Grades: Spurs vs. Pelicans - Nov. 3, 2018

[Chinook]

Forbes needs to stop that stupid jump pass or at least put some zip on that pass when he attempts it. The pelicans already had it scouted and I'm sure other teams will be aware of it as well.
Also being outshot by double on free throws is going to hurt us in the long run, but I expect Pop to get them to stop reaching as the year goes on. I do love the fact that they are playing zone defense. It really covers alot of our weaknesses. Pop is really coaching his butt off early on this season which is a great sign

The Pelicans actually had a number of the Spurs' passes scouted. They just got incredibly unlucky when they tried to capitalize. Forbes' PnP passing reminded me of the Green/Duncan connection from back in the day. Teams absolutely started to scout and jump those passes too. It's not a bad option, but there needs to be another plan for what to do when Bryn gets up in the air. Forbes' midrange game is superior to Danny's, so him just taking the shot might be the best solution. Aldridge rolling more could also make the pass harder to read, but then you run the risk of Bryn just throwing it away if he and LMA aren't on the same page.

[skookumchuck]

There's room for both:

Forbes, DeRozan, Belinelli, Cunningham, Aldridge
Mills, Pondexter (/White) Gay, Bertans, Gasol

Well, obviously you know that, I know that and most likely Pop knows that, too. It appears that Bertans, at this moment, is not responding well to the situation as it is.

[Kobe'sAchilles]

The Pelicans actually had a number of the Spurs' passes scouted. They just got incredibly unlucky when they tried to capitalize. Forbes' PnP passing reminded me of the Green/Duncan connection from back in the day. Teams absolutely started to scout and jump those passes too. It's not a bad option, but there needs to be another plan for what to do when Bryn gets up in the air. Forbes' midrange game is superior to Danny's, so him just taking the shot might be the best solution. Aldridge rolling more could also make the pass harder to read, but then you run the risk of Bryn just throwing it away if he and LMA aren't on the same page.

Yeah we were very lucky on numerous pass attempts tbh. If Forbes can develop a fake into his passing game that would help so much. Either a fake pass and go into the shot or a fake shot and go into the pass. But he telegrams his passes waaay too much for my taste.
I prefer Aldridge rolling on better passers like Marco or DDR. But he needs to do it with Forbes too. I just cringe at the thought of the results early on

[duncan2150]

These wins are nice but I don't know how much they can tell us about the Spurs. The wins are against teams that are either lottery bound or stumbling out of the gate. The level of difficulty is going ramp up dramatically in mid-November with the following schedule:

vs Golden State
@ New Orleans
vs Memphis
@ Indiana
@ Milwaukee
@ Chicago
@ Minnesota
vs Houston
vs Portland
@ Utah
@ Lakers
vs Lakers
vs Utah

I expect Minny, Houston, and the Lakers to get better as the season progresses. If the Spurs can retain top 8 positioning after this stretch... then I will be a believer that they'll be compe ive in the playoffs.

We already play minny, Lakers x2, portland, Indiana, NO in 8 games : it was also a difficult schedule...

[RC_Drunkford]

We already play minny, Lakers x2, portland, Indiana, NO in 8 games : it was also a difficult schedule...

Our schedule gonna get easier at the end of the season. we basically played 6 playoff teams in 8 games. Schedule started strong

[wildbill2u]

Every win is important for this team. A win against a playoff team like NO is a well-earned W on the schedule that might well have gone the other way. It doesn't matter if the W isn't always purty, a win is a win is a win. Go Spurs is the sentiment here.

[DAF86]

My only knock on Pop was playing Aldridge and DeRozan 40 minutes each on a game that was being won by 20 most of the night. He could have found a couple more minutes of rest, specially with a b2b coming up.

[TD 21]

Riding a three-game winning streak, the Spurs faced a test Saturday night against a Pelicans squad that looks like a surefire playoff team in the Western Conference. Consider the test passed. In front of their home fans, San Antonio dominated most of the night to cruise to a 109-95 victory.

I missed when that happened. In the off season, the masses claimed the Thunder and Jazz were. In the early season, they've added the Nuggets and Pelicans to that list.

I still don't see a single lock not named Warriors or Rockets. Sure, there's some that are probably more likely than others in the third tier, but no one else deserves to be anointed.

However, before Spurs fans cancel their May vacations, I should point out that the Pelicans missed a ton of free throws and open three-pointers, Anthony Davis has been dealing with an injured elbow lately, and they were missing their starting point guard (Elfrid Payton). That said, any victory against a Western Conference playoff team is a good one.

Yeah, it's called basketball. I should point out that Murray will miss the entire season, White and Walker are out 6-8 weeks and the Spurs haven't really been whole in 1.5 years and won't be for at least another 1 . . . so forgive me if I don't weep for the Pelicans.