Game Thread: I-35 Series Game 2: Spurs (24-29) vs. Pistons (29-26) - 2/21/2025 -- 7:30pm CST (3:30am Riga; 4:30pm Hawaii)

[BatManu20]

Quick turnaround against a hot Pistons team that has won 6 of their last 8. Cade Cunningham's been ballin lately. He and Fox/Castle should be a fun matchup. Let's get it.

For Wemby :cry

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[BatManu20]

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[stnick2261]

Bismack is on another 10-day contract. I imagine Bassey starts but limited minutes.

[Mugen]

I hope Mamu finds another team next year that appreciates him tbh :lol

[Spursfanfromafar]

1892938071311532493

1892990623629693195

Our friend has been signed on a second 10-day contract - https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1893000601987842206

[scott]

Pistons big backcourt of Cade and THJ is exactly the kind to give CP3/Fox trouble. Ausar has been playing pretty well the last 10 or so games, I'm not as familiar with him as I am with Amen, but I think he plays pretty solid defense like his brother. I imagine when we are on offense they'll try to hide THJ on CP3, and they'll use Cade and Ausar on Fox and Devin in some manner. Will need Fox to really use his speed to collapse this defense. Biyombo/Bassey/Sochan might find themselves the recipient of some nice feeds in the dunker spot if Fox can suck Duren out when driving.

I'm fully prepared for THJ and Harris to go off from 3... ugh, this one is a really tough matchup.

From a general basketball fan perspective, I'm kind of excited to see DET play. Wish Ivey was healthy. They've put together a fun team, escaping the depths of tankville. Trajan Langdon deserves from Exec of the Year consideration, tbh.

GSG

[Mugen]

Yeah I've been rooting for the Pistons after what the basketball terrorist Monty did to them last year. Might have been the only coach worse than the old man recently tbh.

[John B]

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1892990623629693195

So this guy is also saying Biyombo is 32, likewise ESPN or any web I google him. Why would people think he’s older??

[RC_Drunkford]

So this guy is also saying Biyombo is 32, likewise ESPN or any web I google him. Why would people think he’s older??

you don’t ever read anything do you?

[LeBowen]

Pistons big backcourt of Cade and THJ is exactly the kind to give CP3/Fox trouble. Ausar has been playing pretty well the last 10 or so games, I'm not as familiar with him as I am with Amen, but I think he plays pretty solid defense like his brother. I imagine when we are on offense they'll try to hide THJ on CP3, and they'll use Cade and Ausar on Fox and Devin in some manner. Will need Fox to really use his speed to collapse this defense. Biyombo/Bassey/Sochan might find themselves the recipient of some nice feeds in the dunker spot if Fox can suck Duren out when driving.

Cade isn't a good defender and THJ is disgustingly bad on that end. We need to take advantage of it.
My biggest concern are Duran/Stewart. Nothing more than solid bigs, but they're good rebounders and fight hard on every possession, we can't allow them to dominate the glass.

As for B2B, they just had a week of rest, shouldn't be an issue.

[John B]

you don’t ever read anything do you?

I have selective reading depending on the poster

[RC_Drunkford]

I have selective reading depending on the poster

then don’t ask a question twice when you never read the answer in the first place

[Mugen]

Cade isn't a good defender and THJ is disgustingly bad on that end. We need to take advantage of it.
My biggest concern are Duran/Stewart. Nothing more than solid bigs, but they're good rebounders and fight hard on every possession, we can't allow them to dominate the glass.

As for B2B, they just had a week of rest, shouldn't be an issue.


I mean...we should want to lose tbh :lol

[BatManu20]

So this guy is also saying Biyombo is 32, likewise ESPN or any web I google him. Why would people think he’s older??

Running gag cause a lot of athletes that come out from these Third World African nations are often older than they claim since many of them can't provide a Birth Certificate. Same with baseball players that come from Central America. This clip from the movie Benchwarmers plays on that stereotype.

gu3doPE7ynw

[LeBowen]

I mean...we should want to lose tbh :lol

I really can't go back to tanking viewpoint even though it would be for the better.

[Mugen]

I really can't go back to tanking viewpoint even though it would be for the better.

