Gutless Worms

[Harry Callahan]

[QUOTE=TD 21;6558466]


Another idiot that doesn't know what that term means.

And it's not just that: Look at how they've went out.

TD21,

If you're going to call me an idiot, don't embarrass yourself in the same post by butchering the English language.

The Spurs lost to Memphis when their 2nd best player FRACTURED HIS FREAKIN' ARM the last day of the regular season and still tried to play. Duncan was on one leg and Parker was beaten down.

The Thunder had to get a ton of help in games 5 and especially game six to win that series - they also had three Grade A, all-star level players in their prime on their side. SA swept the previous two series against the Clippers and Jazz.

SA will probably still figure out a way to win this series and move on. They may even win another series - it's not out of the question with the weaknesses of the remaining teams.

If this team is a miserable failure in your eyes and they don't meet your lofty expectations, move on to some other team. If Tim Duncan, Manu, and Parker were all 5 years younger than they are, your complaints would hold a little more water. To call the team "Gutless Worms" is nothing more than silly hyperbole.

[TD 21]

The OP's premise is seriously flawed. The notion that the Spurs post 2008 were/are championship contenders is quite debatable. One should just sit back and enjoy the playoff ride as long as it may last in any given season. Anything past the first round is a bonus imo.

Perhaps once the OP comes to terms with this, the easier he/she will sleep at night.

That's bull . You take out Westbrook and this team should be the overwhelming favorite to reach the Finals. I'm not letting them off the hook because of past success.

[TE]

Meh.....I'd agree with bumping this if we were going back to Oakland down 3-2. If we go out shamefully like in the past 3-4 years then I'll be pissed. Getting to the finals is this team's ceiling.

[Agloco]

That's bull . You take out Westbrook and this team should be the overwhelming favorite to reach the Finals. I'm not letting them off the hook because of past success.

.......and that's the problem. The fact is that this team is fundamentally different than those championship squads. The only player who is consistently performing at the same level as he was during those runs (or slightly above) is Parker. Unfortunately since he's a scoring PG, we understand how that ends usually.

I understand that uncoupling past success from the present is tough. But once you realize that you're comparing apples and oranges, you'll sleep better.

[Sean Cagney]

.......and that's the problem. The fact is that this team is fundamentally different than those championship squads. .

Yeah man I agree with you fully on this here.

[tesseractive]

That's bull . You take out Westbrook and this team should be the overwhelming favorite to reach the Finals. I'm not letting them off the hook because of past success.

We really only have seven players who we have any reason to depend on this deep in the playoffs: Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, Leonard, Splitter, Green, and Diaw. Of those 7, 5 of them are banged up. We have to carefully watch the minutes for Manu and Tim to keep from wearing them out, and Tony too, to some degree.

All of those things factor in to a team that is physically incapable of performing at its peak for 48 minutes of every single game. Fortunately, we only have to win 4 out of 7 to advance. And I haven't seen anything to show me that these Spurs can't get that done in this series. And I certainly haven't seen anything to suggest that the losses are some sign of a lack of determination or moral fiber.

[TD 21]

.......and that's the problem. The fact is that this team is fundamentally different than those championship squads. The only player who is consistently performing at the same level as he was during those runs (or slightly above) is Parker. Unfortunately since he's a scoring PG, we understand how that ends usually.

I understand that uncoupling past success from the present is tough. But once you realize that you're comparing apples and oranges, you'll sleep better.

What the are you talking about? I'm not comparing them to their old selves, I'm comparing them to the current West (and really, league, outside of the Heat). If you know your stuff, you'd know that, with Westbrook injured (and to a far lesser extent, with the Clippers eliminated), this is by far the best team in the West and that, barring a debilitating injury, there's no excuse for them not to reach the Finals.

[Agloco]

What the are you talking about? I'm not comparing them to their old selves, I'm comparing them to the current West (and really, league, outside of the Heat).

I'm not letting them off the hook because of past success.

Based on these quotes, you've clearly set your expectations based on past success, no? If you are not comparing their current potential to the past, then please explain why you've referenced the Spurs as having "a championship pedigree". I'm not clear as to where that notion could/would come from if not from past successes.

