Reply With Quote
I thought it was about the Mavs.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/column...PERDiem-090209
Finally, out of the morass, we have a second contender in the Western Conference worthy of the le.
All season long we've watched as one team after another has fumbled the opportunity to pass as a credible rival to the Lakers in the Western Conference. For much of the past two months, no team besides the Lakers has projected to win more than 53 games -- something that six Western clubs did a year ago.
That's all changed of late, thanks to the patented Rodeo Road Trip charge by the San Antonio Spurs. Sunday's 105-99 win in Boston was the Spurs' ninth victory in 11 games, and their ninth out of 10 if you discard the game they tanked to the Nuggets last week. Their only other loss came to the Lakers on the road.
In a league that has been the Big Four and the Little 26 all season, San Antonio has ascended to become the clear No. 5. Today's Power Rankings confirm that -- they're at 103.9, fifth in the league, even with the nolo contendere in Denver. And for the first time in months, a fifth team projects to win at least 55 games, as San Antonio's likely record is 55-27, according to today's Playoff Odds.
Meanwhile, the Spurs' rivals in the West keep finding new and creative ways to stumble. New Orleans, for instance, is without Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler, and probably will be without David West for a game or two as well after his scandalous cheap shot on Minnesota's Mike Miller on Sunday night. (Side note: How is it that nobody from the Timberwolves got in West's face after that?) Even when healthy, the Hornets have hardly looked like contending material.
The list goes on behind them. The Denver Nuggets were all excited about getting Carmelo Anthony back, and celebrated by losing by 44 to the New Jersey Nets. The Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder and nearly followed it up by losing at home to the New York Knicks. The Dallas Mavericks lost Jason Terry just as they were playing well, the Houston Rockets have chemistry and injury issues, and the Phoenix Suns have decided to rebuild around their 35-year-old point guard. Somehow, the Utah Jazz trail all of them.
San Antonio still has five games left on its road trip, but the Spurs are already through the tough part. The final five games are on the road against Eastern Conference teams after the All-Star break, and only one opponent -- the Detroit Pistons -- has a winning record.
It's taken unusually long for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to recalibrate the mix in light of the Spurs' age issues, but now -- with Roger Mason, George Hill and Matt Bonner supplanting Bruce Bowen, Jacque Vaughn and Fabricio Oberto -- San Antonio has begun its annual second-half charge.
And the Spurs still could have another trick up their sleeves. They have no bad contracts and several short-term deals that could be packaged in a trade for another quality big man, so it stands to reason they could be one of the teams taking advantage of the fire sales going on around the league right now.
Add it all up, and one Western team has finally stuck its head out above the eight-team crowd below the Lakers. While San Antonio still has a long way to show it can play at L.A.'s lofty level, we can at least contemplate the possibility of an interesting Western Conference finals. For much of the season, that had seemed highly unlikely.
I thought it was about the Mavs.
Only team better is LA.
For now.
WOW !! What a joke.
Way to get back on the reality band wagon Hollinger. Yes, the team that has 4 Championships in the last 10 years, battled injuries to 2 All Stars in the back court, supplanted role players (still not buying Bruce as an also-ran) and found a way to beat LA and Boston this year, has risen to the contender status.
Forgive us dumb fans that didn't buy in to your theory that we would be fortunate to make the playoffs...Here's a couple of numbers for you: 8 and 6, as in your ass should be 86'ed for writing this unapologetic garbage.
What a nimrod. Glad to see we've climbed to # 5 on the Hollinger scale. Man, this year's le is going to feel great. I guess Marc Stein and soon Charles Barkley will be the only ones saying..."Uh, hey guys....the Spurs are pretty good."
Last edited by tmtcsc; 02-09-2009 at 03:23 PM.
You nailed him. After all his creditability was so demolished and he just now realizes he an idiot for his past predictions?
Welcome back to reality Mr. Hollinger. This isn't about jocking the Spurs but you asinine prediction that the Spurs would not make the playoffs.
Didn't he predict 35 losses and now he's down to 27, I call his bull number system that has nothing to do with sports a waste of time. The article is a joke.
According to Hollinger, the SPurs will finish up the season 21-12.
That's not very likely.
Hollinger and his Sudoku numbers.
This is typical!
I guess this is the only drama the media at ESPN can create about the boring Spurs! Yikes!!
What a .
If you are going to dismiss the Spurs since even before the start of the season and take shots at them throughout the season, you can't suddenly jump on the bandwagon after a few wins. Just a couple days ago he predicted the Spurs to get murdered on the RRT.
I agree 100% I have heard many of my fellow Laker fans dismiss the Spurs due to age or say they are more worried about Hornets or healthy Rockets or Jazz ...
Spurs will be there because of duncan and pop first and foremost ... they are the team i respect the most and the only team that makes me nervous besides the Celts
You heard it here barring HUGE trade it will be the Lakers, Spurs or Celts holding the trophy Cavs magic jazz etc. PRETENDERS!!!
I agree with you Killakobe81!!!
The Lakers and the Celtics are the only two teams I worry about as a Spurs fan!!
Didn't he predict that the spurs would miss the playoffs back in mid-December?
Pathetic
Hey, stop making unbiased sense.
Indeed, Hollinger has systematically been promoting his belief in almost all of the other West playoff teams for weeks while, in each instance, proclaiming that the Spurs' fall was upon us. He's become something of an Iraqi Information Officer in that regard -- the more he claims the Spurs will be vanquished, the more the Spurs come on it seems.
If you are going to dismiss the Spurs since even before the start of the season and take shots at them throughout the season, you can't suddenly jump on the bandwagon after a few wins. Just a couple days ago he predicted the Spurs to get murdered on the RRT.
Look I don't like the heat I take being a Laker fan that has moved to SA ..BUT I always respected the Spurs because of Duncan.
Now in the duncan vs. hakeem debate I argue Hakeem in his prime ...but that is no slam at Duncan
AT PF he is the best i have ever seen
as a big man(center/PF) he is 3rd ...behind Kareem and hakeem but better than Shaq, Ewing and robinson IMHO
Duncan is who deserves most of the props for the 4 les with Pop 2nd followed by Manu, Admiral, Bowen Parker etc.
Until my numbers show it, it isn't so.
-- Hollinger
Hollinger knows the spurs are gonna make a trade. Here comes Brad Miller!
Holinger and Melo gotta have awesome hammies with all their backpedaling.
C'mon now, taking heat for your team is what its all about.
BREAKING NEWS:
Hollinger just sprained a butt cheek hoping back onto the Spurs bandwagon.
......
This guy has got to be the biggest bag in all of sports writers.
Yes he did. The perv may have actually watched a Spurs game or two in the last 50 games and discovered that Roger Mason, George Hill, and Matt Bonner actually play key minutes this year.
JH is a tool.
you guys need to give Hollinger a break..he doesn't watch games, his entire analysis of everything is based on his stats..you just have to let the stats catch up to him, so he can catch up with the rest of us..
Crow...its whats for dinner.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
