Game Day: Spurs (1-0) @ Suns (1-0), Fri 10/31/14

[Superbone]

http://www.nba.com/games/20141031/SASPH ... :livestate

"I know we are supposed to be 82 and 0," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I am guessing we are going to lose more games before the season is over."

What a prick.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Oooooh
It burns!!!
Does it, Pop?

[Xylus]

From BrightSide:

Spoiler: show/hide

Spoiler: show/hide

Spoiler: show/hide

Spoiler: show/hide

[Flagrant Fowl]

I'm excited as everyone else, but lets see how he does when other teams actually have a gameplan for him. He's a bit of a secret weapon at this point.

[Mori Chu]

Alex. FUCKING. Len!!!!!!

I could watch that highlight video over and over. So cool. There's nothing quite like having a great big man out there. Let's see if he can give us a few more great games before I get too excited, but this is VERY encouraging.

[Ring_Wanted]

len highlights

Good find. I never thought I'd see Len on the end of an alley-oop reverse dunk.

One of his college highlight videos had one of those.

[OE32]

I have no beers in me and i can see this team being nr 1 seed if Len healthy and plays like he played first 2 games. Without Len i though we were pushing 50 wins, with THAT Len we might be pushing 60 wins.

Welcome to the month of unbridled optimism.

Not only this month, put significant money on the suns over at the beginning of preseason. Had no idea of Len progress then, with this Len i see no real weak spots in our roster. How he positioned himself on the floor i dont really believe that his play was a major fluke too.

I`m not saying suns get nr 1 seed, but i sure do believe they are right there, if spurs dont go off for 65/17 or so.

Hey, how does one place these sorts of bets? I see Vegas has us at 50:1 to win the west. I should probably wait until after a sobering loss, but... is there a website or some such? I can't imagine I have to actually travel to Nevada...

[OE32]

Len's explosion was great to see. That being said, we can't expect him to perform like this night-in and night-out. He'll have games where he looks like he did tonight (Tyson Chandler perhaps?) and he'll have games where he has the deer-in-the-headlights look. We just have to be pleased with the flashes of potential and hope that it really crystalizes for him in Year 3.

I disagree with this. The thing is, Alex didn't have to do anything very extraordinary to be so effective. He just played smart defense consistently. His game isn't really about athleticism as it is about staying between the ball and the basket, boxing out, and putting his hands up. He can do this night in, night out. Why not?

[OE32]

Best part of Len's game tonight: He didn't fold under pressure down the stretch in a huge game. Just speechless at how composed he was.

Ditto. Night and day. The change in IQ over the summer is astounding.

ALSO the hands - last year he had awful hands. Now he's catching things, reacting quickly. Just tremendous.

[OE32]

len highlights

[video][/video]

The funny thing is, this video understates his impact on the game. Most highlight videos by their nature do the opposite. But one can't compose a highlight video with clips of a guy whose mere presence shuts down an offense. Amazing. I apologize if my gushing is just so ceaseless. I'll get used to this. It's a new day in Phoenix. We've FIXED THE PAINT!!!

[SwingMan]

len highlights

[video][/video]

The funny thing is, this video understates his impact on the game. Most highlight videos by their nature do the opposite. But one can't compose a highlight video with clips of a guy whose mere presence shuts down an offense. Amazing. I apologize if my gushing is just so ceaseless. I'll get used to this. It's a new day in Phoenix. We've FIXED THE PAINT!!!

You know it - it was Len's intelligent & mobile footwork on defense that stifled the Spurs' offense down low. I can't remember one game in the past where, save for one layup, Duncan's offense came exclusively from outside the lane - none of those damn glass shots, either. He even went & blocked a Ginobili jumper at 20'.

Here's where we can thank Len the most:

Points In The Paint

Suns - 54
Spurs - 36

I've no children and likely never to have any and I know I was initially (pre-draft) very down on Len, but boy, I'll tell you - he made me feel like a proud papa watching his son bloom right before his eyes last night.

And, like I said during the game, I knew it was only a matter of time before his skills would surface, but who the hell knew the kid would be waltzing down the lane making a crucial go-ahead play with a Larry Bird-esque dish to make it a 2 possession game with a hair over a minute to go? Almost like Len's a born clutchster with this and the Boston game on the road last season when he hit an and-1 tip-in for the go ahead with less than a minute to go.

Shit - move the hell over, as I'm making room for two gushers in that damn pond.

[Indy]

-I don't know how we won this game. I've seen this exact same movie every time we've played the Spurs in the last 10 years, but this one ended with a beautiful twist: The good guys won! With defense! And rebounding! In a slow-paced game! After trailing all game!

