Reply With Quote
thx ...
No sweaty palms tonight, folks. The Spurs went into Phoenix and annihilated the Suns by a final count of 120-90. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge were ridiculously efficient, combining to hit 20 of their 25 field goal attempts.
The most exciting aspect of the 30-point s acking was the continued improve play by San Antonio’s defense. This game had 103 possessions, which means their defensive rating was a stellar 87.4. A couple days ago, the Spurs had the worst defense in the NBA. After tonight’s effort, their defensive rating of 110.6 is ranked 20th in the league.
-------------
LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge spent most of the night attacking number one overall pick Deandre Ayton. And, honestly, it wasn’t even fair. Ayton got little help from his teammates and was dealing with chronic foul trouble. For Aldridge, scoring on Ayton was like taking Halloween candy from a baby, particularly when he took the ball to the rim with aggression. More importantly, though, is the 33-year-old was 4-for-7 on midrange jumpers. Coming into this game, Aldridge had only hit 25 percent of his midrange jumpers on the season.
Grade: A-
Summary: Aldridge gave Ayton a rude introduction to elite bigman basketball.
-------------
DeMar DeRozan
Like Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan barely broke a sweat on his way to a game-high 25 points. After going 10-for-12 on Wednesday night, he’s shooting a career-high 52.1 percent from the field for the season. (Other career-highs for DeRozan so far this season: 27.9 points per game, 7.3 assists per game, 87 percent from the free throw line.) The Suns really could do nothing with DeRozan. Once he got by the first line of defense, there was always a clear path to the basket. Defensively, this was another good game from DeRozan. He’ll never being a shutdown defender but when he’s mentally engaged, he reads plays quickly enough to be disruptive on that end.
Grade: A-
Summary: DeRozan made it look easy tonight.
-------------
Rudy Gay
This was a good bounce-back game from Rudy Gay after his erratic showing last time out. He was calm, cool and collected outside his pair of emphatic dunks. When Gay plays under control and lets the scoring opportunities come to him, he’s a really good weapon. His outside jumper continues to look better than ever, as does his work on the boards.
Grade: A-
Summary: Gay's solid night was punctuated by highlight plays.
-------------
Bryn Forbes
Bryn Forbes had a season-high seven assists and even looked like a legit point guard at times. He delivered passes off the dribble on numerous occasions, which isn’t something we’ve seen much from him. However, it wasn’t always a smooth ride. Forbes decision-making was iffy and he oftentimes hesitated while deciding whether to push the pace or run a set play. His defense was once again pretty solid -- his effort on that end remains commendable.
Grade: B
Summary: Forbes is busy learning how to be a point guard.
-------------
Dante Cunningham
I liked Dante Cunningham’s defense, especially in transition. He was hustling back to thwart easy baskets. And even when he’s out on the perimeter, he’s almost always dropping back to the paint to fight for rebounds. Offensively, Cunningham remains a work in progress. He didn’t even attempt a shot from the field until garbage time. If he can’t be a threat at all, his presence hurts the spacing. In fact, the only time Phoenix’s defense looked halfway competent was when they could freely rotate off of Cunningham and basically play the Spurs five on four.
Grade: B-
Summary: Cunningham hasn’t figured out how to do much else on this team other than hustle.
-------------
Patty Mills
Defensively, I was pleased with Patty Mills. Sure, he has a very low expectations on that end of the court but he was scraping and getting his hands dirty often enough to avoid being too much of a liability. As long as Mills is giving that type of effort, he’s a playable part of the rotation. Offensively, it was rarely pretty. I did appreciate him going to the lane more often than usual.
Grade: B-
Summary: Mills held his own.
-------------
Marco Belinelli
Marco Belinelli was super active on the offensive end. In fact, he led the Spurs in field goal attempts. Unfortunately, his activity didn’t lead to many positives. Is it time to worry about his wayward shot? Belinelli is now shooting 38.2 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from beyond the three-point arc for the season. I don’t mind him being so trigger happy -- in fact, I think it helps give life to the bench -- but he’s going to have to start hitting shots for teams to continue to respect him. In the last few games, he’s missed wide, wide open jumpers.
Grade: C
Summary: Belinelli’s accuracy was frightening poor in this spookiest of nights.
-------------
Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol fit an entire night of production (eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks) into 16 minutes. He too, like Aldridge, made life tough for Ayton. Gasol was a rock in the paint, as he rebounded well and kept his long arms in the airspace surrounding the rim. Offensively, his passing stood out the most but he had success when he called his own number.
Grade: A-
Summary: Gasol was in the middle of everything when he was on the court.
-------------
Davis Bertans
Defensively, things remain a struggle for Davis Bertans. When he’s defending out on the perimeter, he just looks so uncomfortable. He has bad instincts and ends up out of position way too often. When he’s in the paint, it’s difficult for him to box out successfully. Let’s hope he figures it out because the Spurs could really use his outside shooting touch in the rotation.
Grade: C
Summary: Bertans’ defense is a work in progress, to put it kindly.
-------------
Quincy Pondexter
This is the second straight game Quincy Pondexter was part of the rotation. While he remained mostly in the shadows, there were a few bright spots. Pondexter had a couple of impressive steals that showed off his awareness and anticipation. I’m not sure if he’s going to finish the year on the roster but it appears he could provide a little bit of a defensive boost if given the chance. He’s not a stellar defender by any means but he’s solid on that end and he doesn’t get in the way on offense. Is that enough to keep him on the roster? We’ll find out.
Grade: B+
Summary: Pondexter’s defensive might have caught the coaches’ attention.
