[PtR] 开放式讨论：马刺阵容深度雄厚，但赛季依然漫长

[PtR]

By Jeph Duarte | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-12-27 12:00:00

我总是很难尽情享受当下。

就眼下而言，马刺已经豪取八连胜。在过去两周里，他们三次击败了卫冕NBA冠军。这支球队兵强马壮，阵容深度雄厚。在连续七场比赛中，球队的领衔得分手各不相同。

目前，他们阵中有八名球员得分上双。

评论员们纷纷表示，他们是联盟中最强的球队。

事实上，在过去三周里，他们战绩上唯一的污点是输给了纽约尼克斯，而那场比赛的结果并不计入常规赛战绩。

那么，我为何没有为此欢欣鼓舞呢？

嗯，正如主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 在采访中不断强调的那样，赛季才刚刚开始。前路漫漫，仍有许多挑战需要克服。马刺队仍有成长的空间。

在一个长达82场比赛的赛季里，健康状况成为一个关键因素。马刺在赛季初饱受伤病困扰，直到最近才全员恢复健康——准确地说，正是在这波连胜期间。

一支全员健康的马刺队是可怕的，而且他们仍在持续磨合。

这不禁让人发问——马刺现在是否已经打出了他们的最佳水平，还是说巅峰尚未来临？

我和我的邻居聊了聊，他来自科罗拉多，是掘金队的忠实球迷。他认为，掘金队仍在为赛季后期保留实力，等到排名变得至关重要、季后赛席位攸关时再发力。对于一支经验丰富的球队来说，为漫长的赛季留有余力是一种合乎逻辑的策略。

相比之下，马刺队似乎每晚都在全力以赴，火力全开。这种状态能持续下去吗？

就目前而言，我需要深呼吸，好好享受这一刻。马刺打得非常出色，他们正在建立的化学反应也将在整个赛季中不断升华。

Pounders 的球迷们，你们感觉如何？

由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。

点击查看原文：Open Thread: The Spurs are deep, but the season is long

Open Thread: The Spurs are deep, but the season is long

I struggle with enjoying the moment.

In this moment, the Spurs have won eight games in a row. They just beat the reigning NBA champions three times in the last two weeks. The team runs deep. In seven games in a row, the had a different lead scorer.

They currently have eight players scoring in double digits.

Pundits are saying they are the best in the league.

In fact, the only blemish on their record over the last three weeks is a loss against the New York Knicks that doesn’t count toward their regular season record.

So why I am not jumping for joy?

Well, as head coach Mitch Johnson continually states in interviews, the season is still young. There is lots of ground to cover. The Spurs still have some growing to do.

in an 82-game season, health becomes a factor. The Spurs started with injuries and weren’t fully healthy until recently, during this streak to be exact.

A fully healthy Spurs is scary, and they are still gelling.

It begs the question- are the Spurs playing their best basketball, or is the best yet to come?

I was talking to my neighbor who is from Colorado and a devout Nuggets fan. His belief is that the Nuggets are still saving some of their best play for later in the season, when ranking matters and the playoffs are on the line. It’s a logical argument for a seasoned team to keep some reserves in the tank for the long haul.

By comparison, the Spurs seem to be pumping on all cylinders each and every night. Is that sustainable?

For now, I need to take a breathe and enjoy the moment. The Spurs are playing great, and they are building relationships that will continue to bloom throughout the season.

How are you feeling, Pounders?

