Race To The # 1 Seed, Spurs Or Thunder?

[spurraider21]

the spurs should win at home against memphis, at home against phoenix, and the toros should be able to win the finale at home against the Defenders.

its a matter of winning two of the road games left, against Minnesota, Dallas, and Houston.

[Mugen]

Thunder @ Houston tonight without Westbrook. Scotty and the gang putting all their meth in one basket against the Spurs so I'm expecting a loss tonight tbh.

[313]

Funny, right? Essentially, there's finally no way the Clippers can win a tie-break with the Spurs now that OKC beat them.CIA POP

[Robz4000]

Thunder @ Houston tonight without Westbrook. Scotty and the gang putting all their meth in one basket against the Spurs so I'm expecting a loss tonight tbh.

I think they win tbh. Houston is playing terrible as of late and match up horribly with Meth as it is.

[Mugen]

I think they win tbh. Houston is playing terrible as of late and match up horribly with Meth as it is.

that'd be fine too as it keeps Houston in that 4 seed and the Thunder/Clippers locked in for the 2nd round tbh.

[heyheymymy]

Thunder @ Houston tonight without Westbrook. Scotty and the gang putting all their meth in one basket against the Spurs so I'm expecting a loss tonight tbh.

haha

[cd021]

Despite the referees, Minny beat Miami in 20T in Miami. Indiana lost as well but stay close in their race for #1 seed. just percentage points behind Miami. The Heat has played 2 fewer games.

[Seventyniner]

Despite the referees, Minny beat Miami in 20T in Miami. Indiana lost as well but stay close in their race for #1 seed. just percentage points behind Miami. The Heat has played 2 fewer games.

Damn, one of the Pacers and Heat is going to back into the 1 seed. It's like neither team wants it.

[Horry Hipcheck]

that'd be fine too as it keeps Houston in that 4 seed and the Thunder/Clippers locked in for the 2nd round tbh.

Houston's made it evident that they're not going to catch LAC for No. 3. I'd rather OKC get knocked off tonight and set the Spurs up to regain that 4 game lead.

EDIT: And unless Houston gets their heads out of their asses, that's not going to happen.

[HI-FI]

stupid question here but let's say Thunder go on a run and win out, hooked up with lots of calls per the par. If they go 8-0, what would Spurs need to still maintain HCA? sorry if this has been covered already.

[Horry Hipcheck]

stupid question here but let's say Thunder go on a run and win out, hooked up with lots of calls per the par. If they go 8-0, what would Spurs need to still maintain HCA? sorry if this has been covered already.

8-0 would put OKC at 63-19. The Spurs would have to finish 64-18, meaning a 5-1 finish at worst.

[SpursFan86]

stupid question here but let's say Thunder go on a run and win out, hooked up with lots of calls per the par. If they go 8-0, what would Spurs need to still maintain HCA? sorry if this has been covered already.

Any combination of 5 Spurs wins/OKC losses will give us the 1st seed. So if OKC wins out, we'd have to win 5 out our last 6 games to keep the 1st seed.

[Mugen]

stupid question here but let's say Thunder go on a run and win out, hooked up with lots of calls per the par. If they go 8-0, what would Spurs need to still maintain HCA? sorry if this has been covered already.

Spurs have to finish a game ahead of OKC to maintain the 1 seed. If they're tied at the end of the RS, OKC is no. 1.

[HI-FI]

:tu to the posts above. appreciate it.

hopefully Htown can take care of business tonight.

[Horry Hipcheck]

hopefully Htown can take care of business tonight.

Naturally, they're letting a Westbrick-less Thunder team hang tough with them while KD is only at 21 points on the night. I was hoping Houston would run them out of the building.

[cd021]

Damn, one of the Pacers and Heat is going to back into the 1 seed. It's like neither team wants it.

Still a toss up at this point. Even though Indiana has been fading, they still have a realistic shot at the top spot.

Miami-52-23 (75 Games)

Indiana-53-24 (77 Games)

Knicks
Nets
@ Memphis
Pacers
@ Hawks
@ Wizards
76ers

Worst case: is 4-3 Best case: is 6-1

Pacers

Hawks
@ Bucks
@ Heat
Thunder
@ Orlando

Worst case: is 3-2 Best case: is 4-1 IMO

Best case (at least how i view it) they would probably finish between 56-26 and 57-25 while Miami could finish between 56-26 and 58-24. Even if the Pacers lose to the Heat, they should still win the series series via the conference tie breaker.

[Horry Hipcheck]

There goes any talk of the Thunder going 8-0. Houston does SA a big favor and hands OKC a loss.

[spurs10]

8-0 :lol

[Budkin]

:lol thunder

[EVAY]

So now it is down to any combination of 4 Spurs wins or Thunder losses for the rest of the season and we get HCA. Is that right?

[BillMc]

So now it is down to any combination of 4 Spurs wins or Thunder losses for the rest of the season and we get HCA. Is that right?

Yep.

[cd021]

A win on Sunday night gives the Spurs a 4 game lead with 5 games remaining (OKC would have 7 games to make up that ground)

[Spursfan092120]

http://www.josiebrown.com/.a/6a00d83452b0d869e2011168a0ce4f970c-pi

[SpursFan86]

So now it is down to any combination of 4 Spurs wins or Thunder losses for the rest of the season and we get HCA. Is that right?

Correct. I'd be pretty surprised if we don't keep the 1st seed.

Who do y'all prefer to play in the 2nd round? Also keep in mind who you think might have the best chance of beating OKC in the 2nd round?

[EVAY]

Yep.

Thanks!

[Horry Hipcheck]

The Spurs should walk through Memphis (deliberate) and restore the 4 game lead heading into their final 5 games. Games in Minneapolis and Houston will be tough, but win 4 of those last five and the Spurs will never start a postseason series on the road. Easily doable.

[EVAY]

Correct. I'd be pretty surprised if we don't keep the 1st seed.

Who do y'all prefer to play in the 2nd round? Also keep in mind who you think might have the best chance of beating OKC in the 2nd round?

Thx for the info. and no,as long as we have HCA I don't particularly care who we play when.

[Horry Hipcheck]

Who do y'all prefer to play in the 2nd round? Also keep in mind who you think might have the best chance of beating OKC in the 2nd round?

I'd rather see the Spurs play the Clips. They match up well in SA's favor and it'd be preferable than playing Houston, which seems to give OKC fits more regularly than the Spurs can. Dallas would be a nice first round matchup for OKC, as would Phoenix. The Spurs should want Memphis and LAC.

[Mugen]

A win on Sunday pretty much seals the 1seed tbh.

[BillMc]

Hoping we win the next 4, then everyone can rest the last 2 games before the playoffs.

Not sure if I want Dallas or Memphis. Dallas actually has given OKC some trouble this year. But I don't want Timmy wasting so much energy so early in the PO's on the Memphis bigs...

[cd021]

If i'm not mistaken the Spurs now have home court advantage against any team in the east. Even if Indiana and Miami win out they would be 58-24 and 59-23. Even if Spurs lose their 6 remaining games, we already have 59 victories. The Spurs also split the season series with both but the conference tie breakers are in the Spurs favor.

Vs. The West

Miami-20-9 (.689) (1 game left, vs the Grizzlies)

Indiana-17-12 (.586) (1 game left, vs the Thunder)

Vs. The East

24-6 (.800)

[Horry Hipcheck]

If i'm not mistaken the Spurs now have home court advantage against any team in the east. Even if Indiana and Miami win out they would be 58-24 and 59-23. Even if Spurs lose their 6 remaining games, we already have 59 victories. The Spurs also split the season series with both but the conference tie breakers are in the Spurs favor.

Vs. The West

Miami-20-9 (.689) (1 game left, vs the Grizzlies)

Indiana-17-12 (.586) (1 game left, vs the Thunder)

Vs. The East

24-6 (.800)

The Spurs own tiebreakers against both top East teams, yes, but the Spurs will win no fewer than 62 games, so the tiebreaker is moot.


Not sure if I want Dallas or Memphis. Dallas actually has given OKC some trouble this year. But I don't want Timmy wasting so much energy so early in the PO's on the Memphis bigs...

I think Dallas is a tougher out for the Spurs than Memphis. Dallas also has a better shot at frustrating OKC than Memphis does.

[Splits]

Season is a marathon, not a sprint. We're wearing the light colored jerseys...

http://i.imgur.com/qRNYtXI.gif

[exstatic]

Season is a marathon, not a sprint. We're wearing the light colored jerseys...

http://i.imgur.com/qRNYtXI.gif

QFT. That must be Westbrick running into the wall. :lol

[letmk]

I'd rather see the Spurs play the Clips. They match up well in SA's favor and it'd be preferable than playing Houston, which seems to give OKC fits more regularly than the Spurs can. Dallas would be a nice first round matchup for OKC, as would Phoenix. The Spurs should want Memphis and LAC.

I have no preference in the 2nd round b/w Clippers and Rockets. But Clippers have a real chance to upset OKC. So I'd rather to see Clippers stay at #3, or better yet, overtake OKC as #2.

[Sean Cagney]

A win on Sunday pretty much seals the 1seed tbh.

Lesssssssssssss go get it.......... Sunday it is.

[exstatic]

I have no preference in the 2nd round b/w Clippers and Rockets. But Clippers have a real chance to upset OKC. So I'd rather to see Clippers stay at #3, or better yet, overtake OKC as #2.

They're closer to OKC than OKC is to us, with one game in LA remaining.

[look_at_g_shred]

The Spurs own tiebreakers against both top East teams, yes, but the Spurs will win no fewer than 62 games, so the tiebreaker is moot.



I think Dallas is a tougher out for the Spurs than Memphis. Dallas also has a better shot at frustrating OKC than Memphis does.[/FONT][/COLOR]
True but Dallas plays no D. Memphis equals defense, but they lack scoring. The playoffs are a different animal, and the grizzlies since the Randolph/gasol pairing, have had decent success in the playoffs. I'd take my chances on the grizz over mavericks, but that's just my take bruh!

[cd021]

I think Dallas is a tougher out for the Spurs than Memphis. Dallas also has a better shot at frustrating OKC than Memphis does.[/FONT][/COLOR]

Dallas

3rd ORtg
22nd DRtg

Memphis

9th DRtg

18th ORtg

Dallas is an elite offense and a poor defense. Memphis is a very good defense and a below average offense. Dallas does play OKC close but Memphis has been the best defensive in the NBA since Gasol returned from his knee injury. OKCs tendency to turn the ball over and Memphis being tailor made for the slower, more physical, playoff basketball should make them the tougher opponent in my opinion.


