What Sets the Spurs Apart From the Suns and Mavs?

Here's the difference between the Spurs and Suns/Mavs:

Duncan/Ginobili - Have won 2 championships together, including dethroning LA and Detroit
Nash/Stoudemire/Marion - Have shot their opponents' lights' out, but not in tightened playoff defense (SA, Dallas)
Dirk/Howard/Terry - Gave up a 2-0 series lead, including a 13 point lead in the 4th quarter. Sure they've done brilliant things before then (eliminate Spurs) and after (Start 52-11 so far), but why not IN the Finals?

Go ahead, bring in more stuff, but it all narrows down to what I said above.

We'll all have to wait for the playoffs to start. Last year I felt the Spurs chances of winning the whole thing were better than what they are this year. However, I don't recall the Spurs playing this good this late in the season last year. The teams they are playing right now aren't that good though so this 13 game winning streak is kind of tricky. I am not taking credit away from the Spurs though. Winning 13 games in a row is difficult period.

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Originally Posted by Kent_in_Atlanta

Let me be clear… Amare Stoudemire is very excellent. But has he proven he has an additional gear? I don’t think he has yet.

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Didn't Amare hit a 3-point buzzer beater to defeat the Spurs in a playoff game?

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Originally Posted by SpursDynasty

Here's the difference between the Spurs and Suns/Mavs:

Duncan/Ginobili - Have won 2 championships together, including dethroning LA and Detroit
Nash/Stoudemire/Marion - Have shot their opponents' lights' out, but not in tightened playoff defense (SA, Dallas)
Dirk/Howard/Terry - Gave up a 2-0 series lead, including a 13 point lead in the 4th quarter. Sure they've done brilliant things before then (eliminate Spurs) and after (Start 52-11 so far), but why not IN the Finals?

Go ahead, bring in more stuff, but it all narrows down to what I said above.

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People leaving Tony out of Spurs big 3 is ridiculous.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

People leaving Tony out of Spurs big 3 is ridiculous.

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yeah... pendejos...



Kspur, Did you get my text last night? WTF? U missed out on some epic ritas..

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Originally Posted by SequSpur

Kspur, Did you get my text last night? WTF? U missed out on some epic ritas..

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I got them all after the game. My phone was downstairs and I was watching the game and working upstairs.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

I got them all after the game. My phone was downstairs and I was watching the game and working upstairs.

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that's weak. good game though.. huh?

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Originally Posted by SequSpur

that's weak. good game though.. huh?

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Yeah it was damn fun to watch.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

People leaving Tony out of Spurs big 3 is ridiculous.

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Unless we're playing the Bulls. :(

What sets the Spurs apart from the Mavs? Waxahachie..... :lol

What sets the Spurs apart from the Suns? Experience!

ill tell you one thing that separates us from them....defense

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A great player is simply an excellent player who has another gear when it counts the most. It’s the guy for whom the basket seems two feet wider in the final 5:00 of the 4th quarter... or who always come up with the great play in crunch time. A great player is the guy you can almost bank on taking over the game in a crucial situation. Every bone in his body screams “champion”.

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And you believe that this discribes Manu?

Before I take that apart, let me say that It was not Manu that lost the game for the Spurs last year, it was the entire teams inability to play in the OT of a game seven in the playoffs. Manu simply accepted being the sacrifical lamb, when it should have been Duncan, the team leader.

With 20 seconds left in game seven .... We all know what happened. That doesn't sound like what you are discribing in the quote.

When the clock started again and the seconds started to tick away, what happened also doesn't sound like what your discribing. He was rather selfish and ran the clock to nothing before missing the shot (This is where Duncan should have said "My bad". He misses the tip-in)

Alright, so now there is 5 minutes to play in OT ... Did Manu show his "Champion form" by taking over the game? I know, they were tired, but come on, its GAME SEVEN IN OVERTIME ... There is no such thing as "Tired". You have months to catch your breath if you don't produce.

Again, I am not blaming Manu, he was not the only one to vanish in the OT. I am only pointing out for for a "Great player" as you call him, he left a little to be desired after last seasons playoffs (How many threads called for his head?)

Earlier today I stated in another thread that if Michael Finley had played all season as he is playing right now, he would be a legitimate candidate for 6th Man of the Year. I also said I feel that Finley (again, as he's playing now) is comparable to a Jerry Stackhouse or a Leandro Barbosa in terms of overall ability.

That prompted this response from Kori Ellis:

"Many people consider Barbosa the main candidate for 6th Man of the Year. So I think you were discrediting him by comparing him to Finley in overall ability."

So I looked up Finley's stats for the month of March and compared them to the season stats of Barbosa. Here are the numbers:

Barbosa (2006-2007) PER 48 MINUTES: Points 25.9 / FG-48% / 4 rebounds / 6.2 assists / TO 2.9

Finley (month of March) PER 48 MINUTES: Points 26.3 / FG-44% / 4.2 rebounds / 3.1 assists / TO 1.25

Barbosa has averaged 32.4 minutes per game this season. Finley has averaged 21.2 (21.9 in March). Using Finley’s production from March, here’s how Barbosa and Finley shape up over 32.4:

Barbosa's… Avg. 32.4 minutes: 17.5 points / FG-48% / 2.7 rebounds / 4.2 assists / TO 2.0

Finley (month of March) per 32.4 minutes: 17.8 points / FG-44% / 2.8 rebounds / 2.1 assists / TO 0.85

Barbosa’s season FG% is 4 points higher than Finley’s March FG% , but Finley shoots 8 percentage points better at the free-throw line. Also, I think Finley is a rhythm shooter, and I personally believe he would shoot a higher percentage if he were playing more minutes. Barbosa is also 1.4 assists per game better in the above numbers, turns the ball over more than twice as often as Finley has this month.

