All things considered, we’re tied 2-2.

[aj3292]

Hey everyone. Long time lurker here, and finally decided to sign up the other day. Looking forward to getting to know my fellow Spurs fans.

I know we’ve got some issues this series. We’ve had poor play from Mills, Belenelli and Gay, and we’ve suffered from questionable coaching and rotation. Then there’s the lack of 3-point shooting.

But if you’d known prior to the start of the series that the Spurs would be 2-2 heading into Game 5, isn’t that a win?

And now that we’ve had time to identify the issues, maybe the Spurs can start dealing with them and improving. All in all, I’m actually kind of optimistic.

What about you?

[DPG21920]

Welcome to the forum. Agreed big picture; the concerns get heightened due to what is on the line, but speaking results only being 2-2 is a fine spot.

Hard to keep things in perspective when some of the things are self inflicted and we know SA could have another win, but all in all, Pop has to tighten that rotation up and good things should happen. Team is playing hard and looks hungry.

[paperboy77]

That's about all we can do. Spurs can do it. Denver knew that was absolutely it for them so they responded. Now we have to.

[GreekSpursfan]

We're tied but i don't see how we're gonna win this series. I said it before and i'll say it again, this team as presently constructed is overachieving imo. We have to be completely realistic and assess the situation properly.
When your most trusted player was a G-league player last season, you can't expect much in the post season.

[alpha_HaZE]

Yes, realistically this is Derrick's rookie season in the NBA and he will have his ups and downs just like any other rookie. Also, he doesn't get so-called superstar calls that Harden and other get. Hell, even DDR gets abused by the refs. It's the Spurs being small market team combined with playoff inexperience and there you have it.

I agree, this team is overachieving! And to think if not for a 21 point quarter from Murray we would be up 3-1 now. All things considered we are doing well.

[spursistan]

Some of you are so desperate to normalize with mediocrity..:lol

"Tied 2-2 with the juggernaut that is 2019 Denver Nuggets led by pudgy boy Jokic" :cry

The real narrative: Spurs-- as flawed as they are-- are about to let a very winnable series slip through their fingers..

[DPG21920]

Some of you are so desperate to normalize with mediocrity..:lol

"Tied 2-2 with the juggernaut that is 2019 Denver Nuggets led by pudgy boy Jokic" :cry


The real narrative: Spurs-- as flawed as they are-- are about to let a very winnable series slip through their fingers..

Some of you are just miserable tbh...Denver is a good team. They are the second seed. No one is saying they are a juggernaut; but only one series so far in the first round is a sweep so what do you expect?

[Holden_Caulfield]

we are getting swept by either the rockets or warriors. but it'd be nice if we made it to the wcf considering how soft our bracket is.

[TDomination]

Both teams are flawed.
Denver is "supposed" to win due to seeding.
Spurs have shown flashes but lack consistency.

They are capable of winning game 5 but there's always uncertainty regarding this team.

[RD2191]

This series is over. And the sad part is that Denver really isn't the better team. Pop has built a choking culture in SA tbh. It's pathetic.

[313]

Well, any time a series is tied 2-2, it’s because one team blew a chance at going up 3-1, or even 3-0. So it’s understandable that the fanbase of said team would be a little(a lot) disappointed.

It’s best of 3 now, just gotta hope for the best.

[313]

And the sad part is that Denver really isn't the better team.
Our best player is Derrick White.

[Genovaswitness]

cuckold mentality

[ECOV]

cuckold mentality

Nah

[rascal]

we are getting swept by either the rockets or warriors. but it'd be nice if we made it to the wcf considering how soft our bracket is.

A big reason why it is soft is because the Spurs are in it.

[MultiTroll]

Optimistic the starters can prevail over Denver's starting 5.

After Pops Pets get involved, not optimistic at all.

[sananspursfan21]

Yep! And even though this isn’t the same Spurs, the big 3 era did this same kinda crap. Play dominant and then all of a sudden just play passive. Now they were so good they got away with it, but we’re acting like this rendition is the only team that’s ever played soft and lost.

