NBA 2015-2016 Season thread

It's funny reading some of the Spurs fans thinking this is on Popovich lol. Like they don't realize this old team overachieved against average competition this season because of how good he is. They just don't have enough plus players still in their prime at this moment to win a series against a great team in their prime. Guys like Patty Mills and Danny Green overachieved while Parker and Duncan were still good contributors in 2014. Duncan has very quickly become a non-factor, Parker can no longer do the things very often that made him great, and guys like Mills and Green just haven't been playing that well. Also, LMA is just not efficient or consistent enough to be the main scoring threat of a contender. He should start extending out to the 3-pt line to increase his efficiency next year. What they really need is to get Durant next year, and that's probably been their plan for a couple years (hey, let's grab Aldridge to help lure Durant... they did go to the same school!). But what are the odds he joins the team that they just eliminated haha? At this point, whether OKC wins or loses the WCF, I think Durant will at least sign a one year deal with the Thunder. They have a lot of talent and knocking off the Spurs is an accomplishment they can build on at the least.

I just hope Bogut can play in the WCF... need our Aussie to counteract their Kiwi. Adams is a damn solid player not afraid to do the dirty work. And another big body to put on that oaf Kanter would be good to have as well..4-0 against them but almost every game was so damn close, going to be a tough series.

Or maybe the Thunder's just a really good team?

Ambiturner_sl said:

Or maybe the Thunder's just a really good team?

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u reed gud

Pharazon_sl said:

They just don't have enough plus players still in their prime at this moment to win a seriesagainst a great team in their prime.

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There's a difference between "The Spurs can't beat great teams" and "the Spurs didn't beat a great team".

Every year they don't win a title everyone writes them off as done

Did you see anything that would suggest Timmy has another year or 2 in him?

Pharazon_sl said:

It's funny reading some of the Spurs fans thinking this is on Popovich lol. Like they don't realize this old team overachieved against average competition this season because of how good he is. At this point, whether OKC wins or loses the WCF, I think Durant will at least sign a one year deal with the Thunder. They have a lot of talent and knocking off the Spurs is an accomplishment they can build on at the least.

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So, the Spurs are an old, overachieving team that only looked good this year because of Popovich willing them to beat average competition... but knocking off the Spurs is an accomplishment... because beating an overachieving team past their prime may just get Durant excited enough about the future to stay.... and might finally be something OKC can build on for the future despite making it to the conference finals for a 4th time in the last 6 years....

Salient points!

Duncan really isn't all that important. He only plays about 25mpg while putting up 8 points and 7 rebounds.

Not sure why people think they'll collapse without him

Drakurii_sl said:

Did you see anything that would suggest Timmy has another year or 2 in him?

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As a player/coach, maybe.... errr, assistant coach... and probably more like an assistant player.

I think Spurs would be better off without Timmy and Manu really. They clear some space for some younger talent and both aren't really putting up enough numbers to contribute heavily anymore.

popsicledeath_sl said:

So, the Spurs are an old, overachieving team that only looked good this year because of Popovich willing them to beat average competition... but knocking off the Spurs is an accomplishment... because beating an overachieving team past their prime may just get Durant excited enough about the future to stay.... and might finally be something OKC can build on for the future despite making it to the conference finals for a 4th time in the last 6 years....

Salient points!

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Not saying they weren't a great team. The Spurs were a great team this year. But their record, defense, and point differential made them look like an all-time great team by the numbers. With an average coach they're definitely talented enough to win 55-60 games - I'm saying Popovich turned a team with 55-60 win talent into a team that looked like one of the all-time great teams.

On the Thunder side they can't look at making the conference finals for the 4th time in 6 years like they've been here before so it's not an accomplishment. They didn't even make the playoffs last year - sure, due largely to injuries, but they've faced a lot of adversity since the last time they made the conference finals. They have a new coach, they blew a LOT of leads this year, they have a number of new faces contributing since the last time they made the WCF. They got annihilated in the first game of this series and nobody game them a chance in the series at that point. This was a huge, unexpected turnaround, and of course they should feel good about knocking out a 67-win team with that much experience led by a coach like Popovich, regardless of whatever flaws the Spurs have at this point. My point is that I think they've already done enough to at least say we're improving with this new coach, have more room to improve as a team, and could at least sell Durant to give it one more season there. If they had kept on the path it looked like they were on following the first game, after all the blown leads this season etc, and lost the series like 4-1 or so, I think Durant was likely gone after this season.

And I'm not saying this is it for them by a longshot. Should be a good series..

Ambiturner_sl said:

Duncan really isn't all that important. He only plays about 25mpg while putting up 8 points and 7 rebounds.

Not sure why people think they'll collapse without him

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Nobody is saying they'll collapse but their aura is going to take a hit. Tim Duncan has been the Spurs for the past 17-18 years. The last few years it's been as much about his leadership and ability to show guys how they need to conduct themselves in order to win as it's been about the numbers. He's a winner, plain and simple. His teammates always knew they had an all-time great on their side showing them how to use the system to win games. His on the court presence will be missed because it still gave others around him confidence even when the numbers were no longer there. And confidence in the NBA is everything. May sound clich? but I feel that's how it really is.

So close. Haven't been this close to the conference finals since 2001. Really hope they close it out tonight.

Pharazon_sl said:

Nobody is saying they'll collapse but their aura is going to take a hit. Tim Duncan has been the Spurs for the past 17-18 years. The last few years it's been as much about his leadership and ability to show guys how they need to conduct themselves in order to win as it's been about the numbers. He's a winner, plain and simple. His teammates always knew they had an all-time great on their side showing them how to use the system to win games. His on the court presence will be missed because it still gave others around him confidence even when the numbers were no longer there. And confidence in the NBA is everything. May sound clich? but I feel that's how it really is.

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Didn't think anyone but kids believed those cliches that players/sportscasters throw out to look like they know what they're talking about. There's not a ton of confidence in seeing a player who's washed up and a shadow of what he used to be.

Back in reality, The Spurs are great because Popovich and their scouting. Losing Duncan will have little to no effect on them.

Ambiturner_sl said:

Back in reality, The Spurs are great because Popovich and their scouting. Losing Duncan will have little to no effect on them.

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Since Popovich became the head coach of The Spurs, there have been 233 coaching changes in the NBA. Unreal.

Gregg Popovich started coaching the Spurs in 1996 - and since then, there have been 233 more changes in the NBA ranks

I don't undervalue the impact the right players supporting the right culture can have on an organization. It helps tremendously to have on-court presence to back it up, though. Not sure Duncan has much left in that regard, and it's not like that's the only way he could keep contributing the off-court intangibles. He looked tired, though. He's at least still got size and some defensive presence inside as a body, unlike Manu that just looked spent. Pretty sure the Spurs will be fine and can keep their winning ways going forward without the big 3 even without landing another big player like Durant.

Welp, here's hoping I don't have a heart attack or stroke watching the game Sunday.

Officially going down as the best team in franchise history now. I don't know if we have a chance against Cleveland...right now I don't care. I'm just enjoying every moment of this right now.

Really happy for Raptors plus gotta support my fellow philly boy!

Thank you, Toronto Raptors, for saving us all from a week of Bron Bron/Heat storylines that no one gives a shit about.