Game Thread: Spurs vs Nuggets - Dec 9, 2021 - 7:30pm CT

[DC23]

1468966400320421902

[heyheymymy]

:flag:

[TDomination]

Hopefully more playing time for Primo!

[KobesAchilles]

Who has the tie break between us and the Rockets and the Pels if we lose? I hope it's us so nobody bumps the "we have the worst future in our division" thread

[slick'81]

No keldon but devin should return so thats a plus. Hopefully the primo suave train keeps on rolling

[RC_Drunkford]

Poeltl will probably in foul trouble again playing against Jokic. That means more Eubanks. That means we'll lose

[JeffDuncan]

Who has the tie break between us and the Rockets and the Pels if we lose? …

The Spurs haven’t played the Rockets or Pels yet. Beyond that, if the Spurs lose they’ll be tied with the Rocks in the standings, and be ahead of the Pels by 1 in the win column, and by 4 in the loss column.

Go Spurs Go!

[NASpurs]

Tank is back on boys!

[Dverde]

Poeltl will probably in foul trouble again playing against Jokic. That means more Eubanks. That means we'll lose

There is footage of Jokic smiling when he saw Ewbanks checking in. I could see Joker giving him post up tips like Timmy did to scrub bigs.

[BatManu20]

I’ll be in attendance tonight. Let’s rock.

[PhantomDashCam]

Kinda feel sorry for the Nuggets and what their fan base is experiencing atm.

They’re going through what amounts to a wasted season, with two of their top 3 players on the shelf, lose another developing talent to a potential career altering one; yet they still have a top 10 player on the team…

With KJ on the shelf, it’s time to get a look at Vassell as the starter tonight.

https://twitter.com/tom_orsborn/status/1469033701141061634?s=20

[rjv]

Kinda feel sorry for the Nuggets and what their fan base is experiencing atm.

They’re going through what amounts to a wasted season, with two of their top 3 players on the shelf, lose another developing talent to a potential career altering one; yet they still have a top 10 player on the team…

With KJ on the shelf, it’s time to get a look at Vassell as the starter tonight.

https://twitter.com/tom_orsborn/status/1469033701141061634?s=20

definitely a snake-bit franchise. but they certainly knew they were taking a chance on porter.

[spurs1990]

Lucky for us Eubanks and Forbes are the second and third coming of AC Green

[Dex]

Kinda feel sorry for the Nuggets and what their fan base is experiencing atm.

They’re going through what amounts to a wasted season, with two of their top 3 players on the shelf, lose another developing talent to a potential career altering one; yet they still have a top 10 player on the team…

With KJ on the shelf, it’s time to get a look at Vassell as the starter tonight.

https://twitter.com/tom_orsborn/status/1469033701141061634?s=20

I would normally agree with a healthy Vassell, but rushing a guy back from multiple DNPs to starting minutes could make things worse.

[Robz4000]

I would normally agree with a healthy Vassell, but rushing a guy back from multiple DNPs to starting minutes could make things worse.

Doubt he plays more than 15 mins tbh. We all know Pop's adjustment will be to start and play Forms 40 minutes.

[heyheymymy]

a different kind of streak incoming

[RC_Drunkford]

Kinda feel sorry for the Nuggets and what their fan base is experiencing atm.

They’re going through what amounts to a wasted season, with two of their top 3 players on the shelf, lose another developing talent to a potential career altering one; yet they still have a top 10 player on the team…

With KJ on the shelf, it’s time to get a look at Vassell as the starter tonight.

https://twitter.com/tom_orsborn/status/1469033701141061634?s=20

lol you're in for a big surprise if you really think Vassell will get the start. Pop will start KBD 100%

[LeBowen]

definitely a snake-bit franchise. but they certainly knew they were taking a chance on porter.

Exactly.
Porter staying healthy enough to get an extension was the worst thing that could've happened to the Nuggets.
Now they find themselves in a really bad situation. There's no way they'll be able to build a legit roster around Jokic unless Porter is forced to retire and they can get out of that contract.


As for the game, Jakob will get into early foul trouble and Jokic will shit on Drew.
Hopefully we can outscore them. Just focus on others, can't slow down Jokic anyway. And he's not a player who'll drop 50...I hope.

[Barfunk]

Absolutely brilliant idea from Pop to start the less talented second rounder over our other lottery picks. Boooooooof, mind blown.

[Barfunk]

Prove us wrong, Diop.

[poopbox]

Jokic sent Poeltl back to the future with that spin move :wow

[Robz4000]

McDipshit really is like prime Beli tbh.

[LeBowen]

As I said, it's just Jokic and scrubs.

[Dex]

McDipshit really is like prime Beli tbh.

No wonder Pop loves him.

[Sugus]

Man, Aaron Gordon's hair is disgusting, that shit's really wack. Looking like undersized RoLo out there

[Dejounte]

Absolutely brilliant idea from Pop to start the less talented second rounder over our other lottery picks. Boooooooof, mind blown.

Starting Vassell over KBD would be a soft line up. KBD isn’t doing great out there, but I think it’s more a matchup thing than a talent thing. Vassell would or should get more touches off the bench.

[Dex]

I know he had a trampoline, but Coyote just did a between the legs dunk in full costume. That's kinda impressive tbh

Sign him up, Pop!

[Dex]

Ewwbanks in :(

[poopbox]

Denver got 4 nba level players on there roster and we got forbes shooting turn around fadeaway airballs :rollin

[RC_Drunkford]

Forbes thought he had a mismatch with Jokic on him and shot an airball :lmao

[Sugus]

Ahh, I knew I recognized that voice, it's Chapu on the color commentating! Interesting, I'd like to know if it's just a one-time thing, or might be a recurring theme through the season... It's a breath of fresh air.

[Dex]

When your best shotmaker on the floor is Vassell or Forbes...things aren't going to go well.

[poopbox]

Vassel defense makes my loins tingle :wow

[Sugus]

Ahh Lonnie, such beautiful finishes, if only you hadn't forgotten how to shoot the basketball.... :depressed

[Uriel]

I wish Pop would just stick with the rotation he used when we won in Golden State for the rest of the year.

[RC_Drunkford]

We‘re lucky the nuggets don’t have a back up center. That’s the first time we have a size advantage

[Dex]

I wish Pop would just stick with the rotation he used when we won in Golden State for the rest of the year.

Thad Young had to complain to the media, and it looks like he is back in the doghouse.

I know he had some bad games, but he is still a more versatile player than Eubanks.

[Robz4000]

Ahh, I knew I recognized that voice, it's Chapu on the color commentating! Interesting, I'd like to know if it's just a one-time thing, or might be a recurring theme through the season... It's a breath of fresh air.

