Comments from the ESPN Pundits at the halfway point

[SenorSpur]

Now that the season has reached the halfway point, the exhalted ESPN NBA pundits have released their "Best and Worst" of the first half of the season.

Here are a few comments made about our Spurs:


4. Will the battle for the NBA title play out predictably or be wide open?

J.A. Adande: I started off thinking we were heading for another Spurs-Pistons finals (of course, the last time I thought that we got the Heat and Mavs). But I believe it's opening up. We didn't think Boston, New Orleans, the Lakers and Portland would be this good. We didn't think Miami and Houston would be this disappointing. I like that Boston won in Detroit, just to make you think, hmmm. And that San Antonio has a losing road record -- and would be on the road to start the playoffs if the postseason began right now. Again with the hmmm.

Chris Broussard: I know San Antonio turns it up in the playoffs, but I'm not convinced they'll be able to this season. Phoenix and Dallas aren't unbeatable either, so while one of those three will probably win the West, I wouldn't be surprised to see any of them get upset in the first or second round.

Chris Sheridan: Wide open in the West, but predictable in the East, where I don't see anyone seriously challenging Detroit or Boston in the first two playoff rounds. If I'm the Spurs, I'm a little scared of the Nuggets in a playoff matchup.


5. The one thing you anticipate seeing that most of us don't expect?

Ric Bucher: I have no idea what anyone else expects, but I would not be surprised to see the old standbys -- San Antonio and Detroit -- bounced out of this year's playoffs early if the regular-season trends carry over to the postseason. Granted, that's always a big if since there's no telling how the league is going to interpret its rules and who might be suspended as a result.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=Roundtable-Midseason&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

[Ghost Writer]

I tend to agree.

Let's face it... the Spurs finally got lucky breaks last postseason.

The mighty Mavs got bounced in the first round by a team that duped them into a run-and-gun game, while a Robert Horry melee allowed the Spurs to slip past the surging Suns.

The good news is that the Mavs and Suns aren't kicking @ss like they did last year.

Unfortunately, neither are the Spurs.




P.S.

I don't fear the Nuggets or the Lakers.

[BonnerDynasty]

Last chance for the Spurs to prove they have the HEART it takes to repeat.

Last chance to prove all the haters wrong.

[Dex]

If I'm the Spurs, I'm a little scared of the Nuggets in a playoff matchup.


Scared of what? The third-time's-the-charm theory?

[rAm]

Granted, that's always a big if since there's no telling how the league is going to interpret its rules and who might be suspended as a result.



You forgot to Bold this part. It's Bucher pretty much slapping us in the face. He is just mad because he has no personality to express how angry he is that the suns keep getting beaten by the spurs in the postseason.

[Ghost Writer]

Be fair... the Spurs don't advance without those suspensions.

I'll take it.

How many times have the Spurs gotten screwed in the playoffs?:

Strickland's errant pass
Olajuwon's dominance
Barkley's jumper over Robinson
Duncan's injury in 2000
Spurs falling asleep against the Lakers
Derek Fisher's turnaround jumper with less than a second
Ginobili fouling Dirk

F' it.

This year will be tougher, because they aren't playing as good and it's harder to repeat.

[CubanMustGo]

Granted, that's always a big if since there's no telling how the league is going to interpret its rules and who might be suspended as a result.

http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/crybaby.jpg

[phxspurfan]

Be fair... the Spurs don't advance without those suspensions.


I still don't definitively see this. I recorded every game of last year's playoffs on DVD and have watched the Spurs-Suns series several times. The teams were both doing well, but Amare wasn't as dominant over the Spurs like he was in previous years. The games would have been closer, and maybe the series would have gone to 7 games, but the Spurs were much more physical in that Series and the suns were getting manhandled.

[G-Nob]

Sounds like typical January overreactions.

[nfg3]

For midseason predictions that's about where we are. But the RR trip is upcoming so we'll see what happens. The rotation shortens and the team comes together historically. That's been the trend for many years so I hope it continues. The next 12 games or so will tell us alot. I'm going to be positive and look for a nice winning streak. Maybe 9 -3 in the next 12 games. :hungry: Would be nice to see and that would probably be the cure for many. :smokin

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I tend to agree.

