Damn, it's awesome to be a Spurs fan

[timvp]

Fantastic effort. No Big 3 and take the defending champs down to the final possession. Team ball no matter who is playing. Just a damn great effort with legendary coaching.

Oh, and you can eat it, Stern. Eat it and enjoy it. Savor it.

:lmao @ "substantial sanctions"

[Spur|n|Austin]

Pop plays just ONE of the big three and Spurs win tonight. Great effort by the Spurs' supporting cast, very entertaining game this evening. GSG!

You have to wonder if Stern would have somewhat retracted his statements if the Spurs were to have won this game?

[ElNono]

not into moral victorties, tbh... we threw away a game when Miami had a rough night, and was likely winnable even without the big 3 playing substantial minutes.

obviously, karma gonna strike back and we're gonna drop a turd against Memphis + get fined to boot.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

:cry god bless the spurs :cry

[RodNIc91]

This will come down to me as one of the greatest memories ever as a spurs fan.

[loveforthegame]

I'm proud of them. :tu

[Mel_13]

Fantastic effort. No Big 3 and take the defending champs down to the final possession. Team ball no matter who is playing. Just a damn great effort with legendary coaching.

Oh, and you can eat it, Stern. Eat it and enjoy it. Savor it.

:lmao @ "substantial sanctions"

F Stern

[polandprzem]

That should be a win

[FromWayDowntown]

And a whole bunch of guys gaining a boatload of confidence and real-world, crunchtime experience that should pay off down the road.

[Uriel]

Yeah, but the loss still hurt. This Spurs team is so good, they actually made me believe for a second they could win. :(

[polandprzem]

I do agree though that it's awesome to be a spurs fan

[Kool Bob Love]

This will come down to me as one of the greatest memories ever as a spurs fan.

top 5 IMHO

My list.

1.99
2.03
3.05
4.07
5.tonight

And yes OP being a Spurs fan is awesome. :toast

[Josh810]

This will come down to me as one of the greatest memories ever as a spurs fan.Yeah, no joke...same here. Anyone pissed about the loss is ridiculous.

[TE]

Moral victory, if such a thing exists

[DanAu]

VERY entertaining to watch, showed how strong Neal, Splitter and Diaw are.

Shame this game seemed to be about De Colo, Mills, Neal and Joseph only...more work getting it to Splitter and Diaw and it might have been a WIN.

Spoelstra's faces were priceless...oh fuk no....what the fuk do I say if we lose this!

[emanueldavidginobili]

So close to winning, still pissed we lost...Nando needs to be more aggressive and not so damn passive passing to no one.on wide open layups....liked his effort though and showed some flashes 15/5/6 5 turnovers though

[DesignatedT]

not into moral victorties, tbh... we threw away a game when Miami had a rough night, and was likely winnable even without the big 3 playing substantial minutes.

obviously, karma gonna strike back and we're gonna drop a turd against Memphis + get fined to boot.

Every post you make is a doomsday post :lmao

[Obstructed_View]

Most fun game since the game they lost to the Mavericks with the bench making a big run. I'm terribly disappointed at the last few minutes, but the Heat ratcheted down the defense and the Spurs just couldn't generate a quality shot.

[Spursfanfromafar]

reposting what I did in the game thread -

Spurs' objectives -

1) Rest the Big 3 - Check
2) Rest Danny Green and allow for more recovery for Kawhi and Stephen - Check
3) Maintain healthy distance from rest of WC contenders after road trip- 5-1 on road trip; 12-4 overall - Check
4) Get underconfident role players going and give them valuable play time - De Colo breaks out, James Anderson, Matt Bonner and Tiago get extra playing time - Check
5) Embarass the Commish by trying to win against the Champs with a third string squad - ALMOST.

[DesignatedT]

5-1 on the road trip without Kawhi and Jack and our bench played Miami till the end the last game? Uhh yeah, I'll take it. This game will be forgotten next week anyway.

[Trill Clinton]

the Spurs showed stern and the rest of the league how the game should be played.

model organization with a roster full of scrappy players that will compete from start to finish.

:toast

[DMC]

Pop plays just ONE of the big three and Spurs win tonight. Great effort by the Spurs' supporting cast, very entertaining game this evening. GSG!

You have to wonder if Stern would have somewhat retracted his statements if the Spurs were to have won this game?

