PtR
2026 年2 月 24 日 04:00
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马刺 @ 活塞 114 - 103 技术统计 | 视频集锦
By Marilyn Dubinski | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-02-24 03:01:35
这是马刺本赛季最令人印象深刻的胜利之一,考虑到本赛季的情况,这一评价含金量极高。马刺闯入全联盟战绩第一的球队领地,斩落了底特律活塞。开局阶段,维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 在快速进入状态后,花了一些时间去适应对手的身体对抗,但他的队友们能够利用他的牵制力以各种方式得分。全队出色的防守表现压制了活塞,最终以 114-103 拼下这场强硬的胜利。
马刺五名首发球员全部得分上双,德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 表现出色,三分球 11 投 7 中砍下全场最高的 28 分;文班亚马贡献了 21 分、17 个篮板和 6 次盖帽(我发誓他绝对不止 6 个,我感觉他在第一节就被漏记了一两个)。杰伦·杜伦 (Jalen Duren) 得到 25 分和 14 个篮板领跑活塞,而马刺则成功限制了全明星球员凯德·坎宁安 (Cade Cunningham),让他全场 26 投仅 5 中,仅得 16 分。
赛后观察
难道只有我觉得比赛能在 Peacock 上流媒体直播却不能在 NBC 电视台播出很奇怪吗?我很幸运,已经订阅了 NBA 本赛季使用的所有乱七八糟的流媒体服务,还有有线电视和 League Pass,但我完全理解那些没有订阅的人的沮丧。如果你在圣安东尼奥本地没有有线电视,或者在圣安东尼奥以外没有 LP(League Pass)想看 KENS 5?没门。如果有 NBA TV 导致 LP 被屏蔽,而你又没有高级有线电视套餐?自求多福。这简直太疯狂了。
本场比赛的关键点之一是马刺必须投中三分球。瓦塞尔在开局阶段就做到了这一点,他命中了全队的第一记三分,帮助马刺以 9-2 领先。随后,文班在被坎宁安推倒在地后也命中了一记三分,将领先优势扩大到 14-2。不幸的是,在第一节剩余时间里,马刺投出了好几个三不沾,直到朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 在哨响前命中一记三分才止颓。
另一方面,活塞队取胜的关键则是其他球队屡试不爽的老套路:对文班进行高强度的身体对抗让他感到不适。在马刺开局的三分雨后,活塞终于通过拉拽和纠缠做到了这一点,他们的意图很明显——裁判不可能吹掉所有的犯规。事实证明确实如此,很快裁判就停止了鸣哨,活塞顺势反超,在首节结束时以 18-16 和 27-24 领先。
卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 在第一节短暂上场一分钟后就被文班换下,随后马刺在第二节开局使用了“无中锋”阵容,科内特也不知所踪。报道称他的腿部被顶伤,马刺希望肿胀能在下半场前消退。他后来确实回归了,不过戴上了护膝以防万一。
裁判在场上半场漏掉了大量的身体接触,尤其是对底特律方面的对抗比较纵容。这让他在第二节初期连续吹罚卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) 三次莫须有的犯规显得更加令人恼火。更让人不爽的是,当活塞逃过明显的犯规时,解说员一直在说他们喜欢这种“不吹罚”的尺度,但当裁判对马刺吹出那些本该是不吹的哨子时,他们却哑口无言。
文班在下半场的大部分时间里在进攻端显得有些吃力,但他对此的反应决定了马刺进攻的走势。当他试图大包大揽时,他打得很挣扎,投篮仅 9 投 2 中得到 7 分,出手选择不佳且在篮筐附近失手。而当他利用牵制力吸引防守而非强行出手时,他的队友便受益匪浅。尚帕尼和瓦塞尔上半场三分球合计 12 投 9 中,联手拿下 30 分,斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 也找到了突破路径。不知何故,尽管感觉在很长一段时间里被对手压制(或许只有文班在场上时才会有这种感觉),马刺在半场结束时仍以 57-55 领先。
坎宁安在上半场领到了两次愚蠢的犯规:一次是开场为了立威将文班推倒,另一次是在上半场快结束时莫名其妙地双手推搡卡斯尔。结果,他在第三节初期就背上了四次犯规,第四节初更是达到五犯,这迫使他在防守端必须更加收敛。马刺抓住了机会,后卫群不断通过攻击他直插篮下,逐渐将领先优势扩大到 11 分。经过一个漫长而拖沓的第三节后(顺便说一下,这一节打了 52 分钟),马刺领先 8 分。
文班终于在第四节明确了自己在这场比赛中的定位:在防守端统治全场,在进攻端担任策应者。一波盖帽热潮帮助马刺以 7-0 开局,将领先优势扩大到 15 分。随后,凭借瓦塞尔、尚帕尼和凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 及时的三分球,马刺抵挡住了活塞的最后一波反扑。这是一场坚韧且令人印象深刻的胜利,展现了球队巨大的进步,以及当文班在进攻端受阻时调整比赛计划的能力。此役过后,马刺迎来了自 2019 年 3 月以来的首个九连胜。
下一场比赛 :北京时间 2 月 24 日(周三)上午 7:30,客场挑战多伦多猛龙。
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:San Antonio at Detroit, Final Score: Spurs shooters beat physical Pistons, 114-103
San Antonio at Detroit, Final Score: Spurs shooters beat physical Pistons, 114-103
In one of their most impressive wins of the season, which is saying a lot, the Spurs went into the den of the top team in the NBA and slayed the Detroit Pistons. After a quick start, it took some time for Victor Wembanyama to adjust to the physical play, but his teammates were able to use his gravity to score in all manners, and a great defensive game from the entire team held the Pistons in check for the gutsy 114-103 win.
All five Spurs starters scored in double figures, with Devin Vassell leading the way with 28 points on 7-11 from three, and Wemby had 21 points, 17 rebounds and 6 blocks (I swear he had more; I especially feel one or two were missed in the first quarter). Jalen Duren led the Pistons with 25 points and 14 rebounds, and the Spurs held All-Star Cade Cunningham in check with just 16 points on 5-26 shooting.
