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Poodle power mf'ers!!
The Spurs bounced back from a turbulent two-game losing streak in which they lost by a combined 70 points by beating the Blazers 131-118 on Sunday evening. If the good guys are to make the playoffs, this sort of performance and the resulting victory was very much needed following the pair of demoralizing losses.
San Antonio seemed to take control of the game in the second quarter, however their momentum flat-lined in the third period and things began to look bleak. That's when DeMar DeRozan took over. He scored 15 consecutive Spurs points over the course of three and a half minutes to get the offense back on track. By the end of the quarter, DeRozan's explosion had helped turn a seven-point deficit into a seven-point advantage.
In the fourth quarter, Portland made a few runs but the Spurs were able to keep them at an arm's length until a 17-6 run in the middle of the period put the game to bed.
How did the Spurs go from two humiliating losses to a win over a Western Conference playoff team? The main reason is the simple fact that the Spurs had an inordinately high number of players play very well. That's the obvious reason that shouldn't be overlooked.
However, I think a couple of coaching decisions helped: 1) Starting Davis Bertans and moving Dante Cunningham into a smaller role coming off the bench. As expected, moving Bertans into the starting lineup improved the spacing and aided the offensive eruption. This was a long overdue move that should have been made weeks ago; let's hope Pop sticks with it, through thick and thin, going forward.
2) Allowing Derrick White to play a bigger role. White is the team's best perimeter defender and has the best court vision on the team. He's also a steady, cerebral basketball player who can help smooth out rough edges. White has struggled (sometimes mightily so) with his confidence but his talents, even when his production was putrid, made his integration as a focal point of the rotation imperative. Tonight, he played 33 minutes and was, most importantly, brimming with confidence.
(While I'm hopeful that Pop has realized White has to be a primary pillar this team is built on, it has to be noted that Marco Belinelli missed the game with a stiff neck.)
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LaMarcus Aldridge
The good: LaMarcus Aldridge played really hard. He used his size well in the paint, was physical at the point of contact and connected on 6-of-9 midrange jumpers. This was also undoubtedly one of his better passing games of the season. Defensively, his post defense was sturdy and he gave quality effort when switched out on the perimeter. The bad: Aldridge's rebounding was hit and miss. He was also too careless with the ball at times, particularly when in traffic. And while his effort on defense was commendable, his actual impact on that end was middling at best. Big picture-wise, although it was good to see Aldridge play with passion and ferocity against his former team, it's a bit disheartening that the Spurs can't rely on that level of heart on a game to game basis. Aldridge was fired up because it was the Blazers ... but the Spurs need this every night -- not just on nights when he's artificially motivated.
Grade: A-
Summary: Aldridge played very well against his former team.
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DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan's final stats look fantastic: a season-high 36 points while leading the team in rebounds, assists and steals. However, his numbers don't tell the whole story. DeRozan was bad for the first two and a half quarters. He was moping, whining about calls, turning the ball, neglecting most of his defensive duties over and just looked fragile out there. But give him credit, he turned his night around in grand style. His third quarter run that included 15 straight points and 18 total in the quarter's final five minutes was spectacular. DeRozan continued his strong play in the fourth quarter and even mixed in some above average (for him) defense.
Grade: B+
Summary: DeRozan had a slow start until a scorching hot streak in the third quarter turned his game around and ignited the Spurs to victory.
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Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay wasn't moving well tonight. In fact, it was downright painful watching him move at times. Despite his physical limitations, Gay was an asset on the offensive end, mostly thanks to his dead eye accuracy from deep. After his 4-for-4 showing, Gay is now shooting 51 percent on three-pointers this season, far and away his career-best mark (he has never shot north of 40 percent from downtown over the course of a season). Defense, though, was another story. His lack of mobility hurt him much more on that end of the court. It was close to impossible for Gay to keep anyone in front of him.
Grade: B
Summary: Gay was strong on offense but gave a lot of it back on the defensive end.
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Bryn Forbes
Bad game for Bryn Forbes. Defensively, he was incapable of keeping up. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum roasted him in one-on-one situations and Forbes' team defense was also poor; he was slow to switch and sometimes failed to switch at all. Offensively, he wasn't much better. While he didn't turn the ball over and hit half of his field goal attempts, his shot-pass selection was wonky and it broke the team's rhythm at various points of the game. While Forbes' final stats look acceptable, the numbers don't tell the true story of how discombobulated he was.
Grade: D
Summary: Forbes struggled mightily on both ends.
