Zach Lowe ranks the Spurs as bottom-tier team in his "league pass" ranking..

[spursistan]

Kawhi-praise notwithstanding..

The Beautiful Game :cry


19. SAN ANTONIO SPURS (29)

The megaphone homerism of San Antonio's broadcast crew always hurts here, but it is stunning -- and probably stupid -- to see the Spurs 19th. Kawhi Leonard is the first perimeter defender since Scottie Pippen and Gary Payton so impossible to navigate, opponents just give up the ball and say, "Here, I can't deal with this dude." He gobbles up steals without gambling his way out of position or fouling -- a delicate balance almost literally no one else can strike. I'd watch a full-game camera showing only Leonard playing defense over the tanking nonsense that masquerades as basketball in April.
But there is something a little passé about these guys. The passing style that shell-shocked the league from 2010-2014 has run its course. When these Spurs ape that strategy, they will look like a slower version of the old Millsap/Horford Hawks, with LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol manning opposite wings. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili don't have the ballhandling verve of years past, and if Parker can't flit to the rim against postseason defenses, San Antonio might face a dribbling deficit.
The Spurs make up for it by slowing down for Leonard and Aldridge post-ups, but those aren't must-see TV unless Aldridge gets on one of his fadeaway hot streaks. The bench beyond Ginobili and the effervescent Patty Mills is a collection of unknowns and retreads, though Jonathon Simmons brings a fun, breakneck, drive-and-dish game.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17681632/the-annual-nba-league-pass-rankings-part-1

[spursistan]

How is the antiquated and washed Memphis core ahead of us? :lol

[RD2191]

So there are 18 better teams than the Spurs this year? Yeah, sure buddy. :lol

[Clipper Nation]

So there are 18 better teams than the Spurs this year? Yeah, sure buddy. :lol

That's not what he's saying. He's ranking the teams on how fun he thinks they'll be to watch, not on how good he thinks they'll be.

[TimDunkem]

Wow. And he's supposed to be one of the better writers around the league. Lol Clearly, basketball analysis isn't his thing...18 teams more fun to watch?

[spursistan]

no this is an all around "watchability" ranking of teams..

[HarlemHeat37]

Pretty accurate..last year's team was straight out of the 90s, hideous basketball, tbh..

Outside of Kawhi's defense and the occasional Ginobili highlight pass(turnover or not:lol), the team can be pretty painful to watch, at times..

[Arcadian]

Meh. If this list is just based on entertainment value, it's pointless...obviously people are going to watch their favorite teams regardless.

I scrolled down and saw a video on whether or not David Blatt deserves a ring. To that I say, yes...he was a better coach than Lue.

[HarlemHeat37]

Speaking of hideous, I was on YouTube the other day and ended up on Spurs-Knicks game 5 through the related videos section..the first NBA games I ever attended were during those Finals', but wow, nostalgia aside, those games don't hold up today:lol..some of the ugliest basketball you'll ever see..

[Obstructed_View]

Pretty accurate..last year's team was straight out of the 90s, hideous basketball, tbh..

Outside of Kawhi's defense and the occasional Ginobili highlight pass(turnover or not:lol), the team can be pretty painful to watch, at times..

Yeah, I loved when the Spurs played lock down defense, and I loved when their pick and roll game was rolling, but watching the Spurs isolate and take midrange jumpers was maddening.

[FromWayDowntown]

Speaking of hideous, I was on YouTube the other day and ended up on Spurs-Knicks game 5 through the related videos section..the first NBA games I ever attended were during those Finals', but wow, nostalgia aside, those games don't hold up today:lol..some of the ugliest basketball you'll ever see..

As hard as it is to imagine, some of the games in the 2003 Finals are much worse, in my view. In 6 games, the Spurs never managed to score 20 points in any first quarter in that series and only ever got to 30 in a quarter 1 time -- the 4th quarter of Game 6, when they hit 31. In the 2nd quarter of Game 3 of that series, the teams combined for 27 points (SA 18, NJ 9), and the Spurs led at halftime by 3 -- 33-30.

