I've never seen the Spurs play so badly and still win

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

They looked like the same team that Utah blew out in game 3 of the WCF. Lucky for the Spurs they were playing a Western conference lottery team.

[easjer]

Agreed.

[judaspriestess]

:lol we were thinking the same thing just now.

[makedamnsure]

and that's the difference between the East and the West...

[florige]

Man the Spurs are probably one of the most confusing teams ever. I mean one game we look better than the 96 Bulls at times. And then games like today for instance we look like the Atlanta Hawks. It is UNBELIEVABLE how we can play so freakin goos, then play so freakin bad one game. Sorry Cavs fans, this game was DEF a gimmie for you guys and you managed to F that chance up. I think the Cavaliers were doing the same thing Utah did and were putting TOO much faith in their home court. We played bad granted, but to play that bad at home when we are playing perhaps one of our worse games of the year is unacceptable.

[Borosai]

This was the letdown game we were all expecting, and it was crap. Game 2 against Phoenix, game 3 against Utah... enough said.

Luckily, Cleveland's offense was horrendous, and the Spurs made their 3s... that is it.

[T Park]

Yeah hopefully Ginobili decides to play in the next game.

Duncan should have a better game.

Parker was OK, but not agressive enough.

[Tek_XX]

i give some credit to the Cavs defense, we don't play this crappy on our own.

[baseline bum]

Yeah that beautiful. That's like the Lakers used to do when Shaq was there. No matter how badly they played, they were always capable of squeaking out a win. The 99 Spurs could do it too.

[Budkin]

The Cavs are just utterly pathetic. We did not deserve that game.

[florige]

The Cavs are just utterly pathetic. We did not deserve that game.


Agreed

[Switchman]

Spurs should have lost that game.

Luckily for us, the Cavs couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat.

[T Park]

Do the Spurs get no credit for making the Cavaliers bad too? :rolleyes

[florige]

Actually we have managed to play like hell for the last 5 qtrs and a half. We are fortunate that the Cavs have matched that.

[TampaDude]

The Spurs just won an NBA Finals game with the LOWEST score of ANY team in the last 50 years!!! They only scored 75 and STILL WON...I don't think the Cavs want to hear that... :lol

[Capt Bringdown]

After the last game I read numerous articles about the Spurs legacy as a championship team, and then we come out and lay a gigantic turd in game 3.

A tad disappointing, but I guess that's the character of this team. They have their off nights, so be it. Nobody will remember this game once the party starts.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

Cavs played good D. You need to recognize that.

[Borosai]

The Cavs definitely played good D. Luckily, the Spurs were knocking down their 3s.

[Lp26]

I went in the shower during the 3rd, and started watching somewhere in the 4th. I remember Manu had zero points and TD had maybe 12 ?

And the Cavs were down 4, WTF?!

I kept thinking if this was against the Pistons of old, you guys would be down 30.

Fortunately, the Cavs suck.

[easjer]

Cavs did play some good D.

However the Spurs shooting was way off. They missed so many shots at the rim (that were not impeded or blocked) and quite a few wide open shots. Cav's D forced the Spurs to dribble around the outside and hold and overpass and jack up bad shots on a low shotclock on numerous occasions, but if they'd hit the open shots they had it would have been another blowout.

[LuvBones]

The cavs are a bunch of scrubs without Lebron.... and they couldn't take advantage of home court. Spurs deserved to win because they are the better team.. even when they suck. :lol

[T Park]

Cavs did play some good D.

However the Spurs shooting was way off. They missed so many shots at the rim (that were not impeded or blocked) and quite a few wide open shots. Cav's D forced the Spurs to dribble around the outside and hold and overpass and jack up bad shots on a low shotclock on numerous occasions, but if they'd hit the open shots they had it would have been another blowout

sounds like the cavaliers as well.

[Warlord23]

Good Cavs D, Spurs sleepwalking, offense looking awkward, Duncan in foul trouble, getting pounded on the boards ... and yet we end up with the W.

