Big 3 appreciation thread

[KaiRMD1]

With game 7 on Saturday probably being the final game for these three old sports, I think as a Spurs community, we should take the time to really reflect on the joy it has been watching Tony, Tim & Manu play together (with the exception of this season) The floor is yours

[Cloud786]

It sucks to know that Manu only played 14 mins in potentially his last home game. I would like to have ride or die with him out on the court but this series just isn't for him. There is no one for him to guard unless the Clipper bench is in.

[Sean Cagney]

They will be missed if this is the end of the big three, no doubt at all about it.

[slick'81]

They will be missed if this is the end of the big three, no doubt at all about it.

Always appreciate the history but this ride isn't over yet

[RD2191]

It can't end like this for Duncan/Manu. Just can't.

[Sean Cagney]

Always appreciate the history but this ride isn't over yetSaturday will tell man, if it is over then so be it and if not great.. I won't get my hopes up for Saturday but hope they have one more ride left in them to extend their season. Round one being out would be a big dissapointment as far as the season goes but will not taint the big threes run IMO AT ALL. IN the end they won.

[therealtruth]

I'm really hoping these guys have the heart of a champion and don't want to go home.

[TheGreatYacht]

Saturday will tell man, if it is over then so be it and if not great.. I won't get my hopes up for Saturday but hope they have one more ride left in them to extend their season. Round one being out would be a big dissapointment as far as the season goes but will not taint the big threes run IMO AT ALL. IN the end they won.
Only stain will be because of Phil's bullshit "they never repeated, so they were never a franchise" diss.

It can't end like this...

[KaiRMD1]

Only stain will be because of Phil's bullshit "they never repeated, so they were never a franchise" diss.

It can't end like this...

Phil got swept into retirement

[spursparker9]

Might as well.

Sat could be the last game of the big 3. :toast

[ElNono]

After :lobt2::lobt2::lobt2::lobt2::lobt2: I have no regrets, tbh...

The way they played played last season, especially, meant that they earned to get a crack at defending it... if they fall short, they fall short.

[Roger Freemason Jr.]

Phil got swept into retirement

See

[TheGreatYacht]

Phil got swept into retirement
He'll "magically" get the first pick somehow, and Aldridge won't even think about SA if we go out in the first round... NY or SA ain't that hard of a choice

[BatManu20]

Phil got swept into retirement

I was just about to post this.

The Zen Master didn't just get swept, he got destroyed and embarrassed in every single game. And that was coaching a team with near-prime Kobe, near-prime Pau, a young Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom.

[TheGoldStandard]

I was just about to post this.

The Zen Master didn't just get swept, he got destroyed and embarrassed in every single game. And that was coaching a team with near-prime Kobe, near-prime Pau, a young Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom.
Yeah but he gets to bank on 11.. He doesn't even care. Pop doesn't care.. They're filthy rich

[Sean Cagney]

Only stain will be because of Phil's bullshit "they never repeated, so they were never a franchise" diss.

It can't end like this...

I hope it doesn't. BTW F PHIL Jackson :lol Lakers fans hold onto that asterisk crap to this day because he said it. I want it to end in a repeat as well, if it does not I will be blown but it is what it is.

[emanueldavidginobili]

This is definetly Manu last season..all good things come to an end

[TheGreatYacht]

I hope it doesn't. BTW F PHIL Jackson :lol Lakers fans hold onto that asterisk crap to this day because he said it. I want it to end in a repeat as well, if it does not I will be blown but it is what it is.
Exactly, no matter what you tell Kobetards they always use that BS smh. Just a testament of Timmy's greatness to have such expectations at Age 39

[Malik Hairston]

I cringe every time I hear "big 3", tbh..it's the big 2, there was never a 3..

[-21-]

:cry :worthy: :cry


:flag:

[Sean Cagney]

Exactly, no matter what you tell Kobetards they always use that BS smh. Just a testament of Timmy's greatness to have such expectations at Age 39

Yep, their aging guy is at home again and sitting while Timmay is still setting records in the playoffs.

[RD2191]

I cringe every time I hear "big 3", tbh..it's the big 2, there was never a 3..

[Buddy Mignon]

Always appreciate the history but this ride isn't over yet

Yes it is, slick.

