Jazz awaiting Spurs decision on Brown

By Linda Hamilton
Deseret Morning News

"Utah Jazz senior vice president of basketball operations said Monday evening he has not heard yet if the San Antonio Spurs will match his offer sheet for restricted free-agent guard Devin Brown.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had told the San Antonio Express-News on Friday that he planned to discuss the matter with general manager R.C. Buford over the weekend and have a decision by Monday morning, but a public announcement was not made Monday.

O'Connor said he doubted the Spurs would do anything prior to the deadline — seven days from when they received a copy of the signed offer sheet — because another team might offer a trade over the next few days that would mean the Spurs would want to hold onto Brown. Or a Spurs player could sustain an injury.

Utah's two-year offer is apparently for $2.5 million this season, a bit more next season, with the second year at the option of the team.

O'Connor said he's not sure exactly when San Antonio received a copy of the offer sheet but guessed it was last Friday morning, meaning the Spurs have until this Friday morning to match it. Official NBA transactions list the date as Friday.

If there are no trades or injuries to complicate things, it seems unlikely San Antonio would be able to keep Brown as it has recently signed guards Nick Van Exel and Michael Finley and already has a 13-man roster, the NBA minimum. Also, the Spurs would likely go over the salary cap threshold, so matching on Brown might cost them nearly double the contract in luxury tax, according to the Express-News.

Brown, 26, was born in Ogden but has lived most of his life in San Antonio. He played 67 regular-season games for San Antonio last season, missing the last 15 with a herniated disk, He played limited minutes during the Spurs’ championship playoff run due to the back injury."

After signing Finley, Nick the Quick and Fabri, Pop offered a refresher course about our recent playoff history in Express-news. He said: If you think about it and look back at the Detroit series NBA Finals 2005 which the Spurs won with a shortened playing rotation, we played 7 people, period. You have to be pretty fortunate to play just 7 people in a series like that, so we can use more players, without a doubt.

Spurs knew they were up against a great team, and they were lucky to win. I sure hope Detroit wins the east, and beats Miami. Shaq called spurs a WNBA team, really.

Hey, G-Man thanks for starting Spurs thread. :)

barbara SanAntone,

Most of us have plenty of respect for the Spurs. It would be great to see a rematch this year.

Just heard on news Spurs will be coming home early from Virgin Islands
(that's where they are right now) to play Miami Heat in game to benefit Katrina victims on October 10. All proceeds to go to survivors.:)

I'd love to see a Spurs - Pistons rematch. However, I'd like the outcome to be a bit different this time around. The Spurs are starting to get a bit selfish with all of these Championships (or "Ships" if you prefer).

The Spurs are becoming a little bit like the Patiots. Sort of boring, but better than everyone else. Hopefully the Pistons can throw more players at the problem this year. Getting out of the East will be draining though.

These 2 teams have taken the necessary steps to get back to the Finals! Major difference is the 'Stones will have home court this time!

These 2 teams have taken the necessary steps to get back to the Finals! Major difference is the 'Stones will have home court this time!

I don't know if the Pistons are going to have home court during the finals. I think we are going to see some growing pains early in the season maybe the first 20-25 games or so. I think we might see a Pistons team hovering around .500 out of the gate. I think this time though we will be fully prepared if we face them again. No short bench and no coach looking to jump ship.:frusty:

SA Express News reported today that a new NBDL team, the Toros, are in Austin (70 miles from SA) and the Spurs players as well as Nuggets, Rockets and Clippers will go there. Team is owned by former Pacers GM David Kahn and will be coached by former Celtic star Dennis Johnson. They are going to try it out and re-evaluate it at end of 06-07.

BTW, some guy Adriano from Albuquerque who writes for some Hoops (?) said he doesn't think Spurs will win 05-06, too much star power. He thinks Indiana will win east. I emailed him and asked him why he would pick Indiana over Pistons, who I think have the best team in east. He didnt answer. Oh, well.

The guy writes for Hoops? :rolleyes:

That says it all. Looks like the Pistons and Spurs again if Hoops says it's gonna be other teams.

Rockets havent bothered me too much because I felt Yao Ming was still immature, but I think that has changed. I read an interesting article about him on Sports Illustrated. Wow, his mom and dad both played bball in China, both over 6', matched to have a "basketball child", China even considered breaking their "one child" rule for them to have more kids. :) Anyway, when he came from China, he was very much under mama's wing but since being in Houston, he is getting more independent and I think it will show in his playing this year. Dang it, I think the kid's grown up:eek:

Me-Yao would be tougher if he had a big brother to push him around....:boink: The Spurs can thank the "China rule" for bringing over a 7' 6" %%%%%cat. :usa2:

SA Express News reported that Spurs signed 5 free agents Thursday, 3 forwards and 2 guards: Jawad Williams, forward, North Carolina; Sharrod Ford, Forward, Clemson; Melvin Sanders, forward, Dakota Wizards; Kyle Bailey, guard, Santa Clara; Stephen Graham, guard, Oklahoma State.

Nothing was said about what Pop has in mind, nothing about what he plans to do with them :doh: See, this is why I come to this forum, at least you all know everything about each Piston and the moves the organization makes.I know more about the Pistons than I do the Spurs:)

I also know more about the teams Spurs will come against this season, thanks to this forum. So far, I think Spurs think Detroit is the team they will have to beat. TC is in Virgin Islands right now, but they will come back Monday 10/10 to play Miami. Dying to see how Miami is playing with all their changes. :confused:

Never heard of the players you named. As for the mactch up with miami they'll do great real great, but come playoff time they'll see their championship hopes die because of the Pistons...again.

Pop said something on the news tonight about how hard it is on coaches to repeat. SA Express News (SpursZone) Pop: As coaches we have to create an environment where we don't allow anyone to skip a step or think they have arrived...if you try to cut that short, comes June, you're going to watch someone else on TV. The spurs previous 2 efforts at repeating taught them not to look too far ahead.

Spurs, like Pistons, didn't get much respect. Bruce Bowen says "Now, we have to fight what people are saying how good you are. You have to fight that battle as if no one is saying anything. Since I've been here, that's been our motto: Fly under the radar, take care of business and things will happen as they should."

Duncan: "more talent doesn't always mean a better team."

Ginobili: Tim didnt cut his hair since the finals and Manu hopes he will consider afro like Detroit center Ben Wallace.

On news: VanExel says he did find out one surprising thing about Tim: he talks.

Good article on Horry and VanExel being alike and comments on tempers.

Article: Mike Monre: Jackson ready to take his shot at challenging Spurs. (Phil Jackson, the man San Antonio "loves to hate".)

Maverick coach Don Nelson is at Spurs TC, invitation of Pop's. Former Mavs, VanExel and Finley, were surprised to see their former coach at practice. Pop said: They asked who was coaching the team? I told them we both were.

I think they are mostly having fun in Virgin Islands.:)

On news: VanExel says he did find out one surprising thing about Tim: he talks.

That's funny!

Spurs are struggling, have lost first 3 games. 1 was against Miami, but the other 2 were against Philly (Iverson scored 27 in only 26 minutes), and Washington...

Spurs are struggling, have lost first 3 games. 1 was against Miami, but the other 2 were against Philly (Iverson scored 27 in only 26 minutes), and Washington...
Struggling in the preseason. October is fool's gold anyways.

There is little doubt that the Spurs will win their division and be an elite team this year. Right now they are probably working more on figuring out the tail end of their roster than trying to rack up Ws.

I know they won't struggle in the regular season, but when I checked the boxscores its not like we're using our starters more than the pistons, and we're still winning.

Come on they lost to the wizards and according to the boxscore they only used Antawn for 14 minutes, and they never even played Arenas!

http://www.nba.com/games/20051013/WASSAS/boxscore.html

Pre-season means nothing.

If you really think the Spurs won't be a top seed in the West because they lost to the Wizards in pre-season than you should watch the finals again from last year.

Spurs are struggling, have lost first 3 games. 1 was against Miami, but the other 2 were against Philly (Iverson scored 27 in only 26 minutes), and Washington...
3 preseason games:

game 1: meaningless

game 2: meaninglesser

game 3: meaninglessest

(please excuse the poetic license)

i'm not saying they won't do good in the regular season, or the playoffs but to take my point further they lost for the 4th time in 4 games against houston yesterday at home 95-87 with Tracy McGrady getting injured in the second quarter. Also Miami lost to the Bobcats 82-72 at home with wade playing 30 minutes! I can understand losing when you only use your bench, but come on... The preseason is meant to see if your bench can win you games. The heat are doing 2 things wrong they're not using this time get the players on there roster that are not that good better, and even with that they lose to the bobcats.

Also I'm not saying the Heat will not do good in the regular season, but it's something to watch.

Wow, first game is finally here. We play the Nuggets (ouch) they are picked to win Northwest division. I hope we're ready. Gotta work so we can play Pistons in Finals. Spurs get rings tonight. Go Spurs! Go Pistons!:rockon:

Manu says they were excited with the rings and all and didn't settle down until the 4thQ. When Barry got his ring he kissed Stern... that was funny:nod: Nuggets were good, Nene got hurt in 1Q and was out. The new guys did great...VanExel, Oberto and Finley. I think they see rings in their future, they are hungry. So come on Pistons, do your stuff tomorrow. We will meet again :)

Man, they went to a second gear in the fourth quarter, and the Nuggets didn't know what hit 'em. And Finley will be a very nice addition. Van Exel looked crappy when I was watching (in the third). He didn't make smart decisions with the ball. But they looked awfully good. It was a turtle race until the fourth and then the Spurs busted out the bunny.

Tony Parker as an offensive jaugernaut was a surprise.

Spurs looked good. Real good. Tim Duncan needs an hair cut. I heard a rummor that he wants to gro a Fro like Ben. I hop this is not true. Please Timmothy get your own hair style. Yours looks like you just are to cheap to get a hair cut. Other than that everything look good. It will be interesting when we meet them in the regular season for a match up.

Spurs looked good. Real good. Tim Duncan needs an hair cut. I heard a rummor that he wants to gro a Fro like Ben. I hop this is not true. Please Timmothy get your own hair style. Yours looks like you just are to cheap to get a hair cut. Other than that everything look good. It will be interesting when we meet them in the regular season for a match up.

What is he thinking on the hair? It certainly won't improve his free throw percentage. Just ask Ben. :)

Tony Parker as an offensive jaugernaut was a surprise.

