Game 7 – What’s at Stake?

[urunobili]

i agree that winning on this series would make us ALL TYPE OF BATTLE strong... we can get this win!

[ATXSPUR]

I don't care about what the media can say about Spurs. I don't care if Spurs are called or not a dynasty. What is important to me are the great moments I had watching Spurs basketball.

An NBA offseason is very long, we will have a lot of time to speak of what Spurs should do this summer to retool the team. I rather wait the end of the season to speak about what should be Spurs' plan than speculate now.

try being a college football fan

nine freaking months

[Brutalis]

I have said this in other threads but knowing history against us, I also know this is the best team to ever come back in a series. We aren't the Hawks so nobody talks it up how we have fought back in this series. So it is no wonder we have the momentum.

Game 7's are odd and fun. For the real hardcore fans it puts us in a state of adrenalin the closer it gets. It comes down to just one game, like the super bowl or championship game in college.

I think fans do not realize to Timmy this is his defining moment in his career. He knows the stakes, the stats, the history, the ups, the downs, the ins and outs of professional ball as well as anyone. In the modern era too. I think he will go out there and just flat out ball. And I hope they follow.

[SenorSpur]

Regular Season Effort Level
The Spurs have coasted through the last few regular seasons. They haven’t gone all out to secure homecourt advantage in years. However, that strategy might have to be looked at again if the Spurs end up losing Game 7.

Against the Hornets, the Spurs would be a shoo-in for the Western Conference Finals if they had homecourt advantage. If the Spurs saw firsthand how homecourt advantage can mean the difference between an early vacation and a shot at the championship, San Antonio may have to abandon their current regular season ways.

Interesting take and a topic that is bound for discussion if they lose this critical Game 7.

Old or Experienced?
The Spurs have tiptoed the line between old and experience for three or four years now. The front office has remained steadfast in their belief that the roster wasn’t too old. And as it turned out last year, the front office was correct.

I respectfully disagree on this point. Obviously, winning the le is THE ultimate goal and is the prize all teams play for. That point notwithstanding, winning a le DOES NOT mean the team was flawless. Nor does it mean the roster couldn't have used an upgrade here and there. Furthermore, winning a le SHOULD NOT give the FO a pass for not seeking to improve the team. They took small steps in that direction, but made some decisions that would have likely not been made had they not won the championship. I also don't believe winning a championship warranted a decision sit still and keep an aging roster together for another season.

By no means am I suggesting a major overhaul, just infusing enough upgrades to fill holes. We need only look at the diminished defensive statistics, the periods of prolonged offensive woes and how the team incurred its share of injuries during the season, as first signs of trouble encountered with an aging roster. These defciencies began to show as the team wore through the season.

I've stated this before. It's all about matchups. You can only play the teams that are in front of you. However, that doesn't mean that the team was capable of matching up with all 8 teams that made the playoffs. The upstart teams started making noise last season. Now there are new teams on the rise. Every year, teams are getting better and closing the gap on the champs. To that end, it's imperative not sit still. They absolutely MUST continue looking at ways to improve the team each and every year - championship or not.

The Spurs’ only real recourse to a loss to the Hornets would be to reload. That’d mean waiving goodbye to the older pieces. Robert Horry, Bruce Bowen, Brent Barry, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley and Jacque Vaughn would be the ones put under the microscope. If the Spurs win Game 7, the Spurs could ultimately decide to keep the squad together for another run next year..

I'm all for that. It's time. Whether they win or not. Obviously, some key veterans (Bowen, Thomas and possibly Barry) will be needed again next year. Yet, let's be mindful that the contending teams in the conference are getting more skilled and more athletic every year. The Spurs need to be in a position to match some of the quickness, hustle and athleticism they are seeing on a game-to-game basis. This series against New Orleans should bear this out.

Playoff Confidence
When the Spurs find themselves in tough spots in the playoffs, they can usually point to a prior experience as evidence that all hope isn’t lost. But the Spurs have never recovered from losing the first two games of the series. The Spurs have never recovered from being down 2-3 in a series.

If the Spurs can win this series, the Spurs would become just about as playoff tested as possible. No matter what trouble the Spurs would find themselves in the future, they’d have the experience and the knowledge to fight their way out of the hole.