He did it last game too tbh.

[emanueldavidginobili]

DVs defensive instincts are phenomenal especially for someone 21 years old

[Dex]

I hate those fouls where the guy is literally just standing there with his hands up in the air, and gets whistled.

[Dex]

That's Lonnie....goes from a swish to an airball in back to back possessions on open shots.

[Sugus]

That move just earned Eubanks 10m+ of playing time :lol

[Dejounte]

Another on the dribble 3 by DJ. Nice.

That airball by lonnie lol. Good thing he made the one before that

[Dejounte]

We‘re lucky the nuggets don’t have a back up center. That’s the first time we have a size advantage

Eubanks looks like he’s also jumping a lot fucking less. Someone finally tell him to stop that shit? He looks way better when he doesn’t do that shit

[Fusternino]

This is the first time I've ever seen Aaron Gordon play well?

[RC_Drunkford]

DJ taking over

[Dex]

This is the first time I've ever seen Aaron Gordon play well?

It's the fro.

[MultiTroll]

Ewbanks playing very well so Popped pulls him.

[Dejounte]

Lonnie has got to revamp his layup mechanics. He’s almost always never effective. Doesn’t draw the foul, hardly goes in

[emanueldavidginobili]

Damn I missed Devin. Kids potential is exciting as hell

[Sugus]

Lonnie has got to revamp his layup mechanics. He’s almost always never effective. Doesn’t draw the foul, hardly goes in

At this point, I don't know how much you can "rework" that, tbh. It's not even mechanics, half of it is the mental aspect of going for contact, and Lonnie simply doesn't look for it. I could see him getting better at it if he keeps bulking up, but that might make other parts of his game less effective. Complicated stuff. Dejounte is another one that's kind of "risk-averse" when going for layups and it also causes him to lose out on FT points. Not every player is cut for it...

But at the end of the day, and given both players' previous knee injuries, I don't know if I'm too mad at that. Best ability is availability after all.

[Sugus]

You shouldn't be able to get a charge called if you're the one who initiates contact by extending your arm... smh

[Robz4000]

Spurs got tired of blowing 20 point leads so they're just gonna choke an 18 point lead tonight.

[boutons_deux]

Anybody got a stream

[Dejounte]

At this point, I don't know how much you can "rework" that, tbh. It's not even mechanics, half of it is the mental aspect of going for contact, and Lonnie simply doesn't look for it. I could see him getting better at it if he keeps bulking up, but that might make other parts of his game less effective. Complicated stuff. Dejounte is another one that's kind of "risk-averse" when going for layups and it also causes him to lose out on FT points. Not every player is cut for it...

But at the end of the day, and given both players' previous knee injuries, I don't know if I'm too mad at that. Best ability is availability after all.

I think there’s a small chance of it at least becoming more effective going in the basket even if he has to acrobat his way there… DJ’s layups were pretty bad too. I agree DJ doesn’t look for contact either. Problem is, even if he was good at that I don’t think his body is built for it. Lonnie on the other hand is very thick and looks like he can absorb contact well if only he had the mentality for it… I don’t remember any player right now similar to DJ’s stature who was pretty good at drawing contact inside.

[Sugus]

Anybody got a stream

Gotchu

https://topstreams . info/nba/Spurs?sport=basketball

[RC_Drunkford]

Between KBD, Eubanks and Forbes we really have 3 of the worst NBA players on the team and they are all part
of the rotation tonight :lol

[Dejounte]

There we go, Lonnie.. go up like that.

[itzsoweezee]

Pop pulled young after 1 minute? Damn. Did he get hurt or something?

[Robz4000]

Hack-a-Poeltl time

[Sugus]

Jokic fucking flopping to sell the foul :lmao

And Pop not challenging is just classic, smh

[poopbox]

Never seen a team blow leads like the spurs

[Robz4000]

:lol Spurs won't even have the lead going into halftime

[poopbox]

Eubanks 3 :lmao

[LeBowen]

Eubanks might suck, but at least he's trying to improve.

Jakob's FTs are just a disgrace.

[Dejounte]

I like White’s scoring mentality lately.

[Robz4000]

How the fuck does Poeltl go from being a 65% FT shooter to sub 30% to 70% then back down to >30% tbh?

[RC_Drunkford]

White always plays well against the Nuggets. Just gotta hope the Spurs can survive their 15 point quarter where they clank every shot

[SPURt]

Nice half offensively. But we’ve seen this so many times this year. They choke more than a covid ward. I’m enjoying this game, some real ABA stuff. Hopefully the Nuggets run out of gas.

[Sugus]

How the fuck does Poeltl go from being a 65% FT shooter to sub 30% to 70% then back down to >30% tbh?

I'd love for a reporter to ask him about it, tbh :lol

It's not even that he's never been good at it, he's legit had stretches of 65-70% shooting, and then he just... Forgets about it? Very random

...thinking on it, I'd love to see what percentage he was hitting before having to sit out with COVID, and what he's been hitting now.

[Barfunk]

Starting Vassell over KBD would be a soft line up. KBD isn’t doing great out there, but I think it’s more a matchup thing than a talent thing. Vassell would or should get more touches off the bench.

Yeah, he's been pretty solid so far.

[Barfunk]

Smh those fucking missed chippys

[Robz4000]

I'd love for a reporter to ask him about it, tbh :lol

It's not even that he's never been good at it, he's legit had stretches of 65-70% shooting, and then he just... Forgets about it? Very random

...thinking on it, I'd love to see what percentage he was hitting before having to sit out with COVID, and what he's been hitting now.

This team is full of guys with mental hang-ups that keep them from playing up to their potential tbh.

[Robz4000]

Gordon and Jokic are playing the Spurs evenly by themselves. If they get anything from the rest of their team they'll win comfortably.

[Robz4000]

:lmao that fast break

[LeBowen]

Bill and Pop upset it wasn't a shooting foul on Jakob.:lmao

[poopbox]

Pretty pathetic this isn't a blowout

[Sugus]

This team is full of guys with mental hang-ups that keep them from playing up to their potential tbh.

You ain't wrong :lol we really running the Spurs Mental Institution out there

Which makes me think, I've never heard of the Spurs having a sports psychologist. Like I'm guessing they have one, as they're a professional basketball team, but... Have they never thought about revamping, or re-upping, on that department? We seriously have a lot of players that could use some one-on-one time with a shrink, tbh

[poopbox]

Spurs getting dominated by Aaron fucking Gordon:rollin

[daslicer]

You ain't wrong :lol we really running the Spurs Mental Institution out there

Which makes me think, I've never heard of the Spurs having a sports psychologist. Like I'm guessing they have one, as they're a professional basketball team, but... Have they never thought about revamping, or re-upping, on that department? We seriously have a lot of players that could use some one-on-one time with a shrink, tbh

They need to use some of that money they got from Michael Dell to hire someone like Dr. Phil to counsel the players.

