5 reasons I 2nd seed is better

[HarlemHeat37]

#2 seed is certainly better, tbh..

A bracket with Denver, Golden State and Houston, rather than OKC, LA Clippers, LA Lakers and Memphis is a no-brainer, tbh..

The Spurs bracket would consist of teams that play a style that typically doesn't translate to the playoffs, tbh..also, the best treatment for the Spurs offensive woes could be playing against Houston or Golden State in a playoff series..

[rascal]

#2 seed is certainly better, tbh..

A bracket with Denver, Golden State and Houston, rather than OKC, LA Clippers, LA Lakers and Memphis is a no-brainer, tbh..

The Spurs bracket would consist of teams that play a style that typically doesn't translate to the playoffs, tbh..also, the best treatment for the Spurs offensive woes could be playing against Houston or Golden State in a playoff series..

The Spurs would not survive making it to the WCF playing as a number 1 seed against the Lakers, Memphis or Clippers. All those teams even the Lakers if healthy are capable of knocking out the Spurs. Taking the easy route, not challenged by worthy opponents as last year won't stand up well when they really get tested in the WCF. The bottom line is this Spurs team is a great regular season team but nothing special as a playoff team. So it will be another repeat of losing in the WCF for the Spurs as the 2 seed.

[HarlemHeat37]

The Spurs would not survive making it to the WCF playing as a number 1 seed against the Lakers, Memphis or Clippers. All those teams even the Lakers if healthy are capable of knocking out the Spurs. Taking the easy route, not challenged by worthy opponents as last year won't stand up well when they really get tested in the WCF. The bottom line is this Spurs team is a great regular season team but nothing special as a playoff team. So it will be another repeat of losing in the WCF for the Spurs as the 2 seed.

I agreed last year, the Spurs played 2 ty teams in the first 2 rounds, which inflated their actual ability as a team..

This year, they need a soft team in the 1st round to build rhythm and confidence, rather than a tough challenge IMO..there's no 2011 Memphis in this year's 1st round, the Spurs will defeat Golden State or Houston, and they need a soft matchup to get back in to shape..

I don't think the Spurs will have the same problem with overconfidence if they get OKC again in the WCFs this year, following last year's humbling experience..I'd still pick OKC to beat them in a series, though..

The West is weaker than any point since 2004..Spurs need to built their confidence and rhythm at this point, so I'd rather match up against the weak side of the bracket, whereas last year I would have preferred the more difficult matchups..

[Robz4000]

The Spurs would not survive making it to the WCF playing as a number 1 seed against the Lakers, Memphis or Clippers. All those teams even the Lakers if healthy are capable of knocking out the Spurs. Taking the easy route, not challenged by worthy opponents as last year won't stand up well when they really get tested in the WCF. The bottom line is this Spurs team is a great regular season team but nothing special as a playoff team. So it will be another repeat of losing in the WCF for the Spurs as the 2 seed.

Memphis is just terrible offensively, I'm not sure they can put up enough points to win a playoff series in the condition they're in. Clippers would be a problem unless Tony and Manu are healthy. Looking more and more like Stern is set on the Lakers making a run, so it'd definitely be in the Spurs' best interests to avoid them.

[TE]

I don't think the Spurs will have the same problem with overconfidence if they get OKC again in the WCFs this year, following last year's humbling experience..I'd still pick OKC to beat them in a series, though..

Why tbh?

You think the Spurs are gonna run out of gas?

[timtonymanu]

I could see the Spurs beating OKC, but I can't trust Green, Splitter, and Diaw to play at their best. We are gonna need them. Also will Parker and Manu be back to 100%? Kawhi's emergence and having Martin over Harden certainly helps in our favor a bit.

[HarlemHeat37]

Why tbh?

You think the Spurs are gonna run out of gas?

If the Spurs are healthy, I'd pick them to win, but I can't imagine Parker/Ginobili/Tim all being 100% by the WCFs..

[cherylsteele]

1: Lakers aren't that good, and the Rockets have beaten us twice this year and played us hard and close one of the other 2 times. You'd rather play them than a team we've blown out twice? I wouldn't.

2: And the Warriors have kicked our asses too. But I would rather play them than the Rockets. Still, that's a gamble that was about as likely as us playing the Lakers as the one seed.

3: This is the only one I would agree with, but the Nuggets aren't in total control of the 3 seed. They may drop down to the 4 due to the injuries. Meaning the 1 seed would be better, not that we'll see them in the 2nd round either way with both of their injuries.

4: ??? We haven't done anything without HCA either. Ever. We nearly got to the Finals last year when reasonably healthy and having HCA too. The best odds are the ones we want to be playing with. The higher the seed the better. "well this and this happened before" doesn't matter. It's still the highest odds.

5: We're not under the radar anymore with two straight #1 seeds and another #1 or #2 again. We'd be under more pressure now because we've just choked away a locked up top seed in the span of about a week and a half. Now more than ever they're going to talk about how the Spurs are chokers. Getting the 1 seed is the only way to dispel that talk. Pretty much too late now though, so the undeserving Thunder fluke back into the 1 seed because we choked.

Ever?? 1999, overall #1 seed 1st championship; same in 2003 2nd championship.

