Spurs vs. top contenders, and why they have a chance.

[BadOdor]

I know Lakers fans think real basketball is to have one phony, rapist, stats obsessed gunner firing away relentlessly, but there are still some teams that realize it's a team game.

Lakers basketball = repeat champ.

Spurs basketball = getting swept in the second round.



cue in "it's a conspiracy!!!111" post by grey named spur fan.

[DPG21920]

Lakers basketball = repeat champ.

Spurs basketball = getting swept in the second round.



cue in "it's a conspiracy!!!111" post by grey named spur fan.

You are a grey Laker fan

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Lakers basketball = repeat champ.

Spurs basketball = getting swept in the second round.



cue in "it's a conspiracy!!!111" post by grey named spur fan.

Wow, how insightful. Well to actually discuss real basketball rather than your epeen, Bynum has played 35, 50 and 65 games over the last three years. Last year his knees were poor down the stretch and he would disappear some games because of it.

Now personally, I think Jackson jeopardized the young man's career but I would put the over-under on games played next year at about 50.

I will take the under.

Gasol is 30. Kobe is 32. Artest will be 31. Odom will be 31.

I know you think you are all wonderful now but as Spurs fans are all too aware of you are going to see your players begin to break down. One of your starters knees are just about shot and four others are going to decline in their physical skills. They are past their peaks and will only decline now.

You take it as a given that you are going to get an average of 70 games out of those guys again. Like I said its an 82 game grind were entering, not the playoffs.

[mingus]

since when does having a lot of guys be able to put up 30 on any given night even matter?

how many guys did Boston have who scored 30 points numerous times? what about Houston 2 years ago? OKC has Kevin Durant, who can put up 30 on any given night, but he was pretty much crap in that aspect against LA. they took LA to 7.

see, this is why i really like the Spurs chances for next year if they can stay healthy. the Spurs are probably going to be better than all those teams offensively when healthy, esp. now that they've addressed the spacing issues of last year with guys who can gun from Downtown. Spurs' shooting coach, Chip England, said that Neal is the best shooter he's seen since he's been with the Spurs. Anderson was lights out in college. they've also got Splitter now, who can help the Spurs get easy baskets.

so the question now is our defense. anybody who is even questioning the Spurs' offense is re ed. they're as good as anyone in the league in that aspect when healthy with the exception of Miami

with Splitter though we've now got another 7-footer to guard the paint. he's going to make the Spurs defense better without question. he's an automatic upgrade. right now it's all on our perimiter defense. it's on guys like Neal, Anderson, and Hill to play above average defense. if they can do that, the Spurs will be a force to be reckoned with and can definitely compete for a championship.

[BadOdor]

You are a grey Laker fan

Tbh the grey named spur fan thing works cause it's a spurs board, don't think you can play the "grey named laker fan" card. Just doesn't sound right, you know?

[FuzzyLumpkins]

since when does having a lot of guys be able to put up 30 on any given night even matter?

how many guys did Boston have who scored 30 points numerous times? what about Houston 2 years ago? OKC has Kevin Durant, who can put up 30 on any given night, but he was pretty much crap in that aspect against LA. they took LA to 7.

see, this is why i really like the Spurs chances for next year if they can stay healthy. the Spurs are probably going to be better than all those teams offensively when healthy, esp. now that they've addressed the spacing issues of last year with guys who can gun from Downtown. Spurs' shooting coach, Chip England, said that Neal is the best shooter he's seen since he's been with the Spurs. Anderson was lights out in college. they've also got Splitter now, who can help the Spurs get easy baskets.

so the question now is our defense. anybody who is even questioning the Spurs' offense is re ed. they're as good as anyone in the league in that aspect when healthy with the exception of Miami

with Splitter though we've now got another 7-footer to guard the paint. he's going to make the Spurs defense better without question. he's an automatic upgrade. right now it's all on our perimiter defense. it's on guys like Neal, Anderson, and Hill to play above average defense. if they can do that, the Spurs will be a force to be reckoned with and can definitely compete for a championship.

Its because you have three guys that can score not the amount they can score that is important. Its about being able to defend them. You can double and rotate fairly easily against one player. Two becomes problematic and two is nigh impossible.

Duncan, Parker and Manu can create their own shots, trash a mismatch on a rotation, are excellent passers and hit tough shots. All three of them are.

[TDMVPDPOY]

not winnin since bonner is still on this team

[chazley]

Response fit the post perfectly.

Athleticism is something that the Spurs struggle with greatly and next year being a year older won't help. You said Hill struggles against quick PGs then turned around and said he would be perfect for Wade. Last I checked Hill had a hard time with Nash. Hill also doesn't fight through screens well and Wade uses a lot in his game. Not mentioning that Wade is much stronger and much more athletic.

