Poll: Would you throw in the towel vs the Suns if it meant Round 1 vs PHO not UTAH?

[The ADMIRAL 50]

Poll: Would you throw in the towel vs Phoenix if it meant meeting them in round 1 instead of Utah?

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I watched most and all of the end of the Utah game tonight and they looked tough out there. Hayward and Harris hit some huge threes late and Mullins was hyping up how hyped up the SLC crowd was all night. Granted, they had to work harder than they should have to beat a Dwight-less, no Hedo Orlando, but give the Magic all thecredit for that. They had 36 first quarter points with J-Rich going off for fifteen in the period and went hard all game. Richardson, Nelson, Anderson, and Davis all played at least 39 minutes and played pretty damn good games.

Its not surprising Utah finally wore them down, but the win was impressive nonetheless. They were executing well and had several guys step up. Obviously their four-man front court rotation always gives them an inside presence, and tonight Millsap (18 & 9 with 4 steals and a +23 in 46 min), Jefferson (21 & 10 with 3 blocks), Favors (16 & 11 on 8/11 shooting and a +21), and Kanter (9 points on 4/5 shooting) all played great.

The game was pretty up and down (at one point they showed Jerry Sloan in the crowd and I can only imagine how pissed he was at the lack of defense, Nelson in particular kept getting to the rim with ease), but the Jazz can definitely bang down low and make games a grind in the paint.

I cant remember who it was in ESPN's studio crew of Magic/Wilbon/Broussard/Barry who pointed it out, but someone noted how Utah hung their hats on playing tough and Corbin coached em up to go hard, and how that would wear down on their opponents (probably us) in a playoff series.

The Suns meanwhile, who from the look of it just got bull rushed by Denver tonight, aren't exactly known for beating up opponents. Their up and down style would offer little resistance to our overwhelming offense, and there is no doubt when it came down to it who could really get more stops.

Now, all that said:
I'm not saying the Jazz can beat us. I'm not even saying they could last any longer then the Suns could (because, honestly, they probably wouldn't). But I am saying that after beating the Suns the Spurs would be a lot less banged up then they would after beating Utah. And with one of the league's most well respected home court advantages, there is far more likelihood of something unlikely happening in Salt Lake City than in Phoenix.

In the thread discussing potential first round opponents, Mel_13 made a very interesting point:


But if the Suns do beat Utah, then the Spurs will be able to choose to play the Suns in the first round by tanking the game on Wednesday.

Btw- Suns have won 7 straight games over the Jazz going back to March, 2010.

So how bout it Spurstalkers? If the cards fell into place,would you be in favor of throwing in the towel vs. Phoenix to close out their season to get them in round 1?

We would still have one game at Golden State the following night.
This is assuming we keep the one seed of course. On that note LA really needs to beat OKC, but thats a whole new discussion.
2. OKC, 3. LAL, 4.LAC, 5. MEM, has got to be what we're all rooting for, tbh.

The only downside I see is it could potentially ruin what would be a pretty remarkable way to continue our 50-win season streak :depressed

I would, if all the stars aligned, do it. Obviously we wanna take the injury risk out of of play by resting the big three, and no one should get big minutes with guys like Mills and Anderson absorbing a lot. After what happened last year I want to see us risk as little as we can at the end of the season. Golden State should be winnable even with our second unit, so dropping the Suns game if need be shouldn't cost us #1. If LA beats OKC it would give us quite a cushion over the Thunder and go a long way in keeping the Lakers out of the 4 seed.

Obviously, our second unit is good, and could win the game, but if an at home Suns team fighting for their playoff lives can't pull off a W so be it.














really tired :hat will edit/read through tomorrow..maybe

[Cry Havoc]

Easy 1st round opponents do not necessarily make your team better prepared for the 2nd round.

Just win, baby.

[Arcadian]

No

[jimo2305]

honestly i still don't think any of these lower seeded teams are "easy"

[Legacy]

No


The End.

