Tie-breaker with Lakers

[duncan228]

Mike Monroe: Health is more vital than top seed
Mike Monroe

There’s panic in South Texas.

With key players battling injuries, the Spurs have lost four straight games.

First place in the Western Conference no longer seems certain.

Suddenly sizzling, the Lakers are in hot pursuit, a once-daunting gap narrowing.

Should the Spurs drop into second place in the West, a segment of their fans will blame Gregg Popovich for being too cautious with players nursing aches and pains when Monday’s game against the Trail Blazers arrived.

Second-guessers insist Tony Parker and Antonio McDyess would have guaranteed victory in that game. After all, a lineup that included deep reserves Danny Green, Chris Quinn and Steve Novak nearly pulled out a victory.

This is a fan’s logic and ignores reality.

Keep reading...

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...than-top-seed/

[FromWayDowntown]

The end game for the #1 seed in the event of a tie has actually become very simple.

If the teams somehow end up tied, the winner of the tiebreaker will be the winner of the game on April 12.

If the Spurs win that game, they clinch the season series and win the first tiebreaker.

If the Lakers win that game, they tie the season series and invoke the next tiebreaker -- conference record. If the teams end up in a tie, the Spurs cannot have a better conference record than LA under any cir stances, because the Spurs will have had a better record against the East than LA.

[duncan228]

Popovich plays the odds as Spurs slip
Zach Lowe
The Point Forward
SI.com

I feel for fans who spend way too much money to attend NBA games and don’t get the product they thought they were buying, but if you purchase tickets for a Spurs game in late March, you assume the risk of seeing four of San Antonio’s starters in street clothes.

Gregg Popovich has coached this way for years, and there is nothing wrong with it. The regular season is already devalued; if you’re hoping that every veteran-heavy team is going to go all-out for 82 games, you have ignored decades of history suggesting otherwise. Success in the playoffs is what matters, and Popovich rightly prioritizes that above all else. Do you think Avery Johnson cares more about the 67 wins his Mavericks piled up in 2006-07 or the four games in six they lost in the first round of that season’s playoffs against the Warriors?

In any case, Popovich was at it again Monday night, adding Tony Parker and Antonio McDyess as surprise scratches to an injured list that already included Tim Duncan (sprained ankle) and Manu Ginobili (quad contusion). The Spurs lost at home to Portland, and their lead over the Lakers is down to three games in the loss column, prompting some folks to wonder if Popovich understands just how close the red-hot Lakers are getting to stealing the top seed San Antonio has owned all season.

I’d wager Popovich knows exactly how close the Lakers are, which is why he is so comfortable playing the odds this way. Going into Monday night’s action, the Spurs had nine games remaining, five of which will come against teams either certain to miss the playoffs or extremely unlikely to qualify. If the Spurs had finished just 5-4 in those nine games, the Lakers would have had to win out — going 9-0 against a tougher schedule — just to tie San Antonio. Even today, fresh off another loss, if the Spurs merely play .500 ball over their last eight games, the Lakers will have to go 8-1 to pull even. And those eight wins will have to include a head-to-head victory over the Spurs on April 12, since San Antonio has taken two of the three meetings so far.

Keep reading...

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011...as-spurs-slip/

[duncan228]

Looking at the various scenarios for the Lakers to secure home-court advantage against San Antonio and/or Dallas
Mark Medina
LA Times

http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakers...4e871d5624970d

[DeadlyDynasty]

What a difference a week makes...

[honestfool84]

What a difference a week makes...

gosh dangit, i know. -_-

[Budkin]

What a difference a week makes...

Seriously.

[duncan228]

Just the Spurs mentions, hit the link for the whole piece.

5-on-5: Who has the most to prove?
ESPN

The playoffs are just around the corner, but there's still plenty up for grabs. A few of our best NBA minds take a look at which teams have the most to lose or gain during the final two weeks of the regular season.

2. Final two weeks: Which team has the most to lose?

J.A. Adande, ESPN.com: The Spurs.

They seemed to place a greater emphasis than usual on the regular season this year. If the No. 1 seed slips away from them at the end it would have to be disheartening. But do they want to wear out their stars in the pursuit, or keep them fresh for the playoffs?

Rashad Mobley, Truth About It: The Spurs.

The Lakers are healthy and winners of seven consecutive games, while the Spurs are banged-up and losers of four straight. San Antonio has eight games to maintain its three-and-a-half-game lead -- and home court in the playoffs -- over the Lakers.

3. Final two weeks: Which team has the most to prove?

Timothy Varner, 48 Minutes of : The Spurs.

They are on a four-game losing streak with a string of injuries at the worst possible point in the season. Meanwhile, their conference foes in Dallas, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Denver are finishing the season strong. Is San Antonio's record a mirage, or is this team really as good as its winning percentage suggests?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/s...=5-on-5-110331

[41times]

Can't wait for the Mavs and Spurs to play in the 2nd round again!!!!

[The_Worlds_finest]

the only people that think the lakers will catch the spurs; s and laker fans.