Observations
Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird that games can be streamed on Peacock but not televised on NBC? I’m fortunate enough to already have all the random streaming services the NBA is using this season, along with cable and League Pass, but I completely understand the frustration of those who don’t. KENS 5 if you don’t have cable in SA or LP outside of SA? No dice. NBA TV so LP is blacked out and you don’t have an advanced cable package? Out of luck. This is crazy.
One of the keys to this game was for the Spurs to hit their threes, and Vassell did just that early, hitting his first three to get the Spurs up 9-2, then Wemby hit one after Cunningham shoved him to the floor to get out to a 14-2 lead. Unfortunately, they were shooting airballs the rest of the first quarter until a Julian Champagnie three before the buzzer.
On the other hand the key to the game for the Pistons was the same tried-and-true method that has been successful for other teams: get physical with Wemby to make him uncomfortable, and they finally did that after the initial Spurs surge by grabbing and holding him, with the idea being that the refs can’t call everything. News flash, they didn’t. Soon, the refs stopped blowing their whistles, and just like that the Pistons were up 18-16 and 27-24 at the end of the quarter.
Luke Kornet came in for one minute in the first quarter before Wemby came right back in for him, and the Spurs started the second quarter with a center-less lineup with Kornet nowhere to be seen. Reports said he got kneed in the leg and the Spurs were hopeful the swelling would go down by the second half. He did return, albeit with a knee cover for protection.
The refs were letting a lot of contact go in the first half, especially for Detroit. That made it all the more annoying when they called three quick phantom fouls on Carter Bryant early in the second quarter. Even more annoying was how much the announcers were saying they liked no-calls when the Pistons got away with blatant fouls, but they had nothing to say about calls on the Spurs that truly should have been no-calls.
Wemby looked a little overwhelmed on offense for much of the first half, but it was how he responded to it that dictated how the Spurs offense went. When he tried to do everything himself, he struggled, with just 7 points on 2-9 shooting, poor shot selection and misses at the rim. When he used his gravity to draw the defense in without forcing shots, his teammates benefited. Champagnie and Vassell combined for 30 points on 9-12 from three in the first half, and Stephon Castle found driving lanes. Somehow, despite it feeling like they were getting owned for long stretches (maybe it just feels that way when it’s Wemby), the Spurs were up 57-55 at the half.
Cunningham had two dumb fouls in the first half, one for shoving Wemby to floor to make a statement early, and then another late for a two-handed shove of Castle over nothing. As a result, he was playing with four fouls by early in the third quarter and five by early in the fourth, so he had to be more passive on defense. The Spurs took advantage, with the guards continuing to attack him to get to the rim, gradually building their lead to as much as 11 and leading by 8 after a very long, drawn out third quarter. (It took 52 minutes, BTW.)