Some will say it was good defense, but watching those games now, it's really hard to watch.

[Kawhitstorm]

Speaking of hideous, I was on YouTube the other day and ended up on Spurs-Knicks game 5 through the related videos section..the first NBA games I ever attended were during those Finals', but wow, nostalgia aside, those games don't hold up today:lol..some of the ugliest basketball you'll ever see..

It was the NBC broadcast that made it entertaining. NBC losing the TV right to Disney after the Lakers 3-peat was one of the reason early 2000s NBA took a nosedive as far as TV audience. I'm not surprised that watching 90s NBA in person was a shitty experience.:lol

[Spur|n|Austin]

So there are 18 better teams than the Spurs this year? Yeah, sure buddy. :lol

League Pass Rankings..

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17681632/the-annual-nba-league-pass-rankings-part-1

[RD2191]

My bad. I clearly jumped to conclusions before I read the article thoroughly. Still, the Spurs will be fun to watch beat of the unknowns.

[Kawhitstorm]

As hard as it is to imagine, some of the games in the 2003 Finals are much worse, in my view. In 6 games, the Spurs never managed to score 20 points in any first quarter in that series and only ever got to 30 in a quarter 1 time -- the 4th quarter of Game 6, when they hit 31. In the 2nd quarter of Game 3 of that series, the teams combined for 27 points (SA 18, NJ 9), and the Spurs led at halftime by 3 -- 33-30.

Some will say it was good defense, but watching those games now, it's really hard to watch.

The Nets shooting performance in the 2003 Finals was atrocious, the worst in modern day NBA & the '99 Knicks are second on the list.:lol

Twin-Towers:worthy:

[Obstructed_View]

As hard as it is to imagine, some of the games in the 2003 Finals are much worse, in my view. In 6 games, the Spurs never managed to score 20 points in any first quarter in that series and only ever got to 30 in a quarter 1 time -- the 4th quarter of Game 6, when they hit 31. In the 2nd quarter of Game 3 of that series, the teams combined for 27 points (SA 18, NJ 9), and the Spurs led at halftime by 3 -- 33-30.

Some will say it was good defense, but watching those games now, it's really hard to watch.

That team was by far the most talented of any of the title times, IMO, but they were really undisciplined. They were able to just turn it on when they wanted, which made for maddening basketball a lot of the time.

[GSH]

Not fun to watch? They've been bitching the Spurs about that for most of the last almost-20 years, and 5 Championships. I expect it's not much fun for the other fans in the league to watch their teams get beaten so often by one team. I hop they're just as boring to watch as the '03 and '05 teams.

[bklynspursfan]

That team was by far the most talented of any of the title times, IMO, but they were really undisciplined. They were able to just turn it on when they wanted, which made for maddening basketball a lot of the time.

The 03 team? I feel like the 14 or even 07 team were more talented. 03 team had lots of new/old guys and TD lol

[ElNono]

looks like Lowe isn't too high on lettucehead...

[SAGirl]

looks like Lowe isn't too high on lettucehead...
and too high on J.Simms. he will be disappointed unfortunately.:wakeup

[MI21]

I don't know about #19, but yeah, the Spurs aren't what they used to be in terms of watchability, that's for sure.

That is diminished this year with Timmy, despite his injuries, lack of athleticism and decline, it was still fun to watch him block shots of more athletic players, bust out the occasional throwback post-move and throw great outlets and passes from the elbow.

[MI21]

looks like Lowe isn't too high on lettucehead...

That's a new one and very accurate, thanks :tu

[Kawhitstorm]

Pretty accurate..last year's team was straight out of the 90s, hideous basketball, tbh..

Outside of Kawhi's defense and the occasional Ginobili highlight pass(turnover or not:lol), the team can be pretty painful to watch, at times..

He has the Hawks ranked 25 despite them playing the "Beautiful Game":wakeup

[Spur Bank]

For what it's worth, he had them 12th last year...: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-annual-nba-league-pass-rankings-part-2-2/

and 4th the year before, after the championship: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-annual-nba-league-pass-rankings-part-2/

[baseline bum]

That's not what he's saying. He's ranking the teams on how fun he thinks they'll be to watch, not on how good he thinks they'll be.

