The Spurs are not LeBron James
by Rand on Jul 4, 2010 4:13 PM CDT
Email
PrintPOP QUIZ:
1) Two seasons ended early last season. Which one was more of a surprise:
A - The unstoppable Cavs, led by the greatest human being ever to draw breath, losing to the hapless and mediocre Celtics?
B - The Spurs, who have been D-U-N done for half a decade, finally getting knocked out by the far more talented and exciting Phoenix Suns?
--
If you answered 'A', congratulations! You're qualified to be an NBA analyst! Which is good, because I'd hate to see you fixing cars, unblocking toilets, or doing any other kind of important job with real-world consequences.
After Dennis Green's Cardinals got destroyed in the last few minutes of a game against the Bears, with Arizona's vaunted defense finally crumbling to the mighty Chicago offense, he spoke these famous words:
"The Bears are who we thought they were. They're who we thought they were. We played them in preseason — who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it's bullshit? Bullshit! We played them in the third game — everybody played three quarters — the Bears are who we thought they were! That's why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let 'em off the hook!"
Ever since, the phrase "they are who we thought they were" has been a popular way of explaining the situation when the pundits manage to talk themselves into ignoring the facts and chasing a so-hot-right-now theory. It's basically been the go-to shoulder-shrug every season, when the Spurs awake from a listless first half to finish strong. "Hey, it's the Spurs. It's what they do. They are who we thought they were." The problem is, some reality never quite manages to get noticed for long enough to become "what we thought," especially when it conflicts with a fiction that has already been generally accepted. Y'know how the Spurs have been too old and too unathletic for the past decade, while putting together an unmatched string of 50-win seasons? Well ... that's who we thought they were.
Back to the original question.
Which early exit was really more surprising, if you cut through the hype and look at the history? The fact is, the Cavs were just doing what they always do: tearing it up in the regular season, then folding like a deck chair when faced with real championship-level competition. Nobody thought the Celtics were a championship-level squad, and in all honesty they weren't. But they had been in the past, and they were still close, and so we all witnessed King Chalkman set off for his annual fishing trip right on schedule.
How about the Spurs? What can we say about getting swept by the Suns? Well, we can say that we faced a team that's been building itself to beat us for the last several years. We can say that the Suns were legitimately the best they've been in modern history. But in the end, no explanation is complete without acknowledging that, really, we have no %$!&ing idea what happened. Random role-players exploded for huge games, bad calls came at awful times, our most reliable producers came up short. It was a perfect storm. It was certainly devastating, and needs to be deconstructed carefully as we head into a new season. The fact, however, is that the whole affair had a palpable freakishness about it.
When Green said that the Bears were "who we thought they were" he meant that, at the end of the day, the law of averages kicks in. Outliers are interesting, exciting, perplexing ... but at the end of the day, performance trends towards its "true" level. Look at the late, not so great RJ - he was always a ballin' first-option scorer who never really carried things to the next level ... and when he landed in San Antone, he did what he do. So, now that he's (probably) gone, what's the truth about the Spurs who remain? Who are they?
Tim Duncan - We know who he is. We know he's getting older, we know he's not the dominating force he used to be. We also know that he's the greatest power forward in the history of the game, with a reputation for reliability that has reach the point of being a punchline. Excellence is who he is - a few key, underwhelming games against a team designed to negate him were an outlier. Disregard the outlier, and the excellence remains.
Manu Ginobili - We know who he is. He was unhealthy for a long time ... then he got healthy and destroyed the league. He's not playing international ball this summer because, as much as he loves and needs the competition, he's determined to be healthy next year. He's an NBA, Olympic, and World Champion. Every time we forget this, he reminds us that he is who he's always been.
Tony Parker - We know who he is. Of course, somebody's always trying to get rid of him, so I would suggest the following formula to govern any trade proposal: we will happily trade Mr. Longoria for any PG who can match his speed and finishing ability while still fitting into the notoriously complex Spurs system, as long as he's demonstrated his abilities by being more crucial to a Championship victory than a teammate who also happens to be one of the greatest players in history. ANYBODY who fits those criteria, I'm happy to trade for TP. Straight up. Except there's nobody else like that in the league. He's the only one, and - once he's recovered fully from the injuries that slowed him down (but still make him our secret weapon in downing the Mavs) last year - he'll be who we've always known him to be.
Well, those are the Big 3. As for the rest of the squad? It's not all good news; Matt Bonner is who we thought he was: slow and inexplicably crappy in the Playoffs. Bogans is who we thought he was: a tough defender who's never really gonna be much more than that. But think about what else we know:
Antonio McDyess - When we signed him, we thought he was an immensely wily and effective veteran who would lay low during the regular season and then turn it up in the Playoffs. Then we despaired, because he did nothing much during the regular season. Then he broke the Mavericks' heart with his defense and his daggers in the Playoffs. He is who we knew he was.
George Hill - We know how good he was last year, and we know he's gotten better every year we've had him. We know that he thrives on pressure, and we know that his chief weakness has been a lack of experience, and we know that he's now had more playoff experience than 90% of the NBA. We know that, when he's on, he's a problem that the rest of the League doesn't know how to solve. And we know that he's only gonna keep being who he's been.
DeJuan Blair - We saw four things from this young man last year:
1) Insanely destructive rebounding
2) Total lack of fear.
3) Pure humility, hard work and hustle.
4) Rookie mistakes.
One of those things is likely to be different this year. Otherwise, he is who he is.
What can we say about this team? We can say that they're one of the top handful of teams in the world - not because that's what we want to believe, or because that's the fashionable notion, but because it's who they are and have been. A few things may change over the summer and the regular season - we'll bring on a few role players, no doubt, and may even add a certain seven-foot sharpshooting defender with an international track record of championship success. But at base, the Spurs are who we thought they were, and that's something that every Spurs fan should be grateful for, because...
Nope, screw it:
THE SPURS WERE AS GOOD AS ANY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE LAST YEAR. OUR LOSS WAS A FLUKE, THE TEAM THAT BEAT US IS HISTORY, AND WHAT WE'RE BRINGING BACK WILL BE EVEN BETTER THAN WHAT WE LEFT WITH EVEN IF WE DON'T ADD ANYTHING.
That's who the Spurs are. They're at least as good as the Lakers - right now, as is, in any seven-game series you want to play - and it looks like we might be about to add a guy who, based on an actual proven track record of professional play, could absolutely be an all-star caliber player who fills our exact personnel needs.
The Spurs are not LeBron James. They are not flashy losers - they are a core of 24-karat all-time greatness that demonstrates its uncompromising superiority year after year after year. This year ended with a flukey loss, but it was still a great year. Next year is going to be ****ing awesome.
Peace, y'all.
-Rand
227 comments
|
24 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Great work once again, Rand. You’re always who we thought you were.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Jul 4, 2010 7:45 PM CDT reply actions
Excellant Post!!!!!!
I agree with everything besides the Lebron bashing. I didn’t think the Cavs were that good of a team and i actually thought the Celtics were like us in the fact that they knew that the playoffs is when the season starts. Lebron is as good as advertised even though some might not like his flashy antics on the side line or his hand shakes. But who could take that shitty team they had in Cleveland and get them to win that many games and who destroyed one of the best defensive teams in Detriot a few years ago and single handedly beat them. This is the same guy who with daniel Gibson being there second best player took a team to the finals against us! I will admit i think he threw the game against the Celtics this year but i think it was more of him thinking, there is no way in hell i can keep doing this by myself! I mean even Jordan, Kobe, D. Wade, and Tim needed true all star help.
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
I also mean Excellent Post
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
by gunnin' gervin on Jul 4, 2010 7:54 PM CDT up reply actions
losing 4-0 isn’t a fluke.
free malik hairston!
perth wildcats - 2009/2010 nbl champions baby!
by sleep research facility on Jul 4, 2010 8:20 PM CDT reply actions
Sleep research
Are you from Perth, Australia?
