History, and on the Road

[FromWayDowntown]

For all who said the Spurs *needed* HCA if they intended to do anything in these playoffs (since the Spurs had never won anything without HCA), that crutch has been kicked to the curb. We can no longer say that the Spurs need home court advantage to get things done in the playoffs, at least in historical perspective.

Props to these Spurs: 6-2 on the road in these playoffs with 2 wins in Denver and 3 wins in Phoenix. I'd take a couple more road wins in June, but so far, so good.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Thanks for reminding me, where is that punk Whott at? :lol

He told me us trading Nazr for Malik cost us home court and the title. :lmao

[FromWayDowntown]

Thanks for reminding me, where is that punk Whott at? :lol

He told me us trading Nazr for Malik cost us home court and the title. :lmao

That was entirely inadvertent (I was thinking more of Jim, who seemed absolutely convinced that the Spurs could do nothing without HCA) but if it helps in that way, I'm glad to assist.

Nazr for Malik is a pimp-slapping steal. (And I think the world of Malik Rose as a human being). RC Buford and Pop absolutely prison raped Isiah Thomas on that one. Nazr will be a significant factor in how the Finals play out.

[Jimcs50]

Today, 05:14 PM #1
Jimcs50
Nostradamas Jr.


Position: Dominant Center
Team: San Antonio Spurs
vBookie Cash: $13000
Post Count: 21,865
Reason to believe Spurs will win tonight

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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 team does not need to be at home in playoffs for some reason.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

You'll have no disagreements from me on Nazr.

I just hope they get him extended this summer before he really takes off after a summer in the Spurs off-season program.

For all the hate on Walton, he nailed it earlier this series: "Isiah Thomas is helping build championship teams... in San Antonio."

[Jimcs50]

You'll have no disagreements from me on Nazr.

I just hope they get him extended this summer before he really takes off after a summer in the Spurs off-season program.

For all the hate on Walton, he nailed it earlier this series: "Isiah Thomas is helping build championship teams... in San Antonio."


That was Barkley that said that, Aggie.

[MiNuS]

There.........

We did sweep them ................. in their floor!

[Jimcs50]

There.........

We did sweep them ................. in their floor!

:lol

[FromWayDowntown]

This team does not need to be at home in playoffs for some reason.

Nice now, Jimmy, but about 2-3 weeks before the end of the regular season, I could swear that you claimed that the Spurs would be sunk without HCA, since they had never won a title without HCA.


For all the hate on Walton, he nailed it earlier this series: "Isiah Thomas is helping build championship teams... in San Antonio."

Somehow, the Spurs got better, younger, and more finanically efficient in one fell swoop. How does RC Buford never get any love for Exec of the Year?

[T Park]

Where is Boutons???

He said

"this team is mentally soft on the road, and no way can they start winning in the playoffs. on the road."

[FromWayDowntown]

Where is Boutons???

He said

"this team is mentally soft on the road, and no way can they start winning in the playoffs. on the road."

TPark, that's a great point. I remember all of boutons' bitching in January and February about this team "giving away" games against inferior teams, while pimping the Suns for running out to their record. Even Pop has admitted that this team used the regular season as, essentially, an experiment, explaining some of that regular season inconsistency.

I'll take Pop's side over boutons' every time.

[Jimcs50]

Nice now, Jimmy, but about 2-3 weeks before the end of the regular season, I could swear that you claimed that the Spurs would be sunk without HCA, since they had never won a title without HCA.



I am the one that wanted the Spurs to be the 2 seed, remember??I wanted SA to be 2 seed in my thread titled. "I want 2 seed!"

I said that HCA was not important to SA, but matchups were. I wanted to have Denver and Seattle over getting Dallas in 2nd round. Now do you remember?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Somehow, the Spurs got better, younger, and more finanically efficient in one fell swoop. How does RC Buford never get any love for Exec of the Year?

Because some fools think Pat Riley deserves credit for "luring" Shaq to South Beach. :lol

[FromWayDowntown]

I am the one that wanted the Spurs to be the 2 seed, remember??I wanted SA to be 2 seed in my thread titled. "I want 2 seed!"

I said that HCA was not important to SA, but matchups were. I wanted to have Denver and Seattle over getting Dallas in 2nd round. Now do you remember?

I swear that at one point, you said that the Spurs needed HCA because they had "never won a title without home court advantage."

They haven't won a title, but they'll have HCA in the Finals, so this was the litmus test for that question, IMO.

Jim, if my memory is failing and I am wrong about that, you have my sincere apologies!! I promise that I'm not trying to call you out -- I have absolutely no quarrel with you. I just know that someone said it, and I thought it was you. Whoever and whatever, the "need HCA" to get it done myth has been put to bed, and I'm exstatic (well, I'm not "exstatic," but I'm very, very happy!!)

[FromWayDowntown]

Because some fools think Pat Riley deserves credit for "luring" Shaq to South Beach. :lol

And because Steve Nash is a singularly sublime pickup. :lol

Those who vote for Exec of the Year are pretty much clueless -- this team has been almost completely remade since 1999 (by my count, only Duncan remains from that first title team), and has gotten younger and better. This has to be a model franchise, even without accolades from a fawning media.

[Jimcs50]

I swear that at one point, you said that the Spurs needed HCA because they had "never won a title without home court advantage."