By Jeph Duarte, via Pounding The Rock

[PtR]

热评：

@Tropicaldaze

总的来说，这是一篇非常棒的文章。我之所以想指出这一点，只是因为我看到我们 PTR 的几位作者，尽管他们都非常出色，却犯了同一个细微的语法错误：breathe 是动词形式，breath 是名词形式。如果一个句子中使用了 “take”、“takes”、“taken” 或 “taking” 这些词，那么就需要使用名词形式的 breath。

“确保深呼吸（breathe）。”

“看到马刺队打得这么好，让我屏息（takes my breath away）。”

@Obi-WanGinobili

里夫斯最近因左小腿受伤缺席了一周。我很惊讶他这么快就回到了球场上。现在他又因为左小腿拉伤至少要缺阵一个月。湖人称这是“一次独立的受伤”，但如果你愿意深究，也可以推测这两次受伤可能有关联。我真庆幸马刺对我们的球员总是非常谨慎。GSG！

@spiceymeatball

嗯，我们阵容齐整的时间并不长。哈珀是新来的，文班以前几乎没和福克斯一起打过球，而且文班的上场时间还受限。我的意思是，我们现在看到的只是冰山一角。话虽如此，他们未来还是会输球，会经历状态不佳的夜晚和手感冰凉的时期，这些都是常态，但我们仍然在朝着一个赛季赢下 55+ 场比赛的目标前进。我们的进度已经超前了。可以肯定地说，我们已经强势崛起了。

@TontonOngBak

一篇有趣的读物
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/dec/27/san-antonio-spurs-gift-nba-wembanyama-thunder-column

@Tropicaldaze

非常非常感谢分享这篇文章，我尤其喜欢这一段：

“雷霆队的篮球风格并不怎么赏心悦目。他们巧妙地利用了裁判对于吹罚何种犯规的困境（持续的哨声会打断比赛的流畅性，而无视则会纵容公然的违规行为），这常常导致吉尔杰斯-亚历山大在一些本该被裁判忽略的哨声后获得罚球，而与此同时，化身蚊群的亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso) 在防守端似乎可以为所欲为。有些人声称喜欢或欣赏吉尔杰斯-亚历山大扭曲身体以博取防守者轻微接触的打法；我只能假设这些人也喜欢被人狠狠地踢中要害。更不用说人形巨山吕冈茨·多尔特 (Luguentz Dort) 在遭遇了大量可疑的轻微接触后，夸张地飞身撞向对手。这些诡计让黑子们得以幻想，在一个拥有理想吹罚尺度的世界里，雷霆会是一支平庸的球队。但真正的懂球帝知道，这些小动作与其说是雷霆成功的关键，不如说更令人恼火，但这种普遍的烦感足以让一些本可能保持中立的球迷转而希望俄克拉荷马城输球。”

@pejoweho

它引出了一个问题——马刺队是正在打出他们最好的篮球，还是说巅峰尚未到来？

我实在不明白这怎么会是一个需要被提出的问题。马刺队到赛季末会比现在更强，这难道不是很明显的吗？（当然，前提是没有出现赛季报销的伤病。）

文班目前上场时间受限，而且随着赛季的进行，整支球队在执行力上会越来越好，化学反应也会更加出色。

顺便说一句，丹佛掘金现在绝对没有在打他们最好的篮球。他们已经有一段时间缺少了两名首发球员，现在更是有三名首发缺阵。当他们的所有关键贡献者都恢复健康时，他们会比现在强大得多。

俄克拉荷马雷霆最终排在西部第三是完全有可能的。

@ItCouldHappen

俄克拉荷马雷霆最终排在西部第三是完全有可能的。

雷霆和掘金还没交手呢。等雷霆打完他们在 10 周内对阵马刺的 5 场比赛后，他们就要开始一段在 10 周内对阵掘金 4 场的赛程了。

马刺已经抢了雷霆的早餐，掘金很可能再夺走他们的午餐。

@BuckeyeBlueSpur

回顾本月的比赛，只有少数几次有球员单场出战超过 34 分钟。所以马刺正在利用他们的阵容深度来管理首发球员的上场时间。这支球队有两点让我感到兴奋：1) 他们是靠防守赢球，而不是靠不可持续的火热手感；2) 这支球队能稳定击败他们应该击败的对手，也就是那些胜率低于五成的球队。在华盛顿的那场比赛就是一个很好的例子，球队没有让一支弱队在他们可能状态不佳的夜晚偷走胜利。虽然没人有水晶球能预见本赛季的最终走向，但我认为我们可以一致同意，通过极具侵略性的身体对抗防守和快速的进攻节奏，马刺已经为本赛季余下的比赛奠定了极佳的基础。我相信随着赛季的推进，他们会通过提高效率、减少失误、提升罚球命中率等方式变得更好。