[Johnny RIngo]

Having homecourt in the Conference Finals would be nice but it's not as important as getting to the playoffs with everybody healthy. Besides, in the post-Jordan era, teams with homecourt have only won the Conference Finals 50% of the time. 2000 and 2008 were the only years the first seeds from both conferences made the Finals in the last fourteen post-seasons.

[Kidd K]

Ever?? 1999, overall #1 seed 1st championship; same in 2003 2nd championship.

I'm not sure what you're getting at. You seem to be replying to me as if I said "with", when what you bolded clearly says "without". Your reply should've been directed at who I replied to instead of me. :P

The only team we ever had to beat en route to a le without HCA was the Charmin soft Kleenex Suns in 2005 and 2007. A team I never had a doubt we were better than as we've always beaten them. As opposed to this year when that prospect includes both the Thunder and the Heat.

[TampaDude]

Just get a top 3 seed in the West. Miami is gonna have HCA over everyone else, anyway. Being healthy is what matters.

[swaggerjackson]

I am a firm believer that having the 2 seed is better if the Lakers are the 8 seeds and LAC MEM is the 4, 5 matchup. With that in mind, do we "throw" the game Wednesday to enable Denver to hang onto the 3 seed and send us down to the 2 seed? I mean do we sit Tim, Kawhi, Tony, Manu, and anybody else who is even slightly injured or fatigued in order to boost Denver's chances of beating us.

[TheGoldStandard]

Nobody is going to throw any game for any seed, we'll play them and we'll do whatever if its the 1st or 2nd seed. Sure the 2nd seed looks okay right now given what the lies ahead but the Lakers are not that much of a threat over a 7 game series and neither is the Rockets. My concern is we match up better against LAC then we do against Denver.

[swaggerjackson]

Not disagreeing, just asking for information. How do we matchup well with LAC versus Denver? Could you expand on what advantages we have on LAC and what problems exist against Denver. Thanks

[John B]

2nd seed is fine with me. I'd rather avoid the big men, because in the playofffs the tempo slows down. Houston, Denver who has the least scoring bigs pose less threat. I'm not discounting McGee but he's not a post-up scorer compare to Dwight/Gasol, Randolf/Gasol or Griffin/Jordan. We're fine right now, just rest the guys.

[TJastal]

Lakers are a joke .. not sure why ppl are afraid of that team. Leonard is perfectly suited to guard Kobe and if Kobe doesn't go off the lakers have no chance. If I was Pop I would be trying for that matchup in the 1st round....if Pop is tanking for the #2 he's basically giving okc the easier path imo.

[exstatic]

Lakers are a joke .. not sure why ppl are afraid of that team. Leonard is perfectly suited to guard Kobe and if Kobe doesn't go off the lakers have no chance. If I was Pop I would be trying for that matchup in the 1st round....if Pop is tanking for the #2 he's basically giving okc the easier path imo.

Kawhi would have two fouls by the end of the first. Pop would sit him for 8 minutes in the 2nd, and the minute he came back, he would get #3.

LMAO at the networks. Pop refuses to take the first round upset bait they're laying out.

[hyhy]

Anyone thinking that Denver has the best chance of winning the thunder for us? so we need to be in the first seed for denver to fight thunder in the second round.

[rascal]

Anyone thinking that Denver has the best chance of winning the thunder for us? so we need to be in the first seed for denver to fight thunder in the second round.

No either the Clippers or Memphis whoever goes on to the 2nd round will be the ones who will beat the Thunder. The Spurs only shot is to stay with the 2nd seed and hope luck falls in place.

[rascal]

Lakers are a joke .. not sure why ppl are afraid of that team. Leonard is perfectly suited to guard Kobe and if Kobe doesn't go off the lakers have no chance. If I was Pop I would be trying for that matchup in the 1st round....if Pop is tanking for the #2 he's basically giving okc the easier path imo.

Their size will give the Spurs problems. A healthy Laker team will beat the small Spurs. Splitter will go into his s in the tough matchup and it will all fall again on Duncan to carry the frontline.

I really wanted to see this matchup to guage how good the Spurs really are, now the Spurs get untested by inferior challenges until the WCF just like last year.

[Old School 44]

Kawhi would have two fouls by the end of the first. Pop would sit him for 8 minutes in the 2nd, and the minute he came back, he would get #3.

LMAO at the networks. Pop refuses to take the first round upset bait they're laying out.

I could see the Lakers getting a helpful whistle or two to get them going in the playoffs, especially if they play the Spurs in round 1. The Kawhi scenario is almost a lock, even if he's not guarding Kobe.

Who would I like to see in the playoffs? Any combination of these teams, Rockets, Grizzles, OKC? And NOT because of any matchup issues, I just don't like 9:30/10:00p West coast start times.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

I could see the Lakers getting a helpful whistle or two to get them going in the playoffs, especially if they play the Spurs in round 1. The Kawhi scenario is almost a lock, even if he's not guarding Kobe.

Who would I like to see in the playoffs? Any combination of these teams, Rockets, Grizzles, OKC? And NOT because of any matchup issues, I just don't like 9:30/10:00p West coast start times.

good point