Reply With Quote
jeez, this is just basketball
^ this, in a nuts . Turnovers are why the Spurs lost Game 5.
SPURS IN 7. BOOK IT.
jeez, this is just basketball
Damn you all. I was just going to skip Game 6 to save myself the stress and just read about the inevitable outcome afterwards. Now I think I'm going to watch it after all.
I agree this is their last chance. Hopefully a calmness overtakes them and they rise to the opportunity at hand. Hopefully this is what it takes for some of the cerebral players, like Duncan, to stop thinking and "just do it".
I'll be watching too. and I won't drink today. I'll be watching like a man goes to a family member's funeral. Supportive, but somber.Damn you all. I was just going to skip Game 6 to save myself the stress and just read about the inevitable outcome afterwards. Now I think I'm going to watch it after all.
Hi timvp. I too battled death 8 years ago - had a ruptured aortic aneurysm. I too felt that unbelievable sense of calm. And I predict that the Spurs, having nothing to "lose" at this point, will come out and battle death. I too expect a game for the ages with a Spurs win.
Exactly one year ago to the hour, I was dying. Unable to move and increasingly unable to breathe, I had just been taken to the hospital. As I was placed on the hospital bed, I remember telling myself that I couldn't let this be my death bed. That wasn't an option. I had to get up and walk out of this place on my own two feet. I had more life to live.
Within in a few days, I was in intensive care. The low point was when I was told there was nothing else the doctors could do. They told me I was about to die. Nothing could be done. My respiratory system had failed and it would just be a matter of time.
I remember feeling angry. But I also remember feeling an odd sense of calm. If death is all but certain, fighting with every last fiber of my being didn't seem like a daunting task. Either I die like they say I will or I prove the doctors wrong. Everything was so simple. No longer were a million thoughts running through my mind. There were just two: either I'm going to live or I'm going to die. That's it.
Today, I'm fine. The recovery wasn't always easy and I'm not quite 100 percent ... but I have no complaints. And although it's not something that can be explained or is logical in any sense, this great Spurs season has helped me along the way. No matter what side-effect or annoyance I was dealing with, how could I complain about anything when my family is perfect and the Spurs are playing so well? It's felt like a dream. (In fact, a couple times I've seriously had a conversation with myself wondering whether I actually did die in the hospital and I'm just in my personal heaven where I have an amazing wife, astonishingly genius kids and a Spurs team that never loses)
On the one year anniversary, the Spurs are headed to Oklahoma City. Most agree that they won't make it out alive. Not only is this year's team dead, the Tim Duncan Era will die with it. After watching the Spurs lose Game 5 at home, I was ready to sign the death certificate. There's nothing to be done. It's just a matter of time; 48 minutes to be exact. Right?
After rewatching the game, I'm starting to piece together a few glimmers of hope. And while I know sports isn't comparable to life and death, if there was ever a sports version of death, that's what Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are facing right now. This is the last legit opportunity for this squad to win another championship ring. There's no tomorrow. The Big 3 faces a reality where they either win Wednesday night or their championship contending life will be no more.
The Spurs have faced other elimination games in the past but nothing like this. Maybe these unique cir stances will bring out a level of fight and determination that we've never seen before. Instead of pressure, maybe they will feel calm -- realizing there are only two possible outcomes. Maybe now, with all that is on the line, they can look passed the tactics and strategies and see what is really important: heart, single-mindedness, desire and belief.
Maybe, just maybe, even we Spurs fans underestimate what this team is capable of doing when winning one game means more than it ever has.
I thought the Game 5 loss was a harbinger of death. As a Spurs fan, I gave up. It was over, I told myself. I gave them a token 2% chance of escaping Game 6 with a win.
But screw that. I should know that when one is facing a near certain demise, everything other than survival becomes a moot point. And in that state of mind, there is no obstacle that can't be overcome. Not just this team but this era is standing at the precipice. Knowing their character and knowing they understand what is at stake, I expect the most acious fight we Spurs fans have ever witnessed.
Sit back and enjoy.
Believe.
As for the glimmers of hope basketball-wise, here's what I see:
1. Yes, Pop's rotation in Game 5 was horrendous in the first half. But he stumbled into a very workable rotation in the final two quarters. Start Duncan, Diaw, Leonard, Ginobili and Parker. Use Jackson, Splitter and Neal off the bench. Splitter plays when Duncan sits. Neal buys spot minutes for Parker and Ginobili. Jackson fills in all the rest of the time. It's not complicated but it should work well.
2. Parker needs to relentlessly pressure Westbrook. In Game 3 and Game 4, Parker mostly defended Sefolosha. Going into Game 5, he was back on Westbrook due to Ginobili being inserted into the starting lineup. I think it took awhile for Parker to remember how great he's been at pressuring the basketball during these playoffs. When he got back to it in the second half -- undoubtedly thanks to a stern reminder from Pop at intermission -- Parker once again was able to give Westbrook fits. San Antonio's defense has been poor this series but it's looked the best when Parker is harassing Westbrook. In Game 6, I expect Parker to force Westbrook to battle for every inch, which in itself could make a big difference.
3. In retrospect, Duncan's foul trouble played a huge role in Game 5. The Spurs were outscored by 22 points in the 15 minutes he was on the bench. If he wouldn't have been in foul trouble, Pop probably would have played him for about 40 minutes. Those seven additional minutes could have been enough to turn the loss into a win. On Wednesday night, we should see Duncan play 38 to 40 minutes. Considering the Spurs are +23 with Duncan on the court this series and -42 with him on the bench, that will be a huge help.