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not trying to say the Michael Finley is a better player at this point in his career than Barbosa. I don’t believe that’s true.

I am just proving my original statement which was that Michael Finley, as he is playing right now (defined as in the month of March), is comparable to some of the best 6th-men in the league. He just isn’t getting enough minutes to put up the same numbers right now.

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What Sets the Spurs Apart From the Suns and Mavs?

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The Spurs just got the Charles Barkley "kiss" of death on TNT when he predicted that the Spurs will win the championship this year.

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Originally Posted by Dalhoop

And you believe that this discribes Manu?

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In a word... YES.

Apparently you haven't been paying attention. But hey... the playoffs are just around the corner. Sit back and watch.

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Originally Posted by JamStone

The Spurs just got the Charles Barkley "kiss" of death on TNT when he predicted that the Spurs will win the championship this year.

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When did Barkley say that?

Not too terribly worried. He said the same thing the year we beat the Nets in the finals... though, he waffled in the middle of the series, switched his prediction to the Nets, and then switched it back to the Spurs so... I have no idea what that would mean as far as a jynx. I think he confused the hell out of fate until it gave up and decided to let nature take its course. :lol

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Originally Posted by Kent_in_Atlanta

I am just proving my original statement which was that Michael Finley, as he is playing right now (defined as in the month of March), is comparable to some of the best 6th-men in the league. He just isn’t getting enough minutes to put up the same numbers right now.

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As Pop always says, you can't extrapolate stats. There's reasons why certain players don't get more minutes.

Crunching numbers doesn't tell you everything. He has improved since earlier in the season, but he's not playing awesome basketball.

You seem to think he's been incredible lately but he's still horribly inconsistent. A few games ago, he shot 2-for-12 and was invisible. He's limited defensively. And no matter how you watch to stretch it, he has only been getting 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 20 mpg.

That all being said, if he can just get 10 points a game consistent in the postseason that would be huge for the Spurs.

But mainly in the playoffs, all of the Big 3 need to be Big.

Hmmm... the Finley thread got absorbed into this one. I kind of thought "The play of Michael Finley" was a separate subject from "What sets the Spurs apart from the Suns and Mavs", even though I referenced conversations from this thread... but it's your show Kori.

Do you still think I'm a lunatic for saying what I said about Finley's current level of play?

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In a word... YES.

Apparently you haven't been paying attention. But hey... the playoffs are just around the corner. Sit back and watch.

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So your saying that what he did in the final minutes of the most important game for his team in the playoffs, means less then what he doing on the court in game number ... what ... sixty some-odd?

This is a first for a Spurs poster ... most of them always say "Its the playoffs that count"

Way to step away from the croud.

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Originally Posted by Kent_in_Atlanta

Hmmm... the Finley thread got absorbed into this one. I kind of thought "The play of Michael Finley" was a separate subject from "What sets the Spurs apart from the Suns and Mavs", even though I referenced conversations from this thread... but it's your show Kori.

Do you still think I'm a lunatic for saying what I said about Finley's current level of play?

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I never said you were a lunatic. He has improved his play, but he's not good enough these days to play the major minutes that it would take to make him a 6th Man candidate, so you can't really compare him to players that play 30+ mpg. And he's very inconsistent.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

As Pop always says, you can't extrapolate stats. There's reasons why certain players don't get more minutes.

Crunching numbers doesn't tell you everything. He has improved since earlier in the season, but he's not playing awesome basketball.

You seem to think he's been incredible lately but he's still horribly inconsistent. A few games ago, he shot 2-for-12 and was invisible. He's limited defensively. And no matter how you watch to stretch it, he has only been getting 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 20 mpg.

That all being said, if he can just get 10 points a game consistent in the postseason that would be huge for the Spurs.

But mainly in the playoffs, all of the Big 3 need to be Big.

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Finley has been averaging 12 points a game in only 21 minutes a game. I think that's pretty darn good. He's also shot a respectable FG%, and has brought a lot of energy to the floor.

The reason Finley isn't getting more minutes is because he shares the 2/3 spots on the floor with Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginobili (who will get the lion's share of the minutes) as well as Brent Barry.

If that weren't the case, the way Finley's playing now... he'd be getting sifnificantly more minutes.

And yes, I remember the 2-12. But that also means that he must have played pretty damn well the rest of the month to get his March FG% up to 44%. Not easy to do when you have a 2/12 in one of those 7 games.

Finley IS playing at a fairly high level right now.

low post game. spurs play inside- out

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Originally Posted by Dalhoop

So your saying that what he did in the final minutes of the most important game for his team in the playoffs, means less then what he doing on the court in game number ... what ... sixty some-odd?

This is a first for a Spurs poster ... most of them always say "Its the playoffs that count"

Way to step away from the croud.

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No. I'm saying you weren't paying attention to what Manu's done in the playoffs over the past couple of years. And while he committed that well documented stupid foul... I seem to remember Manu taking over that game to bring the Spurs back from a large deficit, to nearly pull it out.

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Originally Posted by Kent_in_Atlanta

Finley IS playing at a fairly high level right now.

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2-for-11 from 3 in the last three games. :td

6-for-23 from 3 over the last five games :td

Not high enough.

He's playing better, but he's not playing at a "high level".

Anyway, that's all I have to say on the subject. I don't really have enough passion for or against Michael Finley to keep typing about it. :lol

Hopefully he becomes more consistent and can provide 10ppg or so and shoot a good percentage consisently in the postseason.