Case in point, all against garbage teams or good teams that are in tailspins (Chicago & Toronto) This is Charles Barkley-level of analysis. The Spurs won't finish 4th or higher, but if you just say dumb stuff like "Spurs way!" "Never count out the spurs!" again and again occassionally you might be right, like last year, but more likely you will be wrong, like this year.
Meh... They got killed by Portland before this streak against meh competition. The Raptors have been stuggling hard since the break.
I could see the Spurs winning that one. Looking at their schedule, they have 19 games left and I imagine at worst they'll lose 5 or 6 of them(hopefully at least 1 is to the Rockets) if they keep playing like this. Which would make things very tight at the end of the season in the standings.
You guys that keep pointing out their recent schedule need to pay attention to the Spurs roster. Kawhi and TP (their two best players) are finally playing healthy and free. Kawhi is turning back into a monster on both ends of the floor. Anyone remember him in the NBA Finals? Yeah, THAT guy is back. Didn't seem like TP would ever fully get over that hammy, but he's finally turned the corner. What could make a huge difference in the playoffs is that both have missed a number of games and both should have fresh legs for the entire playoffs.
Yep this play comes to mind. Watch out! <iframe src="https://vine.co/v/O9Wwqtz9Qzr/embed/simple" width="300" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><script src="https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>
On one side there's the "Pop is a GENIUS, the spurs are masterminds who have successfully fooled everybody by biding their time!" narrative. On the other side there's a super-weak patch in the schedule against league dregs merely playing out the string and decimated teams just trying to hold on. The talking heads used to say this about the Jazz in the waning days of Malone & Stockton then they got destroyed in the first round one year and it was over. When things end, they end remarkably fast.
Spurs cannot handle a dominant center; when is the last time they faced a dominant center? Duncan is too old, and Splitter is well... not good enough. And playing him really is a detriment to their offense. I'll take the match up against the Spurs with Dwight.
If the season ends today, the Spurs will be playing us in the first round. I don't like it at all TBO
Dwight, Jones, DMo, and Smith. Gotta feel even better about our chances than in the past. I don't think the Spurs get past the first round. I'm not afraid of being wrong.
Easy part of their schedule but the scary part would've been IF they would've had a great Rodeo trip on the road. Spurs could easily be number 2 or 3 already. Rockets need to finish the season strong to maintain their spot or move up IF possible.
There are no easy matchups in the Western Conference playoffs. Even the Mavs wouldn't be pushovers. Both of our wins went down to the wire and our last game in Dallas was a loss.
Neither of those two narratives applies here. It's about their top 2 players finally being fully healthy. Historically, they don't "bide their time" during the rodeo trip. Over the years, I've doubted the Spurs as much as anyone. This year could very well be the year the branch snaps. But dismissing the last few games from Kawhi and TP because of "the soft schedule" is weaker than the repetitive "Spurs are biding their time" storyline. When the Jazz collapsed back in the day, they weren't in the Finals the prior 2 seasons and weren't defending champions. It had been 5 years since they lost to the Bulls. Not quite the same here.
True. But I'd rather play the Mavs or Portland (one can dream) the first round. No one on those teams can slow down Harden. When Harden goes, so does our offense. You can have a series. But IF the Spurs have it on, they will be tough to beat. Leonard will give Harden fits. TD is TD. If Tony Parker healthy, our fate will largely be dependent on McHale out coaching Pop. What are the chances of that?
I don't know why people keep rooting for a first round matchup with Portland. That would mean we'd be in 5th place since they're almost certain to win their division and finish no lower than 4th. Now if we finished 2nd and got Dallas in Round 1 and then Portland in Round 2(assuming they're 3rd and win their first series), THAT would be an ideal scenario.:grin:
Well the Jazz never won a title, and the Spurs didn't exactly get destroyed in the first round last year. Maybe they will this year, and Duncan and Ginobili will finally go to the grave... wait they still have Parker and Leonard. I don't know if Pop is a genius. But the Spurs are known to rest their key players in the regular season and they don't rush the injured players back.
