Pounding The Rock 26 mins ago
Game Thread: San Antonio Spurs vs Chicago Bulls
Photos by Logan Riely/NBAE via The Spurs hope to celebrate Pop’s birthday with a win over DeMar DeRozan and the Bulls 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. Tonight beings together the confluence of several important events, it’s Coach Gregg Popovich’s 73rd birthday, the first return of DeMar DeRozan to the AT&T Center as a Bull, and probably most...
Pounding The Rock 7 hours ago
Former Spurs are thriving elsewhere, and letting them go was the right call
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports The Spurs would have probably been better this season if they had kept some of their veterans, but it wouldn’t have been a smart decision for the future. Have you been keeping up with former Spurs DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills. Rudy Gay and LaMarcus Aldridge this season? Marilyn Dubinski: Not really. I know all their teams are doing very well, but I haven’t been individually stat-watching them on a nightly basis. That being said, it’s been impossible not to see DeRozan plastered all over the news with the Bulls near the top of the East,...
Pounding The Rock 12 hours ago
The Spurs are slumping as they prepare for the DeMar DeRozan homecoming
Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Noah Magaro-George and Damien Bartonek discuss San Antonio’s struggles, the latest trade rumblings, and the return of DeMar DeRozan. The San Antonio Spurs faced a plethora of superstars as they played host to Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, and James Harden over their last four contests. And they will welcome yet another All-Star to the AT&T Center this Friday as DeMar DeRozan finally makes his long-awaited return to the 2-1-0 for the first time since joining the Chicago Bulls this summer. A lot has transpired since PATFO parted ways with...
Pounding The Rock 13 hours ago
Open Thread: Happy birthday, Pop
Photos by Chris Elise/NBAE via The great one turns 73 today He may be older than the two oldest Spurs combined (Thaddeus Young and Doug McDermott). He may be older than the three youngest members of the Silver & Black (Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, and Josh Primo — all born this millennia), but the breadth of basketball knowledge contained in Gregg Popovich’s pinky finger far surpasses any ten players currently in the NBA. A list of accolades seems redundant for anyone who reads Pounding the Rock with regularity. You can love him or hate him. Whether you agree with...
Pounding The Rock 17 hours ago
Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Chicago Bulls
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports DeMar DeRozan makes his first trip back to San Antonio after being traded to the Bulls last summer The Spurs’ have certainly had had their media team hard at work this past week! Exactly one week after welcoming back LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills to the AT&T Center with their new team, the Brooklyn Nets, the Spurs have an opportunity to see another old friend, DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan, as you know, was traded to the team from the Toronto Raptors during Summer 2018 and played a part in navigating the franchise through the immediate years...
Pounding The Rock 22 hours ago
The Missing Shot From the Spurs Playbook
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports There’s one play the Spurs have trouble both running and defending. How can they address it? Over the years, the Spurs have changed up their offensive playbook to adjust to their personnel. From the post-up heavy days of Tim Duncan and LaMarcus Aldridge, to the pick-and-roll centric style with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and the mid-range assault of DeMar DeRozan and Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs have used a variety of styles in order to get the ball in the basket. However, there’s one play that’s never really been a part of their...
Pounding The Rock Jan 27, 2022
The terrifying ordeal of Aron Baynes
Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via A mysterious injury at the Tokyo Olympics left the Big Banger alone, in pain, and fearing he would never walk again. Some Spurs fans may have noticed the conspicuous absence this season of a former player and fan favorite from their championship days. Aussie big man Aron Baynes, who was supposed to be entering the second year of a $14 million contract with the Toronto Raptors, was waived back in August. It seemed like an odd move, and the only explanation given at the time was he was dealing with a back issue. However, perhaps no one...
Pounding The Rock Jan 27, 2022
Devin Vassell dazzles as the Spurs fall to the Grizzlies
Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via San Antonio’s second-year swingman explodes for another strong performance off the bench. The San Antonio Spurs fell behind early but never stopped battling to get back into the game as they erased a 15-point lead and gave the Memphis Grizzlies a run for their money down the stretch. Unfortunately, Ja Morant was too much for the good guys to handle, and the burgeoning superstar detonated for 41 points and eight assists. Devin Vassell led the charge for the Silver and Black, scoring a team-high 20 points off the bench with a variety...
