Oh boy! You don't know what the label "contender" means. If you think the spurs are not contenders this year then I guess only Miami are the only one that should hold that title according to you? Well they are in a bit of a rut at the moment...maybe there are no contenders this year? But wait isn't there a conference finals, a final series and a winner at the end? Maybe u mean no one deserves to win this year? I wish I knew how u think
It would be crazy if they can come out of the West with the #1 seed while reserving their strengths for the playoffs. As of today, they only have one more loss compare to OKC. And Westbrook's health is uncertain atm, so it's very plausible that they will overtake Okc on the standings.
I actually am. They won 20 straight games coming into those 4 with OKC. That is an insane accomplishment. Random stuff just happens in basketball. I truly believe the Spurs were contenders in 2012 and are still contenders today.
That's the definition of coasting. They are playing just enough to beat the bad teams while not exerting everything against good teams.
Sounds like Popovich is trying to perfect his Game 6 strategy of not playing Duncan on key possessions This is the great wizard's plan, ppl. Popovich purposely doesn't want to win against the best in the regular season. He wants to give them a false sense of superiority. He's like a jockey holding back the reins of Secretariat before he lets them lose. On purpose. Him and Duncan want to lose to OKC and Miami everytimr they play them It's sheer brilliance
They were nearly champions last year. I definitely wouldn't count them out. That said, I'd put them 3rd favorite in the West, and I'd gladly play them in the playoffs over the Thunder or Clippers.
We have the seventh best record in the league, there are seven teams listed in that sentence I wouldn't read too much into it.
RedEyesK hit the nail on the head. If you had the choice to be the #1 or 2 seed while being able to perfectly rest your players and not risk injury come playoff time wouldn't you? People are taking their record against good teams to mean too much. This is the same team that everybody has counted out every year for the past decade and the same team that waltzed its way to the finals and was one rebound away from winning it all in 6.
this is a pop coached teamed i dont believe they are coasting their april schedule is brutal we'll see if theyre still "coastin" sound like an excuse to me
They might not even have their 3 stars against us tomorrow (according to SpursTalk). Being a Pop coached team means they will play hard, but it doesn't mean they will play hard enough to risk injury to very old veteran players. Remember how bad he got fined when he rested his 3 star players last year? That should tell you about his mentality. This team was a rebound away from the championship, what they have in sight is pretty clear...which is not regular season victories. The fact that they are still floating around #1 is ridiculous.
It is exactly because this is a Pop coached team that they are coasting. It's not because the players are not playing hard. It's cause unlike McHale (yeah I'm taking a cheap shot), Pop is genius with his rotations. Everybody still plays hard but Pop makes sure they all have enough rest while giving crucial time to develop their bench players. Do you think it's a coincidence that every playoff there sprung a new bench playoff hero in the Spurs organization? Pop is making sure their stars are well rested while developing new stars to take the load in the regular season and playoffs.
