Satisfied...

[jeffdrums22]

Actually, I think most of the concern about the Spurs season -- and their playoff prospects -- has less to do with losing to bad teams than it does with the following numbers:

1-2
1-1
1-2
1-2
1-2

Those are, of course, the Spurs records against Dallas, Phoenix, Utah, Houston, and the Lakers. Complaints about losing to bad teams are one thing; complaints and concerns arising from the fact that the Spurs are 5-9 against the other top 6 teams in the West (Spurs excluded, of course) is far more substantial. I don't know that beating bad teams will end up turning those far more important numbers around.

I'd be far more "satisifed" to use your word, if the 5 game winning streak had come against Dallas, Phoenix, Utah, Houston and the Lakers.

If that is true, how come the Phoenix Suns aren't considered to be a struggling team? They are 1-7 vs Dallas, San Antonio, Lakers, and Utah. Houston is not a factor in that record, because they are not good enough, I don't know why people keep throwing them in the top teams category.

[jeffdrums22]

Sure, but Howard's snub was widely decried by those who actually watch the games as a glaring omission on the part of the Western coaches. And I'm convinced that the West coaches, on the whole, would have put Josh Howard in the top 12 among West players at the break. You can try to put him down as a replacement All-Star, but the fact is that he was an All-Star, and he's played like an All-Star. You'd have to be completely oblivious to what's going on in the NBA to think that Josh Howard was anything other than a deserving All-Star this season.

I also have no idea what you mean when you say that "most of us outside of Dallas didn't know who he was before the Spurs series." You might not have known who he was, but I'd be willing to guarantee you that "most of us" who've posted around here for the last few years have known all about Josh Howard since the days before he entered the NBA. "Most of us" have understood that he's got the game to be a difference maker (read: All-Star) on teams that have legitimate le chances.

That you're myopic when it comes to player evaluation doesn't make your view that of the majority. You've made it quite evident around here that watching games -- particularly games that don't involve the Spurs -- is not a priority to you when it comes to assessments of players. I wouldn't think that such an approach would be shared by the majority of basketball fans.



So Josh Howard made a terrible mistake in an important moment of a key game and you're convinced that he'll never be anything more than that? In that case, I'd hate to hear what you think of Manu Ginobili.

The reason it's not the same with Manu is different: The Spurs wouldn't have been up by 3 in the closing minute if it wasn't for Manu in the first place.

[jeffdrums22]

You are really setting yourself up for a HUGE dissapointment. Go ahead and have false hope that you can beat us or the Suns for that matter. The fact remains it will be Mavs/Suns 2007 WCF. The west comes down to those 2. No one else!

False hope? Is using that phrase your way of trying to pretend that SA has just gone away and Dallas won't have to deal with them in the playoffs? Will our disappointment be more huge than Dallas' disappointment in the Finals last year? There's one difference between SA and Dallas:

SA knows that they have to show up and play, that the league doesn't owe them anything. Dallas thought going into the Finals, that the league owed them the championship, and they stopped playing, and choked, and went back into their playoff softness.

[BUMP]

i think the sleeper team in the playoffs is Utah.

they beat us by 31, waxed San Antonion twice, and are 3-0 against the Suns. they remind of me of us last year. we didnt have the best record, but we flew a little bit under the radar and we were able to beat all the quality teams.

they are physical, they take good shots, if Boozer is able to give them enough inside, i would pick them to emerge out of the West behind Dallas

[stretch]

What is stupid is saying a win doesn't count because the team wasn't playing together. It was a statement for us, to beat the Mavs on the road opening night. That is a tough game.

im not saying a win doesnt count. a win is a win. but that was not a statement at all. the first game of the season is just that... the first game of the season... and nothing more. but it doesnt mean a thing at all at this moment, does it?

[td4mvp21]

im not saying a win doesnt count. a win is a win. but that was not a statement at all. the first game of the season is just that... the first game of the season... and nothing more. but it doesnt mean a thing at all at this moment, does it?

I guess not, I just think it was important that we won that game at the time. Now I guess it doesn't because we lost two in a row to you guys. Oh well.

[stretch]

i think the sleeper team in the playoffs is Utah.

they beat us by 31, waxed San Antonion twice, and are 3-0 against the Suns. they remind of me of us last year. we didnt have the best record, but we flew a little bit under the radar and we were able to beat all the quality teams.

they are physical, they take good shots, if Boozer is able to give them enough inside, i would pick them to emerge out of the West behind Dallas

no way. they have no playoff experience, and sometimes they play stupid as . they have a good team, but they are nowhere near the mental level that they need to be at to win in the playoffs. the Mavs, Spurs, Suns, Lakers, and Rockets are all going to finish ahead of the Jazz. i see the Jazz having a very disappointing first round exit against Houston or LA, in 5 games.