On the other hand, if the Spurs lose, they’d have to start wondering about their playoff toughness. The Spurs would have lost two consecutive Game 7’s where they entered the series as the favorites. Instead of being confident in big games, the Spurs may begin to wonder why they’ve struggled against beatable teams in win or go home situations.

The Repeating Window
The lone remaining negative aspect the media can point to when discussing this era of Spurs basketball is the fact that the Spurs haven't won two straight les. Truthfully, I don’t care too much about the criticism. To try to belittle the four championships the Spurs have won because they haven’t come in back-to-back years is laughable.

That said, if the Spurs don’t repeat as champions this year, the window to do so may be all but closed. Not only is the core getting older, there are a lot of young teams that are rapidly improving. While I do think the Spurs have three or four years of high level play remaining (barring injury), it’d be extremely difficult to imagine the team repeating at some point in the future.

Totally agree with this point.

A very well-written piece.

[polandprzem]

No matter what will happen in next 27 hours I think the spurs FO would be bit dumb not to refresh the squad.
All in all basketball in changing and youngsters takes conrol earlier then it was 10-20 yeras ago.


On the Stake there is the whole Spurs legacy.
Talking about repeat and talking about teams era, talking about TD being better then Shaq, talking about Pop being top5, talking about toughness, toughness in the playoffs.

Whatever it takes spurs must take now.
And I'm talking about all he marbels to shut the F up all the critics.

[duncan228]

I think he will go out there and just flat out ball. And I hope they follow.

It's Duncan's time, his team will rise.

[baseline bum]

Good thoughts.


Of course, if the Spurs had put a little more thought and effort into what was at stake in the summer of 2003, questions about age and repeats might not be mentioned as much today.

Jax means repeat in 2006!

[1Parker1]

If the Spurs win Game 7, the Spurs could ultimately decide to keep the squad together for another run next year.

I definitely disagree with this statement. Guys like Finley, Vaughn, Barry, Horry, Kurt Thomas have been exposed in this series against the Hornets. Win or lose, I really don't think the Spurs mgt will decide to keep this squad for another run next year. It's pretty evident that these players are over the "Age" hump, and you can't expect them to go through another 82 game season and long into the postseason at their age, especially when next season the Western Conference is just going to get more younger and athletic with teams like the Hornets, Blazers, Lakers rising.


Even if the Spurs somehow manage to win Game 7, which I give them a 50-50 chance of doing, I'm not sure this team can beat a deep team like the Lakers or even the Pistons/Celtics. Championships are not won by 3 players and a defensive stopper. Teams that are left are too deep, too atheltic, and too young. It's obvious Spurs need to revamp their roster around their Big 3, because right now there is way too much pressure on those guys to contribute just to get wins in the regular season; You saw how many minutes and the effort Ginobili had to give in those games when Parker was out with an injury just to beat teams like the Knicks. It takes a toll on your top players, no matter how good they are. I don't care who outside of Bowen, Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili leave this team.


I do agree that this was probably the best chance for the Spurs to repeat.

[spurster]

Regular Season Effort Level
The Spurs have coasted through the last few regular seasons. They haven’t gone all out to secure homecourt advantage in years. However, that strategy might have to be looked at again if the Spurs end up losing Game 7.

I think you look more at 4 losses in New Orleans. No championship team should be blanked out on the road though the Celtics seem to be making a run at it.

Old or Experienced?
The Spurs have tiptoed the line between old and experience for three or four years now. The front office has remained steadfast in their belief that the roster wasn’t too old. And as it turned out last year, the front office was correct.

I think this is more to the point. With Horry and Barry injured much of the year and not really playoff ready, the Spurs weren't able to be consistent. In the playoffs, the Spurs have been leaning on Finley and Udoka with mixed results, and Horry and Barry haven't been able to help much.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Regular Season Effort Level
The Spurs have coasted through the last few regular seasons. They haven’t gone all out to secure homecourt advantage in years. However, that strategy might have to be looked at again if the Spurs end up losing Game 7.

Against the Hornets, the Spurs would be a shoo-in for the Western Conference Finals if they had homecourt advantage. If the Spurs saw firsthand how homecourt advantage can mean the difference between an early vacation and a shot at the championship, San Antonio may have to abandon their current regular season ways.

