Grantland: Spurs will Disappoint

[BillMc]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/35-crazy-predictions-for-the-2015-16-nba-season/

Zach Lowe somewhat off the bandwagon.

Prediction #13. Spurs and Grizzlies Disappoint.

The Spurs could be special, and I’m optimistic about the LaMarcus Aldridge fit (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-adjustment-bureau-how-lamarcus-aldridge-will-fit-in-with-the-spurs/) — even if some folks in rival front offices and coaching staffs remain skeptical. The other stuff worries me: Tony Parker’s decline, and that so many key contributors around the Aldridge-Leonard–Danny Green foundation are 33 and older. Tim Duncan isn’t going to play like this until he’s 45.
If the Spurs stay healthy, they could round into championship form in May and June. But the interim could be rockier than expected.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Kinda of a misleading title to that prediction. The end makes it sound like he recognizes their championship potential, but the regular season will serve as an adjustment period, which is kind of what's expected already. But obviously, I agree with the part about Tony concerns and the age of the supporting players. The team could use another above average athletic player, a bit more depth at the wing, and a contingency plan in case Tony never stops being bad.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

The only prediction that shocked me was Milwaukee missing the playoffs, which I completely disagree with.

[BillMc]

Kinda of a misleading title to that prediction. The end makes it sound like he recognizes their championship potential, but the regular season will serve as an adjustment period, which is kind of what's expected already. But obviously, I agree with the part about Tony concerns and the age of the supporting players. The team could use another above average athletic player, a bit more depth at the wing, and a contingency plan in case Tony never stops being bad.

Agree with all your points.

I think we may be a bit impatient with this team. Let's hope the media doesn't jump on LMA if we start relatively slowly.

[SuperCam]

regular season i agree. i see another 4/5/6 seed team. too many guys need to rest, or get acclimated into the system, not as much depth, and too many tryhard teams like Clips and Warriors and OKC trying to win a regular season championship.

LMAlpha will be ready to go all the way by April though

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Agree with all your points.

I think we may be a bit impatient with this team. Let's hope the media doesn't jump on LMA if we start relatively slowly.

The only thing that can corral the media is if OKC also starts on the wrong foot. :lol This year is going to be nothing but Durant mania.

[kobyz]

Like i said, only the zen master could have maybe do somthing with this galacticos project, pop is soft and naive and not gonna handle it well...

[Horse]

The only thing that can corral the media is if OKC also starts on the wrong foot. :lol This year is going to be nothing but Durant mania.

Even the nba players on open court are sucking okc off. And the thing is we don't know what they will be with a rookie head coach and will Durant be the same. Their bench does not scare me and how will Donovan deal with primadona millionaires like westbrick.

[tmtcsc]

The Spurs need fresh legs at the pg position. If Tony doesn't have them, I'm not comfortable that the other guards can lead the team.

[tmtcsc]

Even the nba players on open court are sucking okc off. And the thing is we don't know what they will be with a rookie head coach and will Durant be the same. Their bench does not scare me and how will Donovan deal with primadona millionaires like westbrick.

I think OKC will be this year's biggest, most colossal disappointment. Other than a gimpy Durant and Westbrook, no one on that team is a real concern. Maybe Ibacka but even he's more of a role player. Forget Waiters and Kanter. Nothing to fear there.

[Chinook]

I hate that the Grizzlies keep getting lumped in with contenders. If Memphis loses in the second round, honestly, they overachieved. They are not one of the best four teams in the West. They aren't even one of the best five. GSW, HOU, SAC, OKC and LAC are all superior. I could even see NOP getting the best of them.

[RD2191]

I hate that the Grizzlies keep getting lumped in with contenders. If Memphis loses in the second round, honestly, they overachieved. They are not one of the best four teams in the West. They aren't even one of the best five. GSW, HOU, SAC, OKC and LAC are all superior. I could even see NOP getting the best of them.

Not sheriff serious tbh. Grizz have arguably been the 4th most successful team out West in recent memory.

[spursistan]

Zach Lowe predicting Chicago as top seed in East :wow

[Chinook]

Not sheriff serious tbh. Grizz have arguably been the 4th most successful team out West in recent memory.

Completely serious. They're hot garbage. Every playoff series win they've had for the past five years should have an asterisk. Crazy luck they have.

