How about a legitimate reason the Spurs could ring (including beating the W's)?

[DarrinS]

Nobody is beating the cavs this year.

If spurs can win the West that's gonna be our championship.

I thought you feared the Grizz.

[DarrinS]

Pretty much everything in the OP is spot on.

[hater]

I thought you feared the Grizz.

Spurs should. Matt Barnes still there.

[DarrinS]

Spurs should. Matt Barnes still there.

Yeah, that's why no one should give your takes any weight.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Haven't had a drink in days bro. Cavs are barely getting put together and are a lock to top 3 seed.

Watch out

Still in the least and are carried by lechoke

[daledondale]

Nobody is beating the cavs this year.

If spurs can win the West that's gonna be our championship.

[ceperez]

I agree wholeheartedly.
In fact, by comments from the season, there was a sense of hungover from the championship even by Pop. (starting the season joking with Bobo, making comments that diminished his desire to repeat... just overall minimizing the ambition of the situation). And that team didn't always play like they wanted it enough. Defensively there were too many breakdowns, lost too many games they should have won.

Then, attrition got us. Tiago cost us a repeat. I believe that is why Lamarcus or no, he was gone. Played only 25 games with the SL? Are you kidding me? We had to start Bonner (Bonner!) for a lot of games (who had a career low 36.5% and he doesn't add anything else). Aaron Baynes, who is a decent player as your bench center starting games with an aging Duncan? Are you kidding me again? I loved Tiago when healthy, but we could not move on with him like that. I believe the added minutes and burden (and maybe a bit of coasting too) caused Boris to have a down year.

When attrition got us, everyone else had an increased burden. Not a surprise most of the guys had down years. Kawhi with his injuries and all didn't hit the level he's at right now until the very end of the season. Danny, Cojo, Baynes had very good seasons. All of them young enough to step up for a larger burden and unsurprisingly, in contract years, but those guys were not game changers.

Then the guys at the end of the bench were crap, utter crap. Spurs could have upgraded, but that would have compromised their attempt to get LMA this year and roster improvements they wanted to make, so they were tied up. I do believe they even wanted Jamychal Green, who has been playing very well for Memphis, but they offered only 1 year, 2nd unguaranteed (the Reggie Williams deal), and Memphis gave him a 2 year guaranteed. Can't fault the man for getting paid.

In general the Daye/Ayers combo could have been spared. Kyle/Simmons were there in the dleague toiling away. Say instead of Reggie Williams you get Simmons last season. It would not have mattered. It was easier to incorporate someone to take a shot (like Williams) than a dynamic SG you don't know.

The issue was that once the season starts, Pop goes with what he had. But just letting you know that cheap upgrades were there to be had. There was just indeed a mentality of staying pat.

------
By the way, nice essay GSH.

If PATFO were smart enough, they would have moved heaven and earth to get Gasol last year. Gasol would have made the team compe ive.

The Jamychal Green situation was a complete failure. They should have cleared room by ditching Ayres. I don't even know why Ayres wasn't even waived after the poor performance during Summer League. Sometimes PATFO are too loyal to a fault, years ago they could have picked up Scola in his prime, but they re-signed Bonner instead.

You might want to add that Belinelli didn't play well in the regular season but came to life in the playoff series.

Spurs failed last year because they could not win regular season games that they needed to win. They couldn't take a game to the next level.

[ceperez]

Nobody is beating the cavs this year.

If spurs can win the West that's gonna be our championship.

Irving still has to recover back to form. The Bulls may be able to beat the Cavs if the Cavs aren't healthy. LeBron just doesn't appear as dominating as he used to be.

[Horse]

[QUOTE=UNT Eagles 2016;8359126]It's like 9 in the morning. Way too early to be drinking my friend... [/QUOT
No mention of how bad the cavs D becomes with love and irving.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

THAT was a quality post.

Nice read GSH.

[Neurosis]

Oh also, I'd probably also add that I think Kawhi still needs to improve a bit more at passing out of/beating the double team. I remember in Utah couple days ago there was a sequence where he was backing down Hayward and there was the most obvious, slow double team coming from the top of the lane. He got in a bad spot, still managed to step through and get a pass out to Mills but the possession was broken and the next pass got tipped out of bounds.

I remember thinking that sort of lapse will result in a lot of bad possessions in the playoffs. He's gotten a lot better and keeps improving though, so I think (hope) he'll be fine come playoffs time but I do worry about how teams like Cavs/Dubs will punish Kawhi in those double situations.

[T Park]

The dubs have had a tougher schedule, more injuries, yet have the best record in the league. They're the defending champs, and they're the best team in the NBA.

strength of schedule says otherwise

[TampaDude]

Dubs haven't played us yet this season. Looking forward to the 25th.

[Embedded]

The Spurs had an early last year because of injuries to Parker and Splitter, and the team lacking continuity and familiarity in time for the playoffs run. It's okay, injuries are part of the equation, last year it was our turn to be struck by the injury bug. Hopefully this year we're healthy.