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Thanks bro... what grade would you put on nephew, tbh?
San Antonio’s regular season Super Bowl was a rousing success. The crowd was into it from the pregame introductions until all the players had made their way through the tunnels after the game. On the court, the Spurs couldn’t have played much better against the Raptors.
The good guys came out energized to the max, played with an edge, followed the smart gameplan and basically ended the game in the first quarter. Kawhi Leonard had an and-1 to begin the scoring but missed the free throw as a chorus of boos rained down within the AT&T Center. Bryn Forbes answered with a three-pointer … and the Spurs would never trail again.
With the Spurs already up 21-11 with 5 minutes remaining in the first quarter, San Antonio continued the early avalanche by scoring the game’s next 13 points as the crowd roared with approval. From then on, Toronto never made a serious run as the basketball game basically turned into a two and a half hour cathartic fiesta where all the confusion, hurt and betrayal of the previous year was laid bare.
Obviously, the 125-107 victory was fun to witness as a Spurs fan. It couldn’t have played out much better. Revenge was served.
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LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge put together another very good performance. And, again, what made him so impactful was his physicality, relentless running of the court and consistently gaining deep post position. Aldridge recognized early that he was too big and too strong for anyone on the Raptors to deal with, particularly starting center Serge Ibaka. Not only did Toronto begin the game by putting a smaller defender on him, they were initially hesitant to send double-teams. Aldridge eventually forced their hand -- but when the double-teams started to arrive, he continued to torture the Raptors with his passing. Defensively, he sagged too far a lot of the night and wasn’t an asset on the glass. That said, his transition defense was a lot better than usual, as were his rotations.
Grade: A
Summary: The struggling Aldridge of earlier in the season is now a memory.
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DeMar DeRozan
I loved DeMar DeRozan’s approach to the game. He was obviously extremely motivated but he directed his energy in beneficial ways. He grabbed eight first quarter rebounds, played better than usual defense, feverishly pushed the pace and attacked the backpedaling Raptors in transition. Outside of a couple out-of-control possessions, DeRozan stayed within the offense and patiently made plays for himself and teammates. In storybook fashion, the man who thought he was a Raptors lifer had his first career triple-double in his first career game against the Raptors. Well done, man.
Grade: A+
Summary: DeRozan decimated his former team.
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Rudy Gay
Early in the day, it didn’t look like Rudy Gay would play. His wrist was in a brace and his movement was still limited. But, give him credit, he got his wrist loose and suited up to help out his teammates. Given the cir stances, the Spurs couldn’t have asked for much more. Defensively, he rebounded well and played physical defense. He did get in foul trouble but most of his fouls were when he was hustling to try to help a teammate. Offensively, he hit his first three-pointer after 12 consecutive misses, ran the court well, picked his spots well and made a couple of fantastic passes.
Grade: B+
Summary: The Spurs needed Gay. Gay showed up.
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Bryn Forbes
It might be time to admit that Bryn Forbes is pretty damn good. At the very least, he has been on fire over the last eight games: 15.5 points per game on 55.3% shooting from the floor and 52.2% shooting on three-pointers. Against the Raptors, his outside shot looked even more beautiful than usual; the rotation on his shots was perfect and his touch was pillowy soft. In addition to his career-high six three-pointers, Forbes passed the ball well, took on extra ballhandling duties and played hard on defense. He had trouble at times staying in front of players but that was about the extent of his struggles on that night.
Grade: A
Summary: Forbes is blazing.
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Derrick White
Heading into the game, I was pessimistic about Derrick White’s ability to defend Kawhi Leonard. I thought Leonard would use his size advantage in the low block … but that never happened and I was wrong to doubt White. The second-year guard was really good defending Leonard. Yes, the former Spur shot well and got his points but White made him work, forced turnovers and really bothered Leonard’s ballhandling. I was impressed. A point guard legitimately able to defend a Leonard? Whoa. Oh, and White was good on offense, too. Really good. With confidence abrimming, White didn’t hesitate to call his own number, whether on the drive or from three-point land (he has now hit at least one three-pointer in six straight game, while shooting a sizzling 53.3%). And, per usual, his court vision and passing were sensational.
Grade: A
Summary: This kid good.
