The San Antonio Spurs were so close to notching a win over last year’s runners-up. Keldon Johnson and Victor Wembanyama looked like they were thriving along with the help of Gregg Popovich’s schematics. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson proved to be too much of a challenge for them. Although, there seems to be a silver lining despite the loss to the Miami Heat. It was unveiled by the Spurs coach in his evaluation after the heartbreak, via Paul Garcia of Project Spurs.
“The effort is there. I can see the wheels turning. Nobody likes to lose,” was the wise statement that Gregg Popovich declared amid the Spurs’ close defeat.
The Spurs looked better in nearly all aspects of the game. Victor Wembanyama saw his squad be efficient on both sides of the floor. They notched a better field goal percentage with 46.2% which eclipsed the Heat’s 43.8%. They also got into better positions for box outs that translated into 50 rebounds which was more than their opponents by nine. Keldon Johnson paved the way for the scoring barrage through his 20 points with five other Spurs players getting double-digit scoring numbers.
A huge reason for the loss was their ability to keep the ball from being taken away. The Spurs had 17 turnovers throughout the whole four quarters which spelled their doom. They also fouled 21 times which gave Jimmy Butler and Co. the opportunity to notch points off the charity stripe. The win was in their hands already but mistakes are endemic to a young squad. Popovich will surely be able to patch these up moving forward and minimize the mishaps.
Leave a Reply