Fair enough tbh

[John B]

Running gag cause a lot of athletes that come out from these Third World African nations are often older than they claim since many of them can't provide a Birth Certificate. Same with baseball players that come from Central America. This clip from the movie Benchwarmers plays on that stereotype.

gu3doPE7ynw

Thanks bruh :bobo

[RC_Drunkford]

Sam Amick is saying there are a lot of rumors out there about the Spurs looking for a new headcoach

[RC_Drunkford]

Running gag cause a lot of athletes that come out from these Third World African nations are often older than they claim since many of them can't provide a Birth Certificate. Same with baseball players that come from Central America. This clip from the movie Benchwarmers plays on that stereotype.

gu3doPE7ynw

about 7-8 GMs said that Biyombo was 4 to 7 years older than his birth certificate is saying

[Spurminator]

Running gag cause a lot of athletes that come out from these Third World African nations are often older than they claim since many of them can't provide a Birth Certificate. Same with baseball players that come from Central America. This clip from the movie Benchwarmers plays on that stereotype.

gu3doPE7ynw

I accused Albert Pujols of this when he was a rookie and I will never back down from that stance.

[Mugen]

Sam Amick is saying there are a lot of rumors out there about the Spurs looking for a new headcoach

:bobo

[Robz4000]

Sam Amick is saying there are a lot of rumors out there about the Spurs looking for a new headcoach

Normally I'd be excited about this news but it's Sam Amick reporting it tbh.

[NASpurs]

Normally I'd be excited about this news but it's Sam Amick reporting it tbh.

Sam Amick is the good, reliable one from the Athletic. Sam Amico is the shitty one from Hoops Wire.

[Mugen]

Normally I'd be excited about this news but it's Sam Amick reporting it tbh.

He's the good one tbh. Amico is the bad one.

[Robz4000]

Sam Amick is the good, reliable one from the Athletic. Sam Amico is the shitty one from Hoops Wire.


He's the good one tbh. Amico is the bad one.

:tu

:danceclub

[NASpurs]

This franchise loves to do good for their own. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Monty Williams leading the charge to get the team relocated to Seattle.

[scott]

It's Becky Time.

[Mugen]

This franchise loves to do good for their own. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Monty Williams leading the charge to get the team relocated to Seattle.

I'd legit rather have Montell Williams be coach tbh. Hiring Monty to coach would be like a 1,000 blood clots.

[timtonymanu]

Yeah I've been rooting for the Pistons after what the basketball terrorist Monty did to them last year. Might have been the only coach worse than the old man recently tbh.

Next Spurs head coach, tbh

[timtonymanu]

Sam Amick is saying there are a lot of rumors out there about the Spurs looking for a new headcoach

Thank god. Some naive spurs fans on Reddit still think pop is making a comeback when that should be out of the question at this point. And it sure as hell shouldn’t be Mitch either.

[Guru of Nothing]

Go Bismack Go!

[Trainwreck2100]

Yeah I've been rooting for the Pistons after what the basketball terrorist Monty did to them last year. Might have been the only coach worse than the old man recently tbh.

in monty's defense he told Det that he didn't want to work but then they unloaded a cargo ships worth of money on his lawn, so he said "fuck it i'll get paid"

[objective]

Need to bring back Tiago from coaching in France.

But I could see Pop killing it because "it wouldn't be fair to Mitch".

Tiago being an NBA player, champion, ACB MVP, big man, national team fixture, studied under different coaches .... That's an unfair advantage.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

:lol Fucking Avery Johnson would coach circles around Mitch

[heyheymymy]

:flag:

[scott]

Minnix is tall. Almost as tall as Bassey. Too bad we didn't get to see him get any run down the stretch.

[heyheymymy]

those pistons jerseys look real fresh. Nice style. I like that font

[heyheymymy]

shit man Biyombo is a Spur

[heyheymymy]

lol Devin has got to finish those

[Larry O]

Uh oh, if the Spurs don't get their act together, it could be a looong night....

[Strategic]

Dammit didn’t the Spurs pass on Duren

[scott]

Not great Bob

[Robz4000]

:hungry: let's start racking up these Ls :hungry:

[scott]

CP3 and Devin getting hunted. Hard to hide two guys.

[TekXX]

Pistons with a winning record and the Spurs sitting and spinning in mediocrity

[scott]

RETURN OF THE BASS ATTACK

[heyheymymy]

BASS

TIME

[Joseph Kony]

Pistons are a good example of what adding shooting and getting a competent coach in place does for a team

[Dex]

Getting man-handled in the paint so far. Anytime Detroit drives, they either get a dunk or get fouled

[TekXX]

Imagine if Castle could shoot the ball

[scott]

4 first quarter steals for Fox... that's about the extent of the 1Q positives.

[AusSpur]

Bad news - our starting line-up was completely outsized and got monstered on the court.

Good news - nobody's feelings were hurt.

[rascal]

Pistons are the more athletic team. Much faster

[heyheymymy]

Castle really has that top dog ability

[Larry O]

MAMUUUUU!!!!

[Robz4000]

Keldon channeling the power of friendship to mixed results.

[rascal]

White boy got stuffed

[heyheymymy]

NASTY CASTLE BUZZER BEATER

Castle with 9 first quarter points

[Dex]

Castle showing off :wow

[Guru of Nothing]

Castle season 2 will be must see.

[Larry O]

MAMUUU FOR THREEE!!!

[scott]

FRIENDSHIP POWER UP!!!

[heyheymymy]

Avery with some solid broadcast chemistry. Some good reminiscing going on.

The General

[Larry O]

Here comes the Spurs!

[heyheymymy]

Mamu cooking

[Larry O]

MAMUUU TO TIE IT UP!!!

[spurraider21]

has keldon turned the corner? :lol

[Uriel]

Mamu :wow

[Uriel]

Is Mamu better than Collins tbh?

[Dejounte]

has keldon turned the corner? :lol

Wemby was holding Keldon back

[scott]

As I'm watching the Hype Squad perform one of the performances of all time, it's strikes me how amazing it is that a song about Drake being a pedo has become so mainstream

[Larry O]

has keldon turned the corner? :lol

Hmmmm.... Could be... LOL ...

[heyheymymy]

Keldon was told he is no longer a part of a trade talk

[Larry O]

Hmmmm... KJ?! LOL!

[scott]

Keldon going to put in a career high for assists. Might already have it at 3 tbh

[heyheymymy]

KJ was leading all scorers lol

[heyheymymy]

helluva 2Q going down rn for SA

WOW

[Larry O]

SOHAN... FOR THREE?! WOW! What's got into these guys?!

[scott]

Biyombo's screens look like they hurt

[Guru of Nothing]

Go back, cameraman.

[Robz4000]

Fox is fast tbh.

[Larry O]

Now it's the Spurs to return the favor now to go up by 10! GSG!!!

[scott]

Love the pace we're playing with. Let's just do this the rest of the season.

[Uriel]

:lol Team flourishing offensively without Wemby

[timtonymanu]

Tobias Harris would pick today to look like a superstar of course

[Spurs Brazil]

Sochan defense really changed this game. Fantastic defense

[scott]

Sochan has been good, but this is probably the best all around game I've seen Keldon play in... maybe ever?

That game he had 20 rebounds against CHI (IIRC) might be the only one better

[spurraider21]

Fox's one man fastbreak so reminiscent of TP

[scott]

:lol Team flourishing offensively without Wemby

We played with this kind of pace with Wemby after the ASB last year. Hope this becomes our identity when he's back. Fast paced offense, killer defense.

[Dex]

Fox's one man fastbreak so reminiscent of TP

The Head of the Snake :wow

One of my first posts on SpursTalk was about being Parker being underrated, and I still think he is to this day

[mystargtr34]

Watching this game i’ve just realised Devin Vassell is basically Tim Hardaway Jr with a $150M contract.

[lefty]

:lol Team flourishing offensively without Wemby

Let’s trade his ass to the Lakers

[lefty]

Is Mamu better than Collins tbh?

Everybody is

[Spurs Brazil]

Another terrible game by Vassell, especially on defense

[Robz4000]

:lol knew they were gonna blow the lead before halftime

[Strategic]

Piston’s have some decent road wins this year. Spurs gonna have to keep their heads in the game.

[Robz4000]

Another terrible game by Vassell, especially on defense

Normally I'd say it's the foot injuries but he looks fine athletically. Dude went from a promising two-way wing with playmaking upside to a black hole defensive sieve.

[spurraider21]

The Head of the Snake :wow

One of my first posts on SpursTalk was about being Parker being underrated, and I still think he is to this day
https://i.imgur.com/ic0ZMVx.gif

[onechance87]

vassell needs to be benched.Dude is a loser and dont deserve to be starting.Start castle dumb ass coaches.

[scott]

Normally I'd say it's the foot injuries but he looks fine athletically. Dude went from a promising two-way wing with playmaking upside to a black hole defensive sieve.

I just need to point out that Devin Vassell has turned a corner, and is making 3.6 threes per 100 possessions.

[Dex]

Let’s trade his ass to the Lakers

I wonder if we could get Austin Reaves, Washing Machine and their 2042 pick

[scott]

Tony Parker teardrop montage at halftime... will never get tired of watching that

[timtonymanu]

Sochan has been good, but this is probably the best all around game I've seen Keldon play in... maybe ever?

That game he had 20 rebounds against CHI (IIRC) might be the only one better

Let’s hope he keeps upping his trade value. Assell doing nothing right now.

[scott]

Sochan starting in place of Main Character Dev to start the 2nd half

[scott]

Q3 starting the way Q1 did (not well)

[scott]

what in the holy fuck are these guys doing... 3 passes to no one

[heyheymymy]

woof

[Cardinal]

Biyombo disaster class

[Manu-of-steel]

CP3 , to the bench pls

[mystargtr34]

Holy shit some of this passing lol.

Fire up the TANK!!

[AusSpur]

Paul and Biyombo, two 40 yo dudes struggling to get the joints moving after the break.

[timtonymanu]

Starting five outside of Fox is basically doing nothing which is why we’re getting killed in these starts.

[Dex]

Chris Paul is basically useless now without Wemby

[timtonymanu]

:lol the gem take that Fox is worse than a 40 year old Paul.

[mystargtr34]

Paul and Biyombo, two 40 yo dudes struggling to get the joints moving after the break.

Going to be tough to win games starting two 40 year olds in todays game

[scott]

Spurs broadcast keeps running a scroll saying Keldon Johnson has 33 straight games with a 3, most in franchise history... which is downright false because Keldon neither has 33 straight games with a 3, and if he did it still wouldn't be a franchise record (I believe Wemby is at 42)

Amateur hour in the Spurs graphics department

[mystargtr34]

Honestly the biggest positive out of this third quarter is Jeremy starting and actually being a willing shooter and the results being decent.

Pleasant surprise tbh.

[timtonymanu]

Assell can’t even contribute when Wemby is out and is now getting outplayed by Keldon Johnson.

If he’s back on the team next year, might as well just tank again.

[scott]

Assell can’t even contribute when Wemby is out and is now getting outplayed by Keldon Johnson.

If he’s back on the team next year, might as well just tank again.

He's turned a corner and makes 3.6 threes per 100 possessions though

[Dex]

Vassell needs to be at the top of the Spurs trading cards. This dude is a dud

[mystargtr34]

Man Devin Hardaway Jr can’t even hit wide open 3s today.

[Strategic]

Besides Fox the Spurs starters doing nada

[Spurs Brazil]

4:30 to go in the 3rd and still no Castle. Unbelievable

[Manu-of-steel]

WTF! Still no Castle?

[hater]

Castle hurt??

[Spurs Brazil]

Castle on the bench and Vassell playing like crap. Mitch Johnson sucks

[Dex]

This is a tank lineup if I ever saw one.

[scott]

This one's over. Let's see some extender JMac minutes

[Uriel]

Jesus, this team sucks :lol

[td4mvp2k]

Vassell belongs on bench

[Cardinal]

Vassell layup clanker lmao

[Dex]

Defensively, KJ loves to live in no-man's-land where he isn't guarding anybody, but also doesn't rotate because he is stuck between two decisions

[NASpurs]

Devin seems to have turned on the GPS after turning the corner and found himself back on Mediocrity Rd.

[timtonymanu]

Job well done with Assell. Maybe the team can tank properly as long as they play Castle and Fox less.

[td4mvp2k]

Mitch can gtfo too

[heyheymymy]

did the Spurs do tequila shots in the locker room at half time

[mystargtr34]

Tobias Harris turns and shoots over the top of 6’4.5” power forward Keldon Johnson.

[timtonymanu]

“It’s like a Rubik’s cube that I have to figure out.”

[Spurs Brazil]

Vassell had a lot of bad games this season, but today might be his worst

[Strategic]

That concludes a 30 point thrashing in the last quarter and a half. Ouch

[Bill_Brasky]

Back to understanding the assignment tonight.

[scott]

Vassell looks up and sees we are down 21... "this my time to shine" he whispers under his breath

[Dex]

Last night was a feel good night after the Wemby news. The tank begins tonight.

[timtonymanu]

Vassell looks up and sees we are down 21... "this my time to shine" he whispers under his breath

“Why yall gotta talk about this Wemby guy? We’re hooping this year. “

[murpjf88]

Vassell belongs on bench

Nah, Lonnie Walker 2.0 belongs in Europe.

[SpurSpike]

Why we not playing a center...

[Guru of Nothing]

Jalen Duren just opened up a wormhole.

[mystargtr34]

Craziest part is this the FIRST year of Assell’s FIVE year $145M contract. Insane.

[hater]

Dump vassell

Jesus

And this coach is ass

Goddam

[Das Texan]

What a fun tank lineup tonight.

Completely unserious lineups, rotations and decisions tonight.

How many millions do they need to throw at Hammon or Hurley to coach this squad?

[ginobilized]

Pistons are coming along. They have some great pieces. WTF happened to Jalen Duren? He's improved a ton since last season.
Wish we had more height and physicality for these kind of match ups.

[scott]

Pistons are coming along. They have some great pieces. WTF happened to Jalen Duren? He's improved a ton since last season.
Wish we had more height and physicality for these kind of match ups.

A lot to be gained by just having a competent coach and a coherently assembled roster.

[Spurs Brazil]

Castle played 13 minutes :lol

Mitch Johnson is damn bad

[ginobilized]

Is Castle injured? In the doghouse?

[scott]

Shout out to all of us who watched this entire abomination

[rascal]

Spurs need more team athleticism and shooting

[Robz4000]

Shout out to all of us who watched this entire abomination

My eyes are bleeding, but at least the tank rolls on tbh.

[Dex]

Mitch Johnson was never expected to be the head coach for 3/4 the season, so some of y'all need to calm the fuck down and stop calling for his head. Nobody is going to fire an interim coach after their HoF head coach suffered a stroke.

That said...this team wasn't going to win a championship this year. Making the play-in or playoffs would have been cool for his development, but...guess what? Wemby is out.

Embrace the suck. Winning games doesn't do us any good right now in the long run.

[Strategic]

Paul and Barnes no show tonight. Might as well have been DNP’s except they wouldn’t have gotten in the way.

[z0sa]

Spurs had one good stretch and otherwise, we're playing from behind the entire game. Painful but not entirely unexpected.

[TekXX]

We've won too many games, be ok with the 8th pick, we're not getting flagg.

[z0sa]

Our front-court now is entirely shitty. Our roster construction is just, stupid. Makes no sense. Mitch can't fix it but he certainly doesn't help things. He's definitely in over his head, thanks Pop.

[Larry O]

WOW! That 2nd half by the Pistons with their barrage of physicality and scoring changed the trajectory to go their way. Mitch's lineups were definitely questionable but sounds like the tank is still humming.

[cutewizard]

elegant tanking is real

Go Spurssssssssssssssssssssssssss go!

[SPURt]

Ran out of gas that game. Biyombo was a rough watch when he was on the court. Not a lot of good in this game.

[siraulo23]

got damn Vassell has regressed so much

im still hoping he can get back to his normal self, lets see how he looks like with a full offseason

Wemby, Fox and Castle, thats it, spurs need to hit this upcoming draft, need more talent

[BatManu20]

Castle playing 13 minutes is coaching malpractice. If nothing else, the remainder of this season should be about further developing him. Mitch sucks.

[rascal]

Paul is too slow for an athletic team like the Pistons.

And people want Paul back next year to continue to take minutes away from Castle.

[SpurSpike]

Vassell had a bad miss at one point when he just kinda chucked up a 3 and Cade mocked his shot with his arms mimicking the chuck.

[BackHome]

But we making the Play Ins

[R. DeMurre]

Well, if your goal is to tank, then starting a 6' PG next to a 6'3" SG and a 6'5" SF is a tried and true formula.

[spurraider21]

Spurs broadcast keeps running a scroll saying Keldon Johnson has 33 straight games with a 3, most in franchise history... which is downright false because Keldon neither has 33 straight games with a 3, and if he did it still wouldn't be a franchise record (I believe Wemby is at 42)

Amateur hour in the Spurs graphics department
i didnt watch. maybe it was something obscure like he has made a 3 in each the spurs last 33 wins?

[spurraider21]

starting lineup outside of Fox totaled 11 points on 4-15 shooting

castle had 12 points on 4-9 shooting but only played 13 minutes :lol

[LeBowen]

My biggest concern are Duran/Stewart. Nothing more than solid bigs, but they're good rebounders and fight hard on every possession, we can't allow them to dominate the glass.

61-38 on the glass. :lmao

[slick'81]

Tank on!!

[z0sa]

Castle 13 minutes, holy fuck. I knew it was low but 13 minutes? Damn. Mitch is an idiot, nothing new there though

[TheBallsbreakers]

Shout out to all of us who watched this entire abomination
You guys are the real heroes. Not even watching the games anymore (pointless season now other than for development purposes) but PBP threads are how I get a grasp of the Spurs zeitgeist.

[venitian navigator]

The tank Is on...I wonder if It makes sense at this point tò postpone Fix finger surgery...I Guess FO Is trying tò understand if Vassell works Better with Castle, Fox or Paul...on paper the Fox Vassell duo should be perfect on and in tempo team...and Castle or Champagnie have both the body and skills imho tò play as sf with them 2 (I prefer Champagnie for his shooting skills). Point isc that Vassell Is playing horribly this season...lets Just hope Is a tank commanding order and that a Summer of team working make him back in phisical and mental shape and earn his contract...

[RC_Drunkford]

Vassell was by far the worst player on the court in this game. Even Mamu looked miles better than him.

[Splits]

Vassell was by far the worst player on the court in this game. Even Mamu looked miles better than him.

the sky is also blue. last time I checked grass is green.

[Ice009]

PLAY STEPHON CASTLE!

I've got nothing more to add to that. If it wasn't for Victor and now Steph, I wouldn't be interested in watching these guys at all. Great that the Spurs got De'Aaron (didn't mean to slight him by not including him as I haven't watched enough of him yet), but they need to develop Steph, not fuck around playing losers all the time. Losing players with little upside that they played a huge part in engraining that losing mentality in those said players. Don't play winning players, just keep playing those favourites with no upside. Fucking stupid ass organization.

[scott]

Vassell was by far the worst player on the court in this game. Even Mamu looked miles better than him.


the sky is also blue. last time I checked grass is green.

Crazy to think I'm about to say this... but it's possible come the offseason that Keldon will have more trade value than Vassell.

[quentin_compson]

Mitch Johnson was never expected to be the head coach for 3/4 the season, so some of y'all need to calm the fuck down and stop calling for his head. Nobody is going to fire an interim coach after their HoF head coach suffered a stroke.

That is absolutely true. I think the fear around here (shared by me, by the way) is more that Mitch will be promoted to be the real next head coach without even seriously looking at other candidates.

[rascal]

That is absolutely true. I think the fear around here (shared by me, by the way) is more that Mitch will be promoted to be the real next head coach without even seriously looking at other candidates.

Will the Spurs want to pay a real head coach?

Chris Paul for Head coach. That's one way to get Castle more minutes.

[Dex]

Will the Spurs want to pay a real head coach?

Chris Paul for Head coach. That's one way to get Castle more minutes.

Honestly, everybody I wanted before isn't available or just doesn't seem that...good.

Coach Bud has no control over the Suns.

Brett Brown is literally on our bench right now and seems useless.

Becky would have to be convinced to leave the WNBA and come back to SA.

Udoka isn't leaving Houston. Snyder is with the Hawks. Bill Self is driving Kentucky into the ground.

Spurs have some big decisions to make coming up