Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Sixers Mar. 15

[timvp]

When the Spurs embarked on their seven game stretch from hell, I thought it would have been great if the team was able to win four of the seven contests. Six games into that seven game stretch and the team is stands at 1-5. Their latest loss coming tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Sixers, who have played very well as of late, deceptively dominated the Spurs. They held San Antonio at bay throughout the second half and never really let the Spurs make a legitimate run. Philadelphia ended up winning 103-96 as the Spurs have basically given back all the ground they made up by winning 11 straight games.

Regarding the Sixers, I think they have a solid team. It’s young but Mo Cheeks has them playing good basketball. They’ll make the playoffs this season although they won't push a team much more than five or six games in the first round. However going forward, Philadelphia is positioned to become a legitimate Eastern Conference contender in a couple years.

Speaking of contenders, it’s difficult to fully have faith that the Spurs are where they need to be in terms of winning a championship. The regular season ends in one month. Do the Spurs have enough time to find solutions and gel to the point that they can survive the toughest Western Conference of this generation? It’s difficult to answer that honestly right now.

Overall, the Spurs really need to figure out a way to stop the bleeding. The team isn’t playing horrible but the Spurs are far from elite. The offense is a struggle and the defense is inconsistent. I want to say that they’ll figure it out in time – but I just don’t know if they will.

-Tim Duncan was terrible against the Sixers. He was soft on both ends of the court. His activity level was extremely low and he was playing as if he was sporting a pair of cement Adidas. Duncan finished with 16 points and six rebounds in 33 minutes of play. In Duncan’s defense, fatigue had to be a major culprit. And since Duncan has done a very good job overall this season in keeping his energy level relatively high, I can give him a pass for this exhausted effort. The Spurs have played 11 games in the last 17 days, which is just an insane amount. Duncan sucked but I’ll issue a reprieve. That said, no more mulligans will be issued for the rest of the regular season. The Spurs need to actually start winning basketball games once again.

-Manu Ginobili still was lacking energy but he actually played well. He fought through the fatigue that has been plaguing him lately and posted a good game. Ginobili finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one blocked shot, while shooting 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep. Defensively, I thought he was good. I’m confident that a few days of rest is all that separates Ginobili from the amazing way he played just a few weeks ago.

-Tony Parker is really starting to find his rhythm offensively. His speed and quickness are back. His teardrop is as deadly as it has been in a long time. His jumper is greatly improved lately. He’s finding open shooters off of his penetrations. It was ugly for a while for Parker but hopefully he has everything straightened out for the rest of the season. Against the Sixers, he totaled 27 points, five assists, three steals and one turnover, while shooting 12-for-16 from the field. Defensively, Parker was horrible. He let Andre Miller almost single-handedly carry Philadelphia. While Pop also tried Ginobili and Bowen on Miller with little success, it was Parker who let Miller catch fire.

-Bruce Bowen started his first consecutive game and played 37 minutes for the Spurs. Offensively, he was one of the few role players who hit their shots, finishing with ten points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field. Defensively, Bowen seemed surprised by how Andre Iguodala attacked him. Bowen was giving Iguodala space and Iguodala didn’t hesitate to knock down the jumpers. Bowen never really adjusted and Iguodala was able to score 25 points.

-Kurt Thomas had another underwhelming performance. He’s not playing particularly bad but with this losing streak coming with Thomas now starting, it’s fair to wonder whether starting Thomas is the right call. I like a lot of aspects of his game but it’s not like he’s been a huge upgrade over what Fabricio Oberto was bringing to the table as a starter. On this night, Thomas had seven points, six rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes of play. I’m willing to give this lineup more time but soon Spurs fans might start pointing the finger at Thomas as to what suddenly went wrong with the team.

-Michael Finley turned in a poor shooting performance, yet again. In 27 minutes, he had three points, three rebounds and hit just 1-of-6 shots from the field. There isn’t much to say regarding Finley. He’s basically a one-dimensional scorer who isn’t scoring. If Finley doesn’t find his shot soon, they’ll be no reason to play him – especially with Ime Udoka and Brent Barry expected back soon.

-Matt Bonner got extended minutes tonight but he too couldn’t buy a shot. He was 1-for-6 from the field, all of which were three-point attempts. The Spurs could have really used one or two more makes out of him against the Sixers. Besides his shooting, I thought Bonner played well. He grabbed six rebounds and his defense was decent enough. Overall, his 16 minutes on the court didn’t hurt the team.

