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I expect the Spurs to come out of this but again I don't expect a whole lot out of Manu. As long as Manu doesn't turn the ball over a thousand times and can do some of the little things it'll be good.
So, this thread is about making predictions for the series - not just who you think will win, but things you think will occur, who will win certain matchups, etc.
I'll start by predicting that Manu, who has been mostly below par for him since returning from injury, will break out and remind us how brilliant he is in this series. I think his overwhelming compe ive instincts will overwhelm the malaise and break him out of his slump, and that he and Harden will play each other to roughly a draw.
Last edited by RuffnReadyOzStyle; 05-24-2012 at 11:41 PM.
I expect the Spurs to come out of this but again I don't expect a whole lot out of Manu. As long as Manu doesn't turn the ball over a thousand times and can do some of the little things it'll be good.
I see Jax having some big games and San Antonio taking it in 6. The biggest thing in my mind other than staying healthy is taking care of the first two games at home. Going up 2-0 heading to OKC would be huge.
At one point, Gary Neal will get benched after shooting a 3-pointer on a fast break.
Stephen Jackson could inadvertently elbow Harden in the head while wrestling for a rebound.
The camera will pan to Kendrick Perkins shedding a single lonely tear sitting on the OKC bench.
Tim Duncan will receive a tech in game 3 for flashing the "wide-eyes" to a ref.
westbrook will have an over-the-top celebration on a fast break dunk while the thunder are down 16 points in the 4th.
If Neal was wide open, or didn't give it to an open guy under the basket then Pop doesn't care. He wants them to shoot if they are open, period. He's been quoted saying something along the lines of "if you pass up open shots you're benched" roughly.
BTW, I see Spurs winning in 6 one of two ways:
SA SA OKC OKC SA SA
or
OKC SA SA OKC SA SA
The first game worries me the most because of the way we always come out rusty after more than 3 days of rest.
Another prediction: both teams will come out rusty in the 1st half of game 1, both will make 10-12pt runs, but the half-time score will be within 4pts.
Nice! That's the spirit!
More from me:
Westbrook will gift the Spurs one close game by making at least two terrible decisions in the final 4 mins of the game.
Ibaka will have a 7 or 8 block game, but we will win it.
Dip OKC crowd members will heckle the Spurs with "boring", and at least one will call Neal a "rapist". However, mostly the OKC crowd will just be loud and otherwise well-behaved (I respect the OKC crowd - they're the most enthusiastic in the NBA right now).
series will be tied 2-2 when the spurs come back to san antonio. then they realize they need to get their game in order and will win the final two games.
OKC is damn good but I say Spurs in 6. If we win the first two then Spurs in 5.
i'm aware of this, however, each time he does it on a fast break you can see pop jumping up & down all pissed off, because he didn't make the pass while bringing it up in the first place...
.. then the shot goes in & he shuts the fk up
i don't really think neal's past is common knowledge around the league, since it happened before he was in any form of spotlight.
Spurs in five. Lose the third game to OKC, mainly due to great fans and a bit of home cooking.
Perkins will attempt to lay some heavy wood on Tony, but end up pissing him off.
Manu will turn into Video Game Manu at some point and remind us of how valuable he is to the team.
Durant will get a ton of calls, but will have you appreciating how damn good he really is.
Very fun series for all.
Unless the Spurs have an injury. </anti-jinx>
spurs in 7
It will basically depend on the first 2 games.
If SA wins both, Spurs in 5.
If not, OKC in 6 or SA in 7.
Spurs in 5. The story of the first two games will be how Durant is being stymied by the Spurs' tough defense - like LeBron in the first two games of the 2007 NBA Finals - but Durant will score 35 and 33 points in Games 3 and 4. Spurs will eventually pull away though.
Game 1 - Spurs win
Game 2 - Spurs win
Game 3 - Thunder win
Game 4 - Spurs win
Game 5 - Spurs win
Spurs in six...if it goes seven then OKC will win most likely.
I think OKC gets the split in games 1-2, the board freaks out, then the Spurs get the split in games 3-4, with homecourt ruling the rest of the series and the Spurs winning it in 7.
I predict pop outcoaches the thunders whole team
I predict the bench will decide the series and not the great 3 on each team
I PREDICT spurs in 5 if they win the first 2 games otherwise 6
Spurs are a matchup nightmare for the thunder spurs in 4 or 5.
I'll take the Barkley route and say Bonner has a big series....
just for the of it.
Spurs in 6...
- Spurs will blow a big lead in one of these games
- Spurs will shoot poorly from downtown in one of these games
- Scott Brook will eventually move Sefolosha to the bench
I actually do agree with Chuck and think Bonner will be very important this series. Let's hope he has his game face on. Bonner will draw Ibaka out of the paint allowing Timmy to rule Perkins one on one.
The rest of the NBA will finally realise this spurs team aint boring.
Spurs in 4
While all logic impels me to think there is no way this is less than a 6 or 7 game series, for some reason, my gut has been saying 5 games for days now. I think they will mostly be close, hard-fought, nail-biting games that come down to clutch execution in the final 2-4 minutes, but I think 5 games.
The traditional game for the Spurs to drop would be game 3 (which, in 5 games would be SA-SA-OKC-SA-SA) because it would be must-win for OKC and the first home game for them, etc.
But I will buck that and say the Spurs drop game 2, giving OKC a boost of confidence that makes them more y than they should be going home. In turn, the Spurs will be even more laser-focused and refuse to drop game 3. It will be close, but the Spurs will put it away. Game 4 will be the most tense of the series, with OKC trying hard to tie it up and the Spurs trying hard to grab the advantage - comparable to game 5 of the 2005 Finals. When the Spurs manage to pull it out, OKC will begin to crumble and with the Finals in sight, the Spurs will not drop the last game (and their victory will be aided by a rattled OKC team in which too many players try too hard to be responsible for their comeback, ensuring discord and heroics that end badly for them).
Or, you know, not.But that is how I can see it going down, as another option to the traditional 6 game series scenarios that are being proposed.
I think we'll see at least one classic "all-court Manu" game: something like 13pts, 7rbs, 8asts, 4stls, 2 charges taken and clutch FTs; and another where he splashes 5 3s and scores high-20s.
At one point SA will trail by one in games (probably down 0:1 on sunday)...but will come out on top after all!
Kendrick Perkins will basically be pulled from the rotation after two games, because we will make him run all over the court, while not accounting for him on the other end at all.
Either Jackson or Manu will make a gamewinner.
The series MVP wont be an OKC-player nor Parker nor Timmy (think Green, Leonard, Manu or even Splitter)
After the series Leonard will be officially introduced to the "Big4" by a random ESPN analyst.
Bill Simmons will be seen in a KG jersey attending one of the games.
The biggest SA-victory party after the series is over will be in Seattle.
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