I think he was just relieved to get the Pistons defenders off his back. :)

I think Denver is a team that matches up relatively well against San Antonio, but S.A. still won when they turned it on. They look really good. We'll see if complacency settles in as the season progresses.

Spurs got a second gear in the 4th, that's what GREAT teams do. You think you're playing them straight up and all of a sudden they seem to focus to another level that most of their opponents are not able to get to. They suddenly move their feet better on D, roatate better, consciously box out their man and secure rebounds, cut harder on O, execute, and simply make shots due to amazing tunnel vision on the hoop.......I'm a witness. We had them sucka's last year in the 4th with the lead:frusty:

Carmelo also looked pretty good while I was watching. I think that the Spurs would have been in a bit of trouble if it wasn't for their 90% jump shooting in the 4th quarter. Parker was looking really really good.

Carmelo also looked pretty good while I was watching. I think that the Spurs would have been in a bit of trouble if it wasn't for their 90% jump shooting in the 4th quarter. Parker was looking really really good.

Carmello has been doing great ever since George Karl came in he took a big bump early on in the season but he did great when Karl came. Nuggets are a top team now probably.

Spurs got a second gear in the 4th, that's what GREAT teams do. You think you're playing them straight up and all of a sudden they seem to focus to another level that most of their opponents are not able to get to. They suddenly move their feet better on D, roatate better, consciously box out their man and secure rebounds, cut harder on O, execute, and simply make shots due to amazing tunnel vision on the hoop.......I'm a witness. We had them sucka's last year in the 4th with the lead:frusty:

Remember all those games where we got our selves in 15-20 point holes at the half, and then surged back. that was great, but it got really annoying when you're sitting there and knowing that the pistons could step on there throats early and finish them off. Hope the more free offense helps us not get in those situations. Also don't you remember that game in Chicago wre Nocioni hit like 3 or 4 threes in oT to give the Bulls a big lead, and we cut it down to 5 with about 50 seconds to go. Then Billups hit that 3, and we hit a free throw to cut it to 1, and billups crossed up Duhon and hit the game winner over him. That was great.

If you guys live here in michigan the game is on WB20, and they have a special preview at 7.

Anyway, that's how Don (Don's Point) WOAI ch4 SA sees it::rain:


Did anybody else notice the Spurs banner has changed? Maybe it's just me, but I notice things like this.
When the Spurs unveiled the new championship banner Tuesday night I noticed right away that it reads, “2005 NBA Champions.” That’s a little different than the ‘99 and ‘03 banners that read, “World Champs.” Not only did the spurs change the new banner, they also ripped the old banners down, and now all three read, “NBA Champions.”
Political correctness gone overboard? The Celtics, Bulls, and last year's Pistons all still have “World Champions” on their banners. The Spurs want to be the first to acknowledge the great international play around the globe. After all, Manu and Oberto can claim Argentina is the world champs.

What?!:confused:

It's Cavs first away game and they are cooking. Spurs need to get with it in the 1Q, that's what Cavs do. LeBron is hot and happy. Can't wait until the 4thQ, by then Cavs will be singing "happy trails to you":doh:

I think I bought into the Cav-King James hype too much, LeBron was good but couldn't carry the whole team. Spurs only ahead 5 at the half, but it seems like Cavs just gave up and stood there and watched. We won 102-76, and Spurs were just having fun in the second half.

Well, tonite Dallas. I hope Finley plays a lot against his old team. I hope he smokes them and gives them something to worry about, and makes them sore they are still paying him:nod:

Mavs are good, they are matching point for point with Spurs. Spurs were getting in a hole in 1stQ but VanExel got them out, score 24-22 Spurs end of 1Q. When Finley came in, Dallas gave him a standing ovation, the game was stopped while he got ovation. That was real class:nod:

vs USSSSSSS!!!!Shutdahellup, woman!!!!!We got 80 damn games 2 go!!! And we will have home court advantage...one way or another, my sista!

They never got their rhythm. Brother, that's all I want, Spurs and Pistons. I have more faith that Pistons will win the east than that Spurs will win the west.

Can't help but cheer for the Pistons, especially with this forum and the way you guys love 'em. Makes me bipolar.:nod:

They are red hot, WOW! At this point it really looks like it will be spurs and pistons in finals. At least, it will be pistons and somebody (?) for sure.:)

Barbara... your insights on the Spurs are always welcome here... it helps keep tabs on "the other gr8 team"
Maybe we'll convert you yet:P

Lurker from Austin is lookin for someone to take in a live game in San Antonio with.... The S.A. / Detroit game should be on the event calendar already... maybe we should start an early thread and talk about the matchups.... the bench matchup will be most interesting

I mean I feel like a mama with a siamese twin baby, spur and piston. :confused: I gotta take care of them both. They are gonna stay like that and get separated at the the finals... then the best team will win, I don't care which one, I will just know it will be the best team at that time. Pistons are off to such a rocking start, dang, I hope they can make it past 8 wins, and become the new "baddest boys", set a new marker, raise the bar.

Spurs play Celts tonite, Finley and Barry are still out, Manu was having some kind of pain too, so dont know if he is better. Tim and Tony are holding down the fort, but I like Nick VanExel, he's starting to get the hang of it (takes immediate notes when he sits down, writes down what he did wrong, when he was out of position, etc.). Anyway, he's really working at it.

You guys stay well, shock everybody! Glad to see you are finally getting some respect. :)

I mean I feel like a mama with a siamese twin baby, spur and piston. :confused: I gotta take care of them both. They are gonna stay like that and get separated at the the finals... then the best team will win, I don't care which one, I will just know it will be the best team at that time. Pistons are off to such a rocking start, dang, I hope they can make it past 8 wins, and become the new "baddest boys", set a new marker, raise the bar.

Spurs play Celts tonite, Finley and Barry are still out, Manu was having some kind of pain too, so dont know if he is better. Tim and Tony are holding down the fort, but I like Nick VanExel, he's starting to get the hang of it (takes immediate notes when he sits down, writes down what he did wrong, when he was out of position, etc.). Anyway, he's really working at it.

You guys stay well, shock everybody! Glad to see you are finally getting some respect. :)

I think the Spurs will be somewhat complacent this year (like Detroit was last year) and then they are going to do to Dallas what Detroit did to Miami.

Pistons & Spurs finals sounds about right to me. Except the story is gonna end a bit differently this year... ;)

Pistons & Spurs finals sounds about right to me. Except the story is gonna end a bit differently this year... ;)
I sure hope so. Spurs are amazingly good.

I think unlike last time we'll have home-court advantage and we'll pull it out with our fans, come on seriously we're off to a hot start and the champs always loose some games they should win because the other team wants to win so bad we saw that last year with the pistons.

what a whuppin' they gave sonics! Spurs and Wiz will both be on back to backs tonite, so it will be anybody's game. Wiz has one of our old spurs, cant think of his name now, antonio. Think Tony has his work cut out for him. Finley and Barry still out. Nestorvic (sp) will start.

Love what pistons are doing, really making folks stand up and take notice...finally:nod:

Wiz was great, Arenas had 43 points! Tim missed 15 straight shots.:frusty:
So that makes Wiz 5-1 and Spurs 5-2.

Okay pistons, watch out for those guys, you play 11/25/05. Good Luck!:)

I wonder if he had them on when they played Wiz...or maybe all the Wiz wore them :ohwell:

From today's WOAI Spurs talk San Antonio:

Don's Extra Point
by Don Harris
Ticket 760 Sports on News 4 WOAI
Investigating and uncovering. Yes, we have discovered Tim Duncan's secret.

We've got the answer. Monday night we showed you those bandages that Tim’s been wearing on his chest. Even Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn't quite sure just why Tim has been wearing them.

The little bandages are called ‘Lifewave Energy Patches (http://www.lifewave.com/).’ They are a revolutionary new medical discovery that uses electromagnetic fields to burn fat and build energy.
Tim's not the only athlete using them. Texas Tech football players and Lance Armstrong are among the athletes that have utilized the new patches.

So how do they work? We talked to San Antonio Dr. John Hernandez.

“You put these patches specifically on acupuncture points. It then stimulates the electrical flow,” explains Dr. Hernandez. “It then increases, believe it or not, the biochemistry. It increases and enhances the energy produced in the muscle tissue at a little cellular level called the mitochondria. It's like a little power house - a little generator.”

We tried to get a comment from Tim about these patches, but he ducked out of the locker room early after the game Tuesday night. Side note: Tanji Patton and Jennifer Broome have both used these patches.

Hmmmmm, think I'll get me some :nod:

These energy patches remind me a bit of the product mentioned in anoither thread..

stopabductions.com

These energy patches remind me a bit of the product mentioned in anoither thread..

stopabductions.com

:pound: If he starts wearing the tinfoil hat, we'll know!

Bruce Bowen scares me. He is the best man-on-man lock down defender in the league. Period. He can take any one player out of a game.

It will be interesting to see if he matches up against Rip, CB or Tay in the December game.

Bruce Bowen scares me. He is the best man-on-man lock down defender in the league. Period. He can take any one player out of a game.

It will be interesting to see if he matches up against Rip, CB or Tay in the December game.

Micro, Bruce scares McGrady, too. But McGrady scares Pop. Here's an exerpt from ESPN game recap rockets/spurs:

McGrady seemed on track to possibly repeat his heroics from last Dec. 9 when he scored nine-points in the final 35 seconds against the Spurs, including a last-second three, that gave the Rockets an improbable 81-80 win at home.

McGrady "scares me from the time I get up in the morning until the game ends," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's done it game after game after game. ... He's like a Robert (Horry) in that he's a pro. He's confident. He single-handedly brought them back."

McGrady credited the Spurs' Bruce Bowen (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3167), who guarded him most of the night, in helping stop the surge.

"Facing a guy like Bruce Bowen, you just have to try to block everything out and concentrate on the moment," McGrady said. "That's a tough night of work. He's one of the premier defenders in this league and on a fresh night, he's going to make your night miserable."

So, good luck Pistons and watch out for Rockets last few second rally!
It almost got us:doh:

BFSA, What happened to Oberto?

BFSA, What happened to Oberto?

