Memphis has the toughest strength of schedule remaining in the league. Spurs have the 20th toughest. Portland 26th.

On a lighter note, Bruce Bowen is going to be in Abilene tomorrow morning for a basketball camp at the new youth sports complex that just opened up. I won't be able to go because I'll be at a track meet, but several of my buddies are working it and hopefully will get me an autograph.

BarKeep_03 said:

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Quote:

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2013: Lazy ass Kawhi didn't box out Bosh, decided to just watch the play. Bosh gets and offensive rebound and I had to sleep in the guest room for a week because I was so angry.

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If I remember this sequence of events correctly, I was screaming at Pop through the TV because he spiked the football too early by sitting Duncan with a minute left before the Heat made their 4th quarter comeback in Game 6

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Spurs were trailing or tied from 6:30 until 58s left. Pop pulled Duncan for Diaw for one possession when Miami pulled Bosh for Mike Miller.

Then Duncan went back in on offense, Mike Miller intentionally fouled Kawhi, who bricked the clutch time FT. If Kawhi makes both, Spurs are up 4 with 20s.

Instead, Kawhi chokes, LeBron misses a 3, Kawhi watches as Bosh runs by him for the offensive rebound and kick to Ray Allen.

There is one person to blame for that last minute of the game, and it isn't Pop.

Guitarsoup said:

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BarKeep_03 said:

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Quote:

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2013: Lazy ass Kawhi didn't box out Bosh, decided to just watch the play. Bosh gets and offensive rebound and I had to sleep in the guest room for a week because I was so angry.

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If I remember this sequence of events correctly, I was screaming at Pop through the TV because he spiked the football too early by sitting Duncan with a minute left before the Heat made their 4th quarter comeback in Game 6

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Spurs were trailing or tied from 6:30 until 58s left. Pop pulled Duncan for Diaw for one possession when Miami pulled Bosh for Mike Miller.

Then Duncan went back in on offense, Mike Miller intentionally fouled Kawhi, who bricked the clutch time FT. If Kawhi makes both, Spurs are up 4 with 20s.

Instead, Kawhi chokes, LeBron misses a 3, Kawhi watches as Bosh runs by him for the offensive rebound and kick to Ray Allen.

There is one person to blame for that last minute of the game, and it isn't Pop.

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I think you can make the argument that Duncan (who would have won the freaking MVP of that series had they won game 6) should have been in the game. He was our best rebounder and was championship tested more than anyone in that series. While not fast, he was still a world class defender and smarter than anyone on the court.

I guess you can say Kawhi choked but dude was only 21 years old in his second year playing crunch time mins at the highest stage. I would say he was green more than anything.

But with all that said, I think it was the sum of many things that caused us to lose. Which is why it's so frustrating.

New season starts now. Hopefully the break cleared the guys' minds and they bounce back to secure the last spot. Of course some dominos falling would help as well.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Guitarsoup said:

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BarKeep_03 said:

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Quote:

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2013: Lazy ass Kawhi didn't box out Bosh, decided to just watch the play. Bosh gets and offensive rebound and I had to sleep in the guest room for a week because I was so angry.

---

If I remember this sequence of events correctly, I was screaming at Pop through the TV because he spiked the football too early by sitting Duncan with a minute left before the Heat made their 4th quarter comeback in Game 6

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Spurs were trailing or tied from 6:30 until 58s left. Pop pulled Duncan for Diaw for one possession when Miami pulled Bosh for Mike Miller.

Then Duncan went back in on offense, Mike Miller intentionally fouled Kawhi, who bricked the clutch time FT. If Kawhi makes both, Spurs are up 4 with 20s.

Instead, Kawhi chokes, LeBron misses a 3, Kawhi watches as Bosh runs by him for the offensive rebound and kick to Ray Allen.

There is one person to blame for that last minute of the game, and it isn't Pop.

---

I think you can make the argument that Duncan (who would have won the freaking MVP of that series had they won game 6) should have been in the game. He was our best rebounder and was championship tested more than anyone in that series. While not fast, he was still a world class defender and smarter than anyone on the court.

I guess you can say Kawhi choked but dude was only 21 years old in his second year playing crunch time mins at the highest stage. I would say he was green more than anything.