The match up of Lebron would be terror for the Spurs and with both Wade and Bosh who present match up problems themselves, just makes the case of the Spurs winning a 7 game series unlikely. The Spurs don't have a big with the foot speed to chase around Bosh. Duncan just can't dominate a series anymore and you could see it in the Suns series, where he should have had his way.

Spurs don't struggle against athleticism, they struggle against teams that spread the floor well. Huge difference. Heat have one shooter on their team, Mike Miller. Spurs are content to letting Mike Miller try and beat them and try to take the ball out of either Wade or Lebron's hands.

And please, Tony/Tim are matchup nightmares for Heat too. It's not like after Wade/Lebron, the remainder of the Heat players and the entire Spurs team is a wash. Spurs have a huge advantage at PG and at overall depth, and it's doubtful that Wade/Lebron are playing at 100% in June considering the massive amount of minutes they will be playing throughout the entire season.

Also, Duncan cancels out Bosh, don't kid yourself. Bosh is the least of the Spurs concerns. Bosh is a terrible defensive player, and when he is the only notable big on the roster, that is a massive concern. Duncan not only cancels him out on the offensive end, Duncan is 10x the help defender that Bosh will ever be.

[Ace]

Spurs don't struggle against athleticism, they struggle against teams that spread the floor well. Huge difference. Heat have one shooter on their team, Mike Miller. Spurs are content to letting Mike Miller try and beat them and try to take the ball out of either Wade or Lebron's hands.

And please, Tony/Tim are matchup nightmares for Heat too. It's not like after Wade/Lebron, the remainder of the Heat players and the entire Spurs team is a wash. Spurs have a huge advantage at PG and at overall depth, and it's doubtful that Wade/Lebron are playing at 100% in June considering the massive amount of minutes they will be playing throughout the entire season.

Also, Duncan cancels out Bosh, don't kid yourself. Bosh is the least of the Spurs concerns. Bosh is a terrible defensive player, and when he is the only notable big on the roster, that is a massive concern. Duncan not only cancels him out on the offensive end, Duncan is 10x the help defender that Bosh will ever be.

Your arguments are foolishly homer and totally off. First off, you say you doubt Lebron and Wade are 100% in June but you think the Spurs who haven't in the last 2 years had enough left in the tank to even win a game in the 2nd round, make it to June? That's if they even make it that far cause afterall I don't see them getting past the Lakers.

Spurs struggles against the Suns spreading the floor was due to the Suns' great 3pt shooting and the bad D of the Spurs. Everyone was lost and out of place. Duncan against the Suns' athleticism just looked slow and helpless. So if your biggest anchor on defense struggles against athleticism, then I say its a problem.

Tony and Tim are hardly the night match up that Wade and Lebron present. Wade and Lebron are top 3 players in the league don't fool yourself. In the finals teams play a 8-9 man rotation with the starters play the majority of the minutes. So the bench is hardly a factor. Its all irrelevant anyway because the Spurs or anyone in the West doesn't get to the finals without getting past the Lakers.

[picc84]

Spurs playing in June.

[DPG21920]

It's not inconceivable, so I don't know why you are laughing. It is not like the Spurs are a bunch of scrubs. Is it likely? No. But laughable, give me a break.

[mingus]

what's funny is that Laker's fans only show their insecurity and fear of the Spurs when they post in threads like this. the fact that Lakers' fans are just willing to argue about it, never mind stalk every thread in which the Spurs are mentioned as a possible threat, speaks for itself.

[BadOdor]

I just don't see how a team that got swept in the second round last season can contend without pulling major moves. Bringing in a guy who never played in the NBA is not a major move. Resigning Bonner and are not major moves.

I guess blair/hill can improve, parker has a contract year coming up so he might play much better as well, but that's about as far as positives changes go. Manu/Duncan were healthy against the suns(despite spur fans constant excuses), and they are now 1 year older.

I don't think the spurs can even be considered a top 5 team anymore.

[Man In Black]

I just don't see how a team that got swept in the second round last season can contend without pulling major moves. Bringing in a guy who never played in the NBA is not a major move. Resigning Bonner and are not major moves.

I guess blair/hill can improve, parker has a contract year coming up so he might play much better as well, but that's about as far as positives changes go. Manu/Duncan were healthy against the suns(despite spur fans constant excuses), and they are now 1 year older.

I don't think the spurs can even be considered a top 5 team anymore.

Does the broken nose affect Ginobili's game in any way? I'm just trying to see it from your point of view, since my former life as a college trainer would point out that having a broken nose means, you aren't as healthy as you could be.

Keep poking the zombie. Saying a team got swept last year isn't an indicator of what can happen this year. Since PHX didn't make the playoffs the season before last, did anyone think that they could make it to the conference finals?
Same linear logic, it doesn't apply.

