How they play against teams that matter

[jeffdrums22]

Dallas: W 97-91, L 95-92, L 90-85
Phoenix: W 111-106, L 103-87

We are 2-3 vs Dallas and Phoenix, and even further, we have shown we can play with these teams (the Suns ran away in the last 2 minutes of the 103-87 game). We still have one more game each vs these two, If you compare how the Spurs have played against these teams vs the rest of the league, their best ball is played against the top 2. The only team that really counts is Dallas, look how close those games have been.

[td4mvp21]

You have a good point, but we need to be able to close out the win. Keeping up with them and then losing in the final minutes isn't acceptable either.

[Trifecta]

Dallas: W 97-91, L 95-92, L 90-85
Phoenix: W 111-106, L 103-87

We are 2-3 vs Dallas and Phoenix, and even further, we have shown we can play with these teams (the Suns ran away in the last 2 minutes of the 103-87 game). We still have one more game each vs these three, If you compare how the Spurs have played against these teams vs the rest of the league, their best ball is played against the top 2. The only team that really counts is Dallas, look how close those games have been.

Now go ahead and show me the scores against the rest of the unwatchable teams in the NBA who don't matter.

You did not add the Rockets to the mix!!!! They could make some "noise" during the playoffs! Spurs 1-2 versus them (losing twice at ATT).

[jeffdrums22]

You did not add the Rockets to the mix!!!! They could make some "noise" during the playoffs! Spurs 1-2 versus them (losing twice at ATT).

The Rockets are not in that list because McGrady has never been past the first round in the West.

[Trifecta]

The Rockets are not in that list because McGrady has never been past the first round in the West.


Jeff what is scary is how well the Rockets are playing without Yao!

Besides, Bonzi has always been a difficult matchup for the Spurs!

[jaffies]

Dallas: W 97-91, L 95-92, L 90-85
Phoenix: W 111-106, L 103-87

We are 2-3 vs Dallas and Phoenix, and even further, we have shown we can play with these teams (the Suns ran away in the last 2 minutes of the 103-87 game). We still have one more game each vs these two, If you compare how the Spurs have played against these teams vs the rest of the league, their best ball is played against the top 2. The only team that really counts is Dallas, look how close those games have been.



you have another thread that says the same thing.

and being close to beating the top playoff teams means shit in a 7 game series.

[boutons_]

"The Rockets are not in that list"

The Spurs and Rockets could very well finish 4-5 seeds or 3-6 seeds and face each other first round, so they should be in your list, if you're thinking about the playoffs, as should be the Lakers and Jazz.

What's the Spurs' record to date vs Suns, Mavs, Rockets, Jazz, Lakers?

[jack0fspeed]

Both of those wins came at the start of the season when both the Mavs and Suns were learning how to play together.

I think you have to discount both of them.

[boutons_]

What's the Spurs' record to date vs Suns, Mavs, Rockets, Jazz, Lakers?

4 - 9 = 0.308 "against teams that matter", will be seen in the WC playoffs.

[jeffdrums22]

Suns and Mavs (Really only Mavs) are the only teams that matter in a playoff situation. Rockets and Lakers, are out in the first round bc they will be facing either Dallas, Phoenix, SA, or Utah the top 4 seeds. The Spurs aren't THAT horrible yet to where we need to think Houston or LA will push a series to seven games with SA, gimme a break. Sorry, but the combination of Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, with a great defender in Bowen, does not lose a playoff series to Kobe alone, or the underachieved duo of Yao Ming and McGrady. Not going to happen. I don't see Houston going past the 1st round at all, LA could make it into the 2nd round if they play Utah in the 1st, but that would be a 7-game series.

Also, while Utah has come out strong, they are still young and have no playoff-tested veterans. They are out in the 2nd round, or a 1st round upset vs LA is likely.

The WCF will not end up being Dallas and SA unless SA catches Phoenix for 2nd place, which isn't likely.

