What is Your Confidence Level Heading into Game 5?

[timvp]

Part of me feels good about the Spurs chances. They got extra rest, they have all the possible energy/motivational/emotional factors (last home game of the season, coming off frustrating loss, etc.), the Heat played damn near perfect last game yet the Spurs hung around, Parker should be healthier, Ginobili should be more aggressive, the Spurs will be better prepared for the Heat, and I'm confident Duncan will do all he can to seize the moment.

But another part of me fears the worst. Wade may have taken it off cruise control and will go all out for the rest of the series, Parker is unlikely to be 100% and will probably wear down in the second half, Ginobili seems to be a mess mentally, getting the ball to Duncan when the Heat are trapping the ballhandler and fronting the post is damn difficult, the shooters will cool off eventually, and it's looking more and more like that Game 1 turnover total was a massive fluke.

I'm confused. This series changes from quarter to quarter so I don't know what to expect. I'm hoping for the best obviously but no outcome will surprise me -- from a blowout Spurs win to a blowout Heat win or anything in between.

That said, the heart this team has shown during this playoff run can't be ignored. There have been more talented Spurs teams in years gone by but I'm not sure if there has been one that is this courageous, this resolute or this hungry. That will serve them well tonight.

Believe.

1.

[Spurs21Fan4Ever]

As for my confidence level, not very confident, but not worried either.

Though for me personally, I'm surprised at how relaxed I am. I thought about it, and I'm proud of this team regardless of what happens in the next 2 or 3 games. When you think about it, this team has no right to even win 2 games against the bought dyasty. SA is a team who still does these right in a league full of teams that do things wrong. It's great to see SA build a team out of loyalty and trust, rather than ring chasers and drama queens. The fact is, this team has already done great this year given the players they have. I'm proud of this team. They've proved that they aren't regular season garbage, and I can't wait to see Kawhi Leonard lead this team to a championship.

Now, me saying that isn't me giving up, I still think the Spurs will win this championship and I'd love it! Just understanding that losing wouldn't be horrible for this team, though seeing Miami win another championship kills me. I've never hated a team more than this team.

[silverblackfan]

About 70% and I am a homer. I just would like to see the big 3 all play well for one game, preferably tonight.

[Horry Hipcheck]

They've traded blows so far, each coach has made adjustments to the previous game. I don't think Games 1 and 3 were flukes. A lot has to go right for the Spurs to win two of the next three, but they've come this far on heart and willpower and playing their style. I think Game 5 will be close, and I believe that the winner of Game 5 wins the series.

Stats don't mean anything from one game to another, but all series we've been reminded that every Heat loss has been followed by a Heat win. I'd like to point out that the Spurs haven't lost back to back games with the Big 3 in the lineup since, what, December?

All they can do is go out and play their game, limit turnovers, keep Parker from tiring out early, and force Wade and Lebron to be jump shooters again.

[TrainOfThought5]

I'm not very confident... but i AM at peace.

win or lose, its been a good season.

[Texas_Ranger]

I really don't know. One side of me thinks we'll win, and another thinks we'll lose. I guess I am 55/45 on favor of Miami winning cause Manu sucks...

[BillMc]

I'm nervous as Hell, but I think they'll pull it out.

[ElNono]

I'm confident we can compete with this team. I don't feel like they've figured something out to lock us down (ie: OKC last season). Other than Game 2, we competed.

I'll probably be mad if we lose, it's only natural, tbh... but I'll be allright if we put a solid fight.

What I'm sure of is that a win tonight would not only be major, it would put major pressure on Miami and that would be an incredible position to be in.

[Robz4000]

I feel pretty good as well. Lets face it, if Wade really does have another gear he can turn to, the Spurs are fucked unless they play near perfect. Luckily I don't see him showing it tonight. I wanna see the Big 3 all show up tonight and close the AT&T Center with style.