-I couldn't keep my eyes off of Alex Len. I really don't want to overreact after only one game, but he really seems like he's going to be a difference-maker on the defensive end of the floor. That size, that length. He goes up with arms straight up instead of outward. He boxes out. He hustles. Fuuuuuck.

-I left to go get a drink at concessions, came back a minute later, and my buddy said, "Isaiah just dropped 8 points while you were gone."

-Markieff is the unsung hero this game. He made timely buckets and played great defense.

-Bledsoe had one of those games where he couldn't get the lid off the hoop. So many layups just sat on the rim and then fell off. His defense in the 2nd half was contagious, though.

-The Dragon was quiet this game, which I'm actually encouraged by. Bledsoe and Dragic both struggled, but the Suns still beat the champs.

-HAIL HYDRA

-I actually like the Spurs and their organization, but NOTHING gives me more satisfaction than beating these guys.

You have season tickets, Xylus? If so, where do you sit? I am in 104.

[Indy]

We've FIXED THE PAINT!!!

It is one game. Let's at least wait a week before we claim we fixed the paint.

That said, that game was fucking awesome to watch.

[OE32]

Shit - move the hell over, as I'm making room for two gushers in that damn pond.

It is one game. Let's at least wait a week before we claim we fixed the paint.

Booooo!!!!!

[The Bobster]

We've FIXED THE PAINT!!!

It is one game. Let's at least wait a week before we claim we fixed the paint.

That said, that game was fucking awesome to watch.

True.

But I would be really happy if he averaged 10 and 10 every night.

[Indy]

Who wouldn't?

[Charlie Smithy!]

Informer?

Lol, jokes!

[Xylus]

-I don't know how we won this game. I've seen this exact same movie every time we've played the Spurs in the last 10 years, but this one ended with a beautiful twist: The good guys won! With defense! And rebounding! In a slow-paced game! After trailing all game!

-I couldn't keep my eyes off of Alex Len. I really don't want to overreact after only one game, but he really seems like he's going to be a difference-maker on the defensive end of the floor. That size, that length. He goes up with arms straight up instead of outward. He boxes out. He hustles. Fuuuuuck.

-I left to go get a drink at concessions, came back a minute later, and my buddy said, "Isaiah just dropped 8 points while you were gone."

-Markieff is the unsung hero this game. He made timely buckets and played great defense.

-Bledsoe had one of those games where he couldn't get the lid off the hoop. So many layups just sat on the rim and then fell off. His defense in the 2nd half was contagious, though.

-The Dragon was quiet this game, which I'm actually encouraged by. Bledsoe and Dragic both struggled, but the Suns still beat the champs.

-HAIL HYDRA

-I actually like the Spurs and their organization, but NOTHING gives me more satisfaction than beating these guys.

You have season tickets, Xylus? If so, where do you sit? I am in 104.

I wish. I try to get out to 2-3 games a year, at least. I used to live in Tucson so that was difficult, but I bought a house in Phoenix last year so I'll have the opportunity to attend a lot more games now. I'm shooting for 6 or 7 games this season.

For this game, my wife found a Groupon discount and nabbed 2 tickets for me.

[iLLmatic]

Inf has been mia.

[Indy]

-I don't know how we won this game. I've seen this exact same movie every time we've played the Spurs in the last 10 years, but this one ended with a beautiful twist: The good guys won! With defense! And rebounding! In a slow-paced game! After trailing all game!

-I couldn't keep my eyes off of Alex Len. I really don't want to overreact after only one game, but he really seems like he's going to be a difference-maker on the defensive end of the floor. That size, that length. He goes up with arms straight up instead of outward. He boxes out. He hustles. Fuuuuuck.

-I left to go get a drink at concessions, came back a minute later, and my buddy said, "Isaiah just dropped 8 points while you were gone."

-Markieff is the unsung hero this game. He made timely buckets and played great defense.

-Bledsoe had one of those games where he couldn't get the lid off the hoop. So many layups just sat on the rim and then fell off. His defense in the 2nd half was contagious, though.

-The Dragon was quiet this game, which I'm actually encouraged by. Bledsoe and Dragic both struggled, but the Suns still beat the champs.

-HAIL HYDRA

-I actually like the Spurs and their organization, but NOTHING gives me more satisfaction than beating these guys.

You have season tickets, Xylus? If so, where do you sit? I am in 104.

I wish. I try to get out to 2-3 games a year, at least. I used to live in Tucson so that was difficult, but I bought a house in Phoenix last year so I'll have the opportunity to attend a lot more games now. I'm shooting for 6 or 7 games this season.

For this game, my wife found a Groupon discount and nabbed 2 tickets for me.

Got it. Yeah I traveled so much the last few years I didn't get to go to more than 2 games a year. Had to give away and sell all my tickets.