He's trying, but having to make major adjustments playing for NBA (faster, bigger than euro games). He doesnt mind sitting the bench, or play w/few minutes...he knows he has a way to go. (Article in SA Express News)

E-News also reported on signing of rookie guard Alex Scales 6'2 waived by Sonics. He's never played in NBA games, but in 7 ehibit games was 5.6 pints, 1.0 assists and 46% shooting. Spurs also signd Melvin Sanders last week after Finley and Barry got hurt. Pop says spurs have had problem matching smalls and we are going to have to go smalls as more and more opponents are using smaller lineups.

Pop also says he concerned that he's been overplaying Manu.

Man, Pistons have got to stay focused in tonites game. Pop says we almost lost it because even tho players came in physically ready they werent mentally ready. Here's express news article:

After Tim Duncan squeezed off a jump shot too quickly, Popovich yelled at him. When Tony Parker was called for traveling on the following possession, Popovich screamed some more.
"Just play the damn game!" Popovich said, adding a four-letter description of Parker's appearance.
And though it was far from picture perfect, the Spurs held off another flurry from McGrady and beat the Rockets 86-80. Not until the closing seconds, however, did the sellout crowd of 18,797 — and Popovich — exhale.
"We were up 20 and lost some focus," said Popovich, who was noticeably more upbeat after the game. "Guys came back in and weren't ready to play, more mentally than physically. We have a ways to go.
"I'm real interested to see how we handle that mental edge."
Robert Horry, for one, looked as steady as ever, scoring 16 points on just six shots. His 3-pointer with 3:50 to play helped slow Houston's comeback.
Rasho Nesterovic played solid defense on Yao Ming, helping hold the Rockets' 7-foot-6 center to one point in the second half. Duncan led the Spurs (7-2) with 19 points, Parker added 17 and Manu Ginobili had 15.
McGrady, however, nearly overcame it all, scoring 23 of his 27 points in the second half. The Spurs also hadn't forgotten that McGrady reeled off 13 points in the final 35 seconds to beat them nearly a year ago in Houston.
"He scares me from the moment I get up in the morning," Popovich said, "

Man, Pistons have got to stay focused in tonites game. Pop says we almost lost it because even tho players came in physically ready they werent mentally ready.

"

I think so too. If they are focused they win. If not...

No disrespect to the Spurs, but the Pistons are the better team mentally. I think the Spurs edge lies in depth, speed and shooting. And Bruce Bowen.

No one is tougher than Detroit. It's just the way we like it. I fully expect the boys to destroy the Rockets tonight.

When preparing for the Spurs, Bruce Bowen has to be treated as someone to worry about, almost like an offensive star. An opposing team has to make up a special game plan to cope with covering an offensive star. With Bowen, a special game plan must be enacted. Since Bowen will cover either Billups, Tay or Rip, have that person bring the ball up court and have Ben or Sheed lay the wood to Bowen with a few hard screens. Send a message in the first quarter. The Bad Boys used intimidation. This current team needs to take a page from the '88-'90 playbook. I'm not saying intimidation will work with Bowen, but Bowen absolutely manhandles people. He needs a little dose of this himself.

He's trying, but having to make major adjustments playing for NBA (faster, bigger than euro games). He doesnt mind sitting the bench, or play w/few minutes...he knows he has a way to go. (Article in SA Express News)

The odds on Euro PF/C's having an impact in this league are slim.
We see this same comment from most teams from their overseas players (faster, bigger than Euro games)...

We need to be careful when judging Euro talent against other players that aren't premier athletes.
Darko may be the only exception as far as athletisism from a big that I can think of... and he still looks like he just fits in as far as athletisism.

I will say that Euros do get it when it comes to team ball and that this can make up for lack of quicks sometimes... but for the most part NBA players luv the idea of taking it to the rack on Euros (baring DMC)

So when this one troll came on the DET News board and was bragging about how gr8 Oberto would make the Spurs, he obviously wasn't considering that he could be a defensive liability in our league (that will go over well with Pop).

One of my biggest interest this year will be the Dallas/Spurs matchups... this is gonna be somethin' special folks.

No disrespect to the Spurs, but the Pistons are the better team mentally. I think the Spurs edge lies in depth, speed and shooting. And Bruce Bowen.

No one is tougher than Detroit. It's just the way we like it. I fully expect the boys to destroy the Rockets tonight.

Pistons do have the greater mental edge. And that's what can make a difference in a game. Pop knows we almost lost it, because we lost the mental edge. God, I want to see Pistons go 8-0 tonite:nod: Pistons got the bullseye on their backs now, everybody wants to bring them down:frusty: GO PISTONS ...mee-yaooooo's a %%%%% cat:)

:lalala: here comes the sun! Suns are pretty hot even without Amare. They are making adjustments, and hanging in there. I remember last years west conference: they had just beat Mavs with Marion scoring 33 points (all in 3's I think) then they played Spurs, and Bruce held Marion down to 3 points the whole game. Amare almost killed Spurs because he is one of the few players who handled Duncan.

They have Barbosa who has averaged 15.6 points in the first 7 games, and that is more than double his 7.0 last season. Eddie House just scored his career high 31 pts. Suns have highest scoring avg in league through 7 games, 107.2 points. With Amare out, Nash has boosted his scoring, but his shooting percentage has dropped. Got my info from SA
Express News. Also,

Phoenix has dropped four of its first six home games. Even D'Antoni, one of the most positive of thinkers, frets that his new lineup reacts to crunch time "like we're waiting for a piano to fall on our heads."

So, tonite, hope we can Piston-ize them, like Piston game 11/10/05:)
Congrats Pistons on 8-0. Go for the NINE! Don't let them Spur-ize you:doh:

Zoo, we don't need that anymore do we. This Piston team looks smoother than "Showtime Lakers"!. The Leagues trying to get away from goon ball. But an up and coming team can earn some respect by going to the physical.
...BSA, which of your players will get snubbed by the Allstar selection?

Zoo, we don't need that anymore do we. This Piston team looks smoother than "Showtime Lakers"!. The Leagues trying to get away from goon ball. But an up and coming team can earn some respect by going to the physical.
...BSA, which of your players will get snubbed by the Allstar selection?

Well, I don't know anything about the All Star or how they get picked. Let me study it. If only one guy gets picked, I would guess Tim D. If one got snubbed I would say Manu. Just my guess till I can ck it out.:noidea:

B., Since yours is champs, you could go homer and say any starter that doesn't get picked, is snubbed. Tim should surely make it. What about Bowen? How's Manu playing?:caked:

B., Since yours is champs, you could go homer and say any starter that doesn't get picked, is snubbed. Tim should surely make it. What about Bowen? How's Manu playing?:caked:
Thee, I still don't get AllStar voting.:confused: I understand its all 28-29 teams, picks will be for east/west teams, so what 5 players plus bench or 12 players per team, so 24 players out of what? about 300 players? How are they decided? Fan vote? a popularity contest? How players have rated for their teams? I don't get it. If media picked, they would be prejudiced. So is it a crap shoot? :doh:

Spurs havent been playing too good so far (IMO) but I would choose Bruce Bowen, who is good and always consistant. Manu? he and bruce don't seem to be focused. Nazr had a lot of pre-game personal problems (had new baby, then wife and baby both got really sick) and missed a lot, so he has to pick up his rhythm. Parker has really improved (and worked at it) with his new coach. Horry always comes thru. But the league seems to have an awful lot of good players, east and west, so I would be surprised to see a Spur an AllStar with so much competition and so few chosen. Hey, I dont know what I'm talking about:blah:

Sure, I'll eat that cake :hungry:

Thee, I still don't get AllStar voting.:confused: I understand its all 28-29 teams, picks will be for east/west teams, so what 5 players plus bench or 12 players per team, so 24 players out of what? about 300 players? How are they decided? Fan vote? a popularity contest? How players have rated for their teams? I don't get it. If media picked, they would be prejudiced. So is it a crap shoot? :doh:

Spurs havent been playing too good so far (IMO) but I would choose Bruce Bowen, who is good and always consistant. Manu? he and bruce don't seem to be focused. Nazr had a lot of pre-game personal problems (had new baby, then wife and baby both got really sick) and missed a lot, so he has to pick up his rhythm. Parker has really improved (and worked at it) with his new coach. Horry always comes thru. But the league seems to have an awful lot of good players, east and west, so I would be surprised to see a Spur an AllStar with so much competition and so few chosen. Hey, I dont know what I'm talking about:blah:

Sure, I'll eat that cake :hungry:

the stars for the east and west teams are voted online by the fans on nba.com, and the bench players are voted in by the coaches in the nba, and the coaches can't choose their own players.

Looks like you get to vote online for your favorites. At the top of the PF.com looks like a spot were you can:nod: . I'll probably vote all Piston unless I can vote for West players to. I would vote for Tim for P.F. out of the west. It's too early now to know who will be best but a month from now would be a good time to vote.:nod:

This was in yesterdays SA Express News (since then Pistons and Spurs both won last nite:nod:

Monroe says that for 1st 2 months or so, you can't tell too much about a team unless you look at their plus/minus scores. That's why coaches pay so much attention to scheduling, even though all teams will play 41 home and 41 road. To get that score you subtract home losses from road wins. According to his figures, Clips and Spurs are tied in the Western conference. Here's excerpt:

The Pistons have the best overall record in the league, 9-1, and the best plus-minus, plus-5.
At the other extreme you get a little different look. The Raptors finally got a victory over the Heat on Sunday, but they are, nevertheless, minus-6, worst in the league. The Hawks may be winless, but are only minus-3.
By the plus-minus rankings, the Clippers and Spurs are tied for best mark in the Western Conference, even though the Mavericks have a better record than L.A. The Grizzlies, in fact, went into their home game against Portland last night with the same plus-3 mark as the Mavs.
That plus-4 for the Clippers easily is the most significant of the early plus-minus numbers. Nothing signals a change in a team's overall fortitude quite like its ability to turn around historic ineptitude away from home. Not once in their 35-year NBA history, in three different cities, have the Clippers had a winning road record. They are 4-2 on the road thus far, same as the Spurs. To put that in franchise perspective, they already have won more games than three past teams did over 41 road games.
The Clips won only 12 road games last season, so what is so different in the early going this time around?
It's the end game. With Sam Cassell, one of the league's gutsiest players, taking charge down the stretch, the Clippers no longer choke. And Cassell's mind-set is such that he thrives on the pressure to perform in hostile environs. (more on SA E-N Spurs site).

