The Spurs' Worst Playoff Losses

[timvp]

1. 1994-95 WCF vs. Houston Rockets
This one hurt so damn much. The Spurs lose the first two games at home. Fight back and win the next two at home. Everything is looking good ... but then lose Game 5 at home and Game 6 on the road. Spurs had never won the championship before so getting that close and not doing it was damn tough to swallow.

2. 2005-06 WCSF vs. Dallas Mavericks
This one was bad. The only reason I don't think it's worse than the '95 loss is because the Spurs have three titles to their name. That said, if the Spurs win Game 7 at home, I think they go on to win the championship. Phoenix? :lol Spurs owned them last season with Amare. Detroit looks beatable with Flip at the helm.

3. 2003-04 WCSF vs. Los Angeles Lakers
.4 sucked. It really sucked. But going into that series, I thought the Lakers were the better team on paper. The Spurs were going to have to play perfect to beat them. As it turns out, they played great the first two games and then folded.

4. 2000-01 WCF vs. Los Angeles Lakers
That azz beating was just wrong.

5. 1978-79 ECF vs. Washington Bullets
Going up 3-1 and then dropping three in a row had to suck.

[timvp]

The more I think about it, the more I gotta think this season ranks at the top. Spurs would destroy PHX and then Detroit with Flipper isn't as scary.

:pctoss

[Carie]

While I'm sure 1 sucked, 2 and 3 are the worst for me because I was there and deeply involved at that point. Pure agony.

[rascal]

1. The 79 loss to the Bullets is number 1. That spurs team was really good and did not get any respect. If you talk about not getting any respect now then you don't know anything about 1978-1979. The spurs were an ex-aba team and the former nba teams didn't think the aba teams were any good. The spurs even had a 3-1 series advantage and a great chance to shock the nba with a trip to the finals. They even had a lead in the final minute of game 7 but lost.

[J.T.]

This loss hurts the most because we came back from 3-1 and couldn't seal the deal.

.4 we still had a chance to win and force Game 7.

[SPARKY]

1a. 1989-90 WCSF vs. Portland Trailblazers
Oddly enough, meetings in the WCF against the Phoenix Suns and in the Finals against the Pistons awaited, with the Spurs having played well against both in the regular season. The Game 7 also went into overtime.

I'd rate that one right behind the '95 WCF debacle. I'd also rate the '79 ECF loss higher since the Spurs were that close to winning their 1st championship. After that, I'd rate the '01 WCF loss higher since that team was blown out despite having a great regular season and it was the matchup of the last two title teams due to TD having missed the postseason the year before. That was much more humiliating than last night.

The Spurs played this series down to the wire plus an extra half frame while playing a style other than their own. At this point, the consolation prize of not having to read the 12 year old drivel of Mavs fans anymore isn't that bad. There's plenty of options this summer to retool, which should be interesting.

[Jimcs50]

This small ball crap blew up in Pop's face.

Is Detroit going to leave Ben Wallace out of their lineup, if they play Dallas???? Hell no.

The Spurs won 63 games and 3 championships with their 7 ft centers. Dallas had more layups than any team ever had in a 7 game series against SA, and the reason was that they were not affraid to go to the basket, because there were no shot blockers there.

We had no bench production because our bench was starting and our starters were playing way too many mins.

Pop's other mistake was playing NVE who was horrible the whole series. His shot selection was atrocious, his defense was worse.

Pop got outcoached my AJ.

We wasted the best series by TD in his life by making him do too much, and he got tired down the stretch, as he missed his last 4 shots, all of them short.

[SA210]

This small ball crap blew up in Pop's face.

Is Detroit going to leave Ben Wallace out of their lineup, if they play Dallas???? Hell no.

The Spurs won 63 games and 3 championships with their 7 ft centers. Dallas had more layups than any team ever had in a 7 game series against SA, and the reason was that they were not affraid to go to the basket, because there were no shot blockers there.

We had no bench production because our bench was starting and our starters were playing way too many mins.

Pop's other mistake was playing NVE who was horrible the whole series. His shot selection was atrocious, his defense was worse.

Pop got outcoached my AJ.

We wasted the best series by TD in his life by making him do too much, and he got tired down the stretch, as he missed his last 4 shots, all of them short.I agree COMPLETELY.

He really screwed up going against what he always believed. He never even tried it. Oh wait, yes he did, in the regular season when we won 2 games that way.

Imagine we get a good center this summer. I still think next year Pop will play small ball, even if we got a good center.

[MadDog73]

This small ball crap blew up in Pop's face.

Is Detroit going to leave Ben Wallace out of their lineup, if they play Dallas???? Hell no.



Are you seriously comparing Rasho and Nazr to Ben Wallace?!?

