Wojnarowski: Spurs’ fall arriving sooner than expected [Archive]

duncan228

04-26-2011, 02:07 AM

Spurs’ fall arriving sooner than expected (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-wojnarowski_grizzlies_crushing_spurs_dynasty_04261 1)
By Adrian Wojnarowski

Everyone’s eyes can see the truth unfolding on the floor, and yes, the crumbling of the San Antonio Spurs’ dynasty is a jarring spectacle. Fading fast now, a proud, old champion has struggled to stay with the talented bodies, young legs and hungry hearts out of Memphis. The Grizzlies tanked the final games of the season for a chance to obliterate the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and Tim Duncan sounded so offended. There would be a price for Memphis to pay for such blatant disregard.

Only Duncan’s no longer able to exact revenge on the Spurs’ honor. San Antonio is down 3-1 to the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, and this feels far less like an upset and far more like an inevitability. The Spurs reconstructed themselves to play faster, freer and far less dependent on Duncan. They had no choice, but San Antonio suddenly seems far more constructed for the long run of the regular season than the grind of the playoffs.

Spurs owner Peter Holt always insisted: He was going down with Duncan. It was admirable, fitting and just. Only now, the time has come.

The Spurs are going down with Tim Duncan.

One year ago this week, Holt watched the Spurs sputter through most of the regular season, cling to the seventh seed and still beat an old rival, the Dallas Mavericks, in the first round of the playoffs. It was a magnificent victory, validating for the Gregg Popovich and RC Buford regime because it convinced them they were justified in staying with the program.

“We looked at the history of all this, and asked, ‘Should we try this or not?’ ” Holt told me. “And we realized – it’s worth it. Let’s keep doing it – transitioning without crashing. That’s what we’re trying to do, but also our goal is to win a championship this year so we said, ‘Let’s go after it again.’ ”

The thirty-something Spurs had won again. Only, they would get swept in the conference semifinals by the Phoenix Suns. Almost a year later, the Spurs have won 61 regular-season games, and it feels so much like a mirage.

This isn’t to say this series is over, because the Spurs have too much pride, too much invested. It isn’t your eyes that don’t want to count out the Spurs, but a sense. It isn’t logical, but much, much more based upon emotion.

Keep reading... (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-wojnarowski_grizzlies_crushing_spurs_dynasty_04261 1)

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-wojnarowski_grizzlies_crushing_spurs_dynasty_04261 1

04-26-2011, 02:09 AM

We won with Duncan, and we go down with Duncan.

Nathan89

04-26-2011, 02:10 AM

:depressed

duncan228

04-26-2011, 02:21 AM

:depressed

I assume this is just the first of many, the media should all have something similar to say tomorrow. I was hoping we'd get Ludden.

carina_gino20

04-26-2011, 02:24 AM

Popovich is out of wisecracks about the NBA needing to convene a committee to stop such trades as the Pau Gasol(notes) deal. Now, it makes sense: Marc Gasol(notes), Pau’s brother, was a keeper.

BS.

The rest of it... :depressed

Man In Black

04-26-2011, 02:25 AM

And should the Spurs come back and win this series, I will be contacting each one of those media scrubs with a capital F-You Big Market Bias.
If not, then I'll just tell my team..."Thanks for the ride, but next time, can you bring in a 6'10" F-C with athletic young legs?"

ElNono

04-26-2011, 02:25 AM

Can't wait to read the obituary on ESPN tomorrow... :depressed

04-26-2011, 02:26 AM

Can't wait to read the obituary on ESPN tomorrow... :depressed

:lol

mingus

04-26-2011, 02:35 AM

This big 3 has won more championships than any other in the NBA. Couldn't have asked for a better team to cheer for.

I'll be there when we tank to get our next HOFer and beyond.

baseline bum

04-26-2011, 02:37 AM

You guys missed CWebb singing Boys II Men, lol

NewJerSpur

04-26-2011, 02:38 AM

Can't wait to read the obituary on ESPN tomorrow... :depressed

Spurs losing=2hr documentary on ESPN

Spurs winning=2-minute drill/rundown on ESPN

Capt Bringdown

04-26-2011, 03:01 AM

Spurs owner Peter Holt always insisted: He was going down with Duncan. It was admirable, fitting and just. Only now, the time has come.

