We all know the Spurs were NOT the better team last year when compared to the Mavs, Carlisle didn't max out the teams talents. Meanwhile the Spurs were so bent on beating Dallas that they got swept in the 2nd round against a team that EVERYONE knows would of been beating by Dallas. So again who really thinks San Antonio is better than Dallas?? And PLEASE don't say "we picked up tiago"olajuwon" splitter " and "we picked Andersen in the draft"
Until your team accomplishes something other than 1 time Western Conference Finals Champ...you can kindly take a back seat to the teams who have been both been called, Team of the Decade. Oh and San Antonio is better than Dallas and I'll point out why later.
Anyway, point of the thread:
San Antonio will not win the West, and have no shot against the Lakers, OKC, or Dallas. Bring up your history or "team of the decade" garbage. I need something to help me sleep and that might do the trick. Funny how everybody knows Dallas is better than San Antonio except homer Spurs morons. Who are so butthurt about the fact that they will call out Dallas chokes and talk about "team of the decade" LOL
My first response.....so, what is the point? I think everyone, including objective, non homerific Spurs fans, would admit that the Lakers are the better team. And the fact that the Spurs weren't pick to win the West shouldn't surprise or shock anyone, including Spurs fans. The Spurs have been "finished" in the eyes of the prognosticators for years.
They may not be what they once were but I wouldn't necessarily dismiss them. The talent may be older and slower but, barring health and other factors, the championship pedigree is still here. It remains to be seen if the Spurs have enough left to win one more le-right now-I don't see it but game isn't played on paper as they say.
Still, Spurs have earned enough respect that one can never truly count them out.....
Last edited by mytespurs; 08-25-2010 at 01:17 AM.
Pop doesn't need to hold Phil's or anyone's jockstrap for that matter.
Bottom line: both are great coaches and achieved at the highest level-simple as that.
Last edited by mytespurs; 08-25-2010 at 01:41 AM.
IMO, a sensible outcome. While I'm hopeful as a fan, I don't actually think the Spurs are going to win the west at this point.
Dude, I can't disagree with you re: fans resting on honorifics that are no longer apt. That said, just last year the sad-sack team we fielded beat the piss out of your "contender" of a team. And while I'm all about seeing how the games play out, your summer moves -- on paper -- are funny.
What a ing nightmare it must be to be a Dallas fan. Just in and of itself. Worse still is to be so myopic and cons utionally butthurt you have to come upstairs to brag about a 1 in 50 chance of winning the West based on the keen minds of a channel that has counted Tom Tollbert and Steven A Smith as basketball experts.
Possibly the most ignorant post ever??? Son..if you haven't been paying attention, things have not gone well for your boys this past decade.
Oh, I'm sure Dallas has accomplished a lot as well....
Are you trying to weaken the chemistry strength that Pop tries to weave with good guys or at least, guys that understand "Team 1st". For certain, J.R. Smith cares not for anything written by Jacob Riis and in Iverson's defense, I know he's heard about Riis at least, but he too, would have a difficutl time with implementation. Overt Ego isn't a quality that's appreciated in San Antonio, internal for ude is and when push comes to shove, both players you mentioned have shriveled up when it counted most.
The perception of 1 national 4-letter network whose first letter stands for Entertainment isn't one that REAL basketball fans care about. Any credibility they may have had went out the window when they went all-in with "The Decision." It's credibility they are trying to get back but really...who are they tring to kid?No way voters decide, just pointing out the expectations. And its different when one idiot writer says it about SA, that none of the writers believe SA wins the West.
Let's see, Yao is coming back after taking a full season off from complicated surgery, while he's expected to play, it will take quite some time for him to reach those All-Star levels of play. Combined that with the fact that they run one 7 footer, a then Scola at 6'9 and Hayes at 6'8 and then they're actually smaller than the Spurs. They can run lumbering Brad Miller out there. or the inexperienced Jordan Hill for size but that's a lot of pieces for Adelman to get together. They have pieces but the cohesiveness is a question.I see the reason for some Dallas love because Chandler and Haywood have some size. Houston banking on Yao playing a full season and Houston to stay physical on D. OKC votes are just about falling for the hype.
