Which Spurs players suffered the most from the loss?

[greens]

Now I know that ALL the Spurs players, fans, and the coach are disappointed that they lost to Dallas. All the Spurs players are obviously sad about it. But what I'm wondering is who do you guys think suffered the most from this loss?

Here is my 2 cents:

I don't think Timmy is too hurt by it because he had 41 points and he always says that as long as he KNOWS that he put his VERY best effort into the game, he can't be too upset. Plus he has THREE championships...and THREE MVP awards for the Finals...He has just turned 30 and has a LONG contract with the Spurs. So I have NO doubt that he will win at least a few more championships in the future...

I don't think Tony is too upset either because he already has TWO championship and he is VERY young still. He has the LONGEST contract with the Spurs and is bound t to win a lot more championships in the future. He's, afterall, only 24 years old...

Horry already has SIX championships...and he was not really used as much in this Dallas series, anyway...Yes, he is getting older and no one knows if he'll retire soon...so this might have been his last shot...BUT anyone would be happy to have SIX wins already!!!

Manu...Yes, very upset BECAUSE he feels that it's mainly his fault as to why he lost...because of the stupid foul on Dirk...BUT he has TWO championships, an Olympic gold medal, a bunch of European medals...AND he is not even 30 yet...he will DEFINITELY win more championships...He has a long contract with the Spurs and a high paying contract...But I don't think he suffered too much with the loss...

Pop- one of the few coaches to even win THREE championships. He knew that it was a toss up...He even said "flip a coin"...so I don't think this loss will hurt too much for him...As long as he keeps his coaching job on the Spurs, he'll win at least a few more championships...


SO I'd say the following TWO people are the most who suffered because of it:

Bruce-Yes, he has TWO championships BUT he's almost 35 years old...He has two more years in his contract to the Spurs, with the 2007-2008 partially guaranteed...So his chances to win another championship with the Spurs are not as high as Manu, Tony, or Timmy...If the Spurs don't win in the next two years, Bruce might not get his third championship because he might already retire by the time Spurs win another one...So in his case, because he might retire soon, this might have been his LAST chance to win another one...

BUT he has a very optimistic personality. He loves life. He is very funny...He has a wife and a newborn son. It's obvious by a recent interview that he'll be totally okay about this loss...He knows that life is like this sometimes. And he knows that he should be very thankful for what he has. As most don't know, he grew up to a mother who was a drug addict and a father who was an alcoholic...And he was basically raised by a surrogate family who took great care of him. So he'll be fine! BUT I just wish that the Spurs did win it this year so that Bruce can have another one before he retires...

Let's hope for next season....

Michael Finley- OUCH...is all I can say right now...Not only was he constantly booed every time he TOUCHED the ball, he was also punched in the groin by his old Dallas teammate...Fans brought cruel posters making fun of Michael, calling him "Michelle"...He just lost to his old team...He was basically kicked out of Dallas due to the contractural issues...He NEVER won even one championship and has played for the NBA for 8 seasons already. He's also in his thirties...So I'd imagine that he will retire really soon, too. He might NEVER win ONE championship, period...Especially if Dallas wins this year's championship, which I highly doubt they will, it will be like a dagger to his heart!

Once again, let's hope for next season's win...

I did not mention the following people: Barry, Nazr, Rasho, Beno, Nick, etc...because fraknly, since they did not really participate in the Dallas series, I don't think any one of them truly has anything to say about it nor should we feel bad for either one of them...


What's your take on this? Can Bowen and Finley win one more before they both retire? Who do you think suffered the most from the loss?

[Texas_Ranger]

Tim Duncan

[spur219]

Probably Finley. But its okay he will get his ring next year next to Tim Duncan.

[SsKSpurs21]

i have to go with finley as well. losing to the mavs is probably what hurt him the most. if it was any other team he would probably have been upset but not to this degree.

[CubanMustGo]

TD because he missed shots at the end of regulation in both OT games. Either would have won the series for SA.

[Old School Chic]

Finley

[austinfan]

Finley, without a doubt. Manu a not-so-distant second.

[greens]

TD because he missed shots at the end of regulation in both OT games. Either would have won the series for SA.