Wemby finally seemed to have his role in this game figured out by the fourth quarter, which was dominate on defense while being a facilitator on offense. A flurry of blocks helped the Spurs start on a 7-0 run to get the lead to 15, and then they weathered one more Pistons storm with timely threes from Vassell, Champagnie and Keldon Johnson. It was a gutsy, impressive win that showed huge growth and an ability to adjust the game plan when Wemby is taken out of it offensively. The win gives the Spurs their first nine-game winning streak since March of 2019.
Next up : at Toronto, 6:30 PM CT on Wednesday, Feb. 23.
By Marilyn Dubinski, via Pounding The Rock
PtR
2026 年2 月 24 日 04:20
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热评:
我平时很少抱怨裁判,但这场吹得确实挺离谱。尽管如此,马刺还是靠着打出自己的节奏和投篮命中赢下了比赛。德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 今晚简直是救命稻草,到了季后赛他还会大放异彩的。有时候面对防守强队,当对手把注意力全放在文班/福克斯/卡斯尔身上时,你就需要第四得分点挺身而出。
说到斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle),他对凯德·坎宁安 (Cade Cunningham) 的防守简直绝了……干得漂亮,斯蒂芬!
我最喜欢的部分是文班的成熟与成长:
有一个回合文班冲击禁区,罗恩·“假摔王”·霍兰德 (Ron Holland) 已经准备好制造进攻犯规了,文班停了下来没有上当,这要是换做以前他肯定冲进去了。
所有的身体对抗都没能阻止文班,他挺了过来……他没有像卢卡 (Luka) 平时那样摊手抱怨。
文班更加信任队友了,队友也更加信任他。
看完这场比赛,可以确认活塞并没有(NBA)球迷吹得那么厉害。我发现几点很有趣:
杰伦·杜伦 (Jalen Duren) 相比防守型中锋,更像是一个进攻型中锋,对于一个没有投篮能力的球员来说,这很奇怪。我曾希望马刺签下他,但他最终没能加入马刺阵容。今天的表现证明保罗·里德 (Paul Reed) 绝对值得在休赛期去追求。我喜欢他的积极性,他看起来像是身高更高、天赋更强的进阶版多米尼克·巴洛 (Dominik Barlow)(或者说是查尔斯·贝西 (Bassey) 和巴洛的结合体)。
看卡斯尔防守坎宁安是一种享受。如果你不知道坎宁安本赛季在竞逐MVP,你会以为坎宁安和卡斯尔是在同一水平线的。这就是卡斯尔的表现有多出色(绝对搞乱了凯德的心态)。
我知道这是文班的球队,但天哪,卡斯尔正在打出属于自己的烙印。比起文班,他更像是一个基调奠定者,虽然大家都尊重文班,但这种竞争态势并不坏。
我没法想象在2019、2020年时,凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 和瓦塞尔依然还在马刺阵中,并成为核心球员,甚至可以说是我们赛季反弹的主要贡献者。瓦塞尔完全打爆了他们,很明显瓦塞尔很喜欢他目前的角色,凯尔登也是。这让我想起了哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes),他曾以为自己能成为更高级别的球星,但从未如愿。正值巅峰期的球员能接受特定角色是很不容易的。珍惜他们俩吧!