Do we really need another meaningless WCF? (As long as Phoenix is in it, it's meaningless, they will never make the Finals with their style of play.)

The deciding series in the West once again will be Dallas and SA, and whoever gets that one bounce or one call, or whoever doesn't make that one mental mistake with 20 seconds left.

[bobbyjoe]

Suns and Mavs (Really only Mavs) are the only teams that matter in a playoff situation. Rockets and Lakers, are out in the first round bc they will be facing either Dallas, Phoenix, SA, or Utah the top 4 seeds. The Spurs aren't THAT horrible yet to where we need to think Houston or LA will push a series to seven games with SA, gimme a break. Sorry, but the combination of Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, with a great defender in Bowen, does not lose a playoff series to Kobe alone, or the underachieved duo of Yao Ming and McGrady. Not going to happen. I don't see Houston going past the 1st round at all, LA could make it into the 2nd round if they play Utah in the 1st, but that would be a 7-game series.

Also, while Utah has come out strong, they are still young and have no playoff-tested veterans. They are out in the 2nd round, or a 1st round upset vs LA is likely.

The WCF will not end up being Dallas and SA unless SA catches Phoenix for 2nd place, which isn't likely.

Do we really need another meaningless WCF? (As long as Phoenix is in it, it's meaningless, they will never make the Finals with their style of play.)

The deciding series in the West once again will be Dallas and SA, and whoever gets that one bounce or one call, or whoever doesn't make that one mental mistake with 20 seconds left.

The Spurs arent that horrible too think they'll lose to LA or Houston?

The Spurs are 2-4 against these 2 teams this year, never mind that LA/Hou has always had one of their stars (Yao, TMac, Odom) injured in most if not all of these games. A couple of these losses were flat out blowouts and the Spurs have been healthy in these games.

The Spurs have also historically stunk against Houston and LA in the playoffs. I think they are a combined 2-7 against these franchises in NBA Playoff history.

The Spurs this year have pretty much stunk against top competition and fattened up on the scrubs of the league. This wont get it done in the playoffs. Relying on turning on a 'switch' in the playoffs to rekindle past glory as we've seen from the Laker teams of the early 2000's doesn't always work out so well.

The Spurs were once a great team, but not this year .

[Dalhoop]

I don't want to get in trouble here, but the Suns and Mavs both started a combined 1-7 at the start of the season. Now don't get me wrong, those games mattered as much as the other games on the schedule (More because they were division games), but nobody is going to point at those opening records and say that those were the same teams at this point in the season.

You can cherry pick who are the top teams in the West, but the truth is that the Spurs are not doing so great against the top 5-6 teams in the West, and they will play one of the teams in the first round, another in the second round and a third in the West Finals.

Now you can say that they will play with more intensity and desire in the play-offs, but the other teams are saying the same things. To worry me, the Spurs would have to come close to running the table to finish the season ... and the few losses had better not be to the top teams in the West or even that type of run wouldn't worry me.

The Spurs need to do something ... A trade, lighting some fires under some shorts ... I don't know ...They need to start playing better.

[JamStone]

Uhhhhh, they "played their best ball against the top 2" and yet they lost 3 of the 5 games.

Hmmmmmmm.

[ducks]

yes but all of those could have been w easily had they played 40 minutes instead of 24

[smeagol]

They beat Dallas and PHO early in the season, when those teams were still adjusting.

It will be damn difficult to beat them in a 7 game series in May.

[mabber]

Suns and Mavs (Really only Mavs) are the only teams that matter in a playoff situation. Rockets and Lakers, are out in the first round bc they will be facing either Dallas, Phoenix, SA, or Utah the top 4 seeds. The Spurs aren't THAT horrible yet to where we need to think Houston or LA will push a series to seven games with SA, gimme a break. Sorry, but the combination of Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, with a great defender in Bowen, does not lose a playoff series to Kobe alone, or the underachieved duo of Yao Ming and McGrady. Not going to happen. I don't see Houston going past the 1st round at all, LA could make it into the 2nd round if they play Utah in the 1st, but that would be a 7-game series.

