In a sense, but it isnt that simple. You have to still hope and pray for the Thunder to NOT play their best. The reason for that is that the Spurs don't have the talent to match them. Ultimately, the Thunder figured it out. I have a hard time blaming the Spurs for not being perfect. No teams are. Teams mess up during the playoffs. At some point a team will let their guard down or go through a cold streak. The Thunder capitalized and learned to adapt.
I believe the Spurs could have won the series, but that doesn't mean they were the better team all along. I can't be upset that they lost to a team they should have lost to.
I really just wanted them to come out and compete tonight. To play like it really meant something and like they hadn't mentally given up. What they did this season was special. I didn't want them to go out without any semblance of pride. They gave it all they had and I can accept that. I can be proud of that
I agree with that mostly - I was referring more to the overall series, although I wasn't thrilled with the meltdown in the 2nd half without a massive response. But overall for this game, they didn't come in sulking, they swung pretty hard in the first half.
That's just the difference in your opinion and mine. I still think if the Thunder play their best, while the Spurs played their best (or close to it), Spurs win. The only way the Spurs lose IMO is for OKC to play their best while at the same time the Spurs play decently far below their normal level (which is what happened).
As he should have. Bonner (a given) and Green were obviously done for mentally, Blair, though his stints were brief, didn't do much of anything and Splitter's game had fallen apart in the playoffs, culminating with this series. He could have given him the backup five minutes tonight, but he was right to essentially go down to 8 and ride the top 6. That was going to be their only chance.
Yeah that's what we need, even tier FT shooting. Pietrus is Finley 2.0. Bass I like, but the rest, no thanks.
Very well said. So many fans pretend that sports teams can be perfect when it's an utter nonsense.
The Spurs played extremely well, would have wiped the floor with any other team in the NBA right now. Unfortunately for all of us, OKC are playing even better than that and narrowly beat us 3 times. That's just the way it goes sometimes. Most other years this Spurs team would've won the ring, unfortunately we ran into an OKC team peaking at exactly the right time, and with a higher ceiling.
The Spurs have two phenomenal defenders at the SF/SG in Leonard and Jackson. They lost this series because they don't have 1998-2008 Tim Duncan while the Thunder do have a first ballot Hall of Famer in his prime. I think this series was way more about what the Thunder did as opposed to what the Spurs didn't.
This season was incredible. A great run on top of a great run for several years.
I agree about getting rid of Jefferson - once that happened, the season became something amazing. Yeah, it sucks they didn't get to the Finals, but still...just to feel the magic one more time with this team. I feel lucky to have even got that again.
They could have folded tonight but they came out and played as well as they could. An amazing effort. They ran out of gas because the bench didn't deliver. This wasn't the team that put on the 20 game winning streak. If we had somehow got to the Finals I'm not even sure what team that would have been. But anyway, back to the point - very proud of this team.
After getting over the bitterness of the loss tonight, I have to say this was an incredible season, and one of my favorite ever as a Spurs fan. Last year was a completely wasted season once they resigned Jefferson, but turning him into Jack this year completely flipped the script. I just hate to see it come to an end, because I don't think this team will be back in the WCF again for a long time.
And I really just wanted them to come out and compete in this series. To play it like it meant something.
People who are proud of losing are not having winners mentality.
It's like in a fight. You winning the whole fight and then all of sudden you got submitted. And to warrior who can say he is proud the way he fought is unacceptable to me.
Prime example - Chael Sonnen if you knows some mma.
btw. Aside from me hating people being proud of such a loss.
This game was one of the best I've seen in a long time.
I like defense more, but the intensity of this game was high as , and ofense was amazing.
Just another one heartbreaking spurs loss that always be in my mind through all years that's left in my life ....
Yeah, this ending definitely hurts. I'll have to see in the next few days where I rank it. I never let my hopes get too high even during the winning streak but it still hurts to come to a screeching halt. Luckily (well, not really) we Spurs fans have witnessed our share of painful endings so this isn't exactly unprecedented.