@duncandynasty5

就掘金而言，我认为他们已经赢得了放慢赛季节奏的权利。约基奇正在打出极其荒谬的水准，但他这样做已经超过五年了。他们有一些主要的伤病问题，并且确实在利用接下来的五十场比赛来恢复健康，为季后赛冲刺做准备。那些长期保持顶尖水平的卫冕冠军有权这样做。
至于马刺，我相信自从文班复出以来，我们一直是联盟中最好的球队。你可能会拿尼克斯来反驳，特别是因为他们击败了我们，但我确实认为整体上马刺是最好的。疯狂的是，我们还没有打出一场真正的代表作。我知道这听起来很奇怪，毕竟我们三次击败了雷霆，也取得了一些其他非常棒的胜利。但是，我们还没有以全员健康的状态出战过，文班甚至还没开始打首发（尽管让他打替补很有趣，但这能持续多久？），而且有些时候我们仍然无法将文班亚马完美地融入进攻体系（举个例子，为什么我们的后卫能随心所欲地找到科内特完成空接，但给文班亚马传一个空接却似乎难如登天）。
在联盟七八支顶级强队中，没有哪支球队比我们有更大的提升空间。这是很可怕的，因为尽管我们可能还不是联盟最强的队伍，但在过去几周里，我们无疑打出了联盟最好的篮球。

@CristianS21

我认为给科内特传空接更容易的原因在于，他设置的掩护质量更高，这使得持球人（通常是斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)）能够过掉自己的防守人，从而迫使科内特的防守者上前协防，这样卢克（科内特）就获得了空位。而且，在卡斯尔和科内特的挡拆中，卡斯尔会吸引最多的防守注意力。而在卡斯尔和文班的挡拆中，文班则会成为防守重心。当他被两三个人包夹时，就很难摆脱防守去接空接了。

@Mario Alejandro

所有那些曾批评马刺没有用哈珀或卡斯尔去交易字母哥的媒体，现在都在说我们是争冠球队，还说三后卫阵容是我们与众不同的地方。我非常感激马刺管理层以及他们运营球队的方式。
教练组也同样出色。我是索汉的铁杆粉丝，但我必须同意，对于他们想打的这种比赛风格，场上随时保持两名射手是必须的。尚帕尼、巴恩斯、瓦塞尔和凯尔登，是的，凯尔登在攻防两端都打得很好，而遗憾的是，仅凭索汉的防守无法为他赢得比赛时间。
这是一支希望在攻防两端都表现出色的球队。
我想起了鲍文和丹尼·格林。你的防守专家至少需要能稳定地投进底角三分。

@spursrups

我理解这篇文章的基调，但在我看来，我们现在绝对应该“手舞足蹈”地庆祝。三战三胜卫冕冠军。我们的进度已经大大超前了。我之前以为大概能赢 53 场，但这个预测实在太低了。当然，球队还需要学习如何每晚都保持高强度，但我正在享受这次复兴的每一分每一秒。

@RedFirebird

我就是这样。我之前就说过了（早些时候发的帖子）。我正在享受胜利！我简直无法抑制自己的兴奋，最近来论坛太频繁了，哈哈。

@glhtex

关于丹佛掘金为了赛季后期保留实力的观点，约基奇和穆雷现在场均都要打 35 分钟。而福克斯是马刺队内场均时间最长的球员，为 32 分钟。队里其他人基本上都在 20 多分钟。所以我完全不认为那个论点对掘金成立，却不知何故对马刺不利。