[FkLA]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knyFp9gnfuU

my favorite athlete of all-time :cry

[admiralsnackbar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky7GZHToerY

[TheGreatYacht]

Yep, their aging guy is at home again and sitting while Timmay is still setting records in the playoffs.
They'll always have the B-team to cheer for though smh. Imagine the salt if the Spurs get through LAC/HOU/GS/CHI :lol I believe :flag:

[wildchild]

The Zen Master didn't just get swept, he got destroyed and embarrassed in every single game. And that was coaching a team with near-prime Kobe, near-prime Pau, a young Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom.

Agreed. Those things make our three guys the greatest trio in the NBA history.
The Spurs Big3 are battling with age, injuries, against a younger and more athletic team...and still fighting in a 7 game series.

LOVE THIS TEAM.

[cutewizard]

i started the Spurs as a Robinson fan

loved his versatility! and everything about him....

been a Spurs fan ever since, all the highs and lows....the titanic struggles with Olajuwon

then the big three.......the clever being called Horry

the gigantic wars against Shaq and Kobe..............


and now, the arrival of the Claw....and soon to be the "Marshall" Lamarcus



GO SPURSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cutewizard]

sometimes, I wonder......

do the fucking "gray aliens" watch the Spurs??

And their fucking masters, the fucking reptilians??

possibly! hahahahahahahaha

they got nothing else to do, fuck them! lol

[Johnny RIngo]

I cringe every time I hear "big 3", tbh..it's the big 2, there was never a 3..

Yup.

Love TD and Manu. There were the heart and soul of the team in the 2000s. The only two players you could always count on to step it up in the playoffs.

Spurs won three titles in five years from 2003-2007. Here's the playoff stats for all the Spurs rotation players in that time period:

http://s5.postimg.org/om3v3tvdj/Spurs_03_07.png

Tim and Manu are the only two players with:

20+ PER
6+ BPM
10+ win shares
.200+ WS/48(DRob also qualifies for this but he only played in 2003)

These two guys were dominant - by far the two best players on the team. They were pretty much the Shaq/Kobe of the Spurs. Everybody else was a role player. No idea where the big three nonsense came from. Duncan and Manu were a big TWO back then.

[Sean Cagney]

They'll always have the B-team to cheer for though smh. Imagine the salt if the Spurs get through LAC/HOU/GS/CHI :lol I believe :flag:

That would be hilarious.

[Malik Hairston]

Yup.

Love TD and Manu. There were the heart and soul of the team in the 2000s. The only two players you could always count on to step it up in the playoffs.

Spurs won three titles in five years from 2003-2007. Here's the playoff stats for all the Spurs rotation players in that time period:

http://s5.postimg.org/om3v3tvdj/Spurs_03_07.png

Tim and Manu are the only two players with:

20+ PER
6+ BPM
10+ win shares
.200+ WS/48(DRob also qualifies for this but he only played in 2003)

These two guys were dominant - by far the two best players on the team. They were pretty much the Shaq/Kobe of the Spurs. Everybody else was a role player. No idea where the big three nonsense came from. Duncan and Manu were a big TWO back then.

Parker's emergence coincided with the "PGs" league narrative that they were trying to push, tbh..

[KaiRMD1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knyFp9gnfuU

my favorite athlete of all-time :cry

Even with all the stupid shit this old sport does, I'll always remember the good times. Awesome vid

[FkLA]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0MfZxroXQY

my 2nd favorite athlete of all-time :cry

[Sean Cagney]

Agreed. Those things make our three guys the greatest trio in the NBA history.
The Spurs Big3 are battling with age, injuries, against a younger and more athletic team...and still fighting in a 7 game series.

LOVE THIS TEAM.

Yep, this old ass team is taking this younger team with all that talent to a game 7, crazy. :lobt2::ihit

[therealtruth]

Phil got swept into retirement

He checked out that year anyway.

[Duncanforthree]

In.

I love everything this fucking team has brought to this town over the last 12 years.

We lived and died with the greatest power forward of all time, a French pg and an Argentinean maestro for over a decade, netting four chips on top of the one gained in the house that David built.

Other franchises in cities not named Boston,Los Angeles and Chicago would sell their mothers to be so fortunate.

It's not over yet. And if Saturday night is the finale to our first Big Three era...

Then fuck it.Time for the next one..

[perfectdark]

I still can't believe how TP bought his finals MVP. Must be an nba prank. The guy just isnt made for playoff basketball and now he just cant be called a baller any more.

[Johnny RIngo]

I still can't believe how TP bought his finals MVP. Must be an nba prank. The guy just isnt made for playoff basketball and now he just cant be called a baller any more.