Perhaps you haven't realized what you're doing yet? <shrug>

...... I'm comparing them to the current West (and really, league, outside of the Heat). If you know your stuff, you'd know that, with Westbrook injured (and to a far lesser extent, with the Clippers eliminated), this is by far the best team in the West and that, barring a debilitating injury, there's no excuse for them not to reach the Finals.

As I stated previously once you uncouple your expectations for the current squad from those of bygone seasons, you'll see that the picture is quite a bit more cloudy than you'd have us believe. This iteration of the Spurs is not a clear cut favorite to win the West much less a le imo (yes, I am including the absence of Westbrick in my assessment).

Relax and enjoy compadre, for in the coming years you'll have plenty to cliff dive over.

[Agloco]

Dupe.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Different year, same problems. If this pathetic, disgraceful bunch gives away what should be their Finals spot again (and this time, it would be even worse, as the Westbrook injury should have clinched it for them), then everything short of trading Duncan needs to be looked at. I'm not just talking personnel, either; I'm talking about their vaunted "culture", too.

Take this game for example. All the babying all year and yet when they need the key players to typical NBA minutes for key players in the playoffs, they can't do it for more than a game. Predictably, they were completely out of gas down the stretch. So now, instead of disposing of this mediocre team in five, like they should have, they'll probably have to kill themselves to eke it out in seven, be gassed going into the WCF and get emasculated by the overrated Grizzlies again. What an embarrassment.

Why do you bother to follow the team? They are anything but the "gutless worms" you describe, and the team culture is what has made them successful long beyond any reasonable expiration date for a team with 3 aging stars.

You seem to be forgetting something - they're out on the court playing against another team, who happens to be on a red-hot streak right now, and that other team is also trying to win the basketball game. Yes, shock horror, the Spurs are';t the only ones trying to win the game.

Is it annoying to collapse at the end? Of course it is, but it has happened to every team that has ever played sports, and it doesn't mean the team wasn't trying. It means they were outplayed when it mattered. This actually happens in sports sometimes and it doesn't mean that the losing team was pathetic. The real question is how will they respond in the next game?

Grow up and get some mature perspective.

PS No idea why you're thinking we should be "overwhelming favourites to win the West" when the Grizz have a superb, utterly choking defence similar to what we had in the early 2000s (although without the Twin Towers setup). Sure, they have problems scoring, but Conley and Z-Bo seem to be figuring that out. Given the momentum-stopping way we ended the season, we are underdogs to win the WCFs IMHO.

[therealtruth]

For the Spurs mediocrity is 50+ wins and a second round loss. Most teams would have done something against that if they kept getting the same result. The Spurs really only have 7 guys who can they can rely on. They really need more help to get it done over 49 minutes. That's where I think not having Baynes and McGrady ready to play hurts.

[Uriel]

I don't appreciate the bumping of this thread. They've gone on to lose every series it's been bumped on.

[TD 21]

You two loser mentality idiots, go and look up some stats, then tell me that with Westbrook injured (and to a far lesser extent, with the Clippers eliminated), this isn't by far the best team in the West. It may not look like it at the moment, but they are and like therealtruth said in another thread, they need to own it and stop pretending these are two evenly matched teams.

I don't want to hear this "there's another team" nonsense. This isn't a one off; we've seen this 3 of the past 4 years (I'll give them last season, even though they were heavily favored going in, because at least then they went down to a coming of age all-time great, plus they were screwed by the league/officials in game 6) and it's about to be 4 of 5, whether they blow this series or get emasculated by the overrated Grizzlies again.

This team has serious issues that go beyond the usual ones that are discussed. They're weak and soft (no other team constantly talks about fatigue because it's a sign of weakness . . . and it's ironic that this one does, since they're the most babied team in the league, had a 1st round bye and had 8 days off between rounds) and this is why deep down, beneath the run of the mill compliments, no one really respects this team. You'd never hear a career loser like Lee taking shots at the Heat or Thunder or, when they were on top, the Lakers and Celtics, the way he did the Spurs last season.