-------------
Pop
The Spurs realized early that the Suns had no one to guard either Aldridge or DeRozan. The coaching staff went after those mismatches relentlessly and the game was basically over by halftime. Overall, this team’s improvement defensively has been nothing short of miraculous the last three games. Pop deserves credit for tweaking the rotation to help give the Spurs a fighting chance on that end. Cunningham in the starting lineup isn’t beautiful . . . but it’s working for now. Playing Pondexter is also providing some positives.
Grade: A-
Summary: The team is really responding well to Pop’s adjustments so far early in the season.
Looking ahead: Yes, the Suns are a bad team who were missing their best player in Devin Booker. But, even factoring in the sub par compe ion, the Spurs were impressive in this blowout victory.
Next up is two rest days followed by a home game against the Pelicans on Saturday night. With Anthony Davis back in action, that will be a really good test for the Spurs. If they can extend their winning streak to four games, many NBA pundits might have to think about grabbing their shovels to unbury the Spurs.
thx ...
Didn’t get to watch this one yet but really happy the Spurs seem to be putting away the teams they should be beating.
Thanks a lot. As last time, I agree on everything except for Bertans...'cause I think him playing defense on the perimeter has been one of the main reasons our defense has been better. Its true he has to refine his instincts, but he's long, quite agile exp on his feet (also if sometimes he loses control) and with decently long arms...a lot better than the midget duo...at least he's not a traffic cone...
Puro pinche spurs! Nice read... I never really payed to much attention to demar while with the baby dinosaur s.. But he is a really good player when he is all in and focused..... Cant wait for lonnie and white to get back...
Spurs and Derising starting to get some hype among the pundits.
Thanks for the write up!
Is it just me, or does Davis head seem to be too big for his body in the picture?
short shoulders and short arms, with big head on long body...looked like his head is too big for his body...
Pondexter looked pretty good tonight. Marco's defense was absolute trash. He was never known for defense, but I didn't think he was this bad.
How are the Suns this ing bad?
no booker..tbh
Well sad Bertans isn't doing much... at least he's +19. Perhaps he's like Bonner, his mere ability to spread the floor is good enough!
I actually thought he wasn't bad on D, at least when I was focusing on him. He looks awkward as a 13 year old boy trying to ask his crush out on a date but he was able to stay in front of his man and contest fairly well.
And whiffed on recent first rounders ... not quite LJC levels, but Spurs get more production out of their late firsts than Suns do out of lottery picks.
Ayton will be solid though. He’s still raw, but has the tools to be an All Star down the road. Still would have preferred Doncic.
I like Quincy running point late in the game, he definitely has some decent handles and seems to be having his feet back under him. He was disruptive on defense, he actually exceeded my expectations. I hope pop starts playing him a bit more to see if he can start hitting the three ball.
Also, I can’t wait until Metu starts taking the ball coast to coast on fast breaks. He could be monster.
Thanks Timvp!
What were your thoughts on Metu? I know he didn’t get much run. Seems pretty small to be a 4 or 5 in this league unless it’s a small ball game. It’s obvious that’s where he is comfortable playing.
Great showing by gasol. Loved his passing. He seems like a different player after his 2 put backs vs Lakers. If he can provide this kind of impact on 12-15 minutes a night, then I'll be happy.
the league needs to do something about fkn tanking, especially b2b or b2b2b lottery picks...fck that , even if you give them 5 lottery picks, they draft busts and continue to waste those picks/players
Sixers have a lot of those busy picks..
suns are gonna tank again for first pick after they got Ayton.lol
Yeah it's really sad to see such potential wasted. We take for granted how amazing of a development staff we have and a system to plug in players identifying their strengths and allowing them to grow in roles. That's why I don't get why some posters want to tank and hit rock bottom. It's like losing all trust in the FO to build a winner and at the same time putting trust that they will pick and develop a transcendent player. It's weird.
For thousands of years the best way to teach the youth has been to yoke with an older example. Or in trade you'd see master and apprentice. Some of y'all don't understand that winning is not something that comes easy. It takes a lot of work to build a winner. That's why Bret Browns job in Philly is so remarkable and Brad Stevens. You would say well talent, but talent doesn't always win out, case in point Sacramento, Phoenix, and Orlando. For example Philly still loses games cause of youth. They are well coached and have systems. It's no accident they are good.
Last edited by Immortal Spur; 11-01-2018 at 10:26 AM.
First game in over a year where Pop didnt utilize a Mills/Forbes, Mills/Parker, Forbes/ Parker lineup in the rotation.
I was shocked and very happy -- even if it took him years to abandon this.
Forbes is better right now than Patty has ever been. I hope when Derrick & Lonnie get back, they eat Mills minutes not Bryns.
Are the Suns tanking or do they just massively suck? I say they massively suck. One of the worst teams in a long time, even with Booker -- who is badly overrated to begin with.
Come on, LJC was a late first round pick. Whiffing on early first round picks is WAY worse than whiffing on late first round pick. LJC was selected 28th overall, Bender was selected 4th overall. That is a worse mistake than LJC at 28. Also, Josh Jackson was also selected 4th overall, and its only been a year, but so far that is looking like a whiff as well.
while i am initially pleased with the spurs start to the season, i am also cognizant of who the wins have come against. if the spurs somehow pull off a "w" against the pelicans, i'll be a bit more positive. i'd likely think that if they are at least compe ive. so far though, the two games SA has played against playoff contenders (the lakers are not in this category) have not been very encouraging. still though, there are at least some bright spots for a team that is still missing at least one, and possibly two (i'm not including murray since he is out for the season), rotation players.
They're not tanking. They had a great crowd for their opening game and they have been pushing season ticket sales saying they're on their way back. They are just a fumbling mess.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