The Spurs are going down with Tim Duncan.

BS. Duncan ain't the great player he once was, but the Spurs decline does not rest on his shoulders. Although it's clear he can't make surrounding players better as he did in the past.

This is not going to be pretty. I would rather TD take whatever remains from our suprising regular season and and ride off into the sunset.

Bruno

04-26-2011, 06:10 AM

Spurs success in 05 and 07 was based on a big 4 with a dominant Duncan surrounded by solid role players. Spurs aren't in that situation anymore: Bruce is retired, Duncan is old and half the player he was, Manu isn't 100% healthy, Parker sucks for whatever reason and role players are mental midgets.

You could do nothing against time that pass or bad luck (injuries or slumps) but Spurs staff has made mistakes. Front office has been bad last off-season by sticking with losers in Bonner and Jefferson and rewarding them with a combined $50M contract. Pop has been bad this year by not caring about the defense and by putting Tiago in the doghouse.

Spurs future looks bad. They have a shitload of money to give to aging players (Ginobili, Parker, Jefferson and Bonner). Add to the fact that they don't have some kind of great or even very good young players and it will take a miracle for Spurs to rebound quickly. The Duncan era was amazing but it's now the end of it. The next five years are going to be painful ones. Be ready for years of mediocrity and lottery. Hopefully, Spurs will be relevant again after that.

1Parker1

04-26-2011, 06:18 AM

I assume this is just the first of many, the media should all have something similar to say tomorrow. I was hoping we'd get Ludden.

Oh god Duncan228....this is just too, too depressing. I don't know if I can read all these media articles. It's one thing hearing Spurs fans rant about the demise of our beloved Spurs...but I just feel like the media is using this as an excuse to kick us Spurs fans when we are down my saying, hey "we told ya so...."

Spursfanfromafar

04-26-2011, 06:42 AM

SpurSpurSpurs

04-26-2011, 06:53 AM

We made the headline at last! lol FKN STPD media!

Harry Callahan

04-26-2011, 07:08 AM

I've got a problem with the writer ripping on Popovich for his comments about the Memphis givaway of 2008.

To say Memphis came off well in that trade is stupid. Marc Gasol is an OK player, but the LAL have gone to the last three NBA championships and Pau Gasol was a BIG reason for that.

Pop made those comments in 2008. Was he incorrect in his evaluation at the time? No.

That's kind of like saying the Spurs trade of Dennis Rodman to the Bulls was a good deal because Will Perdue was a solid contributor to the Spurs 1999 championship team (I know, Marc Gasol is better that Perdue). The point is, Rodman (a total team cancer in SA) was considered the third wheel of Chicago's great teams as Jordan went off in the sunset.

The point is I don't think the Grizzlies deserve an ounce of credit for making a good trade in 2008. If they were so smart, how come they blew the second pick in the draft two years ago?

Memphis is a nice little team, but I think the cobwebs in the upper bowl of their arena were removed just last week.

It's funny how Pop gets ripped for an accurate statement.

Duncan got old and Gino got hurt again. That's the bottom line.

The Spurs could still beat Memphis. The Grizzlies like to dance around before it's over too much for me. SA did not play smart basketball last night and did not pound the ball inside after the officials started the third quarter with one eye blind. After a couple of SA guys did not get a whistle going to the hoop, they stopped going to the basket and that was that.

The total lack of defense is just maddening to watch. Duncan can't cover up for all the mistakes being made out there right now. Running under screens and allowing more uncontested jump shots in one game that they used to allow in five games. Memphis is completely comfortable in what they do offensively. Pops up tempo plan worked great on the 82 game RS, but a mediocre defensive team goes nowhere in the playoffs.

Last year they could not stop Phoenix from shooting 50% from 3 point land and this year Memphis just ran away from them.

Father time waits for no one. It's been a great run. Maybe they can extend this thing on Wednesday. They were embarrassed and I hope they don't pack it in.

benefactor

04-26-2011, 07:20 AM

Bruno...once again...with the goods.