@snoozulooz

关于丹佛掘金为赛季末保留实力的说法纯属无稽之谈。约基奇前几天晚上刚砍下 56分-16篮板-15助攻外加2次抢断。他为什么不把这种表现留到赛季末事情变得更重要的时候再打出来？
马刺并没有选择在十二月这几天和雷霆交手，这是 NBA 的赛程安排。如果马刺想在赛季末还抱有希望，他们就必须现在就学会如何击败雷霆以及其他所有竞争者。不然他们还能做什么？现在就被打得屁滚尿流，然后等到赛季末再去担心？如果他们现在不搞定这些，那他们还能为赛季末保留什么呢？

@spurious thoughts

我感到一种审慎的狂喜。球队的深度确实让球员可以在遭遇轻微伤病时得到休息，而不会显著影响胜负，这有望为季后赛保持健康，同时也让教练能够试验不同的阵容组合，开发出应对不同风格和体系的轮换阵容，并使我们的进攻手段多样化，同时提高各种组合的效率，并希望能培养出全队范围内的良好习惯，以确保在不可避免的状态不佳或缺阵的夜晚也能取得成功。
那些比分胶着的比赛对于培养“关键球基因”非常有利，而杯赛以及对阵强队的比赛则有助于弄清楚如何在关键场合下发挥。
而且现在还早，这支球队很年轻，所以所有的比赛都是宝贵的经验。就我个人而言，我希望看到几场马刺队的大胜，让主力球员培养出杀手本能和效率，然后让深度替补也获得一些比赛经验，或者让教练们尝试一些不那么常见的轮换。
我很好奇的是，这支球队在假想的季后赛中是会继续依赖阵容深度，还是会像大多数球队一样缩短轮换？以及，为你的主力球员储备体力是否合理。
我倾向于发展和利用阵容深度。这支球队似乎有着极佳的战友情谊，球员们彼此信任，而分散上场时间很可能促进了这一点。
当然，我还是对杰里米（索汉）的情况很好奇。

@ecoguy

他们显然没有在摆烂
有好几次镜头捕捉到替补席，他们的投入程度非常高，毫无疑问他们渴望胜利（或者说比对手更想赢）。不确定是不是因为对手是雷霆而有额外的动力，但无论如何，我认为他们是一支正处于实战赛场上“相互熟悉”模式的球队。当然他们有过训练，但最好的检验还是在真正的 NBA 比赛中放手一搏。
鉴于此，“全力以赴”是有好处的，因为这是了解你作为一支球队能走多远的唯一方法。这并不一定意味着他们会找到自己的终极极限，事实上，他们可能会发现更多的潜力，以及在发生意外时如何应对。
他们在对阵雷霆的比赛中打得并不完美，也确实有过一些失误频发的惊险时段——这正是雷霆防守体系的设计目的。我记得上一场比赛中，他们在几分钟内就有 3 次从右侧弧顶附近仓促地长传到左侧三分线区域，结果都造成了失误。好在当时领先优势足够，并且他们在随后的回合中进行了调整和弥补。
因此，他们能从增进彼此了解、学习比赛、共同面对逆境并适应中获益——在赛场上，这是他们以前没有的机会。

@BoboforHoF

它引出了一个问题——马刺队是正在打出他们最好的篮球，还是说巅峰尚未到来？

相比之下，马刺队似乎每晚都在全力以赴。这是可持续的吗？

让我们来看看。福克斯目前是马刺队内场均出场时间最多的球员，为 32.1 分钟，排在联盟第 58 位，紧随其后的是瓦塞尔（第 64 位）、卡斯尔（第 82 位）、文班（第 85 位）。这些人是队内仅有的场均超过 30 分钟的球员。除此之外，哈珀（第 93 位）场均接近 30 分钟，然后是尚帕尼（第 136 位）、科内特（第 178 位）、凯尔登（第 199 位）和哈珀（第 223 位）。

对比一下掘金（穆雷排第 16，约基奇排第 19，两人场均都超过 35 分钟），湖人（卢卡排第 4，里夫斯排第 12，勒布朗排第 43，八村垒排第 50），或森林狼（华子排第 15，兰德尔排第 29），或火箭（阿门排第 3，杜兰特排第 5，申京排第 8，史密斯排第 21）。这还只是西部前六的球队。只有雷霆（SGA 排第 39，是唯一一个场均超过 30 分钟的球员）可以说他们没有像马刺那样过度使用他们的顶级球员。而且马刺也并非没有遭遇伤病。

