Best Spurs team in franchise history?

[spurs10]

The 2014 team and championship is also my fave so far, but let's not pretend they were not one bad shooting game/dejuan blair kick away from getting eliminated in the 1st round, tbh...

That game 7 against Dallas was ultimately the catalyst that really flipped a switch.

2014 was an historical Disney-like tale of the greatest comeback in sports. The 2005 team was a tough group- a Big 3, Big Shot Bob, and Bruce is quite a team. As to which team was better it's hard to say. This year I have a good feeling about timing. LMA and Kawhi are peaking at the right time. With last night's game hopefully being an exception, we get Patty, Manu, Tony, Diaw, West, Tim, and Danny doing their part and this team is right up there.

Getting past GSW will match the unreal 2014 Redemption le in many ways- that still seems surreal. I think this might be our deepest team.

[spursistan]

The 2014 team and championship is also my fave so far, but let's not pretend they were not one bad shooting game/dejuan blair kick away from getting eliminated in the 1st round, tbh...

That game 7 against Dallas was ultimately the catalyst that really flipped a switch.

Man It is amazing how much total legacies and future of franchises hinge on random break here and there..luck and quirky tactics play in the outcome of Chips no matter how dominant you are during 80-90 games stretch, which why it is silly to pencil in this Dubs for the LOBT even if they get past us or we do..I remember how we were destroying that Mavs team the previous years and coming off 19-game winning streak, and yet Carlisle gummed us up and, for of good part of 6 games, the Mavs looked like the better team...

[313]

I don't see why this wouldn't be considered the best team ever when it's basically a significantly upgraded 2014 team.

[313]

People overrate the passing on the 2014 team. The 2012 and 2013 teams were more fun to watch although both seasons ended in heartbreak, while the 2014 got hot at the right time.

and how can you fault this years team for not having big road wins when the 2014 team got swept by the Rockets and thunder in the regular season

The 2014 team barely beat the Mavs in seven, destroyed a ty Blazers team, then played their toughest test in the WCF. Who knows how that series goes if Inaka is healthy, but I like to think they couldn't beat us on our home floor. The final against the Heat was a good redemption story, but let's not act like that was the 2012 Heat out there. It was easily the weakest of the Heat era.

[Keepin' it real]

I find it hard to rank any Spurs team above the 2005 team with prime Manu, near prime Tim and clutch Robert Horry.

[spursistan]

The emotional element (6) and the aesthetic bias (The Beautiful Game ) endearingly attached to the 2014 team will always keeps it in discussion for GOAT SPURS team even if we beat the Warriors and go a crazy 16-3 or 16-4 in playoffs and unbeaten at home..

[EVAY]

Emotionally 2014 will always be the best team in memory to me because it brought into full focus the best that basketball as a sport had to offer - passing, motion, teamwork, defense, heart, etc. etc. etc. A genuine "made for the movies" team.

Hard to objectively compare the two because 2014 was much more of a 'system' team, whereas this team plays so much more iso ball.

IF the 2016 team wins a championship, it will do so with clearly LMA or Kawhi as the MVP. In the 2014 team, Kawhi was the MVP, but it could just as easily have been Boris Diaw (who had a good claim to the MVP as an all around player before Kawhi's athletic dominance came to light during the Finals series) or some other shooter who got hot that year. In other words, no superstar had a better claim (and all clearly had less claim) to the MVP than did several role players. No one would expect that to be the case this year. Thus, to me, they are very different teams.

2014 was when Kawhi emerged as a 'superstar', because Pop pushed him and pushed him and pushed him to dominate.

[baseline bum]

The 2014 team and championship is also my fave so far, but let's not pretend they were not one bad shooting game/dejuan blair kick away from getting eliminated in the 1st round, tbh...

Conversely, they were a luck shot from Carter from probably winning in 5.

[baseline bum]

People overrate the passing on the 2014 team. The 2012 and 2013 teams were more fun to watch although both seasons ended in heartbreak, while the 2014 got hot at the right time.

Really? The 2012 and 2013 teams' success seemed to come mostly from Parker collapsing opposing defenses with his drives. The 2014 team didn't have that luxury with Parker's speed starting to really fall off that season and beyond.