Good games last nite Spurs and Pistons. And good luck Pistons on Wiz
11/25/05. WE GOT WIZZED--BIG TIME on 11/12:doh:

Happy thanksgiving :)

and the Warriors coach commented on it in SA Express News, Johnny Ludden. Mario Elie played w/Spurs under Pop in 1998-2000 and was assistant under Pop 2003-04 season. Exerpt from article:

The Spurs' point guard. By Elie's estimation, Tony Parker was averaging eight layup attempts a game.
"I wish Tony would have done that when I was there," said Elie, who served on the staff of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich two seasons ago. "I was on (him) to be more aggressive. He was like, 'Oh, I'm picking my spots.'
"Now, he's not picking his spots. He's attacking."
Unfortunately for Elie, Parker looked even better in person than he did on TV. He scored 26 points in only 26 minutes to help the Spurs rout the Warriors 113-89 at the Arena in Oakland. :laugh:

BSA, I think you left something out on that +- thing. Seems kinda weak. You need to look out for these "Showtime" Pistons their blowin' all through the league.

BSA, I think you left something out on that +- thing. Seems kinda weak. You need to look out for these "Showtime" Pistons their blowin' all through the league.

I don't think anyone can argue that. As far as the plus/minus thing, I don't know how Monroe figured this stuff, just thought I'd throw it out there, maybe it's a little voodoo-stat-in:eyebrows:

Good luck to you guys on Wiz tonite:nod: We play Bulls, I don't know much about them, guess I'll soon find out:)

What do you know we got Wizzed on too. Bulls are much improved as you just found out. Pacers lost to Hawks. Make your shots or go home sad.

:doh: :doh: :doh: Seems like Bulls figured out how to stop Tony Parker. Exerpt from Johnny Ludden column SA Express News:

During the Spurs' Nov.7 victory in Chicago, Tony Parker scored 22 points, including eight in the five-minute overtime period. Whenever he tried to drive into the paint Friday, the Bulls were waiting for him. He finished with a season-low 13 points.
"We just tried to pick him up early, collapse and make him get rid of the ball quicker," Bulls point guard Chris Duhon said.
Before Friday, Parker hadn't scored fewer than 17 points in a game. On Wednesday against Golden State, he drove for 10 layups and matched his season-high with 26 points.
"He's having a great year," Skiles said. "He's breaking down every team and getting to the rim, and he did that against us at home. You can't keep him out of the paint, but you have to kind of keep him from getting directly to the rim and making plays."
The Bulls were able to do that Friday by packing the lane.
"The guy who's on him has to stay in pursuit, and then the other people have to do the best they can to contain him until the pursuit catches up," Skiles said. "He's very crafty. He can get between two people. You have to be really tight.
"If you don't let him get all the way to the restricted area in front of the rim, you can get the ball out of his hands a little bit sooner, and then you have a better opportunity to close out on the shooters."

So, you guys watch out for those Bulls, they are packing the lane. You play them 12/3 (a back to back after Knicks on 12/2. We have our own nemesis, the Mavs on 12/1:frusty:

So far, Spurs and Pistons getting beat by the same: Mavs, Wiz, and don't get Bull-dozed, like us. Good luck Pistons:nod:

So where were your midrange shooters or can't TP kick out?

Yeah, I think it's sexy:laugh: . Micro has a good point though. Spurs got forced to make the 3's because the Bulls shut down the lane

Express-News Johnny Ludden:

Parker wasn't the only one who had trouble getting to the basket. As a result, the Spurs attempted a season-high 28 3-pointers.
"You know if you go to the basket, you're going to draw a charge or shoot against three guys," Manu Ginobili said.

I don't know how many of the 28 attempts translated to Bulls score:mad:

May as well shoot the Tre and gamble on the extra point rather than a higher % duece or dos if your spanish.

So where were your midrange shooters or can't TP kick out?

I have no idea what you mean, Thee, but it cracks me up:pound:

If T Tony P Parker drives the lane and gets double teamed he should Kick [pass] the ball Out to the uncovered teammate. Who should be open for the 2.

If T Tony P Parker drives the lane and gets double teamed he should Kick [pass] the ball Out to the uncovered teammate. Who should be open for the 2.

Could be Tony has poor court vision and couldnt find anyone, or maybe he was selfish, or maybe, the Bulls were just too dang good. Pop said we made a lot of mistakes, partly because of Bulls executions. He said "they did a helluva job, it was fun to watch:doh:

Hey, Thee, Pistons gotta watch these guys. Here was one of there ploys: (from J.Ludden SA E-N)

After three of their big men — Michael Sweetney, Tyson Chandler and Othella Harrington — ran into foul trouble early in the second half, the Bulls went small, using a lineup that featured 6-foot-9 swingman Luol Deng as the tallest player. Chicago quickly found a remedy to the Spurs' size advantage: They shot over them and beat them to the rebounds.
The Spurs also went small but could never consistently stop the Bulls.
"Their big men getting into foul trouble might have been the best thing to happen to them," Robert Horry said. "Their smalls got into the paint, and when we collapsed, their big men got the rebound.
"They played good tonight."

So, when they play Pistons, can Pistons go small if they have to?:confused:

So, when they play Pistons, can Pistons go small if they have to?:confused:
This is really lee356's territory but I'll give you a lineup.

PG - Arroyo
SG - Hunter
SF - Evans
PF - Delfino
C - Maxiell

Your reporters are fairly insightful. But how you let the Bulls smalls out play you is still a little confusing. I guess they penetrated repeatedly with success. Were did Timmayyy go ? We will be on the lookout for those cats.[small quick]
Micro, there's the challenge, if the Bulls smalls start lighting it up we got to light it up to---BomB Squad!
Mr. Big Shot
Roscoe
Tay
Red Hot Dyess or Mo
Rip as necessary or Fino
Build the Church with half court prayers!

This is really lee356's territory but I'll give you a lineup.

PG - Arroyo
SG - Hunter
SF - Evans
PF - Delfino
C - Maxiell

Delfino at power forward? thats a little too far there.

Delfino at power forward? thats a little too far there.
Suggest a better sub but remember that sub has to have range and be small.

Do "starters" have to start? Is that a rule? If it isn't, when Pistons play Bulls, let them start with the smalls, they are all pretty good players it seems. That way, they could see how the Bulls handle the smalls and then Pistons can use that same strategy when Bulls turn their smalls loose. If nothing else, it could confuse the Bulls and catch them off their rhythm. :nod: Or, maybe they couldnt stop laughing....

Here's an exerpt from Johnny Ludden SA Express-news re: smalls *LINK* (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA112705.1C.BKNspurs.horry.22440716.html)

A decade later, downsizing has become more necessity than quirk. Back-to-basket big men are harder to find and take longer to develop (see Brown, Kwame). The NBA also has tweaked its rules to make it easier for perimeter players to attack.

As a result, small ball has grown throughout the league.

"Everybody's doing it now," Tim Duncan said. "It's the 'in' thing."
Hmmm, so my motto is "start small".:nod:

BSA, I don't think we'll have that problem. Our bigs can handle perimeter guys. Or we can "sandbag" their bigs, i.e. let them stay in the game until its too late, then finish them off with a late run. What seemed to work at the start of the game won't work at the end of the game.

what is also greqat the pistons canm also run now with flip, but they won't get out of control because the players understand there strengths.

Express News quotes Tim Duncan on playing Dwight Howard:

Duncan also helped hold Magic forward Dwight Howard to 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting. "I'm very old," Duncan said, smiling. "I was looking at it before the game and I'm something like 9 1/2 years older than (Howard). That's crazy ... He doesn't look like a 19-year-old. He's got so much promise. I'm just glad I'll be out of the league when he's peaking."

We play Heat tomorrow here. Heard today that Shaq was practicing at the SBC Center as he will try and play:doh: Oh well, guess he's gotta start sometime.

Express News quotes Tim Duncan on playing Dwight Howard:

Duncan also helped hold Magic forward Dwight Howard to 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting. "I'm very old," Duncan said, smiling. "I was looking at it before the game and I'm something like 9 1/2 years older than (Howard). That's crazy ... He doesn't look like a 19-year-old. He's got so much promise. I'm just glad I'll be out of the league when he's peaking."

We play Heat tomorrow here. Heard today that Shaq was practicing at the SBC Center as he will try and play:doh: Oh well, guess he's gotta start sometime.

I saw a report yesterday that he was going to practice with the team starting this week and he hoped to play no later than Christmas. They made it sound like he could not pivot sideways (not that he ever could, lol) and that he might be playing by early next week.

I'm hoping my report is correct because the more Heat losses the better for the Pistons, and the guy I play this week in fantasy basketball has Shaq. I'd prefer avoiding him, if at all possible, lol.

Just saw tonight's news and Shaq says he won't play tomorrow. Says he didn't do good in practice and his game is off. Didn't comment when he might play:nod: He looked healthy.

Just saw tonight's news and Shaq says he won't play tomorrow. Says he didn't do good in practice and his game is off. Didn't comment when he might play:nod: He looked healthy.

Good deal :)

According to SA Express News Shaq says his right ankle still kind of tingles when he makes a wide right turn. I'm wondering if breathing is also his problem. He stated twice "I've got to get my wind back in game shape..." and "A couple more practices like this, get my wind back, and will take it from there." Hmmmmmm.

Matchup tonight Wade vs. Ginoboli. Manu has bone bruise on right ankle and is still probable. Finley worked out good for him last game. Wade is playing a lot better than Manu who is still trying to find his rhythm. Hope Finley comes in.:nod: Hope I know what I'm talking about:doh:

x-factor: alonzo mourning if he plays like he has lately heat might put up a fight and just might win.

Barb,

Tony Parker is playing like an All-Star this year. He better get in ahead of Manu.

miami does not have shaq but man are they getting thier asses handed to them right now when duncan isnt scoreing tony or manu is. man they look good i dont see anyway anyone will beat them in the west

You guys are right, Tony is really playing tonight. Doleac hit him over head and knocked him down, wasnt even going for ball. They charged doleac with flagrant fowl and ejected him....and 2 security guards escorted him off the floor!

Exp news said Manu would be matched with Wade, but pregame showed it would be Tony. Himat, you're right about Mourning. He is good, but he is getting tired, he never thought he would have to play 30 min a game w/Shaq out.

Pop said pregame that Manu is about 80% where he was last year, but he's coming around.

When asked about his friend and countryman Oberto tonight, Manu says he would like to be playing to show what he can do, but he understands the team is very deep and the minutes are few, so the only thing he can do is keep practicing, keep learning and just be ready when he's called.

