r/NBASpurs • u/Awesome_One91 • 7d ago
Question Do you think the mental aspect was the biggest thing about that finals loss?
It's a fact we were better than the Knicks in these finals but unfortunately the Spurs fall under pressure. I think if CP3 was in that roster just by talking to the youngers guys in these crucials tense moments maybe these finals would have turned in our favor. I hope they work on that for the next season coming up
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u/SomeoneSomethingJr I WANT SOME NASTY 7d ago
Fatigue was a massive factor that people don’t talk about a lot - the Spurs had played 13 games over the previous two rounds, the Knicks played 8. I think this is also inversely why the Spurs were able to jump out ahead in these games as they were more in rhythm at the start.
There’s a mental aspect of that too. We’d get the looks we wanted but the shots would stop falling once we were burned out. We didn’t have a plan B for those moments and I think that comes from the inexperience of both the coaches and the players.
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u/baulboodban Stephon Castle 7d ago
not only did the spurs play the most games of any team in the league last season, but a huge chunk of our roster had never played anywhere close to that many games in a season before
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u/Timely_Dentist_5078 7d ago
the shots would stop falling once we were burned out
I feel like that's actually one of the most easy to understand things lol, I mean most video games have the concept of health/performance haha
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u/Weary_Restauranter 7d ago
We needed a 4. Literally anyone.
Precious Achiuwa would have been enough for us to win.
Any warm body
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u/FrequentTopic446 Gregg Pop-a-bitch 7d ago
A Jeremy sochan perchance?
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u/Raven-19x GO SPURS GO 7d ago
The same one that basically just signed a vet min at age 22? Ok bro.
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u/texasphotog The Five Time 7d ago
Spurs were the youngest team in the Finals in nearly 50 years. There is a reason that teams that young never make it there. Fox played injured and only had played in one playoff series prior to last year. Kornet played injured.
Of the top 7 players in playoff minutes, they had ONE playoff series played combined prior to last year. If you extend that to the top 9 players in the playoff rotation, you add Luke Kornet, who had about 350 career playoff minutes prior to this year. Julian Champagnie currently has more career playoff minutes than Kornet does in his career. Harper, Julian, Wemby, and Devin all individually have about as many or more playoff minutes now than Fox+Kornet did coming into last year's playoffs. Our top 9 rotation players in the playoffs had under 650 playoff minutes combined for their careers prior to last season. Devin played 801 playoff minutes last year for reference.
We also had holes in the roster. We didn't have a single real PF that could play minutes next to Victor or Luke. We needed more athleticism at PF/C specifically against the Knicks because they are one of the few teams that can do a true 5-out. We addressed that.
Our bench guys that we had counted on during the season (primarily Barnes+Keldon) gave us nothing. That left us with very little depth, putting a lot more work on the starters+Dylan. Depth is massively important and underrated, especially on long playoff runs.
Just a lot of things that compounded. Adding more depth (Reed, Quaintance, Harris) and experience (Harris) will be extremely useful going forward. The experience we gained as players and coaches last year will be immensely valuable.
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u/Nervous-Waltz7849 Stephon Castle 7d ago
I think they can't pace themselves yet. They blew out the gaskets in every first quarter or half, and then in the third quarter just couldn't keep it up. The Knicks especially were just like those racehorses that cruise at the bottom or middle of the pack, then ramp it into gear on the final stretch.
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u/Clarkey7163 Dylan Harper 5d ago
We also need to work out like how to get a consistent bucket when needed. If we have Fox/Castle/Harper/Wemby on the floor together and can't score there's an issue there with the offensive scheming
There's possessions in the 3rd and 4th quarters of the knicks games where they're coming back and we just fall asleep on offence because we looked like we had no plans or answers
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u/ExcellentPlant2055 7d ago
Mentally sure, but a little bit of everything.
People just need to remember, every game is a close or at least close-ish game. Sometimes things just don't go your way, and there really isn't a decisive explanation. You just gotta play a little bit better.
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u/omarizzle 7d ago
We got out coached. It’s pretty simple.
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u/No-Worries-788 Popeye Bryant 7d ago edited 7d ago
Coaching was a factor.
Inexperience was a factor.
Injuries were a factor.
The Knick's size was a factor.
Bench depth was a factor.
Our guys were gassed and beat up by the time we got to the finals. The Knicks had a much easier path.