[Cry Havoc]

honestly i still don't think any of these lower seeded teams are "easy"

Meh. The West is loaded with talent, but after the top 7 I think there's a pretty noticeable falloff. And that depends if Dallas actually plays up to their potential.

[mkurts]

:rolleyes

[The ADMIRAL 50]

Easy 1st round opponents do not necessarily make your team better prepared for the 2nd round.

Just win, baby.

That's a very good point.

I just think that long term in a playoffs where I desperately want the Spurs to win four series, I would love it if the first of the four could contain less bruises and potentially easier victories allowing less Big Three exertion.

Additionally the style of play we would see in a Phoenix series would be more conducive to keeping our offense on a roll. We have been averaging something like 115+ on this win streak and in a Suns series we could continue snowballing our beautiful offensive play. In such a scenario we'd have more momentum moving forward rather than potentially having to slug out 5 or so tough ones, regardless of the final scores or margins.

[DMC]

I wish people would stop pulling the tanking shit out of their asses. What are you consummate quitters? You win every fucking game, then you don't have to worry. If you are afraid of the fucking Jazz, you shouldn't be in the playoffs to begin with.

[The ADMIRAL 50]

I'm definitely not afraid of the Jazz, they'd be no sweat. Read above.

[Obstructed_View]

I would :lol at Utah fans forever if the Spurs did that to them.


Forever.

[The ADMIRAL 50]

:lol

should be a hotly contested match-up when they show down. I would've expected a Utah victory, especially at home, but I dunno after Mel pointed out Phoenix seems to have their number.

[Legacy]

I would :lol at Utah fans forever if the Spurs did that to them.


Forever.



You would. :lol

[TDMVPDPOY]

even if we tank, the suns still need to beat utah in one of its remaining games to make it...

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I'm all for anything that hurts the Jazz.

[roycrikside]

No tanking anything until we A) are mathematically eliminated from having the best overall record or B) are at least assured of having it over OKC and Miami.

The last two are on our racquet. We don't need any help. In fact, we can just win three of our last four games and don't even need the Phx game. But for the Bulls, we still need help. By tip-off against Phx we should know if they lost to the Pacers or not, so we'll know if we need to win that Suns game or if we can relax.

[100%duncan]

TBH, I'd prefer PHX in the first round but we gotta hold the top seed so unless we clinch it, we win it.

[Anonymous Cowherd]

I would do it, IF we beat Cleveland and Portland, because we play Phoenix and GSW in a back-to-back in the last 2 days of the season.

Last time around Manu got injured last game.

Of the two, Phoenix are going to be playing hard, so I'd rest the big 3 against them, take a loss, and go for the win vs. Golden State. 3 wins from our last 4 should get us #1 seed in the West, and 2nd overall behind the Bulls.

If it also means we avoid the Jazz, I guess that's also a bonus. But that only matters if Phoenix beat them.

[J.T.]

Tanking is gay. Spurs beat a better Jazz team 4-1 in the 2007 WCF. If they draw the Jazz in the first round and it goes more than five games I'll cut my dick of with a rusty pair of safety scissors.

[Legacy]

Tanking is gay. Spurs beat a better Jazz team 4-1 in the 2007 WCF. If they draw the Jazz in the first round and it goes more than five games I'll cut my dick of with a rusty pair of safety scissors.


:lmao :lmao :lmao

[100%duncan]

Tanking is gay. Spurs beat a better Jazz team 4-1 in the 2007 WCF. If they draw the Jazz in the first round and it goes more than five games I'll cut my dick of with a rusty pair of safety scissors.

Noted.

[Texas_Ranger]

don't care if we get Utah, Phoenix or Houston. We should defeat them all in 5 games.

[Horse]

Yes but not cause I'm scared of utah but because beating the suns in the playoffs and us winning it all go hand in hand.