Dallas can talk about all the size they want, when it gets down to it, because neither Chandler or Haywood have a post game that you can go to again and again like the Spurs do with Duncan, the LAL with Gasol, or the C's with Garnett. It's not just post up ability either, it's basketball intelligence, in which, each player knows whether to shoot or pass. Those Dallas guys don't have that kind of game. While Dirk may have a good post game, he shies away from it in favor of his outside range. About OKC, their youth and athleticism is their strongpoint. DFish has a tough time guarding a quick penetrating PG. Westbrook, like TP can attack and has a good jump shot. OKC, had the 1st time playoff jitter, it's a growth process and I think that Sam Presti is licking his chops for another chance at the LAL. They have youth, they have depth at all key positions, and while they don't have strong bigs, the ones they do have play their roles well. I look for Ibaka to be even more of a disruptor, a kind of this generation's version of Marvin Webster.
Everyone knows that season is too long. Pat Riley thinks a 70 game schedule would make the league a better product. BUt since it's still 82 I point out the following about the LAL. Kobe has more mileage on his body than anyone in the league since he came in. You guys make it seem like the status quo can continue whereas we all watched in game 7, that his prestigous offensive game left him when it was most needed. If not for the unintended offense of Ron Artest, the C's would be celebrating yet another defeat of the LAL. It's amazing, the crazy one saved LA. Bynum is coming off yet another knee surgery, and even Kobe had knee surgery and still has shooting hand issues. So it's not like there aren't uncertainties in LA. Let's add Lamar playing World Championships after his 3rd long NBA season in a row, and Fish getting older and it's a question of can they keep it together for a 2nd 3-peat? It's not a foregone conclusion, is it?SA would have a much better chance it if the reg season was much shorter, had more days off, and they could guarantee as much as possible that Duncan, Manu, and Parker were healthy.
But the NBA is a marathon. Pop should rotate one of those guys each to sit an entire month from Jan-March, with all off the last couple weeks of April for them to be as healthy as possible to get through the playoffs.
CHEMISTRY is their edge. They've always won when everyone believed in the Team concept and fought tooth and nail to adhere to it. When the injuries happened in 2008, the rest of the guys saw Ma with no Nu, he played his heart out on 1 leg but no way, can they win without him. In 2009, No Manu at all and te Spurs get dumped on. In 2010, they have Manu, and TP has an up and down injury year plagued by Plantar Fascitis. They become the 1st ever 7 seed to beat a 2 seed but when Phx came in, those other key guys that seemed so solid in the regular season, wilted under the pressure of a Nash-led attack. Without Bowen, The Spurs had gone away from the defensive concepts that have won it for them. It's mostly due to personnel issues but much of those have been addressed. Pop needs a 7 foot banger with skill at both sides of the court, RC got Tiago. He needed to have a 2nd wing player with size who isn't afraid to shoot or attack, RC gets him a Big 12 Player of the Year in Anderson. The continued development of Hill & Blair continues to plague GM's the league over who asks themselves,"Why didn't we pick either of those guys up?"LA also is notorious for playing down to their compe ion. They didn't respect OKC or Houston without Yao - that's also a factor to why the series were close.
And the biggest reason for seeing why SA won't get hot late is the same reason you mentioned 2008. Considering 08, 09, and 10, SA's only shot is if they're healthy is getting them in the 1st round. But even then, LA won't take them lightly like they did OKC.
Also, OKC had an athleticism edge, Houston had a physicality edge. No team is more physical than LA anymore and no way SA is more athletic. What's the Spurs edge on LA? I don't see one.