Tim is a big too, but we didn't leave him off....

it's about having the best players on the court. If we had big men that could hang with the Mavs, you bet your ass they would be out there.

If Rasho and Nazr were starting, this series wouldn't even had gone to 7. Dallas in 5.

[rascal]

Are you seriously comparing Rasho and Nazr to Ben Wallace?!?

Tim is a big too, but we didn't leave him off....

it's about having the best players on the court. If we had big men that could hang with the Mavs, you bet your ass they would be out there.

If Rasho and Nazr were starting, this series wouldn't even had gone to 7. Dallas in 5.

Agree with Jim. The spurs played into dallas's strenght. The spurs don't match up small ball with Dallas. Dallas has overall better athletes and more scorers.

I don't understand why some believe the spurs couldn't win this year when they never had much trouble beating Dallas in the past playng the centers they had.

[Russ]

1. 1994-95 WCF vs. Houston Rockets
This one hurt so damn much. The Spurs lose the first two games at home. Fight back and win the next two at home. Everything is looking good ... but then lose Game 5 at home and Game 6 on the road. Spurs had never won the championship before so getting that close and not doing it was damn tough to swallow.

2. 2005-06 WCSF vs. Dallas Mavericks
This one was bad. The only reason I don't think it's worse than the '95 loss is because the Spurs have three titles to their name. That said, if the Spurs win Game 7 at home, I think they go on to win the championship. Phoenix? :lol Spurs owned them last season with Amare. Detroit looks beatable with Flip at the helm.

3. 2003-04 WCSF vs. Los Angeles Lakers
.4 sucked. It really sucked. But going into that series, I thought the Lakers were the better team on paper. The Spurs were going to have to play perfect to beat them. As it turns out, they played great the first two games and then folded.

4. 2000-01 WCF vs. Los Angeles Lakers
That azz beating was just wrong.

5. 1978-79 ECF vs. Washington Bullets
Going up 3-1 and then dropping three in a row had to suck.

Playoff Loss . . . . . . . . . . .Led To

'95 WCF Rockets . . . . . . .'99 Championship

'01 WCF Lakers . . . . . . . .'03 Championship

'04 0.4 Lakers . . . . . . . . .'05 Championship

'06 Mavs. . . . . . . . . . . . .????????

[MadDog73]

I don't understand why some believe the spurs couldn't win this year when they never had much trouble beating Dallas in the past playng the centers they had.


Because Dallas is obviously better than they were in the past. There guards are fast and deadly shooters. IMO, our centers couldn't guard them.

When did come back? When Avery started playing his bigs, fouling Tim, and slowing the game down.

I don't understand why people don't think the Spurs can run and gun and win. It worked against PHX, and it could've worked against the Mavs, if Bruce could hit some open threes, or if Manu didn't foul.

Pop didn't lose this series, he got us to 22 seconds of winning it.

[Jimcs50]

Are you seriously comparing Rasho and Nazr to Ben Wallace?!?

Tim is a big too, but we didn't leave him off....

it's about having the best players on the court. If we had big men that could hang with the Mavs, you bet your ass they would be out there.

If Rasho and Nazr were starting, this series wouldn't even had gone to 7. Dallas in 5.

Rasho can score better than Wallace and he can block shots and rebound almost as well. We tried to matchup with Dallas' athletes and that played into AJ's hand. Our team played 6 or 7 deep and they had not done that all year. When you are tired, your defense suffers, and our players were tired. Both OTs, the Spurs were dead tired and the final scores in both OTs showed it.

[MadDog73]

Playoff Loss . . . . . . . . . . .Led To

'95 WCF Rockets . . . . . . .'99 Championship

'01 WCF Lakers . . . . . . . .'03 Championship

'04 0.4 Lakers . . . . . . . . .'05 Championship

'06 Mavs. . . . . . . . . . . . .????????


I like it.

[SA210]

Old fashioned twin tower defense > playing other team's game

[Jimcs50]

Pop didn't lose this series, he got us to 22 seconds of winning it.


BFD...they lost it...there are no moral victories in sports. The Spurs are losers once again, when they should not have been. We had a size advantage and did not use it. Had we had Rasho in the paint, they would have had to be a jump shooting team, and only when they are hitting 60+% from the outside, would that have mattered.

The Spurs are not a run and gun team...can you get that through your thick skull????

[MadDog73]

BFD...they lost it...there are no moral victories in sports. The Spurs are losers once again, when they should not have been. We had a size advantage and did not use it. Had we had Rasho in the paint, they would have had to be a jump shooting team, and only when they are hitting 60+% from the outside, would that have mattered.

The Spurs are not a run and gun team...can you get that through your thick skull????


I'm sorry we disagree, but your insults certainly don't make your case for you.

Show me examples of how Rasho and Nazr would have won this series, and I may be more willing to accept your argument.

