Things to get out of your system now before the WCF starts, tbh...

[Horse]

- Refs will award fouls to OKC. They're an NBA team, they'll get calls. We'll get some calls too.

- KD and WB will flop, do the ripthrough, etc. Our guys do it too, some more, some less.

- Reggie Jackson will score a basket. Maybe more. That's his job. Our bench guys need to keep up what they've been doing and knock em down too.

- Fisher will make some 3 pointers. That's also his job. Spurs need to make sure to run him from the 3 point line. If they don't, that's on us.

- Spurs might actually lose a game this series. We lost a game or more in the last few series, it's ok. It's the WCF, and we're playing a pretty good team.


IMO, if you go into this series with the preconceived notion we're going to get screwed, you're going to be missing out in what should be a great series (I'm hoping here TP will be OK come monday).

Yeah, there's a bunch of unlikeable guys on OKC. Well, they probably don't love us either, and, if anything, should make victory all the more sweeter.

In closing, chill out, enjoy the ride, should be a good one.

I agree not point in freaking out cause we will be screwed no doubt about it. Hopefully we can overcome.

[ElNono]

I don't think anyone has a problem with OKC being awarded free throws

People have a problem with OKC being awarded 7 touch fouls during the game (for 14 FTA, let's say) while the Spurs are awarded 5 touch fouls (for 10 FTA) when, in reality, 50 touch fouls actually occurred throughout the course of the game for both teams.

The point is that there's nothing the Spurs, the coaching stuff, the front office, the fans, etc can do about that. If you want to blow a gasket about it, then that's on you.

The best remedy is simply box out and rebound their misses and put the ball in the basket at the other end. That, the Spurs can control.

It's not like the Thunder have been world-beaters this playoffs, or that they ever won anything. They have their weak points too, just like every team does.

[DesignatedT]

[EVAY]

What will tick me off is one of our star players getting a double technical with one of their scrubs, like Perkins or Adams. I can see Duncan getting tied up with Perkins in the post. Perkins scowling and shoving Duncan, Duncan complaining, and then the stupid double T.

Nawwwwwww- that would never happen, would it!?!

[EVAY]

I want to get this out of my system before the WCF starts::

If, by some turn of events the Spurs lose a game or more than one game or even the entire series…it will not be the fault of any one or even two players.

So for all of the posters who are filling their ink wells right now for purpose of blaming it Tony, or Manu, or Patty, or Splitter, or Green or whoever else, it will be a team effort.

Nor will it be the fault of the head coach.

Teams win - teams lose - together.

[jARS mEsH sEt]

I want to get this out of my system before the WCF starts::

If, by some turn of events the Spurs lose a game or more than one game or even the entire series…it will not be the fault of any one or even two players.

So for all of the posters who are filling their ink wells right now for purpose of blaming it Tony, or Manu, or Patty, or Splitter, or Green or whoever else, it will be a team effort.

Nor will it be the fault of the head coach.

Teams win - teams lose - together.

By my own (albeit arbitrary) standards, I blame whoever has the most mistakes on the team. Mistake severity is ranked as follows:

Turnover >>>>> missed shot > missed free throw

Defense is too much of a team game to place blame on any one player so I'm leaving that out.

[ElNono]

I want to get this out of my system before the WCF starts::

If, by some turn of events the Spurs lose a game or more than one game or even the entire series…it will not be the fault of any one or even two players.

So for all of the posters who are filling their ink wells right now for purpose of blaming it Tony, or Manu, or Patty, or Splitter, or Green or whoever else, it will be a team effort.

Nor will it be the fault of the head coach.

Teams win - teams lose - together.

yah, it's like reducing a stinker of a quarter or a half to a single play. But this is Spurtalk, that's what we do here

[littlecoyotecoin]

Thunder (especially Westbrook) get calls because they drive to the basket....that's basketball.

We need to do our best to keep them out of the paint and we (i.e. Leonard, Parker, Ginobili) need to also attack...and we will get calls.

The aggressor gets the call in the NBA.

That philosophy works almost every time. There is only one situation when it doesn't work: When it doesn't work.

The refs do not necessarily make the call for you if you are aggressive. Many times, Manu and Tony make an aggressive drive to the basket, end up on the floor, and OKC or opponent de jure end up going the other way 5 on 4. So, without the call, your aggression is used against you in a 4-6 point swing. I agree that they need to be aggressive going to the basket, but they have to be careful about it, too. ( Meaning put up makable shots when trying to draw fouls...don't rely on the refs to bail you out. ). That four game backdoor sweep was pretty disgusting and some of the most lopsided officiating I can remember. Maybe it wasn't a fix, and maybe I am too bias, but it did shake my belief in the integrity of the game.