Toss out Caracter and Ebanks, we all know that PJax doesn't play rookies all that much. No one ever said Ginobili is better than Bryant, Spurs fans have said that what Ginobili does fits the Spurs so well, that Bryant couldn't fit any better. Duncan is even with Gasol, that's the truth and while Bynum has some strong moments, his play then reverts back to inconsistency. LA has a slight edge Inside, with youth and playoff experience being key. In depth, there are key pieces for both teams. Blake is a solid back-up with good range. His resume doesn't include anywhere that he's a strong, fast defender. So he'll encounter the same issues that DFish has when matched up against the likes of Parker, Westbrook, Paul, & Brooks. Barnes is gritty and doesn't backdown from anything, but like J.R. Smith, is a study in why being amental midget doesn't help you even if you have serious game. In coaching? While Phil has lots more rings, Pop has all the respect. Anyone who's watched this game intently has noticed that Phil only wins when he has at least 2 ALL-NBA Players playing for him at the same time. Pop has only had just Tim in his championship years. And has credit for being coaching the only player to where a team has changed completely around from 1 championship to the last. Duncan is the lone constant. For Bryant, he has DFish as his co-constant. No one ever says that Phil is a better coach, they always say that Phil has better players. It's not like Phil never loses. He has, and as such, the possibility exists that he can lose again. In championship experience? They've both gone multiple times. They've both played game 7's. So LA has won 1 more le, and also lost in the Finals. Does it really mean anything? When all is said in done, the NBA is stil a league where what have you done for me lately is all that matters. If you use the term, "On and On..." You make it seem like the advantages are so copious, that other teams shouldn't just compete. Utter Bull . When it gets down to it, this is a boxing match. Styles make great fights. Let's see if LA's style can continue to rule the West. I'm thinking that other team's will find a way to exploit a crack in this perceived armor of invincibility. Perception isn't reality, but most people are too lazy to search for the truth.The Lakers always respect SA. Guys like Phil, Kobe, Fisher won't ever take them lightly so I don't worry about that.
SA is younger? At what impact positions? PG with Hill is it and he's not beating LA. And as a whole, SA is hardly athletic, whereas OKC is across the board.
LA has the edge inside, in depth, in coaching, in championship experience, in perimeter defense, and on and on....
And right now, Bryant is clearly better than Ginobili and unless Duncan found the fountain of youth, Gasol is better than him, maybe even Bynum.
Also as for SA being younger - I'm OK with LA's age - in their rotation, most are 30 - right when a player is in NBA prime. Physical may demise but IQ more than makes up for it.
But LA has youth as well. Bynum (22) and Brown (24) are key and Caracter (22) and Ebanks (20) are coming up
See Personnel issues addressed above! I will add that Bynum himself says that it's not the tall guys that give him trouble, it's the smaller bigs with strong powerful bases that get him in the legs that give him the most trouble. Enter an improved DeJuan Blair.Agreed athleticism isn't everything. Its just one of LA's weaknesses, although it hasn't beaten them in a series. Physical play has - that's why Boston has hung with them. But that's not SA's style anymore.
San Antonio seems to have added that same kind of depth. The kind of depth of that let's Pop sit some key guys for rest. When it gets down to it, the game is such that the playoffs are what matters most so minute management is key. Pop rested the OG BIg Three against Denver on National TV. As long as Pop is getting his teaching lesson on to the new guys, then it's a success win or lose regular season, with a possible bigger payout during the playoffs. For LA, there isn't a backup Bean. Many LAL fans I know can't wait for Vujacic's contract to expire. While there is lots of depth in the Bigs for LA, that same kind of depth isn't there for the small forwards and shooting guard. As constructed, the LAL has Vujacic, Matt Barnes, and Shannon Brown as Bean's backup. None of those guys warrant the kind of attention that Bean gets.Agreed but it helps LA to get there. Kobe and Gasol won't have to log heavy minutes and LA still will have the top seed.
I assume you mean that Odom is the 3rd of the 4? That statement held true with the Spurs last season. Matt Bonner's contributions won't be relied upon as heavily as it was in playoff's past. Splitter coming in doesn't need to be an All-star. I remember way back when, after Ginobili signed with San Antonio, that so many people said he can't help the Spurs, that he was a Euro, that his game wouldn't transfer well to the NBA. Then we all saw that Ginobil had some serious game, game that ranks him top 5 annually among all SG's, some say that when he's on a roll, he approaches Bean level. That's amazing for a guy who plays far less minutes. In terms of effectiveness in minutes played, no one does what Ginobili does. So what does that mean for Splitter? It means, let's give him time to play and see how he progresses. You say barring Splitter being an All-star...why does that matter? Did Ginobili need to be an All-Star to stop LA from getting Cuatrow? Nope, he only had to be All-Rookie 2nd team. Curious, DeJuan Blair was All-Rookie 2nd team as well. If Splitter gets there, that means he is contributing. And contribiting means he's making a mark on the league. If his game in any way is as respected as Scola's when he first came, the Spurs would be elated.Add Splitter to the mix and SA now has 2 real inside players to combat the 3 from LA. And yes, normally Duncan is better than Bynum, although Bynum has played him well at times. But Gasol would be the best big man in that series and barring Splitter coming in like an All-Star, LA will have 3 of the top 4 big men in a halfcourt series. That's huge.
