"The Big 3"

[Nathan89]

Does it bother you that Manu is talked about as being part of a "Big 3" when he clearly isn't one of our top 3 players? I mean next year he won't be close to a top 3 player on the team. 1&2 can switch around but they'll still be taking the same slots, 3 is locked in, 4&5 can switch like 1&2, then we have a battle for 6 between Splitter and Manu. Calling Tim, Tony, and Manu the "Big 3" is equivalent to calling Celtic Shaq "the most dominating big in the game".

1. Tim
2. Parker
3. Kawhi
4. Green
5. King Belinelli
6. Manu
7. Splitter

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

Lol Manu contributes a hella lot to this team.

[Nathan89]

Lol Manu contributes a hella lot to this team.

Let's not turn this into a thread about Manu's turnovers.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

Let's not turn this into a thread about Manu's turnovers.
Dude, he scored more than Kawhi and pretty much was the reason we won game 5. Plus he can single-handily take a game over. Danny Green went 1-19 from the field. To put him and Bel ahead of him is borderline trolling.

[ElNono]

Doesn't bother me...

[racm]

I'd put Whiwhi ahead of him but when Manu goes HAM...

[hooperflash]

It doesn't bother me at all.. Kawhi is getting his recognition. This year is supposedly Kawhi's break out year, so hopefully we'll be talking about a new big three or even better a new big 4 sometime this year.

[Yuixafun]

Someone should make a Mt. Spursmore

With Timmy Tony Manu and Bruce

ya'll musta forgot, but

Kawhi won't ever be part of "the Big 3" to me...

I think that moniker will always be synonymous with this Fading Duncan Era

He's definitely next Generation though.

[Yuixafun]

It doesn't bother me at all.. Kawhi is getting his recognition. This year is supposedly Kawhi's break out year, so hopefully we'll be talking about a new big three or even better a new big 4 sometime this year.

wooooooh... I'm a leg man and I must say the lady in your sig =)

[DesignatedT]

It's the big 2 now.

[Sean Cagney]

Dude, he scored more than Kawhi and pretty much was the reason we won game 5. Plus he can single-handily take a game over. Danny Green went 1-19 from the field. To put him and Bel ahead of him is borderline trolling.

Game 5 they hit a ton of threes too, he helped out alot no doubt! He was not the sole reason they won the game or the reason though as you make it out to believe. He had a good game and was excellent! But come on now you point this out over and over! We can talk about a player each game who did this here! Game 3 to so on. In game one it was Tony,, nobody single handily won a game for the Spurs so stop it. Outscored Kawhi? Sure as hell no in the finals, Kawhi showed up huge in game 6 and 7, do you mean overall because if so you are wrong? Not pointing fingers here but you are wrong.

[CitizenDwayne]

No.

[TXstbobcat]

Manu isn't what he once was but we can hope that he has a few more big games left in him for the 7 million per year he is getting paid.

[apalisoc_9]

"The Big 3" Isn't about play anymore.

Everyone and their mother knows last year that whiwhi was/is our third best player. It's just a matter of leadership and symbolism.

[ElNono]

Frankly, the "big 3" moniker is probably a nice marketing pitch for ESPN, but this team has been at it's best when team basketball is played, beyond the individuals, and with all the role players engaged... while there's no doubt that there's more or less talented players in the team, I don't particularly think the team itself dwells much on that, but how everyone can come together to win games.

[G-Dawgg]

Manu sure is under appreciated by Spurs fans these days.... He fought injuries all season and never really got into a rhythm. I'd take a healthy, rested Ginobili over a healthy rested Parker if I had to bet on one game for everything I own and I could only pick one or the other to play. Manu goes to war, Parker seems to disappear in important games imo..

[apalisoc_9]

Manu sure is under appreciated by Spurs fans these days.... He fought injuries all season and never really got into a rhythm. I'd take a healthy, rested Ginobili over a healthy rested Parker if I had to bet on one game for everything I own and I could only pick one or the other to play. Manu goes to war, Parker seems to disappear in important games imo..

Don't bother dude. Every june/july 2013 member is a Manu/PoP/Tony hater tbh.

[Baam]

Manu is now our Jeremy Lin, both are paid about 7M to sell jerseys.

[TrainOfThought5]

Kawhi is next gen.

Ginobili has fallen off of a cliff.

[Marrow]

"The Big 3" title pre dates manu's decline...they will be known as the big 3 until one of them retires

[TMTTRIO]

I don't even know how we considered it the Big 3. He's been a big part of this team over the years and has contributed a lot but it's not like it's ever been his team like it has with Tim or Tony who have been consistently the main All Stars and Final MVPs of this team.

