Are the Spurs playing well??

[HB22inSA]

The numbers say so:

They've won 11 of their last 12.

They're 4-0 on the rodeo road trip so far.

They have won 7 straight road games overall.

They've won 7 straight overall games.

They are 7-1 in games decided by 3 pts. or less.

And they are on pace to win 65 games.

However, 5 of the 7 road games they've won (including all 4 on the rodeo trip so far have been against teams below .500).

They are steady at home, but did lose to Denver recently.

I think their record is a bit skewed, but we will see the REAL Spurs in the next 4 games, 3 have winning records and Philly is right there.

I predict 1-3, with a win in Philly...maybe.

[SequSpur]

Rebounding and Tim Duncan's feet.

That's it.

[ChumpDumper]

They're rating a 91.6 in Finding Ways to Win.

Plenty of room (and time) to improve.

[LilMissSPURfect]

can they play better?

[hussker]

honestly, I say NO. They are blowing through a group of relatively mediocre teams. Pop would call BS on the Spurs playing well. This team, historically, does not GEL until April. We have a head start this year. We still need that Signature game, that Phoenix win from Last year when Manu took over in the 4th and OT, that Mario Elie shot after being down by 18 in 99 to the Rockets. Those were games that I was watching/listening to where I said to people "THAT was IT, THAT was the game that will take us all the way." 2003 was different. That season was a signature in itself. Perhaps because it was Dave's sunset and Timmy's sunrise and a changing of the guard.

Just an opinion, but we still need a sig game this year.

[Kori Ellis]

Sure they can play better. Timmy needs to get healthy. Manu doesn't seem to have his lift back since his injuries.

They are probably not playing as well as their record indicates. But I believe that gutting out some games that you play poorly in or having some close comeback victories helps you in the long run. They are doing what they need to do to put wins on the board.

By this time next month, I think they should be clicking.

And I think they will sweep this road trip.

[HB22inSA]

And I think they will sweep this road trip.
It's great to be so optimistic, but I just don't see them winning the next 4.

They scraped by against Portland and Toronto took them to extra time, even Utah and GS gave them problems.

Cleveland, Indiana, and especially NJ won't be as forgiving down the stretch.

5-3 road trip.

[Kori Ellis]

Why is everyone on the NJ bandwagon lately? They've lost five out of their last eight games, including 4 straight a week and a half ago.

[hussker]

Why is everyone on the NJ bandwagon lately? They've lost five out of their last eight games, including 4 straight a week and a half ago.


We will see if the BANDWAGONERS come out Friday night...

[Melmart1]

Why is everyone on the NJ bandwagon lately? They've lost five out of their last eight games, including 4 straight a week and a half ago.

Anytime someone in the East shows signs of life other than Detroit, people will jump on the bandwagon. I was surprised the analysts are doing so, but I take everything they say with a grain of salt.

[ChumpDumper]

Why is everyone on the NJ bandwagon lately? They've lost five out of their last eight games, including 4 straight a week and a half ago.Dude, if Vince makes SportsCenter, it's a W in my book.

[hussker]

The only time the BANDWAGON gets going for the SPURS is in May.

[LilMissSPURfect]

honestly, I say NO. They are blowing through a group of relatively mediocre teams. Pop would call BS on the Spurs playing well. This team, historically, does not GEL until April. We have a head start this year. We still need that Signature game, that Phoenix win from Last year when Manu took over in the 4th and OT, that Mario Elie shot after being down by 18 in 99 to the Rockets. Those were games that I was watching/listening to where I said to people "THAT was IT, THAT was the game that will take us all the way." 2003 was different. That season was a signature in itself. Perhaps because it was Dave's sunset and Timmy's sunrise and a changing of the guard.

Just an opinion, but we still need a sig game this year.


YES...i know what u mean by "signature games"
they might not be playing well but dam being one of the best playing ugly...I'll take it! shoot after no spurs for 6 days i will take any form of the spurs!!!!!

[picnroll]

Too soon to be playing well.

[hussker]

YES...i know what u mean by "signature games"
they might not be playing well but dam being one of the best playing ugly...I'll take it! shoot after no spurs for 6 days i will take any form of the spurs!!!!!

Like I said in another forum

HOMEVESTORS: We buy ugly houses
SPURS: We play ugly basketball.

Who cares? hahahaha

[baseline bum]

honestly, I say NO. They are blowing through a group of relatively mediocre teams. Pop would call BS on the Spurs playing well. This team, historically, does not GEL until April. We have a head start this year. We still need that Signature game, that Phoenix win from Last year when Manu took over in the 4th and OT, that Mario Elie shot after being down by 18 in 99 to the Rockets. Those were games that I was watching/listening to where I said to people "THAT was IT, THAT was the game that will take us all the way." 2003 was different. That season was a signature in itself. Perhaps because it was Dave's sunset and Timmy's sunrise and a changing of the guard.

Just an opinion, but we still need a sig game this year.

Actually, the Spurs were down 23 in that game vs Houston when Mario hit the game-winner. The game that showed me the Spurs were going all the way in 99 was the one where they came back from like 8 down in the 4th versus Utah the last week of the season, when Duncan took Karl Malone's and Greg Ostertag's manhood with some nasty-ass fourth quarter dunks while completely shutting down the MVP*

[CharlieMac]

I'm gonna go with yes.

[SoCalSpursFan]

They are playing well considering the situation with Timmy not being healthy and all...

point is...they can play soooooo much better.