I really like the Dallas match up our starting lineup matches our very well against theirs (Parker-Greeen-Leonard-Diaw-Duncan Vs. Calderon, Ellis, Marion, Dirk-Dalembert) Parker should easily exploit Calderon and its not like they can cross match up Marion on Parker, because Leonard would be guarded by a small guard.

Diaw can space the floor and attack Dirk in the post. He is also very good at defending Dirk. The Spurs could just as easily switch Kahwi on Dirk for spots and have Diaw cover Marion without a problem.

Their big man rotation of Dalembert-Blair and Wright isn't very good. Blair, ironically, is the best in terms of DRtg and is the worst in Net Rtg. Splitter should be much more effective and Duncan shouldn't have any problem scoring in the paint.

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/5/14)

Spurs-21-2 (.913)

Clippers 17-5 (.772)

Heat-15-9 (.625)

Thunder 12-8 (.600)

Pacers-13-12 (.520)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/4)

[will_spurs]

Magic number of 4, so there's still some way to go before locking that 1st seed, but given the remaining schedule it's entirely doable.

Re: matchups the best for us would be to see Portland beat Houston in the 1st round (however unlikely that might sound) so that we face them in the 2nd round, while the Clippers beat OKC in the 2nd round, and we beat the Clippers in the WCF. Obviously we want to avoid having to play Houston or OKC as much as possible.

[TampaDude]

Harden went off for 39 last night. He's sayin' "That's what ya get..." :lol

[ace3g]

WESTERN
W (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/wins)
L (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/losses)
PCT (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/winPercent)
GB (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/gamesBehind)
HOME (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/homeWinPercent)
ROAD (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/roadWinPercent)
DIV (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/divisionWinPercent)
CONF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/leagueWinPercent)
PF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsFor)
PA (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsAgainst/order/false)
DIFF
STRK (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/streak)
L10


1
y - San Antonio (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs)
59
17
.776
-
30-8
29-9
10-3
35-11
105.5
97.1
+8.3
Lost 1
9-1


2
y - Oklahoma City (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder)
55
20
.733
3 ½
32-7
23-13
11-5
33-14
106.2
99.5
+6.7
Lost 1
7-3


3
y - LA Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers)
54
23
.701
5 ½
31-6
23-17
10-4
33-14
107.7
100.8
+6.9
Lost 1
7-3


4
x - Houston (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets)
50
25
.667
8 ½
30-8
20-17
9-4
27-18
106.8
102.1
+4.7
Won 1
6-4


5
Portland (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers)
49
28
.636
10 ½
27-10
22-18
12-3
26-21
106.7
102.8
+3.9
Lost 1
6-4


6
Golden State (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors)
47
29
.618
12
25-13
22-16
10-5
27-19
103.2
98.8
+4.4
Won 1
6-4


7
Dallas (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks)
46
31
.597
13 ½
25-14
21-17
9-5
26-21
105.2
102.8
+2.5
Won 2
6-4


8
Memphis (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies)
45
31
.592
14
24-14
21-17
3-11
26-22
95.6
94.2
+1.4
Won 1
6-4


http://espn.go.com/i/blackdot.gif



Phoenix (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns)
45
31
.592
14
25-14
20-17
7-8
25-21
105.5
102.6
+2.8
Won 1
7-3

[james evans]

never thought i'd happy for that flopping ass harden

[Mel_13]

Six games to go and the Spurs have already clinched a better record than 28 of the 29 other teams in the NBA. Not too shabby.

[ElNono]

Six games to go and the Spurs have already clinched a better record than 28 of the 29 other teams in the NBA. Not too shabby.

excuse #1,459

[Horry Hipcheck]

never thought i'd happy for that flopping ass harden

We're all going to hate him again when the Spurs and Rockets meet in the second round.

[Mel_13]

excuse #1,459

:lol

That guy is the most unintentionally hilarious poster on ST.

[heyheymymy]

sounds like with a win on sun against mem, we will be pretty hard to beat out for the 1 seed.

[mystargtr34]

Im actually quite worried about the likely 2nd round matchup against the Rockets.. i think thats as bad a matchup as the Thunder. I would actually put my money on an 'upset'.

The athleticism of Harden, Parsons, Howard and even Jones causes the Spurs a shitload of problems. Not to mention the look of Parsons, Lin, Somalian Beverley , Harden, Terrence Jones scowling after every made basket, bitchmade Dwight. Its just a recipe for a tv remote throwing series for a Spursfan.

[will_spurs]

Im actually quite worried about the likely 2nd round matchup against the Rockets.. i think thats as bad a matchup as the Thunder. I would actually put my money on an 'upset'.

The athleticism of Harden, Parsons, Howard and even Jones causes the Spurs a shitload of problems. Not to mention the look of Parsons, Lin, Somalian Beverley , Harden, Terrence Jones scowling after every made basket, bitchmade Dwight. Its just a recipe for a tv remote throwing series for a Spursfan.

There are some huge differences though:
- Ibaka is a lot more problematic than Dwight, especially for Parker. As we have seen last year, it's easy to rile Dwight and mentally take him out of the game. Not so much with Ibaka who can "block" an arm or goal-tend with the refs nodding in approval.
- Harden is good, but he's not Durant.
- weak PG situation in Houston

[Robz4000]

There's also the fact that Diaw shits all over Jones. Don't get me wrong, Houston is a worrying 2nd round matchup, but the Thunder are much more troublesome.

[exstatic]

There are no easy second round matchups, but you have to play defense to thrive after mid April, and Houston and Portland don't play a lick.

There are teams that are pests in the regular season that tend to go tits up in the playoffs. H and P are definitely in that category. One of the best quotes about the playoffs was from Charles Oakley, the ex Knick and Bull. He said: "The playoffs are when the lights get brighter and the rims get smaller." Bad news if you're pretty much a jump shooting team.

[ace3g]

WESTERN
W (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/wins)
L (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/losses)
PCT (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/winPercent)
GB (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/gamesBehind)
HOME (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/homeWinPercent)
ROAD (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/roadWinPercent)
DIV (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/divisionWinPercent)
CONF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/leagueWinPercent)
PF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsFor)
PA (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsAgainst/order/false)
DIFF
STRK (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/streak)
L10


1
y - San Antonio (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs)
60
17
.779
-
31-8
29-9
11-3
36-11
105.6
97.1
+8.5
Won 1
9-1


2
y - Oklahoma City (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder)
55
20
.733
4
32-7
23-13
11-5
33-14
106.2
99.5
+6.7
Lost 1
7-3


3
y - LA Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers)
55
23
.705
5 ½
32-6
23-17
11-4
34-14
107.8
100.7
+7.1
Won 1
7-3


4
x - Houston (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets)
51
25
.671
8 ½
31-8
20-17
9-4
28-18
107.1
102.4
+4.7
Won 2
7-3


5
Portland (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers)
49
28
.636
11
27-10
22-18
12-3
26-21
106.7
102.8
+3.9
Lost 1
6-4


6
Golden State (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors)
47
29
.618
12 ½
25-13
22-16
10-5
27-19
103.2
98.8
+4.4
Won 1
6-4


7
Dallas (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks)
47
31
.603
13 ½
25-14
22-17
9-5
27-21
105.1
102.6
+2.5
Won 3
6-4


8
Phoenix (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns)
45
31
.592
14 ½
25-14
20-17
7-8
25-21
105.5
102.6
+2.8
Won 1
7-3


http://espn.go.com/i/blackdot.gif



Memphis (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies)
45
32
.584
15
24-14
21-18
3-12
26-23
95.5
94.4
+1.1
Lost 1
5-5

[SpursFan86]

Phoenix doing well against OKC right now...

*knocks on wood*

[cd021]

Thought the Pacers, had hit the bottom. They lost by 19 at home to Atlanta. The Hawks had a road winning percentage of .289.

Roy Hibbert got benched for the entire second half.

The Pacers scored just 23 points in 24 first half minutes.

[SpursFan86]

Thunder about to lose...thanks Phoenix!

1st seed is all but locked up now. Magic number down to 2 with 5 games remaining.

[EVAY]

Thunder lost to Phoenix, so the magic number is 2 now.

[HarlemHeat37]

The best-case scenario for the Spurs is looking realistic, tbh..

1. Spurs
2. Thunder
3. Clippers
4. Rockets
5. Blazers
6. Warriors
7. Suns
8. Mavs or Grizzlies

Clippers getting Golden State and OKC getting Phoenix would be quite nice, tbh..

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

The best-case scenario for the Spurs is looking realistic, tbh..

1. Spurs
2. Thunder
3. Clippers
4. Rockets
5. Blazers
6. Warriors
7. Suns
8. Mavs or Grizzlies

Would much rather have OKC as a 3.

[ElNono]

The best-case scenario for the Spurs is looking realistic, tbh..

1. Spurs
2. Thunder
3. Clippers
4. Rockets
5. Blazers
6. Warriors
7. Suns
8. Mavs or Grizzlies

Clippers getting Golden State and OKC getting Phoenix would be quite nice, tbh..

Flipping 2 and 3 still a possibility, tbh... might be even better

[HarlemHeat37]

Would much rather have OKC as a 3.

I agree, forgot to swap them..they play each other on Wednesday, so it's very possible that Clippers get the 2 seed..

[SpursFan86]

Yeah, the only way the standings could get better would be if OKC somehow slipped to the 3 seed.

[exstatic]

lol, OKC Blunder.

[Mugen]

OKC having to go through Golden State in the 1st round then the Clippers without homecourt, sounds good tbh...

[heyheymymy]

The best-case scenario for the Spurs is looking realistic, tbh..

1. Spurs
2. Thunder
3. Clippers
4. Rockets
5. Blazers
6. Warriors
7. Suns
8. Mavs or Grizzlies

Clippers getting Golden State and OKC getting Phoenix would be quite nice, tbh..

god that would be like christmas. so perfect in so many ways. okc draws phx and gets a tough 1st round, we stay in tx (dal then hou) for the first 2 rounds so easy travel.

right now we face phx, and i'drather not play them. what would it take to flip phx and mem/dal in those 7/8 seed slots?

[HarlemHeat37]

Thinking about the possibility of getting Memphis or Dallas in the 1st round makes me hard, tbh..Spurs win either series in 4, tbh(Mavs might get 1)..

I'd rather avoid the team with athletic players and stretch-4s:(..

[TD 21]

Why would the Thunder getting the Suns be "quite nice"? The Mavs and Grizzlies may be limited, one way teams, but at least they're playoff tested and the stage won't be too big for them. The Suns, on the other hand, could easily fall flat. I get the logic of them causing some match-ups issues for the Spurs, but don't discount that.

