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Things aren't very clear now, but we should know by the end of the playoffs.
Yes
No
Pretenders if we have no production out of our bench again. Pretenders if Danny has another down season. Pretenders if Lee is going get big minutes in the post season. Pretenders if it's once again a 2 man show.
Things aren't very clear now, but we should know by the end of the playoffs.
Anyone ready to concede or is everyone going to stick to "it's early"?
I'm at the point now where I think there's a better chance of a 1st round upset than beating the Clippers in the 2nd round.
You look at all the bottom seeds and it's not difficult to envision Westbrook, Harden and even Lillard, playing like the best player in a series.
Bet we get out of the first series. If you not confident then stop posting it.
They are a fringe contender, as many of us expected, I don't think anything has changed..they may not reach their ceiling, but it's there..even with their struggles, it would still be shocking to lose in the 1st round, considering the compe ion..
Legit contenders: Cavs, Warriors
Fringe contenders that need some good fortune(hot shooting, cold shooting from the opposition, etc): Spurs, Clippers
The rest
Wouldn't even call the Raptors or Celtics contenders even with a Lebron injury tbh. If that happens Chicago prolly does come out of the East.
Not what was asked andat a guy who repeatedly posts the same few things complaining about someone else being repe ive.
I asked if they were legit, not fringe (as the 4th or 3rd best team, if you prefer, that goes without saying).
I'd have to see the opponent first, but I'd probably only be mildly surprised at a 1st round exit. The compe ion may not be great, but the star power is and I don't think there's as much of a gap between the Spurs and the next tier as most think.
The only bottom team I could see as a challenge is Houston, since Harden routinely destroys the Spurs and their style of play could cause some trouble..
I don't think OKC has any chance, same with the Jazz and Blazers..
As for your question, no, they aren't currently legit..they haven't figured out how to effectively run the Kawhi-centric offense, Aldridge doesn't look the same and their biggest problem continues to be the lack of a playmaking guard..there's a contender ceiling there, though..
Their ceiling looks low and their struggles are ominous despite getting: (a) bounceback years from Green/Mills + (b) surprising production from backup bigs Dedmon/Lee + (c) Leonard upping his offensive output (though compromising his efficiency and defense) + (d) Pau being who we thought he would be.
I don’t expect either of Anderson/Simmons will breakout in the postseason at this point.
LMA pulling his head out of his ass won’t move a lot the needle since he’s proven to be a low-impact player.
They are basically praying for one of Ginobili/Parker to turn back the clock in 4 of 7 playoffs games to threaten an upset of LAC/GSW..
Last edited by spursistan; 12-01-2016 at 08:10 PM.
The Cavs were naturally going to look like the best team(they haven't looked as good, lately, though), considering they have continuity and didn't have to implement any new pieces..they were one of the luckiest teams in NBA history, last year, but still, the same team with a potentially improved Kevin Love(weight gain, looks closer to his Wolves days)..
Warriors will still have a major flaw in the playoffs(rim protection), but they will have a much easier time reaching their ceiling than the Spurs..Durant has fit in perfectly, as expected, and Thompson's early struggles don't appear to have had anything to do with unhappiness..
Clippers have a much more complete team than the Spurs, at the moment(their recent struggles notwithstanding)..I really don't have a reason to doubt them from a basketball perspective, I just can't buy them as a legit contender, considering their history..
So, ya, Spurs don't look nearly as good as any of these 3 teams, so far, despite their nice record(their SRS is significantly worse than GS and LAC, for example)..I still believe there's a ceiling for potential contention, though..
To be clear, I'm not predicting a 1st round upset. With no key player injured, I'd pick them to beat any of those teams. I'm just saying, I think there's a better chance of them not than them beating the Clippers.
The Clippers have had clearly superior star power to the Spurs since '14, but now they also have continuity and desperation on them. I don't doubt them, so much I trust the Warriors overwhelming star power more. Had they not landed Durant though, I'd have given strong consideration to picking the Clippers to win the championship this season.
I don't see that ceiling. Like spursistan said, they're basically preying for one of Parker or Ginobili to turn back the clock roughly 4 times to have a chance versus the Clippers/Warriors and they've slipped too much to buy it.
Spurs main problem is they forget to move the ball and just go two-on-five a lot. A LOT. It's getting so that I don't like watching them any more. Realtalk.
Hahahahahahahahahahaahahaahah
Championship contendrs???? Hahahahahaahahahahaahahahaahahaahah
Well here tis the thing. Once a week we look sh#t, but outside of that we hanging in there tbh.
Houston beat GS today!
Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiihhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaa aaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!
just enjoy the season.
Ye of little faith...
The Spurs are definitely a contender. I, like many on here, loved the "beautiful game" Spurs more than any version we've seen through the years but it's like people forgot what it was like watching prime Duncan Spurs. Low scoring, defensive minded ball with the majority of the offense going through Duncan. The Spurs have won championships with teams that moved the ball less than this team, granted they were riding the best talent of his generation in Duncan.
To declare the Spurs first round fodder at a point in the season where Pop is clearly trying to figure out this new team is misguided. I have no problem with the Spurs looking like butt some nights if it teaches Pop that certain players shouldn't get playoff minutes. I just hope Pop is willing to make tough decisions based on performance.
Ginobili, Lee, Dedmon, and Bertans all are playing better than I expected this season. Pau is exactly what I expected. LMA and Tony are playing in a "worst case scenario" way too many nights. Patty and Danny are looking the best they have since the championship. Simmons is showing flashes but shooting poorly, especially from 3 (19%). KA has been the biggest disappointment so far. My fear with this bunch is I'd rather have LMA/Pau exceeding expectations over Dedmon/Lee as that impact would be more important to the team.
Still a lot of games left for players to prove they deserve playoff minutes and too much season left to count the Spurs out now.
They are pretenders to me, but it doesn't prevent me from enjoying the season.
This is why no one ing takes you serious.
I bet if fathead was in the rotation you would think otherwise.
That's it man. Putting this troll on my ignore list.
My friends should do the same.
why do spurfans confuse championship contender with being the overwhelming favorite?
Cause they are ing re ed.p
Apparently there's no middle ground between people having this "pretenders" hot take and the threads Uriel started last year suggesting why math said the Spurs would win the le.
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