Keeping it Real....False Expectations

[coachmac87]

How many people truly thought we'd win a championship once KD signed?? Slim/None

How many people thought we'd win a championship the year Tim Duncan retired?? Slim/None

Was I the only one who was shocked/confused on how we won by 30 on opening night??

I dunno what many of you thought would be the outcome of this season but IMO this Spurs team has exceed my expectations so far this year.

I didn't think this team would win 60 games and have the 2nd best record. And let's not forget the injuries/rest they've dealt with.

Going into this season I thought there were 4-5 teams who'd make things interesting this season and had a chance to go to the Finals...Cavs, Warriors, Clippers, Spurs, Raptors..in that order tbh. The Rockets have come into the picture and they will make noise come postseason.

I didn't think winning a championship THIS year would be realistic but as we saw even last year..ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. GSW blew 3-1 lead.

But what I do find realistic is making the WCF. Regardless who we play in the playoffs..my expectations are set on the WCF. If we can make it there we've got a legit chance for competing for a title...yes we won't be favored and luck with an injury or suspension will probably be a factor if we end up winning tbh..

But as I said before ANYTHING can happen. Just ask Gasol, or CP3 or Kanter...freak injuries that can change the course of seedlings/chemistry

Yet here we are at 36-11 with injuries, terrible losses, great wins, trade rumors and turmoil across the league except in GSW..and if you had reasonable expectations were still on course.

What are your expectations for the team? Sounds like some want a new team all together..and would expect us to be 43-4.

Don't let what the Warriors are doing bother you...are they not doing what you thought? Or are they the ones not living up to expectations??

Or maybe EVERYBODY should pump the brakes until we play them 2 more times in SA and see how we stack up?

I'm just not understanding what people on this board truly expect or think of this team anymore..or are we just rooting for specific players?

Thoughts?

[james evans]

i'm not afraid of the warriors, I'm afraid of Popovich and his rotations

[wildbill2u]

I don't mind fans rooting for their favorite players. I don't think the only/best way to root for their player is to tear other Spurs teammates down. You don't see that type of criticism against any teammates coming out of the Spurs locker room. Ever. Pop wouldn't stand for ego-driven discord and the vets, especially Tim, enforced the ban. When Jax crossed the line he was on the next bus out of town and Tim, his best friend on the team, never questioned Pop's decision.

Last year's record was a great one for the team and especially for Timmy, the GOLDOAT (Greatest One Legged Defender Of All Time). The beginning of the year we saw flashes of the old Tim, but by the playoffs we saw the reality of the old Tim.

I don't think anyone should have had expectations of another 60+ win season, considering the adjustments that had to be made with new and younger players coming in and the loss of GOLDOAT. Still, I think they will keep their 50 win streak in play. I expected 53 wins before the season started and they will have between 50-60. For God's sake, they are currently the #2 team in the NBA. Not bad for a major transition year. Reminds me of the old movie stunt where the hero jumps from one running horse to another without slowing down.
Go for the Miracle, Spurs. :flag:

[lilbthebasedgod]

Were still better than I expected but yeah meh. I think we have a slim chance of WCF I agree

[RD2191]

Were still better than I expected but yeah meh. I think we have a slim chance of WCF I agree

We actually have a great chance at the wcf imo. Once we get there though, we'll likely get massacred.

[SAGirl]

Nice post. I didn't know what to expect, but I am a fan, not some ESPN "analyst". I want the team to win every game in unrealistic fashion, yes. Where they were "clutch" before, they now are not and have lost a number of really close game to poor teams (the Suns? Mavs? Pelicans when healthy are a good team though. They really got outplayed). I always blame defense because you can't control the "clutchness" factor of a shot going in or not (or Lamarcus missing freebies apparently). The few games they have lost recently were winnable. This last one they gave away at home again after being up 10 at half time.

