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No, the West is wide open since Dallas let Chandler walk and the Lakers lost Jackson and gave Odom away.
I know perfectly why they failed. The point is OKC failed last season and we don't know if and how much they will improve.
By the way, I believe they will make it to the finals.
No, the West is wide open since Dallas let Chandler walk and the Lakers lost Jackson and gave Odom away.
As of now, i am quite confident that we can get better at our frontline, i prefer a semi retired oberto over Bonner and i think that move will happen, and then a trade for any serviceable big, not great just usable. (And if that trade is for Bonner... GOOD LORD!)
The main issue for the spurs during this run has always been the condition of the big 3. If the big 3 are playing well, the role players just have to play roles. Last year Manu was hurt, Duncan was overwhelmed and Parker had his head up his ass, thus everyone not named Neal sucked.
Of those problems, the most worrying is Duncan. The past 2-3 years have shown he is too old to carry the entire frontcourt with no help- its not a knock on Tim, just reality. Unless Splitter and Leonard (and hopefully Blair but maybe that is too much wishful thinking) can really help Tim rebound and protect the basket, we will see the same as last year- a team that can't withstand the marathon of the season. And this season will only be worse with all the b2b and b2b2b.
As for the other west teams, the Spurs weakness has been the frontcourt and in that sense the teams that gave us the most problems are weaker now; that doesnt mean we still dont have a huge weakness to overcome. Last night we got outrebounded yet again, it will be very difficult to overcome weak rebounding with steals and 3 pters in the PO.
The West was wide open enough for us to attain a #1 seed and almost the top seed overall. I think it's more than possible than we finish in the top 2 spots once again, at least west wise. Can our defense be scrappy enough for us to play like we deserved the position in the playoffs?
Surprised nobody has mentioned the Clippers yet...It's gonna be strange having the Lakers be the second best team in LA...I'm thinking they are gonna surprise a lot of people including the Spurs tomorrow night...
Surprise in what way?
Surprise in as actually being a playoff contender.
Do they? They have three and they don't exactly fit together seamlessly. They don't have a scoring big, they lack outside shooting and they're still not very experienced. I'm not saying the West isn't theirs for the taking, I just don't buy that they're in another class.
I'd have to see the state the Spurs were in at the time, but if they were to play in the playoffs, I'd probably pick the Spurs to beat them. The Spurs biggest weakness, they don't have the personnel to exploit. And Leonard is the type of defender who could give Durant problems. Because he doesn't have to play major minutes or have a big role offensively, he could go all out defending him, too.
I think the Kawhi, Tim, Tiago frontcourt has the potential to be very special. There's alot of length and defense in that frontcourt.
Uh? Durant and Harden?
They can also penetrate at will. They're young, athletic, great defensive pieces, and a great 6th guy.
Their inexperience (especially Westbrook) is what did them in last season. But time fixes that. I liked that Presti basically stood pat in the offseason. They realize the roster they have is tops, they just need to keep logging more games and gaining that experience.
They re-signed Daequan Cook too.
lol no shooting
Lol Spurs fans must love living in that fantasy land.
Only three teams can win the west: Dallas, OKC, LAL. Nothing has changed
Put your money where your mouthis, or should I say an ele bet on the Spurs going farther than the Mavs this year in the playsoffs. Show your Mav and Laker fan buddies you got a backbone. How does a 2 week ban on st sound?
I said "they lack outside shooting", not "they have no outside shooting". Lol lacking basic reading comprehension.
Durant and Harden both shot approximately 35% from three last season and are both shooting approximately 36% from three in their careers. The league average from three is 35%.
Cook shot approximately 42% from three last season and is shooting approximately 37% from three for his career. He's their only player who could be called a three-point ace, but here's the problem: He's their tenth man. Which means in the playoffs, he'll have a hard time getting consistent minutes, because obviously Durant's and Harden's will increase. The only way to play him more than spot minutes would be to bench Mohammed and go small off the bench.
So let me get this straight. They have three playoff series under their belt and all of a sudden they're experienced? Don't get me wrong, I like their team and I think the West is theirs for the taking too, I'm just not sold on them taking it.
A month sounds better... I'll honor it no doubt.
oh yea you have a history on here abiut honoring your bets.
Do you bealive me now?
Can't really call Houston an upset, since LA had homecourt in that series.
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