[Spurologist]

0.4 nearly killed me. I'll just leave it at that.

[ctpsb]

This small ball crap blew up in Pop's face.

Is Detroit going to leave Ben Wallace out of their lineup, if they play Dallas???? Hell no.

The Spurs won 63 games and 3 championships with their 7 ft centers. Dallas had more layups than any team ever had in a 7 game series against SA, and the reason was that they were not affraid to go to the basket, because there were no shot blockers there.

We had no bench production because our bench was starting and our starters were playing way too many mins.

Pop's other mistake was playing NVE who was horrible the whole series. His shot selection was atrocious, his defense was worse.

Pop got outcoached my AJ.

We wasted the best series by TD in his life by making him do too much, and he got tired down the stretch, as he missed his last 4 shots, all of them short.

I wanted to say all these things that Jimcs said. That is so true, Detroit is not going to not start Rasheed because Dallas goes small. There was no bench because they were starting.

My Mavs fan friend called last night after the game and said we really screwed up by not playing our centers. He said Pop did what Don Nelson always did with their team by changing their lineups to "get the best matchup". Why have a system if you're going to change it because the other team is built a certain way. Dirk still got his free throws in crunch time and we still couldn't stay in front of them on defense.

I know, I know some will say if Manu makes that last shot we are not talking about small ball but we did lose.

[leemajors]

This small ball crap blew up in Pop's face.

Is Detroit going to leave Ben Wallace out of their lineup, if they play Dallas???? Hell no.

The Spurs won 63 games and 3 championships with their 7 ft centers. Dallas had more layups than any team ever had in a 7 game series against SA, and the reason was that they were not affraid to go to the basket, because there were no shot blockers there.

We had no bench production because our bench was starting and our starters were playing way too many mins.

Pop's other mistake was playing NVE who was horrible the whole series. His shot selection was atrocious, his defense was worse.

Pop got outcoached my AJ.

We wasted the best series by TD in his life by making him do too much, and he got tired down the stretch, as he missed his last 4 shots, all of them short.

if the spurs don't foul dirk or gino makes that layup, pop doesn't get outcoached. pop did what he had to do to try and win the series, and almost did. he didn't get outcoached in game 7, the bench didn't show up AT ALL. at some point the players have to put the ball in the bucket, and the bench didn't do that.

[CubanMustGo]

5. 1978-79 ECF vs. Washington Bullets
Going up 3-1 and then dropping three in a row had to suck.

Gotta be higher than that. Spurs get to the Finals and probably win that year. That series loss helped give SA the choker reputation it took 20+ years to get over.

Last night was intense but let's be honest, we were down 1-3 and still almost pulled our ass out of the fire.

[z0sa]

this hurts the my pride more than anything. the mavericks, always the "other" texas team, always playing second to the spurs, have just slapped us in the face. For all pop has done, he really fucked this series up good style. the only reason we almost won was not because of pop "getting the best matchup by playing small ball," it was because tim duncan played his fucking ass off while parker went 2-40 and ginobili didnt do shit four of the seven games. tim duncan is the only reason we had any chance of coming back and winning - and in the end, him by himself with ginobili throwing rockets off the backboard on the final play of regulation and parker jacking up 20 foot jumpshots he simply cant hit for his life, at least not yet, tim just wasnt enough. Pop should have played horry and nazr and forced them to adjust to us, because with them we have rebounding and shotblocking, which would have won us the series in my opinion.

instead, we lose game 2 and pop shits his pants and goes small ball the rest of the series and we lose, thank you pop -- and thank you tim for doing all you could despite having no help besides finley, who btw played his ass off guarding dirk and hitting every big shot.

[SPARKY]

History has shown that the Spurs will morph their team in order to be able to play whatever style it takes to win.

[SA210]

I'm sorry we disagree, but your insults certainly don't make your case for you.

Show me examples of how Rasho and Nazr would have won this series, and I may be more willing to accept your argument.

I could have sworn we won the two games against Dallas this season when Rasho and Nazr played 40 minutes.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

.04 was the worst I think.

The fact that the Spurs gave up the next game was worse than the actual .04 game itself.

This year's team gave it their all.

I agree with Jim, though, that we were outcoached in this one. If we're going to commit to a small ball sort of lineup we better find a young, athletic 4/3 player who can rebound. Do you think the Pacers would trade us Danny Granger?

[SA210]

Pop outcoached Himself.
Avery took what Pop gave him.

Pop went against his own beliefs. He should be ashamed of himself, he needs to learn from his horribble mistake and come back smarter and remember what got him 3 titles.

Again, he needs to learn from this and not make this same screw up next year.

[ancestron]

Agree with Jim. The spurs played into dallas's strenght. The spurs don't match up small ball with Dallas. Dallas has overall better athletes and more scorers.