[chazley]

Your arguments are foolishly homer and totally off. First off, you say you doubt Lebron and Wade are 100% in June but you think the Spurs who haven't in the last 2 years had enough left in the tank to even win a game in the 2nd round, make it to June? That's if they even make it that far cause afterall I don't see them getting past the Lakers.

Spurs struggles against the Suns spreading the floor was due to the Suns' great 3pt shooting and the bad D of the Spurs. Everyone was lost and out of place. Duncan against the Suns' athleticism just looked slow and helpless. So if your biggest anchor on defense struggles against athleticism, then I say its a problem.

Tony and Tim are hardly the night match up that Wade and Lebron present. Wade and Lebron are top 3 players in the league don't fool yourself. In the finals teams play a 8-9 man rotation with the starters play the majority of the minutes. So the bench is hardly a factor. Its all irrelevant anyway because the Spurs or anyone in the West doesn't get to the finals without getting past the Lakers.

You obviously aren't a knowledgeable basketball fan, but I will bite.

My point is, Spurs are deep and their stars play 28-34 minutes per game in the regular season. The Heat trio will be playing 42+ min a game, every game, from October through June. Yes, I think the Spurs have a better chance at not being tired in June than the Heat do. Not to mention, Wade before last year was considered very injury-prone. That doesn't just go away, especially with his style of play. Of course, Spurs are injury-prone as well so point is moot. But if we're talking about which team is more fresh in a potential June matchup, it's the Spurs and it's not even close because our bench is really good and the Heat's is terrible.

Bosh isn't the athletic beast that Stoudemire is, and they have completely different games. Duncan struggles against Amare because Amare is a beast in the pick and roll and he's an athletic freak, and Duncan no longer has the foot speed to keep up with him, nor has he ever had the foot speed to keep up with him really. Bosh has a completely different game that is more dependent on finesse than athleticism, and Duncan will have an easier time defending him.

Again, the Spurs struggle against teams that spread the floor well, and the Suns were an absolutely disastrous matchup for us last year. It's the same scenario as the Warriors in '07 vs. the Mavs. I HONESTLY believe if we had played the Lakers we would've taken them to at least 6 and potentially could have won the series. Of course, we will never know...

[Ace]

You obviously aren't a knowledgeable basketball fan, but I will bite.

My point is, Spurs are deep and their stars play 28-34 minutes per game in the regular season. The Heat trio will be playing 42+ min a game, every game, from October through June. Yes, I think the Spurs have a better chance at not being tired in June than the Heat do. Not to mention, Wade before last year was considered very injury-prone. That doesn't just go away, especially with his style of play. Of course, Spurs are injury-prone as well so point is moot. But if we're talking about which team is more fresh in a potential June matchup, it's the Spurs and it's not even close because our bench is really good and the Heat's is terrible.

Bosh isn't the athletic beast that Stoudemire is, and they have completely different games. Duncan struggles against Amare because Amare is a beast in the pick and roll and he's an athletic freak, and Duncan no longer has the foot speed to keep up with him, nor has he ever had the foot speed to keep up with him really. Bosh has a completely different game that is more dependent on finesse than athleticism, and Duncan will have an easier time defending him.

Again, the Spurs struggle against teams that spread the floor well, and the Suns were an absolutely disastrous matchup for us last year. It's the same scenario as the Warriors in '07 vs. the Mavs. I HONESTLY believe if we had played the Lakers we would've taken them to at least 6 and potentially could have won the series. Of course, we will never know...

Your the one who actually thinks the Spurs will be playing in June and I'm not knowledgeable? Spurs have been done for 3 years and are not even in the top 5 in league at this point. Same team that got swept in the second round.

[chazley]

Your the one who actually thinks the Spurs will be playing in June and I'm not knowledgeable? Spurs have been done for 3 years and are not even in the top 5 in league at this point. Same team that got swept in the second round.

Let me ask you a question. Take only March/April and what we did against Dallas, forget about the Suns for sec, where would you have ranked us in the league compared to how every other team playing during the same time period? If you say anywhere but top 3, you just do not know basketball. Bottom line is, we ran into a team that had the perfect personnel to take us out, and the 07 Warriors vs the Mavs was a perfect example. Some teams just have the edge in match ups/style of play against certain teams.

That Suns team no longer exists. We match up well against other teams in the West in my opinion. I was one of the people who REALLY wanted to play the Lakers in the first round last year because I knew we would've had a shot when we were at our peak like we were.

And we are not the same team that got swept in the second round. Hill/Blair/Parker/RJ will all be improved, and Duncan was a top 5 player last year, so to say he might drop off this year is to say he might only be a top 8-10 player in this league. Manu is obviously at or near his peak as evidenced last February/March.

Get a clue please.

[BadOdor]

Does the broken nose affect Ginobili's game in any way? I'm just trying to see it from your point of view, since my former life as a college trainer would point out that having a broken nose means, you aren't as healthy as you could be.