Yup. He's a choke artist come playoff time. Always has been. Tony shoots above league average in the regular season but shoots well below in the post-season. He just can't maintain his efficiency when the pressure's on. He ends up becoming a chucker and ups his shot attempts(to the detriment of the team) just to make up the difference. Took more shot attempts than prime Duncan in the 2004 Lakers series and sank the Spurs as a result. Took more shot attempts than prime Duncan and prime Manu in the 2006 playoffs despite shooting significantly worse than both of them. Was the first option in the 2013 playoff run but choked hard in the Finals and ended up getting outplayed by Mario Chalmers in the final two games. Just look at how his efficiency drops from reg season to playoffs. Only three times has he raised his efficiency in the post-season. Every other year, he's wilted.

http://s5.postimg.org/rey1k3i53/Parker_RS_PS_TS_Comparisons2.png

Like Malone, he's a nice regular season player but that's about it.

[timaios]

I still can't believe how TP bought his finals MVP. Must be an nba prank. The guy just isnt made for playoff basketball and now he just cant be called a baller any more.

Total career playoff points scored: Parker is 11th all-time.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career_p.html

Total career playoff assists: Parker is 6th all-time. (8 more assists and he will be 4th all-time.)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ast_career_p.html

Clearly that guy wasn't "made for playoff basketball"...

[Johnny RIngo]

Total career playoff points scored: Parker is 11th all-time.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career_p.html

Lets look at the playoff efficiency(true shooting percentage) of all the players on that list(up to Tony) and see how he stacks up:

.568 - Jordan
.571 - Kareem
.541 - Kobe
.565 - Shaq
.550 - Duncan
.526 - Malone
.577 - Lebron
.541 - Jerry West
.498 - Havlicek
.551 - Bird
.515 - Parker

Everybody on that list has scored a lot of points in playoffs on good efficiency. Except for the three bolded players. These three stand out as being considerably less efficient than the others. Malone is a reputed choke artist in the playoffs. His low efficiency reflects that. Parker's another one. He's a good scorer in the regular season but turns into a chucker in April and May.

How about we compare Parker's .515 TS% to other great PGs past and present:

.595 - Magic
.568 - Stockton
.583 - Nash
.578 - Billups
.577 - Paul
.515 - Parker

Poor Tony isn't even close. Then again, TP never was an elite point guard.


Total career playoff assists: Parker is 6th all-time. (8 more assists and he will be 4th all-time.)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ast_career_p.html

Let's organize that same group of players by playoff assists per game:

12.3 - Magic
10.1 - Stockon
8.8 - Nash
8.0 - Kidd
6.5 - Bird
5.2 - Parker

Parker's not in the same tier as those guy as a playmaker. But, yeah, keep posting Raw stats without any context.


Clearly that guy wasn't "made for playoff basketball"...

He wasn't. Just look at the dropoff in every advanced metric from season(RS) to post-season(PS).

19.0 PER RS
16.9 PER PS

.147 WS/48 RS
.085 WS/48 PS

109 ORtg RS
103 ORtg PS

.550 TS% RS
.515 TS% PS

32.7% Assist Percentage RS
27.7% Assist Percentage PS

1.2 BPM RS
0.2 BPM PS

[Perry Mason]

I cringe every time I hear "big 3", tbh..it's the big 2, there was never a 3..

Can you not give your idiocy a rest for just 5 minutes? This is an appreciation thread.

[Perry Mason]

It's ok for the era of the big 3 to end like this. 2014 was really the end of their story. They proved they were relevant since their 2012 emergence, when everyone still wanted to write them off.

They went WCF, Finals, Finals-Championship. TP, being the youngest member, became the new horse to lead the team (and almost did in 2013), and Kawhi made up for TP's age/injury-related decline to put them over the top in 2014.

Now they are just old and satiated from 5. Manu can't slash except for twice a game. TP looks done as a reliable starter. He still outlasted many point guards and has played the career minutes of a much older player. Timmay can still play at a fantastic level, but he can't carry a team of role players by himself.

It's ok. This is not an ignoble end. They are taking a hyper-athletic and talented team with 2 top-15 players to a Game 7 on the road. A team that is well-coached and has 4 years of pent-up frustration from post-season failures. A few less stupid mistakes, and this team easily makes WCF this year. Not bad for old guys.

We Spurs fans have been spoiled for years. All good things come to an end. May God bless the big-3, the Spurs, Pop, and Godspeed their way.

The story of the big-3 is ending. But the story of Kawhi Leonard has begun.