By the way, SEth Curry has had career nights against the Spurs in consecutive fashion. The first time he torched the Spurs for 23 points, last night it was 24. That is not some nightly production for him. The guy can shoot and is skilled but he exposed the Spurs poor defense on guards, which is a worry bc again, you can't control a shot going in but if you can't defend even Seth Curry and are making him look like an allstar? It doesn't look good.

If I didn't think Spurs had a chance at all, then I would rather Pop play his young players and develop and maybe even make a trade looking at the future, and then I would lower expectations and be more tolerant of growing pains and losses. But Pop is sticking to his veterans, the young players only get time when there are injuries, and the reason to stick with his veterans is to win every game and make it deep in the playoffs, so the Spurs have set my expectations on something else.

They have a chance to get to the WCF, and need luck, and for everyone to hit their stride at the right time for a championship. I don't expect that, expect it is too strong a word... but they do have a good team, capable of beating other good teams any night "if their guys play well". Lately some guys are not playing well, Lamarcus is the more noticeable because he's the team's "second star".

[TXstbobcat]

As it currently stands the Spurs would play the Rockets in the second round of the playoffs and would also have home-court advantage against them. I think the Spurs would definitely win that series and make the Western Conference finals.

[Horse]

All we need is some consistency. They were really coming together before the injuries. Who knows if golden state can be beat but the way to do it is with size and we have plenty of that. We should always out rebound them and our bench should outplay theirs. They tend to fall in love with the jumpshot especially in the playoffs so we'll have a chance.

[Spurious]

I welcome April and the chance to find out if we're capable of reaching the Finals. Losses such as last night's are dreadful, but i can rationalize some of it due to injuries and the fact Pop just doesn't yet trust Murray. I don't totally blame him...but to beat the elite will take more athleticism than we're displaying when Murray and Simmons are spectators.

[r0drig0lac]

thanks coach

[SAGirl]

I welcome April and the chance to find out if we're capable of reaching the Finals. Losses such as last night's are dreadful, but i can rationalize some of it due to injuries and the fact Pop just doesn't yet trust Murray. I don't totally blame him...but to beat the elite will take more athleticism than we're displaying when Murray and Simmons are spectators.
Simmons is injured, but keeping Murray in the bench was a bad idea by Pop.

[tmtcsc]

If the Spurs don't win the Championship, it WON'T be because of the Warriors. The Spurs are built to beat them.

[Spurious]

Simmons is injured, but keeping Murray in the bench was a bad idea by Pop.
Understood on Simmons.

[kuato]

no chances with Parker on defense

[coachmac87]

All we need is some consistency. They were really coming together before the injuries. Who knows if golden state can be beat but the way to do it is with size and we have plenty of that. We should always out rebound them and our bench should outplay theirs. They tend to fall in love with the jumpshot especially in the playoffs so we'll have a chance.


Consistency does need to improve..especially on the defensive end IMO. Pop being a coach will always look for ways to improve consistency that's part of coaching. Even with GSW playing the way they are if you'd ask Kerr what the Warriors need to improve on...it would be consistency in some way..just a guess but consistently NOT turning the ball over.

But overall without a bias take I think the Spurs have been very impressive this year overall. They won't blow you out by 20 every night or drop a 144 points..but other than the game against New Orleans the other night they've either won or lost by a margin of maybe 2-3 possessions? That's fairly consistent if you look at the BIG picture.

Spurs fans and posters on this board need to stop thinking about getting the #1 seed. It's not going to happen unless the Warriors suffer an injury..

[UZER]

All we need is some consistency. They were really coming together before the injuries. Who knows if golden state can be beat but the way to do it is with size and we have plenty of that. We should always out rebound them and our bench should outplay theirs. They tend to fall in love with the jumpshot especially in the playoffs so we'll have a chance.

Pop doesn't believe in constancy outside of playing TSOB players too much.

[TDomination]

Excellent post. Pretty much agree with all of it as far as setting expectations.
I was the same, when the season started my expectations were truly low. Besides, it felt really odd having a spurs team play a game with no Tim Duncan on the roster. So i was just hoping to see this team play hard every game and hopefully we can get at least to the 2nd round.

