Amen. Reading some of these replies, you'd think this was a Spurs message board. Good to see another Rockets fan around these parts...
They're done. They've been done for a couple of years, but now it's official. Ray Allen put the dagger in their hearts in game 6 and LeBron put the final nail in the coffin in game 7. These past two years they've played mostly mediocre and/or injured teams in the playoffs. Last post-season they played a garbage Utah team and a Clippers team whose two main players were hobbled by injuries. This year they played the Lakers and Warriors who both had injuries to key players and then a fool's gold Memphis team that had no business being in the WCF. In both the 2012 and 2013 playoffs once they faced elite talent, they lost. They lost 4 in a row to OKC last year and just lost 2 in a row to Miami. The only reason they were even in this series against the Heat was the result of a perfect storm: Miami being gassed and unable to close out game 1 because of the grueling Pacers series, LBJ not trusting his jumper until game 7, their role players playing out of their minds and shooting 3s at a ridiculous rate and even having Green set a Finals' record for 3pters made, and the ft advantage they seemed to get in most games. But even all this wasn't enough as the Heat outlasted them. They're not going to be able to recover from this crushing, demoralizing, and devastating defeat they just suffered. They'll have nice regular season records for one or two more years, but they'll lose again once they face elite talent in the post-season. Popovich is overrated, Manu is nothing more than a 7th or 8th man off the bench, Duncan will have very little left, Splitter is soft, Diaw is pushing 300 lbs, they have no backup pg, Green and Neal proved that they are both scrubs, Leonard benefits from the system but won't be as effective as the core deteriorates, and Parker doesn't have the strength, stamina, and athleticism to carry a team by himself. I wouldn't be surprised to see Popovich leave soon either. As a Rockets' fan, I welcome their demise.
The Spurs don't control who they play. The Heat have also played mostly mediocre teams in the playoffs. They took Miami to 7 games, and Miami was lucky to come out of it with the win (needed a lucky bounce and Allen's make to come back in game 6, and they needed Battier to catch fire for once in the playoffs to win game 7). A team can't be "done" unless their chances of winning a championship are close to nil. And that obviously didn't apply to the Spurs this year. The Spurs will continue to be good, and I believe they'll have a lot of cap space opening up pretty soon. A lot of fans may not appreciate how good the organization is, but players do. A dropoff is natural, but I expect them to have many more deep playoff runs in them over the next several seasons.
People have been saying that for years. I guarantee they'll be back in at least the Western Conference Finals next season if no injury occurs. They have the $$ to significantly improve their roster by adding someone as big as Howard, or someone like an Al Jefferson, who'd still be great on their team.
This one is delusional. They have one of the smallest markets. When was the last time a small market signed a superstar or allstar? They will continue to play well until injuries occur but injuries will def occur. They will still go down that road.... be contenders or perennial WC finals candidates but they need a younger combo of GDP to win it all. (27 yrs instead of 37 yrs age)
You could say the same thing with the Heat, it took them 7 games to beat the old and disgruntled Spurs and they almost lost game 6 and 7...
Honestly ginobili prob cost them the series, he was a dud. They're lucky they got something from green and Neal. Splitter didn't make a diff like he did in the regular season or the other series and of course Parker's hammy. They have the cap to make the quick fixes and they will be reloaded next year with talent. The 2 spots they need are going to be pf/c and sg. With the rumors that al Jefferson wanted to come via trade or offseason to the spurs makes him very likely and that will help keep Duncan's minutes down and I recall Perkins tweeting or saying Kevin Martin is most likely not coming back next season he is a very real possibility for them. They did push the heat to their limits and they have cap, pop and exp so most fa that respect those qualities will most likely be veterans and maybe even the younger crop of fa so I'm not going to be surprised when they fill all their holes coming this offseason.
I seriously doubt Dwight Howard goes to San Antonio... I can't see him getting along with Duncan (I remember that hilarious gif where Duncan was laughing at Dwight and Dwight looked like he was about to cry). I also don't think he'll get along well with Popovich. Pop will not tolerate Howard's ridiculous sense of entitlement.
Personally, I too believe that this was the last chance for the Spurs...the stars really were aligned for them...played less games than their opponents...and everyone was remarkably healthy this season...The way they were playing as well in the playoffs was just special... Remember when the Lakers were itching to get the 7th seed from the Rockets??? just to play a hobbled Spurs bunch that had TP less than 100% Remember after the ridiculous comeback(game 1) and the beat down they got in game 2 of the GSW series? Remember how Curry became a star??? Remember how they totally dismantled a Memphis team with 2 bigs that finished torturing the Clippers and Thunder?? The Spurs won game 1, 3, 5...And had the lead with 28 seconds left in the game forced a difficult 3 from Lebron in Game 6??? This is the final epitaph for this bunch, and I think the Spurs will agree that they should rebuild around Kawhi, Green and Parker asap...If they do pull off the miracle and get Dwight, that could be scary...and could motivate Duncan to work extremely hard for one last time. I do think Ginobli retires very soon. Pop, Duncan, Manu, and TP should be very disappointed at letting a title slip right through their hands...While I dont believe the better team won the series, I do believe that the team who made more clutch plays won...and Miami did, as the Spurs choked. Every year, you have one chance to get a title, and you have to be realistic. The Spurs couldnt have asked for much better fortune. Eventually father time catches up, and he has yet to loose a battle with any player... (may catch flax for that comment, but really thought the Spurs shouldve won, and any objective person should have come to that conclusion...then the Miracle in Miami happened...)
He doesnt have to worry about getting along with Duncan, he needs to worry about getting along with Pop...Duncan and Howard would be a scary scary scary duo, and pairing that with Green, Kawhi and TP?? That is a title contender!
The West from 1 to 8 is insanely competitive unlike the East. Coming out of the West is not likely to happen to years in a row. Even making the conference finals is unlikely in the West. Maybe they can pickup another valuable player but the reality is unless you have the best player in the league and are in the weaker division, you need just about everything to go your way. The Spurs basically had their shot this year and it's highly unlikely they'll be in the same position next postseason.
Honestly, I feel the same way. They'll be relevant, and could reboot if they could sign someone like a Howard, but it's still SA. A relatively small market, one that's not "sexy" to Howard and others like him, who look at far more than basketball when making a free agent decision, as wrong as some of us might think that is, caring more about simply NBA basketball. Heck, Houston looks like Marilyn Monroe in comparison to San Antonio's Ron Howard (as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show!). Maybe they have one more run in them with Duncan, Parker, and Leonard, if they can get a couple of more pieces to plug some obvious holes, but yes, they are in decline, as is Dallas, for that matter (without some major changes, which should be far easier than what SA faces). Houston is on the rise. I look to see the Rockets come out on top of our division for years to come, starting next season, or in 2014. If we sign an impact All Star this summer, and manage to hang on to most of the key players we have now, that's where I see us going, and sooner rather than later. A contending team.
I think they sign Millsap and end up a top 3 seed in the West with a chance to go to the Finals. Just like they've always been. OKC will be the top team. Whoever gets Howard and the Spurs will be the 2nd and 3rd seed. Spurs are run well, coached well, and have an incredibly intelligent core of players. They won't float around in mediocrity - I don't think Duncan would waste his time if that was the case.
Holy crap! The Cavs! Hand San Antonio the trophy and call it a season. Seriously though, as long as pops is the coach the spurs will remain competitive. I see them losing in the 2nd round and getting out coached by Mchale. Book it...
Probably around the last time you made a prediction that didn't turn out to be ludicrously mirthful in retrospect, Kwamliacci
