Watching that game last night, its hard to not notice the spurs age. Duncan looks like hes got 2 years is he's lucky. I mean oden killed him last night. Manu also seems like a shell of his former self. Finleys career is basically over and jefferson also looked a bit slower then i remember. Poor duncan... always a class act but time has caught him and the spurs imo. Anyone who thinks thats a top 2 team in the west is nuts. They will make the playoffs but no way in hell are they beating the lakers like some predicted. Im beginning to think the top 3 west teams are LA, Denver, and Dallas. Good win for the blazers.... but i hate that lineup. Please start webster over blake.. please. We need to whip the twolves sunday. We need a blowout and would be nice to score 100 points for a change.
I get why Nate is doing this. Having Webster, Fernandez, and Outlaw come off the bench, provides a spark offensively. Just look at the bench points. As much as I am a little confused why, I think it's actually working now.
well i would like to see oden do this more then once before i say he has turned a corner but he was imressive. Even Kwame Brown had good games but the word for oden is CONSISTENCY
I agree completely. Oden has 1 good game out of 6 so far this season. Once I see Oden have a nice 10 game run of play like this. Not only will that help his confidence, it will help the confidence in his team and coach. It will also force other teams to respect him when he's on the floor. Right now, I don't see the respect on the floor, even in last night's game.
Yeah, the Spurs do look a little old.. and it's not the first time our young guys just seemed a little more energetic and had a little more hop than them. Duncan has a lot of mileage on him at only 33 years old. Jefferson is not very good, so really, it's up to Parker and Manu to carry this team.
This is why I thought (And I'm sure now) Portland was the second best team in the west. Portland size and youth will kill this team in a seven game series.
I do not think (and did not before) that the Spurs are the 2nd best team in the west - but you guys are still selling them short. They are still a very determined group of mofos out there. Manu is a bad-ass - and it is not a surprise that he was that chippy last night. What was nice to see was that both Miller and Blake were just as chippy with him - and Roy, playing his new super-star role - just ignored him. Did not let him rattle him, just walked away after being fouled and sank his free-throws.
if they get to the 2nd round... it will be impressive to me. they are too old to hang tough through april/may. are they still decent? yes. decent playoff team. sounds like us but we are young.
I wouldnt write off the Spurs so easily. They are adjusting to adding lots of new players, that includes Manu who was out all last season. They are having similar issues that we are having and it will take them time to find themselves. They are still very dangerous though.
''We committed too many mistakes from the get-go,'' Ginobili said. ''It's too bad. It shouldn't be happening. We've really got to step out and try to play 48 minutes.'' You did step out Ginobili. Try stepping up next time.
In your own words, Oden "killed" an all star and future HOF'er, but you're not yet convinced he's not a bust?
like i said.... im sure kwame brown had a few good games. like maggs said... can he do ten in a row? or even 5? due sergio had flashes at pg... and he cant even get pt in sac. btw... thats a disgrace lol.
I will hold my opinion on the Spurs until February. I have already lost many years before thinking the same damn thing when the Spurs started off very poorly, only to win a championship.
Kwame Brown never had a game where he was the equal of a late-prime inner-circle Hall of Famer. Duncan is not near his peak, but he's still one of the best players in the game. Also, Brown had only a few double-doubles in his career. Oden had a bunch just last year. Acting like Oden has yet to separate himself from Brown isn't at all reasonable.
