SpursUniverse

Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 102 to 104 in game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals in a game where both Spurs stars lost confidence in themselves and the system! V. Wembanyama (11pts,15rebs,5ast,12blk) was a force on the defensive end, but when looking at his offensive numbers one can tell he was not confident in himself or what most Spurs fans know as the system! He shoot 0-8 from deep and was even double pumping on his wide open threes. Even when the Spurs got him favorable sets and matchups he was rushing and had no timing or balance on his approach. This is a learning curve that will make or break this teams hopes for advancing forward in these playoffs! Victor has to be patient, shoot with confidence and trust that the Spurs system will help him see the floor better as well as not let all the cheap shots the Wolves are taking on him, get to his mental space! The sooner he realizes the Wolves have no answer for him, the sooner the Spurs take control of this series! With that being stated, D. Fox (10pts,6ast,6to) was abysmal during this game. The highest paid Spur left much to be desired and was tied for the worst plus minus on the team at -13. He has to play like game 5 and 6 Portland Fox, and not the hesitant trying to fit in Fox, that most Spurs fans criticized during the regular season! Both Stars for San Antonio cannot shoot 0-12 from deep for the game! Even with both stars struggling the young Spurs found ways to contribute and almost win the game! S. Castle (17pts,7rebs,7ast) and D. Harper (18pts,4rebs,4ast) kept the Spurs in the game in the first half as well getting them back into the game when Minnesota would get a lead! Both J. Champagnie (17pts) and D. Vassell (14pts) played well on both ends and were a combined 6-13 from deep. It’s not that the Spurs just settled for threes, in that they did, but also that these two sharp shooters didn’t get more looks. Sometimes it’s not about how many you take, it’s about who takes them! K. Johnson (11pts) brought energy off the bench and will be key going forward. His energy will help the Spurs when they get into funks! L. Kornet (2pts,2rebs) was a disaster and disappointment during this game. He brought no physicality and was -7 in 8 minutes! Maybe having him play with Wemby in spurts can unlock him as the two were called French Vanilla when they played together. This could help with the Spurs rebounding woes. Hopefully C. Bryant can play next game and help give a different look on both sides of the ball. As bad as the Spurs played they had a chance to win this game! Going forward adjustments need to be made and hopefully the young Spurs will realize that when Gobert is out Minnesota has no shot blocking! Don’t settle for contested shots, don’t panic, play thier game and let thier instincts dictate how to attack!

Wolves: The Timberwolves played a great game and deserve all the credit in how they performed. They pushed, scratched, and clawed thier way to victory. They definitely are the more battle tested team, but are also the more desperate one! J. Randle (21pts,10rebs) was solid for them throughout the game. He has always had either a grudge or a personal issue with Wemby. Older viral clips of him looking Wemby up and down with disrespect is all over the internet and the fact that he pushed Wemby down a number of times shows his dislike. I have always liked Randle, but the bush league stuff needs to stop! He needs to play the game the right way while having repsect, not only for his opponents, but for the game itself! A. Edwards (18pts) played well enough for Minnesota to get the win! He is a star and one of the faces of the NBA! It is nice to see him playing and hopefully he stays healthy! R. Gobert (7pts,10rebs,1blk) held down the paint decent enough for the Wolves to keep it close and finally get the win. It will be interesting to see what San Antonio’s plan is moving forward as he did not close the game. M. Conley (12pts,6ast) outplayed Fox. McDaniels (16pts) and N. Reid (12pts,9rebs,1blk) were big for Minnesota. They played well and got to their spots on offense as well as held tight on defense. It will be interesting to see if they can continue making difficult shots if the Wolves stars have an off game. This will be a tough long series and adjustments will determine what team advances. The Wolves screened Wemby and started to drive. This will work until San Antonio changes it’s approach on how to guard this going forward!