说到凯尔登和瓦塞尔,我喜欢他们俩展现出的对抗强度。人们很容易忘记马刺也曾是一支打法强硬的球队,依靠身体对抗来赢球。
活塞和雷霆看起来在同一档次,很想看他们交手。没错,我说了——马刺比他们高一档。马刺太有天赋了,我们需要担心的只是经验和可能的纪律性问题。
我明白活塞是一支强硬的球队,努力想成为“坏孩子军团3.0”。但感觉并不自然,他们有些球员并不以强硬著称,却被要求打得强硬。当下半场开始时,这一点显露无疑,活塞软了下来,他们没有体能维持整场的对抗。然而,另一个危险的情况是,活塞的球员很清楚为了赢球,他们有时需要打得“脏”一点。这是我们需要警惕的(把普拉姆利和奥利尼克换上来,伙计!)。
米奇证明了他是比我们预想中更好的教练。他非常有纪律性,战术换人也很到位。在第四节,瓦塞尔显然“非法掩护”了,虽然我们知道邓肯拉了他的胳膊且霍兰德也看到了,但不管怎样,这不是我们想争论的点,但米奇做出了调整,我看到他花时间跟球员们交谈。他没有叫暂停,而是试图调整球员状态,这是一次很棒的战术调整。
卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 今天看起来确实不在状态,不确定是因为膝盖撞到了腿部/腹股沟,还是单纯手感不好。我们需要他在下一场表现更好,活塞下次肯定会针对他。感觉活塞有点想逼文班打更长时间,文班打得越久,受伤的风险就越高。
最后,凯德虽然是MVP级球员,但很明显他是阵容中唯一的球星。杜伦看起来不像球星,他确实有高光时刻,但目前只是破产版的克里斯·韦伯 (Chris Webber),而且还没投篮。所以,额(不过我很想看杜伦发展,我个人很喜欢那种在禁区肉搏的中锋)。我老是忘了奥萨尔·汤普森 (Ausar Thompson) 也在活塞,霍兰德今晚比他显眼多了。
抱歉总结得这么长!归根结底,我认为可以稳妥地说,马刺是目前NBA最强的球队。先是痛扁了雷霆,今天又赢了活塞(他们还会交手,我认为到时候对我们更利好,因为今天显然我们一些核心球员发挥一般)。作为马刺球迷,今年真是太棒了。我们已经很久没有拥有过这种地位对等的“真正双核”了(以前一直是蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 的球队,直到后来变成了托尼·帕克 (Tony Parker) 的球队,因为邓肯不再是顶级得分手了),我们上一次看到这种组合还是90年代的大卫·罗宾逊 (David Robinson) 和蒂姆·邓肯,而且两人位置重叠,很难看清各自的影响。现在我们有卡斯尔+文班。别忘了还有福克斯!该死。
难怪本赛季每支球队在对阵马刺时都会像打了鸡血一样,这足以说明我们本赛季尽管有些瑕疵,但稳定性非常惊人。马刺加油 (GSG)!
1>8
从数学上讲这是一个不成立的等式,但对于马刺目前的连胜来说,它很有道理。进入活塞之战前的8连胜乍看之下令人印象深刻,但事实上圣安东尼奥击败的要么是明显弱旅,要么是缺少核心球员的强队,这让连胜打了一定折扣。
之前的8场比赛没有一场称得上是“宣言之战”,而底特律的这场胜利则明确无误地向世人宣告,圣安东尼奥与联盟顶尖强队平起平坐。这场针对全联盟战绩第一球队的单场胜利,其含金量超过了此前对阵魔术、雷霆(缺亚历山大)、独行侠(两次)、湖人、勇士(缺库里)、太阳和国王的8场胜利。
这场比赛也表明马刺并非只靠文班一人。他填满了数据栏,但投篮效率并不高。虽然他在胜利中扮演了重要角色,但如果没有瓦塞尔和尚帕尼的贡献,以及卡斯尔对坎宁安的强硬防守,圣安东尼奥很可能会输掉比赛。
凯德今晚手感全无,真是让人松了一口气。他通常在这种比赛中打得很好。今天起床时我对这场比赛感觉并不好。我说活塞已经5连胜了,而且防守很强硬……我已经看过了几场活塞的比赛,所以对此很清楚。
从比赛贴来看,他们今晚确实加大了对抗强度。我看到底特律现场差点爆发冲突。底特律是一座坚韧的城市,活塞的球风也代表了这一点。我们10天后还会再战,那是我们这次客场之旅后的首场主场比赛。
据我观察,凯德通常不是那种容易急躁的人。卡斯尔对凯德的防守简直是教科书级别的。凯德26投5中太疯狂了,因为他通常没那么低效。锁死像凯德这样的MVP候选人是不可思议的。凯德本赛季确实有实力赢得MVP,如果他拿了我也不会不爽。
米奇应该赢得月最佳教练,也该赢得年度最佳教练。目前41胜16负,这是自2017年以来我们的最佳开局,赛季开始前谁能料到呢?我当时预想的是45-50胜,如果一切顺利大概55胜左右。我们今年很有可能赢下至少55场,这完全超出了我的预期。我喜欢我们的伙计们永不言弃且能更好地保持冷静。
这是球队比起上赛季更加成熟的标志。这是一件大好事,因为这支球队的大部分人还没打过季后赛。我希望伙计们在10天后再次对阵他们时保持同样的能量。这并不容易,因为他们肯定想为今晚主场输球复仇。看到活塞从联盟垫底崛起,确实是一道风景线。
就“强强对话”而言,这绝对是本赛季最令人印象深刻的胜利。季后赛般的氛围,在敌方领地,面对可能是全联盟第二强的球队,而且对方打得极其强硬,经常是“8打1”。在赛季的这个阶段,能挺过难关、绝不退缩并控制比赛,真的太棒了。
我在别处说过,我认为这会有力地推动MVP的舆论导向支持文班而非凯德,哪怕文班今晚的进攻表现并不亮眼。他在防守端的影响力实在是太大了。我也很清楚,在大多数季后赛中,我们需要朱利安或者德文至少有一个人打出极高甚至逆天的投篮表现。当他们俩手感都火热时,我认为这支球队是不可战胜的。
我依然对尚帕尼或瓦塞尔是否具备在多轮季后赛中保持关键球能力持怀疑态度,但我非常希望他们能打我的脸。如果巴恩斯也能找回哪怕一点点投篮手感,总决赛就是这支球队的终点,这将是相比去年34胜的一次前所未有的飞跃。
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I usually don’t complain about the refs, but this one was pretty bad. Still, the Spurs won by just playing their game and hitting shots. Devin was a life saver tonight, and he’s going to do it again in the playoffs. Sometimes against a great defensive team you need your 4th option to step up when the opponent focuses on Wemby/Fox/Castle.
Speaking of Castle, how about that defense on Cade….way to go Steph!
When my Bulls are trash (which is basically all the time, now), watching young rising teams like the Spurs will do. Definitely better than the overrated frauds like the Knicks, Lakers, and Warriors.