True, but if Manu hadn't fouled Dirk, there would have been no need for Duncan to make the shot at the end of Game 7...Plus TD did everything he could, especially in Game 7 cuz he did score 41 points...By the time, there were a few seconds left before OT, he was out of fuel...totally exhausted and let's not forget his foot issue...

I guess what I'm thinking is the chances for certain players to win more championships...And for Tony, Manu, and Timmy, those chances are HUGE...their contracts are very long...I can't imagine them not winning at least once with their long contracts...

I guess my concerns were for the older players such as Finley and Bowen, who might retire very soon and not get the chance to win another one. Horry is on the list too, but come on, the guy has SIX of them! lol...So i'm not too concerned about him although it would be awesome if he were to have a record number of 7 wins...more than Michael Jordan, for instance...

Either way, Timmy did all he could...

I guess some things are not meant to be at certain times. Did you guys notice that when the score is above 100 points, Spurs lose most of the time? And how about how they keep winning in odd years? And the fact that they were never able to win two in a row? lol...It's like the Spurs have a certain routine that they follow...like Manu's mistake on Dirk cost them the game, and Fisher's shot cost them the game in 2004...It's like the Spurs are meant to be completely devastated by one crazy shot or one bad mental mistake...and then they are meant to come back in an odd year right after and win the championship...lol...then they the cycle continues with them not being able to repeat...

[AZLouis]

Big Shot Brob.

[RON ARTEST]

finley for sure.

[abelle23]

finleyn and manu tied

[degenerate_gambler]

Fin and Manu neck and neck.

Timmy not too far behind. That guy's will to win runs deep. We just dont see it often because of his on-court demeanor.

[Vashner]

NVE ... No Ringz..

Nazr... the 3 pointer that put him in the PermaPop Doghouse

Brent... close but no cigar

[sa_butta]

I think Finley suffered the most. I mean Dallas cut him, he comes to the Spurs for a title shot and the team that cuts him beats him. While I do believe Manu is suffering he has been there, he already has two rings. I have also not seen anyone mention VanX (I was typing this when Vashner posted), he came here for the same reasons and will probably retire without a ring.

[greens]

True, Van Excel and Finley did come here mainly to win a championship...BUT I mean you truly have to work for it, you can't just come to a team that is already so strong and expect to not do much and then win a championship...I'm referring to Nick, of course...Truthfully, I don't feel that Nick did enough for us this season to deserve a win with us...

Finley, yes, he did more than enough to deserve a win with us...He fought like crazy! But there is always next year. And if you notice, what I love about Spurs, is their kindness and class. Some people might join in order to win a ring, but end up staying even after not winning it because of the character of all the Spurs players. Finley talked about how he wanted to win the ring with the Spurs BUT how he is very happy to play with the Spurs because they are just a group of nice guys...period...he's happy here...

If you remember when Horry signed in 2004, a similar situation had happened, because the Spurs lost to his old team, Lakers, by that shot by Fisher...But Horry still signed for next year even though he could have gone anywhere else...And he said that he stayed with this team because, "I LOVE these guys. I'm very happy. I hadn't been this happy in a LONG time. In a lot of cases, you like your teammates, but you don't like your coach. Or you like your coach, but you don't like your teammates. In this case, I like everyone."...Seems like Horry either did not really like his Laker teammates or he could not stand his coach, Phill...lol...You have to wonder...I mean he did win three rings with the Lakers, and he expressed that he still was not that happy with them...At this time, he had no rings with the Spurs, and yet, he said that he was very happy...

I just love the atmosphere that the Spurs players, fans, coaches, organization has...Everyone who comes here loves it here...and is happy...First Horry, now Finley...

And you could see it. Did you see the recent interviews of Pop, Bowen, and Finley. Pop said that Manu "is the stud of the world" and that he'd go anywhere with him...just touching stuff...I mean I could so imagine Phill Jackson being pissed as heck at Manu for his last play...lol...but not Pop...and certaintly not Manu's teammates who LOVE him...I like what Bowen said about Manu, "he has done a lot for us...we LOVE him here. And he understands that. And when you know that you have those who love you and support you...you just feel like you completely let them down...and that's not what he's about." I just love this stuff..it shows that what this team has is very rare, it's called unconditional love and support regardless of what mistakes you make...I'm sure that if Kobe or Vince Carter were Manu's teammates, you would not hear them say that they 'love' him after his mistake on court...they probably would have been majorly pissed at him...