[mudyez]

It's ok for the era of the big 3 to end like this. 2014 was really the end of their story. They proved they were relevant since their 2012 emergence, when everyone still wanted to write them off. They went WCF, Finals, Finals-Championship. TP, being the youngest member, became the new horse to lead the team (and almost did in 2013), and Kawhi made up for his age/injury-related decline to put them over the top in 2014.

Now they are just old and satiated from 5. Manu can't slash except for twice a game. TP looks done as a reliable starter. He still outlasted many point guards and has played the career minutes of a much older player. Timmay can still play at a fantastic level, but he can't carry a team of role players by himself.

It's ok. This is not an ignoble end. They are taking a hyper-athletic and talented team with 2 top-15 players to a Game 7 on the road. A team that is well-coached and has 4 years of pent-up frustration from post-season failures. A few less stupid mistakes, and this team easily makes WCF this year. Not bad for old guys.

We Spurs fans have been spoiled for years. All good things come to an end. May God bless the big-3, the Spurs, Pop, and Godspeed their way.

The story of the big-3 is ending. But the story of Kawhi Leonard has begun.

Nothing has ended yet!

But if so: No bad feelings!

Go! Spurs Go!

[Keepin' it real]

I still remember attending games 3 and 4 of the 2nd round in 2010. I sat there -- in disbelief -- until the final buzzer when the Suns swept the Spurs. I thought the run was over then.

The past 5 seasons have been like a rebirth.



three straight conference finals
back to back finals appearances
the ultimate payback against the Heat


Thank you Big 3 for all the great memories, and for playing the right (anti-Kobe, anti-Lebron) way!

[hater]

biggest NBA trio ever :tu

[Pauleta14]

It's not over yet...

Maybe a jinx thread...?

[xtremesteven33]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVOpNR2PIs

[Johnny RIngo]

Duncan/Ginobili DUO has always been the heart and soul of this team. In the mid 2000s, it seemed like a trio at times with Robert Horry coming through in the big games but it's always been TD and Manu doing most of the heavy lifting. Timmy and Manu came through in OKC game 6 last year. Hopefully these two can do it again.

[peacemaker885]

Privileged to be a fan during this era. Thanks to the Big 3 for everything they have given and for what they are still giving. Go Spur Go!

[Diego20]

Total career playoff points scored: Parker is 11th all-time.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career_p.html

Total career playoff assists: Parker is 6th all-time. (8 more assists and he will be 4th all-time.)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ast_career_p.html

Clearly that guy wasn't "made for playoff basketball"...

That's due the high amount of games he played. Nash has more assists than TP and he played less games.

[RD2191]

I doubt Tim/Manu retire after losing in the 1st round tbh.

[Diego20]

Duncan/Ginobili DUO has always been the heart and soul of this team. In the mid 2000s, it seemed like a trio at times with Robert Horry coming through in the big games but it's always been TD and Manu doing most of the heavy lifting. Timmy and Manu came through in OKC game 6 last year. Hopefully these two can do it again.

:bobo

[in2deep]

we are lucky to have witnessed these 3 legends

[hater]

-qRDg9WS7fk

[024]

:cry one last ride

It has to end sometime.

[Chomag]

Maybe it is the end but what a hell of a ride it was!

[SASdynasty!]

I cringe every time I hear "big 3", tbh..it's the big 2, there was never a 3..
Duncan & Parker, agreed

[Malik Hairston]

Duncan & Parker, agreed

You have Kobe>Duncan, right?

[hater]

DUncan, Parker and Manu are the big 3 and the biggest in NBA history.

only retards would disagree with this known fact IMO

[ducks]

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/01/report-spurs-near-or-at-the-top-of-lamarcus-aldridges-list-unless-kevin-love-leaves-cavaliers/

[hater]

DUncan, Parker and Manu are the big 3 and the biggest in NBA history.

only retards would disagree with this known fact IMO.....

[Johnny RIngo]

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/01/report-spurs-near-or-at-the-top-of-lamarcus-aldridges-list-unless-kevin-love-leaves-cavaliers/

:lol the epic chokejobs we're going to see watching that Parker/Aldridge duo in the playoffs. They'll be the least efficient point guard/big man combo in league history.

[Clipper Nation]

:lol the epic chokejobs we're going to see watching that Parker/Aldridge duo in the playoffs. They'll be the least efficient point guard/big man combo in league history.

The Spurs have officially lost their minds if they sign Big Man Allen Iverson. That would be the reincarnation of the Monta/Jennings Bucks, with Kawhi playing the role of Tobias Harris :lol