Lets see, so far this morning I've heard:

1. "ugh, not again they are so boring"

2. "I'm sick of them"

3. "Lets be honest, they wouldn't be there if Westbrook is healthy. They got swept last year."

I'm not sure if its blind hatred or plain stupidity.

1. The Spurs are a top 3 offense and a top 3 defense. I guess they are boring because they score too much.

2. It has been 6 years since they were in a finals. How is this repetitive? Meanwhile everyone wants to see Lakers vs Celtics every year.

3. This is not the same team as last year. I firmly believe these guys beat the Thunder. Splitter, Leonard and Green are all much better and Duncan/Parker are hyper-focused. Besides, last year was not a blowout series. It went six and was very close.

Most are giving the Spurs props but the haters can't even recognize an accomplishment for what it is without disparaging it in some way.

Spurs

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3. "Lets be honest, they wouldn't be there if Westbrook is healthy. They got swept last year."

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It went 6.

Take down LeBron and the Heat and nobody will be able to say anything! I say bring on the champs and let's give them our best. Win or Lose this teams legacy is already up their with the other great dynasties!

[This message has been edited by TexAgs staff (edited 5/28/2013 10:29a).]

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3. "Lets be honest, they wouldn't be there if Westbrook is healthy. They got swept last year."



It went 6.

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Yeah, any ingrate (or pundit) can look that up. That's why its so frustrating.

These are the same guys who said that Memphis should win this series easily because they did two years ago. I suppose it would be too much work to actually go and look to see who the Spurs had starting that series. (McDyse and Jefferson)

In the end the biggest problem for the Spurs in terms of respect is the fact they are from San Antonio. That's really it.

They score points. They have dynamic players and HOF players. They play beautiful basketball on both ends. They win, a lot. While they don't have a bunch of crazy personalities they have a few interesting guys now.

The problem is they are a small market team that doesn't drive national ratings and interest and that won't change. Thus to some they will always be a "meh" team they don't care about. If Indiana had the same level of success as the Spurs over the last decade and a half people would feel the same way about them. It is true there aren't a ton of new storylines about the Spurs as well but the real key is just being from a smaller market.

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In the end the biggest problem for the Spurs in terms of respect is the fact they are from San Antonio. That's really it.

They score points. They have dynamic players and HOF players. They play beautiful basketball on both ends. They win, a lot. While they don't have a bunch of crazy personalities they have a few interesting guys now.

The problem is they are a small market team that doesn't drive national ratings and interest and that won't change. Thus to some they will always be a "meh" team they don't care about. If Indiana had the same level of success as the Spurs over the last decade and a half people would feel the same way about them. It is true there aren't a ton of new storylines about the Spurs as well but the real key is just being from a smaller market.

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i disagree with the small market being the biggest driver for lack of national ratings. See Oklahoma City.

I agree that this Spurs team probably beats OKC, even with a healthy Westbrook. As the OP observed, this is not the same Spurs team as last year - Leonard and Splitter are major contributors now.

Additionally, I would like to point out that OKC is not the same team as last year either. IMO, they have gotten worse (assuming a healthy Westbrook)as the ridiculously talented James Harden plays in Houston now and they have a grossly overpaid black hole at the 5 in the player formerly known as Kendrick Perkins.

Lastly, I also disagree on the Spurs lack of national marketability being San Antonio-centric. I would argue that it has more to do with the fact that their best player is arguably the most low-key world-class athlete in all of sports.

Go Spurs Go!

Agree. Since last year:

Spurs:
Leonard - improved
Green - improved (his slump was a big problem last year because it let OKC jam the middle of the court)
Splitter - improved
Duncan - improved (yeah, it's weird but true)

Thunder
Harden -> Kevin Martin - negative
Ibaka - slight improvement
Perkins - negative

The Spurs were a Perkins/Ibaka one in a million shooting night from going up 3-1 in that series last year. Since then SA has gotten better and OKC has gotten worse.