[RD2191]

Completely serious. They're hot garbage. Every playoff series win they've had for the past five years should have an asterisk. Crazy luck they have.

Idk about all that.:lol

[FromWayDowntown]

Not sheriff serious tbh. Grizz have arguably been the 4th most successful team out West in recent memory.

First round wins aren't exactly a barometer of success in the NBA, but I was surprised to discover that over the last 5 years, no team in the NBA has won more first round playoff games than Memphis.

It's a very odd number fueled by the fact that they've advanced 3 times and been eliminated in 7 games the other two years. But since 2011, the Grizzlies have won 18 first round games (4-3-4-3-4), which edges out the Spurs, who have won 17 first round games. OKC and MIA have each won 16, Chicago and Atlanta have each won 15, and the Clippers have won 14.

[spursistan]

The Grizllies are the Bulls of the East tbh..Seems like every team they have beaten in a series the past 4 years had one or two key players banged up or out with injury.. And when they were in a position to pull off of impressive upset like against OKC'14/Warriors'15, they ended up choking or had their limits/flaws exposed pretty badly late in a series..

[BatManu20]

Zach Lowe predicting Chicago as top seed in East :wow

Dumb take imo. Zach's better than that.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

LOL, it's already beginning... first comes the mass scurry of rat/roach media. then this titanic lma-sucking-fest takes all it's educated fools to davy jones locker, blind spurs fan and band-wagoner alike. then the idea that the students, Kerr and Bud, have become the teacher. brings some comfort, until the ultimate wake up call. with these students, much like Pop, it just won't be enough... davy jones will trade his most prized possession, the timberwolves, for the one who has eluded him for so long. Tim Duncan will embark on a voyage to the cold deep, while Kevin Garnett does his best Timmy smiling at the demise of laker-dwight impression.

[Chinook]

Idk about all that.:lol

They've won four playoff series:

2011 Spurs: Broken-arm Manu
2013 Clips: Injured Blake
2013 Thunder: Westbrook injury
2015 Blazers: Aldridge and Matthews injuries

They've lost each time they've gone up against a healthy opponent.

[Raven]

grizzlies are going nowhere.

[dabom]

They've won four playoff series:

2011 Spurs: Broken-arm Manu
2013 Clips: Injured Blake
2013 Thunder: Westbrook injury
2015 Blazers: Aldridge and Matthews injuries

They've lost each time they've gone up against a healthy opponent.

Chinook right on this one. Grizz suck. They don't have enough O power.

[dabom]

I still stand my belief we beat them healthy.

[kobyz]

I think OKC will be this year's biggest, most colossal disappointment. Other than a gimpy Durant and Westbrook, no one on that team is a real concern. Maybe Ibacka but even he's more of a role player. Forget Waiters and Kanter. Nothing to fear there.
They have real coach now and best interior defense in the league with Ibaka and hard nose Adams...

[dabom]

They have real coach now and best interior defense in the league with Ibaka and hard nose Adams...

Ibaka and adams? :lmao

[kobyz]

Ibaka and adams? :lmao

Shut up apa!

[BillMc]

I still stand my belief we beat them healthy.
+1

[kobyz]

+1

You really sucking off this piece of shit?

[SPURt]

I'm surprised the media isn't more concerned about Durant's foot. They should be sticking with GSW if they don't want to roll with the Spurs. They want Durant/Lebron to be the new Bird/Magic.

[SPURt]

You really sucking off this piece of shit?
I didn't know if you post "+1" that you are promising fellatio! I might owe some people...

[heyheymymy]

They've won four playoff series:

2011 Spurs: Broken-arm Manu
2013 Clips: Injured Blake
2013 Thunder: Westbrook injury
2015 Blazers: Aldridge and Matthews injuries

They've lost each time they've gone up against a healthy opponent.

interesting, never looked at it like that

[BillMc]

You really sucking off this piece of shit?

Not sure what that's about.

I agree with his statement that we'd beat OKC if healthy.

[K...]

Not sure what that's about.

I agree with his statement that we'd beat OKC if healthy.

Player fan rules. You have to always disagree with your opponents even if they are right. So even though I have no real reason to, I must by law, call you out as a kawhitard or pop sucker.

[daledondale]

grizzlies are going nowhere.
Always the same, of course.