[Slippy]

Gordan is killing the spurs so far. Spurs have gone cold offensively to make it worse.

Pops gotta to respond to Gordon dominating the post.. he 8 of 10 and bein very disruptive on defense. KBD isnt cutting it

[heyheymymy]

KBD with nice D on Gordon and a nice score on the other end.

[Barfunk]

What foul?????

[RC_Drunkford]

You ain't wrong :lol we really running the Spurs Mental Institution out there

Which makes me think, I've never heard of the Spurs having a sports psychologist. Like I'm guessing they have one, as they're a professional basketball team, but... Have they never thought about revamping, or re-upping, on that department? We seriously have a lot of players that could use some one-on-one time with a shrink, tbh

Tim Duncan was their psychologist. Once he retired that was it

[Dejounte]

KBD looking MUCH better with his layup attempts. They’re usually so slow but tonight its a lot quicker

[RC_Drunkford]

KBD is such a scrub. The guy can’t dribble, can’t finish, can’t shoot. All he can do is defend and rebound cause he’s long

[heyheymymy]

That KBD basket along the baseline w the feed from DW iirc was a pretty slick finish imo

[heyheymymy]

Now is the time to throw jock at joker

[Slippy]

This going to be a fustrating loss if pops response is more of drew when the nuggs are dominating the inside through their post players.

Btw iJock Londale made a living defending the post just in case grandpa remembers him and thad in da doghouse.

[Robz4000]

Every single player on this team has a fatal flaw tbh.

[MultiTroll]

Pretty pathetic this isn't a blowout
I left with the Spurs up 18.
Just got back the Nuggets have closed to 6.

What did CIA Dipshit pull this time? :rollin

[Robz4000]

This going to be a fustrating loss if pops response is more of drew when the nuggs are dominating the inside through their post players.

Btw iJock Londale made a living defending the post just in case grandpa remembers him and thad in da doghouse.

Eubanks hitting his freebies at least.

[Robz4000]

:lmao Aaron Gordon looking like prime Shaq out there

[td4mvp2k]

wtf is KBD and Eubanks doing?!

[Robz4000]

Seriously, Denver only has 2 1/2 players playing well and it's a close game.

[Uriel]

I wish White played every game like he were playing against Denver.

[Barfunk]

That's already like the 976th shot tonight that was 3/4 of the way in and rattles out.

[Robz4000]

:lmao this fucking team

[Slippy]

Eubanks hitting his freebies at least.

Ya Drew is actually doing a few nice things offensively but they dominating inside.

[Dejounte]

That was a couple of dumb possessions. Good thing Vassell saved our asses

[Robz4000]

Spurs are shooting 50% from three and might lose. Crazy.

[Uriel]

Wtf is going on

[poopbox]

Dude just grabbed tre by the neck:rollin

[Robz4000]

Ya Drew is actually doing a few nice things offensively but they dominating inside.

They're dominating inside regardless of who is on the court. At least Ewbanks is making things tough on the other end for them.

[SPURt]

When Denver gets their Murray back they’re gonna be crazy good

[Dejounte]

Murray getting overconfident with his 3’s. Fuck it. Go for it :lmao

[Robz4000]

When Denver gets their Murray back they’re gonna be crazy good

Now that they've lost MPJ for the season their ceiling is capped at the WCSF imo.

[MannyIsGod]

This team is full of guys with mental hang-ups that keep them from playing up to their potential tbh.

This.is 100% true man.

[SPURt]

I wonder how much food Zion eats to hold that much mass on his body? It’s gotta be a wheel barrel full of calories. I swear I mishear him day “Time for a diabetes break” during that Mountain Dew commercial.

[Sugus]

Murray getting overconfident with his 3’s. Fuck it. Go for it :lmao

I absolutely rather see 1-2 DJ airballs/bad misses a game as long as he keeps shooting it, it's great that he's confident in his shot

[poopbox]

Pop telling Lonnie dumbass to try and dunk the ball

[Dejounte]

Denver’s defense is swarming and giving the Spurs all kinds of trouble

[SPURt]

Now that they've lost MPJ for the season their ceiling is capped at the WCSF imo.
Yeah, I totally forgot about that, they bet heavy on MPJ. Glad the Spurs didn’t do that.

[Slippy]

Lonnie had the jump on his man.. should of dunked it .

Now the midget argo killing the spurs.

Pops response probably be Bryn.

[Dejounte]

Campazzo would have been such a nice get for the Spurs.

[poopbox]

Pop :lmao

[Barfunk]

Lol that 3 pointer by the Nuggets was literally falling out of the rim then magically falls back in.

[Robz4000]

At least the tank will roll on.

[LeBowen]

Yeah, we're definitely taking the L here.

[Seventyniner]

At what point will Poeltl stop doubling off of Green?

[poopbox]

I know we wouldn't know anything about it but when you have bigs who can shoot the 3 it makes offense a lot easier. Nuggets got 6 points off 2 passes for no other reason than Green can actually shoot and make open 3's.

[Robz4000]

Spurs up by double digits most of the game only to lose in the end. Feel like I've seen this before...

[Dejounte]

That defense right there on Jokic by KBD is why he starts

[SPURt]

https://y.yarn.co/8f6f4731-4e8f-492e-985b-34bd5fc61793_text.gif

[Dejounte]

Everyone is having a good game…

[KobesAchilles]

Jokic is sucha bad defender. Today's NBA. Rick Smits would be considered dominant

[Ocotillo]

What is up with the way White runs? Looks like he is running on his tip toes.

[Robz4000]

:lol calling that a foul

[Dejounte]

What is up with the way White runs? Looks like he is running on his tip toes.

He has always done this. IMO, it’s why he gets injured.

[Robz4000]

Feel like hack-a-Poeltl will come after this timeout.

[poopbox]

Poeltl with a 3 point play:wow

[Dejounte]

Bol Bol has an uncanny resemblance to Pennywise WTF

[LeBowen]

Jakob "makes them when it matters" Poeltl. :lobt2:

[Sugus]

Poeltl with a 3 point play:wow

him actually making the FT to complete the play is the most surprising part of it :lol

[poopbox]

Forbes hasn't played at all in the second half

[Uriel]

I love Jakob, I've been saying he's the 2nd best player on the team. But can you imagine how good we could be if we could swap Jakob for Jokic?