Not true. You cannot take the outcome and add one of the big 3. You have to take the game from the start, and the Heat would have played different had the big 3 been playing.

[DrSteffo]

Yeah! Pop and the Spurs shitting all over Stern.

[spurraider21]

not into moral victorties, tbh... we threw away a game when Miami had a rough night, and was likely winnable even without the big 3 playing substantial minutes.

obviously, karma gonna strike back and we're gonna drop a turd against Memphis + get fined to boot.
Last season's OT loss to Dallas was a moral victory for this team. Our team was 12-10 at that point. remember how we played after that game.

[DMC]

reposting what I did in the game thread -

Spurs' objectives -

1) Rest the Big 3 - Check
2) Rest Danny Green and allow for more recovery for Kawhi and Stephen - Check
3) Maintain healthy distance from rest of WC contenders after road trip- 5-1 on road trip; 12-4 overall - Check
4) Get underconfident role players going and give them valuable play time - De Colo breaks out, James Anderson, Matt Bonner and Tiago get extra playing time - Check
5) Embarass the Commish by trying to win against the Champs with a third string squad - ALMOST.

Number 5 is a check. They did try to win.

[DesignatedT]

Spurs probably still lose this game if they dressed everybody out. This way was much more entertaining and hopefully our guys will be better rested for Memphis.

[Sean Cagney]

That should be a win

Yep, they had it but the outcome the same in games where they sit the guys usually, run out of gas and blow it at the end. I know they sat the starters but it's still a loss.

[HI-FI]

Damn what a strange game....at first I watched just to see how well the backups would play. I was convinced they would lose by 10-15 but I had faith they wouldn't get blown out. And then I got my hopes up only to see them shattered, but that's per par with my life.

If only we could combine Neal with De Colo, be one helluva a player.

I do think this was a great game for our guys' confidence. The fact they'll be pissed about losing, and to realize how good they have it here, can only be good for the future.

and yes it's awesome to be a Spurs fan.

[crc21209]

Agree. That was a very fun game to watch. The role players have to be on a real high right now, even if they did lose...

[spursnatic]

Not really pissed but I think had De Colo went up for that layup instead of pitching it to Splitter in bunch of traffic to be picked..The W would be ours and our bench guys would've gained a Ton of confidence?..We were up by 3 at that point with less then a min annd a half to go

[Sean Cagney]

5-1 on the road trip without Kawhi and Jack and our bench played Miami till the end the last game? Uhh yeah, I'll take it. This game will be forgotten next week anyway.

Now that is a positive.

[Dingle Barry]

As a Longhorn fan, it's fun to have a team that can be coached beyond the sum of its parts (or even equal to the sum of its parts tbh).

[Mel_13]

Before tonight's game:

Bonner: 9 rebounds in 12 games/123 minutes

DeColo: 17 points in 11 games/95 minutes

Tonight:

Bonner: 10 rebounds in 30 minutes

DeColo: 15 points in 34 minutes

[InRareForm]

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1811269/pops.gif

what are they talking about here?

[polandprzem]

at least I got some emotions going


It's 5 am - time to take the bread off the stove and go to sleep :D

[elemento]

BonBon with a double-double against Miami :lmao

[ElNono]

Every post you make is a doomsday post :lmao

:lol just a bit sad Manu didn't play... you know the end is near

[SAtown]

And a whole bunch of guys gaining a boatload of confidence and real-world, crunchtime experience that should pay off down the road.

Exactly. You could tell by guys like Cory Joseph on the bench enjoying this as if it were an NBA Finals. It was a fun game

[tp2021]

"Substantial sanctions" is the new "Basketball reasons." LOL

[Brazil]

Every post you make is a doomsday post :lmao

must be a new shtick

[FromWayDowntown]

I've long believed that while the Memorial Day Miracle was the moment when the Spurs franchise believed it could win titles, the reaction to the 2001 WCF was the point that the Spurs actually developed its championship character. After that embarrassment -- and there's no doubt it was humiliating -- Popovich and his guys made it a deliberate point to build teams of uber-competitive types, who would give anything to win. That doesn't mean that they always win (and it doesn't mean they never get blown out). But it does mean that the guys who've stuck around the organization for any extended period of time have competed ferociously and sacrificed to try to win. I think that character showed through tonight.

