Spurs 2014 > Warriors 2015

[Spurs m8]

Injuries did play a part.
It was just a weird ass season.
The whole playoff match ups left a lot to be desired too.

[rmt]

Spurs were 16-7 in the postseason
Warriors are 15-5 so far

Spurs faced better competition, but they didn't dominate like you are saying.

Consider:

According to Basketball-Reference, the Spurs scored 120.8 points per 100 possessions in the 2014 Finals, the highest rate since Basketball-Reference began tracking such data in 1985-86.

NBA.com player tracking data determined the Spurs passed the ball 472 more times than the Heat in the 2014 Finals. The disparity was even more evident in Games 3-5, when they averaged 157 more passes per game. And, as Popovich had assumed, that crisp, quick passing led to efficient scoring from multiple contributors. For further proof, look no further than San Antonio's true shooting percentage as a team through those final three games: an astounding 65.1 percent. The individual season champion, Kyle Korver, shot 65.3 percent. "We would have had to play the greatest Games 3, 4 and 5 to overcome that," Battier says.

How radical had the offensive redesign been? In San Antonio's 2014 first-round series with the Mavericks, it had averaged 18.3 3-point attempts per game, which accounted for just 23.6 percent of its field goal attempts. In the second round against Portland, the Spurs had taken an average of 19.2 3-point attempts, for 21.7 percent of its offense. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, San Antonio's 3-point shooting in the 2014 Finals accounted for 32.6 percent of its total offense. The Spurs had attempted an average of 23.6 3-pointers a game in the Finals, second in Finals history, and made 44.8 percent.

San Antonio dominated Miami in just about every conceivable category in those final three games: overall shooting percentage (54.2 percent to 45.2 percent), 3-point shooting percentage (44.8 percent to 38.2 percent), field goal percentage in the paint (65.6 percent to 53 percent). The Spurs dished the ball out for 71 assists to Miami's 44. They outrebounded the Heat 113-94. They even shot more free throws (80-71).

According to Basketball-Reference, the Spurs' offensive rating for Games 3-5 of the Finals (124.9) is the best on record for the past 29 seasons. The 1999-2000 Pacers (120.2) and the 1986-87 Celtics (120.2), each of whom lost the title in the years referenced, were tied for second.

But perhaps the most impressive stat is the bluntest of all: Over the previous three seasons, a span of 293 regular-season and playoff games, the Heat had not once lost three straight games in regulation with LeBron in the lineup. The Spurs not only won the last three games of the 2014 Finals but beat the Heat by an average of more than 19 points a game.

"I had never seen a team that hot," says former Heat veteran Shane Battier, "but we had all been around basketball long enough to know it would even out. They were going to regress to their averages -- only they never did."

Still, Duncan believed the continuity fostered by their organization equipped them with a deep understanding of each others' personalities and tendencies. "Our experience," he explained, "is one of our most valuable assets."

Pacers president and Celtics legend Larry Bird was on that 1987 Celtics team whose offensive rating the Spurs eclipsed in 2014. And Bird, for his part, says the Spurs' performance ranks at least among the best of all time.

"It's right up there," Bird says. "I know Pop doesn't like to say much, but he had to be thrilled to death with what happened. I'm sure they all went back and said, 'Man, we'll never top this.'"

"They found their nirvana through their adversity," Riley says. "That doesn't happen often like that, when you lose the way they did in 2013. It usually destroys a team, makes them go the other way, especially when there's aging. They played three of the greatest games that anybody has ever played. That's what it takes. It takes that kind of adversity and great players and, most importantly, mature, grown-up individuals who have been in the profession a long time, who can take the game of basketball to another level. But that's what they did."

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2015...ed-nba-forever

I'd say that they dominated.

[Spurs m8]

Lakers fans lol

Too busy watching Kobe DVDs instead of the finals

[SCdac]

Give me the 05 and 07 team over any of em. Prime Timmy + prime Manu + prime Parker + Bruce Bowen (runner up for DPOY like 4 years in a row) + Horry-Rasho-Nazr-Oberto-Barry-Finley. Spurs beat the #1 ranked offense run by Nash and Amare then beat the defending champs and powerhouse defensive team in the Pistons. People just get caught by the aesthetic of teams with great ball movement, even distribution, and great utilization of the three point line imo. Dominance doesn't have to be the #1 or #2 ranked offense necessarily, if anything defense is the name of the game. It's more of a common denominator for champ teams. But the Warriors have been sufficient defensively all season. the Cavs without key players look wounded.