He better have Houston #30 since no one wants to watch Harden shooting free throws all night.

[SPURt]

Well this is the type of stuff that generates page views I guess...

[TheGreatYacht]

The beautiful game died in 2014.

The Spurs drafted iceberg head in 2014.

You be the judge.

[SAGirl]

For what it's worth, he had them 12th last year...: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-annual-nba-league-pass-rankings-part-2-2/

and 4th the year before, after the championship: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-annual-nba-league-pass-rankings-part-2/

He must not like Kawhi and the ISO/Post up game, despite giving him all the accolades. How can you equate him to someone transcendental like Pippen and say he's unwatchable... then praise J.Simms :lmao

I think Lowe is down to new lows lol

[SAGirl]

The beautiful game died in 2014.

The Spurs drafted iceberg head in 2014.

You be the judge.
:lol
He really only played last season. I actually thought last season the end of the bench was the most watchable it's been since I have been a fan. It's why J.Simms caught on, and it's how Boban got his following and anderson was the PG of that crew. I enjoyed watching that group quite a bit... in fact I miss Boban...

Team took a tumble in watchability with Deadman though... big time. Hope to be wrong obviously lol

[Russ]

Maybe he's right. :wow

[Sean Cagney]

As hard as it is to imagine, some of the games in the 2003 Finals are much worse, in my view. In 6 games, the Spurs never managed to score 20 points in any first quarter in that series and only ever got to 30 in a quarter 1 time -- the 4th quarter of Game 6, when they hit 31. In the 2nd quarter of Game 3 of that series, the teams combined for 27 points (SA 18, NJ 9), and the Spurs led at halftime by 3 -- 33-30.

Some will say it was good defense, but watching those games now, it's really hard to watch.I remember Bill Walton saying there was an offensive explosion joking around because the Scores in that series were so low. Some of it was very painful to watch, especially if you are not a fan of the two teams. I remember the 33-30 game, my GOD that was an ugly first half.

[HarlemHeat37]

It was the NBC broadcast that made it entertaining. NBC losing the TV right to Disney after the Lakers 3-peat was one of the reason early 2000s NBA took a nosedive as far as TV audience. I'm not surprised that watching 90s NBA in person was a shitty experience.:lol

I was only 9 years old at the time, so it was still really exciting and the only reference point I had for live NBA ball, tbh..it's just dull when I watch it nowadays:lol

[HarlemHeat37]

As hard as it is to imagine, some of the games in the 2003 Finals are much worse, in my view. In 6 games, the Spurs never managed to score 20 points in any first quarter in that series and only ever got to 30 in a quarter 1 time -- the 4th quarter of Game 6, when they hit 31. In the 2nd quarter of Game 3 of that series, the teams combined for 27 points (SA 18, NJ 9), and the Spurs led at halftime by 3 -- 33-30.

Some will say it was good defense, but watching those games now, it's really hard to watch.

Yep..I loved watching those Spurs at the time, but there isn't much appeal for re-watching..

Unfortunately, Tim's legacy with the mainstream media and casual fan has been negatively affected by those years, too..not because the Spurs were boring(90%+ of the teams in the NBA were boring during those seasons), but because it was a dark age for the league as a whole(reflected in the ratings)..many people did not experience Tim's peak and dominance and only remember him as a great player in a great system..

[lefty]

:lol today's NBA

[TD 21]

I've touched on this before, but Lowe has become extremely biased as he's gained more currency around the league. Whoever he's buddy buddy with, he props up; whoever is more guarded, he shits on. What's worse, his word has become gospel for his disciples of snobby, stat geek wannabes, with their group think.

Obviously, the Spurs aren't at their '12-'14 zenith, but 19th is still ridiculous.

[baseline bum]

I remember Bill Walton saying there was an offensive explosion joking around because the Scores in that series were so low. Some of it was very painful to watch, especially if you are not a fan of the two teams. I remember the 33-30 game, my GOD that was an ugly first half.

