Jimcs50
06-01-2005, 05:14 PM
If there's a reason to believe the Spurs can wrap up the Western Conference finals tonight with a fourth win, it's precisely because they are not in the SBC Center. While their close-out record, overall, is impressive – coach Gregg Popovich is 15-4 in such games – they have a disturbing trend of kicking away at least one game on their home floor every series. As good as they've been at home during the regular season and in the playoffs, they've swept only a single series, taking out Memphis 4-0 in the first round last year.
This quirk usually doesn't upend them, but merely delays the inevitable.
While winning eight of their last 10 playoff series, the Spurs have gone undefeated at home in only two of them. Be it early or late, it seems to be part of their DNA to drop a game at home when it is least expected. Or maybe part of the problem is their fans have come to expect it, creating a palpable nervous tension inside the SBC Center whenever a game appears to be slipping out of the silver-and-black's grasp.
This quirk usually doesn't upend them, but merely delays the inevitable.
While winning eight of their last 10 playoff series, the Spurs have gone undefeated at home in only two of them. Be it early or late, it seems to be part of their DNA to drop a game at home when it is least expected. Or maybe part of the problem is their fans have come to expect it, creating a palpable nervous tension inside the SBC Center whenever a game appears to be slipping out of the silver-and-black's grasp.