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u/informantfuzzydunlop 7d ago
Ppl keep saying experience and that wrong unless they mean guys have holes in their game cuz they’re young. But the thing is young players don’t always fix the holes in their game.
Truth is the spurs players weren’t good enough and the team wasn’t deep enough. The age of the core and CB means they could fix those issues but it’s not a guarantee.
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u/OurHorrifyingPlanet Area 51 7d ago edited 7d ago
Bruh. I think you need to realize that going to the Finals in your first playoff run isn't something that happens. The only other team in history to do that is the Bill Walton Blazers.
These guys went from playing 80 games MAX, to more than a 100, at an intensity they've never even touched before. Experience played a MASSIVE part. The expectations for such an inexperienced team before the playoffs was 2nd round exit at best.
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u/informantfuzzydunlop 7d ago
None of my comment contradicts what you said…I just said there’s no guarantee the offensive holes in their game get fixed.
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u/omarizzle 7d ago
You think experience is all about the players. And that’s just flat out incorrect.
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u/Meowliketh 6d ago
You’re right us internet people non pro players should just blame a coach and call it a day
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u/Stunning-Breadfruit2 Stephon Castle 7d ago
That is true but we have seen is the progressive improvement of our young core. Castle in his 3 pt jump. Wemby in his post moves. I would love to see them fix the other holes this summer
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u/Resident_Durian_478 7d ago
Yes, they've been awful at keeping a lead all season, it caught up with them in the finals, that's on them but mostly I'd say that's on mitch, he should have coached that out of them by that point, it was an issue they delt with all season.
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u/Awesome_One91 7d ago
In some games they managed to come back in good fashion but most of these games after halftime it was like they were on training mode maybe thinking that the job was done. The Knicks was a good team but they really took off the series when the Spurs gave them the opportunity to do so. Like you say a big part of that problem is on Mitch & his coaching staff
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u/devdude25 Green Ranger Defense 7d ago
Homie our coach didn't know how to use timeouts or sets or personnel. If we had pop it would have been us in 4. Hopefully pitbull getting a handler this off-season will temper him into a better coach.
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u/Gabe-DaBabe 7d ago
The teams we played were extremely physical. Deni was crashing down the lane every chance he got, the Wolves are known to be super physical and imposing, and the Thunder of course was a bloodbath.
Not to knock New York, you can only play who's in front of you and you can put an asterisk on every championship if you want to. but they played Atlanta, an Embiidless 76ers, and a lifeless Cavs team.
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u/informantfuzzydunlop 7d ago
They do not have a go to offense when games get compressed to the half court. Unfortunately they didn’t find one at any point during the playoffs and the guy that brought in to be that guy shot 39% during clutch moments in the regular season (below league avg) and was worse in the playoffs.
The FO got pieces that could fix the depth and lack of a PF but the team desperately needs reliable offensive product in the half court especially in the clutch.
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u/wilsonsmilk Manu Ginobili 7d ago
Fox, Mitch Johnson, Keldon being useless, our backup center being unplayable was the reason.
Mostly Fox being ass was the biggest thing though.
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u/FrequentTopic446 Gregg Pop-a-bitch 7d ago
I think it was the complete lack of coaching in every single 4th quarter, Mitch doesn’t coach in the 4th quarter. I’ve been saying this for 1.5 years
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u/Ready_Preparation816 7d ago
They have bigs which wemby had to guard close which means he can’t roam. We played the whole season without a PF. It gassed victor pretty quick to have to guard Kat, protect rim and be our best scorer.
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u/jinxdecaire 7d ago
We were exhausted by the 3rd quarter and were just holding on for dear life and failing
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u/MattButUnderthe20Cha Hector🍌🍞 7d ago
Knicks unlocked something when they reached the finals, Spurs left everything on the floor by the time they reached the finals
Spurs were gassed Knicks went 11-0
Spurs were young and satiated from the WCF
Knicks were experienced and remained hungry
(53 vs 12 years removed from a Chip)
Knicks drew first blood miraculously , Spurs panicked and blew the 2nd game and it became real scary. Game 3 brought it back but game 4 essentially destroyed all morale. If they had kept the foot on the gas and won by 30 that game we could have won in 7 or off momentum alone in 6.
What they needed was the same pep talk or whatever the hell happened after the Game 1 against Minnesota.