[lurker23]

Nice red herring.

All spurstalk 3rd team
logical fallacies galore

I'm not saying that lack of experience as a ref means you can't have an opinion or an argument. I'm saying that if you don't recognize the difficulty of officiating a basketball game and/or you constantly look at officiating with fan-tinted glasses, then it's hard to see that NBA refs generally do a fairly good job.

[mclinejr]

Nobody cares about your cancer, dip ...stay on topic

If I were a moderator, I would ban you.

[will_spurs]

- Refs will award fouls to OKC. They're an NBA team, they'll get calls. We'll get some calls too.

We'll just get only half as many calls, but that's alright.

- KD and WB will flop, do the ripthrough, etc. Our guys do it too, some more, some less.

But mostly a lot less. And our guys don't actually get a call every time they do it.

- Reggie Jackson will score a basket. Maybe more. That's his job. Our bench guys need to keep up what they've been doing and knock em down too.

His FG% will double while taking only horrible, highly contested shots.

- Fisher will make some 3 pointers. That's also his job. Spurs need to make sure to run him from the 3 point line. If they don't, that's on us.

Sadly Pop will not remember he signed Baynes only to break Fisher's leg until it's too late.

- Spurs might actually lose a game this series. We lost a game or more in the last few series, it's ok. It's the WCF, and we're playing a pretty good team.

Spurs might actually win a game this series. Because the refs are sometimes so bad they can't even rig games the proper way.

In closing, chill out, enjoy the ride, should be a good one.

As long as you understand OKC is destined to win.

[hsxvvd]

It'd be nice if it were that simple, but it isn't a matter of the Refs giving the Thunder a few calls. They've been given a few GAMES.

I can't even get excited about this series I know we're going to get ed over already. Just like the Grizz and the Clippers.

Durant v. LeBron. It is already written.

[DD]

If I were a moderator, I would ban you.

Why? Didnt he say it was in remission?

If it comes back I'll be the first to wish him goodbye

[DJB]

Reggie Jackson and his team of ugly goons will continue to scare little children.

Reggie Jackson looks like my taint after a triathlon. Dude is ugly as .

[ElNono]

As long as you understand OKC is destined to win.

Not even sure what this means, tbh... no offense. Were the Spurs ever 'destined' to win any of the series they've won the last few seasons?

Against the up and coming GSW, featuring league darling Curry, and his band of hot shooting bandidos?
Against the best team in LA, and now bastion against racism featuring CP3 and Griffin?
Against this season's revelation, the Blazers, featuring LMA and another league darling in Lillard?

If the Spurs play up to their abilities, the rest will work itself out, IMO.

[will_spurs]

Not even sure what this means, tbh... no offense. Were the Spurs ever 'destined' to win any of the series they've won the last few seasons?

Spurs are irrelevant to OKC's destiny of playing against Miami in the Finals.

[Mugen]

Spurs are irrelevant to OKC's destiny of playing against Miami in the Finals.

Are you going to watch any of the games?

[will_spurs]

Are you going to watch any of the games?

I'm going to watch the first game. If the refs pull the same they pulled all series against the Clippers, I'll stop there and I'll wait for the Finals, if the Spurs make it.

[Mugen]

I'm going to watch the first game. If the refs pull the same they pulled all series against the Clippers, I'll stop there and I'll wait for the Finals, if the Spurs make it.

Seems silly to bother watching something that you seem like is already predetermined tbh.

[will_spurs]

Seems silly to bother watching something that you seem like is already predetermined tbh.

I'll watch the first game to determine if my hunch is right.

[200 miles]

One thing must happen and that is for Green to be on Reggie Jackson at all times, like a pit bull on a poodle.

[EVAY]

One other thing I want to get out of my system:

We desperately need to win the first two games. Really really really.

We have several days off before the first game. We have several days of between games 2 and 3. Those are the only physical breaks we get in the series. The rest of the time it is every other night and we know how we looked by the time we had been doing that for the Dallas games and then 4 games into the Portland series. So…. make the most of the games just before and just after some major rest. As a team, we need those off days to recover, and if we don't get them, it shows. Big time.

[UZER]

Westbrook will be allowed to run over players while going for steals. Westbrook will not be allowed to be run over when players are going for steals.

[heyheymymy]

just gotta get 2012 outta our system, spurs are a very experienced team since then.

[FromWayDowntown]

The point is that there's nothing the Spurs, the coaching stuff, the front office, the fans, etc can do about that. If you want to blow a gasket about it, then that's on you.

How very Popovich-ian of you.

It's an excellent point.