With playoffs near...

[SpursDynasty]

What is everyone's take on the Spurs now..as far as being ready for the playoffs. Tonight's victory has to have some significance to it. 19-2 over the last 21, but this one really proved something. Over this 19-2 run, Spurs have also beat Detroit twice, Houston once (I still don't see why, but we'll count them as a significant win since everyone else is), and tonight Utah. How about the arrival of a supporting cast other than the Three Amigos? On the season:

1-1 vs Phoenix
2-2 vs Utah
2-2 vs Houston
2-0 vs Detroit
1-1 vs Miami
1-2 vs Dallas with 1 game vs Dallas left...
1-2 vs Lakers but the Lakers suck.

Cleveland won't make the Finals, so 0-2 vs Cleveland is meaningless.

Are they ready?

Are they still old and unathletic? They looked pretty athletic tonight. Can't you see Finley and Barry hitting some key 3-pointer shots in the playoffs?

Sorry about all the new threads I'm starting, it's better than hearing all the same Dallas vs Spurs smack talk threads though that end up in meaningless arguments.

[ace3g]

I'm waiting for the Spurs/Mavs matchup on April 15 before I make any judgements, because other than the first meeting, this will be the first time the spurs have played the mavs at full health

[Kori Ellis]

After every game will you ask what we think of the Spurs now? :)

[SpursDynasty]

After every game will you ask what we think of the Spurs now? :)

Yes ma'am. Well, not every.

But since it makes sense that the general reaction is the Spurs suck after losing 1 game after winning the previous 13, I just thought I'd check on the reaction after 1 win, especially against a top 4 NBA team.

I won't do it everytime. Probably only after the Phoenix/Dallas games.

[Rynospursfan]

I think this is the best the Spurs have played all year. The Jazz are a very good team but I don't think they even had a chance in this one. Almost all of our shooters are on, they are crashing the boards hard and diving for loose balls, our big three are as consistent and healthy as ever. I say its time to go get some more rings boys.

:flag:

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I think we're playing our best ball of the season.


With still some room for improvement


if the playoffs started today I don't think we'd beat Dallas but I'm feeling much much better about the team than at any other point of the season.

Finley is a huge reason why my confidence in the team has gone up as he seems to be playing his most consistent stretch of basketball right now.

While Barry had an off game tonight I think for the most part he's been on fire as well.

I also thought we put in a great rebounding effort against one of the best rebounding teams in the league which will be crucial in determining our playoff success this year

[jaespur21]

Good to see we beat the jazz tonight. I missed the game but the jazz has been giving the spurs fits and they won by almost double digits so they did well

[Fabbs]

Style they are playing now looks great.

We're good to go but it's apples and oranges.
2004 we finished 11-0, swept Round 1 and punked the Flakers 2-0 for 17 straight wins.
Then lost 4 straight.
So can't read too much into reg season....

This stretch is the best they have looked.
Hustling, ball movement O, team D.

One key:
28-2 when Frankie Elson gets 20+ minutes.
17-0 when TallBall Frankie gets 25+ minutes.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Style they are playing now looks great.

We're good to go but it's apples and oranges.
2004 we finished 11-0, swept Round 1 and punked the Flakers 2-0 for 17 straight wins.
Then lost 4 straight.
So can't read too much into reg season....

This stretch is the best they have looked.
Hustling, ball movement O, team D.

One key:
28-2 when Frankie Elson gets 20+ minutes.
17-0 when TallBall Frankie gets 25+ minutes.

so basically, sticking with our bigs is the way to go


someone pass the memo along to Pop

[DubMcDub]

I'm waiting for the Spurs/Mavs matchup on April 15 before I make any judgements, because other than the first meeting, this will be the first time the spurs have played the mavs at full health

Except in all likelihood the Mavs will have locked up the #1 seed by then and won't be playing their starters hardly at all. But enjoy. :lol

[Kori Ellis]

Except in all likelihood the Mavs will have locked up the #1 seed by then and won't be playing their starters hardly at all. But enjoy. :lol
Yeah I can't imagine that game will be an indicator of much.

[SpursDynasty]

Except in all likelihood the Mavs will have locked up the #1 seed by then and won't be playing their starters hardly at all. But enjoy. :lol

That will be a good cop-out for Dallas and a way out of playing the Spurs at the best they've been all season.

[SpursDynasty]

Style they are playing now looks great.

We're good to go but it's apples and oranges.
2004 we finished 11-0, swept Round 1 and punked the Flakers 2-0 for 17 straight wins.
Then lost 4 straight.
So can't read too much into reg season....

This stretch is the best they have looked.
Hustling, ball movement O, team D.