I don't understand why some believe the spurs couldn't win this year when they never had much trouble beating Dallas in the past playng the centers they had.
i tend to agree that we should have at least had Nazr out there for some parts of the game, if for nothing else to help us on the offensive boards. i firmly believe that
Nazr was an integral part of the spurs run last year, and not playing him at all this series was probably a mistake. but if the spurs had won game 7 everyone would be saying what a genius popovich is using the small lineup. hindsight is always 20/20
we just have to bite the bullet and say that its someone elses turn this year. But gosh darnit manu why'd you have to foul Nowitzki. Don't you know if you guys even breathe on him wrong Javie will blow the whistle? especially in the closing seconds of a big game. Cant hurt the precious
Dirk.

[degenerate_gambler]

I'm a little biased when it comes to my top playoff losses because 1) I'm older than probably the majority of ya'll and 2) I was fortunate to have been a ball boy for the Spurs from their ABA days up until 1981. So some of the ones I think were tough to swallow occurred back in the day when I was young and impressionable. With that said, here's my top 5:

5. 1983 Game Six LA @ SA....Very even series with both teams winning on each others' court. But in this game SA fought like hell all nite and had a chance for OT but Mike Mitchell's shot was off target and time ran out just before the A-Train grabbed the rebound and stuffed it.

4. 1981 Game 7 Hou @ SA...This series was a fucking war and if you think Dal/SA was intense, this game 7 was boiling with bad blood. The Spurs were favored and the better team but in those days that usually meant somehow we'd screw it up. Unfortunately, Calvin fucking Murphy just went off that nite and we had no answer for the little shit.

3. 2004 Game 5 LA @ SA...0.4 The loss that nite took a day or two to sink it because of the suddeness of it. Shocking and devastating especially after TD's unbelievable bucket to put us ahead.

2. 2006 Game 7 Dal @ SA...Knowing that the Spurs had long put to rest the "cant win the big game" tag, I just knew with TD, Gino etc. that we'd find a way, any way to win especially in our house. It wasn't meant to be and it hurts to want something so bad and see it slip away.

1. 1979 Game 7 SA @ Wash...We all know about SA being up 3-1 and blowing it. But this game was a crusher. Ice played his ass off this series. The Spurs were up late in this game when "mysteriously" the power failed at the Capital Center. The game was delayed for a good 10-15 min. and SA lost every bit of their momentum and had some calls go against them, letting the Bullets off the hook. This one still pisses me off. Fuck you Wes Unseld, Bobby Dandridge, Keving Grevey and Elvin Hayes.

[Beaverfuzz]

1. 1994-95 WCF vs. Houston Rockets
This one hurt so damn much. The Spurs lose the first two games at home. Fight back and win the next two at home. Everything is looking good ... but then lose Game 5 at home and Game 6 on the road. Spurs had never won the championship before so getting that close and not doing it was damn tough to swallow.

2. 2005-06 WCSF vs. Dallas Mavericks
This one was bad. The only reason I don't think it's worse than the '95 loss is because the Spurs have three titles to their name. That said, if the Spurs win Game 7 at home, I think they go on to win the championship. Phoenix? :lol Spurs owned them last season with Amare. Detroit looks beatable with Flip at the helm.

3. 2003-04 WCSF vs. Los Angeles Lakers
.4 sucked. It really sucked. But going into that series, I thought the Lakers were the better team on paper. The Spurs were going to have to play perfect to beat them. As it turns out, they played great the first two games and then folded.

4. 2000-01 WCF vs. Los Angeles Lakers
That azz beating was just wrong.

5. 1978-79 ECF vs. Washington Bullets
Going up 3-1 and then dropping three in a row had to suck.


Where's the 89-90 series vs Portland or that series in the 90's against Run TMC?

[tlongII]

1a. 1989-90 WCSF vs. Portland Trailblazers
Oddly enough, meetings in the WCF against the Phoenix Suns and in the Finals against the Pistons awaited, with the Spurs having played well against both in the regular season. The Game 7 also went into overtime.

I'd rate that one right behind the '95 WCF debacle. I'd also rate the '79 ECF loss higher since the Spurs were that close to winning their 1st championship. After that, I'd rate the '01 WCF loss higher since that team was blown out despite having a great regular season and it was the matchup of the last two title teams due to TD having missed the postseason the year before. That was much more humiliating than last night.

The Spurs played this series down to the wire plus an extra half frame while playing a style other than their own. At this point, the consolation prize of not having to read the 12 year old drivel of Mavs fans anymore isn't that bad. There's plenty of options this summer to retool, which should be interesting.

This one was my favorite. :smokin

[boutons_]

Worst is this year.

After 3 single Titles, Spurs were tasked by Pop to repeat this season. Having 3 Titles doesn't relieve this loss. They actually make it worse.