Also, while Utah has come out strong, they are still young and have no playoff-tested veterans. They are out in the 2nd round, or a 1st round upset vs LA is likely.

The WCF will not end up being Dallas and SA unless SA catches Phoenix for 2nd place, which isn't likely.

Do we really need another meaningless WCF? (As long as Phoenix is in it, it's meaningless, they will never make the Finals with their style of play.)

The deciding series in the West once again will be Dallas and SA, and whoever gets that one bounce or one call, or whoever doesn't make that one mental mistake with 20 seconds left.

I think you're underestimating the Lakers & Rockets (assuming they have all their players healthy). I'm very concerned about the Rockets if Yao is back and playing like he was prior to his injury. I think they're as good or better on defense than both the Spurs & Mavs. Plus, T-Mac is too good of a player to never win a playoff series...HE'S DUE. Yeah, the Mavs spanked them the other night but that's because they only really had to worry about slowing down T-Mac. Yao has always been a difficult matchup for Dallas (not sure how the Spurs have fared against him).

I think Kobe's supporting cast (Odom, Walton, "Push", etc.) is good enough to win a playoff series or two.

Yes, I think the Spurs would probably defeat both those teams in a playoff series but I don't see them doing it in less than 6 games.

[boutons_]

"4 - 9"

ah, right. If the Spurs hadn't beaten the Suns and Mavs while those 2 were in their start-of-season funks, the Spurs could be 2-11.

[miss paxton]

They beat Dallas and PHO early in the season, when those teams were still adjusting.

It will be damn difficult to beat them in a 7 game series in May.

I don't disagree with you in general. But it seems strange to me that the Spurs--historically slow starters--have already played most of the tough teams almost the entire season series, and it's only February 11. They don't play the Lakers again, and have only one more game against Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and Utah, having only 3-game series against the Lakers and Phoenix, with two of the Laker games being at Staples.

So with over two months to go in the season, they really only have four chances at statement wins over the strong teams. That's just the way the schedule falls this year--you could argue that the other teams took advantage of the Spurs' annual slowness to gel. That doesn't take into account the other problems this teams faces, but it does mean that they could still finish the season strong--with some good win streaks, even though they won't be over the elite.

Incidentally, although it isn't likely to make boutons or anyone else feel better, technically they're 5-9 against Dallas [1-2], Houston [1-2], Utah [1-2], Lakers [1-2] and Phoenix [1-1]. They have the opportunity to tie every season series, except the Lakers, and outright win the Phoenix series. All in all, that would be pretty good considering that the top teams this year are really pretty good. I'm just going to sit back and see what happens, since that's all I can do anyway.

[sprrs]

Both of those wins came at the start of the season when both the Mavs and Suns were learning how to play together.

I think you have to discount both of them.

You can make an argument that they weren't playing at their best, but NOT that they didn't know how to play together. They were for the most part, the exact same teams they were last year.

[FromWayDowntown]

So let me get this straight:

A team that struggles against bad teams and is under .500 against "teams that matter," (however that term is defined) and significantly under .500 against likely playoff teams in its own conference should be considered dangerous, if not a favorite, come playoff time because it can play close games against good teams, even if it has struggled to make plays to win those games?

Is that a pretty close approximation of the logic at play?

[Extra Stout]

So let me get this straight:

A team that struggles against bad teams and is under .500 against "teams that matter," (however that term is defined) and significantly under .500 against likely playoff teams in its own conference should be considered dangerous, if not a favorite, come playoff time because it can play close games against good teams, even if it has struggled to make plays to win those games?

Is that a pretty close approximation of the logic at play?
You have to tweak the logic until it yields the desired result.

[mjnxn]

Well we just LOST to the world champions...and they seem to matter to me. This thread is bull.