As a fan, I'd have loved the win, but I can really only ask that the guys on my team compete their asses off. Tonight, they unquestionably did that.

[Mel_13]

I've long believed that while the Memorial Day Miracle was the moment when the Spurs franchise believed it could win titles, the reaction to the 2001 WCF was the point that the Spurs actually developed its championship character. After that embarrassment -- and there's no doubt it was humiliating -- Popovich and his guys made it a deliberate point to build teams of uber-competitive types, who would give anything to win. That doesn't mean that they always win (and it doesn't mean they never get blown out). But it does mean that the guys who've stuck around the organization for any extended period of time have competed ferociously and sacrificed to try to win. I think that character showed through tonight.

As a fan, I'd have loved the win, but I can really only ask that the guys on my team compete their asses off. Tonight, they unquestionably did that.

Amen

[DesignatedT]

:tu

[ginobilized]

Proud to be a Spur fan. The effort was stellar.

Stern is way off on the sanctions. I predict that tonight's game will be far more memorable that his sanctions.

[letmk]

Hopefully this game will get our role players going like last year's Mavs game. Last year, we were in much worse situation win-loss wise than now, and that Mavs game really boosted role players' confidence, then we took off from that.

Although we came back to earth during the Thunder series, but overall, that's a tremendous turn-around point for our season.

[timvp]

Tbh, the win or loss really doesn't matter to me. A November game is a November game is a November game. But as others have mentioned, the real take away from this game was the incredible and invaluable experience for the younger players ... plus it was a great way for the coaching staff to figure out which role players can withstand pressure.

[Spursfanfromafar]

I've long believed that while the Memorial Day Miracle was the moment when the Spurs franchise believed it could win titles, the reaction to the 2001 WCF was the point that the Spurs actually developed its championship character. After that embarrassment -- and there's no doubt it was humiliating -- Popovich and his guys made it a deliberate point to build teams of uber-competitive types, who would give anything to win. That doesn't mean that they always win (and it doesn't mean they never get blown out). But it does mean that the guys who've stuck around the organization for any extended period of time have competed ferociously and sacrificed to try to win. I think that character showed through tonight.

As a fan, I'd have loved the win, but I can really only ask that the guys on my team compete their asses off. Tonight, they unquestionably did that.

Very well said.

What the NBA commentariat or the commissioner doesn't understand is that, for a unit with a handicap in a stilted competitive market (small market Spurs vs Super-Teams/large luxury tax teams); it has to leverage everything it has got to the fullest to be a contender. And that means, raising the confidence level of every team player to the level of a championship winner. Popovich has always utilised the schedule, the Rodeo Road trips, sharp team building strengths and RC Buford's acumen to construct the winningest team in all sports.

It was ridiculous to hear the NBA commissioner threaten to "substantially sanction" a team for making rational decisions even before a game was played out. If any, the Spurs should demand an apology from Stern.

[Brazil]

I've long believed that while the Memorial Day Miracle was the moment when the Spurs franchise believed it could win titles, the reaction to the 2001 WCF was the point that the Spurs actually developed its championship character. After that embarrassment -- and there's no doubt it was humiliating -- Popovich and his guys made it a deliberate point to build teams of uber-competitive types, who would give anything to win. That doesn't mean that they always win (and it doesn't mean they never get blown out). But it does mean that the guys who've stuck around the organization for any extended period of time have competed ferociously and sacrificed to try to win. I think that character showed through tonight.

As a fan, I'd have loved the win, but I can really only ask that the guys on my team compete their asses off. Tonight, they unquestionably did that.

Amen

[Obstructed_View]

Tbh, the win or loss really doesn't matter to me. A November game is a November game is a November game. But as others have mentioned, the real take away from this game was the incredible and invaluable experience for the younger players ... plus it was a great way for the coaching staff to figure out which role players can withstand pressure.

In addition, I hope they learned two important things:
1)Gary Neal needs the ball in his hands in pressure situations
2)Gary Neal needs someone else to decide when to pass the ball to him in pressure situations

[Budkin]

So close to a W... Fuck!

[therealtruth]

Not true. You cannot take the outcome and add one of the big 3. You have to take the game from the start, and the Heat would have played different had the big 3 been playing.

If the big 3 played it would have been a blowout win.

[Mel_13]

If the big 3 played it would have been a blowout win.