The Thunder getting the Grizzlies would be ideal, as would falling to the 3 seed obviously, but that's more than likely not going to happen.

[cd021]

Yeah, the only way the standings could get better would be if OKC somehow slipped to the 3 seed.

Very possible. Clippers have a season series lead of 2-1 with a showdown in L.A. on Wednesday. OKC will be on the 2nd night of a back to back after playing Sacramento.

The Clippers are off until Wednesday and can take control of the 2 seed or cut it to half a game with a win.

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/7/14)

Spurs-22-2 (.916)

Clippers 18-5 (.786)

Heat-16-9 (.640)

Thunder 12-9 (.571)

Pacers-13-13 (.500)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/6)

[SpursFan86]

Why would the Thunder getting the Suns be "quite nice"? The Mavs and Grizzlies may be limited, one way teams, but at least they're playoff tested and we know the stage won't be too big for them. The Suns, on the other hand, could easily fall flat. The Thunder getting the Grizzlies would be ideal, as would falling to the 3 seed obviously, though that's not going to happen.

What makes you so sure about that?

OKC's remaining schedule: @ Sacramento, @LAC (b2b), New Orleans, @Indiana, @New Orleans (b2b), Detroit

LAC's remaining schedule: OKC, Sacramento, Denver, @Portland

If the Clippers win on Wednesday against the Thunder, they'll be tied in the standings with LAC owning the tiebreaker. OKC will be coming off the game against Sacramento, meanwhile the Clippers will be at home and well rested since they don't play between now and then.

OKC dropping to the 3rd seed is a very realistic possibility. Not sure why you act like it's a foregone conclusion that they'll be the 2nd seed.

[TD 21]

What makes you so sure about that?

OKC's remaining schedule: @ Sacramento, @LAC (b2b), New Orleans, @Indiana, @New Orleans (b2b), Detroit

LAC's remaining schedule: OKC, Sacramento, Denver, @Portland

If the Clippers win on Wednesday against the Thunder, they'll be tied in the standings with LAC owning the tiebreaker.

OKC dropping to the 3rd seed is a very realistic possibility. Not sure why you act like it's a foregone conclusion that they'll be the 2nd seed.

They're the second most consistent regular season team in the league three years running and they've been struggling for a while now, so they're due to pick it up. They can also play the second best player in the league (and best player in the league this season) virtually unlimited minutes, no matter the schedule, which doesn't hurt. To add to this, the Clippers are banged up and as such, probably won't be going all out in pursuit of it.

[ElNono]

I still think the Thunder end up taking it right at the end. Injuries/minute limitations or not, they're due for a good stretch and the Spurs are due for a poor one, partially due to the schedule and partially due to how they'll navigate such schedule.

How you feel about this post now, tbh?...

[SpursFan86]

They're the second most consistent regular season team in the league three years running and they've been struggling for a while now, so they're due to pick it up. They can also play the second best player in the league (and best player in the league this season) virtually unlimited minutes, no matter the schedule, which doesn't hurt. To add to this, the Clippers are banged up and as such, probably won't be going all out in pursuit of it.

OKC is missing Sefolosha and has Perkins on minute restrictions. They also sit Westbrook on one end of back-to-backs.

And the Clippers don't need to go all out. All they need is a win at home on Wednesday and they'll be in good position to get the 2nd seed. If OKC loses on Wednesday and one other game (let's say @Indiana), all LAC would have to do is beat Sacramento and Denver at home.

[ducks]

pacers will not beat the thunder
pacers can not score

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

Whoever wins Wednesday will take the series.

LAC should take it because its a back to back... but honestly I'm leaning towards OKC taking it.

[TD 21]

How you feel about this post now, tbh?...

Great, because it looks as if it'll end up being wrong, which is obviously advantageous to the Spurs.

But don't go looking for a correlation. With the unexpected lead they had built, it was a strong possibility, much stronger than them beating the Thunder in a series.



OKC is missing Sefolosha and has Perkins on minute restrictions. They also sit Westbrook on one end of back-to-backs.

And the Clippers don't need to go all out. All they need is a win at home on Wednesday and they'll be in good position to get the 2nd seed. If OKC loses on Wednesday and one other game (let's say @Indiana), all LAC would have to do is beat Sacramento and Denver at home.

I'm aware of all of this, I just don't think it's going to happen. My saying "more than likely won't happen" is obviously just in my opinion, which should go without saying.

[ElNono]

Great, because it looks as if it'll end up being wrong, which is obviously advantageous to the Spurs.

But don't go looking for a correlation. With the unexpected lead they had built, it was a strong possibility, much stronger than them beating the Thunder in a series.

Not looking for anything, tbh... just thought I'll ask with the newer results... thanks.

[Mel_13]

First, thanks to cd021 for a very good thread that appears to be very close to a successful conclusion.

Second, a small historical note. With their 60th win in Game 77, this is the fastest that any of the five 60 win Spurs have reached that plateau.

[spurraider21]

so the magic number is down to 2... and we have 5 games to go, including one against the Lakers. it's in the bag. its all moot pending Parker's MRI though

[BanditHiro]

beat the shit out of dallas to send them to 8 and tank against the suns to move them to 7.

[Sean Cagney]

so the magic number is down to 2... and we have 5 games to go, including one against the Lakers. it's in the bag. its all moot pending Parker's MRI though

That is correct, without Tony we are fucked.

[cd021]

First, thanks to cd021 for a very good thread that appears to be very close to a successful conclusion.

Second, a small historical note. With their 60th win in Game 77, this is the fastest that any of the five 60 win Spurs have reached that plateau.

Appreciate it.

I projected the Spurs to finish 60-22 and OKC to win the west with a 62-20 mark.

Then after I made this thread the Spurs go 19-1, OKC goes 12-6 and Indiana goes 11-12.

who would have though?

[HI-FI]

cd021 has done some great work in this thread. I'm going to submit his name for bolding at the next owners' meeting.

[Seventyniner]

First, thanks to cd021 for a very good thread that appears to be very close to a successful conclusion.

Second, a small historical note. With their 60th win in Game 77, this is the fastest that any of the five 60 win Spurs have reached that plateau.

Too bad Pop will (rightfully) punt at least 2 of the remaining games. If everyone were healthy and the Thunder were within striking distance, this Spurs team could have won 64.

[Mel_13]

Too bad Pop will (rightfully) punt at least 2 of the remaining games. If everyone were healthy and the Thunder were within striking distance, this Spurs team could have won 64.

If the Toros play the Lakers in Game 82, who wins?

[will_spurs]

The Spurs have clinched HCA against the East if they reach the Finals.

Thanks to OKC loss to Phoenix yesterday, the Spurs magic number to clinch the West is 2.

[Seventyniner]

If the Toros play the Lakers in Game 82, who wins?

A game between two teams trying to tank is high comedy, but a game between a tanking team and one that doesn't care whether they win or lose could be amusing as well.

I'd go with the Toros because the Lakers have an incentive to lose, while guys like Mills, Daye, and maybe Ayers have something to prove.

[Splits]

http://weknowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/pacman-game-over-gif.gif

[cd021]

Budinger, Pekovic & Kevin Martin all out Tuesday. It certainly helps offset Parkers absence.

http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/nba/0/Basketball-headlines

[cd021]

cd021 (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=36264) has done some great work in this thread. I'm going to submit his name for bolding at the next owners' meeting.

I appreciate that. Thanks. Glad this thread turned out as well as it has.

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/8/14)

Spurs-22-3 (.880)

Clippers 18-5 (.786)

Heat-16-10 (.615)

Thunder 13-9 (.590)

Pacers-13-13 (.500)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/9)

[cd021]

Pre-All Star Break Records

Current pace- projected records based on winning percentage

Former pace-projected records based on pre all star winning percentage

* records beside team is record prior to the all start game and their winning percentage


Indiana Pacers-40-12 (.769)

Former Pace-63-19
Current Pace-56-26


Oklahoma City-43-12 (.781)

Former Pace-64-18
Current Pace-60-22


Miami Heat-37-14 (.725)

Former Pace-59-23
Current Pace-56-26


San Antonio Spurs-38-15 (.716)

Former Pace-59-23
Current Pace-63-19


L.A. Clippers -37-18 (.672)

Former Pace- 55-27
Currently Pace-58-24

[RD2191]

Would any combination of a Spurs win and OKC loss clinch home court for the Spurs?

[Mugen]

Would any combination of a Spurs win and OKC loss clinch home court for the Spurs?

Two scenarios:

1) Spurs win two games
2) Spurs win one game and OKC loses a game

= #1 seed is wrapped up.

[RD2191]

Two scenarios:

1) Spurs win two games
2) Spurs win one game and OKC loses a game

= #1 seed is wrapped up.

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

[Mugen]

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

anything for you, ese.

[RD2191]

anything for you, ese.

Vatos locos for life:makemyday:sombrero:

[Dex]

What if the Thunder lose two games?

[Mugen]

What if the Thunder lose two games?

Spurs clinch. Magic number is 2, any combination of Spurs Wins/OKC Losses that hits that number and the spurs have homecourt.

[ElNono]

Two scenarios:

1) Spurs win two games
2) Spurs win one game and OKC loses a game

= #1 seed is wrapped up.

Here's a question for smartypants over here... what if you take an antibiotic with a probiotic yogurt?

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/002260503/1620742673_532dd66d_mind_blown_xlarge.jpeg

[Mugen]

please consult my nigga robdiaz for those type of brainbusters tbh.

[Dex]

So...what if the Spurs win -1 game, and the Thunder lose 3?

[RD2191]

please consult my nigga robdiaz for those type of brainbusters tbh.

:reading

[Mugen]

So...what if the Spurs win -1 game, and the Thunder lose 3?

:lobt:

[cheguevara]

Here's a question for smartypants over here... what if you take an antibiotic with a probiotic yogurt?

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/002260503/1620742673_532dd66d_mind_blown_xlarge.jpeg

seriously, what happens?

a comrade of mine did that a few days ago

[heyheymymy]

great thread thanks again cd021

[Splits]

Here's a question for smartypants over here... what if you take an antibiotic with a probiotic yogurt?

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/002260503/1620742673_532dd66d_mind_blown_xlarge.jpeg

http://i.imgur.com/ZnN2oJ1.gif

[Shastafarian]

Here's a question for smartypants over here... what if you take an antibiotic with a probiotic yogurt?

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/002260503/1620742673_532dd66d_mind_blown_xlarge.jpeg

http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/672053651437366957.gif

[ElNono]

seriously, what happens?

a comrade of mine did that a few days ago

apparently it's a good thing. It helps prevents antibiotic side effects like diarrhea...