LOL I remember watching a game in the 1986 Finals where the Rockets only had 38 at the half and thinking it was the worst basketball ever played.

[SAGirl]

I've touched on this before, but Lowe has become extremely biased as he's gained more currency around the league. Whoever he's buddy buddy with, he props up; whoever is more guarded, he shits on. What's worse, his word has become gospel for his disciples of snobby, stat geek wannabes, with their group think.

Obviously, the Spurs aren't at their '12-'14 zenith, but 19th is still ridiculous.
I don't know about Lowe overall, and specially over time, but the few articles or analysis he's geeked out and that have been around here, seem very biased. Obviously, watchability is entirely subjective and personal.
I enjoy watching Anderson for example... nothing more need be said.

But to acknowledge Kawhi as a transcendental talent who is still 25 and not maxed up on his potential, then say he and his team are 19th in the league in watchability is hypocritical. It's basically him saying that he's not a fan.

[TD 21]

I don't know about Lowe overall, and specially over time, but the few articles or analysis he's geeked out and that have been around here, seem very biased. Obviously, watchability is entirely subjective and personal.
I enjoy watching Anderson for example... nothing more need be said.

But to acknowledge Kawhi as a transcendental talent who is still 25 and not maxed up on his potential, then say he and his team are 19th in the league in watchability is hypocritical. It's basically him saying that he's not a fan.

It is subjective and personal of course, but within' reason. To have the other 3 elite teams in the top 3 and the 4th 19th (as if they're the Pacers or Grizzlies) is ridiculous.

I agree, it is hypocritical. So is his obsession with Marc and dislike for Pau, as if they're drastically different players.

[alpha_HaZE]

The bench beyond Ginobili and the effervescent Patty Mills is a collection of unknowns and retreads

I don't see how you can argue against that.

[Kawhitstorm]

I've touched on this before, but Lowe has become extremely biased as he's gained more currency around the league. Whoever he's buddy buddy with, he props up; whoever is more guarded, he shits on. What's worse, his word has become gospel for his disciples of snobby, stat geek wannabes, with their group think.

Obviously, the Spurs aren't at their '12-'14 zenith, but 19th is still ridiculous.

Zach Hoe was a niche journalist who used to shade light on underappreciated players & such but now he has become a mainstream journalist who makes outlandish claims such as the Rockets being the "Dark Horse" or Marc Gasol being a top 10 player using the same logic that made him a darling of the analytical community.

[SAGirl]

I don't see how you can argue against that.
Still not a reason to bust them to 19th. the 8-12th men on a team are seldom the reason to turn up the watchability of any team. I doubt I can even name those guys for any other team that is not the Spurs in fact and they are not the reason I would watch any other team.

(I suppose, unless you are a fan of a local player like the Argentineans who root for their local Garino, or unless it's a player that one linked since college, like me and Anderson, or unless it's Boban, and one never really knew if Boban was playing) Diaw is a huge loss in watchability IMO, but he seldom showed up for games actually. That is just an excuse by Lowe.

[Chucho]

LOL trying to quantify subjectivity.

[gambit1990]

LOL trying to quantify subjectivity.
/thread

[SAGirl]

Well it's a popularity contest then. Are the Spurs almost within the last third in the league in terms of popularity?

[gambit1990]

Well it's a popularity contest then. Are the Spurs almost within the last third in the league in terms of popularity?
no.

he was just being subjective.

[Keepin' it real]

Well, I canceled my league pass for the first time in 5 years, so I guess I concur with Lowe.

[Spurtacular]

What team has announcers that aren't homers? I believe the Spurs have some of the best announcers in the game, too. That's what makes the analysis extra stupid.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

About right. As much as people claim they want old school centers and post up basketball, mostly everyone prefers watching run and gun.

[Fireball]

with Boban we would rank Top 5 because he would have to play as the third big

[sananspursfan21]

If I weren't a fan, I sure wouldn't watch em.