[polandprzem]

Tbh, the win or loss really doesn't matter to me. A November game is a November game is a November game. But as others have mentioned, the real take away from this game was the incredible and invaluable experience for the younger players ... plus it was a great way for the coaching staff to figure out which role players can withstand pressure.


First thing when I saw a s5 was me thinking - good for Splitter and De Colo. Splitt will have a huge pressure on him and De Colo will get so precious playing time.

Unfortunately they were not paired with the core of the spurs but playing time always pays off.



goooooood nitie

[Zero_Twilight]

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1811269/pops.gif

what are they talking about here?

Aaahahaha :lol Daaaaaam, I love Pop.

Now we need a gif of Spolestra when that one singular terd fell out of his pant leg as he called for timeout.

[DPG21920]

Tbh, the win or loss really doesn't matter to me. A November game is a November game is a November game. But as others have mentioned, the real take away from this game was the incredible and invaluable experience for the younger players ... plus it was a great way for the coaching staff to figure out which role players can withstand pressure.

So Bonner is back in and Blair is out?

[ace3g]

Like others have mentioned, this will hopefully play out like the 100-101 loss to the Mavs last season when Pop played bench in 2nd half. Spurs went on 11 game win streak after.

[DMC]

Like others have mentioned, this will hopefully play out like the 100-101 loss to the Mavs last season when Pop played bench in 2nd half. Spurs went on 11 game win streak after.

Except we were losing our asses before that game and turned it around after. This time we were playing well. It's a huge boost for the Spurs, no doubt, and the Heat will just consider it an off night and move on.

[DAF86]

Tbh, the win or loss really doesn't matter to me. A November game is a November game is a November game. But as others have mentioned, the real take away from this game was the incredible and invaluable experience for the younger players ... plus it was a great way for the coaching staff to figure out which role players can withstand pressure.

Aren't you a little upset about the way we lost it at the end? Neal bouncing the ball for 20 seconds and throwing up a contested three with 1 minute remaining and up 2 then the stupid turnover down 2 with 22 seconds remainiong when we could have dribbled out the clock and shoot a three and win it or lose it there. I'm just a little mad we didn't gave ourselves a chance at the end.

[Danny.Zhu]

And will probably ask for bigger paychecks?

[Paranoid Pop]

So Bonner is back in and Blair is out?

Blair was never in, it's just Blair showcasing time at the beginning of every year, thinking that someone somewhere will like him enough to send a first rounder eventually...

[DMC]

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1811269/pops.gif

what are they talking about here?
James: "You got room for me in SA Pop?"

Pop: "Can I get a signed jersey?"

[TampaDude]

I would've been doubly hilarious had the Spurs won, but to think the mighty Heat only beat our scrubs by 5 points and needed a close miss from Neal and a huge 3 from Ray Ray to grab the lead at the end...that makes me chuckle.

BTW, why is Stern pissed? By resting our starters, we made it a competitive game. The Heat have to be at least a little worried now. :lol

[DPG21920]

Aren't you a little upset about the way we lost it at the end? Neal bouncing the ball for 20 seconds and throwing up a contested three with 1 minute remaining and up 2 then the stupid turnover down 2 with 22 seconds remainiong when we could have dribbled out the clock and shoot a three and win it or lose it there. I'm just a little mad we didn't gave ourselves a chance at the end.

Keep in mind that with limited time left, Lebron was ready to go into lock down D mode on the primary threat. It would not be like the normal flow of the game where you can get good looks with this crew. Getting a shot quickly without having to make reads or do too much ball handling makes sense to me there even if it's not optimal. That is the tough decision you have to make when you have your bench going against a top 3 defender in the league.

[timvp]

Aren't you a little upset about the way we lost it at the end?

No, I couldn't care less. November games aren't even remembered come playoff time. 13-4 is the only thing that matters right now.

If this loss hurts anyone too much, just pretend the Spurs won this game and lost one of those games they didn't deserve to win like @IND or @TOR. Same ish come the end of the regular season.

[DMC]

Blair was never in, it's just Blair showcasing time at the beginning of every year, thinking that someone somewhere will like him enough to send a first rounder eventually...