Pounding The Rock Jan 27, 2022
Open Thread: Spurs to hire 200 for AT&T Center and Toyota Field
Photos by Noah Graham/NBAE via Today’s enhanced job fair experience to include on-the-spot offers and giveaways Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) is searching for 200 new part-time employees for both AT&T Center and Toyota Field. Additionally, they are staffing the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo which takes place at the AT&T Center while the Spurs on htie annual Rodeo Road Trip. The job fair takes place at the AT&T Center today, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Representatives from Aramark, Levy and LAZ Parking will also be onsite recruiting for catering, kitchen, concession,...
Pounding The Rock Jan 27, 2022
Spurs can’t overcome Morant’s 41 points in loss to Grizzlies
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports The Spurs never led at the end of any quarter on route to a 118-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies In a matchup NBA purest would have been waiting for, Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies outdueled Dejounte Murray’s San Antonio Spurs. The Grizzlies led for almost the whole game and the closet it got down the stretch was when the Spurs tied it up with a few minutes to play in the fourth quarter. But from that point on Memphis regained control and halted the Spurs comeback attempt for an eight-point victory. The Spurs started the game moving...
Pounding The Rock Jan 26, 2022
San Antonio vs. Memphis, Final Score: Grizzlies snuff out a Spurs comeback bid, 118-110
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports The Silver and Black can’t sustain their momentum from a massive blow out as they succumb to Ja Morant in a thrilling SEGABABA. The San Antonio Spurs dropped a thriller to third-place Memphis Grizzlies as they gave their division opponent a scare but fell a little short, 118-110. Though the good guys erased a 15-point deficit, there were no late-game heroics to help complete what would have been a fantastic comeback. Devin Vassell paced the Silver and Black with 20 points off the bench, and Dejounte Murray registered his tenth...
Pounding The Rock Jan 26, 2022
Game Thread: San Antonio Spurs vs Memphis Grizzlies
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via After routing the Rockets last night, the Spurs face Ja Morant and the Grizzlies in the AT&T Center 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. The Spurs routed the Rockets easily last night, as the Houston players concentrated on creating showy dunks and not playing defense, which is not a winning formula in the NBA. The Silver...
Pounding The Rock Jan 26, 2022
Five questions about the Spurs’ matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getting to know tonight’s opponent with Parker Fleming of Grizzly Bear Blues. The San Antonio Spurs are fresh off an absolute thrashing of the Houston Rockets as they return to the welcoming walls of The AT&T Center to host the third-place Memphis Grizzlies for yet another challenging SEGABABA before the All-Star Break. Ja Morant has blossomed into an MVP candidate in his third season, and a brand new era of Grit and Grind basketball is underway on Beale Street. To better understand how Memphis flipped their fortunes, I sat down with...
Pounding The Rock Jan 26, 2022
What we learned from the Spurs win over the Rockets
Photo by Carmen Mandato/ The Silver and Black enjoy a no-frills victory as everything goes their way in Houston. The San Antonio Spurs snapped their two-game losing streak, routing the hapless Houston Rockets as just about everything fell in their favor at the Toyota Center on Tuesday night. Not only did they knock down a season-best 57.4% of their shot attempts, but they also scored an unthinkable 82 points in the paint against their I-10 rival. Dejounte Murray paced the Silver and Black with 19 points, five rebounds, and ten assists, followed by 18 points, nine...
Pounding The Rock Jan 26, 2022
The Spurs did work in the paint to dominate the Rockets
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports San Antonio was clicking on all gears on both ends of the court. The good guys went to work down low all night with tremendous success but also got some love from the three-pointer as they cruised past the Rockets in a blowout win. Dejounte Murray led all players with 19 points while Jakob Poeltl poured in 18. Eight different Spurs players scored in the double digits on a night the team shot 57% on 58-101 shooting. If you make more buckets than the other team, you often come away with a victory. These sage words are brought to you by...
