[Highlight] Stephon Castle isn’t fazed by the pressure and makes two clutch free throws to put the Spurs up 4, with 6.8 seconds remaining in regulation.
Cold as fuck for someone that young
The whole team
Wemby is obviously playing great, Dylan Harper as a rookie has great moments and Castle just had an incredible game as a 21 year old
If they develop accordingly as Spurs fans would hope it’ll be something else. Having Harper, Wembanyama, & Castle reach their potential all together in the future is quite the thought.
Crazy how OKC fans probably felt the same way in 2012 lol
Their games didn’t complement each other nearly as well as this trio does, even if the talent level was arguably better.
Yeah Westbrook, Harden and KD to an extent needed the ball. Wemby doesn’t and the Spurs in general are better defenders so they work well together.
The OKC trio was better at the time though imo cause KD and Westbrook were both All NBA level players. Castle probably gets there in a year or two
This core is younger than that thunder team by 1 to 2 years.
Even Castle and Harper can play off-ball really well. They’re good screeners, much better at catch-&-shoot than pull ups, and overall excellent cutters
Egos are cancerous.
Most definitely lol. A shame what happened to that trio.
To be fair they seem to be idiots. So all in all they did good.
The difference being is that all three of Wembanyama, Castle, and Harper are great defenders, with one of them being among the best in the sport ever
Westbrook was better than Castle and Harden was better than Harper even if they are better defenders
Unfortunately Harden played poorly and they were against LeBron and Wade so they didn’t really have a chance in the finals
i wouldnt say westbrook is better than castle just yet, what castle did this whole playoff is insane
As of this moment there’s no world where it’s fair to say Castle is better than Westbrook. Maybe one day, but as of right now it’s just crazy.
im comparing both of them at 21 yo, castle is a major part of the teams defense and offense, westbrook also didn’t have a deep playoff run like castle’s
I misunderstood. That makes a lot more sense.
Just to add some context.
Durant was 23
Harden was 22
Westbrook was 23
For this spurs team.
Wemby is 22
Castle is 21
Harper is 20
This core is younger than that thunder team.
True this team is a year ahead of the OKC one
I also think these guys get along better than that OKC team did. I get the sense they all actually want to play together and they have styles that complement each other unlike OKC.
I’m pretty sure all 3 were friends in 2012 but yeah the Spurs compliment each other better. I’m curious to see how Dylan Harper feels after year 2 and 3. He’s playing well for a rookie and if he continues to develop he might want to become the 1st option on a team instead of 2⁄3.
Too early to tell obviously but you never know with the NBA
TBH I think there’s a serious possibility Harper could be the 1st option on an early 2030s Spurs team. It’s simply easier to manufacture points from the guard position than as a big man, and Wemby seems generally content being a pop/roll man most of the time. Could honestly see a world where Wemby is the leading scorer off of a majority diet of lobs/pops while the offense runs through Dylan with Castle still getting his.
Harper 1, Wemby 2, Castle 3 is not crazy at all. Lets both Castle and Wemby save energy for defense. And Castle is a solid screener for a guard so you could run some interesting actions.
Also, I just forsee a future where there’s a lot of Harper to Castle and Castle to Harper on drives and kicks. Can be a shot but the ideal is to let either Castle or Harper play 4 on 3 or 3 on 2 (because Wemby/Harper/Castle always draw 2 and one of the others either rolling, popping, or relocating for three is such a threat that every action can occupy 2-3, defenders easily)
I don’t think we keep Fox after this contract; I think Harper improves more next year and earns the starting spot and we end up trading DFox.
I think the fact that Wemby is clearly their franchise player helps a lot. Imo that OKC team had to deal with more ego issues which resulted in chemistry problems.
Them young boys coming
I really loved that okc team. Except for sefolosha starting over harden. That shit always pissed me off lol
I mean it made sense. 3 and D wing to complement Russ and KD, while Harden would come in and run the offense, which he couldn’t do with Russ in the game
Different era. Teams are now encouraged to draft and maintain their core players
These players are already being forged in the hottest of fires. Poise beyond their years.