[EwingMan]

Just because the Spurs lose to teams with great big men doesn't mean that they don't match up well with teams without a great big man as the Cavs presently are. As in most sports, match ups are key. Spurs have a great (or as good as any other team has) defender for Lebron in Khawi. They have another great defender in Danny Green vs any perimeter player who might get hot. They have a scoring big in Duncan that whoever the Cavs now have would have difficulty defending. The Cav most likely to give Spurs problem is Irving (speedy point guard that Parker would have to defend) who's out.

Spurs' experience (including coaching) would just be the cherry on top as the match ups would carry the series. IMO, one of the big reasons why this Cavs/GSW series is so close is experience - Cavs' (mostly Lebron's) experience vs the lack of experience on GSW/their lack of knowledge of how hard(intensity) they have to play (especially Kerr - why would you not double/triple team Lebron when he's the only one who can consistently score - make someone else beat you).

its moot bruh. maybe they're a good matchup against the cavs, but it doesn't matter because they were playing so shitty, they can't prove you right or wrong.

at the kerr comment. if you think open players getting involved and getting good looks would have been less efficient for the cavs than bron iso-shooting at 40 pc, i don't know what to tell you. he got his and he's exhausted and kerr's squad is up 3-2. spur fans should know the risks of leaving the role-players open better than anybody.

[rmt]

its moot bruh. maybe they're a good matchup against the cavs, but it doesn't matter because they were playing so shitty, they can't prove you right or wrong.

at the kerr comment. if you think open players getting involved and getting good looks would have been less efficient for the cavs than bron iso-shooting at 40 pc, i don't know what to tell you. he got his and he's exhausted and kerr's squad is up 3-2. spur fans should know the risks of leaving the role-players open better than anybody.

There are role players and there are role players. The only one they really have to worry about is JR - not really Ray Allen - the greatest 3 pt shooter in NBA history. I've been fine with either letting Lebron (see my previous posts) have his (and wearing him down) or double/triple-teaming (more so since Irving went down). It was GSW's offense that was the problem. GSW should not be having so many problems with this depleted team - they were just getting out-played/out-hustled earlier in the series.

[J Shuttlesworth]

The Spurs hit a higher level of play in the finals. I don't think the Warriors played as well at any point in the playoffs as the Spurs did in the finals. The Spurs were also ridiculously good against Portland. They did beat the Thunder and Heat who were greater teams than any of the teams the Warriors faced this year.

Granted, the Thunder didn't have Ibaka, but I'd personally rather play the Harden Rockets than KD/Westbrook.

And yeah, as someone rooting for the Cavs, I would rather play this warrior team than the 2014 Spurs. The Spurs would have probably ended this series in a sweep.

[EwingMan]

Consider:

According to Basketball-Reference, the Spurs scored 120.8 points per 100 possessions in the 2014 Finals, the highest rate since Basketball-Reference began tracking such data in 1985-86.

NBA.com player tracking data determined the Spurs passed the ball 472 more times than the Heat in the 2014 Finals. The disparity was even more evident in Games 3-5, when they averaged 157 more passes per game. And, as Popovich had assumed, that crisp, quick passing led to efficient scoring from multiple contributors. For further proof, look no further than San Antonio's true shooting percentage as a team through those final three games: an astounding 65.1 percent. The individual season champion, Kyle Korver, shot 65.3 percent. "We would have had to play the greatest Games 3, 4 and 5 to overcome that," Battier says.

How radical had the offensive redesign been? In San Antonio's 2014 first-round series with the Mavericks, it had averaged 18.3 3-point attempts per game, which accounted for just 23.6 percent of its field goal attempts. In the second round against Portland, the Spurs had taken an average of 19.2 3-point attempts, for 21.7 percent of its offense. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, San Antonio's 3-point shooting in the 2014 Finals accounted for 32.6 percent of its total offense. The Spurs had attempted an average of 23.6 3-pointers a game in the Finals, second in Finals history, and made 44.8 percent.