-Fabricio Oberto played a lot better but he still isn’t back to where he was playing earlier in the year. I’m just glad he didn’t lay an egg like he did the last two games. Against the Sixers, Oberto had four points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

-Jacque Vaughn and Damon Stoudamire split the backup point guard minutes. Vaughn once again outplayed Stoudamire. Stoudamire just doesn’t help the team at all at this point. At least Vaughn has mastered the art of not helping but also not hurting the team.

-As the Spurs tumble down the Western Conference standings, Pop doesn’t seem to mind too much. By all accounts, he’s happy with the effort the Spurs are giving and isn’t overly concerned by the losses. Either Pop is lying to himself or he knows the team will be able to figure things out in time.

I don’t like how he again played Ginobili too many minutes. Ginobili on the court for 38 minutes when he’s obviously tired is just asking for trouble. Right now, there’s no excuse for Pop putting Ginobili on the court more than anyone else on the team.

The bottomline is the Spurs have their backs up against the wall. Five losses in six games will do that. If the Spurs keep losing, they’ll be able to plan their fishing trips a couple months earlier than usual.

On Monday, the Boston Celtics come to San Antonio bringing along with them the league’s best record. It’s definitely going to be a difficult and pivotal game for the Spurs. A loss could send this team into a tailspin. The confidence of the team would be shaken. Doubt would creep in. Is this team too old? Did the rest of the league pass the Spurs by? Are the Spurs as we know them done and thing of the past?

Luckily, the Spurs won’t have to answer those questions because San Antonio is beating Boston on Monday. I guarantee it. The Celtics can take that best record and shove it. The Spurs ain't losing this one.

:makemyday

[Findog]

http://dberri.wordpress.com/2008/03/13/eva-longoria-and-the-declining-spurs/

Here is a quick summary of the tale being told.

1. The Spurs won-loss record says this team is as good in 2007-08 as it was last year.

2. The team’s efficiency differential, though, tells us the team is much worse.

3. A significant chunk of the team’s decline can be traced to Tony Parker.

4. It would be an interesting story if we could link Parker’s decline to his marriage to Eva Longoria, but the truth is that it’s probably just Parker’s injuries.

5. The recent moves by the Spurs probably fix much of the non-Parker problems.

So if Parker can be healthy for the playoffs, the Spurs can expect to contend for another title. And that should be good news for fans of this team.

[mVp]

The bottomline is the Spurs have their backs up against the wall. Five losses in six games will do that. If the Spurs keep losing, they’ll be able to plan their fishing trips a couple months earlier than usual.

Sad but true.

I'm expecting a win on Monday, we really need it.

[duncan228]

Thanks for the reprieve on Duncan.
I expected him to be the whipping boy tonight.

I though Thomas looked more lost tonight a few times than he has yet. Can he be unlearning the system instead of learning it?

I think Pop does know they'll figure it out in time. He doesn't seem nearly as stressed as we do.

Thanks for the thoughts, I look forward to them.
And I really appreciate the humor that you mix in, though there wasn't much to joke with tonight.

They will rise Monday, it's a big game at an important moment. They need a solid win. So do we. :)

Believe.

[TDMVPDPOY]

problem is, we got old, we stayed the same

while everyone in the league expecially the contenders improved there roster.

[colargol]

-Tony Parker is really starting to find his rhythm offensively. His speed and quickness are back. His teardrop is as deadly as it has been in a long time. His jumper is greatly improved lately. He’s finding open shooters off of his penetrations.


It's enought for me to believe.....Spurs won't repeat without an healthy TP

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Oberto should start - he needs to start to be productive. KT should be Tim's backup, and maybe play a few more minutes beyond that, but that's it. Bonner should be the other big - he shot like shit today, but he'll get his shot back, and his energy is important for such a slow old team.

JV is the same, but with being the primary backup to TP. Give him that job and forget MM - he was here to fill in for TP, end the experiment with him playing backup. JV did good things in the Finals last year, and he can step up again.

When Barry gets back, get him into the rotation, and maybe even starting ASAP. Bring Ime back in when you can.

Set that rotation and give the players some continuity.

Cross your fingers.

Hope for the best.

PS And since that won't happen, fire Pop! :lol

[SpursFanFirst]

I just remember the doubt I had last year at this time...it was really pissing me off!
But, they went on to win the title!.
I'm reserving my judgment until they're dead in the water.