[Wild Cobra Kai]

The Mavs did this exact thing in 2007, tanking to face the team they were playing in the final game. Yea, THAT turned out well.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

The Mavs did this exact thing in 2007, tanking to face the team they were playing in the final game. Yea, THAT turned out well.

Yeah, because this Spurs team is exactly like the 2007 mavs :rolleyes

[Thompson]

My only concern playing Utah involves comments from some of the ESPN guys yesterday; they were saying Utah (though they would lose) would 'beat up' the opposing team. They said the Utah coach favors a very physical style of play. Is this true? I'd hate to have someone on our team (Ginobili) injured again at the start of the playoffs.

[Wild Cobra Kai]

Yeah, because this Spurs team is exactly like the 2007 mavs :rolleyes

It's likely a moot point anyway. Utah's magic number for PHO is one win or one PHO loss.

That Mavs team was very strong, not dissimilar to the Spurs of this year at all. Great offense, average defense. They won 66 games. They just had a bad matchup.

[Manufan909]

I'd rather Pop not tank another game this season if possible. The Spurs will shit all over the Jazz, and be hardened by the experience.

[Keepin' it real]

No, because by winning, we eliminate Nash and the Suns. Like a mini-payback for 2010.

[Wild Cobra Kai]

My only concern playing Utah involves comments from some of the ESPN guys yesterday; they were saying Utah (though they would lose) would 'beat up' the opposing team. They said the Utah coach favors a very physical style of play. Is this true? I'd hate to have someone on our team (Ginobili) injured again at the start of the playoffs.

Do you remember who hurt Manu last year? Grant Hill and Phoenix, our other likely first round foe. Fearful is a rotten way to live.

[timvp]

:lol @ the fans who still haven't figured out tanking (or strategic positioning or however you want to label it) exists and plays a role in strategy at the end of every season. It's humorous to watch their brains explode whenever it's mentioned.

Anyways, if the Spurs can basically pick their first round opponent, it'll be interesting to see what they do. Neither the Jazz or Suns stand out as much easier than the other.

The Jazz are physical but the Suns aren't exactly soft. Dudley and Hill go hard. Gortat is a handful. Robin Lopez has tossed around Splitter all year and isn't opposed to issuing out a flagrant foul or two.

Defending the Nash pick-and-roll is difficult. Duncan has turned back the clock a bit recently but he's still not swift enough to consistently defend it. If the Spurs play the Suns, they'd put Duncan in about 500 pick-and-rolls.

Utah has Devin Harris, who is always annoying. Jefferson scores against Duncan in the post as well as anyone in the league. Millsap can be great sometimes and Favors and Kanter are high quality bigmen depth.

The Jazz suck on the road, so that'd be a plus. The Suns are decent on the road but Phoenix is home away from home for the Spurs in the playoffs. The Big 3 habitually explode in PHX. Salt Lake City, on the other hand, is a hard place to win no matter how good or bad the Jazz are.

It's a pretty damn difficult choice. I don't see the Jazz actually being capable of beating a healthy Spurs team. The Suns? Very doubtful but if Nash catches fire and everything breaks exactly right, it's not impossible. On the other hand, I think the Suns are the team more likely to go out with a whimper. Tbh, I think they'll be more than satisfied to just make the playoffs.





All that said, I guess I'd prefer the Jazz. Less of a chance of tragedy and they could help prepare the Spurs for the fight they'd get in Round 2.

[jjktkk]

Tanking can get you in trouble. Even if you do decide to "tank" games, why give a potential opponent any extra motivation to play you?

[GrandeDavid]

Gortat is not a handful and Robin Lopez's bad hair is about all that's interesting about his game and potential impact against the Spurs. The Spurs (yawn) would easily, yes, easily walk over the Suns or Jazz.

[crc21209]

My only concern playing Utah involves comments from some of the ESPN guys yesterday; they were saying Utah (though they would lose) would 'beat up' the opposing team. They said the Utah coach favors a very physical style of play. Is this true? I'd hate to have someone on our team (Ginobili) injured again at the start of the playoffs.