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
by gunnin' gervin on Jul 4, 2010 8:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Isn’t worth anything that each game could have gone either way?
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
no. getting swept is not a fluke. phoenix was better than us.
free malik hairston!
perth wildcats - 2009/2010 nbl champions baby!
by sleep research facility on Jul 5, 2010 3:39 AM CDT up reply actions
and to be honest,
each game could have gone either way
i don’t think thats true either.
free malik hairston!
perth wildcats - 2009/2010 nbl champions baby!
by sleep research facility on Jul 5, 2010 3:41 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree that it wasn’t a fluke.PHX was just coming back when they were down and we had the worst times of RQC’s,which is BS!Without those RQC’s we could have won it in a game 7 or lost to a game 6.
Nate Robinson is one-eighth Filipino.How the hell that happen?His great granpa?Anyways its not really a big deal.Now back to your Spurs news.Antonio McDyess has a 42" Vertical Leap.
um, without RQC we would unstoppable
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Jul 5, 2010 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
So what you are saying is that every off season move has to be geared to avoiding RQCs?
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Actually, that’s not a bad idea.
If we took that angle, how would you approach this off-season?
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
I dont know if you are joking but Ill bite. I would analyze all the available players (on the trade block and in free agency) and study their per quarter production. I would find players that consistently suck in a specific quarter so there are no surprises. Plan A would build a starting 5 of players that have different crappy quarters so as to not have many of them sucking it up at the same time. Plan B would be to concentrate on players that suck in the 2nd quarter which is clearly the least important quarter around. Plan B would replace RQCs with SQCs. Hey, better a bird in hand than two flying around.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
First, I was serious, so thanks for taking this on.
Second, you took this in a direction that I’d have never expected. Very interesting, and I like Plan A the best. Although, I’m not sure that this is very practical, real-world wise.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
It is not. Was not aiming at practicality. More of and idea you would find at a drunk and wild brainstorming session.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
If we took that angle, how would you approach this off-season?
Focus on defense. Even the best offense runs hot and cold. Spurs have always had scoring droughts but they could survive by getting stops.
by doggydogworld on Jul 5, 2010 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions
that is how we used to run it. RQC are not a big deal when you have a defense that forces the other team into a RQC as well……but those days seems to be gone for us
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
You forgot to sigh.
A comment like that fairly screams out for a big, disappointed sigh at the end of it.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
I absolutely agree that Phoenix was the better team, but the reason I say it should mean something that we were pretty much in each game is because it means that there are only minor adjustments we need to make this summer.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
losing 4-0 isn’t a fluke.
I agree
The fact, however, is that the whole affair had a palpable freakishness about it.
It only seemed that way, because of what we’re used to seeing from the Spurs. Frankly, most of what you described can be attributed to the Spurs horrid pick and roll defense. Spurs defenses of the past would never have let the Suns get so many wide open 3s. Not to mention, every time the Suns needed an important basket they did a basic pick and roll with Amare and Nash and were successful 95% time. When a team runs the same basically play repeatedly and you still can’t stop it, you deserve to be swept.
Please don’t make me cry no more.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
if Dragic doesn’t go nuts on us in Game 3, we possibly win that game and go into game 4 down 2-1 and not 3-0….
even bigger than that, I believe wholeheartedly the Suns sweep was a huge benefit by injury…I’m talking about Robin Lopez….If Robin Lopez had played, the Spurs would have matched up far better….Jarron Collins played the first 8 minutes of every game and then sat on the bench for the rest of it. Lopez would have had more than 8 minutes. Who’s minutes are those? Frye’s? Amare’s? Dudley’s? Amundson’s? Those guys are more of a matchup problem for the Spurs than a traditional big. We have 3 to 4 players that function on defense on Lopez, and Duncan would eat his lunch on offense just like he did to Dampier and Haywood in the series before. Frye was dragging Dice, Duncan, and Blair into no man’s land when he was out behind the 3. Amare was killing us with the pick and roll. These games weren’t blowouts and the Spurs commonly lead early and sometimes late. Lopez’s absence, Hill’s inexperienced pick and roll defense, and our lack of bench production cost us the series. I think we could have overcome two of those, but not all three.
You’re saying the series swung b/c of an injury to a PHX player? How about Manu’s shot being far less accurate after his encounter with Dirk’s elbow? I think that injury was far more important in the outcome of those games.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
another factor, true, but manu was still out there and manu doesn’t have to shoot well to help the team…i think Lopez’s absence was bigger
You are assuming that Gentry does not realize that Lopez is not a good match up for the Spurs.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
manu doesn’t have to shoot well to help the team
Regardless of whether Manu can find a way to help, the team isn’t at it’s best with a sub-par Manu. And this incarnation of the Spurs can’t win without at least a near-peak Ginobili.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
Manu’s numbers are pretty good against Phoenix and better than they were against Dallas. The shitty part is that we had to play him 38 minutes a game against Phoenix and only 32 against Dallas.
Phoenix constantly crowded him up high on the p&r. Manu made good passes to open shooters.
But there should have been more ppl cutting into the lane for him to drop the ball off to, especially RJ, but that never happened.
I would say that the Phoenix defense played zone making it harder to cut into the lanes because no one was hitting a shot. If you aren’t hitting your shots, there’s no reason for the defense to play man to man honestly.
Spurs made the Suns defense stronger than it actually was. It’s easier to rotate when you need to when you are playing zone or sagging into the zone.
I like it as well. but...
even with a horrible year, we’re out RJ’s 12ppg and have no suitable SF option
Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.
4-0 ain’t a fluke, but I LOVE the optimism. Rec’d
"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas." -Davy Crockett
"Give me an army of West Point graduates, and I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies, and I'll win a war." -Gen. George S. Patton
Maybe Ginobili’s noise injury and parkers shoulder injury in game 4 has somethign to do with the sweep.
GO SPURS GO
SPURS 2011 NBA Champions (if team is healty LoL)
Tony got hurt in game 3 when his BFF and future Knick teammate A’m’a’r’e submarined him in the 2nd quarter. The game (and series) changed in that instant. We were up 16 with TP at the line, but he could barely lift his arm and missed both. Showing incredible grit led the break on the very next play and drew a foul from Barbosa. But he missed both those FTs as well. This was the start of a 4+ minute stretch in which the Spurs scored only 1 point and the lead shrank below double digits.
The Spurs still clung to a 6 point lead with a minute left in the 3rd when Dragic finally scored his first points of the game. And as we all know, once a perennial MVP like Dragic gets started there is simply no shutting him down.
by doggydogworld on Jul 5, 2010 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
ddw, this is an awesome post. I’d missed a lot of this and appreciate your synopsis/recap. See, the night of G3, I was forced (due to personal reasons that have nothing to do with the discussion at hand) to watch the game with the sound down, while having a non-basketball conversation.
Needless to say, without 100% of my attention on the game, certain details escaped my notice, or flew by without being properly recorded. As a result, I couldn’t have told anyone when it was that Tony was hurt, or how and by whom.
Anyway, you have my thanks, and I’ll leave it at that.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
I definitely remember Tony getting knocked down pretty hard and getting hurt, and my respect for him went up after he went full bore after that anyway. However, I think it was someone else that really did the hard (and imo dirty) foul, but cannot think of who it was right now.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
I was at the game and remember the moment as a clear turning point. ESPN Play-by-Play confirms it was Apostrohpe (8:02 left in 2nd quarter):
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=300507024&period=0
JRW – I have one word for you: DVR. Or maybe I should say one acronym? Anyway, it’s better to watch late than watch distracted. Only downside is you can’t participate in game threads.
by doggydogworld on Jul 6, 2010 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Even if I had a DVR (for which I yearn with all of my sports loving soul, but they’re notoriously difficult to find/obtain/manage without some kind of cable/satellite service, which I refuse to get) I’m not sure that I would’ve re-watched it after the Spurs had gone to 0-3.
