The West was wide open last year: Most people just didn't know it. Spurs failed in the 1st round and the Lakers were humiliated in the 2nd round. It's wide open again. Nothing new.
They looked old last year...you don't think they'll look a year older this year? The intensity picks up in the playoffs, they dont have that extra gear like the younger teams have anymore...it happens to all the old teams like the spurs. If you think they have a chance to make it to the finals, or even the conference finals...well, I don't know what to say...I guess we will just have to let you see how an old team looks in the playoffs. Welcome to NBA basketball!!! LOL.
I didn't see it that way. For me it was always Lakers -three consecutive finals, same team - and Dallas -deepest team, incredible chemistry- I never gave San Antonio any chances against those two and I don't think I called it but I was rooting for Memphis. This year OKC is the closest thing to a serious title contending team as those Lakers and Mavs from last year but there is a big black cloud of doubt surrounding them. I'm not the one championing them in this thread, I'm just saying don't count them out because they have much better odds than years past. I'm going to go ahead and point out the obvious, the team that SHOULD make it out is OKC but they can be beaten badly, I've never been less sure in a long time, I honestly don't have a clue to make a prediction right now.
how many of these threads can one poster make, really? you can have your picks but it's all so you can keep bumping your predictions and, at the end of the season, say you were right all season. but you picked the Blazers and Lakers. LAL is showing improvement. and you don't seem to believe in the Thunder, we get that. now you're high on the Spurs because they are hitting their mark as usual. why didn't you pick them in the beginning?
When the Lakers struggled so much with the Hornets, that was a loud signal to me they were vulnerable. IIRC, Charles Barkley even called the series for the Mavs. While nobody thought the Lakers were the Walking Dead, the final outcome of the series wasn't surprising. LA had lost their mojo after steamrolling through March. WB did revert to Hero mode for 2-3 plays late tonight and it cost OKC but I'll say this: He's done that less than ever this season. The playoffs will be the true test.
Don't count the Spurs out, they could go far.. This ain't the same team from Last year, trust me... Remember last time we had a lock out season, the Spurs won it all....
Not really. Pretty much everyone thought the Lakers would win the series. I think Barkley was the only analyst to pick the Mavs.
They are gonna live and die with Westbrook. If he defers to KD late, they will be fine. If he decides to be superman, they won't be fine
So what, it's a loss either way. There's no excuse for that, Westbrook giveth, Westbrook taketh away. If you wanna be a great player, you have to finish what you started, saying they would've lost by more is nothing but a moral victory and means nothing.
Only Duncan and Ginobilli & now Jackson are "old" (Parker is 29) (obviously EXTREMELY important pieces) but the Spurs are not an "old" team. There are lots of young, athletic guys getting heavy minutes, doing heavy lifting in the rotation: Splitter, Leonard, Green, Neal, Blair, Anderson. If the Spurs fall short in the playoffs, it could be because of injury (Manu the likely, if predictable suspect), but it probably won't be because of age - unless it is that they are too inexperienced. The sphincters of the young productive players tightening; and them not being able to deliver in the playoffs as they have in the regular season - is a more likely cause of demise, IMO. Also, the fact that they are playing a version of basketball that is more D'Antoni than Popovich right now (have avg. over 114 pts over their past 5 games) is probably also a harbinger of bad things.
If Westbrook would calm down, OKC would wreck the league. He's the reason we beat them, and SA beat them, in their last two home games. He's still very young, though-- as is the whole squad. Still a dynasty in the works.
If he doesn't act like superman, the Thunder are a mediocre team. He should definitely defer in the halfcourt but it is really hard to turn that switch off/on.
Westbrook puts up a lot of questionable shots late in the game. Through the first three and a half quarters, he can be himself and do what he wants. When it is time to close the game out, he needs to be Robin and give it to KD. He puts up too many contested 3's and jumpers late in game to help his team.
I honestly thougt their early struggle was the same ol' case of complacency, every year they needed to drop a couple of games to turn it on but Dallas didn't give them any opportunity to find that switch and exposed them.
I find it funny everytime Westbrook takes a bad down the stretch of games he is called out but Durant is given a pass for settling for terrible jumpers down the stretch of games also but never called out.
I disagree. Durant gets a lot of terrible shots if you ask him to create the shot. Ball should be on James Harden's hands.