BTW, Manu says his ankle is better, he kept protecting it and felt insecure about going to the rim, but in the 2nd quarter with the Heat, he
just forgot about it, started making points and got his confidence back. So, I guess he's okay now.:nod:

They play Celts tonight, who are on a 5 game in 7days run, this is their 4th game. I think they will be tired, Tim may sit out until the 4th, we have Hawks tomorrow.

Spurs are top in improvement this year, but Pistons are next just a few points less than Spurs. Wow, I sure hope these guys are in finals:)

Go Pistons/Go Spurs:peace:

BSA what's the big idea losing to the Hawks?

BSA what's the big idea losing to the Hawks?

The Hawks!:doh: and the Clips almost got us last night!:frusty: But Michael Finley came thru for us:nod:

Good luck to you guys on the Kings tonite. We have them the 17th.:)

BSA you might want to keep an eye on those Mavs.:typing:

..............................................Mavs i
.................................................. ...v
:director: What do you think you're doing! :bounce::whip:

they beat us nov 5 and we beat them 12/1. Dont play them rest of Dec or Jan. We play Timberwolves tonight. They are top in their division. Michael Finley just said every team has been playing their best game against spurs, so Spurs have to get over their mental stumbling block of thinking that any team may be weak or down and Spurs dont have to work. Every game counts:nod:

Well, cant watch the game right now, have to go down to community room, a neighbor is going to show me how to make tamales. Want some?:)

Well, cant watch the game right now, have to go down to community room, a neighbor is going to show me how to make tamales. Want some?:)
Barb, ol Roscoe loves Tamales. :hungry:

I made about 100...dang that's hard work. Five hours, I'm beat.

Well, I see where Finley came thru for the Spurs. He was about the only one. T-wolves would have beat us if it hadnt been for that 2nd quarter 25-8. Anyone playing T-wolves (Pistons play 1/24 and we play again 1/6 and 1/28) have to remember that KG always rests in the 2nd quarter. Report says "always", looks like he would have come in when Spurs outscored 14-2 during Garnetts time out. KG had a super game however with 24 points, 21 rebounds, 6 asst, 4 blocks. Finley had something like 21 points (?) 7 reb, 1 blk. and the rest of spurs did practically nothing.

Ginobili is out so Finley has been playing. Good luck tonight on the game with Bulls. They beat us nov 7, I think they were playing their smalls, or maybe that's all they got. :nod:

You're going to be in trouble without Ginob. Out 2-3 weeks I heard.

You're going to be in trouble without Ginob. Out 2-3 weeks I heard.

as long as Finley is playing like he is, we might stay out of trouble. It was kinda interesting some fans speculating Pop might bench Manu when he comes back and start Finley. Manu plays great game as bench or starter, and doesnt seem to mind, just jumps right in. One fan commented that it takes vets longer off bench to get into game, kinda disoriented.:confused: You think that's true?

as long as Finley is playing like he is, we might stay out of trouble. It was kinda interesting some fans speculating Pop might bench Manu when he comes back and start Finley. Manu plays great game as bench or starter, and doesnt seem to mind, just jumps right in. One fan commented that it takes vets longer off bench to get into game, kinda disoriented.:confused: You think that's true?
Yeah. I believe it. At my age, it would take me a long time just to stand up and get off the bench to walk on the court. :laugh:

Yeah. I believe it. At my age, it would take me a long time just to stand up and get off the bench to walk on the court. :laugh:

but, you would remember where you were, right? I was thinking, bench that plays only a few minutes a game may not be watching the game, may not be paying attention to what is happening, their mind is wandering, so when they're called in they don't know what is going on. I'll bet that happens a lot.:doh:

Well, gonna read how you guys played the Kings, we have them tonite:nod:

Pistons did a great job on the Bulls last night. Press gives no notice of them. It really gets me, they talk about Heat and even Knicks losing, but nothing about Pistons. Oh sure, they talk about Spurs because we have the target on our back, but they have got to realize sooner or later that it will be Pistons in the East and Spurs (maybe?) in the west. We're getting some competition:frusty: .

Good luck on bobcats tonight. Better luck on 12/19 Grizzlies scare me.

but, you would remember where you were, right? I was thinking, bench that plays only a few minutes a game may not be watching the game, may not be paying attention to what is happening, their mind is wandering, so when they're called in they don't know what is going on. I'll bet that happens a lot.:doh:

Well, gonna read how you guys played the Kings, we have them tonite:nod:

Pistons did a great job on the Bulls last night. Press gives no notice of them. It really gets me, they talk about Heat and even Knicks losing, but nothing about Pistons. Oh sure, they talk about Spurs because we have the target on our back, but they have got to realize sooner or later that it will be Pistons in the East and Spurs (maybe?) in the west. We're getting some competition:frusty: .

Good luck on bobcats tonight. Better luck on 12/19 Grizzlies scare me.

Pau is prety soft so i don't think we'll have too much of a problem there. the pistons just can't let eddie jones get hot from outside. tough challenge though pistons lost both games against the griz last year.

Pau is prety soft so i don't think we'll have too much of a problem there. the pistons just can't let eddie jones get hot from outside. tough challenge though pistons lost both games against the griz last year.

We havent had them yet but we play them in Jan, right after Pistons on the 12th. Then 2 Grizzlie games one on 1/14 and 1/16 (unless I got my schedule mixed...why 2 games?):confused:

usually west coast teams play west coast teams 4 times twice home, and twice on the road, and if west coast teams play east coast teams they usually play twice once at home and once on the road. same goes for the east teams they play the teams in there own conference 4 times, and west teams twice. why i'm not 100% sure, but it probably has to with the nba not wanting teams to travel too much because it costs some money. i think it's that.

If it hadnt been for Tony Parker and Finley, especially Finley in clutch, we would have lost. Pop is pretty mad, Spurs playing soft, no aggression, except in spurts, inconsistant. Game was almost 1 point diff all game, after spurs lost 14 pt lead in 2nd quarter.:doh:

Announcers commented that some international media in booth irritated that Oberto not playing much and he is really good and should be playing a lot. Guys tried to explain to them that our bench is so deep, its hard to get minutes, even though Oberto is very good. Besides, Oberto understands NBA different from Euro basketball, and is still trying to fit in and he's not getting upset like the media. Hmmmm, think outside media trying to stir up something:confused:

Thanks HiMat for info, just hadn't seen scheduling of 2 team games together in my limited experience.:nod:

What do you know, it's hard to get playing time on a good team. You need to tell that to everyone here.

looks like spurs are having the problems the pistons had last year

Occasionally teams do play home-and-home back-to-backs. We have a set like that against Cleveland this year. They're pretty rare, though.

spurs lose to hornets 89-76.

chris paul was one assist shy of a triple-double, and spurs were outscored by 15 in the final quarter.

Hornets were ready for us big time. They were good. Spurs never could come up to their game, no energy. And it wasnt because it was a back to back (late game in SA, trip to OKC and early game) because these guys are professionals, supposed to be able to take it. They just flat out got beat, physical and mental. Finley and Parker couldnt save us. In fact, Finley almost got in fight on floor. Anyway, some guy shouldered Finley, got a flagrant foul, Finley shoved the ball into his chest, Horry came over to break it up, anyway 4 technicals were issued. The angry Hornet said sometimes he "just gets like that", my my. Anyway, it was something like that.

Grizzlies are gonna gggggrrrrowl at Pistons. Pistons are too good so all the teams you play are going to go all out to getcha. But I think Pistons mentally have their stuff together, Spurs dont. Both teams are good, but I think at this point Pistons have edge. :nod: Good luck on game tonite

No one knows what causes that. Not playing well on a road back to back. Must be jet lag. It's a chance for a weak team to get a win against a strong team.

yep happens a lot just like in utah last week. can't let the blazers get by us tommorow hope our fans help.

Bogut with 2 big hoops including the game winner at the buzzer against the Spurs. Take that Timmy boy!! :laugh:

Don't mean to rub it in BSA, but how'd that feel?

now the pistons have a 2 game lead on san antonio. this christmas game will be huge.

Pistons 90
Spurs 82
Christmas present.

Bogut was goooood, in fact the Bucks were good. I don't know about my spurs, even with Timmy scoring the most he's done so far, I was surprised it went to overtime. And the Knicks, well, the Knicks. But I was still waiting for the Knicks to come thru at the last minute, even with a 10 point lead, the way Spurs have been playing. :doh:

Announcers barely talked about Raptor game 12/23, just talking about what a great team Pistons are and how Spurs are really going to have to be focused. How about that, ABC Christmas morning:)

My prediction? Pistons (at least 3 digits) 112, Spurs 99. MERRY CHRISTMAS:nod: No, right now, Pistons playing better than Spurs...more energy, more focus, more WILL to win! But what can a mamma say? I love both my kids...:whoo:

we are in Detroit on 12/25 but Lions will be here in SA on 12/24. Yep, they play the Saints, and from the way both teams have been playing, either one can lose:) Heard Harrington will start and I'm glad, I like him...

okay:focus:

It's a good thing the Lions are on the road. Less chance of Millen getting lynched. Did San Antone take to the Saints? I guess it's hard if the team stinks.

Well, we knew it, didnt we? SA ExpNews talked about it: (exerpt)

Duncan said he hasn't felt good for a while but attributed it more to a lack of rhythm than his sore right foot. He received an anti-inflammatory injection in his heel a week ago but has yet to miss a game.
"He said his foot has been good," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
If anything, Duncan has looked more tired than hurt. He has lacked focus, evident when he threw away backcourt passes in the past two games. In the fourth quarter Sunday, he fumbled a routine bounce pass from Parker and watched in frustration as it banged off his knee and skidded across the court into the first row of fans.

Also Parker said "It's not just Tim, it's all of us."

BTW, Manu will probably not be ready before end of week. He hurt the top of his foot during practice and still has trouble making turns. No talk about if he will be ready for Pistons. In fact, there has been NO talk about Pistons...hmmmmm, scared?:fear:Is Detroit media talking about game?:confused:

It's a good thing the Lions are on the road. Less chance of Millen getting lynched. Did San Antone take to the Saints? I guess it's hard if the team stinks.

