Satyr
Paster of Muppets
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NBA 2006/2007: 49 W-1 V-40 L +31.17 units
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Tough loss last night, Bucks blowing a big lead. Oh well, we move on, hopefully tailing some quality teams this time.:smiley_acbe:
Spurs (-6.5) (1.97 @ Pinnacle) 6 units
Not afraid of the road chalk. Some Spurs facts: They have outscored the opponent by almost 20 points (99.9-81.8) margin during the winning streak (now 8 and counting), they have absolutely molested Rockets interior and backcourt playing both on the road and without Tony Parker.
They have guys like Finley (12 PPG in last 3 games), Barry, Horry, Elson, all stepping up during the streak. Gotta say I was ready to dismiss Finley as he really looked like all set for retirement, but this is another Finley right here, a lot more enthusiastic, motivated, he's under the spell of team basketball the Spurs are stuck in at the moment.
Timmy Duncan is playing like an all star, and reminding us why he's one of the best PF/Cs in NBA history. Watch the Rockets try to double team him and steal the ball before he nails one of his trademark mini hook shots. Not a good idea, Timmy dishes out an assist without even looking, Manu/Bowen/Finley/Barry nails the trey.
Rock distribution hasn't suffered at all against the Rockets, the ball flew from right wing to the left one, so much accuracy and determination, if you've seen the game in Houston yourself you know this isn't an exaggeration.
Manu Ginobili: what to say about this guy. Just one thing: How many guys in the league would be perfectly fine getting benched and entering the game instead of starting, and playing even better when coach decides to bench him?
Not many you'd agree. This guy is all about team effort. Doesn't mind sacrificing his numbers (which actually only got better, but not many players would see that straight away, they'd rather think that coach has lost his trust in them).
One more thing, after having watched almost most Spurs games during the streak: the way they control the paint, is just scary. On both ends of the floor, you just can't rely on driving the ball in, as in most cases recently it's a lost ball.
After this small recap of Spurs' streak and recent games, why do I like this one? First off, a 7 point win doesn't necessarily qualify under a blowout. And have in mind this line is short mostly due to Tony Parker's absence, it would probably be as high as 8 (or even 9) had the French Belgian been called fit for the game.
Why 9? Because these Clipps have backcourt issues themselves, it's not like they can take torture Jacque Vaughn and Barry while they have Shaun Livingston out (horrid injury really, wish him recovery), and Cassel is not 100%, not even sure if he'll dress tonight. Daniel Ewing isn't unstoppable, that's for sure.
In the inside this one should be tough, Brand and Kaman should be a very hard task even for TD to handle. The rediscovered Spurs' chemistry makes me believe they're too much for the Clipps right now despite their impressive home performances of late.
Sorry for the long rant, just had to get it out of my system, after watching that beautiful game in Houston. :smiley_acbe:
NBA 2006/2007: 49 W-1 V-40 L +31.17 units
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Tough loss last night, Bucks blowing a big lead. Oh well, we move on, hopefully tailing some quality teams this time.:smiley_acbe:
Spurs (-6.5) (1.97 @ Pinnacle) 6 units
Not afraid of the road chalk. Some Spurs facts: They have outscored the opponent by almost 20 points (99.9-81.8) margin during the winning streak (now 8 and counting), they have absolutely molested Rockets interior and backcourt playing both on the road and without Tony Parker.
They have guys like Finley (12 PPG in last 3 games), Barry, Horry, Elson, all stepping up during the streak. Gotta say I was ready to dismiss Finley as he really looked like all set for retirement, but this is another Finley right here, a lot more enthusiastic, motivated, he's under the spell of team basketball the Spurs are stuck in at the moment.
Timmy Duncan is playing like an all star, and reminding us why he's one of the best PF/Cs in NBA history. Watch the Rockets try to double team him and steal the ball before he nails one of his trademark mini hook shots. Not a good idea, Timmy dishes out an assist without even looking, Manu/Bowen/Finley/Barry nails the trey.
Rock distribution hasn't suffered at all against the Rockets, the ball flew from right wing to the left one, so much accuracy and determination, if you've seen the game in Houston yourself you know this isn't an exaggeration.
Manu Ginobili: what to say about this guy. Just one thing: How many guys in the league would be perfectly fine getting benched and entering the game instead of starting, and playing even better when coach decides to bench him?
Not many you'd agree. This guy is all about team effort. Doesn't mind sacrificing his numbers (which actually only got better, but not many players would see that straight away, they'd rather think that coach has lost his trust in them).
One more thing, after having watched almost most Spurs games during the streak: the way they control the paint, is just scary. On both ends of the floor, you just can't rely on driving the ball in, as in most cases recently it's a lost ball.
After this small recap of Spurs' streak and recent games, why do I like this one? First off, a 7 point win doesn't necessarily qualify under a blowout. And have in mind this line is short mostly due to Tony Parker's absence, it would probably be as high as 8 (or even 9) had the French Belgian been called fit for the game.
Why 9? Because these Clipps have backcourt issues themselves, it's not like they can take torture Jacque Vaughn and Barry while they have Shaun Livingston out (horrid injury really, wish him recovery), and Cassel is not 100%, not even sure if he'll dress tonight. Daniel Ewing isn't unstoppable, that's for sure.
In the inside this one should be tough, Brand and Kaman should be a very hard task even for TD to handle. The rediscovered Spurs' chemistry makes me believe they're too much for the Clipps right now despite their impressive home performances of late.
Sorry for the long rant, just had to get it out of my system, after watching that beautiful game in Houston. :smiley_acbe:
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