You can't choke for more than 1 game? The fact that they lost 3 games in a row shows they choked, never mind being better on paper even or slightly inferior teams wouldn't lose 3 games in a row. If they were this bad they wouldn't have gone 2-2 in the regular season.
I don't totally agree with this. During the regular season you play your game, because the opponent is different every night. In the playoffs you play a specific opponent and try to adjust accordingly after every meeting. OKC was better at that.
Does a bear **** in the woods? Did the Mavs choke vs. Golden State? 67 wins 2nd seed 32 point beat down game one 2-1 series lead
They're not 3 straight games better c'mon. And are you really saying Spurs don't know how things work in the playoffs and how different games are in the regular season? TD has been playing in the playoffs before Kevin Durant played in the NBA he's way more experienced in playoff games and adjustments. How hard is it for people to realize choking is normal? Spurs are only human and they've won 5 rings already and overachieved so many times more, there's gonna be a playoff season where they **** it up. I like how everyone's suddenly saying they saw it all along and how bad Spurs are etc. when we've had a gazillion articles during the regular season talking about how great Spurs D is and how this is the strongest Spurs team in the last couple of years. Even if their team aged prematurely this season, Pau Gasol has all but committed to the team and I think they can still afford to pay Mike Conley in FA. OKC is dominant but Spurs have shown ability to shut down WB before so its not like they were swimming in foreign waters here.
Saying a team choked is not really a statistical argument, it is more of a general assessment. If a team choked, it generally means even after looking back at a game/series/season in hindsight, there is virtually no strategic or logical explanation for that team to have lost. In that frame, the argument would be more that the Spurs were exposed more than they choked.
The Spurs were beaten... I don't consider that they choked. They were beaten heavily on the boards, their best player (Leonard) was often dominated by their best player, and they lost the battle of the role players/benches with Adams/Kanter/Roberson/Foye all outperforming Diaw/Duncan/Manu/Green. That being said, those thinking the Spurs are "done" simply due to their big 3 (circa 2004) aging, is a joke. The Spurs will be built around Aldrich/Leonard and will be just fine... which merely means more playoff appearances and possible finals appearances for a franchise that has been "in" it since 1998. Ugh.
This. I'd also add that Donovan outcoached Popovich. Donovan figured out how to limit the effectiveness of SA's motion offense and Pop never had a good counter. Pop's had a great run as a coach, but Donovan, Kerr and Stevens are the future. The Spurs' flaws were exposed and the Thunder simply exploited them...they had the personnel and matchups to do so.
The Spurs "superstar" players didn't meet the challenge, i doubt Popovich forgot how to coach basketball. To blame Popovich and not the players is silly.
It's not a choke job. OKC beat them fair and square. The Big 3 are too old and Leonard/Aldridge are not good enough to carry the team.
I'm sure the Spurs will retool and continue to find themselves in the playoff mix. But unless they continue to come up with dramatic upgrades like adding Aldridge, they'll drop out of true contender status and join the "also-ran" tier that Houston finds itself in.
Athleticism (OKC) beat flawless strategy (SA) this time, which is very rare. But, OKC's athleticism will NOT beat GSW's skill/talent. Book it.
also ran? Spurs probably dropped from Top 2 spot to the 3rd or 4th place but they are still much better led organization than the Rockets and I am no homer
Personally I thought the only teams with true championship potential this season were GSW, San Antonio and Cleveland. OKC proved me wrong by peaking at the right time and upsetting the Spurs. Next year with the Big Three another season older, and without any serious upgrades, the Spurs could find themselves firmly in the second tier. As for the Rockets, in my mind they are in serious danger of dropping out of the second-tier status altogether and joining the third tier of perennial 6th to 8th seed playoff teams with the second round being the ceiling. But the homer in me is giving Morey and my favorite team this offseason to turn things around.
It was disappointing how much of a non-factor Leonard was down the stretch in that series. Everyone talks about him being a top 5 player, but any other top 5 guy putting up weak number like he did in the 4th would get killed.
The fact that the Spurs lost 3 in a row and the last game by double digits shows that they choked. This year's Spurs team is way too good to lose 3 games in a row against the same opponent and playing below your skill level = choking simple as that. The terms "they got beaten" or "they did not meet the challenge" are just nice ways of saying the Spurs choked. All you can really do is assess the team's power on paper and on paper, the Spurs were the better team. Popovich is a better coach than Donovan and if you looked at how they played in the regular season this series should've gone Spurs because they already had a 2-1 lead before they lost 3 in a row, continuing the trend it should've been 4-2 Spurs. If they were really so bad in rebounding or whatever how come they were able to win 2 games? It should've been a sweep then if the Spurs are so old they are ineffective.
