Comparing losses of the top 5 records in the league

[Old School 44]

Minnesota Clippers Golden State Portland Toronto Portland Brooklyn Utah Denver Memphis

Chicago Portland OKC Detroit Miami Toronto Atlanta

Philadelphia Brooklyn Boston Detroit Chicago Indiana Sacramento Golden State NY Knicks Brooklyn Washington

Portland OKC Houston Indiana Clippers OKC Houston NY Knicks Portland OKC

Phoenix Houston Phoenix Dallas Minnesota Miami New Orleans Philadelphia Sacramento Houston OKC

This chart shows the losses of the top 5 teams in the NBA. I purposely did not label them, but I'm sure you can figure it out. I highlighted teams with .500 or below records. It's not really to show one team is better than the other. I'll let you make your own conclusions.

Sure I would love the Spurs to defeat some of the better teams, but should we panic at this point if they don't? The regular season is all about making the playoffs, getting home court, and hopefully peaking at the right time, and with a little luck avoid injuries. It's all about "pounding the rock". Still a long way to go for everyone. ...and of course you know SPAM!

[Dex]

Right now, everyone is ing because the Spurs "can't beat playoff teams".

If we were losing to the scrub squads, people would be ing because the Spurs "play down to the compe ion".

If the Spurs were 41-0, people would be ing because the Spurs "haven't faced adversity".

Some fans just are never happy.

[Mikeanaro]

As manu said the team is not ready yet for those teams, I hope they improve to have the answer when it matters if not... it will be like every season since 2007, a failure.

[Old School 44]

Some fans just are never happy.

Sad, but true. I don't browse other teams' forums, but I wonder if there are similar meltdowns from opposing teams fans when OKC loses to Utah or Miami loses to Philadelphia and Boston.

[itzsoweezee]

It's not a big deal. Margin of victory is fairly predictive of postseason success, and the Spurs are number 2 in the league in that category. I'm not worried.

I just hope Popovich wises up and removes Bellineli from the starting lineup. That's a disaster come winning time.

[tim_duncan_fan]

I kinda see your point, Dex, but it's mostly invalid. Yes fans alot, but there is nothing positive to be said for routinely beating the weakest teams of the weakest era in League history while routinely getting defeated by the teams that are actually decent.

Halfway through the season and have not won against a decent opponent once.

Yaaay we beat Milwaukee! Good for us!

It's not a big deal. Margin of victory is fairly predictive of postseason success, and the Spurs are number 2 in the league in that category. I'm not worried.

I just hope Popovich wises up and removes Bellineli from the starting lineup. That's a disaster come winning time.

What's our margin of victory against winning teams in playoff position?

It's bad enough that we aren't good right now, but that's manageable. As a fan, you work through it, especially when the record ostensibly says otherwise. But what really is actually infuriating is when you see your fellow fans say we are not behind the curve when we clearly are.

[weeks]

yeah..that's cool.

but what if you made a box showing quality wins for the top five teams?

we wouldn't even be on there.

[itzsoweezee]

What's our margin of victory against winning teams in playoff position?

It doesn't really matter: http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8159

[Dex]

I kinda see your point, Dex, but it's mostly invalid. Yes fans alot, but there is nothing positive to be said for routinely beating the weakest teams of the weakest era in League history while routinely getting defeated by the teams that are actually decent.

Halfway through the season and have not won against a decent opponent once.

Yaaay we beat Milwaukee! Good for us!

Is it concerning? Yes.

Does it necessarily spell doom for the season? I really don't think so.

The troubles for the team so far have been well do ented. Most of the starting lineup has under-performed for various reasons. Pop is doing his usual mid-season tinkering, and injuries have prevented what continuity the Spurs can find throughout that. Three of the four key players for the team (Parker, Duncan, Leonard) are still shaking off slumps that could have come from short summers or a hangover from trying to shake off one of the most brutal Finals losses in recent memory. They also have a target on their back as the reigning Western Conference Champions.

Still, the Spurs are doing what good teams are supposed to do: they are taking care of business. If the Spurs win the majority of their games against sub-.500 teams, they virtually guarantee themselves another ~50 win season and stamp to the playoffs. They give themselves a chance, and try to put themselves in the best position for when that chance comes, and that's what they are doing at 32-9.

Sure, it's not ideal that the Spurs haven't really had a "signature win" yet this season, but signature wins in December or January don't really count for much. Beating the good teams is obviously harder, and the Spurs have a ways to go...but they also have the time to get there, and most of the problems they have seem like they can be remedied.

Even if the Spurs were .500 against "decent opponents", that would really only make the difference of 3-4 losses. I have a hard time getting too worked up about that at this point of the season, I guess.

[Raven]

Right now, everyone is ing because the Spurs "can't beat playoff teams".

If we were losing to the scrub squads, people would be ing because the Spurs "play down to the compe ion".

If the Spurs were 41-0, people would be ing because the Spurs "haven't faced adversity".

Some fans just are never happy.

worked last year, but this year i am worried tbh.

[Hoops Czar]

Right now, everyone is ing because the Spurs "can't beat playoff teams".