[gameFACE]

I'm 90% sure that the Spurs come away with the W. Either team is capable of pulling something crazy. The '99, '03 and definitely '05 Game 5's were all suspenseful. Today will be no different. No blow-out wins. Miami is tough. But in the end it's a game for Tim, Tony and Manu. I mentioned in the game thread that all greats play through injury, illness fatigue, whatever.

Take care of the ball. No turnovers! Play defense. And be prepared for the element of surprise...........

[JRHernandez88]

50-50.




It's going to game 7 regardless...

[CitizenDwayne]

I'm feeling irrationally confident about this one, more because of the Heat's seeming inability to control things for an extended period than because of the Spurs themselves.

I put pretty big money on this one, so let's hope I'm right.

[spurraider21]

their big 3 all played near their full potentials last game and were it not for plenty of unforced turnovers it would have gone to the wire. i trust Pop with 2 days of adjustments tbh

[Fpoonsie]

I honestly have no fucking idea anymore. It's exhausting trying to get a mental read on this team.

[StoneBuddha]

I'm a half empty guy and am bracing for the worst.

I want this so bad for this team and what it would
mean for their legacy and what is says about their heart,
teamwork, and perseverance that the "half empty" approach is
the only way I could deal with the disappointment if they lose.

Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

[Strategic]

Well, it's pretty much the first must win game this year for the good guys. TD=80 %, TP=85%, MG=65%, KL=75%, TS= 65%, DG=75%, GN=65%, BD=55%, CJ=70%, MB=70%, These are based on if they play they will bring at least their B game.

[justinandimcool]

Confident that this team has a great chance to win, but I have every bit of reason to be just as confident in the Heat as well. It's as 50/50 as it gets for me.

[LakerHater]

Im 50-50 but fuckin nervous!!

I cant even eat & theres a shit load of food!

[tlongII]

I'm extremely confident there will be a game 6.

[TheGreatYacht]

I am nervous as fuck. I just want the game to start already so that I can get over this nervous anxiety feeling that I've had for these past two days. Game 5 is a MUST win. I know that every playoff game is a must win or important but the Spurs DO NOT want to go down 3-2 heading into Miami. It's win or go home. I hope the crowd cheers very loud this time. We have the quietest crowd in the NBA. I wish we can do Black Out night again.

[Two10Whitey]

The anticipation sucks. Of course game 4 was worrisome, but it isn't over. 50/50. Go Spurs!

[ohmwrecker]

I am pretty confident. There are so many variables involved with this game though. I think they need enough of a momentum shifting win to carry into a game 6. A potential game 7 in Miami is worrisome. It would be more disappointing to get that far and lose.

[MeloHype]

I'm a homer so my confidence level is maxed out as usual. I felt worse after game 2 tbh

[Spursfanfromafar]

1) I don't think the Spurs are getting beat systemically. Their offensive system is per se good. What is hurting them is inconsistent execution because of Parker's injury and Ginobili's game by game inconsistency (folks forget that he had a great Game 3). I think Ginobili could bounce back and Parker will be adequate to run the system despite the injury scare.

2) Pop will be better prepared to take on the Heat's small lineup after Game 4. Splitter was right when he mentioned that they were somewhat unprepared for the small lineup. That automatically means that the Spurs will have better ways of counter-acting against Wade this game than Game 4. If they continue to dare Wade & Lebron to take jumpers, I do think that the Heat will fail more than succeed.. atleast apropos Wade.

3) Its a do or die situation in a home game. Spurs will be more motivated.

I predict a close Spurs win therefore.

[SpurSwag]

As everyone else has said, it's been a pleasure to watch this team all year and they've already exceeded my expectations. With that said, I'm extremely confident, mostly because I think Tim is going to give it his all and I think we might get manus best game of the playoffs tonight.

[biziofromdowntown]

I'm ready for a meltdown, TBH

[Spursmania]

I'm feeling like a complete homer. Expecting Spurs to come out on fire. But my head keeps saying, if the Heat 3 go off again, we're fucked.

