Have the Heat Overcooked?
With the turn of one Dwyane Wade's shoulder, the defending champion Miami Heat may have just dislocated themselves from a playoff spot.
With a critical game in Dallas tonight now a facile victory for the Mavericks, does Miami have anything left to play for?
The Heat have suffered more injuries than there are people claiming to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby and that's a ton. Jason Williams, Shaquille O' Neal, Dwyane Wade, Wayne Simien and now Dwyane Wade again. Will the injury madness ever end for this team?
Wade turned his shoulder after reaching in for the ball as Shane Battier tried throwing up a basket. It was merely incidental contact that bred ugly results. You could hear the Heat guard cry in pain as soon as he began grabbing his arm. This is no ordinary shoulder injury and it must not have happened in an ordinary way.
From a television view, Wade had accrued far worse looking bumps and bruises on his way to 27 points against the Houston Rockets. And that was just through three quarters. No telling what would have happened to the surging Rockets if Wade had played and dominated the fourth quarter.
When you attack the basket at the frequency that Wade does, you get fouled a lot. Getting thrown into the goal post or onto the floor is like fruit for breakfast. Could it be any more routine.
DEFENDING DWYANE
I am not, nor have I ever been a Miami Heat fan. I am an admirer, though, of Wade as a player (See my previously posted Fave 10 list). While Mark Cuban is celebrating jovially as the free-throw shooting Wade gets what he believes is a just dessert, I prefer to live in reality. Here are five facts that you should remember before judging the 2006 Finals MVP.
1) MICHAEL JORDAN IS MICHAEL JORDAN.
People have often compared Wade's 4th quarter heroics and scoring to Air Jordan. While he clearly is the closest thing we have to the former Bulls superstar, he simply is not Jordan. He has said publicly numerous times that the MJ comparisons embarrass him and make him incredibly uncomfortable. He's not comparing himself to Jordan; You, the dissenter are.
2) ATTACKING STARS GET TO THE FREE THROW LINE
I'm glad you like watching Wade shoot free throws Mr. Cuban because he'll be doing a lot more of it as long as he plays in the NBA. Superstars who attack the basket with frequency will always get calls. From Kareem Abdul-Jabar to Jordan, this is historically true. Your own player, Dirk Nowitzki, spends quite a lot of time at the free throw line. That is, when he's attacking the basket. Did he attack in the Finals the way Wade did? Didn't think so. Quit whining about the officiating in the Finals and come back down to earth from your attack on Wade, Mr. Cuban.
3) WADE DID NOT START THE SEMI-FEUD THAT ERUPTED A FEW WEEKS AGO.
Everytime Dirk Nowitzki or you, Mr. Cuban, attack Miami's legitimate championship win, you are attacking Wade. Nowtizki got his just dessert after continually complaining that Dallas gave away the championship or lost it. What Wade said about Nowitzki's leadership was not only a response to a continued attack, but the plain truth. If Dirk had been the kind of 4th quarter leader that Dwyane had been, we might not be having this discussion and it would be Miami as the team in mourning.
He's defending his team and that's what any honorable player would do.
4) DALLAS DIDN'T LOSE, MIAMI WON
The Mavericks didn't give away a damn thing to the Heat. They lost fair and square. Miami won fair and square. You can gripe about poor officiating all you want, but you're just stepping into a very long line of people who are saying the exact same thing. You couldn't beat Wade and subsequently Miami.
I've said it all year long and I'll say it again. Dallas doesn't need to talk about how the suppossed better team lost the Finals. They're playing like they believe it this season and that's what matters. If you want a championship, instead of insulting the team that rightfully beat you, play like you want to get there again. And then, when you get there, don't make the same mistakes.
Dallas has the best record in the league and they are well on their way to doing just that.
5) WADE IS NOT A CRYBABY
This guy takes hits in every game. If he was wincing that badly, it had to be painful. I saw the same look on his face that englufed Yao when he suffered the knee injury in December. It was a look of unimaginable pain combined with the feeling of bittersweet hopelessness. Wade has proven he wants to win. He would have loved to be in Dallas tonight for the Finals rematch. Dwyane, as rich and ad-supported as he is, is the kind of guy who likes to leave it on the court. Wade is the third leading scorer in the NBA. Without his scoring dominance, Miami would be nowhere close to .500. Keep in mind that Miami is stocked full of old guys who are pretty damn lucky to be producing at all.