+1. That and Utah has always been a tough place to play, where the refs swallow their whistles for the road team and the calls always clearly go to the Jazz...

[Andthentherewas21]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but didn't we tank the second game of a home-to-home with Utah a couple of weeks ago. Even if we rested the Big 3 against Phoenix (aka tanking), its not as though we didn't help secure Utah's place in the standing already by tanking.

The Suns can control their own fate with their game against Utah, I say let them and we should be concerned with making sure our players are healthy and rested going into the playoffs. If the Big 3 do play in Phoenix, it should be limited to no more than 12-15 minutes and then they should be shipped back to SA to rest for the start of the playoffs Saturday.

Only caveat to all this is if they are going for a 50-win season, but then they better take care of business against the Cavs and Portland first. And they better not drop that last game to a tanking GS.

[timvp]

Nowadays, 16 and 10 on 56% shooting with a 21+ PER isn't a handful. Good to know.

[Wild Cobra Kai]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but didn't we tank the second game of a home-to-home with Utah a couple of weeks ago. Even if we rested the Big 3 against Phoenix (aka tanking), its not as though we didn't help secure Utah's place in the standing already by tanking.

The Suns can control their own fate with their game against Utah, I say let them and we should be concerned with making sure our players are healthy and rested going into the playoffs. If the Big 3 do play in Phoenix, it should be limited to no more than 12-15 minutes and then they should be shipped back to SA to rest for the start of the playoffs Saturday.

Only caveat to all this is if they are going for a 50-win season, but then they better take care of business against the Cavs and Portland first. And they better not drop that last game to a tanking GS.

Utah has the UTH/PHO tiebreaker, so they essentially have a two game lead. Phoenix controls nothing.

[Andthentherewas21]

Utah has the UTH/PHO tiebreaker, so they essentially have a two game lead. Phoenix controls nothing.

Really, cuz it looks like Phoenix is 2-0 so far this season against the Jazz. Wonder what tiebreaker they are holding.

[Josepatches_]

No tank.

But If we win next 2 games at home I would rest Duncan and Manu..even Parker.

It's the first game of a back to back so if we only need one more win I would play the big3 in the game where our chances to win are higher.That game would be at Oakland next day


And if OKC lose one game our last 2 games could be meaningless for the 1st seed of the West

[spursfaninla]

Utah has the UTH/PHO tiebreaker, so they essentially have a two game lead. Phoenix controls nothing.

Incorrect. Per espn recap on last Utah game just the opposite suns own tie break.

Pop has shown he is not afraid to use unothidox methods to win; hack-a-loser for instance. However I don't see a clear win making it worth a tank. Unless it is a clear big advantage tank is too double edged. Games could matter in finals too. If games don't matter for seeding and a small to moderate advantage I don't tank. Get Orlando? That is worth tanking

[ffadicted]

Fuck no

[Mal]

Play the game. Rest players, but do not tank on purpose. Spurs are better team than this both.

[bklynspursfan]

How crazy would it be if we got Phoenix then Memphis. The 2 teams that have taken us out the past 2 years

[ManuTastic]

If losing the last game has no other negative repercussions, e.g. lower seeding against Chi or whoever later, then I'd have no problem resting the big 3 for it. If that means we face PHO instead of Utah in round 1, that's fine. Main concern is not suffering some stupid freak injury again. Personally I feel PHO is an easier matchup, though I know Timvp thinks otherwise and I respect his analysis. So I'd say it's a push in that regard. Basically, getting rest and avoiding injury would be the real benefit of resting during the final game, much more so than choosing PHO over Utah.

[Obstructed_View]

There's an even worse question regarding this now: What if the Spurs have home court all wrapped up but the Suns are in a fight for last place? Do the Spurs put a full roster out there to be "fair"?