The real problem is that most people are sheep and buy whatever the people in the magic box tell them to buy. The NBA made a strategic decision decades ago to market the star players instead of the teams. The Spurs are the ultimate team. Even though they have had great players, the Spurs ethos is about the team. Team doesn't sell--- or at least it isn't being sold.

People are stupid. I still hear people claim the Spurs are boring. It's been years since the Spurs relied on "4 down" and defense to win. Parker and Manu (even though he's showing his age he still makes some plays that are worth the price of admission) are electric, and the Spurs move the ball the way the game is supposed to be played. Objectively, they play a very aesthetic style of basketball. Yet people can't be bothered to observe and make up their minds because some talking head told them years ago that the Spurs were boring and the NBA and the shoe companies never tell us how great or exciting they are, so they must not be.

[This message has been edited by DTP02 (edited 5/28/2013 11:37a).]

My thing is I'm just tired of the Spurs. I don't hate them, don't want them to fall flat, don't deny their ability, etc. I'm just tired of the Spurs.

Simple as that. Sorry if that offends anybody, but its just how it is for me.

Well they haven't won a title in 6 years.

I'm not a Spurs fan but I'm glad they made the finals. I want to see if the old guys got one left in them. I'll be ecstatic if they knock of Miami.

However the Heat will likely win easily. They are just way better than anyone else right now.

Are 12-2 in a much tougher western conference. I don't think the difference between both teams is nearly as big as some of you are making it out to be.

as a mavs fan, i hate the spurs. but i would much rather have the spurs win the title than the heat.

much respect to an incredible organization. 50+ wins since 1998 aint no joke.

It's kind of hard to tell how good Miami really is. They haven't played really well yet, but they haven't had to. If they play against the Spurs like they have so far in the East the Spurs will roll, but they won't play against the Spurs like they did against Milwaukee or Chicago.

It's amazing how long we've been able to watch our team in the post season...it nicely shortens the Aggie football offseason.

The lack of interest has to do with the offense's methodical execution, the defense grinding teams into bad shooting and the lack of explosive personalities.

I love beautiful basketball and that's what they play, but casual fans wants to see alley oops and Birdman/Rodman-like specticals. Even our young pup additions are workman like, get the job done without chest thumping and scouls...oh, that's so boring.

They also tend to keep the other team from being exciting... for example, last year the Clippers got very few alley-oops or even dunks. The Spurs throttled that part of their game.

I am a Rockets fan, and that can be trying at times, but I am happy for the Spurs. I sure hope they lay down the wood on the Heat.

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They also tend to keep the other team from being exciting... for example, last year the Clippers got very few alley-oops or even dunks. The Spurs throttled that part of their game.

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Good point. And this year, watching them slowly sap away the Warriors' three point prowess was remarkable.

[This message has been edited by tbirdspur2010 (edited 5/28/2013 3:14p).]

Not everyone that picks against your team hates your team, your city, or you.

It is true that a large majority of the national media picked the Grizzles to win the series. And they were wrong. Its their job to make picks. They aren't physicists. They can't make good predictions because their "field of study" isn't a science. Its also epistemologically poor because there are infinite variables that go into the outcome of a playoff series. The media (frankly, anyone) simply can't consider all of them. They're going to be wrong a LOT. That doesn't make them bad analysts (though some may indeed be bad analysts for other reasons) or haters. Remember that they universally picked your team to beat this Grizzles team in your 1 vs 8 matchup 3 years ago.

Your team is the finals. Enjoy it. But this "everyone is out to get us" and "we told you so" shtick exhibited by Spurs fans on every message board, radio show, and on TV is silly. Everyone loves your team, especially Timmy, and can't wait to root (or at least see) them in the finals against LeBron.

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Remember that they universally picked your team to beat this Grizzles team in your 1 vs 8 matchup 3 years ago.

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Not true, actually. I know for a fact USA Today picked the Grizz in '11 and I think a couple other pundits as well.

ESPN from 2011 series

I know MOST picked the Spurs lol. I mean, come on, we're talking a 1 vs. 8 matchup (even if the Grizz tanked to get that pairing).

