Hornets — Spurs thoughts
Posted by Andrew on May 6, 2008
While I would never be naive enough to believe that the defending champion San Antonio Spurs are already on their way out the door after going down 0-2 to the New Orleans Hornets, those of us who have watched at least some of the first two games can already tell that they’ve put themselves in an extremely dangerous situation. Game 3 in San Antonio is as close to a must-win as there is for the defending champs, and if they are in fact on life support, as some might say, a loss at home in Game 3 or 4 would be all that it takes to rip that cord right out of the wall.
Those who believe the Spurs losing both on the road is simply a matter or the Hornets holding serve and that there’s plenty of chances for the Spurs to climb back into this thing, should think again. The last time I checked, playoff teams that win their first two games in a series go on to win over eighty-five percent of the time, and the fact that the Spurs have never come back to win a playoff series after falling behind 0-2 certainly doesn’t bode well for them either.
What has to be especially disturbing for Spurs fans in the fact that both games were blowouts, with the most recent victory coming when their second best player, All-Star forward David West, shot 2-for-11 and finished with just ten points, and Tyson Chandler was in foul trouble most of the night. The Spurs frontcourt, which has been a major strength over the past decade, couldn’t even hold things down when the Hornets frontcourt had their worst game during the playoffs. The Hornets are making the Spurs looks old, slow, and athletic, which were similar things the Spurs showed during a less-than-spectacular regular season.
Sure, the Spurs have been down before, they have much more playoff experience, and few coaches have the ability to make adjustments like Gregg Popovich, but coming back in this one is not going to be that easy. Playoff experience and coaching adjustments won’t suddenly a team young, or quicker, or more athletic. It’s also going to be much tougher to win games against the Hornets, who, unlike the Suns, are escorting Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to the rim, and allowing Tim Duncan to drop 40 on them. Players are flying at the Spurs big man and they’ve been forcing the Spurs out of their comfort zone, which doesn’t seem likely to change right away.
To make matters worse, CP3 may have something to prove after not winning the leagues MVP award, and his team will likely play like a hungry pack of wolves now that they seemingly have a chance to pull the rug out from underneath the defending champions. If they can continue to play at high level and finish the Spurs off, I actually may have to change my opinion of who I think was the MVP this season.
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May 7, 2008 at 8:08 am
Chris Paul is a monster.
May 12, 2008 at 11:31 am
It’s good that you didn’t go as far as to say the Spurs would be out of this thing after only two games, Drew. This Sours team has about as much experience as any team in recent memory, and the opposite can be said about the Hornets. So, forgive me if I’m getting ahead of myself, but I feel the Spurs have successfully recovered and will take this series from the Hornets.
May 12, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I hesitated to count them out, as many were, after the first two games, and this is why. As great as the Hornets were in those first two games, the Spurs needed big performances to come back, and that’s what they’ve done. I had doubts about whether or not they could do it, but they certainly proved their doubters wrong, and maybe we’ll give them more credit next time their back’s are against the wall.
May 13, 2008 at 1:09 am
I still believe the Hornets will play well when they return home. The home teams have played so well in these playoffs, it’s difficult to bet against one that finished second in the conference.
May 13, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Have the Spurs taken the will from the Hornets? It sure looked like in in Game 4. Just look at the post-game comments of the players and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
May 14, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Taken the will from the Hornets? You know better than that. At the same time, I guess it’s easy to say that now that I’ve seen the Hornets respond the way they did.
May 15, 2008 at 9:48 am
Most people seem to think this is the series that has the best chance at going seven games; makes some sense but wouldn’t Utah going home, with the best home record intact, be the most likely to go seven? I guess we’ll find out tonight, as the Spurs try to keep their repeat hopes alive. Remember, the Spurs have never repeated as champions, despite all their enormous success over the past decade.
May 20, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Little surprise here that the Spurs took Game 7 in New Orleans. The champs will take the Lakers and the Pistons will take the Celtics, in my opinion.