The Spurs reconstructed themselves to play faster, freer and far less dependent on Duncan. They had no choice, but San Antonio suddenly seems far more constructed for the long run of the regular season than the grind of the playoffs.

Wojo...bringing big 'ole spoonfuls of truth for the "60 wins" crowd. I hate that it had to happen this way, but it was going to happen in painful fashion...whether it was getting embarrassed now or swept by OKC.

I don't even want to think about the future right now. One can only hope that the Spurs manage to either get some sucker to take RJ's deal or fall into a young player that develops into a solid NBA talent(Butler? Richards?).

alchemist

04-26-2011, 07:50 AM

I like this piece, although there's no "insider" info there usually is from yahoo journalist I like it. This will easily top anything ESPN will vomit out about the Spurs.

703 Spurz

04-26-2011, 07:55 AM

Let's have one more run next year then blow it up after that

DieHardSpursFan1537

04-26-2011, 07:59 AM

Well if we win this series then I'll have a big plate of "Fuck you" to say to all the reporters and news media.

robino2001

04-26-2011, 08:25 AM

I don't think there is anything in Wojnarowski's article that should have people pissed off at him (except maybe the Gasol trade line). Sure, let's hope he's wrong, but even he's stating this is not necessarily over.

I typically like anything the yahoo guys write - Wojnarowski right up there. His book about Bob Hurley and St. Anthony's in NJ is a fantastic read for anyone on here.

elbamba

04-26-2011, 08:36 AM

I will wait for one more loss before I give up on the season. If and when the Spurs go down, I think it is obvious that it is time to rebuild. Hopefully they can unload a contract or two. It would be nice to see them get rid of Jefferson and Bonner's contract but I think there is no real market for either of them b/c they are both so overpaid.

I think the Spurs will trade Tony at season's end. He is the only player that brings value and they could probably get a least one first rounder. Maybe a team like the Bobcats or Minnesota will be looking for a pg. I don't want to see Tony in another team's uniform but with Manu retiring in two years and Tony playing up to 5-6 more, I think this is what will have to happen.

Bruno

04-26-2011, 08:36 AM

But somewhere deep down I also feel that the Spurs can pull off some kind of a coup ..maybe package Bonner/ Jefferson with the Mcdyess contract sweetener and get a decent player in return enough not to push the agony for too far.

I hope it too but it will be damn hard to do. RJ's contract is really bad. Bonner has a better contract but teams won't give a lot for an average player like him.

yavozerb

04-26-2011, 09:17 AM

I hope it too but it will be damn hard to do. RJ's contract is really bad. Bonner has a better contract but teams won't give a lot for an average player like him.

Another sweetner would be the contracts of Blair and or Hill...

Aggie Hoopsfan

04-26-2011, 09:47 AM

Bruno...once again...with the goods.

Wojo...bringing big 'ole spoonfuls of truth for the "60 wins" crowd. I hate that it had to happen this way, but it was going to happen in painful fashion...whether it was getting embarrassed now or swept by OKC.

I don't even want to think about the future right now. One can only hope that the Spurs manage to either get some sucker to take RJ's deal or fall into a young player that develops into a solid NBA talent(Butler? Richards?).

We only appear to be constructed for the regular season because Pop changes up his entire mindset and rotation for the playoffs these days, to favor veteran corporate knowledge over the youth, talent, and athleticism that got us to the playoffs in the first place.

This team has never been the same this season since Pop pulled Blair from the starting line up in favor of Antonio. You can trace the poor play, the lack of on court chemistry, and the monkey-humping-a-football substitutions/rotations all back to that game and every night since.

:td

Capt Bringdown

04-26-2011, 09:51 AM

Front office has been bad last off-season by sticking with losers in Bonner and Jefferson and rewarding them with a combined $50M contract.

Disgusting.

Sportcamper

04-26-2011, 09:58 AM

yavozerb

04-26-2011, 10:06 AM

We only appear to be constructed for the regular season because Pop changes up his entire mindset and rotation for the playoffs these days, to favor veteran corporate knowledge over the youth, talent, and athleticism that got us to the playoffs in the first place.