Timvp, you normally have "Believe" at the bottom of your recaps...what gives? ;)

[Warlord23]

The problem with the Spurs is their road record. They're 27-5 at home but 17-17 on the road. If you look at the list of NBA champions in the last couple of decades, there have been a few which have had pedestrian road records but won it all.
Road records:
2005-06 Miami Heat: 21-20
2004-05 SA Spurs: 21-20
1994-95 Houston Rockets: 22-19
2003-04 Detroit Pistons: 23-18
1993-94 Houston Rockets: 23-18

The good news: there have been 5 champions who have lost 18 or more games on the road and went on to win the title. The Spurs have lost 17 as of now, and their remaining road games are against Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, Utah, Portland, LA Lakers, Sacramento. If they go 4-3 in those 7, they still end up 21-20, like the 05 Spurs and 06 Heat.

The bad news: That may just not be enough this year. The West is loaded from top to bottom, and the Spurs won't have HCA in each round. They would need to win several (4 or more?) road games in their playoff campaign to go all the way. The way they're struggling, especially on the defensive end in the last couple of games, this doesn't seem possible as of now.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

The offensive stagnation has reached heights unknown even to the Spurs, and the defense is simply not there. Hopefully the playoff matchups give us a non-nightmare opponent in the first round, that's all I can hope for.

[TMTTRIO]

yeah I'm not crazy about Manu playing the most minutes again on the team. I hope this doesn't come back to bite us by playoff time.

[smeagol]

Luckily, the Spurs won’t have to answer those questions because San Antonio is beating Boston on Monday. I guarantee it. The Celtics can take that best record and shove it. The Spurs ain't losing this one.

Well said!

[Bruno]

Thanks for the recap.

I don't worry about Spurs having a low seed for the playoff.
HCA is a quite marginal edge in a 7 games serie for Spurs and it's far from being sure that the team with the 1st or 2nd seed will have an easier road than the team with the 5th or 6th seed.

Pop is damn late on setting his playoffs rotation. It can be explained by injuries, new players, Spurs depth and inconstancy of role players. I expect Pop to settle this in one or two weeks after Barry's return.

Spurs have a great team on the paper, it's up to them to translate it on the court during the playoffs.

[DarrinS]

-Jacque Vaughn and Damon Stoudamire split the backup point guard minutes. Vaughn once again outplayed Stoudamire. Stoudamire just doesn’t help the team at all at this point. At least Vaughn has mastered the art of not helping but also not hurting the team.


LOL

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

This reminded me of the playoff series where Dre carried the Nuggs on his back and single handedly won game 1 in San Antonio :lol

The guy is so consistent and is a great PG. Im worried they will own the Nuggets when AI makes his first trip back to Philly

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Bruce Bowen started his first consecutive game
:lmao

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

Spurs just suck right now, no way around



and right now it's a first round match up with the hornets w/o HC, and that's a ugly site

[ALVAREZ6]

Game Thoughts:
The Spurs allowed the Sixers to score way too many points, the Sixers were on fire. A lot of the possessions looked like the Spurs had no idea what to do. Matt Bonner couldn't make a shot for his life, other than the buzzer beater. Tim Duncan worries me on offense.

After that nice streak the Spurs went on, I can't believe they've only won 1 game out of these last 6 or so....it's pathetic.

That said, the pre-game wasn't as bad as the game:

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/8260/manuautographvg2.jpg

[TampaDude]

The Spurs are really struggling right now...but I'm not giving up on them until they are eliminated in the playoffs. That is, of course, unless they win their fifth title.

[ALVAREZ6]

I just realized Manu led the team in rebounding, with 7. We couldn't rebound worth shit last night.

[T Park]

I refuse to believe Kurt Thomas isn't an upgrade from Francisco Elson.

No one can say that with a straight face because its plain not true.

[wildbill2u]

Saying Pop isn't worrying or showing concern because of his stress on positives isn't quite correct in my opinion.

Pop is a good motivator and master of working on the team's psyche. Right now he realizes that the team is playing without confidence. Earlier in the year the Spurs were clicking on all cylinders. This led them to play with confidence.

The starters could run up a score and then Pop could bring on the bench players. The bench absorbed that confidence and played well, with their offensive numbers up and their defense tigerish. Their shots were falling because they were loose.

Now the bench comes into the game without much confidence. They know they HAVE to produce and they tighten up. It's a different situation and far different psychological position for all concerned.

So Pop tries to buck them up. It's not a good time for giving them hell with the result of putting even more pressure on them. It might be counterproductive.

