NBA.com Blogtable: Better team – Mavs or Spurs?

[SenorSpur]

I think with this bench, and the quicker pace, we are going to be able to grind a lot of good teams down. And I think it is exactly Dallas' lack of depth that will be their downfall, except when their starters play the perfect game.

On the contrary, the Mavs roster is deep too. They have lots of talent, as their roster is comprised with guys that have been regular rotation players in the NBA, at one time or another. Players like Deshawn Stevenson, Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood have all been starters before. To their credit, there doesn't appear to be any outward moaning about playing time.

While the Mavs have a lot of household names on their stacked roster, the problem is they may not be the best fit. I think the Spurs role players are better suited because, unlike the Mavs bench, their roles are clearly defined.

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

Sekou Smith: "...they (Mavericks) have better depth than any other team in the Western Conference, Boston’s the only team that can go deeper into its bench."

Not possible. No team in the NBA has BETTER depth than the Spurs right now.

1-POINT: Parker, Hill, Quinn (and Ginobili, for all intents and purposes)

2-Guard: Ginobili, Neal, Hill, and soon... J.Anderson

3-Small Forward: Jefferson, Ginobili, Udoka

3/4-Pwr Forward/Center: Duncan, Blair, Bonner, McDyess, Splitter

This is the deepest team the Spurs have ever had, and there isn't a deeper team in the league right now. Maybe the Celtics or Mavs are AS deep. Maybe not. But no one is deeper.

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[GSH]

Yes, any of end-of-the-bench guys are capable of a big game. But coaches in the playoffs would rather go with known consistency than having to play guys a few minutes just to see what they've got that night. And I see Pop probably going nine deep, with the 8-9 guys rotating between any number of different players/positions (Neal, Anderson, Splitter, Dice: I think Bonner is going to be firmly ensconced in the top 7).

Good, reasonable responses. I can't argue with most of them, except to say that time will tell.

The only thing I question is that you mentioned Neal, Anderson, Splitter, and Dice. I assume you are including Hill as well as Bonner in that top 7. That's 11 guys that all have a legitimate shot at getting meaningful minutes in the playoffs. That's pretty deep for a Greg Popovich team. Maybe it will only be 8-9 on any given night. Maybe not. But once the Mavs go beyond their top 7 players, they are in a world of hurt. Agree? Disagree? Anyone... anyone... Beuller?

The other big wild card is Tim. I'm hopeful he will be the old Tim Duncan in the playoffs. But if he's having a game like last night against the Lakers, will Pop have enough confidence to go deeper into this bench? Damn betcha he will.

The one other big thing is that the Suns got all their points on the run... 8 seconds or less. They were gazelles. They only had two speeds - Full Sprint and Dinner. What I said was that the Spurs are explosive. There's a difference. And if you think about it for a minute, you'll know it's true.

Yeah, the pace slows down some in the playoffs. And Pop still wants the Spurs to play better defense. But if you think he isn't committed to the off-season changes, and that we're going to go back to the plodding 4-down offense from years past, I think you're way off base. The faster pace plays to the strengths of this roster. And the ability to keep fresh legs on the floor will be an advantage against the Mavs.

My opinion, and we can agree to disagree. But I think Pop understands that this team is no longer a bulldozer that only runs through Tim Duncan. Knowing that, what else can they do? They playoffs aren't going to change that.

[GSH]

On the contrary, the Mavs roster is deep too. They have lots of talent, as their roster is comprised with guys that have been regular rotation players in the NBA, at one time or another. Players like Deshawn Stevenson, Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood have all been starters before. To their credit, there doesn't appear to be any outward moaning about playing time.

Outside of their top 7, Dallas has problems.

Marion is one of the top 7.

DeShawn Stevenson is shooting 3's right now. It won't last. He averaged 2.2 and 2.0 ppg the two years before this, and shot .177 and .320 from the 3P line. (.271 the year before that). Remember I said it first - his 3P shooting won't last. And it won't hold up in the playoffs.

The only place I might be too harsh is Brendan Haywood. He's a plowhorse, but maybe his numbers would be better with more minutes. But McDyess will eat his lunch.

Beyond that, their bench is crap.

[ohmwrecker]

A sphere shaped table is pretty useless, tbh

A blogosphere is not a table. Although, I suppose a blogosphere could contain blogtables inside it's atmosphere on a flat surface depending on level of gravity and the carpentry skills of it's inhabitants.

[SenorSpur]

Outside of their top 7, Dallas has problems.

Agree. Dallas has continued their standard philosophy of assembling a bunch of names, with no thought as to how those parts fit together. It's a flawed, short-sighted approach and one that they've even implemented with their D-League team.

[Supergirl]

Yeah, Spurs have a better bench, and are likely to get better as the season goes on (because that's what they've done every other year, because TD's minutes have been so limited for post season use). Mavs are hot now but Dirk is already injured, and they may find themselves wearing him out come postseason, much like Utah is likely to find with Deron Williams except D-Will is a lot younger than Dirk is.

[100%duncan]

This is great but I want the Spurs to be under the radar inspite of the record and stuff. I think our team is more comfortable not being in the spotlight. JUST SAYIN

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Shaun Powell: Love what the Mavericks are doing defensively, and how Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki, men of a certain age, are ignoring physical logic. This is a very good team, a very veteran team, a very capable team. But, c’mon. You know Tim Duncan’s alarm clock is set to mid-April.