[BillMc]

Player fan rules. You have to always disagree with your opponents even if they are right. So even though I have no real reason to, I must by law, call you out as a kawhitard or pop sucker.

:lolIf you want to, go ahead.

As I've said before, I've no interest in this "krew" stuff.

[itzsoweezee]

Dumb take imo. Zach's better than that.

Makes sense. Kyrie is out for a while. LeBron is going to rest a lot.

[baseline bum]

Saying "Spurs disappoint" is an easy call for him to make, it's basically just taking the field against the Spurs considering anything short of a title is going to be a disappointment with this roster.

[spursistan]

I think a regular season struggles in terms of W-L record wouldn't be as much of surprise in this stacked West for a team in Year 1 of retooling..Heck the Heatles in a joke conference only managed 58-24 with the best player in the league and two other superstars in their prime in 2011 but ended up gelling late in the season/playoffs despite falling just short of a title..

[Slime Baller]

I'm going in to the season with tempered expectations. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed.

[Old School 44]

One of these seasons' Tim will get old and/or the Spurs won't win 50+ games, and miss the playoffs altogether. Keep predicting it! I guarantee they (the media)will be right one year. And then they will all line up to tell everyone they said first.

[davidbowie]

calling it now. this is the first season in how ever many years its been now we dont win 50

MARK THE TAPE

[SpurPadre]

They've won four playoff series:

2011 Spurs: Broken-arm Manu
2013 Clips: Injured Blake
2013 Thunder: Westbrook injury
2015 Blazers: Aldridge and Matthews injuries

They've lost each time they've gone up against a healthy opponent.

But they did give the Dubs their toughest challenge in the WC playoffs.

[Chinook]

But they did give the Dubs their toughest challenge in the WC playoffs.

Yeah, over the eight seed and the hobbled Rockets. Awesome performance. Ws dropped two games to the one-man Cavs. They weren't nearly as dominant in the post-season as they're going to be remembered as being.

[SpurSwag]

The only prediction that shocked me was Milwaukee missing the playoffs, which I completely disagree with.

me too, i think they could end up being the 3rd or 4th best team in the east

[Killakobe81]

I hate that the Grizzlies keep getting lumped in with contenders. If Memphis loses in the second round, honestly, they overachieved. They are not one of the best four teams in the West. They aren't even one of the best five. GSW, HOU, SAC, OKC and LAC are all superior. I could even see NOP getting the best of them.

Memphis isnt great but they will be better than NOLA. Everyone sipping the Davis Kool-aid and yes I think he is great ... best prospect since LeBron and is already a top 5 player in the game probably top 3. But Pelicans wont crack top 5 unless the top 5 West teams suffer major injuries.

[Killakobe81]

Saying "Spurs disappoint" is an easy call for him to make, it's basically just taking the field against the Spurs considering anything short of a title is going to be a disappointment with this roster.

Agreed. School your fellow Spur fans ...

[DMC]

Catastrophic Weather Predicted: It could be nice all week, but it could rain just as easy. Some wind and clouds are not out of the question. That front moving in is something to watch for, but its hard to say. - GL weather

[313]

They have real coach now and best interior defense in the league with Ibaka and hard nose Adams...
:tu If healthy OKC should easily get the 1-2 seed.

[Arcadian]

:lol Thinking this team won't win 50 games... There aren't enough good teams for them not to. It's a lock.

[Maj_G]

It was about time to be honest, I kinda don't like it when everyone sees us as favorites. Spurs have always performed at their best when the media don't pay attention to them.

[Kawhitstorm]

They've won four playoff series:

2011 Spurs: Broken-arm Manu
2013 Clips: Injured Blake
2013 Thunder: Westbrook injury
2015 Blazers: Aldridge and Matthews injuries

They've lost each time they've gone up against a healthy opponent.

That's biased as fuck:

2011: Gay missed the entire postseason w/ a shoulder injury & they still pushed OKC to 7 games
2012: Z-Bo tore his MCL & Darrell Arthur tore his ACL & they still pushed the Clipper to 7 games
2013: Z-Bo was playing w/ a fucked up ankle against the Clippers
2014: Pondexter missed the entire postseason w/ injury & Gasol was playing w/ a sprained MCL. Z-Bo also got suspended for Gm 7.
2015: Conley fractured his orbital & Tony Allen pulled his hamstring

They have had a HEALTHY OKC/Warriors team on their knees despite not having all their horses.