The above poster said "universally," though. That was my only point.

Carry on.

I think it should be a great series. I honestly don't know who I think will win.

The Heat are on like a 92% winning clip since Feb. 1. That's pretty unreal. 92% over a 4 month stretch. Eastern or Western Conference, that's incredible and they are way better than any team in the NBA this season. That's not to knock the Spurs either... they are a damn good team, have been for a long time, and probably have a year or 2 left of being really good... deserve a ton of respect. That said, what Miami's doing right now puts them in the pantheon of probably a top 5 single NBA season of all-time.

I can argue either way, and my opinion seems to change hour to hour. Since I have singlehandedly reverse jinxed the Spurs to the finals with my doom and gloom predictions, I think I'll stick with that and say that there is just no answer for Lebron James. Gonna be a tough series.

I don't fault anybody for their picks. However, I do scrutinize stupid logic. I don't expect all these guys to know everything about all these teams but too many of them put zero thought into it. I point to the Memphis prediction and I heard several pundits simply refer to the 2011 series as the reason for their pick. I'll say it again FREAKING Antonio McDyse and Richard Jefferson STARTED FOR THE SPURS IN 2011!!

I do respect a guy like Zach Lowe. He said that he broke down hours of film prior making his prediction and still struggled mightily trying to find a sliver of difference between the teams. He saw this being either Spurs in 7 or Griz in 6. He eventually went with the Griz just because he had to publish something. Obviously he was wrong, as was about 99% of predictors. But at least he had some reasoning behind it based on information from this season.

I'm still bitter about a Sports Illustrated I have from 1999 where Sheryl Miller predicts that the Spurs were the 8th most likely team to win the Championship. This, despite them finishing with the best overall record. Her reasoning? "The Spurs are soft and always cave in the playoffs." I think they had lost 2 or 3 out of 40 games leading into the playoffs. They had Duncan in his second year, a healthy Robinson and a whole slew of tough, hard nosed role players like Mario Elie, Will Perdue, Jerome Kersey. It was a different Spurs team than any I had seen as a Spurs fan and it was frustrating that this so called expert couldn't see that.

My point on small market is that affects every team eventually that is in the same shoes. OKC is still trendy, kind of like Sac was for a few years. The Spurs OTOH have been good for a LONG time. Even before the '99 Title they were awfully good for the decade prior outside of the year Robinson went down. The Spurs are a true exception being a small market team that has been so successful for so long. To do that in the NBA is just freakish.

I wouldn't make much of Miami's run in terms of wins this year. The Spurs won 20 in a row including the playoffs before dropping 4 in a row to OKC last year (and they hadn't lost more than 2 in a row all year). The playoffs are just a different animal.

Matchup wise it will be interesting. The key is how hard Leonard can make Lebron work for his points. There is no stopping Lebron but if you can force him to be Superman every night the odds are much better. The Spurs are likely the only team in the league that won't be intimidated by Miami at all. Doesn't mean they will win, but they are certainly a good enough team to do so.

You're basing your argument on what Sheryl miller said ?

The Millers are as good at shooting as they are bad about talking basketball.

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aggie93
posted 5:21p, 05/28/13



My point on small market is that affects every team eventually that is in the same shoes. OKC is still trendy, kind of like Sac was for a few years. The Spurs OTOH have been good for a LONG time. Even before the '99 Title they were awfully good for the decade prior outside of the year Robinson went down. The Spurs are a true exception being a small market team that has been so successful for so long. To do that in the NBA is just freakish.

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there's some truth there to trendiness wearing out, but it extends to every team not named the Lakers and Knicks. It's not all market size. The Kings were trendy because of Webber, and they went away when they started losing. The current Nuggets play exciting basketball like the Kings used to, but the Nuggets have no marketable players. I think small markets Miami and OKC will be driving forces for ratings as long as Durant and Lebron are there. I think if Durant had been drafted by the Spurs then they would be right there with Miami.