Did last night's win change your opinion on the Spurs' championship hopes?

[Wilford Brimley]

I know it's just regular season but that felt like a statement win, and proved that we are the team to beat out West. A lot of people seemed to be jumping ship the past week or so, but did this win change your mind again?

Drive for Five:toast
:lobt2::lobt2::lobt2::lobt2: and :lobt2:

[ajballer4]

Mine hasnt changed all season. Ive believed it all along. It does always help when you get a win like that though.

[Giuseppe]

No. Aside from us, you're the only identifiable/certifiable stronghold in the Western Conference. You'll have to be accounted for & dealt with. Phil, Kobe, and the Lakers know this without being told.

[Wilford Brimley]

No. Aside from us, you're the only identifiable/certifiable stronghold in the Western Conference. You'll have to be accounted for & dealt with. Phil, Kobe, and the Lakers know this without being told.

This is true. Game recognize game. Good thing we'll have the HCA:toast

[Phenomanul]

You mean when they aren't playing a third game in 4 nights.... or some ridiculous B2B on national TV (at midday no less)?

Eh.... when rested this team is formidable, and will be a force to be reckoned with.... Since there are no B2B in the playoffs... I say we'll be alright...

Of course, some people here will jump ship (again) when we lose to Portland in another similar scheduling trap game a couple of days down the road....

[Giuseppe]

This is true. Game recognize game. Good thing we'll have the HCA:toast

We'll (fandom) ruminate over it, but, it's of no concern to the aforementioned Phil, Kobe, and the Lakers.

Pierce believed likewise last June leaving California after Game Two.

Uh, uh.

[JR3]

The win over the mavs did NOT change my mind.. My mind has been made up for a while now. I know we are capable of playing like this and capable of winning a championship this year. I like our chances. We can do the same to the lakers.. boston...Miami... I'm not so worried like other spurs fans. I know we have had nights where we don't look as good and maybe it looks like "our weakness is exposed" but look around- other contenders have games like that too.

[John Basedow]

Didn't change my mind either...Spurs ceiling is WC runner-up

[ginobilized]

the spurs are tightening up their mistakes and getting focused for the playoffs.
i believe they can be as good as their execution allows....there is still a lot of room for improvement for this team. if injuries don't derail the playoff push, anything is possible with this group. WCF could be more of a challenge than finals, however.

it was nice to see the effort and focus there for a good portion of the game last night. I don't see anyone beating the spurs if they can focus and execute for 48 mins.

[Juggity]

I think our ability to close out the closest games we've played is what will take us deep in the playoffs...Last night we almost let the game go by the third quarter, but the fourth was full of great plays and clutch shots. So last night only reinforced what we already know about this team.

However, as good as the big 3 were, the bench beyond Gary Neal is still looking alarmingly unproductive, particularly RJ and GH. The continuance of that will probably not make for many easy wins in the postseason.

[shorttotry]

I've liked our chances all along, but I also liked the fact that we had a slump for a while there. It's really is the only adversity this team has seen all year. Every championship team needs to face adversity. It really makes them more of a team in the long haul.

[John Basedow]

I've liked our chances all along, but I also liked the fact that we had a slump for a while there. It's really is the only adversity this team has seen all year. Every championship team needs to face adversity. It really makes them more of a team in the long haul.

What adversity did the 72-10 Bulls face?

[romain.star]

What adversity did the 72-10 Bulls face?

Dennis Rodman?

[SourCandy]

I don't know if it's this board or gnsf but spur fans worry to dam much. Ready with the noose after every loss and up on the soap box after every win. Just put the noose next to the soap box already.

[John Basedow]

Dennis Rodman?

Don't confuse controversy with adversity. He fit in perfectly the moment he got to Chicago, as evidenced by the 72-10 record.

[Budkin]

Winning that game doesn't change the fact that we don't have the size to match up with those that do. Our home court advantage is going to be huge, but we're going to have to hope that the Lakers slip up.

[benefactor]

Nope.

[Obstructed_View]

Nope.

[koriwhat]

I don't know if it's this board or gnsf but spur fans worry to dam much. Ready with the noose after every loss and up on the soap box after every win. Just put the noose next to the soap box already.

or use the noose and kick the soap box out from under "your" feet.

[ploto]

A championship team does not measure itself against the Dallas Mavericks.

[itzsoweezee]

That wasn't a very reassuring win. The Spurs still played bad defense. And the supporting cast (ie, Jefferson, Hill, and Bonner) still provided no support.

[Obstructed_View]

That wasn't a very reassuring win. The Spurs still played bad defense. And the supporting cast (ie, Jefferson, Hill, and Bonner) still provided no support.

I missed the bad defense, unless you're talking about Bonner, but that's individual defense, not team defense.

[jjktkk]

Good question. Last night showed that the Spurs are one of the best teams in the league. The biggest problem is the Spurs showing this effort consistantly against the other elite teams, once the playoffs begin.

[DesignatedT]

That wasn't a very reassuring win. The Spurs still played bad defense. And the supporting cast (ie, Jefferson, Hill, and Bonner) still provided no support.

The Spurs defense was very active. Bonner had a bad stretch there on D against marion but he made up for it with tenacious rebounding and aggressive play. Fact is with the big 3 playing that well (scoring 80) guys like RJ and Hill aren't needed in the scoring column and just need to stay aggressive defensively and help on the boards which I think everyone did. It was a good performance by every spur who played last night. Very aggressive play from everyone and the 14 steals are a result of that.