[Keepin' it real]

Ginobili has fallen off of a cliff.

Tim needs someone down there to keep him company when he falls next season. Just sayin'. Nothing lasts forever.

[Yuixafun]

Frankly, the "big 3" moniker is probably a nice marketing pitch for ESPN, but this team has been at it's best when team basketball is played, beyond the individuals, and with all the role players engaged... while there's no doubt that there's more or less talented players in the team, I don't particularly think the team itself dwells much on that, but how everyone can come together to win games.


Well I meant insofar as "the big 3" being applied to the Spurs.

It's not a revolving door for who is our best 3 players currently.


... the Big 3 for me first heard was in History class and WW1

[Johnny RIngo]

Does it bother you that Manu is talked about as being part of a "Big 3" when he clearly isn't one of our top 3 players? I mean next year he won't be close to a top 3 player on the team. 1&2 can switch around but they'll still be taking the same slots, 3 is locked in, 4&5 can switch like 1&2, then we have a battle for 6 between Splitter and Manu. Calling Tim, Tony, and Manu the "Big 3" is equivalent to calling Celtic Shaq "the most dominating big in the game".

1. Tim
2. Parker
3. Kawhi
4. Green
5. King Belinelli
6. Manu
7. Splitter

TBQH, I'd actually put Splitter ahead of Manu on that list. Manu sucked during the entire playoffs. At least Splitter had a couple of good games before the Finals.

[DJR210]

Let's not turn this into a thread about Manu's turnovers.

:lol

[spurraider21]

If we are talking about the Spurs, if anybody mentions "the big 3" they are talking about Tim Manu Tony. If 40 years from now the spurs have a great team with 3 lead dogs, and you mention the spurs big 3, Im going to think about Tim Tony Manu. end of story. it would be like somebody naming a vikings defensive line the purple people eaters

[eds]

It bothers you a lot more considering you started a thread about it.
this.


it doesn't bother me and the "big 3" of the spurs will always be tim, tony, and manu. spurs are currently in a transition period.

[hooperflash]

wooooooh... I'm a leg man and I must say the lady in your sig =)
Yeah Miley Cyrus is a 7, maybe even an 8 at most, but them legs tho..

[Yuixafun]

oh nooooo, that's Miley Cyrus???? gahhh

[spot2180]

If Manu is out as a Spurs Big 3, then I would think Bosh would be out as a Heat Big 3.

I prefer Big 4 now that Leonard has emerged.

[ThaBigFundamental21]

It amazes me, a guy can do so much for the team, be a HOF lock, win multiple rings with us. Then we have assholes like you who dog him nonstop. Then again, then again, after 2011 half of you fuckin morons where begging for Tim Duncan to retire, wanted the front office to trade him, then when he got his new deal, you bitched that Tim had just condemned us to mediocrity. Stop fuckin posting. Better yet, go hop on the Miami Heat's bandwagon you piece of shit no class losers. Getting old is a natural progression. I'm happy we had Manu when he was one of the top players in the world, and I'm beyond proud he will end his career a Spur when he could have left for more money, and 35 minutes a night. He could have dropped 25 points a night and been a superstar, but he was loyal to the team that drafted him. Fuck, how ever did we get stuck with a guy like Manu???

[mudyez]

The Big3 thing is kind of sad anyway.

Was Ray Allen really one of the Big3 in Boston? What about Chris "we win without me scoring" Bosh beeing called part of the Big3?

It's just stupid. I can't hear it anymore. Every Big3 becomes a leader-sidekick-prime roleplayer thing over time (Rodman, Allen,...) and our Big3 ca. 2005 may be the truest Big3 since '86.

For me all that counts are these Big3:
Mouth, Backdoor, Fut...not necessarily in that order :rolleyes

[exstatic]

It bothers you a lot more considering you started a thread about it.

[exstatic]

It amazes me, a guy can do so much for the team, be a HOF lock, win multiple rings with us. Then we have assholes like you who dog him nonstop. Then again, then again, after 2011 half of you fuckin morons where begging for Tim Duncan to retire, wanted the front office to trade him, then when he got his new deal, you bitched that Tim had just condemned us to mediocrity. Stop fuckin posting. Better yet, go hop on the Miami Heat's bandwagon you piece of shit no class losers. Getting old is a natural progression. I'm happy we had Manu when he was one of the top players in the world, and I'm beyond proud he will end his career a Spur when he could have left for more money, and 35 minutes a night. He could have dropped 25 points a night and been a superstar, but he was loyal to the team that drafted him. Fuck, how ever did we get stuck with a guy like Manu???

