Finley chooses Spurs over Heat, Suns

[dukeswh]

Oh, man. The Spurs are really looking great now. I think no team can shut them down on offense now with the way their lineup is built. It would take 4-5 players having an off night at the same time to slow them down offensively..... but then there is their defense. I just hope they don't sweep the Kings.

 

[Netguy115]

More likely we are seeing the birth of a dynasty in San Antonio. A true one -- this was evident even last season. The earlier San Antonio champs could not score and accordingly were some of the weaker champions on record. But the new look Spurs have finally combined scoring and defense, and have a chance to be a truly Great team now (if they can get past their patches of mental weakness).

Were one of the weakest champs on record? The SAS champs of just last year were the weakest champs I have ever witnessed in any of my years of watching the NBA. TD was weak, Tony Parker inconsistent, and the only guy that showed up and hit the shots when they counted was a 34-year old benchwarmer.

The beat the Pistons on the skin of their teeth, and there's no way they are going to win the next championship again if they are weak like that next year. The competition will be too good.

And birth of a Dynasty? With TD almost 30? I think not.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Yup the spurs are truely formidable and now a little more hateable. In fact next to the Lakers they may be the most easily hateable team in league... Frigging Yankees of basketball.

 

[Kings113]

I've been a Yankee fan since I was a little kid.

Also really like the Spurs, Kings are my first love and ultimately favorite team though.

 

[Bricklayer]

And birth of a Dynasty? With TD almost 30? I think not.

I think you need to go take a look at championship history -- Duncan is right in his title-winning prime right now. The Spurs have ALREADY one once here, to be a "dynasty" they might need 2 more in the next 2 or 3 years. Duncan can easily do that before age saps him. He's about the same age as our entire startin unit, only already sitting on a championship team. If age is going to stop the Spurs from becoming a dynasty, then we are really and truly screwed and might as well just start rebuilding now.

 

[C4]

i wonder how Finley & Bruce Lee Bowen would get along now.....ahhh....i still recall their shoving matches a few yrs back

:lol:

 

[Kings113]

Heh, joking or not, I think that'll be alright. Just in the heat of the game, competition.

 

[SpursFan]

 

[Kings113]

Heat/Pistons/Pacers.

I wouldn't brush them off at all, they'll be legit contenders.

 

[VF21]

SpursFan - Be careful. As strong as your team is, you're really pushing the karma envelope. Speaking as a fan of a team who has had enough bad luck to last a lifetime, you might want to reign in the smug attitude just a tad. The basketball gods can be very unkind to those they think are mocking them...

Take it from someone who knows.

 

[Evenstar]

well gee, hand them the title already..........

hopefully the kings have something to say about this

cuban must be FUMING mad. he's paying finley to play for his rival. OUCH!

 

[SacTownKid]

You'll see...you'll see.

 

[SacTownKid]

I don't see this team as being a dynasty with the additions of these guys at all. Nicks knees are shot, he'll be the first to admit that. This is his last year, and last chance to win it all. Fin is not the same Fin of old, at all. Spurs are a good team no doubt but these moves don't scare me one bit.

GO KINGS!!!

 

[annoyablepnoy]

and the only team the kings scare is the hawks

 

[SpursFan]

I don't see this team as being a dynasty with the additions of these guys at all. Nicks knees are shot, he'll be the first to admit that. This is his last year, and last chance to win it all. Fin is not the same Fin of old, at all. Spurs are a good team no doubt but these moves don't scare me one bit.

GO KINGS!!!

I'm sure that would have been your exact analyzes had Van Exel and Finley opted to sign with the Kings, right? You'd have said:

"Hey we signed them, that cool, it doesn't improve any bit though. Fin is old and nowhere near good enough to be any factor for us. Nick, please, that guys knees are beyond bad. Why the hell did we sign them in the first place?"

Right?

Instead you're dissing them, their talent, the improvement they give the Spurs, the depth they give us.

But hey, you're too busy blushing over SAR and his knees of steel.