[duncan228]

Congrats on the autograph ALVAREZ6.
At least that must have been fun.

[T Park]

Saying Pop isn't worrying or showing concern because of his stress on positives isn't quite correct in my opinion.

Pop is a good motivator and master of working on the team's psyche. Right now he realizes that the team is playing without confidence. Earlier in the year the Spurs were clicking on all cylinders. This led them to play with confidence.

The starters could run up a score and then Pop could bring on the bench players. The bench absorbed that confidence and played well, with their offensive numbers up and their defense tigerish. Their shots were falling because they were loose.

Now the bench comes into the game without much confidence. They know they HAVE to produce and they tighten up. It's a different situation and far different psychological position for all concerned.

So Pop tries to buck them up. It's not a good time for giving them hell with the result of putting even more pressure on them. It might be counterproductive.



Great point.

The team is getting a double whammy right now with pressing like an mfer AND being tired.

Its really evident. They are just playing out of character in some ways and everyone just needs to loosen up.
A couple of wins in a row, a couple of more shots made here and there and that will happen. I think that Suns game really shook em up for some reason. The Nuggets game somewhat too.

[roycrikside]

Tony was also crap defensively the night before, against Rip Hamilton. I'm surprised you didn't mention that in the detroit game thoughts.

[timvp]

Tony was also crap defensively the night before, against Rip Hamilton. I'm surprised you didn't mention that in the detroit game thoughts.The Spurs were in a zone for 90% of the game. How can a player in a zone be responsible for one player? And the 10% of the time when Parker guarded him, he did a pretty good job against Rip.

[timvp]

I refuse to believe Kurt Thomas isn't an upgrade from Francisco Elson.

No one can say that with a straight face because its plain not true.I would be more confident in Thomas but T Park was a hardcore Rasho supporter, Nazr supporter and Elson supporter ... this is some bad mojo, historically speaking :reading

[rasho8]

-Tim Duncan was terrible against the Sixers. He was soft on both ends of the court. His activity level was extremely low and he was playing as if he was sporting a pair of cement Adidas. Duncan finished with 16 points and six rebounds in 33 minutes of play. In Duncan’s defense, fatigue had to be a major culprit. And since Duncan has done a very good job overall this season in keeping his energy level relatively high, I can give him a pass for this exhausted effort. The Spurs have played 11 games in the last 17 days, which is just an insane amount. Duncan sucked but I’ll issue a reprieve. That said, no more mulligans will be issued for the rest of the regular season. The Spurs need to actually start winning basketball games once again.


Wait... Rasho gave Timmy his shoes? Tell Timmy to give the Rasho shoes back to Rasho.

Only one slow big guy is allowed on the Spurs.. and thats my boy Nesterovic

[dbreiden83080]

This has just been such a tough year to figure out who the Spurs really are. They started the year in dominant fashion, 17-3 looked very good. Then the injury bug hit them and they understandibly fell off. After the all star break they got healthy and looked to be cohesive, playing very good ball and on a roll. Since then they have gone into the toilet and look like a B level team. You have to believe that with a lilttle more time between games, get Barry back get a little healthier, they will pick it up but will it be enough to get a good seed and have a real shot come playoff time??? I just don't know, but obviously remain hopeful.

[urunobili]

Six games into that seven game stretch and the team is stands at 1-5. Their latest loss coming tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers.
the Sampson Jinx?

[polandprzem]

-Bruce Bowen started his first consecutive game and played 37 minutes for the Spurs. Offensively, he was one of the few role players who hit their shots, finishing with ten points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field. Defensively, Bowen seemed surprised by how Andre Iguodala attacked him. Bowen was giving Iguodala space and Iguodala didn’t hesitate to knock down the jumpers. Bowen never really adjusted and Iguodala was able to score 25 points.

As funny it may saound it is accually sad


I still got a faith in Spurs no matter what. I'm bit mad just because the spurs are not using maximum potential. But life never goes like it should and you can't control everything so being perfect is sometimes impossible, sometimes :)

Few things must be fixed before playoffs

1. Gino's energy. Lack of energy caused by being exhaused or bit banged. Decrease his munutes Pop! crowd shouts.
2.Starters - it's SG and C. Finley, Udoka or Manu. Kurt or Fabio? IMo they should go with Finley and Kurt leving the bench impact to Oberto and Manu. But it's all about who is gonna be on fire come playoff time.
3. Rotations - mainly the swings, we still need to wait for Brent and where is he in a term of being healthy. We need his offense esp. the slight havoc he is creating running on offensive end.
C -IMO Pop should stick with Kurt and Oberto as the main options leaving Horry 5-8 minutes/game
4. Confidence and being hungry at the same time. Being down in the playoff picture could help.
5. TD - If this guy still have it, well left it for the playoffs spurs got a chance for roll.