Rockets Need Results, Not More Personnel
I'll stand my stubborn ground, continuing to preach that the Rockets already have a championship team with their current roster. I'll also continue boasting daringly that the Rockets are deeper than the Mavericks, the Spurs, the Lakers and the Suns.
However, compiled statistics would refute all of my statements. The Rockets are fifth in the crowded Western Conference. The bench averages among the lowest point totals in the NBA.
And yet...how the hell are any of these numbers such a sad reality. I compared the Rockets statistics to the Mavericks statistics and found few differences - namely Dallas scores 4 more points and averages 1 more rebound than Houston.
THE POINT GUARD POSITION
Rafer Alston vs. Jason Terry
Terry has played at both guard positions for numerous stretches and excelled at both, but his hallmark is the point.
Without eyeing stats, most people would assert Terry is a miles better point guard.
And yet...the numbers are nearly identical. Terry has been the leading scorer for the Mavs? So has Rafer, especially in a nine point loss to the Phoenix Suns, when he poured in 28. The Rockets lost that game after two stupid decisions, not because of firepower. Assists, point total, rebounding and turnovers are nearly identical. Both shooters have experienced stretches where their shooting has been colder than Antarctica.
LEADING SCORER
Juwan Howard is in the twilight of his brilliant NBA career as a power forward (even though his teams have not been as such) and thus the advantage goes to 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki in a head to head matchup.
And yet...the leading scorer doesn't have to be a power forward. Tracy McGrady is the Rockets' Dirk. He takes charge of important quarters in the same way the jumpshooting German does with his team. If you've watched both of these players all season long, there's NO advantage in this scoring duel.
SMALL FORWARD
Shane Battier is averaging 10 points per game and is the most underrated defender in the NBA. That he has never made the all-defensive team or been the player of the week is the fault of people who didn't watch him in Memphis and have no interest in watching him in Houston. Battier has scored more than 20 points at least 10 times this season. If he does that 10 more times, he'll tie what Josh Howard did last year (I expect he will, especially when Yao gets back). Howard is a much better slasher, finisher and free throw shooter.
And yet...there doesn't seem to be a sizeable advantage.
CENTER POSITION
Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo are far and away the best center combination in the NBA. Dallas's centers Diop and Dampier are competitive, but they are not quite the same forceful duo. Yao is the best center in the NBA. Period. This matter is not up for discussion. There's no 'and yet' here.
BENCH PRODUCTION
This is the supposed antigen the rockets lack in their lineup.
And yet...Luther Head is averaging as many points as Jerry Stackhouse and the numbers are eerily similar. Luther has been a 20 point scorer at least five times this season and he is only in his second year. Stackhouse is an aging veteran who can only have such luck for so long (look at how Robert Horry and Brent Barry are struggling as of late).
The Rockets also have Bonzi Wells, who thus far has been a disappointment. He has been sidelined due to injury twice and has rarely rediscovered the form that had him averaging more than 23 points against the league's best defense (The Spurs) IN THE PLAYOFFS.
If Wells can round into form, that means the Rockets have two Jerry Stackhouses to Dallas's one.
Carol Dawson and Jeff Van Gundy alike love Chuck Hayes's defensive hustle. He'll never be much of a scorer, but he's executed several game-changing plays and shows immense promise.
Kirk Snyder, who competes with Wells and McGrady for minutes, has shined in his few outings on the court. He dumped 15 in a rebound blowout over the Charlotte Bobcats. He had managed 10 in a blowout loss to Mavs one night earlier. His outbursts were no accident or anamoly.
The Rockets also have three-point shooting threat Steve Novak, Greek WORLD CHAMPION Vassilis Spanoulis, Jake Tsakalidis and lightining fast guard John Lucas III.
My friend told me no Greek player will ever be a significant producer in the NBA.
And yet...Greece torched USA basketball to win the title this summer, much of their wind coming from star player Spanoulis.
Van Gundy doesn't give these players enough minutes to gather even a shred of confidence on the floor, but if he ever does, look out.
People say this Rockets team is one-dimensional and lacks any depth whatsoever. Everything must go through McGrady, they say.
And yet...the statistics, everything I see potententially and in reality says otherwise.
After Vegas, What Now?
