LOL Trollinger thinks Spurs, Jazz, or Suns will come out of the West

[Leetonidas]

So if the Lakers are vulnerable, but the Nuggets and Mavs aren't playing well enough to beat them, then who will? Believe it or not, the best chances come from three teams long dismissed as legitimate contenders.

<snip>

San Antonio has won 10 of its last 14 against a difficult schedule and did most of the damage without an injured Tony Parker. At full strength, the Spurs were good enough to the beat the Lakers by 20 in January

<snip>

Another stronger-than-advertised hopeful is Phoenix...<snip>...Phoenix is 19-5 in its past 24 games...<snip>...The 24-game stretch includes 11 double-figure wins and not a single double-figure loss.

And then there's Utah. Why the Jazz continue to be dismissed as a serious contender is beyond me, because they're playing as well as any team in basketball and have been for three months.

The Jazz are 28-8 in their past 36 games and have done it despite numerous injuries...<snip>...Utah has the West's best scoring margin over the last quarter of teams' schedules and will soon have the league's best margin.

<snip>

Thus, it's time to rethink our outlook on the Western Conference race. If you're expecting the West to be the Lakers' to win, or that the Nuggets and Mavs are the two teams with the best hopes of upsetting the apple cart in the West, think again. I still expect L.A. to be one of the last two teams left standing in the conference, but I'm not nearly as secure in this opinion as I was six weeks ago. So if it turns out that we get something like Utah-Phoenix in the conference finals instead, don't say you weren't warned.

Does this dude even fucking watch basketball? :lmao

[dbestpro]

Add a healthy Parker, give Duncan rest, convince refs to treat Blair like a vet, RMJ and Bonner hit their wide open 3s, RJ play as hard as Ian, put Bogans in a suit, and Dice hit his J and yes the Spurs could be a title contender.

[Allanon]

Mavs and Nuggets are playing very poorly and really have thrown open the doors in the West.

Not much left to challenge the Lakers other than Spurs, Jazz, Suns.

And call me crazy but if the Spurs can avoid the #8 or #4/5 seeds, they actually have a decent chance of getting to the WCF.

In the West, the Spurs right now are playing better than any team not named the Lakers, Suns and Jazz.

[Frenzy]

Add a healthy Parker, give Duncan rest, convince refs to treat Blair like a vet, RMJ and Bonner hit their wide open 3s, RJ play as hard as Ian, put Bogans in a suit, and Dice hit his J and yes the Spurs could be a title contender.


Sounds simple enough huh?

[lefty]

Add a healthy Parker, give Duncan rest, convince refs to treat Blair like a vet, RMJ and Bonner hit their wide open 3s, RJ play as hard as Ian, put Bogans in a suit, and Dice hit his J and yes the Spurs could be a title contender.
That's not too much to ask :bang

[mogrovejo]

I've said more or less the same a couple of months ago. I watch a ton of basketball. I'm usually good with predictions.

[in2deep]

Add a healthy Parker, give Duncan rest, convince refs to treat Blair like a vet, RMJ and Bonner hit their wide open 3s, RJ play as hard as Ian, put Bogans in a suit, and Dice hit his J and yes the Spurs could be a title contender.

why don't you add to that getting head from Pamela and winning the lottery?

[murpjf88]

Mavs and Nuggets are playing very poorly and really have thrown open the doors in the West.

Not much left to challenge the Lakers other than Spurs, Jazz, Suns.

And call me crazy but if the Spurs can avoid the #8 or #4/5 seeds, they actually have a decent chance of getting to the WCF.

In the West, the Spurs right now are playing better than any team not named the Lakers, Suns and Jazz.

The Lakers aren't exactly playing like gang bangers either.

EDIT: you are crazy.

[in2deep]

who cares who gets out of the West. The Magic or Cavs will wipe the floor with that team anyway.

[Allanon]

The Lakers aren't exactly playing like gang bangers either.

EDIT: you are crazy.

It's true that the Lakers sucked earlier this year. But the Lakers are playing VERY well now. I wouldn't be surprised if their win streak hits 15 or more.

If the Lakers get the Blazers first and Suns/OKC/Jazz in the 2nd round, you can pen them into the WCF.

As for being crazy, Mavs and Nuggets are in suckage right now...are any Spurs fans actually afraid of Mavs or Nuggz?

This leaves the Lakers WCF opponent very open if Spurs can avoid them before then.

[tdunk21]

if spurs get past the 1st round...then its very difficult to beat spurs coz timmy is so focussed in the playoffs than in regular season....so a healthy spurs team can do lot of damage to other teams....

but i wonder why mason, rj and bonner keep missin open 3 pt shots.....wonder what they do in shootin practice......