[td4mvp2k]

http://www.coldwarafterbirth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/peepants.jpg

[Drew2354]

Im very confident, I think the Spurs will come out very focused. Expect them win by 10+

[ThaBigFundamental21]

We are all nervous. But I am confident. I think the Spurs are more confident that a lot of these "fans" on Spurstalk. An appropriate fear is good. A sky is falling mentality is ridiculous. We have led this whole series or been tied.

We had an extra day of rest, we have the better coach, the two teams are pretty even. We have the must win emotional factor on our side, and are at home. I like us in a close game. A close game victory is another bonus IMO, we won game one in a tight one. Winning another tight one would only reaffirm that if need be we can win the close ones against the Heat. The reason I bring this up is that it can be huge confidence boost if we are hanging tight in Miami. We are going to have to clinch our title there, obviously.

We are going to win this series. I pick our Spurs in 6. I'm sticking to it. It it does end up going 7 I realize we will have a lot going against us. But I trust in this team. Especially with our emotional factor.

[polandprzem]

It's tough to figure it out. Now when james and wade had such great performances along with bosh and allen I don't know if that gave them enough confidence and they already knows what to do to demolish the spurs. James says it's time to win b2b games.

But then again Indy could trade games with Miami ...


My understanding says 60% in favor of the spurs ... So that is not as confident as I would like to be

[mercos]

I feel pretty good about game 5, but not so good about winning the series. If the Spurs win game 5, they will face a determined Heat team in game 6 that hasn't lost back to back games since January. If the series goes to 7 games, game 7 would be the third game in five nights, same as last Thursday's game. I think that was part of the reason for the Spurs bad performance in game 4. Game 7 would also be on the road.

[Walton Buys Off Me]

Very Confident.

Spurs got this.

Big games from Duncan and Ginobili tonight.

Championships aren't easy....

[polandprzem]

I feel pretty good about game 5, but not so good about winning the series. If the Spurs win game 5, they will face a determined Heat team in game 6 that hasn't lost back to back games since January. If the series goes to 7 games, game 7 would be the third game in five nights, same as last Thursday's game. I think that was part of the reason for the Spurs bad performance in game 4. Game 7 would also be on the road.


:(

[dbreiden83080]

It is so hard to have a pulse on this series because it has been so back and forth. This is like the Piston Series from 2005. These teams have exchanged blow outs in the last 2 games with only game 1 going down to the wire. I think the Heat have an edge tonight because both Lebron and Wade were great last game but the Spurs should come out desperate knowing their only chance to win the title is get back to Miami up 3-2. I am 60-40 Heat win tonight sadly.

[HemisfairArena]

30%. I hope I am wrong.

[ALVAREZ6]

It's a tough series and anything can happen. As you acknowledge, you could re-do game 5 several times over with all completely different results. I feel confident, but I also felt confident before game 4. However I'm feeling doesn't matter, it's the 2 teams that will decide the outcome.

[FkLA]

110% confident our Espurs will pull it off.

:flag:

[Darius Bieber]

10% tbh

[RD2191]

:hat

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

I'm not confident at all.

[TD 21]

As I said the other day, it's shaky, but I said Spurs in six beforehand, so I'm sticking with it.

Either way, I'd be shocked if this game isn't close until the end. It may not literally come down to the final possession, but I can't see the key players being on the bench down the stretch.

[TE]

Nervous a.f. tbh...

[timtonymanu]

Same as it has been the whole series. Nervous as fuck.

Even if the Spurs were up 3-1 right now, I would still be very nervous.

[Mal]

I`m scared.

[DPG21920]

I'm confident we can compete with this team. I don't feel like they've figured something out to lock us down (ie: OKC last season). Other than Game 2, we competed.

I'll probably be mad if we lose, it's only natural, tbh... but I'll be allright if we put a solid fight.

What I'm sure of is that a win tonight would not only be major, it would put major pressure on Miami and that would be an incredible position to be in.

Pretty much this. I think both teams have done things successfully against the other, but no one has made that adjustment to "figure" them out yet and really take over. It comes down to making shots, rebounding and turnovers from game to game for both teams. Very simple sounding, but that's what it is. Energy too. If MIA hits the shots the Spurs give them, it's tough to beat. If the Spurs take care of the ball and win the board battle, they win.