I think our D was at its absolute prime today, and the experience of our veteran role players pulled it out for us ...

[NO LIMIT ARMY COMMANDER]

This was the game for the Spurs to drop. :smokin

[mVp]

awful win... but hey, an awful win is much better than an awful loss!

[BlackFlagg]

and that's the difference between the East and the West...

Yep...

Tonight kinda sucked, and yet...... here we are.

[Budkin]

I'll take being up 3-0 in the Finals any day... we've never been in this position, do you realize that? Let's go for the sweep!!!

[trueD]

Give Cavs credit, their defense looked sharp tonight, I didn't see much of Parker in the lane, and call it Cavs Homecourt Intimidation....no Spur was stellar. Course, you can say that about Cavs offense too, but hey. We're talking Cavs defense was maybe as good as Spurs' defense tonight.

[BlackFlagg]

Cavs played good D. You need to recognize that.

I noticed that. They're learning.

[tmtcsc]

Some wins may stink, but they are all beautiful.

[Avitus1]

Yea San Antonio's big 3 was hurting tonight but the team still pulled it off. Thats what teams that should be in the Finals do.

[Strike]

This was the game for the Spurs to drop. :smokin

Agreed. So far this year, the Spurs have laid an egg once every series.

Game 1, Denver
Game 2, Phoenix
Game 3, Utah
Game 3, Cleveland

The only difference in the finals is that Cleveland had a thousand opportunities to take advantage of and didn't.

And with the exception of the game 4 choke in Phoenix, the Spurs have played well in EVERY remaining games in all those series.

I refused to think about it before but now I think a sweep is a distinct possibility.

[SRJ]

Great teams win games when they're not playing well.

[violentkitten]

fuck yeah they won. get crazy you bitches.

[Solid D]

Chopper, you are right, they won ugly. I'm not sure that you've never seen them play this badly offensively in the Finals, however. I'm pretty sure at least one of those games vs. New Jersey in '03 was worse. The D was excellent tonight.

[VinnyTestesVerde]

They looked like the same team that Utah blew out in game 3 of the WCF. Lucky for the Spurs they were playing a Western conference lottery team.

Seriously. At least the Jazz had the nuts and brains to realize when their opponent was weak and ready to lose.

[rob5]

an ugly victory is a whole lot better than an ugly defeat.

[violentkitten]

an ugly victory is a whole lot better than an ugly defeat.

no shit. get drunk san antonio!

[Fernando TD21]

I went in the shower during the 3rd, and started watching somewhere in the 4th. I remember Manu had zero points and TD had maybe 12 ?

And the Cavs were down 4, WTF?!

I kept thinking if this was against the Pistons of old, you guys would be down 30.

Fortunately, the Cavs suck.
Yeah, the Spurs didn't play any defense and Cavs didn't play defense neither, Pistons of old would dominate the game :rolleyes ... if only they had a time machine back in the time when Pistons were good.

[Solid D]

There was game 3 vs. the Nets in '03 that was just about as ugly for the Spurs offensively. The Spurs went 28-67 in that game and missed 12 FTs with 17 TOs. Tonight's game they went 28-68 and missed 7 FTs with 14 TOs.

Never-the-less, tonight was pretty awful and the Spurs really did try to hand the game to the Cavs for a stretch there by not taking care of the ball.

[ALVAREZ6]

The Spurs played terribly tonight. This was one of the shittiest games I've seen, it didn't even seem like the NBA finals. I hope that means game 4 will be a good one, and I'm hoping for a SWEEP.

[BlackFlagg]

no shit. get drunk san antonio!

I'm trying! :downspin: :downspin:

[carina_gino20]

no shit. this was the shitty game they always have in a series where we fans are supposed to be demanding trades at the end of the game. The Cavs had so many opportunities but they still laid an egg.