Now we'll have to start all over to join the elite group of repeaters.
Age and injuries are catching up with Tim and Manu.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

5. 1983 Game Six LA @ SA....Very even series with both teams winning on each others' court. But in this game SA fought like hell all nite and had a chance for OT but Mike Mitchell's shot was off target and time ran out just before the A-Train grabbed the rebound and stuffed it.



I remember that game, but I thought Artis missed the tip at the end as time expired. In fact I'm pretty sure he did because that game was etched in my mind. I was a teenager and the Spurs games seemed much more life or death than they actually were. Probably in my top five most disappointing losses as well.

[degenerate_gambler]

I remember that game, but I thought Artis missed the tip at the end as time expired. In fact I'm pretty sure he did because that game was etched in my mind. I was a teenager and the Spurs games seemed much more life or death than they actually were. Probably in my top five most disappointing losses as well.


You're right bro. He missed the tip, the ball went to the floor and he picked it up and time expired before he flushed it.


This is just my opinion but that nite I believe is where the "Go Spurs Go" battle cry originated. It was during a timeout after SA had closed the gap again and everyone in Hemisfair was on their feet yelling it totally unscripted. Was fucking awesome.

[wildbill2u]

if the spurs don't foul dirk or gino makes that layup, pop doesn't get outcoached. pop did what he had to do to try and win the series, and almost did. he didn't get outcoached in game 7, the bench didn't show up AT ALL. at some point the players have to put the ball in the bucket, and the bench didn't do that.

The bench for this series was: Barry and NVE. Barry needs minutes to play well and NVE needs a wheelchair and a lively nurse.

Pop didn't use anyone else, keeping NAZR, Rasho, Beno, Marks, Oberto almost totally out of the series.

Basically, AJ imposed his will on Pop.

[polandprzem]

To me this year was the biggest upset of all. Maybe because I do not realy remember the 95 or the spurs losing to the Bullets.

But this year the 63 wins and a long bench and Tim Duncan playing better and better, that makes it.
Plus I do not think that the Miami or Pistons this year could beat the spurs. Only rested and healthy athletic Mavs team with the longest bench in NBA could do it and they did.

So close, chances to win in regulation game 4 and 7, a mistake by manu....it's just so heartbreaking. I alwayes takes spurs loss personally. Right now I'm devastated and I do not know when I will be able to came to life. I don't want to watch any of the NBA games. No spurs games - even spurs championship DVD 2005 which I put into DVD 2 days ago. I don't know what to do, I just don't :depressed

[baseline bum]

I don't think the Spurs would have beaten Detroit. The Pistons waxed their asses badly both regular season games, and even when our bigs were playing this season the Spurs got killed on the boards. This became too much of a finesse team this season. I want to see the Spurs attacking the basket and going to the free throw line like they did in the 2003 and 2005 seasons. You're never going to outshoot your opponent at the line if you play no D and can't rebound either.

I think this team would have had no answer for the Wallace's on the boards this time around.... and no loss will ever compare to 111-72 in game 3 of the 2001 WCF. A loss where the team played their asses off and left it on the floor doesn't bother me.

[CharlieMac]

.4

[Spurminator]

This doesn't suck so much from the standpoint that we should have won or anything like that, but what sucks is that if we HAD won, this would have been one of the greatest Spurs games of all time. One for the video archive, to be watched every year like the Memorial Day Game and The Horry Game.

[ShoogarBear]

1. 1979 Game 7 SA @ Wash...We all know about SA being up 3-1 and blowing it. But this game was a crusher. Ice played his ass off this series. The Spurs were up late in this game when "mysteriously" the power failed at the Capital Center. The game was delayed for a good 10-15 min. and SA lost every bit of their momentum and had some calls go against them, letting the Bullets off the hook. This one still pisses me off. Fuck you Wes Unseld, Bobby Dandridge, Keving Grevey and Elvin Hayes.

Spurs blow a 10 point fourth quarter lead. Jack Madden calls a BS offensive foul on a screen handoff from Billy Paultz late in the game. Bobby Dandridge hits a jumper from the left baseline with less than 10 seconds left. James Silas' last-second jumper is blocked by Elvin Hayes.

Fortunately, that one doesn't bother me too much or anything.

[efrem1]

I remember that game, but I thought Artis missed the tip at the end as time expired. In fact I'm pretty sure he did because that game was etched in my mind. I was a teenager and the Spurs games seemed much more life or death than they actually were. Probably in my top five most disappointing losses as well.

Their still should be archived videos of this game. I remember Artis going up and the shot fell to the side and Magic and Kareem running off the court for joy. I was at Game 5 a few nights before and I thought these guys had a chance to go to the Finals. If I recall correctly, they beat the 76ers both times that season and I looked forward to the matchup and wanted to see Brent Musburger (sic) and Tommy Heinsohn whine about a small town team making it to the finals. :depressed

[Nikos]

.4 hurt more. But this one hurt a lot too. 2001 just flat out made me angry.