Still many things must go our way. Other teams got less problems I guess.

[polandprzem]

btw. I thing Jaque and Damon will be left off to the minority

[T Park]

I would be more confident in Thomas but T Park was a hardcore Rasho supporter, Nazr supporter and Elson supporter ... this is some bad mojo, historically speaking :reading


Realisticly Thomas is the best out of all of them.

I only supported Elson and Rasho out of necessity. I honestly liked Nazr, but out of all of em I've liked Thomas the most. Even you can't argue hes the best out of the bunch.

[Holt's Cat]

So the Spurs won't win the March championship.

[Harry Callahan]

They are really going to have to pull one out of the hat to make a long run this year in the POs. There is little room for error.

I still would like the Spurs chances if an early series is with a team not used to playoff pressure (Houston, New Orleans, Phoenix).

[Obstructed_View]

The offensive stagnation has reached heights unknown even to the Spurs, and the defense is simply not there. Hopefully the playoff matchups give us a non-nightmare opponent in the first round, that's all I can hope for.
You must not have been a Spurs fan very long. These shooting droughts are reminiscent of the 90's Spurs. Antoine Carr and Doc Rivers were great as subs because they could come in, hit their jumpers and calm everyone down.

[Obstructed_View]

And most of you guys will be shocked at how good the Spurs will be as soon as they start competing for rebounds and hustling again.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

as far as this era of spursdom, the offensive droughts at this time in the season are not normal

[BIG z]

Timmy was afraid of Samuel throug out the game.... He got block on two crucial possesions...

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

And most of you guys will be shocked at how good the Spurs will be as soon as they start competing for rebounds and hustling again.

You are in denial. They are competing for boards (although zone hurts rebounding) and hustling. By saying that they are not, in essence that they aren't trying, you are highly disrespecting them and calling their professionalism into question.

Wake up and smell the roses - the losing is not for lack of effort.

[SequSpur]

You are in denial. They are competing for boards (although zone hurts rebounding) and hustling. By saying that they are not, in essence that they aren't trying, you are highly disrespecting them and calling their professionalism into question.

Wake up and smell the roses - the losing is not for lack of effort.

Ruff,

Dude.... Wake up... they are getting their asses handed to them because they can't rebound, they can't shoot, they make poor mental decisions.

Disrespecting them? They are a professional sports team, who gives a shit... If the fans think they suck or they aren't playing hard enough then so be it... what is Pop going to kick our ass? They are losing because they are shitty, piss poor and less than their opponent. WTF?

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

i think they're coasting




coasting in the middle of march where they are only a few games from the 9th spot?




sorry, it's not that simple

[SequSpur]

i think they're coasting

i think this is a part of it..

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I think Ruff was saying that, yes they are playing worse than their opponents, but NOT from lack of effort... from just being not as good....

That's exactly what I'm saying.

We're getting outplayed by our opponents even though we're trying.

I'm sick of people saying that they are not trying - it makes no sense, and it is patently false if you are watching the games. They ARE trying, they are simply playing poorly.

I hope it's tiredness of the 7 games in 11 days, but I think it's more to do with being old and slow.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

coasting in the middle of march where they are only a few games from the 9th spot?

Exactly. Please elwanko, explain why they would coast when they're 3 games out of 9th spot with a tough schedule ahead?

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I think Ruff was saying that, yes they are playing worse than their opponents, but NOT from lack of effort... from just being not as good....


That's very scary, if true.

Very scary.

[roycrikside]

The Spurs were in a zone for 90% of the game. How can a player in a zone be responsible for one player? And the 10% of the time when Parker guarded him, he did a pretty good job against Rip.

Not nearly so much. For the most part Tony had Rip, Manu had Chauncey and Finley had Tayshaun. Watch the tape. Tony was constantly losing Rip on screens and giving him open shots.

[timvp]

Not nearly so much. For the most part Tony had Rip, Manu had Chauncey and Finley had Tayshaun. Watch the tape. Tony was constantly losing Rip on screens and giving him open shots.:lol The Spurs played zone almost the entire second half. If you want to blame Parker for giving up points to Rip while they were in a zone, I guess you can have at it.