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Davis Bertans
Davis Bertans was in the starting lineup and didn't embarrass himself. It wasn't a particularly positive outing but he didn't hurt the team. He seemed a bit rushed on offense but he made enough shots to be productive. Most importantly, he spaced the floor by constantly moving to open spots on the court and salivated whenever Portland dared to leave him alone. Defensively, he was okay. He got physically overwhelmed at times but he held up reasonably well overall. He didn't grab a rebound during his 27 minutes of play (surprise, surprise) but he actually boxed out a lot better than usual. His ability to move his feet out on the perimeter was also helpful given the type of switch-happy defense the Spurs were running.
Grade: B-
Summary: Bertans didn't disappoint in his return to the starting lineup.
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Derrick White
There we go. This is the Derrick White we've all been waiting for. Defensively on the perimeter, I can't emphasize enough how much better White is than everyone else on the team. Not only does he move his feet quickly, he's great at anticipating where his man is headed. While San Antonio's defense tonight wasn't overly impressive, when they did have success it was usually White leading the charge. Offensively, White's confidence appears to have returned. He was back to demanding the ball, spontaneously taking on point guard responsibilities, driving to the hoop whenever he had the opportunity and showing off his fantastic court vision. Tonight, White was the team's most efficient playmaker, knocked down a key three-pointer and played almost error-free basketball. And when he did make a mistake, he didn't hang his head -- he just went harder.
Grade: A+
Summary: White was great and showed off his vast potential.
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Patty Mills
Patty Mills struggled the last two games along with everyone else donning silver and black. Sunday night, Mills got back to playing the quality basketball he has played since a rough start to the season. Obviously, the Australian doesn't have the size or athleticism to offer much defensive resistance when going against a player like Lillard but he competed on that end with contagious energy. And while his individual D wasn't much to write home about, his team defense was relatively solid. Offensively, Mills pushed the issue, kept the ball movement humming and was aggressive with his own shot. All in all, I don't have much to complain about -- Mills was spirited and played well.
Grade: A-
Summary: Mills did his part to make sure the Spurs reintroduced themselves to the win column.
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Jakob Poeltl
Don't look now but Jakob Poeltl is suddenly playing like one of the best backup bigmen in the NBA. He is shooting 73.7 percent (28-for-38) from the floor over his last nine games, he's blocking a lot more shots lately and he looks really, really comfortable in his own skin. Versus the Blazers, I thought he was very impressive defensively. He was quick enough to switch off onto smaller players with favorable results. In the lane, he was lightning quick to defend the rim and battled on the boards with physicality. Offensively, he was just as impressive. His passing was Boris Diaw-esque; high praise but deserved on this night. Poeltl was also a threat in pick-and-rolls, flashed good hands and good footwork in the paint, and the hesitation and uncertainty that marred his early season play was nowhere to be seen.
Grade: A
Summary: Poeltl probably played his best all-around game of the season.
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Dante Cunningham
Dante Cunningham played the fewest amount of minutes he's played in a game in nearly a month but he used his time wisely. He didn't pout about his demotion. Instead, he brought the same amount of vivacity on defense and on the boards that made him a coach's favorite to begin with. Offensively, he didn't cause many pencil marks on the scoresheet but he kept himself involved enough to make sure the Blazers didn't totally ignore him.
Grade: B-
Summary: Cunningham played reasonable well in his smaller bench role.
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Pop
I've been begging for more Bertans and more White so obviously I'm pleased with Pop's adjustments. However, it's premature to be too enthused with the changes because Pop has had a bad habit this season of making good adjustments ... only to reverse those adjustments shortly thereafter. Bertans needs to keep starting come , high water or high opponent point totals, while White can't be lost in the mix once Belinelli's stiff neck returns to its normal, flaccid state.
Grade: A*
Summary: *Earned only if Pop keeps the adjustments going forward.
Looking ahead: Good win. Much needed. There was a lot to like. However, I'm a bit concerned that so many players performed well, yet the Spurs didn't exactly run away and hide from the Blazers. If it takes half the roster playing near their optimal level for the good guys to win, that in itself is worrisome. But, yeah, I'll gladly chalk up the win and leave the worrying for a different day.
Next up, the Spurs head out on a two-game road trip. The first stop is Tuesday in Utah, followed up by a game in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Wednesday night. The Spurs need at least a split or else whatever momentum they gained tonight will be lost by the time they touch down again in San Antonio.
Last edited by timvp; 12-03-2018 at 02:54 PM.