There’s only so much abuse I choose to sign up for, and I think I’d already reached my limit for May by that point in the series.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
I’m not sure that I would’ve re-watched it
I’m not talking about re-watching. I typically record the game and start watching once the kids are in bed. I might be an hour or two behind, but it feels “live” to me. I obviously can’t log on to PTR or listen to the radio or turn on ESPN and watch the live updates at the bottom of the screen. But I can fast-forward through commercials, do my own “instant replays” and pause the action if my wife or kids need to talk about something. I don’t know how I was ever able to even watched sports BD (Before DVR).
by doggydogworld on Jul 6, 2010 2:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, do you know of any DVR’s that’ll work in conjunction with my digital antenna. I’m broadcast only, baby.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
You are stuck in your ways, I like that. Even though it is 2010, your digital antenna works just fine.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
It does indeed.
But I’d love to find a DVR that’s designed to work WITH it, but it seems that the entire DVR industry is in bed with the cable/satellite companies to the point that consumers like me are left out in the cold.
::sigh::
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
You can buy a used Tivo for peanuts on EBay but I think you have to subscribe. Probably a turnoff for someone dead set against cable and dish. As someone who’s watched cable 40+ years I don’t really get it, but I EMBRACE DIVERSITY.
Look into someone like this:
There are also cheaper devices like EyeTV which turn your Mac or PC into a DVR.
by doggydogworld on Jul 6, 2010 5:15 PM CDT up reply actions
There is probably tuner card/software combo that will turn your PC into a DVR. Are you willing to use the PC? If yes I will poke around and see what exists.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
Haters will be haters?
Hey! Thanks for the great post. It was interesting and entertaining. However I do have one disagreement; that disagreement is with your discounting of Richard Jefferson (this then turns into a larger point to all Spurs fans). In all probability, unless something unpredictable happens, RJ will be staying with the Spurs for at least another season. I don’t think he will be gone and I think down the road he will be crucial to the Spurs’ success.
“Crucial? Are you crazy? Who the hell are you, “The Augustus”? Didn’t you watch ANY of the games last season?" Perhaps these are some of the thoughts coursing through the brains of some PTR readers. The thing is I think RJ WILL be important and though he has been hated on in the past, this could be his year to shine.
There was a reason why people were excited at the beginning of last season when RJ was signed. He has skills. He can drive and slash but can also shoot the ball too. I saw flashes of this throughout the season though I regrettably never saw it on a frequent basis. Part of me believes it was difficult for RJ because he was new; hell the team was new! The ever important “click” and the building of chemistry really only started to show at the end of the season-and then promptly disappeared against Phoenix.
With another year under his belt, I believe RJ will be a better Spur and I think Pop is helping him work out the kinks in his game. I don’t know what Pop’s plans are (shit…I hope there are plans!). Whatever needs to be done should be done because a Big Three that is firing on all cylinders with support from Hill, Blair, and hopefully Anderson, could be a deadly team to face indeed. Perhaps RJ requires to be spoon-fed sometimes by Manu? Who cares?! As long as he is playing great, I don’t mind at all.
Perhaps this is all hot-air. We’ll see. All I know is that there was a reason oh so very long ago that people were happy that the famed RJ was joining the Spurs and I believe that reason still exists. Hopefully the Spurs and RJ do too. Go Spurs Go!
by The Augustus on Jul 5, 2010 2:45 AM CDT reply actions 6 recs
I like your thinking.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Jul 5, 2010 6:58 AM CDT up reply actions
I defended RJ last year up until the end of the season. nice to see that another sucker has come along to try and save this poor, confused player. good luck with that
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Jul 5, 2010 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Thanks everyone. Yes Artis, I still have hope for RJ! I have no grudges against the FO for the trade; I would have done it myself. It was a risk, the FO took it, and it failed to pay off. However I would like to see this as a more long-term benefit. Perhaps this year and the year after may yet see RJ become a vital member and contributor to the team. My fingers are crossed!
by The Augustus on Jul 5, 2010 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions
I hear you. I remember when we got him Pop said his plan was to get him to go back to playing the defense he used to play when he first got into the league. Maybe thats his plan. I think Jason Kidd might have made RJ into a scorer when his true role was to be a defender. Who knows? I definitely agree that his best times with the Spurs are yet to come.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
Yeah!!! Don’t forget RJ’s defense against big wings. He’s the only player on our roster with the size and athleticism to check guys like Melo. Judging RJ against his $15 million contract it’s easy to say he did shitty. With that gone now let’s just judge him against other small forwards in the league (assuming that he stays in San Antonio).
"It's Manuway or the Highway" - tlo
judging against other small forwards in the league and he is still shitty
RJ Small Forward stats only
12th in points
15 in mpg
10 in FG% – his best stat
28th in 3% – his worse stat
Yep, for 15million he is still shitty. “defense” and all
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
there are 30 teams….we didn’t sign him for 15 million and you can’t fault a guy for taking money that idiots offer
Also, depending upon if he comes back, his cost will definitely average down. And like you said, his opting out will save the Spurs a lot of money.
With that said, if the Spurs didn’t trade, they would have been trouble this season anyway. Replace RJ with Bowen and I’m sure he would be filling some of the heat (not as bad with a smaller contract though and his previous positives)
I’m in the same boat as you and think you make some great points. I also believe RJ is going to be with the Spurs for a few more years and I am ok with that. I think he got unfairly judged last season because of the amount of money he made, and also because our expectations for him was that he was going to take us to the Championship as a member of the Big 4.
When I look at the situation, I look at it more in the longer term. Eventually (in a year or two unfortunately), my favorite player TD is no longer going to be on this team and the Spurs won’t be a kick it into the post first team. We are going to resemble a little more athletic and running team. Parker (assuming he’s resigned), a year or two left of Manu, RJ, Hill, Blair, Splitter hopefully, Anderson, random free agent pick up. That’s a team to me that seems to fit RJ’s skill set better. We’re not turning into the run and gun Suns, but we’ll be a little more free flowing, which should help RJ.
I think RJ learns more this offseason and is a much bigger factor for our Spurs. But I also think he has a lot more value in the long term. So resigning him is fine with me.
I was never a hater, but it was disappointing how much trouble he had fitting into the system. I felt sorry for him more than anything else – it was so obvious his confidence was totally shot – he was missing shots he is capable of making, and was tentative about pretty much anything. The bad start really hurt him, and having to play PF every now and then did not help.
Yes, I do believe he will do a lot better this year, if he sticks around. After the miserable year he had last year I would not be too surprised to see him gone.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
Forgot to add – I did appreciate how he at least tried to play hard on defense and how he always tried for the rebounds. That shows that it was confidence, not effort. He is also capable of logging major minutes every game without being a huge liability, which is a big help. People get so worked up about $15 million of someone else’s money that they cannot see the positive things he does bring.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
by swgeek on Jul 5, 2010 7:48 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Beautiful just Beautiful
I agree except I still think we have to get some bigs on this team if we are going to win it all this year. I hope we can cause I really want to see Duncan ride off into the sunset with a championship. I think we can all speculate whats going to happen with TP and your right we can’t replace TP. I love TP I hope he’s a Spur for life. Still I have doubts about him staying in SA. All I hear is NY and you have to wonder if they gonna make up stuff about where TP is going to possibly go why not mix it up a little bit NJ,Miami, Labron wants him in Cleavland. Now Amare says TP plans on joining him in NY if he goes? I want to keep TP in SA but if the FO can’t extend his contract we need to trade TP for something we just can’t let him walk after this year.
