I believe they are the top team to win the West but nobody is taking the championship away from Lebron this season.
The Spurs will win the championship this year. The defense is getting where it needs to be and the team is just so balanced.
I have felt it for about a month now. The Manu injury was a major test and the Spurs have passed with flying colors. The RRT record will be 9-0 and Duncan will win one for the thumb.
I had this same feeling back in '07 as well. Go Spurs Go!
Cosign below if you also believe!
I believe they are the top team to win the West but nobody is taking the championship away from Lebron this season.
I will say this.
We will win the championship this year as long as we have EVERY PLAYER HEALTHY!
The last time Manu was 100% going into the postseason and stayed 100% throughout the postseason was in 2007, our last Championship.
Manu in playoffs...
08 - Ankle injury in Lakers series
09 - out entire playoffs
10 - broken nose (stupid Dirk), wore mask rest of playoffs.
11 - arm, missed a game, wasn't truly the same.
Dude, you should know this by now...championship is awarded to the best team, not the best player. The best teams in the league are the ones that can execute in playoff-style games with half court sets, not relying on spectacular plays on full court alley oop passes. LeBron can try whatever he wants and it may work for 2 or 3 games but defense and teamwork wins above all. The Spurs are a well-oiled, better-coached machine. Spurs in 7.
Either Tim or Tony were banged up those years too.
That's another reason why I love this year for this team so much. The big challenge came early, and they got through it. And not only did they get through it, but several players stepped up and look like clutch performers. Add guys like Splitter, Green and Leonard and Neal to a cast including the Big Three, and you have a team with almost no holes. I imagine the opposing coaches in the playoffs will go through a few headaches and long nights trying to game plan for flawless 48 minutes basketball against this team.
The best bench in the league, the best PF in the league (still), one of the most underrated and clutch PGs, and one of the best closers in bball history (Manu) =![]()
Also, what gives me major hope is the Lakers suck and don't have a good team (unless they make some crazy trades) and the Mavs don't have the swagger they had last year. Let's hope both of those continue and we get a couple lucky matchups instead of the crap matchup we got in round 1 last year.
The Heat are the best defensive team in the NBA, defense wins championships. Besides they have enough individual talent to provide enough half-court offense to win.
He has to have a Championship before someone can take it from him. Not going to happen...AGAIN. They may not make it out of the East.
Spurs aren't going 9-0 on this road trip either, the law of averages will catch up with them.
However, they are getting better defensively which should make them West contenders.
Miami is completely weak in the paint, both on O and on D. I think Chicago would be more of a problem.
They suck in the half court. If they're not generating TOs to fuel the break, they are very beatable. Teams are catching on, and they have cooled off. They are only two games better than us right now.
Yes, Chicago is the worst matchup for the Spurs. They are confident and clicking, and nobody is going to stop D Rose. Strangely, I would feel the same way if the Heat did not have LeBron and instead had a decent supporting cast around D Wade. The Heat would be contenders every year and probably win a boatload of championships with D Wade and a good supporting cast only, with no contention as to who should get the ball in the clutch.
Ditto with the Celtics as well. That Doc Rivers coached squad would play the Spurs game and possibly beat them at it. Pierce would go off and have about 20 FTs per night.
Chicago is basically the Lakers of the near past, with DRose taking the role of Kobe. They're also a bit deeper. However, Coach Thib =/= Phil Jackson. Bulls vs Spurs would be an interesting series for sure. Celtics would be a tough match-up too, but I can't see them competing with the more athletic teams of the East. Spurs could beat the Heat as they're built now, tbh. That choke in Miami earlier this season was mostly due to bad chemistry, lack of confidence, and no D; Spurs have fixed those issues and can easily improve with a trade.
Can't ing wait till the playoffs!
Tony parker carried the spurs in 07. Injuries are a part of the game, they aren't built in excuses. Some fool starts one of these threads every season and the spurs fall flat on their faces in the postseason. With still over 2 months left in the season, sit back and enjoy he ride.
just stay healthy the rest of the way. that's all anyone should be worried about right now. I really wouldn't mind if Pop started sitting Duncan more than he has.
I think he said assuming the lakers make the playoffs.
i admire the optimism in this thread
This makes sense, coming from someone who became a ST member in 2010.
The Spurs don't fall flat on their faces every postseason. And I haven't seen this type of team in a few years. Last year, for instance, we didn't play this type of ball. We were the Suns last year, and everyone knew we didn't really have a great chance of winning it all with that style of ball. And the last two years we had to contend with teams like the Lakers and Mavs who were obviously better teams. This year the optimism is there because those teams aren't nearly as good and the West is wide open.
And yes, it is okay for fans to feel good about their team and express optimism. You should try it sometime.
We have better defensive chemistry and ability it seems, however there are other teams that have not hit their stride yet but are showing signs (like the defending champs) that could pose a problem if they ever get it going.
I don't see the Clippers doing anything because I think they lack discipline to win close games in the playoffs, and Vinny isn't going to get them over that hump in one year. The Spurs have the benefit of having played together (big 3) for many years, so if they are healthy, they will be hard to beat.
OKC might surge but it's going to depend on where Perkins is mentally come playoff time. If he's Celtics Finals Perkins, they're golden.
What will be our problem is the Bonner/Jefferson/Blair unknown (kinda known by now). We cannot win a championship if these guys do the annual disappearing act in the playoffs. We're winning games now but then Bonner has no pressure on him, and we are winning despite Blair's issues and the fact RJ is the invisible ing man out there on most nights.
I think we have at least one more injury to contend with, and if it's a big bench player like Tiago, we could be in trouble if it comes later in the season.
You gotta call it right:
Championship!
I believe with THIS team, we can win a championship. I believe this team needs to be completely healthy, but the other half is on Pop. A healthy team and the correct lineups for PLAYOFF basketball are key. Our team can do it, will Pop focus on D when that time comes? I don't have faith that he will do what's right. Tiago, Manu and Leonard need to be starting.
But I'm in. No matter what, as much as I can't stand what Pop has become, I bleed silver and black. I believe in Manu as our leader who will do what he can to win.
Go Spurs!
The achilles heel is going to be the same as last season: the frontcourt. With Tony/Manu it's possible to win the battle on the perimeter but they need rebounds, defense, and post scoring from the frontcourt. TD needs help. TS has shown he can help when giving minutes. His post scoring and defense have been welcome additions. The problem is Bonner/Blair.
That being said this team is alot tougher than last year's team. This team looks like it will at least fight back in the playoffs and match the intensity.
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