[nbascribe]

MANU...MANU...did I say....MANU?

As good as Ginobili is, he acted like a damn rook this post season. He has to definitely work on his ball handling skills and court awareness.

He made three critical turnovers that were costly. Hope that haunts him all summer so that he knows that making a great play on one end of the floor does not equate into making a bonehead play on the other end.

Sometimes playing intelligently is just as good as making the ESPN highlight reel.

[greens]

True, but Manu still has many years ahead to win more and more championships...Can't really say the same for Finley and Bowen(in his case, they better give him a long contract if he does not want to retire anytime soon...i'd hate for him to play on another team!)...

And yes, just like basketball is also about luck, talent, athleticsm, courage, teamwork, it's also about INTELLIGENCE and playing the SMART way...I think BOTH Manu AND Tony, who also has the tendency to make mistakes...think back to fourth quarter last year when he fouled a Piston in the last few seconds...LOL...thank god, our lead was more than 5 points at that point...even Pop could not believe why Tony would foul! lol...Tony and Manu need to learn how to play the game not only with passion but BY using your brain and intelligence once in a while. They are amazing players but just do not have enough wisdom yet...They should follow Timmy and Bowen because they use their heads a great deal during the game...Bowen TIMED both the Chauncey and the Dirk blocks...that takes not only athletism but intelligence....

[Nbadan]

It hurts Tim the worst because in a few years its gonna be the Lebron/Cleveland show.

[BgT]

Nazr.

[greens]

Rasho/Nazr

Why? Because they might get traded? If that happens, Rasho and Nazr still have the 2005 win with the Spurs...

[ALVAREZ6]

Tim, Finley, and Manu.


Tim, well, he just fuckin dominated, and suprisingly lost.

Finley...he left the Mavs to do something elese, rather than getting beat by his old team.

Manu, I'm pretty sure everyone knows why.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Ummm, anyone who doesn't think the loss sucked for everyone on this team hasn't played a lick of competitive sports in their life :td

[ALVAREZ6]

Ummm, anyone who doesn't think the loss sucked for everyone on this team hasn't played a lick of competitive sports in their life :td
right, but the thread says which Spurs players suffered the most.

[CAGE]

It sucked for all the team

[greens]

yeah and that is why this thread sucks

then go to another thread...

First of all, my title said what this thread is about in the first place...second I actually thought that the Spurs fans are kind and generous people who don't insult others and call other people's reasons for something "retarded"...that's just childish mentality...

and second, thanks to another person who pointed out that this is thread that discuses which player suffered the MOST...I know that the Spurs play as a TEAM, hence whether they win or lose, they do it together..

Third, back to you calling my reasons "retarded"...Yes, Rasho and Nazr did not get the chance to play but I don't think it means they suffered the most or anything to that effect. And as for me saying that both these players might be traded and hence, this was possibly their last shot to win another championship, that's what I was saying...I don't think my thinking is "retarded" at all...Anyway, thanks for making me realize that there are plenty of annoying Spurs fans, too...good job...

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

right, but the thread says which Spurs players suffered the most.


Ummm, anyone who doesn't think the loss sucked for everyone on this team hasn't played a lick of competitive sports in their life

[greens]

I know that it "sucked for everyone"...yes, very true...but you have to admit that some players, like gee...Tony who is only 24 years old has YEARS to win more championships rather than...Finley who might retire after next year or Bowen who might also retire...

This question was just about the long run...not about feelings...not about feeling hurt or disappointed but by the fact there is no championship for the Spurs this season period. Not about who made the mistake, manu...or about who played or did not play...But about how many more chances do CERTAIN players have of winning more championships...like take into your consideration the possibilities of being traded, retiring, getting older, etc...That sort of thing...That's what I meant...not the feelings of disappointment wise...

[Fabbs]

I had high expectations.