If we can sign Morrow to a 2.1 mill then 5.5-5.8 mill for Tiago,is it still possible to sign a big that is more of the Nazr or Fab role(I know they are quite different when it comes to being a player,but he’ll their own diversity in talents helped SA.),maybe in the face of Pryz?Can we sign him?To what amount?….I really think that even if we had Bonner back,we still need a big whose a better defender than bonner and better inside than bonner.Unless RyArds will be a surprise and be great in the SL,it is then possible that he can be our last big.
Nate Robinson is one-eighth Filipino.How the hell that happen?His great granpa?Anyways its not really a big deal.Now back to your Spurs news.Antonio McDyess has a 42" Vertical Leap.
If we can sign Morrow to a 2.1 mill then 5.5-5.8 mill for Tiago,is it still possible to sign a big that is more of the Nazr or Fab role(I know they are quite different when it comes to being a player,but he’ll their own diversity in talents helped SA.),maybe in the face of Pryz?Can we sign him?To what amount?….I really think that even if we had Bonner back,we still need a big whose a better defender than bonner and better inside than bonner.Unless RyArds will be a surprise and be great in the SL,it is then possible that he can be our last big.
Nate Robinson is one-eighth Filipino.How the hell that happen?His great granpa?Anyways its not really a big deal.Now back to your Spurs news.Antonio McDyess has a 42" Vertical Leap.
You want a big?
I give you a big.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
by bj1der on Jul 5, 2010 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Whoa… what happened to his real arm? Did his father cut it off right before revealing his identity?
The people of the village fell silent, as the beast opened its mouth. And then the beast spoke, and said "LOL BRO".
He is part of a brotherhood of extraordinary men that include Blairlolman. That should tell you all you need to know.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Hmmmm… Blairlolman. I’ve heard of him but don’t know what he looks like?
Anybody have a pic?
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
Blairlolman?
In the interest of full disclosure, I did not create this. In fact, it’s nearly a year old.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
by J.R. Wilco on Jul 6, 2010 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Good try Sir, good try! Although I could never come up with something better I do have a bit of constructive criticism. To improve the realism of this character you should do away with the shield. Anyone with any sense knows that Blairlolman does not need some wimpy shield to protect himself. He IS the shield.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Anyone with any sense knows that Blairlolman does not need some wimpy shield to protect himself. He IS the shield.
Too true. But if you look more closely, I’m sure you’ll notice that it’s not a shield at all, but his actual arm. So it still works.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
Rand,we’re going to be best friends when it comes to ranting about a guy named—-LeBrick.That man can’t win and I hope he won’t.If he wins—-the NBA will be…I don’t know how to say it, but may be worse than what it is now.
Nate Robinson is one-eighth Filipino.How the hell that happen?His great granpa?Anyways its not really a big deal.Now back to your Spurs news.Antonio McDyess has a 42" Vertical Leap.
Why?
Why so much hate for the man?
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
by gunnin' gervin on Jul 6, 2010 7:06 PM CDT up reply actions
My bad
i read after i posted you don’t like his attitude that you know of anyway. LOL! I understand some people don’t like people because they are flashy or what ever but I think the guy is funny personally. I mean i don’t know anything about him besides what the media shows and what he lets the media know. But to me he seems like a funny, cool dude who doesn’t take his self and job too serious and likes to goof off. My home boy hates him because of all the hype he received before even playing an NBA game. I can understand that a bit but so far he has lived up to the hype. Its just the teams he has played on haven’t been that great and the coaching has been suspect. That is just my opinion though
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
by gunnin' gervin on Jul 6, 2010 7:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Trades aren't needed, unless....
The Spurs look pretty solid to me. I can’t see the need for a single trade, unless we don’t sign Splitter and Jefferson reups. The Spurs have a solid seven in Duncan, Parker, Ginobli, McDyess, Hill, Blair and Anderson. There are four probable players to add to the list, Splitter, Jefferson, Bonner and Hairston. That leaves six possibles to battle it out for four spots. They are Garrett Temple, Alonzo Gee, Ryan Richards, Cirtis Jerrells, Marcus Haislip and James Gist. The Spurs have most of their depth at the guard spots, so I would pick Temple over Jerrells based on watching them both last season. Richards will probably be signed and sent to the Toros for seasoning unless he has a super summer and impresses Pop in the preseason camp. That leaves Haislip and Gist battling for the remaining forward spot. Both are talented enough to make the team, but I think Haislip is better suited to play either the three or four position. He is very quick and drew Pop’s close attention last year. It is a tossup between the two. The Spurs have some really good talent to meet all the needs. My guess or surprise sleepers are Gee and Richards.
I think you’ll see Gee light it up this summer like he did last summer for us. He was up there with Hill and Blair in scoring and I’d really like to see Gee play for us.
Evey- "Are you a crazy person?"
V- "I'm quite sure they'll say so."
V for Vendetta, blowing your mind away since 2005.
Yea he was great and he also played well in his short time with the Wiz. I think he could be good back up SF. (he is the only other SF we have other than Rage)
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
I agree with you, Rand. I would NOT want us to trade Tony…or Hill for that matter. I think with the additions of Splitter & Anderson…we’ll be fine. The only thing that I can’t force myself to agree with you about (And it REALLY pains me to say this) is that we are better than the Lakers. If the additions I just mentioned “jell” with the rest of the team…and we are able to play “as a team” with the kind of chemistry we had during our hayday, then yes, I think we could give the Lakers a run for their money. But right now, that remains to be seen.
Very nice post, Rand. I don’t think we are as good as the Lakers, but so far no other West team has gotten any better, and I agree that we should be better next year (assuming we sign RJ and Splitter). Thanks for the optimism.
Any news about our summer league team? I just woke up and just caught the tail end of the Utah-Cha game. There’s no news on the Spurs site,yet.
Haven’t heard a word except that Pop said Blair was not going to play and then later Blair himself said he was going to play, so we’ll see who wins.
by indiancharlie on Jul 5, 2010 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Awesome post!
"We'll see how our character is," guard Tony Parker said. "We don't have time to be sad. Nobody cares. It's just us. We're the only ones who can help each other."
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Jul 5, 2010 4:02 PM CDT reply actions
Since Edg5 linked to this post at BoF, I felt compelled to share this with all of you:
The people of the village fell silent, as the beast opened its mouth. And then the beast spoke, and said "LOL BRO".
by Tim C. on Jul 5, 2010 7:29 PM CDT reply actions 4 recs
Hilarious. I liked this one, too.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Jul 5, 2010 7:52 PM CDT up reply actions 6 recs
I just discovered Tim posted the same thing at another thread and it went green there, too. Awesome.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Jul 6, 2010 6:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Excellent Post, Rand. I think we stack up pretty good with the Lakers, they and the Thunder should be the potholes in our road to the finals. Looking forward to the summer league!
Don’t discount Portland – Oden may actually make it past the first week, but even if he doesn’t they are not likely to have the same rash of bad luck as last year. And of course Houston is going to be tough if Yao gets back. Mavs are still there and they may yet add another piece.
Is it too late to switch to the East?
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
I’ll hold judgement on the Rockets since they played scrapy ball. However, within a more complex system where it’ll revolve around, Yao, it might be a different story. Also, a lot depends on how Yao actually comes back from injury too. But they could be dangerous.
Maybe someone will explain to Ariza that he is really not a good shooter.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
He tries to be the leader of the team. And you’re right, he’s not a good shooter. He can hit wide open shots he gets when playing with a star but other than that he’s not so great.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
So this year, depending on how much time he’s on the court with Yao, his percentages might be much better.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
I would hope that he can go back to being a supplementary scorer rather than one of the main options on offense.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Problem is he believes that he should be the main guy. So that team has Ariza, Martin, Brooks all trying to be the main guys. I expect Yao to change all that though. He could just step on them if they don’t.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
by bj1der on Jul 6, 2010 4:42 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Haha, thanks guys. Glad you liked the post, I’m gonna try to start writing more often. Looking forward to Summer League!
