Everything will be okay.

[Ice009]

Just finished watching the game replay a minute ago for the first time (I couldn't watch it live). Probably the maddest I've been with a loss this season. 19 point lead and throw it away. They may have just thrown the second seed away with this game too.
I believe if they won this game, they would have had a good grip on that second seed. What a f-ing waste.

Get a player or two that can shoot the ball. Nothing makes me madder than piss poor shooting, especially when wide open (since it was my my main skill), I can't seem to handle watching it. All good if you're covered and under pressure, but these guys gotta learn to shoot better when open. And free throws, don't get me started on that. They are freaking like a layup. Literally free points. I don't understand how NBA players can miss them so often (unless you're a big guy like Shaq where the ball feels so light to you, it's much harder to shoot in general in those cases, but no excuse for Steph for f-ing clang half of his free throws. All his misses at the line cost the Spurs BIG in this game).

 

[John B]

Yes they are ahead of schedule. But it also means there’s still a lot of tweaking to do, like how to protect a lead, finishing games, covering 3’s, etc. Getting that true PF, and signing another big C as insurance via trade or at the waiver? Let’s see.

 

[John B]

I'm reminded of dudes who buy high end sneakers but never wear them. 10 years go by and they say "man, I should wear those sick Jordans I got" and then pull them out of the box and watch them crumbled into dust.

You gotta wear the shoes man. That's what they were made for.

I only wear them on hardwoods. But real competitions happen at the park! Whatever that means

 

[e78]

As much as I wanted Vassell gone heading into the season, I'm hopeful him coming back from injury will help.

Castle and Harper are unplayable together at this point.

 

[Ice009]

As much as I wanted Vassell gone heading into the season, I'm hopeful him coming back from injury will help.

Castle and Harper are unplayable together at this point.

Yeah, I'm waiting to see what it looks like when Devin comes back. I'm hoping it'll be a little better, but it's looking horrendous right now.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

While some of these losses are frustrating when you look at the standings most teams in the playoffs out West are playing about .500 ball right now. Us, Lakers, T-Wolves, Denver, Rockets, GS. In the East Pistons are 6-4 and Knicks are 5-5.. Post X-Mas letdown maybe is a league wide deal..

 

[Ice009]

It very well might be. Last I looked a few days ago, there were some 7-3 and maybe one 8-2 teams, so not everyone is playing poorly.

 

[Exstatic]

Yeah, I'm waiting to see what it looks like when Devin comes back. I'm hoping it'll be a little better, but it's looking horrendous right now.

We’re in second place in the west, and pretty much the top six records in the league are currently scuffling between 4-6 and 6-4. Not a horrendous place to be. Young teams are inconsistent.

Edit: OKC is at 7-3. The next 6 teams in the overall nba standings are as I stated. There a bit of a lull right now.

 

[timtonymanu]

Yup there are 2 schools of thought here. I fully expected this L is one but being up 19 in the 3rd with Wemby in his own flow state and losing makes me pissed the fuck off.

Naw the losses do suck but I learn to not freak out too much because it’s typical of a young and inexperienced team. We’re not gonna see the best version of this Spurs team this season anyway so we gotta take the bad with the good. We’re 27-12 but people act like we’re doing much worse when we lose games.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

We’re in second place in the west, and pretty much the top six records in the league are currently scuffling between 4-6 and 6-4. Not a horrendous place to be. Young teams are inconsistent.

Edit: OKC is at 7-3. The next 6 teams in the overall nba standings are as I stated. There a bit of a lull right now.

Yeah, I was saying this earlier. A lot of teams are not playing particularly good basketball right now that are top-tier contending teams. We aren’t the only one that’s having trouble putting together streaks.

 

[100%Duncan]

Naw the losses do suck but I learn to not freak out too much because it’s typical of a young and inexperienced team. We’re not gonna see the best version of this Spurs team this season anyway so we gotta take the bad with the good. We’re 27-12 but people act like we’re doing much worse when we lose games.

I know. It still does suck though. Losing when you were up 19 is way worse of a feeling than losing when you were trailing the whole game.


Idk, regular season games mattered more since we haven’t played a playoff game for 6 years now.

 

[Ice009]

Yeah, I was saying this earlier. A lot of teams are not playing particularly good basketball right now that are top-tier contending teams. We aren’t the only one that’s having trouble putting together streaks.

There's about 5 teams that are 6-4 or better. You got GSW, MIN that are 6-4, then you got Phoenix, OKC, POR that are all 7-3 or better (PHX is 8-2). If the Spurs aren't careful, I'm looking at a team like Phoenix that might take a top 6 spot away from someone else (Not sure who could fall out of the top 6). Portland are too far away, but they're playing pretty well lately (two wins against the Rockets and one against the Spurs). Rockets are currently out of the top 6 and I don't see them finishing that low.

I know. It still does suck though. Losing when you were up 19 is way worse of a feeling than losing when you were trailing the whole game.


Idk, regular season games mattered more since we haven’t played a playoff game for 6 years now.

