fair enough lets go your route lets say the spurs make the playoffs because they will and when they do well go down the list this is last years Western conference playoff teams:
LAKERS i feel as if we can beat this team playoff/season we have exp!
MAVERICKS if we took them last year we are more than capable this yr!
PHOENIX how'd we lose? mase/bogans no interior D! i think theyre done!
DENVER theyr bigs injured&be either blown up or have big chemistry prblms
UTAH we have had utahs #in the postseason, and i think splitter w/help!
PORTLAND we never play POR/ if we did i def think we would win in p/offs
SAN ANTONIO
OKLAHOMA with no moves made/hou could replace 8th spot/we will beat them if we do match up with them.
------------------------------
houston:might make the playoffs ths yr but without a star guard we win
memphis: i doubt they make the playoffs
new orleans: it doesnt look good for cp3 and i doubt they hang w/us
now look at that sheet if you tell me we have no shot at going to the western conference finals youre crazy think about each of our players talent against the opposing teams whos going to stop us? that my question to you and with our experience/vets along with major young talent athleticism at most positions theres no one to really stop us the only ones i see defeating us if at all are the ones i put bold font on, and i dont want to say dallas but i gotta say the mavs play like a dream team against the spurs.
honestly look at that playoff list and tell me who honestly can beat us in 7 game series we still have the big three and starters on the bench with what we have you guys are forgeting how good tp is when healthy a good 25pts a game with hill now scoring probably 18pts healthy manu/jeff/splitter with great pick and roll offense the duo of him and manu is going to be insane!!!! it will destroy teams.
Last edited by Leonard Curse; 09-06-2010 at 03:37 AM.
yes. definitely. and I'm not one to hype up the spurs either. I've predicted the Spurs to lose/fail on many occasions. people are just so concerned with what the media says that they belive they're not, but I believe at the end of the day they'll contend.
For spurs its a marathon.
1. Get to the playoffs
2. Go beast mode
3. Pray all players are moulded and ready to go.
4. Injury Free
Rest will take care of itself
Contenders? Sure, however, there are quite a few things that will have to go the Spurs way for them to actually make it to the finals, let alone win it all.
1. RJ is useful
2. Timmy doesn't run out of gas.
3. Manu same as Timmy.
4. Hill shows improvement from last season.
5. TP doesn't get distracted with his contract.
6. Blair learns how to guard the bigger players well and he has developed a consistent jumper.
7. Tiago is as good as advertised.
8. Anderson/Neal provide the much needed 3 point threats the Spurs have been lacking.
9. Spurs defense is once again feared.
10. Everyone stays healthy for a long enough time to develop chemistry and remain healthy for the playoffs.
11. I give Pop his brain back.
That is all that I can think of off of the top of my head. They aren't listed in any particular order.
Too many question marks to be consider as a contender at this moment. However, if everything goes our way, we may be contending next year. If Celtics can do it this year, we have the chance to do likewise
The Spurs are good up to the WCSF. It's another thing to get over that hump. For now they lack that extra oomph to get back to the WCF. However it doesn't mean that they can't get it somewhere along the season. Trades here, player improving there...
Absolutely they are. I think its shallow, short-sighted and an assortment of other intellectually-condescending adjectives to write this team off. Duncan is still a top big man, Manu and Tony will be rested and healthy, add Splitter, assume Jefferson improves and the list goes on. And a lesser version beat Dallas in six, remember. I absolutely think that the Spurs are contenders assuming the usual, which is that they enter the postseason relatively healthy. They won't lack for motivation, especially Tony Parker!
Health permitting... I think the Spurs absolutely have a better season than 09-10 for reasons already listed in this thread. Getting to the WCF is a real possibility, especially since the western conference will be weaker than it was last year. We'll have to see how OKC improves of course, and Portland is a big question mark. But on paper, teams like Utah and Phoenix don't look as scary to me. And the Spurs have proven that they can beat Dallas.
But getting past the Lakers? No... it's a long shot at best.
Whenever you have 11 ifs before you're a contender, you aren't a contender. You're a pretender.
Spurs are still a top 6-7 team in the league, but they're moving in the wrong direction.
At this point, here's how I would stack it:
1. Heat
2. Lakers (Because Kobe's about to become a "facilitator")
3. Celtics
4. Orlando
5. Thunder
6. Spurs
Duncan's declined to the point, he's done after next season. Manu is also on the downside of his career and I actually think Parker already peaked too. As much as I hate the front office's moves (Bonner/RJ), the demise of the big 3 has more to do with it than anything.