This post strikes me as unfair to the Suns, who thoroughly outplayed the San Antonio Spurs, then went on to give the eventual champions a tough 6 game series that could easily have gone 7. “It wasn’t their superior team, just a fluke of a series” isn’t something I could see a guy like Ginobili even thinking, much less saying. Judging by the 20 or so recs, mine isn’t a popular sentiment, but I had to get it off my chest, nonetheless.
Football is a one-and-done game that leaves alot more room for flukes to occur, while the best team always wins a 7 game series.
The Spurs = Not your granddaddies 7th seed !
Maybe if this had been posted right after the Suns series, there would have been fewer recs and more people weighing in with comments similar to yours. But my guess is that enough time has passed, and most have processed the loss and moved on, so to speak. The fanbase as a whole, and PtR specifically, are more excited about 2011 than they are depressed about 2010, and as a result, more realistic views like yours are probably (while closer to the truth) in the minority.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
by J.R. Wilco on Jul 6, 2010 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I rec’d it but not because I thought it was an objective, logical assessment of the playoffs. I loved the optimism and I think there’s a case to be made that a lot a things went wrong last season. Some were to be expected but some were just impossible to predict. I don’t think last season’s team ceiling was getting swept in the second round. We matched up poorly with the Suns and they took advantage of the Spurs’ weaknesses. But that Suns team doesn’t exist anymore, a lot of teams in the West seem to be getting worse and the Spurs are only getting better (at least in theory).
"Deep down we all know that swagger comes hand in hand with insecurity. We strut not to convince competitors of our dominance; we strut to convince ourselves."
Matthew Powell
Edg5, this is off-topic, but I don’t think I’ve ever told you that I like your sig. It’s one of my favorite things Powell ever wrote. Good choice.
Allright. Carry on.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
Thanks jrw. Powell’s writing in general and that post in particular was what turned me on to PTR in the first place. What kept me coming back after he left though, is the great job Wayne and all of you guys have done to create a real sense of community here.
"Deep down we all know that swagger comes hand in hand with insecurity. We strut not to convince competitors of our dominance; we strut to convince ourselves."
Matthew Powell
This post strikes me as unfair to the Suns
Agreed. Suns were the better team, and I suspected they could win before the series started, though of course did not expect a sweep. I recced the article anyway, because the optimism is not unfounded – we have a great core. The loss was because the Suns had better chemistry, not better talent. If we can had our normal chemistry we would have been the better team.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
The Suns pretty much dominated us the entire season, except for the game JR missed the dunk. They were the better team and an awful matchup for us.
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
I don’t mind that the Suns are being blown up like a helicopter in an action movie.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
Man, whatever you are smoking, I want that shit.
Nobody thought the Celtics were a championship-level squad, and in all honesty they weren’t.
I thought, there were four championship-level squads this year, if you exclude the Celts, there were three: Lakers, Cavs and Magic. So, all the Celts did this playoff was to destroy two of those three squads and to lose to eventual Champions in game 7 on their court. They might have fared even better if nor for the injury of their starting center. And they were the only team at the league who won against the Lakers on their court. Evidently, all this doesn’t make the Celtics a championship-level squad to you. I was actually very impressed with the Celtics. I thought, that what they did in the playoffs was more impressive than Lakers play, because they had superior competition and had a home court in the 1st round only, while the Lakers had it in every round. Your disrespect to the Celtics is regrettable.
It was certainly devastating, and needs to be deconstructed carefully as we head into a new season. The fact, however, is that the whole affair had a palpable freakishness about it.
We are not going to “deconstruct it carefully” unless we admit that we got swept by a rather mediocre team, and that it was just embarrassing. We were swept by the Lakers in 2001, and it was pretty bad, but at least they were the Champions that year and they swept every other team they played except losing one game in OT to Philly. This year Suns? They were not really that good, but apparently good enough to sweep us. It’s very humbling to me. Honestly, I would rather be Celtics fan this year.
THE SPURS WERE AS GOOD AS ANY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE LAST YEAR. OUR LOSS WAS A FLUKE,
That’s who the Spurs are. They’re at least as good as the Lakers – right now, as is, in any seven-game series you want to play
Have you watched any games during those playoffs? Have you watched any of the 4 games when the Suns not just outplayed, but embarrassed and destroyed the Spurs? Each of these 4 games more embarrassing than the previous one? Have you watched how easily the Lakers had it against the Suns? They didn’t even need to play their best, because they were clearly superior team. Many people already told you that being swept is not a fluke, it is never a fluke in the NBA playoffs. Losing the series in 7 games, without home court, when one of your starters gets injured, may be considered a fluke. Being swept? Never a fluke, it just shows WHO YOU ARE, even if it may not be pretty. The truth is we were a mediocre team this year, not a contender. And we may be the same or even worse next year unless we turn this around somehow.
Peace, y’all.
Peace, man. Whatever you smoke, I want that shit.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
by Kondor on Jul 6, 2010 11:37 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
unless we admit that we got swept by a rather mediocre team
Actually I think that was a great team, though maybe not great talent. They meshed together well, played well together, trusted and respected each other and their coach, etc… All the things the Spurs usually do to win.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
Although Rand is probably smoking some good shit you cannot call us a mediocre team. By definition a mediocre barely makes the playoffs (for which we qualify) but a mediocre team certainly does not beat Dallas in the first round. I think deconstruction of the events is necessary. Certainly Phoenix was not a bad team. They were good enough to make it to the WCF.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
I think, both San Antonio and Dallas were mediocre teams last two seasons. When two mediocre teams meet each other in the first round, one will go to the 2nd, just to get beaten there (or may be even to be swept out of the playoffs). Here is my rough classification of the teams for this season (2009-2010):
Great teams: LA Lakers, Boston
Good teams: Cavs, Magic, Phoenix, OKC
Mediocre teams: everyone else in the playoffs
Bad teams: every team in the lottery except
Horrible teams: New Jersey, Minnesota
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
by Kondor on Jul 7, 2010 11:30 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Here is what they did during the playoffs.
Dallas: got beaten by #7 in the first round, looking very mediocre in the process
SA: was swept by a good, but not really championship-level team, making Goran Dragic and few other bench-warmers to look like legit NBA stars
OKC: got beaten by eventual champions, losing two very close games on buzzer-beaters or last possessions. this was the only series, other than the Finals, where the Lakers looked beatable during those playoffs
So, why would you say that Dallas and SA were better this season? Here is my ranking of the western conference after these playoffs: 1. Lakers. 2. Suns. 3. OKC. 4. Utah. 5. Portland. 6. San Antonio. 7. Denver. 8. Dallas.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
It’s not as simple as association, that if A beats B and B beats C, then A will most likely beat C. You have to consider match-ups, too. The Lakers usually had trouble with young, athletic teams. Their series with the Suns was competitive as well, with the Suns coming back from an 0-2 hole to tie and then stick close to LA in Games 5 & 6.
That Spurs-Suns match-up was just a nightmare. Spurs-Lakers would’ve been better for us, but like what many have already said, we still won’t probably win that series but at least winning a game or two is more probable.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Jul 8, 2010 3:01 AM CDT up reply actions
There is a theory that the better team always wins a 7-game series in basketball. Though I do not think this theory is absolutely true, I do believe it’s true most of the time. I don’t remember many people saying before our 2nd round series that the Suns were a nightmare match-up for us. Instead pretty much everyone, including myself and so-called “experts”, boldly predicted another SA victory. Now of course we have a huge advantage of a hindsight, and can boldly state that any other match-up would be better for us (hard to argue after such embarrassing series).
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
I think there were some vocal people on this site that said the Suns were rolling into the playoffs and did not want to play them.
