Game Thread Spurs (43-17) @ Sixers (33-27) (Tue 03/03/26) [7:00 PM CST]

[Paramore]

 

[Millennial_Messiah]

Miss Bob Costas.

"Sprewell... no!! The Spurs, have won their first ever, NBA Championship!"

 

[Paramore]

The Return of the Beautiful Game!

what a tremendous win by the Spurs!

 

[BatManu20]

Miss Bob Costas.

"Sprewell... no!! The Spurs, have won their first ever, NBA Championship!"

https://twitter.com/x/status/2028944386944385244

 

[Paramore]

 

[spurraider21]

the throwback sixers court and jerseys were sick

 

[Ice009]

I don't think he's ready to start...... Which is all the more reason to give him a start now.

Where the hell did "trial by fire" coaching go to, tbh? You used to see a kid with that level of fire - throw him for a round or two with the big boys, make his day. See what he's made of in the process.

He's shown enough to give Barnes a designated breather

Absolutely. This is what I wanted, just throw him into the fire so to speak and see what happens. If they don't want to start him in the 1st and 3rd quarter, fine, start him in the second and 4th quarter (I'll settle for that). In any case, he should be getting more minutes. It's criminal the lack of minutes Dylan gets even when he plays well. I don't care if they're rookies. Give both more minutes. If the vets can't hang, that's on them. Dylan for sure should be getting more minutes. Being a rookie shouldn't matter if you're playing that well.

He starts giving us some seriously productive minutes and we go to another level

Exactly why I wanted to give him a chance. The potential is for the Spurs to go to another level, and that's what I've been saying.

Hope he's alright. That was a nasty fall (though I don't think CB was making a dirty play by any means).

No dirty play there at all. He was going for the block. I didn't watch the game live, so that's why I'm replying to some of the posts after the fact.

Always hated him. One of those Jeremy sochan type of scrubs. Hated him even more when he refused to be part of this team.

I had no time for him after he didn’t want to report here after a trade during the rebuild. Fuck that clown.

I thought the Spurs didn't want him? So he refused to report to the team? Oh well, too bad for him. He could have been in the J-Mac role if he built some goodwill with the team .

Dude was recovering from a meniscus repair. Looked like the ROTY before he went down. No idea wtf morey was thinking. Seems like a great locker room guy too

I've seen Steph chatting it up with him after games too, so it seems they're on friendly terms. Same as you guys, I really don't get why Morey traded him, and also, why he traded him to the Thunder of all teams he could have traded him to, why send him to OKC. What a stupid decision yet again from Darryl Morey.

Wemby just said “i think we’re the best team in the world”

Great that he said that, but, they've never played in the playoffs to know what the pressure and intensity is going to be like. I hope they're not overconfident and are ready for that.

Victor with the self awareness about dribbling into traffic

What did he say? Did he acknowledge that he shouldn't be doing it? If so, that's encouraging to hear he's trying to not do it.

 

[Arcadian]

Spurs have the kind of depth that their 5th and 6th best players can carry on some nights

 

[Ice009]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2028944386944385244

At the time, you think it'd be great to go back and watch that, but the resolution and video quality is likely going to make it unwatchable these days .

 

[heyheymymy]

mccain a steal for them

yeah mccain could be a problem on okc

 

[siraulo22]

8-1 rrt is very very impressive

rounding into form, bring back spam vibes

 

[dn0774]

The reason Morey traded McCain is simple, he all but said that he thinks McCain is damaged goods with his “sold high” quote. The kid hadn’t gotten to play competitive basketball in nearly a year after 2 injuries, maybe give him more than 60 days to get his footing back Daryl. Instead he just handed another guy to OKC who can break open a game.