Both teams has age, experience, and some semblance of advantage whether it be speed or size or tenacity or whatever...It's about styles and we have yet to see each team implement their style with all these new pieces.Agreed on neither team can claim youth - that was a remark to someone acting as if SA had an edge.
I've addressed Phil's penchant to win les when he has 2 All-NBA players playing for him at the same time. When he's been held to just 1...no les. Not 1. IT doesn't mean that Phil isn't a good coach. He has the most rings true, but again, even with less rings, Pop has just as much respect. But having said that, Pop doesn't give a if all the world believes that Phil is better. When it gets down to it, all that is you can't control, so just go out there and play as hard as you can and defend like and share the ball and let's see what happens in the end. Does it really need to be pointed out that Phil isn't undefeated? Saying that Phil has 11 rings is like you guys hating the fact that Boston has more les than your team does...so what do you do about it? You go out and try to get 1 back. Are we talking whole teams that have done it? Okay...how many rings does Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum, Shannon Brown, Luke Walton, and Sasha Vujajic have? For all that you've spoken about, Those guys listed have just 1 ring a piece. Throw out Kobe & DFish's rings and 1 is all that you got. Duncan, Parker, & Ginobili have multiple les together. Reality, they've been through the wars together and as the Generals of the Spurs, they've been tasked with leading their charges against the Purple and Gold Horde. That's war right there. Win or lose, a battle will take place.Yes, Phil has won on a whole other level than Pop. 11 to 4. Three three-peats and going for his fourth compared to a coach who never has won back-to-back. Pop is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history and he can't hold Phil's jock strap. No one but Red can and even Phil has topped him.
As for championship experience - its one thing for leaders of a team to have done it, its another when almost the entire team has been through the wars together.
I addressed Duncan vs Bynum above.
No, it's not the same. Because no one in San Antonio had to have off-season surgery like Bryant and Bynum did, nor is playing in the Worlds after a very lengthy NBA season, like Odom is. Yeah Splitter is playing for Brazil, but the ACB and Euroleague schedule is much shorter than the NBA's.Highly unlikely that Duncan is the best big in a LA series because come playoff time he won't have it in the tank. The past 3 years he hasn't had it more than early in the Dallas series.
If we're to assume SA will be healthy in the series, we all have to assume LA will be - something they were not in the playoffs last year. Kobe, Bynum, Artest, LO - all were battling injuries.
Throw out all your vaunted LAL can't be beat and I'll give Spurs fans some ammo to fight back. This is the duality theory in effect. There can be no light without darkness, no war without peace, and no hate without love. Expect a battle...it's coming. There are certainly no guarantees in this world.
That's just the thing though...barring injury, San Antonio has absolutely no chance of beating LA 4 out of 7 times. Please stop with the "people have been saying we're over the hill for years now," argument. Guess what? THEY'RE RIGHT...San Antonio--although younger than in years past--STILL has 2/3 most important pieces on the downside of their careers (Duncan especially). The Spurs can't defend like they used to, they're slow, they have no reliable outside shooters other than Manu, and they're frail. LA is aging and has injuries of their own no doubt, but not to the level of SA.
It's highly unlikely, but to say it's impossible for the Spurs to beat L.A in a series is re ed.
What's so hard about accepting that we split the season series last year when our team was markedly worse than it is now? I'm not saying we're going to necessarily beat the Lakers down with this squad, but behaving as though it wouldn't be a much more compe ive series than OKC or the Suns seems disingenuous.
