Pounding The Rock 3 hours ago
The Genesis of the Spurs “Big 3”
Photos by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Ring of the Rowel dedicates an episode each to Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker Last Sunday, Tim Duncan was the Spurs “Welcome Back” honoree. Cramming just over a minute of highlights for the greatest power forward of all time seems hardly enough time, so the Spurs docuseries The Ring of the Rowel had dug deeper into Big Fun as well as his partners in crime. On Wednesday, the series dropped Episode 7 on Tony Parker. Episode 8 features Manu Ginobili and will release today. Check back to this post for a link. Happy Friday, Spurs...
Pounding The Rock 11 hours ago
Keldon Johnson’s big night helps Spurs beat Rockets, snap 11-game losing streak
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports While still ravaged by injuries, the Spurs took down a fellow bottom-dweller to return to victory for the first time in a long while. The losing streak is finally over. With Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones leading the way and solid performances from most rotation players, the Spurs beat the Rockets 118-109 in a duel between the two worst teams in the West. The first half lived up to the expectations anyone could have had from a matchup between two extremely young teams, in both the best and worst ways. Both squads tried to play fast and...
Pounding The Rock 12 hours ago
San Antonio vs. Houston, Final Score: Spurs dominate Rockets in 3rd quarter, end losing streak 118-109
Keldon Johnson bodied his way through the young Houston defense and nailed his first three trifectas to lead the victorious Spurs in scoring | Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports A 39-23 third quarter led by Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, and Charles Bassey made the difference in San Antonio’s first win in 27 days San Antonio ended its 11 game losing streak with a convincing home victory over its I-10 rivals. The two Western Conference cellar-dwellers treated the audience to an uneven, yet exciting show in the first half. Tre Jones and Keldon Johnson supplied the majority of...
Pounding The Rock 14 hours ago
Game Thread: San Antonio Spurs vs Houston Rockets
Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/ The two worst teams in the west are in San Antonio for a last-place showdown Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. It’s finally here: The Battle for the Basement, the Clash of the Cellar-Dwellers, the Bash of the Bottom Feeders, the War of the Worst ... I got a million of ‘em, folks. But actually, the Rockets have been...
Pounding The Rock 16 hours ago
The Psychology of Losing (Big) and what the Spurs can learn from it
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports All the Spurs can do is keep learning, and fans need to keep supporting. Spurs fans! Let’s dive into what this season is grinding into our bones! Let’s get our feelings out about what it’s like to lose and lose big! Losing has lessons, most of them we don’t want to learn, but there it is. Allow me to go first with a monumental tale of losing that will cheer you up and make you realize how well the Spurs are actually doing! This can’t be, you might say, this is as bad as it gets! It is? Allow me then to escort you to the local...
Pounding The Rock 17 hours ago
The Spurs should strongly consider signing Sharife Cooper
Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/NBAE via San Antonio lacks natural facilitators, and the former second-rounder could temporarily fill a position of need. The San Antonio Spurs have produced the worst offense and defense in the NBA over the last month, and while there is no quick fix for the latter, signing Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract could mitigate their scoring woes to an extent. PATFO would have to waive Alize Johnson and elevate Charles Bassey to a standard deal to get that done, but why not? Cooper is a former second-round pick who the Atlanta Hawks waived this...
Pounding The Rock 23 hours ago
Why the Spurs should consider bringing back Patty Mills
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports The Spurs need another PG, a leader, and a morale boost. Patty Mills brings all of those without hurting the end goal. December 15 is a week away. That may not seem like a significant date on its own, but it’s actually the day that NBA players who signed a new contract in the 2022 offseason can officially be traded. The Spurs are expected to be players on the NBA trade scene, with veteran names such as Jakob Poeltl, Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott being mentioned as likely targets for other teams. Most assume the Spurs will be...
Pounding The Rock Dec 8, 2022
Open Thread: It’s beginning to look a lot like Spurs-mas
All over my house The weather outside is muggy, humidity really bugs me. But I don’t let it show, it won’t snow, it won’t snow, it won’t snow. Okay, Texas weather is usually not “Christmaslike.” I mean, they don’t film holiday classics in The Alamo City for a reason. But despite the muddy transition from summer into the holidays, We here at Casa Duarte get into the spirit. And for this Spurs fan, decorating in Silver and Black is essential. The nutcracker, a gift from my mother-in-law, stands tall on our kitchen counter. But it is the tree where...
