What's going on?

[kobyz]

HC is ultra important, no need to pretend it's not a big deal op, Spurs ed themselves big time, you also wanted that easier road...

[MilesTeg]

I'm a noted pessimist, but my only worry is Splitter's health. Seeding, while important, isn't as crucial for a team with this much experience and resolve. The road won't faze them. Additionally, every team in the West (aside from the Warriors) is about equal in strength and similarly built, featuring a shot-blocking center, athletic PF who can hit the midrange jumper, and a good PG. 2 seed or 6th, we were pretty much playing the same team either way.

The Clippers don't overly concern me because their small forward rotation is trash (Barnes is washed up and Crawford is an inefficient chucker), which will free up Kawhi to cause maximum damage on both ends. And their SG rotation isn't too deep, either, with Red (a good shooter, but not much of a threat to beat you off the dribble and such, something the Spurs have had trouble defending from the SG position all year. Green should have little trouble staying with him) and then Doc's son behind him. Then you have DeJordan as a liability at the free throw line, which will definitely come into play. And their big rotations is ultra thin, too. Hawes, Big Baby, and nothing else.

Griffin and Paul will have to go God Mode to win this series.

It's all about probability. We can do it, but it's less likely. Whereas with the second seed, we were almost guaranteed to make the WCF at least.

The Clippers have a ton of weaknesses, but they have got to be tired of being perennial losers. At some point this kind of team usually ends up getting harder to beat, kind of like the Mavs or Suns a decade ago. And you just know a guy like Crawford will have a couple games where every crappy shot falls in.

Right now I'd say there's 40% chance Golden State wins the championship. SA and Cleveland both have 20%, and the rest of the league a combined 20%.

[tuncaboylu]

Nearly every NBA champion was seeded 1st, 2nd, or 3rd when they won their les. Only once has a champion come from the lower seeds and that was with prime Hakeem. No such player exists on the current Spurs. It's looking more and more likely that the Spurs won't make it out of the West. Parker will sink this team in either the first or second round. Because of no home court advantage ,we won't have the safety cushion of an extra game at home in a series. Even if we make it out of the first two rounds, we'll be exhausted by the conference Finals(remember the Lakers series in 2008?)

Losing that Pelicans game was the worst possible thing that could happen. No more momentum going into the playoffs. No more easy first round matchup with the Mavs. Brutal result tonight.

But this year is different: This may be the first year that 1 win seperates 2nd and 6th seed. Moreover, we may be the best 6th seed in the history with 55-27.

This year is a unique year and we will be an exceptional champion.

[midnightpulp]

I'm a noted pessimist, but my only worry is Splitter's health. Seeding, while important, isn't as crucial for a team with this much experience and resolve. The road won't faze them. Additionally, every team in the West (aside from the Warriors) is about equal in strength and similarly built, featuring a shot-blocking center, athletic PF who can hit the midrange jumper, and a good PG. 2 seed or 6th, we were pretty much playing the same team either way.

The Clippers don't overly concern me because their small forward rotation is trash (Barnes is washed up and Crawford is an inefficient chucker), which will free up Kawhi to cause maximum damage on both ends. And their SG rotation isn't too deep, either, with Red (a good shooter, but not much of a threat to beat you off the dribble and such, something the Spurs have had trouble defending from the SG position all year. Green should have little trouble staying with him) and then Doc's son behind him. Then you have DeJordan as a liability at the free throw line, which will definitely come into play. And their big rotations is ultra thin, too. Hawes, Big Baby, and nothing else.

Griffin and Paul will have to go God Mode to win this series.

They did for game 1. Can they sustain it?