We will see. Feel good, but not confident. Just steady.

[Thebesteva]

I hope I'm wrong...I really hope I'm wrong. But I get the feeling the NBA does NOT want to be James in a 3-2 position heading back home since he is an epic choker under these situations. I am going to say the officials magically get Timmy and Parker in foul trouble and the Heat steal this game. Comes down to the wire.

[dbestpro]

The Spurs are not intimidated by Miami, but they are intimidated by the officials. They need to forget about the officials, and play hard even if they get called for 30-40 fouls. Playing to not get called allows too much room for Miami. Splitter needs to throw some elbows even he gets hit with a tech. They have to take the physical play to the next level.

[Obstructed_View]

I didn't honestly think the Spurs could find themselves tied after 4 games without incredible play from every single player. Since Parker's dinged up, Duncan's underwhelming, Splitter's legendarily soft, Diaw's shit, and Manu is a disaster, there's not really any reason not to think the Spurs can't win if they play well and hit timely shots.

The biggest problem at this point is the offense when Parker goes to the bench. I've never seen the Spurs just come completely apart like they have the last couple of games when he's not out there.

[mingus]

I think the Spurs will win. I think it'll be a close game all the way through. I think it'll be won at the end.

[Obstructed_View]

I didn't honestly think the Spurs could find themselves tied after 4 games without incredible play from every single player. Since Parker's dinged up, Duncan's underwhelming, Splitter's legendarily soft, Diaw's shit, and Manu is a disaster, there's not really any reason not to think the Spurs can't win if they play well and hit timely shots.

The biggest problem at this point is the offense when Parker goes to the bench. I've never seen the Spurs just come completely apart like they have the last couple of games when he's not out there.

:lol I should have put another one in there to complete the quad-negative.

[superjames1992]

60% chance we win tonight, tbh, per par, IMO.

[ginobilized]

I am 100% confident that I have no idea what will happen tonight in game 5. These are really great teams. My sense is that a surprise positive performance for one of the Spurs could be enough....Splitter, Diaw, ol #20, or even the ultimate redemption...Matty B from downtown could push us over the edge to victory. So hard to say between these teams.

I am 100% certain that this Spurs team will do everything in their power to win this game. I feel confident about that.

[dbreiden83080]

If Manu doesn't play well tonight the Spurs can't win IMO.. The way the Heat are playing D we need an extra boost from somewhere. Games like this are usually where Manu shines.. Come on Manu.. You might have 3 games left in your career..

[Budkin]

Extremely confident we win tonight. Called Spurs in 6 and sticking with it. If it goes to 7 I won't be confident at all.

[Fabbs]

50/50
Team Ball and we got this.
Don't buy for a minute the b.s. that Miami is the better team.
Wade, yes he undoubtedly will do massive PEDs for the rest of the series. Aka *going off cruise control and kicking into another gear*.

Parker may or may not be good today. Agree, it's the 2nd half where his injury my slow him down too much. Will Poppycock have faith in the bench and play team ball? Or sulk and ride Tony to a loss then give the deadpan bullshit in the interview while you Poppers all say "there is nothing we could have done". I hope not.
Ditto GNob. If he is playing like ass again, use the bench Poppycock.

Stern unleashing Heatref?. Yeah, a chance of that and if so we will prolly be robbed again.

Team Ball and we got Game 5.

[blkroadrunners]

Half and half tbh

[gnsf0946]

i don't care anymore, in order to win it all we have to either win 2 in a row or game 7 in Miami

with 2 out of 3 games left are played in Miami I don't see us beating Miami 2 times in a row at this point, and I think we can all agree we aren't beating Miami in game 7 if for anything else but the refs

we had a chance in game 4, we blew it, hopefully we take them to 7 so we don't have to read "greatest team ever?" articles

[CGD]

If MIA wins the series, Revisionist ESPN historians will proclaim that the Spurs were no match. We all know, and the heat know, this series was a toss up from game one. Like that, I think game 5 is a toss up as well. All we can do is believe. GSG.