The dazzling party in Las Vegas has ended and NBA players must now go back to playing in games that matter, where pride and a playoff worthy record are always on the line.
Phoenix and Dallas have so much breathing room from the teams chasing them, they decided to fly Jet Blue home. The hot Mavericks are so far ahead, they're backpedaling in the same mocking way that Charles Barkley did in Saturday night's historic foot race. The difference is, it doesn't look like the Mavericks will fall flat on their asses when they cross the finish line.
With less than 30 games to go in the regular season, here's why it's still a race and the Mavericks' huge lead in the standings means nothing.
The Reality: The Dallas Mavericks will finish with the top seed at the end of this season. No team, especially the Phoenix Suns, will have anything to say about it. For the San Antonio Spurs or the Houston Rockets to catch up, the Mavericks would have to crumble in a St. Louis Cardinals-esque collapse. Anybody who has even the laziest eye on Avery Johnson's ballclub knows that Bambi (the Disney character) has a much better chance of being in the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame. Kevin Federline will be a multiple grammy winner before this Dallas ballclub drops its paramount lead. The bottom line for the 29 other NBA teams? Get over it, get focused and show some vital signs in the second half of the season. The Celtics will be lucky not to be disowned by Bostonites, The Bobcats, despite some impressive victories against title contenders, will finish with a miserable losing record and the Hawks are still the best butt you can put on the end of a basketball joke. The terrible teams will continue to perform terribly, but the mediocre squads still have an opportunity to get their acts together and make a run.
Might Make Playoffs, But No Chance At a Deep Playoff Run: New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Hornets, Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.
The Biggest Joke Not Including the Hawks and Why: The Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets are second in the league in offensive rebounds, a top 10 shot blocking team and yet they have no defense to speak of. They're in the low 20s in OPP FG percentage and OPP PPG allowed. When you can rebound like this team and you're only interest is getting the ball back to jack up a shot, that's pathetic. Halfcourt defense wins championships and this team couldn't be farther from it. The addition of Allen Iverson, which has been lauded as the best trade so far this season, will make it easier for this team to reach 100 points. However, Iverson adds no new dimensions to a team that has never won when thety score less than that.
Three Teams You Might See in the Finals Other Than Dallas: The Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
The Heat have the exact same team that won them the trophy last season (including the BEST player in the NBA), plus best three point shooter in the league (Jason Kappono) and Eddie Jones. Sure, this Heat team has been embarrasing at times this season, but this team will be in the Eastern Conference Finals whether they obtain any home court advantage or not.
You know my spiels about Houston and San Antonio. I shall not repeat them for the sake of not beating my thoughts into the ground. Expect a post about the Rockets roster later this week.
My MVP list:
1) Steve Nash
2) Dirk Nowitzki
3) Kobe Bryant
4) Tim Duncan
5) Dwyane Wade
6) Kevin Garnett
7) Gilbert Arenas
8) Carlos Boozer
9) Tracy McGrady
10) (insert player here)
6th Man:
1) Ben Gordon-this is his to lose
If not, then Luther Head gets my nod.
Best Trade of the Season:
1) Shane Battier-not negotiable; see my gazillion posts on this matter throughout my blog
The Came Out of Nowehere Award
1) Jason Kappono-who saw this three point assasin coming? Three disappointing seasons and finally a click with the Heat
Rookie of the Year
1) Brandon Roy
2) Randy Foye
3) Rudy Gay
4) Paul Millsap
Forget the Fave 5, Here's My Fave 10
It seems T-Mobile has convinced everybody, even those who don't subscribe to the company's phone service, to create lists of five people whom they like or admire. I decided to this fad one better and do a "Fave 10."
Since I love professional basketball so much that it's unhealthy, I figured I ought to divulge my favorite players.
HERE'S MY 10 (SEE IF YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHO MY FAVORITE TWO TEAMS ARE--REALLY CHALLENGING!)
1. Tim Duncan, F-Spurs
He's been my favorite player since being selected as the first pick in the 1997 draft. Transitioning from the domination of David Robinson to the Tim Duncan era has made it pretty difficult not to be a die-hard Spurs fan. Duncan may be the most complete power forward to ever play the game, his low-post dominance dictates game tempos and he's one hell of a class act.