2002 there was a bright light of hope with Tony coming in, and Manu on his way. That was the best time because you could just sense the potential for growth into a perenial championship contender. But then again this years loss kind of dampens that a bit, because the Spurs had a golden opportunity to win it all, at least in terms of the talent and experience the team had and the lack of balanced competetion this season.

[polandprzem]

How could the experiance did not pay off?

[cherylsteele]

Show me examples of how Rasho and Nazr would have won this series, and I may be more willing to accept your argument.
You know that is impossible because neither played......AND WE LOST.
How about proving we would still would not have won with at least Rasho playing more minutes.

We played with twin towers all season....we won a record 63 games....and al of the sudden you want to change it?

We were defending champions....we win the first game with a 2nd big starting.....you go to small ball and still lose a series.

Guard speed has little to do with it. Rasho doesn't need to be fast....he and Tim will usually be waiting for whoever would have driven the lane. Pop made hasty knee-jerk reaction about the team size.....he should have made a different strategy on how to funnel the peremiter players into the middle and use thst to our advantage. You turn them into more of jump shooting team and they would not be able to hit all their shots like they did.
Small ball did not work....the Mavs still had a layup parade.....at least put in a 2nd big a try ro stop the easy layups and dunks.

I do not understand the facination Pop had with NVE.
NVE did absolutely nothing outside on game 1 vs. Sacramento bur still played him. At least give Beno a little more of a chance when it matters.

This series loss is all on Pop.

[Mavtek]

Pop went with Small ball cause in the 2nd game he got torched like a Roman candle in a hot ashes.......

Trust me, he saw the film and realized pretty quickly that Nazr, Duncan, nor Rasho could handle Dirk or Howard on the defensive end. The thing that he didn't count on in the end was that none of his guys could handle Dirk on the defensive end.

You have to realize what Dallas was doing in game 2 to see what Pop had to do. Dallas primarily runs 2 plays for most of the game, the high pick, or a Dirk Iso at the top of the key. That's all they pretty much run I'd say %80 of the time. Pop knew that's what they were going to do by game 2, but the way they ran with Harris vs Griffin wasn't stoppable with Rasho in the game. Dirk would pick for Terry or Harris Nazr switched, now you have Parker on Dirk and Bowen on Terry or Harris doesn't sound bad yet does it. Now in the switch the guard has time to get in the key just slightly sucking in the Defense and now Terry or Harris can go to the wing to Howard or Stackhouse who is either gaurded by Nazr, Duncan, or Rasho, but if for some reason that mismatch isn't available he just dumps it back to Dirk and Dirk drains the jumper from the top of the key or if the Spurs bring a double he kicks to a guard who is being guarded now by a big. That guard can now shoot over the big or drive to the hole now guarded by a bunch of guards....

Pop had no choice really, Dirk is the ultimate defensive killer, he's simply like no other player to ever play the game. He's an above average shooting guard that happens to be 7' tall and can rebound as well as just about anyone in the league. Dirk's offensive skill set is so amazing but dare I say even if he were 6'5" he'd still be a starting guard in the NBA.

[Winnipeg_Spur]

In about a month I think we'll know how bad this loss was. If Detroit gets upset in the ECF or makes it through but looks weak in losing to the Mavs then I'd rank this one at the top. Right now, I don't think we'd beat the Pistons, cause I think they'd defend us just as well as Dallas did, except they have better shotblockers and interior defenders. Duncan wouldn't be able to average 30 a game against Detroit, and he needed that every game just to stay close to Dallas.

[timvp]

I'm telling you, this series is going to top the charts because the final four teams are weak. Sorry Piston fans, but if the Spurs were still alive, I'd be more confident than ever that the Spurs were going to win it all.

The Spurs would have beaten up on PHX and then whoever limps out of the east.

:pctoss

[polandprzem]

I'm telling you, this series is going to top the charts because the final four teams are weak. Sorry Piston fans, but if the Spurs were still alive, I'd be more confident than ever that the Spurs were going to win it all.

The Spurs would have beaten up on PHX and then whoever limps out of the east.

:pctoss

That's why to me this year it is the biggest upset in history.

And why did spurs played so poorly in 1st half? Where is the expierience? The playoffs has changed.
I don't believe the Pistons would beat spurs in that shape. Take a look at the cavs series.
Oppurtunity to win a championship. We saw a chapionship series in the 2nd round. well it is not happening every year.

[TonyC]

I'm telling you, this series is going to top the charts because the final four teams are weak. Sorry Piston fans, but if the Spurs were still alive, I'd be more confident than ever that the Spurs were going to win it all.