I disagree. Blair has infectious energy and the team need that. Like I said, when he has enough talent around him to disguise his BLAIRING weaknesses, he's a spark for the team since he's pretty much ignored most of the time (which is a reason he used to get a lot of rebounds). They might trade him, but I expect a Danny Green trade before that (George Hill type). Danny is the one who's playing at or above his potential (imo).

Bonner is never leaving, ever.

[DPG21920]

timvp - so does POP have renewed faith in Bonner during the clutch now?

[DMC]

No, I couldn't care less. November games aren't even remembered come playoff time. 13-4 is the only thing that matters right now.

If this loss hurts anyone too much, just pretend the Spurs won this game and lost one of those games they didn't deserve to win like @IND or @TOR. Same ish come the end of the regular season.

This. Benches aren't poised to close games, else they wouldn't be benches. A win would have been great, but not much better than it already is tbh.

[Darius Bieber]

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1811269/pops.gif

what are they talking about here?

James signing with the Spurs in the future. :stirpot:

[timvp]

timvp - so does POP have renewed faith in Bonner during the clutch now?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say No considering that Bonner didn't play in the clutch this game even though the team's six best players didn't play.

[admiralfats]

awesome effort, but i like how the guys looked disappointed to have lost the game. I think they'll be happy in the long run that they threw it in stern's face (matt bonner already said, "Man, it would've been great if we won," when he was told that stern was going to sanction the spurs) but they weren't happy to just compete.

I think the turning point was when de colo penetrated with under a minute left and tried to throw it through three heat to tiago in the paint. the next play down, it was clear pop was mad and took the ball out of de colo's hands. neal dribbled it down to nothing and take that three. neal can't handle the ball pressure he faced at the end. de colo surprised the heat, i think, because i remember chalmers reaching in to try to steal and de colo going around him late in the game. wish we had kept it in his hands at the end, but that turnover was really bad so it's hard to blame pop.

[DAF86]

Keep in mind that with limited time left, Lebron was ready to go into lock down D mode on the primary threat. It would not be like the normal flow of the game where you can get good looks with this crew. Getting a shot quickly without having to make reads or do too much ball handling makes sense to me there even if it's not optimal. That is the tough decision you have to make when you have your bench going against a top 3 defender in the league.

In which case are you talking?

In the first one (we up 2) Lebron was on Neal and he was the one that kept the ball on his hands for 20 seconds and throw up a contested three. If Lebron was in lockdown mode more reason to keep the ball moving and running a play instead of that hero-ball bullshit.

And in the second one (down 2 with 22 seconds left) I would have just done what Neal did in the play discussed above: drible the ball for 20 seconds and attempt a three at the end to either win it or lose it, no OT. If he did it earlier he could have done it then.

Missing a three at the buzzer wouldn't have left me so bitter as losing in the way we did.

[Obstructed_View]

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1811269/pops.gif

what are they talking about here?

James: Get me out of here!

Pop: I'll have Tony fuck your wife!

[ElNono]

I don't particularly care about the loss either... we're going to lose games here and there and even more so when resting the big 3...

what gets to me though is that it turned out to be a winnable game because Miami was asleep at the wheel... if you had the big 3 available, you could've given it a better shot at the end.

Ultimately, it's just a loss, and as much I don't think it's important in the big scheme of things, I also don't think this is such turning point for some of these bench players. I mean, some of them are borderline NBA talent and you don't change that after a single game. Heck, I expect Cory back at the Toros and Anderson back at the Vipers when Khawi and Leonard come back.

[rascal]

Not true. You cannot take the outcome and add one of the big 3. You have to take the game from the start, and the Heat would have played different had the big 3 been playing.

Agree. Miami coasts for most of the game then tightens the defense in the final two minutes, the Spurs choke with two turnovers and a bad three point shot and Miami wins. Had the Spurs played their top players it is a different game from the start.

[TampaDude]

Agree. Miami coasts for most of the game then tightens the defense in the final two minutes, the Spurs choke with two turnovers and a bad three point shot and Miami wins. Had the Spurs played their top players it is a different game from the start.

^ this

Miami was not playing at full throttle for most of the game. I figured they would take over at the end, because NFW would they ever live it down if they had lost tonight. :lol

If there is such a thing as a bad win, that was it for the Heat tonight. :lol

[Salty]

Miami did what they were supposed to do the last two minutes. There's no shame in losing to the defending champs + Ray Allen in crunch time, especially when you only have one proven scoring threat in Gary Neal on the floor.

