one play that changed the perception of this team/franchise the past decade..

[spursistan]

The one break that has perhaps prevented the official transformation of the Spurs to the league premier choke artists..This team has been basically cycling through one bottle job after the other since 2011...

Thanks Dejuan we were on our way to another epic meltdown..

[spursistan]

2011..8ed
2012..backdoor-swept after 20 wins in a row..
2013..6
2015..up 3-2 in the series with close out game at home..can't beat one-legged CP0 in G7..
2016..outclutched by the second worst 4th Quarter team in the league..

[soxxx]

Good topic. Keep reminding people that the 2014 spurs were nearly left for dead in Dallas. Most great teams go through adversity.

Heck the last time a championship team wasn't down in a series was in 2009.

2010 - Lakers down 3-2 Boston
2011 - mavs down 2-1 to heat
2012 - heat down 3-2 Boston
2013 - heat down 3-2 spurs
2014 - spurs down 2-1 to mavs
2015 - Warriors down 2-1 to cavs

The closest to our scenario is the heat in 2012. The heat were better but just played flat as and found themselves down 3-2.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Good topic. Keep reminding people that the 2014 spurs were nearly left for dead in Dallas. Most great teams go through adversity.

Heck the last time a championship team wasn't down in a series was in 2009.

2010 - Lakers down 3-2 Boston
2011 - mavs down 2-1 to heat
2012 - heat down 3-2 Boston
2013 - heat down 3-2 spurs
2014 - spurs down 2-1 to mavs
2015 - Warriors down 2-1 to cavs

The closest to our scenario is the heat in 2012. The heat were better but just played flat as and found themselves down 3-2.

Actually we lost Game 1 of WCSF to Houston in 2008-09 playoffs

[timtonymanu]

LOL I remember Vince Carters miracle 3 was such a back breaker. DeJuan coming through at the right time.

[K...]

Holy this thread goes in the emo hof

[spursistan]

LOL I remember Vince Carters miracle 3 was such a back breaker. DeJuan coming through at the right time.

I laugh when folks say "we were winning that series anyway" even if we went down 1-3..We actually played a messy, scared- less Game 5 in which Dallas had chance until the last minute or so and we proceeded to pull another chokejob in G6..

[313]

2011..8ed
2012..backdoor-swept after 20 wins in a row..
2013..6
2015..up 3-2 in the series with close out game at home..can't beat one-legged CP0 in G7..
2016..outclutched by the second worst 4th Quarter team in the league..

And people say Pop is the best coach of all time lol Duncan had 25 in game 6 2013, and Pop doesn't call his number at all in the second half.

[daslicer]

Good topic. Keep reminding people that the 2014 spurs were nearly left for dead in Dallas. Most great teams go through adversity.

Heck the last time a championship team wasn't down in a series was in 2009.

2010 - Lakers down 3-2 Boston
2011 - mavs down 2-1 to heat
2012 - heat down 3-2 Boston
2013 - heat down 3-2 spurs
2014 - spurs down 2-1 to mavs
2015 - Warriors down 2-1 to cavs

The closest to our scenario is the heat in 2012. The heat were better but just played flat as and found themselves down 3-2.

If you go back to when Jordan retired in '98 and look at all the championship teams that have come afterwards only a few have not been down in a series. '99 spurs, '00 Lakers, '08 Celtics.

[daslicer]

The one break that has perhaps prevented the official transformation of the Spurs to the league premier choke artists..This team has been basically cycling through one bottle job after the other since 2011...

Thanks Dejuan we were on our way to another epic meltdown..

Spurs have had these choke jobs the last few years because they don't have a legit superstar. Spurs rely heavily on a system but the system doesn't always work to perfection. When it doesn't function at a perfect level that's when things fall apart. Duncan when he was in his prime operated like a compiler for the system hence we didn't have a choke jobs outside of '04 blowing a 2-0 lead to the Lakers. They happen more often because Kawhi and LMA can't be a compiler like Duncan was to fix the glitches when the system bogs down.

[NameLess Scrub]

Spurs have had these choke jobs the last few years because they don't have a legit superstar. Spurs rely heavily on a system but the system doesn't always work to perfection. When it doesn't function at a perfect level that's when things fall apart. Duncan when he was in his prime operated like a compiler for the system hence we didn't have a choke jobs outside of '04 blowing a 2-0 lead to the Lakers. They happen more often because Kawhi and LMA can't be a compiler like Duncan was to fix the glitches when the system bogs down.