[Allanon]

I'm telling you guys now,

The Spurs will make the WCF if:

1) They make the Playoffs
2) Avoid the Lakers' bracket
3) Tony comes back healthy by the 1st round

The only team that I think can beat the Spurs before then are the Jazz and it's not a sure thing.

There really aren't any other teams that the Spurs matchup poorly against.

[Dr. Gonzo]

The Spurs have no chance to get past the second round. If they do then I eat dog shit, record it and post it here.

[murpjf88]

The Spurs have no chance to get past the second round. If they do then I eat dog shit, record it and post it here.

I'm adding this page to my favorites. We shall see.

[anonoftheinternets]

The Spurs have no chance to get past the second round. If they do then I eat dog shit, record it and post it here.

lol ok ...:lmao

[Sisk]

Add a healthy Parker, give Duncan rest, convince refs to treat Blair like a vet, RMJ and Bonner hit their wide open 3s, RJ play as hard as Ian, put Bogans in a suit, and Dice hit his J and yes the Spurs could be a title contender.

while you're right...
:lmao



The Spurs have no chance to get past the second round. If they do then I eat dog shit, record it and post it here.

I hope that they win for no other reason that for you to eat your words... and by words I mean dog shit.

[ffadicted]

I'm telling you guys now,

The Spurs will make the WCF if:

1) They make the Playoffs
2) Avoid the Lakers' bracket
3) Tony comes back healthy by the 1st round

The only team that I think can beat the Spurs before then are the Jazz and it's not a sure thing.

There really aren't any other teams that the Spurs matchup poorly against.
+1 nigz, i've been saying this for ages, fuck the 5th seed

[mytespurs]

Add a healthy Parker, give Duncan rest, convince refs to treat Blair like a vet, RMJ and Bonner hit their wide open 3s, RJ play as hard as Ian, put Bogans in a suit, and Dice hit his J and yes the Spurs could be a title contender.

A lot of big "IFs" in that statement........:hat

[HarlemHeat37]

He's not really saying the Lakers aren't going to win, he said he still expects them to make the WCF and probably win..he just said it wouldn't be surprising if they didn't win, which I disagree with, but it's a valid point..the Lakers aren't as good as their talent..

I believe the Nuggets can challenge them if Martin is healthy though..without Martin, the Nuggets are actually A LOT weaker..while it sounds strange, it's the reality..their defense suffers a lot without him, and then they're forced to play scrubs like Petro and Allen..they're vulnerable..

The rest of the West really isn't that good, and I believe if the Spurs can get their big 3 somewhat healthy and have Hill continue his tear, they can get to the WCF..the problem is that I don't believe we can get the big 3 healthy..the odds are that Duncan will continue to decline(not as bad as the games vs. Orlando and LA, but he won't be a consistent star) and Parker won't be able to adjust quickly after he returns..

It'll be a first round exit either way if the Lakers are the matchup(probably a sweep), but the Spurs can make it interesting against any other team if the health is somewhat right..sadly, it probably won't be, but you never know..

[jimo2305]

The Spurs have no chance to get past the second round. If they do then I eat dog shit, record it and post it here.

omg.. someone better show george hill this post at academy :lol

that should motivate the team

[Xylus]

The Suns are capable of beating just about anyone in the West, but the Lakers would be heavily favored in a Suns-Lakers series. The Suns just can't win in LA, and Phoenix has so many exported LA fans that home court wouldn't really matter all that much.

[temujin]

What I don't understand, really, is why Jackson is playing the starters so much.
40'?
What for?

I also don't see them coming out of the West.

As for the Spurs, sorry, too many losers on this team.
No Horry no Barry no Oberto and no Bowen.
No bigs, except for the poor old Duncan: even with Parker, no chance.

Oh, the coach has somewhat lost it.

[easy7]

The Spurs have no chance to get past the second round. If they do then I eat dog shit, record it and post it here.

:lmao :lmao :lmao This has to be the best statement ever, you have more balls than the Spurs... :worthy:

[murpjf88]

The Suns are capable of beating just about anyone in the West, but the Lakers would be heavily favored in a Suns-Lakers series. The Suns just can't win in LA, and Phoenix has so many exported LA fans that home court wouldn't really matter all that much.

You have a point. But nobody really takes the suns seriously come playoff time anyway. This year should be no different.

[TD 21]

He's not really saying the Lakers aren't going to win, he said he still expects them to make the WCF and probably win..he just said it wouldn't be surprising if they didn't win, which I disagree with, but it's a valid point..the Lakers aren't as good as their talent..

