Official "OKC Loss" Meltdown Thread

[TXstbobcat]

Not that concerned. Spurs lost to a top contender in the west on the road and Verde had one of his off nights. Leonard had a great offensive and defensive game.

[Brazil]

Lost in the last minute, on the road, vs. a top 4 team in the NBA..a Spurs team that is changing their entire system..relax..

There are things to take away from the game, such as the lack of size in the 2nd unit's frontcourt, for example, but there is a ton of room for improvement..

This game should have been a lot more lopsided, too, considering Kawhi was so hot..

I agree tbh... no need to be mad at this game

Offensively Spurs played good enough scoring 106 points
Transition defense that has been a big issue since last year was superb especially against a very athletic and quick team like OKC... Spurs only gave up 7 points on transition which is one of best total since months
Turnovers were not an issue which is also remarkable knowing this team has a lot of new pieces
We lost because OKC shot a bit better from 3s and got some extra freebies which is to be expected
Yes execution late in the fourth sucked but again there are more positives to take away from this game than negatives tbh

People should chill a bit and put stuff in perspective

[kobyz]

Wait... isn't this typical Spurs behavior... giving away leads after a great focused performance?

Yes and that should be the number 1 something to think about how to fix this!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Maddog]

I agree tbh... no need to be mad at this game

Offensively Spurs played good enough scoring 106 points
Transition defense that has been a big issue since last year was superb especially against a very athletic and quick team like OKC... Spurs only gave up 7 points on transition which is one of best total since months
Turnovers were not an issue which is also remarkable knowing this team has a lot of new pieces
We lost because OKC shot a bit better from 3s and got some extra freebies which is to be expected
Yes execution late in the fourth sucked but again there are more positives to take away from this game than negatives tbh

People should chill a bit and put stuff in perspective

Agreed.
I'm normally a glass half empty kind of guy- but after last night I'm looking at things as half full.
Our old guys looked good (even Tony). Boris is in decent shape, LaMarcus has bought into the system (passing playing D). It needs to be tweaked but not bad..
OKC in addition to being a top 4 team they are a match up problem for the Spurs.

[I. Hustle]

Hot damn Kawhi was playing like a beast. I hope dude keeps it up and gets an all star appearance.

I think the game went better than I expected it to. The Thunders have had some time to play together in meaningful games and LA and D West just needed to get that real game out of the way. The more they play the better they will fit in.

I don't count the pre season games for them because Pop was trying to see who he was going to keep out of all the D leaguers. LOL @ letting them all go anyway.

[Brazil]

Agreed.
I'm normally a glass half empty kind of guy- but after last night I'm looking at things as half full.
Our old guys looked good (even Tony). Boris is in decent shape, LaMarcus has bought into the system (passing playing D). It needs to be tweaked but not bad..
OKC in addition to being a top 4 team they are a match up problem for the Spurs.

fwiw I think Spurs match quite well against OKC... on paper we have all the tools and personnel to play them.

We have the long SF capable to defend KD... few teams can say the same
With LMA, we are more mobile on the perimeter to chase Ibaka JS
We can hide Parker on waiters, robertson
Green is a capable dude to defend as much as possible RW
Our second unit is way stronger than theirs even tho west/diaw pairing is an issue
...

[I. Hustle]

I don't understand....Spurs were winning throughout mostly the whole game intill the end and and blew the lead....Its not like the spurs got blown out.....Even with the spurs leading the they were not really in sync ......Spurs still have room for improvement .....Just wait intill the spurs get it together and start to gel.....Spurs are going to get better...

I cant' wate intill you're next post.

[Brazil]

Hot damn Kawhi was playing like a beast. I hope dude keeps it up and gets an all star appearance.

I think the game went better than I expected it to. The Thunders have had some time to play together in meaningful games and LA and D West just needed to get that real game out of the way. The more they play the better they will fit in.