Be proud Spurs fans, this is a moral victory if I've ever seen one.

[racm]

Heat are coasting, Pop gave them this game but as usual they decided to sleep walk through the first three quarters.

Don't ask LeBron to change a dollar; he'll keep three quarters and give you the fourth.

[Spur|n|Austin]

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1811269/pops.gif

what are they talking about here?

I saw that after the game - Pop was bustin' his chops right after the '07 sweep; seems like they have a "take shots at each other" kind of relationship.

Looks like Pop says "leave" and James points down as in "this is my house".

[Spur|n|Austin]

Not true. You cannot take the outcome and add one of the big 3. You have to take the game from the start, and the Heat would have played different had the big 3 been playing.

They also would have played different if only one of the big 3 had been playing.

[SpursFan0728]

James: Get me out of here!

Pop: I'll have Tony fuck your wife!

:lol

[timtonymanu]

Didn't watch the game but was keeping track of the score. I was expecting the Heat to blow the game open any time but the Spurs kept the lead throughout and just got out-executed sadly. But I'm proud of our guys. You would think the whole team was playing with that final score we got.

[davidbowie]

but I think had De Colo went up for that layup instead of pitching it to Splitter in bunch of traffic to be picked

god i havent yelled at the tv like that in so long when he did that. he was wide fuckin open.

[admiralfats]

after we get punished for this, it would be awesome if next time pop wants to sit the guys he just says they "violated team rules" and so he sent them home to get them out of his face. gosh that would be an awesome slap in their face.

[rascal]

Miami did what they were supposed to do the last two minutes. There's no shame in losing to the defending champs + Ray Allen in crunch time, especially when you only have one proven scoring threat in Gary Neal on the floor.

Be proud Spurs fans, this is a moral victory if I've ever seen one.

The Spurs proved that with the pressure of tight defense and the game on the line no one stood up to make the big play. The Spurs went down in a bad way, playing poorly in the last possessions. Had they had good possessions and still got beat then i would call it a moral victory but they crumbled under the pressure and choked with the game on the line.

The Spurs top players get paid millions and they can't suit up for a back to back game after a short 30 minute flight from Orlando to Miami. They should not have benched the players. You go at this game full force to see how you match up with a likely opponent from the East.

[spurs10]

Exciting game!!! Go Spurs!!!

[Mel_13]

The Spurs proved that with the pressure of tight defense and the game on the line no one stood up to make the big play. The Spurs went down in a bad way, playing poorly in the last possessions. Had they had good possessions and still got beat then i would call it a moral victory but they crumbled under the pressure and choked with the game on the line.

The Spurs top players get paid millions and they can't suit up for a back to back game after a short 30 minute flight from Orlando to Miami. They should not have benched the players. You go at this game full force to see how you match up with a likely opponent from the East.

Misery seeking company. Ends up alone, as usual.

[Marcus Bryant]

EAD Stern.

[baseline bum]

Eh, a game in November is pretty meaningless. It was definitely a fun game to watch though. Anyways, I'm glad Pop is sticking with the formula that made last season such a success and so much fun.

[KaiRMD1]

- Spurs team with Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter in the starting lineup almost beat the NBA champs
- David Stern has his panties in a bunch

All in all, a good day to be a Spurs fan.

[capek]

And a whole bunch of guys gaining a boatload of confidence and real-world, crunchtime experience that should pay off down the road.

No point reading the rest of the thread. This sums it up. Especially Nando. 33 minutes, and sure, he shit the bed at the end there, but I saw about 10-15 minutes where he managed to look like a seasoned NBAer and hit some big shots, and he played pretty great defense on Wade most of the night.

People, this is why it's great to have basically the unanimous choice as best coach in the NBA coaching our team. He's not stupid, he knew Stern would git pissed and through a bitch fest with possible financial repercussions to follow. But he chose to take this game as a teaching experience for his bench (and especially the new players), along with the additional benefit of gifting four of his starters a few days at home. What do you call him but a total pimp. P I M P.

Anyways, just pumped. This was definitely the most fun time I've had watching a game in a while (thanks to ST for a lot of that <3 )

[TampaDude]

Eh, a game in November is pretty meaningless. It was definitely a fun game to watch though. Anyways, I'm glad Pop is sticking with the formula that made last season such a success and so much fun.

