Reply With Quote
The next series should be a lot easier, barring a mental letdown.
Phoenix still looms. They won't be easy.
And whoever wins the East will be championship-caliber.
Don't forget - Denver was "the team nobody wants to face in the first round". This was the team that finished the season 25-4. The team that went 19-1 in their last 20 games at home. The team that was scoring over 108 points per game. Their team is loaded with fast, athletic, young stars of the NBA - and they were on a roll.
The Spurs started the series with their super star (Tim Duncan) fresh off of an extended injury, and operating at about 80%; a beat-up all-star (Manu Ginobili) struggling with a groin injury that he hasn't had the luxury of letting heal; their starting center (Rasho Nesterovic) unable to play due to injury; their bench spark-plug (Devin Brown) unable to play due to injury; and a forward (Glenn Robinson) who had played his first game of the season, and his first game with the Spurs, just two weeks earlier. For good measure, you can throw in a rookie backup point guard (Beno Udrih) and a backup F/C (Tony Massenburg) who is about to turn 38 years old and has played for 11 teams in 11 NBA seasons.
On paper it looks like a tough series. In reality, it took a mental collapse at the end of the first half, and an 0-17 shooting drought in the fourth quarter, to allow Denver to squeak out a win in Game 1 and keep it from being a sweep.
If Denver was "the team nobody wanted to face in the playoffs", it's bad news for the rest of the teams that are left. The fact that the Spurs have learned how to win with Tim on the bench is worse news. But the worst news of all is that the Spurs are getting healthier. With all the injuries that came at the end of the year, it's hard not to think "What if?" Every day that passes brings them a little bit closer to full strength. At least three of their players won't be fully healed until the Summer, but they are going to get stronger than they were to begin the playoffs. And they've already manhandled The Team That Nobody Wanted To Face.
The next series should be a lot easier, barring a mental letdown.
Phoenix still looms. They won't be easy.
And whoever wins the East will be championship-caliber.
*tap*tap*tap*
glad my desk is wood.
One series at a time.
This series is for exposing the Nuggets as this year's fakers, lucky not to be swept by the Spurs who went stone-dead cold in one 4th quarter.
But it ain't never over til it's over.
Agree 100% take it one at a time cant get caught up looking ahead yet. We still got business with Denver.
I absolutely agree!!
This series is OVER
Next opponent will be a little tougher, if Seattle comes out of it, like it looks like will be the case, but SA should handle them. The biggest problem for SA will be to keep themselves focused on the task(series) at hand and not look ahead to Phoenix, Dallas or Houston.
I hope Sacto extends their series to a game 6 so SA can get one more day of rest though.
You obviously have not been watching the Sonics play. They will be alot bigger, younger and tougher down low than the nuggets. They will be alot harder to beat.
If you were talking about playing the kings I would agree with your statement but the sonics are about to advance to the 2nd round with a 4-1 series record tonight.
No way Jose does Denver win in SA.
This will not be close on Wednesday.
Jim, you may be right, but I don't think the Spurs are thinking that way. Old school Spurs fans like you don't need to be reminded of the 3-1 lead the Spurs had on the Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals when Doug Moe coached the Spurs. That wound still hasn't scabbed over for some people.
I've watched three games in this series, and I bet Denver, Houston, or Dallas would beat Seattle in a best of seven. Just like I think Denver is the best seven seed in recent memory, I think Seattle is the worst three seed in a while.
I disagree...Denver is a relatively inexperienced, weak team who has been on a lucky roll...They have no answer for Tim Duncan...The compe ion for the Spurs should get tougher as the next round continues...
I think "team noone wanted to face in the 1st round" means that top seeded teams expect the 1st round to be easy, but Nuggets were not easy coming in. Look at those lucky bas s Heat, Pistons, Suns they had easy oponents, not the Spurs. I think 2nd round is gonna be tougher and 3d even tougher. Teams just take it up a notch as they advance.
But first, we have some unfinished business to take care of on Wed.
Seattle starting five:
Luke Ridnour
Ray Allen
Jerome James
Reggie Evans
Rashard Lewis
Denver:
DerMarr Johnson
Andre Miller
Marcus Camby
Carmelo Anthony
Kenyon Martin
You make the call.