...and they will. :fro

[HB22inSA]

Well, at this time last year, they were also 38-10, and actually started 50-15 before Timmy went down, and then finished 9-8 the rest of the way.

They're also 7-0 in the "second half" of the season.

[nobodi_home]

If your team still does poorly at the free throw line, continues to throw the ball away 15+ times per game,
how do you call that "playing well"?

SAS gets by basically because they don't have to play Dallas, Phoenix, Miami or Detroit on a regular
basis.

The issue actually is not how good San Antonio is, but how bad the NBA is.

Million dollar salaries that reward failure, and what does one expect?

SAS might get lucky had have Phoenix bump off Dallas in the playoffs so they
don't have to confront them directly, and then zip past PHX and make their
way back to the Finals, but I would't expect too much this year.

Pro basketball, with these multimillion dollar paychecks, don't go well
together. Look at the results, look at what you see night after night
on your TV. The Spurs are really the Spuds. Does anyone
care to remember how utterly horrible they looked Christmas Day
on the ABC broadcast? Talk about a flop! Good grief. Truly pathetic.

I wish SAS well, but you can't call yourself a great team with
high turnovers and miserable FT percentage, worse than a
championship high schoot team.

Sorry I can't stroke egos for my fellow posters but that's how I see it.

[Kori Ellis]

continues to throw the ball away 15+ times per game,
....

I wish SAS well, but you can't call yourself a great team with
high turnovers and miserable FT percentage, worse than a
championship high schoot team.

They average 13.6 turnovers per game. That's less than last year's NBA Champion Spurs team.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Haven't seen a game in its entirety in a lonnnng ass time, but from an outside perspective, the Spurs are holdin it down pretty damn well. still only 10 losses? "well" might not be saying too much

As long as they pile up those W's. Theres plenty of time for improvement beyond the level they are playing at now.

[carina_gino20]

The stats are somewhat misleading. It's pretty disappointing sometimes when they blow huge leads such as the one in Toronto. Obviously, there are still a lot of gaps to be filled.

But considering that they have a found a way to win even after finding themselves in sticky situations (which shouldn't have happened or happen), it shows that these guys have the mental toughness to pull through when needed most. These games give them confidence as well as more challenge to even play better so that we won't see these kinds of games anymore.

So yes, they are playing well enough but they shouldn't be contented with that.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i realised that when duncan isnt playin, this team usually lets ppl score +100pts on them and if we lucky we push it to OT and steal the win.

[xcoriate]

Hussker made a great point about statement games, and I'd agree that we haven't seen one yet. A shame there wasn't a Detroit game late in the season as that would be the ideal point to make it.

Overall I think the team has stepped up a little, there is still a way to go though. It depends on when Duncan gets back, a few more games without him might be a good thing for the team as a whole. I mean Rasho got 12 and 8!!!

[Rummpd]

If Duncan is even at 85% the Spurs will roll through rest of road trip, this team is on a mission right now and having Dallas playing well and Detroit in sight for best record for HCA in league are goals the Spurs have to be motivated for.

Most importantly, Spurs gettinng a lot of road games out of way. They have Mavs at home x 2 and most of games against tough teams at home rest of way after all star games.
They have played all their games for year against Heat, Pistons and have two vs. the Suns (home and away)

(Mavs meanwhile lots of home games this month but ardous stretch coming soon).
What is there to fear about the remaining schedule really - come on all you doomsayers, tell me?????

I see the Spurs winning 3/4 or 4/4, then they are truly set to to win potentially more than 65 games.

38 and 10 with 34 to go.

28-6 = 66 wins or even better 29-5 = Spurs healthy they can do this!

I like 67 wins to win the West and potentially steal HCA entire playoffs.

[boutons_]

"this team is on a mission right now"

which is what, in February?

The most probable way for the Spurs to steal Finals HCA is to split the first two @Auburn Hills, then go 2-1 @ATT, to go back to Auburn Hills up 3-2.

[HB22inSA]

If Duncan is even at 85% the Spurs will roll through rest of road trip, this team is on a mission right now and having Dallas playing well and Detroit in sight for best record for HCA in league are goals the Spurs have to be motivated for.

First of all, I don't think Duncan's been but about 80% for most of the year.

And second, if you listen to Pop, he's not concerned with what other teams are doing or racing for homecourt against other teams. He's just concerned about what his team does, and if they play like they are supposed to, HCA will take care of itself.

Spurs finish the trip at 1-3.

If the Spurs were on this "mission" you speak of, they would be killing Portland, Utah, GS, and Toronto by 13 points per game.

And that's just not happening.

[LilMissSPURfect]

call me dumb but other than motivation and injuries no one stops PARKER GINO AND TIMMAAY! add KIWI to the list and detroit should start adjusting that rear view mirror :lol

ok now u can call me a drunk but that 70 game possibility is still there :drunk :drunk :drunk

[spurster]

I suppose the bad part is that the Spurs "let" the game get close before crunch time, though last night, James and Bosh were on fire in the 4th quarter and the Raptors shot a lot more FTs. It depends on your definition of "let". Every NBA team is fired up to play the Spurs.

The good part is that the Spurs have played so many close games that they don't get rattled in crunch time and overtime. Sometimes their execution is spotty, but they don't get rattled. In a situation like the last 4th quarter possession last night, they should have taken a timeout with about 5 seconds left on the 24-second clock and gotten a good shot off. The Spurs don't dwell on their mistakes though.

[leemajors]

good teams don't have to play well to win.