There's already an understanding of the method to Gregg Popovich's madness; it's seeing the results of said "insanity" that ties all the pieces together like a nice Persian rug on the hardwood. All those nights Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker sat in street clothes next to their fearless leader, all those mornings after when incredulous critics couldn't grasp the idea of their team's coach being so seemingly careless with the West's top seed by sitting his stars, this is where we start to see the end for which the means were intended. The second round of the playoffs began last night, and despite this being a Los Angeles team few are accustomed to seeing at this point of the season, there's nothing different about the time of year. The playoffs are still the playoffs. Jimmy Goldstein is still Jimmy Goldstein. And Tim Duncan? Well, he was vintage Timmy.
With their 87-81 victory over the Utah Jazz, the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals where they will face the winner of the Grizzlies-Clippers series.
It was as one sided as a sweep can be, with the Spurs dominating each game for long stretches and the Jazz looking overmatched. After all the criticism they received last season when they were eliminated by the Grizzlies, I'm sure the Spurs were looking forward to quiet the doubters with a convincing first round win over a team that, on paper, was supposed to be a tough matchup. While not really surprising, the Spurs' victory over the Jazz was impressive and conclusive. If there were still people out there with doubts about the Spurs' chances against big frontlines, this series probably changed that. Some notes on the game and the series after the jump.
The San Antonio Spurs won their 13th game in a row and put this series against the Utah Jazz in a stranglehold. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit so the Spurs are sitting pretty. A Game 3 that I feared would be hotly contested proved to be nothing more than a steady beat down. As we all are well aware of at this point, the Spurs are good. They are very, very good.
SAN ANTONIO - Pre-game chatter prior to the tip of Game 2 in San Antonio centered mostly on the Jazz' efforts to slow down the Spurs' best player, specifically calling for "a hard foul or two." But therein lies the problem with that kind of game plan against the West's No. 1 seed: if you focus your attention on slowing Tony Parker, you open the passing lanes to the perimeter. And when San Antonio's shooters get open looks, well, there's typically a pretty consistent result. San Antonio shot 57.3 percent from the floor to Utah's 34.4 percent, which makes the 114-83 Spurs victory a little more explainable.
SAN ANTONIO - In the NBA every team has a weakness. Yes, some have significantly more than others (see Bobcats, Charlotte), but you can generally identify the areas which need refining. For the Spurs, the difficulties they've had at times handling bigger teams, especially in the frontcourt, has supplied the team's critics - both good and bad - with the ammunition needed to present arguments against San Antonio's title chances. It's also enough of a supply that it's fueled the fire keeping the idea alive that the Jazz will be a tough out for the Spurs. But despite Utah's size advantage on the front line, the West's No. 1 seed comfortably put Game 1 in the books with a 106-91 win at the AT&T Center. And really, it shouldn't have even been that close. The Spurs didn't play that well, and I don't believe this series is going to be as close as many are being led to believe.
Are you a person who believes in and pays particular attention to signs? I admit to the negative on both counts, but sometimes, the supposed "signs" occur often enough to make you think that there's a pattern to what is happening, and that it becomes harder and harder to ignore it. The San Antonio Spurs, or about a third of what was left of it for the last game of the season, were due for a heat check and a loss with no big three, no head coach, limited key reserves, and even a rare appearance of the dreaded Blair-Bonner combo. The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, were maybe trying their best to lose one more game to be in optimal lottery position, but their 51% shooting said otherwise. And despite the opponents' hot shooting to the Spurs' measly 43%, the good guys still won.
Or, to more succinctly put it, they Just. Won't. Lose.
The Spurs were down 96 to 90 with 5:20 remaining in the fourth quarter and I felt as if the Spurs were done. How many times have we seen this play out over the last several seasons? It's a meaningless game. Popovich decided to give Tim, Tony, and Manu the night off. With only that knowledge, you would have to assume that the Spurs were not going to win this one.
With their 124-89 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the AT&T center the San Antonio Spurs have clinched the number 1 spot in the Western Conference and can still get the best record in the league. Read that sentence again. If you thought that was probable at the beginning of the season you are either supremely optimist or a psychic. If you thought that was possible after Manu Ginobili went down I would have said you were crazy. And yet here we are. The "old" Spurs are peaking at the right time and, make no mistake, the rest of the West is trembling
Showing 1 - 8 of 180 Older