 

[Kings113]

Since when does SAR have knee problems?

SF, I think he was saying he doesn't think those signings make the Spurs a dynasty. Never did he say anything about them getting better or worse.

 

[annoyablepnoy]

thing is spurs CAN become a DYNASTY, the kings are no where near those 2 words.

 

[captain bill]

SpursFan-take a look at this board some more. People are more than ready to criticize any pick up by the Kings, and I am quite sure that getting NVE would have ruffled some feathers and Finley would have caused absolute anarchy. Difference between a Spurs and Kings pickup is, even we disagree with a Kings pickup, we still WANT it to work out. (that's why we're Kings fans) And whether we agree or disagree with another team's additions, we will hope that they get stomped by the Kings. Hence, we are not fans of the San Antonio Spurs. Subtle differences. It would do you some good to look into those.

Annoyablepnoy-stop trying to flamebait. No one will give you the satisfaction.

 

[Andriod_KiNg]

Once agian, as same as with NVE, it is a stupid move, dont play defense and take shots away from the better players on the team.

 

[Kev.in]

Were one of the weakest champs on record? The SAS champs of just last year were the weakest champs I have ever witnessed in any of my years of watching the NBA. TD was weak, Tony Parker inconsistent, and the only guy that showed up and hit the shots when they counted was a 34-year old benchwarmer.

The beat the Pistons on the skin of their teeth, and there's no way they are going to win the next championship again if they are weak like that next year. The competition will be too good.

And birth of a Dynasty? With TD almost 30? I think not.

Well, if that's true, I guess last season the NBA as a whole had one of it's weakest years ever because the Spurs whooped on everyone up until the Finals.

What's going to be so good about the competition this year? The East got a little better at the top, so did the Spurs. What do you think has changed to make it a harder road this time around?

As far as age, how old was MJ when he won his first title and kicked off a dynasty?

Last year, the Spurs could play any style and beat you at it. Now they potentially have as many shooters as the Suns did last season, but they actually have a coach that teaches some defense and they play with discipline.

But still, all you "the Spurs aren't that good" people can keep talking that. Just make sure you keep saying once the season gets going and you have a chance to see how good these guys are.

 

[Bricklayer]

Once agian, as same as with NVE, it is a stupid move, dont play defense and take shots away from the better players on the team.

They won't be taking any shots away from Duncan, and will be coming off he bench and replacing the other two shooters on the Spurs. There is no major issue there.

As far as defense, that's exactly why these moves WORK -- the defense is already taken care of. The same way that the Kings just adding offensive player after offensive player is counterproductive after a while, if you're already the #1/#2 defensive team in the league adding defensive guys who can't score is only marginally useful. Now, on paper at least, they've got serious pop on both sides of the ball. And if these guys don't work out, no problem. Then its just ho-hum, back to the rotation that won the title.

 

[starks]

Are they going to win again?....maybe… they have best player and deepest bench in nba.....are they going to be deadly boring again?....definitely, regardless of acquiring van exel and finley, they still have tim duncan.....

 

[KingKong]

The Spurs of the past used to go into some terrible slumps especially towards the end of the 4th qtr and sometimes in big games. With the new aquistions of Van Exel and now Finely, both players will now simply drain 3's in our faces. Yes they are both not young, but given they will play in limited minutes makes them all the more dangerous.

 

[KingKong]

Are they going to win again?....maybe… they have best player and deepest bench in nba.....are they going to be deadly boring again?....definitely, regardless of acquiring van exel and finley, they still have tim duncan.....

I'm not sure I get the whole thing about the Spurs being "boring". They might not have been as exciting as our past era Kings, but they play great, sound basketball and they play hard every night.

 

[Kings113]

From what I've seen, I've always thought the Spurs were a fun or exciting team to watch for the most part.

 

[loopymitch]

Why is everyone so worried? Its the Spurs off year.

Has anyone told them that? They may not be dynasty YET but I think it's only a matter of time. They're definitely the team to beat.