Look at the predictions of PtR before the series. I believe, it’s fair to say that we didn’t see 0-4 coming …
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
no one would predict we would lose….they would have faced the ban-hammer or caphill’s nerf reactor….and we looked good against Dallas which was probably further biasing us and phoenix didn’t look that great against a shallow and hurt portland team
Yeah, if someone picked against the Spurs during that predictions thread, he/she would’ve been shot right then and there.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Jul 8, 2010 8:13 PM CDT up reply actions
No, 0-4 was an outlier and if we played again probably would not recur.
by doggydogworld on Jul 8, 2010 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions
yeah, may be we could play them 1-5 next time.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
Maybe. Maybe not.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Jul 8, 2010 10:51 PM CDT up reply actions
I did have a fanpost saying that the Suns were much better than we expected and don’t take them lightly. And got a little heat for it btw.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
Hit “post” too soon.
I suspect others felt the same way but did not want to say anything as we are supposed to support our team at playoff time.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
I know I worried about the Suns and warned about taking them lightly. But I still expected the Spurs to win, or at the very least to lose in a close series. The sweep was absolutely unexpected to me. Also, I cannot just dismiss the sweep as a fluke. I see our team differently now.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
LA played down to OKC, and got better as the playoffs progressed. Dallas and SA would have given them a bigger challenge in the first round than OKC.
by BlaseE on Jul 8, 2010 9:38 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
You are considering possibilities, while I am trying to analyze what actually happened in the playoffs. I don’t believe that Dallas and SA would play the Lakers closer than OKC. We may speculate that SA would win every series in the playoffs except the 2nd round series they actually played. Dallas fans may speculate that they would win against anybody, but SA. These are just speculations. The facts are that both Dallas and SA didn’t play well in these playoffs, they looked overmatched and disappointing.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
They might had been beaten by somebody else, and it would affect their performance rating for sure. As it happened they had a reasonably competitive series against the defending and eventual champs, while we were embarrassingly swept by the team that were not quite as good. If I try to rate their and our performance, I believe they performed better. I would take a competitive loss to the champs over being swept by the Suns every day. So my conclusion is that they were better in these playoffs. We may speculate that if we played them, we would win. May be so. Or may be we would fare as well as we did against the Suns, and now would whine what a horrible match-up OKC was for us.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
OK so you can clearly say that they played better against the Lakers than we did against the Suns. How does that lead to labeling OKC a good team and the Spurs, Mavericks or any other playoff team mediocre?
Dallas: got beaten by #7 in the first round, looking very mediocre in the process
If I remember correctly the Dallas vs. Spurs series was a very exciting one. It was gritty and it was very hard fought. I dont remember Dallas looking mediocre through it. In fact one could argue that the Spurs fared so terribly against the Suns because of their hard fought battle with the Mavs.
Look we could argue and counter argue all day about who are the good/great/“mediocre” (it is my opinion that mediocre is a terrible word to use for any team in the second round of the playoffs or any of the top 3 seeds) teams. You say you believe OKC performed better but it is clearly your opinion. You cannot back it up as I cannot backup that the Spurs were better because they did not play each other or the same opponents.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
You say you believe OKC performed better but it is clearly your opinion.
Yes, it is my opinion and I am glad that I managed to express it clearly enough. I rely on you to state your opinion.
It was gritty and it was very hard fought.
Meaning that those two teams were rather evenly matched. SA was slightly better though.
In fact one could argue that the Spurs fared so terribly against the Suns because of their hard fought battle with the Mavs.
Of course, if the Spurs had a free ticket to the 2nd round, they’d probably fared better against the Suns. Also, people argued here that the Lakers were better in later rounds than in the 1st. I guess, this is a difference between contenders and pretenders. Contenders raise their game as the opposition gets tougher. Pretenders just fold and quit.
it is my opinion that mediocre is a terrible word to use for any team in the second round of the playoffs or any of the top 3 seeds
I am sorry for using this word. May be I’d better call them teams-that-looked-like-they-could-be-pretty-good-but-at-the-end-appeared-to-be-not-quite-good-enough-to-be-called-good-teams.
You cannot back it up as I cannot backup that the Spurs were better because they did not play each other or the same opponents.
You see, I am trying to use the information that is available. Yes, we didn’t play each other, but we can look how our opponents fared against each other. We know that: 1) the Lakers were better than the Suns; 2) OKC played LA closer than we played Phoenix. From 1) and 2) I deduce that OKC played better than us in these playoffs. This is not a mathematical proof, but I believe it’s kind of a logical conclusion to make in lieu of better information. In response I get a lot of different excuses and something like “whatever the facts are, we know that we were better”.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
Again selecting the facts you like to back your interpretation and opinion. Here are two facts. 1) The Thunder lost in the first round and could not get a better seed through 82 games. 2) The Spurs lost in the second round and were able to get a better seed than OKC. Given 1 and 2 (available information) the Spurs were clearly better than OKC.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
SONNED!
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
by gunnin' gervin on Jul 8, 2010 11:45 PM CDT up reply actions
If we are talking about regular season, I agree that the Spurs were the better team after 82 games. But I believe that OKC played better in the postseason, and I tried to explain above why I thought so. When I expressed my concerns over anemic play of the Spurs last fall, many people here told me that the Spurs were all about the playoffs. Well, it seems like they were all about the 1st round of the playoffs. I am sure if OKC played the Suns they would play them better than the Spurs did. Of course, I cannot prove it, it is just my feeling. Portland played the Suns better than we did. And no, we would not win a series against the Lakers this year.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
My apologies Kondor, I dont know why I have been so adamant to prove you wrong or shot down your opinion. Clearly you are entitled to it and it is a perfectly reasonable one. I just got a little emotional when you described the Spurs as mediocre which in my opinion is not the case.
It is my opinion that the Spurs performed admirably in the Dallas series against a team that was dominating at the end of the regular season and finished with 8 wins in their last 10 (losses to Orlando and OKC, shit!) The first three games of that series were brutal if I remember correctly and Im convinced that a match up with Phoenix in the first round would have been a lot different (although Im not sure if the final results would have been the same).
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
No problem, L.E., I don’t mind at all. I was as proud as you when the Spurs won against heavily favored Dallas, but I am still bitter over their 2nd round exit. It’s not just that they lost to a better team, but being unable to win even one game and repeatedly giving away the leads hurts a lot.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
I think we would have seen a different result if Manu hadn’t had his schnoz busted in the first round. Mebbe the Spurs still lose the series, but we don’t get blanked.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
And if Tony did not get his shoulder slammed a few times. And if Mason did not screw up his finger. A lot of things went wrong at just a bad time.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
btw jrw, looked into the pc as dvr thing. Windows 7 comes with Media Center which apparently does a pretty good job. However, also thought of something else – if this is an extra PC it may not have the horsepower needed to work with hd streams.
'What color do you want?" (Tim Duncan)
Yeah when I was looking into doing something like this, the blogs, etc. I read said you need a good bit of horsepower (CPU, memory, hard disk) and a good video card for it to work well.
Good luck though and let me know if you guys get it to work.
Hey if repeating as champions were that easy even the Spurs could do it.
Did you check out the EyeTV One? It is HD only. They recommend an Intel Core Duo CPU or higher for playback:
http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/EyeTV-One/product1.en.html
by doggydogworld on Jul 10, 2010 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions
yes, and if we went to the lottery in 2008 and drafted Durant, we would probably had 5 trophies in SA by now, with more to come. whether we blame Manu’s nose, Tony’s shoulder, Tim’s knees or RJ’s contract, we got swept by the Suns and none of our stars looked as good as Goran Dargic in that series.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
+1
they were simply the better team at the right time. We can play the “if” game all day but the truth is the truth. Shit, if "If’ was a fifth i would be drunk right now!