I believe the Nuggets can challenge them if Martin is healthy though..without Martin, the Nuggets are actually A LOT weaker..while it sounds strange, it's the reality..their defense suffers a lot without him, and then they're forced to play scrubs like Petro and Allen..they're vulnerable..

The rest of the West really isn't that good, and I believe if the Spurs can get their big 3 somewhat healthy and have Hill continue his tear, they can get to the WCF..the problem is that I don't believe we can get the big 3 healthy..the odds are that Duncan will continue to decline(not as bad as the games vs. Orlando and LA, but he won't be a consistent star) and Parker won't be able to adjust quickly after he returns..

It'll be a first round exit either way if the Lakers are the matchup(probably a sweep), but the Spurs can make it interesting against any other team if the health is somewhat right..sadly, it probably won't be, but you never know..

I doubt the Spurs have the energy for it. For them to beat any West playoff team in a series, Duncan needs to average high 30's minutes, McDyess low 30's minutes and Parker needs to be at at least 75% of the player he is when he's full healthy/in rhythm and log mid 30's minutes and I doubt that over the course of a series that will likely span 6 or 7 games (unless they fall to 8th) that these guys can play at that level without wearing down and their performance suffering.

That being said, the first round is really spread out. Early in series, teams get up to 3 days rest sometimes, everyone get's a 2 day break at one point or another, so this will help the Spurs big time in that regard. But if that doesn't do it and Duncan's feet continues to look glued to the ground, McDyess continues to look like he's aged five years in a year and Parker doesn't at least somewhat resemble the player he is when he's fully healthy/in rhythm, then this team is in trouble.

I'll say this though, match-ups 2-7 in the West could be really interesting and make for some exciting series. Unfortunately, none of them (unless Martin miraculously recovers) are capable of winning a championship, which somewhat tempers my enthusiasm, but I'm still looking forward to it.

[ezau]

Mavs and Nuggets are playing very poorly and really have thrown open the doors in the West.

Not much left to challenge the Lakers other than Spurs, Jazz, Suns.

And call me crazy but if the Spurs can avoid the #8 or #4/5 seeds, they actually have a decent chance of getting to the WCF.

In the West, the Spurs right now are playing better than any team not named the Lakers, Suns and Jazz.

What's scary is that the Lakers didn't have to go 100 percent to beat the Spurs. Our guys looked scared and intimidated once the Lakers decided to play basketball.

[timtonymanu]

When this team has pussy players like RJ Mason and Bonner, they wont go far. I'm still expecting a first round exit unless these guys grow some balls.

[BillMc]

Poor Hollinger. He says bad things about the Spurs, we get mad. He says good things about the Spurs, we get mad...

[Manudo Flopo]

Mavs and Nuggets are playing very poorly and really have thrown open the doors in the West.

Not much left to challenge the Lakers other than Spurs, Jazz, Suns.

And call me crazy but if the Spurs can avoid the #8 or #4/5 seeds, they actually have a decent chance of getting to the WCF.

In the West, the Spurs right now are playing better than any team not named the Lakers, Suns and Jazz.
:nope

[spurs10]

A lot of big "IFs" in that statement........:hat
If my aunt had a penis, she'd be my uncle. Beat the Cavs tonight!!

[nkdlunch]

Let's not forget Nuggets are struggling because Karl is out. If he and Kmart come back healthy for playoffs, they will be back to contender form.

[senorglory]

I'm telling you guys now,

The Spurs will make the WCF if:

1) They make the Playoffs
2) Avoid the Lakers' bracket
3) Tony comes back healthy by the 1st round

The only team that I think can beat the Spurs before then are the Jazz and it's not a sure thing.

There really aren't any other teams that the Spurs matchup poorly against.

Who do you figure takes out the Lakers?

[Dr. Gonzo]

Looks like Hollinger knows what he is talking about...lol

It was one win. They are still a 7 seed.

[Allanon]

Who do you figure takes out the Lakers?

If the Spurs stay out of #8, Spurs vs Lakers in the WCF would be a good one; but nobody is taking out the Lakers.

Spurs took out the Lakers yesterday, they have a talented team as ever. But they lack consistency and that will hurt in 7 games.

[JR3]

It was one win. They are still a 7 seed.

It was one win against the lakers...cleavland, boston, and orlando.. this team is a 7 seed, but def not the 7th best team in the west.

[BillMc]

Actually, I think a series against the Jazz would be very tough.

[Drachen]

I think it would be interesting to have a WCF against the Jazz, right before a Finals with the Cavs. I would like to see how that one would play out.

[Dr. Gonzo]

It was one win against the lakers...cleavland, boston, and orlando.. this team is a 7 seed, but def not the 7th best team in the west.

That doesn't mean Hollinger was "right" about Spurs coming out of the west.