Yes Solid, we all remember that. But that team played no D whatsoever.
This team can win games when they can not shoot the ball for long stretches, as all teams do find themselves in those situation from time to time.
The reason is of course, their calling card.....DEFENSE.
The Spurs can flat out hold opponents in check for minutes at a time and even when teams do hit some shots, they have to work theoir asses off in the process and they ened up getting tired later on, as was the case last night....Denver just tuckered out when they needed to come through.
The Spurs are too good, too savy and too well coached to lose on Wednesday.
I would bet my retiremnt account of the Spurs winning the game on Wed....and I would not do that very often.
I have watched the Kings series & Jerome James has teed off on his old team... Adleman is so ticked off at the rough play that he sent videos to the NBA to complain...
Luke Ridnour has stepped up his game...And I hear that Ray Allen is pretty good...
If the Spurs count Game 5 as already won, then they're vulnerable. Teams can be beat while they are asleep.
Otherwise, Denver is coming apart at the seams, and will collapse if the Spurs put any pressure on them in Game 5.
But I still think Denver > Seattle. I mean, who's their tough grizzled playoff veteran leader? Camby at least has seen the Finals, and so has Martin despite his sorry-ass performances there. Sure, Ray Allen looks awesome while the Sacramento defense offers him all the discomfort of a fluffy pillow. What happens when he goes up against a real team with actual defense? So he made the ECF back in the 2001 when that conference had no teams. Big deal.
Seattle is at best the sixth best team in the West bracket. They're just lucky to have drawn the eighth best in Round 1.
Antonio Daniels is their most poised player.
Yeah, so I've heard.I have watched the Kings series & Jerome James has teed off on his old team... Adleman is so ticked off at the rough play that he sent videos to the NBA to complain...
Luke Ridnour has stepped up his game...And I hear that Ray Allen is pretty good...
I just disagree with you. We're very fortunate that the Spurs won two in Denver. This series had all the makings of a six or seven game series, and if SA is lucky enough to get out in five they will ing bulldoze Seattle.
I'm just damn glad that Denver didn't catch Seattle in the last couple of weeks of the season...I would have hated to match up with Denver in the second round after they got a few playoff wins under their belt and a full head of steam...As it is I just hope Spurs can close this damn series out before someone gets hurt.
Seattle >>>>>>>Denver
They got within three games of the Sonics after being something like 18-25 at one point to finish with 49 wins. A second round matchup with these Nuggets would have absolutely sucked.
the sonics are a tough matchup.
rashard lewis = 6'10 triple threat (wish we still had hedo)
ray allen = the shiznits
on the other hand i expect TP and manu to break down the sonics every single time.
the sonics don't have a big shot-altering shot blocking threat so i guess we beat the sonics in 5.
if we play sacramento however we get a sweep
Kenny Smith and the Chuckster was talking about this after the game. The Spurs do not give you uncontested shots. Even if a guy is open, a Spur is going to run over and put a hand in the shooters face. No other team, with the exception of Detroit, does that.Yes Solid, we all remember that. But that team played no D whatsoever.
This team can win games when they can not shoot the ball for long stretches, as all teams do find themselves in those situation from time to time.
The reason is of course, their calling card.....DEFENSE.
The Spurs can flat out hold opponents in check for minutes at a time and even when teams do hit some shots, they have to work theoir asses off in the process and they ened up getting tired later on, as was the case last night....Denver just tuckered out when they needed to come through.
Barkley also made a point about Ray Allen. Allen was not being challenged defensively by Sacramento. The Kings defense was so bad, that Barkley said it looked like Allen was shooting in the gym by himself.
I truly believe that the Spurs (especially the coaching staff)have the experience to close this series out. I think the most important fact is that that the Spurs met a tough first round opponent while nursing some serious late season injuries and forced them to play Spurs basketball. The early loss helped show everybody (especially the new guys) how tough you have to play at this time of year. Other teams are now thinking about how to handle Manu, Tim and even Tony on any given night. I believe the Nuggets were the best dress rehearsal for facing the Suns the Sonics. The fact will remain that the Spurs defense forces teams to play a SA style.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