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
by gunnin' gervin on Jul 10, 2010 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions
Kondor, you’re not going to hear me argue that the Spurs were better than the Suns after being swept. I enjoy a witty post as much as the next guy, but facts is facts. S.A. was beaten fairly and squarely — they couldn’t stop PHX’s pet play, couldn’t rotate out on their shooters fast enough, and most importantly (assuming the other two weren’t changing since sub-par defense was a constant of the Spurs’ season) they couldn’t hit the big shots they needed to stay in games.
Why then, some might wonder, was I playing the what if game with Manu’s busted sniffer? Well, it was in response to your comment:
I am still bitter over their 2nd round exit. It’s not just that they lost to a better team, but being unable to win even one game and repeatedly giving away the leads hurts a lot.
So, I wanted to provide some context, and to me, Manu wasn’t Manu after his nasal rearrangement. And the Spurs offense isn’t the Spurs offense without our favorite Argentine.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
So, we didn’t play as a good team in the 2nd round, and we can provide some context and explanations for that. Still the bottom line, for me, is that we didn’t play as a good team, and we don’t deserve to be called a good team, much less to be called “as good as any team in the league” as was stated in the original post. I don’t think we are really in a disagreement with you, JRW. Let us hope we’ll be a better team next season.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
I’d agree that we’re not exactly disagreeing with one another, and I think I finally understand what the differences of opinion on this thread are due to.
Rand talked a good deal about the playoffs, and quite a bit about the team — but depending on whether his apperent focus was on who the team was vs who they are/will be there could be drastically opposing ideas about what he was saying.
But in the interest of focusing on the common ground, I’m with you on your
hope [that] we’ll be a better team next season.
Especially when the 2nd season comes around.
I have no problem with Bonner, as long as we are not asking him to do things he can’t do. - quincyscott
I thought the Thunder looked really good in the games they won, as opposed to the Lakers playing down.
The Spurs = Not your granddaddies 7th seed !
I thought that too. It was an impressive performance for such a young team, and they clearly has the potential to build on this experience next year. (By the way, that guy Kevin Durant, who I heard was pretty good, did not play ‘hard to get’ for months and did not go to the National TV to announce his decision to stay with OKC. Absolutely boring, no-drama guy)
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
Just so you know, the Lakers were not playing well as the playoffs started. Bynum was just coming back from injury, Kobe was taking games off to heal. They were 8 or 9 games up in the west at all-star break but ended up only 2 games ahead of Dallas.
Not to take anything away from OKC but the Lakers improved their play as the playoffs went on.
Hey if repeating as champions were that easy even the Spurs could do it.
by olf on Jul 9, 2010 1:59 AM CDT up reply actions
Thanks, olf. I was kinda wishing you would step in and give a legit perspective on what LA was going through at the start of those playoffs.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Jul 9, 2010 4:38 AM CDT up reply actions
I do think OKC played great and gave us a real tough series. Like I said I don’t mean to take anything away from them at all. They obviously have a bright future.
And I remember a lot of discussion here as the season ended, when the Spurs were playing better & LA was stumbling, about preferring to meet in the first round rather than wait.
Hey if repeating as champions were that easy even the Spurs could do it.
by olf on Jul 9, 2010 9:39 AM CDT up reply actions
We were swept in 4 games. None of them were very close. They thoroughly outplayed us. This “we were really close, it was just freakish!” meme has gotta get dialed back a tad. The only person who would say that with any conviction is either criminally delusional or someone who watched none of the games whatsoever. More importantly to me, though, the Cavs were a good team. They demonstrably thrashed the now repeat champion Lakers in their two meetings this year — and the Lakers wanted those games, and Lakers fans were scared as hell of the Cavs going into the playoffs. For good reason.
LeBron is the best player in the NBA. His attitude sucks, and he’s being a terrible person to Cleveland right now, but he is easily the best player around and refusing to acknowledge that is absurd. It’s not just the stats, it’s not just the highlights — it’s how he does step it up in the playoffs. LeBron has had exactly one bad series in the course of his career. Take it from someone whose family is from Cleveland and who has watched Cavs basketball since I was a kid. In 04-07 he led atrocious teams to massively overachieve. In 08 he took the defending champs to 7 games single-handedly, in 09 he turned in one of the best playoff performances of all time when his team disintegrated on him. This year he sucked. He’s allowed one stinker in 7 years.
Hate the person, not the player — LeBron may be LeGit, but he’s also legit.
(As an aside, I have no idea where this institutionalized Cavs hate among Spurs fans comes from. It sorta irritates me though, as a fan of both teams. Just about every fellow Spurs fan I meet is also a vehement Cavs hater. They play great defense, buy into the sorts of schemes that made the Spurs winners, and come from a criminally media-abused city — you know, much like my favorite city on earth, San Antonio. What is there to get so worked up about? Chill out guys. Let’s eat some papaya.)
"Whereas I never went fly like some of the boys." -- Ice
The only person who would say that with any conviction is either criminally delusional or someone who watched none of the games whatsoever.
Love this line.
Also, I’m not sure where you’re seeing the institutionalized Cavs hate among Spurs fans you refer to, but I can say that I don’t share it, nor do I see it myself. The Cavs had ex-Spurs at head coach and GM until recently, and haven’t their main defensive schemes been based quite closely to SA’s? There’s much to appreciate about Cleveland basketball as a Spurs fan.
A HYPOTHESIS: I do NOT feel this way, because I’m pretty much over my whole lack-of-media-coverage phase, but if there IS any anti-Cav vibe around here, it’s likely b/c of the perceived lack of press for the Spurs, while LeBron seems to bathe daily in the collective adulation (if not attention) of most of the major sports world.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
What jrw said. It’s just LeBron doing all these one-hour soaps and stuff.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Jul 7, 2010 2:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Fun read Rand. Thanks for making me giggle in this freakish heat over here.
I know on paper we look solid going into next season, but I just got a few comments. Some ppl mention our ‘core’ of Timmy, Manu, Tony, Hill, Blair, (maybe) Tiago and Anderson. That looks fine for the regular season. But in the playoffs,
Timmy’s defense is ailing unless Tiago compensates. That is an unknown.
Blair becomes a matchup liability unless he has built some reliable offense. That is an unknown.
Hill did improve season to season. But he has had only one postseason under his belt. He did well towards the end of one series. In the one where we got swept, I don’t think Hill made a mark in making their second string pay. This is still an unknown in terms of Hill’s toughness and drive in the postseason.
Tiago and Anderson will be new. Who knows!?
To me, the above leaves the trusted production to come from Timmy’s O, Manu, Tony and McDyess D. Everything else, I really can’t bank on in the postseason.
You’re being very realistic. These are arguments that I feel are quite correct, but haven’t talked about much myself.
They are issues that really need attention paid to them by the coaching staff and FO, as well as any fan who wants to seriously rate the Spurs in the context of their place in the NBA.
However, for any fans who prefer blind enthusiasim, or rampant optimism — all of these issues can be conveniently ignored. Woohoo!
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
When trusted with touches, Blair showed consistent offense. He’s got back to the basket moves, in addition to his putbacks. I dont think he’s as much of a matchup liability as everyone else. While I’m not high on Amar’e, Blair handled him when given the opportunity during the playoffs- on both ends. When Amar’e scored, it was contested, and when Blair had the ball he took it straight to him and scored.
Rim Rockin' Red Rocket -silverandblack_davis
by SpursfanSteve on Jul 7, 2010 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Blair has that spin move. And he probably has a soft putt shot in the paint. What I am saying is, we still don’t know what kind of ‘deliberate’ efficient offensive moves he has developed where a team can go to him and not just pray after dropping the ball inside.