[Vash StampedE]

Manu is still with the team for 2 years but I think almost if not every posters here doesn't expect him to be our 3rd best player anymore. Maybe last year, he was still part of the Big 3 but from this point on, there's clearly another better player with bigger expectations from his team and us fans and obviously, that is Kawhi. Having said that, a lot is still expected out of Manu for the upcoming season with him needing to prove that he's worth the decision and the MONEY the Spurs gave him and also, him trying to make up for his poor showing in the Finals.

[HarlemHeat37]

"Big 3" is just a monicker, tbh..

Miami's trio is called the "big 3", when in reality, it's Lebron with a little Wade sprinkled in, while Bosh is utilized as a role player, for instance..

Ginobili was the 5th or 6th best player this season, but he's obviously still one of the 3 figureheads of the Spurs roster, thus the "big 3" label..

[dallasmaverickslose]

Does it bother you that Manu is talked about as being part of a "Big 3" when he clearly isn't one of our top 3 players? I mean next year he won't be close to a top 3 player on the team. 1&2 can switch around but they'll still be taking the same slots, 3 is locked in, 4&5 can switch like 1&2, then we have a battle for 6 between Splitter and Manu. Calling Tim, Tony, and Manu the "Big 3" is equivalent to calling Celtic Shaq "the most dominating big in the game".

1. Tim
2. Parker
3. Kawhi
4. Green
5. King Belinelli
6. Manu
7. Splitter

Uh oh, when Manu haters like TheGreatYacht get banned the other haters rally around him and spam these forums with Manu hate threads!

[Cherry]

Let's not turn this into a thread about Manu's turnovers.

No.

Let´s turn this into an another retarded Manu thread. :dramaquee

[Knoxxx]

Does it bother you that Manu is talked about as being part of a "Big 3" when he clearly isn't one of our top 3 players? I mean next year he won't be close to a top 3 player on the team. 1&2 can switch around but they'll still be taking the same slots, 3 is locked in, 4&5 can switch like 1&2, then we have a battle for 6 between Splitter and Manu. Calling Tim, Tony, and Manu the "Big 3" is equivalent to calling Celtic Shaq "the most dominating big in the game".


3 years ago we all thought Duncan was done. Keep the faith man.

When Manu started driving relentlessly to the rim, and pulling up midrange when that was cut off, he was vintage (Game 5). Given that he can still elevate and dunk the ball easily, I feel the best course of action as a Spurs fan is hope for more of those games from him and reduce mental errors and hero ball passing in favor of fundamentally sound passes.

[Solid D]

I know that PER isn't the perfect stat but it can be a useful indicator of performance in some areas. Stephen Jackson's performance stands out. According to PER, Manu is still one of the Big 3.

San Antonio Spurs 2012-13 Regular Season PER
PLAYER POS PER
Tim Duncan, PF 24.5
Tony Parker, PG 23.1
Manu Ginobili, SG 19.0
Tiago Splitter, C 18.7
Kawhi Leonard, SF 16.5
DeJuan Blair, C 14.7
Danny Green, SG 14.2
Patty Mills, PG 14.2
Cory Joseph, PG 13.5
Boris Diaw, C 12.0
Matt Bonner, PF 11.9
Gary Neal, PG. 11.6
Nando de Colo, PG. 11.2
Aron Baynes, PF 8.8
Stephen Jackson, SF 8.1

[Solid D]

In case you are wondering, Jeff Pendergraph had a 14.6 PER with the low-scoring Pacers last year. Marco Belinelli had a 10.4 for the equally low scoring Bulls.

[ThaBigFundamental21]

"Big 3" is just a monicker, tbh..

Miami's trio is called the "big 3", when in reality, it's Lebron with a little Wade sprinkled in, while Bosh is utilized as a role player, for instance..

Ginobili was the 5th or 6th best player this season, but he's obviously still one of the 3 figureheads of the Spurs roster, thus the "big 3" label..

5th or 6th best player??? So who all is better than Manu??? Timmy, Leonard, and Parker. Who else...........WHO??? Green? NO. Neal? LMFAO? Splitter? NO. Who are the other better players???

[ThaBigFundamental21]

I think I am starting to understand why TIMVP doesn't post a ton on his own site, doesn't get involved in these arguments. I shouldn't let some of these posters get on my nerves, but the ignorance is astounding.