[SPURt]

Jokic might be my favorite player to watch outside of the Spurs. He’s the best outlet passing big since Tim was doing it. Incredible player.

[Barfunk]

Sorry Gordon, only Shaq was allowed to concuss people down low during the Lakers' heyday.

[LeBowen]

Good W.

Hate to say it, but offense looks more fluid without Keldon.

[SPURt]

I’ve enjoyed the Oberto commentary

[Uriel]

With a healthy Jakob, the Spurs are a 40-win team.

[Robz4000]

I love Jakob, I've been saying he's the 2nd best player on the team. But can you imagine how good we could be if we could swap Jakob for Jokic?

They'd be a quasi-contender like Denver tbh.

[RC_Drunkford]

Good win. Offense was clicking and they hit the glass hard. The only negative were the turnovers

[Uriel]

Great win. Feel like a loss on Saturday is inevitable.

[Dejounte]

Great:
Lonnie
White

Good:
Vassell
Eubanks (shocking, but I give credit when it’s due)


OK:
Murray
KBD
Poeltl

contributed nothing today:
Tre

[Slippy]

Good win .. lonnie was good on both ends.

Drew and KBD did enough to frustrate the nuggs. Pop didnt resort to Bryn in the 4th. glad to be wrong on the expected loss.:lol

[Dex]

WE'RE GOING TO THE DISNEYWORLD!!!

[playbonner15]

Good win. It's been a while since the Spurs won against the Nuggs. It seems like they always beat the Spurs even if the team's playing well

[Dejounte]

If KBD can learn to finish and minimize turnovers, that’s a damn good role player.

[lefty20]

Poodle with that Draymond stat line tonight.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

fuck :pctoss

let's get this train back on the tracks on saturday

:lma

[Robz4000]

Poodle with that Draymond stat line tonight.

Gettin' dem triple singles

[Dex]

Poodle with that Draymond stat line tonight.

People want to doubt Jakob because he doesn't score 20 a game or whatever...but the guy is a factor in every minute he is on the floor. He does so many little things that don't show up in the stat sheet. He is almost averaging a dub-dub and providing great defensive presence. Ninja Poeltl is money well spent.

[Mr. Body]

See? Spurs are tough anytime Landale plays.

[Sugus]

People want to doubt Jakob because he doesn't score 20 a game or whatever...but the guy is a factor in every minute he is on the floor. He does so many little things that don't show up in the stat sheet. He is almost averaging a dub-dub and providing great defensive presence. Ninja Poeltl is money well spent.

:cry b-but he doesnt shoot 3s!! :cry

[Dejounte]

https://twitter.com/matthew_tynan/status/1469154183609729028?s=21

Yes, Lonnie

So it was one good game, then bad, then good

I dont mind if hes bad the next game

Just no more good, bad, bad, bad, bad, good, bad, bad…

[Dverde]

Yup drive the ball Bonnie Walker.

[RC_Drunkford]

That’s great to hear. Maybe Manu can build his confidence back up

[jbspurs]

People want to doubt Jakob because he doesn't score 20 a game or whatever...but the guy is a factor in every minute he is on the floor. He does so many little things that don't show up in the stat sheet. He is almost averaging a dub-dub and providing great defensive presence. Ninja Poeltl is money well spent.

I agree! I don't care that he doesn't score a lot, as long as he stays aggressive on defense.

[SAGirl]

Great:
Lonnie
White

Good:
Vassell
Eubanks (shocking, but I give credit when it’s due)


OK:
Murray
KBD
Poeltl

contributed nothing today:
Tre
More useful review than Timvp. Thank you. Honestly what bothered me of the grades it’s that it pretty much didn’t matter how the game went he’d always give the token grades on a very subjective curve, which didn’t really tell me who had a good game and who didn’t. I appreciated the comments tho.

[Seventyniner]

So it was one good game, then bad, then good

I dont mind if hes bad the next game

Just no more good, bad, bad, bad, bad, good, bad, bad…

Lonnie is looking like a microwave player. Inconsistency is part of the package.

[BackHome]

More useful review than Timvp. Thank you. Honestly what bothered me of the grades it’s that it pretty much didn’t matter how the game went he’d always give the token grades on a very subjective curve, which didn’t really tell me who had a good game and who didn’t. I appreciated the comments tho.

So instead of crying why don’t you do the reviews?

[PhantomDashCam]

Looking at the schedule, could conceivably win the next 3 home games leading into the Utah blood bath.

KBD has been pretty solid when given consistent burn. Nothing spectacular but much prefer him playing than the completely undersized mock lineups we see.

Vassell’s fluidity, seemingly unshakable confidence is a joy to watch.

Derrick is in peak form atm. The game seems to be coming easy to him. He’s noticeably having more fun on the court even laughing when Joker popped him with an errant pass of the ball.

DJ’s willingness to shoot the 3 can’t be understated. It’s allowing he and DW to play interchangeable roles in the Offense and I have no doubt he was having to hold this part of his game back while Derrick found a groove. He’s improved so much over the last 2 seasons. I am thrilled for him. He seems to be going less and less to the midrange jumpers lately, but I will have to go to the numbers to confirm it.

[John B]

Looking at the schedule, could conceivably win the next 3 home games leading into the Utah blood bath.

KBD has been pretty solid when given consistent burn. Nothing spectacular but much prefer him playing than the completely undersized mock lineups we see.

Vassell’s fluidity, seemingly unshakable confidence is a joy to watch.

Derrick is in peak form atm. The game seems to be coming easy to him. He’s noticeably having more fun on the court even laughing when Joker popped him with an errant pass of the ball.

DJ’s willingness to shoot the 3 can’t be understated. It’s allowing he and DW to play interchangeable roles in the Offense and I have no doubt he was having to hold this part of his game back while Derrick found a groove. He’s improved so much over the last 2 seasons. I am thrilled for him. He seems to be going less and less to the midrange jumpers lately, but I will have to go to the numbers to confirm it.

I have to agree. I don’t like anybody getting hurt, but Keldon’s injury is forcing Pop to play Spurs lineup in their natural position, McD SF and KBD with size in the PF position and help Jakob clean up, defend the paint, while occasionally hit the open 3. It’s not popular, but Keldon’s motor can be useful at 6th man, not to take away from Lonnie and Vassell. But if DJM/White/McD can consistently score in high teens or even twenties, Jakob can give his occasional 12 pts, it’s natural to bring Keldon off the bench where he could do more damage, just imo.