[Kawhitstorm]

Memphis isnt great but they will be better than NOLA. Everyone sipping the Davis Kool-aid and yes I think he is great ... best prospect since LeBron and is already a top 5 player in the game probably top 3. But Pelicans wont crack top 5 unless the top 5 West teams suffer major injuries.

They could have won 50 games if Tyreke/Holiday weren't limping; whether 50 wins crack the top 5 is another story.

[ceperez]

This definitely is a disappointment:

http://giant.gfycat.com/NearIncompleteHarvestmouse.gif

[Chinook]

That's biased as fuck:

2011: Gay missed the entire postseason w/ a shoulder injury & they still pushed OKC to 7 games

You say 'Gay missed the entire postseason' as if that's not the reason why they advanced. They lost in the first round with a healthy Gay the next year and then traded him.


2012: Z-Bo tore his MCL & Darrell Arthur tore his ACL & they still pushed the Clipper to 7 games

Obviously, the Z-Bo injury is big, the Arthur one isn't. And you're putting too much emphasis on pushing a team to seven games. Dallas pushed the Spurs to seven in 2014, but they weren't the SA's league at all.


2013: Z-Bo was playing w/ a fucked up ankle against the Clippers

Messed up ankle for a ground-bound Z-Bo is not in the same zip code as torn meniscus for a high-flyer like Blake. Nothing to say about Westbrook obviously.


2014: Pondexter missed the entire postseason w/ injury & Gasol was playing w/ a sprained MCL. Z-Bo also got suspended for Gm 7.

:lol Trying to act like Pondexter was a big loss. They traded him essentially for nothing a few months later. Gasol play and played well in that game. It was a relative boo-boo compared his opponents. He played on the national team just fine that summer.


2015: Conley fractured his orbital & Tony Allen pulled his hamstring

Yeah, and they lost.


They have had a HEALTHY OKC/Warriors team on their knees despite not having all their horses.

Lol, they got shrugged off when it mattered, especially by the Warriors. Again, you're putting too much stock into playing teams tough. When you keep losing, it doesn't make a difference.


They are also the only team to defeat OKC/Clippers/Spurs under any circumstance since 2011.

I know in your mind that's profound, but it's actually pretty silly. The Spurs and Thunder have been the class of the conference during that span. At least one has been in the conference finals 4/5 years, and 3/5, they've represented their conference in the Finals. Both OKC and SAS have beaten the other two of that trio, so they literally did everything they could to match Memphis' mark. That the Grizzlies' "circumstance" for beating those team has been the best or second-best player from those squads suffering a major injury complete calls into question the ability for us to glean anything useful from that claim. These weren't role-players (like Pon and Arthur) or cancers (like Gay) missing games or being at like 25 percent; it was legitimate All-NBA players. Memphis' losses just don't compare.


In 2011, it's common knowledge that Tony got locked up by Conley, Tim got neutralized by Gasol, Jefferson sucked balls, G.Hill was underwhelming, Pop fucked up playing Bonner over Splitter & there was no slowing down Z-Bo w/ McDyess. The Spurs inability to make an outside shot was the nail in the coffin.

So? There are always going to be in-game reasons why teams lose, no matter what outside circumstances handicapped them. If LMA and Kawhi burst into flames before a Spurs' series loss to Memphis, SA would still lose due to an X's and O's reason. Doesn't mean that those two guys not being there didn't matter.

[Uriel]

It's amazing how quickly the national media turned on the Spurs, from proclaiming them "indisputable favorites" in July to behind the Cavaliers, Warriors, and even Rockets / Clippers / OKC in October.

[weebo]

I don't get the OKC love, tbh. Wayyyy...too many question marks on that team to take them seriously.

[FkLA]

The Grizzlies are stuck in the good but not great area. High floor, low ceiling team. They aren't winning shit unless they add a major piece to their current core tbh.

[FkLA]

This definitely is a disappointment:

http://giant.gfycat.com/NearIncompleteHarvestmouse.gif

Missed this game. Manu is a fucking magician tbh.

[Kawhitstorm]

You say 'Gay missed the entire postseason' as if that's not the reason why they advanced. They lost in the first round with a healthy Gay the next year and then traded him.



Obviously, the Z-Bo injury is big, the Arthur one isn't. And you're putting too much emphasis on pushing a team to seven games. Dallas pushed the Spurs to seven in 2014, but they weren't the SA's league at all.



Messed up ankle for a ground-bound Z-Bo is not in the same zip code as torn meniscus for a high-flyer like Blake. Nothing to say about Westbrook obviously.



:lol Trying to act like Pondexter was a big loss. They traded him essentially for nothing a few months later. Gasol play and played well in that game. It was a relative boo-boo compared his opponents. He played on the national team just fine that summer.



Yeah, and they lost.



Lol, they got shrugged off when it mattered, especially by the Warriors. Again, you're putting too much stock into playing teams tough. When you keep losing, it doesn't make a difference.



I know in your mind that's profound, but it's actually pretty silly. The Spurs and Thunder have been the class of the conference during that span. At least one has been in the conference finals 4/5 years, and 3/5, they've represented their conference in the Finals. Both OKC and SAS have beaten the other two of that trio, so they literally did everything they could to match Memphis' mark. That the Grizzlies' "circumstance" for beating those team has been the best or second-best player from those squads suffering a major injury complete calls into question the ability for us to glean anything useful from that claim. These weren't role-players (like Pon and Arthur) or cancers (like Gay) missing games or being at like 25 percent; it was legitimate All-NBA players. Memphis' losses just don't compare.



So? There are always going to be in-game reasons why teams lose, no matter what outside circumstances handicapped them. If LMA and Kawhi burst into flames before a Spurs' series loss to Memphis, SA would still lose due to an X's and O's reason. Doesn't mean that those two guys not being there didn't matter.

2011: Are you telling me Gay couldn't have come off the bench & helped them against OKC when Sam Young was complete doo-doo? That's basically what D-Lee did for the Warriors in Gm 3 against the Cavs when Draymond was looking discombobulated for the first 2 games.

2012: Rudy played just fine against the Clippers, it was Mayo that wet the bed. Arthur was a very valuable backup that killed the Spurs in 2011 & would have be useful against Blake/DeAndre but the guy never recovered after his knee injury. LoL @ trying to compare the 2012 Grizz/Clips to 2014 Spurs/Mavs when the Mavs got annihilated in Gm 7 when the Spurs finally played a complete game.

2013: WTF...Blake NEVER tore his meniscus that was Westbrook but nice story bro. Blake had a HIGH ankle sprain while Z-Bo had a grade 2 ankle sprain. The difference was that Z-Bo manned up & played through it w/o bitching. Z-Bo looked terrible against the Spurs in part b/c of this reason even then it took 2 overtime games & Tony playing like an MVP to defeat them despite Tayshaun Prince being absolutely useless.

2014: They had OKC on the brink of elimination before Reggie Jackson rescued the ship in Gm 4. They were also leading at halftime in Gm 7 while playing w/o Z-Bo but Gasol run out of gas after dominating the 1st half. LoL @ Gasol's knee injury not being a big deal when he had a steep drop off defensively following his DPOY campaign b/c he couldn't move laterally. Dude wasn't a 100% when they lost to France either. Pondexter would have helped them coming off the bench as he's one of the few who can make 3s & score coming of their bench (he was their LEADING scorer in 2013 against the Spurs & would have played over wack ass Prince in 2014 vs OKC).

2015: Conley couldn't go at Curry who was able to rest on defense & Tony Allen wasn't effective enough on defense after he aggravate his hamstring to be a rotation player.

The issue w/ the Grizzles is that they don't have an individual superstar that can steal games & thus they have to play a complete game to win. You actually see them lose games even when they outplay their opponents because they are at times trading 2s for 3s. They are like a baseball team who wins game w/ small ball & pitching.

Say what you like about 2011 but Z-Bo went beast mode & won the series otherwise you are acting like OKC fans bitching about the Ibaka injury in 2014. Tony being neutralized by baby Conley, Jefferson coming up small & being outplayed by Sam Young, McDyess not being able to handle Z-Bo, G.Hill being underwhelming, Spurs not being able to make an outside shot & Pop making dumb coaching decisions isn't the Grizzlies fault. The Spurs lost that series mainly b/c they got smashed inside & there was nothing a healthy Manu was going to do about it.

