2014 Spurs = 1999 Spurs, Duncan = 1999 Robinson, Kwahi = 1999 Duncan.
2017 Spurs, this could have been 2003 Spurs where Kwahi soloed the team to a ring, but we all know 2003 Duncan was the single greatest solo championship ever and not fair to expect a repeat. Instead we got 2000 (or 2001) Spurs where we lost a key player, but would have most likely lost to the dominant team of the year (Lakers then, Warriors now) any ways.
I always saw Spurs being under-talented against super teams of the past 20 years. This is why very rarely we beat a super team at their prime. Spurs teams are consistently hovering around 90 of 100 but it is not good enough against super teams at peak of their powers 95-99 of 100. I mean Spurs won 10 more games than Cavaliers because of great coaching from Pop and great coasting by LeBron & Co, but our talent level is just no where near as good as theirs.
We capitalize on weaker years and super teams on declines, usually at end of multiple finals with aging role players:
1999 = Post MJ Bulls, wide open for everyone
2003 = Post three-peat Lakers, disease of more and aging/injured role players, and unexpected Robert Horry rimmed out three carried us past the Lakers
2005 = Post Shaq-Kobe Lakers, Pistons are good but nowhere near a super team talent wise, unexpected performance from Horry in pivotal game 5 to win it all
2007 = No super team, unexpected hip check from Horry on Nash carried us past the only team that could have beaten us after 67-wins Mavericks self-imploded
2014 = Post two-peak Heat, 4th final in 4 years, disease of more and aging role players
The league will not allow Cavs and Warriors to go 12-0 in post season again. Kwahi is only 25, keep him healthy, re-tool the roster post Manu/Parker, and our championship window is wide open. Have to get lucky on drafts, I mean Warriors were not an elite team until they got lucky with Green. Spurs wouldn''t have ringed post-Robinson without Parker/Manu being huge overachievers versus their draft position. Thunder is gone and which team can prevent Spurs from getting to Western Conference finals vs Warriors year after year? None.
Remember LeBron didn't ring until he was 27! Duncan did not get his second ring until he was 26 (three years AFTER he ringed with Robinson in 1999, see the parallel?). Have patience and faith folks.
Last edited by hitmantb; 05-27-2017 at 12:13 PM.
Problem is, they can and will keep this line up due to bird rights. They can even afford to give Durant more money once his contract is up. We are dealing with a bigger beast than the Heat. Warriors are here to stay. There is no bright side unless we tank and stack up draft picks.
Silversteinberger will milk them for all he can though... we'll see how long that lasts...
Pretty spot on. The Spurs don't load up to have more than enough. That's why they struggle against the super teams. You need a playmaker and three point shooter and good defender at almost every position. It makes what Kawhi did all season and maybe what he might have been able to do if healthy this series even more spectacular.
Maybe the Spurs need to move away from LA and look for another scoring/defending/playmaking wing to play with Kawhi. Add some stretch 4's and athletic bigs.
Eventually all of their good players will want 200 million dollars.. Curry will want that this offseason. Durant can opt out, won't he want that too?? Not much left over for the bench..
Long term, Curry and KB get the big dollars, Green doesn't, and Klay gets traded or signs somewhere else. KD and Curry are elite, but lack of depth means they'll be much more vunerable. Of course, this may take 3 years to happen....
Well they could have 400 million committed long term after this summer. Curry is going to get that. And Durant likely opts out and re-signs for that amount.
For the greater good we should be on the warriors train.
Let's get Curry another ring giving him another reason to pack his bags and go home to Charlotte to be that teams savior.
He ends his crappy under armor deal and gets to be Jordans prime endorser, thereby making up any lost coin by leaving GS.
A Durant Green Thompson team will still be formidable but the Spurs can beat them assuming they make some smart savvy moves.
Egos and personalities. , even the Beatles fought with each others. Athletes need minutes and numbers to get than next big contract. The ones not getting paid as much will think they can go be max-contract players somewhere else, AND get the respect they deserve.
Health. They aren't going to be lucky forever. Durant wasn't this season, but the timing was just early enough to let him come back for the playoffs. Curry is always on the edge of an injury, and the stops and cuts he makes will catch up, just like they did with Manu a lot of years. And some of the other guys who haven't had injury problems? Sooner or later.
Plus the fact that they can't play 5 guys for 48 minutes per game. They'll need role players. A lot of ring-chasers are guys who were stars somewhere else, but they're aging. A lot of them come in trying to prove that they can still be starters, and the ego problems get worse. A lot of them turn out to not be worth a damn. A lot just don't fit in, and the chemistry suffers.