我是否希望看到米奇（教练）在赛季的这个阶段使用超过 9 人的轮换？当然。我希望看到他常规性地使用 11 到 12 人的深度轮换，因为更多的伤病不可避免地会发生。也许米奇会这么做，也许不会。我们拭目以待。但我认为他们并没有像其他许多球队那样把常规赛当作冲刺。米奇绝不是锡伯杜那种教练。

我也认为他们还有很多可以改进的地方。有文班在场时，进攻有时仍然会显得停滞，他们还没证明自己能很好地防守五外进攻，等等。这显然仍是一个正在打磨中的过程。他们可能还没有太多储备，仅仅是因为他们还在探索自己能做到的更多可能性。

由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。

点击查看原文：

@Tropicaldaze

Excellent article overall, and I only want to point this out because I’ve seen several of our PTR writers, despite being as superb as they are, make the same subtle grammatical error: breathe is the verb form, breath is the noun form. If a sentence uses the words “take, takes, taken or taking” then it will need the breath form.

“Make sure to breathe deeply.”

“Seeing how well the Spurs are playing takes my breath away.”

@Obi-WanGinobili

Reaves recently missed a week with a left calf injury. I was surprised he was back on the court so soon. Now he’s out at least month with a left calf strain. Lakers are calling it a “separate injury” but one could speculate that the two could be related, if one were inclined to do so. I’m so glad the Spurs are cautious with our players. GSG!

@spiceymeatball

Well, we’ haven’t been fully healthy that long. Harper is new, Wemby has hardly before played with Fox, Wemby’s only putting in part time minutes. My point being we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg. That said, they’re going to lose games, have off nights, cold spells, the usual, but we’re still headed towards a 55+ game season. We’re ahead of schedule. It’s safe to say, we’ve arrived.

@TontonOngBak

Interresting reading
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/dec/27/san-antonio-spurs-gift-nba-wembanyama-thunder-column

@Tropicaldaze

Many, many thanks for posting this, and I particularly loved this section:

“The Thunder do not play a particularly appealing style of basketball. They skillfully exploit the referees’ dilemma over which fouls to call (a consistent whistle interrupts the flow of the game, an absent one lets players get away with blatant violations), often resulting in Gilgeous-Alexander shooting free throws after whistles that would be better swallowed, while personified mosquito swarm Alex Caruso seems to have free rein to do whatever he likes on defense. Some profess to enjoy, or admire, Gilgeous-Alexander contorting his body to draw slight bumps from defenders; I can only assume those same people also like being kicked hard between the legs. That’s not to mention man-mountain Luguentz Dort flying off his feet and into opponents after plenty of suspiciously light touches. This chicanery enables haters to harbor the fantasy that in a world with ideal officiating, the Thunder would be a mediocre team. True basketball heads know it’s far more exasperating than integral to the Thunder’s success, but the general irritation is sufficient to nudge some fans who might otherwise be neutral into rooting for Oklahoma City’s downfall.”

@pejoweho

It begs the question- are the Spurs playing their best basketball, or is the best yet to come?

I don’t really see how this is a question that needed to be asked. Isn’t it obvious the Spurs will be better by the end of the season than they are now? (Barring season-ending injuries, obviously.)

Wemby is currently playing limited minutes, and the whole team is going to get better at executing and is going to develop better chemistry as the season goes on.

FWIW, Denver is absolutely not playing their best basketball right now. They’ve been down two starters for a while, and now have three starters out. They’re going to be considerably better when all their key contributors are healthy.

It’s within the realm of possibility OKC finishes in third place in the west.

@ItCouldHappen

It’s within the realm of possibility OKC finishes in third place in the west.

OKC and Denver haven’t played yet, once OKC is done with their 5 games in 10 weeks against the Spurs, they start a stretch of 4 games against denver in 10 weeks.