Here we go again, Excuses. This is like kobe fan who claims kobe was "injured" because of his finger

If you step on the court, you are healthy enough to play. No excuses.

Keep poking the zombie. Saying a team got swept last year isn't an indicator of what can happen this year.

So you don't think what a team did last playoffs is an indicator of what they will do next time around?(Ceteris Paribus).

Since PHX didn't make the playoffs the season before last, did anyone think that they could make it to the conference finals?

No one thought they would. They got lucky with an injured Portland team and an old, not very good spurs team.

If your argument is that improbable things happen, then I agree. It's very improbable that the spurs will make it even as far as the WCF.

[BadOdor]

Manu is obviously at or near his peak as evidenced last February/March.
Get a clue please.

Yeah, Manu's play against the suns really blew people away, huh?

"cue in his en nose was broken post.

[O.J Mayo]

Let me ask you a question. Take only March/April and what we did against Dallas, forget about the Suns for sec, where would you have ranked us in the league compared to how every other team playing during the same time period? If you say anywhere but top 3, you just do not know basketball. Bottom line is, we ran into a team that had the perfect personnel to take us out, and the 07 Warriors vs the Mavs was a perfect example. Some teams just have the edge in match ups/style of play against certain teams.

That Suns team no longer exists. We match up well against other teams in the West in my opinion. I was one of the people who REALLY wanted to play the Lakers in the first round last year because I knew we would've had a shot when we were at our peak like we were.

And we are not the same team that got swept in the second round. Hill/Blair/Parker/RJ will all be improved, and Duncan was a top 5 player last year, so to say he might drop off this year is to say he might only be a top 8-10 player in this league. Manu is obviously at or near his peak as evidenced last February/March.

Get a clue please.

LMAO delusional thinking Duncan was a top 5 player last season. LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Dwight, Durant and some other players were better than Duncan. Your opinion, as usual sucks.

Suddenly wanting to talk about April. Does the playoffs only last for 1 month?

How do people who disagree with you not know basketball? It is the opposite. You just don't know about basketball.

[Ace]

Let me ask you a question. Take only March/April and what we did against Dallas, forget about the Suns for sec, where would you have ranked us in the league compared to how every other team playing during the same time period? If you say anywhere but top 3, you just do not know basketball. Bottom line is, we ran into a team that had the perfect personnel to take us out, and the 07 Warriors vs the Mavs was a perfect example. Some teams just have the edge in match ups/style of play against certain teams.

That Suns team no longer exists. We match up well against other teams in the West in my opinion. I was one of the people who REALLY wanted to play the Lakers in the first round last year because I knew we would've had a shot when we were at our peak like we were.

And we are not the same team that got swept in the second round. Hill/Blair/Parker/RJ will all be improved, and Duncan was a top 5 player last year, so to say he might drop off this year is to say he might only be a top 8-10 player in this league. Manu is obviously at or near his peak as evidenced last February/March.

Get a clue please.

So if I don't agree with you, I don't know anything about basketball?
Spurs did not look like a top 3 team in the first round as the Lakers, Cavs and Boston looked much better. How the Spurs looked in the first round is irrelevant anyways as is the second that they looked gassed. You named players that were on last year's team but say its not the same team

Ginobili is at his peak? He's past his prime and now a year older. I don't know what I find laughable the fact that you really made those arguments or that you labeled yourself the #1 poster.

[Ace]

LMAO delusional thinking Duncan was a top 5 player last season. LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Dwight, Durant and some other players were better than Duncan. Your opinion, as usual sucks.

Suddenly wanting to talk about April. Does the playoffs only last for 1 month?

How do people who disagree with you not know basketball? It is the opposite. You just don't know about basketball.

The guy is the idiot who got owned by a bunch of Spur fans and claimed victory. I don't know if he is being a homer or is just stupid. Duncan a top 5 last year

[Man In Black]

Ginobili is at his peak? He's past his prime and now a year older

EXPLAIN!!!! Don't give us opinion...Prove it!

[Daddy_Of_All_Trolls]

Interesting thread. Jerry West broke his nose just about every season and still led his team to many finals. Look at photos of his nose late in his career, it's nasty. He waited until he retired to get it fixed.

Injuries and age attack every team at some point. All I can say is, the Lakers may be the favorite in the west, but they aren't a lock. Look at Magic Johnson's career. Lakers were favored to make the finals in his first 11 seasons, but the Rockets beat the Lakers twice and the Suns got them once. If the Lakers lose a western playoff series, another team gets to the finals. To me, the Spurs would have just as good a shot as any other Western team. Plus, they have a core with championship experience. If Spurs win the west, why couldn't they win the finals? Remember, many thought LA and Boston wouldn't make it to the finals last year when the playoffs started.

[BadOdor]

EXPLAIN!!!! Don't give us opinion...Prove it!

You want people to prove that is he 1 year older?