Duncan needs to sit. Now.

[chazley]

Right now, the Spurs are peaking. Definitely playing their best ball all season.

However, Timmy does not look right. He needs to rest.

Getting that 5 seed would be a doomsday scenario for us. It would mean a first round matchup against the Jazz without home court advantage, and if we somehow squeezed out that series, our consolation prize would be a 2nd round exit against the Lakers. The best chance for this to happen would be if Timmy were playing.

Timmy needs to sit for like 2-3 games after the Cavs game. I actually really hope the Suns go on a tear and lock up the 5th spot. That would be ideal.

However, we are not gonna pass the Jazz/Mavs and get home court advantage. Sorry, ain't happening. And this is where it gets tricky. Do you lose games to get a worse seed, which would actually help us? I think we have to in order for us to have a chance to advance to the WCF.

We have to have Timmy 100% when we start the playoffs. Right now he looks like 75%, and thankfully, it just looks like fatigue and not an injury. Bring Timmy/Parker back in like a week at the same time after the Cavs game, and let's go into the playoffs 100%. It's our only chance.

[jiggy_55]

I don't agree. He will have few games to rest (against NJ and a few others), but if we rest him too much, we will fall to the 8th seed with the upcoming schedule we have, it is brutal. You want to face LA in the first round? I think not. Also, Timmy has always shown up for the playoffs, you have to consider there is usually a few days off between end of regular season and the playoffs. Plus who knows, if we have secured a 6th/7th seed before our final game, he will be rested in that one as well.

The Blazers are still very close to us, 1 or 2 losses would put them in a tie with us, and they have a tie breaker advantage. Portland's schedule is also much easier than ours, so they will surely put the pressure on us. We need to at least secure 6th or 7th, that would probably put us in a match up with Denver or Dallas.

[timtonymanu]

If we rest Timmy, there will be no postseason. Parker being out already puts this team at a disadvantage.

The Spurs gave away too many games early in the season that now they're fighting for a spot which is why it's only ___ is such a copout excuse now because this season is proof that early games count.

We need Tim for this final stretch if we wanna make any noise.

[Johnny RIngo]

As if SA's frontcourt options weren't bad enough, you want the Spurs to sit out the ONLY legit big man on the team?

[boutons_deux]

Rest Tim to so he's got the energy and reserve to get bounced in the first round?

[benefactor]

[easy7]

Spurs without Tim = less than average team.

[The Truth #6]

We are screwed either way most likely. Reducing the minutes of Tim and Manu is probably the best idea. They can't keep playing big minutes. We know they'll break down.

[Brazil]

Spurs are peaking ??? lol

[blkroadrunners]

I saw that part in my communications class a couple years ago. Great movie.

[alchemist]

Timmy needs a whole month to recover, they don't have the luxury to do that.

[Allanon]

Rest Timmy? Have you seen the schedule?

Without Timmy the Spurs definitely drop out of the Playoffs or drop to #8 over the next 7 games.

Only "rest" game I can see for Timmy is vs the Nets and they're trying to avoid becoming the worst team ever.

Lakers
Cavs
@Celtics
@Nets
Rockets
Magic
@Lakers

[Mixability]

Yeah let him rest..... then we'll be able to give him a longer summer at that.

[antgomez2009]

Why do the spurs need to avoid matchups!!!! - eventually they will have to play these teams that everyone is saying, avoid this, avoid that! obivously, they are not getting home court, unless the mavs and jazz actually go on a losing streak and the spurs maintain good position ahead of them!!! very unlikely, but possible!

i for one dont care who they play, being that the West is stacked no matter what!

But in order to be the best, you have to beat the best!!!!!! and if the spurs match up against the jazz, then so be it, if its the mavs, lakers or nuggets, then lets get it poppin fools!!!!!!!

Its def. not going to be easy for the Spurs, if they win then they deserve and wanted it more, if they lose then the other team is just better period!!!! as long as they make the playoffs it dont matter who they play as long as they play with heart and dont give up, i feel they have a chance against anybody! especially when TP gets back, because the guys are in need of him for scoring purposes and ball handling in tough situations!!!

most of yall dont even know how to play basketball, yet you whine-o's just complain about evey little thing from trading manu or any player that has an off game to matchups and to firing pop!!!! come'on basketball is more exciting and deserving, when you dont take the Easy road!!!!!!!!!

[VBM]

The Spurs gave away too many games early in the season that now they're fighting for a spot which is why it's only ___ is such a copout excuse now because this season is proof that early games count.

[Frenzy]

Rest Timmy? Have you seen the schedule?

Without Timmy the Spurs definitely drop out of the Playoffs or drop to #8 over the next 7 games.

Only "rest" game I can see for Timmy is vs the Nets and they're trying to avoid becoming the worst team ever.

Lakers
Cavs
@Celtics
@Nets
Rockets
Magic
@Lakers

agree with a lakers fan, my my what's this world coming to?

[spurspokesman]

Not to be a pessimist but our spurs haven't evoked enough confidence in me this season that we can beat any western conference playoff team. I give any lineup with tim tony and manu a chance but at this stage I'm not so convinced. Dallas and denver in the first round spells trouble. And tim wasn't joking about getting a big man. That was straight from his pit. I hope to god we can surprise the world and make some noise the rest of the way though.

[DesignatedT]

Duncan looks good out there. last night was coming off a b2b on the road... not easy but against atlanta he looked good and i thought he played well last night.

[VBM]

Not to be a pessimist but our spurs haven't evoked enough confidence in me this season that we can beat any western conference playoff team. I give any lineup with tim tony and manu a chance but at this stage I'm not so convinced. Dallas and denver in the first round spells trouble. And tim wasn't joking about getting a big man. That was straight from his pit. I hope to god we can surprise the world and make some noise the rest of the way though.

Yeah...I was basically agreeing with the notion that we shouldn't have been on cruise control early in the season (when we had a home-heavy schedule against some beatable compe ion). It sucks that we're having to play catch-up now...

[spectator]

i would say that we should sit ALL first team vs. the lakers (the away game in the beginning of april). that would give our starters 4 days between games, which is a good rest period. most ppl have us penciled for a loss in that game anyway, so we're not really counting on that one; also, i think we have at least one more b2b (kings-suns) after that and those are winnable games.

the only counter argument to this would be that it's a nationally televised game (abc), but that has not stopped pop from sticking it to espn @denver last year.

beside that game, i would like to sit duncan/ginobili if we do not need to win @ mavs in the final game of the season.

as far as final standings go, spurs and OKC have the toughest schedule. however, if we end up in a tie-break with OKC and POR (and OKC wins the POR match-up a.k.a. the last 2 games), then the tie-break is division record; and the spurs' record is much better than POR's. that would guarantee a 7th seed with OKC-SAN-POR. (assuming that OKC's division record is better than ours) if OKC's division record is not better than ours, the final 3 would be SAN-OKC-POR

however, if POR ties/wins the series with OKC, then it will be POR-SAN-OKC b/c POR has both tie-breakers and SAN has just the one over OKC.

[Dex]

[Spur|n|Austin]

Rest Timmy? Silly Rabbit.

[Dingle Barry]

This is terrible, this idea.

[all_heart]

The best way to rest Timmy is for the Spurs to play good enough in the first 3 quarters and sit him out in the 4th. Other words - blow out. But that's not very likely, so he'll just have to get enough sleep and drink lots of Gatorade.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Are you stupid? Timmeh must (and will) play for SA to have any hope of postseason positioning or success. I guess you'd rather have him rusty and get us blown out of round 1.

On the other hand, according to many around here, getting blown out of the first round is a foregone conclusion, so maybe it doesn't matter.