Here’s part two of my conversation with J.R. Wilco of Pounding the Rock. He and Spurs Nation are recovering from a stunning 10-point loss in Game One of the Finals. The Knicks, led by the Villanova roomies, made the game a thriller with a 24-point turnaround. Now San Antonio must regroup and try to clean up the mistakes of their first effort.
Click the link if you missed part 1 and would like to catch up.
J.R.
After one game, we’re a lot closer to your prediction than we are mine. If San Antonio doesn’t
fix the problems I’m about to address, you’re in a great position to see Wilco with your wife without having to miss a Finals game. Great performances from your team. Truly. And not a very good showing from the hometown boys, which was not at all what I was expecting. In some ways, it looked like San Antonio didn’t prepare any kind of Knicks-specific approach to the game, which seems puzzling.
So puzzling that I’m reminded of the last time I was puzzled like this: Game 1 of the 2017 playoffs’ second-round series against Houston. The Spurs didn’t cater their standard game plan to the Rockets. They came out with a plain-vanilla offense and defense and got absolutely trucked. Lost by almost 30. Do you remember Mike D’Antoni’s “three is more than two” press conference? That was after Game 1. The overwhelming narrative leading up to Game 2 was the antiquated nature of the Spurs system and how inevitable Houston’s victory was.
Then Popovich made adjustments based on what he saw after Game 1, and the Spurs won four of the next five games, with an overtime win in Game 5 that ended with Manu Ginobili’s over-the-back block of James Harden’s three-point attempt and led to a Game 6 in which Harden failed to show up in any meaningful way. (You may have experienced something like that from Harden yourself.) So San Antonio has had this kind of weird series start before, and they’ve come out smiling.
While I have no insight into the adjustments being cooked up by Mitch’s Coaching Staff (MCS?), here are the things I noticed that I would like to see addressed.
First, Victor had his first truly disappointing game of the playoffs. Some people would say that Game 5 of the WCF qualifies, but for me that was passive Wemby, and Wednesday night was … I dunno what to call it. Hyperactive Wemby? Whatever it was, it can’t happen again if SA wants to win. Since February 1, there have been only three games in which Wemby has been a minus in his minutes on the court. And two of those have come against the Knickerbockers, which is not very confidence-inducing when all of the games for the rest of the season are against the same team. Expect angry-but-composed Wemby for Game 2.
Second, in a game-on-the-line, clutch situation, your go-to play can’t be a Wemby isolation from outside the three-point line. A couple of hours before the game, I was talking with one of my writers, and I said that Wemby’s favorite play is probably freelancing. Well, if your default mode is letting him have his favorite play, that’s fine. He can have it for 43 minutes of the game. But when it comes down to the final five minutes of a nip-and-tuck Finals game, how about we run some kind of action, some kind of pet play that we like our chances with? Expect a firm left hand from Mitch in these situations going forward. Or at least expect the guys to get an earful and handle it differently next time.
Third, against a lineup without OG, the Spurs allowed Brunson and Shamet to stay on the floor without running any offense at them. That should probably not be allowed to stand. There are so many ways to get them involved in actions that it’d be silly to even start a list. Either play Shamet off the court or tire him out. Force Jalen to exert himself on his own end, and even if he’s still fresh as a daisy in crunch time, at least you’ll be scoring points along the way, which would be a far cry from posting 18 in the fourth like in G1. Expect SA to do more targeting of NY’s weaker defenders.
Fourth, more Harper, and a greater range of actions run for him during said more. What did the kid try to do in his Finals debut that he couldn’t do? I can’t think of anything realistic that could’ve been asked of a player that he didn’t deliver on. I could go on, but that’s over 600 words already, and I don’t want to try your patience.
What did you see that you liked from the first Finals game, and what concerns you?
R.R.
It was a thrilling Game One, from our vantage at least. We thought San Antonio played well enough to win, especially given how rusty the Knicks were on offense. After a promising start, we didn’t expect them to finish the first quarter with 19 points. They had played eight games in 23 days, and it showed in the halftime numbers.
Nor did we think this game would so closely resemble the NBA Cup Final, in which New York rallied from a double-digit third-quarter deficit and held the Spurs to 19 points in the fourth to win. Uncanny similarities!
I agree that the series is far from over if San Antonio makes your recommended adjustments. I was surprised at how underutilized Harper was in the second half and that Brunson wasn’t hunted more—especially when he was initially injured. Shamet’s a better defender than his reputation suggests, but admittedly one of the weaker links in the chain. Targeting him makes sense.