[HarlemHeat37]

Green is clearly better than Manu at this point, although his role is easier, obviously..

Splitter vs. Manu is a toss-up, tbh..

I'm not even a Manu hater, I've been defending him lately, I just don't see how he can be considered better than Green at this point, tbh..

[Solid D]

Green is clearly better than Manu at this point, although his role is easier, obviously..

Splitter vs. Manu is a toss-up, tbh..

I'm not even a Manu hater, I've been defending him lately, I just don't see how he can be considered better than Green at this point, tbh..

Green is a better 3-point shooter than Manu, I'll give you that much. But that's about it.

[HarlemHeat37]

Green is a much better defender, as well..

Obviously as an overall basketball player, Manu shits on Green, but Danny's shooting + defense has more of an impact than Manu's game does in any facet, at this point..

[Spursfanfromafar]

Green is a much better defender, as well..

Obviously as an overall basketball player, Manu shits on Green, but Danny's shooting + defense has more of an impact than Manu's game does in any facet, at this point..

Naah.. Manu is a better defender, still. Better at post-defense and perhaps even one-on-one defense. Uncanny at stealing/swiping the ball away, possibly Top 3 gamblers in the guard category and better help defender.

Green is more athletic at this point, was fantastic as a transition defender this season but still mistake prone (so is Manu but he compensates more and gives up less).

[xmas1997]

I have no doubt Manu will be back, just not as good as he was. Players this good don't decline that fast and the Spurs FO knows this better than any of us do, otherwise he would not have been given the contract he was given, IMHO.

[Diego20]

Manu is still with the team for 2 years but I think almost if not every posters here doesn't expect him to be our 3rd best player anymore. Maybe last year, he was still part of the Big 3 but from this point on, there's clearly another better player with bigger expectations from his team and us fans and obviously, that is Kawhi. Having said that, a lot is still expected out of Manu for the upcoming season with him needing to prove that he's worth the decision and the MONEY the Spurs gave him and also, him trying to make up for his poor showing in the Finals.

Manu was our second best player, not the 3rd one. Actually he was our best player between 2005-2008.

[therealtruth]

Naah.. Manu is a better defender, still. Better at post-defense and perhaps even one-on-one defense. Uncanny at stealing/swiping the ball away, possibly Top 3 gamblers in the guard category and better help defender.

Green is more athletic at this point, was fantastic as a transition defender this season but still mistake prone (so is Manu but he compensates more and gives up less).

So Manu would have stopped Lebron on the break as much as DG did?

[ThaBigFundamental21]

Green is clearly better than Manu at this point, although his role is easier, obviously..

Splitter vs. Manu is a toss-up, tbh..

I'm not even a Manu hater, I've been defending him lately, I just don't see how he can be considered better than Green at this point, tbh..

Dear God.

[ThaBigFundamental21]

Green is a much better defender, as well..

Obviously as an overall basketball player, Manu shits on Green, but Danny's shooting + defense has more of an impact than Manu's game does in any facet, at this point..

This is a CONTRADICTION by any stretch of the imagination now is it??? WTF are you talking about??? Read what you just typed, seriously! Just stop already!

[Kidd K]

It never has until this postseason. I don't think I will ever forgive him until he retires unless he (and this won't happen) suddenly has a great postseason this next year and we win the title with Manu saving us a few times while not shooting us in the foot even more times.

But yeah, um, Belinelli isn't better than Ginobili. You guys are going to be disappointed in him if you expect him to be anything other than the white Gary Neal who's slower but bigger. Worse shooter but not dumb as rocks on defense. . .but pretty close. Dude was tied for worst defensive player on the Bulls (with Rip who was battling injuries all year). We ain't exactly getting an all star. At best that's a lateral move.

I don't think I'm ready to say Green is better than Ginobili, but he was better in the Finals. Unless Ginobili regresses more, we can't claim Green's above him. Now, on a cash to production basis, Green is better. But from just a production standpoint he's not there yet. He will never be what Ginobili was, but he is and will be a good role player for years which I like.

Kawhi on the other hand, is easily better than Manu now. He's the 3rd part of the big 3. Manu is 4.

[KL2]

Naah.. Manu is a better defender, still. Better at post-defense and perhaps even one-on-one defense. Uncanny at stealing/swiping the ball away, possibly Top 3 gamblers in the guard category and better help defender.

Green is more athletic at this point, was fantastic as a transition defender this season but still mistake prone (so is Manu but he compensates more and gives up less).


Green's defense shits all over Manu's lmao.