[8FOR!3]

I think if we can make Lonnie into a 3 and D guy with passable dribbling (has a couple of moves to create space to either shoot or make the right pass) and really good athleticism then that's a success and enough to keep him around in my book. Not everybody has to be a star. I think he could be better than the average role player but I think that's his role with our team. I don't think that his game translates to being a star in the NBA. But that doesn't mean he can't be a valuable player within his role.

Lonnie plays with a lot more purpose now than he used to on both ends imo.

[playbonner15]

Jokic might be my favorite player to watch outside of the Spurs. He’s the best outlet passing big since Tim was doing it. Incredible player.

https://streamable.com/1axjbq

[Dejounte]

I think if we can make Lonnie into a 3 and D guy with passable dribbling (has a couple of moves to create space to either shoot or make the right pass) and really good athleticism then that's a success and enough to keep him around in my book. Not everybody has to be a star. I think he could be better than the average role player but I think that's his role with our team. I don't think that his game translates to being a star in the NBA. But that doesn't mean he can't be a valuable player within his role.

Lonnie plays with a lot more purpose now than he used to on both ends imo.

This has been known for a while, he just has to show up every other game to be worth keeping past this season. The roster is getting full especially if the Spurs keep their draft picks in the 2022 draft. A roster shuffle is coming in both the backcourt and the frontcourt. I think the front court is more obvious since two of the guys we attained don’t even play (Collins, Landale), and the current two backups are bad. The back court is more interesting to forecast. Will Lonnie accept a role where he can be benched every other game if he doesn’t have it that night? Is he willing to accept a lesser contract to stay as a result? Vassell and Primo are obviously taking some backcourt minutes next year. Tre is less of a sure thing if he doesn’t up his game more. If Tre doesn’t, then there’s room for Lonnie in the future IMO. Just alternate minutes between he and Lonnie and Lonnie can be kept.

[slick'81]

nuggets definitely looked like a team coming off a ot game playing a back2back. Still,great win for the Spurs

[Fireball]

Nice win feasting on an exhausted team on a b2b. Agree with others here that playing KBD is somehow working (defense, good cuts, corner threes), but man watching him dribble the ball is awful ... I doubt he can go coast to coast and do a layup without anyone else being on the floor

[John B]

Nice win feasting on an exhausted team on a b2b. Agree with others here that playing KBD is somehow working (defense, good cuts, corner threes), but man watching him dribble the ball is awful ... I doubt he can go coast to coast and do a layup without anyone else being on the floor

KBD is not supposed to dribble coast to coast as a PF. But what he’s supposed to do as a PF, rebound, defend bigs and the paint, occasional 3’s is better than Keldon at 4 imo. It ultimately makes Jakob stay with his man.

[Fireball]

KBD is not supposed to dribble coast to coast as a PF. But what he’s supposed to do as a PF, rebound, defend bigs and the paint, occasional 3’s is better than Keldon at 4 imo. It ultimately makes Jakob stay with his man.

problem is he cannot even dribble for a few steps ... if you say thats not his job as well then he should stop trying ... he is horrible in that regard

[YoungbuckMurray]

They should really just stick Primo in as a starter.

Starters: DJ- White- Primo-McD- Poetl

Bench: Jones- Lonnie- Devin- Keldon- Young

spot mins: Eubanks, Forbes, KBD

[TDomination]

People want to doubt Jakob because he doesn't score 20 a game or whatever...but the guy is a factor in every minute he is on the floor. He does so many little things that don't show up in the stat sheet. He is almost averaging a dub-dub and providing great defensive presence. Ninja Poeltl is money well spent.

Completely this

he changes the complexion of the defense with just being there. It will get to a point where guards will begin to hesitate to drive when he’s near the basket

[TDomination]

Man great to see Derrick white find his game.

it’s like what most of everyone was saying, he starts off slow and he showed that once again this year. But finally he’s playing like the player we all expected. Changes the dynamic of this team no doubt.

[TDomination]

Great:
Lonnie
White

Good:
Vassell
Eubanks (shocking, but I give credit when it’s due)


OK:
Murray
KBD
Poeltl

contributed nothing today:
Tre
Not being sarcastic here, I love how Murray can be 1 asst and 2 rebounds from a triple double and he just played okay.

it’s become expected of him. He scores 20 and it doesn’t feel like it. We expect more now. That’s a good thing.

i remember when Timmy would have a “meh” games but yet he would end up with 24pts 14 rebounds 4 blocks or something like that. Obviously he’s not at his level but his consistency has been good

murray is becoming a consistent player, I feel like we can expect certain things from him every night.

[XDT76]

KBD is not supposed to dribble coast to coast as a PF. But what he’s supposed to do as a PF, rebound, defend bigs and the paint, occasional 3’s is better than Keldon at 4 imo. It ultimately makes Jakob stay with his man.

He should at least be able to do a fast break when there is no defender between him and the rim. At least a blocked or missed lay-up.

[Dejounte]

Not being sarcastic here, I love how Murray can be 1 asst and 2 rebounds from a triple double and he just played okay.

it’s become expected of him. He scores 20 and it doesn’t feel like it. We expect more now. That’s a good thing.

i remember when Timmy would have a “meh” games but yet he would end up with 24pts 14 rebounds 4 blocks or something like that. Obviously he’s not at his level but his consistency has been good

murray is becoming a consistent player, I feel like we can expect certain things from him every night.

Yeah, it’s absurd to say he had an OK game with that statline, but I watched the game and he was kinda iffy for three quarters. In the third quarter, I saw him make stupid turnovers I had not seen from him all season. There was also a 3 point attempt or two where I felt it was bad timing. He can and has done better than games like last night. In the fourth he was pretty clutch with some steals and layups, so that bumped him up from being bad. I can be objective about Murray when I know he has games that are good and games that are bad, unlike a certain idiot here who thinks all of his good games are counting stats.

[Dejounte]

https://i.ibb.co/P9SDspY/64-FEEF27-EA84-4-B0-D-83-F4-03-A3-D6-A0-F742.png

[TDomination]

He should at least be able to do a fast break when there is no defender between him and the rim. At least a blocked or missed lay-up.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/EasyRespectfulAmericancrayfish-size_restricted.gif

[TDomination]

https://i.ibb.co/P9SDspY/64-FEEF27-EA84-4-B0-D-83-F4-03-A3-D6-A0-F742.png


who quoted this?

[Mr. Body]

who quoted this?

Dejounte quoted this.

[Dejounte]

Michael Malone

[Uriel]

https://i.ibb.co/P9SDspY/64-FEEF27-EA84-4-B0-D-83-F4-03-A3-D6-A0-F742.png
Hit the nail on the head.