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/prevention/should-i-take-antibiotics-with-probiotics

[ace3g]

and just like that Heat not on the same side of the bracket as the Nets....

[TheGoldStandard]

and just like that Heat not on the same side of the bracket as the Nets....

Miami with the tank to avoid Nyets

[Hoops Czar]

I don't care who wins tonight's game between the Thunder and Clippers. The Clippers are NOT beating the Thunder in a 7 game series with OR without HCA. That's FACT!!!

[cd021]

That would be an interesting match-up with the Nets and Heat if the seeding allows for it in the end.

Nets do have a very good small ball crew to throw at Miami with Williams-Livingston-Johnson-Pierce-Garnett (assuming all are healthy).

[$pursDynasty]

I don't care who wins tonight's game between the Thunder and Clippers. The Clippers are NOT beating the Thunder in a 7 game series with OR without HCA. That's FACT!!!

You might be right about that. It looks like the Spurs might have to win two games because the Thunder doesn't look like they are losing anytime soon unless it is a Westbrookless back to back night.

[Sean Cagney]

You might be right about that. It looks like the Spurs might have to win two games because the Thunder doesn't look like they are losing anytime soon unless it is a Westbrookless back to back night.

Look at their schedule man, the Thunder are going to win out after tonight so the SPURS will have to win two games. If the Spurs do not win two more games they are losing that seed obviously. The Thunder look good tonight and Clippers are not beating them in a series, period. Spurs need to handle their business now and win two games, if not they lose that seed.

[timtonymanu]

I would be very surprised if we don't lock up HCA, unless Pop goes full tank mode to stay healthy.

[cd021]

The Clippers end the 3rd on 9-4 run to cut it to 12. Durant 20 points on 21 shots. They need to make a big push.

[RD2191]

Spurs need to go all out to get the next 2 games, OKC is gonna win out.

[$pursDynasty]

Thank goodness we still have a Lakers game on the schedule, I hope it doesn't come to that because I was hoping to rest players the last 3 games.

[Robz4000]

Pop's tanking for the Clips tbh. Get two sweeps before facing the Thunderefs.

[ElNono]

calm down, robz... :lol

[HI-FI]

Pop's tanking for the Clips tbh. Get two sweeps before facing the Thunderefs.
honestly, I wouldn't mind, in any other season. I'll always take health before seeding, but damn THunderefs get away with more shit. maybe HCA doesn't even matter against them, they still get bullshit calls no matter where. I think Thunder win out from this point, and it's up to Spurs if they want to go HAM for 2 games or just take an alternate route. actually I don't think they need to go HAM against Phoenix or LA. If they beat Dallas I'll feel better but that could be a tough one.

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/10/14)

Spurs-22-3 (.880)

Clippers 18-6 (.750)

Thunder 14-9 (.608)

Heat-16-11 (.592)

Pacers-14-13 (.518)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/9)

[Robz4000]

calm down, robz... :lol

ITSHAPPENING.gif

[Robz4000]

honestly, I wouldn't mind, in any other season. I'll always take health before seeding, but damn THunderefs get away with more shit. maybe HCA doesn't even matter against them, they still get bullshit calls no matter where. I think Thunder win out from this point, and it's up to Spurs if they want to go HAM for 2 games or just take an alternate route. actually I don't think they need to go HAM against Phoenix or LA. If they beat Dallas I'll feel better but that could be a tough one.

At least they'd only have to face one of the Thunderefs or Rockets tbh...

[HI-FI]

At least they'd only have to face one of the Thunderefs or Rockets tbh...
that's true. I'm not going to sweat this too much, let's just see how it pans out. I trust Pop's handling of health.

[Robz4000]

that's true. I'm not going to sweat this too much, let's just see how it pans out. I trust Pop's handling of health.

Yop, there's pros and cons to both routes tbh. In all seriousness, I think the Spurs could beat the Thunderefs without HCA; even with it the Spurs would be underdogs but I gotta think Pop knows something we don't (per par).

[Captivus]

Seeing as the Clippers wont get the #2 seed...maybe the Spurs can get it...and let Houston take over OKC.
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTomJgcQzHZ-yNTxHT_ie_N-nFgsYD5ALk_3FC1xL8S3J8Rkm51nw

[superbigtime]

Yop, there's pros and cons to both routes tbh. In all seriousness, I think the Spurs could beat the Thunderefs without HCA; even with it the Spurs would be underdogs but I gotta think Pop knows something we don't (per par).

That's dreamin

[Mugen]

The Spurs giving up the 1 seed would be a huge mistake tbh. Actively trying to tank for the 2 (which I don't think they are) to avoid the Rockets would be monumentally stupid as the Clippers are a tougher out even with the matchups in the Spurs' favor. They could forget about a series win over the Thunder if they dont have HCA in that matchup as well.

The Thunder have a good chance of winning out. It's absolutely crucial the Spurs split this last back 2 back to keep the 1 seed.

[noles1983]

nm

[Sybok]

Why does Pop say he doesn't care about seeding, then play Tim 40 minutes when he's guaranteed 2nd seed at worst?

[Robz4000]

All they gotta do is beat the D'Antoni's next week and they're set. Glad to see Duncan, Mills, and Leonard step up tonight. Manu and Splitter were also solid in the second half.

[spurraider21]

1.

[cd021]

Why does Pop say he doesn't care about seeding, then play Tim 40 minutes when he's guaranteed 2nd seed at worst?

He does care ,somewhat, about it. 3 seasons ago Pop played everyone against Phoenix, with a chance to secure the #1 seed against Chicago. I think he just says that stuff.

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/10/14)

Spurs-23-3 (.884)

Clippers 18-6 (.750)

Thunder 14-9 (.608)

Heat-16-11 (.592)

Pacers-14-13 (.518)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/10)

[ace3g]

WESTERN
W (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/wins)
L (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/losses)
PCT (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/winPercent)
GB (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/gamesBehind)
HOME (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/homeWinPercent)
ROAD (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/roadWinPercent)
DIV (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/divisionWinPercent)
CONF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/leagueWinPercent)
PF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsFor)
PA (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsAgainst/order/false)
DIFF
STRK (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/streak)
L10


1
y - San Antonio (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs)
61
18
.772
-
31-8
30-10
12-3
37-12
105.4
97.3
+8.2
Won 1
8-2


2
y - Oklahoma City (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder)
57
21
.731
3 ½
32-7
25-14
11-5
35-15
106.3
99.7
+6.6
Won 2
7-3


3
y - LA Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers)
55
24
.696
6
32-7
23-17
11-4
34-15
107.7
100.8
+7.0
Lost 1
7-3


4
x - Houston (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets)
52
26
.667
8 ½
31-8
21-18
9-4
29-19
107.7
103.0
+4.7
Lost 1
6-4


5
x - Portland (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers)
51
28
.646
10
29-10
22-18
12-3
28-21
106.5
102.6
+3.9
Won 2
6-4


6
Golden State (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors)
48
29
.623
12
26-13
22-16
10-5
28-19
103.6
98.8
+4.8
Won 2
7-3


7
Phoenix (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns)
47
31
.603
13 ½
26-14
21-17
7-8
27-21
105.5
102.6
+2.9
Won 3
8-2


8
Dallas (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks)
48
32
.600
13 ½
25-15
23-17
9-6
28-22
104.9
102.5
+2.4
Lost 1
6-4


http://espn.go.com/i/blackdot.gif



Memphis (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies)
46
32
.590
14 ½
25-14
21-18
3-12
26-23
95.7
94.5
+1.1
Won 1
6-4

[houston spurs fan]

Lol Memphis. Young owner, poor decision firing Lionel

[cd021]

:flag::flag::flag::flag::flag:

Spurs have locked up the best record in the NBA and will have home court advantage for every round they advance to.


Spurs 62-18 (.775) have secured their best record since the 05-06 season.


Thanks to everyone who contributed to making this a quality thread.

[ace3g]

WESTERN
W (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/wins)
L (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/losses)
PCT (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/winPercent)
GB (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/gamesBehind)
HOME (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/homeWinPercent)
ROAD (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/roadWinPercent)
DIV (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/divisionWinPercent)
CONF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/leagueWinPercent)
PF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsFor)
PA (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsAgainst/order/false)
DIFF
STRK (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/streak)
L10


1
z - San Antonio (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs)
62
18
.775
-
32-8
30-10
12-3
38-12
105.5
97.4
+8.1
Won 2
8-2


2
y - Oklahoma City (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder)
58
21
.734
3 ½
33-7
25-14
11-5
36-15
106.4
99.6
+6.8
Won 3
7-3


3
y - LA Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers)
55
24
.696
6 ½
32-7
23-17
11-4
34-15
107.7
100.8
+7.0
Lost 1
7-3


4
x - Houston (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets)
52
27
.658
9 ½
31-8
21-19
9-4
29-20
107.8
103.1
+4.6
Lost 2
5-5


5
x - Portland (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers)
51
28
.646
10 ½
29-10
22-18
12-3
28-21
106.5
102.6
+3.9
Won 2
6-4


6
Golden State (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors)
48
30
.615
13
26-14
22-16
10-5
28-20
103.5
98.8
+4.7
Lost 1
6-4


7
Dallas (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks)
48
32
.600
14
25-15
23-17
9-6
28-22
104.9
102.5
+2.4
Lost 1
6-4


8
Memphis (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies)
47
32
.595
14 ½
26-14
21-18
3-12
26-23
95.9
94.5
+1.4
Won 2
6-4


http://espn.go.com/i/blackdot.gif



Phoenix (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns)
47
32
.595
14 ½
26-14
21-18
7-8
27-22
105.5
102.7
+2.8
Lost 1
7-3






z - Clinched Conference
y - Clinched Division
x - Clinched Playoff Berth

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/11/14)

Spurs-24-3 (.888)

Clippers 18-6 (.750)

Thunder 15-9 (.625)

Heat-17-11 (.607)

Pacers-14-14 (.500)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/11)

[Dex]

Magic Number:
http://www.nba.com/media/spurs/moore_240_spurs.jpg

[timtonymanu]

Nice!

Don't even need the Lakers game anymore.: lol

[cd021]

Leonards Post All-star break improvement

PPG-14.6 (+3)

3pt %-44.4 (+11.3%)

FT %-87 % (+13.3%)

Rpg-6.6 (+.5)

Bpg-1.3 (+.8)

Spurs 22-2 record since return (.916)

[Chinook]

:flag::flag::flag::flag::flag:

Spurs have locked up the best record in the NBA and will have home court advantage for every round they advance to.