[jjktkk]

The Spurs defense was very active. Bonner had a bad stretch there on D against marion but he made up for it with tenacious rebounding and aggressive play. Fact is with the big 3 playing that well (scoring 80) guys like RJ and Hill aren't needed in the scoring column and just need to stay aggressive defensively and help on the boards which I think everyone did tonight. It was a good performance by every spur who played tonight. Very aggressive play from everyone.

Good points. I think we can all agree that the big 3 will be there in the playoffs, so its vital that at least 2 players out of the supporting cast can consistantly show up in the playoffs.

[rascal]

The spurs will not even get to a game 7 in the western conference finals. Game 6 wcf is the spurs ceiling.

[TD 21]

I don't know if it's this board or gnsf but spur fans worry to dam much. Ready with the noose after every loss and up on the soap box after every win. Just put the noose next to the soap box already.

Exactly.

Why would one game, sixty-seven games into a season, change anyone's opinion about a team? Your opinion should be established/solidified at this point. This team has nothing left to prove in the regular season and they didn't coming into this game. It was a good win for confidence purposes, but there's nothing more that should be taken from the game, in terms of the big picture.

[Doctor J]

A championship team does not measure itself against the Dallas Mavericks.

I like that statement. :toast

[pjjrfan]

Nope, I still believe they can go all the way. But that defensive effort is something I would like to see from now on on a nightly basis.

[moisaenz]

Exactly.

Why would one game, sixty-seven games into a season, change anyone's opinion about a team? Your opinion should be established/solidified at this point. This team has nothing left to prove in the regular season and they didn't coming into this game. It was a good win for confidence purposes, but there's nothing more that should be taken from the game, in terms of the big picture.

The spurs just learned how to beat this team with Nowitzki... Which is to annoy him any time he has the ball just like manu did... thats how the warriors beat them.. thats how they lost games with him.. well besides him choking...

[ATXSPUR]

I've always felt like we are contenders.

Funny how I always seem to be more down on the Spurs after I read Spurstalk though.

I'd like to go back and just look at the last 20 regular season games of all our championship seasons. I bet I'd see a lot of stuff to complain about, just like we're complaining right now. These guys are humans everybody, not robots. Fans tend to forget that about professional athletes. They're not going to look flawless every night. I promise you that our chances are just as good as any other team.

[Danny.Zhu]

Lakers is always the team to beat. Last night didn't change anything.

[reddog 99]

A championship team does not measure itself against the Dallas Mavericks.

That sums it up for me.

"Move along please no need to look, its only dead bodies"

:lmao

[G-Dawgg]

I love the Spurs and want them to win it all, but I personally don't have confidence in them anymore. The two blow-out losses to the Lakers and the Heat really killed it for me......

[Giuseppe]

......yer just afraid.

[DieMrBond]

It was a weird game. Spurs played great defense yet the Mavs shot 49% typical Spurs wins consist of several players in double figures, yet the big 3 were the only ones. The biggest parts of this game was Tim Duncan playing well and McDyess playing great defense.

Doesn't it seem weird to you saying that... Tim Duncan... playing well?

[Russ]

Bynum deciding he's hurt again or running off to stare at flowers with a magnifying glass would help.

Lack of rebounding will be a huge problem to overcome.

Offensive overreliance on threes is an enormous problem. Is Manu saving himself for the postseason by settling for jumpers? Will the Spurs cast off the three-point offense (a bit) when it counts?

The upside is huge because the smart money says the Spurs can't possibly beat the thrre-peat bound Lakers. That just makes it even bigger if they do. :)

[Horse]

The thing with this team all season has been then tend to lose focus, maybe even get bored. like when they started fucking around when they just about had it wrapped up in the fourth. I believe they've become bored with the reg. season and don't see that being a problem in the playoffs.

[Rummpd]

Spurs are 11 and 6 vs. LAL, Heat, Boston, Mavs, Magic and Chicago and have a positive point differential against those top teams.

Spurs did not play well against either Heat or LAL but also have hammered those same teams this year. If the big three bring it every time like they did against the Mavs, and they get at least some consistent help from jefferson, Neal and Hill, the Spurs can and will beat everyone this year.

[Fabbs]

The Mav win when combined with the record since the ASB offsets the chokers to the Flamers and the Heat.

[Fabbs]

Spurs are 11 and 6 vs. LAL, Heat, Boston, Mavs, Magic and Chicago and have a positive point differential against those top teams.

Spurs did not play well against either Heat or LAL but also have hammered those same teams this year. If the big three bring it every time like they did against the Mavs, and they get at least some consistent help from jefferson, Neal and Hill, the Spurs can and will beat everyone this year.
Yes if Jefferson returns to Soft Dick and Popped does nothing about it, that's a major problem.

[Roger Freemason Jr.]

Yes if Jefferson returns to Soft Dick and Popped does nothing about it, that's a major problem.

Well, Pop has molded Jefferson into the defender/3pt. shooter type. RJ isn't bad at the 3 ball, but it seems as though Pop is neglecting the fact that drawing up some plays for RJ to get into the paint would be very effective. RJ used to jam it home all the time. In fact, the Spurs haven't dunked the ball alot at all, Dejuan had been jamming it to, but now nobody is.

Anyways, RJ's defense isn't terrible either, he has the responsibility of guarding some of the best players in the league. It's all on Pop, he should run that Parker RJ alley-oop again.