Pounding The Rock Dec 8, 2022
Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets
Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via The Silver and Black host their interstate rivals for a battle of the bottom of the Western Conference. Losses have continued to add up for the San Antonio Spurs as they come dangerously close to going a whole month without winning a single game. Though the Phoenix Suns pummeled them by nearly 40 points in their last contest, perhaps three days of rest and a date against the fellow bottom-dwelling Houston Rockets can flip their fortunes around. Bumps and bruises have made the first year of the rebuild grueling for the Silver and Black, not...
Pounding The Rock Dec 7, 2022
Open Thread: Another Daddy-Daughter Date Night, another Spurs bobblehead
The Spurs 50th anniversary continues to highlight the glories of yesteryear On Friday, December 2nd, the San Antonio Spurs hosted their 1999 Championship night. The spotlight player was “The Memorial Day Miracle” Sean Elliott, and the first 10,000 fans got a David Robinson bobblehead. Once again, my daughter and I utilized the evening for a date night. Starting the night with the Curtsied Experience, we found ourselves in the lower bowl watching the exciting young players warm up. Isaiah Roby was the first, practicing the pick-and-roll setting him up for some...
Pounding The Rock Dec 6, 2022
The most maddening part of the Spurs’ slump
Photo by Ronald Cortes/ It’s one thing to be bad on defense. It’s another to watch a Pop-coached team not even know how to rotate. Everyone knew coming into the the 2022-23 NBA season that the Spurs would be in rebuilding mode. They had traded away their All-Star point guard for draft compensation (not to mention their second best ball-handler at the 2022 All-Star Break) and didn’t add much else to the roster in the offseason outside of the three first round draft picks and some end-of-the-bench depth. Even before the season began, Gregg Popovich pointed out...
Pounding The Rock Dec 6, 2022
Open Thread: The Sound of Spurs podcast Episode 5
Philadelphia native Gene Banks starts his career in the Alamo City Episode 5 of Bill Schoening’s The Sound of Spurs podcast continues with in-depth one-on-one interviews with past players associated with the San Antonio Spurs. This episode featured Gene Banks who started his NBA career un San Antonio in 1981. The 28th overall draft pick of 1981 spent his first four seasons as a Spurs swingman. Gene Banks takes us inside his journey that led him to the NBA which includes growing up playing basketball - a game he once hated - in Philadelphia. Gene shares how divine...
Pounding The Rock Dec 5, 2022
Spurs Week in Review: It’s time to start monitoring the lottery odds
Photo by Ronald Cortes/ After 11 straight losses, it’s safe to say this Spurs team is officially bad. Welcome to the Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy! Week 6: A second-straight winless week extended the Spurs’ losing streak to eight games. Week 7: 0-3 (6-18 overall: 28th in NBA) — 111-119 L @ Oklahoma City Thunder; 99-117 L vs. New Orleans Pelicans; 95-133 L vs. Phoenix Suns Notice a change above? Without clicking on the Week 6 link, see if you can...
Pounding The Rock Dec 5, 2022
What We Learned from the Spurs loss to the Suns
Photo by Ronald Cortes/ Things remain pretty bleak in Spursland I can’t say this was my favorite Spurs game of all time. That’s not really what we’re about these days though, is it? No. We’re in it for the vibes. We’re watching these games to figure out some higher truths about the universe. We want to understand the depths of of our despair in order to internalize the, uh, righteousness of our...mission? I don’t know. We’re doing something weird because we sure aren’t here for the wins. I truly can’t get over how bizarre it is to watch this team...
Pounding The Rock Dec 5, 2022
Keldon Johnson broke out of his cold spell against the Suns
Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports A strong outing from the third-year forward wasn’t enough for the San Antonio Spurs to snap their losing streak. Almost like clockwork, the San Antonio Spurs extended their losing streak to 11 games, falling to the first-place Phoenix Suns in a lopsided matchup that was competitive early but devolved into a massive blowout following a listless 11-point second-quarter effort from the Silver and Black. Despite another humiliating defeat on their home court, there were some bright spots from the youngsters. Keldon Johnson was in the middle of...