If you look at their recent history, you can’t really blame the Spurs for not caring about homecourt advantage. In 2006, 2004 and 2001, the Spurs had homecourt advantage and it ended up not being a factor. The Spurs didn’t have homecourt advantage in 2002 but the Spurs were better on the road in the playoffs that year. Homecourt advantage hasn’t really mattered since 1998 – and even that year the Spurs won in the first round despite starting the series on the road.

Old or Experienced?
The Spurs have tiptoed the line between old and experience for three or four years now. The front office has remained steadfast in their belief that the roster wasn’t too old. And as it turned out last year, the front office was correct.

But if the Spurs lose to the Hornets, it’d be very possible that the imaginary line would have been crossed. In 2004, the Spurs could point to .4 as the reason why they lost – not age. In 2006, the Spurs could point to the unfortunate whistle and poor matchup – not age. Against the Hornets, there would really be nothing blame it on. The Hornets have already blown out the Spurs five times this season. There would be nothing unlucky or flukish about dropping this series.

The Spurs’ only real recourse to a loss to the Hornets would be to reload. That’d mean waiving goodbye to the older pieces. Robert Horry, Bruce Bowen, Brent Barry, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley and Jacque Vaughn would be the ones put under the microscope. If the Spurs win Game 7, the Spurs could ultimately decide to keep the squad together for another run next year.

Playoff Confidence
When the Spurs find themselves in tough spots in the playoffs, they can usually point to a prior experience as evidence that all hope isn’t lost. But the Spurs have never recovered from losing the first two games of the series. The Spurs have never recovered from being down 2-3 in a series.

If the Spurs can win this series, the Spurs would become just about as playoff tested as possible. No matter what trouble the Spurs would find themselves in the future, they’d have the experience and the knowledge to fight their way out of the hole.

On the other hand, if the Spurs lose, they’d have to start wondering about their playoff toughness. The Spurs would have lost two consecutive Game 7’s where they entered the series as the favorites. Instead of being confident in big games, the Spurs may begin to wonder why they’ve struggled against beatable teams in win or go home situations.

The Repeating Window
The lone remaining negative aspect the media can point to when discussing this era of Spurs basketball is the fact that the Spurs haven't won two straight les. Truthfully, I don’t care too much about the criticism. To try to belittle the four championships the Spurs have won because they haven’t come in back-to-back years is laughable.

That said, if the Spurs don’t repeat as champions this year, the window to do so may be all but closed. Not only is the core getting older, there are a lot of young teams that are rapidly improving. While I do think the Spurs have three or four years of high level play remaining (barring injury), it’d be extremely difficult to imagine the team repeating at some point in the future.









Get this win.

1.

Believe.

I disagree with that. If our front offfice can do what they've been doing over the last 10 or so years, which is draft amazingly and sign talent for cheap then we'll be in perfect shape and be right there competing for a ring like we always are.

We're due for another Stephen Jackson, Ginobili, or Parker type of player that takes us all by surprise by becoming a key player on our team.

[GrandeDavid]

Just win the fuggin game tomorrow, sons.

[Trainwreck2100]

Don't play like a damn CYO team for 12 minutes, play the entire game

[SenorSpur]

The lack of aggressiveness by the FO in locking up Stephen Jackson is their one fatal flaw in recent years. We would have beaten the '04 Lakers and '06 Mavs with him. That's not to say we wouldn't have fallen in later rounds but seriously, think about it.

'04 would have been T'Wolves and then Pistons
'06 would have been PHOENIX and MIAMI

The 2006 elimination hurts the most because that was the Spurs best shot at repeating. ing Phoenix and Miami.

At this point I would actually try to get him back, since it's obvious to everyone that the Warriors are a Phoenix Suns imitation and their roster is only good for things like eliminating the soft Dallas Mavericks in the first round. Please come home, SJax.

Couldn't agree more. This was, by far, the FO most ill-advised decision. This guy was an absolute killer and gave the offense the needed jolt when it bogged down. Not to mention, he was a good defender. Wanna know why it was so costly? Because they've not been able to replace him since he left town. Sure they've tried, but those brought in after him didn't have the mentality, ability or skill.

