Thank you to everyone who tuned in live for the latest edition of Corporate Knowledge: After Dark, this time after a 132-119 Spurs win in Los Angeles during the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.

San Antonio is now bound for Las Vegas and a semifinal date with the Oklahoma City behemoth.

Now 9-3 without Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs continue to make the case they belong in that second tier of playoff contenders. On Wednesday night, they relentlessly ripped apart a Lakers team whose defense simply could not keep up with San Antonio’s three-headed monster at guard, and whose offense was forced into a prodding and repetitive mid-range attack. Eventually, the math won out for the Spurs, who now get a chance to at least attempt a takedown of the seemingly unstoppable Thunder.

Show topics included:

• Spurs ran it down the Lakers’ throats as often as they could — off steals, misses, makes… you name it
• San Antonio opted for a conservative drop coverage defense, forcing Los Angeles into the mid-range and limiting shots from 3 and at the rim
• Stephon Castle was a monster in just his second game back from injury
• The Lakers eventually made their run, and once again the Spurs thwarted an opponent’s late-game surge

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Thank you to everyone who tuned in live for the latest edition of Corporate Knowledge: After Dark, this time after a 135-132 Spurs win in New Orleans.

Just days after losing the third quarter 44-19 in Cleveland on its way to a seventh loss, San Antonio was once again dragged 45-23 in the 12 minutes after halftime. I wish I had an exact answer for what’s going on, but I do not, dear reader/listener. It’s not as if there’s one recurring issue, or one player in particular performing poorly on the regular. The ailments are myriad, and I will be diving into them more.

But in a crowded Western Conference, you do not apologize for any win, no matter how ugly. And against the Pelicans, you saw a teenager take the game into his own hands for the eventual game-sealing bucket, which gives everyone a good enough reason to celebrate.

Show topics included:

• You guessed it: What the hell is happening in these third quarters?
• Harrison Barnes kept San Antonio afloat as everything slipped away; his baskets kept them in a game that could’ve gotten away even further.
• Dylan Harper, a 19-year-old, ultimately saves the day.
• What to make of the trio of Harper, De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle in their first game together this season.

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Postgame show topics included:

• The third quarter doomed the Spurs, and there simply wasn’t enough left in the tank to make any sort of real run
• Cleveland took 54 percent of its shots at the rim and scored 80 points in the paint. That’s crazy, and a nearly impossible stat to overcome.
• The absence of Luke Kornet was obvious on the defensive end, but they badly missed his screening, rolling, passing and rebounding on the offensive end as well.
• This schedule is just nuts — basically like another Rodeo Road Trip — and San Antonio is going to have to take advantage of these two days off in New Orleans to refuel.

For those of you who would like to join live in the future and get in on the chat, you can do so by first downloading the Substack app and subscribing to Corporate Knowledge. You’ll get a notification when we hit the air, which will be shortly after as many road games as we can. If you do miss a show, fear not. They will be sent out via newsletter either late that night or at some point the next day, and will also be available on the Small Market Bias podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.

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First, Matthew Tynan and Trevor Zickgraf break down San Antonio's recent performances and discuss why there are signs that all this success could be sustainable. Getting into dangerous territory here.

Then, conversation about how all the injuries since the start of training camp have allowed so many players to embrace their roles and find their footing, and the critical signing and performance of Luke Kornet during Victor Wembanyama's absence.

Finally, because y'all love the transaction talk, Tynan transforms into a wet blanket once again to throw cold water on the Giannis rumors.

Episode produced by Tyler Prince.

For more of Matthew Tynan's work, check out the Corporate Knowledge newsletter.

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Thank you to everyone who tuned in live for the latest edition of Corporate Knowledge: After Dark, this time after a 125-112 Spurs loss in chilly Minnesota.

Postgame show topics included:

• Going 2-2 on a trip through Phoenix, Portland, Denver and Minnesota is a damn good outcome, and that victor over the Nuggets was an eye-opener
• Spurs aren’t letting the other shoe drop, they look legit
• San Antonio played an ultra-aggressive defensive scheme that reminded of the 2024 Mavs during their Finals run, Sean Sweeney’s former team
• It’s been fun watching Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell grow into their own with this iteration of the team; Keldon has been on a roll all season, now let’s see if Devin can sustain
• When the opposition’s shot starts to fall and they take better care of the ball, the Spurs can’t get out and run; and when they couldn’t get out and run Sunday, the halfcourt offense could not find any rhythm

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Thank you to everyone who tuned in live for the latest edition of Corporate Knowledge Live, the day after San Antonio lost 111-102 in Phoenix.

It was the start of a difficult road trip which continues Wednesday in Portland before moving on to Denver and Minnesota after Thanksgiving Day. And they’ll have to do it all without key players. Not great!

Topics included:

• What went wrong against the Suns
• It’s good San Antonio has the depth it does, but there are a lot of bodies missing in action
• Devin Vassell is having the most balanced season of his career, but the shooting numbers are really lagging
• Then, after the game recap, we finish the leftover questions from the most recent mailbag

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Matthew Tynan fields questions from subscribers over at the Corporate Knowledge newsletter (matthewtynan.substack.com), covering a wide range of topics.

In the show:

• Would the Spurs consider playing at a slower pace to help prevent all these soft-tissue injuries moving forward?
• What if San Antonio leaned into Victor Wembanyama as a No. 2 option rather than a No. 1, allowing him to conserve energy and wear and tear?
• What do we make of the early seasons of Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan?
• Plus, more...

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First, Matthew Tynan and Jared Weiss take a long look at the ongoing Wembanyama evolution, and what to expect going forward as the Spurs big man continues to adjust to everything defenses are throwing his way.

Then, the discussion shifts to how the rest of San Antonio's young core is benefitting from the gravitational pull of both Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox.

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