[Diego20]

So Manu would have stopped Lebron on the break as much as DG did?

DG Did not stop Lebron, it was Leonard lol

[Chinook]

DG Did not stop Lebron, it was Leonard lol

Leonard was terrible in transition all series. It was Green or no one getting back. Stop giving Kawhi credit for things he didn't do. What he did was impressive enough.

[Chinook]

Naah.. Manu is a better defender, still. Better at post-defense and perhaps even one-on-one defense. Uncanny at stealing/swiping the ball away, possibly Top 3 gamblers in the guard category and better help defender.

Green is more athletic at this point, was fantastic as a transition defender this season but still mistake prone (so is Manu but he compensates more and gives up less).

Ginobili is not a better defender than Green. Manu can only guard slower players who rely on post-ups. Green can guard three positions legitimately, and he was more than competent in the post. Ginobili is not a great help defender anymore; his gambles often lead to fouls. Green gambles usually lead to steals and blocks because he's one of the best players in the league at anticipating what the opponent is going to do.

A team with Ginobili as the primary guard defender would be worse than one with Green playing that role. There are way more Currys, Ellises and Pauls in the league than there are Andre Millers and Dwyane Wades.

[Spursfanfromafar]

Ginobili is not a better defender than Green. Manu can only guard slower players who rely on post-ups. Green can guard three positions legitimately, and he was more than competent in the post. Ginobili is not a great help defender anymore; his gambles often lead to fouls. Green gambles usually lead to steals and blocks because he's one of the best players in the league at anticipating what the opponent is going to do.

A team with Ginobili as the primary guard defender would be worse than one with Green playing that role. There are way more Currys, Ellises and Pauls in the league than there are Andre Millers and Dwyane Wades.

I dont disagree that Green is a good defender.

But objectively, Ginobili is better.

Check 82games.com for statistical information for e.g. -

Opposing SGs have a PER of 12.7 against Green and a PER of 11.4 against Ginobili. Opposing SFs have a PER of 13.0 against Green and 13.8 against Ginobili. +/- stats also favour Ginobili over Green. One mitigating factor is that Ginobili plays a lot against bench players, but it is also important he is always on the floor in crunch time defending starters.

[Chinook]

I dont disagree that Green is a good defender.

But objectively, Ginobili is better.

Check 82games.com for statistical information for e.g. -

Opposing SGs have a PER of 12.7 against Green and a PER of 11.4 against Ginobili. Opposing SFs have a PER of 13.0 against Green and 13.8 against Ginobili. +/- stats also favour Ginobili over Green. One mitigating factor is that Ginobili plays a lot against bench players, but it is also important he is always on the floor in crunch time defending starters.

82games has major flaws. The biggest in this case is that they don't account for cross-matches. So the fact that Green's an excellent point-guard defender gets ignored, or in the case misguidedly denied, because they only counted his numbers when he was the offensive point-guard. Also mitigating the numbers is that Green usually defends the first- or second-best scorer on the other team. Even in crunch time, Ginobili has Leonard and/or Green there to defend better players.

[Diego20]

Leonard was terrible in transition all series. It was Green or no one getting back. Stop giving Kawhi credit for things he didn't do. What he did was impressive enough.

Are you sure about who is Leonard and who is Green? I mean, the taller one is LEONARD LOL.

Go ahead and read :)

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/22389140/lebron-is-struggling-for-a-reason-kawhi-leonards-defense

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2013/06/07/kawhi-leonard-lebron-james-san-antonio-spurs-vs-miami-heat-finals/2402135/

[Chinook]

Are you sure about who is Leonard and who is Green? I mean, the taller one is LEONARD LOL.

Go ahead and read :)

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/22389140/lebron-is-struggling-for-a-reason-kawhi-leonards-defense

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2013/06/07/kawhi-leonard-lebron-james-san-antonio-spurs-vs-miami-heat-finals/2402135/

You misread the person you quoted in your initial post in this thread. They said that Ginobili couldn't stop James on the break the way Green did.


So Manu would have stopped Lebron on the break as much as DG did?

You said that Leonard stopped him (on the break), which he didn't.


DG Did not stop Lebron, it was Leonard lol

Green got back and made about 10 fantastic plays in transition, while Leonard almost always lost his man (which is why Green had to pick up James in the first place, and why James was able to dump off to Wade a couple of times after Leonard missed the switch). You're confusing Leonard's great individual defense on James with his transitional defense, which was poor.

