If the Spurs had won in 2013, would they still have won in 2014?

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

Hard to say, but I think yes, they would have won back-to-back titles - I think the Spurs were professional and motivated enough that they didn't need 2013's defeat to springboard them to 2014's championship - although the sting of defeat may have provided a bit of added determination.

[Prime Time]

There's a lot of factors here. If SA wins, Does Patty get the urge to lose weight? Does Green work hard on his ball-handling? Does Boris 2.0 ever happen? Would Ginobili/Duncan have the same hunger? Does Tiago grow a pair? Would Pop be as determined?

I think a large reason why so many players improved in the off-season was because of the hate and spite they had deep inside of them. It was converted as fuel, and we have #5 to thank for it.

Ultimately I think 6 made the Spurs a better team as a whole. But really, the only way the Spurs could show it benefited the franchise is if they could repeat next year. Otherwise, it's 1-0 vs. 1-1.

(I'm not saying I feel dissatisfied, I'll gladly take the '14 :lobt2:)

[Uriel]

Probably not. The Spurs have said that it was the Game 6 loss that drove them all year. Without that motivation, they likely would not have been as dominant as they were.

[davidbowie]

Naah

[soxxx]

Perhaps, Duncan might have announced his retirement before the season to remotivate the team. Thats why I hope if next season is Duncans last season, he either announces it before the season, or pulls a Ray Lewis and does it right before the playoffs because that would light a fire under the team.

[barakz21]

Probably not. I mean, if they won it....... They'd most likely bring back Gary Neal. Which means no Ferrari, and Patty might not be producing as he has this year because of the logjam.

[spursparker9]

Nah,

Without Boris 2.0, Danny's improvement, Patty's improvement, the Spurs will lose in the WCF against OKC.

[superbigtime]

I think so, yes. Spurs still had the drive to kick OKC's butt after 2012. This team is a well oiled machine when they move the ball and you can tell they love to play for each other and for SA. Coach Pop and their veteran leadership are motivation enough. I think a 2015 repeat is totally attainable if we keep our main free agents, and as a fan I'm greedy for more.

[dg7md]

Hard to say either way, of course the team will say they would have, but it's hard to really confirm or deny. If you consider the Mavs series, I think we might have lost that one if not for memories of Game 6. We played terrible that whole series until Game 7, which I think was their wake-up call to drive to the Finals.

Had we won last year, I'm not sure that they would have been as motivated to pull through the early adversities of the first round.

Also, if we won last year Miami likely would have been retooled a bit and improved to where they wouldn't have been so easily beaten in the Finals had we matched up with them.

[wildcardX]

We will get an idea how the team produces next year coming back from a championship season. It did look like they did have that extra motivation to power them past Dallas and OKC, plus dominate the Heat in the finals. Maybe the Spurs would've been playing like the Heat in the finals if they were the champs, unlikely though.

[benefactor]

Don't care...the thumb has a ring.

[timtonymanu]

Don't care...the thumb has a ring.

[InRareForm]

Who knows. in another universe it probably played out that way.

[efrem1]

Who knows. in another universe it probably played out that way. Yes, Pop would have a goatee and would use an agonizer to motivate Patty and Boris. :)

[100%duncan]

TD said yes. How can us bums say otherwise

[mudyez]

Maybe its as much a wish (so the pain will go entirely) as objective thinking, but I'd say no.

You can hear in interviews, how much 6 drove them every training session.

That said, I think, we will repeat if nothing bad (major injuries, KD+Bron teaming up etc.) happens.

[Obi Juan Kenobi]

Maybe its as much a wish (so the pain will go entirely) as objective thinking, but I'd say no.

You can hear in interviews, how much 6 drove them every training session.

That said, I think, we will repeat if nothing bad (major injuries, KD+Bron teaming up etc.) happens.

Totally agree, their attitude regarding the Game 6 fiasco was the difference. As Pop has said many times recently, the team decided to turn the horrific events of 2013 into a positive motivating force instead of wallowing in self pity...

[therealtruth]

They've got to reload to come back. They shouldn't just assume what we have is enough. We made that mistake in 2007.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

Don't care...the thumb has a ring.


But it could have been 6 rings instead of 5.