The Warriors are somewhere near their peak right now. How long they can keep it up depends on a LOT more than Bird rights.
Keeping a team together is a lot harder than most people think. Especially one built around cheap rookie contracts, once they begin to mature. We saw it in OKC. Portland had a powerhouse stable of young talent, but they were still building when those rookie deals started expiring one after the other. One bad draft pick (Oden) and one bad injury (Roy), and they were done even before they got started.
Even most Spurs fans don't appreciate what the Spurs did here for 20 years.
Even with bird rights they're going to have a ridiculous luxury tax and reduced flexibility.
Good post!!
You are a damn good poster.
the point is valid today but of course taking the Spurs run into account that would be the exception.
Specifically from 2003 to 2007.
In five seasons it can be argued they should have won every year.
2002 they were too thin and old to give LA much of a fight.
2008 they were too old and thin to give LA much of a series.
I don't believe another team could mirror that at least since the Jordan era began.
the league did a lot in that regard to prevent the Spurs from winning every single year. I'm still bitter about it.
Struggle??? They've been up 20+ on the Warriors when everyone is healthy.
And they're down 2 starters. What team in the league competes down 2 starters. And one of them is a top player in the leaguez
They're printing money out in Oakland, and moving into a new arena in SF in two years that will print even more money for them (assuming they are still good). Their owners are making bank, they're planning to pay whatever the lux tax is, they don't care.
All this love for GS is ridiculous. Folks, they have 3 terrific shooters and a of an energy player / leader in Green. That's it. Yes, they are all All-Stars but they are very beatable. This isn't the Lakers of 2001 where you had arguably 2 of the greatest players of all time surrounded by a bevy of excellent role players and a HOF coach.
Cleveland is going to kick their ass in the Finals. Dubs are soft as tissue, lack depth and will get bullied around the court. Their bigs will be in foul trouble and Lebron / Cleveland will celebrate another chip in 5 or 6 games.
...and another thing....Kawhi Leonard was by far the best player on the court in Game 1. Better than Durant, Curry, Thompson and Green. He's only going to get better. Spurs reload and win it all next year...barring any unforeseen injuries.
The Heat were tough mentally not just supremely talented. These guys in GS have not shown much yet. Other than * over LeBron/Deladevova combo. 3-1 and all the storm that accompanied it left lingering questions that Kawhi reignited more than once this season on his own tbh.
All due respect you don't truly believe this do you? If Cavs win the series much less in less than 7 games then it would mean James is without question the best there is.
Instead I see it the other way around. Durant and Curry are amazing offensive machines. They cannot and will not both have bad games at the same night.
Then you have tremendous role players who are savvy and very confident and will have open shots throughout.
Finally thrown in the motivation factor and I firmly expect GS to come out guns blazing to get that 3-1 asterisk off their backs.
I'll admit I'm not close to objective here as my two favorite NBA outcomes is a Spurs win and a James loss, but even with that I see no way the paper champion Leastern conf reps will take out this juggernaut.
I'll own it if I'm wrong, but I do believe Cleveland is going to win B2B. I've had to hear the talking heads on radio, satellite and TV all say that the Dubs are one of the greatest teams of all times.
I disagree. They are one of the greatest collections of individual offensive players ever assembled (Curry, Durant, Thompson, Green). Thompson and Green are terrific on the defensive end too. However, they don't have anyone who can control James. With his sidekicks Kyrie and Love, they are going to get good looks.
Cleveland is going to exploit the mismatches and punish Cleveland. They are little guys and will run out of gas. You are going to see sad faces sitting on the Dubs bench. Cleveland is the defending champs, they'll rise to the challenge of what ever GS throws out.
Durant is really Curry insurance. Curry was pretty bad in the Finals last year and they still were close to winning. Also no Barnes to brick shots and I think they have a really good chance. That being said I like the Cavs blueprint of attacking forcing Curry and forcing him to defend. They also have to pound them on the glass and attack the inside since there's no shotblocker.
Warriors are going to destroy them, tbh..going to bet that they win in 5 like I did with the Spurs in 2014, easy money
I don't know if they are going to slow down any time soon, unfortunately..Klay Thompson will be the casualty from egos clashing, but they shouldn't have trouble replacing his current impact on the team IMO..their player development is outstanding, as well..
such a lucky team....curry ankles were glass for like 5 years so they get away paying him like 9 $ an hour, and then all of a sudden he becomes the best player ever....green only is found bc of a david lee injury and yet for some reason still signs a contract making less than pau gasol. Klay signs for tony parker money. KD getting signed the year the cap goes up...i hate the warriors
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