[slick'81]

Hit the nail on the head.

well hes the hc of the nuggets ,so yea

[heyheymymy]

Anyone notice that huge OREB tap out from Tre Jones deep in the paint that led to the AST on a 3?

[heyheymymy]

Also, pretty sharp game from Eubanks which we don't always get to say lol.

Finally showed that range he was working on

[heyheymymy]

Also lol at Primo getting like :37 playing time

[rjv]

Not being sarcastic here, I love how Murray can be 1 asst and 2 rebounds from a triple double and he just played okay.

it’s become expected of him. He scores 20 and it doesn’t feel like it. We expect more now. That’s a good thing.

i remember when Timmy would have a “meh” games but yet he would end up with 24pts 14 rebounds 4 blocks or something like that. Obviously he’s not at his level but his consistency has been good

murray is becoming a consistent player, I feel like we can expect certain things from him every night.

funny that i read this because this is exactly what i was thinking last night as the game reached the 4th quarter; murray was not doing much that stood out but he suddenly had this solid stat line and this is exactly what TD would do so frequently that some NBA players referred to him as a "silent assassin" in that they would think they had duncan under control only to realize that he was filling the stat sheet. not saying that DJ is TD, of course, but it does appear that dejountae has reached a point where his stats are becoming routinely solid. and i will also add that he is starting to look more confident in the last minutes of ball games.

[TDomination]

Dejounte quoted this.

lol touché

[emanueldavidginobili]

More on Manu helping Lonnie.

1469166693742256130

[Dejounte]

Don’t look now but DJ is shooting a whopping 44.8% from the 3 pt line out of 29 attempts in December. I’m sure if I dig into more games from late November that number will remain high. He’s trending up with his 3 point shooting.

[GAustex]

IIRC Forbes did not see the court in the second half. That helped

[Dejounte]

Don’t look now but DJ is shooting a whopping 44.8% from the 3 pt line out of 29 attempts in December. I’m sure if I dig into more games from late November that number will remain high. He’s trending up with his 3 point shooting.

By the way, he had a total of 80 FGs in December so that 29 3PA is over a third of his shot attempts before people think he doesn’t shoot enough 3’s. That’s over 34% of his shots, meaning every 1 of 3 shot attempts, he shoots a 3.

tagging my guy Sugus so that he may someday be a believer ;)

[SPURt]

https://streamable.com/1axjbq
What did I just see? That’s real? Lawd have mercy

[Sugus]

https://twitter.com/matthew_tynan/status/1469154183609729028?s=21

Yes, Lonnie

So it was one good game, then bad, then good

I dont mind if hes bad the next game

Just no more good, bad, bad, bad, bad, good, bad, bad…

If there's anyone that can turn Lonnie around, it's Manu, for sure... Especially on that aspect of his game, the driving, learning to take contact and be comfortable with it, and so many other intangibles. That's some great coaching for Lonnie to get, for a change.

I wouldn't expect the inconsistency to stop soon, though... It takes time for players to learn new habits and un-learn old ones. Might even take until the off-season for him to be able to properly work on his game - at which point, it could/probably will be too late for his time as a Spur, sadly.

[KobesAchilles]

By the way, he had a total of 80 FGs in December so that 29 3PA is over a third of his shot attempts before people think he doesn’t shoot enough 3’s. That’s over 34% of his shots, meaning every 1 of 3 shot attempts, he shoots a 3.

tagging my guy Sugus (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=54941) so that he may someday be a believer ;)
This is what turned me into a believer. He has reached the stage where he is now taking stupid 3 pointers. That's fantastic progress bc last year he wouldn't even shoot wide open ones. I said in the Simmons thread that DJ had been on fire from the 3 point line in recent games. He has also upped his attempts like you said. This is HUGE for his progress bc it opens up the entire court to him. His development this season has been amazing. he is a totally different player right now than he was in Oct.

[Sugus]

KBD is not supposed to dribble coast to coast as a PF. But what he’s supposed to do as a PF, rebound, defend bigs and the paint, occasional 3’s is better than Keldon at 4 imo. It ultimately makes Jakob stay with his man.

Exactly this. It's amazing how suddenly solid the Spurs' defense is once Jakob doesn't have to constantly get out of position to guard the opposing PFs, isn't it? And yesterday, Aaron Gordon ate us alive in the minutes KBD wasn't on the court matching him, whilst Jokic on the other hand (who everyone was predicting would "light Jakob up"...) had a very pedestrian game by his standards.

It's plain as day to see Keldon doesn't cut it as a PF, on either end, but especially so on defense. He doesn't only lack the size to defend the position; he lacks the strength, the positioning ability, the rebounding and boxing out instincts, the help defense rotating instincts. He's simply not a PF, or at least not a starting one, and it hurts the Spurs every game he pretends to be one. A difficult conundrum for the Spurs to be sure, given how relatively good he is on offense, and being a fan favorite, and a Gold medalist, but he's just not a PF, and the Spurs can't depend on KBD every game neither.

[Seventyniner]

By the way, he had a total of 80 FGs in December so that 29 3PA is over a third of his shot attempts before people think he doesn’t shoot enough 3’s. That’s over 34% of his shots, meaning every 1 of 3 shot attempts, he shoots a 3.

tagging my guy Sugus (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=54941) so that he may someday be a believer ;)

Yup, 3PAr (% of FG attempts that are threes) is the important thing imo. Murray is at 0.239 for the season which doesn't cut it in today's NBA (league average is 0.402 and the Spurs' last-place average is 0.317), but 29/80 is 0.363 which is much closer to where he needs to be. Good catch on those stats.

It also shows that his Oct/Nov 3PAr was dismally low: 0.210 (72/343). Progress!

[John B]

Exactly this. It's amazing how suddenly solid the Spurs' defense is once Jakob doesn't have to constantly get out of position to guard the opposing PFs, isn't it? And yesterday, Aaron Gordon ate us alive in the minutes KBD wasn't on the court matching him, whilst Jokic on the other hand (who everyone was predicting would "light Jakob up"...) had a very pedestrian game by his standards.

It's plain as day to see Keldon doesn't cut it as a PF, on either end, but especially so on defense. He doesn't only lack the size to defend the position; he lacks the strength, the positioning ability, the rebounding and boxing out instincts, the help defense rotating instincts. He's simply not a PF, or at least not a starting one, and it hurts the Spurs every game he pretends to be one. A difficult conundrum for the Spurs to be sure, given how relatively good he is on offense, and being a fan favorite, and a Gold medalist, but he's just not a PF, and the Spurs can't depend on KBD every game neither.