Then game 1 vs Golden state happened. It kind of raised my eyebrows a bit. And i'm sure same thing happened with most spurs fans.

And then they kept winning. Then they beat Cavs on the road.
So now we've done 2 big things that we couldn't do last year, beat both Cavs and GS on their home floor. Nice!

So when we lose at home to the jazz/bucks/mavs, it kind makes you wonder if this team for real or not. Then we ask if we are the type of team that can turn it on when it needs to but tends to play down to their competition against the lower tier teams.

With that said, we obviously have seen that this Spurs team can at minimum hang with the best of them. And like someone already said, if the brackets stay the way they are, we would see Memphis/Denver in first round then likely Houston in the 2nd round. Very doable. I would just be happy seeing a Spurs/Warriors matchup finally.

[coachmac87]

If the Spurs don't win the Championship, it WON'T be because of the Warriors. The Spurs are built to beat them.

I mean I do think the Warriors are the favorite to win the title and would be the favorite against ANY team in a 7 game series. But I do agree that the Spurs have the best chance beating them...and yes better chance than the Cavs.

Spurs size and offensive rebounding will cause problems for GSW IMO...Spurs just can't turn the ball over against them..I feel the Spurs are a confident team going against GSW..and of GSW does "fear" any team it is the Spurs....for now at least

[BSfromTX]

Amazed that a civil and mature discussion has made it this far in this forum. I'm with OP, I expect to have a reasonable shot at WCF or even the finals. It's real easy to say we won't win it all. I mean if everyone here is such a genius and knows the future, go bet the house on who will win and who won't.

We have a good team that could easily decide to fire on all cylinders at the right time. We have beaten both Cleveland and GS this year, so it is possible

[Seventyniner]

I still think this team's ceiling is a championship, while the realistic floor is a second round exit, barring injury. I guess my expectation is around the median, which I think is losing to GS in the WCF in 6 games.

[coachmac87]

I still think this team's ceiling is a championship, while the realistic floor is a second round exit, barring injury. I guess my expectation is around the median, which I think is losing to GS in the WCF in 6 games.


Agree 100%.

[Spurious]

Going into training camp, i figured this could be a 60-win team. Not 67, and certainly not 73...but 60 seemed a reasonable goal if the Spurs gelled decently and didn't lose Kawhi or LMA for an extended period. To date, we've obviously been a little ahead of that pace — even after laying down these last two games — so I can't be too disheartened. Lots of ball left.

[024]

This team is not going to look good again until Parker and Gasol come off the books in 2018. Spurs did the right thing bringing in all the young players this year to start a stealth rebuild. The Warriors are going to be great for the next 4 years at the least like how Miami had a stranglehold on the East when Lebron joined.

I'd be happy if the Spurs can get out the second round against the Clips or Rockets. The Warriors series will not be pretty unless you like watching Draymond shut down Aldridge and Durant lock down Leonard on defense again. Spurs have heavily leaned on Leonard's offense this year but the Warriors have Durant who actually plays extremely good defense when he tries and has the energy.

[tmtcsc]

I mean I do think the Warriors are the favorite to win the title and would be the favorite against ANY team in a 7 game series. But I do agree that the Spurs have the best chance beating them...and yes better chance than the Cavs.

Spurs size and offensive rebounding will cause problems for GSW IMO...Spurs just can't turn the ball over against them..I feel the Spurs are a confident team going against GSW..and of GSW does "fear" any team it is the Spurs....for now at least

Agreed. I think the combination of Aldridge, Gasol and Dedmon will cause the Dubs issues. The Dubs will have another gawdy regular season record because of their offensive firepower and weak competition. The league is pretty awful without much parity.

Gasol will step up in the playoffs. He's been around long enough to know how to up his game.

[skulls138]

I think the WCF are reachable. Last year I really think we underestimated OKC and if we could have a do over we would win and so because we underestimated our opponent last year we wont this year.