But with all that said, I think it was the sum of many things that caused us to lose. Which is why it's so frustrating.

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Doesn't matter who you are. You miss a FT with 20s left in a 2-point game in the NBA Finals, you choked.

On the court for the heat:

Chalmers
Wade
Ray Allen
LeBron
Mike Miller

Who does Duncan guard? Maybe going small was the wrong move, but Duncan was pretty slow at that point.

In any event, Duncan wasn't pulled to spike the football as was earlier asserted.

Bosh was on the floor. He got the rebound and had the assist to Ray's game tying 3.

Edit: I thought we were just talking about the game tying play.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Bosh was on the floor. He got the rebound and had the assist to Ray's game tying 3. .

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Bosh was taken off the floor, which is why Pop subbed Duncan. This is the possession before Ray's three.

Bosh was subbed out for Mike Miller.
Diaw replaced Duncan.

Spurs put Duncan back in, Miller intentionally fouls Kawhi.

Kawhi bricks #1
Bosh replaces Miller
Kawhi makes #2.
LeBron misses a 3
Kawhi doesn't box out Bosh

Spurs get another great road win. Closed things out in the 4th again. I think this DJ/White back court is going to stick.

Gained a game on Memphis. Hopefully NOLA handles the blazers. Last road game on rrt against OKC on Sunday.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Spurs get another great road win. Closed things out in the 4th again. I think this DJ/White back court is going to stick.

Gained a game on Memphis. Hopefully NOLA handles the blazers. Last road game on rrt against OKC on Sunday.

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White and Murray held Donovan Mitchell to 12 points 5-14 shooting. Pretty impressive defense from both of those guys tonight.

Pop has to go. Winning road games against playoff teams is pathetic.

Thanks for reopening the PTSD of 2013. Since y'all did that, I'll remind you that Manu also choked a free throw down the stretch as well. One of many mistakes they made as a team that last couple minutes.

I think not having Duncan out there was logical for who the heat had out there. They would have gone straight to the pick and roll and diced Timmy up, and Diaw was playing stellar defense that series.

I want to say I would have rolled with Duncan if I were Pop, but more outta respect and trust but not as much from a strategy standpoint. Manu and Kawhi at the line though just choked.

My buddy got this for me.



He said Bruce was a super nice guy.

Sure could have used that guy on defense tonight.

50$ says he missed that layup

https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2020/2/24/21150329/tatums-ascent-clippers-concerns-houston-vs-everybody-and-fury-wilder-reactions-with-ryen-russillo

Simmons and Russillo debate whether the Spurs can still be considered one of the 'smart' teams in the NBA in this recent podcast. Simmons in particular argued no, running through several moves the Spurs made the last couple of years to Make his point.

Pumpkinhead said:

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https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2020/2/24/21150329/tatums-ascent-clippers-concerns-houston-vs-everybody-and-fury-wilder-reactions-with-ryen-russillo

Simmons and Russillo debate whether the Spurs can still be considered one of the 'smart' teams in the NBA in this recent podcast. Simmons in particular argued no, running through several moves the Spurs made the last couple of years to Make his point.

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You're the most passive aggressive Spurs hater.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Pumpkinhead said:

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https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2020/2/24/21150329/tatums-ascent-clippers-concerns-houston-vs-everybody-and-fury-wilder-reactions-with-ryen-russillo

Simmons and Russillo debate whether the Spurs can still be considered one of the 'smart' teams in the NBA in this recent podcast. Simmons in particular argued no, running through several moves the Spurs made the last couple of years to Make his point.

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You're the most passive aggressive Spurs hater.

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Not a Spurs hater or love. Just a die-hard Aggie Hoops fan and probably describe myself as a 'bandwagon' NBA fan, as which NBA teams I enjoy watching the most any particular season depends on who is good or not. This season, I seem to have found myself trying to catch a lot of Lakers games, not only because they are good but I got a soft spot for Alex Caruso sightings.

I've enjoyed watching and rooting for the Spurs in the past, loved some of the Duncan-Manu-Parker teams and was rooting like hell for them against the Heat in that Finals. LOT of respect for those teams and Popovich's career, though at 71 I would presume he has probably lost a step or two.