I wanted Tim Duncan to be mentioned in the same breath as Shraquile, Kareem, Olajuwan, other multiple title frontline players. Oh he still can, but 3/4 and 4/8 is much more impressive then 3/8 with no back to backs. Ya Shaq only has 3 also, 2 IMO as i don't count the Kings Game 6 ripoff, but they were back to backs....

GNob i also wanted to amass 3/4 with that being amoung the very best all time career starts. Along with shutting the pieholes of all the GNob hater ignoramises. I always had propped his cerebreal game, so the Dirk foul really hurt. He can and will come back IMO, but since this thread is on who was hurt, hell yes he was hurt.

Tony ditto. Breakout of sorts but close don't count. I have no idea why he was on the floor vs Sacto in the Game 6 blowout and thus got bodied hard by Arterst....

Pop. No way do I vault him to amoung all time best after this. Gifted Finley and VanX for virtually nothing, Tim Dunkar healthy for the playoffs, GNob and Parker in prime along with having Big Shot Rob and Bowen. This was a missed op. He should be hurt, but i don't see much passion coming out of him at all.
I think he is pretty satisfied with what he has done, question his hunger for more titles.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I know that it "sucked for everyone"...yes, very true...but you have to admit that some players, like gee...Tony who is only 24 years old has YEARS to win more championships rather than...Finley who might retire after next year or Bowen who might also retire...

Jesus Christ, what the fuck are you looking for? This loss sucked for everyone on this team

There won't be different 'levels of mourning', they're all pissed off and bitter about it. They are at the pinnacle of their sport, they got their by being competitors all their lives.

About the only quantification you can make is that some will get over it faster than others, but that's due to personality, not because one will have more chances and another might not.

Trying to come up with some kind of gay ass ranking of suffering by this team's players is one of the dumber things I've seen in the history of this forum.

[ALVAREZ6]

There won't be different 'levels of mourning', they're all pissed off and bitter about it. They are at the pinnacle of their sport, they got their by being competitors all their lives.

So some chode fuck Nick Van Exel who just got onto the bandwagon is supposed to be as pissed as Manu? The guy who has only been a Spur, and fucked up that last play?

[greens]

Jesus Christ, what the fuck are you looking for? This loss sucked for everyone on this team

There won't be different 'levels of mourning', they're all pissed off and bitter about it. They are at the pinnacle of their sport, they got their by being competitors all their lives.

About the only quantification you can make is that some will get over it faster than others, but that's due to personality, not because one will have more chances and another might not.

Trying to come up with some kind of gay ass ranking of suffering by this team's players is one of the dumber things I've seen in the history of this forum.

I was actually referring to the chances of certain veteran players NEVER being able to win another championship DUE to either retiring or being traded! That's what I'm talking about...And you're telling me that Tony and Manu who are both young and have YEARS left to win more and more champions, that they are as badly effected as for instance Finley, who is in his mid thirties and will most likely retire in a year...BIG DIFFERENCE...all players might FEEL disappointed, but in the long run, CERTAIN players have years to win at LEAST three or four more championships than OTHER players on the Spurs...

Anyway, if people want to bitch about this thread...go ahead...But if I did not like a certain thread, I would skip it INSTEAD of posting rude and disrespectful comments. I'm a poster just like you. And I DESERVE to make a thread and express my views. If you don't like the thread or don't agree with my views, DON'T respond and DON'T go on the thread...it's very simple...

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

And you're telling me that Tony and Manu who are both young and have YEARS left to win more and more champions, that they are as badly effected as for instance Finley, who is in his mid thirties and will most likely retire in a year.

Hmm, considering Manu has stated that he feels responsible for us losing the series, I'm going to go with HELL FUCKING YES YOU DUMBASS.

Why skip it? I offered my two cents on this, which is that (coming from the perspective of playing competitive sports all the way up through high school) if you've ever played a sport where you make it to the post-season, when you lose you feel like shit for days, sometimes weeks.

And that's the entire team, not just 'the older ones vs. the younger ones.'

At least I know you've never played sports in your life, you're arguing too hard with too weak an argument to have done so.

[greens]

Hmm, considering Manu has stated that he feels responsible for us losing the series, I'm going to go with HELL FUCKING YES YOU DUMBASS.