I just hope they learn to shoot. Harper has been great but is 2-15 from 3. Fox can’t shoot. Castle is getting left open like Hart. If they can just get to hitting wide open C&S 3s that’ll be a game changer
Even if they don’t improve a huge amount as players, and the Spurs don’t strengthen their squad further in the offseason, so many of the mistakes they’ve made this series come from inexperience, so when they stop making those after growing a bit and having playoff experience… they’re still gonna be scary as fuck. And that’s like, almost the worst case scenario.
Too expensive unfortunately
And the cherry on top is Carter improving next season too. Even if his minutes are low getting this much playoff experience so early is incredible for him.
I know he’s open, but damn those 3s by Dylan were brutal lol. Feel like it means he’s due for a big shooting game?
That’s what i noticed in the OKC games too. They didn’t even look like they were drafted in the last 3 years.
His size and usage I think makes us forget that he is a year younger than Wemby. If he takes a leap similar to that Wemby took this year compared to last year, Castle is going to be a shoo-in for all star and outside chance of making all-nba 3rd team.
I thought Castle should’ve been our all star over Fox this year honestly. His defense is such a big difference maker.
And double credit to him for the finish - pretty much helped seal the deal for the Spurs!
Castle is #1 in dawgs per minute (DpM) in the NBA currently.
Spurs gonna have the best big man and player in the world (Wemby) along with the best backcourt in the league (Castle/Harper) in the near future.
dont forget champagne and vassell, they always contributing on offense
Role players they may not be able to keep.
Wemby/Castle/Harper is the foundation they’ll build around.
yeah, i hope they can keep them. it will be interesting to see how the team develops with this playoff experience
Yup great comeback game by him.
https://streamable.com/70iqel
Even if he leaves the Spurs someday I’ll still follow his career.
He’s just got that energy about him
The garden is overrated
Age doesn’t matter. He was born a true clutch player.
At 21 years old, in the finals, in madison square garden, I’m missing both.
I’m missing both in an empty gym
I’m missing both with the trash can next to me
Boaf of ‘em
At 21, I was a college bum routinely pulling 10+ hour gaming sessions
both everything.
Crazy to admit that when I’d hit both.
Spurs really struck gold in 3 straight drafts
GM got 3 top 4 picks and didnt fuck it up, get him in the hall immediately
You’d be surprised at how many fuck it up. Shoutout the Suns for drafting Dragan Bender, Josh Jackson, and DeAndre Ayton in the top 5 3 straight years
I know, im being completely serious while also poking fun at the other overpaid fantasy owners
Bro my day’s been bad enough can I not catch McDonough strays 😭
I mean Wemby was automatic #1 but the other two are impressive lmao
Harper was also the consensus #2 after Flagg.
But many seemed to want to trade him because “they have too many guards”.. Giannis, KD deals, draft day deals to trade down
Many would’ve traded down after signing Fox
Harper not so impressive he could end up being better than Flagg you never know
The Sixers would
I mean its been pop and rc I think for like 20 years now so yeah basically already are. If I remember correctly they have basically both been involved in picking the players
Right before the draft odds and rules changed lol
I wonder if Wemby, Harper, or Castle turned out to be a bum then that particular rule might not have changed 🤔
I think with the new lottery system, that rule had to be changed anyhow. With a flattened lottery, teams will be able to rebuild over much larger windows, there won’t be cases of getting “too good too quick” anymore. So you have to limit a team potentially getting insanely lucky with 4 or 5 top 5 picks in a row (whereas before, they would’ve become too good after the first 2⁄3 top picks)
And the new draft odds favors them with their upcoming picks from other teams. Just insane lol
Spurs fans always grateful the Rockets decided to take Sheppard with the #3 pick. LOL
He was coached by Hurley. You can clearly tell
Not a single UConn fan on the planet even considered he might miss, unfortunately for them a lot are also Knicks fans lol
Yeah I’m a big UConn fan so it sucks lol. He’s so good and I’m so happy for him but fuck man
The New York/Mass CT breakdown is so funny.