This is why I was so pi##ed off. Spurs led almost that whole game (away game too) and were playing well, and then threw it away at the end of the 3rd/4th quarter and just let Minnesota right back into it. If they were trailing or losing most of the game, I wouldn't have been that upset.

Steph's missed free throws alone could have still won the Spurs the game.

 

[Exstatic]

There's about 5 teams that are 6-4 or better. You got GSW, MIN that are 6-4, then you got Phoenix, OKC, POR that are all 7-3 or better (PHX is 8-2). If the Spurs aren't careful, I'm looking at a team like Phoenix that might take a top 6 spot away from someone else (Not sure who could fall out of the top 6). Portland are too far away, but they're playing pretty well lately (two wins against the Rockets and one against the Spurs). Rockets are currently out of the top 6 and I don't see them finishing that low.

Of all the NBA teams NOT in the lottery, only OKC and PHO are not between 6-4 and 4-6, and OKC is already ahead of us. I just don’t see all of the boogeymen lurking that you do.

 

[Ice009]

Of all the NBA teams NOT in the lottery, only OKC and PHO are not between 6-4 and 4-6, and OKC is already ahead of us. I just don’t see all of the boogeymen lurking that you do.

Well I don't believe all those teams will keep playing at the 5-5 pace and think that they'll improve sooner than later from their slumps (Rockets, Denver, Minnesota etc.). When Jokic is back, Denver will definitely improve. Phoenix don't look to be slowing down and I don't think Jalen Green is back for them yet, but that could give them another boost if he's due back soon (I actually thought he'd fit well there and since they're played well without even having them, they could go up another notch when he returns). I hope I'm wrong and all those teams continue to struggle. The Lakers are one team I see that might not keep up as their defense sucks and they're missing Reaves. The Spurs, though, with their horrendous shooting, could very well be the team that keeps playing at that 5-5 pace unless they can turn it around quickly. Hopefully Devin makes a difference towards righting the ship when he comes back.

 

[Exstatic]

Well I don't believe all those teams will keep playing at the 5-5 pace and think that they'll improve sooner than later from their slumps (Rockets, Denver, Minnesota etc.). When Jokic is back, Denver will definitely improve. Phoenix don't look to be slowing down and I don't think Jalen Green is back for them yet, but that could give them another boost if he's due back soon (I actually thought he'd fit well there and since they're played well without even having them, they could go up another notch when he returns). I hope I'm wrong and all those teams continue to struggle. The Lakers are one team I see that might not keep up as their defense sucks and they're missing Reaves. The Spurs, though, with their horrendous shooting, could very well be the team that keeps playing at that 5-5 pace unless they can turn it around quickly. Hopefully Devin makes a difference towards righting the ship when he comes back.

Neither will we.

 

[Ice009]

OK, well, I'll take those positive vibes then and believe that.

 

[Exstatic]

OK, well, I'll take those positive vibes then and believe that.

Teams go through ups and downs. It’s a mistake to think that how we’re are now is how we will be for the rest of the season,whether it’s an up or down time.

 

[spursfanfromafar]

The issue is not so much as the Spurs' record in the last few games .. which is not hurting them as other contenders in the West are also slumping at the same time (except for OKC). But the issue is this - the three guards among the Spurs who were the main reason why they overcame the OKC threat with such ease are all struggling for form in varying degrees.

Harper has hit the rookie wall with a vengeance and has had some putrid offensive games lately with bad decision making and finishing (both of which are his strengths). His defense is still a bit intact and that keeps him on the floor, but he has to get back to being a capable PG on the floor.
Castle is struggling to finish because defenses are loading up the paint against him and he needs to find the ability to pass out to the perimeter to the Spurs' remaining consistent shooters (Barnes is slowly getting back, Champs is still awesome while Keldon has been amazing). And he needs to play within the system on offense instead of too many iso forays resulting in turnovers.
Fox has been very inconsistent .. his 3P shooting has suddenly fallen off and he is deferring too much until the fourth quarter where sometimes his tunnel vision is helpful and sometimes not.

In sum, we knew the weakness of the three guards but their strengths overwhelmed them to help the Spurs reach the high West rankings. But partially because teams have started to scheme for them and partially because their offensive game has really struggled in the last 8-10 games .. almost all of it together (Fox has been slightly better than the inexperienced youngsters), this has started to really hurt the Spurs.

Lastly, I just wish Devin is back soon. The importance of having a shooter among the guards and not just among the wings is keenly felt when Devin is not on the floor.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

Well I don't believe all those teams will keep playing at the 5-5 pace and think that they'll improve sooner than later from their slumps (Rockets, Denver, Minnesota etc.). When Jokic is back, Denver will definitely improve. Phoenix don't look to be slowing down and I don't think Jalen Green is back for them yet, but that could give them another boost if he's due back soon (I actually thought he'd fit well there and since they're played well without even having them, they could go up another notch when he returns). I hope I'm wrong and all those teams continue to struggle. The Lakers are one team I see that might not keep up as their defense sucks and they're missing Reaves. The Spurs, though, with their horrendous shooting, could very well be the team that keeps playing at that 5-5 pace unless they can turn it around quickly. Hopefully Devin makes a difference towards righting the ship when he comes back.

