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Mickey Mouse ring
Pretty bad take tbh imho.Crockett was an underdog, though
The 2004 and 2006 SA teams really had no business losing, imo. They were stacked with prime Duncan and budding Parker/Manu. Best coach in the business. You could argue similarly for the 2015 team.
I've always felt like they just lacked a greedy mentality and it showed in their le defenses.
For 2004, Ginobili didn't really break out until 2005, and his peak was in the mid to late naughts. Parker didn't really become Parker until 2007 or so and his peak was around 2009 to 2012. Those two were nice contributors in 2004 and borderline all stars in 2006. Compared to teams like the Pistons that has four all stars, like Suns and the Mavs, even Miami and Indiana, the Spurs really has about the same amount of talent. It's comparable.
In 2004, the Lakers had four 1st ballot HoFers, with two in their prime, and two a few years removed from it. Their loss to the Pistons was one of the biggest upsets in the NBA, and the original take was that they will absolute dominate everyone in the league. The 03 Spurs were a surprise le team, they were in semi rebuilding mode, and in 04 they lost Robinson and Stephen Jackson, the 2nd and 3rd best players in the le team. The Lakers and Kings were the clear favourites in the preseason. Nobody picked the Spurs. Their entire offence was four-down, and that speaks to how good Ginobili and Parker were. In fact, the Lakers just sagged off in the paint to dare Parker to shoot and went from 0-2 to a backdoor sweep.
In 2006, the Spurs had a great chance and lost in 7 games to the Mavs on a few rather controversial calls, with Parker shooting like in the series. That team was top heavy, and once you go past the top four players was just a turd sandwich. The Mavs and the Suns were the favourites that year, and if it wasn't for those Wade FTs, the Mavs would have (and should have) won it all.
The thing that people didn't realize is that the Spurs had to win perfect ball to win the championship. They were really never that much more talented than anyone else, and there is absolutely no slack allowed in their game. They somehow did it five times. The only time where the Spurs were picked as favourites in the preseason was 2005, and that was more because of breakdown of the Lakers more than anything. 2007 was a three horse race with the Suns and the Mavs. Nobody picked them in 99 and 03, and most people had the Heat in 14.
that was a great year. Spurs won a ring and T-Mac went home in the 1st round, like he always did.... but congrats on the comeback win i guess. Still wont change the fact that he's one of the biggest losers in the nba history.
former spur tracy mcgrady tbh
I guess that is where we have a major disagreement. I thought that unlike Cuban, your ownership always put great parts around Tim. Not only were you top heavy with TP and Manu, but they always seem to find those diamond in rough types that contributed for you off the bench or in spot starts.
Thinking back to 2004, that Laker team hated each other and got steam rolled by a much less talented Detroit team. The Spurs, OTOH, went into that LA series with like a 15 game win streak and the number #1 defense in the league. Unlike LA, they had great chemistry. No way should they have squandered that 2-0 lead despite Parker's late struggles.
In 06 we had Dirk and some decent parts around him, but no players the caliber of TP or Manu to compliment him. I've always thought Manu had 25 ppg capibility if he played starter mpg and was featured as the guy. (But you are correct that he really did not break out till 05)...Plus we had a very green head coach who flamed out and never returned to the NBA since his Dallas stint.
In regards to pre-season prognosticators, they never picked y'all because you were boring and they didn't want it to happen
Now their le defenses were a different story
They were not exactly Davy Crockett defending the Alamo when it came to le defense.
That was a Tragic moment
TMac was so great the only way he could get out of the 1st round was to ride the bench in San Antonio. I put him right about where Kobe would be if he played in Houston with Yao Ming instead of MVPau, Bynum and Shaq.