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Davis Bertans
Davis Bertans didn’t post gaudy stats but he aided the cause. He launched whenever he could see a sliver of the rim, which helped spread the court. He kept the ball hopping when he didn’t have a look. His off the ball movement was even swifter than usual. Defensively, I thought he did okay. He cut off drivers and rebounded better than usual.
Grade: B
Summary: Solid, if not spectacular, performance by Bertans.
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Marco Belinelli
It wasn’t a pretty shooting night for Marco Belinelli. However, to his credit, he was forced into some bad shots in garbage time (in the last three minutes, he was 1-for-5 from the field). Offensively, he never found a groove but had a few positive plays. Defensively, he was more active than usual and got a couple deflections. All in all, Belinelli wasn’t too good but also wasn’t as bad as the numbers suggest.
Grade: C
Summary: Belinelli didn’t have it going.
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Patty Mills
This is the version of Patty Mills that has been missing as of late. When he plays with maniacal passion, it’s easier for me to live with his shortcomings. Against the Raptors, he was all over the place. That allowed him to not get bulldozed on defense and survive a messy, poor shooting night offensively. What the statistics don’t show was how he pushed the tempo, made decisive cuts to the basket and played swarming help-defense.
Grade: B+
Summary: Mills was oozing passion.
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Jakob Poeltl
The good: Jakob Poeltl had a couple really impressive offensive rebounds that he snatched in crowds. His passing was a plus and his running of the court helped create space for shooters. The bad: Poeltl’s post defense was lacking. His help-defense wasn’t as fast as usual. He was also too timid when rolling and didn’t hold his space well in the paint on either end.
Grade: C+
Summary: Poeltl had a run of the mill game against his former team.
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Pop
This had to be Pop’s best coached game of the season. His defensive gameplan against Leonard worked to perfection. He used White as the primary defender but then also loaded the strong side with an extra defender and then zoned the weakside. That alignment took advantage of one of Leonard’s few weaknesses: his court vision, particularly his weakside court vision. When White wasn’t on Leonard and mismatches occurred, the gameplan was to send harder double-teams. Those varied looks kept Leonard off-balance and forced to either shoot midrange jumpers or try to go through multiple defenders. On top of that defensive look, I also loved Pop’s rotation. He didn’t panic and go with Dante Cunningham versus Leonard. He didn’t try to shoehorn Pau Gasol into the rotation. He leaned on White, used Bertans as his sixth man, and provided adequate rest for DeRozan and Aldridge. I couldn’t ask for more.
Grade: A+
Summary: Perfection.
Looking ahead: What a great win. Enjoy that one, Spurs fans.
Next up, the Spurs have a home game against the Grizzlies. Let’s see if they can avoid an emotional letdown. Honestly, San Antonio should beat a struggling Memphis squad.
Keep it rolling.
Thanks bro... what grade would you put on nephew, tbh?
This might be the first time in Aldridge's career he had more assists than rebounds.
forbes and white should get an A+ too
Last edited by skin27; 01-04-2019 at 04:17 AM.
What a game. What an outstanding game. The crowd, the coaches, the players.. they all contributed to this great win for the Spurs. It is games like these that makes us understand why we are nutty Spurs fans. The fans did their bit by letting their frustrations with Kawhi out as a cathartic experience.. the front office did the right thing by reliving the best of the Kawhi-Spurs partnership. The coaches did the right thing by planning well for the game and the players did their bit by executing it near-flawlessly. And the coaches also did the right thing by seeking to move on from the rancour of the last season. All in all, an exhibition of what the Spurs are all about - the passion, the class, the method and the execution.
Oh. btw.. Derrick White. You beauty. What a find by RC Buford.
All the Bryn Forbes and Derrick White haters can suck a . The man downstairs told me these two would be special and sure enough here we are.
Demar, Aldridge, Forbes, White, with the help of others, completely destroyed the raptors from the first minute of the game, just fantastic
Another brilliant job by "overrated" Gregg Popovich...
I guess he called his mentor Bud to seek for advice and the game plan...
LMA : I'd say it again, but it was impossible he just lost his BB over a summer after a career year. Tactical changes helped obviously. Maybe something personal too
DDR : Perfect game to turn the page and somehow get over his deception and now focuse on his story with spurs... First trip dub as a symbol (even though that stat is also just a symbol)
White : Looks like we've got something there... Spurs did it again will you read soon on ESPN...
it's his 1st real season and we're only half way through it, might be some more margin... And it's not just some offensive outburst on a good stretch, it's about defense, court-vision, awareness and steadiness, all stuff that are here to stay...