As for Wemby, we agree again: bombing threes late in a tight game (or freelancing, as you say) seems a suboptimal use of his talent. Keep sending that big fella to the cup! He’s more likely to get three points that way (with an and-one) and stop the clock.
Tell me, do you communicate suggestions to Mitch Johnson by text or email? For Thibs, I used to hide video messages on VHS tapes, mislabel them (randomly, e.g., “Portland vs. Pacers, Jan. 5, 1982”), and leave them on the sidewalk outside the practice facility. VHS is Thibs’ catnip.
Regrettably, Mike Brown has a restraining order against me.
We liked plenty of what we saw in this first contest. New York remains confident and resilient. It’s reassuring to know Captain Clutch still has his mystical powers. KAT was pretty sweet, too. When New York runs the Towns-Brunson pick-and-roll, it opens multiple scoring options for them. Why they don’t spam it 100 times per game baffles me. That said, the Spurs had real trouble containing Towns whenever Victor rested. Come to think of it, Wemby didn’t do much to slow him, either.
Bridges and Hart combining for 12 points wasn’t too concerning. I wrote about Josh in the postgame piece:
“By the end of the game, Josh would have three points on 1-of-5 shooting, which looks bad. But run your eye across the stat line and let the truth reveal itself: 14 rebounds, six assists, four steals, a block, and a team-high +22 in his 27 minutes. His relentless energy rescued this game from the loss column.”
New York won’t have many more off-shooting nights in the series. Wait till you see these guys really cook with gas! Not only has New York won 12 games in a row, but 11 of those were by double digits. Impressive stuff from a team that is considered the underdog.
Brunson’s shooting reminded me of 1994’s Game One. In that tilt, Patrick Ewing went 10-for-26, and in this one Brunson shot 12-of-31. Same stinky, different outcomes. Even after a janky shooting performance by Jalen, we can sing his praises. Yet again, his shots fell in the clutch.
The Knicks have so many weapons that when Brunson is cold, someone else can step into the void. You saw it in Game One. KAT carried the team through the middle of the game. Anunoby was kind of a dud through three quarters, then knocked down eight points to swing the game. Another night, Bridges will drop 20 points on eight shots. Or Shamet might go 5-of-9 from deep, or Clarkson contribute 15. Mike Brown has a lot of cool toys!
Were you surprised by the contributions of your supporting cast, namely Fox, Vassell, and Johnson? I see they combined for 19 points. Also: Champagnie loves shooting three-pointers against the Knicks, making 18-of-34 in four games against NY this season. Finally, at last, Mike Brown schemed to stop this kid, limiting him to one point post-intermission. You’ve watched more of him than I—does he just go gonzo for Knicks games, or is he a for-real gunslinger? (I could look this up on Basketball-Reference, but stats can be suspicious … and I’m falling asleep.)
J.R.
The last time I had a mode of secret communication with a Spurs coach, it was Bob Hill. And I don’t need to tell you how that turned out. Suffice it to say that there was nothing else for it but to work my way into the blogging business and lob my thoughts to the team that way.
In the game, San Antonio has a lead and loses a lead because they only score 19 in the fourth while Brunson goes off; I can’t tell whether I’m talking about Wednesday night or the NBA Cup Final. That’s far too uncannily similar, but I have a solution. We need more cans in this series ASAP! Now, I just need to figure out what a can is in this context, and we’d have something. I know! I’ll make a VHS tape and—my wife is shaking her head … apparently I don’t have a camcorder anymore. That’s unfortunate.
Instead, let’s talk about Wemby’s defense on Towns (besides a few choice words I have that I won’t share here—suffice it to say they aren’t complimentary). I’d love to see Vic never leave his defensive stance while guarding a shooter on the perimeter unless his man is already off the ground in the middle of his jump shot. It’s not that Wemby can’t block three-pointers, it’s that it’s just so rare that anyone does. In the meantime, the number of times he’s been blown by for a layup this season is measured in the dozens! I don’t see anything of value being accomplished by Vic hunting blocks so far from the basket when he gives up far more total points when his timing isn’t perfect and he jumps too soon. I’d love to see what KAT can accomplish if Wemby simply plays solid perimeter defense on him. If he still goes off, then something structurally will need to change, but I doubt that. And it seems like Victor agrees because one of his postgame quotes was about how he needed to just make normal plays.
