Game Thread Spurs (18-7) vs Knicks (18-7) (Tue 12/16/25) [7:30PM CDT]

[bignono]

Just build around Castle & Harper TBH.
Wemby trash
Fox trash

 

[Arguendo]

Some people are just naturally pessimistic. It’s exhausting,

That and ST trained a bunch of people here now to be as negative as possible and just feed narratives. Whatever the narrative is, that's reality. I'm pretty convinced a huge number of the people here don't watch any other basketball and don't understand what an 82 game season means.
On that note, this was a GREAT loss. This was an exhibition game, DON'T MEAN SHIT.

We were clearly the better team for 3 quarters...then, gave up tons and tons of oRebs and 2nd chance points. The "get to the paint" mentality was gone, Wemby was a 0 in the 4th. This is a learning lesson on many levels and it doesn't matter, except positively. No one except Amazon employees (and the players that are/aren't getting the extra $318,000) care about this game. Pure exhibitation...and the Spurs showed out, the guards crushed getting to the paint...then the bigs/boxing out and the Knicks wanting a meaningless banner decided it.
Great loss for a young team, cuz it doesn't hurt us at all. Just a learning experience and I think Castle/Harper look around and say "I don't have to defer to any of these guys". If Vic's not showing up, just do what you do without him on the court (on O). Be aggressive. We stopped going hard to the paint in the 4th and I think it was looking to Vic. Fuck that, going hard to the paint is never bad, Vic can clean you up. Go get it, attack. Don't defer, just go.
Perfect confidence building game---or knock you back down to learn. You beat Luka and Lebron, then you bet the bEST shooting 41%. Then you looked like the better team for 3/4, then you stopped doing the things that made you look like the better team, hoping the 21 y/o phenom would carry you and...nope.
Out hustled, out positiioned. They wanted it more because you stopped playing your game. Keep playing your game, keep doing you. This was always a thing with the Big3. Timmy's off, Timmy's on, Manu is gonna do Manu, Tony's gonna do Tony. Don't defer to the "great"...you're great too, but only if you do you.
Best possible learning experience, cuz its playoff intensity, but it don't mean shit (except to NYK, cuz it's their first "banner" since I've been alive)

 

[Ice009]

Getting all that playoff and finals experience in Golden State it shouldn’t be a problem but we will see.

I can't remember the exact stats, but someone said he went 5-32 or something when the Cavs made their comeback from 3-1 down which IMO pretty much prompted the Warriors to call up Durant to join them. I don't have much confidence in him in big playoff games. He's a lot older now. It doesn't matter how much we like the guy, it's just a reality that if the Spurs want to be a Championship contender, he can't be the starting PF. It's not going to work. He failed in 2016 and he's much older now. If he was younger and could move better on defense and offer more resistance out there and rebound the ball, it'd be OK, but he can't do much else out there except hit open shots.

 

[spursistan]

Short selling wemby would be a big mistake for any spurs fan. He can do it all, but we have a good team around him.

It’s not wemby vs the world anymore.

He needs to shut the fuck up and let his game do the talking. He looks so silly out there every time he gets near a mic aura-farming with viral quotes and shades..

 

[mudyez]

It was just incompetent, not unethical when the refs blew the call on Kolek and Kornet's tangle-up, giving Maestro a tech, then reversing the call and yet wiping out Champ's three. Same with not calling out-of-bounds when the Knick was standing out of bounds in the scramble after Harper's miss. Turning point in game, kept Knicks' run going.

Yeah, but I'd rather not end up complaining like OKC did. We got outrebounded badly. Thats why we lost. Congratulations to NY!

 

[Ice009]

I guess I’m too indoctrinated by the Pop era Spurs way of players not talking shit that it keeps catching me off guard to see Wemby doing that lately.

I don't like the way Vic talks, but I've come to live with it as that seems to be what he's doing to get to the destination he wants to get to. I'd rather he not do it, but I'm not a guy that has a chance to be the best off all time, so I'm not sure if I can comment on his mindset. What I can comment on is that he really plays stupidly sometimes and he needs to simplify and cut a lot of the shit out of his game.

 

[OU812]

Harper out-rebounded Wemby tonight.