Forbes :
Steph comparisons look (slightly) less ridiculous now but it was obvious than to stick with him even during the hard times, the staff was liking what they were seeing in practice...
It was about transposing it into the games and mostly about confidence... He won't shoot 50%+ on 3 for the season but I'm confident now he'll be more consistent...
What you also have to like is the team's overall chemistry and body language (LMA's look at DDR after the 10th dime, DDR hugging Bryn, Patty pattying...).
They found their groove and mojo, you've got a team right here with a clear iden y starting to emerge with everyone feeling involved and accountable to use a spursy term...
This season might be more intriguing and fun than advertised...
And if we're talking future : White, Dijon, Walker, Poetl, 2 1sts... is not a bad insurance...
But yeah, let's tank...
The intensity was highest of the season. Players like Mills get an A cos of it, tbh. Spurs can't play like that every game; they'd burn out. But this was the right game to make a statement.
Think the Spurs should consider playing with a bit faster pace. Obviously the second team tends to pick up the pace when they come in, but if you can get LMA committed to running the court and getting early post position - I think this game along with 3rd qtr Celtics shows the starters could benefit from faster pace. Of course it starts with D & rebounding, and Pop would need to reduce DDR/LMA minutes if we run more
Very much impressed with Forbes. I was wrong about him and happy to admit it because he's a Spur.
I want to vacation on Derrick's massive forehead, I love that kid tbh.
Love Kawhi only snagging 1 rebound. He just isn't ss aggressive on D anymore as well. Must be part of uncle's plan.
Another surprise is he never had a triple double at ATT ever? Is that real?
Spurs player development is really second to none. NBA players should dream about playing for us the bc we actually put in time and the KNOWHOW to developing our players. Most teams just put in the time, they lack the intelligence. I wasn't happy this offseson when I heard that we re-signed Forbes. But the dude has such a pretty shot and is improving with each game. Plus the deal we signed him on is remarkably cheap. Great job PATFO
this game highlighted the one area where derozan is superior to leonard and that is as a playmaker. also, is it time to give Pop the due he deserves in regards to how far forbes and white have come along? (one can even add bertans and poeltl to this mix)
Exactly. This win was, is, and will be the pinnacle of the 2018-19 Spurs season. Despite all the feel-goodness last night and this morning, this Spurs team is the same one people wanted to tank just a few weeks ago.San Antonio’s regular season Super Bowl was a rousing success.
Those of us old enough to remember the 50-win seasons followed by playoff failure of the 1990s know that regular season success ... and mild success at that (5 games over .500) ... doesn't mean a thing come May and June.
I will treasure last night ... anything else positive this season is gravy.
Forbes I think could have been a little bit better on defense, White was a A+ all night long to me. I wonder what did timvp see to not give the kid a perfect score.
Word. I still am hoping for good things from this team but I cannot remember the last time I felt this good about a Spurs win. This almost feels like winning a championship. It felt good to know Leonard and his family got a good look at what they could've had. Absolutely great culture, great guys, fun basketball... I don't know what happened but I know a lot of emotions were running through Leonard and his family's head last night. Incredible victory.
just because you label it the pinnacle doesn't make it so. there have been more important wins as of late. also, games, in of themselves, aren't necessarily what defines a pinnacle to a season. one can just as easily look back at 2018-19 and look at the development of forbes and white as the pinnacle.
Pop's growing trust in White has really improved this team.
Since everybody’s getting so hung up on White, may I remind you he’s already 24 years old. He may be a sop re, but he’s quite an old sop re.
Think most knew that. He is still developing though. Hasn't reached his ceiling but he will probably hit it in the next 2 years. Still exciting to find a new starter that is above average already.
Green was 24 his first year as a rotation player. Same with Robert Covington. Role-players have different developmental curves than potential stars do.
White matching minutes was about damn time, though I think he also matched Kyrie. Such a relief that Mills doesn't come in at the 6:30 or 6:00 mark anymore.
I said during the Houston game, if he was matched to Harden the Spurs win that night.
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