By the by -- nice avatar.
I'd lean further from highly unlikely and closer to impossible.
Right. How many times has Jason Terry and Josh Howard played like HOF's against the Spurs and then, didn't play worth a damn against other compe ion? Dirk Nowtizki plays tough and arrogant against the Spurs but, against other teams in the PO's, he dissappears and everyone calls him soft. The Mavs-Spurs rivalry is similar to the Colts-Chargers rivalry, the Colts are one of the most respected teams in the league, and have a decade of excellence. The Chargers on the other hand, are playoff underachievers and they are built to beat one team, the Colts.
I've said this multiple times before, the Mavs don't have the same matchup advantage over the Spurs that they had in 2006. The Mavs had five players who could attack their matchup off the dribble in Harris, young Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Stackhouse, and Nowtizki. Now the only players who can attack their matchup is Butler and Nowitzki. But their problem goes beyond that, they don't have a 2nd tier star on the perimeter, Joe Johnson is an example.
MIB - I should have trusted you would be the one to come back with the strongest post. Thanks.
Understand the philosophy and it has worked in the past. The game has changed however. First it was the Big-2 needed (MJ/Scottie, DRob/Duncan, Shaq/Kobe), the it evolved to needing a top guy and some great guys around him. Now? It's loading up for war - taking risks on character question marks (Artest, Sheed, etc...) because the top teams are so loaded. Can't bring knives to gun fights.
SA already gave up their defensive-first mindset to try and adapt. Why not go all the way to the dark side was my original argument and you answered.
No argument from me about ESPN, however it is still an interesting take.The perception of 1 national 4-letter network whose first letter stands for Entertainment isn't one that REAL basketball fans care about. Any credibility they may have had went out the window when they went all-in with "The Decision." It's credibility they are trying to get back but really...who are they tring to kid?
Agreed on all 3 teams.Let's see, Yao is coming back after taking a full season off from complicated surgery, while he's expected to play, it will take quite some time for him to reach those All-Star levels of play. Combined that with the fact that they run one 7 footer, a then Scola at 6'9 and Hayes at 6'8 and then they're actually smaller than the Spurs. They can run lumbering Brad Miller out there. or the inexperienced Jordan Hill for size but that's a lot of pieces for Adelman to get together. They have pieces but the cohesiveness is a question.
Dallas can talk about all the size they want, when it gets down to it, because neither Chandler or Haywood have a post game that you can go to again and again like the Spurs do with Duncan, the LAL with Gasol, or the C's with Garnett. It's not just post up ability either, it's basketball intelligence, in which, each player knows whether to shoot or pass. Those Dallas guys don't have that kind of game. While Dirk may have a good post game, he shies away from it in favor of his outside range. About OKC, their youth and athleticism is their strongpoint. DFish has a tough time guarding a quick penetrating PG. Westbrook, like TP can attack and has a good jump shot. OKC, had the 1st time playoff jitter, it's a growth process and I think that Sam Presti is licking his chops for another chance at the LAL. They have youth, they have depth at all key positions, and while they don't have strong bigs, the ones they do have play their roles well. I look for Ibaka to be even more of a disruptor, a kind of this generation's version of Marvin Webster.
But the league will never shorten the length. All sports seasons are too long. As for LA - They had bad injury luck last season and still made it. A deeper, steady bench and Kobe/Pau finally taking the summer off makes up for the break needed.Everyone knows that season is too long. Pat Riley thinks a 70 game schedule would make the league a better product. BUt since it's still 82 I point out the following about the LAL. Kobe has more mileage on his body than anyone in the league since he came in. You guys make it seem like the status quo can continue whereas we all watched in game 7, that his prestigous offensive game left him when it was most needed. If not for the unintended offense of Ron Artest, the C's would be celebrating yet another defeat of the LAL. It's amazing, the crazy one saved LA. Bynum is coming off yet another knee surgery, and even Kobe had knee surgery and still has shooting hand issues. So it's not like there aren't uncertainties in LA. Let's add Lamar playing World Championships after his 3rd long NBA season in a row, and Fish getting older and it's a question of can they keep it together for a 2nd 3-peat? It's not a foregone conclusion, is it?
