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2nd round is still the ceiling IMO, too many "ifs" for us to go further.
We as Spurs Nation entered this season with high hopes. The refueling that took place in the offseason seemingly added the necessary firepower to allow the Spurs to regain their footing as an elite and legitimate contender. However, the transfer from paper to the hardwood was met with many a hiccup. Spurs Nation experienced lows not seen since Vinny Del Negro's hair-fake left town.
Despite the difficulties, I always expected the Spurs to put up a valiant (yet futile) fight. A victory in the first round appeared to be the ceiling for this squad. I had fully accepted San Antonio's pretender status.
As life temporarily interrupted my ability to make time to voice my opinions, I coincidentally became speechless. Facing a horrifying schedule, the Spurs unexpectedly found the wherewithal to thrive. I've watched each of these recent wins multiple times and I find myself to be equal parts surprised, proud and inspired.
Logic tells me that the Spurs are still a longshot to reach the Western Conference Finals, much less win a fifth NBA championship. But I find it impossible to watch this team galvanize and not end up dreaming.
I simply cannot keep writing about the Spurs without mentioning Manu Ginobili. In recent weeks, Ginobili has gone from question mark to exclamation point. Right this second, he's the best basketball player on the planet. And that's not hyperbolic. Ginobili has grabbed the reins and, for much of this stretch, steered this team almost single-handedly to victories. Not only do I think this is the best stretch of his career, it's one of the best stretches I've ever seen out of any player in franchise history.
What if Manu Ginobili can keep playing at this level? What if Tim Duncan continues his recent resurgence? What if health can be restored in time? What if the chemistry continues to improve? What if all the contenders continue to sport s in their armor? Yes, the "ifs" are many but I can't help but connect the dots and reconsider the possibilities.
P.S.
I'm going to attempt to make up for lost time with 12 consecutive hours of postings. Let me know of any subjects you wish for me to discuss. I apology for thread hogging in advance.
2nd round is still the ceiling IMO, too many "ifs" for us to go further.
As a fan, now that your favorite team has reached the playoffs, it is always legal to dream about winning the championship, no matter how minimal the chance can be.
Timvp, could you please analyse the reasons for the resurgence of team? (number one is without doubt Ginobili.) How about rotations being settled, better chemistry and trust among players, reduced use of small ball?
I'm good. Thanks.
tiMVP,
Welcome back. Actually, the Real Spurs - welcome back!
Here are few subjects, you should put your two cents on -
* Greg Popovich's coaching during the spectacular period (No small ball, great rotations, trusting Manu, integrating RJ more smoothly, blah blah).
* How do you manage Manu till the playoffs. For all the great performance since All Star, I am still nervous about Manu being fully fit during the playoffs.. and therefore to play him sparingly till the playoffs. That means.. resting him somewhere during the Kings, Grizzlies and T'wolves games. But there is no other point guard to play..so how and who do they play?
* Let's say Tony and George are back before playoffs. Are we good enough for a le contention now?
Timvp, what's your reading on Duncan's recent problems ( post All Star break ). Do you think he's still capable of leading the team in the playoffs, or we're more likely to see a hobbled Duncan like last year against Dallas?
Manu's been great, but unless Duncan is 100% for the playoffs our chances are slim to none.
No Finley? Huevos return. Simple.
Welcome back.
LJ, appreciate the writeup, but you have a kiddo to enjoy now, and you don't want to be making up for lost time with her...
This is the best Spurs squad on offense that we have seen in a long time, and has been all season, slumps notwithstanding. The real problem this year has been on defense, but it's clear if you've been watching the games, the defense that we saw against the Lakers on Sunday is not the same defense that the Spurs were playing at the beginning of the season. The stats over the last few games bear this out. Despite playing against some quality compe ion, the Spurs have gone from an average FG% defense to one of the league's best in the last few games. If Tony and George come back healthy, and the Spurs keep playing Spurs defense, this squad is as scary as any out there. The possibilities reach as far as another championship. Of course it's anything but in the bag, but that's true every year.
I disagree. This Manu (insane), with a decent Duncan (not 100%) can beat any team as it was proven already.