Let's face it... the Spurs finally got lucky breaks last postseason.

The mighty Mavs got bounced in the first round by a team that duped them into a run-and-gun game, while a Robert Horry melee allowed the Spurs to slip past the surging Suns.

The good news is that the Mavs and Suns aren't kicking @ss like they did last year.

Unfortunately, neither are the Spurs.




P.S.

I don't fear the Nuggets or the Lakers.

:tu

[SenorSpur]

I tend to agree.

Let's face it... the Spurs finally got lucky breaks last postseason.

The mighty Mavs got bounced in the first round by a team that duped them into a run-and-gun game, while a Robert Horry melee allowed the Spurs to slip past the surging Suns.

The good news is that the Mavs and Suns aren't kicking @ss like they did last year.

Unfortunately, neither are the Spurs.




P.S.

I don't fear the Nuggets or the Lakers.

To me, the luckiest of breaks was the improbable upset by the Warriors over the Mavs. Even the Spurs players themselves had to celebrate that one.

As for the Suns, the Spurs didn't need any luck to whip their assess. The Suns probably fielded their most formidable team last year. A team that was truly a threat to the Spurs playoff dominance - and they still couldn't beat them. The Spurs were clearly the better team and, as usual, imposed their will on them. If they were destined to win the series, why didn't they win Game 6 when they had all their players back at full strength?

[703 Spurz]

Be fair... the Spurs don't advance without those suspensions.

I'll take it.

How many times have the Spurs gotten screwed in the playoffs?:

Strickland's errant pass
Olajuwon's dominance
Barkley's jumper over Robinson
Duncan's injury in 2000
Spurs falling asleep against the Lakers
Derek Fisher's turnaround jumper with less than a second
Ginobili fouling Dirk

F' it.

This year will be tougher, because they aren't playing as good and it's harder to repeat.

I love playing the what if game! Fuck reality and the way it actually went down

[Ghost Writer]

Huh?

The Spurs have had their share of postseason heartache.

But to suggest they didn't have tremendous fortune in the playoffs last year is the same faulty thinking that led us to putting the same team out there again this year.

[urunobili]

i don;t care about the RR trip... post ASG shape is all what matters... we have to make our push in March...

[T Park]

Other than the Mavs losing, what lucky breaks?

The suspensions?

Please. THe Spurs won that series when they kicked their asses in game 1.

Even if the Suns win game 5, the Spurs win game 6, and pull out a close game 7 in Phoenix.

Give me a break.

[thispego]

Be fair... the Spurs don't advance without those suspensions.
I'll take it.

How many times have the Spurs gotten screwed in the playoffs?:

Strickland's errant pass
Olajuwon's dominance
Barkley's jumper over Robinson
Duncan's injury in 2000
Spurs falling asleep against the Lakers
Derek Fisher's turnaround jumper with less than a second
Ginobili fouling Dirk

F' it.

This year will be tougher, because they aren't playing as good and it's harder to repeat.
You've got to be shitting me. You were'nt really posting during those playoffs.. Did you even watch the games? I don't understand how you could come to that conclusion.

[Ghost Writer]

You can chastise me for thinking the Suns win that series without the suspensions, but for you two to chalk up a Game 7 win on the road is preposterous.

[T Park]

but for you two to chalk up a Game 7 win on the road is preposterous.

Yeah cause they've never won a clinching game on the road in Phoenix before.

oops....

[Ghost Writer]

You can't assume that. And you should not pretend that the suspensions turned the tide in that series!

[T Park]

What tide?

The Suns choked a huge lead in the 4th quarter in game 5.

Thats where the tide changed.

The suspensions did nothing but fire the Suns up and make it a everyone against the Spurs setting.

The Spurs winning that game 5 shut everything down.

Period.

[nfg3]

i don;t care about the RR trip... post ASG shape is all what matters... we have to make our push in March...

But that is what has historically set up the March push that you and all of us want. That time period on the road is where this team seems to come together and the rotation shortens. This seems to position the Spurs for that season ending push, though last year wasn't as successful as the prior ones.