[skin27]

thisis a joke

[Obstructed_View]

The 03 team? I feel like the 14 or even 07 team were more talented. 03 team had lots of new/old guys and TD lol

Literally every Spurs team was a mix of new guys, old guys and Duncan. And just because I think the '03 team has the most talent, doesn't mean I think they could necessarily beat any of the other teams. I don't think they had the maturity. If I had to wager on one over the others, I'd take the '99 team because they played for 48 minutes. The '05 run was probably the most fun to watch, just because it was such a grind. And the '14 run is probably tied with 99 as my favorite, just because the wins were so special.

The '06 team is the one that's lost to history. The regular season version of that team was better than a couple of the other title teams. If only Nazr had just let the clock run out.

[DeRozan m8]

lol he just has terrible taste.

[cutewizard]

Just put the Spurs as the lowest seed in the whole NBA.....

AND THEN WE WIN THE NBA TITLE!!!!

Swwwwweeeeetttttttttttt!!

:bobo

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Great discussion everyone. :tu


I've touched on this before, but Lowe has become extremely biased as he's gained more currency around the league. Whoever he's buddy buddy with, he props up; whoever is more guarded, he shits on. What's worse, his word has become gospel for his disciples of snobby, stat geek wannabes, with their group think.

Obviously, the Spurs aren't at their '12-'14 zenith, but 19th is still ridiculous.

Not sure I agree with this. I couldn't wait to watch Spurs games during the Beautiful era, and long before for widely varied reasons, but last season I found LMA really stopped the ball and it was ugly to watch. When the second unit were playing the Beautiful game before Manu got injured I looked forward to watching the bench far more than the starters.

If LMA ball-stops 19th in watchability might be a bit low, but 15th is about right.

PS The D last year was a thing of beauty no doubt. But moreso to the avid than the casual fan.

[bklynspursfan]

Literally every Spurs team was a mix of new guys, old guys and Duncan. And just because I think the '03 team has the most talent, doesn't mean I think they could necessarily beat any of the other teams. I don't think they had the maturity. If I had to wager on one over the others, I'd take the '99 team because they played for 48 minutes. The '05 run was probably the most fun to watch, just because it was such a grind. And the '14 run is probably tied with 99 as my favorite, just because the wins were so special.

The '06 team is the one that's lost to history. The regular season version of that team was better than a couple of the other title teams. If only Nazr had just let the clock run out.

I meant moreso the real talented guys (Ex: TP/Manu) were young and pretty inexperienced at that level and obv D-Rob was on his way out. Most feel like that was TD's weakest collective supporting cast, so when I think talent, I guess maybe I'm looking at a different angle than you.

Potentially no doubt, they had talent, but I guess from a production standpoint I felt like they weren't as strong as the other title teams. I agree with you though 14 and 99 were special. 03 was special just cause it sent D-Rob out on top and the way they dismantled LA in the process

[Kidd K]

Probably most useless ranking system I've ever seen. "I ranked them based on how much I enjoy watching them as opposed to how good they are!"

Calls Spurs announcers "stupid", when they easily one of the most insightful. :lol Clearly salty because Sean bashed players and teams he liked. :lmao Homers? Yes (as are all home announcers). Stupid? Absolutely not.

[GSH]

Keep it simple: Just about the time they got LMA settled in, they effectively lost Tim to injury. Tim was never the same, and the team was missing a critical element for the rest of the season. Instead of getting better from January-April, they had to try and find other ways to win.

This year they have Gasol in place of Duncan, and most of the important team members returning. I don't think they'll be any worse to watch than last year.

[eric365]

Honestly the spurs were not great to watch last year

[TD 21]

Great discussion everyone. :tu



Not sure I agree with this. I couldn't wait to watch Spurs games during the Beautiful era, and long before for widely varied reasons, but last season I found LMA really stopped the ball and it was ugly to watch. When the second unit were playing the Beautiful game before Manu got injured I looked forward to watching the bench far more than the starters.

If LMA ball-stops 19th in watchability might be a bit low, but 15th is about right.

PS The D last year was a thing of beauty no doubt. But moreso to the avid than the casual fan.