The Saints glitter seems a might thin, especially since our chances of getting NFL team here arent good. Our mayor is not going to pay an arm and leg, build new arena, buy an overpriced team, even tho we have the money and the corporate sponsors. Jerry Jones wants the mexican market San Antonio has (Mexico and South Texas) and he even broadcasts Cowboy games in Spanish...Vaqueros! So, Tagliabue will listen to Jones and I think he wants to ship the Saints to California:doh:

When we get our team, we want a WINNER, and no Tom Benson.
IMHO:nod:

Is Detroit media talking about game?:confused:

Not much yet. I would imagine the talk will pick up on Friday.

I did read some short column (National I think) a couple of days ago about the Christmas games. Anyhow, the writer was saying that even though the day features a rematch of last years NBA finalists, everyone is much more interested in the Miami-Lakers matchup, unfortunately. :ohwell:

Bogut was goooood, in fact the Bucks were good. I don't know about my spurs, even with Timmy scoring the most he's done so far, I was surprised it went to overtime. And the Knicks, well, the Knicks. But I was still waiting for the Knicks to come thru at the last minute, even with a 10 point lead, the way Spurs have been playing. :doh:

Announcers barely talked about Raptor game 12/23, just talking about what a great team Pistons are and how Spurs are really going to have to be focused. How about that, ABC Christmas morning:)

My prediction? Pistons (at least 3 digits) 112, Spurs 99. MERRY CHRISTMAS:nod: No, right now, Pistons playing better than Spurs...more energy, more focus, more WILL to win! But what can a mamma say? I love both my kids...:whoo:

I watched the San Antone'/Milwaukee game. Bogut was amazing. I'm very impressed with this kid's heart and determination. Milwaukee has a great team!

First time I've seen the Raptors, I thought they were good and Im surprised they are only 6 wins:confused: Anyway, Manu not playing yet, he went out on court pregame and worked up a sweat then went back to locker and put on his "good clothes". This makes 9th game he missed. Pop was disgusted, liked Rasho's play but says Spurs are "spotty and inconsistant". Man, they really missed the free throws tonight.

When I read G-Man's thread "Juggling the Numbers" On FTs I saw where Spurs not even on list, at least Piston #10 (Raptors #6, they made theirs). We wont stand a chance on Christmas if we dont take care of FTs. Speaking about Christmas, Sean Elliott, game commentator said that Detroit knows Spurs are good, but Spurs know Detroit is better, and he said Pistons should probably have won the Finals. In post game interview when asked about the Christmas game, Rasho says we will be playing the best team in the league.

I never get to see a Piston game, but from the way you guys track the team, I trust your judgment about their gameplay and still think it will be Pistons 112-Spurs 99. Merry Christmas:nod:

Hey, I almost forgot. We have more folks down here from Michigan taking in our 70's weather. UofM Timberwolves playing in the Alamo Bowl. Today the players went to a ranch and news showed them riding longhorns. It cracked me up...you don't ride longhorns, Ouch! Some jerk from UT probably put them on:doh:

J.Ludden Express News: Pop says Manu still having problem playing one on one, trouble pushing off rt foot.

Pops rotation plan: (exerpt)
Rotate and balance: Popovich has altered his rotation the past two games, not only to cut back Tim Duncan's minutes, but also to reduce the wear and tear on Tony Parker.
Duncan now usually takes his first break midway through the first quarter. Parker, who used to play the entire first quarter, has exited with two or three minutes remaining the past two games.
Duncan's earlier departure allows Popovich to bring him back when Nick Van Exel replaces Parker. With Ginobili out, Popovich wants to make sure he has one of his best three players on the floor at all times.

So, that's the way it looks right now, folks

HELLO ~~ I'M FROM asia. could u do me a favor?? i wanna see the game " pistons vs spur " . does anyone know the online tv or nettv to se this game? 'cause it dont live show in asia. ........................................Ace HELP ME THANKS A LOT:)

Pistons were great. I have no doubt they will be in Finals. I am not so sure about the Spurs, they just don't have game yet. Even if Ginobili had played, they still would not have beat the Pistons. Pistons really held them down.

I see several things wrong. They don't have the rhythm. As good as Finley and VanExel are, they dont seem to mesh exactly. They will as season goes on, but pace is different. Tim has lost weight, about 15 lbs. Maybe he's food hungry, not game hungry. There are about 4 new first time daddies, maybe that counts. Tony needs to dump Eva. Bike police stopped Tony yesterday downtown for impeding traffic, Eva mouths off "Hey, he's just a F.. mexican bike police, give him an autograph". Tony doesnt need that.

Oh yes, last thing, they just aint as good as the Pistons:doh:

Happy New Year:nod:

Merry Christmas, BSA. Not sorry about your loss. Thanks for bringing a class act to Detroit for Christmas. And thanks for the win in San Antone the Lions needed it more.

Tony needs to dump Eva. Bike police stopped Tony yesterday downtown for impeding traffic, Eva mouths off "Hey, he's just a F.. mexican bike police, give him an autograph". Tony doesnt need that.

He must have been impeding traffic if the bike guys popped him. Sounds like Eva plays her TV bee-otch role in real life :laugh:


I think the Spurs are a better team than the one we saw today. When's the rematch in SA?

You're a good sport Bar..God knows it's hard to watch your favaorite team get their hineys handed to them like the Spurs today. Man does Duncan look skinny these days or what? He's looking lighter than ever, I heard what they (ABC) were saying about his diet, but he's really thin.

What did you think about the game and the world champs getting the brush-off in favor of the Kobe-Shaq show?

Pistons were great. I have no doubt they will be in Finals. I am not so sure about the Spurs, they just don't have game yet. Even if Ginobili had played, they still would not have beat the Pistons. Pistons really held them down.

I see several things wrong. They don't have the rhythm. As good as Finley and VanExel are, they dont seem to mesh exactly. They will as season goes on, but pace is different. Tim has lost weight, about 15 lbs. Maybe he's food hungry, not game hungry. There are about 4 new first time daddies, maybe that counts. Tony needs to dump Eva. Bike police stopped Tony yesterday downtown for impeding traffic, Eva mouths off "Hey, he's just a F.. mexican bike police, give him an autograph". Tony doesnt need that.

Oh yes, last thing, they just aint as good as the Pistons:doh:

Happy New Year:nod:

Yeah, Tony should dump her...and send her my way. :eyebrows:

Yeah, Tony should dump her...and send her my way. :eyebrows:

C'mon MoTown, you deserve better than that!:)

Exp-news Johnny Ludden (exerpt):
Wallace alone pulled down 21 rebounds. McDyess came off the bench to take 13. Together, they totaled more than the entire Spurs' roster.
"They just killed us," Tony Parker said. "That's why we lose the game."

Wow...totaled more than the ENTIRE Spurs roster. :doh: And Pop says "you just cant go to ball against them. They're too big, too physical, too rugged...they're playing a lot better than we are."

That's a fact folks, Pistons are hot. You all know I'm bipolar about Spurs and Pistons. I follow all Piston games (just box scores, no TV coverage here) and root for them to win. Same with Spurs. To me, they are best teams and when they play, I want the one playing their best, playing with heart, playing with grit to win. I guess I'm not a very good fan.:confused:

I was glad to see Prince in such good shape. I remember him from the finals and thought "that kid is sick, doesnt look good, seems so listless, looks so pale, I thought he might be anemic". But now, his color is good, he looks healthy and moves great.:nod:

G-Man, what ABC did was a total brush off. I like what Mike Monroe Exp News said: "Most everyone who really understands what it takes to win in the playoffs anticipates a rematch in the 2006 NBA Finals...ABC aiming today's games at general populace rather than true NBA fans." He said that ABC doesn't like the prospect of a Finals rematch, ratings too low, not enough money for them, people more familiar with Kobe and Shaq.
I think broadcasters said players referred to our game as JV:laugh: Frankly, I liked it played first, folks still at home doing christmas morning, in the afternoon during Lakers-Miami, probably sleeping. I know I didnt watch it, cant stand either team.

Yes, Thee, glad Lions won. I heard game referred to as "homeless bowl" and "hopeless bowl". SA didnt waste anytime taking Saints stuff off the Alamodome, guys were scraping letters off on christmas day. Well, they have to get ready for the Alamo Bowl Wolverines vs. Huskers. Hope UM wins, I dont have heart for Nebraska. See, I'm becoming a Mich homer. Did I tell you all my brother in law came from Escanaba, went to Mich State? Well, years and years ago.

Happy New Year. See you guys on Jan 12. Pop's got his work cut out for him. Manu might be back, but even Pop said Manu wouldnt have made a difference in the 12/25 game. He was right. Pistons TOO good.

Tried to check and see how Pistons played Pacers but you guys dont play them until Feb. so here's part of scouting report from Exp-News:

Spurs: in past 2 games Finley has missed 15 of 19 shots. TD FT have gone from 78.2 in November to 55.1% December. Wow. Ginobili still doubtful.

Pacers: Artest on inactive list. Pacer wins 5-3 without him. Pacers held opponents 83.2 six games, before gave up 102 points to Mavericks.
Injuries: Danny Granger day to day. Bender, knee injury.

I thought this was interesting (J Ludden X-News):

Key matchup: Jeff Foster vs. Tim Duncan. Few players have defended Duncan better in recent years than Foster. The Madison High School graduate, who often works out with the Spurs during the summer, does a good job of using his length to front Duncan, making it more difficult for Duncan's teammates to get him the ball in the post. He also tries to push Duncan a step or two out of his comfort spots. Foster has been working his way back into shape after missing the first 14 games with an Achilles' tendon injury.

Good luck to Pistons on tonights game with Raptors. Watch out, they are good. They played a great game with Spurs, almost beat us. :nod:

He begged Pop pregame to let him play at least 15 minutes. Pop did and Manu made 9 pts, 4 reb, 2 asst and 1 blk in 15 min. Manu said he will see how his foot feels today, it felt okay after game.

Tim cut his hair (J Ludden X-news called it his not-so-carefully budding afro) and players were always making fun of it, said he looked like he just got out of bed. Anyway he got back his old look and got back to his old game. Pop said Tim got aggressive, up to now he has been tentative in his play.

Mike Monroe x-news had take on Artest, who did not travel with the team. Comment from Jermaine O'Neal:

With no prodding, O'Neal gets to what is the heart of the Artest matter: Respect.
"This is a privilege," O'Neal said. "Sometimes guys lose sight of this. They pay us millions of dollars to play for a couple of hours, so you've got to respect the game and what it brings to you and your family.
"Right now that's what it's really all about for this team."