San Antonio dominated Miami in just about every conceivable category in those final three games: overall shooting percentage (54.2 percent to 45.2 percent), 3-point shooting percentage (44.8 percent to 38.2 percent), field goal percentage in the paint (65.6 percent to 53 percent). The Spurs dished the ball out for 71 assists to Miami's 44. They outrebounded the Heat 113-94. They even shot more free throws (80-71).

According to Basketball-Reference, the Spurs' offensive rating for Games 3-5 of the Finals (124.9) is the best on record for the past 29 seasons. The 1999-2000 Pacers (120.2) and the 1986-87 Celtics (120.2), each of whom lost the title in the years referenced, were tied for second.

But perhaps the most impressive stat is the bluntest of all: Over the previous three seasons, a span of 293 regular-season and playoff games, the Heat had not once lost three straight games in regulation with LeBron in the lineup. The Spurs not only won the last three games of the 2014 Finals but beat the Heat by an average of more than 19 points a game.

"I had never seen a team that hot," says former Heat veteran Shane Battier, "but we had all been around basketball long enough to know it would even out. They were going to regress to their averages -- only they never did."

Still, Duncan believed the continuity fostered by their organization equipped them with a deep understanding of each others' personalities and tendencies. "Our experience," he explained, "is one of our most valuable assets."

Pacers president and Celtics legend Larry Bird was on that 1987 Celtics team whose offensive rating the Spurs eclipsed in 2014. And Bird, for his part, says the Spurs' performance ranks at least among the best of all time.

"It's right up there," Bird says. "I know Pop doesn't like to say much, but he had to be thrilled to death with what happened. I'm sure they all went back and said, 'Man, we'll never top this.'"

"They found their nirvana through their adversity," Riley says. "That doesn't happen often like that, when you lose the way they did in 2013. It usually destroys a team, makes them go the other way, especially when there's aging. They played three of the greatest games that anybody has ever played. That's what it takes. It takes that kind of adversity and great players and, most importantly, mature, grown-up individuals who have been in the profession a long time, who can take the game of basketball to another level. But that's what they did."

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2015...ed-nba-forever

I'd say that they dominated.

i believe 87's point was that the spurs didn't dominate across the playoffs; but i think beating the post-harden thunder and late-era big 3 heat is better evidence of potential high level play than what gsw has done (and i'm not low on gsw because they dropped two games twice to the grizz or underpowered cavs- you just need to win the series). competition just wasn't very high for gsw this go around. we will have to see next year against a healthy thunder and big 3 cavs.

in anycase, i'd agree with OP's title.

[SyRyanYang]

The same Spurs that lost in the first round with an improved Leonard

[SCdac]

The same Spurs that lost in the first round with an improved Leonard

But a shitty Tony Parker (Spurs starting PG and would-be "franchise player")

2014 and 2015 playoff stats compared:

17 ppg (.49 FG%) / 5 apg -----> 11 ppg (.36 FG%) / 3.6 apg

Parker took 9 three's in the first round against the Clipps and missed all 9 of em. He just wasn't himself. It's hard to pin it all on a young Kawhi. Spurs were just out of sync relative to the previous season.

[Spurs m8]

The same Spurs that lost in the first round with an improved Leonard

Thanks simpleton

[Uncle Drew]

Hell, 2015 Spurs > 2015 Warriors. We saw what happened when both teams were healthy.

[BlakFrankWhite]

But a shitty Tony Parker (Spurs starting PG and would-be "franchise player")

2014 and 2015 playoff stats compared:

17 ppg (.49 FG%) / 5 apg -----> 11 ppg (.36 FG%) / 3.6 apg

Parker took 9 three's in the first round against the Clipps and missed all 9 of em. He just wasn't himself. It's hard to pin it all on a young Kawhi. Spurs were just out of sync relative to the previous season.

How did Parker regress so much in one year? Shocking

[Spurs m8]

Lucky Tonys terrible shooting didn't **** up Game 5 2014 finals tbh
He only started hitting shots in the 4th when it was over.
Tonys contract bums me out.
Not saying i dont want him there, just not on so much coin, and maybe if he keeps this shit up he can take a back step.
He won't though, too ego driven.