I hate dismissive people who think that if they don't agree that point is wrong.
Arguing with people like you is like trying to a pumpkin
You do realize volume scoring as a necessity for contention is pretty overstated, right? It's nice but spreading the scoring between two or three elite players will do.
The Spurs managed to win the game against OKC where Durant, Westbrook, and Harden all combined for more than 80 points. They lost when guys like Ibaka and Sefolosha hit double digit scoring.
I hate dismissive people who think that if they don't agree that point is wrong.
Arguing with people like you is like trying to a pumpkin
Memphis tanked the last two games and the Spurs were the worst 1st seed in a decade. A hobbled Duncan and a one-armed Manu, tbh.
So now that I exposed your weak arguement you try and make this about people who may or may not agree with you?
I dont have to agree with you to be right. In fact, its how things are. I'm not the one making it up.
Their "old, grind it out style of play" led to two of the biggest playoff chokejobs in NBA history last year - the comeback in Game 1, and losing to the Clippers' bench in Memphis in Game 7... just sayin'... and that Clipper team was garbage compared to this year's team...
...and accordingly, the clips are legit this year.
What gives? You're not normally this pigheaded.
What do you mean homie? I'm just pointing out how things have gone down for those two teams since that series.
Yep. One game.
Hey, as a Spurs fan who was a long time believer in the twin-tower concept and a vocal critic of Pop's reluctance to pair Duncan with another 7 footer, I too was in the mindset of "best and biggest frontline" is what wins championships, since that's the way it's pretty much been since the inception of the NBA. But with the many rule changes implemented to speed the game up, with teams getting deeper and more athletic, and with swarming perimeter defenses replacing the more traditional "paint anchor" concept, having the best and biggest frontline (complemented, of course, by a good supporting cast) no longer guarantees a deep playoff run.
Dwight, the best defensive big in the NBA, looks like this year because teams can simply spread the slow ass Lakers out and leave him alone on island. And then if you try to pair Dwight with a similar big (see Gasol) to help lock down the paint, the opposing stretch 4, which all the top teams have, will be routinely open (exactly how Serge Ibaka killed the Spurs last year. Spurs were too slow to deal with the Thunder on the perimeter, forcing them to pack the paint to cut off penetration and the Thunder countered by going to Ibaka and Collision for open jumpers).
Last year, Ray's Nuggets, with their small, undersized forwards, almost beat the Lakers, who, by far, had the best frontline in basketball, with spacing, speed, and depth. A banged up, lite version of this year's Clippers beat Memphis (the second best frontline in basketball), and probably should've won the series in 5 or 6 games.
For better or worse, the NBA has changed dramatically in the past couple of years. The Lakers' repeat, won with a more traditional concept, was really the last gasp of a dying man.
i know, i just don't think that series can be ignored. both teams still have their cores intact, and both teams are probably better now (though let's not forget the spurs were 1 seed that season, and most spurfans here were already getting their rings sized)...
Spurs won that game, early in the series, on the backs of their role players. All fine and good. But as a series progresses, role players tend to disappear and you need your star(s) to pop for 35-40 points to carry you to a win as everyone else is choking.
The game in which Ibaka went off is a perfect example. Spurs would lose that game by 6. Tony Parker, the so-called MVP of the team, had 12 points on 5-15. Duncan chimed in with a solid 21 points on 9-17, the highest scorer on the team. Nice line indeed, but far from the 35 he could have dropped in his prime. That game specifically is one where the Spurs could've used a guy to counterpunch Durant's 36.
That's why I believe the Spurs will fall short this year once again. They have no superstar to ride when "team play" breaks down.
grizz gon up with Gay's streaky ass but they solid team with good capabilities on both sides of court. they gon fall ta 2-4 seed when all said n done but have better chances than 1-2 seed
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