As I said prior to the series, Clippers in 7..

[Malik Hairston]

Too much mileage on this Spurs team and too sloppy, all year, tbh..

They are way too reliant on Green making 3s, they forget about Kawhi for long stretches, Parker is one of the worst PGs in the NBA, Duncan is 39 years old, Manu is inconsistent, Splitter doesn't look healthy, and they don't have a reliable 4th big or 3rd perimeter defender..

When Danny isn't making 3s, he is subbed out, and the D struggles, as we have seen for the past 2-3 years..Paul has barely scored anything vs. Green in this series, but when he isn't giving anything on offense and sits out, we have seen Paul destroy the smaller defenders in games 1 and 4..

With Splitter struggling, the alternative is Bonner, unfortunately:lol..

They have been outplayed by the Clippers for 3 of the 4 games in this series, so far..it took a fluke Duncan performance to win game 2..

[tholdren]

nope. spurs in 6

[RD2191]

I said Clips in 5. I got them in 6 now. Reasons are Parker, Enrique, Tony, the french PG.

[timtonymanu]

Agreed. I actually had the Spurs in 6 (winning all their home games), but they didn't win tonight and now are at a disadvantage.

I expect Parker to continue killing the team too, so there's no hope right now.

[KaiRMD1]

Spurs will be fine, looks like the Thunder series last year that the Clippers had

[Josh810]

Why couldn't you have just bumped the original thread where you said this? No one cares.

[horsielove]

they forget about Kawhi for long stretches

Jim Boylen, tbh.

[Mugen]

:lol one team is hungry, and one team expects the other to just lay down tbh.

[phxspurfan]

Spurs Sonics was tied 2-2 and we won in 6


they didn't give no respect to us. None.

[daslicer]

Spurs will still win the series. It will probably go to 7.

[Arcadian]

They went back to slow, shitty passing tonight. When their passing is not crisp and accurate, that gives the defense more time to close out on shooters, and it takes away the advantage of the motion offense.

Just gotta hit those passing drills, and hit them hard. Pop better have his guys functioning like robots for the next game. If they do, they will win.

[Horse]

If you believe the Spurs will lose go fuck yourself and leave now!

[Capt Bringdown]

They have been outplayed by the Clippers for 3 of the 4 games in this series, so far..it took a fluke Duncan performance to win game 2.
Clips have to feel pretty good about themselves, while the Spurs must be thinking about all the opportunities they squandered this year.

[slick'81]

Spurs gotta get this in 6 but right now this shit looks like a 7 gamer

[crc21209]

The Spurs have been in so many 2-2 situations in the past 10+ years. They're not done at all. Calm down. I really don't care that Green struggles on offense, his defense on Paul is what is most important out there. I hate when I see Tony on Paul for long stretches...

[spurraider21]

if the spurs hit their FT's throughout the game, they probably would have won today. things snowballed in the last 4 minutes of the game outside of kawhi's burst there, but had the game been closer due to FT's, it would have changed everything

[Malik Hairston]

You guys realize the Spurs just allowed a career game to Austin Rivers, in the fucking playoffs, right?:lol..

[crc21209]

And :lol at saying Timmy's game 2 was a fluke. Why? Because he hit 28? Tim can still score, shit he scored 20 more today. Anything Tim ever does, is not a fluke, he's just good. However his defense today was pretty shitty, along with Splitters...

[crc21209]

You guys realize the Spurs just allowed a career game to Austin Rivers, in the fucking playoffs, right?:lol..
I would call that more of a fluke than saying Tim's Game 2 was a fluke tbh..

[ducks]

Too much mileage on this Spurs team and too sloppy, all year, tbh..

They are way too reliant on Green making 3s, they forget about Kawhi for long stretches, Parker is one of the worst PGs in the NBA, Duncan is 39 years old, Manu is inconsistent, Splitter doesn't look healthy, and they don't have a reliable 4th big or 3rd perimeter defender..

When Danny isn't making 3s, he is subbed out, and the D struggles, as we have seen for the past 2-3 years..Paul has barely scored anything vs. Green in this series, but when he isn't giving anything on offense and sits out, we have seen Paul destroy the smaller defenders in games 1 and 4..