He's right. Guys get paid good bucks to do their job, even if it's sitting and learning. IMO there are no "garbage minutes", sitting the bench is not "garbage minutes", a player should be working the whole time either physically or mentally, on or off the court, everytime he puts his uni on.
Actually, I'm thinking what you guys are saying about Darko (and there are other players like him in the league) and having "respect" for the game.

Congrats on beating Raptors. We play those pesky Hornets again tomorrow, hope we're ready for them. And Best of Luck to Pistons on Heat game tomorrow. Beat the Heat! Absolutely. Go Pistons!:nod:

Wow, Heat gave Pistons all they got, and Pistons just brushed them off. I got to see the game on TNT (spurs played hornets, just played around with them) but Pistons were all business. Van Exel having problem with his elbow, so Beno came off bench and did really good.

Exp News shows Spurs not high in all star votes:

Tim Duncan remains in third place in fan balloting for the two starting forward spots on the Western Conference All-Star team. He has 786,689 votes, trailing Houston's Tracy McGrady (1,066,013) and Minnesota's Kevin Garnett (793,078). Duncan has started the past six All-Star Games. Manu Ginobili is a distant third among West guards. Parker is fifth. Balloting continues through Jan. 22. .

Lot of competition in the west. I've heard Pistons will have at least 3 all stars (one guy said 5). Anyway, there will definitely be a Piston showing, the guys are red hot....

HAPPY NEW YEAR:yell: :bump2: :roll: :boom:

BSA, I'll admit I voted for TD a couple of times, but mostly Elton Brand and Nowitzki at the forwards. Sometimes KG too. Those three guys have played the most and best of the West forwards thus far IMO.

Micro, it struck me that the votes cast so far don't seem very high. It seems that with voting all across the country the results, even at this early date would be higher. If everyone with basketball IQ like this forum voted for quality all star players, the results (IMO) would reflect the true star status of players. With fans voting the results are somewhat skewed because a lot of votes might go against true top all stars like Pistons because they have beat so many teams...and those team fans hate 'em:doh: Maybe I'm wrong, it seems like a popularity contest to me.

Well, 2005 behind us, going for the 2006 Finals, Piston vs Spurs. I liked Jerry Greens column today in DetNews talking about Loyalty and Disloyalty in Det Sports:

Disloyalty – Larry Brown, who toyed with the Pistons and owner Bill Davidson and Joe Dumars while his team was playing for another NBA championship. Gypsy Brown committed a self-ziggy here, good riddance, leaving behind him Detroit’s best sports team of 2005 and assuredly the best of 2006.

Looks like San Antonio won't have NFL team here, thanks to Tagliabue. So much politics :frusty:

HAPPY NEW YEAR...dont forget to eat your black-eyed peas (luck) and cabbage (money):hungry:

Well the clock struck Midnite on Texas luck for Mich. Wolverines. Did you see that end of game lateral play? That one guy should have taken it up field, that's the object!!
As far as a Brown ziggy he did us a favor.

so far, I see Pistons ahead of Spurs (well, of course, Pistons #1 Spurs #2) but Pistons have mental and physical edge over SA, if they keep it up, no question Pistons will win Finals. Competition in West taking shape and bound to give Spurs problems: Dallas, Suns (especially after Stoudemire gets back, prob after AllStar games).

Saw this in today's ExpNews (mike monroe):
Detroit has started the season 24-4, which has some in Michigan dreaming of a 70-victory season.
Keeping a lid on reality is new Pistons assistant coach Ron Harper, a member of the 1995-96 Bulls. He reminds his players that his old team opened at 23-3 before going on an 18-game winning streak en route to a 72-10 mark.
"That's just crazy," Detroit point guard Chauncey Billups said. "I can't even fathom that.":nod:

Looks possible to me, if losses are 2 per month, why not?:confused: Checking Jan schedule for Pistons and Spurs, I see this: Possible Losses Pistons: Spurs 1/12, Griz 1/27 Nets 1/31. Possible Losses Spurs: 1/7 Suns, 1/10 Nets, 1/12 Pistons, 1/14 Griz, 1/16 Griz. So, by Feb, Pistons should still be #1 and Spurs #2 (well, I haven't checked Mavs schedule, cant stand Dallas. Love Houston, my old stomping grounds, and sure wish they had made a better showing:doh: .

And those are my January predictions. :lalala:

BSA, who are you on SpursTalk? Are you getting in on that vBookie action for Spurs win count in January?

BSA, who are you on SpursTalk? Are you getting in on that vBookie action for Spurs win count in January?

What is SpursTalk?:confused: You mean someone thinks like I do:doh: I get all my ideas from you guys (well, xpress news too) :) You guys have the best info on NBA teams, super info on Pistons (who WILL be champs in East). I even follow box scores on daily NBA games and HATED to see Knicks beat Suns in 3OT...dang. I know Suns will be a major competition for us, but I want Knicks to LOSE every game they play.

I know it's futile :deadhorse but I still think LB let Pistons down in Finals, and I want revenge!:nod:

What is vBookie action...sounds like fun:bounce:

BSA, the only games Pistons lose is "road back to back" no days rest.
Micro quit trying to corrupt Sweet BSA with bookie action. She likes it here not there. She has a crush on us, and vise versa.

What is SpursTalk?
You wrote earlier that you like vBulletin boards, so I assumed you were a member at www.spurstalk.com (http://www.spurstalk.com). It's only the biggest Spurs fan community. ;)

What is vBookie action...sounds like fun:bounce:
vBookie is a community gambling system. You wager and earn vBucks or some other form of virtual monopoly money. I know on some sites they use this for forum rewards. I thought about implementing it here but it's still a beta product for this vBulletin version. We'll see later in the year how it fits into the grand plan.

Micro quit trying to corrupt Sweet BSA with bookie action. She likes it here not there. She has a crush on us, and vise versa.
I'm not worried about BSA leaving us. She was gunna make me tamales for the love of Pete. You think I would compromise that? :eyebrows:

I'm not worried about BSA leaving us. She was gunna make me tamales for the love of Pete. You think I would compromise that? :eyebrows:

Did someone say tamales? How do I get in on this? I'd be happy just to get an authentic recipe :nod:

I would appreciate it if you didn't steal my lady!

You guys crack me up (see if I can get the pounding smilie):pound: (he's broke).

I don't know Micro, from fan Sound Off in ExpNews, it's the same 4-5 people talking, not very objective, very little about other league teams, so unless SpurTalk was as good as your forum, I doubt I would like it. I hope you go there and post some good Piston info. If they dont think Pistons are going to be in finals they are in denial:doh:

Detteam, it took 5 hours to make the tamales and the lady showing me how wouldnt even let me take a smoke break:frusty: I havent made any since:)

You guys crack me up (see if I can get the pounding smilie):pound: (he's broke).

Detteam, it took 5 hours to make the tamales and the lady showing me how wouldnt even let me take a smoke break:frusty: I havent made any since:)

Hey...when making my chicken stock, it sits on the burner for 24+ hours. All good things take time :)

The only place I've found decent tamales around Detroit is Xochimilco (http://www.metrotimes.com/metropolis/restaurants/place.asp?id=2523) but I don't get to that part of town often :(

Hey...when making my chicken stock, it sits on the burner for 24+ hours. All good things take time :)

The only place I've found decent tamales around Detroit is Xochimilco (http://www.metrotimes.com/metropolis/restaurants/place.asp?id=2523) but I don't get to that part of town often :(

Hey Detteam: look at it this way...my tamales are the Spurs, your chicken stock is the TrailBlazers. My tamale player played 48 minutes and your chicken stock player sat on the bench:laugh:

I havent seen it written anywhere but one of commentators on last nite game (Spurs vs Blazers) mentioned that Blazers team composed of young guys (just out of HS) and Euros, neither of whom realize yet that playing in NBA is DIFFERENT. So actually, they are tutored (or should take it as such) by good playing league teams. Maybe they should get some hard core vets for their team.

Nate McMillan now coach Blazers was Sonic coach for 5 years before Bob Weiss(former Spurs asst coach) took his place and now he's been fired and Bob Hill (former Spurs Asst) is taking place. They beat Bulls (101-97) the other night, So Pistons, watch out for them on Jan 6, they looked pretty good.

BTW, Teams can sign players to 10 day contracts today. Spurs have 13 players (2 less than league allows) but Pop says we dont need any as of yet. We have 5 games over next 10 and 4 will be at SBC center. Pop says the staff can work on more of the team plays because as of now only about 60% have been installed. Hmmmmm wonder what's cookin' with that 40%? More tamales?:nod:

BSA, I believe that Bob Hill replaced Larry Brown as Spurs HEAD Coach after being an assistant. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but Hill was replaced by Popovic the season before they drafted TD.

He's a coaching lifer, just like Weiss, but he's had more success (positive win/loss record).

You wrote earlier that you like vBulletin boards, so I assumed you were a member at www.spurstalk.com (http://www.spurstalk.com). It's only the biggest Spurs fan community. ;)


vBookie is a community gambling system. You wager and earn vBucks or some other form of virtual monopoly money. I know on some sites they use this for forum rewards. I thought about implementing it here but it's still a beta product for this vBulletin version. We'll see later in the year how it fits into the grand plan.


I'm not worried about BSA leaving us. She was gunna make me tamales for the love of Pete. You think I would compromise that? :eyebrows:

i checked some of that website. fresh prince is registered and trying to fight off all these spurs fans. they think they'll sweep the pistons.:laugh:

Hey...when making my chicken stock, it sits on the burner for 24+ hours. All good things take time :)

The only place I've found decent tamales around Detroit is Xochimilco (http://www.metrotimes.com/metropolis/restaurants/place.asp?id=2523) but I don't get to that part of town often :(

Next time your down in South Detroit looking for some mexican food, go to Taqueria Lupita's. You can't get a beer there, but the food is great and cheap, and then you can go over to the fancy places for your drinks!

Or, do what I do, and have dinner at Lupita's and then go watch the game at Harry's.

Next time your down in South Detroit looking for some mexican food, go to Taqueria Lupita's. You can't get a beer there, but the food is great and cheap, and then you can go over to the fancy places for your drinks!

Or, do what I do, and have dinner at Lupita's and then go watch the game at Harry's.

Hey...thanks for the tip! :thumb:

Suns burn Spurs, I guess they're saving it for the playoff. Are they panicking in S.A.?