[m33p0]

our chances of winning 2 games in miami is slim to none. and slim just left town. i'm sure our guys know this. they'll give it their all.

[TheGreatYacht]

I hope I'm wrong...I really hope I'm wrong. But I get the feeling the NBA does NOT want to be James in a 3-2 position heading back home since he is an epic choker under these situations. I am going to say the officials magically get Timmy and Parker in foul trouble and the Heat steal this game. Comes down to the wire.I've heard of other people say this too especially Spurs fans that do not live in San Antonio. I sincerely hope you're wrong. I hope that the officials are fair and that they let both teams play and decide the outcome of the game. The less whistles blown, the better. If anything I hope the officiating favors the home team tonight.

[RD2191]

Rumor has it Heat have won 42 of 46 when Wade scores 20 or more. Gotta keep him in check.

[TheGreatYacht]

The Spurs are not intimidated by Miami, but they are intimidated by the officials. They need to forget about the officials, and play hard even if they get called for 30-40 fouls. Playing to not get called allows too much room for Miami. Splitter needs to throw some elbows even he gets hit with a tech. They have to take the physical play to the next level.LMAO this will never happen. Not part of the Spurs philosophy. Spurs are too classy and I mean it in a bad way. I wish Pop would complain a little harder to the officials and even get fined for criticizing the officials.

[Crookshanks]

This is a must win for the Spurs. And I think we see a much better game from Manu tonight. He's such a competitor, and he knows better than anyone that he's been stinking it up lately. If the game is called fairly and evenly, then I think the Spurs will win.

[silverblk mystix]

I am very fuckin' confident that I won't see any playing time tonight...

I am not so confident that Pop will stay big and play TD/Tiago and allow the NBA's best big defensive tandem to do what they did all year- Unfortunately - I am confident that Pop will discard the above and "go micro" to help Miami like he did the last game.

But I am a homer so I am still predicting a Spurs win tonight.

[Capt Bringdown]

If we were in mid-season form, high hopes.
But now with Manu's astonishing decline and Tony's injury, we're in it's-gonna-take-a-miracle territory.
I see zero chance for a title now.

[Proxy]

Heat played as good as they can last game... Spurs were flat and they know that. Two days off... they'll play better. Manu doesn't need to score necessarily, but team needs him to be a spark and for Tiago to play smart under the rim instead of playing timidly. Spurs'll get the win and have two chances to win in Miami.

[GrandeDavid]

I'm supremely confident the Spurs will win tonight but if not then oh well. Life goes on and it's been a great ride! Who really knows and who could make even the slightest educated assumption about what will happen. Wouldn't surprise me if the Spurs won by one or thirty and, likewise, wouldn't surprise me if Miami ran the Spurs out of the gym.

End of the day we can only hope that the round thing leaving guys' hands actually settles into the net more often than the opposition. Should be entertaining regardless!

[xellos88330]

I actually feel pretty good heading into the game to the point where I am expecting the Spurs to win in a blowout.

[Keepin' it real]

I thought back to my confidence level before Game 5 of the 2005 Finals. Same situation 2-2, but:



That was a road game
The Spurs were coming off a 30 point ass-kicking (remember Pop counseling a despondent Duncan on the bench in Game 4?)
Ginobili was in his prime but injured


So my confidence level was LOW. But Timmy rose to the occasion, played his best game of that Finals and delivered a 26-19 effort :toast, then Robert Horry came out of nowhere and saved the Spurs' season.

This year, we have no Robert Horry, but maybe the aggregate of Danny Green, Gary Neal and Manu can match the big shots and intangible plays by Horry. And we'll see if Timmy can summon one more herculean performance for the ages.

Oh, and to answer the question, my confidence level is 75-80% that the Spurs will win.

[EVAY]

I'm scared out of my mind.

I fear that they figured something out about us prior to the last game, or else they were so embarrassed by the blowout we gave them in game 3 they decided not to let their collective foot off the gas again.