SA does have great chemistry but they don't have it over LA.CHEMISTRY is their edge. They've always won when everyone believed in the Team concept and fought tooth and nail to adhere to it. When the injuries happened in 2008, the rest of the guys saw Ma with no Nu, he played his heart out on 1 leg but no way, can they win without him. In 2009, No Manu at all and te Spurs get dumped on. In 2010, they have Manu, and TP has an up and down injury year plagued by Plantar Fascitis. They become the 1st ever 7 seed to beat a 2 seed but when Phx came in, those other key guys that seemed so solid in the regular season, wilted under the pressure of a Nash-led attack. Without Bowen, The Spurs had gone away from the defensive concepts that have won it for them. It's mostly due to personnel issues but much of those have been addressed. Pop needs a 7 foot banger with skill at both sides of the court, RC got Tiago. He needed to have a 2nd wing player with size who isn't afraid to shoot or attack, RC gets him a Big 12 Player of the Year in Anderson. The continued development of Hill & Blair continues to plague GM's the league over who asks themselves,"Why didn't we pick either of those guys up?"
No one wins without great players. You act as if Parker and Ginobili don't have awards under their belts as well. Fast PGs haven't beat LA in a series yet, nor have they ever beat Phil in a series. And plenty say Phil is a better coach, many can't utter it because he's beaten their team so many times.Toss out Caracter and Ebanks, we all know that PJax doesn't play rookies all that much. No one ever said Ginobili is better than Bryant, Spurs fans have said that what Ginobili does fits the Spurs so well, that Bryant couldn't fit any better. Duncan is even with Gasol, that's the truth and while Bynum has some strong moments, his play then reverts back to inconsistency. LA has a slight edge Inside, with youth and playoff experience being key. In depth, there are key pieces for both teams. Blake is a solid back-up with good range. His resume doesn't include anywhere that he's a strong, fast defender. So he'll encounter the same issues that DFish has when matched up against the likes of Parker, Westbrook, Paul, & Brooks. Barnes is gritty and doesn't backdown from anything, but like J.R. Smith, is a study in why being amental midget doesn't help you even if you have serious game. In coaching? While Phil has lots more rings, Pop has all the respect. Anyone who's watched this game intently has noticed that Phil only wins when he has at least 2 ALL-NBA Players playing for him at the same time. Pop has only had just Tim in his championship years. And has credit for being coaching the only player to where a team has changed completely around from 1 championship to the last. Duncan is the lone constant. For Bryant, he has DFish as his co-constant. No one ever says that Phil is a better coach, they always say that Phil has better players. It's not like Phil never loses. He has, and as such, the possibility exists that he can lose again. In championship experience? They've both gone multiple times. They've both played game 7's. So LA has won 1 more le, and also lost in the Finals. Does it really mean anything? When all is said in done, the NBA is stil a league where what have you done for me lately is all that matters. If you use the term, "On and On..." You make it seem like the advantages are so copious, that other teams shouldn't just compete. Utter Bull . When it gets down to it, this is a boxing match. Styles make great fights. Let's see if LA's style can continue to rule the West. I'm thinking that other team's will find a way to exploit a crack in this perceived armor of invincibility. Perception isn't reality, but most people are too lazy to search for the truth.
A boxing match - sure. Problem for the West is LA can play every style. SA couldn't run with Phx, LA had no trouble doing it. Some teams can't handle physical play, LA punches with the best. A team to beat LA has to have an edge somewhere - I'm not seeing it for SA, why I ask why don't they roll the dice on talent.
For the first time, Bynum is working with the Lakers trainers this summer to increase his core strength. I'm not worried about BlairSee Personnel issues addressed above! I will add that Bynum himself says that it's not the tall guys that give him trouble, it's the smaller bigs with strong powerful bases that get him in the legs that give him the most trouble. Enter an improved DeJuan Blair.
