Seriously, will San Antonio lose 10 games this year?

[Q_FBE]

Sure - Every team loses at least 14 games just because the NBA is very talented these days. For example: Lowly Minnesota has led in the 4th qtr twice against San Antonio in different games. San Antonio has their annual rodeo trip coming up in February.

KG did not play in the San Antonio game in Boston. That was one of their losses. Magic crushed San Antonio on their HC.

They'll have their battles to tend to in the WC.

Blake Griffen could kick their tail. So can Utah and Denver (for as long as they have Melo). Phx can shoot 15-18 from 3 point land against them. The Referees could keep them in check 

Yes, their probable ceiling is 67 wins which will get the #1 overall seed this year.

[Edgar]

Testing out how real your jinxing powers really are?

Bingo! Worth a try, right. 

who are they facing today?

[RAcker]

I agree with most that 15 to 20 losses is a pretty good assumption if a few injuries occur which they are bound to.  However, if lady luck is with them, they could keep the losses in the low teens.

[pearljammer10]

They are beating teams with Duncan playing like 25-30 minutes a game. He hasnt even needed to perform top notch in order to get the team to where they are right now. Its incredible how well these guys are playing and they are only going to get better in the playoffs.

[CelticSooner]

I'm fine with the Spurs having the best record. Lakers still are the favorites in the West come playoff time. It's been a little too easy for them getting to the Finals the last couple of seasons anyways. Just as long as the C's have a better record then them.

[arctic 3.0]

they will lose one more game than the celtics

[PosImpos]

I would expect a slow month Feb to only see them kick it back into high gear come March and April.




He is a scary thought though, SA usually cruises till All-Star break before cranking up the play.  Imagine how scary of a challenge they would be if that is the case this year.

I think it's pretty clear they aren't "cruising."  They're currently on pace for 70.  They play very good team basketball but they aren't really overwhelming in terms of the talent on their roster.

I think their season has gone about as well as it could possibly go so far.

They are beating teams with Duncan playing like 25-30 minutes a game. He hasnt even needed to perform top notch in order to get the team to where they are right now. Its incredible how well these guys are playing and they are only going to get better in the playoffs.

I'm interested to see whether they play Duncan and Manu considerably more minutes in the playoffs, and whether that improves them or slows them down too much.  Part of their resurgence has been their dedication to a fast-paced style of play, making full use of their outside shooting and bevy of small, talented guards.  In other words, they've improved by leaning less on Duncan and their inside game. 

It will be interesting to see if they try to become more traditional in the playoffs with Duncan playing a larger role again, and whether that will hurt them at all.

[Bahku]

Absolutely. They've been a bit more than just lucky with the "Injury Gremlin" so far this year, and there's no way it can last ... the odds are just way too long. I certainly don't mind if they have a better record than we do, however ... I've always loved the underdog spot.

[kozlodoev]

Absolutely. They've been a bit more than just lucky with the "Injury Gremlin" so far this year, and there's no way it can last ... the odds are just way too long. I certainly don't mind if they have a better record than we do, however ... I've always loved the underdog spot.

They haven't been "lucky" with the injury gremlin. They have paced their squad extremely well -- noone averages more than 33 minutes per game, and just 3 players average more than 30.

[guava_wrench]

They have definitely benefited from Manu and Parker not playing for national teams this off season.

[wdleehi]

I would expect a slow month Feb to only see them kick it back into high gear come March and April.




He is a scary thought though, SA usually cruises till All-Star break before cranking up the play.  Imagine how scary of a challenge they would be if that is the case this year.

I think it's pretty clear they aren't "cruising."  They're currently on pace for 70.  They play very good team basketball but they aren't really overwhelming in terms of the talent on their roster.

I think their season has gone about as well as it could possibly go so far.

They are beating teams with Duncan playing like 25-30 minutes a game. He hasnt even needed to perform top notch in order to get the team to where they are right now. Its incredible how well these guys are playing and they are only going to get better in the playoffs.

I'm interested to see whether they play Duncan and Manu considerably more minutes in the playoffs, and whether that improves them or slows them down too much.  Part of their resurgence has been their dedication to a fast-paced style of play, making full use of their outside shooting and bevy of small, talented guards.  In other words, they've improved by leaning less on Duncan and their inside game. 

It will be interesting to see if they try to become more traditional in the playoffs with Duncan playing a larger role again, and whether that will hurt them at all.

I think Duncan might be on cruise control right now. 

[Roy H.]

Absolutely. They've been a bit more than just lucky with the "Injury Gremlin" so far this year, and there's no way it can last ... the odds are just way too long. I certainly don't mind if they have a better record than we do, however ... I've always loved the underdog spot.

They haven't been "lucky" with the injury gremlin. They have paced their squad extremely well -- noone averages more than 33 minutes per game, and just 3 players average more than 30.

True, but it's not like injuries only occur after playing 30 minutes.  I think reducing minutes probably helps with injuries to your starters, but it doesn't eliminate the risk.  For instance, last year San Antonio pursued a similar strategy in terms of minutes, but Parker missed 25+ games.

[Bahku]

Absolutely. They've been a bit more than just lucky with the "Injury Gremlin" so far this year, and there's no way it can last ... the odds are just way too long. I certainly don't mind if they have a better record than we do, however ... I've always loved the underdog spot.

They haven't been "lucky" with the injury gremlin. They have paced their squad extremely well -- noone averages more than 33 minutes per game, and just 3 players average more than 30.

Yes, they have ... they may have paced themselves and spread their minutes out, but injuries can happen at any time, and many happen very early in games ... "pacing" has very little to do with it.

[BballTim]

Absolutely. They've been a bit more than just lucky with the "Injury Gremlin" so far this year, and there's no way it can last ... the odds are just way too long. I certainly don't mind if they have a better record than we do, however ... I've always loved the underdog spot.

They haven't been "lucky" with the injury gremlin. They have paced their squad extremely well -- noone averages more than 33 minutes per game, and just 3 players average more than 30.

  KG probably wasn't averaging much more than 30 minutes a game when he injured his knee. There's more "luck" involved than you think.

[nba is the worst]

Seriously?

Yes - unless they're at 66-6 or something incredible, and they at that point might decide as a team to go for a record.

A review of the top 5 teams shows that all have had injuries or personnel changes except the Spurs, so I'm with the folks terming that "lucky".

I'd like to see them get 70 or 70+, it would be cool IMO.