[jeffdrums22]

Houston and LA are non-factors in the West playoffs. Period. Everyone knows the West semifinals will be Dallas vs Utah (potential upset here!), Phoenix vs SA.

[stretch]

Houston and LA are non-factors in the West playoffs. Period. Everyone knows the West semifinals will be Dallas vs Utah (potential upset here!), Phoenix vs SA.

I dont think everyone knows that at all. Utah has no idea how to win in the playoffs. typically, no one ever does good on their first trip to the playoffs. especially a team as young as them, and that plays as stupidly as they do at times.

[jeffdrums22]

I dont think everyone knows that at all. Utah has no idea how to win in the playoffs. typically, no one ever does good on their first trip to the playoffs. especially a team as young as them, and that plays as stupidly as they do at times.

Utah beat Dallas 101-79 earlier on.

[jeffdrums22]

There wasn't much to fix in the first place concerning the Spurs' turning the corner. They have improved 4th quarter play. Look at their losses since January 1, when they were a league-best (or 2nd best, not sure, but one of those) record of 23-8. It's amazing to see how seven of their 10 losses during their bumpy 10-10 stretch, were by 5 points or less:

Cleveland: A 4-point loss, 82-78
Minnesota: A 2-point loss, 103-101
Dallas: A 5-point loss, 90-85
Lakers: A 4-point loss, 100-96
Houston: A 5-point loss, 90-85
Utah: A 4-point loss, 97-93
Orlando: A 2-point loss on a fluke dunk, 106-104

The Phoenix (closer than the outcome), Miami and Chicago losses were the only ones where they really got dominated. Everything else was given away in the 4th.

They've fixed their problem for now at least: 4th quarter play.

If you want to break it down into other stuff (age, athleticism), stuff we've heard all season, go ahead, but it comes down to 4th quarter play.

[leemajors]

can we get jeffdrums a column or blog on the site?

[dknights411]

26 points that could mean anything from 45-11 to 38-18.

Yikes!

[stretch]

Utah beat Dallas 101-79 earlier on.

are you just trying to be dumb or what? what part of "PLAYOFFS" do you not understand?

[DubMcDub]

I guess not, I just think it was important that we won that game at the time. Now I guess it doesn't because we lost two in a row to you guys. Oh well.

But that's exactly correct. The most recent trend is the one that sticks out in all the fans' minds. That first game would actually still be important if the Spurs had won the next two, because it would be part of the current trend. But it's a bit odd for that guy to claim a "statement" game that was followed by 2 losses to that particular team.

[DubMcDub]

Houston and LA are non-factors in the West playoffs. Period. Everyone knows the West semifinals will be Dallas vs Utah (potential upset here!), Phoenix vs SA.

Dude, you predicted a Heat upset over the Mavs thursday, among surely at least 20 other absolutely inane predictions within the past month. Nothing you say regarding what will happen in a future game/series has any validity whatsoever.

[FromWayDowntown]

But that's exactly correct. The most recent trend is the one that sticks out in all the fans' minds. That first game would actually still be important if the Spurs had won the next two, because it would be part of the current trend. But it's a bit odd for that guy to claim a "statement" game that was followed by 2 losses to that particular team.

I'm not sure that I buy an argument that the first game of the season was irrelevant, but that the latter two games are demonstrative of any sort of meaningful trend. If one game is irrelevant, I'd think that all of them would be.

To this point, what we know is that the Spurs and the Mavericks have played 3 close games and that the road team has won all 3 games. To me, that says that the teams remain very compe ive with each other, despite the disparity in regular season records. If the Spurs can get themselves into a series with the Mavericks, I'd think the close games played between the teams would suggest that it's really anybody's series.

[DubMcDub]

I'm not sure that I buy an argument that the first game of the season was irrelevant, but that the latter two games are demonstrative of any sort of meaningful trend. If one game is irrelevant, I'd think that all of them would be.

To this point, what we know is that the Spurs and the Mavericks have played 3 close games and that the road team has won all 3 games. To me, that says that the teams remain very compe ive with each other, despite the disparity in regular season records. If the Spurs can get themselves into a series with the Mavericks, I'd think the close games played between the teams would suggest that it's really anybody's series.

I didn't say irrelevant. I said in the fans' minds, the most recent trend is what's important. Sports fans tend to have extremely short memories.

[FromWayDowntown]

I didn't say irrelevant. I said in the fans' minds, the most recent trend is what's important. Sports fans tend to have extremely short memories.

What difference does it make what fans think?

[jack0fspeed]

It was a disappointment that the coaches didn't vote Howard on to the All-Star team. But the West is pretty stacked at forward.

I've heard it said that the coaches should have voted an extra forward onto the squad instead of 2 backups at Guard (that is, Parker shouldn't have been in versus Howard or Anthony). My recollection is a little fuzzy, but I believe that I heard that from Marc Stein.