If we were losing to the scrub squads, people would be ing because the Spurs "play down to the compe ion".

If the Spurs were 41-0, people would be ing because the Spurs "haven't faced adversity".

Some fans just are never happy.

Wrong. If they were beating good teams and losing to bad ones, people would but you could chalk those losses up to complacency. When you lose convincingly on your home court to elite teams, you should be concerned or you don't have a pulse. Its borderline ignorance after the players and coaches acknowledge it that some people still go back to the well with the very predictible "It's only January" or "It's just a meaningless regular season game, not Worried" posts.

[ABC]

Thanks Old School 44

[Obstructed_View]

It's an interesting graphic, but I'll take consistency, especially with the injuries they've had thus far. It sucks that the Spurs aren't in a ty division (conference) like Indiana and Miami, but if the Spurs are looking to ring, then beating all the crappy teams and giving themselves a chance for HCA is, far and away, the most important thing right now.

People ing about the Spurs' record vs the really good teams are wishing the Spurs to be ... undefeated?

[dallasmaverickslose]

Minnesota Clippers Golden State Portland Toronto Portland Brooklyn Utah Denver Memphis

Chicago Portland OKC Detroit Miami Toronto Atlanta

Philadelphia Brooklyn Boston Detroit Chicago Indiana Sacramento Golden State NY Knicks Brooklyn Washington

Portland OKC Houston Indiana Clippers OKC Houston NY Knicks Portland

Phoenix Houston Phoenix Dallas Minnesota Miami New Orleans Philadelphia Sacramento Houston

This chart shows the losses of the top 5 teams in the NBA. I purposely did not label them, but I'm sure you can figure it out. I highlighted teams with .500 or below records. It's not really to show one team is better than the other. I'll let you make your own conclusions.

Sure I would love the Spurs to defeat some of the better teams, but should we panic at this point if they don't? The regular season is all about making the playoffs, getting home court, and hopefully peaking at the right time, and with a little luck avoid injuries. It's all about "pounding the rock". Still a long way to go for everyone. ...and of course you know SPAM!

[SayTown]

24 of the 30 teams in the league are on that chart the others are the Spurs, Bucks, Lakers, Magic, Bobcats and Cavaliers.

[ElNono]

You can add OKC to the last column now...

[Old School 44]

You can add OKC to the last column now...

Done. Thanks!

[Chinook]

The Spurs haven't gotten up for good teams. They know every win counts for the same. Who cares that Portland going all out can beat the Spurs who are purposefully tinkering with the rotation or dealing with injuries? The Spurs' coasting has them leading the West. If Miami were in the West, their coasting would have them at risk of playing the first round on the road, and that's counting their easier schedule.

The team's only priority is to get healthy and in sync. They don't have to worry about whom they beat along the way.

[313]

we're not going 82-0

[Man In Black]

Yes fans alot, but there is nothing positive to be said for routinely beating the weakest teams of the weakest era in League history...

This should be saved for whenever 2 or more expansion teams are added to the league. For with expansion, that is when compe ion is lowered and at it's lowest. Don't people realize that when the Bulls got 72-10 that got 6 easy wins from Toronto and Vancouver and a shortened 3 point line. That was the weakest era in League History.

[Fireball]

Its just odd that we even by chance could not defeat a top team yet ... I mean even in seasons with a less good Spurs team they would squeeze out a win against a top team here or there.

[polandprzem]

Right now, everyone is ing because the Spurs "can't beat playoff teams".

If we were losing to the scrub squads, people would be ing because the Spurs "play down to the compe ion".

If the Spurs were 41-0, people would be ing because the Spurs "haven't faced adversity".

Some fans just are never happy.

Some fans are never happy that's the truth. You always can find negative things about everything tbh.

Now but you have to realize that the record vs the top compe ion is more valuable then the record vs scrubs.
Spurs are not beating anyone called top team. If they cannot turned it around 2nd round is more then sure exit.
They need constantly get over the hump and win those games.

[polandprzem]

This should be saved for whenever 2 or more expansion teams are added to the league. For with expansion, that is when compe ion is lowered and at it's lowest. Don't people realize that when the Bulls got 72-10 that got 6 easy wins from Toronto and Vancouver and a shortened 3 point line. That was the weakest era in League History.

They do not All in all it was great Michael Jordan.

[polandprzem]

U got me to empower myself to watch bulls vs pacers 1998 game 7 ..
Q!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dex]

Some fans are never happy that's the truth. You always can find negative things about everything tbh.

Now but you have to realize that the record vs the top compe ion is more valuable then the record vs scrubs.
Spurs are not beating anyone called top team. If they cannot turned it around 2nd round is more then sure exit.
They need constantly get over the hump and win those games.

I do realize that, and I do agree that it's something worth discussing. Obviously if the Spurs don't learn how to beat the good teams, it's not going to make for a very long playoff run.

I just don't think it is quite the death knell that others do. Those games are harder for a reason, and the Spurs have plenty of fixable reasons why they have not performed up to their standards. If they haven't got it sorted out by April, then I'll start to get worried. Right now, I'm still enjoying the season and watching our currently first-place Spurs get ready for the playoffs.