When we got swept, I don’t remember how much he played, but quite sure he didn’t see too much burn coz Pop didn’t seem to trust him enough on all ends. We can debate, but my gut feeling right now based on last season’s Blair is that over a playoff series against a good team, he will probably be a matchup liability than an asset. Especially in games where the second team has to maintain or even build a lead to even give us a chance.
You have listed 4 guys, and every one of them is over the top and arguably had his best season in the past. We were not contenders last two seasons, and I don’t believe we are going to be contenders again if we rely on this core.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
I am not saying they won’t show up. I am saying none of them will be as good in 2011 as they were in 2003-2007.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
Eh. Thats speculation. Tony could be better in a contract year. Manu showed in the latter half of season that he is, well, Manu.
For Timmy’s O and McDyess D, I agree there will be a slight drop off, but not enough to radically change the equation. The coverage will be similar to what we have seen before. Single coverage usually on Timmy through first three and then ppl ‘mix’ it up with double teams in the fourth etc etc. Or they suddenly double team end of quarters hoping to surprise the Spurs offense and so on.
For the most part, I am saying, the team doesn’t have to plan on compensating too much for the above things in the postseason. They will be there and deliver as usual. Its the other parts.
Too tired to reply fully, so I’m lame. But want to say, that Spurs are still mostly in tact. The hope is the young guys will carry more during the regular season so that the older core has more left in the tank come the end the of the season. Also, if they can be in better standing earlier on, Pop can give the players nights off, something that didn’t fall according to plan.
With all those question marks for the Spurs, just about every team not named the Lakers in the west have that too.
Portland is still wondering about Oden. Yes, they’ll be better, but how good?
Houston, we’ve never seen with Yao and the new core.
Boozer left Utah.
OKC – still very young. We’ll have to see how far they have grown since this post season. They’ll be better, but how much better?
Phoenix – definitely not the same. As one sided as Amare is, they definitely can’t replace his offensive presence with Warrick without more firepower.
Dallas – well they look to be similar to last season. Spurs match up well with them.
Denver – well they are a mess. Not sure what happens with Karl. They never can stay composed when the going gets tough.
Clippers – really? They are cursed and a big player tends to under perform in Clipper town.
GSW – defense, what is that?
So in short (if all are healthy), the best teams are probably Spurs/Portland/OKC as they will be the most in tact.
I expect OKC to be the main contender to the Lakers (western) throne this year. Both Spurs and Portland have the potential, but they both need to have many pieces fall in right places for them to be really good. I expect Dallas to be solid but not spectacular, and Phoenix is the ultimate dark horse, they might be both scarily good or atrociously awful next season. The Spurs should be all right in the weakened west if Splitter works for us, but I am not sure what the plan B is if we miss on Splitter.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
A lot depends on OKC’s maturity. Can they play like vets even though they are super young? There are signs they can, but they still need to continue that growth, especially up front.
Durant also needs to learn to adjust when it comes to the toughness of the post season. He still played pretty damn well for a young player, but there were signs.
However, they have nearly the same amount of questions as the Spurs, just slightly different ones since they are on the up and coming side while the Spurs are on the trying to stay afloat side.
since they are on the up and coming side while the Spurs are on the trying to stay afloat side
Exactly. I keep being impressed with Durant. With his attitude, he should only get better next season. And they have other good guys around him. Westbrook is very good, Sefolosha may be the next Bruce Bowen. They seem to be one-two pieces away from becoming a great team.
"We lost so many games that we shouldn't have lost," - Ginobili, May 2010
I expect OKC to be the main contender to the Lakers (western) throne this year.
You may well be right. They sure look good. But given recent history, I just expect surprises at this point. For example:
- 2008 – Hornets took Spurs to 7. Some expected more the next year but it didn’t happen.
- 2009 – Portland was a Laker killer in season but slipped in their first round loss to Houston.
- 2010 – Nobody (OK at least me) expected the Suns to make the conference finals.
OKC looks good but it is always tough to move from great young team to contender. And of course there’s no guarantees for any team, even mine.
Hey if repeating as champions were that easy even the Spurs could do it.
by olf on Jul 9, 2010 5:30 PM CDT up reply actions
And of course there’s no guarantees for any team, even mine.
Very balanced.Are you sure you’re a laker fan?Since you’re always here in PtR than in the lakers blog.So is the spurs your 2nd fave team?
Champion of Me. All about ‘Bron and all about nothing.
Oh Hells No! My second favorite team is anyone playing the Celtics.
Hey if repeating as champions were that easy even the Spurs could do it.
seriously, I think you are a closet Spur fan. A lakers guy cant say things like that.
Joking aside, im with you that its a VERY hard step to evolve from a young up and coming team into a true title contender.
Even if the young players develop a lot (and they will do) they still need a lot of things, like a more decent and stable guy at the 5 (Ibaka is a bench guy, Kristic doesnt fit well, Collison is average at best, they lack size and power considering they play the small green at the 4) and a couple of veteran shooters that can make big plays. They have the right core, but tinkering to become a contender is not easy, and sometimes a “good on paper” aquisition can make the team take 2 steps back.
About Portland…..they are done. Dont tell anyone, but they are D O N E. The Pritchard firing was a HUGE mistake, and I seem them dismantling like the Hornets that took the spurs to 7 games a couple of years ago. Oden is a bust (even if you are the second coming of shaquille o neal, if you cant stay healthy you dont help), the Miller-Roy backcourt is odd at best, I think it was dumb to trade Webster (him with Batum formed a unique combo at SF), Bayless just doesnt fit there, Rudy is gone…..and worst of all, they are talking about trading Aldrige!!! they are panicking, I can sense it, they are my choice for disapointment of the year.
"Rock and Roll angels bring that HardRock Hallelujah"
I believe that Portland got to where they are b/c of awesome moves by their F.O.
If Pritchard’s personality made people uncomfortable, then I’ll bet there’s a team or two who’d be happy to deal with a little friction in the office in return for some savvy personnel choices. Not to mention that it’s possible that The Kevin will tone things down at his next stop.
As to Portland overreacting, it’s entirely possible. Time will tell, but my guess is that whoever they get to replace Pritchard won’t be as good, and means a Trailblazer regression, from what I can see.
If you don’t need ACL’s to make it big, you don’t need pinky fingers. - completely deck
I do think Pritchard did a great job of selecting & collecting talent. His boss let him stockpile draft choices and spend some money and he did a great job. Plus I really credit Nate McMillan a lot for keeping them going through all the adversity they have faced.
So two thoughts:
- Once contracts start to expire it is always a challenge for young teams to re-sign the right people for the right amounts to make them a contender. (One challenge OKC will face at some point.)
- Much like I think LeBron should win a ring before being “the King”, I would prefer to see the Blazers get out of the 1st round before Pritchard works on his Hall of Fame induction speech.
Hey if repeating as champions were that easy even the Spurs could do it.
OKC is doing a good job of doing it quick. They already locked up Durant, the main one. Next up is Westbrook.
Yeah but they ain’t got out of the first round yet.
Hey if repeating as champions were that easy even the Spurs could do it.
I’m not worried. There’s no reason they should have got out of the first round. Lakers got a scare for playing too down to competition, but there shouldn’t have ever been a chance OKC would win.
They did what they needed to do for an up and coming team. Now is the come back with more leveled heads now that they’ve been in some of those moments.
And for Presti to bring in a veteran (doesn’t have to play much) to help lead them with his experiences.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on Pounding The Rock
Related FanShots on Pounding The Rock
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
Featured Stories
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- ‘Deep Thoughts’ and Cheap Thoughts: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
- C-a-C: This is probably as close to LeBron James working with John Waters as we’ll ever get
- Dwyane Wade’s hot pink pants: The kind of thing you can get away with when you drop 41
- Lamar Odom to New York? Dwight Howard on the move? For now, it’s all talk
- David West hilariously denies each and every one of his young fans a high-five (VIDEO)