I don't count the pre season games for them because Pop was trying to see who he was going to keep out of all the D leaguers. LOL @ letting them all go anyway.

don't forget also it was the first time, Boris played meaningful minutes of the season

[ceperez]

Agreed.
I'm normally a glass half empty kind of guy- but after last night I'm looking at things as half full.
Our old guys looked good (even Tony). Boris is in decent shape, LaMarcus has bought into the system (passing playing D). It needs to be tweaked but not bad..
OKC in addition to being a top 4 team they are a match up problem for the Spurs.

Pop was just going through the motions in this game. No real fancy subs utions.

It is of course obvious where OKC weakness is. Just post up Kevin Durant. Let him work on defense and tire him out.

As far as Westbrook, Duncan knows how to anticipate his drives, so you just have a guy like Green lock him up at the perimeter.

[I. Hustle]

don't forget also it was the first time, Boris played meaningful minutes of the season

Yeah. I am not worried about this game. I think it will only get better by next the Nets game. Pop just needed some video and something to yell at them about.

The only thing that made me mad was Danny's 3 point shot with a million seconds left on the shot clock.

[Kawhi 5-0]

I'd be more worried if the nuggets blew the Spurs out by 20

Or the Knicks by 30.

[Kawhi 5-0]

This is my only real concern. If Bobby struggles and cannot be relied on, we have a really big hole at the backup Center position. Our rebounding really falls off with that 2nd unit. OKC is also a great team though with a lot of bigs so we should fair better against most other teams.

Some weird numbers in this game: Diaw had highest PER on the Spurs, but had 0 rebounds. Green was 0 for 5 from 3, but had 8 rebounds.

[Kawhi 5-0]

Spurs had their shot at it. Came down to a couple 50/50 balls that they couldn't come up with...the rebound on Durant's brick, and the awkward bounce off the rim that Aldridge missed after that forced shot from Danny.

Scheduled loss, imo. Still 81 games to right the ship. Defense looked stout, Aldridge looked comfortable, Kawhi beasted, and Duncan and Manu still look to have their legs.

Not worried.

Yeah, those two missed boards were key.

[Kawhi 5-0]

Yeah. I am not worried about this game. I think it will only get better by next the Nets game. Pop just needed some video and something to yell at them about.

The only thing that made me mad was Danny's 3 point shot with a million seconds left on the shot clock.

Haha! Yeah, maybe Pop just needed some legit footage for film session. You're right about that last shot. The plan may have been to go for 3. The plan may have been to take an early shot. But I can't imagine the plan was to take an early, contested 3. Pop looked confused...like, "What just happened?" Maybe not the best decision by Green. Gotta give Adams credit for a nice recovery though.

[Brazil]

Haha! Yeah, maybe Pop just needed some legit footage for film session. You're right about that last shot. The plan may have been to go for 3. The plan may have been to take an early shot. But I can't imagine the plan was to take an early, contested 3. Pop looked confused...like, "What just happened?" Maybe not the best decision by Green. Gotta give Adams credit for a nice recovery though.

Green took a ed up shot but put also a bit of blame on LMA... dude had the rebound, should have been an easy tip in to tie with 16 sec to go

[JWest596]

Fire Pop, Trade Tim, LMA, Kawhi, et al.....rebuild. The season's over. Keep Parker

[TD 21]

Diaw/West was horribly undersized and got murdered, should have put Marjanovic in. The starters didn't finish well but the bench unit consistently gave up leads.

In fairness to them, there is no other Kanter types in the league, off the bench (that could change, depending on the Timberwolves' big rotation when Pekovic returns). Some might say Motiejunas, but he's more finesse than power oriented, in the post and he's not the rebounder Kanter is.

Marjanovic wasn't even active and even if he was, he has zero chance at usurping either, even in specific match-ups. The only meaningful minutes he'll get, will be when they're either giving one of the rotation bigs a game off or when one is injured.

As I said in the summer, going away from the Diaw/West pairing isn't as simple as many seem to think and they'll probably only be limited/abolished against a few select opponents/in the playoffs.

This is why the West signing was bittersweet. On the one hand, they couldn't have possibly gotten a better fourth big for the minimum. On the other hand, he's a poor fit and too credible a name to where they'll limit him to spot minutes.