2. Yao Ming, C-Rockets
I never regret the Rockets choosing Yao Ming over many of the other talented prospects in that draft year. He's taken time to develop, but the beginning of this NBA season was HIS year. Until he injured himself, no other player was in his league in the MVP race. Despite what the Shaq ass-kissers might argue, Yao is the best center in the league and he's a joy to watch. How many big men have such a pure free throw stroke?
3. Manu Ginobili, G-Spurs
By far the most unpredictable player in basketball. In most games he plays, I'm screaming "Ginobili!" Most of the time, shouting his last name is crude compensation for an incredible game changing play he makes and some of the time, it's a stern reprimand for a turnover or a game-costing mistake. Game 7 of the Spurs-Mavericks series; Manu knifes a clutch three-pointer to give the Spurs their first lead of the game. Next play, Manu fouls Dirk Nowitzki in the act of shooting after coach Pops told the team specifically not to do that. You get the point.
4. Dwyane Wade, G-Heat
He's still no Jordan, but the reigning Finals MVP is the closest thing we've got to the former Bulls legend. D-Wade is starting to have that same effect on me that Michael did when I was a young kid. He's a player on a team I care nothing about that I can root for in every game, a player who I'd pay to see dominate a critical 4th quarter. Dwyane is the best player in the league (here's looking at you, Mark Cuban), with Kobe Bryant trailing at a close second. I couldn't even defame him when he killed the Spurs in the fourth quarter with a 20 point outburst Sunday.
5. Bruce Bowen, F-Spurs
What can I say? I like defense and this guy has a lot of it. Bowen is hands down the best defender in the NBA. Case in point, the final seconds of Game 5 in the Spurs-Mavericks series last season.
6. Shane Battier, F-Rockets
The most underrated defender in the NBA. Battier is one of those wonderful franchise players who gets overlooked because he plays for a team that no casual sports fan cares about. I never paid attention to him when he played for Memphis, because I could care less about anything the Grizzlies do. Now that he plays for a big market team in the Rockets, I realize everything I've been missing about his game. He takes game-changing charges, blocks potential game-winners, sinks clutch shots from the behind the arc and is a great addition defensively and intellectually to the Rockets. Houston would not be a title contender without Battier. How many support players can you say that about?
7. Tony Parker, G-Spurs
If the U.S. is to have a grudge against French people, we can make an exception in this case. Every time I think about how gorgeous Eva Longoria is, I remember that I'm also one of Tony's biggest fans and that he wouldn't particularly like me for lusting after his fiance. Not that the French point guard would want to meet me (people can dream). I put Tony in the game's most elite company of point guards, right up there with two-time MVP Steve Nash. If you actually watch the Spurs more than when they're on ESPN, you wouldn't question his stealthy greatness. I actually thought he might be in the MVP race when he came roaring out of the gates at the beginning of the season.
8. Jason Terry, G-Mavericks
It's hard to say why I like Jet so much, especially when he has helped prevent my two teams from reaching the NBA Finals. I shouldn't like the Mavs and I damn sure shouldn't like Terry. But it's impossible not to respect the runway that this guard is indeed on. I find it funny that Mavs fans disagree with me when I call him a great clutch player. In Game 5 of the Finals, which will historically belong to Dwyane Wade, Terry quietly shot over 65 percent and notched 35 points
9. Kobe Bryant
It's hard to believe that a proven champion in his 10th year is only starting to play his best basketball. Kobe has always been a great scorer and he won me back last year with that marvelous 81 point performance. However, what he's done this year, becoming the unabashed leader of a a young and raw future title contender, is his greatest feat yet. Elite players become great when they learn how to involve their teammates, when they learn how to facilitate offense and defense instead of hogging the ball. Jordan as great as he was never reached this milestone. MJ had a compelling reason to be a ball hog (No duh!), but Kobe does also. It's been Kobe's newfound leadership that has propelled the young Lakers this year, not Phil Jackson's veteran coaching.
10. Luther Head
If the Rocket's are going to establish a bench presence, it will start with Luther, who is already averaging 12 points in less than 25 minutes a game. I consider myself one of the very few who knows just how great Luther will be down the stretch. While everyone else might say he's no Josh Howard or Ben Gordon, I think those notions are crazy. I'm so glad this young guard became a Rocket.
Super Boredom
The game sucked, the commercials were tepidly forgettable and the outcome couldn't have been less ho-hum.
Why the hell do millions upon millions watch the Super Bowl, again?
