Would the Spurs Have Beaten the Pistons in the Finals?

[Ghost Writer]

I know this has been asked before, but it is more pertinent in light of tonight's DET vs. SA matchup.

While I think that Detroit was tougher and deeper than the Spurs last year, I think the Spurs could've won, because they obviously would've had the best player on the floor in Duncan.

We would've needed a Manu or a Parker to step up, because Larry Brown would've had the Wallaces try to shut down Tim.

I'm not sure if those two would've been up to that based on what we've seen of them in the playoffs before, but it's within the realm of reason to think that the Spurs could've Git-R-Done.

What do you all think now?

[SPARKY]

Yes, the Spurs would have won. Call me a skeptic but Detroit benefitted from an ineffective Karl Malone in that series.

[ALVAREZ6]

of course, what kind of question is that.

but detroit is a great team.

[GoSpurs21]

if ifs and buts were candy and nuts we'ed all have a merry christmas

dumb question...speculation on what would have happen is so lame

tonights teams and circumstances are so different from teams that played last year

[whottt]

Spurs would have won IMO...if they'd bumped off LA there would have been no stopping them...they would have gone to the finals with a champs confidence.

You gotta realize...we were the team in LA's sights last season, beating us meant as much to them as beating them meant to us.....and according to Phil he didn't think we could be beaten.

Malone going down, age, fatigue, and an expectation that the hard work was done was what lead to LA's defeat. Detroit is a good team though...but they weren't better than the Spurs in terms of talent...

Still, they were the champs so therefore they were the best team in the NBA and they still are until beaten.

[Ghost Writer]

Is GoSpurs21 the new resident Forum d1ckhead?

Of course the thread is speculative. Wake the F' up.

I think that if the Spurs got combined efforts from Manu and Parker like they did last night, the Spurs would've beaten the Pistons, despite the inevitable Wallace double-teams on Tim.

We'll never know, but that's the point in posing the Question..

[ShoogarBear]

On the one hand, while I respect the hell out of Pistons and what they did, I don't think they're a truly great team. On the other hand, I think that they win precisely because they're underrated.

On ESPN pre-game someone (Anthony?) said once again that if 0.4 doesn't happen, the Spurs would have repeated. While I'd like to think that's true, I'm not sure the Spurs would have beaten Detroit.

In any case, for all the bitching and moaning we do about not getting respect from the media, Detroit gets even less.

[timvp]

I think so. They just match up so well against them.

Bowen was built to play against Rip Hamilton. Parker can blow by Billups, even though Billups can score on him on the other end. Prince and Hedo would have been a good matchup. Duncan would have had a hard time, but he'd have figured it out.

Manu off the bench would be better than their whole bench combined.

D@mn it.

[Jimcs50]

Hell no! Detroit was on a roll and our outside shooting was horrific.

[Ghost Writer]

Ultimately, in the chess match that timvp specified and I alluded to, we would've needed Manu and Horry to trump their bench.

Rose and Williamson are clones.

These teams were very similar.

Where Wallace & Wallace may have contained Duncan, I think Manu would've been the tump card off the bench.

[jalbre6]

If we're talking '03-'04 DET vs SA, I think Detroit would have won. The Wallace combo would have been too much for Tim and Rasho-Willis to handle, especially how they started flowing together and swarming toward the end of the year. Malik was still in the doghouse and probably would've only been given spot minutes. Horry and Turkoglu wouldv'e been burned early and often by Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince or Chauncey Billups, whichever one Manu and Bowen wasn't guarding. SA would have had to rely on Charlie Ward or Manu to run the point if Billups would get Parker in foul trouble.

Even more than usual, the entire series would have ridden on Duncan. The problem is that Detroit could actually defend in the post. Probably Detroit in 6 or 7.

[Jimcs50]

Tayshaun would have shut down Hedo entirely....it would have been embarrassing, really.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Hedo would have shut down Hedo. Giving Tayshaun time to go shut down someone else.

[Kaster]

It would have been a very close series. I think the Wallaces would have quite easily kept Duncan from dominating. But what about Parker, would he have played like the best PG in the league like he did for the first six games of the postseason? Who knows. If he did, Spurs would have won. If he didn't, Spurs would have lost IMO.

Really, while Duncan is the best player on the Spurs, their success in the end rides of Parker's shoulders. There are maybe one or two point guards in the NBA that can match his quickness and speed, and they don't play on good teams, so no contender has an answer for Parker. Parker is his own stopper until he learns consistency.

But this year, with the addition of Barry and better team cohesiveness than last season, I see no reason why the Spurs don’t win the championship in 6 over Detroit.

[Ghost Writer]

So basically, if we meet Detroit in the Finals this year, we need to hope that Parker and Ginobili are *finally* good enough to help Duncan.

Does this seem earily familiar to waiting on Strickland and Anderson to do it for Robinson?

At least back then we had Sean Elliott.

Rasho and Bowen kinda suck.

[Nikos]

If you are going to place all the blame on Manu and TP regardless, what does it matter what Rasho and Bowen do? They probably will do what they always do in the playoffs. Play reasonable D, but Rasho still won't play Shaq well. Bowen hitting threes is a HUGE bonus but not a gauruntee.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

no, they lost to the lakers in humiliating fashion, they werent ready last year.

[pjjrfan]

It'a all about matchups and I just don't see Hedo getting on fire, or Tony dominating Billups. It's hard to say, as each team survives each round, their minds get stronger, our big advantage would have been that the Spurs were returning, but it was a different team in many ways. I do know that the Spurs defense would have given the Pistons fits. So, if Tim had a great series, yes, if not, it would have been the Pistons. But I'm pretty sure it would have gone 7, easy. And the Spurs would have had home court.

[Ghost Writer]

Nikos, the fact that Rasho sucks and Bowen is useless on offense makes the Spurs need for Manu and Parker to alleviate the burden from Duncan when defenses tighten up.

This isn't obvious to you.

[pooh]

No, Detroit was rolling and they would've beaten the Spurs in six.