And we should pick it back up again.. We had elite guard play in the month of Dec posting an 11-4 record with wins over OKC. We will get Vassell back hopefully in the next few weeks, Castle, Fox will pick it up. I also think Harper will get it back together again. The talent is there..

 

[scott]

Teams go through ups and downs. It’s a mistake to think that how we’re are now is how we will be for the rest of the season,whether it’s an up or down time.

Yep, OKC went 6-6 prior to the 3 game winning streak they are on. It's a long season!

 

[ginobilized]

Just some perspective, if the Spurs split the remaining games they finish at 49-33. That’s pretty much a flip of wins and losses last season. I think that’s a realistic baseline barring craziness which is always possible.
If someone told me the Spurs would improve this much in the offseason, I would’ve signed an agreement to make zero complaints on this forum. Since that wasn’t the case, WTF are Mitch & the Spurs doing?

 

[scott]

In this spirit in which I started this Sniffer Cope thread, I'm going to share this fantastic post and visualization from the typical home of Sniffer Cope, r/nbaspurs

 

[Arguendo]

Or perhaps I should say…

Everything will be. Okay?

This is intended to be the opposite of a gutless worms threads. I’m not saying you shouldn’t get your frustrations out in those threads. You should. But then come here for a little zen and to recenter your vibe.

We came into this season thinking a Top 6 seed in the West would be a successful season. We’re still #2 and have the 3rd best record in the league. I don’t think we are the third best team in the league… but we’re still ahead of schedule.

Everything will be okay. Everything will be. Okay?

Ps: Don’t come in here and bring the vibe down. Just go back to the gutless worms thread for that. Again, I encourage you to do that. Think of that as the padded rage room where as this is the lobby of the high end resort spa. Breeeeeeeathe.

I like reasonable expectations hahaha. I love the "Next 10 games" threads, put your expectations down, be reasonable. We are 39 games in, have the 3rd best record in the league, 4th best point differential.
Best player has missed 14 games 36%, minutes restricted in at least 9 more 23%. 2nd best player has missed 9, 3rd best 9, 4th best 7, Harper 10, Kornet 8. 3RD BEST RECORD! We are 10th in the league in games missed to injury, disproportionately our best players.

Vic will likely play more minutes, Devin will return, Steph will likely figure it out and/or Dylan will, Fox will not continue to shoot 41/15, Barnes won't continue at 33%, Champ won't continue at 33%. If two or 3 of these "likely"s happen, we likely win 52+ games. That's ridiculously good in the West, only 1 team got above 52 wins last yr. 53 won the West in 2023.

We are playing at a historic level, with neither health nor flow. Only 5 teams have ever jumped 30+ wins year-to-year. The KG/R Allen Celtics, Timmy's Spurs, DR's Spurs, Nash's Suns, Bird's Celtics. Every one of those Teams added a first-ballot HOFer, MVP player. The Spurs added Kornet and Lunch lady. Freaking historic.

52 wins was not a realistic expectations coming in, now it is. We are on pace for 57 wins with the 8th hardest schedule played and the 12th hardest remaining.
It gets easier from here, not harder, and its quite possible if not likely we get healthier.
Anything close to 50 wins would have been a excellent season, we only have to go 23-20 to get to 50, and that's exceeding likely to happen barring Vic going down. 25-18 to become the 6th team ever to add 30+ wins. Play .582 ball going forward and we make real history as the only team to do it w/o adding a HOFer.

It won't just be OK, it will be an incredible season.
HOUSTON WENT FROM 22 WINS, TO 41 WINS, TO 52 WINS.
The Spurs won 22, then 22 last yr and will win many more than 41 this yr (likely more than 41 even worst case), the unreasonable people here that refuse to set and reasonably adjust expectations simply want us to skip from 22 to 55-60 wins regardless of the fact Seguin played 76 games and Vic is on pace to play 53 games including limited games.

For the Devin haters- Spurs were 23-8 (a 60+ win pace with or without Vic) with a healthy DV and are 4-4 including the injury game, and Steph/Dylan and Fox are shooting <30/20 and <45/15 without Devin. Maybe Devin is pretty important to those guys? Even with that, we very likely win 2 of those games against POR/MEM/MIN if Vic plays 30+ mpg. 82 games, shit happens, this young team needs to learn how to win close.
All 3 attacking guards shooting horribly, HB shooting horribly, Vic out 2/limited in 6, and we go 4-4 against 5 PO teams + 2 play-in teams, played 7 games in 10 days, 3 b2bs. 4-4 with all that and only 1 gimme game during the dog days. That's a fine result. We were scheduled to lose at least 3 of those, lost 3 by a combined 7 pts.

We are not just okay, we are playing fantastic overall. These are the dog days, the season is 82 games, everything will be GOOD with a very good chance to be HISTORIC!
Take and breath and enjoy what we are doing, the NBA has never seen what we are on pace to do this yr, the last time this happened it took 2x first ballot HOFers joining a 3rd 1st ballot guy and that was almost 20 yrs ago.