Heard that podcast and since Simmons and Russillo did that segment on the Spurs, thought I'd post it here to stir up some message board trouble. That's all .

Agree to disagree. Over the past years you've only really come to Spurs threads to take dumps or indirectly take dumps on the Spurs as a fan of whichever team you support during a season (obviously not the Warriors this season). Maybe you just don't realize it.

And to be fair, everyone not living in Miami was rooting for the Spurs to win.

Guitarsoup said:

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Bruce is nice and he walks surprisingly well considering how all those dirty players like Vince Carter and Steph Marbury tried to hurt him for years by jumping up in the air and trying to land on Bruce's feet.

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He does have to order extra wide shoes now.

I feel like I've argued against a lot of the moves that got us here. The DeRozan deal, signing Gay, the Mills contract, the Gasol contract, the Murray contract, playing Forbes a lot, not playing Carroll. Most of them are defensible in some sense, but I'll say the same thing I said when the Spurs settled on a DeRozan/Aldridge/Gay core: the cumulative result is an Isiah Thomas dream team, and that's a BIG problem. Look like Tarzan, play like the Knicks.

The spurs have the trappings of culture, but the players they have are sloppy, inefficient, and not committed to defense. This is just a bunch of guys. They might win a few games here and there, but they'll never be good, not really.

I like some if the draft picks, but overall the team is a mess and it needs a reboot. I think they could do it fast, and if they had done it early this season we would probably have a similar record but feel a lot more hopeful about the next 5 years.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Agree to disagree. Over the past years you've only really come to Spurs threads to take dumps or indirectly take dumps on the Spurs as a fan of whichever team you support during a season (obviously not the Warriors this season). Maybe you just don't realize it.

And to be fair, everyone not living in Miami was rooting for the Spurs to win.

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Miami was definitely one of the 'great' teams that I could never find myself to like. Found myself rooting for Mavs, then Thunder, then Spurs, then Spurs again in each of the Heat NBA Finals. That Spurs team that beat them, that basketball style they played definitely lived up to the 'beautiful game' moniker.

The problem with criticizing moves all the time is you can easily say there were better options but nobody really knows.

As for the Spurs, they typically make smart picks and have built a player development machine. That's what makes them smart. I dont think they've consistently wowed the league with their player acquisitions. They traded Hill for the Kawhi pick and they lured Aldridge via free agency. What other signing or trade sticks out ???

My point is not much has changed. We all freaked out when they couldn't get Luis Scola and traded him to a rival for a bag of donuts. This team is financially conservative and values continuity and character over talent. It's not always going to work. But when it does it makes them look like geniuses because nobody else is doing it this way.

Pretending the Spurs chose to trade Kawhi to the Raptors on their own is an all-time bad take. Also let's not mention that Morris' garbage (I.e. the reason they had to get rid of Bertans) was so shady his agent quit. So basically he's complaining they overpaid Pau and Rudy Gay - ok sure. "Smart" teams have apparently never overpaid anyone.

Bill's always been a bit dramatic but over the past year or so he's basically turned into an over-reactionary First Take "hot take" kind of guy with a lack of self awareness of his past positions on his takes.

He spent all summer talking about how much of a no-brainer the PG trade was for the Clips cause it landed them Kawhi and made them relevant. He praised their front office for roster construction. Meanwhile he clowned the Lakers front office for their moves all summer/fall. On the Lowe pod he said - "It looks like my 11 year old just picked players on 2K and threw them on a roster together. There's no rhyme or reason to it."

Flash forward and he now has decided to die on this anti-clips hill and suddenly all the moves he initially liked were all bad decisions??? Despite their chemistry and injury concerns they are 1 game back of the 2 seed in the West and are 2-0 against the (fully healthy) Lakers. Yet Bill wants us to believe they are more likely to lose in rd 1 than make the finals??? His Clippers takes are so nauseating and cringe to listen to because you can see them potentially aging so poorly. If they end up winning the title he will just act like he never had any of these concerns and revert back to his preseason praise for them. Or act like his criticism was the majority opinion and that "we all were collectively wrong about them."