 

[Ice009]

8-1 rrt is very very impressive

rounding into form, bring back spam vibes

It's impressive, but you gotta take it for what it is. Spurs are a very good team and a lot of the teams they played were either tanking teams (Sacramento, Brooklyn, Dallas x 2), or teams missing key players (Thunder, Lakers, Warriors, Suns, 76ers and to a lesser extent Detroit with Stewart out, but this was still a very impressive win as it was on the road), and I'm not sure if these other teams were full strength or not (Orlando, Toronto, New York - I think NY was, correct me if I am wrong?). Great that they kept focus playing all these teams, and winning on the road is always impressive/great, so that holds weight. but I'm saying the Spurs have shown they're now a top team, so these are games they should be winning if they are to be a title contender like OKC.

They have some tougher coming up now against good/great teams, so I am more interested in seeing how they do against teams like the Nuggets. I don't care about winning every single game of these games (of course I'd love it if they did), but if they do well and compete well against this stretch of teams coming up, it'll help solidify them as being truly legit title contenders.

 

[Ice009]

The reason Morey traded McCain is simple, he all but said that he thinks McCain is damaged goods with his “sold high” quote. The kid hadn’t gotten to play competitive basketball in nearly a year after 2 injuries, maybe give him more than 60 days to get his footing back Daryl. Instead he just handed another guy to OKC who can break open a game.

Sounds like Morey is a retard if that is all the chance he gave him to get back into playing shape and form.

 

[Sugus]

Fair enough, clown on me if you want, BUT A lot of people here the whole season have been talking about the big hole the Spurs have is at PF and they didn't address it at the trade deadline (they probably thought it was too early to try for a big move like that). So you don't think that is still a problem? (...)

And also, who cares how the Spurs start games (they're not very good in the third quarters or starting the third quarters usually, so you only answered 50% of the equation saying they start well) when they're letting teams go on huge runs in the second quarter and third quarters usually giving up those leads most of the season

Lol this was my exact reaction as well, like how does being a good 1st quarter team mean the team doesn't have issues to address in the other 3, by far more important quarters?

At this point we can only hope for CB to play every game like he did last night; his presence was palpable on the court. Gimme that swarming defense, physicality, and shot-making over Mr 10%'s sorry ass every night.

I don't need CB to be starting necessarily but he's so visibly a great contribution to the team that it's getting harder to justify the "vet deference" just for the sake of it

 

[OK Computer]

Lol this was my exact reaction as well, like how does being a good 1st quarter team mean the team doesn't have issues to address in the other 3, by far more important quarters?

At this point we can only hope for CB to play every game like he did last night; his presence was palpable on the court. Gimme that swarming defense, physicality, and shot-making over Mr 10%'s sorry ass every night.

I don't need CB to be starting necessarily but he's so visibly a great contribution to the team that it's getting harder to justify the "vet deference" just for the sake of it

Look, I’m going to read it all the posts later. But first I’ll address your confusion about why I shared that about the first quarter. Ice’s claim was that the team does not start games well. That’s why my reply was what it was. It’s frustrating to read these posts and the context was lost to begin with.

 

[OK Computer]

Fair enough, clown on me if you want, BUT A lot of people here the whole season have been talking about the big hole the Spurs have is at PF and they didn't address it at the trade deadline (they probably thought it was too early to try for a big move like that). So you don't think that is still a problem? You are all happy to just go with the flow in the regular season and have teams exploit that in the playoffs? I'm looking at the playoffs and the Championship. They still have a hole at PF and Julian being inserted there is a stopgap since Harrison stunk it up and the Spurs went on a slide, Mitch didn't really have any other options on the roster. I'd love Julian to start, but at SF, not PF. I'd probably prefer to trade Devin if possible (only because of his salary), plus whatever else is needed to try and get a starting PF. With the way Fox has been playing, I'd even consider trading him instead of Devin if it nets a starting PF (Spurs likely won't do this so Devin might be the only guy they can try to package to get a starting PF). As I said, the Spurs didn't want to make that kind of move this trade deadline, though, so not really any options left (there weren't any good buyout candidates) to rectify it before the playoffs.

Victor's already carrying a huge load defensively and he's usually outmatched physically most nights getting pushed around and fouled (someone explain to me why you're allow to do this to big men, but you can't do this to guards? Why can you push bigs around, but not guards?), so why make it harder for him by playing a smaller guy at PF? Give him some help on the interior. He's fatigued and I hope he can get out of it.

