Darn, I'll take that path. Whether you're a player or a fan, that would be 1000 times more satisfying than taking an easier route and avoiding teams. Give me the Warriors in round 1. Screw it, you've convinced me. This is the way.
On the other hand, how many potential championships have we lost because we had the most difficult path?
Because playing OKC after the Nuggets would be way more difficult than playing OKC after they play the Nuggets.
I mean, that holds true too, but I always think back to Lebron and all those shitty finals he made in the East. I believe what the Spurs did was superior in a more stacked conference. Spurs didn't get those easy paths. I have almost zero respect for Lebron and that record he amassed in the eastern conference. Duncan should be considered way more highly than he is by the average fan or analyst.
Again, very true, but IMO Spurs will be better equipped to beat OKC if they defeat Denver beforehand.
Doesn't really matter, we don't need to have the most difficult path possible if we're to win it all.
Haven't I just said it?
Yeah I don't see why this is hard to see. It's why the Lakers won 5 titles in the 80s while the Celtics only won 3. The Celtics were every bit as good but they were having to battle Philly, Milwaukee, and Detroit every year while the Lakers would skate through soft teams like the Spurs, Sonics, Nuggets, Warriors, Suns, etc and basically have a free ticket to the Finals every year (and still blew it twice to Rockets teams the Celtics curbstomped).
I don’t need DEN to tenderize OKC for us in R2, and if we can’t beat DEN in R2 then we didn’t earn a shot at OKC.
The title often ends up going to whichever contender can stay healthy, and less games needed to advance means a better chance of that. So no I'm not rooting for the hardest path. If the Spurs win the 2026 title there won't be an asterisk *played Blazers in the first or *SGA got hurt if somehow the breaks give the team an easier than expected path to the top of the mountain.
Tbh. I think we all need to temper our expectations a bit. The media/fans talk about them as if it's championship or bust. These playoffs should be a learning experience for the team, coach included. tbh
Just win, baby.
fuck that
to be afraid no. but to avoid difficult matchups always increase your chances, that's how it works. but with doncic and reaves injuries, it seems impossible anyway that LA would have stayed ahead denver even if we had won that game...
This exactly!I like it because it means the Spurs are finally back to playing games that matter
I was out of town so not posting but i caught the game. I get that fox wound up playing poorly down the stretch but im not understanding the narrative here that Harper was the hot hand. I thought his ball security seemed a bit shaky and he wasn’t particularly impactful.
