Congrats Spurs

[Skandery]

Say what you want about Tim Duncan, and his 24 point, 13 rebound, 9 block stat line speaks for itself. 

Say what you want about Tony Parker and his 21 point first half was incredible

...but Manu Ginobili is simply the most devastating player in big game situations of the last couple of years.  Tim Duncan is the chassis, Tony Parker is the sparkly paint job, but Manu Ginobili is the engine that makes the Spurs run.  In the blink of an eye, the game went from a three point back + forth struggle to a 20 point blow out in which Manu's offensive onslaught was raining through the net.  He would have capped it all off with a 4 point play if he had converted the free throw.  One handed runners off the backboard, stop and pops, penetrations, precision passing, simply an incredible player.  Oh and the incredible help defense and the 11 rebounds were nice, too.  If he plays like he did in this series in the Finals, he would be my Finals MVP.  Then again he was wrongly robbed of it in 05. 

Good Job Spurs.  I think Phoenix played very well to win 2 games.

I hope Utah squeaks at least a game out of the next series.  My prediction is the same for that series that it was for this one against Phoenix.  San Antonio in 5 games unless Utah plays really well, in which case San Antonio will win in 6 games.  Whoever comes out of the East will be a lamb to the slaughter.     

[SPURSX3]

The big three all showed up today.  And I was right on with 6 game sin this series.  No way SA wanted to head back to Phoenix for a game seven with those savage cry babies. lol.

No, Nash had me worried in the fourth but I am glad we pulled out the win.  I am going to be bold and say SA in 5 in the next series.  5 hard fought heavy weight boxing style games.  I hope our guys can rest before Sunday, this series looks like it took a lot out of our guys.  whew...I am soo glad this series is done...

[Reality]

...but Manu Ginobili is...

Testify!

[rickortreat]

Spurs deserve a lot of credit, they played their best game of the series last night, and as it turned out, they really needed to.

I thought the pace was too fast for the Spurs and that they gave up too many points to the Suns.  I figured at some point they would turn cold and Phoenix would take off on them.  To the contrary, it was the Suns that folded in the third quarter. 

The refs didn't help, as usual, blowing several calls on both ends of the floor that went against the Suns, like Parker taking 5 or 6 steps without dribbling and then getting a foul call. Or the play where Stoudamire ran down the baseline to save a ball only to be called out by Dick (Too old and blind Bavetta) when the replay showed that he was still IN-BOUNDS when he tapped the ball to a teamate.

Or all of the none calls where Nash was screaming that he was fouled.

But none of that changed the outcome of the game.  The Suns went ice cold in the third and never recovered.  For all of the talk about how great Nash is, I though he blew the game when he drove inside.  He was so concerned about kicking the ball back out that he neglected to try to get easy buckets at the hoop.  There were a number of times when he drove down the lane and could have made an easy layup, but instead stopped and threw the ball back out.

If the Spurs play the way they did last night, they will win the Championship.  It is a rip-off that they get one lousy day off before facing Utah.  And Spurs fans, you should shut up about how that series will play out.  Unlike all the other teams the Spurs faced in the playoffs, they're going up against a team that has a powerful inside game.  TD hasn't had to guard anyone with the strength of Boozer throughout the playoffs.  Game 1 is critical because the Spurs will be going very quickly after the end of this series.

Outside of TD, the Spurs will have problems with the Jazz in the paint.  Oberto and Elson are going to get exploited a lot, and Parker is going to have trouble with Derron Williams.  The Spurs should take the series by virtue of their experience and superior depth, but overlooking Utah would be a serious mistake.

Parker and Ginobli played great last night, but they are too inconsistent to be legit all-stars.  If Parker could play they way he did last night all the time, he would be, but he just doesn't.  Manu is just amazing at times. 

[WayOutWest]

Parker and Ginobli played great last night, but they are too inconsistent to be legit all-stars.  If Parker could play they way he did last night all the time, he would be, but he just doesn't.  Manu is just amazing at times. 

No doubt, it's nice that a potential Finals MVP, Manuella, can inspire such admiration after only showing up for HALF of the games this entire series.  I really thought Manu would have a better series against a team like the Suns, but 3rd tier players tease more than deliver.

