spurs did not play TD and Manu... but anyway, it benefits us as rox now have a better chance of winning the division title...
agree on all fronts. the spurs aren't going to fastbreak us, they're not going to outathlete us, they aren't going to swarm yao with little defenders, and yao is long which typically gives duncan trouble. they play a style very similar and comfortable for us, unfortunately they just play it better and when it comes down to the final 6 minutes, the rockets achilles heel, the spurs will make the plays and we won't. the lakers just plain out-talent and outshoot us, no matter how well we plan on playing (unless we just go crazy for 7 straight games). and even though the jazz would probably be easier to beat than either the spurs or lakers, they are certainly by far our worst matchup. everything they are good at cancels a strength of ours and everything they're weak at is something we can't take advantage of. frankly it's surprising we took them to 7 games the first series with no one on the team able to make a 3 and boozer going crazy and took them to 6 with a banged up, injured team last year.
If the Lakers only scored 79 points against the Nuggets, notoriously one of the weakest defensive teams among all NBA contenders, then they have issues. Yes we can beat them. The Spurs we can beat because our defense can match up against their methodical half-court offense very effectively. My gut instinct in a playoff series is we beat the Spurs in 7 and lose to the Lakers in 6. IMHFO only.
I disagree. I think the Spurs success is a product of their system, not some sort of sheer talent. They're similar to the Rockets in that if you line-up their guys with most teams in the league, there's not much athletic or super talented about them. They are products of a Popovic system, just like the Rockets used to be products of a JVG system. I think we match up well against them. Also I should mention that I think our bench pwns theirs. I've always thought it's a shame we didn't get to face them in the playoffs in the McGrady era. As much as I hate Utah, San Antonio will always be right up there. I would gain equal amounts of satisfaction from beating either one. Taking the division title would satisfy me, too.