Next to Brunson, who I will get to in a minute, I thought Hart was the MVP for New York. Relentless energy isn’t enough to explain Hart’s impact. Plus/minus isn’t enough either. He’s got that thing. The one where you know it when you see it. It jumps off the screen as you watch on TV, and it smacks you in the face when you’re viewing in person. Alex Caruso has it too. After seven games of seeing one of Those Guys in the right place at the right time with the exact play, maybe the only play, that would stop the Spurs’ score or run, San Antonio fans have run right into another! Hart is a guy you hate but would love in an instant if he was on your team, and I don’t want to say another word about it right now.
Jalen’s late hot streak cures all—you can shoot as badly as possible if you’re able to can the looks that matter. (There’s another “can.” I told you they were important!) Shooting is important too, and by the time your guys are cooking with gas, then Wemby will need to be operating at fully operational Arrow Station levels, or it’ll get ugly.
I wasn’t surprised by the inability of Fox, Vassell, and Johnson to score more. Fox will have a bad game even when he’s healthy, and his ankle is obviously still limiting him. He bounces back regularly, though. Vassell has played great in the playoffs, and while he had an off night from deep (1-6), he hit 3 of 5 from the field, dished three assists, and grabbed nine huge boards. I’m not concerned about him. Johnson’s the one that’s weird to me. He only saw eight minutes of playing time, and I didn’t see much of a reason for that. Sure, he was 1-4, but he was the lone Spur with a positive +/-. Mitch obviously saw something he didn’t like. Gotta hope that turns around.
Which brings us to Julian Champagnie, who doesn’t just like shooting against the Knicks. Julian is now a certified flamethrower, and while he had a cold spell during the season and an early lull against OKC, he’s firing on all cylinders and will need to occupy a good amount of New York’s defensive attention.
R.R.
I’m glad you ‘can’ (ouch) maintain your humor after the opening loss. Surely the Spurs will reward your confidence soon. Despite their 12-game win streak, I still doubt New York will sweep. There’s too much talent on your side of the court.
The mismatch tortured us the last time these two fought in the Finals, back in 1999. Compared to then, this is already basketball nirvana. Cynicism aside, it is pretty cool that the NBA will have a different champion for the eighth straight year.
Your comparison of Caruso to Hart is dead on. I feel the same about Caruso (and used to about Jose Alvarado): that stinker is insufferable until he’s on your team, when he becomes your favorite player. For whether that holds true for Dillon Brooks, we’d have to ask a Phoenix or Memphis fan. And I stand by my solemn vow not to root for any team that employs the services of Kelly Oubre Jr. It’s an irrational dislike, but real.
I don’t know what to make of Keldon Johnson. He must have played some great games this season to earn Sixth Man of the Year honors, but he’s underwhelmed in the small sample size I’ve witnessed. Vassell impresses me more, and I’m bracing for him to perform better in his second chance. Your comments about Wemby seem to point to the immaturity of youth. The more he hangs out with the monks, the more disciplined he’ll become, and then the league will really be screwed.
A note about Champagnie. We are spoiled to have Mike Breen and the great Walt “Clyde” Frazier as our commentators for Knicks games. Clyde is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice, as a player and broadcaster, and our SB Nation site is named after one of his colorful colloquialisms. One of his most endearing qualities is his singular ability to mangle names. To hear him say “Julian Champagne-y” is one of life’s joys.
We were glad that Knicks superfans Ben Stiller and Spike Lee made it to Texas. There may still be time for me to buy a ticket, fly to San Antonio, rent a hotel room, grab a secondary-market seat, and attend Game Two. Sadly, the grand total would be cheaper than trying to get into MSG for Games Three or Four. New York has two strata of fans: the wealthy set who can afford astronomical ticket prices, and the unwashed masses who watch from home or behind barricades on the street outside MSG. I proudly represent the latter, although, admittedly, sometimes the greed at the Garden is a nagging stone in my shoe.
Along those lines . . . as a fan, how does it feel when so many at Frost Bank Center are cheering MVP! for Brunson at the free-throw line? Poor Donovan Mitchell may never recover from that particular torment.
Here’s a true, unflattering story to wrap this up. Around the eight-minute mark of the second quarter, my wife texted from the bedroom to ask for help removing a splinter from her foot. Since she’ll never read this: I absolutely considered pretending to miss the message because the game was so good. Luckily, Mitch Johnson called a challenge timeout that allowed me to fulfill my husbandly duties.
Later, Jen texted that she was now streaming the game on her laptop because “everyone is talking about the game.” Hence, down the stretch, I was shouting in the living room, she was shouting from the bedroom, and our house must have sounded bananas from the sidewalk. I imagine things were equally wild at La Casa de Wilco. Let’s hope for more of the same great basketball in Game Two. Good luck to you (but Go Knicks, obviously).