Is it a debugger then?

Anyway, one of the reasons fans here are so pessimistic. Spurs love their chokes.

Whatever the reason champions have been down in series, this is not a case where the Spurs will come through.

They are outmatched right now by the mustache brothers and the refs.

[DMC]

2011..8ed
2012..backdoor-swept after 20 wins in a row..
2013..6
2015..up 3-2 in the series with close out game at home..can't beat one-legged CP0 in G7..
2016..outclutched by the second worst 4th Quarter team in the league..

Now compare to 29 other teams.

[Kawhitstorm]

The closest to our scenario is the heat in 2012. The heat were better but just played flat as and found themselves down 3-2.

Bosh was injured in 2012 & missed a MAJORITY of the ECF, which was why they went down 3-2. He came off the bench for the final 3 games of the series & made daggers 3s in Gm 7.



Besides, Kawhi isn't on '12 LeBron's level & the '12 Celtics didn't have a single top 10 player. The best I could compare the current scenario to is the 64 win Pistons being down 3-2 to the Cavs in 2006. The Cavs only really had LeBron but the Pistons also didn't have guys that could score efficiently on ISOs like Kawhi/LMA so it kinda evens out.

Others that come to mind but the team that was down 3-2 didn't have HCA
-'05 Pistons being down 3-2 to the Heat (Wade/Shaq = KD/WB; Sheed/Billups/Rip/Prince=LMA/Kawhi/Pork/Danny)
-'09 Magic being down 3-2 to the Celtics (Dwert/Lewis = Kawhi/LMA; Ray+Pierce/Rondo/Porkins/Baby=KD/WB/Adams/Kanter)

The Pistons benefited from Wade getting injured in Gm 5 then missing Gm 6 but they had to win Gm 7 in Miami even w/ a hampered Wade. Here is to hoping WestBrick gets flatlined in the 1st quarter of Gm 6.

[TD 21]

I actually think they'd have beaten the Mavs either way and at least gotten to the WCF, but the point remains: For all the talk of execution, poise, not beating themselves, etc., the reality is, this team has been the opposite of that, post Duncan's and Ginobili's prime. They've been particularly awful post Parker's decline.

It comes down to 2 things: 1) The lack of a great creator, 2) All this in depth analysis and talk about execution and choking, but the reality is this: It's a volatile game, especially in this era of pace and space and a lot of these close games come down to how much out of your control breaks your way.

[FromWayDowntown]

Now compare to 29 other teams.

Yep. Most of the rest of the league would kill to have a resume filled with just the Spurs failures.

[spursistan]

I actually think they'd have beaten the Mavs either way and at least gotten to the WCF, but the point remains: For all the talk of execution, poise, not beating themselves, etc., the reality is, this team has been the opposite of that, post Duncan's and Ginobili's prime. They've been particularly awful post Parker's decline.

It comes down to 2 things: 1) The lack of a great creator, 2) All this in depth analysis and talk about execution and choking, but the reality is this: It's a volatile game, especially in this era of pace and space and a lot of these close games come down to how much out of your control breaks your way.

I'll add (3) dodgy in/between game coaching that somehow put us in these position to choke..i think Pop overesting has become a real problem in the playoffs..key, even old as dirt, players could afford to play those extra 3-4 minutes in pivotal games strictly on adrenaline.

[K...]

Line in the sand......Pop "anybody who passes an open shot gets cut from the team and left in lahoma"


Sorry i was writing my fan fiction for tonight's game. ANyway i'm just brainstorming for a spark here, Duncan announcing retirement, duncan announcing sexuality, PArker announcing whose wife he e

[spursistan]

Almost confident to say now that Spurs wouldn't have sniffed the Finals in 2013/2014 without Westbrook/Ibaka knees injuries..

Pop is clueless when it comes to playing that team..

[Budkin]

The one break that has perhaps prevented the official transformation of the Spurs to the league premier choke artists..This team has been basically cycling through one bottle job after the other since 2011...

Thanks Dejuan we were on our way to another epic meltdown..

Another reason 5 is the best le of them all.

[sook]

Actually we lost Game 1 of WCSF to Houston in 2008-09 playoffs

those were different times my man .