly contract and they sign KD.And then they take advantage of Cousins achilles tear and sign him as well.

And now they are the most stacked team in NBA history.And it's disgusting.

[monty4329]

The team that lost to Cleveland wasn't only arrogant,it was flawed as well.If they hadn't signed Durant they would ultimately fail as Raymond regressed.
Actually i honestly believe that if we didn't fail against OKC in 2016,the Warriors wouldn't even have made it to the Finals that year.We would knock them out.

And that's my biggest issue with them as a team.You learn to deal with their antics,the shimmys,the rain of 3's,the illegal screens.And then they take advantage of an uneven salary cap raise and Curry's ultra team friendly contract and they sign KD.And then they take advantage of Cousins achilles tear and sign him as well.

And now they are the most stacked team in NBA history.And it's disgusting.

I get your points, but:

- Manu too took a smaller contract. Many other players in several teams did it (Dirk twice).
- Cousins was signed for almost nothing. 29 other teams could have offered more, and didn't.
- They signed Durant. Others didn't. Kudos to have a team+organization attractive to the best player on the market at the time.

The way we lost to OKC makes me sure we wouldn't beat the Dubs in a series. Same as one half with Kawhi going nuts doesn't mean anything, really.

[GusT15]

I get your points, but:

- Manu too took a smaller contract. Many other players in several teams did it (Dirk twice).
- Cousins was signed for almost nothing. 29 other teams could have offered more, and didn't.
- They signed Durant. Others didn't. Kudos to have a team+organization attractive to the best player on the market at the time.

The way we lost to OKC makes me sure we wouldn't beat the Dubs in a series. Same as one half with Kawhi going nuts doesn't mean anything, really.

True but here's the other side of all that.

-Manu took smaller contracts and so did Timmy cause they loved the team and playing together.Curry took a small contract cause he was coming off terrible chronic problems with his ankles and he couldn't request a bigger one.That was pure luck and timing for Golden State when it came to signing Durant.

-Golden State's front office aren't basketball geniuses like Lacob wants to say at any given time.They tried to trade Curry instead of Monta Ellis in the Bogut trade.It's well documented.They lucked out cause the Bucks FO was even more worthless.

-Cousins was signed for nothing cause he wanted to ring chase after his injury.It wasn't about the $$.He is ring chasing in his prime.If Golden State had only won the Championship in 2015,there's no way they sign Cousins.

-And on to the biggest issue of all.The Durant signing.Having a team and organization that's attractive to Durant means nothing if they can't sign him salary cap wise.They weren't gonna pay the luxury tax massively with only one ring as an accomplishment.
Durant wasn't gonna take that much of a pay cut.They lucked out.And Durant made the biggest pussy move in basketball history by going to the team that eliminated him.

As for the Spurs,we were constructed as a team to take down the Warriors that year.But we fell short against OKC.Durant and Westbrook had good series,Adams and Kanter were too much for LMA.And Timmy had no good knee left in the second half of the season.

That's up to debate of course 3 years later,but the fact remains that Golden State lucked out in the construction of their dynasty.Not their first chip.That one they lucked out cause Lebron had no Kyrie and no Love.The other 2 and the one this year,they lucked out in so many levels over so many years.

[SwansonInSibagat]

What the fuck are you on? Golden State was "disinterested"? The Spurs beat them fair and square.

Curry's histrionics a sign of ennui to you? They must be outright killing people literally if they start "flipping the switch", then.

[ceperez]

Stat of the day: Bertans has led the Spurs in plus/minus the last four games (and was second five games ago). Over the last five games, he's a +84 in 119 minutes. With him off the court in those five games, the Spurs are a -33 in 121 minutes.

Dat impact doe.

No reason why he should be on the bench crunch time. I like the five of White, DeRozan, Bertans, Gay and Aldridge. No real holes in defense.

[ginobilized]

The 2 matchups between Play and DDR at the end were incredible.
Best man to man defense that I have seen DDR play on Play in the corner. Then he buried that shot in Klay's face.
It gives me hope that DDR can be a Spur.
Also, I LOVED seeing Pop screaming at everyone (esp. Gay) on their defensive breakdowns.