This team has never been the same this season since Pop pulled Blair from the starting line up in favor of Antonio. You can trace the poor play, the lack of on court chemistry, and the monkey-humping-a-football substitutions/rotations all back to that game and every night since.

:td

wrong...The spurs went 5-1 after the change and it wasnt until TD went down is when the wheels came off.

Aggie Hoopsfan

04-26-2011, 11:14 AM

wrong...The spurs went 5-1 after the change and it wasnt until TD went down is when the wheels came off.

That 5-1 run was fool's gold.

I'm talking about the overall look and feel of the team.

Rotations got jumbled, chemistry suffered, teammate trust in each other decreased... The whole look and feel of the team changed. It may not have translated to immediate losses, but the psyche of this team was altered significantly by Pop's shift to favoring corporate knowledge after the All-Star break.

duncan228

04-26-2011, 11:43 AM

Forgot to include the front page for the piece.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/lead/lead751a.jpg

duncan228

04-26-2011, 12:00 PM

Can't wait to read the obituary on ESPN tomorrow... :depressed

Just clips, hit the link for the whole piece.

Who's Your Haddadi? Grizzlies In Charge Now (http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-110426/daily-dime)
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

...The scenes from Duncan's 35th birthday were surreal and borderline funereal for his Spurs, who nosedived from a halftime lead to a 104-86 trouncing in this Game 4 and now sit just one loss away from the shame of joining their longtime rivals from Dallas on the short list of No. 1 seeds to lose a best-of-seven series in the first round to a No. 8.

The 67-win Mavs of 2006-07 are the only team on the list at the moment. The 63-win Seattle SuperSonics of 1993-94, eliminated in a five-game series by Denver, are the second-winningest team in league history to go out in Round 1. And then there's shellshocked San Antonio, which is 0-5 in the Duncan era when it trails 3-1 in a series, and has to win a Game 5 at home Wednesday night just to get another shot in this building.

...Brazilian power forward Tiago Splitter was granted an unexpected 21 minutes off the bench and totaled a respectable 10 points and nine boards after logging nary a second in the first three games. Duncan, though, could muster only six points and seven boards in 29 minutes, hitting the big THREE-FIVE with his fifth-lowest scoring total in a playoff career that spans 174 games.

"They've really dialed it in," Duncan said, confessing that these Grizzlies have hit a level in their first postseason together that they never grazed in the teams' four regular-season encounters.

"They've got a game plan that's working, they're sticking to it, they're being ultra-aggressive and we're not making shots. All those things are working together and it equals what you see you tonight."

...I'm drawn more and more to the question posed on "Pardon The Interruption" last week by TNT's Steve Kerr, who was asking before anyone else was how much longer some of the most decorated vet-laden teams at the top could hold on to their elite status.

"I think it's really interesting," Kerr told PTI hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. "The best teams in the NBA over the last few years and even the last decade -- Lakers, Spurs, Celtics -- they're all getting older. And this is kind of that potential changing-of-the-guard season where maybe all those teams have just had their day and maybe it's time for the younger teams that are up-and-coming."

After what happened on Duncan's 35th, frankly, it's not looking like much of a maybe for the Spurs.

http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-110426/daily-dime

daslicer

04-26-2011, 12:02 PM

You just have to wonder what Popovich was thinking when he spent all that time taunting the Grizzlies like that…The Griz knew what they were doing! They knew that Marc Gasol was a superstar in the making…They knew that those draft picks they acquired would pay off down the road…A coach or GM has no business whatsoever making wise cracks about another teams decisions…It just gives the opposition more incentive to tank their last few games so they can humiliate you in the playoffs…

I just hope that the Spurs organization has learned something from this…Texans are known for their beer not their whine….

:lol I hope you are being sarcastic about Gasol being a superstar. He's not even close all though the spurs had made him look like one at times in this series. Gasol will be fairly ordinary against the Thunder if the Grizz advance. I can't see him getting 20-10 against the ugliest man in the nba aka Perkins. Superstar lol the guy hasn't even cracked all-star status yet.

Spurtacus

04-26-2011, 12:07 PM

The entire Spurs organization should have been offended by the Grizzlies tanking. The players should have responded by playing with more heart.