 

[ONEZERO]

if rasheed wallace guards horry on the inbounds pass in game 5, were simply talking piston dynasty rather than spurs dynasty. the spurs get a little more credit than credit due. yeah they have 3 titles in the last 7 years, but i feel that they were extremely lucky in all of them. the first wasnt really lucky, but it was a lockout year and patrick ewing, the guy that started the whole lockout, was injured in the finals. the second year, the spurs wouldve gotten torched by the kings had webber not gone down. as for the 3rd one, as i mentioned before, if wallace wouldve just guarded horry on the inbounds pass, it would be the pistons going for 3 straight titles this year.

 

[tyrant]

if rasheed wallace guards horry on the inbounds pass in game 5, were simply talking piston dynasty rather than spurs dynasty. the spurs get a little more credit than credit due. yeah they have 3 titles in the last 7 years, but i feel that they were extremely lucky in all of them. the first wasnt really lucky, but it was a lockout year and patrick ewing, the guy that started the whole lockout, was injured in the finals. the second year, the spurs wouldve gotten torched by the kings had webber not gone down. as for the 3rd one, as i mentioned before, if wallace wouldve just guarded horry on the inbounds pass, it would be the pistons going for 3 straight titles this year.

1999 i think the spurs deserved it in 99. tho the regular season was shortened, the playoffs were not. the spurs whipped everyone in convincing fashion. so that year probably favors the spurs. arguable tho.

2003 the year webber went down would've meant an immediate and decisive but whippin for the spurs. dallas won 2 almost 3 games in that series. im pretty sure a healthy webber and the kings wouldve beat em in 6.

2005 again, horry saves someones a**. the spurs didn't beat detroit in convincing fashion in my opinion, they won't repeat next year. bookmark it

i'm not gonna take away from the spurs. they have 3 rings we have none. sometimes you gotta shut up and be humble.

 

[tyrant]

As for whether or not NVE or Finley think they're going to get big minutes, put that to rest.

NVE said in his press conference yesterday that Pop told him straight up, ther emay be nights when he plays a lot minutes and some nights he might not even see 5 minutes. Nick was fine with it and signed.

He also said Duncan told him: "We'd love to have you but we don't need you." NVE paraphrased it a bit but the statement was truth. Nick still signed.

I'm sure Pop told Michael he'd be coming off the bench, his minutes would be rollercoaster like, but he still signed.

duncans right, they don't need any one of those two. just another malone and payton. probably will share the same fate. get to the finals and drop in 5 games (if the spurs make it that far this year)

 

[Nikos]

2005 again, horry saves someones a**. the spurs didn't beat detroit in convincing fashion in my opinion, they won't repeat next year. bookmark it

In game 5 Horry missed about 3 point black layups in the first half that pretty much fueled a Detroit run. The Spurs had a nice double digit lead and all the momentum up until those uncharacteristic Horry misses. I remember thinking how poorly Horry was playing and how he almost single handedly let Detroit back in the game.

Duncan, Ginobili, Parker were all doing well. In the second half Billups pretty much was the only good offensive player, its not like Detroit was putting on a clinic and Horry was making all the stops on D and scoring every single basket without being setup by anybody. Sure Horry was the difference in the 4th, a HUGE difference. But who knows, if Duncan makes that tip at the end of the 4th and a couple FTs they could have won the game without needing Horry's heroics (although they started at the beggining of the 4th). The point is Horry had a terrible first half, Duncan's FTs were shaky, but its not like Detroit was manhandling them across the board and started missing shots by fluke. SA is a strong defensive team, and has had offensive lapses before with Duncan missing strings of FTs. But sometimes you need clutch shooters like Horry to finish games. Duncan and Ginobili were setting up Horry while he was warming up for the end of the 4th.

Of course the Spurs were not dominant in Game 5 or the finals in general. Doesn't mean their title should be simple reduced to "Oh Horry is the only reason they won the title, and because they didn't dominate in the finals they aren't a good team that can win titles in the future...etc..."