Poodle power mf'ers!!
random thought: the most impressive in my opinion were the screens made by Jakob, it's completely different from Aldridge / Pau and really gave the shooters open shots.
without Murray our main rotation should be
Forbes or Mills
White
Walker
Derozan
Gay
Bertans
Aldridge
Poetl
if we can get some help on the wings in trades with
Pau
Marco
Forbes or Mills
Dante
and Huestis / Moore can contribute to the main team we could be compe ive
Last edited by r0drig0lac; 12-03-2018 at 09:23 AM.
Thanks for the write up! Maybe we should crowdfund a guy to sneak into casa Bellinielli at night and open Marco's window, so his neck remains stiff. I'd be willing to contribute.
I need the Spurs to win one of the two Laker games. My colleague is a huge Laker, no make that Kobefan who despises the Spurs as much as I do the Lakers. We have an open bet about the season series, which I can't lose, but don't want him to have the moral victory of tieing it up after a 2-0 lead for me this season. Last season was painful enough.
Nice write up as usual Timvp. However, no mention of Pop staggering LaMarcus and Demar time on the floor together. Do you think this was a fluke and not by design?
Boris Diaw-esque?!?!?!!?!?! SACRILEGE! BLASPHEMY! HERETIC!
How dare you compare Poetl to the GOAT Frenchman, and championship lynchpin. Disgusting.
Other than that, it was an A+ writeup, and a good read. Keep up the great work!
WOW. Amazing coverage of the game.
Derrick White was great.
I expect more from DeRozan and Rudy Gay.
Thanx for the grades..good to see someone else noticed that Poeltl made a significant contribution to the Spur's winning effort last night..
Spot on analyzation of the game and players. Grades are on point.
Great write up. But the Spurs let alot of points get scored on them at home. To even have a shot at the playoffs, the Spurs need to tighten up the defense. I know they dont have the athletes to do it, that's why they have to find them. With 4 starters DeRozan, Gay, Bertans, and Forbres clearly lacking that defensive skillset, this team will be just hang in limbo as a so-so team. The Spurs will likely limp some how into the playoffs at the 8th seed with a enough good enough offensive performance like these, needing a near perfect performance from everyone.
Thanks for the grades Timvp. Spot on as always. It’s a revelation to see the Spurs did not slump but put on a fight after the embarrassing loses. A win over a playoff bound team is a good sign. I really like White and Poeltl’s defense and could be contagious. I keep hoping Moore and LW4 join them any minute now to help with the defense. Offensively I like what I saw. LMA kept attacking the rim, Demar was relentless, Gay was super efficient. Mills kept pushing the tempo, and White was superb both sides of the court. I’m really please with the effort which I was accustomed to Spurs. I’m really hoping they made the turn to play this aggressive. GSG!
I needed this win bad. thanks Spurs.
If the Blazers scored off that DWhite traveling violation to end the quarter, Pop might have relegated him to the bench for another couple of weeks tbh.
DWhite, Bertans, and Poetl. (and Lonnie when hes with the main team).....those guys should be the focus for most of the season in terms of developing and being locked in for steady minutes night in and night out.......
I've never been prouder to be a Spurs fan!
One more win and we are the 9th seed baby!!
Poetl is finally looking closer to the player he was last year, one of the better backup bigs in the league..
It's funny, the Raptors' bench unit misses him a lot.. Valanciunas is a better player, but Poetl fit much better with their style, they miss his screens/defense/rolling..
Even with his recent improvement, his defense was much better last year for whatever reason..he was a high-level rim protector..
Yeah, RC really fleeced them on that one
They were never going to get Siakam(literally no chance, he's going to be an All-Star) and probably wouldn't have gotten Anunoby, realistically..
I would have waited and let Kawhi play(IIRC, if he chose to sit out again, his contract would have been extended another year), but the front office's goals weren't the same as the fans..
The non-Kawhi trade moves were far worse than the actual trade IMO.. Belinelli, signing Bertans without having a plan in mind, Mills/Gasol, etc(losing Green sucks, but 95% of Spurs fans had turned on him anyways)..
If have to wholeheartedly agree with the grades this time. Cheers
this is what impresses most on this boy, these efficient screens were lost since the time of Duncan / Splitter/Baynes
Good grades! I enjoyed this game quite a bit for obvious reasons. I did enjoy seeing Bertans as a starter and thought White made a big difference. DeRozan sure woke up, that was amazing to see. LMA was engaged.
Fluke win tbh. The Spurs shot 60% from the field 73% from three and 90% from the free throw line. Those numbers are absurd. Just the 9th game in nba HISTORY that a team shot 60/70/90 and the game was a 6 point game with 7 minutes left.
Yikes. Not good.
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