I don’t care about “playoff inexperience”. I firmly believe that your floor is a WCF appearance.
As a Chicago native who grew up a Spurs fan after being indoctrinated at a young age, just join us. I’ve seen what being a Bulls’ fan has done to people I’ve grown up with. I’ve seen it drive men to the bottom of a bottle, good men. I’ve seen 39-43 seasons destroy marriages. I don’t want to see that happen to you. Come with us.
Winning record for the first time since 2019. It matters.
This team continues to excede expectations. A gritty win, in a playoff-like setting, on the road no less.
Floored by their maturity, I don’t know what else to say.
Love this win. All the Spurs and Wemby naysayers always say “when the physicality ramps up Wemby will shrivel”. Well guess what, the physicality did effect him… to the tune of 21/17/4/1/6 with only 3 turnovers. If THAT is playoff physicality and THAT is Wembys worse shooting performance, good fkn luck NBA.
He’s the most versatile MVP-caliber player in the NBA, no cap.
Shuts him down offensive? Sure, he’ll just kill you defensively. Can’t really say that about other MVP-caliber players.
I think the answer for the team’s future success is what Marilyn described in the fourth quarter: Wemby focusing on defense and facilitation. Not saying he shouldn’t shoot the ball (if the opportunity is there, take it), but I think he just has a greater impact if he’s rebounding and blocking shots, and the opposing offense is forced to take long shots.
After watching this game, it’s confirmed that the Pistons aren’t good as the fans (NBA) made them out to be. I found it rather interesting that-
Jalen Duren is… More of an offensive center than he is a defensive one, that’s just weird for someone who has no shooting.- I wanted the Spurs to sign him, but he just never found himself on the Spurs roster. Today proved that Paul Reed definitely is worth a pursuit in off-season. I love his hustle, seem to be more talented version of Dominik Barlow with better size too (heck, a combination between Bassey and Barlow if you will).
It was a pleasure watching Castle on Cunningham, had you didn’t know Cunningham was running for the MVP this season, you would have thought Cunningham and Castle both are on the same tier/level. It’s how good Castle have been (definitely got to Cade).
I know this is a Wemby’s team, but jeez, Castle is making this team his own. He’s more of a tone establisher than Wemby is, although everyone respects Wemby, ain’t bad situation to be in.
I wouldn’t have thought that in 2019, 2020 Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell would be still on the Spurs squad and being the key players, arguably main contributors to our season turnaround. Vassell absolutely torched them, it’s clear that Vassell love his current role, so does Keldon Johnson. This brought me back to Harrison Barnes who thought he could be someone more, a star- it just never came around. It’s not very often players in their prime can accept certain roles. Cherish them both!