No question that PATFO did an excellent job with what a small market team has to build winning teams and understood the importance of having continuity and getting pieces that fit. But then the pieces fit because of Duncan. Part of the reason the Spurs had such chemistry (and a big part I might add) is the amazing versatility of Duncan. While there are essentially no experts who will put Duncan as the GOAT, he actually had a very strong case. Sure Manu and Parker were a great backcourt, but as a second banana, who would rank them above the likes of Penny, Kobe, Wade, Pippen or even Irving? Neither made the top 75 players of all time (I generally disagree, but it is what it is) and Duncan is really the only player to win 3 les without another top 75 player of all time (not counting 1999 and 2014) and even 1999 was a end of prime Robinson and 2014 was a before prime Kawhi. Duncan had this amazing versatility to be the leader and undisputed best player (by quite a margin) in 4 of the 5 les, playing 3 totally different styles of basketball (2007 and 2005 were kind of similar, with Ginobili and Parker more or less switching roles). 2014 had Duncan as the centrepiece defensively and he was orchestrating much of the offence as well. Who else can lay that claim? The 6 les won by Jordan were basically carbon copies of each other, Kobe's three peat and repeat teams were very similarly constructed, Magic's showtime teams were basically a brand, Bird's Celtics were literally the same team throughout the 80s with changes in headc oaches and just got stronger benches as the years went by, Lebron just bulldozed through sheer dominance in talent over the other teams (other than that Cavs le, which was some goat level performance). Duncan was the only player to win so many les with so many different styles with totally different teammates.I guess that is where we have a major disagreement. I thought that unlike Cuban, your ownership always put great parts around Tim. Not only were you top heavy with TP and Manu, but they always seem to find those diamond in rough types that contributed for you off the bench or in spot starts.
Thinking back to 2004, that Laker team hated each other and got steam rolled by a much less talented Detroit team. The Spurs, OTOH, went into that LA series with like a 15 game win streak and the number #1 defense in the league. Unlike LA, they had great chemistry. No way should they have squandered that 2-0 lead despite Parker's late struggles.
In 06 we had Dirk and some decent parts around him, but no players the caliber of TP or Manu to compliment him. I've always thought Manu had 25 ppg capibility if he played starter mpg and was featured as the guy. (But you are correct that he really did not break out till 05)...Plus we had a very green head coach who flamed out and never returned to the NBA since his Dallas stint.
In regards to pre-season prognosticators, they never picked y'all because you were boring and they didn't want it to happen
The 2006 Dallas team was built to counter the Spurs, they matched up with the Spurs beautifully and Josh Howard was really fantastic that year. Terry and Stackhouse played well too. Avery Johnson knew the Spurs way and was the jilted lover going out for payback. I was surprised they didn't win it all that year nor in 2007 because that team had so many parts that fit around Dirk well (except a week inside player to set screens, rebound and roll to the basket). it will always be a great team that fell short.
I think if Duncan goes to Orlando and is forced to be more selfish, he is in the GOAT conversation.
the re ed takes never end with you
Your spur hating opinion has zero value.
Try being objective.
to think tim would have a greater legacy by leaving the spurs to go to orlando and jack up shots like hes jordan, you're just completely stupid and far from objective
not sure how that is hating the spurs in the slightest bit
You are a well do ented spur/TD hater.
to think tim would have a greater legacy by leaving the spurs to go to orlando and jack up shots like hes jordan, you're just completely stupid and far from objective
not sure how that is hating the spurs in the slightest bit
One who has just been begging to go back on my ignore list for acting foolish on here.
Have it your way.
you obviously dont know what you are talking about. if youre talking about occasional trolling, yes. but in terms of hate? absolutely not, especially for duncan, whom ive often said is probably a top 5 player of all time
Saw thread le, thought OP was talking about his river crossing.
Did it really take you a week to perform all the mental gymnastics for this response to my post?
Wait, wut?
Boiled down: you mad
IMO pop screwed up both in 04 and 06, and parker was mostly bad for both series though i blame pop for not going with manu over him more..
04, manu was clearly a better player than hedo turkoglu and that was especially true vs the lakers. pop could barely find 10 shots a game for manu even though he was the most efficient scorer on the team by TS%, RS, PO, and for that series. failed to adjust when lakers packed the paint.
06, outcoached himself vs AJ, again underutilized manu, got cute with small ball.. at least this one was closer.
some rough calls/bounces in there but spurs had the talent to win these series IMO.
08, the late adjustment to peja extended that NO series, when healthy spurs played the lakers well that year.
11, bad luck with manu's injury and not using splitter.
Those are the series that hurt the most for me, i thought spurs were good enough to win and i feel pop could have made the difference with a better gameplan.. still love pop though warts and all.
Name me one championship team that had a drastically different regular season record at the end of the season compared to game number 50.
Now name me another le team that won in a pandemic in an isolated bubble.
Last edited by ambchang; 12-24-2021 at 09:18 AM.
2020 was a ing dystopian post-season with digital faces in the audience.
1999 was a completely normal playoffs.
A ring is a ring.
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