4. There's no reason to believe Ginobili's Game 5 offensive show was necessarily a fluke. When he's been bottled up this series, it's usually been when he's played with the impotent bench unit. Now that he's in the starting lineup, playing with Duncan and Parker makes life a lot easier. The Thunder can't switch pick-and-rolls involving Duncan and they have to gear their defense toward stopping Parker. That leaves Ginobili to wreak havoc -- and we all know how much havoc Ginobili can wreak.
5. Has there ever been a 20-year-old rookie starting in the playoffs that seems less like a rookie than Kawhi Leonard? He knows his job. He does his job. He did fine work against Durant in Game 5. Perhaps just as encouraging was the fact that he also defended Harden well plus was able to help control the defensive backboard. I don't worry about him at all.
6. Jackson returned to San Antonio with impossibly high hopes yet he's been able to fulfill those hopes this series. He's shooting the lights out. He's making plays. He's playing smart. He's defending his heart out. More than anything, you can see how much he wants to win and how he tries to do everything in his power to help the Spurs win. I expect more of the same out of Jackson in Game 6.
7. Diaw, Splitter and Neal all know what they have to do. Diaw understands that the Thunder will leave him open. He has seen it now for the better part of three games. In Game 6, I think he'll be ready to try to make OKC pay. Splitter has received his wakeup call and there were signs in Game 5 that he's ready to step up to this challenge. As for Neal, he can't shoot any worse than his 0-for-6 on Monday night. He's going to be looking for redemption. And considering that he shot much better on the road this season (and during his rookie campaign, for that matter), I would not be surprised if he makes the Thunder Neal with it.
8. At some point, don't the Thunder have to cool off? I know the Spurs aren't exactly a defensive force but OKC has been hitting long jumpers at a ridiculous rate these last three games. From 15-to-23 feet, the Thunder have hit 35-of-61 shots beginning in Game 3 for an astronomical 57.4%. On the season, the Thunder hit 42.6% from that range. In the playoffs versus the Lakers and Mavs, OKC had only two games better than 41% from that range. Regression to the mean will start Wednesday night and without those long jumpers finding net repeatedly, the Thunder will experience some hiccups in their offensive flow. And that, combined with the previous seven glimmers of hope, will give the Spurs the break they need to get this win.
One win.
1.
a
Nobody can talk about the glimpse of hope the Spurs is now having in a better way than you, timvp, based on your personal experience. The fond memories of this season, e.g. the resilience of the team after Manu went down, the winning streaks, the hype on Captain Jack's return and Diaw's arrival, all seem so real but may vanish soon. I'm sure the players and coaching/front-office staff have more complicated feelings.
Let's play the game with full gear, and let the basketball god decides the outcome.
Have been enjoying reading the Game Thoughts throughout the season. We all hope there're still a few more to come this month, no matter how unlikely it is.
I believe.
Trading Jefferson for Jackson is dreamish, tbhand the Spurs are playing so well? It's felt like a dream
Miracle happens in life, in sport too.
Believe till the end.
Good stuff, Timvp. Here's to you and your family's health and knocking these mofos out.
All in brothers and sisters. Like what my signature says - what are we waiting for....
I hope we kick the out of death tonight, but dam this feeling inside that says we're going to get run off the floor tonight.
Really hope Pop doesn't try and "rest" guys tonight like it's the regular season and plays them as long as they can go and as long as the game is close.
Aside of all the tactical considerations, the only thing I ask to Spurs players is to give everything they have on the court. Even if they are down by double digit at some point of the game, they should continue to fight hard until the game is over. If Spurs go down without playing as hard as they can, I will be angry and disappointed towards them. Unless you are a mental midget, you don't give up while being "only" down 2-3 in a conference finale.
Can't wait for the game to begin!
When I went to bed after the fifth game my thoughts were very similar to yours. I hardly ever think negatively.
It will 9 years ago on June 11 that I had a cancerous organ removed from my body. I remember telling my wife that I had no plans to die, that I knew my excellent doctor/surgeon knew what he was doing when he said "You aren't going to die." Unfortunately, he didn't have the same success with his particular cancer. He's been gone some 4 hears now.
My best reason for positive thoughts are from Rudy T. (Rudy Tomjonovich of the former NBA champion Houston Rockets: "Never underestimate the heart of a champion."
If the Thunder do so, they do it at their own risk.
Timvp,
I am glad you made it my friend. Especially for the benefit of Kori and your kids. I am slightly older than you, but what freaks me out these days is how many people I know of all ages have died or get really odd diseases.
I knock on wood and look over my shoulder all the time.
Enjoy every moment with your kids. They are one of life's most wonderful blessings.
Glad you're alive and kicking LJ.
We need the NO LIMIT ARMY COMMANDER. STAT.
Ok now I ing BELIEVE!
Im way less nervous than the game 5 too, in fact i have no worry at all because Spurs have nothing to lose...
I know this is not a spurs style stuff but here listen and watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX39J_YyKbs
I was one who thought after that loss there is no way we can win in okc. I woke up today with the confidence that we can bring it back to san Antonio.
I believe.
I was waiting for you timvp.
welcome back.
pressure is on them.
we have already lost, haven't we?
same non-pressure we all feel spurs players feel.
we do not die tonight. we live tonight.
6/6/2012
Game 6.
Get the f*ck out of our way.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