It doesn't say a lot for a sporting event, when a commercial about a never was whose greatest achievement was sleeping with Britney Spears is far more exciting than the game. The halftime show featuring Prince was levels above the play at the idolized sporting event.
I could only shake my head last night as another Super Bowl entered the books, shut away, exactly where it belongs. And to think, some people believe the day after this snooze fest should be a national holiday? Are we that strung out on drugs and alcohol that we think this game is greater than breathing air? I dream that this is not the case, but television ratings and pre-game chatter tell me otherwise.
Last Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs had a chess match that finished with a thrilling overtime win for the Spurs. The game was exhilarating, the teams had immense personality, elbows were flying, players were struck to the ground. This regular season NBA match up was far superior to the Super Bowl and yet more people watched the lesser event.
How about that 18-inning thriller between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves two seasons ago?
Baseball and professional basketball have earned their viewer ship while football just sits on the toilet seat and craps more bad games into people's mouths. I can remember few Super Bowls I've been made to watch that were respectable games.
The NBA Finals and World Series have always earned my respect, even when my teams weren't playing in them.
What's with all these NFL bandwagoners? You're not from Indianapolis, you're not a Colts fan. Shut up and quit telling me how cute Peyton Manning is. I sat miserably last night as friends of mine cheered raucously for the Colts, a team they have never supported or watched outside of the playoffs. The only player they knew by name was Manning.
I nearly tore my room to pieces, screaming my lungs out when the Spurs dropped a regular season game to the Phoenix Suns last Thursday. It was a regular season game that will likely mean nothing when the NBA playoffs begin in April.
I have always loyally supported the Astros, Houston Rockets and the Spurs. I have driven round trips to San Antonio and to Houston just for the opportunity to see my teams play.
It pains me then to see so many non-football fans just flock to this crap game. In the course of Super Bowl discussions, I met a grand total of two people who were actual fans. They were Chicago natives who had supported the Bears since child birth. Most everybody else was just jumping on the bandwagon. The wagon's wheels are falling off, the temperature is cold and the ride is boring. I can't wait until people jump on again next year.
J Howard Snubbed, Kobe's Suspension and the flailing Spurs
With so much to write about in the league these days, I figured I would take the three most pertinent issues this week and collapse them into one long post.
JOSH HOWARD SNUBBED
If David Stern expects me to watch the 2007 NBA All Star Game in Las Vegas, Josh Howard had better be there.
Stern has the opportunity to make this happen after coaches snubbed the Mavericks' forward in voting for the Western Conference reserves.
The way things are currently scripted, Phoenix will have 3 players at the game, Houston 2, San Antonio 2 and below .500 New Jersey will also have 2. As for the Dallas Mavericks, the NBA's top team, which has proven thus far to be better than all of the aforementioned teams, they will have one. Namely, Dirk Nowitzki, the same no-brainer choice that will be made by coaches or fans until the German 7-footer retires.
The All Star Game may amount to nothing more than a culmination of two days of boastful showboating that has nothing to do with who will win the championship, but it does send a message.
An All Star selection validates that a player is continually reaching for that next level and achieving it. Howard has done more this season than the word "improvement" could ever encapsulate and yet, he's received no validation. He's dropping 19 points a game, grabbing almost 8 rebounds a game, he's changing shots, draining 3's and averages more points in the first quarter than any other player in the league. He could be the best player on the best team in the NBA. And no all-star selection?
What were these coaches thinking?
HERE IS THE WESTERN CONFERENCE LINEUP:
5 Carlos Boozer (Utah) F-C 6-9 266 11/20/1981 Duke
24 *Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) G 6-6 220 08/23/78 Lower Merion HS
21 *Tim Duncan (San Antonio) F 7-0 260 04/25/76 Wake Forest
21 *Kevin Garnett (Minnesota) F 6-11 220 05/19/76 Farragut Academy (HS)
3 Allen Iverson (Denver) G 6-0 165 07/07/1975 Georgetown
31 Shawn Marion (Phoenix) F 6-7 228 05/07/1978 UNLV
1 *Tracy McGrady (Houston) G 6-8 210 05/24/79 Mt. Zion Academy (HS)
13 Steve Nash (Phoenix) G 6-3 195 02/07/1974 Santa Clara
41 Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) F 7-0 245 06/19/1978 Germany
9 Tony Parker (San Antonio) G 6-2 180 05/17/1982 France
1 Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix) C 6-10 245 11/16/1982 Cypress Creek (Orlando, FL)
11 *Yao Ming (Houston) C 7-6 310 09/12/80 China
The additions of Nowitzki and Nash are no-brainers, considering they lead all MVP candidates by a wide margin. Tony Parker is having a career best season and certainly a gigantic portion of any success the San Antonio Spurs have enjoyed belongs to the French point guard. Allen Iverson is still the same shotjacker, but he kept the Nuggets afloat, albeit barely afloat, while Carmelo Anthony served his 15-game suspension. Amare Stoudemire, whose return from injury has been a major catalyst to the Suns success, is also a worthy reserve choice.