And also, who cares how the Spurs start games (they're not very good in the third quarters or starting the third quarters usually, so you only answered 50% of the equation saying they start well) when they're letting teams go on huge runs in the second quarter and third quarters usually giving up those leads most of the season (they did better in the winning streak with those things stat wise, but those stats don't mean much as they mostly came against injured or average/bad teams). The reason I wanted to start CB is to help provide more resistance on the defensive end so teams don't go on those huge runs. And by starting him, I think minimizes the damage if he doesn't play well offensively or picks up early fouls (I personally don't think he will as I don't think he'll be in as much of a rush if he's starting and let the game come to him more), they can just sub Julian or HB in earlier if he's not playing well offensively. If he does play well, though, that raises the Spurs' ceiling in the playoffs IMO because he'll bring defense, more physicality and if his shooting holds up, good shooting too.

Also, in this game, I believe Carter helped turn the game around when he subbed in. And also, how does Dylan only have 10 minutes or whatever it was in the half with how well he was playing. I don't care if Dylan and Carter are rookies. Give them both more minutes.

Btw, I loved angry Luke

Lol this was my exact reaction as well, like how does being a good 1st quarter team mean the team doesn't have issues to address in the other 3, by far more important quarters?

At this point we can only hope for CB to play every game like he did last night; his presence was palpable on the court. Gimme that swarming defense, physicality, and shot-making over Mr 10%'s sorry ass every night.

I don't need CB to be starting necessarily but he's so visibly a great contribution to the team that it's getting harder to justify the "vet deference" just for the sake of it

A lot of the criticism comes from a mindset where every success is treated as happening in spite of the thing someone already believes is wrong, while every failure is immediately blamed on that same thing. The conclusion gets decided first, and the results are then interpreted to fit that narrative. When the team succeeds, it’s framed as overcoming a flaw. When the team struggles, that same flaw is suddenly the obvious cause.

That kind of thinking makes it impossible to evaluate anything honestly because the standard never changes. The same factor is always treated as negative regardless of the outcome. Over time it stops being analysis and becomes confirmation bias, where people are just looking for evidence that supports what they already decided to believe.

The point isn’t that Harrison Barnes is some irreplaceable piece. It’s that the proposed “solutions” often ignore the context of what the team is actually doing right now. Suggesting that a rookie who has been inconsistent all season, and frankly has shown more bad than good so far, should suddenly be inserted into the starting lineup is not a minor tweak. That’s a major shakeup to a team that’s currently winning games and sitting near the top of the conference. The same goes for suggestions that the team needs to bring in a heavy power forward purely for physicality or rebounding, even if that means sacrificing the speed, spacing, and overall style that is clearly working.

You see the same pattern in the point guard discussion. Some fans have already decided that Dylan Harper should be the de facto point guard and that Castle isn’t a good one. So when Castle has a bad stretch, it gets highlighted as proof that he can’t run the position. But when he strings together multiple good point guard possessions, makes the right reads, and runs the offense well, it barely gets acknowledged because it doesn’t fit the narrative people already decided on.

 

[Fireball]

Decisive win! Great job. Having Carter Bryant instead of Harrison Barnes was a breath of fresh air indeed.

But I am so fed up with Wembys midcourt turnovers. This will kill us in the playoffs.

 

[Rafa]

Decisive win! Great job. Having Carter Bryant instead of Harrison Barnes was a breath of fresh air indeed.

But I am so fed up with Wembys midcourt turnovers. This will kill us in the playoffs.

With Barnes' drop in 3PT%, Bryant's improvement on it, and his significantly better defense, the only thing Bryant needs to put together is the crafty drives to the basket once in a while and finishing touch around the rim. Like it or not Barnes still does bail us out from time to time with those, while Bryant tends to look completely hopeless putting the ball on the floor.

If he can do anything close to that next year, we have our replacement to work on.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

Duncan was still playing 34 minutes thise years.

Load management and spurs system started really started 09-10 or 10-11 season.