Why skip it? I offered my two cents on this, which is that (coming from the perspective of playing competitive sports all the way up through high school) if you've ever played a sport where you make it to the post-season, when you lose you feel like shit for days, sometimes weeks.

And that's the entire team, not just 'the older ones vs. the younger ones.'

At least I know you've never played sports in your life, you're arguing too hard with too weak an argument to have done so.

I hate arguing and therefore, I won't respond to your rude remarks...I'm going to imagine as if you were Mark Cuban...and use Timmy's quote: "I've got nothing to say to you. Not a thing"...

[ALVAREZ6]

I'll give you guys my dead honost opinion on this subject.


I honostly think it's the die hard fans that feel it the most. Die hard fans will watch and support their team for every single regular season game and spend half their lives on spurstalk.com. All they do is watch the games, talk about the Spurs, and give up a lot of friday nights to watch a game by themselves. All they care about is a championship, and wanting it so badly, it hurts when they fail at it.


The players on the other hand, at least know that the wins and losses are all a direct result from their actions. If they want to do something about it, they have that chance. They are the ones out there, not the fans. And they are getting paid a great deal of $ too.

[zeleni]

I did not mention the following people: Barry, Nazr, Rasho, Beno, Nick, etc...because fraknly, since they did not really participate in the Dallas series, I don't think any one of them truly has anything to say about it nor should we feel bad for either one of them...


What's your take on this? Can Bowen and Finley win one more before they both retire? Who do you think suffered the most from the loss?


None of those people were active in active, so all of them are pretty much the ones who will suffer the most.

Nazr will look for a big contract from the bench.
Barry lost his touch and trust of Pop in the decisive series.
Nick left the game losing.
Rasho played great all season and got cut with small ball that didn't even benefit the Spurs.
Beno haven't played against the players he should dominate. He is hungry as a shark by now.

No, we should feel sorry for basketball vets who will be red-hot next year?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I hate arguing and therefore, I won't respond to your rude remarks...I'm going to imagine as if you were Mark Cuban...and use Timmy's quote: "I've got nothing to say to you. Not a thing"...

Ouch, you got me. Like I said, this loss sucked for everyone on this team.

Trying to quantify degrees of suffering by some of the toughest competitors on the face of the planet is fucking stupid.

[greens]

I'll give you guys my dead honost opinion on this subject.


I honostly think it's the die hard fans that feel it the most. Die hard fans will watch and support their team for every single regular season game and spend half their lives on spurstalk.com. All they do is watch the games, talk about the Spurs, and give up a lot of friday nights to watch a game by themselves. All they care about is a championship, and wanting it so badly, it hurts when they fail at it.


The players on the other hand, at least know that the wins and losses are all a direct result from their actions. If they want to do something about it, they have that chance. They are the ones out there, not the fans. And they are getting paid a great deal of $ too.


Yes, I agree with you on this completely. The players also know that it's just a game...it's win or lose...it's not life or death like it is for some really obsessive fans who built their lives around their favorite team. Also players know that loosing is just as much part of the game as winning is. It's really hard to win a championship...the players know that but life is also about so much more than basketball. And their salary is huge. They get paid for doing something they truly love. There are so many people who would LOVE to be in their shoes. And there are a ton of great players, such as Allen Iverson who play their heart out but never even win ONE championship...

So yes, I definitely see what you're saying...Plus these guys have families and friends, as well as a luxurious life...So basketball is not all that they have...

But fans depend on their favorite teams. They spend money on buying their jerseys, expensive tickets, etc...and their time watching the games on tv...So yes, the loss is truly hard on the die-hard fans, too.

Excellent post. Finally, that's the response that I was hoping to get. A real and true honenst opinion. So thank you for responding in such a polite and intelligent manner. I appreciate that.

[milkyway21]

Van Exel probably. He's retiring w/ no ring in the summer:cry

Finley for the disrespect shown by the Mavs fans, Stackhouse, Terry, and later lost to the team.

Manu for the 3pt-play foul on Dirk.

