It's Over

[Nero]

And it's mainly because of TD's decline. It's not his fault that for whatever reason age has caught up fast with him. Every year now he starts out great and gets worn out about this time. His play starts declining more and more. He needs to rest half the season like shaw, but the rest of the team isn't good enough for that.

Yeah, of course the two worst players in the L, Finley and Horry are also to blame and our ridiculously small lineup.

Oh well, it's been a great run. I don't see us as true contenders anymore.

[Steve Perry]

I hope you don't climb back on the wagon in the playoffs.

[dknights411]

Hold up there, Cowboy. It still too early to say THAT. The Spurs are so-so anyway until the rodeo road trip (SPAM anyone?). If the slide goes on past then, then I would worry.

[objective]

Everything always seems to get put on Duncan.

No matter how terrible guys like Finley, Horry, Beno, and Barry play . . . somehow it's Duncan's fault that the team loses, because he whines too much, because he's on the decline . . . etc etc

Kind of like blaming David Robinson when his supporting cast was a bunch of rejects and old rejects in the early 90s.

[mFFL03]

Hold up there, Cowboy. It still too early to say THAT. The Spurs are so-so anyway until the rodeo road trip (SPAM anyone?). If the slide goes on past then, then I would worry.


yeah I agree with this guy...for the rest of you...

just cry about it a little more.........waaaaaaah waaaaaaaah waaaaaaah....god you can even hear a whiny crowd through TV

Jeez you have the refs behind you and you were up...what more can you ask

[Dre_7]

When the Spurs are in the playoffs and Tim is getting 30ppg like he did in the Mavs series, everyone will be off the ledge and back on the bandwagon.

[leemajors]

hopefully you get splinters in your ass from the door hitting you on your way out.

[Nero]

No matter how terrible guys like Finley, Horry, Beno, and Barry play . . . somehow it's Duncan's fault that the team loses, because he whines too much, because he's on the decline . . . etc etc

Kind of like blaming David Robinson when his supporting cast was a bunch of rejects and old rejects in the early 90s.


The thing is that TD has always done it with scrubs before. That's what made him the 2nd best basketball player in the L (after Shaq). Now that Manu and Parker are getting paid so much we can't really expect more than that. I'm not saying it's his fault, just that that's the difference this year and last for that matter.

Everyone keeps talking about his scoring last year. Yeah, he was really effective there but his rebounding and D were not up to the standards he set in previous playoffs. I'd much prefer to have that 24/14/3 in LOW scoring grind it out games of those playoffs patrolling the paint than the 30/10/2.

That's just the way I see it.

[Spurologist]

All of this 'spurs are finished' rhetoric is sickening.

[Marcus Bryant]

Go cut yourself already.

[objective]

The thing is that TD has always done it with scrubs before.

What title has he won with scrubs? Each title he's won he's done with help.

This team as it is now might be even more wretched and old outside of Manu and Parker than the 2002 team that had guys like Ferry and Porter logging huge minutes.

[themvp]

Tim's problem is Pop. I believe he doesn't let him play or he don't want him to play like the MVP.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Tim Duncan is obviously on the decline though, but thats not his fault. What is at fault is Popavich leaving Finley in the game the bulk of the third quarter, and not letting Manu take over.
Where is the logic here????

[boutons_]

'Everything always seems to get put on Duncan."

He's Mr. Franchise, he sets the tone for the team. Pop said Pop doesn't want to be leader and Tim just isn't a leader, esp now his game is declining and he hasn't figured out new ways to play with what he has left.

[Dr J]

Tim is still an excellent player. He also showed significant dedication by resting his foot this summer and then returning in great shape. However, he is not a center. He is at his best when he plays power forward with a defensive rebounding center. Pop and the SA brain trust did not get him a legitimate defensive center. Oberto is a glorified power forward/european center and Elson is marginal at best. Tim started the game very well but wore down. Did you see the number of short shots near the end of the game. He played as if he was on the second night of a back-to-back.

If he continues to work as hard as he did tonight, he may reinjure his foot (as this is an overuse injury and many feel that the propensity for reinjury will remain for many years).

The calendar is not the friend of the Spurs.

John

[midgetonadonkey]

Pop should sit all starters for the rest of the season and play for the lottery.

[Dirk41MVP]

Pop should sit all starters for the rest of the season and play for the lottery.

you want to tank the season AGAIN you little biatch ?. Is that what the mavs did when we had crap-ass-nelson as a coach and our team was not that great in the playoffs ?, NO. .. however that seems to be the only way your "great management" can do anything right... HAHAHHA

[Budkin]

Quitters need to go away. So we're in a slump, so what?

[NZ Spurs]

Every year now he starts out great and gets worn out about this time.

How long have you been a Spurs fan?

Same Chicken little shit happen every year.

Its fucking January. The basketball stinks, most of the true fans aren't interested and the Spurs are just going through the motions as the do every year...

Go watch some American Football or whatever you call that crap and come back in a few months.

[Dre_7]

Screw the quitters and ledge jumpers! I am FULLY confident that SA will win the title again this years. Oh ye of little faith!!

[Bruno]

I strongly hope that Duncan will come back at a close to MVP level.

He is the reason why Spurs have lost yesterday : Dirk has played at a MVP level, Duncan barely at an all star level. It's his team and he has no excuse for not raising his level of play : he is still quite young, he is healthy and he should have been motivated to kick some mavs ass.

If Duncan plays like that in April/May/june, Spurs will be :fishing very soon this year.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

No one should be worried about Duncan. The series against the Mavs last year showed I think everyone who isn't overly skeptic that he is capable of carrying this team. It's obvious that he needs a better supporting cast, to be specific a better second unit, that can fulfill roles that are currently not even being half-filled by some of the players coming off the bench...

