Spurs (1-1) at Celtics (1-1) Game #3 11/1/15

[crimson_stallion]

Of course, then Bradley fumbles the ball and turns it over. 

He's got one of the lowest turnover rates on the team for the past 3 or so years.

Sure it came at a bad time, but given how hard he's worked this quarter, I'll forgive him the TO.  At least he got it while being aggressive and trying to attack the basket, I can live with that.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Doesn't mean Z is a bad player but look at how much better we were as soon as we sat him and limited Lee. They would be better served subbing in.

[jpotter33]

No complaints losing to the Spurs in this way. We know where the heart of our team is in Smart, Bradley, and Amir. That was a much tighter rotation to end the game with, so hopefully this finally convinces Stevens to "overreact" and get Amir in the starting lineup with more playing time.

Lee or Zeller needs to be the odd man out. Amir and Sully should be getting the bulk of the minutes.

[mctyson]

Aldridge with 22 pts 15 reb 5 ast for the Spurs.

He and Kawhi are carrying this team against the Celts.

Those two are the best players on the court, so it makes sense.

[fairweatherfan]

Sorry to see a loss, but I expected one before the game and REALLY expected one in the first half, so it was good to see some competitiveness out there.

Positive stat of the night for me - Marcus Smart inside of 3 the first two games: 1-8.  Marcus Smart inside of 3 this game: 6-7.  Really welcome reversal there.

[SHAQATTACK]

I'm good with the effort .....good game last two quarters .

Grit by our guards .

Zeller ......is getting worse instead of better

Amir has to be on the court

Sully is play n better defense.

[trickybilly]

In different circumstances I think Hunter gets minutes...

Maybe after trade deadline.

[blink]

No complaints losing to the Spurs in this way. We know where the heart of our team is in Smart, Bradley, and Amir. That was a much tighter rotation to end the game with, so hopefully this finally convinces Stevens to "overreact" and get Amir in the starting lineup with more playing time.

Lee or Zeller needs to be the odd man out. Amir and Sully should be getting the bulk of the minutes.

I tend to think that Lee will be the more valuable player, especially for a team that has had struggles scoring.  It remains to be seen though what is the best way to get good productivity from him.  I still wonder if Lee won't be trade bait at some point to a contender.  If so, we can increase his minutes as it gets closer to the trade deadline if needed.

[crimson_stallion]

No complaints losing to the Spurs in this way. We know where the heart of our team is in Smart, Bradley, and Amir. That was a much tighter rotation to end the game with, so hopefully this finally convinces Stevens to "overreact" and get Amir in the starting lineup with more playing time.

Lee or Zeller needs to be the odd man out. Amir and Sully should be getting the bulk of the minutes.

True.

Team can take some pride in the moral victory, knowing that after 3 poor quarters, they were still right in this one until the very, against a team many expect to be one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the league.

If the team played how they did in the third three quarters of the game, this would have been a W.

As I said earlier, they have the ability and the heart - they just need time to build a bit of chemistry.

[crimson_stallion]

In different circumstances I think Hunter gets minutes...

Maybe after trade deadline.

I think more likely Rozier - the biggest concern for this team is clearly consistent scoring production, and if any of the rookies can offer that it's going to be Rozier.

He's basically a younger, rawer, bigger version of IT.

[letsgoblue86]

Make a move Danny! 

[Rosco917]

Over all improvement, against a really good team. The C's we're able to hang around because of defense, then make a push.
Time to rethink Lee as a starter, along with Zeller.

[Ilikesports17]

When AB and Smart are aggressive like they were tonight(whole game for Smart, second half for AB) they are really really good. With all the AB jumpshots you forgot that he has elite quickness and explosion.

Amir is clearly our best big and his skillset matches up very nicely with Sully and KO so I wouldnt be against tightening up the rotation to predominantly feature those 3 with Jerebko, Lee and Zeller getting spot minutes.

Crowder will also be in the rotation for his defense.

I would be OK with those 7 getting the vast majority of the minutes.

[Ilikesports17]

Over all improvement, against a really good team. The C's we're able to hang around because of defense, then make a push.
Time to rethink Lee as a starter, along with Zeller.

The first half performance from Marcus was brilliant.

When they are on their game the Marcus AB Thomas gaurd trio is as good as any in the game. unfortunately AB is rarely at that level and likewise with Marcus (although I think that will change as this year continues.)

[tarheelsxxiii]

Sorry to see a loss, but I expected one before the game and REALLY expected one in the first half, so it was good to see some competitiveness out there.

Positive stat of the night for me - Marcus Smart inside of 3 the first two games: 1-8.  Marcus Smart inside of 3 this game: 6-7.  Really welcome reversal there.

Yep, this could be a turning point for him. Equally impressive was that he starting off shooting poorly, watched everything crumble down around him, and became really assertive on both ends. Exactly what we need from him.