Many of the top players in the league are ball stoppers. The Spurs becoming more of a typical team is supposedly ugly, but the average team (with lesser players) isn't or is less so? That doesn't make any sense.

Aldridge gets too much blame anyway. The offense of the starters wasn't the same in '15, too. It has more to do with Parker's decline.

[MaNu4Tres]

Many of the top players in the league are ball stoppers. The Spurs becoming more of a typical team is supposedly ugly, but the average team (with lesser players) isn't or is less so? That doesn't make any sense.

Aldridge gets too much blame anyway. The offense of the starters wasn't the same in '15, too. It has more to do with Parker's decline.

Agree with a lot here, except the bolded part. Parkers decline was evident in 14' as well. A lot of the offensive onslaught that run happened with Parker on the bench and you know what else I'm about to say regarding the constant diving action in PnRs that run -- offense coming from the weakside happened much more frequently. Not just that, but most of the players in the rotation that run all were playing incredible. It was a perfect storm, and it was beautiful to watch. It was something Parker had little to do with --advanced stats back that up as well as Parker was 12th in BPM, 8th in W/S, and 10th in VORP that playoff run.

The reason for the short runs the past two seasons can simple be blamed on not having enough players playing well -- Parker included.

[TD 21]

Agree with a lot here, except the bolded part. Parkers decline was evident in 14' as well. A lot of the offensive onslaught that run happened with Parker on the bench and you know what else I'm about to say regarding the constant diving action in PnRs that run -- offense coming from the weakside happened much more frequently. Not just that, but most of the players in the rotation that run all were playing incredible. It was a perfect storm, and it was beautiful to watch. It was something Parker had little to do with --advanced stats back that up as well as Parker was 12th in BPM, 8th in W/S, and 10th in VORP that playoff run.

The reason for the short runs the past two seasons can simple be blamed on not having enough players playing well -- Parker included.

Parker's decline was evident in '14, but he was still an All-Star caliber player then, with occasional stretches of his not so distant prime. By '15, that wasn't the case.

For sure, they weren't overly dependent on him in '14 and had virtually everyone playing well, but I meant in general, the way the offense looked from '12-'14, Parker was the offensive foundation of that era and as such, his falling off a cliff in '15 was the biggest reason for the offense not looking the same.

As far as roll men in '15, they still had an All-Star Duncan, a becoming a rotation player Baynes and the 5 minutes Splitter was somewhat healthy.

[tonight...you]

Being an alleged contender is much more watchable than a cellar-dweller. I don't care how "fun" they are.
I like to watch wins. And championships... I like watching them also. Glad I've been a Spurs fan.

[SAGirl]

Tony got in this thread too lol

[tonight...you]

Tony got in this thread too lol
Tony is living rent-free in so many heads... I worry.
No I don't.

[SAGirl]

Tony is living rent-free in so many heads... I worry.
No I don't.
Lol it's hilarious for those of us who don't care. Lol dude is everywhere...

[spurs10]

Obviously a team's main fan base doesn't need to have "League Pass" if they are able to watch all the games on TV or see them live. Is this trying to insinuate we have a weaker fan base abroad? So what? With as many international players as we have I doubt it, but there are many places in the world that basketball just isn't on their radar. I got LP last time I was in Europe and it was wonderful have.

Now it practically took a lawsuit to get rid of it. There was no easy way to quit it. So beware of that if you live in the US and just getting it for a brief run.

[YGWHI]

But to acknowledge Kawhi as a transcendental talent who is still 25 and not maxed up on his potential, then say he and his team are 19th in the league in watchability is hypocritical. It's basically him saying that he's not a fan.

What I find extremely hypocritical is most media say they love the passing/shooting game, Lowe said Spurs beautiful game is gone/there are too many boring Kawhi/LMA post-iso plays now...

But when an Iso play won last NBA championship, all sports writers found entirely new ways to praise Cavs/Irving

[Texas_Ranger]

first i was like yea ok, the Spurs offense looked pretty shitty last year to watch, but then he put Memphis infront of the Spurs so I think he's an idiot.