Parker was a bit better, he had four decent games, Marion seemed to bother him for spells.

I think for your casual B-Ball fan Utah/SA is going to be a very boring series.  Both teams run set offenses and focus on defense, makes for boring TV but I can't wait to see the battle for the boards and position under the rim.  IMO the Spurs have the advantage in both the back court and the front court, the front court is pretty close and depending on the way their SF plays, I might give Utah the edge after a game or two.

[Wolverine]

Say what you want about Tim Duncan, and his 24 point, 13 rebound, 9 block stat line speaks for itself. 

Say what you want about Tony Parker and his 21 point first half was incredible

...but Manu Ginobili is simply the most devastating player in big game situations of the last couple of years.  Tim Duncan is the chassis, Tony Parker is the sparkly paint job, but Manu Ginobili is the engine that makes the Spurs run.  In the blink of an eye, the game went from a three point back + forth struggle to a 20 point blow out in which Manu's offensive onslaught was raining through the net.  He would have capped it all off with a 4 point play if he had converted the free throw.  One handed runners off the backboard, stop and pops, penetrations, precision passing, simply an incredible player.  Oh and the incredible help defense and the 11 rebounds were nice, too.  If he plays like he did in this series in the Finals, he would be my Finals MVP.  Then again he was wrongly robbed of it in 05. 

Good Job Spurs.  I think Phoenix played very well to win 2 games.

I hope Utah squeaks at least a game out of the next series.  My prediction is the same for that series that it was for this one against Phoenix.  San Antonio in 5 games unless Utah plays really well, in which case San Antonio will win in 6 games.  Whoever comes out of the East will be a lamb to the slaughter.     

Uh ... you're going to give the MVP to a man who scored single-digit points in the first two games?

Sorry folks, but Tim Duncan is the best player in the game, and showed it - once again - in this series.  NINE BLOCKS.

Anyone who doesn't think he wasn't the most valuable Spur ... I'm not sure what series you were watching.

[rickortreat]

I think for your casual B-Ball fan Utah/SA is going to be a very boring series.  Both teams run set offenses and focus on defense, makes for boring TV but I can't wait to see the battle for the boards and position under the rim.  IMO the Spurs have the advantage in both the back court and the front court, the front court is pretty close and depending on the way their SF plays, I might give Utah the edge after a game or two.

I've been thinking about this trying to see if the Jazz actually have a shot at winning the series.  And after looking at the starters for both, I think the Jazz have a better group of front court players.  Obviously, Duncan is the best out of all of them, but Oberto and Bowen aren't really that proficient.  So while Duncan is better than Boozer, I'd rather have Kirilenko and Okur than Oberto and Bowen.  I'd like to hear what Spurs fans think about that!

IMO, Duncan is going to have his hands full trying to deal with Utah's front line.   They won't enjoy the rebounding edge they usually have.  Oberto is not going to be able to follow Okur or defend him when he takes his outside shots.  And, Bowen will be over matched by Kirilenko. 

The Spurs have better guards and substitute players, but they may have trouble penetrating against Utah's defense.  Utah was able to handle an up and down team like Golden State with no trouble, and even outscored them when both teams were running the floor.  The Jazz can put up a lot of points and since they rely to a great extent on their front line players, they will put a lot of pressure on the Spurs.

Typically it is the Spurs who apply the pressure, by executing proficiently and playing lock-down defense.  In this series, Utah may be the one applying the pressure by doing the same thing.  We should find out quickly since the Jazz are well rested and primed while the Spurs only had one day off. 

If I'm right about this, the Jazz have a very good chance of taking game 1. 
 

[WayOutWest]

I can't believe I forgot about AK, I was thinking about Harping.  The Jazz definately have the advantage in the front court.  This is going to be a great series.

[JoMal]

Just wanted to add my congratulations for the Spurs winning out against Phoenix. Really did not think there was any doubt, as for experience and balance, the Suns just did not measure up.

Neither do the Jazz, though I disagree about this being a boring series. The Spurs may lose one or two in Salt Lake City, but the home court really does matter when these teams play each other. The Jazz can't handle Texas.