Parker was the Spurs only real option against Rip. With Bowen and Udoka out, the Spurs had no one outside of Parker who Pop puts on players who run through screens. Rip having a bigger than usual game was a given going into the contest.

[wildbill2u]

You can't afford to coast this year in the Western Conference if you want to have at least one series with home court advantage.

There are many opinions about how the Spurs can succeed in their remaining games--and many of them are good.

All we need is better coaching, better defense, better shooting %, better rebounding, more steals, less turnovers, more assists, better ball movement, more confidence, more and better effort from the bench, calling up some younger players, giving more time to older players to get into game shape, the return of Barry, recovery from injuries, weakness in our competitors--and we can win the championship.

Good luck, Spurs!

[duncan228]

All we need is better coaching, better defense, better shooting %, better rebounding, more steals, less turnovers, more assists, better ball movement, more confidence, more and better effort from the bench, calling up some younger players, giving more time to older players to get into game shape, the return of Barry, recovery from injuries, weakness in our competitors--and we can win the championship.

All they need to do is play Spurs basketball. :)

[thousandth]

Kurt Thomas had another underwhelming performance. He’s not playing particularly bad but with this losing streak coming with Thomas now starting, it’s fair to wonder whether starting Thomas is the right call. I like a lot of aspects of his game but it’s not like he’s been a huge upgrade over what Fabricio Oberto was bringing to the table as a starter. On this night, Thomas had seven points, six rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes of play. I’m willing to give this lineup more time but soon Spurs fans might start pointing the finger at Thomas as to what suddenly went wrong with the team.
Fabricio Oberto played a lot better but he still isn’t back to where he was playing earlier in the year. I’m just glad he didn’t lay an egg like he did the last two games. Against the Sixers, Oberto had four points and four rebounds in 13 minutes

Oberto should start - he needs to start to be productive. KT should be Tim's backup, and maybe play a few more minutes beyond that, but that's it. Bonner should be the other big - he shot like shit today, but he'll get his shot back, and his energy is important for such a slow old team.



I refuse to believe Kurt Thomas isn't an upgrade from Francisco Elson.

No one can say that with a straight face because its plain not true.

We all know the Pop's choice, because of it, my question is figurative.
He doesn't get to return the starting line up with wich he won a ring?
Mike is so bad coming off the bench. Oberto, too. Maybe I sound like the typical put Manu coming off the bench he need to rest put Thomas coming off the bench as Duncan's back up.
e.g.Kurt Thomas isn't a problem, he's willing to help us. KT adapted well and did hit a few longer range jumpers but he didn't dominate the boards as we all expected and with him in starting line up, we lost 5 of 8 last games.
The new line up didn't work, the results weren't worth it. It's going to ruin the team chesmistry? I think so.
Keep in mind.
5 of 8. bad chemistry.
The interesting thing, all this passed unnoticed by Pop?

[LEONARD]

The Sixers? Honestly...the Sixers? DAYUM

[DarrinS]

The Sixers? Honestly...the Sixers? DAYUM


Mavs have put together quite the impressive 5 game streak, beating NBA elites such as:


Nets
Nicks
Bobcats
Pacers
Heat


Nice. :fro

[Obstructed_View]

You are in denial. They are competing for boards (although zone hurts rebounding) and hustling. By saying that they are not, in essence that they aren't trying, you are highly disrespecting them and calling their professionalism into question.

Wake up and smell the roses - the losing is not for lack of effort.
Right. Then they won't make the playoffs because they suddenly got old in the middle of the season and we respect them for being outboarded every night and taking terrible shots.

Giving up offensive boards at the rate they have lately is a sign of effort, pure and simple. It's lazy play by players that whine about how tired they are and a fanbase that makes excuses for them.

[1Parker1]

On Monday, the Boston Celtics come to San Antonio bringing along with them the league’s best record. It’s definitely going to be a difficult and pivotal game for the Spurs. A loss could send this team into a tailspin. The confidence of the team would be shaken. Doubt would creep in. Is this team too old? Did the rest of the league pass the Spurs by? Are the Spurs as we know them done and thing of the past?

Luckily, the Spurs won’t have to answer those questions because San Antonio is beating Boston on Monday. I guarantee it. The Celtics can take that best record and shove it. The Spurs ain't losing this one.

:depressed Sadly I thought the same.

Jinxer?