They haven't won a title, but they'll have HCA in the Finals, so this was the litmus test for that question, IMO.

Jim, if my memory is failing and I am wrong about that, you have my sincere apologies!! I promise that I'm not trying to call you out -- I have absolutely no quarrel with you. I just know that someone said it, and I thought it was you. Whoever and whatever, the "need HCA" to get it done myth has been put to bed, and I'm exstatic (well, I'm not "exstatic," but I'm very, very happy!!)


I said that as a statement of fact, but not they needed it to beat Phoenix.

I said that Phoenix is no better at home than on the road and that they are the one team that SA can beat at home because Phoenix lost 11 at home just as on the road.

I would not have wanted the 2 seed if i did not think we could win on the road.

In 03, the Spurs closed out 2 series on the road...they are road warriors, that is why I posted that they would win tonight, because they close out better on the road.

[FromWayDowntown]

I said that as a statement of fact, but not they needed it to beat Phoenix.

I said that Phoenix is no better at home than on the road and that they are the one team that SA can beat at home because Phoenix lost 11 at home just as on the road.

I would not have wanted the 2 seed if i did not think we could win on the road.

In 03, the Spurs closed out 2 series on the road...they are road warriors, that is why I posted that they would win tonight, because they close out better on the road.

Fair enough. I don't disagree with any of that. I'm just glad that nobody can argue that the Spurs "need" HCA to take care of business anymore.

By the way, beautiful that Pop has the 2nd best winning percentage in history in close out games now. 16-5 now, and hopefully improving.

[T Park]

beautiful that Pop has the 2nd best winning percentage in history in close out games now. 16-5 now, and hopefully improving.

Fire him now.

Right Sequ?

[Jimcs50]

Fair enough. I don't disagree with any of that. I'm just glad that nobody can argue that the Spurs "need" HCA to take care of business anymore.

By the way, beautiful that Pop has the 2nd best winning percentage in history in close out games now. 16-5 now, and hopefully improving.

When all is said and done, Pop will have every coaching record there is.(career winning %, playoff win %, championships, etc)

This team will be at the top for the next 4-5 yrs and that just pads Pop's stats each year.

[Tek_XX]

Interesting theory, do the spurs play better at home when they don't play that well on the road and vice versa

I don't know if i would describe Nazr as a steal just yet, though i think we got the better end of the deal.

[T Park]

I don't know if i would describe Nazr as a steal just yet,

the guy next year is gonna be a 10 and 10 a game guy that is a 6 10 long armed shot blocking center.

Nahhh thats not a steal for a overachieving 6'4 power forward... :rolleyes

[FromWayDowntown]

When all is said and done, Pop will have every coaching record there is.(career winning %, playoff win %, championships, etc)

This team will be at the top for the next 4-5 yrs and that just pads Pop's stats each year.

Here are some current numbers:

Pop is, for the moment 4th in NBA history in playoff winning percentage among coaches with more than cursory playoff experience:

.717 Phil Jackson
.636 Butch van Breda Kolff
.632 John Kundla
.631 Gregg Popovich (65-38)
.629 Billy Cunningham
.625 Byron Scott

With tonight's win, Pop has moved into 12th all-time in playoff coaching wins with 65. Here's what's in front of him (updated for Larry Brown, too):

175 Phil Jackson
155 Pat Riley
99 Red Auerbach
95 Larry Brown
81 K.C. Jones
80 Lenny Wilkens
78 Jerry Sloan
75 Chuck Daly
70 Don Nelson
68 Rick Adelman
66 Billy Cunningham
65 Gregg Popovich

[Jimcs50]

the guy next year is gonna be a 10 and 10 a game guy that is a 6 10 long armed shot blocking center.

Nahhh thats not a steal for a overachieving 6'4 power forward... :rolleyes

And two #1 draft choices...

The way the Spurs have drafted lately, I would not call it a steal.

[FromWayDowntown]

And two #1 draft choices...

The way the Spurs have drafted lately, I would not call it a steal.

Don't know -- the Spurs still have their #1 this year still; in essence, they got a young front-line contributor for two low-end draft picks (and 2 guaranteed contracts). With Scola in the wings and the chance to wrap up Nazr for a few years going forward, I'd say that was a tremendous deal for the Spurs.

[pooh]

And if I am right...the Spurs have never clinched a WCF at home. All their clinching wins have come on the road, so it's only fitting that they did it on the road like they did tonight.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I don't know if i would describe Nazr as a steal just yet, though i think we got the better end of the deal.

oh boy...


And two #1 draft choices...

The way the Spurs have drafted lately, I would not call it a steal.

Jim, here is our probable two deep for the next three years:

PG Parker, Udrih
SG Manu, Barry/Brown
SF Bowen, Brown, Linton? Other?
PF Duncan, Horry, Scola
C Nazr, Rasho

Show me where your late first rounders are going to fit in there. The only real gap on the two deep for the rest of the Duncan era is at SF, and I'm sure we've got a plan between all the Euros and free agent hired guns looking for rings.

Sorry, people hang on to those first rounders like they were going to be lotto picks or something. The reality is there just isn't room on this team, depth wise, for that many more contributors.

[Sense]

I gotta admit that I was a little worried about our road record before entering the playoffs..but our record made me sigh....then I thought of the Suns...then I kinda got nervous.

But the Spurs played like champions....so I won't doubt them again.