I’ll be honest. Wemby was not hungry or effective tonight. At 7’6”, he wants almost no part of the paint. Frankly, it’s concerning

 

[BatManu20]

We desperately need an upgrade this offseason at the 4. Barnes has a reputation for not showing up in big games. Kings fans weren’t shedding any tears over trading him to us to get Demar. And there was a reason we got a pick swap attached to the trade for taking his contract. Overall he has been great for us and was a steal getting him and the swap for nothing. But when the Spurs take the next step to being legit year in year out contenders they are going to need someone else at the 4.

This. Barnes has a rich history of shitting the bed when games matter. This is well-known. He can be a Regular Season minutes-eater, that's fine. But dude is a massive choker in Playoff games/games that matter in general. He's a mental midget who can't be counted on when the lights are bright.

 

[gilmor2002]

That and ST trained a bunch of people here now to be as negative as possible and just feed narratives. Whatever the narrative is, that's reality. I'm pretty convinced a huge number of the people here don't watch any other basketball and don't understand what an 82 game season means.
On that note, this was a GREAT loss. This was an exhibition game, DON'T MEAN SHIT.

We were clearly the better team for 3 quarters...then, gave up tons and tons of oRebs and 2nd chance points. The "get to the paint" mentality was gone, Wemby was a 0 in the 4th. This is a learning lesson on many levels and it doesn't matter, except positively. No one except Amazon employees (and the players that are/aren't getting the extra $318,000) care about this game. Pure exhibitation...and the Spurs showed out, the guards crushed getting to the paint...then the bigs/boxing out and the Knicks wanting a meaningless banner decided it.
Great loss for a young team, cuz it doesn't hurt us at all. Just a learning experience and I think Castle/Harper look around and say "I don't have to defer to any of these guys". If Vic's not showing up, just do what you do without him on the court (on O). Be aggressive. We stopped going hard to the paint in the 4th and I think it was looking to Vic. Fuck that, going hard to the paint is never bad, Vic can clean you up. Go get it, attack. Don't defer, just go.
Perfect confidence building game---or knock you back down to learn. You beat Luka and Lebron, then you bet the bEST shooting 41%. Then you looked like the better team for 3/4, then you stopped doing the things that made you look like the better team, hoping the 21 y/o phenom would carry you and...nope.
Out hustled, out positiioned. They wanted it more because you stopped playing your game. Keep playing your game, keep doing you. This was always a thing with the Big3. Timmy's off, Timmy's on, Manu is gonna do Manu, Tony's gonna do Tony. Don't defer to the "great"...you're great too, but only if you do you.
Best possible learning experience, cuz its playoff intensity, but it don't mean shit (except to NYK, cuz it's their first "banner" since I've been alive)

The problem starts when Mitch took Wemby out at the end of 3rd quarter.. which given the spurt that knicks need

 

[Strategic]

This may be the year that the Spurs know they’re good enough but they don’t know how to act.

 

[Spursgenius]

Just build around Castle & Harper TBH.
Wemby trash
Fox trash

sad but kinda true. The two ballers showed up the other two were garbage

 

[Spursgenius]

The problem starts when Mitch took Wemby out at the end of 3rd quarter.. which given the spurt that knicks need

Spurs were playing better without stick man

 

[BatManu20]

Harper out-rebounded Wemby tonight.

I’ll be honest. Wemby was not hungry or effective tonight. At 7’6”, he want almost no part of the paint. Frankly, it’s concerning

Wemby was a team-worst -18 tonight... He was dog-shit outside of that 2-min stretch where he hit consecutive shots. He played like a dumbass the majority of the game. Horrible shot-selection, pressing offensively, late on defensive rotations, and worst of all, got destroyed on the glass all night long.

Being 8-feet tall and getting out-rebounded by your 19 year-old PG is fucking pathetic, especially after flapping his gums the past couple days. He just needs to shut up and get back to working on his game.

 

[Area 51.247]

Yeah, but I'd rather not end up complaining like OKC did. We got outrebounded badly. Thats why we lost. Congratulations to NY!

Agreed. Spurs lost the game. So glad they made it to the finals and got valuable experience. Congratulations to the Knicks and Mike Brown.

