Not expecting anything special from this series. Slaughterfest by the Spurs. Game 1 - Sun April 29, Utah at San Antonio, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN Game 2 - Wed May 2, Utah at San Antonio, 7 p.m., TNT Game 3 - Sat May 5, San Antonio at Utah, 10 p.m., TNT Game 4 - Mon May 7, San Antonio at Utah, TBD Game 5 * Wed May 9, Utah at San Antonio, TBD Game 6 * Fri May 11, San Antonio at Utah, TBD Game 7 * Sun May 13, Utah at San Antonio, TBD *if necessary
Damn, realized this series is actually not set. If Denver loses their last two, they'd fall to 8th. Utah would have to win their last game also.
We forgive you. If the Nuggets lose to OKC tomorrow, close to 100% chance they beat Minny on Thursday.
No chance. Utah will win game 3 off of pure emotion from that crowd, but the Spurs win this series in 5 games.
If you were Denver, would you rather play the Lakers (if playoffs started today) or the Spurs? I'd personally tank the rest of the season, and try to end up 8th, and play the Spurs. As good as the Spurs are, Kobe / Gasol / Bynum can always take over and win games.
If I were the Nuggets, I would choose the Lakers. No way they outscore the Spurs over a series. The Lakers offense is so predictable & stale and they can't defend the Nuggets well. IMO, the Nuggets would lose to either team but I bet they win games 3 & 4 at home against LA while the Spurs might sweep them.
Definitely LA. The Spurs are deeper. LA has two 7 footers but the Denver's bigs are pretty athletic. They'd have a better shot with LA, I just don't know if they could beat a team like SA in a 7 game series. Now that it's settled that they can't get 8th though, I think they should definitely take LA over OKC.
Spurs were leading in Utah with just over 2 minutes left a couple of weeks ago in a game neither Parker, nor Duncan, nor Ginobilli played in. Spurs, since the mid-season pickups of Jackson and Diaw (along with the jettison of Jefferson) have been playing on a different planet. They are scoring 119 pts per 100 possessions - it's a cliche, but they are a machine right now. Spurs are certainly no lock for a championship, but getting ousted by a barely over .500 eight seed? Last year SA stumbled into the playoffs - this year they are storming in (9 game streak, beating teams by 20 pts seemingly nightly; b2b's b2b2b's haven't mattered) Probably a sweep, at most 5 games.
From Timvp from Spurstalk: Typically, Spurs fans get on me for being too pessimistic about San Antonio in the playoffs. For example, last season I was scoffed at for suggesting the Grizzlies were going to make it a tough series. But against the Jazz, I simply don't see any reason to doubt the Spurs. For the first time I can remember, I'm predicting a sweep. Here are ten reasons why, barring injuries, I don't see the Jazz winning a game in this series. 10. Appropriate Fear The Grizzlies disaster last year will provide Pop more than enough ammunition to make sure his team doesn't look past the Jazz. I'm confident the Spurs will be ready to roll come the opening tip of Game 1. 9. The Jazz Will Run The Spurs are one of the fastest paced teams in the NBA. The Jazz, too, are above average when it comes to pace. Usually, the Spurs have to make it a point to try to speed up the game, but the Jazz are one of the few playoff teams that will try to get out and run with the Spurs. 8. Three-Pointers Will Rain The Jazz were one of the top ten worst teams in the league at preventing three-point attempts. And with talk of the Jazz attempting to play three bigmen simultaneously, I expect that alignment to limit their ability to defend the three-point line even more. The Spurs -- who finished No. 2 in three-pointers made and No. 1 in three-point percentage -- should be able to exploit that weakness. 7. The Spurs are Improved in the Middle Last season, Memphis was able to bully the Spurs in the paint. And while the Jazz are loaded with quality bigmen, these Spurs have the personnel to hang. Duncan is still a great one-on-one defender in the paint, plus he protects the rim very well. Boris Diaw can defend down low. Off the bench, Tiago Splitter can continue to provide a strong foundation when Duncan is resting. The Jazz doing much of their damage in the paint actually plays to a San Antonio strength now. 6. Tony Parker vs. Devin Harris Once upon a time, Devin Harris gave Tony Parker a lot of trouble on both ends of the court. Nowadays, Harris is an average to below average defender. While Harris' scoring has been better of late, Parker is simply on another level. The last ten times these two players have gone against each other, the Spurs have won. 5. Perimeter Defense The potential chink in the armor for San Antonio defensively is their perimeter defense against swingmen who can fill it up on the offensive end -- particularly those that utilize a lot of screens. But since the Jazz don't have any ace scorers at shooting guard or small forward, that's not much of a worry this series. And on the other side of the coin, who exactly do the Jazz think will be able to hang with Manu Ginobili? Raja Bell might be their best option but Bell stopped having success against Ginobili about a half decade ago. 4. The Art of the Foul In normal circumstances, the Spurs have trouble getting to the free throw line. However, when they go against the Jazz, that won't be an issue. Only the Raptors send the opposition to the free throw line more than the Jazz. Add in the bonus efficiency that free throws provide and San Antonio's offense should have no issues producing. Conversely, the Spurs are the second best team at keeping opponents off the charity stripe. Against a Jazz team that needs free throw attempts to stay afloat offensively, that trait will come in handy. 3. Road Sweet Road Utah is easily the worst road team in the playoffs, which is understandable for a young team whose best years are ahead. After the first two games of this series, as long as the Spurs are healthy, I'd be shocked if the Spurs aren't up 2-0. And while the Jazz are very strong at home, the Spurs have been unbelievable on the road lately. In non-forfeited games, San Antonio has lost a grand total of one game on the road since Jan. 29. 2. Utah's Offensive Rebounding Negated The Jazz rely a lot on offensive rebounding. In fact, Utah is the second best offensive rebounding team in the NBA. One problem, though, for the Jazz: The Spurs are the best defensive rebounding team in the NBA. It won't be easy to grab defensive boards against the Jazz but if any team is capable, it's the Spurs. 1. Top Offense vs. Worst Defense The Spurs have the best offensive team in the entire NBA. Of the teams that made the playoffs, the Jazz are statistically the worst of the bunch. This point alone is reason enough for supreme confidence. my opinion Spurs in 5
Wondering how long Utah can stay in this game. I have a feeling the Spurs could blow this game open at some point.