[DAF86]

The Suns would beat the Jazz in a 7 game series. And they would also give us more trouble than Utah.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

No.

I'm not afraid of any team this year, although it would be nice if the Lakers and Grizz would beat each other up in the other side of the draw (not going to happen, we'll probably have to face one of them)

[spursince#99]

Yeah, because this Spurs team is exactly like the 2007 mavs :rolleyes


EXACTLY with his dumb ass :wakeup

[GSH]

Forget all the other considerations for a minute. Do you know how much money it's worth to a team to get into the playoffs? It's a lot. I don't know about now, but it used to be that the Spurs didn't turn a profit unless they made the post-season. And they used to talk about how having a series go to 7 games wasn't all bad.

The Jazz are another small market team, and doing that would be some seriously cold shit. If the Spurs obviously tanked to put one team into the playoffs, and knock another one out, they really might cause the league to think about a rules change. I know if I was one of the Millers, I'd be standing on a chair yelling about it at the next owner's meeting.

[rmt]

Which team would require less of Duncan? Which team can Blair/Bonner/Diaw contribute most against? With MEM looming in the 2nd round and maybe LAL in WCF (if OKC falls apart like today), I'd prefer TD to get as little wear and tear as possible in the first round.

[JustinJDW]

I'd rather face Phoneix than Utah honestly. That's just the simple truth. Utah is physical as hell, and they can be really tough at home. They love to ground and pound. Wouldn't be surprised to see them take a hard shot at Manu or Tony coming down the lane. Al Jefferson can score on Timmy just as well as Timmy scores on him, and Millsap can be everywhere at times. Not to mention Devin Harris who's one of the only few guards in the league that can fly step for step with Tony.

But that home-court advantage is the real problem. Utah always gets some home-cooking. I'd rather have our road games in Phoenix where we actually can thrive then in Utah. I'd take the Suns in the 1st Round ya'll. Just my take on it.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

Yes, I would definitely tank if it meant the Suns instead of the Jazz. In fact, it is really what I hope the Spurs do. I want a San Antonio vs. Phoenix matchup.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

That being said, it's worth looking at this from another angle:

If we beat the Suns in the season finale, we could eliminate them from playoff contention in just one game.

Whereas, if we tank the game in order to draw a Spurs-Suns first round matchup, it would have to take us 4-7 games to eliminate them from the playoffs.

[GSH]

Well, I guess it's sort of a two-edged sword for Utah, considering how loaded this draft is supposed to be:

"The only way the Wolves can have a first-round pick in the June draft is if Utah makes the playoffs and has to give up its lottery-protected pick, which was part of the Al Jefferson trade two years ago."
http://news.yahoo.com/wolves-shut-love-down-rest-season-225055029--spt.html

Maybe the question should be, "If you're Utah, do you really try that hard to get an 8 seed, or do you tank to get an extra first round pick in this draft?"

[Assman]

Utah has some of the worst fans in the league, so whatever fucks them over the most is my choice. Whether it be sweeping them in the first round or tanking against the Suns, either way I'm happy.

[100%duncan]

I would like to reverse the Skunker

[024]

spurs really only need to win one game to lock up the number 1 seed in the west since they own the tiebreaker against the thunder. just win that one game and rest the other games.

[J.T.]

Tanking is gay. Spurs beat a better Jazz team 4-1 in the 2007 WCF. If they draw the Jazz in the first round and it goes more than five games I'll cut my dick off with a rusty pair of safety scissors.

Crisis averted :lmao

[Legacy]

^ You're safe. :lol

[hooperflash]

the word Spurs and the phrase "throw in the towel" is something I hate to imagine combined in the same sentence describing an event.

"You play to WIN the Game!"

[DAF86]

The Suns would beat the Jazz in a 7 game series. And they would also give us more trouble than Utah.

The Suns would have definitely given the Spurs more of a fight, probably even win one. To me it was always very clear that the Jazz was the easiest opponent for us.