The FO's second costly was passing on Josh Howard. Had they drafted him, it would've stopped some of the bleeding from the SJax departure.

[easjer]

I completely disagree with the SJax love. He was streaky with an at ude and he wanted more money than he was worth at that time. Additionally, should SJax have remained, I am not convinced that Manu would have developed into the player he is now. I will never forget SJax's at ude during the 2003 playoffs, throwing towels and cursing and sulking when he was pulled in favor of Manu after a couple of bad offensive streaks.

That is besides the point though. Regardless of whatever else happens tomorrow night - whether we are celebrating or not - the worst of the Spurs have been exposed by this season. There are problems and they need to be addressed. They gambled this year that experience would carry them through and to some degree it did - but it's not going to be enough. Even if they miraculously win, swept the Lakers and then dominated on whoever comes from the East - there are problems that have been exposed which MUST be addressed this offseason.

[DDS4]

Two things the Spurs haven't accomplished yet but can this year, and probably this year only.

1) Win a series when down 0-2. The Spurs have always been a good front running team when ahead, not so good when behind.

2) Repeat championship.

[foodie2]

Get rid of Bruce Bowen??? Are you CRAZY???

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I Think the Big 3 still have a 3 year window playing at a high level together, so we have to rebuild on the fly while keeping the team compe ive. You can't just dump 8 players and expect the team to be any good, so it's a matter of bringing in 4-5 young players while retaining a core (TD/TP/Manu/Bruce/KT/Oberto/JV/Barry/Ime) who can win 50 games by themselves.

For next year, let Fin, Rob and Damon go.

We have KT's Bird rights and thus can go over the cap to sign him - do so for 3-5 mil for 2-3 years. He's been great even though he's new to the system and we need a tough big. I can see him resigning here because he obviously fits in and wants to win.

Bring in Mahinmi and Splitter (hopefully - if he signs in Europe again he's a moron).

Use MLE/draft to bring in two young swingmen and a PG. James Jones would be a great start.

[braeden0613]

Everything is at stake for Game 7. If they ing lose I'll commit suicide.

amen...ill be there too...life sucks for weeks after the spurs lose in the playoffs

[weebo]

You know, when you put it that way, I'm not seeing the downside to losing.

I think they are too old. If the line wasn't crossed this year, it was dangerously trod upon, and they should be looking to reload with younger talent regardless. Much love and thanks to Horry, Finley, Vaughn and Barry - but I'd not cry for a moment if three of those four didn't return. And in this case, younger doesn't need to mean early twenties. Late 20s and early 30s are younger for these Spurs.

They don't need to overextend their effort in the regular season and go balls out, but more effort would not be amiss, and hopefully they see that regardless. They should be good enough that HCA doesn't matter, and until this series, I argued they were. But winning just one or two more games would have made a tremendous difference in the context of this series, and should they be lucky enough to escape, the next. To let that go because Tim Duncan was bored with the regular season or because Pop wanted to mash things up for fun - that's quickly becoming inexcusable. The gap that was there a couple of years ago is GONE. They need to wake up to that fact.

All year they lost to teams they shouldn't have lost to and didn't hold their own against good teams. That needs to improve - they should have more pride, but pride aside - they get paid enough that they should make themselves care a little more. After all - the fans pay for those seats or for that LP all season long.

If some of this stuff changes as a result of losing the series - well, that's not a bad thing, in short. If winning this series means they think the status quo is ok -- well that spells larger problems for this organization and team, imo. I hope this stuff gets re-examined regardless.

The biggest problem for the Spurs has been mental mistakes and weakness. They expected things to be easier and forgot to hustle. They fell back on old gameplans that weren't working and refused to try until their backs were against the wall. They are the best team in the league when they play to their potential - if they play to their potential and lose, I can live with that. It sucks, but somedays they are going to be outplayed. But to lose as they've lost in this series- settling for bad shots, indecision, turnovers, conceding rebounds and lost balls, begging for calls. It's disgusting. That is not Spurs basketball. That needs to change.

I hope they draw on their experience and make it count now. I hope they have some pride and that it takes them through. I hope they beat the out of NO in their arena and make a statement that they are still here and still have to be dealt with.