[mystargtr34]

We'll never know, i would lean towards yes they would have. But, maybe the '13 loss turns out to benefit the Spurs for more than just the following season, maybe the hurt that lead to Green, Boris, Tiago improving carries on to catapult them to the 14-15 championship and a repeat. Then maybe we can look at the '13 loss as a positive :lol.

[dg7md]

Danny Green would have been Finals MVP and that is the biggest story of the possibility of us winning last year. :lol

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

Danny Green would have been Finals MVP and that is the biggest story of the possibility of us winning last year. :lol


T-Mac could have had a championship ring.

[moisaenz]

I hate what if? Threads

[benefactor]

But it could have been 6 rings instead of 5.
Maybe...maybe not.

Thumb has a ring regardless.

[ElNono]

You never know... winning a championship is fucking hard... you can hear it from Pat Riley himself in his latest presser... I'm grateful this team was able to do it after 7 years...

[LoneStarState'sPride]

I don't think so.

But who cares. If we had to split these past two years, gimme the way they did it this time, every time.

Even with the pain of 2013.

[z0sa]

I heard they still did win in both scenarios.

[Duncanforthree]

We didn't want a stupid unlucky '13 hanging in the rafters anyway.

Look how that worked out for the Heat at home.

[k_nguyen93]

We're such spoiled fans. I think this question can go back to other years too. If Fisher's shot doesn't count in 2004, do we beat the number one seed Timberwolves and then Pistons two years in a row? If Manu doesn't foul Dirk in 2006, do we beat the Suns and not get screwed by refs against Heat in finals? Obviously 2013 was much closer to an actual championship but I've seen a lot of fans, media members, and even Spurs talk about those years as if it were a given we would have ringed when in reality the Spurs weren't even in the conference finals yet. Going back to what others said, I'm not sure the desire for redemption is there if these unfortunate events hadn't happened.

[TampaDude]

The Spurs Redemption Tour 2014 is one of the biggest sports stories this year.

To get so close in 2013 and then come back to win it all in 2014 is way more satisfying than the other way around.

Either way, we've got 5 now. :hat

[KaiRMD1]

I think so, with the development of Patty, Kawhi, Danny, an aggressive Diaw, we would have repeated but the Heat would have suffered the worst. Having been beaten by us the year before, and then possibly destroyed the year after, Pat Riley's speech at the end of the season would have been worse than what it was.

[Obi Juan Kenobi]

We're such spoiled fans. I think this question can go back to other years too. If Fisher's shot doesn't count in 2004, do we beat the number one seed Timberwolves and then Pistons two years in a row? If Manu doesn't foul Dirk in 2006, do we beat the Suns and not get screwed by refs against Heat in finals? Obviously 2013 was much closer to an actual championship but I've seen a lot of fans, media members, and even Spurs talk about those years as if it were a given we would have ringed when in reality the Spurs weren't even in the conference finals yet. Going back to what others said, I'm not sure the desire for redemption is there if these unfortunate events hadn't happened.

I don't think the 2004 Spurs would have beaten the 2004 Pistons, but I do believe that the 2006 Spurs would have beaten the 2006 Heat...

[TampaDude]

I don't think the 2004 Spurs would have beaten the 2004 Pistons, but I do believe that the 2006 Spurs would have beaten the 2006 Heat...

The 2005 Spurs beat the 2005 Pistons, which was basically the same team as 2004, but we didn't have Horry in 2004, did we?

[Mel_13]

The 2005 Spurs beat the 2005 Pistons, which was basically the same team as 2004, but we didn't have Horry in 2004, did we?

2003-04 was his first season with the Spurs. Not a good season for Horry at all. He had signed for 4.5M in the summer of 2003. Resigned in 2004 for 1.1M. Yes, we had 2004-05 Horry on basically a minimum contract.

[TampaDude]

2003-04 was his first season with the Spurs. Not a good season for Horry at all. He had signed for 4.5M in the summer of 2003. Resigned in 2004 for 1.1M. Yes, we had 2004-05 Horry on basically a minimum contract.

So, he was on the roster, but it is unlikely he would have had a monster Finals in 2004 like he did in 2005, yes? 1.1 mil for a fucking ring. What a steal!

[Mel_13]

So, he was on the roster, but it is unlikely he would have had a monster Finals in 2004 like he did in 2005, yes? 1.1 mil for a fucking ring. What a steal!

Likely not, but that 2005 run was epic. The best of his career. And just two years after going 2 for 38 on 3 pointers for the Lakers.