Spurs 62-18 (.775) have secured their best record since the 05-06 season.


Thanks to everyone who contributed to making this a quality thread.

Buen hecho. It was a great effort by you that made this thread a success. Contributions like this are what keeps this forum strong even though that mods have forsaken it.

[Mel_13]

Leonards Post All-star break improvement

PPG-14.6 (+3)

3pt %-44.4 (+11.3%)

FT %-87 % (+13.3%)

Rpg-6.6 (+.5)

Bpg-1.3 (+.8)

Spurs 24-3 record since return (.888)

To be precise, the Spurs are 22-2 (.917) since his return.


Buen hecho. It was a great effort by you that made this thread a success. Contributions like this are what keeps this forum strong even though that mods have forsaken it.

I'll second that. Great job!

[cd021]

Interesting notes about Leonard (Splits)

Home

FG % 3PT%/ FT%

54.1/ 40.0/ 83.9


Away

FG % 3PT%/ FT%

50.2%/ 34.6/ 77.6%
---------------------------
+3.9% +5.4 % + 6.3%

Leonard is a significantly better shooter at home than on the road

In Wins compared to losses

+ 6.5 FG% +15 3pt% +12.6 FT%

[cd021]

To be precise, the Spurs are 22-2 (.917) since his return.

Thanks for the correction, forgot that he sat out the 1st 3 games after the break.




I'll second that. Great job!

Thank you and thanks for contributing to the thread daily.

[ElNono]

its a wrap... good job :tu

[cd021]

Spurs have won 15 straight home games (last loss January, 29th at home against Chicago)

Spurs will enter the playoffs as the only team to have won 30 road games. the Thunder will be the only other team to have won more the 25 road games.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Sorry for not contributing (was usually at work), but I checked this thread daily. Well done, cd021 :tu

[heyheymymy]

clinched the #1 seed! GO SPURS GO!:flag:

[TampaDude]

Tank against the Rockets and Lakers, then 16-0! 5!

GO SPURS GO!!!!!

[ace3g]

East is now set:



EASTERN
W (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/wins)
L (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/losses)
PCT (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/winPercent)
GB (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/gamesBehind)
HOME (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/homeWinPercent)
ROAD (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/roadWinPercent)
DIV (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/divisionWinPercent)
CONF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/leagueWinPercent)
PF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsFor)
PA (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsAgainst/order/false)
DIFF
STRK (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/streak)
L10


1
y - Indiana (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/ind/indiana-pacers)
54
26
.675
-
34-6
20-20
12-4
37-14
96.6
92.4
+4.3
Lost 1
3-7


2
y - Miami (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mia/miami-heat)
54
26
.675
-
32-8
22-18
12-3
34-16
102.5
97.2
+5.3
Lost 1
6-4


3
x - Chicago (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/chi/chicago-bulls)
47
32
.595
6 ½
26-14
21-18
11-5
34-15
93.6
91.7
+2.0
Won 7
9-1


4
y - Toronto (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/tor/toronto-raptors)
46
33
.582
7 ½
25-15
21-18
11-4
30-19
101.1
97.9
+3.2
Lost 1
7-3


5
x - Brooklyn (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/bkn/brooklyn-nets)
43
36
.544
10 ½
27-12
16-24
9-6
25-24
98.7
99.4
-0.6
Lost 2
6-4


6
x - Washington (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/wsh/washington-wizards)
42
38
.525
12
21-19
21-19
9-6
31-19
100.3
99.4
+0.8
Won 2
6-4


7
x - Charlotte (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/cha/charlotte-bobcats)
41
39
.513
13
24-16
17-23
5-10
28-22
97.0
97.3
-0.3
Won 1
7-3


8
x - Atlanta (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/atl/atlanta-hawks)
37
43
.463
17
24-16
13-27
8-7
27-23
101.0
101.5
-0.6
Won 3
6-4

[Seventyniner]

East is now set:

Except that Miami will probably take the #1 seed. If the Heat win their last two games, they'll have a 13-3 division record vs. 12-4 for the Pacers, winning the tiebreaker because the season series was tied at 2-2.

Edit: unless you meant that the 8 teams are set, not their seeding. In that case, I just have one thing to say: :lol Knicks.

[ace3g]

Except that Miami will probably take the #1 seed. If the Heat win their last two games, they'll have a 13-3 division record vs. 12-4 for the Pacers, winning the tiebreaker because the season series was tied at 2-2.

Edit: unless you meant that the 8 teams are set, not their seeding. In that case, I just have one thing to say: :lol Knicks.

[ace3g]

WESTERN
W (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/wins)
L (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/losses)
PCT (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/winPercent)
GB (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/gamesBehind)
HOME (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/homeWinPercent)
ROAD (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/roadWinPercent)
DIV (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/divisionWinPercent)
CONF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/leagueWinPercent)
PF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsFor)
PA (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsAgainst/order/false)
DIFF
STRK (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/streak)
L10


1
z - San Antonio (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs)
62
18
.775
-
32-8
30-10
12-3
38-12
105.5
97.4
+8.1
Won 2
8-2


2
y - Oklahoma City (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder)
58
21
.734
3 ½
33-7
25-14
11-5
36-15
106.4
99.6
+6.8
Won 3
7-3


3
y - LA Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers)
56
24
.700
6
33-7
23-17
12-4
35-15
107.9
100.8
+7.1
Won 1
7-3


4
x - Houston (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets)
53
27
.663
9
32-8
21-19
10-4
30-20
107.8
103.2
+4.7
Won 1
5-5


5
x - Portland (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers)
52
28
.650
10
29-10
23-18
13-3
29-21
106.6
102.6
+4.0
Won 3
7-3


6
x - Golden State (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors)
49
30
.620
12 ½
26-14
23-16
11-5
29-20
103.6
98.8
+4.8
Won 1
6-4


7
x - Dallas (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks)
49
32
.605
13 ½
26-15
23-17
9-6
29-22
104.8
102.4
+2.4
Won 1
7-3


8
Memphis (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies)
47
32
.595
14 ½
26-14
21-18
3-12
26-23
95.9
94.5
+1.4
Won 2
6-4


http://espn.go.com/i/blackdot.gif



Phoenix (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns)
47
33
.588
15
26-14
21-19
7-8
27-23
105.4
102.7
+2.7
Lost 2
6-4

[cd021]

Except that Miami will probably take the #1 seed. If the Heat win their last two games, they'll have a 13-3 division record vs. 12-4 for the Pacers, winning the tiebreaker because the season series was tied at 2-2.

Edit: unless you meant that the 8 teams are set, not their seeding. In that case, I just have one thing to say: :lol Knicks.

Two-team tiebreaker:


Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
Better record in head-to-head games
Higher winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division)

Higher winning percentage in conference games
Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference (including tied teams)
Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in opposite conference (including tied teams)



The Heat and Pacers tie breaker would go by conference record not division record (Indiana is in the Central, Miami is in the Southeast)

Indiana-37-14 (.725) (Indiana has 2 remaining games, OKC and @ Orlando)
Miami-34-16 (.680) (Miami has 2 remaining games, @ Washington and Phili)

Miami can improve to 36-16 while Indiana would be at worst 37-15, meaning Indiana would hold the tiebreaker. The most likely scenario is Indiana loses to OKC and beats Orlando.

Washington has motivation to play the Miami game hard. If they lose then they could slide from 6th to 7th and have to play Indiana/Miami instead of Chicago.

I think Indiana wins the #1 seed, which would be utter insanity. They started 40-12 and are currently 14-14 since the all-star break.

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/13/14)

Spurs-24-3 (.888)

Clippers 19-6 (.760)

Thunder 15-9 (.625)

Heat-17-12 (.548)

Pacers-14-14 (.500)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/12)

[BillMc]

Two-team tiebreaker:


Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
Better record in head-to-head games
Higher winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division)

Higher winning percentage in conference games
Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference (including tied teams)
Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in opposite conference (including tied teams)



The Heat and Pacers tie breaker would go by conference record not division record (Indiana is in the Central, Miami is in the Southeast)

Indiana-37-14 (.725) (Indiana has 2 remaining games, OKC and @ Orlando)
Miami-34-16 (.680) (Miami has 2 remaining games, @ Washington and Phili)

Miami can improve to 36-16 while Indiana would be at worst 37-15, meaning Indiana would hold the tiebreaker. The most likely scenario is Indiana loses to OKC and beats Orlando.

Washington has motivation to play the Miami game hard. If they lose then they could slide from 6th to 7th and have to play Indiana/Miami instead of Chicago.

I think Indiana wins the #1 seed, which would be utter insanity. They started 40-12 and are currently 14-14 since the all-star break.

As others have mentioned, this has been a great thread. Props for all the good work man!:toast

[Borosai]

9th in the West = 3rd in the East

[BillMc]

Speaking of Thunder, have they locked up the 2 seed or can the Clips catch them? (Granted, it's pretty unlikely. The Thunder would have to lose 3 straight and LA win out, but that would result in a tie. Who has the tie breaker?) More interested to know, to see if OKC brings its "real" team against the Pacers.

[Seventyniner]

Two-team tiebreaker:


Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
Better record in head-to-head games
Higher winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division)

Higher winning percentage in conference games
Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference (including tied teams)
Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in opposite conference (including tied teams)



The Heat and Pacers tie breaker would go by conference record not division record (Indiana is in the Central, Miami is in the Southeast)

Indiana-37-14 (.725) (Indiana has 2 remaining games, OKC and @ Orlando)
Miami-34-16 (.680) (Miami has 2 remaining games, @ Washington and Phili)

Miami can improve to 36-16 while Indiana would be at worst 37-15, meaning Indiana would hold the tiebreaker. The most likely scenario is Indiana loses to OKC and beats Orlando.

Washington has motivation to play the Miami game hard. If they lose then they could slide from 6th to 7th and have to play Indiana/Miami instead of Chicago.

I think Indiana wins the #1 seed, which would be utter insanity. They started 40-12 and are currently 14-14 since the all-star break.

Thanks for the correction. The site I looked at about the tiebreakers didn't mention that the in-division record tiebreaker only applies if the two teams are in the same division. Your version makes more sense.

Fortunately for the Heat, the Thunder still have to win one more game (or have the Clippers lose once) to clinch the #2 spot. If the Thunder lose out and the Clippers win out, the Clippers will win the tiebreaker with a 37-15 record vs the West compared to the Thunder's 36-16. That means the Thunder will likely try to win today. Then again, it's the first game of a back-to-back and they've been holding Westbrook out of those.

