Spurs back in the Finals

[lazarus]

Props to a hard-playing Suns team. Put some defense in there and get a decent coach, and you're in the finals, instead.

Now we get a full week off to recover and watch Miami and Detroit beat each other up. Here's hoping it goes seven.

[kaitykaity]

1. Maybe they'll get cold with all of that time off

and come back creaky. Hope, hope.

Yeah, I'm figuring 7 on Detroit/Miami, although
I think if Detroit got serious it'd be over in 6.

[Awsi Dooger]

2. No fair to play a team like Phoenix in the conference finals

That's like a glorified or delayed first round series. Stylewise the Suns are a farce. And to think they warmed up by playing an even softer team in Dallas. Talk about a jump in class when they were forced to play the Spurs just a couple of days later. At least this was an easy series for me to wager on.

Kudos to the Spurs. This is an impressive 6 or 7 year run with sustained intensity throughout the regular season and playoffs. Sensible personnel additions like Horry this year. Not a huge dropoff after Robinson retired a couple of years ago. Extremely admirable.

[Yupster]

3. I think the Pistons

are the better team, but it sure doesn't look like they're going to win.

I can see the Spurs beating the Heat, but probably a good series.

I have trouble seeing the Spurs beating the Pistons.

I think the Suns are a far better team than they showed in the last series. I especially wonder about Marion who pretty much disappeared in te series. He may be hurt worse than he let on.

[lazarus]

5. interesting

the Spurs basically beat the crap out of the Suns, which is why they looked so much worse than you think they are.

The Heat would be a sweep. No contest. We'd do to them the same thing we did to the Suns: let Wade and Shaq go off (Nash and Stoudamire) and shut down everybody else.

The Pistons? I think the Spurs win in six, but we'll see. It'd be nice to have the last two champs squaring off.

[akwapez]

4. So, I take it from that you disagree with.....

Mike D'Antoni getting Coach of the Year?
I love to watch the run n' gun style.
But, you're right. They won't win a championship that way.
That being said.... regardless of what happens in the East, the Spurs fall in 6.

[lazarus]

6. yup

I think D'Antoni's award was pathetic, as was Colangelo's GM of the year.

D'Antoni made one coaching decision. He decided to play run-n-gun. Just roll the ball out and let 'em go. They played virtually no defense.

And in the WCF, he ran into a real coach, and got outcoached in a major way. Heck, their assistant coach admitted it. It was blindingly obvious in the last game. Duncan and Parker would switch on the pick and roll. That meant both Stoudamire and Nash had a mismatch, and they couldn't resist. Turning the Suns' offense into a slowed-down, two player half court game. Exactly what we wanted.

As for GM of the year, he set his team up to fall apart. Joe Johnson is probably gone, they've got two max contracts on the books already (Marion and Nash), and Stoudamire's coming up on his new contract in a year or so.

Compare that with RC Buford and the Spurs. They're going to their third Finals in seven years, and Duncan's the only person left from the '99 team. They've rolled over their entire roster and still remained among the elite in the league. In addition, the entire starting five is under contract for at least the next 4 years, as well as several bench players.

That's how to build a team for success, long term.