[Cherry]

Manu say this:


I'm doing OK. Better. Not feeling as hurt about this elimination. I've already started to relax. And I don't intend to carry this feeling around with me during the off-season either. It hurts because we had such high expectations for ourselves, a great dream of becoming champions again. But you have to accept that we faced one of the top two teams in the West and it only slipped from our grasp in the final seconds. This series was a roll of the dice, either of us could have won, and it fell to us to be on the losing end...What's done is done. Only one can be the winner. There will certainly be more opportunities in the future.


For the franchise it was also a blow, because we all felt the same, we knew we could win the title. There was a lot of sadness. It was also really hard for Michael Finley, who came from Dallas to play with us because he wanted to win his first ring. He made a huge effort and didn't achieve his dream. Be that as it may, this creates for us a new challenge and instills more hunger in us for next season.


What I accept is that I shouldn't have committed the foul on DN when there were 21 seconds left and we were winning 104 to 101. With these two points plus the free throw being my fault, they tied and we went into overtime. It made me angry and bothered me more than the shot I missed in the last second. The ball could have gone in or not. Having it go in or no is relative, but I shouldn't have committed that foul. I thought that I had managed to block the ball, but the German is very tall and jumped high. He went up very high. I didn't get there and touched him. In another game in this series, in a similar situation, I risked the same thing and managed to commit a major steal on Jason Terry. Of course I received reproaches from the bench after the Nowitski foul, but this was only for one moment. After the game was over, no one said anything. You have to remember that there were 200,000 errors throughout the series, ours and theirs. Well, basketball is a game of errors...




So now I have to think about vacation. It seems like my best years in the NBA have been the odd-numbered ones (champions in 2003 and 2005). :lol

[TDMVPDPOY]

if i was tim duncan, i want everyone on this team gone

[BgT]

if i was tim duncan, i want everyone on this team gone
:rolleyes Lucky for us you are not Duncan, you are something else, which I'm not going to write here.

[Old School Chic]

if i was tim duncan, i want everyone on this team gone

:lol

[freedom&justice]

I'd say Finley.

[wildbill2u]

Now I know that ALL the Spurs players, fans, and the coach are disappointed that they lost to Dallas. All the Spurs players are obviously sad about it. But what I'm wondering is who do you guys think suffered the most from this loss? ...

I know Manu must be suffering through the offseason because of his bone-head plays in the playoffs that cost us so dearly.

And the coaching staff will clearly be wondering if they made the right decisions in going with small ball instead of staying with what got you 63 wins. Changing up a defense and offense without a season to practice in was probably pretty stupid even though the Spurs had enough talent to almost win using a radically different style and lineup.

But the biggest dissapointment and suffering has to be Rasho and Nazr who were benched for practically all the playoffs because their coach showed he had no confidence in their game. Their reputations have to be at rock bottom around the league.

[Brutalis]

Timmy. He didn't deserved to be treated as he was.

[TheTruth23]

Manu, cuz he sucks, is a flopper, and a reckless player. manu for not listening to coach pop, NO FOUL, idiot.

[spurschick]

Manu, cuz he sucks, is a flopper, and a reckless player. manu for not listening to coach pop, NO FOUL, idiot.

Wow, I'm surprised it took you so long to post in this thread. :rolleyes

[ALVAREZ6]

Yes, I agree with you on this completely. The players also know that it's just a game...it's win or lose...it's not life or death like it is for some really obsessive fans who built their lives around their favorite team. Also players know that loosing is just as much part of the game as winning is. It's really hard to win a championship...the players know that but life is also about so much more than basketball. And their salary is huge. They get paid for doing something they truly love. There are so many people who would LOVE to be in their shoes. And there are a ton of great players, such as Allen Iverson who play their heart out but never even win ONE championship...

So yes, I definitely see what you're saying...Plus these guys have families and friends, as well as a luxurious life...So basketball is not all that they have...

But fans depend on their favorite teams. They spend money on buying their jerseys, expensive tickets, etc...and their time watching the games on tv...So yes, the loss is truly hard on the die-hard fans, too.

Excellent post. Finally, that's the response that I was hoping to get. A real and true honenst opinion. So thank you for responding in such a polite and intelligent manner. I appreciate that.
Thanks for agreeing with me, I expected someone to give me hell for posting that saying I'm a fucking retard.

[v2freak]

TD. His OT performance wasn't the greatest, and he knows he missed two chances to win a game before OT