That leaves small forward Shawn Marion, who has to be the one that beat out Howard in coach voting.
Marion is having another nice season, but the adjective I used to describe his play is just that. Nice.
Marion is putting up his same standard numbers that you would expect from him. He certainly isn't the best player on the Suns. He hasn't hit any game winning shots. He doesn't score as many 12 points in the first quarter.
Howard has done all of that this season, multiple times. He's gone from being the overlooked 28th pick in the crowded, talent-dense 2003 Draft Class to the lanky forward that anchors an astonishing Maverick team.
Every coach dreads facing Howard and maybe that's why he was omitted from the reserves list.
Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer will miss the game due to injuries, so Stern must select two deserving Western Conference players as replacements.
If Howard is not among those choices, this NBA aficionado will be watching something else on All Star Weekend.
KOBE'S SUSPENSION
Stu Jackson, a man whose authority I respect, has missteppen again. The league's vice president of operations handed out yet another undeserved suspension to Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant for an unintentional hard foul on the Spurs' Manu Ginobili.
Bowen had originally been defending Bryant on the play, but Ginobili entered the picture when Bowen fell for Bryant's pump fake. Ginobili threw his arm up to alter the potential game changing shot, as he so often does.
It is clear from the replay that Bryant had no idea it was Ginobili challenging him on the play. The moment he saw the Argentenian guard had fallen, he made sure he was alright. No malice was intended by this foul and it happened in the course of a standard defensive play in the final minutes of a crucial Western Conference dual.
Several Spurs players, including Ginobili and Bowen and head coach Greg Poppovich have said the suspension was unwarranted.
Here's to hoping a similar hard foul by Lebron James on Dwyane Wade does not draw undeserving criticism and an umerited suspension. James and Wade are close friends and both have acknowledged the rough foul happened naturally within a key moment of Friday's down to the wire matchup.
The league also blundered in last season's Finals when it suspended Jerry Stackhouse for a hard foul on Shaquille O' Neal. The smart-alec O' Neal joked that the "foul felt really good." If the player victimized by the foul isn't complaining, why take disciplinary action?
The suspensions against the players involved in the Neanderthal brawl at Madison Square Garden earlier in the season weren't harsh enough. Carmelo Anthony said he learned through the suspension how much he loved basketball. He said nothing about regret for nearly causing another Rudy Tomjanovich against another player's face. He didn't express remorse or a desire to clean up his act. He punched players and referees violently for a play he had nothing to do with and yet no formal apology has been issued. For a player hoping to represent the best of professional basketball at the All Star Game, this is of concern.
The league did levy the right punishment against the Mavs' Jason Terry when he desperately punched Spurs' guard Michael Finley at the end of regulation in Game 5 of the Mavs-Spurs semifinals series.
STRUGGLING SPURS
"We need wins," Manu Ginobili told David Aldridge at halftime in last night's Phoenix/San-Antonio. "They've been hard to come by lately and we want to get back to winning."
The spurs led by three at halftime against the league's best offense. They wound up losing by more than 15 points.
The Spurs head back to San Antonio 1-2 on their 8 game, annual "Rodeo Road Trip." January was not a kind month for Tim Duncan's bunch. They had better start some lengthy streaks if they hope to keep their playoff spot and make a title run.
Contrary to what Doug Collins said last night, the Spurs needed to win that game last night, not the Suns.
THE SPURS NEEDED TO WIN THAT GAME. THE SPURS NEEDED TO WIN THAT GAME. THE SPURS NEEDED TO WIN THAT GAME.
AND THEY DIDN'T.
