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Spurs kept up with OKC, (the best 1st quarter team in the NBA) so hopefully they were just walking thru this game.
Feels we've been doing this for a month or so... we just coast in the 1st half, then really turn it on for a quarter, two tops... because the defense is historically great, it's enough to beat most teams, even some in the upper echelon, but there's no way that'll be enough against the Dubs. Kawhi even mentioned it in his interview after the Clippers, how this team really needs to play for 48 mins.
Now, there's no doubt that for a seasoned team like ours, this 82 game grind when you have such a lead with the #3 seed and playoffs are around the corner, becomes boring up to an extent. You kinda relish building a bit of a challenge, then raising to it, but IMO, this team really needs to start focusing on that. Will another beatdown by the Dubs send the message? Or this team won't wake up until the playoffs, tbh?
Spurs kept up with OKC, (the best 1st quarter team in the NBA) so hopefully they were just walking thru this game.
I can't imagine a scenario where they won't be pumped from the onset of the game after the 30-point blowout, tbh..
This Portland game's poor effort was just human nature.. ty team on the road sandwiched in between games vs. the other top teams in the league..these guys aren't robots..
U know in the game against the dubs.. Manu is going to show up.. I guarantee..
spurs need to stop Thompson. I am sure Steph is gonna go crazy, but at least try to stop everyone else.... But yea, play like tonight against Golden State and the Spurs will be losing by 30 at the half.
We did the same thing against the Clippers though, and they beat us last season and the previous game...
Players have been talking how these games are "great tests", but then generally been mailing in the 1st half for some reason.
It's also to be seen if Pop is really gonna go all out Saturday from a coaching standpoint. Hopefully he is, tbh...
LMA has been staring real fast lately. Our slow down has come from moving away from him and Kawhi when they get it going early. Against the dubs, hopefully they keep it going, although they're honestly due for a down game tbh.
Manu needs to get back in shape... one game at a time. He's going to have nights like against the Kings, Clippers were he's going to carry the team, but other nights like tonight where he'll look old.
I'm more concerned with the top minute getters really putting in 48 mins of work. Hasn't happened lately, and I don't know if you can do that against the Dubs.
Also, some shades of KMart tonight that I thought were nice. He's still can't hit that 3 very well, but his penetration, cuts and drawing fouls could come handy, IMO.
Not to worry Nono, Spurs have Parker, Warriors don't.
I never worry about Manu, tbh... you know that
Not sure if they just coast. It's also about Pop and his game plan.
I'd like to see Kawhi being involved on offense in the first minutes but it seems he must wait until the 2nd quarter because they try to establish Parker/LMA two-man game in those minutes, when Parker looks horrible or it just doesn't work...we lose by 10 in the first quarter against contenders.
Not Parker.. More likely Mills..
Have you been talking to Draymond in the locker room?
??
To illustrate since March 1st:
Opponent
1st Half Margin
W/L Margin
vs Pistons +1 Won by 16 @ Pelicans -1 Won by 8 vs Kings +3 Won by 10 @ Pacers -13 Lost by 8 @ Wolves +12 Won by 25 vs Bulls +7 Won by 8 vs Thunder -4 Won by 8 vs Clippers +4 Won by 21 vs Blazers +2 Won by 8
The Wolves is the outlier, and even the Pacers game we lost, we started really poorly and couldn't come back after putting in some work in the 2ns half.
I forgot which Warriors game it was, but the Warriors were doing poorly and at halftime Kerr commented on Draymond's shot selection. It set him off into a shouting tirade, where he screamed something like "we're not robots." A day later, Draymond was apologizing to his team and coaching staff for his outburst.
He'll start hitting it soon enough as he gets more comfortable. He's a career 38% shooter, I'm not worried about his 3 ball
After we beat the out of everyone on our way to a 6th ring, will people still give a if the kerr's beat the record?
His shot selection/shot location was great tonight, despite the misses..granted it was against Portland, but still, have to get those reps in..
Agreed. He'll start hitting them soon enough as he gets more comfortable
Well the Pacers game I thought the athleticism and length of Miles Turner really gave us trouble in the paint. He alters shots and caused guys to rush shots they missed. I though Messina needed to make adjustments but he didn't. He rode Manu 20 minutes and his best players max minute s but didn't mix and match and he also didn't stay wit guys that were aggressive early like slo mo that game.
The other games there were a series of poor shooting nights by Tony. Those are simply hard to overcome. We can win RS games even when checklists poorly but it makes it very difficult for everyone and he doesn't help you win any other way since he doesn't make effort, hustle plays.
I though this game Pop wanted to see 3 things:
1. Tony needed to get in a groove. We are not going to win with him 0 points and a couple assists. I think taking the balk from him got him out of his comfort zone and Pop wanted to get him going. What happens with that we'll see it as an experiment by Pop.
2. Kmart with the bench is another experiment. This one about fit, as others have said since our bench survived with Marco they should be fine with him. But I will note for the record, his shots and most of his scoring save a single foul shot he made came in garbage time, not with the more realistic lineup in the first half. The second unit struggled to score and when they do, they will give up leads bc they can't stop anybody.
3. Boris was under strict instructions to be aggressive in this one and he delivered.
The last quarter was crazy. It was tough for KA or impossible for him to deal with Plumplee and cover up in the paint for so many mistakes from everyone which forced him to foul Plumplee. We didn't control tempo as a team and were super crazy all over but that was the entire team. I am sure he will get chewed up by Pop. Can't take much from that other than a lesson for him rightfully. For the veterans, wow! They should know better.
Bored nothing to see here
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