 

[spurs10]

Offensive boards cost us the game. That and really horrible 3 pt shooting by everyone not named Harper. Take him out of the mix and we were especially lame. The guys that shot 33% were the upside. Mr. 0% was especially bad both games. 0-12 I believe. Needed him tonight.

 

[Spurminator]

Wemby was a team-worst -18 tonight... He was dog-shit outside of that one 2-min stretch where he hit consecutive shots. He played like a total dumbass the majority of the game. Horrible shot-selection, pressing offensively when it was unnecessary, late on defensive rotations, and worst of all, got destroyed on the glass all night long.

Being 8-feet tall and getting out-rebounded by your 19 year-old PG is fucking pathetic, especially after flapping his gums the past couple days. He needs to just shut up and work on his game.

I'm just glad he didn't reinjure himself for an exhibition game

 

[Manu20]

The Spurs have arrived. They're way beyond where I thought they could be at this point this season. Sure, they have work to do, but they just got beat by a top contender from the east who is already battle-tested, while the Spurs are still growing. I'm pretty impressed.

On top of that we confirmed that the 3 guards can in fact coexist. All 3 of Fox Castle Harper played great tonight.

 

[TDomination]

I don't like the way Vic talks, but I've come to live with it as that seems to be what he's doing to get to the destination he wants to get to. I'd rather he not do it, but I'm not a guy that has a chance to be the best off all time, so I'm not sure if I can comment on his mindset. What I can comment on is that he really plays stupidly sometimes and he needs to simplify and cut a lot of the shit out of his game.

Im right there with you about Wemby.

When you are good enough, your play speak so much louder then your words ever could. The reason I feel like he talks is because he wants people to know how good he believes he will one day be. But it’d be best just to show them vs tell them.

 

[Arguendo]

Keldon also barely played and his minutes were in short spurts. It's almost impossible to get in any sort of rhythm offensively that way.

And still, 4 rebs, 3oRebs, 3 pts on 3 shots. Dude only played in spurts and was still good. But the narratives here (carry-over from the ST days) run SOOOOOO strong.
Keldon is garbage. Dude's legit a top ten bench player this yr, a top oReb-er, a top % shooter, but he's garbage becuase Spurstalk narrative, "power of friendship", people that either don't watch or don't understand basketball. Keldon impacted this game positively, looks like a legit 6MOTY candidate but that can't overcome the narratives...he's garbage, he's not one of the best and most efficienct bench player in the league in 2025 cuz Spurstalk told me so.
Negativity is the best way to go through life!

 

[TDomination]

I'm just glad he didn't reinjure himself for an exhibition game

That was my prayer. Last thing we needed was any injury in a an exhibition game

 

[Spurminator]

You guys are seriously dogging on Victor Wembanyama, the most amazing player who has been gifted to you in 25 years, for not giving 100% in an exhibition game shortly after coming back from an injury.

Y'all need to go outside for a while. I hope you remember how stupid you sounded tonight when he's raising each of his multiple Finals MVP trophies.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Fell apart in the 4th unfortunately, going to not try to overreact too much but

- Wemby looked horrendous outside that small run. Absolutely bullied in the boards, no one afraid to drive on him, and incredibly sloppy on the O end. He’s still rusty prob but not a good look after recent quotes lol

- Barnes Barnes Barnes, I really hope this is a Vegas thing and not a big game thing. What an atrocious performance

- Not much bad to say about our 3 headed guard rotation. Boys fought hard and played well

- Mitch mostly did alright, no major complaints. But need to work on how the team reacts to getting punched, and mostly teach th how to keep leads. All year long games have been ready to be iced and we always let people back in. It’s a mentality thing

- At least this doesn’t count towards our standings lol

Great analysis!

 

[Snake Eyes]

Keldon also barely played and his minutes were in short spurts. It's almost impossible to get in any sort of rhythm offensively that way.

This is a very good point. I’m not sure what was going on.

 

[SpurPadre]

It’s strange to say this but real talk: it’s a great sign that after all these years, we feel so passionately about a loss for the first time since the end of The Big 3 era.

 

[LeBowen]

It’s strange to say this but real talk: it’s a great sign that after all these years, we feel so passionately about a loss for the first time since the end of The Big 3 era.

Speak for yourself, I had meltdowns about those Nuggets 1st round losses.