[r0drig0lac]

What the fuck are you on? Golden State was "disinterested"? The Spurs beat them fair and square.

Curry's histrionics a sign of ennui to you? They must be outright killing people literally if they start "flipping the switch", then.

haha this

[ceperez]

When Curry was on Forbes the cold sweat broke out on poor Bryn.
He was terrified to dribble the ball.

Bryn Forbes B-
Shot wasn't dropping. Ball-handling shaky. Palms sweaty. Knees weak. Arms heavy. His defense didn't appear to be overly effective but the Warriors didn't hit many shots in his neighborhood. Mom's spaghetti.


Dont think Bryn even deserves a grade. He was basically brought along by the rest of the team. We hit a good number of very tough shots. Durant could not hit a 3. Thompson was harassed enough to miss. We win.

Dont want them or Houston in the playoffs.

Give me a plate of Denver. This now looks relatively unlikely, 1st round anyway.

Forbes was a bit star struck and had trouble securing the ball.

Honestly, Spurs overall are playing very efficient offense. So it's a good sign going into the playoffs.

[Dex]

Stat of the day: Bertans has led the Spurs in plus/minus the last four games (and was second five games ago). Over the last five games, he's a +84 in 119 minutes. With him off the court in those five games, the Spurs are a -33 in 121 minutes.

Dat impact doe.

He really is the next Red Mamba.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Definitely the biggest win of the season. Games like this one, even in a win, expose just how much we need some speed and length defensively, and a point guard to play next to/with/behind White. We had Derrick guarding Durant much of the night which was crazy. Durant had 5-6 inches on him, yet Derrick held his own for the most part. I hope Murray developed a jump shot and better handles because his defensive prowess will be an asset if he won't hurt us on offense next year. A more mature Walker, perhaps a decent offseason pickup to upgrade over Cunningham and Pon, and who knows? This team is developing a nice core. It just needs a little less of Forbes and Mills. I love those guys in spot minutes, but neither should be relied upon as much as this year's team has to.

[TDMVPDPOY]

spurs 9 straight wins

next game popabitch is going to throw the game, cause the spurms cant get over themselves... he always does this shit

[Old School 44]

Amazing the Warriors weren't T'd up a bunch. I've never seen so much excessive demonstrative complaining without a T. Demarcus must have been beside himself.

[GusT15]

What the fuck are you on? Golden State was "disinterested"? The Spurs beat them fair and square.

Curry's histrionics a sign of ennui to you? They must be outright killing people literally if they start "flipping the switch", then.

I meant disinterested this season dude,not last night.

Last night we kept pushing and pushing and they gave up.They thought a 3d/4th quarter outburst would give them the W and every time they came close we went right back at them.And in the last minute they gave up.It felt easy for them to give up."Fuck it,we lost".

And yes,their posture as a team is exactly that "We'll flip a switch and league is f'ed".You could see it all over Klay's smug face in the postgame interview.
"The Spurs did absolutely nothing to beat us.We didn't make our shots."

How on earth did you deduce i meant the Spurs didn't beat them fair and square?

[Arcadian]

I haven't been on 2K in a while. Did they update White and Bertans to 80+ ratings overall?

[ZeusWillJudge]

How about Curry going after the ref after getting called for a clear foul and not receiving a T. While Trae Young gets a second T for looking at another player.

That ejection of Trae Young was a travesty. But when you look at it compared to Curry last night, you see what an impact the star factor has on officiating.



We had Derrick guarding Durant much of the night which was crazy. Durant had 5-6 inches on him, yet Derrick held his own for the most part.

A couple of times it sure looked like Durant passed up shots rather than challenge White. I thought Derrick did as good of a job on Durant as anyone.

There was a point in the first half when White was all up in Klay's head. He kept trying to run White off screens just to try and get the ball, and White wasn't giving him an inch. You could see Klay getting frustrated, and he started getting chippy. Could have easily drawn a couple of whistles for it.