[Chinook]

2011: Are you telling me Gay couldn't have come off the bench & helped them against OKC when Sam Young was complete doo-doo? That's basically what D-Lee did for the Warriors in Gm 3 against the Cavs when Draymond was looking discombobulated for the first 2 games.

Come off the bench? Gay was a max player and their first option. He would have chucked them out of the series. Again, they traded him and made their way to the WCF the next year. I know it's because they managed to find two injured teams, but still, they were better without him.


2012: Rudy played just fine against the Clippers, it was Mayo that wet the bed. Arthur was a very valuable backup that killed the Spurs in 2011 & would have be useful against Blake/DeAndre. LoL @ trying to compare the 2012 Grizz/Clips to 2014 Spurs/Mavs when the Mavs got annihilated in Gm 7 when the Spurs finally played a complete game.

Again, you're comparing losing a "useful player" (especially one that's a journeyman now) to losing an All-NBA talent. It's just not the same. And playing tough against a team that got swept in the next round is hardly a feat.


2013: WTF...Blake NEVER tore his meniscus that was Westbrook but nice story bro. Blake had a HIGH ankle sprain while Z-Bo had a grade 2 ankle sprain. The difference was that Z-Bo manned up & played through it w/o bitching. Z-Bo looked terrible against the Spurs in part b/c of this reason even then it took 2 overtime games & Tony playing like an MVP to defeat them despite Tayshaun Prince being absolutely useless.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/7/12/3155439/blake-griffin-injury-knee-team-usa-olympics-2012

It was the previous year that he tore his meniscus. My bad on thinking it was his injury against the Grizz, but it happen. Anyway, yeah, he was hobbled. Lol at you thinking a high ankle sprain is somehow a minor injury. Most guys miss time with it. That it severely hindered Blake's mobility and most of Blake's impact came from his mobility just added to how big of a deal it was. Again, Z-bo is not athletic, so the fact that his knee was bad didn't really hinder his game.

An lol a lot at thinking the Grizz played the Spurs tough. They got swept, and no sweep is ever close. Memphis fans can feel better about themselves that they could at least watch all of two of those games, but there was no question that the Spurs were the dominant team. And again, having useless players like Tayshaun and Allen on offense is exactly why Memphis sucks, in addition to them playing an antiquated style and have a pretty low talent level compared to the actual contenders.


2014: They had OKC on the brink of elimination before Reggie Jackson rescued the ship in Gm 4. They were also leading at halftime in Gm 7 while playing w/o Z-Bo but Gasol run out of gas after dominating the 1st half. LoL @ Gasol's knee injury not being a big deal when he had a steep drop off defensively following his DPOY campaign b/c he couldn't move laterally. Dude wasn't a 100% when they lost to France either.

Having the lead at half-time. It just gets better. Heat had a huge lead on the Spurs in Game Five of the 2014 Finals. I guess we're supposed to give them credit for that even though the Spurs proceeded to bitch-slap Miami en route to another blowout? Don't get me wrong, Durant and Westbrook pulled some shots out of their asses in a few games in that series. But you can't take credit for consistently losing close games. It just means you're anti-clutch.


2015: Conley couldn't go at Curry who was able to rest on defense & Tony Allen wasn't effective enough on defense after he aggravate his hamstring to be a rotation player.

Even elevating Conley (of whom I'm actually a big fan) and Allen to equal worth as the All-NBAers that other teams lost, the WCSF wasn't close. The Grizz were up 2-1 and proceeded to get blasted for three straight games. Having an early lead and losing it doesn't really deserve credit. That's why the playoffs have multiple games -- to weed out try-hard teams and let the superior teams advance.


The issue w/ the Grizzles is that they don't have an individual superstar that can steal games & thus they have to play a complete game to win. You actually see them lose games even when they outplay their opponents because they are at times trading 2s for 3s.

Well that and that they're just not very good for reasons I've already listed. They're relying on an aging big to carry them using a globally inefficient form of offense. They have a couple of very good players, but no one transcendental. They have too many guys who can be game-planned out of a series. They rely on journeymen having career games to stay afloat. Then they don't even keep those players. There are weaker teams in the West (like Portland last year) that they can dominate. But they really don't have the means to win against an upper-tier West team on an even playing field. They give a good go and then get shrugged off. Maybe they could beat Houston if Allen can play Harden aggressively, as that team is likely to break down if pressured without the benefit of the whistle. But that's pretty much it.