[Supergirl]

Oh, for chrissakes, STFU already about the Spurs only beating the Suns because of the suspensions. As people have pointed out ad nauseum, IT WAS A SEVEN GAME SERIES. The Suns had their full roster for all but 1 of those games. The Spurs beat them, fair and square.

Yes, the Spurs look vulnerable right now, yes their road record stinks. But this time last year, I thought the Spurs looked vulnerable too. Will they go all the way? Maybe. But I don't think they're any more vulnerable this year than they were last year, and I would argue that Udoka makes them a little more versatile and dangerous.

I think a SA-Boston or a SA-Detroit Finals is still very, very likely. But so much depends on injury and playoff seeding. IMO, the scariest team poised to pull an upset is the LAKERS.

[SAGambler]

If Pop starts to shorten the roatations some tonight, and we manage to put away the Lakers, Heat and Hornets before the long road trip, I have to feel the Spurs are in pretty damn good shape.

Then of course we have to avoid the injury bug the rest of season.

[ancestron]

The whole "if the playoffs started today" bit is the most useless load of BS analysis ever.

[Dex]

What tide?

The Suns choked a huge lead in the 4th quarter in game 5.

Thats where the tide changed.

The suspensions did nothing but fire the Suns up and make it a everyone against the Spurs setting.

The Spurs winning that game 5 shut everything down.

Period.

One of the rare occasions where I'll completely agree with TPark.

The Suns completely had their chance to win Game 5 even without Stoudemire and Diaw, and they squandered it. And here we are, 9 months later, and Phoenix fans and media are still being little fucking babies about it.

Spurs fans weren't this whiney when we lost to 0.4. Mostly due to the fact that we realized that we still dropped 3 other perfectly winnable games.

As long as we're playing the what-if game, maybe Boris and Amara wouldn't have been suspended if there HADN'T been 600 cameras watching them walk out on the court during what was obviously an altercation, clearly breaking a black-and-white ruling of the League. If only playoff games weren't nationally freaking televised...

I'm glad that somewhere along the lines, my parents taught me that you're accountable for your actions, and the consequences that come with them.

[DazedAndConfused]

Analysis at the 1st half or beginning of the season is pretty much useless. Post All-Star break is all that matters to me.

Spurs went 20-2 to finish out the season last year, you knew going into the playoffs they were the team to beat. It's all about momentum and health.

[nfg3]

Analysis at the 1st half or beginning of the season is pretty much useless. Post All-Star break is all that matters to me.

Spurs went 20-2 to finish out the season last year, you knew going into the playoffs they were the team to beat. It's all about momentum and health.

:tu

You're right about this type of analysis but we all know everyone does this in almost every sport. Easy show to do since it means absolutely nothing and everyone is free to say just about anything. Did anyone of them talk about how traditionally the Spurs have a mini slump at this time and rebound to go strong into the playoffs? From the comments posted here concernig ESPN writers I don't think so.

[101A]

The Spurs are much closer to the leader in the West this season than last; and this season's leader looks MUCH less formidable. Is anyone REALLY afraid of New Orleans in the playoffs? Or the Lakers? Nuggets? Trail Freaking Blazers? Are you more afraid of this year's edition of the Mavericks or Suns?

No. No. No. No. and No.

The Spurs are looking SO lax, because they can. Hell, as bad as they have been, as inconsistent (I told myself before this season began, and think I posted it when the Spurs were dominating early that there WOULD be a point in January when ALL would doubt the Spurs), the Spurs are only a single game down in the "Loss" column! Does this mean that the Spurs will do what they always do and turn it up now, ending up with the best record in the West because of inferior competition? No, I don't think so. I think it means the Spurs take more time evaluating, learning, tinkering and frustrating us.

The vulnerability the Spurs showed last year was in Game 4 of the Phoenix series, losing in crunch time in that game. EVERY game these days seems to be a repeat of that. VERY close to the end; and the Spurs NEVER getting breathing room...they are getting several chances every game to have a make or break possession, both offensively, and, I think more importantly, defensively. The defense is getting tougher; teams are NOT scoring in crunch time like they were a month ago. Of course, the Spurs are having more offensive miscues in crunch time, and scoring even less than their oppoinents; but I think that is not where the focus has been.