Suns burn Spurs, I guess they're saving it for the playoff. Are they panicking in S.A.?

Well, they arent panicked but they know they better start playing better. The Suns were good. Manu says they were "unbelievable" and pop says they are faster than last year and will continue to do well even without Stoudemire. We were on a back to back, but no excuse.

When we lost to Hornets 12/18 we were on back to back, but they really played well. Good luck Pistons on Hornets game tonite.

We play Nets tonite. Nets are on a 10 win game streak. When Vince Carter played Toronto he scored 24 of his 42 points in the 4th Q and had a 3 pointer in the final 0.1 second! There has been a lot of bad blood between VC and Bruce Bowen. Two seasons ago VC sprained his ankle when he landed on Bowens foot and thought Bruce did it on purpose. Then in game last season VC's legs got tangled up with Bruce and Bruce thought he tried to trip him deliberately. Carter came at Bruce and official cut him off and gave him a tech foul. There has been one uneventful game since then, but you never know:doh:

Looking forward to the 1/12 game:nod:

Game just over with Spurs and Nets. Nets were good, Jason Kidd is almost unstoppable, almost. Pop was mad, says spurs played badly, didnt execute and what was really disgusting was the 14 points Nets made in last 13 seconds:frusty: Gotta watch those nets in the final quarter when you all play them Jan 31.

You guys did good beating Hornets, they play hard. I just saw TV segment of Piston Hornet game and how Carlos Arroya went loco when he got called 6th foul. I mean, he has no class, I think even the Pistons looked stunned. What a loser!:doh:

Okay, Pistons here for Jan 12 game. The weather is great, but the river has been drained for annual cleaning so riverwalk wont be beautiful for them to see.:ohwell:

TDrib, feeling the Sheed effect. As ZZ Top says, Some times you gotta blow your top.

Sorry, my mistake, Nets scored 14 points in 39 seconds at game end. Tony said "We played like rookies" and Bruce said "We laid a fat egg"

Expr News:
"I thought we showed total lack of concentration, lack of effort, lack of cohesiveness and lack of leadership — both on the court and from me, the head coach," Popovich said. "It was disgusting."
And on that note the Spurs go rolling into Thursday night's NBA Finals rematch with the Detroit Pistons.

So far, that's the only mention of Pistons I can find. :confused:

Just got this on email from WOAI Spurzone:

Don's Extra Point
by Don Harris
Ticket 760 Sports on News 4 WOAI

A funny thing happened on the way to the NBA's realignment plans. Nobody made much of a fuss last year, but this year we could have disaster.
If the season ended today, the Utah Jazz would be the third seed in the playoffs. That’s a problem because they’re tied for the eighth record. That’s right, the NBA rewards division winners with the top three seeds.
So even though they lead a horrible division, Utah - and not the Mavs (or five other teams with better records for that matter) - would get the third seed.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t like it either.
“I don't like the way this is set up at all - the playoffs,” Coach Pop told SpursZONE.com. “I don't like the way you end up at the seeding, and what teams have to play at what time. As far as the second round or even match ups in the first round, I don't like it in any way, shape or form.” It might take a one time travesty to get this thing fixed, but one way or another, this has got to change.

Yep, our last match before Finals. As you know, I'm a lousy fan, bipolar about both teams, and love them both. I know the team most focused, most intensive and most driven will win.

SPURS: Pop says this game should be a wakeup call for Spurs. They cant play like they did the Nets the other nite. The whole team knows they are not playing up to their abilities and each one has to look to himself to see what's going on with them and fix it. In Spurs favor: home game, good bench and Ginobili back.

PISTONS: In Pistons Favor: Number 1 in league. Best starting 5. New and better coach this game. Got some moves Spurs not familiar with. Stigma of playing in the Spurs old home has been removed, because yesterday the center was officially name the AT&T Center, and a new outlook for the Piston psyche. The only problems Pistons might have is with a thin bench, especially since %%%%% Aroya acted up. What a jerk. I dont even know how well he plays, but the fact that he knew a "biggie" was next and would take all the effort of team Piston, and he put that in jeopardy for his own "hot temper" (my, my) really gets me. If he felt spurned for "garbage minutes" how does he feel with NO MINUTES. :P

This is a tough game to call. Even the experts are having a rough time. This is an exerpt from some expert gambler I saw on ExpNews cover.com


The Spurs were pegged as early 5-point favorites but Sevransky sees that number dropping by game time.
“I think you’ll see money coming in on Detroit at that number,” says Sevransky. “I was expecting something in between –3 points and –4 points in favor of the Spurs.”
However, that doesn’t mean Sevransky is favoring the Pistons for the showdown. “This is a tough game to call. To tell you the truth, I doubt if I’ll play it,” says Sevransky. “These two teams matchup so well. You might give the Spurs the edge because they’re playing at home but the Pistons have been unbelievable on the road. I do think this game will come down to the final two minutes.”

And that is probably going to be the way it goes: the final 2 minutes:confused:

BSA, try to not faint. Can you say OVERTIME! Arroyo backs up CBill, great passer, nice court vision, averages about 10 mins. a game.

The Pistons are now the Pist-UNS: UNBEATABLE, UNSTOPPABLE, AND UNBELIEVABLE. What a super team. Spurs are definitely not playing championship ball. I will be surprised if they make it to the Finals.

The Pistons are now the Pist-UNS: UNBEATABLE, UNSTOPPABLE, AND UNBELIEVABLE. What a super team. Spurs are definitely not playing championship ball. I will be surprised if they make it to the Finals.

I think you are maybe thinking a little too highly of Detroit and I'm pretty sure you aren't quite giving the Spurs their due.

I think it's likely both teams will be there.

But Detroit's gonna win. ;)

The Pistons are now the Pist-UNS: UNBEATABLE, UNSTOPPABLE, AND UNBELIEVABLE. What a super team. Spurs are definitely not playing championship ball. I will be surprised if they make it to the Finals.

By the record, the Pistons look great.

In reality:

1) overall D is nothing LB would be proud of...tho post-up D is pretty good

2) paint points given are in excess (Manu & Eva have the potential to eat us come finals)

3) paint points taken are lacking (not enuf post-up plays AND we don't have a driver in our bag)

4) ball movement is not a primary concern in the half-court (see #3)

5) the 3 has become the weapon of choice (see #4)

6) Pop has 'it' all over Flip (I can almost picture LB sitting in his LazyBoy during the finals, pounding his fist on the armrest)



There's a lot of season to go.

Detroit just jumped on 'em early and played defense for real and rebounded for real. It's a momentum game and SA couldn't get over the hump. This game boosts my confidence in Detroit over SA a little, but still not enough to bet money on. SA did miss a lot of easy shots... but then again they got all the bs phantom calls too.

However, the Spurs really should be worried about getting destroyed on the boards on the road and at home to their biggest challenger.

By the record, the Pistons look great.

In reality:

1) overall D is nothing LB would be proud of...tho post-up D is pretty good

2) paint points given are in excess (Manu & Eva have the potential to eat us come finals)

3) paint points taken are lacking (not enuf post-up plays AND we don't have a driver in our bag)

4) ball movement is not a primary concern in the half-court (see #3)

5) the 3 has become the weapon of choice (see #4)

6) Pop has 'it' all over Flip (I can almost picture LB sitting in his LazyBoy during the finals, pounding his fist on the armrest)



There's a lot of season to go.

umm i have a problem with #1 that guy is gone get over it already pleeeeease

DeTT, what do you mean, we don't have a driver in our bag?
BupBup can't drive? Fino can't drive? And Rip drives in remote control.

They know they got a spanking! All the Exp News stories give Detroit the praise they deserve. Spurs were in denial. Tim Duncan even thought they weren't doing too badly until he saw the game stats. :frusty: Exerpt from E-N

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich knows the facts don't lie.
"It would be pretty hard to hide from that," Popovich said of the Pistons' rebounding edge.
Duncan called the Pistons' rebounding advantage in the two games this season disheartening.
"But it's kind of weird, to me, too," Duncan said. "I didn't see it happening when it was happening. I thought we had the focus, knowing that they killed us on the offensive boards last time. We just didn't get it done, and I don't know what to say about it." :doh:

Pop only played Ginobili 28 minutes, even tho it is felt that if he had played it could have made a difference. Pop said it didnt make a difference in the Christmas game, and it wouldnt make a difference last night, and its more important to save him for later. The Spurs have a long row to hoe, and better shape up and start playing to their potential.

You guys give the Spurs a lot more credit than I do. Thanks. I worry that the Pistons are going to wear out their starters. Now that they beat their nemesis maybe they can work the bench in:nod:

Grizzlies almost got us, really. They are good and now we have to face them at their house on the 16th. Bobby Jackson caught fire in the last 5 min, they got 13 in last 3 min and Gazol is great. Final 80-79. If they had lost tonight, I would have thought the Pistons had hexed us in our "new" AT&T center (just renamed 1/12), never to win again at home:nod:

Pistons did a good job with the Bobcats (we have them the 24th) and the one "must-win" for the Pistons has got to be the Knicks on the 19th. It's gotta be, it's gonna be, it better be.:)

Grizzlies almost got us, really. They are good and now we have to face them at their house on the 16th. Bobby Jackson caught fire in the last 5 min, they got 13 in last 3 min and Gazol is great. Final 80-79. If they had lost tonight, I would have thought the Pistons had hexed us in our "new" AT&T center (just renamed 1/12), never to win again at home:nod:

Pistons did a good job with the Bobcats (we have them the 24th) and the one "must-win" for the Pistons has got to be the Knicks on the 19th. It's gotta be, it's gonna be, it better be.:)I ran a couple of quotes on this but very impressive and much touher grizzlie team than I thought. Thank Pao for the missed Ft's......u guys still have to deal with them Monday and the everluvin Mavs...did u see any of the Suns vs Lebron Game, my sista?

BSA, Duncan was ice. How often will that happen? Your still 2sd best in the league. Much better than we were last year at this time. Better set it on cruise.

The Griz are a tough team. But win or lose, the halftime tribute to Dr King was beautiful and I am so glad that it was aired on TNT. There was an article by Buck Harvey in E-News about the movie "Glory Road". He says he should have taken Steve Francis, Latrell Sprewell as well as Ron Artest and a few others. "Anything to get a few of modern era millionaires into a theater on the birthday of Dr Martin Luther King,Jr to get a sense of the way it used to be. Then there wasn't a glory road