Who will advance in compe ive West?
Five writers tackle five questions on the first round of the Western Conference playoffs
ESPN.com
US PresswireTough weekend for the Spurs, Mavs and Nuggets. Will any of these contenders even survive Round 1?
With the Grizzlies outplaying the Spurs, the Thunder steamrolling the Nuggets, the Blazers shocking the Mavs and the Hornets giving the Lakers more than they want, the West seems more wide open than ever.
Here's a fresh look by five writers as we go into Monday night's three Western Conference showdowns:
1. Are the Spurs done?
Mark Haubner, The Painted Area: I actually think the Spurs are OK. They barely lost Game 1 without Manu, and had an uncharacteristically bad shooting night both behind the arc and by Tony Parker on the break in Game 3. San Antonio needs to get better looks on its corner 3s, but it should have enough to get by a formidable Memphis squad.
J.M. Poulard, WarriorsWorld: As dominant as the Grizzlies have looked in this series, their wins have come by a combined six points. One would expect the Spurs to play relatively better and eventually put some pressure on a Memphis team that is in unchartered territory. I expect the Spurs' experience to get them back to their winning ways going forward.
Darius Soriano, Forum Blue & Gold: Count the Spurs out at your own peril. They're down right now, but they're far from out of this series. Win Game 4 and they have the home-court advantage again, Ginobili getting healthier and still the experience of a champion. Their interior defense is an issue, but better shot-making will compensate, at least against Memphis.
Ethan Sherwood Strauss, HoopSpeak: As long as 3s are worth more than 2s, San Antonio should be favored. If this series was played back when illegal defense existed, the Spurs would not keep pace with Zach Randolph's isolation scoring. But the small-market Grizz can't afford time machines. Like a dark blue bear, Memphis has no place in the playoff ecosystem.
Timothy Varner, 48 Minutes of : Not at all. But the Spurs aren't without their worries. Being down 2-1 is one thing. The most problematic aspect of this series for San Antonio is that they're being outplayed physically and mentally. Their failure to execute in the final seconds of Game 3 was the least Spursian thing we've seen in the Popovich/Duncan era.
Territories can be uncharted but busses and airplanes sometimes go unchartered.J.M. Poulard, WarriorsWorld: As dominant as the Grizzlies have looked in this series, their wins have come by a combined six points. One would expect the Spurs to play relatively better and eventually put some pressure on a Memphis team that is in unchartered territory. I expect the Spurs' experience to get them back to their winning ways going forward.
lol
I can't believe all 5 of them picked the Spurs to win yet not a single one mentioned Splitter. Mind boggling, these PoS media. POP THE QUESTION TO POP!!!!
/snark
All blogger softies, tbh
Better question is Pop done ?
Funny how the only time ESPN pays attention to us is when we're losing or about to lose, isn't it?
That couldn't be further from the truth. The Spurs also lead on Sportscenter when one of their players gets injured. Keep in mind, also, how many people at ESPN were involved in making sure that .4 commercial would show as many times as possible during game 3.
Don't act like they don't care.
It could be intentional. Unchartered means illegal or unjustified.
Oh, btw... this "Spurs Done" article or one like it comes every year, followed by "surprising performance" the following year. How long can you be surprised by the same thing?
when's the last time you saw a professional write "unchartered territory" hauss?
I'm surprised at least one of those guys didnt completely bury the Spurs already....
Agree with all of them. Big game tonight!
It becomes a bigger story if the Spurs were to lose.
I get the feeling this post was done on an iPhone and his word got hijacked.
lol
answer = yes they're done.
frankly, i'm not sure why i'm not.
Si este noce Spurs el muerte en tres quarter
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