[Knoxxx]

Speaking of Thunder, have they locked up the 2 seed or can the Clips catch them? (Granted, it's pretty unlikely. The Thunder would have to lose 3 straight and LA win out, but that would result in a tie. Who has the tie breaker?) More interested to know, to see if OKC brings its "real" team against the Pacers.

OKC just clinched, and them largely taking the rest of the season off actually appears likely to me. They have nothing to play for as far as seeding in the west or relative to Miami/IND. What they can do is help IND edge out the Heat for home court by losing today. Hopefully they are wise enough to realize that and play their worst possible lineup for most of the game.

[Knoxxx]

Thanks for the correction. The site I looked at about the tiebreakers didn't mention that the in-division record tiebreaker only applies if the two teams are in the same division. Your version makes more sense.

Fortunately for the Heat, the Thunder still have to win one more game (or have the Clippers lose once) to clinch the #2 spot. If the Thunder lose out and the Clippers win out, the Clippers will win the tiebreaker with a 37-15 record vs the West compared to the Thunder's 36-16. That means the Thunder will likely try to win today. Then again, it's the first game of a back-to-back and they've been holding Westbrook out of those.

Westbrook turned in another gem on Friday, finishing with 24 points and seven assists in just 28 minutes to help Oklahoma City beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans (http://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/page/NO/new-orleans-pelicans) 116-94 on Friday night.
Oklahoma City won its third straight and clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20140411_NO@OKC/durant-thunder-defeat-pelicans-clinch-no-2-seed

[Knoxxx]

OK I see multiple erroneous news articles posting that OKC had locked the #2 seed, figured multiple sources could not be wrong! Of course they don't stand a chance compared to the average ST analyst shame on me for doubting! This appears to be accurate based on rules above, etc:

The Thunder (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/oklahoma-city-thunder) are playing for high stakes, too. They've clinched at least a tie with theClippers (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/los-angeles-clippers) but need a win over Indiana to lock up the No. 2 spot in the West.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/4/13/5610054/indiana-pacers-oklahoma-city-thunder-preview

Come on Pacers, win one for the Gipper or something (and would OKC still throw game just to hurt Miami?)

[Chinook]

Those multiple sources are probably the ones feeding Chris Broussard.

[cd021]

As others have mentioned, this has been a great thread. Props for all the good work man!


Buen hecho. It was a great effort by you that made this thread a success. Contributions like this are what keeps this forum strong even though that mods have forsaken it.


Sorry for not contributing (was usually at work), but I checked this thread daily. Well done, cd021

Appreciate that, glad the threads a success.

[cd021]

Pacers need 1 game to wrap up the top seed in the East. They also have the tie breaker.

[ace3g]

WESTERN
W (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/wins)
L (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/losses)
PCT (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/winPercent)
GB (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/gamesBehind)
HOME (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/homeWinPercent)
ROAD (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/roadWinPercent)
DIV (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/divisionWinPercent)
CONF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/leagueWinPercent)
PF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsFor)
PA (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsAgainst/order/false)
DIFF
STRK (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/streak)
L10


1
z - San Antonio (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs)
62
18
.775
-
32-8
30-10
12-3
38-12
105.5
97.4
+8.1
Won 2
8-2


2
y - Oklahoma City (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder)
58
22
.725
4
33-7
25-15
11-5
36-15
106.3
99.7
+6.6
Lost 1
6-4


3
y - LA Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers)
56
24
.700
6
33-7
23-17
12-4
35-15
107.9
100.8
+7.1
Won 1
7-3


4
x - Houston (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets)
53
27
.663
9
32-8
21-19
10-4
30-20
107.8
103.2
+4.7
Won 1
5-5


5
x - Portland (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers)
53
28
.654
9 ½
30-10
23-18
13-3
30-21
106.7
102.7
+4.0
Won 4
8-2


6
x - Golden State (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors)
49
31
.613
13
26-14
23-17
11-5
29-21
103.8
99.0
+4.8
Lost 1
5-5


7
x - Dallas (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks)
49
32
.605
13 ½
26-15
23-17
9-6
29-22
104.8
102.4
+2.4
Won 1
7-3


8
Memphis (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies)
48
32
.600
14
26-14
22-18
3-12
27-23
96.0
94.5
+1.5
Won 3
6-4


http://espn.go.com/i/blackdot.gif



Phoenix (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns)
47
33
.588
15
26-14
21-19
7-8
27-23
105.4
102.7
+2.7
Lost 2
6-4

[Old School 44]

Not sure what OKC is doing? 42 min for Durant, 32 min for Westbrook in a loss against the Pacers? If they haven't secured the no. 2 seed, I would have waited for either the Clips to lose or exert more effort against one of their final two opponents the Pelicans or the Pistons.

[Ice009]

Not sure what OKC is doing? 42 min for Durant, 32 min for Westbrook in a loss against the Pacers? If they haven't secured the no. 2 seed, I would have waited for either the Clips to lose or exert more effort against one of their final two opponents the Pelicans or the Pistons.

What do you mean wait for the Clippers to lose? Why would they wait for the Clippers to lose? What if the Clippers were to win all their games and they lost their games resting players? Wouldn't the Clippers get the number 2 seed? The Clippers also aren't even playing today, what, are they supposed to wait for upcoming Clipper games and not worry about their current games?

[Old School 44]

What do you mean wait for the Clippers to lose? Why would they wait for the Clippers to lose? What if the Clippers were to win all their games and they lost their games resting players? Wouldn't the Clippers get the number 2 seed? The Clippers also aren't even playing today, what, are they supposed to wait for upcoming Clipper games and not worry about their current games?
If they need just 1 win to clinch the 2 seed (or 1 clipper loss) why not do it against teams that have nothing to gain by winning, like the pelicans or pistons versus the pacers who are trying desperately to right the ship?

[ace3g]

WESTERN
W (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/wins)
L (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/losses)
PCT (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/winPercent)
GB (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/gamesBehind)
HOME (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/homeWinPercent)
ROAD (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/roadWinPercent)
DIV (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/divisionWinPercent)
CONF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/leagueWinPercent)
PF (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsFor)
PA (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/avgPointsAgainst/order/false)
DIFF
STRK (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/sort/streak)
L10


1
z - San Antonio (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs)
62
19
.765
-
32-8
30-11
12-4
38-13
105.4
97.4
+8.0
Lost 1
7-3


2
y - Oklahoma City (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder)
58
23
.716
4
33-7
25-16
11-5
36-16
106.1
99.7
+6.4
Lost 2
6-4


3
y - LA Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers)
56
24
.700
5 ½
33-7
23-17
12-4
35-15
107.9
100.8
+7.1
Won 1
7-3


4
x - Houston (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets)
54
27
.667
8
33-8
21-19
11-4
31-20
107.8
103.1
+4.7
Won 2
5-5


5
x - Portland (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers)
53
28
.654
9
30-10
23-18
13-3
30-21
106.7
102.7
+4.0
Won 4
8-2


6
x - Golden State (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors)
49
31
.613
12 ½
26-14
23-17
11-5
29-21
103.8
99.0
+4.8
Lost 1
5-5


7
x - Dallas (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks)
49
32
.605
13
26-15
23-17
9-6
29-22
104.8
102.4
+2.4
Won 1
7-3


8
Memphis (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies)
48
32
.600
13 ½
26-14
22-18
3-12
27-23
96.0
94.5
+1.5
Won 3
6-4


http://espn.go.com/i/blackdot.gif



Phoenix (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns)
47
33
.588
14 ½
26-14
21-19
7-8
27-23
105.4
102.7
+2.7
Lost 2
6-4

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/15/14)

Spurs-24-4 (.857)

Clippers 19-6 (.760)

Thunder 15-10 (.600)

Heat-17-13 (.566)

Pacers-15-14 (.517)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/14)

[cd021]

Pulling for the Grizzles to beat the Mavs in Memphis. If they do they jump to 7th and play the Thunder. Spurs match-up very well against Dallas, who is the worst defensive team of the 16 playoff teams at 22nd.

While they are an elite offense (ironically, only Miami and the Clippers are better). Diaw and Leonard provide excellent defenders to Dirk. Diaw can guard Marion and switch on to Dirk while Leonard shifts to Eliis. The Spurs could go small with Duncan-Leonard-Manu-Green-Parker to go against Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Dirk-Dalembert. With Dirk having to cover Leonard.

Memphis is 36-15 (.705) in 2014 and have the best DRtg since Gasol returned from a sprained MCL on January 14th (31-13 since, .704)

[200 miles]

Pulling for the Grizzles to beat the Mavs in Memphis. If they do they jump to 7th and play the Thunder. Spurs match-up very well against Dallas, who is the worst defensive team of the 16 playoff teams at 22nd.

While they are an elite offense (ironically, only Miami and the Clippers are better). Diaw and Leonard provide excellent defenders to Dirk. Diaw can guard Marion and switch on to Dirk while Leonard shifts to Eliis. The Spurs could go small with Duncan-Leonard-Manu-Green-Parker to go against Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Dirk-Dalembert. With Dirk having to cover Leonard.

Memphis is 36-15 (.705) in 2014 and have the best DRtg since Gasol returned from a sprained MCL on January 14th (31-13 since, .704)

ahem *Tiago* ahem

[Chinook]

ahem *Tiago* ahem

Yeah, Splitter is a much better Dirk defender than Kawhi. I'd feel very nervous if Leonard is on him for more than a couple of minutes.

[Robz4000]

I'll take either at this point. Just want it finalized so the Spurs can start gameplanning.

[spurraider21]

i dont think either team poses a real threat, but Dallas' lack of defense makes them the enviable choice. Plus, Memphis' style is something that OKC is really uncomfortable with. I would still pick OKC to win that series, but it'll be tougher/longer than an OKC-Dallas series

[Hoops Czar]

Pulling for the Grizzles to beat the Mavs in Memphis. If they do they jump to 7th and play the Thunder. Spurs match-up very well against Dallas, who is the worst defensive team of the 16 playoff teams at 22nd.

While they are an elite offense (ironically, only Miami and the Clippers are better). Diaw and Leonard provide excellent defenders to Dirk. Diaw can guard Marion and switch on to Dirk while Leonard shifts to Eliis. The Spurs could go small with Duncan-Leonard-Manu-Green-Parker to go against Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Dirk-Dalembert. With Dirk having to cover Leonard.

Memphis is 36-15 (.705) in 2014 and have the best DRtg since Gasol returned from a sprained MCL on January 14th (31-13 since, .704)

It doesn't matter. They're both easy outs.

