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I will say that Pistons team was the absolute best team we ever played in the finals.
I was just watching some old videos and remembered why this is my favorite (and arguably the best) Spurs team ever. ’14 comes close, but I give the edge to ’05. That ’05 le run was the crown jewel of this franchise IMO considering the team composition and compe ion. First you had Duncan and Manu at their peaks, a true Big 3 with three guys who could score 20+ any given night, great role players, great shooters, and great defenders. Everyone accepted and played their roles to perfection. In the playoffs, they ran with an 8-man rotation with Horry/Barry/Udrih coming off the bench (and spot minutes for Massenberg/Rasho). I feel that team had the perfect balance of depth and star power.
That team had great passing and chemistry, and they could play any style. They could beat the Suns with high-tempo offense, and they could beat the Pistons with grind-out defense. In those playoffs, they went through the prime Carmelo Nuggets, prime Ray Allen Sonics, prime Nash/Marion/Amare Suns, and the defending-champion Pistons.
I especially enjoyed the WCF vs the Suns. That series was interesting because, although the Spurs won in 5 games (despite not having HCA), every individual game was close, decided by 10 points or fewer and with lots of lead changes. Here are full game videos of games 2 and 5 with Spanish commentary. Game 2 was the better game, but the game 5 video has much better video/audio quality:
For the series, Duncan averaged 27 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks (rounding off decimals) on 53% FG and 75% FT (including a 15/15 FT night). His nemesis Stoudemire averaged 37/10/1/2. That was a great battle in itself. As usual, Duncan delivered a deathblow in the closeout game, putting up 31/15/4/3 on 58% FG. Series stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...s-vs-suns.html
And of course, none of you need to be reminded of how epic the ’05 Finals were. The Wallace brothers collectively were a great matchup for Duncan. I remember Sports Illustrated did a feature called "Fire vs. Ice: Rasheed vs. Duncan" before the series. Their personalities were polar opposites, but they played the same position. These vids show the 4Q and OT of game 5, a 1-point victory for the Spurs:
(can't put any more vids in my post, but you'll clearly see parts 2-4)
We've had this discussion many times, but which is your favorite Spurs team? The best? Hardest path to the le?
Oh, andSuns
Last edited by Arcadian; 06-10-2016 at 03:03 PM.
I will say that Pistons team was the absolute best team we ever played in the finals.
Manu with hair was awesome ...
Horry uber clutch
Duncan was a boss vs Suns
That Pistons team was amazing, but in my opinion, the 13&14 Heat team was better. Lebron was pretty much at his peak. And considering he is the best player since Jordan, to beat him against that relatively healthy team was a better achievement. Mind you, I don't think any team beats the 14 Spurs in the finals. I have never seen a team peak so beautifully and perfectly like they did.
I always remember the Horry dunk and final 3 pointer. But I had forgotten just how good a 4th quarter he really had.
IMO, the 05 team was the most versatile team. With the big 3 in their primes and with veteran role players, they could play any style and had a good balance of offense/defense. The 14 team was great in the Finals but would have had problems against a team with a great big man (Duncan too old, not big enough front court) but fine vs Heat.
I agree the '13 Heat were the best team that the Spurs have faced in the Finals, but IMO the total '05 playoff run was more impressive - mainly because the '05 Suns were one of the best teams ever not to win the le. OKC was also great in '14, but I'm gonna say the '05 Suns were better.
Man, a Suns vs. Pistons Finals in '05 would have been intriguing! I'm glad it didn't happen, though
I think the finals would have gone 7 either way, BUT, I would have loved to see how Manu would have done if he hadn't injured his thigh in game 3. Would have been MVP for sure.
05 Manu
Did it die?
1999 still my favorite le team...followed closely by 2014 and 2005...
The difference is 05 Timmy and Bruce. 2014 is just a hair below.
I'd like to see '05 in today's NBA. I think they'd win it all this year.
I hope they do a 30/30 on 2013 and 2014 Spurs run. Most devestating loss of all time in any sport and 2014 was best redemption.
for me,
1A. 2003
1B. 2005
3. 1999
4. 2014
Distant 5: 2007 (we were the beneficiaries of luck and NBA decisions for a change)
as far as I see it, the Spurs have 3 truly legit les (throwing out '99 -- lockout and weakish compe ion and '07 -- Stern/Baron Davis/Rasheed going berserk) while the Lakers have only 2 ('09 had zero compe ion, '10 refs and no West compe ion, '02 completely rigged).
Parker's defense on Rip at the end of Game 5 >>
MANU SHOULD HAVE BEEN FINALS MVP THAT TIME!
Spurs should erect a statue of Horry in honor of '05. The championship was mainly due to his gritty, clutch play.
All les count man, you beat who was in front of you. You could do this legit or not for almost any le run a team had sides a few, it's just what if's.2003 is my personal fave too ironically.
Man i forgot how much Timmy struggled in game 5 in 2005 finals. What a bad 4th quarter and OT. Its probably a game that he personally doesn't like thinking of. Most of the time Tim is boss in the playoffs but that game... Horry was the obvious hero and Timmy mentioned it like 100 times in the presser afterwards. Seeing how they were down 4 with about 2 minutes to go and then they couldn't get a rebound with less than a minute. This game had LOSS written ALL OVER IT. Makes it that much sweeter.
I agree this was the best finals and the crown jewel of the Spur's dynasty. It was also Manu's championship IMHO or Manu's team, especially when it came down to beat the Pistons.
Oh and I am probably in the minority but I liked seeing the huge trophy emblem in the middle of the court along with seeing NBA FINALS written on the both sides of the court as well. For me, seeing it made me feel like we made it, its the finals. It added an excitement to it.
This year, theres nothing on the court that shows that its the finals.I know it had something to do with slipping on the logos but still, i wish they could figure out away to have it on there.
Even on their jerseys, usually there is a finals logo on the front of the jersey but now its all hidden in the back.
Yeah I agree. I miss Playoffs and Finals written on the court. I miss the trophy on the front of the jersey.
No clue why theyve gotten rid of all of this stuff.
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