Definitely, the Spurs like to be where we do not expect them. Fairly unanimously presented as one of the most razor-sharp groups to see play this season, the eternal Texans have yet followed this night with a second full game, after having contained the madness of Ja Morant on Wednesday night. The hero of the evening? DeMar DeRozan, still inspired by the franchise that once got rid of him like an old sock, all because they had found a cleaner one.
The Spurs are this morning at 2-0, and even if all that means absolutely nothing, this proves in any case that the squad of Gregg Popovich remains a basketball team. You surprise me. Two All-Stars on the decline certainly, a few veterans still useful, a 165-year-old coach and young people with medium or high potential, well that makes a basketball team and, sometimes, that is even enough to win matches. Tonight ? The Raptors were in town, so the Raptors remembered fond memories of their former franchise player. Well almost, because last night it is a DeMar DeRozan doubled as an elite sniper who had put on his shorts. A huge first quarter, a … huge last quarter, a very big three (more) at the very end of the match and voila, without forgetting to validate his performance with eight assists and above all … three baskets from the parking lot, performance achieved for the last time over a year ago and only once during the last three seasons, DeMar having developed over time a rather crazy aversion to anything that happens beyond seven meters. I don’t have a title but I have my honor, here is the message sent by DMDR to his former employers, ringed “thanks” to his departure but probably having to shave the mirs when they meet him.
Smooth like a smoothie, fluide like… fluid, DeMar wore his Spurs this night and took with him this incredible crackhead of Patty Mills, untouchable all evening until a missed shot in the money time which finally made him miss the perfect (21 points at 8/9 including 5/6 from the parking lot, and crazy intensity as usual, but this time well directed), but also youngsters Lonnie Walker, Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson, all three greedy at shooting but so refreshing for the dusty franchise five times ringed. A huge start to the game from Keldon, the management of Dejounte, the madness of Lonnie and even the contribution from the bench of Devin Vassell, so many breaths of air for Spurs who nevertheless made headlines during the Free Agency by re-signing Jakob Poeltl and Drew Eubanks. It started badly eh, but as usual the Texans are like the Entrechats, they are there, and this reference forbidden to the under 35 years sounds moreover the time to quickly summarize the match of the Raptors, because you have to satisfy everybody. Pascal Siakam? A tough start to the match before slowly getting lost in his spin-moves, thanks to Nick Nurse for buying him a compass. Kyle Lowry? To be credited with a beautiful duel with Dejounte Murray, probably the NBA player from whom he is the most physically different, but in withdrawal this night, leaving the role of main blaster to Fred VanVleet. Also note the beefy performance of Chris Boucher, incredible intensity and author in particular of seven counters, because it is necessary to fill the voids left by the departures of Marc Gasol and especially Serge Ibaka.
In the end, the youth of the Spurs and his colo director DeMar DeRozan wins, and here is the Texans at 2-0 while Spin City has still not won a single game since the start of the season. The next deadlines for all these little people? Tomorrow in New Orleans for the Spurs ‘3-0, and Wednesday in Philadelphia for the Raptors’ 0-3. We are like that, we get wet.
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