[Diego20]

You misread the person you quoted in your initial post in this thread. They said that Ginobili couldn't stop James on the break the way Green did. You said that Leonard stopped him (on the break), which he didn't. Green got back and made about 10 fantastic plays in transition, while Leonard almost always lost his man (which is why Green had to pick up James in the first place, and why James was able to dump off to Wade a couple of times after Leonard missed the switch). You're confusing Leonard's great individual defense on James with his transitional defense, which was poor.

I dont know why they said that, because clearly Green did not stop him. Leonard was guarding Lebron the entire finals.

[Chinook]

I dont know why they said that, because clearly Green did not stop him. Leonard was guarding Lebron the entire finals.

Literally, you don't understand what the person is talking about. Besides the fact that Green actually did guard James a good deal one-on-one in the half court (as much as any Spur actually guarded him one-on-one, at least) and did a good job at it, we're talking about transition defense here. So when the Heat got a turnover or rebound and sprinted down the floor. Leonard didn't have the speed to keep up with James, but Green (who's probably the best player in the league at defending the fast break) did. He would pick up James and more often than not disrupt the play. For example:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Q5E__c63E

Or this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgAbo6IJB_A

Those were huge plays that very few players in the league could make. It's disingenuous to try to give credit for those to Leonard. Kawhi deserves praise for stopping James in the half court. But Green was the one who stopped him in the full court.

[Taking it to the Hole]

Agreeing with what ElNono said earlier in the thread, The "Big 3" is just a label that the media has tried to designate to TD, TP, and Manu. You think those three guys roll around town spouting to everyone that they are a member of the Big 3? They may be individuals but they certainly don't think of themselves as all that. If there are two qualities that permeate through the Spurs, it is selflessness and humility. They have always said it takes a team to win and that is why we didn't win the championship because they rise and fall as a team. Manu has and always will be a valuable member of the team because he gives an intangible factor to the team. To write him off after one subpar post-season is extremely unfair to him.

[SpurSwag]

It amazes me, a guy can do so much for the team, be a HOF lock, win multiple rings with us. Then we have assholes like you who dog him nonstop. Then again, then again, after 2011 half of you fuckin morons where begging for Tim Duncan to retire, wanted the front office to trade him, then when he got his new deal, you bitched that Tim had just condemned us to mediocrity. Stop fuckin posting. Better yet, go hop on the Miami Heat's bandwagon you piece of shit no class losers. Getting old is a natural progression. I'm happy we had Manu when he was one of the top players in the world, and I'm beyond proud he will end his career a Spur when he could have left for more money, and 35 minutes a night. He could have dropped 25 points a night and been a superstar, but he was loyal to the team that drafted him. Fuck, how ever did we get stuck with a guy like Manu???

Couldnt agree more, the lack of loyalty and appreciation on this board is mind blowing. I don't think I've ever encountered more spoiled, unappreciative fans. This certainly doesn't apply to everyone, but how are you guys hating on a player who wears his heart on his sleeve every night and just couldn't perform for whatever reason. No one in spurs history has had the passion this guy does. Stop using manu as a scapegoat, the dude gave us his all and we just came up short

[ChumpDumper]

I dont know why they said that, because clearly Green did not stop him. Leonard was guarding Lebron the entire finals.You joined the site to post this?

[SpurOutofTownFan]

I don't even know how we considered it the Big 3. He's been a big part of this team over the years and has contributed a lot but it's not like it's ever been his team like it has with Tim or Tony who have been consistently the main All Stars and Final MVPs of this team.

it actually was Manu's team from 2005 to 2007ish

[ThaBigFundamental21]

Couldnt agree more, the lack of loyalty and appreciation on this board is mind blowing. I don't think I've ever encountered more spoiled, unappreciative fans. This certainly doesn't apply to everyone, but how are you guys hating on a player who wears his heart on his sleeve every night and just couldn't perform for whatever reason. No one in spurs history has had the passion this guy does. Stop using manu as a scapegoat, the dude gave us his all and we just came up short

It's good to know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

[TXstbobcat]

I think it is more about Tim, Manu, and Tony together, being the faces of the franchise for over a decade. Neither of the tree ever bitched about playing time or wanting to be the alpha dog on the team.

I have the recent sports illustrated cover with the three of them set as the background on my iPhone and ipad and it will probably stay that way for a long time. These three will always be special for spurs fans.

[dallasmaverickslose]

The Big 3 represents a particular era for this team. It's not about who the best 3 players on this team are.

[Mouth is Bleeding]

http://stats-for-the-nba.appspot.com/teams/SAS.html