The Spurs of old were frequently in these type of situations and they almost always responded well. Different team but same coach. All I ask in this game 5 is that they go hard. Win or lose, just go hard Spurs. If they give it everything they have, I have a feeling they’ll whoop the Nuggets. But even if not, that’s all us Spurs should realistically ask :)

[spurs10]

Hey everyone. Long time lurker here, and finally decided to sign up the other day. Looking forward to getting to know my fellow Spurs fans.

I know we’ve got some issues this series. We’ve had poor play from Mills, Belenelli and Gay, and we’ve suffered from questionable coaching and rotation. Then there’s the lack of 3-point shooting.

But if you’d known prior to the start of the series that the Spurs would be 2-2 heading into Game 5, isn’t that a win?

And now that we’ve had time to identify the issues, maybe the Spurs can start dealing with them and improving. All in all, I’m actually kind of optimistic.

What about you? Hola! I wouldn't say optimistic. i would need a win on Tuesday to feel optimistic, but 2-2 is not a bad spot or anything to be panicking about. It's our time to respond and I don't think we could play much worse than our 3rd quarter last night. I do expect our team to respond and we will see better play from Gay, Beli, Bertans , and Mills.
:flag:

[GreekSpursfan]

Some people here better check the dictionairy what realism means. Jokic outplayed both our bigs. His bball IQ is higher than both LMA and Poetl and most importantly, can shoot the three, space the floor for them when they need to. Denver moves the ball particularly well and can shoot the three with multiple players. Our best player in this series, White, can't shoot the three as much as we want and need him to, Murray can shoot it any which way, of the dribble, catch and shoot, contested, you name it. Denver has a better and deeper roster. If we somehow manage to beat them i will consider it a big success.You can call it whatever mentality you want, i call it realistic approach.

[Spurtacular]

This reminds me of Game 6 of the Clippers series. We had our chance to deliver the mortal blow and Beli was like the one guy who showed up each time. :lol

Granted, Beli's abilities were diminished this time around.

[Capt Bringdown]

Spurs bench is a disaster. Can they play better? Perhaps, but only marginally. An all-bench lineup cannot work - they're are simply too many weak non-producers, too much dead weight on the court.
Pop must figure out a way to stagger his lineups. Even then, I think it's become apparent that Denver is the better team.
The Spurs are not configured to go much deeper into the playoffs. There should be major moves if possible in the off season.

[UZER]

Spurs bench is a disaster. Can they play better? Perhaps, but only marginally. An all-bench lineup cannot work - they're are simply too many weak non-producers, too much dead weight on the court.
Pop must figure out a way to stagger his lineups. Even then, I think it's become apparent that Denver is the better team.
The Spurs are not configured to go much deeper into the playoffs. There should be major moves if possible in the off season.

So you’re saying, not you specifically but in general, one of the greatest coaches of all time STILL has not figured out how to stagger minutes? :lol How Manu years is it going to take the same things happening for people to realize he doesn’t stagger minutes, not because he doesn’t know how, but because he just doesn’t f’ing want to. He has no regard for what’s happening during the game. The only in-game coaching Pop does these days is the ridiculous meaningless quick timeouts when the score is 4-0, or sticking to the pregame strategy he wrote on the notecards in his pocket. He doesn’t adjust to nuffin.

[TDomination]

Barring a collapse by the Blazers, we will be the only series tied 2-2. And all the higher seeds minus Denver are in full control. So there's that.

[DPG21920]

Barring a collapse by the Blazers, we will be the only series tied 2-2. And all the higher seeds minus Denver are in full control. So there's that.

Yup. Only the Spurs are putting up a major fight. OKC has been great in 4th quarters so it’s not over, but SA is the only lower seed for sure in the series at the moment.

[Manong Ginobili]

It's frustrating because some of the damage to the Spurs is self-inflicted (using Mills-Belinelli); I don't even mind Gay even if he's struggling as he's the only serviceable "big" in the bench, but the Mills-Belinelli lineup to start the second quarter needs to go. That's the only adjustment left :rollin

[Degoat]

At least we’re not as bad as OKC lol seriously that team should be ashamed they have Westbrook and PG13 and are about to lose to the blazers

[RC_Drunkford]

Spurs will make more jump shots in Game 5 that's for sure. Just gotta hope Denver misses a lot

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

This series is over. And the sad part is that Denver really isn't the better team. Pop has built a choking culture in SA tbh. It's pathetic.

That's what really sucks about it. We are the better team. :lol it's insane. An easy sweep turned into this crap.

[Duncan(DonPerro)]

It's frustrating because some of the damage to the Spurs is self-inflicted (using Mills-Belinelli); I don't even mind Gay even if he's struggling as he's the only serviceable "big" in the bench, but the Mills-Belinelli lineup to start the second quarter needs to go. That's the only adjustment left :rollin

+10

[r0drig0lac]

https://media.giphy.com/media/nXxOjZrbnbRxS/giphy.gif

[kobyz]

With our big experience advantage we should have won it 4-0 easily but of course pop had to find ways to fucked up everything like he used to ..

[Raven]

spurs are the better and more talented team, but denver has a big edge with their depth. Objectively speaking, spurs should win this, but they seem to lack killer instinct.

[Raven]

At least we’re not as bad as OKC lol seriously that team should be ashamed they have Westbrook and PG13 and are about to lose to the blazers

yeah but honestly, they don't have any depth aside of those two and theoretically steven adams.. Expectations are too high for that team tbh.

[TimDunkem]

spurs are the better and more talented team, but denver has a big edge with their depth. Objectively speaking, spurs should win this, but they seem to lack killer instinct.

What do you expect with a team that has DD, LMA, and Rudy Gay on it?

[kaji157]

Both teams are flawed, all in all the nuggets have been getting good performances from most of their players and are 2-2, while the Spurs are in the same spot without having the luxury of those performances.
If there is a regression to the mean the Spurs should be able to pull this off.

[MarCowMar]

I'm disappointed we couldn't drop the hammer and go up 3-1, but we're still in the thick of things. DeRozan and Aldridge have bought into the team concept and are playing to their strengths as well as could have reasonably have been expected.

I'm not throwing in the towel on Bellinelli and Patty in general, but I wonder if it wouldn't be too crazy to run Lonnie four minutes with the second unit. He looks _worlds_ better out there now than he did at the beginning of the season. Their guards are just working us over and athletic chaos would be preferable to the sluggish drowning that Mills and Bellinelli are giving us.

[monty4329]

Some of you are so desperate to normalize with mediocrity..:lol

"Tied 2-2 with the juggernaut that is 2019 Denver Nuggets led by pudgy boy Jokic" :cry

The real narrative: Spurs-- as flawed as they are-- are about to let a very winnable series slip through their fingers..

It was actually already won, twice, when up 19.

Denver wants it, Spurs not enough.

[monty4329]

spurs are the better and more talented team.

What? No way. Denver basketball talent is so much better it is not even close. Forget about the starting five (Jokic and Millsap have more talent tham DDR and LMA anyway, White is maybe superior to Murray, Harris is better than Forbes), look at the bench: Morris, Barton, Beasley, Plumlee. Vs Bertans, Beli, Gay, Mills....

[monty4329]

If there is a regression to the mean the Spurs should be able to pull this off.

Actually the mean in 82 games is Denver is #2 and we are #7...

[hater]

No way spurs are more talented. Denver has legit NBAers while we have shits like Rudy gay, fiat, and a few other cancers in the bench

Denver is a better team hands down and Malone is turning out to be a good coach that is running circles around crater face

Reminds me of the old Phil Jackson ownage of pop in playoffs. It's not a fair fight

We were lucky to win 2 games this series. It's ova

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

This reminds me of Game 6 of the Clippers series. We had our chance to deliver the mortal blow and Beli was like the one guy who showed up each time. :lol

Granted, Beli's abilities were diminished this time around.Pop cost the Spurs that playoff series when he went to the hack a Jordan in game seven killing the momentum the Spurs had gained.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

With our big experience advantage we should have won it 4-0 easily but of course pop had to find ways to fucked up everything like he used to ..play off experience is way over exaggerated.

[Rummpd]

After Tuesday this lousy road team can likely say hey we are only down 3:2. Spurs had control of series twice and gagged.

[NameLess Scrub]

All in all 2-2 sounds good, but it's over.
Only chance was going 3-0 or 3-1.

Nuggets know they can make easy 3s when Jokic is doubled, or they can go around moving screens, and nobody will close out.

They also know once the Spurs bench is in, they can come back from a blowout, and if Rudy Gay is in the game it's Milsap's time to look like Shaq.

[NameLess Scrub]

All in all 2-2 sounds good, but it's over.
Only chance was going 3-0 or 3-1.

Nuggets know they can make easy 3s when Jokic is doubled, or they can go around moving screens, and nobody will close out.

They also know once the Spurs bench is in, they can come back from a blowout, and if Rudy Gay is in the game it's Milsap's time to look like Shaq.

[monty4329]

play off experience is way over exaggerated.

What experience? DDR?

[Raven]

What? No way. Denver basketball talent is so much better it is not even close. Forget about the starting five (Jokic and Millsap have more talent tham DDR and LMA anyway, White is maybe superior to Murray, Harris is better than Forbes), look at the bench: Morris, Barton, Beasley, Plumlee. Vs Bertans, Beli, Gay, Mills....
DDr, Adridge and Gay have been franchise players for a long time, that alone should give us the edge on paper.

[slick'81]

Hopefully were not about to lose 3-4 games

[sasaint]

spurs are the better and more talented team, but denver has a big edge with their depth. Objectively speaking, spurs should win this, but they seem to lack killer instinct.

Killer Instinct?!?!?! Heck, we are playing like a team of Jains applying ahimsa to the sport of basketball.

[monty4329]

DDr, Adridge and Gay have been franchise players for a long time, that alone should give us the edge on paper.

So what? Denver has better talent on every player besides White-Murray. Anybody else is much better than SA players, talentwise.

[GreekSpursfan]

White is not overall better than Murray. Murray is way better offensively than White is defensively. In todays NBA when you can't shoot the three and you are a guard you can never be better than another guard who can shoot it any which way, off the dribble, catch and shoot, contested. Murray's threes are the difference in this series so far and Jokic IQ of course.

[weebo]

This series is over. And the sad part is that Denver really isn't the better team. Pop has built a choking culture in SA tbh. It's pathetic.

Denver may not be the better team but its the team with the better talent, generally speaking. The Spurs should feel no pressure whatsoever, they're playing with house money, tbh. After last year's drama, no one outside of say a few Spurs fans thought this team would be over .500 let alone make the POs.

[weebo]

DDr, Adridge and Gay have been franchise players for a long time, that alone should give us the edge on paper.

And how many championships rings do all those guys have...combined?

[RD2191]

Denver may not be the better team but its the team with the better talent, generally speaking. The Spurs should feel no pressure whatsoever, they're playing with house money, tbh. After last year's drama, no one outside of say a few Spurs fans thought this team would be over .500 let alone make the POs.

I disagree fam. This was the Spurs series to lose. And it should go down as a choke.

[NameLess Scrub]

So what? Denver has better talent on every player besides White-Murray. Anybody else is much better than SA players, talentwise.

And even that is questionable if Murray is making a bunch of threes and pretty much winning games with offensive outbursts.

[boutons_deux]

So what? Denver has better talent on every player besides White-Murray. Anybody else is much better than SA players, talentwise.

Jokic is a hell of a lot better than LMA or Jakob, even better than those two combined.

[Raven]

Denver may not be the better team but its the team with the better talent, generally speaking. The Spurs should feel no pressure whatsoever, they're playing with house money, tbh. After last year's drama, no one outside of say a few Spurs fans thought this team would be over .500 let alone make the POs.

true, but just because we have/had very low expectations for this team, doesn't mean that we should undersell ourselves.