[Hoops Czar]

i dont think either team poses a real threat, but Dallas' lack of defense makes them the enviable choice. Plus, Memphis' style is something that OKC is really uncomfortable with. I would still pick OKC to win that series, but it'll be tougher/longer than an OKC-Dallas series

OKC would smoke Memphis in a playoff series. If you can't score, you can't beat the Thunder.

[spurraider21]

OKC would smoke Memphis in a playoff series. If you can't score, you can't beat the Thunder.
keep them in the halfcourt, frustrate westbrook.

[letmk]

i dont think either team poses a real threat, but Dallas' lack of defense makes them the enviable choice. Plus, Memphis' style is something that OKC is really uncomfortable with. I would still pick OKC to win that series, but it'll be tougher/longer than an OKC-Dallas series

I suspect Mem also perfers OKC to us. However, it's the last game before the playoffs and they've been fighting hard to get into playoffs after falling behind in early season, so they may just rest some starters to be fresh.

[BillMc]

I'd prefer Dallas, if only because Memphis has guys like Tony Allen who when they are losing often throw elbows or trip guys, etc. It seems the chance of an injury is slightly higher against the Grizz.

[cd021]

OKC would smoke Memphis in a playoff series. If you can't score, you can't beat the Thunder.

OKC-100.5 PPG (VS. Memphis)
Memphis-93.5 (VS OKC)

OKC-106.1 PPG -5.6
Memphis-96.0 -3.5

keep in mind that Memphis played two of those games before that massive turnaround. Dallas' would get crushed not Memphis. Dallas is the worst defense in the playoffs OKC is one of the best, so the Mavs elite offense would take a hit that their defense can't cover for.

Memphis is built for the slow pace while OKC could struggle, against Memphis at least. The Thunder are tied for 7th in turnover rate while Memphis is 21st (they are one of the better teams at taking care of the ball).

OKC would obviously still win but it would be more competitive than a series against Dallas.

[cd021]

Yeah, Splitter is a much better Dirk defender than Kawhi. I'd feel very nervous if Leonard is on him for more than a couple of minutes.

Splitter does a very good job on Dirk. But If Pop decided to go small late, I think he could cover Dirk well enough (hopefully) without Dirk burning us. Leonards can use his length and athleticism to front with Duncan sliding off Dalembert to help if the entry pass is made.

Dirk would also have to match up against Leonard on the offensive end assuming Dallas uses its usual closing lineup of Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Dirk-Dalembert.

The Spurs could even use Leonard set screens for Parker to try and exploit Dirk in the P&R.

Pop ,essentially, said he envisions Leonard playing the most minutes on the team, so I'm assuming he will be playing more minutes at the 4.

[cd021]

ahem *Tiago* ahem

Splitter does nice job on Dirk as well. He plays well against Dallas in 3 games he's averaging 52% FG, 78% FT. 11.7 ppg, & 4.7 rpg in 26 mpg. That makes 3 defenders that we could throw his way.

[Chinook]

Splitter does a very good job on Dirk. But If Pop decided to go small late, I think he could cover Dirk well enough (hopefully) without Dirk burning us. Leonards can use his length and athleticism to front with Duncan sliding off Dalembert to help if the entry pass is made.

Dirk would also have to match up against Leonard on the offensive end assuming Dallas uses its usual closing lineup of Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Dirk-Dalembert.

The Spurs could even use Leonard set screens for Parker to try and exploit Dirk in the P&R.

Pop ,essentially, said he envisions Leonard playing the most minutes on the team, so I'm assuming he will be playing more minutes at the 4.

Leonard's length is almost completely negated by Dirk's height and high release. Kawhi can't stop Dirk any more than Bowen could. He'd be fine for a couple of minutes here or there, but I wouldn't consider him a real option.

As far as the other end goes, I think the Mavs would have Dirk on a shooter while using Marion or Calderon on Leonard.

[cd021]

Leonard's length is almost completely negated by Dirk's height and high release. Kawhi can't stop Dirk any more than Bowen could. He'd be fine for a couple of minutes here or there, but I wouldn't consider him a real option.

As far as the other end goes, I think the Mavs would have Dirk on a shooter while using Marion or Calderon on Leonard.

Leonard and Diaw are actually pretty close in height within a couple of inches of each other while Leonard is much longer. Diaw does have 20-30lbs on Leonard, which does keep Dirk from backing him down. I'm not so sure Dirk would be able to take advantage of Leonard given the help defense. While Dirk can simply shoot over Leonard, that's really true on any player that the Spurs throw on him. He will get his points but I don't see him torching Leonard late.

I could definitely see Pop using a smaller lineup given its mismatch potential on offense. Pop historically; uses smaller players to crowd Dirk when he faces up (Bowen and Ginobili); having multiple player defend Dirk and using Duncan to rotate over if Dirk posting up or catching the ball over a fronting defender.

Splitter and Diaw are going to be the main options, but I'd expect Kawhi to see crunch time minutes in a couple of those games at the 4. That is unless Dirk gets hot and Pop goes back with Diaw at the 4 and slides Leonard back down to the 3.

If the Spurs go small, Dirk would either have to cover Leonard, Manu, or possibly Green in that situation (assuming Marion would be tasked with guarding Parker or Ginobili).

Mavs closing unit against Spurs Small ball unit

Calderon-Parker
Ellis-Green
Marion-Manu
Dirk-Diaw
Dalembert-Duncan

Potential cross match ups

Marion-Parker
Ellis-Green
Dirk-Manu
Calderon-Leonard
Dalembert-Duncan

that would leave the Mavs vulnerable to post ups from Kawhi not to mention the potential for offensive rebounds for the Spurs.

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/16/14)

Spurs-24-4 (.857)

Clippers 20-6 (.769)

Thunder 15-10 (.600)

Heat-17-13 (.566)

Pacers-15-14 (.517)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/15)

[Chinook]

Leonard and Diaw are actually pretty close in height within a couple of inches of each other while Leonard is much longer. Diaw does have 20-30lbs on Leonard, which does keep Dirk from backing him down. I'm not so sure Dirk would be able to take advantage of Leonard given the help defense. While Dirk can simply shoot over Leonard, that's really true on any player that the Spurs throw on him. He will get his points but I don't see him torching Leonard late.

I could definitely see Pop using a smaller lineup given its mismatch potential on offense. Pop historically; uses smaller players to crowd Dirk when he faces up (Bowen and Ginobili); having multiple player defend Dirk and using Duncan to rotate over if Dirk posting up or catching the ball over a fronting defender.

Splitter and Diaw are going to be the main options, but I'd expect Kawhi to see crunch time minutes in a couple of those games at the 4. That is unless Dirk gets hot and Pop goes back with Diaw at the 4 and slides Leonard back down to the 3.

If the Spurs go small, Dirk would either have to cover Leonard, Manu, or possibly Green in that situation (assuming Marion would be tasked with guarding Parker or Ginobili).

Mavs closing unit against Spurs Small ball unit

Calderon-Parker
Ellis-Green
Marion-Manu
Dirk-Diaw
Dalembert-Duncan

Potential cross match ups

Marion-Parker
Ellis-Green
Dirk-Manu
Calderon-Leonard
Dalembert-Duncan

that would leave the Mavs vulnerable to post ups from Kawhi not to mention the potential for offensive rebounds for the Spurs.

I think you're underestimating how big of a difference Boris' weight advantage is. Dirk uses his body extremely well even though he takes a lot of jump shots. I don't think there's much Kawhi could even do to slow Dirk down. Despite Kerr's musings, Leonard was not effective on Dirk last Thursday from what I can see.

I see Kawhi as a person who could switch onto Dirk after a screen and do well enough for a possession or so. I don't see him checking Dirk in crunch time unless the Spurs have to play small trying to catch up. I can see your point, but I think the Spurs have too many Dirk defenders to use Leonard there on purpose.

As for the cross-match, I do think Kawhi will have post-up opportunities regardless of whether he checks Dirk. I think Dallas would put a ton of effort to stop Green and Parker, so Leonard and Duncan should get good looks. Unless the Mavs go small with Crowder and Marion as the forwards, I think there are too many holes in Dallas' defense for them to plug up.

[SpursFan86]

Still early...but OKC is actually losing to Detroit. If LAC wins and OKC loses, LAC will get the #2 seed.

[bklynspursfan]

I was shocked to see LAC resting their starters and not even trying to get the #2 seed. Unless Portland is sitting their guys too? Still a little surprising. Maybe they want no part of Memphis

[SpursFan86]

I was shocked to see LAC resting their starters and not even trying to get the #2 seed. Unless Portland is sitting their guys too? Still a little surprising. Maybe they want no part of Memphis

They probably weren't expecting OKC to lose to Detroit at home.

[bklynspursfan]

They probably weren't expecting OKC to lose to Detroit at home.

Yea i don't think anyone was. Or expecting OKC to lose to a Pelicans team without Davis playing. But once they saw them lose against NOP, the #2 seed was up for grabs. But it seems like they're willing to stay @ 3 and probably cause their history w/the Grizz. They're fine playing a Warriors team w/o Bogut and Lee.

[cd021]

Detroit close to win late in OKC. If they win (LAC wins in Portland) OKC drops to the #3 seed and lose home court against LAC (their likely 2nd round opponent)

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

Detroit close to win late in OKC. If they win (LAC wins in Portland) OKC drops to the #3 seed and lose home court against LAC (their likely 2nd round opponent)

No bueno. OKC gets a fairly easy first round match. Bogut is out

[Johnny RIngo]

41 FTAs for the Thunder tonight

[SpursFan86]

Fucking Pistons are so bad. Y'all should've seen how putrid their offense was the last 3-4 minutes of that game.

[exstatic]

Fucking Pistons are so bad. Y'all should've seen how putrid their offense was the last 3-4 minutes of that game.


41 FTAs for the Thunder tonight

[Horry Hipcheck]

Fucking Pistons are so bad. Y'all should've seen how putrid their offense was the last 3-4 minutes of that game.

Their entire offensive scheme seemed to involve driving and praying. Maybe their shooters were hot earlier in the game because OKC didn't seem to have any interest in collapsing the paint until they made their little run to win it.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

I'm so torn. I want to face the Thunder because I know we can beat them, but I don't because I know the series will be unbearable due to the ref calls.

My ideal series would be: Grizz, Rockets, OKC, Heat just so we can beat every team analysts keep saying we can't beat. Beyond annoying. Like, I get the Spurs haven't won since 07. But the Grizz? C'mon man it's like they don't even follow the Spurs whatsoever.

[cd021]

No bueno. OKC gets a fairly easy first round match. Bogut is out

The Clips play GSW. OKC plays Memphis.