[SAGirl]

As I said in the summer, going away from the Diaw/West pairing isn't as simple as many seem to think and they'll probably only be limited/abolished against a few select opponents/in the playoffs.

This is why the West signing was bittersweet. On the one hand, they couldn't have possibly gotten a better fourth big for the minimum. On the other hand, he's a poor fit and too credible a name to where they'll limit him to spot minutes.

I agree with this on West. Terrific player and we could not have gotten anyone better for what he took to be here, but his fit is not the best in the second unit. He is similar to Diaw in size/rebounding/defense tools, but you can't trade Diaw out, bc Diaw in many ways is the engine of that bench, at times more so than Ginobili. Without Diaw in it, the bench would not perform as well as it does. What we need West to provide, he's not the best at. he's playing out of position and it showed, in this game, and possibly against others. There are the Bismark Biyombo, Tristan Thomsons of the world. Many young bigs make their mark as hustle/rebounder guys and even if they are not as talented as West, if they consistently get OBoards or easy shots at the rim, it will become a problem. He also didn't seem like the best big in the small ball style the bench played.

The really experimental lineup was the Boban,Diaw,Kyle lineup. In preseason we tried an even lesser lineup with Rasual Butler instead of Diaw, and still they did very well. Granted, it was preseason, and OKC is a very tough team, and Kanter/Adams are offensive/defensive big men who have started in this league and quite good at their particular strengths. But it feels like if you want to go full perimeter to get the better of them, the Diaw/West combo isn't it. Make them come out and guard Anderson and Diaw, make them deal with Boban inside. That is a really unproven proposition but if you want to truly go perimeter, go all in. The Diaw/West combo isn't fast or perimeter enough to punish big lineups and they get murdered inside by big men with size/hustle. I wouldn't even call them fully a perimeter lineup. Food for thought.

[TD 21]

I agree with this on West. Terrific player and we could not have gotten anyone better for what he took to be here, but his fit is not the best in the second unit. He is similar to Diaw in size/rebounding/defense tools, but you can't trade Diaw out, bc Diaw in many ways is the engine of that bench, at times more so than Ginobili. Without Diaw in it, the bench would not perform as well as it does. What we need West to provide, he's not the best at. he's playing out of position and it showed, in this game, and possibly against others. There are the Bismark Biyombo, Tristan Thomsons of the world. Many young bigs make their mark as hustle/rebounder guys and even if they are not as talented as West, if they consistently get OBoards or easy shots at the rim, it will become a problem. He also didn't seem like the best big in the small ball style the bench played.

The really experimental lineup was the Boban,Diaw,Kyle lineup. In preseason we tried an even lesser lineup with Rasual Butler instead of Diaw, and still they did very well. Granted, it was preseason, and OKC is a very tough team, and Kanter/Adams are offensive/defensive big men who have started in this league and quite good at their particular strengths. But it feels like if you want to go full perimeter to get the better of them, the Diaw/West combo isn't it. Make them come out and guard Anderson and Diaw, make them deal with Boban inside. That is a really unproven proposition but if you want to truly go perimeter, go all in. The Diaw/West combo isn't fast or perimeter enough to punish big lineups and they get murdered. I wouldn't even call them fully a perimeter lineup. Food for thought.

Since Baynes is a low IQ player, I'm not a fan, but in an ideal world, his type would have been a perfect fourth big on this team. A roller, solid rebounder, serviceable enough defender (considering the role) and a guy without clout or the expectation of playing more than true fourth big minutes most games or being in the playoff rotation.

West is obviously better than Hansbrough, but he's as miscast playing center as him and the Raptors got murdered with a similarly limited Patterson-Hansbrough backup big combo last season.

Obviously, the Spurs are a much better team and they'll win a lot of games just based on that, but in the grand scheme of things, if the top three bigs stay relatively healthy, West may hurt more than help.

[SAGirl]

Since Baynes is a low IQ player, I'm not a fan, but in an ideal world, his type would have been a perfect fourth big on this team. A roller, solid rebounder, serviceable enough defender (considering the role) and a guy without clout or the expectation of playing more than true fourth big minutes most games or being in the playoff rotation.

