Final NBA Finals Post

OK well I didn't get game-6 done in time for game-7, so once again I have to lump them together. But rather than even bother, and since it's over, I'm just gonna type what I want. Everyone knows by now the Heat won. Everyone knows we blew a terrific chance to take the title in game 6. So, I'm not gonna bore everyone with two game synopses. Instead I'm gonna post a couple pictures, and focus on how I feel, and what this did to me.

Image Source

This was by far the best image from the last few days. After watching and listening to all the post-game interviews, it's hard for me to explain how I feel now. But if you saw Tim's game 7 post-game conference, and have any idea the way it appeared he felt - that's how I feel. We blew it in game 6, and I knew game 7 was just one more chance to watch my team play. Or at least that's how I chose to go about it. I was tons more confident in win #4 on Tuesday than I was Thursday. I knew we still had the chance to hoist the trophy, but I wasn't holding my breath, so to speak. Then once we were right there, yet again, I had to just smile, and enjoy it, win or lose.

Now we don't have any Spurs games until late October, and I feel like one feels just after accepting a relationship they've been in is now over. You're not still ultra-sad. You've accepted it, but there's a gaping hole. The only other time I felt this gigantic gaping Spurs hole was after game 5 of 2004's West Finals. Duncan hit the last shot at the buzzer to put us up 3-2 on the Lakers, and one game from a chance to repeat, and shut Phil Jackson up. Everyone also knows good and well that there was 0.4 left on the clock, and the rest is infamous Spurs history.

I know we had a great season - it was far beyond the expectations of most "experts". Probably beyond the expectations of most fans, too. It was in fact a season that many years from now I will hold right up there with, well, 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007. Trite as that just sounded, that's just how close we were. I loved every second of it! We'll be back, too. This team isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Pop said so, and when Pop says something, you must believe.

Here are the two ESPN box scores in case you're interested: GAME 6 ... GAME 7

Spurs Update

Apparently with our win earlier tonight, Gregg Popovich is guaranteed the job of coaching the West in the All-Star game. And this is a great honor! It's only been 9 games since my last update, but this is another good place to post one. Not only because of the All-Star coach deadline, but because it also marks the end of the January schedule for San Antonio: a month in which we went 12-3.

More importantly, we've strung together 9-straight since the loss @ Memphis.

Screenshot from here

Tony is back to form. Tim has sat for 4-straight games, due to a sore knee. Tiago Splitter has been incredible during this stretch, averaging 14.3 ppg, 8 rpg, and shooting 65%! Also during this 9-game streak, Aron Baynes made his season debut. In only a few appearances, he's already showing why he might just be the BIG we've needed this whole time. So yeah, DeJuan Blair's days might be numbered. Sorry buddy.

This 9-game winning streak should improve to 10 right before we go on our annual rodeo road-trip. By the way, a win Saturday would increase our home record to 22-2. Yikes! This year's rodeo trip lasts from Wednesday, Feb. 6 to Sunday, Feb. 24, and encompasses 9 games. Five of those opponents have losing records, so I expect nothing worse than 6-3, but 7-2 is more likely.

Sitting pretty at 37-11 right now, best record in the NBA, PPG scored 3rd overall, PPG allowed 6th overall, and a scoring differential of 8.4 - tied with OKC for tops. We also lead the league in assists per game, are 4th in assist-to-turnover ratio, 2nd in total shooting %, #1 in opponent 3-pt%, and 3rd in shooting defense.

Like a well-oiled machine, we are rolling.. smoooothly! But this is business as usual for us right about now.

All stats from ESPN.com

Spurs Update

28-11, 1st in the Southwest Division, 3rd in the West - at nearly the halfway point.

Here's the stretch of games since my last Spurs Update:

Source

Not too shabby, but not nearly up to potential. We ran off a solid 7-straight, scoring an average of almost 112 a game. Then we laid an egg in the big apple during our quest for revenge on the Knicks loss from early in the season. But it's been clear to me that something is wrong with Tony Parker the last several games. I'm not sure whether he's just not seeing the open man, or whether guys just aren't getting open, but he's averaging 5 assists per game these last 5 games. More importantly his assist-to-turnover ratio the last three games is 14:15. (Source & math)  Ouch! Anyone know if he has a new girlfriend or something? Perhaps he lost a girlfriend?

Granted he's shooting the ball well (53.3%, last 5 games), and scored 30 last night in an OT loss in Memphis. He has also been hot from three-range, which is not really his niche (20 of 46 for 43.5% on the season - by far his best). He even went 3 for 3 and nailed the shot at the buzzer last night to send the game into OT:



Nevertheless it's not all on Tony, or any particular player. I have been posting on the Spurs' Facebook page for several games now that Pop has got to recognize when Tony is struggling to keep the offense running fluently. Patty Mills has got to get in the game!! He gives us such a tremendous spark, but we don't get that when he's merely waving his towel on the bench. Even Gary Neal's & a few other bench players' minutes are down, and I'm not sure why Pop isn't going a little deeper these days. Tony and Tim both played 40-ish minutes last night. Yes it was OT, but that's way more than their average minutes per game, and way more than necessary when you have a Patty Mills on the bench (and a DeJuan Blair getting basically NO playing time).

C'Mon guys - it's time to ratchet it up!

The Official Gregg Popovich Coaching Tree

This is mine.. Click it to enlarge!