I believe in the Spurs - they can get it if they want it.

Great post!

[SPARKY]

The Spurs wanted Jack to take the Bowen plan but he was too young and too talented to do so. He and/or his agent was correct and it paid off for him.

It's hard to argue with having an aged/experienced supporting cast here 4 championships after the fact. I remember back in '03 thinking that Horry had maybe 2 seasons left in him. The assumption that youth is preferable flies in the face of the four trophies which grace the Southwestern Bel...er, at&t Center's entrance.

Though where youth becomes an issue is in the missed opportunities to groom youth into experienced role players because youth was lost due to monetary concerns. But that's the way it is.

I believe things are largely set for the Spurs over the next two seasons. The team will continue in its same basic form through the 2009-10 season. Relatively minor changes may rest on the outcome of the game tomorrow night. Do the Spurs re-sign Thomas this summer? Do the Spurs move a small contract? Do they go domestic instead of foreign with June's 1st round pick?

If they do read the league as becoming more "athletic" then we might see Mahinmi cracking the rotation at the start of next season.

What's at stake tomorrow night, of course, is another step towards bringing home a 5th championship.

[timvp]

Robert Horry, Bruce Bowen, Brent Barry, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley and Jacque Vaughn would be the ones put under the microscope.

I'm not sure how people interpreted this sentence to mean that I want the team to get rid of Bruce Bowen. Of course you bring Bowen back. However, if the Spurs lose, you have to take a look at him and see if it's time to cut back his minutes a little bit or to let him just keep playing at his current workload.

[ClingingMars]

I'm not sure how people interpreted this sentence to mean that I want the team to get rid of Bruce Bowen. Of course you bring Bowen back. However, if the Spurs lose, you have to take a look at him and see if it's time to cut back his minutes a little bit or to let him just keep playing at his current workload.

as long as he keeps his fitness level at where it currently is, i don't think his minutes should be reduced at all, unless we're facing a team without a outstanding perimeter player.

- Mars

[timvp]

First: there is no "repeat" pressure on the Spurs. They go out and try to win the le every year. It's only a statistical oddity that it's happened in the pattern it has.

Did I say there was repeat pressure? Did I even say that the Spurs care one way or another?

Second: the Spurs are exactly correct in their approach to the regular season vs. the playoffs. And what is this "shoo-in if they had HCA" deal? If they had HCA it would probably still be 3-3 and going to a game 7 in San Antonio. That's hardly a shoo-in.

Uh, yeah that'd be an easy win for the Spurs. Have you watched the three home games in this series?

Third: You are talking as if the Spurs had already lost the series!

I gave both sides in all four scenarios. Read it again to comprehend or scroll.

Thanks.

[LakerLanny]

What's at stake?

A beatdown by the Lakers to the winner!

[timvp]

You know, when you put it that way, I'm not seeing the downside to losing.

I'll have to disagree with this.

While I'm all for getting younger, I just don't see the players in this year's free agent crop that will make that possible. Most notably, it'd be extremely hard to rebuild the swingman rotation via free agency -- or even through the draft. The next two summers are better in terms of being able to reload. So if the Spurs lose this year, they'll either have a lame duck year where they are forced to bring back old vets or will have to roll the dice on a few players who are only partial fits.

And while it'd be nice if the Spurs tried harder during the regular season, I think it'd be a major advantage for them if they could continue in their coast mode. We've already seen some wear and tear this year because the Spurs actually had to try harder this year in the regular season than the previous few seasons. The Big Three aging combined with more emphasis placed on the regular season sounds like a bad combination.

Game 7 tomorrow is a fork in the road. If the Spurs win, they can probably feel pretty good about themselves no matter how the seasons ends and head into '08-09 with minor tweaks. If they lose, there may be a sense that major tweaks are necessary -- however major tweaks this summer will be difficult.

The plan heading into the playoffs was to keep this team somewhat intact until the summer of 2010 and then rebuild it. Obviously some players would have to be replaced between now and 2010 no matter what happened in the playoffs (*cough* Horry & Finley *cough*) but to accelerate the 2010 plan would be tricky and might end up doing more bad than good.







Just get this damn win, basically.