West is obviously better than Hansbrough, but he's as miscast playing center as him and the Raptors got murdered with a similarly limited Patterson-Hansbrough backup big combo last season.

Obviously, the Spurs are a much better team and they'll win a lot of games just based on that, but in the grand scheme of things, if the top three bigs stay relatively healthy, West may hurt more than help.

ha ha. Great minds think alike. I am with you on Baynes. Low IQ player but I actually liked what he provided for the bench. He was tough, he set hard screens, he rolled to the hoop with intention and was a serviceable 4th big. He was strong enough to box out hard. He would not get the board himself necessarily but the hustle/rebounder guy on the other team was effectively out of the play, and he could hit the occasional mid-range jumpshot. He would not make the cute extra pass, but he would take the shot without hesitation if he was open and got a nice percentage on those shots last year. He was turning into a nice roleplayer for us. His playing time depended entirely on how well he performed on the rebounding and defensive department and he knew it.

West should be better, but I watched him, and he sometimes doesn't even box out at all. It's like he loses track of his man entirely. You may think I am kidding, but Anderson has better rebound fundamentals. He boxes out his man every time if the guy has the intention to grab an O board. He's skinny unfortunately and a kid still, but most of the time he has track of his guy and knows to box him out. West has been very disappointing in that department.

It will be rehashed. I hope Pop gives some minutes to Boban here or there. I would rather see some Boban, than some Bonner TBH. Neither would have played in this game regardless, but Boban at least has potential to provide something the bench needs in rim protection.

[Spurtacular]

I had work late. I tuned in at about 5 min mark with the Spurs up 97-96 after an OKC score; and it didn't feel right. OKC did their best to allow us to win though.

[tenbeersbold]

Okc was bailed out by the refs two distinct times in the 2nd half,along with swallowing the whistles on behalf of the Spurs.It was predictable,as soon as the Spurs pushed ahead by 7 pts or so,OKC got whistles. ing sports entertainment

[moisaenz]

this is it... this team is bound for doom.. let's tank..

[TD 21]

ha ha. Great minds think alike. I am with you on Baynes. Low IQ player but I actually liked what he provided for the bench. He was tough, he set hard screens, he rolled to the hoop with intention and was a serviceable 4th big. He was strong enough to box out hard. He would not get the board himself necessarily but the hustle/rebounder guy on the other team was effectively out of the play, and he could hit the occasional mid-range jumpshot. He would not make the cute extra pass, but he would take the shot without hesitation if he was open and got a nice percentage on those shots last year. He was turning into a nice roleplayer for us. His playing time depended entirely on how well he performed on the rebounding and defensive department and he knew it.

West should be better, but I watched him, and he sometimes doesn't even box out at all. It's like he loses track of his man entirely. You may think I am kidding, but Anderson has better rebound fundamentals. He boxes out his man every time if the guy has the intention to grab an O board. He's skinny unfortunately and a kid still, but most of the time he has track of his guy and knows to box him out. West has been very disappointing in that department.

It will be rehashed. I hope Pop gives some minutes to Boban here or there. I would rather see some Boban, than some Bonner TBH. Neither would have played in this game regardless, but Boban at least has potential to provide something the bench needs in rim protection.

Whether Marjanovic outplays West or not, West is not being dropped from the rotation. Pop might ultimately limit his time next to Diaw and thereby his overall minutes (at least based on the match-up), but he won't go away from him entirely. He'd go down to three big before he'd insert Marjanovic into the rotation.

Marjanovic was brought in for depth/insurance and to see if they can develop him into the backup C for next season, should he prove worthy of the opportunity and West leave, of course.

[SAGirl]

Whether Marjanovic outplays West or not, West is not being dropped from the rotation. Pop might ultimately limit his time next to Diaw and thereby his overall minutes (at least based on the match-up), but he won't go away from him entirely. He'd go down to three big before he'd insert Marjanovic into the rotation.

Marjanovic was brought in for depth/insurance and to see if they can develop him into the backup C for next season, should he prove worthy of the opportunity and West leave, of course.

Agree with you. I really think West's problem is playing out of position and will need to be staggered or limited in minutes.