[pgardn]

.......and that's the problem. The fact is that this team is fundamentally different than those championship squads. The only player who is consistently performing at the same level as he was during those runs (or slightly above) is Parker. Unfortunately since he's a scoring PG, we understand how that ends usually.

I understand that uncoupling past success from the present is tough. But once you realize that you're comparing apples and oranges, you'll sleep better.

This is true. But is also possible that the current playoff teams are not that good either.

I hold out hopes of stealing one.

[ElNono]

show some fire for crying out loud

[midnightpulp]

I second this bump.

[TD 21]

Who is this team kidding? They're not contenders . . . and despite what happened last season, maybe they never were? Until Parker suc bed to injury in the Finals and of course, game 6, basically everything conceivable fell in their favor from the onset of the playoffs on.

To me, the way they've generally functioned against elite teams in the last handful of years (no confidence or mental toughness, panicked coaching and an inability to look anything other than ordinary/dumbfounded when a team takes them out of their offense) is a greater indicator of what to expect than that run was.

This performance was as sorry as it gets. Well rested, at home, win less against credible compe ion on the season and if that wasn't enough, you'd think doubly motivated by sending a message to an upstart contender. Instead, a core with as many combined rings as one's fingers and a team that should be reigning champions, bowed down and were in awe of a team that's never won 50 games, probably wouldn't even have a Conference Finals appearance to their name if Rose is upright in the playoffs last season and doesn't exactly have multiple future first ballot Hall-of-Famers.

Exacerbating all this is Parker and Duncan being well off of their levels of the past two seasons. At this writing, of the top eight teams in the league, this team has the worst best player of the bunch and it's not even all that close.

[ElNono]

Coasting... wake me up in February... yawn

[Skull-1]

^^^^^ TD21--- Duh. Parker was faking it though last season.

[ChumpDumper]

lol December bump

[tmtcsc]

Overreact much?

[DesignatedT]

For an organization that's won four championships in a nine season span, they've sure embarrassed themselves plenty of times. And they're in the midst of doing it again.

They've got a team of mostly playoff neophytes that tanks to play them and this is how they respond? Instead of taking it personally and sending a message immediately, they let their confidence, already sky high, go through the roof and confirm that, yes, this team can beat them. They also confirmed to the rest of the league, who disrespected, flat out ignored them or both the entire season that, yes, they are in fact a joke. Not that they were going to be motivated by that, but you'd think they'd want to stick it to all these ass holes. Apparently not.

Not a ing chance in the Lakers or Celtics allow that. Point to the Grizzlies girth in the paint or the fact that the Spurs of the past three seasons have not been in the same class as the Lakers or Celtics all you want. The point is this: They're the two other teams in the league with championship pedigree. They'd have taken pride in knocking an upstart team like this down a peg. They'd have came in, quieted the crowd and re-established control of the series.

What's worse than the fact that this team did none of those things is that they look like the terrified team. All this experience and yet they come out and it's as if they're intimidated by the atmosphere. Inexcusable.

[RD2191]

Who is this team kidding? They're not contenders . . . and despite what happened last season, maybe they never were? Until Parker suc bed to injury in the Finals and of course, game 6, basically everything conceivable fell in their favor from the onset of the playoffs on.

To me, the way they've generally functioned against elite teams in the last handful of years (no confidence or mental toughness, panicked coaching and an inability to look anything other than ordinary/dumbfounded when a team takes them out of their offense) is a greater indicator of what to expect than that run was.

This performance was as sorry as it gets. Well rested, at home, win less against credible compe ion on the season and if that wasn't enough, you'd think doubly motivated by sending a message to an upstart contender. Instead, a core with as many combined rings as one's fingers and a team that should be reigning champions, bowed down and were in awe of a team that's never won 50 games, probably wouldn't even have a Conference Finals appearance to their name if Rose is upright in the playoffs last season and doesn't exactly have multiple future first ballot Hall-of-Famers.

Exacerbating all this is Parker and Duncan being well off of their levels of the past two seasons. At this writing, of the top eight teams in the league, this team has the worst best player of the bunch and it's not even all that close.

[RD2191]

td 21 dropping truff bombs tonight

[ChumpDumper]

There are no December truth bombs.