But as ugly as it was, that game showed the difference between having a great team versus having a great player. The Big Three were nowhere near dominant tonight, but the rest of the team did a stellar job picking up the slack. :toast

[Lp26]

Yeah, the Spurs didn't play any defense and Cavs didn't play defense neither, Pistons of old would dominate the game :rolleyes ... if only they had a time machine back in the time when Pistons were good.

I'm not talking about the defense. The defense for both teams was good, but the Spurs missed lay-ups, shots at the rim, WIDE OPEN shots, they got out-rebounded, and couldn't make a FT. Against any team that isn't as offensively challenged as CLE this would be an L.

Spurs D is good, but the Cavs always have had trouble scoring + typically shoot a low % at the FT line. They look similar to this against the 6'ers as well.

[Fernando TD21]

I'm not talking about the defense. The defense for both teams was good, but the Spurs missed lay-ups, shots at the rim, WIDE OPEN shots, they got out-rebounded, and couldn't make a FT. Against any team that isn't as offensively challenged as CLE this would be an L.

Spurs D is good, but the Cavs always have had trouble scoring + typically shoot a low % at the FT line. They look similar to this against the 6'ers as well.
Ok, but you said the Spurs "would be down 30" if they played like that against the "Pistons of old". The Pistons could win, but they wouldn't score that easily and the Spurs could still score. I'm just saying it wouldn't be that easy, maybe Pistons would have an off night just like Spurs did.
Anyway, it's silly to argue about this. Spurs did play poorly tonight but I think some credit goes to Cavs. The important thing is that the Spurs played well enough to win the game and they won. Go Spurs Go :toast!

[wildbill2u]

They looked like the same team that Utah blew out in game 3 of the WCF. Lucky for the Spurs they were playing a Western conference lottery team.
Was that the best the Cavs had to offer on their home court with all that pumped arena and knowing they had to win that game?

They need to mail it in next game and prepare for next year when they've got finals experience under their belt and know how to respond.

[ArgSpursFan]

cavs are so not worthy for these finals:they got lucky against a tired Detroit team in the ECFs.

[mathbzh]

Home court don't help much when dealing with the old experienced Spurs :king

[MajorMike]

I kept telling my wife that. When we were down 8 before the end of the half and Timmy got his 3rd, she was all "Oh noooo!" I just said, look, I can't remember seeing us play worse and we are still in this game. After the worst half ever, we go into the locker room up 2.

Not to bag on the Cavs, but there is a reason every sane media person in the world said Spurs in 5 or 6... it's just that obvious.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

There was game 3 vs. the Nets in '03 that was just about as ugly for the Spurs offensively. The Spurs went 28-67 in that game and missed 12 FTs with 17 TOs. Tonight's game they went 28-68 and missed 7 FTs with 14 TOs.

Never-the-less, tonight was pretty awful and the Spurs really did try to hand the game to the Cavs for a stretch there by not taking care of the ball.


Solid, I think I had blocked that game from my mind. Thanks for ruining $4,500 in therapy bills!! :pctoss





Manu wasn't aggressive at all. I thought perhaps he had the stomach flu. Tim was sleepwalking, playing flat-footed on offense. He had that blank, almost disinterested look he has sometimes. This game felt more like a January regular season game than it did the NBA Finals.

[MadDog73]

Not to bag on the Cavs, but there is a reason every sane media person in the world said Spurs in 5 or 6... it's just that obvious.


I called Spurs in 6. Boy, was I wrong!

Spurs in 4. If Cavs can't win against that Spurs performance... they can't win.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

That game was tough to watch. I feel a little bad for the city of Cleveland. On a history making night of the first NBA finals game in Cleveland the fans are treated to witnessing possibly the worst finals game EVER. I keep coming back to the announcers mentioning that some tickets had reportedly been scalped for as high as $15,000. Those folks have got to feel silly for not going and watching a pick up game at the YMCA and spending that cash on something else.