Speaking of Keldon and Vassell, I love that both brought out and matched up physicality. It’s easy to forget that the Spurs was once a brawny team, relying on their physicality to win games (didn’t do a great job at that, but nonetheless, physical).
The Pistons and Thunder both looked to be at same level/tier, would love to see their game/matchup. Yes. There, I said it- the Spurs are a tier above. They are just too talented, it’s the experience and possible discipline we would need to worry about.
I get that the Pistons are a physical team, trying so hard to be Bad Boys 3.0. It just didn’t feel natural, they have players that aren’t known for being physical, being asked to be ones. It was evidently as 2nd half started, the Pistons soften up, they didn’t have the gas to stay physical. However, another dangerous situation is, it’s clear that the Pistons players understood in order for their team to win, they would need to get dirty sometimes. That is what we need to look out for (bring out Plumlee and KO, yo!).
Mitch is showing that he’s a better coach than we thought. He remained very disciplined, and he’s tactical with his calls. In 4th quarter, it was clear that Vassell did “set an illegal screen” althought we know Duncan pulled his arm and Holland saw it, but regardless, not a fight we wanted to take but Mitch made the call and I saw him spent time talking to his players. Instead of a timeout, he’s trying to set his players up, that was a tactical move.
Kornet definitely looked and felt out of the place today, not sure if it’s because he got the knee to his leg/groin or just an off game. We need him to do better the next game, the Pistons most definitely will target him the next time. Part of this felt like they wanted Wemby to play more, the more he play the more riskier he’ll be to an injury.
Lastly, Cade, despite being a MVP-level player, is clear that he’s the only star on the roster. Duren didn’t look like a star, sure he has his moments, but right now he’s a poor man’s version of Chris Webber but without the shooting. So, eh (would love to see Jalen Duren develops though, I love myself Centers who bang up inside the paint, that’s just me). I keep forgetting Ausar is on this Pistons squad, Holland was more noticeable than him.
Sorry for the long conclusion! At the end of the day, I think it’s safe to say the Spurs are the NBA’s currently best team. Ass-whupped them Thunder, then Pistons today (they will play them again, and I think this time it’ll be more favorable for us as it was clear some of our best players had an off day). It’s a really freaking good year to be a Spurs fan. It’s been a very long time since last we had a “true duo” stars that were seen as equal (it was always Tim Duncan’s team until it was just Tony Parker because Duncan wasn’t an elite player anymore) but we saw this last, David Robinson and Tim Duncan back in 90’s and both played same position, it was harder to see the impact both had. Now we have Castle + Wemby. Not to forget to mention, Fox! Shit.
It’s no wonder every team this season would level up when they play the Spurs, that’s speaking the volume about our consistency this season despite some flaws. GSG!
My quick takeaway is Castle is THAT guy. He just grinded us to an advantage in the 3rd. Sheer will power through a lot of physicality. Cade looked pretty spent by the 4th.
Wemby as always rises in the 4th.
On one hand, that game could have gone differently if we didn’t shoot well, but we also shouldn’t expect Wemby and Fox to shoot that bad, and could have gotten a few more calls and a few bunnies more.
There are going to be sore players after tonight. Next game will be challenging no matter what, but hopefully they are energized by the win.
1>8
It’s an illogical equation mathematically, but in regards to the Spurs current win streak, it makes a bit more sense. The 8-game win streak going into the Pistons game was impressive at a glance, but the fact that San Antonio beat either clearly inferior teams or good teams missing their top players takes some of the shine off that win streak.
None of the prior 8 games were statement wins while the victory in Detroit made it crystal clear that San Antonio is on par with the best teams in the league. This single win against the team with the best record in the NBA carries more weight compared to the 8 wins against the Magic, Thunder (minus SGA), Mavs (twice), Lakers, Warriors (no Curry), Suns, and Kings.
This game also showed that the Spurs do not live by Wemby alone. He filled the stat sheet but it was an inefficient shooting night for him. While he played a large part in the victory, San Antonio likely would have lost the game without Vassel and Champagnie’s contributions and Castle’s strong defense against Cunningham.
Another top level win in a season full of them.
Missed some bunnies and darn FTs made it closer, but basically we went toe to toe, through home cooking non calls, and bully ball to get the W.