I really really hope we win. If we do not, I have never been more proud of a team that I rooted for in my life than I am this Spurs team.

[m33p0]

This is me pre-game
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQ74JE-wNYu328PBRQJLS-24LXgcMVfq1IZGsaac22uJOvYBmF

this is me after the game
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRCf5s6glfFp9EKM3U00XqUFz-sMegM1OXFteonokGfRRMP1iwxkg

[therealtruth]

The Spurs are not intimidated by Miami, but they are intimidated by the officials. They need to forget about the officials, and play hard even if they get called for 30-40 fouls. Playing to not get called allows too much room for Miami. Splitter needs to throw some elbows even he gets hit with a tech. They have to take the physical play to the next level.

I agree the team has played a little too soft. If Lebron/Wade are about to get a layup they need to be fouled hard.

[HI-FI]

I feel alright. I feel like our guys, including coaches, know what's at stake and play balls to the wall. They will represent, so i feel good about our will and purpose.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

If Parker was 100% I'd be very confident, but without that there are too many question marks... can TP be effective while not hurting himself worse? Does Timmy have another 20/14/4 in him? Can Manu give us anything? Is one of the role players (Leonard, Green, Neal, Diaw, Splitter) ready to step up and surprise us with a big game? Will the Heat's D remain at Superman level? Will the Heat's Big 3 all show up again? etc

Honestly, I don't have a clue what's going to happen today, but in my blood I feel another Horry game, this time with Leonard playing hero. Let's hope that's the case and the Spurs can go to Miami with 2 chances to win it.

GO SPURS GO!!!

:flag:

[easjer]

My confidence level is . . . well, let's hope the Spurs' confidence level is about 100x higher.

I want them to win. A part of me that watched them play games 1 and 3 KNOWS they can win. The part of me that watched games 2 and 4 is very concerned.

So . . . I'm just hoping they play as well as they can play.

[MannyIsGod]

I know we have a chance and its substantial but I don't know how high that chance is. Will just hope for the best I guess. Hope for a good game!

[spurs10]

I am feeling confident because we have our crowd and a different kind of momentum today. We know we can not only beat this team, but we can beat the hell out of them. LeeRoy doesn't score 9 points in the last 90 seconds, their greatest game of all time just gets past our worst game. Heat need to play better than game 4 because no way do we play that bad again in this series. This is it! We got this!! Bring it to'em Spurs!!!

[Maddog]

I'm confused. This series changes from quarter to quarter so I don't know what to expect. I'm hoping for the best obviously but no outcome will surprise me -- from a blowout Spurs win to a blowout Heat win or anything in between.

That said, the heart this team has shown during this playoff run can't be ignored. There have been more talented Spurs teams in years gone by but I'm not sure if there has been one that is this courageous, this resolute or this hungry. That will serve them well tonight.

Believe.

1.
Well said
This may be my favorite team ever. No way this team should even be within a shout of a title. All 3 big stars pat 30 with two being closer to 40 than 30. Relying on late 1st rounders, 2nd rounders and undrafted picks.

[ShoogarBear]

30-40%

The biggest key is whether Wade is going to play like game 4 the rest of the way. If he is, and Manu and Tony can't step up to match, then it's over.

[Uriel]

I'm 50-50 on them winning today's game, but only 30% confident they'll win this series.

I haven't felt this pessimistic about the Spurs since the last day of the regular season, tbh.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

on a scale of 1-10 about a 5 tbh

nervous as fuk

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

the big 3 will be gassed by 3rd quarter, have to play much better defense than this

[rascal]

Spurs will never lose an NBA championship series. Spurs in 7

[spurs10]

Spurs will never lose an NBA championship series. Spurs in 7 HELL THE FUCK YEAH!!

[SpurSwag]

As everyone else has said, it's been a pleasure to watch this team all year and they've already exceeded my expectations. With that said, I'm extremely confident, mostly because I think Tim is going to give it his all and I think we might get manus best game of the playoffs tonight.