34 minutes is load management for that era. Players like Kobe Bryant were playing 40+ those seasons. Tim played 40 minutes in 2002. He was down to 33 minutes in 2005. That’s load management for the early to mid 2000’s. Guys don’t play high 30’s min anymore. Luka plays 34-35.. Vic is not going to collapse from exhaustion playing 4 extra minutes a night in the playoffs. He’s 22.

 

[Sugus]

Look, I’m going to read it all the posts later. But first I’ll address your confusion about why I shared that about the first quarter. Ice’s claim was that the team does not start games well. That’s why my reply was what it was. It’s frustrating to read these posts and the context was lost to begin with.

That's not all Ice was saying, though - he said we have a massive hole at PF (which we do), that HB is often ineffective (he is) and that Bryant is worth the chance (he is). He also said that CB could be started to see how he plays, which he could, and highlighted our 3rd quarters, which are often a problem. And again, the single fact that the Spurs are a good 1st quarter team doesn't negate the fact that there's 3 other quarters in the game that the Spurs could use improvement on, and HB isn't improving at all there.

Funny you're complaining about missing context when you singled out a small piece of a very reasonable and over-arching point. Bryant has shown many positives and deserves the chance over a frankly washed Barnes, and it's crazy to point to first-quarter stats to argue against it in the specific context of the Spurs having multiple "Get Lead --> Lose Lead" sequences throughout the season, including the Knicks game we were talking about.

But hey, crucify him for suggesting a mix-up of the SL or whatever, I'm not the one taking that bullet

 

[OK Computer]

it's crazy to point to first-quarter stats to argue against it in the specific context of the Spurs having multiple "Get Lead --> Lose Lead" sequences throughout the season, including the Knicks game we were talking about.

Ice did NOT make this point at all. Here is the post:

“CB should be starting. I have no idea what the Spurs are doing. They've got a gaping big hole at PF and they'll get their asses handled to them if they're going to keep running the same lineups out there. CB brings some more physicality which is sorely lacking at that spot. They don't have to play him the whole game (they can just start him in the first and third quarters and see how he plays), but I'd like to see a better tone set to start the games, and I think he can help set it. I believe he has the physical tools to bring more athleticism and more resistance against teams trying to bully the Spurs.”

The original post never mentioned anything about “get the lead then lose the lead” sequences. It just argued that CB should start because the Spurs have a hole at PF and need more physicality. The lead-loss pattern and broader game-flow issues were added later in your reply. That’s expanding the argument beyond what was actually said in the comment I responded to.

 

[OK Computer]

I’m not sure we’re going to get anywhere with this because it feels like you’re already locked into the conclusion you want and interpreting everything through that lens. The Knicks game is a good example. That game didn’t swing because Carter Bryant (or a bigger PF) wasn’t on the floor to stop a run. The momentum shifted when Castle went to the bench and Jalen Brunson started getting wherever he wanted offensively. That’s when the control of the game changed.

The point is that people are focusing on the wrong cause. Even when the actual sequence of plays shows where the breakdowns are happening, the conversation keeps circling back to the same predetermined solution instead of looking at what’s actually unfolding on the court.

Also, what is this claim of CB not getting his chance? He’s had PLENTY of chances throughout the season.

 

[O_V]

lmao

Wouldn't be a game thread without someone hanging themselves from the shower curtain.

 

[wEmBoY]

34 minutes is load management for that era. Players like Kobe Bryant were playing 40+ those seasons. Tim played 40 minutes in 2002. He was down to 33 minutes in 2005. That’s load management for the early to mid 2000’s. Guys don’t play high 30’s min anymore. Luka plays 34-35.. Vic is not going to collapse from exhaustion playing 4 extra minutes a night in the playoffs. He’s 22.

Nah. Maybe semi load management. And duncan was 29 in 2005 while wemby is only 22.Load management definitely started in 09-10. And im not gonna be surprised if wemby only plays 30mpg in the pkayoffs which is BS. Vic being load managed early in his when he is only 20-22 years old is BS.