Ryen has the rational outlook to be concerned about the Clippers without being over-reactionary and declaring them dead.

Simmons' BOB podcast's latest episode is on the 03 Spurs/Lakers series. As annoying as Bill is, these have been great. Really looking forward to this one. Features Shea of course.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Simmons' BOB podcast's latest episode is on the 03 Spurs/Lakers series. As annoying as Bill is, these have been great. Really looking forward to this one. Features Shea of course.

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Here is the link that new Simmons' Book of Basketball segment on Spurs defeating Shaq-Kobe Lakers ending their chance for a 4-peat. Simmons doesn't always have good takes, but the guy is a huge NBA fan and does put out a lot of NBA related content, including often great guests and interviews. I usually enjoy the NBA stuff on The Ringer. Also really enjoy The Rewatchables podcast where Simmons and his friends talk about their favorite movies.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Simmons' BOB podcast's latest episode is on the 03 Spurs/Lakers series. As annoying as Bill is, these have been great. Really looking forward to this one. Features Shea of course.

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Thanks for the update on the episode. Heard it today and brought up so many memories. Bill Simmons mentioned he taped the episode last summer. I hear his podcast every once in a while and there are some good ones.

Here is one where Kobe called him out of the blue and how they kept in touch. Seems like Kobe knew things were different this time of his career and him opening up more. It was an emotional episode to hear, especially the last line that guts you.

Wow. Rudy gay has absolutely nothing left in the tank.

Walker just had block of the season. Man that guy is athletic.

There's not one person on this team where I think 'Yea, we have to keep him.'

Enzo The Baker said:

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There's not one person on this team where I think 'Yea, we have to keep him.'

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Derrick White

Obi Wan Ginobili said:

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Enzo The Baker said:

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There's not one person on this team where I think 'Yea, we have to keep him.'

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Derrick White

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I agree with Enzo. White is a great support player on a good team, but we aren't a good team. You could find another guy to fill that spot later.

Obi Wan Ginobili said:

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Enzo The Baker said:

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There's not one person on this team where I think 'Yea, we have to keep him.'

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Derrick White

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I would have said him at the end of last season. But he's been so up and down this year and maybe that's due to his new roll on the team.

Murray and Walker Might need more time but they can't even make easy layups. That's a little worrisome. Also they strike me as players that talk about being good but don't put it into action to their fullest. At this point I don't think anyone is untouchable.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Obi Wan Ginobili said:

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Enzo The Baker said:

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There's not one person on this team where I think 'Yea, we have to keep him.'

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Derrick White

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I would have said him at the end of last season. But he's been so up and down this year and maybe that's due to his new roll on the team.

Murray and Walker Might need more time but they can't even make easy layups. That's a little worrisome. Also they strike me as players that talk about being good but don't put it into action to their fullest. At this point I don't think anyone is untouchable.

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I'm not trying to be an ass, but your "intuition" on them couldn't be more wrong. They put in the hours during the offseason. It's well documented. I swear, one bad season is turning Spurs fans brains into mush. There is talent on this roster.

Murray is coming off a missed season and was on a minutes restriction for the first half this season. He's long, he's smart, his jumper is improving, and he's not lazy. He's also only 23 and has an all-nba defense on his resume already.

White is turning into a playmaking version of Danny Green. I know most on this thread bemoaned DG14 for years (and I have no clue why, I guess all the 50 & 60 win seasons, all-defensive team, and career 40% 3 point percentage are not good???), but championship caliber teams NEED players like Derrick White and Patty Mills. All motor, making smart plays, they don't ***** and moan, they just lace up and do whatever the **** they have to do to get a win.

Lonnie has played less than 70 career games at this point, so I'm not sure how you can possibly have some gut feeling about him already. He just hit the legal drinking age two months ago. Give him a minute before you reach back into the "he strikes me as blah blah blah". He's got FREAKISH athletic ability. That doesn't make him the next coming of anyone, but you don't give up this quickly on someone as physically gifted as that.


I swear, most of you clowns need to calm down. It's a lost season, I get it. But all this blow it up, everyone sucks, etc. is just whiny bull. You sound like Mavs and Rockets fans from the Spurs Big 3 era. Bunch of crybabies.