I see this every year. 1999: O'Neal > Robinson Green < Duncan Rice > Elliott Kobe > Elie Fisher = Johnson Spurs sweep 4-0 over the Lakers. Portland: Sabonis < Robinson Grant < Duncan Wallace > Elliott Smith/Wells > Elie Stoudamire > Johnson Spurs sweep 4-0 over the Blazers. Even if you want to go back to last year against the Mavs... Dallas: Nowitzki > Robinson Howard < Duncan Buckner = Ferry Finley > Daniels Nash > Porter Basketball is a team game, and over the years, the Spurs have a tradition of outweighing talent disadvantages with fabulous team chemistry and cohesiveness. With the Spurs recent run, I see no reason for this year to be any different. The Spurs built their team the way all teams should be built, imo. They have the best player in the game (no, Kidd is not the MVP, whether he's awarded it or not), another good scorer down low, and role players that fit all the holes from the perimeter. Bowen is one of the few players that can harass the Payton's and Bryant's of the league into taking more difficult shots. Ferry brings a passion to the game on both ends of the court, and an incredible outside stroke. Tony Parker and Antonio Daniels are the slashers that every team needs, and Parker especially has the vision to pass off when going down the lane. Terry Porter is the veteran who can control the clock and the offense when the game is on the line. Malik Rose, who imo should be 6th man of the year, brings the energy and hustle down low to spell Robinson and Duncan. The Spurs, right now, are like the Rockets of our first championship season. They have the MVP of the leaguye down in the low post, and they have another tough big man to complement him. Aside from those two, they have role players throughout the lineup that fit perfectly with the star and the offense. The Rockets weren't the most talented team in the league either, but they played the way the Spurs are now. I'll take teamwork, cohesiveness, and the MVP over a team with as much or more overall talent from top to bottom.
Hehe, David Robinson's the tough big man? I admit that picking the Sonics is a bit of a reach, but it's way too easy to just go with the favorites when making predictions. No Guts, No Glory If the Sonics hacked the hell out of Duncan, then I don't see him being much of a factor at the end of the game. Seattle's also one of the best 3 point shooting teams in the league, so if they got hot, they could easily upset the Spurs. They'll need to play an almost perfect series to win, but I believe that that is what's going to happen. 3 pointers falling down, Duncan's arms falling off...one of the biggest upsets since Seattle-Denver.
Hehe, David Robinson's the tough big man? Well, Robinson's struggles are overdone on this board, moreso than any other that I've seen. If you read discussions from people who watch the Spurs on a game by game basis, they'll document many other things besides Robinson's playoff play as reasons for the loss last season. Even if you disagree, I'd still take David Robinson on my team ahead of Otis Thorpe. With quality shooting, any upset can happen. It just seems to me like you're more trying to wish for the upset instead of basing it on realism. It's not to say that I don't-- I've done it many times-- but it's fun to play the opposing viewpoint.
Beware for this seems to be the year of the 19-year-old (at least in Houston and S.A.). Tony Parker will be a force in the playoffs because everyone has to pay so much attention to Duncan and Robinson. Even so, S.A. got a heck of a player for their draft choice. I'm sitting back rooting for Dallas and S.A. in the playoffs, and, if and when they meet, I'll root for S.A. But I still wish I were rooting for the Rockets in post season play.
That might've been the best quarter of basketball I've ever seen. Simply unreal. And it's still continuing. By the way, how fitting is it that on the day the top seeded Nets lose, Tim Duncan records a triple double in a blowout Spurs win? I know who's the MVP, regardless of the vote. GO SPURS GO! MVP!
I told you -- Parker is not chopped liver. Did you see that cold blooded three? God, I love seeing Seattle get crushed. Just wish it was the Rockets doing it.
Speaking of Parker, isn't Payton supposed to be crushing him? Payton-- 19 pts (8-13 FG), 2 asst, 3 TO Parker-- 21 pts (9-12 FG), 3 asst, 1 TO
Well I said that Payton would dominate Parker more than Duncan would dominate Baker. Baker scored 22 points in 26 minutes, so my comment was kind of right... Tough Man Robinson didn't last very long though...
