SI: Spurs have been just as good as the Warriors this year

[letmk]

I would say that right now Dubs are still a far better team. But with LA and West playing major minutes, the Spurs will gladly take advantage of the easy schedule. Any easy wins would make newcomers more comfortable with their transition to the Spurs system. And IIRC, the 2014 team could only beat bad teams until around All-star break. It turns out fine.

[Perry Mason]

I forget where I read it (Hollinger maybe), but I understand that beating down mediocre teams, rather than winning by small margins against both bad and good teams (like Chicago), has a much better correlation to going deep in the playoffs and winning les.

Perhaps it is a little counterintuitive, but it makes sense. 2013-2014 Spurs had that in spades through 2/3 of that season. It takes a seriously disciplined and talented team to beat mediocre teams consistently by large margins. Those good habits will carry a team deep into the playoffs.

[Perry Mason]

And GSW have also had the easiest (or close to the easiest) schedule this year.

[Horse]

This team has been an absolute abomination in crunch time and lost games they absolutely had no business losing. Not to say this Spurs team doesn't have potential, but I don't even think this year's team is a lock to push a second round series to 7 games assuming the Clippers improve and OKC is looking much better lately.

My god yourself with this bull we're just getting started, this is no where near where we'll be in march-april.

[TheMulletMan3000]

My god yourself with this bull we're just getting started, this is no where near where we'll be in march-april.

cliff jumping in december because 22-5 is not enough for a team that has 40% new players.

[Kawhitstorm]

When the Spurs have shown up to play for all 48 minutes, they have won all those games with a majority of them being blowouts. They mailed it in against the Pelicans/Raptors, played very sloppy against the Wizards & Pop lost the Bulls game by trotting out Diaw/West against the Noah/Gibson frontline. The OKC loss is an outlier as it was the season opener & LMA's first game as a Spurs (Tony was also tentative & got outplayed by none other than Dion Butters).

[cjw]

This is true, but it's more true at the end of the season than at the start of it, when there are fewer games played and the schedule is subject to a lot of variable.

Case in point: The Spurs are currently ranked 27th in the NBA in Strength of Schedule. The Warriors, meanwhile, despite posessesing by the far the league's best record, are tied for 17th.

http://espn.go.com/nba/stats/rpi/_/sort/SOS

Spurs average opponent has been (assuming 27 games played) is 12.7 wins / 14.3 losses. Warriors average opponent has been 13.3-13.7 (they've played 26, but wanted to go apples to apples).

The Spurs' SOS gets artificially impacted by playing the Sixers twice. Without the Sixers game, they'd be middle of the pack at 50.4%. Replacing the Sixers with a .500 team the Spurs should handle twice would put them just closer to 50%. I know that's cherry-picking and Spurs could have lost to a .500 team, but want to show you how close the numbers actually are.

SOS also doesn't take into account when people are playing or not. Cousins played against the Spurs, but missed BOTH games against the Warriors. Kings are 1-7 without him, and 9-8 with him. Coincidence? Don't forget how Greg Monroe just crushed GS in the post.

If you wanted to hang your hat squarely on SOS, the Rockets have the easiest one and are still sub .500.

[MultiTroll]

Warriors have been better so far.
Non issue.
We will be playing the Warriors and other contenders soon enough.

Need to start tonight by beating the Clippers, wiping out that Popped playoff loss.

[Chinook]

I just can't believe we're going through this "Spurs haven't beat good teams," meme again. If it turns out the same way it did in 2014, I'm cool with it, I guess.

[el contusione]

cakewalk schedule ... still not convinced

I agree. The only two good teams we have played are okc and chicago. Mind you okc was the first game of the season. However, it is still a good sign that SPURS are beating teams that they should be beating. Unlike last year where they were losing to teams like the knicks and lakers. Tonight against the clippers would be a good test.

[Fireball]

Tonight IS a good test ... the Clippers played well the last 10 games and have improved defensively. Really pumped for tonight's game ... where is the game thread?

[Uriel]

Spurs average opponent has been (assuming 27 games played) is 12.7 wins / 14.3 losses. Warriors average opponent has been 13.3-13.7 (they've played 26, but wanted to go apples to apples).

The Spurs' SOS gets artificially impacted by playing the Sixers twice. Without the Sixers game, they'd be middle of the pack at 50.4%. Replacing the Sixers with a .500 team the Spurs should handle twice would put them just closer to 50%. I know that's cherry-picking and Spurs could have lost to a .500 team, but want to show you how close the numbers actually are.

SOS also doesn't take into account when people are playing or not. Cousins played against the Spurs, but missed BOTH games against the Warriors. Kings are 1-7 without him, and 9-8 with him. Coincidence? Don't forget how Greg Monroe just crushed GS in the post.

If you wanted to hang your hat squarely on SOS, the Rockets have the easiest one and are still sub .500.

Wow, I didn't know SOS was that close. Thanks for letting me know.

However, another thing to consider is that the Warriors just came from a tough 7-game road trip, while the Spurs have been playing teams who have been playing on the 2nd night of a back to back nonstop.

There is no doubt that if the Spurs and Warriors switched schedules, their records would be much further apart than they currently are.

[james evans]

The warriors are who we thought they were. Run them off the 3 point line, make stephanie curry work on defense, and pound the rock inside and you'll beat them. Their defense sucks. They're making draymond green out to be ing Mutombo in the paint and the bucks are killing them tonight. 2 games within 7 days this is happening. Plus MCW is making Curry work on defense. Taking him at will. Where is that "great defense"?

[r0drig0lac]

The warriors are who we thought they were. Run them off the 3 point line, make stephanie curry work on defense, and pound the rock inside and you'll beat them. Their defense sucks. They're making draymond green out to be ing Mutombo in the paint and the bucks are killing them tonight. 2 games within 7 days this is happening.

our team is not so athletic as the bucks, the pnr defense of their seems to be faster than our

[james evans]

our team is not so athletic as the bucks, the pnr defense of their seems to be faster than our

that's true too, but our offense in the paint is a of lot better than theirs though

[r0drig0lac]

that's true too, but our offense in the paint is a of lot better than theirs though

I think the problem is that our team does not attack the rim like them, even kawhi not seem to want to have contact (unless you're facing lebron james), we will need simmons this series