Seriously what is Spurs level?

[ginobili fan]

During the RS I thought the Spurs was easily a top 3 western conf team and a
top 7 in the league.
I thought Manu was the greatest.
that Tony could play at high level in playoffs.
that Tim was enough rested for the Playoffs.
that we had one of the best bench of the league.
That our forces were the role player in Blair, Hill and Neal and the 3's, bla bla bla
and that we would still have matchup problems against the Lakers, Celtics,...but we had a shot.
But how a team with 60w record can be destroyed by a 8th seed even thought I know there's plenty of good team in the West.
I don't know what to think...
It's hard to admitt that Barkley was right and the other teams don't respect at all this team.
I bet next year we'll easily finish at the top 3 position and fail again like pussies in first round.:depressed

[Juggity]

I bet next year we'll easily finish at the top 3 position and fail again like pussies in first round.:depressed

Better question is whether we'll be able to make the playoffs at all

[timtonymanu]

Well at the start of the year, people projected them to be 1st round exits including me. So they did reach my expectations but I didn't think they would do it as a 1st seed that had the best record all season.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

What really happened is that the Spurs were in a down cycle since the start of March, and the Grizz got really hot in the last month of the season after they gelled around the absence of Rudy Gay. The Spurs also just ran into some bad luck -- between Manu's injury, killer 3 pointers from Z-Bo and Battier that won 2 games, you could argue that the Spurs could easily have been closing it out at home in Game 5 rather than being down 3-1. And, even without this, the Grizz are exactly the kind of team that the Spurs have trouble with, and historically have had trouble over the last few years.

I really don't think it's time to write them off.

It'll be interesting to see how far the Grizz go.

[analyzed]

ESPN Jeff Den Gundy hit it right in the button : The 61 wins was actually more a testament of the Spurs character and preperation rather then their real talent, which makes their record all the more remarkable. The talent on this team is not a 60 win team.

The 6 game series loss (to a team that actually had a better regular season record post all star) was a revelation of the Spurs real talent level. Having said that 2 significant things to remember 3 of those 4 losses where decided witn one or two possensios. And our 2 all stars Manu and Tim were not 100 %.

So having said all that, I believe the 1st tier elite teams in talent in the West are LA and OKC, While the 2nd tier would include : Spurs, Dallas, Blazers, and Memphis ( 2 (Spurs, Por) of those 4 teams that were not 100 % got the boot in the 1st round. Expect the other 2 to get it the 2nd round

[DMC]

The Spurs will make the playoffs next year.

They were one of the best 3 teams in the West.

There's no magic switch for the playoffs and no switch to suddenly kill the Spurs playoff hopes.

The only way they miss the playoffs is if by some warp in the space/time continuum, the Spurs' front office decides to "blow the team up" or if some of you get your wish and Pop is released.

Back away from the ledge. The team is still the same as it was. They will change a few things and add size where it needs to be. They will remain a playoff contender.

The same reactions were seen after the sweep last year yet we responded with a 61 win season.

[ElNono]

The Spurs are a team built for the regular season... But unlike the Suns of yore, they no longer have a top tier superstar like Amare back then... they've reacted very poorly to phisicality all season long, and relied too much on the 3 ball, things that don't bode well once you get to the playoffs.

They're a talented team, just not a team that can compete for a 'ship as constructed.

[dunkman]

The Grizzlies were better, but not by much, the Spurs need to make tweaks, not to rebuild. The 61 RS wins is a progress, but the team collapsed when Duncan was out, it seems that all players freaked out and started losing all close games.

The first problem is bad defense. The Spurs couldn't make stops. The Spurs should spend the MLE to sign a quality veteran like Battier. The next problem are Bonner and Blair, Splitter must take most of their minutes. Hopefully, the Spurs will convince Dice to return for another season.

Finally, now that Duncan has primarily a defensive role, the Spurs must have another all-star big. Perhpas Splitter could become that player and it's possible that Blair could become an offensive force. It took Z-Bo many years to become the player he's now, so by the time Splitter and Blair develop, Duncan and Manu may be long retired, so the Spurs could also make a trade for that kind of player.

[024]

i'm going to lay down some truth here. even if fully healthy and clicking on all cylinders, the spurs would not have gotten past the lakers this year. that's why the spurs should just rebuild.

[Chomag]

The Grizzlies were better, but not by much, the Spurs need to make tweaks, not to rebuild. The 61 RS wins is a progress, but the team collapsed when Duncan was out, it seems that all players freaked out and started losing all close games.

The first problem is bad defense. The Spurs couldn't make stops. The Spurs should spend the MLE to sign a quality veteran like Battier. The next problem are Bonner and Blair, Splitter must take most of their minutes. Hopefully, the Spurs will convince Dice to return for another season.

Finally, now that Duncan has primarily a defensive role, the Spurs must have another all-star big. Perhpas Splitter could become that player and it's possible that Blair could become an offensive force. It took Z-Bo many years to become the player he's now, so by the time Splitter and Blair develop, Duncan and Manu may be long retired, so the Spurs could also make a trade for that kind of player.

Splitter's ceiling is not an all-star big, although I think he is going to be a pretty good one. I understand what you are saying but" Tweaking" is something the spurs have been doing for the past 4 years without a payoff. At this stage of the big 3's career, building around them will not work it needs to be the other way around. Building the old core around a new core.

[DMC]

Splitter's ceiling is not an all-star big, although I think he is going to be a pretty good one. I understand what you are saying but" Tweaking" is something the spurs have been doing for the past 4 years without a payoff. At this stage of the big 3's career, building around them will not work it needs to be the other way around. Building the old core around a new core.

I agree with this.

It's very risky, you could become a perennial lottery team, however being on the cusp is probably more expensive.