Parker outplayed Payton. Baker-- 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 asst Duncan-- 21 points, 10 rebounds, 11 asst Duncan outplayed Baker. If you want to use the minutes excuse, part of being a good player is how much stamina you have. BTW, Shaq's missed about 17 games for the Lakers, but I don't see you questioning his toughness. When I talk about toughness, I'm talking about the role and method in which a player plays on the floor. Everyone gets regular injuries...
Yeah, Parker outplayed Payton in one game, so he's definitely a better player. Cato blocked Shaq twice in one game. He is a Shaq-stopper. Carlos Rogers once had 22 points on 11-12 shooting. That makes him the best shooter of all time. The Spurs routed the Sonics in game-one, so they're bound to do it for the rest of the series.
Those are regular season games right? If Shaq misses tomorrow's game, then I'll question his toughness as well, but call it a hunch, I don't think he'll wuss out like Tough Man Robinson... If you want to go look at stats, then the Payton-Parker matchup was a wash this game. Duncan didn't really dominate Baker, he just had more assists which is mainly due to the fact that the Spurs offense runs through Duncan and the Sonics offense is not ran through Baker. Anyway, I still think the Sonics could pull the series out... This was the first playoff game for a lot of the Sonics, so they're learning. Payton will step it up in the next game.
No one said that Parker was better than Payton. We did say, though, that he could compete, and he's showing that he can do that. The Spurs are a clearly better team than the Sonics. Most everyone except Sonics fans and those biased against the Spurs acknowledged this before the series started. With the Spurs playing a terrible first half, the Sonics shooting well, and David Robinson out for the game, the Spurs still blew them out. To most fans, that's not a great sign.
BGM: if Baker had the passing ability that Duncan had, the Sonics would run their offense through him more. If Shaq misses tomorrow's game, then I'll question his toughness as well, but call it a hunch, I don't think he'll wuss out like Tough Man Robinson... OK, then let's talk Kobe Bryant. Kobe sat out game 3 of the 2000 NBA Finals. What a wuss...
The regular season means nothing now. The Rockets in 1998 got swept in the regular season from the Jazz, and if not for Barkley's injury might have knocked the Jazz out of the first round, definitely would have gone 5 games. And there is no way I'm going to say Parker is a better PG then Payton, I still feel that Payton is the best PG in the game, but this wasn't just any game, this was the playoffs. Parker doesn't have to out-play Payton, just neutralize him, pretty much the same way Maloney did for the Rockets in the playoffs against Seattle. Duncan had an awesome game, but Vin Baker just abused him.
21 (almost 22), when he should have a lot more durability than someone who's 36. The Spurs know they can beat Seattle with or without Robinson. No reason to rush him back when you're probably playing the Lakers in the next round.
ZRB, I can appreciate your rooting your Seattle since you live up there and the Rockets are not in the playoffs. I'm from Texas so I always root for Texas teams unless they are playing each other. Then I take sides. No one, certainly not me, said Tony Parker was near the PG Payton is or has been. My point is that Parker is only 19 but capable of turning in a more than credible performance.
He is capable, but do you really think that Gary is going to let Parker stay with him for the rest of the series? Seattle may lose, but Parker will not neutralize Payton.
He may not neutralize Payton, but I wouldn't put it past Parker to keep giving GP a run for his money for the rest of this series. Baker is such an unpredictable player. He's likely to have possibly one more game like today in him for the series, but as we saw even that wasn't enough so the pressure fell on Payton who had a very talented and firely 19 year old to match up with. I said it before and I'll say it again, don't underestimate Parker's skills. He's not going to fall for the mind tricks that other young PG's do when they face GP. Parker has a maturity about him that just might help take the Spurs to the WCF and seriously contend with the Lakers.