[SAGirl]

Catastrophic Weather Predicted: It could be nice all week, but it could rain just as easy. Some wind and clouds are not out of the question. That front moving in is something to watch for, but its hard to say. - GL weather
:lmao
:flag:

[tholdren]

This is my take since the Lma west deals.
The spurs will disappoint. They can only please the media with 82-0.
The biggest coaching season for pop, how will spurs handle the attention...
Spurs will only go as far as Danny green takes them. In the playoffs he will be a bigger factor than kl. Just like last year, when pip does his usual playoff sabotage with rotations green will be out there. He will have to hit a shot, even when kl and Tony will try to hero ball and fail.

[kobyz]

Not sure what that's about.

I agree with his statement that we'd beat OKC if healthy.

First of all that statement should not be said, it's pathetic and not serious to talk this shit right now with spurs coming of a first round embarrassment and with all the question marks spurs have, and even if not it always better to stay humble and under the radar... Second of all you should not give that bitch troll and an apalisoc alt any feedback at all especially not an +1!

[Sean Cagney]

The Grizllies are the Bulls of the East tbh..Seems like every team they have beaten in a series the past 4 years had one or two key players banged up or out with injury.. And when they were in a position to pull off of impressive upset like against OKC'14/Warriors'15, they ended up choking or had their limits/flaws exposed pretty badly late in a series..

Dead on...

[tholdren]

It's amazing how quickly the national media turned on the Spurs, from proclaiming them "indisputable favorites" in July to behind the Cavaliers, Warriors, and even Rockets / Clippers / OKC in October.

Why is that amazing? That should be "expected." Media can do that because the world is full of melt-downers who crumble over any headline.... It's exactly what makes this message board so much fun.

[spurs10]

'Spurs will disappoint if you are stupid enough to bet against them.

[K...]

I see the spurs delivering some mind numbingly hot basketball, and some absolutely lifeless losses to scrub athletic teams we can't defend. Like last year, but higher highs and hopefully more disciplined near the end of the season. Last year was so dependent on healthy Parker which was a huge disappointment. This year, it's hopefully fixable issues like effort and chemistry, although I could see the spurs consistently losing to certain teams

[kobyz]

Fuck Pop and his primitive, full of himself mind, with all the length we have it's a negligence not to play zone defense helf the time...

[kobyz]

They have real coach now and best interior defense in the league with Ibaka and hard nose Adams...

Too bad i was right once again...

[Killakobe81]

I think OKC will be this year's biggest, most colossal disappointment. Other than a gimpy Durant and Westbrook, no one on that team is a real concern. Maybe Ibacka but even he's more of a role player. Forget Waiters and Kanter. Nothing to fear there.

not your best take brother ...

[tmtcsc]

not your best take brother ...

No it wasn't. Fucking Adams stepped up his game and made himself a factor without scoring much. Gotta respect that. Nothing westbrook and durant did was out of the ordinary or surprising. Adams surprised and impressed me with his competitiveness.

[tmtcsc]

The only prediction that shocked me was Milwaukee missing the playoffs, which I completely disagree with.

Welp.

[tmtcsc]

calling it now. this is the first season in how ever many years its been now we dont win 50

MARK THE TAPE

Lol, your shitty prediction trumped mine. I said OKC was going to be this year's biggest disappointment. At least they earned the right to be swept by Golden State.

[Horse]

Fuck this without the refs they are shit

[davidbowie]

Lol, your shitty prediction trumped mine. I said OKC was going to be this year's biggest disappointment. At least they earned the right to be swept by Golden State.

:lmao

oops

[adidas11]

Ibaka and adams? :lmao

:lol

[K...]

They have real coach now and best interior defense in the league with Ibaka and hard nose Adams...

On point....

[InRareForm]

I love check up on your predictions bumps

[DMC]

It could rain tomorrow, it could be more than expected. I believe the wind will be out of the SE, but things could change quickly. If it's sunny instead, that's a bonus, but don't be surprised if it's at least partly cloudy.

I'll bump this on Sunday if correct.

[tmtcsc]

That's the thing about predictions, if you put it out there you gotta be able to man-up if you're wrong. I was wrong. I've had my share of being right. Props to OKC for finding another gear and actually improving during the playoffs.