[YGWHI]

I wonder if LP's management group read Lowe's article, realize no one wants to watch Spurs games, they will start giving us promo codes/discounts for Spurs games...

[DMC]

Guy writes opinion piece I disagree with because homerism... ergo he's a shitty writer.

Same guy writes opinion piece I agree with because homerism, ergo GOAT writer.

Homer teams are always more fun to watch to homer fans. It's why they are fans in the first place. duh fucking duh

[DMC]

What I find extremely hypocritical is most media say they love the passing/shooting game, Lowe said Spurs beautiful game is gone/there are too many boring Kawhi/LMA post-iso plays now...

But when an Iso play won last NBA championship, all sports writers found entirely new ways to praise Cavs/Irving

You're talking about different things. Iso-ball isn't fun to watch. It could be effective, and writers will praise it for that if it is, but they won't list it as exciting to watch for anyone but fans of the winning team.

[YGWHI]

You're talking about different things. Iso-ball isn't fun to watch. It could be effective, and writers will praise it for that if it is, but they won't list it as exciting to watch for anyone but fans of the winning team.

Maybe, maybe not. The media try to capture the attention of bball fans writting about what fans like to watch/read, the one on one is the essence of basketball for the majority of those NBA fans.
Sure, the run & gun is so fun to watch but casual NBA fans love Isos for some reason.

[DMC]

Maybe, maybe not. The media try to capture the attention of bball fans writting about what fans like to watch/read, the one on one is the essence of basketball for the majority of those NBA fans.
Sure, the run & gun is so fun to watch but casual NBA fans love Isos for some reason.

Why do so many Spurs fan bitch about being isolated where ratings and excitement are concerned but are fans of a team who historically shies away from coverage, who's coach, although quotable, is a notorious media hater, and who's biggest star ever never even showed up to say he's retiring to his fans? He had to mail it in from somewhere else. Low key, that's how Spurs fans like it, and with that comes the low ratings and low excitement ratings from writers not based in San Antonio.

[itzsoweezee]

Keep it simple: Just about the time they got LMA settled in, they effectively lost Tim to injury. Tim was never the same, and the team was missing a critical element for the rest of the season. Instead of getting better from January-April, they had to try and find other ways to win.

This year they have Gasol in place of Duncan, and most of the important team members returning. I don't think they'll be any worse to watch than last year.

Completely agree.

[alpha_HaZE]

Still not a reason to bust them to 19th. the 8-12th men on a team are seldom the reason to turn up the watchability of any team. I doubt I can even name those guys for any other team that is not the Spurs in fact and they are not the reason I would watch any other team.

(I suppose, unless you are a fan of a local player like the Argentineans who root for their local Garino, or unless it's a player that one linked since college, like me and Anderson, or unless it's Boban, and one never really knew if Boban was playing) Diaw is a huge loss in watchability IMO, but he seldom showed up for games actually. That is just an excuse by Lowe.

Yes that's true, Spurs should be much ranked higher than that. But that's Lowe, from him being ranked low is a compliment. Last year for example had the rockets as a dark horse title contender and Utah as a playoff team. Also he had A Davis for MVP. I think it's too easy for some reporters that are trying to bring attention to themselves to do that be predicting the Spurs demise.

[apalisoc_9]

Well the Spurs Organization obviously agrees since they had zero plans to show any of yhe pre-season games.

[From Downtown]

:lol
He really only played last season. I actually thought last season the end of the bench was the most watchable it's been since I have been a fan. It's why J.Simms caught on, and it's how Boban got his following and anderson was the PG of that crew. I enjoyed watching that group quite a bit... in fact I miss Boban...

Team took a tumble in watchability with Deadman though... big time. Hope to be wrong obviously lol

You'll change your mind when Manu turns him into a pick n roll scoring machine

[SAGirl]

You'll change your mind when Manu turns him into a pick n roll scoring machine
l hope so. He seems to not have very good hands which is a real concern and there are issues with him and Lee getting in each other's way... really not things Manu can fix.

But the guy can get better is what I am hoping.