[Raven]

Jokic is a hell of a lot better than LMA or Jakob, even better than those two combined.

meh

[MultiTroll]

2-2 might be considered great pre series.
But when 2 games have been Popped away, not good.
You can't expect Denver to suck for 4 of the 7 games.
Two of them already shitted away.

Still winnable series. But no more phuck ups please.
Might be too much to ask for at this point.

[Shakril]

In 3 of 4 games the Spurs were the better team. The 4th game the Nuggets were better, but they will not have again a shooting night like that one.

In my opinion the spurs should win this series, but it all depends on the Bench. Whilst Starters doing their job (even DeRozean), the Bench is really bad. None of the 4 Bench Players had a good game until now.

[weebo]

I disagree fam. This was the Spurs series to lose. And it should go down as a choke.

Nugglest are a 2; Spurs a 7...How can you consider that a choke when the numbers and PO rank dictate otherwise? :lol

[weebo]

true, but just because we have/had very low expectations for this team, doesn't mean that we should undersell ourselves.

Ok. As a fan, you want your team to do well and the Spurs did this to themselves because we as fans are spoiled---they set the bar high and for the past 20 years its been non stop winning--those days are gone now and the guy that was supposed to be the next great Spur bailed--this team for what its worth is over achieving--there is no Batman on this team--we have two Robins and a bunch of Alfreds running around...the Nugs themselves are in the same position however the only difference is they have more athletic younger talent--our guys OTOH are either slow or old--the Spurs aren't done yet in this series and hell they might pull off the upset--but let's be realistic here--they aren't winning a championship this year--if we're lucky, they're ceiling is round 2.

[Seventyniner]

Killer Instinct?!?!?! Heck, we are playing like a team of Jains applying ahimsa to the sport of basketball.

C-c-c-c-combo breaker!

[TXstbobcat]

Nugglest are a 2; Spurs a 7...How can you consider that a choke when the numbers and PO rank dictate otherwise? :lol

Spurs had a 19 point lead twice in Game 2 and lost the opportunity to go up 2-0. That was a choke.

[Raven]

Ok. As a fan, you want your team to do well and the Spurs did this to themselves because we as fans are spoiled---they set the bar high and for the past 20 years its been non stop winning--those days are gone now and the guy that was supposed to be the next great Spur bailed--this team for what its worth is over achieving--there is no Batman on this team--we have two Robins and a bunch of Alfreds running around...the Nugs themselves are in the same position however the only difference is they have more athletic younger talent--our guys OTOH are either slow or old--the Spurs aren't done yet in this series and hell they might pull off the upset--but let's be realistic here--they aren't winning a championship this year--if we're lucky, they're ceiling is round 2.

i'd say we'd be favourites in the second round, but conference finals is the ceiling unless houston somehow sneaks past the warriors which i strongly doubt.

[weebo]

Spurs had a 19 point lead twice in Game 2 and lost the opportunity to go up 2-0. That was a choke.

That 19 point lead that was erased x2 just goes to show you that the Nugs are a pretty good team--you can't choke games away when you're not expected to win any of them...

[TXstbobcat]

That 19 point lead that was erased x2 just goes to show you that the Nugs are a pretty good team--you can't choke games away when you're not expected to win any of them...

you didn’t expect the spurs to win any games against Denver this series?

[Arcadian]

:lol The idea of something being "over" when it's actually tied is a shining example of irrational pessimism if there ever was one...

[Rummpd]

Spurs has this series twice and gagged and neophyte coach beating HOF overhyped wino

[weebo]

you didn’t expect the spurs to win any games against Denver this series?

No

[NameLess Scrub]

As I said, Nuggets have figured out Spurs.
I
I expect kind of a repetiton theï the fv tonight

[r0drig0lac]

https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smirolleyes.gif

[Russ]

After tonight, there will be only nine teams still playing -- and the Spurs will be one of them (and still on serve in this series).

After tomorrow, well not so sure . . .