One key:
28-2 when Frankie Elson gets 20+ minutes.
17-0 when TallBall Frankie gets 25+ minutes.

If the Spurs had a lead with UNDER a second to go in Game 5, which they did, they were doing what they were supposed to do.

You will never see a bizarre sequence like Fisher's shot again. I still say to this day that the clock started late. But it's been 3 years. I'm just saying, the Spurs were doing what they were supposed to do before a wild shot was allowed, no other team would be allowed that shot (catch, turn, and shoot) today in that amount of time.

Some teams may get through a series on allowed calls/shots that shouldn't have been, but they never end up being the NBA Champs (Lakers in '04, Mavs in '06). Ultimately, breaks from the refs won't get you the championship and in the Finals, the better team always wins. Let's hope there aren't so many BS calls this year in the playoffs, that way we can have a real Conference Finals (We haven't seen a real West Finals since 2002). One team in the West Finals always ends up dominating. The Timberwolves and the Lakers did not belong in the WCF in 2004... that was the worst WCF this decade. 2005, Spurs shut down Phoenix so bad that you'd think Phoenix was an Eastern team. 2006, neither team belonged in the WCF....Would've been better as Spurs vs Clippers or Spurs vs Lakers. It's pointless to have Phoenix in the WCF with no Amare.

[bulletedge]

That will be a good cop-out for Dallas and a way out of playing the Spurs at the best they've been all season.

As I have been told many, many times on this board it is a regular season game and thus totally meaningless. So why exactly should the Mavs try to win it?

The only thing at stake for Dallas would be potentially achieving a 70 win season...which would also be meaningless because it is only the regular season. Unless, of course, the Spurs did it...in which case it would go down as possibly the greatest achievement in NBA history.

God, can't the playoffs just start already!!!

[Clutch20]

God, can't the playoffs just start already!!!
:lol

[td4mvp3]

i'd like to think they're going to get by dallas, but it's not going to happen.

[phyzik]

anyone who ever thought the last Dallas game was going to be anything more than both teams just going through the motions with their main players on the bench for most of the game is crazy.

[DarrinS]

To me, what's most significant is that the bench was playing well, especially Finley during the past few games. We'll need that if Horry keeps having abdominal pain.


Manu is really starting too get back to his old form. He was a human highlight reel last night. I couldn't believe he made that one shot under the basket with four Utah defenders all over him. Very cool.


Tim's bank shot continues to be money.

[mabber]

Yeah I can't imagine that game will be an indicator of much.

I'm going to try to sell my tickets on EBay as I don't see the Mavs going all out to win since they won't need to. The game may or may not have meaning to the Spurs depending on if they still have a chance at the #2 seed.

I'm hoping someone pays "stupid" money for my tickets, otherwise I'll go to the game.

[mabber]

anyone who ever thought the last Dallas game was going to be anything more than both teams just going through the motions with their main players on the bench for most of the game is crazy.

The game could be important to the Spurs if they still have a chance at the #2 seed.

[ALVAREZ6]

I like the consistency we are seeing at this stretch of the season. I hope the Spurs can continue playing like this through the last games. IF they do, I'm convinced that they'll go back to the finals. It'll still be a tough ass series against the Mavs.

[ducks]

yes but the spurs lost 2 whole games out of 21 and some think that sucks

[DubMcDub]

That will be a good cop-out for Dallas and a way out of playing the Spurs at the best they've been all season.

Yes. It's obviously a "cop-out". :lol :rolleyes

[dbreiden83080]

I think we look great Manu moving to the bench seems to have energized everyone and Vaughn is really playing well now backing up Tony, where we were getting nothing out of that spot earlier in the year (Thanks Beno). Our D looks fierce right now, the best in the league in the 2nd half of the year no question. It is just our seeding that is the problem. A series with the Suns in the 2nd round will be so hard to get through and have much left for the Mavs.

[td4mvp21]

We are playing very good. If we can be consistent in the playoffs, then we can get to the Finals I think. But it's going to take so much consistency and execution, the Spurs can't slack off one bit.

[Dalhoop]

The game against Utah, was a good game, but Utah is on a downward thread right now (4-6 in their lst ten), I think that they are starting to come back down to earth after their great start. They have not won a road game sense the first week of March going 0-6.

Now the Spurs do look ready for the playoffs and will have no problem in the first round. We could talk till we are blue in the face about the Spurs-Suns and Spurs-Mavs and it will be for nothing, the Games will come, answers are a month away

[LEONARD]

I think thing are looking pretty well for the Spurs myself...


That will be a good cop-out for Dallas and a way out of playing the Spurs at the best they've been all season.

another jeffdrums22 jinxing yesterday? :lol