Spurs get cold in winter, but they'll heat up soon
Jan. 15, 2006 12:00 AM
Is it March?
Has the All-Star break passed?
Did the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo clean up the patties and move out of town? advertisement
No, no, no. Well, then, let's not worry about what is wrong with the team comfortably atop the Western Conference.
San Antonio lost two games to half of last year's NBA final four within a six-day span, causing as much consternation in the Alamo City as a fungus in the Riverwalk during tourist season. Coach Gregg Popovich does not help matters, using the win between the losses for his biggest blast.
"I think we showed a total lack of concentration, lack of effort, lack of cohesiveness and lack of leadership, both on the court and from me, the head coach," Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News. "It was disgusting."
Between that and two whippings from the vengeful Pistons, it has become popular to fret that a team one game removed from the 2004-05 world champs' pace is in trouble. San Antonio was booed Thursday at home, where it had just lost for the fifth time in the past 72 home games. Shameful.
Hailed free-agent signees Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel are both shooting less than 40 percent from the field.
Nazr Mohammed is having less impact than a Spurs dancer's jab.
Tim Duncan's plantar fasciitis in his right foot renders him so stiff at times that he looks like he is trying to pivot in 6 inches of mud.
Manu Ginobili still isn't starting as Popovich brings him back slowly and holds onto the outdated idea of Finley playing better as a starter.
Oh, and watch for that falling sky, too.
Here is how this works. Popovich criticizes the team and winds up getting it to be, as he has put it, "more perfect." Duncan guts out an injury until it is time to make sure he is playoff ready. New veterans like Finley and Van Exel eventually find their comfort zone, just as Robert Horry and Brent Barry did.
Most of the Spurs' losses have come with Duncan's foot aching at its worst in the second games of back-to-back sets. San Antonio will never have such a scenario in playoffs that are spread out more than American Idol preliminary rounds.
San Antonio has the best shooting percentage in the league and the lowest opponent shooting percentage. That's a pretty good starting point, considering the Spurs often play bored in the winter and climb the conference's ladder in the spring.
The annual rodeo trip, which has them playing road games from Jan. 28 to Feb. 15, is usually the time that the Spurs cowboy up.
San Antonio fans can stew on one point. Game 7 will be in Detroit this time.
so all you fans that are ing and complaining about the Spurs this time of year and already handing out the rings in january need to STFU!
yeah the spurs will heat up, but i think spur fans aree worried about how the pistons didn't just win, but they dominated. last year at around the same time the pistons lost here 80-77. the pistons kept going in scoring droughts which isn't happening this year. your back up backcourt needs to get in sync.
yeah beleive me i'm extremely worried. i was bein sarcastic with my "fans need to stop ing comment' b/c i'm one of those fans thats been ing constantly!
spurs are a great team they should come around. piston fans were worried at the pistons bad 16-13 start last year. we were losing to horrible teams. pistons all the way though.
I was expecting a better season. The Spurs picking up where they left off, everybody back, start the season at cruising speed, solid basketball. I wasn't alone. People in here were predicting mid/high 60s Ws, franchise high.
The Pistons are doing what I expected the Spurs to do, have a special season.
The Spurs are doing just what they do every year, as if they weren't the defending Champs with everybody returning, but just another ho-hum bunch of Spurs having ho-hum Nov-Jan, having "falling apart" and needing to "come together", looking lost, no confidence, no rythym, struggling with ugly Ws, losing to lottery teams, gettting badly embarrassed early by Mavs and Pistons (even before those teams are gelled after the ASB).
The homers find solace in comparing Spurs record last year with current record. Total bull .
Because come June, the Spurs won't be playing last year's Spurs.
They will be playing this year's Pistons, with the Pistons having HCA.
ok, the Spurs will pull their heads out of their asses.
The biggest worry is that Tim's PF will linger all season.
I'm not worried yet Spurs usually make a SPRING time surge around fiesta! You can feel it in the air that time year! This is when everything seems to fall in place!
How do we know the Finals will go to game 7 anyway? Phoenix had homecourt last year, didnt help them much.
your right b/c we'll probably just lose in 5 instead
Normally, these Spurs regular season losses to scrub teams don't really bother me, especially so early in the season. But the thing that does worry me most is the possibility of this:
Hopefully the Spurs can start catching up and the Pistons can finally start losing some games!San Antonio fans can stew on one point. Game 7 will be in Detroit this time.
The author of this article believes in the SPAM! That's good.
I think the Spurs will heat up and should be able to make the Finals. Detroit is looking pretty good, though, and I hate the fact that they dominated the boards like they did. That gives me cause for concern. We'll see I guess.
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