But... as much as I love Manu and hope I'm dead wrong... he won't be able to play this amazing all playoffs. So I would be happy with a very good Manu (instead of godlike), a close to 100% Duncan and a good Parker (don't see playing really good after all this time). We have a chance that way.
BTW, I'll throw in a subject if you want to tackle it:
Would we have reached this point if Tony doesn't go down and Manu doesn't start and get more minutes and a bigger role with more touches?
Topics: 1. Putting Manu back in the starting five. He may not be a point guard but he is the only guard who can get everyone on the team involved.
2. Tony Parker has morphed into Steve Francis. Holding the ball to play scorer until he absolutely has to kick to someone with the clock running out. Ball movement and involvement of other players suffers.
3. To prevent Parker from "holding the reins" that Pop gave him, Pop has to go back to calling the plays.
remember if our guys are playing good ball as a team we will win, when we play good we get W's theres alot of teams that play good and lose like thunder, or utah even portland, i know it sounds kinda crazy but i think this separates us from the other lower seeds because of the champions on our team, and its not just one ring most of these guys have soi say we have a of a chance
BTW, I'll throw in a subject if you want to tackle it:
Would we have reached this point if Tony doesn't go down and Manu doesn't start and get more minutes and a bigger role with more touches?
No
I think you're right.
Hopefully we're both wrong.
Good ideas. Finished the Manu writeup. Will tackle Duncan next.BTW, I'll throw in a subject if you want to tackle it:
Would we have reached this point if Tony doesn't go down and Manu doesn't start and get more minutes and a bigger role with more touches?
Watching Finley on the Celtics brings so much joy to my heart. Especially when he was sucking against the Spurs.
She's on my lap.
BTW LJ, I know you've got a full plate (as well as a full inbox), but I sent you a PM with the new avatars whenever you get around to it. I'm sure you needed more to do.
Considering that there isn't that much difference between seeds 2-8 in the west, and the gap between the Lakers and the rest clearly isn't as large as it appeared at the mid-point of the season, anyone who makes the 2nd round in the west has a legitimate shot at the finals.
Really appreciated your effort to answer us while taking care of a newborn. No easy tasks there!
To be perfectly honest I never quite saw this team either as championship material; mainly because of too many new faces that needed integrating into the setup.
I've stayed cautiously optimistic throughout the entire season, never quite throwing in the towel, but never quite being able to fully trust their ability to win a 7 game series against a team with superior talent (something they could do in the past because of superior execution and chemistry).
But, despite the spate of PG injuries, I've actually become more optimistic than at any point in the season, or last year, for the simple fact that they are showing a resilience that has been long missing: especially in the second half of games. The old Spurs championship teams (1999, 2003) had a tendency to dominate all of the third and fourth quarters against teams. 2005 and 2007 were a little bit shakier, but were tough closing quarters.
This iteration of the team (over the last month) has shown an ability to close out third quarters and dominate fourth quarters, a sign that chemistry and execution is coming together - it is not just Manu Ginobili (although he is an integral part).
To be honest, I am not worried about integrating TP with Manu and TD. Saying those three, at this point in their careers, will have chemistry issues is almost nonsensical. They know each other too well. Integrating TP with RJeff may be a bit more difficult, but that falls on Jefferson's shoulders more than TP. Dice, however I feel will improve with TP, their games are more compatible. TP is a great drive and kick PG, and Dice has shown to be a solid mid-range spot up shooter.
This is a long-winded way of me saying, the Spurs ceiling to me remains at the WCF. They can knock out almost every team in the West from the playoffs; with the exception of the Lakers and Mavs (and both of those teams they can conceivably beat...it's just not to be expected).
A key element will be Hill and TP coming back for the playoffs; if they come in well-rested and aggressive and team chemistry is not upset too much...they will be extremely dangerous.
I don't see why they couldn't beat the mavericks. They have someone that can guard nowitzki and someone that pop trusts in a big man to leave in there and stay big....
It'll ultimately come down to health, but right now the Spurs are playing like they're the best team in the West. Hopefully they continue the trend against the Kings tonight.
Couple those questions with the way they have beat on the big timers of late: LA, Boston, Orlando and Cleveland, and they are doing a great job of getting my hopes up.
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