[dbreiden83080]

It's amazing how quickly the national media turned on the Spurs, from proclaiming them "indisputable favorites" in July to behind the Cavaliers, Warriors, and even Rockets / Clippers / OKC in October.

And it's amazing how the fans around here turn into spoiled and selfish clowns. When the Spurs won the championship two years ago, to me I was completely fulfilled. I never demanded another thing from them as a fan. After five that is how most fans should've felt. But no they still whine and bitch and point fingers nonstop when a championship doesn't come. You have LeBron James, a player that is regarded as a top five player of all time with only two rings. And in reality is not very likely to win anymore. But Spurs fans are still bitching because we didn't win six or seven. It's sad.

[kobyz]

And it's amazing how the fans around here turn into spoiled and selfish clowns. When the Spurs won the championship two years ago, to me I was completely fulfilled. I never demanded another thing from them as a fan. After five that is how most fans should've felt. But no they still whine and bitch and point fingers nonstop when a championship doesn't come. You have LeBron James, a player that is regarded as a top five player of all time with only two rings. And in reality is not very likely to win anymore. But Spurs fans are still bitching because we didn't win six or seven. It's sad.

You are a faggot and a soft pussy, your mentality is the reason we never repeat, why we so soft mentally team and underachiever with all those fucking up title oportonities... Spurs fans should bitch cause they are the much cursed in sport and keep eating shit with the most heartbreaking moments...

[dbreiden83080]

You are a faggot and a soft pussy, your mentality is the reason we never repeat, why we so soft mentally team and underachiever with all those fucking up title oportonities... Spurs fans should bitch cause they are the much cursed in sport and keep eating shit with the most heartbreaking moments...

Let me get this straight. I am a homosexual because I think certain Spurs fans are selfish. Wow you are a goddamn genius.

[daslicer]

That's the thing about predictions, if you put it out there you gotta be able to man-up if you're wrong. I was wrong. I've had my share of being right. Props to OKC for finding another gear and actually improving during the playoffs.

Pretty much this it's easy to talk shit when your right at bump old threads but very few can bump threads in which they wrong.

[GSH]

That's the thing about predictions, if you put it out there you gotta be able to man-up if you're wrong. I was wrong. I've had my share of being right. Props to OKC for finding another gear and actually improving during the playoffs.

:tu

This post should be stickied. The whole of ST would be better if more people could just say the words, "I was wrong", and move on. +Bonus Points for having, and keeping, one of the best avatars in history.

Have a good offseason.

[DarrinS]

You are a faggot and a soft pussy, your mentality is the reason we never repeat, why we so soft mentally team and underachiever with all those fucking up title oportonities... Spurs fans should bitch cause they are the much cursed in sport and keep eating shit with the most heartbreaking moments...

Wow. You call someone a pussy and the play the "we're cursed" card? :lmao

:cry heartbreaking :cry

I'll tell you what -- go put on your jammies and have mommy read you a bedtime story.

[UZER]

:tu

This post should be stickied. The whole of ST would be better if more people could just say the words, "I was wrong", and move on. +Bonus Points for having, and keeping, one of the best avatars in history.

Have a good offseason.

Instead, they post a wall of stats that nobody wants to scrub through and think thats a win.

[kobyz]

With all the off season moves and all the expectations this team had, the way this team got beat had to be one of the biggest crashes ever from a so called contender...

[Harry Callahan]

Let me get this straight. I am a homosexual because I think certain Spurs fans are selfish. Wow you are a goddamn genius.

Don't try and reason with a 'tard. It will frustrate you.

[tmtcsc]

:tu

This post should be stickied. The whole of ST would be better if more people could just say the words, "I was wrong", and move on. +Bonus Points for having, and keeping, one of the best avatars in history.

Have a good offseason.

:toast Same to you GSH.

[tholdren]

This is my take since the Lma west deals.
The spurs will disappoint. They can only please the media with 82-0.
The biggest coaching season for pop, how will spurs handle the attention...
Spurs will only go as far as Danny green takes them. In the playoffs he will be a bigger factor than kl. Just like last year, when pip does his usual playoff sabotage with rotations green will be out there. He will have to hit a shot, even when kl and Tony will try to hero ball and fail.

[tmtcsc]

Too bad i was right once again...

:toast