A championship this year might have been the sweetest of all since it would have been so surprising ............ but I guess it wasn't meant to be.
Props to the positivity LJ but really? This game was a combination of HORRIBLE officiating and choke jump shots. People, don't tell your kids this but really, winning is everything. EVERYTHING! This game sucks! I'm glad the Spurs lost with class but I refuse to be glad they lost!
I am on the fence with Diaw. I thought he played well but is just a little too hesitant on open shots...
He needs to be more like Neal in that regard.
Bonner - GTFO. Green is a project... Not a starter, Kawhi earns that spot.
Blair has some use but not a starter anymore
Manu needs to work on his decision making. As much as he lifted the team he had back breaking errors as well.
Mills should go. Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing Splitter cut as well.
Parker was good and bad. Frustrating for a few games.
Duncan needs to work on not shooting bad shots and be patient and swing the ball..
The team needs to grow a pair under pressure....
Celtics so far have shown what we should have emulated.
I am proud of the team but disappointed with the mental shortcomings...
The officiating was frustrating but I don't think there was any "fix"
The better more aggressive team usually gets the calls...
Fish was big, Sefolosha Ibaka Cook all contributed
OKC Big 3 was just too tough... They are a juggernaught.... So much potential and successfully knocked out the old guard...
I could see my self rooting for them in the Finals...
Can't be mad at them, they played their hearts out and got some benefit from the whistles but are still a pretty classy organization....
Winning is everything? I think that's garbage. I'm supposed to feel down on the team for 90% of the time I have been following the Spurs?
Not only that, you're supposed to like it.
Competing to the top of abilities might be more important. But even though. When you compete - which should be mandatory, you are not proud.
I say it from my perspective. Some guys have lower expectations and they do not care if they win or lose.
Ohh well
I just feel like I lost my best friend
I thought the Spurs did compete to the top of their abilities for the most part, excluding game 3.
This season was awesome. I'm really hoping Tim signs up for another year or two. I'm ok with an extended farewell tour, especially having Jack for another year. I could even stomach another season of Bonner if need be, seeing Pop realized he can't even play him now and he's probably ok for the regular season.
Anyone being honest who watched that series knows that if both teams were playing their absolute best, the Thunder would beat the Spurs. To me, it was pretty obvious early in the series.
The Spurs had a chance to sneak out with a series win due to homecourt and by hoping the Thunder's youth would hinder them somewhat ... but they couldn't quite do it.
Thinking back to Game 2, the Spurs hit the Thunder with some of the hardest punches I've ever seen a Spurs team throw in the playoffs. And they still couldn't put the Thunder away.
I don't know where I put this team in the best teams the Spurs ever faced in the Tim Duncan Era but it's pretty damn high. Maybe only the 2001 Lakers and 2005 Pistons were better.
In my history of Spurs Fandome, whenever something goes against us, something good always happens. D Rob gets hurt, we get Duncan, etc. Hopefully this causes something really crazy to occur and we get that missing piece to make another run at this thing next year. Something along the lines of TD taking the lowest possible salary and we get an impact free agent. I know it's GNSF-ish, but I need something to hope for right about now!!!
I'd have to put the 02 Lakers above too.
I would exclude most of the series. game 3 4 5 partt of game 6.
game 1 and 2 I leave without a judgment due to a surviving those games and playing spurs ball.
This series Pop had to cut the rotation to the maximum and he did it in the last game! That brought more minutes to the guys that were not playing that much ever this season.
The system collapsed and spurs were not able to overcome it with creation.
All game long I was like - come on come on. Even when Thunder cut the lead to 15 I was pissed.
It's not a coincidence that the spurs had the best record, and they fallen two straight years with disturbing fashion. Why be proud?
I may be proud of them in 10 yrs from now. But of course with lower expectation. Not looking at them like on a lakers team, Boston team or chicago /I'm talking the history/.
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