This putz has been strangely silent today.
I'm sure if Pop put four midgets on the floor with Duncan that it would be the players' fault for not rebounding too.
To act like Pop is blameless for the Spurs losing in the playoffs is just plain ignorant.
Pop gets my gra ude when they win, and I think he deserves to have his decision-making questioned when the Spurs lose. The three les don't place him above making mistakes.
This putz has been strangely silent today.
For me, 2001 is still the worst playoff loss, followed closely by 0.4. I don't remember any playoff series prior to 1990, so I can't comment on anything before then. Also, I lived in Louisiana throughout the 1990s, didn't see any games live, and think I didn't have Internet access until like, 1998. However, here's my list and why they hurt:
1. 2001. Just embarassing, humiliating, whatever. I had such high expectations, as did everyone else. The Spurs were supposed to be the team that gave the defending champs a run for their money. Instead. . . well, you all remember. They just folded up and died. Horrible.
2. 2004 (0.4). Painful because it came at the hands of the Lakers. Because they had stormed back in Game 5 and it looked like the game was won. Because even after losing Game 5, they were still down only 2-3. The team just gave up in Game 6; they never believed they could come back. The "soft" label seemed deserved.
3. 1995. Another year with high hopes. Great team, WCF Finals, HCA. At least they showed some heart by coming back from 0-2 to win 2 on Houston's floor, but I won't pretend I didn't hope for more.
4. 2006, WCSF. This one hurts, but the team fought hard. They could have given up after being down 1-3, and could have given up in Game 7 after it looked like they would be blown out, but they fought like and almost pulled it off. I can't really ask for more.
For all other non-championship series between 1990 and 2006 that aren't on the list, those were years I either don't clearly recall, which suggests they weren't heartbreaking losses, or I had no real expectation the Spurs would do any better than they did.
That sentence says it all. The Spurs didn't play small ball against Phoenix. Look it up. The Spurs can't run and gun if they are bringing the ball out of bounds every single time up the floor, and if you can't stop a team from scoring, that's what you are doing. Bruce never got any open threes because there were four little guys camped out on the perimeter watching Duncan in the post. The only one that ever got an open look was Parker because everybody knows he won't take the three. Manu was ing huge in winning time, and blaming him for fouling is ridiculous because the Spurs would have lost by 20 points without him.
This year's loss is the worst. No way will history show that the Mavericks are a better team than the Spurs. It's really sad that the Spurs lost a series with healthy players sitting on the bench watching it happen.
Bump.
Now do people see why this was the worst? Spurs would be a huge favorite right about now. The Spurs beat the Suns last year when they were better. The Spurs know how to beat Shaquille O'Neal led teams.
If the Spurs beat the Mavs, they probably drop one game to the Suns and one game to the Heat.
You're right. This was the worst. Spurs had an awesome chance to repeat this season and blew it. I'm still not over the fact that they LOST a Game 7.....at HOME, in OT.![]()
What about that Wade guy?
Bowen could guard him as well as anyone could. I've seen Manu defend him pretty well. Even Parker defended him decently when Wade was more of a point guard.
The Spurs easily handled the Heat in both games this season. The biggest reason is the Spurs can slow down Wade and the Heat have no one to guard the Spurs' backcourt.
It would have been a romp.
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What the are you talking about?!?
Are you saying as long as the Spurs are healthy, they should never lose?
Remind me who was injured in 2004?
I know people hate the Mavs, but give them some goddamn credit. They beat the Spurs. That means, they are better than the Spurs.
Now we can go back and forth with the "what if Manu didn't foul," "what if Bruce hit an open 3", what if the Refs don't screw game 4", what if Tim makes his last shot (or hits a free throw)."
But these "what if's" are ing pointless. This loss is like any other loss to another team: we move on, and win it all next year.
This obsession with repeating has gotten people crazy. You have to have a little luck on your side, and the ball didn't bounce that way for the Spurs this year. Better luck next time.
True. I was one of the guys who just kept expecting the Pistons to "turn it on" at some point in the playoffs, and though they're not officially done yet, it's looking increasingly less likely that they're capable of such a thing. I don't know if it's the "amazing Flip Saunders regular season jump shooting offence", their disappearing defence, or chemistry problems (not to mention the Heat ARE playing pretty well) but with no Detroit in the picture Spurs would've had an amazing shot at repeating. DAMN.
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I disagree with that assessment, I think the 98 WC Semi-Finals against Utah had more to do with the '99 Championship. That elbow Malone through in the regular season that same year and the result of the series, in my opinion, made Popovich realize we needed tougher-minded vets to come in.
It's official. This year was the worst loss of All-Time.
Phoenix and then Miami with homecourt throughout?
Man![]()
I'm talking the about this year's team, and what I'm saying is I've never seen the Spurs lose a series because the coach refused to allow healthy players any minutes. The Spurs had two centers who started 81 of 82 regular season games. They started 2 games in the playoffs, and logged one minute in six consecutive games against the Mavericks. I don't have to give the Mavericks any credit at all, that's the beauty of having an opinion. The Spurs allowed a team to shoot 52 percent and score 119 points on their home floor in game 7 without playing either center a single minute.
yet they lost in ot....had a 3 point lead and shoulda had the game won...thats just the way the ball bounces...you can sound like an einstein in hindsight and criticism... pop knows what his teams are capable and you know its always been about the matchups w/pop...thats what he is....rasho fans were wondering what happened to him last year in the playoff...he lost his starting job to an injury and i assume people would have been ing if the spurs lost why didn't they play rasho...dallas won, they got the calls, they got the matchups they wanted and sa was there. i personally do not believe rasho nor nazr would have made a difference
You people must have something in your life that is more important than Spurs basketball. It's over.
The season ended 3 weeks ago.
Get over it already. Get a job, read a book, get a new hobby. Christ.
You act as if someone close to you has died.
And who cares if it's the worst? Believe me, there will be plenty more "This is the Spurs' worst playoff loss" years ahead.
Let. It. Go.
This year: Spurs let us down at HOME when it counted the most
Embarassing.
i guess thats why you're reading this thread three weeks later...get over it
Tim Duncan made an incredible off-balance game-winning shot...3. 2003-04 WCSF vs. Los Angeles Lakers
.4 sucked. It really sucked. But going into that series, I thought the Lakers were the better team on paper. The Spurs were going to have to play perfect to beat them. As it turns out, they played great the first two games and then folded.
then sec later erased by Fisher's .4 shot
then the Spurs showed up in L.A. with humped shoulders in game 6. As if it was the end of the World and the trophy was already handed with the L.A. Lakers name on it in advance.
But I like the Spurs' spirit in this yr's playoffs. Down 1-3 against the Mavs, still they ended up playing a game 7 and could have won the game if not of the last sec foul error.
there's a lot of hope worth looking forward to next season.
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