The Spurs would have beaten up on PHX and then whoever limps out of the east.

:pctoss


Your F'n crazy....weak?? Look who just eliminated your sorry asses...the Mavs baby!! You guys are still in denial

[SA Gunslinger]

1.) 0.4
2.) '06
3.) '01
4.) '95
5.) '02

[T Park]

This series loss is all on Pop.

:lmao

heaven forbid it be the bad defense.

Damn pop not rebounding!!

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

:lmao

heaven forbid it be the bad defense.

Damn pop not rebounding!!

I'm sure if Pop put four midgets on the floor with Duncan that it would be the players' fault for not rebounding too.

To act like Pop is blameless for the Spurs losing in the playoffs is just plain ignorant.

Pop gets my gratitude when they win, and I think he deserves to have his decision-making questioned when the Spurs lose. The three titles don't place him above making mistakes.

[degenerate_gambler]

Your F'n crazy....weak?? Look who just eliminated your sorry asses...the Mavs baby!! You guys are still in denial



This putz has been strangely silent today.

[miss paxton]

For me, 2001 is still the worst playoff loss, followed closely by 0.4. I don't remember any playoff series prior to 1990, so I can't comment on anything before then. Also, I lived in Louisiana throughout the 1990s, didn't see any games live, and think I didn't have Internet access until like, 1998. However, here's my list and why they hurt:

1. 2001. Just embarassing, humiliating, whatever. I had such high expectations, as did everyone else. The Spurs were supposed to be the team that gave the defending champs a run for their money. Instead. . . well, you all remember. They just folded up and died. Horrible.

2. 2004 (0.4). Painful because it came at the hands of the Lakers. Because they had stormed back in Game 5 and it looked like the game was won. Because even after losing Game 5, they were still down only 2-3. The team just gave up in Game 6; they never believed they could come back. The "soft" label seemed deserved.

3. 1995. Another year with high hopes. Great team, WCF Finals, HCA. At least they showed some heart by coming back from 0-2 to win 2 on Houston's floor, but I won't pretend I didn't hope for more.

4. 2006, WCSF. This one hurts, but the team fought hard. They could have given up after being down 1-3, and could have given up in Game 7 after it looked like they would be blown out, but they fought like hell and almost pulled it off. I can't really ask for more.

For all other non-championship series between 1990 and 2006 that aren't on the list, those were years I either don't clearly recall, which suggests they weren't heartbreaking losses, or I had no real expectation the Spurs would do any better than they did.

[Obstructed_View]

It worked against PHX, and it could've worked against the Mavs, if Bruce could hit some open threes, or if Manu didn't foul.
That sentence says it all. The Spurs didn't play small ball against Phoenix. Look it up. The Spurs can't run and gun if they are bringing the ball out of bounds every single time up the floor, and if you can't stop a team from scoring, that's what you are doing. Bruce never got any open threes because there were four little guys camped out on the perimeter watching Duncan in the post. The only one that ever got an open look was Parker because everybody knows he won't take the three. Manu was fucking huge in winning time, and blaming him for fouling is ridiculous because the Spurs would have lost by 20 points without him.


This year's loss is the worst. No way will history show that the Mavericks are a better team than the Spurs. It's really sad that the Spurs lost a series with healthy players sitting on the bench watching it happen.

[timvp]

Bump.

Now do people see why this was the worst? Spurs would be a huge favorite right about now. The Spurs beat the Suns last year when they were better. The Spurs know how to beat Shaquille O'Neal led teams.

If the Spurs beat the Mavs, they probably drop one game to the Suns and one game to the Heat.

[1Parker1]

You're right. This was the worst. Spurs had an awesome chance to repeat this season and blew it. I'm still not over the fact that they LOST a Game 7.....at HOME, in OT. :pctoss

[Nikos]

Bump.

Now do people see why this was the worst? Spurs would be a huge favorite right about now. The Spurs beat the Suns last year when they were better. The Spurs know how to beat Shaquille O'Neal led teams.

If the Spurs beat the Mavs, they probably drop one game to the Suns and one game to the Heat.

What about that Wade guy?

[timvp]

What about that Wade guy?

Bowen could guard him as well as anyone could. I've seen Manu defend him pretty well. Even Parker defended him decently when Wade was more of a point guard.

The Spurs easily handled the Heat in both games this season. The biggest reason is the Spurs can slow down Wade and the Heat have no one to guard the Spurs' backcourt.

It would have been a romp.

:pctoss

[MadDog73]

This year's loss is the worst. No way will history show that the Mavericks are a better team than the Spurs. It's really sad that the Spurs lost a series with healthy players sitting on the bench watching it happen.

What the fuck are you talking about?!?

Are you saying as long as the Spurs are healthy, they should never lose?

