A different Approach...

[silverandblackreign]

So..last year we finish on a 10 game win streak and continue into the playoffs smokin' hot with 6 in a row before melting down 4 straight to get knocked out.

This year we head into the playooffs with barely over a .500 record in our last 10, and losers of 3 out of the last 5.

This could be a good sign for us......

[ca®lo]

i sure hope so.

[MadDog73]

To be fair, how hard have the Spurs really been trying?

While I always got on the Lakers case for "throwing the switch", it worked well enough for them most of the time.

Maybe the Spurs have learned not to blow all their wins in the regular season! :lol

[TwoHandJam]

To be fair, how hard have the Spurs really been trying?

While I always got on the Lakers case for "throwing the switch", it worked well enough for them most of the time.

Maybe the Spurs have learned not to blow all their wins in the regular season! :lolYou know, it's strange but part of me wants to believe the Spurs have become like the Lakers of old. A team that's bored with the regular season and knows how to flip the switch. I don't think a coach like Pop would ever stand for it but hey, a man can dream can't he? :spin

[bigbendbruisebrother]

So..last year we finish on a 10 game win streak and continue into the playoffs smokin' hot with 6 in a row before melting down 4 straight to get knocked out.

This year we head into the playooffs with barely over a .500 record in our last 10, and losers of 3 out of the last 5.

This could be a good sign for us......

I like your thinking. For sure, they won't take anything for granted this year.

[Jimcs50]

It is all about getting hot at the right time.

Last year, they peaked too soon

Winning 6 straight and then losing 4 straight.

Here they won 6 straight, then lost 4 straight, while my Red Sox started out losing 3 straight to the Yankees and then won 8 straight to win it all.

So it is all about catching lightning in a bottle at the right time.

[boutons]

"peaked too soon"

No, Spurs offense made no adjustments to Lakers shutting down the paint. There was no let-down from an too-early peak, just rigid, stupid 4-down basketball with Malone pushing Tim out to the wing and slapping him silly, while Shaq and the guards plugged up the paint for Tony and Manu. "Beat us with your jumshots" and the Spurs couldn't hit shit.

Had nothing to with peaking, early, late, or whenever.

[Mr. Body]

I don't think the Spurs are bored of the regular season at all. Had they been healthy, they were gearing up for as dominant a last month as they had all year. They would have easily won the best record in the league, and would have set a team record for victories.

Instead, they have a broken rotation, players without the best rhythm (Barry), question marks (Udrih), a couple talented players unused to the team (Mohammed, Robinson), and injuries (Ginobili possibly, Duncan).

It's a bad situation and I don't really feel good about it. That said, I am heartened by the first and second round matchups and the prospect that the kinks can be worked out as they go. Very long breaks between games set up more practice time and more time to heal. I don't view Denver as that much of a threat - they looked absolutely abyssmal the last week or so, with competent teams taking them apart. Their success has been in the transition game, but San Antonio has proven in playoffs past that they can reel in surging transition teams (New Jersey Nets) with great preparation. Denver also has few offensive threats, and their primary one is a still-untested second year player who is matched up against the league's premier perimeter defender. Everyone is banking on their bigs inside to bang up our bigs, but this is a team we might be able to beat with our backcourt, anyway, depending on how Camby is playing and blocking shots.

So, I'd say things could be much better, in terms of us coming together. But the few weeks in front of us look pretty favorable.

[Jimcs50]

"peaked too soon"

No, Spurs offense made no adjustments to Lakers shutting down the paint. There was no let-down from an too-early peak, just rigid, stupid 4-down basketball with Malone pushing Tim out to the wing and slapping him silly, while Shaq and the guards plugged up the paint for Tony and Manu. "Beat us with your jumshots" and the Spurs couldn't hit shit.

Had nothing to with peaking, early, late, or whenever.


They did peak too soon...in first 6 games, they hit their shots and last 4, they could not hit the shots. The defense was good enough.

[MadDog73]

we were outcoached and outplayed in those 4 (well, 3.9) games.

I sincerely doubt that will happen again... unless it's by Larry Brown.