^ this

It was actually a fun, competitive game.

Eat a big, green donkey dick, Stern. :p:

[silverblackfan]

Enjoyed every minute of the game and always loved being a Spurs fan! Love how the team continues to play the game the way it should be done every night.

:lol Eric Spoestra's face. Good stuff.

[Crazymaddopeyo]

Sports writer Dave Zirin.

"Coach Pop and the Spurs were like the underdog in an awesome sports/politics movie tonight. And, per norm, Ray Allen had to go ruin a good movie."

[mexpurs21]

I love this team

[racm]

Play the role player/bench warmers
Almost beat the defending champions at home

STAAAAAAAAAACKED, tbh

[Hoops Czar]

Play the role player/bench warmers
Almost beat the defending champions at home

STAAAAAAAAAACKED, tbh

Miami beat a self destructive New York team, an underwhelming Indiana team, a severely depleted Boston team in seven games and an inexperienced OKC team that was running on empty after a grueling WCF's. I won't even mention the condensed season but the Spurs didn't get credit for 1999 until they won in 2003. As for the game, no moral victory tonight. San Antonio played street ball and Miami got sucked in. The Heat played like sh!t for 46 minutes. The Spurs shot selection was very porous down the stretch and Ray Allen and LJ made them pay in the end. Miami just can't exploit the Spurs weakness (rebounding) which was the "only" reason this game was as close as it was. But in the end, a loss is still a loss whether you lose by 5 or 55.

[Fireball]

Great game, I enjoyed it very much ... Coach Pop nearly doublefucked Stern and the NBA with that one

[Obstructed_View]

Ray Allen had to love playing against third teamers so he could look clutch for once.

[Legacy]

Great game. I really, really enjoyed watching some REAL basketball even without The Big 3. This will build so much confidence for our bench. More than they already have. We've got bigger fish to fry tomorrow. Makes total sense to me.


:lol @ how lost The Heat looked tonight. Like they didn't know whether or not to take this game seriously or not. WTFever. Watch and learn what a REAL team can do, bandwagoners. I think The Spurs did just that tonight. Completely exposed/embarassed Stern and The Heat, IMO. The Spurs winning would've just been icing on the cake, that's all. :D

[Manufan909]

I've long believed that while the Memorial Day Miracle was the moment when the Spurs franchise believed it could win titles, the reaction to the 2001 WCF was the point that the Spurs actually developed its championship character. After that embarrassment -- and there's no doubt it was humiliating -- Popovich and his guys made it a deliberate point to build teams of uber-competitive types, who would give anything to win. That doesn't mean that they always win (and it doesn't mean they never get blown out). But it does mean that the guys who've stuck around the organization for any extended period of time have competed ferociously and sacrificed to try to win. I think that character showed through tonight.

As a fan, I'd have loved the win, but I can really only ask that the guys on my team compete their asses off. Tonight, they unquestionably did that.

Thirded, or fourthed I can't remember.

[BillMc]

I agree with OP.

As many have said this does wonders for the confidence of our bench and involvement playing the champs this hard. This is team building. It's worth the loss to give these guys the collective experience.

[Spurs Brazil]

I'm proud. Great effort

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I just got home from Friday night on the town and watched this game from start to finish. :downspin :smokin

All I have to say is this: our bench just served up fundamental basketball to the "defending champions" (who we would've whipped in the Finals last season but for that ridiculous OKC shooting in game 5), and we made them look FOOLISH. You think we don't win that game with the Big 3 in at the end?! Pfffft.

That kind of grit is why I love my SPURS!!! :flag:

[TXstbobcat]

Last night I was so proud to be a Spurs fan. To hang with the defending champs for most of the game with mostly our bench to me was incredible. That was the loudest that I have yelled and cheered for my Spurs this season. Lebron and the Heat should be concerned about what happened last night.

[boutons_deux]

"the reality" is the Heat goofed off for 44 minutes, toyed with the bench Spurs, then put the hammer down, and the Spurs bench crumpled.

[TampaDude]

"the reality" is the Heat goofed off for 44 minutes, toyed with the bench Spurs, then put the hammer down, and the Spurs bench crumpled.

The "reality" is that this game should've been over at halftime. Miami should be a bit worried, because they're gonna get their asses handed to them in the Finals by the WC champion...most likely the Spurs.