To truly be successful this year we have to figure out the LA/Kawhi equation. I still think LAs the more natural scorer but its still has to be Kawhis team. LA has to find the right balance between knowing when to take the outside shot or when to take it to the hole. His shot is awesome when its open but when posting up he shouldnt settle for it because he can pass it when double teamed, which leads to finding the open man, which is good team play but if not he can get to the foul line which is a powerful weapon to have when someone like GSW starts getting momentum. He also has to take care of all the responsibilities a C/PF has like an all-star.

We have to be the team that everyone hates because we...just...wont...go...away because we do all the little things right and play better team ball. This is when the opponent starts second guessing themselves and we start doing everything right and then the threes start falling and....

[Capt Bringdown]

Oh Spirit of Gravity...golly gee, our expectations are out of line. Piffle!

[Keepin' it real]

First, nice thread title.

Second, the Spurs will go as far as Kawhi and LMA take them. And by that I mean making clutch plays late in playoff games.

They haven't performed great in the clutch lately ... LMA vs. OKC last season and Kawhi vs. LAC two years ago.

I've got a hunch they're due.

[NameLess Scrub]

Nice post. I didn't know what to expect, but I am a fan, not some ESPN "analyst". I want the team to win every game in unrealistic fashion, yes. Where they were "clutch" before, they now are not and have lost a number of really close game to poor teams (the Suns? Mavs? Pelicans when healthy are a good team though. They really got outplayed). I always blame defense because you can't control the "clutchness" factor of a shot going in or not (or Lamarcus missing freebies apparently). The few games they have lost recently were winnable. This last one they gave away at home again after being up 10 at half time.

By the way, SEth Curry has had career nights against the Spurs in consecutive fashion. The first time he torched the Spurs for 23 points, last night it was 24. That is not some nightly production for him. The guy can shoot and is skilled but he exposed the Spurs poor defense on guards, which is a worry bc again, you can't control a shot going in but if you can't defend even Seth Curry and are making him look like an allstar? It doesn't look good.

If I didn't think Spurs had a chance at all, then I would rather Pop play his young players and develop and maybe even make a trade looking at the future, and then I would lower expectations and be more tolerant of growing pains and losses. But Pop is sticking to his veterans, the young players only get time when there are injuries, and the reason to stick with his veterans is to win every game and make it deep in the playoffs, so the Spurs have set my expectations on something else.

They have a chance to get to the WCF, and need luck, and for everyone to hit their stride at the right time for a championship. I don't expect that, expect it is too strong a word... but they do have a good team, capable of beating other good teams any night "if their guys play well". Lately some guys are not playing well, Lamarcus is the more noticeable because he's the team's "second star".

I like this one to quote.

I think it's worth mentioning too that this stupid super teams put a lot of pressure on the Spurs by hardly dropping games, so we start nitpicking, specially because of all this crappy losses by bad teams and scrubby little chuckers :lol.

Maybe in the pre-super team era we wouldn't care that much, as the Spurs would probably be more comfortable standing wise.

Haven't checked the numbers though.

[coachmac87]

I like this one to quote.

I think it's worth mentioning too that this stupid super teams put a lot of pressure on the Spurs by hardly dropping games, so we start nitpicking, specially because of all this crappy losses by bad teams and scrubby little chuckers :lol.

Maybe in the pre-super team era we wouldn't care that much, as the Spurs would probably be more comfortable standing wise.

Haven't checked the numbers though.


Exactly..the cliff jumping starts because people are so focused on GSW and what they're doing. I mentioned it in the OP...people need to stop worrying about them. They were the overwhelming favorites in the July and they will be in the come postseason barring injury.

Losing games suck..regardless to who..it always makes you second guess things etc. Losing games like the Pelicans game worries me..but other than that pretty much every loss as been by a possession or two.

[coachmac87]

Bump

[coachmac87]

Let's not forget and overreact if things don't go wwlll hahahaha