The Spurs have been taking OKC’s breakfast, Denver could easily take their lunch.

@BuckeyeBlueSpur

In looking back at games this month, there have only been a few instances of any player going for more than 34 minutes in a game. So the Spurs are using their depth to manage the minutes of the starters. Two important things that have me excited about this team: 1) They are winning with defense and not unsustainable hot shooting;2) This team is beating the teams they should beat, meaning the below .500 teams. The game in Washington was a great example of the team not letting a bad team sneak up and beat them on a night where they might not be playing the best. While no one has a crystal ball to see how this season will play out, I think we can agree that through aggressive physical defense and quick offensive play, the Spurs have positioned themselves extremely well for the rest of the season. I think as the season progresses, they get better by being more efficient, less turnovers, better free throw shooting, etc.

@duncandynasty5

As far as Denver goes, I think that they have earned the right to take the season slow. Jokic is playing at an absolutely absurd level, but he’s been doing that for over five years now. They’ve got some major injury issues and are really using the next fifty games to get healthy and ready for their playoff push. Champions that have been elite for some time have earned that right.
As for the Spurs, I believe that we have been the best team in the league since Wemby came back. You could make an argument for the Knicks, especially since they beat us, but I do believe overall it has been the Spurs. The crazy part is, we haven’t put together a signature game yet. I know that sounds strange seeing as how we beat the Thunder three times and had some other really good wins. But, we have yet to play at full strength, Wemby isn’t even starting yet (which while it has been fun having him come off the bench, how long is this going to last?), and there are still moments where we still can’t properly incorporate Wemby into the offense (case in point, why can our guards find Kornet for lobs seemingly at will, but getting Wemby a lob just seems impossible).
Of the seven or eight elite teams in the league, none has more room to improve than us. Which is scary, because while we may not be the best team in the league, we are certainly playing the best basketball in the league these past few weeks.

@CristianS21

I think the reasons for lobs beeing easier to throw to Kornet is because he sets better screens, which allow the ball handler (usually Castle) to beat his man, which forces Kornet’s defender to step up and that leaves Luke open. And also, in a Castle - Kornet Pn’R, Castle gets the most attention. In a Castle - Wemby Pn’R, Wemby will get most of the attention. Hard for him to spring free for lobs when he’s surrounded by 2-3 guys.

@Mario Alejandro

All the media that criticized the Spurs for not trading Harper or Castle for Gianis is now telling we are contenders and the three guard lineups is what makes us different. Im gratefull for the Spurs organization and the way they run the team.
The coaching staff is also amazing. Im a huge Sochan fan, but I have to agree that having two shooters all the time is a must for the kind of game they want to play. Champaigne, Barnes, Vassell and Keldon, yes Keldon are playing well at both ends and sadly Sochan defense alone will not give him playing time.
This is a team who wants to be good at both ends of the floor.
I remember Bowen, Danny Green. Your defensive specialist need at least to hit the corner three consistently.

@spursrups

I get the tenor of this article but imo we all should definitely be “jumping for joy” at this point. 3/3 against the champs. We are way ahead of schedule. I thought maybe 53 wins, but that was way too low. Sure the team needs to learn how to keep up the intensity every night, but I am enjoying every bit of the resurgence.

@RedFirebird

I am. I said so earlier (posted earlier). I’m enjoying the wins! I can hardly contain myself I’m here too often LOL

@glhtex

As far as the point about Denver saving their players for later in the season, both Jokic and Murray are averaging 35 mins a game. Fox is the highest per minute player for the Spurs at 32. Everyone else is basically in the 20’s. So I’m not at all convinced of that argument working for the Nuggets and somehow against the Spurs.

@snoozulooz

Hogwash on Denver saving the best for end of season. Jokic went 56-16-15 and 2 steals the other night. Why wasn’t he saving that for the end of the season when things matter?
The Spurs didn’t choose to play OKC these days in December. The NBA thrust that upon them. If the Spurs were to have any hope at the end of the season, they had to learn how to defeat OKC now and every other contender. What else were they going to do? Get their butts kicked now and worry about it at the end of the season? What would the Spurs have saved for the end of the season if they didn’t get it done now?