Remind me who was injured in 2004?

I know people hate the Mavs, but give them some goddamn credit. They beat the Spurs. That means, they are better than the Spurs.

Now we can go back and forth with the "what if Manu didn't foul," "what if Bruce hit an open 3", what if the Refs don't screw game 4", what if Tim makes his last shot (or hits a free throw)."

But these "what if's" are fucking pointless. This loss is like any other loss to another team: we move on, and win it all next year.

This obsession with repeating has gotten people crazy. You have to have a little luck on your side, and the ball didn't bounce that way for the Spurs this year. Better luck next time.

[Winnipeg_Spur]

Bump.

Now do people see why this was the worst? Spurs would be a huge favorite right about now. The Spurs beat the Suns last year when they were better. The Spurs know how to beat Shaquille O'Neal led teams.

If the Spurs beat the Mavs, they probably drop one game to the Suns and one game to the Heat.
True. I was one of the guys who just kept expecting the Pistons to "turn it on" at some point in the playoffs, and though they're not officially done yet, it's looking increasingly less likely that they're capable of such a thing. I don't know if it's the "amazing Flip Saunders regular season jump shooting offence", their disappearing defence, or chemistry problems (not to mention the Heat ARE playing pretty well) but with no Detroit in the picture Spurs would've had an amazing shot at repeating. DAMN. :cuss
:pctoss
:pctoss
:pctoss

[blaze89]

Playoff Loss . . . . . . . . . . .Led To

'95 WCF Rockets . . . . . . .'99 Championship



I disagree with that assessment, I think the 98 WC Semi-Finals against Utah had more to do with the '99 Championship. That elbow Malone through in the regular season that same year and the result of the series, in my opinion, made Popovich realize we needed tougher-minded vets to come in.

[timvp]

It's official. This year was the worst loss of All-Time.

Phoenix and then Miami with homecourt throughout?

Man :pctoss

[Obstructed_View]

What the fuck are you talking about?!?

Are you saying as long as the Spurs are healthy, they should never lose?

Remind me who was injured in 2004?
I'm talking the fuck about this year's team, and what I'm saying is I've never seen the Spurs lose a series because the coach refused to allow healthy players any minutes. The Spurs had two centers who started 81 of 82 regular season games. They started 2 games in the playoffs, and logged one minute in six consecutive games against the Mavericks. I don't have to give the Mavericks any credit at all, that's the beauty of having an opinion. The Spurs allowed a team to shoot 52 percent and score 119 points on their home floor in game 7 without playing either center a single minute.

[my2sons]

yet they lost in ot....had a 3 point lead and shoulda had the game won...thats just the way the ball bounces...you can sound like an einstein in hindsight and criticism... pop knows what his teams are capable and you know its always been about the matchups w/pop...thats what he is....rasho fans were wondering what happened to him last year in the playoff...he lost his starting job to an injury and i assume people would have been bitching if the spurs lost why didn't they play rasho...dallas won, they got the calls, they got the matchups they wanted and sa was there. i personally do not believe rasho nor nazr would have made a difference

[HB22inSA]

You people must have something in your life that is more important than Spurs basketball. It's over.

The season ended 3 weeks ago.

Get over it already. Get a job, read a book, get a new hobby. Christ.

You act as if someone close to you has died.

And who cares if it's the worst? Believe me, there will be plenty more "This is the Spurs' worst playoff loss" years ahead.

Let. It. Go.

[SPARKY]

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/05/10/perot.cnn/perot.jpg

"You people..."

[DuncanInYourFace]

This year: Spurs let us down at HOME when it counted the most

Embarassing.

[my2sons]

You people must have something in your life that is more important than Spurs basketball. It's over.

The season ended 3 weeks ago.

Get over it already. Get a job, read a book, get a new hobby. Christ.

You act as if someone close to you has died.

And who cares if it's the worst? Believe me, there will be plenty more "This is the Spurs' worst playoff loss" years ahead.

Let. It. Go.

i guess thats why you're reading this thread three weeks later...get over it

[milkyway21]

3. 2003-04 WCSF vs. Los Angeles Lakers
.4 sucked. It really sucked. But going into that series, I thought the Lakers were the better team on paper. The Spurs were going to have to play perfect to beat them. As it turns out, they played great the first two games and then folded.


Tim Duncan made an incredible off-balance game-winning shot...

then sec later erased by Fisher's .4 shot :cry

then the Spurs showed up in L.A. with humped shoulders in game 6. As if it was the end of the World and the trophy was already handed with the L.A. Lakers name on it in advance.

But I like the Spurs' spirit in this yr's playoffs. Down 1-3 against the Mavs, still they ended up playing a game 7 and could have won the game if not of the last sec foul error.

there's a lot of hope worth looking forward to next season.