That said, earlier in the year, and late in the playoffs last season, the Spurs offense had be come a well-oiled dominant machine. That offense is still there; we just don't get to see it very often. Why? I don't know. Is it by design; to keep the games close to work on gut-check time? To keep from giving opponents too much film to study? Who knows?

All I know is, no single team scares this year as much as the Mavericks did last season, or even looks as tough as Phoenix. I think the Spurs look better, Duncan and Ginobilli in particular. This is the year of the repeat.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I'm sure other teams could say the same about the Spurs

e.g. "are you afraid of this years edition of the Spurs?"

[ThomasGranger]

Last chance for the Spurs to prove they have the HEART it takes to repeat.

Last chance to prove all the haters wrong.

Nah, the Spurs have a few more good years left. I can easily see them in a position to go for a repeat after the 08-09 season.

[ploto]

If Pop starts to shorten the roatations some tonight, and we manage to put away the Lakers, Heat and Hornets before the long road trip, I have to feel the Spurs are in pretty damn good shape.
Heat :dizzy

[ploto]

Poeple keep using the example of last year as their reason to believe all that they do-- but what if last year was the exception and not the rule?

[The_Game]

you can't expect to not make upgrades and still win the title with alot of other teams getting better. spurs do look very old and keep believing they will turn it on in the playoffs but facts are they do look old and will continue to do so. i'm not sure duncan can turn it on in the playoffs like that so easily anymore

[YoMamaIsCallin]

Be fair... the Spurs don't advance without those suspensions.

I'll take it.

How many times have the Spurs gotten screwed in the playoffs?:

Strickland's errant pass
Olajuwon's dominance
Barkley's jumper over Robinson
Duncan's injury in 2000
Spurs falling asleep against the Lakers
Derek Fisher's turnaround jumper with less than a second
Ginobili fouling Dirk



Dude. That's ALWAYS how it is, for ANY team. It's always one or two plays that decide how things turn out.



F' it.

This year will be tougher, because they aren't playing as good and it's harder to repeat.

Agreed.

[ChumpDumper]

Poeple keep using the example of last year as their reason to believe all that they do-- but what if last year was the exception and not the rule?Get Rasho back!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Be fair... the Spurs don't advance without those suspensions.

WTF? No way I agree with that. We have no way to know what the outcome would be, and the fact that we struggled until the fourth quarter of game 5 means nothing.

I never feel guilty about the suspensions anyway because the officiating in the 4th Q of game 4 was THE WORST, bar none, that I've ever seen against the Spurs. Possession after possession we had players hacked for no call. The Suns got away with murder in their "come from behind victory". Horry's hip check (and that's all it was - it would've been no big thing back in the 90s when the Eastern conference was routinely tougher than that incident) came out of frustration over the officiating.

Whoever said that the Mavs being knocked out was our greatest fortune, I agree.

As for this year, at this point it's a wide open race. But just like last year, the Spurs are currently playing at about 60% of their potential... can they up that like they did last year? We'll know 10 games after the AS Break.

Teams that can beat us in the playoffs: Mavs (matchup well), Warriors (but only in round 1).

Teams that might be a threat: Suns (they are due some luck), Nuggets (depends on how long Nene is out - when they have their big front line firing we have trouble with them).

Teams that don't worry me at all: New Orleans, Portland, LAL, Utah - each is either too young or a good matchup for us. Each could also make the 2nd round.

I will say that the first round this year will be a shitfight!

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The good news is that the Mavs and Suns aren't kicking @ss like they did last year.

Unfortunately, neither are the Spurs.







Not true as it pertains to SA. The Spurs are kicking their usual amount of January @ss.

With a win tonight they'll be 27-13.

Spurs record at the 40 game mark:

2006-2007: 27-13*
2005-2006: 31-9
2004-2005: 31-9*
2003-2004: 26-14
2002-2003: 26-14*

* championship seasons




Much ado about nothing.