Game Thread Playoffs Round 1, Game 2: Spurs vs Blazers (1-0) (Tue 04/21/2026) [7:00 CDT]

I'd rate it something like this, obviously each player with their own level of expected performance.

Good:
Kornet
CB
Vassell
Harper

Neutral:
Champagnie
Barnes

Terrible:
Fox
Keldon
Mitch

Westbrook-like chaos:
Castle
 
I know Holiday wasn't trying to hurt Wemby when he pulled the chair, but I still hate his guts right now. Spurs Homer is right, hopefully this provides Vic with a powerful lesson in staying under control. He's young so it's understandable, but he really has to be more careful with the way he moves his body sometimes.
 
Who’d you rather have?

Fox was shitting the bed. Steph shot a million airballs. Champagnie would brick 2 free throws in the clutch.

Devin at least has had the reputation to show up in “big” games.
Luke, let him summon the spirit of TD’s shot against PHX. Other than that option, you got a point.
 
I mean even with Vic out for most of the game, pretty bad games from Fox/Castle/Keldon and Scoot's best NBA game, we're a chokejob away from being up 2-0. Obviously Deni didn't play that great but I don't think it's gonna be some monumental effort to get a split in Portland even if Wemby misses Game 3.

They're still the better team, they just need to play through the adversity tbh.
 
It seems like defenses have adjusted to Fox in the clutch. They know exactly how to guard him which is just clog the paint and dare him to shoot and usually he won't be able to hit the shot.
 
Julian taking 2 shots and hit both.

We didn’t pass him the ball although he was open multiple times entire game. You dont win a fuck with that O.

When Castle and Fox drawing multiple defenders in the paint, they never turnaround and pass to
Open guy.

If they hit open guy 2-3 times obviously it will make shots easy for them moving forward.
 
With Victor unlikely to play Friday boy oh boy, did we need this one for a cushion. Now that shit is out the window. But De’Aaron Fox on Friday night you fucking owe us one dude. Big time
 
You know @scott brought up a great point about 🦊 balling when they got up by six. I’ve noticed more and more times this year they don’t roll with him until the defense figures him out. And then he loses his mojo or is subbed out. Now he definitely played poorly down the stretch, but it has been the MO for the season.
 
I mean even with Vic out for most of the game, pretty bad games from Fox/Castle/Keldon and Scoot's best NBA game, we're a chokejob away from being up 2-0. Obviously Deni didn't play that great but I don't think it's gonna be some monumental effort to get a split in Portland even if Wemby misses Game 3.

They're still the better team, they just need to play through the adversity tbh.
For me the issue is that this wasn't some random chokejob where the other team gets hot or whatever, it was a systematic failure on many levels.
We scored 10 points in the final 8 minutes. And it's not like we missed any wide open looks.
Wasted so much time on every half court possession.
 
This is why I think Fox should be the sixth man. He should be given the green light to shoot every time he's in the game. He's allowed to be a ballhog. Everybody else can set up for him because he's a scorer. He's Jamal Crawford and that's what the Spurs need at some point instead of putting him in a rotation as a starter just for status so that he ends up out of rhythm at the end of the game. A damn sure don't want him defending Denny one-on-one.
 
I don't know what game you were watching, but I never saw him do that. They were shooting fall-away jumpers over him.
Right. But the game plan was clearly to go at Deni and it didnt work. He didnt foul out. He didnt get beat. We took tough contested shots over him trying to go 1 on 1.

It completely broke our offensive flow
 
Vassell had to revert back to playing the main character because our actual main characters couldn't do shit.
If not for Vassell's mid-range shots, there would've been no close ending.
Yeah and he was good on the boards. He was hustling. Just 0% from the 3 was surprising. Last shot was a tough one. Plenty of blame to go around and Fox deserves his share. The Wemby injury, along with Barnes, and Harper has me worried.
 
Nobody remembers or cares that we lost Game 2 in Round 1 against MIN. So long as we bounce back, this will just be another game no one remembers.

So… let’s bounce back.
 
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