I hate to admit it, but I agree with you :lol:lol. It does make a big difference for Poeltl to have a long PF to help rebound, boxout, deflect layups that often times Keldon is just too small for. I love Keldon, but KBD compliments Poeltl better as the starting PF and last night shows a glimpse of that.

[rjv]

This is what turned me into a believer. He has reached the stage where he is now taking stupid 3 pointers. That's fantastic progress bc last year he wouldn't even shoot wide open ones. I said in the Simmons thread that DJ had been on fire from the 3 point line in recent games. He has also upped his attempts like you said. This is HUGE for his progress bc it opens up the entire court to him. His development this season has been amazing. he is a totally different player right now than he was in Oct.

yeah. he even took one from well beyond the three-point line last night (and nailed it, too). DJ has to be a serious contender for the MIP player award so far this season.

[Sugus]

By the way, he had a total of 80 FGs in December so that 29 3PA is over a third of his shot attempts before people think he doesn’t shoot enough 3’s. That’s over 34% of his shots, meaning every 1 of 3 shot attempts, he shoots a 3.

tagging my guy Sugus so that he may someday be a believer ;)

I was trying to figure out whether you were dissing me with that vague "a certain idiot here" comment earlier, glad to see it's not the case :lol

It's been an interesting couple games, tbh. I've been watching Dejounte closer since we had that convo regarding him, and he definitely looks much better in many areas as opposed to last season. I don't know if I'm fully sold on it yet (mainly because we need to see if he can keep up the improved play, and most of all shooting, over a long period of time), but it's definitely piqued me.

But on an overarching theme, beyond just DJ... I'm a bit torn regarding the Spurs' situation. On the one hand, it's plain to see that they lack a true #1 talent, the kind of player you tank for (and the Spurs sure started out the season looking like they were gonna go for it), but on the other hand, they look much too competent to truly be in play for that kind of talent with the way they've been playing now. Everyone's gelling, multiple players (Dejounte, Vassell, Poeltl, etc) have stepped up and are bringing wins to the team, and I keep asking myself if it's really the right path, the right timeline for the team to be on. And at its core, this question is what birthed my desire to trade DJ initially - not the assets per se, I could care less about them, but the definitive "timeline reset" that shipping out your best player signals. An objective "white flag" waiving of sorts, "let's tank a couple seasons then regroup" kind of thing, which a part of me really believes the Spurs need, in order to get the necessary talent to one day be true contenders.

In that exchange (btw, I didn't get back to you because I got burnt out talking bad about DJ when I like him as a player, overall; I don't care for trading him nearly as much as that discussion required energy to make my points), you pointed out that DJ is already a better talent than what we could get with the picks that we'd get in a trade for him (that was a complicated sentence!). While I see your point, I tend to think that Dejounte looks like a "Manu Ginobili" to me, while the Spurs lack a true Tim Duncan, you know? In this vein, I can't stop thinking of the Spurs getting "misguided" into thinking that they can build a contender around DJ & Co, and never giving themselves the opportunity to acquire a Duncan-level talent (which certainly isn't coming to them via FA, Ayton is an absolute pipedream and we all know it).

So, yeah, that's my current view on it. I don't really want to trade DJ.... As long as the Spurs can recognize he's not going to be the #1 championship-level piece that they need, and that they need to keep searching for it, preferably by stealth-tanking (which was looking great at the start of this season, these last couple of wins have sorta derailed that L-train :lol).

[rjv]

it's been said that "players don't tank; organizations do" and this current roster has no interest in tanking.

[Sugus]

This is what turned me into a believer. He has reached the stage where he is now taking stupid 3 pointers. That's fantastic progress bc last year he wouldn't even shoot wide open ones. I said in the Simmons thread that DJ had been on fire from the 3 point line in recent games. He has also upped his attempts like you said. This is HUGE for his progress bc it opens up the entire court to him. His development this season has been amazing. he is a totally different player right now than he was in Oct.

I'd love for some reporter to ask him about his 3-point shooting increase (if they haven't already). It surely wasn't casual/random, and as you say, it turns him into a completely different player. The defense has to guard him entirely different on the PnR if they can't just freely go under screens without being scared that he'll make the open 3 (which was a point of much critique for me of his game last season), it opens up the whole lane and also gives the roller more room to roll and get the pass on.

I'm hoping it's not a fluke, and he sure plays like it isn't. I love the confidence in his shot - just remains to see whether he'll keep it up when/if the shots start not to fall, or if he'll go to the White "sulk and stop looking for shots" routine.

[Dejounte]

That wasn’t directed towards you, Sugus . I know you’re a smart guy and you think things through, even if it takes a little while ;) nah, of course we’ll have our disagreements about certain things. We’re human, after all. It’s only important to be open-minded and honest—not throwing fake news out there as a result of poor research… I despise it when people do that.

[Dejounte]

I also don’t believe the Spurs are viewing DJ as a #1 championship level piece. If you read between the lines in Pop’s quotes to the media all season, he did not crown DJ as a leader or go-to guy for many games until he started to earn it. Also, Pop has been subtly saying this team is not talented enough by saying “they’re doing their best” or “they’re learning”. If all these quotes are any indication, PATFO are not having any delusions about standing pat and not adding more talent—if anything, it’s the fans who don’t understand that most teams don’t get generational talent through trades, it’s been always through the draft. And on that point, I don’t think it HAS to be a top 5 pick. My favorite player right now is Jokic and he was far from that. Steph Curry was #7. Kawhi Leonard was #15. The team doesn’t have to bottom out to get that special talent.

[TDomination]

Especially when the talents coming out now are still developing. They are all 18, 19, 20 yrs old and are still growing into their game. So really the top pick that is made is for the player that is playing better at that moment of the draft, where the lower picks could easily have better careers but it just took them a year or 2 to get it all together.

[Chomag]

DJ has made me eat allot of crow this year, I always saw him as very mechanical however he is showing that he really is learning the game and how to make it flow.

Its so boggling how good this team could be if they had at least 1 legit franchise type of player playing with these guys right now.

[Sugus]

That wasn’t directed towards you, Sugus . I know you’re a smart guy and you think things through, even if it takes a little while ;) nah, of course we’ll have our disagreements about certain things. We’re human, after all. It’s only important to be open-minded and honest—not throwing fake news out there as a result of poor research… I despise it when people do that.