With Splitter struggling, the alternative is Bonner, unfortunately:lol..

They have been outplayed by the Clippers for 3 of the 4 games in this series, so far..it took a fluke Duncan performance to win game 2..


Like to brag��

[Robz4000]

:lol one team is hungry, and one team expects the other to just lay down tbh.

This tbh, on top of Enrique and Turnobili shitting the bed.

[ducks]

I said Clips in 5. I got them in 6 now. Reasons are Parker, Enrique, Tony, the french PG.
Why watch then ��

[Arcadian]

You guys realize the Spurs just allowed a career game to Austin Rivers, in the fucking playoffs, right?:lol..

You think it'll happen again?

Doubt it.

[Malik Hairston]

And :lol at saying Timmy's game 2 was a fluke. Why? Because he hit 28? Tim can still score, shit he scored 20 more today. Anything Tim ever does, is not a fluke, he's just good. However his defense today was pretty shitty, along with Splitters...

Duncan is 39 years old, bro:lol..that was one of the most impressive performances in NBA history, you can't expect or rely on that consistently in the playoffs..

[Mugen]

As I said in the game thread, championship teams don't lose this kind of game. Couldn't even hipcheck CP3 at the end there :lol

[Johnny RIngo]

Jim Boylen, tbh.

Don't forget Messina - the one game he coachedthe Spurs and he benched Kawhi in the 4th. Pop's assistants have been nothing more than yes men the last two years.

[mexicanjunior]

Spurs get a participation award for extending the Clippers to 6 I guess.

[BatManu20]

Considering how awful a lot of guys played (Green, Boris, Tony, Tiago, even Duncan for most the game), we still were in it until the last 4-5 min really. Just gotta regroup and try and steal another one of the road. All of those guys need to play well or at least decent though or else we're done in 7.

[crc21209]

Duncan is 39 years old, bro:lol..that was one of the most impressive performances in NBA history, you can't expect or rely on that consistently in the playoffs..

39 years old and still steps up his game for the playoffs. Doesnt surprise me seeing him being able to put up points. He picks his spots, thats what hes always done. He doesnt force shots too much or put up 20+ shots a game to get his shit. Now Tom Rivers Jr. however, that was some fluke shit.

[Mugen]

Considering how awful a lot of guys played (Green, Boris, Tony, Tiago, even Duncan for most the game), we still were in it until the last 4-5 min really. Just gotta regroup and try and steal another one of the road. All of those guys need to play well or at least decent though or else we're done in 7.

:lol being within 8 that much through the 4th was an absolute fluke tbh. I'll be happy if they can push it to 7.

[timtonymanu]

Yep, just gotta hope the Spurs win Game 5.

Pop's stubborness and TP's existence gives me a lot of doubt though. You don't lose a Game 4 that way if you're serious about winning championships.

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

I think the Spurs just barely failed in crucial parts of the game. If the Spurs don't get those 3 dumb fouls on CP3 at the end of the third, or Duncan makes that shot in the 4th + TP makes his free throws, the game could have played out differently. And if it takes Austin Rivers going off for the Clippers to win, I think the Spurs win this series.

[Malik Hairston]

Considering how awful a lot of guys played (Green, Boris, Tony, Tiago, even Duncan for most the game), we still were in it until the last 4-5 min really. Just gotta regroup and try and steal another one of the road. All of those guys need to play well or at least decent though or else we're done in 7.

Spurs tend to struggle when Green doesn't make 3s, tbh, especially in this series where he has been the only good defender vs. Paul(Kawhi can defend him, but Spurs need him to conserve offensive energy)..Danny hasn't been able to make 3s on the road for most of this season, unfortunately, it's not looking optimistic..

[kobyz]

Spurs should have know better in the off season and trade deadline to improve the team with an addition, that and Pop not taking enough seriously last game against Palicans ruin the season, make it eliminate in first round instead of going for a back to back...

[crc21209]

Outside of Kawhi and Patty, who else can you say played well really? Diaw (who was pretty big in Game 3) was horrific today.

