We're Chipping This Year

[Kick-Stand]

I'd be happy with just winning one playoff series this year. Anything more than that would be a very pleasant surprise.

Nah win 'em all

 

[John B]

F@ck it, I’m in!

 

[ginobilized]

I could see it happening and would not be against it at all. We are in the driver’s seat for solidifying our playoff seed. Plenty of surprises could happen. If we made the Finals, I’d be hugely relieved that Rick Carlisle would not be coaching against us.

 

[spurraider21]

Nah win 'em all

Only two things matter

1. Make the playoffs

2. Win your last game

 

[timtonymanu]

If the Spurs can get through the bloodbath in the West, damn right they will win it all. Even with their lack of playoff experience. No East team can take them down.

 

[Ice009]

Anything can happen in the finals. If the Spurs are fortunate enough to make it there, it's not a forgone conclusion. They still have to play their asses off to win the series. Just look at last season. No one thought the Pacers would even make it there, and then when they did, not many gave them a chance to win it. They pushed the OKC Thunder the full 7 games and may have had a chance to win it all if not for the Haliburton injury.

 

[OK Computer]

If we ended up as the number 1 seed but lose in the first round, would people be disappointed? Achieving first seed is huge, IMO.

 

[Ice009]

If we ended up as the number 1 seed but lose in the first round, would people be disappointed? Achieving first seed is huge, IMO.

Yes, of course. I'd be more than disappointed. I'd be downright furious. I was just listening to Dirk talk about losing in the first round to the Warriors the other day and that still bothers him a lot.

 

[100%Duncan]

If the Spurs can get through the bloodbath in the West, damn right they will win it all. Even with their lack of playoff experience. No East team can take them down.

I think the Knicks can punk us tbh.

 

[spursistan]

A Championship is a bridge too far this season, but winning at least a round is a legitimate expectation of a Top 2 seed, tbh. I think we'll all be rightly disappointed if that doesn't happen at this point.

 

[100%Duncan]

A Championship is bridge too far this season, but winning at least a round is a legitimate expectation of a Top 2 seed, tbh. I think we'll all be rightly disappointed if that doesn't happen at this point.

Yup. Losing to OKC/Denver in 5-6 games is gonna be heartbreaking but a successful season.


Losing to any team in the first round as a 2 seed is inexcusable unless Denver ends up being that team.

I would also add that losing to Houston/Lakers in the 2nd round is close to being not acceptable for me at this point.

 

[bozhemoi]

Man I'm pumped we're a playoff team again and looking really good. What we do in the POs is gravy right now. Get some experience and see what happens.

 

[scott]

 

[TimmyBuckets]

Yes get in here!

 

[tearsofmorningdew]

No reason why we shouldn’t feel confident in this squad, relative to what every other team has going on

 

[Wemby_Island]

BELIEVE…..

We have everything to win it all!!!!!!

 

[John B]

BELIEVE…..

We have everything to win it all!!!!!!

Well almost everything. They need a backup Big C as insurance. And if the corpses of Barnes, Olynyk and Sochan awaken to play that defensive PF so the Spurs don’t need to shop for one. CB is showing signs but still very inconsistent.

 

[niraj2000]

This is the best year to win a chip coz mainstays of several contenders are missing. Tatum, Haliburton, Van Vleet, Jimmy Butler.

 

[tearsofmorningdew]

This is the best year to win a chip coz mainstays of several contenders are missing. Tatum, Haliburton, Van Vleet, Jimmy Butler.

tatum and hali really the only big guys on that list.

van vleet--feel like the rockets need more than that.

jimmy "playoff jimmy"--lol.

more wary of AE & SGA

 

[Paramore]

 

[spursparker9]

We can chip as long as that Jan slump bullshit don't re-appear again and whole team affected

 

[mudyez]

The West is really stone-paper-scissors.
In one universe, we lose to a suddenly healthy Denver in round one. In another we face LAK, Houston, OKC (who eliminated Denver) and ship in a tight Finals vs whoever.

I like our chances vs the mentioned LAK, HOU, OKC but don't want to face Denver, Minnesota and maybe even Phoenix.

Against the East teams I rather not face the Knicks or a healthy Boston, but if we get there, we should be favs.

Realistically we need to earn some scars first. Something between a thight first round exit or a second round exit should be the norm for a team as young as this. I see no pressure entering this playoffs.

 

[Sugus]

I honestly think there is a single factor to determine whether we'll chip this year or not: can Mitch and the coaches actually "flip the switch" and get the team to play to their actual strengths, as opposed to the "anything goes" offense we've been - quite successfully - trotting up?

One of my main gripes with coaching this season is the palpable lack of any investment in the PnR offense, for example. It's not about Wemby nor any of the players - it's on the coach to decide to switch to a PnR-heavy scheme, and start forcing some possessions on it. The Warriors always understood the power of the Curry-Dray PnR, and selectively exploited it in the playoffs to amazing success. Can the Spurs do the same? Does Mitch have the balls to run 5 consecutive Wemby-Fox PnRs in a game's crunch time? Can we even execute that come playoffs, with the absolute lack of running the play throughout the season?

I just don't know what to believe at this point. OTOH, it's a play so basic and obvious that it's unimaginable that Mitch & Co. haven't considered it. OTOH, it's too basic a play to have basically never resorted to, not even in games where the team was ice-cold, Wemby chucking 3's, and needing a bucket.........

Basically, are they saving it for the playoffs, or just stupid? A simple question to ask, but a delayed answer. We'll see. But one thing's for certain imo, I don't believe the Spurs will be allowed to run the offense they've enjoyed all the way through the Finals.

So, you've got the All-Star PG who excels at driving, and the 7 foot demon who cannot be guarded at the rim........ What gives? Will it happen? I'm excited to find out, for better and worse, tbh

E: Wemby-Fox PnR, Wemby-Castle PnR, Wemby-Harper PnR, Castle-Harper PnR taking advantage of Castle's size.... It's just right there Mitch, c'mon

 

[Sugus]

Absolutely no reason the Spurs can't be running all of these plays, at least in practice. Fox can't make all these reads or shots, and Wemby can't set all these illegal screens, but ..........

 

[brazil]

It is natural for us to be excited about a potential POs run but we should hold our horses a bit tbh... last time Spurs were in POs was 7 years ago. The only team winning after 7 years droughts is the Celtics after KG and Allen acquisition, a notable recent example is 20-21 Suns who reached finals after a 10 years PO drought. This kind of turnaround is obviously the exception especially for a very young team (Celtics were full of vets and Suns had CP3), our only vet is Barnes oh and we have a newbie coach.

So one day at a time, let's secure dat second seed and try to get through a first round before thinking of chipping