And that's why you're my guy, my guy ;) :tu


I also don’t believe the Spurs are viewing DJ as a #1 championship level piece. If you read between the lines in Pop’s quotes to the media all season, he did not crown DJ as a leader or go-to guy for many games until he started to earn it. Also, Pop has been subtly saying this team is not talented enough by saying “they’re doing their best” or “they’re learning”. If all these quotes are any indication, PATFO are not having any delusions about standing pat and not adding more talent—if anything, it’s the fans who don’t understand that most teams don’t get generational talent through trades, it’s been always through the draft. And on that point, I don’t think it HAS to be a top 5 pick. My favorite player right now is Jokic and he was far from that. Steph Curry was #7. Kawhi Leonard was #15. The team doesn’t have to bottom out to get that special talent.

I really hope you're right on this. I haven't been keeping up with Pop's quotes really, but from the little I gathered you're right, there hasn't been a lot of talk about leaders and all. But at the same time... I also haven't heard Pop too displeased with the "talent level" of the group (though obviously that's not something Pop would ever say outright to the media), nor the losing, he just says like you said, "they're learning" and all that jazz. But is it really enough for them to be learning? That's my constant personal question... There's a level of inherent, natural, born-with talent that simply cannot be taught, nor learned. Call it hand-eye coordination like Curry, or explosive athleticism (which I agree with you, is overrated, but still is a talent measure), or whatever; I really wonder whether any one of the Spurs can truly "learn their way" into being a championship-level piece.

And if they don't... I don't know, I just don't see Pop and the (current) FO outright tanking. rjv said it best, it's the FO/coaching that causes a tank, and not the players - and I don't really see the FO having any interest in that kind of thing; matter-of-fact, I'm pretty sure they'd be much happier to see short-term success (say, reaching the playoffs as an #8 seed this season or next) that doesn't translate to long-term success, simply because of the lost revenue from all these COVID-ridden seasons. Can we truly say the FO acknowledges some form of tanking is necessary? You're more optimistic there than I am, for sure...

Lastly, of course top-end talent doesn't always lie at the top of the draft. But at the end of the day, it's a numbers game - how many years did the Warriors suck before lucking into Curry? Or the Nuggets (who were nothing after Melo left) before Jokic? How many years had MWK missed the POs before lucking into Giannis? At the end of the day, that sort of "draft steals" are mostly "lucking into"... And usually mean you have to have many attempts before you get it right. As much as I'd love to think the Spurs will get another #10 pick this year, and that #10 pick will be the steal of the draft and the franchise cornerstone that lifts the Spurs into contention -- it seems awfully unrealistic.

At the end of the day, I'm enjoying the uncertainty of this season. Both the results, and the team itself, is miles better to watch than last season, and that's all I was asking for before the season began. So I'm happy right now, outcome of the season be damned, to watch the boys grow and gel together.

[Sugus]

Especially when the talents coming out now are still developing. They are all 18, 19, 20 yrs old and are still growing into their game. So really the top pick that is made is for the player that is playing better at that moment of the draft, where the lower picks could easily have better careers but it just took them a year or 2 to get it all together.

Yeah, this is true too, we're looking at maybe the youngest overall Spurs team in 20+ years. It's another reason why, no matter how he plays, I'm not in any urge to trade away DJ or whomever - we've got plenty of time to see how Dejounte, Vassell, hell even Lonnie, develop, before we begin to be forced into roster decisions.

In that regard, I'm much enjoying this expectations-less season, as opposed to the last 3-4 seasons, where it was always Playoffs or bust with LMA/DDR core, and even when we got there, there wasn't any real hope of contention, beyond giving some #1 seed trouble in the first round.

[Sugus]

Yup, 3PAr (% of FG attempts that are threes) is the important thing imo. Murray is at 0.239 for the season which doesn't cut it in today's NBA (league average is 0.402 and the Spurs' last-place average is 0.317), but 29/80 is 0.363 which is much closer to where he needs to be. Good catch on those stats.

It also shows that his Oct/Nov 3PAr was dismally low: 0.210 (72/343). Progress!

Great stats, thanks! The contrast between this month and the previous months of the season is really staggering, and absolutely backs up the eye test - something changed for him in December that made him more comfortable, or just willing, to take more threes. Whatever it is, he's gotta keep it up...

What are the chances Dejounte is DJ's actual ST persona, and he got mad after I said he doesn't shoot no threes? Worth investigating... :tongue


I hate to admit it, but I agree with you :lol:lol. It does make a big difference for Poeltl to have a long PF to help rebound, boxout, deflect layups that often times Keldon is just too small for. I love Keldon, but KBD compliments Poeltl better as the starting PF and last night shows a glimpse of that.

I'm framing this agreement on my fridge, just so you know :lol

What's insane to me about this is - KBD isn't even a "good" PF, he's literally on a two-way and has one foot out of the league, so to speak. You just gotta imagine how good our defensive presence and rebounding could be, if you paired Poeltl with an actually good-to-great PF.... Someone who could not only do the basic rebound-defend-boxout, but also shoot 3's at a high clip, handle the ball with fluidity, or score inside where Jakob doesn't. I salivate at the thought...

[gilmor2002]

Finally get to watch the game.

Key players for Spurs - Derek, DJ, Lonnie and Jacob.

Who is that green bitch that sits behind Pop

[RC_Drunkford]

Exactly this. It's amazing how suddenly solid the Spurs' defense is once Jakob doesn't have to constantly get out of position to guard the opposing PFs, isn't it? And yesterday, Aaron Gordon ate us alive in the minutes KBD wasn't on the court matching him, whilst Jokic on the other hand (who everyone was predicting would "light Jakob up"...) had a very pedestrian game by his standards.

It's plain as day to see Keldon doesn't cut it as a PF, on either end, but especially so on defense. He doesn't only lack the size to defend the position; he lacks the strength, the positioning ability, the rebounding and boxing out instincts, the help defense rotating instincts. He's simply not a PF, or at least not a starting one, and it hurts the Spurs every game he pretends to be one. A difficult conundrum for the Spurs to be sure, given how relatively good he is on offense, and being a fan favorite, and a Gold medalist, but he's just not a PF, and the Spurs can't depend on KBD every game neither.

your PF should always give you additional shot blocking. That’s what really turns the defense up, especially when your center has to defend on the perimeter. That has been the type of player this team is missing for years now. The problem is they need a very complete 4. good defender, long with a 3-point shot. There aren’t too many in the league right now

[playbonner15]

What did I just see? That’s real? Lawd have mercy

Yeah Jokic did that pass vs Spurs a month ago

[Uriel]

:lmao Spurms.

[duncan2k5]

It's only a half, but Murray FINALLY having an awful game... Was beginning to wonder if he was human

[SAGirl]

So instead of crying why don’t you do the reviews?
What crying? Wtf you talking about?