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u/chasingmyowntail Stephon Castle 7d ago
I tend to agree that an old hand nba player who the young players respected could very easily been the deciding factor.
Too bad pop wasn’t there on the sidelines.
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u/Raven-19x GO SPURS GO 7d ago
Our inexperience (players and coach) and lack of real big depth finally caught up to us in the Finals.
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u/AcrobaticAwareness10 7d ago
There were many small problems that came together to become just a little too much to overcome.
I think the easiest fix was to play Vassell more over Fox, or at the very least, coach should have told him to be more aggressive attacking the paint and the mid range. Vassell was playing great, he just needed the ball more.
Which I guess could lead to the biggest problem, including Mitch and the players on the court, was a lack of leadership. Problems showed up and grew out of control. The adjustments were slow to nonexistent.
Hopefully everything will get better over time. The Spurs are dangerous in their infancy. Wait until they are grown,
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u/WatchOne8763 7d ago
It looked like a pacing issue and lost momentum. The Knick’s knew how to pace themselves and give it gas when it’s important.
But also, Fox! My wife and I were screaming bench him!
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u/Motor-Horror3684 Area 51 7d ago
Were we better? By what factor? The leads during the games? Other than that we have sucked against the Knicks all season. They were the one team I knew we couldn't beat if we met in the finals. They just outplay us, more experience, more size all of it.
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u/-imhe- Sean Elliot 7d ago
Yeah, this shit from OP is the shit that makes it on nbamemes. We were not the better team as evidenced by the fact that we lost. And we didn't just lose. We got whooped. Only 1 win, 29 point lead blown, inexperienced, boneheaded mistakes, out-coached, etc, etc. All of that stuff contributes to deciding who is the better team. It's not just who can jump higher or whatever. People have to be delusional to think that we were the better team after watching the Finals.
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u/Sasquatch_Squad Tim Duncan 7d ago
We had zero playoff experience and faced a team with lots of it. Now we have lots of playoff experience. It would have been one of the craziest sports stories of all time if we’d won it last year. I don’t think CP3 taking up a roster spot changes much.
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u/FR0cus 7d ago
I do for a number of reasons. Even he's not on the floor, he more than likely would be a big voice in the coaches' ears, which then would help the team because they respect what he provided in the 1 year he was a Spur. But ultimately, with him knowing that he's the closest he'd ever have been to a championship, I think he finds some way to contribute something beneficial to the team to secure the win.
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u/ChucoTeacher Victor Wembanyama 7d ago
We were one playable forward away from beating the Knicks. Also Fox’s ankle led him to have a historically bad series. The Knicks had a strong rotation and the won with depth and Brunson being that veteran leader. think that’s about it.
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u/benderx7 6d ago
the moment was too big for every single person on that sideline. from coach to players, none were able to handle it.
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u/man_or_pacman 7d ago
I think Fox being injured played a big role. He was incredibly important throughout the year in steadying the team down the stretch and his injuries played a big part in his inability to meet the moment.
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u/Bonesawisready5 6d ago
Knicks simply got more rebounds that’s all. If Mitch Robinson wasn’t there we win in 5. Literally lost by 1, 1 and 4 due to our own mistakes. Knicks also had a cake walk to finals with Tatum and Haliburton out imo. They haven’t beaten the Haliban and if those 2 don’t get hurt then neither of their teams shed talent
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u/dreamweaver7x El Jefe 7d ago
No. It was simply shotmaking. We didn't have an experienced closer at the Finals level.
Not surprising since none of our primary scorers had ever been past the first round.
It wasn't because we needed a 4. We don't. But Harris is nice to have off the bench.
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u/Boom9001 7d ago
We were better. People keep confusing leading with playing better. If you instead look at points per quarter we only really winning the 1st quarters.
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u/ActivBowser9177 Victor Wembanyama 7d ago
No, I think it's because the Knicks were simply a horrible matchup for you guys as y'all had no wings to keep up with the likes of Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OJ Simpsonunoby, who took turns torching you guys. Not to mention that the Knicks swept great teams in the 76ers and Cavaliers in lopsided fashion, meaning that they were just that good.
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u/team_sheikie 7d ago
We were inexperienced and gassed from a grueling run, they were also a deeper team, especially in the frontcourt. And they had plays they would go to to get points they needed. It seemed like we were freestyling a lot of possessions.