[cd021]

Record Post-All star Break (as of 4/17/14)

Spurs-24-5 (.827)

Clippers 20-7 (.740)

Thunder 16-10 (.615)

Heat-17-14 (.548)

Pacers-16-14 (.533)

(Italicized are updated to include the games from 4/16)

[Jimcs50]

I predict Spurs will be #1 seed

[cd021]

I think you're underestimating how big of a difference Boris' weight advantage is. Dirk uses his body extremely well even though he takes a lot of jump shots. I don't think there's much Kawhi could even do to slow Dirk down. Despite Kerr's musings, Leonard was not effective on Dirk last Thursday from what I can see.

I see Kawhi as a person who could switch onto Dirk after a screen and do well enough for a possession or so. I don't see him checking Dirk in crunch time unless the Spurs have to play small trying to catch up. I can see your point, but I think the Spurs have too many Dirk defenders to use Leonard there on purpose.

As for the cross-match, I do think Kawhi will have post-up opportunities regardless of whether he checks Dirk. I think Dallas would put a ton of effort to stop Green and Parker, so Leonard and Duncan should get good looks. Unless the Mavs go small with Crowder and Marion as the forwards, I think there are too many holes in Dallas' defense for them to plug up.

Good post. I tend to agree with everything you said. I'm interested to see how our "small" ball units perform (specifically against OKC, Houston and Miami ,if we get that far). Whether the Spurs utilize Leonard at the 4 alongside Duncan or keep Diaw out there with Leonard, Parker and Manu/Green. The latter has been are usual closing squad this season with; the Green version being better defensively and the Manu version being better offensively.

I like that lineup against Miami's Wade-Allen-Battier-James-Bosh lineup. Both lineups had some success last year and should be a bit better with improvement from Diaw and Leonard along with a more aggressive Green and Manu's solid performance.

It would be interesting to see if Pop were to try that lineup (the Diaw at the 4) for a bit when Durant slides up to PF. I'd presume the Thunder would go with Westbrook-Sef-Butler-KD-Ibaka to close games out against the Spurs. Durant is a much tougher cover for Diaw than Lebron given his range but he could cover Butler and could attack him by posting him up on the offensive end (similar to the way he did to Jones against Houston)

Then again, it would seem that Green would have to be on the floor to close games out with Parker, Manu, Leonard and Duncan.

[Chinook]

Good post. I tend to agree with everything you said. I'm interested to see how our "small" ball units perform (specifically against OKC, Houston and Miami ,if we get that far). Whether the Spurs utilize Leonard at the 4 alongside Duncan or keep Diaw out there with Leonard, Parker and Manu/Green. The latter has been are usual closing squad this season with; the Green version being better defensively and the Manu version being better offensively.

I like that lineup against Miami's Wade-Allen-Battier-James-Bosh lineup. Both lineups had some success last year and should be a bit better with improvement from Diaw and Leonard along with a more aggressive Green and Manu's solid performance.

It would be interesting to see if Pop were to try that lineup (the Diaw at the 4) for a bit when Durant slides up to PF. I'd presume the Thunder would go with Westbrook-Sef-Butler-KD-Ibaka to close games out against the Spurs. Durant is a much tougher cover for Diaw than Lebron given his range but he could cover Butler and could attack him by posting him up on the offensive end (similar to the way he did to Jones against Houston)

Then again, it would seem that Green would have to be on the floor to close games out with Parker, Manu, Leonard and Duncan.

I don't think Pop would close with two bigs against Dallas, since the Mavs will almost certainly go small in crunch time. However, I think closing units will be heavily influenced by in-game performances. I think Parker and (sadly) Ginobili are the only locks for the ends of games. Pop considers their ball-handling and experience invaluable. The downside to always playing Manu is that it automatically leaves at least one of Green, Leonard, Diaw and Duncan out. I digress, though.

I think Pop would try using Diaw as a four against OKC's small-ball if Boris is sufficiently aggressive on offense during that game. If he's passive, he shouldn't automatically get Green's spot. If he's in 2.0 mode, he's a very valuable offensive option to close games. However, I still think OKC would go small with Jackson or Fisher next to Westbrook instead of Butler. If that's the case, Green's the obvious choice over Diaw.

[spurraider21]

Even if OKC goes small, as long as Thabo or Fisher are in the game, we can literally hide a big on one of them :lol. It's safe to say that barring foul trouble, Leonard will be on Durant 100% of the time. Assuming OKC is going small, Duncan would be on Ibaka/Perk. If we also have Splitter/Diaw on the floor, they can just camp out along the outside on Thabo/Fish, and then OKC will have issues on the other end. If Ibaka mans up on Duncan, you would have Durant/Thabo/Butler defending Diaw/Splitter. That's a matchup we'd be able to exploit imo

[Robz4000]

Even if OKC goes small, as long as Thabo or Fisher are in the game, we can literally hide a big on one of them :lol. It's safe to say that barring foul trouble, Leonard will be on Durant 100% of the time. Assuming OKC is going small, Duncan would be on Ibaka/Perk. If we also have Splitter/Diaw on the floor, they can just camp out along the outside on Thabo/Fish, and then OKC will have issues on the other end. If Ibaka mans up on Duncan, you would have Durant/Thabo/Butler defending Diaw/Splitter. That's a matchup we'd be able to exploit imo

They've tried that in the past and Splitter was posted up by Derek fucking Fisher. They also left Diaw alone on the perimeter before but if Diaw 2.0 shows up it'd be a good gamble.

[spurraider21]

They've tried that in the past and Splitter was posted up by Derek fucking Fisher. They also left Diaw alone on the perimeter before but if Diaw 2.0 shows up it'd be a good gamble.
i think you have it backwards :lol. splitter couldn't post up fisher was the narrative.

but imagine if this tiago shows up :wow


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wNWQReFPKQ

[Baam]

Even if OKC goes small, as long as Thabo or Fisher are in the game, we can literally hide a big on one of them :lol. It's safe to say that barring foul trouble, Leonard will be on Durant 100% of the time. Assuming OKC is going small, Duncan would be on Ibaka/Perk. If we also have Splitter/Diaw on the floor, they can just camp out along the outside on Thabo/Fish, and then OKC will have issues on the other end. If Ibaka mans up on Duncan, you would have Durant/Thabo/Butler defending Diaw/Splitter. That's a matchup we'd be able to exploit imo

Fisher scored easily on Beli in the last game, Pop couldn't believe what he was seeing... One of the main problem is that even their bench dominates ours... The other problem is Ibaka, Splitter can't post him to take him off his feet, so Boris is the only hope, he'd have to have the series of his life... You put enough pressure on Ibaka like Clips and Mavs do with Dirk/Blake so that he can't help as much and pray that one of Mills Beli steps up instead of being dominated by Jackson Fisher like they were all year...

[spurraider21]

Fisher scored easily on Beli in the last game, Pop couldn't believe what he was seeing... One of the main problem is that even their bench dominates ours... The other problem is Ibaka, Splitter can't post him to take him off his feet, so Boris is the only hope, he'd have to have the series of his life... You put enough pressure on Ibaka like Clips and Mavs do with Dirk/Blake so that he can't help as much and pray that one of Mills Beli steps up instead of being dominated by Jackson Fisher like they were all year...
he went 1/3, 3/4, 2/3, and 1/1 against us in 4 games this year. i dont think its that big an issue. as for their bench, its basically just reggie jackson that gives us fits... Durant played 39, 39, 38, and 38 minutes in our 4 matchups this year, and Ibaka plays about the same amount (40, 37, 33, 38 minutes in our 4 meetings). Their "bench" just amounted to their starters playing playoff minutes while we stayed with regular season rotation.

[Robz4000]

i think you have it backwards :lol. splitter couldn't post up fisher was the narrative.

but imagine if this tiago shows up :wow


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wNWQReFPKQ

Someone posted up on him in the playoffs either last year or the year before and destroyed him. Thought it was that bitch Fisher but it might've been Wade. While a bit better its still pretty embarrassing.

[cd021]

I don't think Pop would close with two bigs against Dallas, since the Mavs will almost certainly go small in crunch time. However, I think closing units will be heavily influenced by in-game performances. I think Parker and (sadly) Ginobili are the only locks for the ends of games. Pop considers their ball-handling and experience invaluable. The downside to always playing Manu is that it automatically leaves at least one of Green, Leonard, Diaw and Duncan out. I digress, though.

I think Pop would try using Diaw as a four against OKC's small-ball if Boris is sufficiently aggressive on offense during that game. If he's passive, he shouldn't automatically get Green's spot. If he's in 2.0 mode, he's a very valuable offensive option to close games. However, I still think OKC would go small with Jackson or Fisher next to Westbrook instead of Butler. If that's the case, Green's the obvious choice over Diaw.

I really like the idea of Diaw posting Durant if the opportunity presents itself. He can still revert back into 1.0 on occasion, I agree. I know that the Jackson and Westbrook haven't played very much together but Brooks has been trying to pair them together more. The lineup (Westbrook-Jackson-Butler-Durant-Ibaka) would be very difficult to stop if they close games out. Fisher does play alot at 2 guard to lake in games which would be much more favorable with Parker playing off ball against him instead of guarding Jackson.

I can understand why Pop plays Manu over Green more times than not. Green struggles to dribble and can be more easily shut down with an athletic and or long opposing lineups. His aggression shooting the ball post all star break is definitely encouraging (5.7 3pt attempts in just over 25 mpg, 45.4%3pt) and hopefully means that he can keep his defender occupied as opposed to them sagging off and recovering at the last second.

Whether Pop goes with him or not at the expense of Manu still remains to be seen. There are going to be nights were Manu just does have it and Greens defensive is the better option. Its just a matter of Pop comfort level during the course of the game. Parker has to do more to create, when Green is in over Manu, but Diaw can help shoulder the play making responsibility as well.

If Pop were to keep Diaw in Leonard would either cover Durant or even Westbrook with Diaw playing Butler. Diaw is certainly mobile for his size but I'm not sure he could cover Durant for more than a few possessions at a time.

Manu brings more unpredictability and the Spurs offense thrives whenever he is on the floor, but the big 3's defensive numbers have been mediocre when they share the floor this year. If Fisher closes out games i'd prefer Manu to be in on the lineup. If Jackson play alongside Westbrook then Green almost certainly needs to be out there to check one of the two.

[SpursRock20]

Games like tonight (OKC vs. Memphis) is why I'm so glad that the Spurs were able to grab the 1 seed. It's going to be harder for the Thunderefs to rig a game on our home floor if we end up meeting the Thunder in the WCF