Pop has tried resting the Big 3 for years and they still have ran out of gas. He's going to have to give them multiple weeks off this year.San Antonio seems to have added that same kind of depth. The kind of depth of that let's Pop sit some key guys for rest. When it gets down to it, the game is such that the playoffs are what matters most so minute management is key. Pop rested the OG BIg Three against Denver on National TV. As long as Pop is getting his teaching lesson on to the new guys, then it's a success win or lose regular season, with a possible bigger payout during the playoffs. For LA, there isn't a backup Bean. Many LAL fans I know can't wait for Vujacic's contract to expire. While there is lots of depth in the Bigs for LA, that same kind of depth isn't there for the small forwards and shooting guard. As constructed, the LAL has Vujacic, Matt Barnes, and Shannon Brown as Bean's backup. None of those guys warrant the kind of attention that Bean gets.
Comparing bench players to Kobe is laughable but when Brown was healthy, he did well backing up Kobe. No longer trying to make him a tri PG - he'll be fine in that role. Avg 15.3 on 58% shooting in starting 7 games while Kobe sat, including a high of 27.
The Ginobili bar is a high one to jump. It still took over a year to play NBA ball. And I expect Caracter to be this year's Blair.I assume you mean that Odom is the 3rd of the 4? That statement held true with the Spurs last season. Matt Bonner's contributions won't be relied upon as heavily as it was in playoff's past. Splitter coming in doesn't need to be an All-star. I remember way back when, after Ginobili signed with San Antonio, that so many people said he can't help the Spurs, that he was a Euro, that his game wouldn't transfer well to the NBA. Then we all saw that Ginobil had some serious game, game that ranks him top 5 annually among all SG's, some say that when he's on a roll, he approaches Bean level. That's amazing for a guy who plays far less minutes. In terms of effectiveness in minutes played, no one does what Ginobili does. So what does that mean for Splitter? It means, let's give him time to play and see how he progresses. You say barring Splitter being an All-star...why does that matter? Did Ginobili need to be an All-Star to stop LA from getting Cuatrow? Nope, he only had to be All-Rookie 2nd team. Curious, DeJuan Blair was All-Rookie 2nd team as well. If Splitter gets there, that means he is contributing. And contribiting means he's making a mark on the league. If his game in any way is as respected as Scola's when he first came, the Spurs would be elated.
All those guys except Artes have 2 les, not one. Selective amnesia? They not only have multiple rings but they know how to defend their le.I've addressed Phil's penchant to win les when he has 2 All-NBA players playing for him at the same time. When he's been held to just 1...no les. Not 1. IT doesn't mean that Phil isn't a good coach. He has the most rings true, but again, even with less rings, Pop has just as much respect. But having said that, Pop doesn't give a if all the world believes that Phil is better. When it gets down to it, all that is you can't control, so just go out there and play as hard as you can and defend like and share the ball and let's see what happens in the end. Does it really need to be pointed out that Phil isn't undefeated? Saying that Phil has 11 rings is like you guys hating the fact that Boston has more les than your team does...so what do you do about it? You go out and try to get 1 back. Are we talking whole teams that have done it? Okay...how many rings does Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum, Shannon Brown, Luke Walton, and Sasha Vujajic have? For all that you've spoken about, Those guys listed have just 1 ring a piece. Throw out Kobe & DFish's rings and 1 is all that you got. Duncan, Parker, & Ginobili have multiple les together. Reality, they've been through the wars together and as the Generals of the Spurs, they've been tasked with leading their charges against the Purple and Gold Horde. That's war right there. Win or lose, a battle will take place.
Surgeries were minor - they obviously both played through the injury. They are now resting up for the summer except for LO and Splitter (who didn't he get hurt recently).No, it's not the same. Because no one in San Antonio had to have off-season surgery like Bryant and Bynum did, nor is playing in the Worlds after a very lengthy NBA season, like Odom is. Yeah Splitter is playing for Brazil, but the ACB and Euroleague schedule is much shorter than the NBA's.
Yeah, you're trying. Bigger knives to the gun fight but still blades, not bullets. We'll see if Splitter is one, but besides that....Throw out all your vaunted LAL can't be beat and I'll give Spurs fans some ammo to fight back. This is the duality theory in effect. There can be no light without darkness, no war without peace, and no hate without love. Expect a battle...it's coming. There are certainly no guarantees in this world.
