GO SPURS GO!!!!

Come on Spurs, hang in there and tough it out! You can rest your tired and weary old osteoporosis afflicted brittle bones later on when they are throwing dirt on your lifeless carcasses.
 
Well, it has been a great run over the years. But now it is over.
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GO SPURS GO!!!! GO SPURS GO!!!!
 
You have to give credit to Memphis for playing well and eliminating the Spurs. They have a good team but they would have even been much better if they hadn't gave the Lakers the other Gasol for very little in return.
 
The Grizzlies just flat out played better than San Antonio for 90% of this series and deserved to win, but it still is frustrating watching Bonner and McDyess repeatedly get whistled for standing next to Randolph. And then Duncan getting hammered in the face on a layup with no call ...
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Also frustrating when they put up the stats showing how well the Spurs played against the Thunder in the regular season vs against Memphis. Oh well - doesn't matter what good matchup you would have gotten if you can't win the worse matchup first.

What's really impressive is that Memphis is doing all this without Rudy Gay - granted he's been out for a while and they are used to playing without him, but that's still a big loss for them and they knocked off the #1 seed in spite of it.
 
Spurs pulled a deceptively unfavorable mathcup for a 1v8.

Done-zo.

Spurs runs is over.

Hats off to them.

Done-zo.

This is the year that the old guard gets shoved aside. Maybe the Lakes have too much length and can get another, but the Spurs, Lakes, Celts, and Mavs are on the way out.
 
Pop says there will not be major changes and I think that is a mistake. Spurs have too many players up there in age and near the end of the year they get injured and are not factors. With the lack of size inside the Spurs will not be a factor in the Playoffs IMO. McDyess said Friday night was likely his last game, and Popovich said he won’t fight him to change his mind. Rookie center Tiago Splitter(notes) was already tweeting McDyess best wishes on Saturday.

Splitter is the 7-footer who played little this season but whom the Spurs expect to grow into a key part of their future. That immediate future includes Ginobili and Parker, who are both locked up for at least two more seasons. So is Richard Jefferson(notes), who went scoreless in two games of the Memphis series and was benched in the second half of Game 6.

Popovich said there will be changes but nothing drastic, calling talk of blowing-up the team “the most preposterous attitude” to have after a loss. He said time is still needed to reflect.

Not just on what they need. But on what could have been.

“That’s, to me, the luck part or fate that bothers us,” Popovich said. “That we did have a heck of a season going. And we did have a team that was the best it could possibly be. And then with Timmny and Many having their problems, it took that away.”
 
Frankly the spurs just aren't the team they were 3 years ago. They have been on the decline while LA and Boston have been better. Now all these young teams are stepping it up.

Memphis is also playing like a finals team, and Randolph like an MVP.
 
I will disagree with many- the Spurs are a top 3 team, today, however they played an amazing Memphis team on top of playing very poorly.

I recall many times where Duncan would miss a dunk or lay in from 2 feet away- Parker was turning over the ball way more than usual, Manu was doubled and harassed more than he usually ever is- and Bonnor picked the playoffs to start missing 3s. Jefferson was also a no show in the playoffs.

Some of you are forgetting this team had the best record in the NBA (until they pulled some starters in last week.) They are not "old"- but rather 2 of their key players are older.

Playing well when it matters, matters- and they didn't. Memphis deserves the series, and SA deserves the vacation. Hats off to them- I would love to see an OKC or Memphis win it all.
 
I agree that Memphis deserves much of the credit.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they have some complimentary players, but no one that is going to pick up the slack for the aging Duncan and Ginóbili. A hard rain could fall before the sun comes back out.
 
Hornpharm-

You are cutting out the 82 regular season games and only looking at the last 6. I said they played like crap in the playoffs- and they did. Even the best teams in history (Bulls of the 90's etc.) had bad streaks. And no one here would argue that streaks or no- you must perform in the playoffs. The Spurs didn't- thus, hats off to Memphis. As their win over OKC showed yesterday- they are no fluke, and probably not really a typical 8 seed.

The Spurs are a top 3 team.
 
Unless you can elevate your game for the playoffs the regular season is a wasted effort to attain seeding. The spurs were dependent on smart ball movement coupled with league leading 3 pt shooting. The problem is that in the playoffs, players ramp up defensive intensity and if you're like Bonner and Jefferson, the 3 pt shot wilts under the strong closeouts. The Ginobli injury was crushing to the Spurs, because they just don't have players that can create their own shots other than Ginobli, Parker, and Neal.

We needed Parker to step up and George Hill to step up even more, and both did play poorly for a lot of the series.

Some players are regular season players and I place Bonner and Jefferson in that category. Their fine in a system in regular season games without too much pressure, but put them in a game that means something where defensive intensity is ramped up and they are pretty much worthless.

Spurs need to get some athletic players who may make mistakes during the regular season to lose some games, but when the playoffs come manifest abilities to truly contribute.
 
The Spurs are a top 3 team that, as has been mentioned by other posters, had the stars align poorly for this playoff run. Winning NBA playoff games requires that a team be good (obviously), healthy, confident, and focused. It also requires a dose of luck and good fortune. The Spurs fell short in these areas.

First, having their second best regular season record was huge for the Spurs. Their regular season record showed mettle, endurance, and stamina. The best record in the West netted the Spurs the first seed and home court advantage against an eight seed. People can debate the size of the advantage, but it was an advantage nonetheless. The fact that the Spurs lost with this advantage in their hip pocket hurts that much more.

Second, the Spurs' "best record in the West" overshadowed the fact that the Spurs, plain and simple, skidded into the playoffs due to a lack of confidence borne primarily of injuries. When Duncan went down in late March with an ankle sprain, the Spurs had compiled a 57-13 record; they were 4 - 8 after his injury. They limped through a notable six game losing streak with particularly gut wrenching losses to the Nuggets and Trailblazers by a basket each. They ended the regular season with losses to the Lakers and the Suns. In an ill omen, Ginobili went down with a serious elbow sprain in the last game of the season against the Suns. Critically, Ginobili did not play in game one against Memphis.

Third, its was not enough to say that the Grizzlies presented "match up" problems for the Spurs (they did), but enough to say no one wanted a piece of that team. They are young, physical, disciplined and well coached. Randolph and Gasol are a load for any team to handle, and presented serious problems for the aging Duncan and McDyess. They deserve all the credit for winning. As of this writing, they blew out a damn good Thunder team in game one and have, once again, stolen home court advantage. The Thunder are going to have to win in what this Spurs fan now respects as a very tough place to win - Memphis.

I know teams have to play through without injured players, but there is no doubt the Spurs were not the same without an All-Star like Ginobili for game one. Even without Ginobili, game one was decided on the last play of the game - a Richard Jefferson missed three point shot as time expired that would have sent the game into overtime. Game one was the key; had the Spurs maintained home court, they wouldn't have been forced to win one in Memphis.
 
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