I live in Northern CT/Boston Celtics territory. Every person I know is rooting for Castle this series. 😂
how is dude so calm cool and collected
Played for UConn, was always in big games at MSG
Former UConn champion.
Specifically 2024 UConn, that team absolutely steamrolled everybody in March Madness, including a Zach Edey-led Purdue team in the national championship
The President Dipshit Curse was more powerful than the Danhausen Uncurse
[deleted]
genuinely fuck trump tho. hes a damn infection
I don’t think anybody talking about a very nice, very evil vampire wrestler cursing and then uncursing a basketball team is being serious big daddy-o
Young lion .. fearless
Cold as ice
Meamwhile, the bald guy in the background was depressed AF. Lol
I was getting Kawhi 2013 PTSD flashbacks on this one. Same situation, also at 21, and he went 1⁄2.
Castle is ice cold
Kawhi’s missed free throw was literally my first thought when Castle went to the line too lol
Or George Hill who looked more scared than any player in the history of the association
Unfazed by storrs South
Church
Spurs need to send a ring to Dan Hurley
UCONN ALUM READY FOR THE PRESSURE!!!
Couldn’t believe the people saying the Spurs would be fazed by this arena.
They seem to thrive in these situations. That game 7 in OKC was such a thing of beauty.
They won twice in OKC last round including game 7. These kids aren’t scared.
With people saying that I was like “Castle thinks this is his second home court..”
2 ballsy FT makes in the Finals. Gotta respect it.
Superstar
Some of the hot hands are still hot, but the Knicks have reverted to Brunson heavy iso ball, and the Spurs have been smothering it
I’m really hoping dropping this game breaks their spirit and they keep it up 😬
Did the Knicks revert, or did the Spurs defense push Brunson to iso more?
Some of it is Knicks off ball movement being handcuffed with smaller defenders guarding KAT, Mikal, etc. and Wemby leaving Hart open. They gotta figure out how to bully back smaller guys without picking up a foul
Spurs will be a problem just like Duncan Parker and Manu era
“will be”
I think we’re past that point. lol
Ice in the veins.
Probably the toughest free throws in his career so far.
Steph’s FT% went UP from the regular season (73%) to the playoffs (81%).
Kid’s a no-doubt playoff riser.
Great free throws but as the veteran and a good FT shooter yourself I was kinda shocked Fox passed the ball.
Who cares if you get trapped with 6 seconds left just hold the ball and make them foul you. I guess he made the right play though.
Looking it up though I guess Castle has taken twice as many FT’s as fox this playoffs already.
I think Fox was going full speed expecting Castle to wait for him to get in the backcourt. So then his momentum could have led to a backcourt violation, so he immediately caught it and passed it back. I saw it as quick thinking by Fox, and fortunate he was able to get it to Castle. Just a miscommunication that would have been a devastating turnover
Took an extra 3 seconds off the clock though. Also Fox is an awful FT shooter for a guard
They’re both solid at them but with Castle I expect him to collect more opportunities at the line than Fox.
The league is hyper fucked if either Harper or Castle develop a good 3 point shot.
At the start of the season I saw this man brick so many free throws it geniunely looked so bad. tough shit for him to make these
OKC, they say, is louder.
Stephon’s Moving Castle
Bigly
With the way he shoots those FTs. He’s chill.
it’s amazing what you can accomplish when you are not a bissssshhh
If the organization is able to keep everybody together and happy for a few more years, this team is going to go down in history. So many young studs.
reminds me of another 6’6 defensive spurs player in his second season shooting two free throws at the end to seal a finals game, except they got the good ending
Maybe if the crowd didnt instantly stop the noise after the first shot he’d feel pressure
The only way this game could truly end, with the spurs shooting free throws…
That’s right baby! A win is a win. You guys know best!
I second that. They had 10 more ft once again lol