This series should be a wake up call. We need more size. Duncan is to old to do it on his own. Splitter may be the answer in the future but we won't know if Pop keeps sitting him. I think we have another shot at the title next year but we need playoff ready role players.

SenorSpur

04-26-2011, 12:28 PM

You could do nothing against time that pass or bad luck (injuries or slumps) but Spurs staff has made mistakes. Front office has been bad last off-season by sticking with losers in Bonner and Jefferson and rewarding them with a combined $50M contract. Pop has been bad this year by not caring about the defense and by putting Tiago in the doghouse.

Spurs future looks bad. They have a shitload of money to give to aging players (Ginobili, Parker, Jefferson and Bonner). Add to the fact that they don't have some kind of great or even very good young players and it will take a miracle for Spurs to rebound quickly. The Duncan era was amazing but it's now the end of it. The next five years are going to be painful ones. Be ready for years of mediocrity and lottery. Hopefully, Spurs will be relevant again after that.

Unfreakingbelievable. Disgusting, yet sobering. And all this time, I thought that the Spurs had somewhat hedged themselves from a total collapse based on how they've added young talent the past four drafts. However, considering all the money tied up in those bad contracts for non-performing players, the immediate future looks cloudy.

duncan228

04-26-2011, 12:34 PM

Spurs' stars can't pull team out of its descent (http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/feed/2011-04/west-lookahead/story/san-antonio-spurs-on-brink-of-being-eliminated-by-memphis-grizzlies-in-nba-playo)
Steve Greenberg
Sporting News

...Down three games to one, the Spurs look old, worn out and utterly defeated. Remember the Golden State Warriors' upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007? Well, this series is like that one in more ways than we could count.

No matter what happens in Game 5 in San Antonio, this series appears all but over. Need a little more convincing? OK: The Spurs now have lost 15 of their last 18 road games in the playoffs.

Take them out of their home building, and the Spurs become a bad basketball team.

The Spurs still have "the heart of a champion," Memphis' O.J. Mayo said the other day, so they should be expected to lay it all on the line in Game 5.

Then again, shouldn't they have been doing that all series long?

It has to be said: From its coach to its best players on down, this just isn't a team you can bank on anymore.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/feed/2011-04/west-lookahead/story/san-antonio-spurs-on-brink-of-being-eliminated-by-memphis-grizzlies-in-nba-playo

Timmy21D

04-26-2011, 12:41 PM

I just sighed and disappointed watching other flim flam teams passing us by.

crc21209

04-26-2011, 01:23 PM

Stein thinks he's so cute using the "Who's your Haddadi joke." Really? Using the name of a scrub on the Grizzlies team to put down the Spurs? Idiot....

duncan228

04-26-2011, 03:23 PM

Undaunted Grizzlies push Spurs to brink of elimination (http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/fran_blinebury/04/26/spurs-sad-game-four-loss/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1)
Fran Blinebury
NBA.com

Sad.

There have been plenty of words used to describe the Spurs since they began winning championships back in 1999, but that was never one of them.

Sad was seeing O.J. Mayo miss a 3-pointer, Tim Duncan move in to wrap up the rebound and then Marc Gasol reach right over his head to pluck the ball way and deposit it into the basket.

Sad was looking on as Duncan groped at the ball in the paint like he were wearing oven mitts and then had teammate George Hill fumble it away out of bounds.

Sad was watching Darrell Arthur rise up as if on a hydraulic lift to reject a drive by Tony Parker and then outrace every one of the Spurs to the other end of the court to spike a lob pass from Mayo through the hoop with enough force to almost set off the tornado sirens in downtown Memphis once again.

As the Grizzlies keep coming on harder and stronger and with more confidence and swagger with each passing game, one can't help but notice the contrast.

"We were kind of sad at a point," said Manu Ginobili.

It's not just about discovering a new way to run the plays and make shots. It's about finding a way to match the Grizzlies youthful exuberance the energy that could light up all of the neon on Beale Street.

The Spurs are looking like Willie Mays staggering around in the outfield for the Mets. They are a worn out ghost of Muhammad Ali pushed around one night in the desert by Larry Holmes.