[R. DeMurre]

I said it last night-- the happiest person in the USA after this game was Derrick White's agent. He'd just watched his future earnings go up significantly. :lol

[wildbill2u]

This win has to be a great boost to team morale and cohesion on and off the court. They are starting to believe in Pounding the Rock. Not as many skilled craftsmen as GS, but some blue collar guys with sledgehammers willing to stay all day and keep pounding.

I love this team. The 1999 club was sorta like them--a fourth quarter team that didn't care if they were behind after 3 quarters because they knew they could turn it up a notch on defense to close out. None of us could have predicted they would be playing this well at the close of the season. The damn haters ought to sfu and just enjoy the games. Win or Lose, Go Spurs Go

[spursreport]

This years Warriors are vulnerable. Punch them and they bleed. It all boils down to doing exactly what Houston did to them last year, but finishing them off in an elimination game up 15-17 points with your superstar leading the charge. Give a talented team like that (or any other) extra lives, and that’s that. The Warriors can be beaten. This will be their toughest title road yet. They bled last year and barley survived which has historically spelled bad omens for all past previous title teams in their next seasons. The team who executes the 18 Rockets blueprint with a killer instinct will send the Warriors out with a humilating playoff elimination. The stars are aligned for this to happen.

[R. DeMurre]

This years Warriors are vulnerable. Punch them and they bleed. It all boils down to doing exactly what Houston did to them last year, but finishing them off in an elimination game up 15-17 points with your superstar leading the charge. Give a talented team like that (or any other) extra lives, and that’s that. The Warriors can be beaten. This will be their toughest title road yet. They bled last year and barley survived which has historically spelled bad omens for all past previous title teams in their next seasons. The team who executes the 18 Rockets blueprint with a killer instinct will send the Warriors out with a humilating playoff elimination. The stars are aligned for this to happen.


The fact that this is the 73 win team that added Kevin Durant, and now they're looking at a win total in the mid to high 50s really says a lot. They're still the favorites, but there is definitely some focus & execution lacking there.

[Chris]

Big Shot Bert

I said it first.

Me.

[GusT15]

The fact that this is the 73 win team that added Kevin Durant, and now they're looking at a win total in the mid to high 50s really says a lot. They're still the favorites, but there is definitely some focus & execution lacking there.

Donkey was/is the heart and soul of that team even after they signed KD.

He was so important for them even on offense that if you bring back to memory,Pop was using Nephew on him and had Mills on Durant/Klay (Green on Curry).

He is so bad offensively this year that teams hide their worst defenders on him.

Unless all 3 of Curry/KD/Klay are hot or two of them and Cousins,they can be beaten in any given night.The issue is if they can be beaten in a 7game series.Let's hope they can be and will be.

[Coach X]

Really happy to see basketball gods being fair with DDR last night. He's working his ass off in defense lately and he made those tough shots he had to take at the end of several posessions in the clucth time.

Spurs coaching staff trusting DAvis Bertans can play the SF is another excellent news for the team. I've been saying this since he arrived to the Spurs (I wasn't registered here yet though haha). He's a SF and can play good D if he matches perimetral players. The plus/minus stat has double value considering he's not making his shots as he normally does.

Warriors didn't have Cousins and Iguodala available, Thompson and Curry had off-nights shooting wise but Spurs win is still valuable. The first three quarters it wasn't a high quality game but there was real competition in the final 10 minutes and Spurs managed to get a deserved win. Who would have thought this Spurs team defense could beat the Golden State Warriors?

[GreekSpursfan]

We need this Demar in the playoffs but i wouldn't get my hopes up

[ZeusWillJudge]

Really happy to see basketball gods being fair with DDR last night.

That was all DeRozan. We had nothing to do with it. :D



Thompson and Curry had off-nights shooting wise but Spurs win is still valuable.

I'm gonna disagree with you a little on that. Curry shot .333 from 3P last night. That was the 7th time in the last 10 games he's shot .333 or less from 3P. Thompson shot .444 from 3P, and he had shot worse than that in 6 out of his last 10 outings. They didn't have exceptional games, but if they did that every game it wouldn't be exceptional. Durant was 0-4 from 3P last night, but he's only shooting .315 from distance this season. Guys who shoot .315 have nights when they go 0-4.