[crc21209]

Spurs tend to struggle when Green doesn't make 3s, tbh, especially in this series where he has been the only good defender vs. Paul(Kawhi can defend him, but Spurs need him to conserve offensive energy)..Danny hasn't been able to make 3s on the road for most of this season, unfortunately, it's not looking optimistic..

So be it. Live with the misses. They need him in there to defend Paul though.

[Texas_Ranger]

I wouldn't even give Mills a pass. Yea he played good offense, but his defense was on Steve Nash level.

[Clipper Nation]

I said Clips in 5. I got them in 6 now. Reasons are Parker, Enrique, Tony, the french PG.

You forgot about Rique, Auscrub Rivers' personal bitch, Langston Galloway's toilet, Speedy Claxton's backup, etc., etc.

[Johnny RIngo]

Spurs should have know better in the off season and trade deadline to improve the team with an addition, that and Pop not taking enough seriously last game against Palicans ruin the season, make it eliminate in first round instead of going for a back to back...

They should have never given Parker that bloated extension. Dude got fat in the summer knowing his future was secure for the next couple years. Spurs should have made him work for his contract this season.

[RD2191]

Outside of Kawhi and Patty, who else can you say played well really? Diaw (who was pretty big in Game 3) was horrific today.
Patty did not play well. He hit shots but there's more than that to having a good game. Rivers torched him. I might even go as far as to say his defense is the reason we lost the game.

[BatManu20]

[QUOTEhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/)=Texas_Ranger;7964958]I wouldn't even give Mills a pass. Yea he played good offense, but his defense was on Steve Nash level.[/QUOTEhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/)]

There's very little Mills can do defensively though being 6'0 even with a small frame. He's scrappy and high energy, which he basically has to be, but other guards are so much bigger than him. So I don't blame him too much for Rivers' domination. There's really not much he can do.

[Johnny RIngo]

Winning numerous series on the road is impossible without a superstar able to take over a game on the road. TD was able to do that in game 2 but he's not gonna do it again, not at 39 years old.

[Malik Hairston]

Patty was good enough..his D was poor, but he negated a lot of it with his offense, unlike the rest of the team..

Kawhi was the only other Spur that showed up tonight, tbh..the rest of the team was extremely bad..

[RD2191]

Patty was good enough..his D was poor, but he negated a lot of it with his offense, unlike the rest of the team..

Kawhi was the only other Spur that showed up tonight, tbh..the rest of the team was extremely bad..
I disagree, when we started going down big it's because iirc Rivers hit like 2-3 consecutive shots all with Mills guarding him. Mills then hit a 3 to cut the clips lead down a bit. He was more than likely the reason we went down big in the first place.

[Arcadian]

Spurs tend to struggle when Green doesn't make 3s, tbh, especially in this series where he has been the only good defender vs. Paul(Kawhi can defend him, but Spurs need him to conserve offensive energy)..Danny hasn't been able to make 3s on the road for most of this season, unfortunately, it's not looking optimistic..

If true, that's a fundamental flaw in the team. You should never have to rely on one player to make shots, especially a 3-point shooter. 3-point shooting is the most variable thing in basketball, obviously, due to the distance and room for error.

Is that really the case, though? Is it all on Green? Splitter didn't make a shot, either. And from a systems perspective, the ball movement wasn't good enough to set up Green for open shots in the first place. I really think the passing is the critical variable here.

[timtonymanu]

Not to hate on Patty since he played decently considering the circumstances, but those missed open 3s were momentum killing and the Clippers never looked back.

[Johnny RIngo]

If true, that's a fundamental flaw in the team. You should never have to rely on one player to make shots, especially a 3-point shooter. 3-point shooting is the most variable thing in basketball, obviously, due to the distance and room for error.

Is that really the case, though? Is it all on Green? Splitter didn't make a shot, either. And from a systems perspective, the ball movement wasn't good enough to set up Green for open shots in the first place. I really think the passing is the critical variable here.

It'd be nice if we had a point guard that actually knew how to make plays for his teammates

[Malik Hairston]

Worst part of this series, as many of us said following the loss to the Pelicans, is that even if the Spurs win the series, it's going to be a tough and long, while the Rockets get a virtual 1st round bye and will be unscathed coming out of the Mavs series..