Youth eventually is served and the Spurs are suddenly looking like the cranky old man on the block, running around in his tattered bathrobe trying to keep the neighborhood kids off his lawn.

The Spurs led 50-48 at halftime of the Game 4 that could have put their world back on its axis. But that hope was over after a 14-0 blast by the Grizzlies and the Spurs now sit at the bottom of a daunting 3-1 hole in the series.

"They were four awful minutes," Ginobili said. "They gained confidence and everything went downhill for us. It was a very embarrassing first four minutes."

Keep reading... (http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/fran_blinebury/04/26/spurs-sad-game-four-loss/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1)

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/fran_blinebury/04/26/spurs-sad-game-four-loss/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

Killakobe81

04-27-2011, 10:05 AM

tlongII

04-27-2011, 10:52 AM

I expect the Spurs franchise to be relocated to Seattle. San Antonio won't support a mediocre team.

romain.star

04-27-2011, 11:25 AM

One interesting and somewhat positive note, a silverlining so to speak is the fact that the article puts the stamp on the spurs as a "dynasty". some folks have dismissed the spurs as a dynasty since they never won backtoback and their first title and the last one was 8 years apart ...

Besides, having a dynasty on it's last legs is better than having no dynasty at all ...
I still expect the Spurs to win Game 5 ...but I also thought they would win Game 4 as well ...

Call it Dynasty or not... Who gives a shit?

The Spurs have won 4 titles from 99 to 07. They have an amazing winning record over the last 20 years.
Unlike LA, they've built this unexpected success story with classy/humble players (and with Parker too).

That's pretty amazing to me

DJ Mbenga

04-27-2011, 12:00 PM

I expect the Spurs franchise to be relocated to Seattle. San Antonio won't support a mediocre team.

:lmao

Ed Helicopter Jones

04-27-2011, 12:42 PM

I expect the Spurs franchise to be relocated to Seattle. San Antonio won't support a mediocre team.

Portland fans have supported one for years...must feel good.

Roger Freemason Jr.

04-27-2011, 12:46 PM

I have a feeling that big things are going to happen for the Spurs this off-season. I don't think Pop can just do the same thing he did last off-season, because it may have looked like this was going to work without some tears, but now, it's apparent that some trades must be made. & for those of you saying Matt Bonner isn't a good trade chip, you're high. There are teams that are parched for some floor stretching.

There won't be too much misery. Don't forget Anderson might develop into something special, as well as Splitter, Neal, & don't forget Ryan Richards.

suitedkings

04-27-2011, 01:23 PM

I expect the Spurs franchise to be relocated to Seattle. San Antonio won't support a mediocre team.

That would work for me.

SA210

04-27-2011, 05:41 PM

Spurs losing=2hr documentary on ESPN

Spurs winning=2-minute drill/rundown on ESPN

Exactly :pctoss

duncan228

04-27-2011, 06:26 PM

The title contending Spurs are dead. Long live the Spurs (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/27/the-title-contending-spurs-are-dead-long-live-the-spurs).
Kurt Helin

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
—Jim Morrison, The Doors

We’re going to miss the Tim Duncan era Spurs.

Yes, likely will get one more win in their first round series, Wednesday night at home. They are fully capable of that. But it will be fools gold — just like this entire season. This was the season the Spurs seemed to reinvent themselves as a savvy, offensively-focused team. A team that relied on two quick players out on the perimeter in Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Tim Duncan could still do enough in the middle to make it work. The role players were better.

It didn’t work. Make no mistake, this series where the Memphis Grizzlies have pushed the Spurs around like a cat with a ball of yarn has signaled the end of the Duncan-era Spurs as a championship team.

Technically the era will linger on for another season or two before it’s broken up and sold for parts. But those seasons will feel a lot like a sadder version of the past couple seasons, where you had the feeling San Antonio was not a contender. On paper you thought they could recapture the magic of the 2007 title run, but when you watched them play you were not so sure.

Now you watch and you’re sure. It’s not happening.

Keep reading... (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/27/the-title-contending-spurs-are-dead-long-live-the-spurs)

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/27/the-title-contending-spurs-are-dead-long-live-the-spurs