@spurious thoughts

I’m feeling cautiously ecstatic. The depth legitimately allows minor injuries to be rested without significantly impacting wins and losses, hopefully preserving health for the playoffs, while allowing the coaches to play with combinations, and develop rotations that combat different styles and systems, and create diversity in our attack, while improving the efficiency of various combinations, and hopefully developing teamwide habits that ensure success when there are inevitable off nights or missed games.
The close games are great for developing the “clutch gene” and the Cup games and games against contenders should help with figuring out how to perform in high stakes environments.
And it’s early, and this team is young, so all games are good experience.Personally, I would love a few Spurs blowouts where the top guys develop a killer instinct and efficiency, and then the deep bench gets some game experience, or the coaches get to try some of the less common rotations.
I’m curious as to whether this team would lean into depth in a hypothetical postseason, or shorten rotations like most teams? And does building stamina in your main players make sense.
I would lean toward developing and using the depth. This team seems to have excellent camaraderie, and guys who have confidence in each other, and spreading out minutes likely fosters that.
And as always, I’m curious about Jeremy.

@ecoguy

They’re certainly NOT tanking
There were times the cameras caught sight of the bench and their intensity was so high leaving no doubt they wanted to win (or wanted to win MORE than the other team). Not sure if there’s extra sauce that they were playing against OKC, but regardless, I consider them a team in a “getting to know everyone” mode on the live hardcourt. Sure they had practices, but the best test is laying it on the line against actual NBA competition.
Given this, there is merit in “stepping on the gas” since that’s the only way to know how far you can go as a team. It does not necessarily mean they find their ultimate limits, in fact they can discover more potential, and when mishaps happen, how to cope.
They did not have perfect games against OKC and they did have some scary spells when they pick up turnovers - something OKC defenses are designed to do. I recall 3 rushed long passes in the past game from the right side outside the arc near midcourt to the left side 3pt area just within a few minutes apart, which resulted in turnovers. Good thing is the lead was sufficient and they adapted and coped/made up for it in succeeding plays.
Therefore, they benefit from getting to know each other more, learning the game more, face adversity and adapt together - on the court, where there previously was no opportunity.

@BoboforHoF

It begs the question- are the Spurs playing their best basketball, or is the best yet to come?

By comparison, the Spurs seem to be pumping on all cylinders each and every night. Is that sustainable?

Let’s see. Fox is currently averaging the most min on the Spurs at 32.1 mpg, 58th in the league, followed by Vassell (64th), Castle (82nd), Wemby (85th). Those are the only ones averaging over 30 mpg. Beyond that HB (93rd) is averaging just under 30 min, followed by Champs (136th), Kornet (178th), Keldon (199th) & Harper (223rd).

Compare that to DEN (Murray at 16th & Jokic at 19th, both over 35 mpg), LAL (Luka at 4th, Reaves at 12th, LeBron at 43rd & Hachimura at 50th), or MIN (Ant at 15th & Randle at 29th), or HOU (Amen at 3rd, Durant at 5th, Sengun at 8th, Smith at 21st). That’s just among the top 6 in West. Only OKC (SGA at 39th is the only one averaging >30 mpg) can say it’s not over-using their top guys compared to Spurs. It’s not like Spurs hasn’t had its share of injuries.

Do I want to see Mitch go deeper than 9 deep at this point of the season? Absolutely. I want to see him got 11~12 deep regularly, since more injuries will inevitably happen. Maybe Mitch will. Or not. We’ll see. But I don’t think they are treating the regular season as a sprint like a many other teams. Mitch is no Thibs for sure.

I also think there’s a lot they can improve. Offense can still look stagnant at times w/ Wemby, they haven’t shown they can defend 5-out offense all that well, etc. etc. It’s clearly still a work in progress. They may not have a lot in the tank yet, simply because they are still figuring out what more they can do.

via Pounding The Rock