Last edited by 2Cleva; 08-25-2010 at 02:48 PM.
it's funny how we either beat them or tied them in the regular season and the other team we spanked in the playoffs
There was always some re ed media personality picking the Spurs to come out of the West the last couple years for no reason other than EXPERIENCE. At least those days are finally gone.
*kicks dirt on the grave*
the fact that this is a four-page thread, to which LA fans continue to contribute, speaks to the fact that they see SA is a potential threat.
and like i've said, LA really isn't that dominant. i don't know why people act like the team is unbeatable in a series.
the facts:
OKC? Spurs played OKC very well in the season. i don't know what the overall record was, but i know they beat them at least two times. yeah, the same team that "everyone" keeps saying is going to be the potential 2nd best team this year was only labeled such after playing LA in the playoffs and doing very well. and lets wait and see with OKC. since when does having one good season mean that it will extend past that? lets see whether they hit the sophmore slump or not. NOH of a couple years ago, Golden State, the Clippers, Memphis, Philly, all did great one season - and everyone hopped on the train like they do now iwth OKC - that they'd be the best thing since sliced bread, and they were all proven fools. next.
Dallas? Dallas a threat to LA? that's what everyone one of you fools keeps saying. no, especially not after we pummeled them. next.
finally, LA. people don't want to admit it, but the Spurs played LA very well last season, despite both teams suffering from injuries at the time they played. that's right: LA didn't have "their way" with us at all like many re s believe. nothing shows me that they would dominate against us, an if you do believe that, you are making it and it's baseless.
the fact is the Spurs ran into a Suns team that had a scorching stretch five in Frye and no one on the defensive end in terms of bigs to run out and guard him from three. not with Duncan, Blair, or McDyess. this won't be a problem this year (and neither will Phoenix). the Suns also played the Spurs so that RJ was forced to spread the floor, something he wasn't prepared to do; this left the Spurs offense less productive than it could've been otherwise. RJ is going into his second year as a Spurs, historically a year that Spurs players prove their worth. want recent examples: Stephen Jackson and Goerge Hill. maybe he proves his worth, maybe he doesn't; but the Spurs picked up Anderson and Neal to help with spreading the floor. and defense? true, we don't know what twe're getting from our perimiter defense, but our interior defense is even more equiped to deal with LA now that there's Splitter. Spurs will be a much better defensive team this year.
i'm sticking to my guns. while everyone thought the Spurs would lose to Dallas, i stood by SA because i believed they'd win, and they did. i don't give a about what the media thinks. and LA fans who have nothing to bring to the table except excerpts of articles are fools. why not contribute something of your won to the discussion instead of re-hashing what's been said by the media. if you did that, and still came to the same conclusion somehow, i'd stil think you were wrong, but at least i wouldn't think you damn stupid.
No...it was late for me. I just got tired at looking at black and white text. But yeah, 2 les is correct.All those guys except Artest have 2 les, not one. Selective amnesia? They not only have multiple rings but they know how to defend their le.
Oh and can you fix the quote structure? That makes following point and counterpoint easier.
You can bring knives to a gun fight, if you have a tactical advantage, it's possible to win that fight.
I'm not even sure why the rest of the West should even bother showing up for games against the Lakers this coming season -- or even for the season, for that matter. There's absolutely no way on God's green Earth that any team in the conference could conceivably beat them, so there's really not reason to bother playing the games at all. For that matter, you could probably put together an All-Star team comprised of players from non-Lakers teams in the West and that team still couldn't take 4 of 7 from the Lakers. Few teams in the entire history of basketball would be capable of even hanging around with the Lakers and fewer teams still could even realistically dream of beating them.
Just concede all of your games to the Lakers now, West teams!
MIB - yeah, I came back and saw the mess. Fized.
FWD - Not concede, but come stronger. I have to be honest - I'm disappointed SA didn't do more this summer.
What exactly should the Spurs have done this summer to have "come stronger?" Sign Lebron? Trade for Dwight Howard? Assassinate Phil Jackson? Kidnap Joey Crawford?
Kidding aside, I suspect that you'd be sitting here telling me that the Spurs hadn't done enough, no matter what they had done this summer.
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