No Parsons, a Mavs team that doesn't play physical, minimal traveling, offensive shootouts, while the Clippers-Spurs are playing a physical, tough series that will probably go 7:lol..

[024]

Spurs have been playing badly all year. 3pt shooting is down. Last year Marco, Mills, Green, Leonard, and even Diaw could all reliably hit the 3. This year the streaks are shorter and the cold periods are longer. Injuries caused Splitter and Mills to lose their effectiveness (although Mills is slowly returning to form) and age robbed Parker of his speed. Ginobili seems to revert back to 2013 finals mode every so often and just generally looks like he's on crack with poor decisions and risky passes that may or may not pay off.

Parker's inability to create holes in the defense and the 3 pt shooting is really killing the Spurs. I had hoped the Spurs could turn it around in the playoffs, especially at home. Game 3 was promising but it was just one game. It can't fix an entire season of errors. It's not over until it's over but I'll give the Clippers 70% chance of winning this series. Spurs have been suffocating the Clippers' bench all series so they are bound to have a good game. Spurs really need to win this in 6 because I can't see them winning game 7 in LA.

[spurtech09]

If the spurs can beat Miami heat twice in there home the spurs can win another in LA....by the way last yrs heat is better than LA clippers

[Malik Hairston]

If the spurs can beat Miami heat twice in there home the spurs can win another in LA....by the way last yrs heat is better than LA clippers

This year's Spurs team is way worse than last year's team, tbh..only Kawhi has improved..

[Mugen]

Please end all comparisons to last year's team tbh. That team was an all time great. This team has shades of the 2011 squad. Even the 2012 and 2013 Spurs were light years better.....

[tmtcsc]

It was a disappointing loss but there's no need to panic. You panic when you lose playing your best and that's not what happened. The Clippers came out and executed better with better energy. Spurs made way too many errors but they can fix that.

However, Tiago and Green scoring 0 pts can't happen.

[pageC4]

The interesting thing is how many people are completely throwing the Spurs under the buss. This is a team that has been in the finals the past two years and won a championship last year. There's nothing wrong with the team. The team is not old because Pop never plays the starters in the regular season LMFAO. There are a few variables that are going overlooked in this series.
1. The problem is that it is incredibly difficult to continue to play at a high level for so many years in a row. The Spurs are mentally and emotionally exhausted. Anytime a team goes to the finals back to back motivation is almost impossible. Last year for example, the Heat didn't win the chip because of motivation. They came off of 3 finals appearances, and won their last 2. By their fourth finals appearance they were drained, and San Antonio felt like they needed to redeem themselves last year.
2. The Clippers are at a crossroad right now. Like the Dallas Mavericks squad of 2011, this Clippers squad is coming off of perennial playoff exists and the window is closing. There is much more desperation on the part of the clippers and I do feel that like that 2011 Mavericks this years Clippers are overlooked.

The bottom line is that theres nothing wrong with the Spurs lineup. This is just more of a balanced matchup than people want to acknowledge. A series win by either tm houl surprise no one at all. Lets remember that these two teams split the regular season series.

[RD2191]

The interesting thing is how many people are completely throwing the Spurs under the buss. This is a team that has been in the finals the past two years and won a championship last year. There's nothing wrong with the team. The team is not old because Pop never plays the starters in the regular season LMFAO. There are a few variables that are going overlooked in this series.
1. The problem is that it is incredibly difficult to continue to play at a high level for so many years in a row. The Spurs are mentally and emotionally exhausted. Anytime a team goes to the finals back to back motivation is almost impossible. Last year for example, the Heat didn't win the chip because of motivation. They came off of 3 finals appearances, and won their last 2. By their fourth finals appearance they were drained, and San Antonio felt like they needed to redeem themselves last year.
2. The Clippers are at a crossroad right now. Like the Dallas Mavericks squad of 2011, this Clippers squad is coming off of perennial playoff exists and the window is closing. There is much more desperation on the part of the clippers and I do feel that like that 2011 Mavericks this years Clippers are overlooked.