All the guys made a key play or 2.
Spurs impressed me tonight with their toughness and maturity to not let the Piston’s physicality undermine our focus. Wimby played excellent defense and down the stretch he started to score, and it looked like he was being mugged early and often but I wish he would have spent a little less time playing for the foul call in the first half.
Castle was a defensive monster. Great offensive creating as well. Which my three elementary schoolers are still singing his praises.
Cade was off tonight which was a relief. He usually plays pretty well in matches like this. I didn’t feel great about this game when I woke up. I said Pistons have won 5 in a row and play physical defense.. I’ve seen several Pistons games already so I knew that already.
It appears from the game thread they really ratcheted that up tonight. I see a brawl almost broke out tonight in Detroit. Detroit is a tough city and the Pistons represent that in their play. We play them again in 10 days which is our first game back from this trip.
Cade normally isn’t a guy who gets that testy from what I’ve seen. Castle’s defense was simply something against Cade. 5/26 for Cade is just crazy as he’s generally not that inefficient. Taking down an MVP candidate like Cade is incredible. Cade could win MVP this season and I wouldn’t be upset if he did.
Mitch should win coach of the month and he should win coach of the year. 41-16 at this point is our best since at least 2017 and who knew this when the season started? I envisioned 45-50 wins and if things went well, 55-ish. We just may win at least 55 games this year which is beyond expectation for me. I love that our guys don’t give up and keep their composure better.
That’s a sign that this team is growing up from even last season. That’s a great thing as most of this team has yet to experience the playoffs. I hope our guys keep that same energy in 10 days when we have to play them again. That won’t be easy as they’ll want revenge for that loss on their home court tonight. It’s been something to see the Pistons rise from the bottom of the league.
This has to be the most impressive win of the season in terms of “your best versus ours”. Playoff type atmosphere, in enemy territory, against maybe the 2nd best team in the league playing extremely physical, often with 8 against 1. To grind it out, never back down, and control the game is really, really great to see at this point in the year.
I’ve said elsewhere, but I think this will go a long way towards shaping the narrative for MVP in Vic’s favor over Cade, even without a great offensive showing on his part. He’s just so impactful on the defensive end. It’s also so clear to me that in the majority of playoff games, we will need at least one of Julian or Devin to shoot very-good-to-lights-out. When both are on fire, I think this team is unbeatable.
I remain skeptical that either Champagnie or Vassell have the ability to be clutch over the course of multiple playoff series to the point that we can lean on them, but would love nothing more to be proven wrong about that. If Barnes can also find even a modicum of his stroke, the Finals are this team’s limit, which would be a just about unprecedented jump from 34 games the year before.
PS, even though Mitch lost that challenge, major props for going for it. I also continue to not at all understand what does and does not constitute a foul in today’s NBA. Devin was clearly held and pushed by Robinson into Duren.
PPS, taking Sochan over Duran in the 2022 draft continues to grind my gears. And no, I won’t stop thinking that whenever we play Detroit.
So Good. So many options for the spurs, but only 2 scoring options for the pistons. Our penetration and ball movement are magical.
Wemby needs to accept, that in some games it is just fine to draw attention, rebound, dunk and block shots. Guys blocks are out off this world, kinda like an alien playing basketball.
Top team in the NBA? The Pistons may have had the best record (before last night), but they do play in the Eastern Conference.
We’ve got the team, boys (and gals)!!!
It was a very enjoyable game for us Spurs fans in attendance. As others have said, our guys did a great job of weathering the Pistons physicality and grinding out the win. Vassell was amazing. To me, it looked like Wemby was out of sorts, slapping at rebounds instead of grabbing them and flailing around the basket. He would not have gotten to 21 points except for getting open dunks and free throws in garbage time. But the team had a good all-around effort, with all starters in double figures. I’ll look forward to next year’s game in Detroit.
Good game against a gritty opposition.
Glad to see the team shine when Wemby isn’t shooting well - took care at the other end.
DV had it going though and more of this DV please!
Back and forth on Fox as usual. Am having a tough time to buy in and worried come playoffs. Lets hope the best version of him shows up.
Very convincing win.Duren was he only one to step up for detroit,he improved a lot.
This Detroit team does’nt have a great roster,but the coach does wonders!
Devin AND Champs clutch on this one ,with Mitch doing a good job.
via Pounding The Rock