You have to give the Spurs D credit. They have left a lot of guys free out on the arc this season, and some of them have really gone crazy. But they have tightened that up, and last night they made the Dubs work for their 3's.

I know everybody wants to give GSW credit for being a stacked team, but the Spurs really played a hell of a game last night. They legit took that game from the Warriors.

[BackHome]

What surprised me is how well Golden State can play defense when they want to they were very aggressive in second half. Still all our guys played team ball and also played some great defense very happy we beat “The Crying Team” man it was funny how after each stop they were crying to the refs.

[quentin_compson]

Watching White develop in front of our eyes and getting better nearly all the time at some small thing or other is just great.
Great win, certainly one of the more impressive ones in this season.

[R. DeMurre]

Spurs coaching staff trusting DAvis Bertans can play the SF is another excellent news for the team. I've been saying this since he arrived to the Spurs (I wasn't registered here yet though haha). He's a SF and can play good D if he matches perimetral players. The plus/minus stat has double value considering he's not making his shots as he normally does.




I think this is important-- Davis being able to cover minutes at SF gives the Spurs the option to go after the best talent available in the draft or free agency. I know a lot of people here are saying that a long athletic SF is the number one target for this team-- and of course, that never hurts-- but I don't think they're locked in to that if another option presents itself, like for example a PF shoots the three ball well, or a C great at defensive switching.

[emanueldavidginobili]

Great win, I am happy because this team could of easily FOLDED when Curry hit a three and made it a four point game. I love when we play on National Televised games because I get to hear the commentators praise Derrick Whites game. All of us have been seeing this but for the people that don't always watch the Spurs they get impressed, he's definitely getting recognition lately. Last night when Derrick made a nice pass Mark Jackson goes in a mellow shocked voice "man this kid is good"

[BackHome]

I like what Bertans has showed he has really good handles and I am not holding my breath when he dribbles like I used to with Green and Bonner. I think his mid range can get a lot better if Pop would stop scarring the kid to death but I guess growing pains.

As as far as who we pick as long as they are better then Cunningham and Poindexter it’s all gravy. The only player who didn’t deserve playing time was Gasol and now that he is gone has let Poodle do his thing and become starter officially

[exstatic]

Donkey was/is the heart and soul of that team even after they signed KD.

He was so important for them even on offense that if you bring back to memory,Pop was using Nephew on him and had Mills on Durant/Klay (Green on Curry).

He is so bad offensively this year that teams hide their worst defenders on him.

Unless all 3 of Curry/KD/Klay are hot or two of them and Cousins,they can be beaten in any given night.The issue is if they can be beaten in a 7game series.Let's hope they can be and will be.

Their win % has trended down with Donkey's 3G%. He was never as good as people thought he was, playing with 3 star offensive players, but now he's almost awful, and yet, the Prima Dona attitude remains.

[John B]

I think this is important-- Davis being able to cover minutes at SF gives the Spurs the option to go after the best talent available in the draft or free agency. I know a lot of people here are saying that a long athletic SF is the number one target for this team-- and of course, that never hurts-- but I don't think they're locked in to that if another option presents itself, like for example a PF shoots the three ball well, or a C great at defensive switching.
I like Bertans playing that SF position and staying in front of KD.

For arguement sake, why not White, Demar, Davis, Aldridge and Poeltl/Gay. I think that was the closer last night without 6-3 or shorter liability

[Das Texan]

:spam: not dead yet?

[TDomination]

We need this Demar in the playoffs but i wouldn't get my hopes up

who knows man. maybe he just needed a coach that can put him in the right spots.
and i don't think derozan has had a player as good as LMA on his team. i could be wrong. as far as big men go.

[YoungbuckMurray]

who knows man. maybe he just needed a coach that can put him in the right spots.
and i don't think derozan has had a player as good as LMA on his team. i could be wrong. as far as big men go.

Ya he's never had an interior presence that can get his own shot so Demar had to do that much more in the playoffs. As well Gay is able to do the same so less pressure

[GreekSpursfan]

who knows man. maybe he just needed a coach that can put him in the right spots.
and i don't think derozan has had a player as good as LMA on his team. i could be wrong. as far as big men go.

We can only hope.