The bottom line is that theres nothing wrong with the Spurs lineup. This is just more of a balanced matchup than people want to acknowledge. A series win by either tm houl surprise no one at all. Lets remember that these two teams split the regular season series.
Those were my reasons as to why the Clips would win this series. Posted something similar before the series started.

[TD 21]

The vast majority of this is true, except for the part about Ginobili. He's been extremely consistent since January . . . consistently bad, that is. At first, I thought it was fatigue from December. Then I thought it was coasting, letting others (mainly Leonard) do the heavy lifting once they got healthy. Recently, I've come to the conclusion that he's mentally spent. He no longer looks engaged and deep down, I don't think he likes that they're turning into a more conventional NBA team.

[Malik Hairston]

Yep, obvious prediction, tbh..the team looks out of gas..

[timtonymanu]

Doesn't matter. Our gutless team couldn't beat Houston anyway.

[TE]

Yep, obvious prediction, tbh..the team looks out of gas..
I should just make money off your predictions bro. lol

[Rapper]

The spurs are done

[Darius McCrary]

Malik you are such a fake fake piece spurs fan, you seriously change everything your stupid Canadian ass says then bump whatever to support your dumb fake takes

Shut the fuck up for once
how can someone actually care about the spurs if you're throwing out 10 takes per playoff game

#TimvpAlmostShowedMyCanadianFace
#ImTimvp

[Darius McCrary]

Malik you are such a fake fake piece spurs fan, you seriously change everything your stupid Canadian ass says then bump whatever to support your dumb fake takes

Shut the fuck up for once
how can someone actually care about the spurs if you're throwing out 10 takes per playoff game

#TimvpAlmostShowedMyCanadianFace
#ImTimvp

[slick'81]

Wow u picked the higher seed with homecourt in 7 u da man

[024]

After every game Spurs fans say to themselves "if only Green can make his 3's or if only they made their free throws or if only Parker and Splitter is healthy the Spurs can easily win." But the truth is they haven't been doing this all season, it's hard to see the Spurs suddenly flip an all magical switch.

I actually think the Spurs have a decent shot at winning game 7. The Clippers bench is very erratic. Obviously the Clippers are favored but the Spurs still match the Clippers' talent and have already won twice in LA. But even if the Spurs win game 7, I don't know how they will ever get past Houston and the Warriors playing like this.

[Johnny RIngo]

After every game Spurs fans say to themselves "if only Green can make his 3's or if only they made their free throws or if only Parker and Splitter is healthy the Spurs can easily win." But the truth is they haven't been doing this all season, it's hard to see the Spurs suddenly flip an all magical switch.

I actually think the Spurs have a decent shot at winning game 7. The Clippers bench is very erratic. Obviously the Clippers are favored but the Spurs still match the Clippers' talent and have already won twice in LA. But even if the Spurs win game 7, I don't know how they will ever get past Houston and the Warriors playing like this.

Not gonna win a game 7 on the road with a historic choke artist like Parker running the offense. Hell, even prime Parker sucked in game 7s. What do you think the fat pig version of TP is gonna do on Saturday? Spurs only have themselves to blame. Not using the MLE. Giving an extension to a washed up French pos.

[Horse]

As I said before the series fuck off!

[Rapper]

Do you think the spurs can win 3 road games in a series? ever happened before? No come on this is impossible man

Game 2's win thanks to Griffin's rarely turnover and Game 5's win thanks to Jordan's interference goaltending otherwise the spurs were done already few days ago

[Capt Bringdown]

Clips played with desire and composure.
They've turned a corner. So have the Spurs.
Clips in 7, and it ain't gonna be pretty.

[Malik Hairston]

Malik you are such a fake fake piece spurs fan, you seriously change everything your stupid Canadian ass says then bump whatever to support your dumb fake takes

Shut the fuck up for once
how can someone actually care about the spurs if you're throwing out 10 takes per playoff game

#TimvpAlmostShowedMyCanadianFace
#ImTimvp

:lmao:lmao

[Malik Hairston]

This is the first time I predicted a Spurs loss since the 2013 Finals, I don't like picking against my team, tbh..

I'm not timvp with his historically bad Grizzlies in 5 prediction :lmao

[Malik Hairston]

Even with the series loss, great fight to go out, tbh..it's been a historic run..