[Viva Las Espuelas]

True...a knick lover, of all things. nice sig, and when have ya'll been contenders. ya'll faded away along with that bipolar john starks. ya'll made it to the finals and who outted you. NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Viva Las Espuelas]

is a great tune by Loverboy

[ducks]

duncan always plays better after allstar break
BOOK IT

[samikeyp]

Is this where I wring my hands, say "Woe is me" and burn everything Silver and Black that I own? :p:


Forgive me if I don't give up. If I go down with the ship, so be it.

[clambake]

The mavs didn't play very well, but still won. That was surprising. Tims FT are pathetic. He didn't look interested.

How many easy layups were missed by both teams?

[mountainballer]

If Duncan plays like that in April/May/june, Spurs will be :fishing very soon this year.

could in fact happen. right now Spurs are on pace of finishing 4th in the West and could easily meet either the Nuggets or the Rockets in the first round.

Nuggets with Melo back will be impossible to beat, when Tim doesn't dominate.
and if the Rockets can get Yao somehow back from injury, this will be a tough one too.

[boutons_]

Spurs are on pace for 55-27.
They will need a VERY strong 2nd half to get 60.

[WalterBenitez]

Nothing to be afraid of ... :wakeup

Fire POP, trade Manu, send Tim Duncan to the Bench ... bring Scola here.

[WalterBenitez]

The only way Spurs will undefeatable is playing once a week, we should play two set of Starters .... Manu, Bowen, TD, Parker, Oberto ... playing twice a week ... the third game goes to Brent Barry, Horry, Beno, Finley and Elson.

[WalterBenitez]

Spurs are on pace for 55-27.
They will need a VERY strong 2nd half to get 60.
:pctoss

No way

[bdubya]

Screw the quitters and ledge jumpers! I am FULLY confident that SA will win the title again this years. Oh ye of little faith!!

Be confident that they'll come out of the west, anyway. But you KNOW who'll be there waiting for them... :eyebrows

(and this time, we're bringing a bench!)

[td4mvp21]

yeah I agree with this guy...for the rest of you...

just cry about it a little more.........waaaaaaah waaaaaaaah waaaaaaah....god you can even hear a whiny crowd through TV

Jeez you have the refs behind you and you were up...what more can you ask

that the Spurs would have won? :lol

But yeah, its way too early. Although our record may show that we are good, the Spurs typically are not REALLY good until the rodeo trip. Yes, they even lose to good teams around this time on the average. Wait until after the next game vs. the Mavs and then we'll have to re-evaluate.

[samikeyp]

I agree. I don't think this was a meaningless game (as a lot of regular season games tend to be) because all divisional games, IMO, are important. This game was also important in a mental aspect. The Spurs used to have the Mavs in a mind fuck. No matter what the Mavs did...when the game or season was on the line, the Spurs prevailed. Last year's playoffs ended that. The Spurs are slumping and a win would have ended that. The series is 2-1 with one more to play so another Spurs win evens the series and gives no clear advantage to either team. A loss in that game and the seeds of doubt could start to creep in, if they haven't already. No way to know 100% but its a thought.

Right now, the Mavs are the best team in the league and are playing as such. The Spurs are still a very good team but need to get out of their funk. The good thing about the NBA season is that it is long enough to work out of funks. That working out needs to start now, though.

[Budkin]

Anyone remember the Pistons game last January? We didn't even compete in that game and people were jumping off the ledge afterwards.

[DubMcDub]

Spurs better pick it up during the rodeo trip. If the Mavs end up the 1 seed and the Spurs the 4 because Utah and PHX both have better records, then we'd have to play in the second round again.

[veronicamae]

hope you have a nice fall off the wagon, Nero. there won't be room enough for you when it comes playoff time.

if you haven't noticed, there is more than half a season left - but it's ALLLLLLLL OVER after this game, right?

[nba skool]

Stop blaming Duncan, Ginobli, Bowen, and Parker. They are the same or better than they have been the last 4-5 years.

The Spurs problem is that there is no one else on the team giving them help, and like we ultimately saw in last year's playoffs, they can't deal with all of the mismatches Dallas gives them. Rasho and Mohammed were ineffective, and now Oberto and Elson aren't any better. Slow it down, traditional lineups, speed it up, small ball, whatever... Dallas dictates the pace and the Spurs can't answer.

Finley, Barry, Udrich, Oberto, Elson...? The Spurs need more guys that can put the ball in the basket than just Duncan, Parker, and Manu... i.e. Steven Jackson, Devin Brown, M. Rose, Steve Kerr (in clutch games)... Barry is doing ok, but you get my point.

Although it is true how Duncan seems to be back to his old ways at the FT line. If Duncan shot free throws like he did last night in last season's WCF, it never would have went 7 games...

Word.

[ginobili fan]

Tim's problem is Pop. I believe he doesn't let him play or he don't want him to play like the MVP.

Are you kidding me?
I think the real Problem is that Pop lets him play Tooooooo much in the f...ing money time because he is still thinking that Tim is a MVP.
But the fact is: Tim is not a MVP type anymore.
We have to admit it
Let penetrate parker and manu more

[nba skool]

You been staring at that dark and depressing AT&T center for too long.

Every team in the league would take Tim Duncan as their go-to guy.

The Spurs need to get their heads back to where they were 2-3 seasons ago, when they played basketball. These days they are worried more about flopping, acting, and rolling around on the ground than they are about making the shot. Their heads are too big.