[EVAY]

Conversely, they were a luck shot from Carter from probably winning in 5.

I honestly thought that the 2014 series with Dallas was as hard as it was because Carlisle had his team so well primed for us, and it literally took our coaching staff 5 games or so to figure out what the Mavs were doing that was giving us so much trouble. Once the tactic was worked out, the Spurs looked confident and in control. That is why I think that team was so good...as soon as they figured it out, they worked well together and with little question...through the rest of the playoffs.

[baseline bum]

I honestly thought that the 2014 series with Dallas was as hard as it was because Carlisle had his team so well primed for us, and it literally took our coaching staff 5 games or so to figure out what the Mavs were doing that was giving us so much trouble. Once the tactic was worked out, the Spurs looked confident and in control. That is why I think that team was so good...as soon as they figured it out, they worked well together and with little question...through the rest of the playoffs.

Yeah, Carlisle did an incredible job that series. I think he's pretty easily the second best coach in the league. I'll never understand why Indiana ever let him go.

[will_spurs]

the 2006 Mavericks won like 66 games and lost in the 1st round. I'd not call them the best Mavericks team ever.

Not sure what you're talking about, the 2006 Mavs went to the Finals where they were promptly robbed of a le because Stern wanted to punish Cuban.

EDIT: ok you meant 2007, when Dallas won 67 games, was 1st seed and beaten by the Warriors.

Yes but it's not unusual or historically weak to have the bottom two seeds of either conference at below .500.

I was talking about the West. The East in the past 15 years has been exactly like the West is right now: 2 contenders and the rest mostly crap.

But since we play more games against the West, and have 3 series through the West during the postseason on the way to a le, the strength of the West is what counts.

W-L % of the 8th seed in the West during the Duncan era, starting with last year:

.549
.598
.549
.545
.561
.610
.585
.610
.512 (2007 when GSW and Lakers tied for last place with a 42-40 record)
.537
.549
.524
.537
.537
.573
.537
.500 (1999, shortened season)
.500 (1998, Duncan's rookie season)

So apart from 2007 this season is the weakest the West has been in the Duncan era, and quite clearly.

[DMC]

Not sure what you're talking about, the 2006 Mavs went to the Finals where they were promptly robbed of a le because Stern wanted to punish Cuban.

EDIT: ok you meant 2007, when Dallas won 67 games, was 1st seed and beaten by the Warriors.

Yes exactly. I'm really glad GS beat them that year for obvious reasons, still have a soft place in my heart for GS because of it, but it's growing harder every day.

[TD 21]

The 2014 team and championship is also my fave so far, but let's not pretend they were not one bad shooting game/dejuan blair kick away from getting eliminated in the 1st round, tbh...

That game 7 against Dallas was ultimately the catalyst that really flipped a switch.

They weren't losing that series. It reminded me of Suns-Lakers in '06. Even had the Mavs got it to 3-1, the Spurs had too much riding on that run to go out to such a mediocre team, in the 1st round.

I don't think it's a stretch to suggest legacies, especially Parker's (because he was the one in his prime and it was supposedly "his team"), were somewhat on the line. Not just game 6 in '13, but the way the previous three playoffs had ended for them. Had they lost, they'd have been branded choke artists/the team that "couldn't win the big one".

That fire the entire team and especially Parker came with in game 7, would have emerged in game 5 had they went down 3-1.


As for best team, it's hard to argue with the overwhelming numbers and maybe it is the revenge/aesthetics that the '14 had going for them, but at this writing, I feel they were better. They didn't have two players playing at this level, but they had basically an entire rotation playing at a higher level than this team.

[Doctor J]

I don't know. Who remembers the 94-95 Spurs? They won 62 games. David Robinson won the MVP, and the Spurs was great during both the regular and post season up until they faced the red hot Rockets in the conference finals.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I think the 2005 2007 and 2014 teams could beat these Spurs in a series. The league has been extremely weak this year so we're getting inflated numbers out of the Spurs. I mean when you watch the Spurs play this season so far do you really see them as an all time great? They're obviously good but I'd easily take some of the older teams over this year's team.

[Yuixafun]

If I could have one team it's 2005.

Our stars were brighter, our defense was a dream.

We dominated all styles of play.

Peak Duncan Manu > Kawhi Lma

23 year old Parker over 34 Parker

Bowen over Green

Horry over Diaw

This team would get waxxed by 2005 Detroit they don't execute well enough nor get that must have stop.

Gaudy records and numbers... But head to head 2005 would suffocate this team.

[Pauleta14]

I don't think so even if they ring. They don't move the ball anywhere near as well as they did in 2014.

This.

This season's team is just facing a lower compe ion, hence the record...

This is one of the weakest nba season in memory tbh... between the tanking, the constant turnover of players, the average age younger every year...

[ElNono]

They weren't losing that series. It reminded me of Suns-Lakers in '06. Even had the Mavs got it to 3-1, the Spurs had too much riding on that run to go out to such a mediocre team, in the 1st round.

If not for Tiago and Manu carrying us attacking Dirk, we don't make it past that series. It looked very, very dire at some point. That was also a great reminder how much matchups matter in the playoffs. To this day, we have not figured out Monta Ellis for some reason. Fortunately, I don't think we're playing Indiana anymore this season.

[baseline bum]

nevermind, read the post I was quoting wrong

[TD 21]

If not for Tiago and Manu carrying us attacking Dirk, we don't make it past that series. It looked very, very dire at some point. That was also a great reminder how much matchups matter in the playoffs. To this day, we have not figured out Monta Ellis for some reason. Fortunately, I don't think we're playing Indiana anymore this season.

That's the dumbest line in sports. If not for "(insert player(s) on the team and usually key ones), we'd have lost".

The Spurs were always making it past that series, no matter how many games it took. Not just because they were significantly better, but because, as I alluded to, they had significantly more riding on it.

Celtics-Hawks in '08 and Heat-Pacers in '13 are other examples of series that technically went 7, but it was obvious game 7 would be a start to finish blowout for the favorite.

[ElNono]

That's the dumbest line in sports. If not for "(insert player(s) on the team and usually key ones), we'd have lost".

The Spurs were always making it past that series, no matter how many games it took. Not just because they were significantly better, but because, as I alluded to, they had significantly more riding on it.

Celtics-Hawks in '08 and Heat-Pacers in '13 are other examples of series that technically went 7, but it was obvious game 7 would be a start to finish blowout for the favorite.

I tell you one thing about that series, when I saw Manu playing the way he was, I knew we were going to have a great playoff run...

[TD 21]

I tell you one thing about that series, when I saw Manu playing the way he was, I knew we were going to have a great playoff run...

He was probably narrowly better than Duncan in that series, but Duncan was the best player throughout the run and if the league renamed the Finals MVP, playoffs MVP, like they should, he'd have won it.

[ElNono]

He was probably narrowly better than Duncan in that series, but Duncan was the best player throughout the run and if the league renamed the Finals MVP, playoffs MVP, like they should, he'd have won it.

I still think our chances this season largely still lay in TD and Manu's hands... I know Kawhi and LMA will carry the load, and will likely put the best performances, scoring-wise... but there will be moments when we'll be in a lull, or some team might put the locks on either of those two, and it will be up to TD and Manu to lead out there... hopefully they can find a way...

[TD 21]

I still think our chances this season largely still lay in TD and Manu's hands... I know Kawhi and LMA will carry the load, and will likely put the best performances, scoring-wise... but there will be moments when we'll be in a lull, or some team might put the locks on either of those two, and it will be up to TD and Manu to lead out there... hopefully they can find a way...

They'll probably will themselves to at least a solid overall performance.

That being said, the way this team has evolved as the season has wore on, is both positive and negative. They needed Leonard and Aldridge to take ownership of the team, but in the process of that happening, the vast majority of the rest of the rotation fell off a cliff.

Once they got Martin, I thought all the necessary pierces were in place, so if 3 or 4 of them don't have it in a given game, 3 or 4 others will, but so far it's not playing out that way. It's damn near starting to like '08, when the big three and stout defense carried an aged supporting cast that was no longer good enough.