IMHO they will be contenders, but in order for them to be legit contenders to beat the Lakers, a lot of ifs have to happen. The Lakers got better during the offseason with the additions of Steve Blake and Matt Barnes and so have the Spurs with the addition of Tiago and James Anderson. The big 3 are also getting healthy. It is a long season and anything can happen in the NBA, so we will just have to see...
As the roster stands right now, I don't believe so. Now, it's always possible that Tony Parker and Richard Jefferson join Manu Ginobili and have career years playing unreal basketball. It's possible that Tiago Splitter plays Duncan to Duncan's Robinson. But that's a lot of ifs based on last season's performances. If those things were to happen, the West is wide-open from 2-15. Denver, Dallas, Utah, Houston, Portland, Oklahoma City--they could all play in the Conference Finals.
It then becomes a question of whether they have enough to beat the Lakers. Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair, Duncan, and Splitter would have to have a great series against the Lakers bigs. Who guards Kobe? Will Jefferson have enough to handle Ron Artest's defense?
After that, it's probably Miami in the NBA Finals. Again, who guards these guys? Bruce Bowen isn't on the team anymore.
Last time I checked, Joey Crawford played in the playoffs (for the Lakers).
So the answer to the question is no.
It would take a Brett Favre miracle 2009 season performance from both TD and Manu for it to be even close
The Spurs are probably the only team that has a realistic chance (and a small one) of beating the Lakers in the West, just like the Celtics are probably the only team with a chance to take out the Heat.
So yeah, I'll go with contenders, but barely.
I don't think any team is going to be able to really compete against the Miami Heat but I think the Spurs have a good chance of making it to the conference finals; after that it depends on health. Great for the Spurs that the Jazz, Suns, and maybe even the Nuggets are no longer strong threats either. From the media I think the Spurs are going to get written off like the 2010 Boston Celtics were except it'll be for the entire season.
Every team in the NBA has ifs . . . Kobe has played three seasons in a row with nagging injuries without any real significant time out, The Heat will have some glaring, exploitable weaknesses that Lebron and Wade will not always be able to cover up, The Celtics keep getting older and not necessarily better . . . no other team in the league has a player, of any significance, with championship pedigree.
I believe the Spurs will be a significantly better (+5 wins) team this season and will have enough solid contributors during the regular season to afford Duncan and Ginobili better health in the playoffs. I certainly wouldn't give Oklahoma City and Orlando a better chance at winning a championship over the Spurs.
Duncan and Ginobili both spent a significant percentage of the 2009-10 season literally carrying the team on their backs and Parker was injured nearly the entire year. So, I think it's a little too early to nail the coffin on the big three. They will have an most improved, talented roster and while they are certainly not the front runner, they could easily get hot at the right time and make a deep run. They have the guns, the experience and the potential. It's far too early for absolution.
Spurs stopped being contenders when Duncan was no longer the best player on the team. Two years ago it was Parker. Last year it was Manu. Both are great players individually, but they are pieces, Tim was the franchise. When Tim took a few steps back in 2008, we went from top 3 to top 13.
We're in the conversation, but we don't have enough to beat the top 4 in a best of seven.
Yes, they are. I have too much Respect for Tim, Pop and Manu to think otherwise. But that being said, I feel pretty confident if BOTH the Lakers and spurs are healthy we win. But it will be tougher than many on here think.
Last edited by Killakobe81; 01-03-2011 at 11:55 AM.
Good post
The Lakers would be very difficult to beat in the playoffs, regardless of how much mileage their players have been through for the past three years. I would consider it a huge success if the Spurs reach the WCF. Time will tell
I think we'll see significant improvement over last year, when we rarely had the Big 3 healthy at the same time. Tiago looked great last week. If Neal has any of the stuff he showed in Vegas. If Anderson shows the promise of Blair and George. There will indeed be 'ifs', but I'm not hating the team as is. I would imagine that any of the other contenders will not be taking the Spurs for granted either. GSG!!!
So when does being a top 6-7 team in the league mean they are not in contention? If you ask me, that is pretty good.
The list that I compiled was what they needed to do to win to the finals. They can contend without the list. To be a huge threat to the rest of the league most of those things will need to happen.
killkobe knows his .
The Braintrust of RC, Pop and the Spurs F.O. combined with Tim Tony Manu Splitter, and RJ, with how good our new additions are as well as DeJuan Blair-Bear....
I'd like to see us get another 60-win season, and burn LA to the ground.
I don't think Miami is going to be all that good. Sure they'll have a few 5-8 game win streaks, but They have just put the single-biggest target on their back. I'd LOVE to see the first Miami @ Cleveland game! hath NO fury like Ohio scorned!
LOL RJ, it's hard to take that guy seriously. He's one big ing question mark and I dunno if he's really gonna pan out.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote