SPURS ADVANCE TO FOURTH FINALS AND DEFINE GREATNESS
As the San Antonio Spurs notched yet another playoff series victory to clinch its fourth Western Conference Title in the last nine seasons, everything I had been saying all these years about their greatness came together. It finally all made sense.
It’s as if my several year quest to figure out why I support both a Houston and San Antonio sports franchise ended with a satisfying enlightenment, an emphatic thud that left the Utah Jazz staring at a 109-84 final score and elimination from its brilliant post-season run.
As good as a basketball butt whooping comes, this one was a 25-point spanking for the ages that ended before it began. The young Jazz had done all they could to give the wise and experienced, veteran savvy Spurs a tough fight, but it was time for a closeout game romping, where playoff virginity finally reared its ugly head and the presence of perpetual greatness prevailed.
Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer torched the Spurs in the first four contests of the series, emerging as more than just young talents, but best of the best superstars in the making. That’s a show of respect I seldom give to such up-and-coming players.
And sure, I tip my hat to Jerry Sloan for continuing to be one of sports’ finest coaches, never settling for anything less than playoff level basketball from his players, even when the best of them is still 23-years-old.
And while the Jazz should go home unapologetic for how they overcame low expectations from casual NBA fans and analysts alike to end up in the Western Conference Finals against the “been there, done that” Spurs, I’m not letting everyone off the hook.
There’s no need to point fingers, as the list of people owing The Spurs an apology is too massive for the blame-game. We’re all guilty of underselling or denying the greatness of this small-market franchise, even me, Mr. “I’ve been a Spurs fan my whole life.”
We Americans say we value certain qualities in professional athletes and sports teams, certain intangibles that align with our belief system—competitiveness, sportsmanship, class shown off-the-field, a propensity and drive to win, reliability, unselfishness and a workman-like attitude. And yet, our viewing habits barely reflect these moral requests. More than 90 million Americans watch a one-off football game that’s dubbed “great,” even when the actual contest is duller than the flowerpot in the upstairs guest room. We chant the name of Peyton Manning as if he’s somehow Jesus Christ reappearing as an athlete, not knowing a thing about his team or the position he plays (and certainly there are avid football fans who do know this stuff), but believing he’s great because Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw said so.
The only time a sizeable number of people care about professional baseball anymore is when the two teams that have never had trouble scoring high-dollar athletes, The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, are going at it. Never mind that the Houston Astros reached the World Series with grit and heart or that the Detroit Tigers fought their way to the championship round; you want to see the same boring old, overpaid, arrogant teams pretend every time they play each other, it should be automatically marked as one of the greatest games in history.
And on a night when two hard-working basketball teams faced off for the final time this postseason, most of us were more concerned with discerning whether Los Angeles Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant is a wasted talent crying for help at the peak of his career or a selfish Prim Donna scoring press for his own benefit.
Yes, we’re all a bunch of lousy hypocrites for what we think is good sports television and if you’re yawning or moaning about The Spurs reaching the finals yet again, consider yourself at the center of this tongue-lashing.
I knew Tim Duncan’s bunch was special, but it took Wednesday night’s thorough rollicking for me to understand just how great they really are. Since 6-11” Duncan arrived from Wake Forest University in the 1997 season, the Spurs have the best winning percentage, nearly 70 percent, in all of professional sports. They’ve clinched five division titles, never been knocked off in the first round, had the best winning percentage of any basketball team since the All-Star break, won four Western Conference titles and snagged four championship trophies. And as other teams have rebuilt, rebooted and overhauled their rosters in hopes of reaching the NBA Finals, the Spurs have consistently been among the best, their title hopes assured until somebody like the Dallas Mavericks or the 2004 Lakers had the testicles and the talent to best them. If four shots had bounced differently, if a foul had not been committed in the final seconds, if a lucky buzzer-beater had missed completely, who knows how many trophies these Spurs might have to their credit.
And yet, all the players on this winning machine can talk about is what’s left to be done. Without dwelling excessively on their marvelous success at stripping three formidable playoff teams of their title hopes, Duncan, Bruce Bowen, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Robert Horry, Fabricio Oberto, Brent Barry and company chose to remember Wednesday night that a championship is earned with 16 playoff wins, not 10, 12 or 13.
They play unselfishly, unconcerned with garnering attention on the highlight real. They move the ball, find open shooters and have a franchise superstar in Duncan who doesn’t like it when people shower him with praise, instead opting to prove his greatness by competing with poise and leadership in every game. They don’t behave like thugs off the court, speaking eloquently and adoringly of the competitors they admire.
They prove that there are plenty of talented white players in the NBA, even if nay Sayers refuse to acknowledge that fact. They play tough-nosed defense, forcing opponents into tough, contested shots and a low field goal percentage. When a player like Amare Stoudemire or the Phoenix Suns’ media attach a thuggish image or “dirty” label to the Spurs, they continue playing and competing, conducting business-as-usual.
And as much as Suns’ owner Robert Sarver hates to admit it, every year should be a Spurs championship year. Who wouldn’t want to have a team that great over a 10-year span?
I’ve taken their greatness for granted and now my perennial love of this team has been rewarded with a chance at a fourth championship.
When the Spurs begin their Finals’ series with the Detroit Pistons or Cleveland Cavaliers, many Americans will find other viewing options for a variety of reasons. The Spurs are hated because they win consistently, with the same brand of unselfish and complete basketball every year. Because they don’t have to dunk 37 times in a game to feel good about themselves. Because they don’t have Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade to hog the ball and throw up 50-point performances. Because they don’t stir controversy off the court and create lasting sports feuds. Because they don’t throw their arms up wildly and throw punches when things aren’t going their way. Because they prove that professional basketball isn’t a thuggish Mecca for black rappers and that the NBA doesn’t color discriminate when it selects who the great players will be. Because their superstar’s greatest felony is laughing at a poor foul call made by a stubborn referee with a history of vendettas and agendas. Because the perception is casual fans don’t want to see teams play on both ends of the floor. They don’t want 80-78 contests; they want high-scoring marathons like the 127-129 regular season thriller between Dallas and Phoenix. Because they’re from San Antonio, a city that no one from New York or Los Angeles should give a flip about, right? Because they do it honestly, with humility, never thinking they deserve to win just because they’re former champions.
And yet as the American public continues to reward this great team with poor TV ratings, boos, thrown containers of Carmex, moronic post-game remarks accusing them of a tainted legacy and apathy, we turn around and say we wish the qualities above existed in the NBA. Then maybe, we’d watch it. Maybe professional sports would be honorable again if a team with the above qualities existed.
Such a team does exist, it’s called the San Antonio Spurs.
So line up those boos of apathy you crony hypocrites. It’s time for this great team to flirt with destiny once again.
At least now I realize how great they really are.
The Deron Williams Equation
The Spurs seem destined to grab their fourth NBA title since Tim Duncan hopped on board in the 1997-1998 season, but one pesky little biscuit-eater stands in between a supposed surefire trophy and reality.
Any Spurs fan who's watched Deron Williams haunt, torment and mangle the San Antonio defense to average 30 points should get the biscuit comparison pretty easily.
He might as well be using Bruce Bowen as butter, spreading him on a nice ripe bakery selection from Mrs. Bairds and putting him in a hot microwave.
Whatever silly analogy feeds your craving, the end result has been cataclysmically the same. It appears The Spurs will have to bring a live alligator on the floor to chomp at the young point guard.
Maybe throwing a bin of poisonous snakes at him will do the trick. Maybe sneaking some Ex-Lax into his desert next meal is just what the doctor ordered.
Whatever the strategy, it's obvious the veteran Spurs must stop this second year player from continuing to torture them if they have any hope of acquiring a fourth championship trophy.
With no playoff experience and a rough first year, Williams looks nothing like the kind of player he's supposed to be. Instead of fumbling and folding like any sophomore up-and-comer should do, he looks like a superstar poised to make John Stockton look like the vanilla ice cream of the point guard position.
While it's clear this young talent has not surpassed the hall-of-famer Stockton in just two years of professional play, you wouldn't know it just watching the games in this series.
He has no playoff experience and runs the same tired old pick and roll play you've seen from the Utah Jazz since Jerry Sloan showed up to coach 22 years ago.
The Spurs, and Bowen in particular, have not found been able to treat Williams accordingly and have instead been made to look like a less appetizing edition of that wonderful Washington Wizards defense (which has yet to rear its head).
Williams has treated these playoffs like an all-you-can eat buffet, grabbing whatever layup, three pointer or assist he wants. He has answered to no defender and when Bowen began unleashing a higher level of physicality on the guard in game 3, he shrugged and admitted he likes a bumping from time to time.
Of course, Carlos Boozer has also been spectacular, hardly looking like a second round draft pick, reduced in his fourth season to the middle of the Cleveland Cavalier bench.
The Spurs enter game 4 tonight knowing they're the better team, knowing that Williams's and Boozer's domination is all wrong. That Utah's continued success in the postseason and especially at home must be some sick joke.
Unfortunately, as evidenced by the Jazz's 109-83 blowout in game 3, the Spurs can't crack the crafty punchline.
Like some April Fools joke gone terribly wrong, the Spurs are up 2-1 in this best-of-seven Western Conference Finals and yet find themselves on the ropes, with questions looming about whether they can contain Williams. Yes, Williams, the second year player with no previous playoff experience.
The Spurs will have to figure out if the guard is really that good or if their defense has really been that bad.
The answer will say a lot about the Spurs' chances of advancing to the NBA Finals for the fourth time in the Tim Duncan era.
Playoffs Unfolding as They Should Be
Just one week after hundreds of sportswriters jumped on the "Spurs are a dirty team" bandwagon, they're back to calling them boring.
And with the tired, "these guys are not exciting to watch" label being forced on a great team, these ignoramus hypocrites are back in full force.
One minute, they can't wait to tell America that Bruce Bowen is basketball's ultimate terrorist, deserving nothing less than condemnation to Guantanamo Bay. That Robert Horry is so crooked and malicious he slaps people for breakfast.
The next, they'd have you believe the San Antonio Spurs are so unexhilirating, you'd be better off counting the number of grass blades on your lawn.
Which is it?
While these sports dumbos continue debating whether this team is exciting enough to be dirty or boring enough to be placid, I'll fill in the blanks with the correct answers.
I will pass go and collect $200. Why? Because I have a clue.
Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver felt the Spurs cheated destiny and received a free pass to the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs robbed the Suns of the title they deserved because Phoenix is so great and anybody that messes with beloved Steve Nash has to be the devil.
Sarver rightfully protest the NBA's unfair ruling to suspend Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for leaving the bench during the altercation that followed Horry's hard foul on Nash at the end of game 4.
I wrote many times how I thought the ruling unjustly penalized two players who were exercising human nature in helping a teammate in supposed peril. But, as Tim Duncan said, aside from Horry, no other Spur had anything to do with the decision.
That's why the suspensions didn't decide the Spurs-Suns heated conference semifinal series. The Suns loss is symptomatic of a greater problem, one I hope all these sportswriters and people like Sarver and Kiki Vandawegh will help fix.
I could believe the cheating destiny argument if the Suns had some recent streaks of success with the Spurs. However, since Nash arrived, Duncan's boys have a stranglehold on the season and playoff series advantages.
Let's just throw the cat out of the bag and get to the point: run and gun basketball should be left in the 90s where it belongs.
As long as Phoenix sports columnists believe their team deserves to win because they play a brand of basketball that is "exciting," they should always lose.
This caveman, piece of shit style of basketball has no place in an era when players like Duncan, Shane Battier, Josh Howard and Kobe Bryant show what's possible when you play both ends of the floor.
Sure, Phoenix played some inspired defense against the Spurs, but they did it because they had to, not because they actually value a complete game.
Would Suns fans really mind a 181-179 score, so long as their team emerged victorious? I doubt it.
There's a reason why the All-Star Game exists, so that fans who need to see a game in the high hundreds can get their fix. Leave the running on every possession to this annual contest and play some real basketball, Phoenix. I'm also talking to you Golden State, Washington, Milwaukee and Denver.
Sure, Golden State proved to be the greatest story of this playoffs thus far. But I was just using them for their ridiculously raucous fans and all those nutty shots from Baron Davis. It was more of a shocking comic relief than an investment in their style of play.
True NBA fans don't need to see their team dunk on the fast break on every possession to have a reason to cheer.
The point of this post? The Spurs play real basketball, the kind you were supposed to love watching when the sport evolved over time.
Real basketball means playing half court, man to man defense and holding opponents to a low field gold percentage and getting them to miss most of their shots.
It also means sharing the ball offensively and getting the job done instead of getting on the highlight reel.
And if you really watch the Spurs, they find themselves on the highlight reel more often than not.
Phoenix runs as a team, passes the ball and does the kind of obvious things that any casual fan could appreciate. But that's why this piece of shit mirage must be stopped before it ruins a sacred sport.
What the Spurs do, the Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons also do. It's no coincidence or upset, folks.
The best defensive teams are the ones left standing and one of them will grab the title in June.
Despite a great regular season, Phoenix once again leaves the playoffs empty handed.
So does Golden State, Washington and Denver. And what great shotjackers all of these teams were!
Run and gun is not the future of the NBA, it will be the death of it, if it's allowed to spread like the virus that it is.
The Spurs aren't boring; you just don't know good basketball from your flip-flopping ass.
THE SUNS SET AND THE DIRTY LABEL EVAPORATES
The San Antonio Spurs cooled the Phoenix Suns with a 114-106 victory Friday night and ended a fast-paced, high-expectation season for the offensive juggernauts.
Combining for 87 points, all of which were tallied in brilliant fashion, the big three of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan put the Spurs one step closer to their fourth championship.
The Suns, led by an astonishing fourth quarter from future hall of famer Steve Nash, couldn't find the octane to send the series to a game 7. For the third time this series, and the ninth time in the last three years, the Spurs won out playing a Phoenix style game. The red hot Suns topped the century mark but once again fell short of upsetting their greatest nemesis.
The Spurs put on the kind of lights out show in the second half that makes any suggestions an asterisk be placed next to their series win sound irrelevant and ridiculous. It also showed naive sportswriters and casual fans around the country once and for all, that grit, not dirt or maliscious intent anchors this disciplined squad.
Despite a low moment from veteran Robert Horry, this series lived up to the hype. Phoenix made sure these Spurs knew 2005 (when the Spurs bested the series in 5 games) was a mighty thing of the past. A team usually chided for its poor defense and one-dimensional high-flying offense turned this into the best series so far in the playoffs.
They showed grit and determination when it counted and refused to go quietly in a tough closeout game.
For this, I admit I was dead wrong about Phoenix. They had a much better team than in 2005 and Kurt Thomas, Shawn Marion and Raja Bell led the team's inspired defensive efforts in games two and four. Still, it wasn't enough to topple what will most assuredly become the benchmark for decades to come in the NBA. The Spurs may or may not win a fourth title with Duncan at the helm, as Utah and Cleveland or Detroit are formidable opponents, but in game 6, they played like deserving champions.
Not listening to the beligerent criticism balooning them, not questioning their halfcourt, physical defense style, the Spurs did the NBA a favor.
When it counted, these Spurs were the polar opposite of thugs, they just got the job done.
That's good for sportsmanship and ultimately for the NBA.
I want to quote Tim from one of the Spurs message boards on mysanantonio.com. He is a Suns fan who seems to have the class to know what's going on. My hats off to him for looking at matters the right way.
"Congrats Spurs fans....
One hell of a series. Even this game where the Suns got outplayed it was interesting.
Got to say that Tim Duncan is a class act... could probably be the MVP every year.
I just wish the NBA front office hadn't been involved.... let them play, just fine them and move on. These two teams are too good for either to get an advantage. Regardless, the Suns had their chances... lost game one and came up short in game 5.. It is what it is.
Just wishing there had been a game 7.
This was the real FINALS...
Congrats again.
Suns Fan"
...And this folks, is how you should respond after a tough loss. Tim will probably never read my blog or know that I quoted him, but it's fans like these that keep sportsmanship alive.
I only wish I could have been this classy when the Spurs dropped game 7 to the Dallas Mavericks in last season's playoffs.
And yes, Tim, this was the REAL FINALS.
After watching six thoroughly physical games, I offer my overall observations on the series.
1 - Steve Nash proves that white guys don't just sit on the bench in this league. His inspired performances throughout this series shuts up any suggestions that white people can't play professional basketball. Despite stifling defense from Bruce Bowen, Nash still managed to throw up numbers greater than his season averages.
His passes were ridiculous, his transition three pointers and tough layups even moreso.
Nash took some cheap shots in this series, but through it all, he never blamed the officials or the league office when his team lost. He gets it. He realized that champions play through adversity and win with grit, not by the hands of a few unjust whistles or suspensions.
Even the most die-hard of Spurs fans had to watch this point guard and say, "man, what a hell of a player."
My hats off to you Steve for showing leadership, heart and sportsmanship. If I had a vote, you'd be a shoe in to the hall of fame. You're already there in my book.
2 - Tim Duncan really is good, isn't he? The power forward's monster numbers in this series had Steve Kerr calling himself a moron for not handing him an MVP vote. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki still deserved to win the regular season award more than any other player, but this series proved that Duncan should have been more than a whisper in the conversation.
In the deciding game 6, he totaled 24 points, 13 rebounds and 9 blocked shots. He was one swat away from tying the NBA playoff record for blocks in a game and netting a triple double. If the numerous glass parties he had throughout this series didn't convince you of his greatness, you have no hope.
3 - Foul shots really don't decide games and they never should.
In this series, the team with more free throws won the game, but free passes to the charity stripe DID NOT dictate the series outcome.
The Spurs stole game 1 fair and square and the Suns roared back in game 2 for a 20 point victory.
In game 3, the Spurs were the more aggresive team. The Suns admitted that after the game.
In game 4, despite some poor calls in favor of the Suns, it was poor shooting and a fourth quarter collapse that cost the Spurs a commanding 3-1 series lead. Making only five shots in the fourth quarter on 28 percent shooting, while allowing 32 points will do that to a team. The Suns deserve multitudes of credit for taking advantage of the collapse and sealing the road upset.
The better team won this series. The Spurs may grab a fourth trophy this june. We'll see.
4 - The league screwed up, but the decision is final.
Robert Horry deserved a two game suspension for his unintelligible flagrant foul on Steve Nash at the end of a rough game 4. Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw did not deserve to sit out game five for merely leaving the bench area to stick up for their MVP.
However, David Stern's office made and upheld the decision, not the Spurs. Gripe at them, not Duncan or Gregg Popovich.
The suspensions did not decide the complexion of this series. Just like suspensions of Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse and Jason Terry did not win or lose the series in which they occured for the Mavericks.
The better team, the San Antonio Spurs, won. End of story. Get over it and admit that a proven champion bested you.
5 - The Spurs will never be a dirty team.
You couldn't find a more vanilla mix of personalities if you hit up a Dairy Queen. I agree that Bruce Bowen at times let his physical defense overpower his sense as a professional athlete. His knee to Steve Nash's crotch was uncalled for and if I met Bowen right now, I would reprimand him for it.
I have already written amply as to how I feel about Horry hipchecking a two-time MVP next to the scorer's table at the end of a closely-watched game.
But two, three or four questionable plays in a 7 game series never determines the nature of a team. The Spurs have a been the best defensive team in the league since Duncan showed up in the late 90s. That defense involves physical grit and leaving little room for the opposing team to operate in a comfortable offense.
Phoenix fans unfamiliar with this kind of style, as their team likes to run and run some more with little commercial (or physical) interruptions, aren't giving this great defensive team a fair shake.
Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Jacque Vaughn, Fabricio Oberto, Fransisco Elson, Matt Bonner, Horry, Duncan, Ginobili, Parker are one of the most collectively classy groups ever assembled in professional sports.
How exactly do one foul and two questionable instances of incidental contact elevate this team from being the league's most boring to being on a level with T.O., Ron Artest and Tonya Harding?
The Spurs are three time champions and I'm surprised it took this long for the masses to start loathing their consistent success. Consistent basketball is not thuggish. It's what keeps the integrity of the NBA alive.
I'm proud to wear a Spurs uniform, because this team represents everything I love about basketball. If I thought they were thugs and chronic whiners, I would have clicked off the television and cancelled my mini-season ticket plan long ago.
Dirty? Nah, just one heckuva great team.
SPURS VS. SUNS … THE PHYSICALITY OF THE TRUTH
Spurs Dirty? Naw.Amare Stoudemire really thought he was sending the San Antonio Spurs a new one when he deemed them a “dirty” team after his club’s 20-point margin of victory.
Yes, indeed, that’s a superstar complaining about the officiating and the opponent after a 20-point win. Most people would just shut up and take the blowout win, right?
Not Amare, who took it upon himself to single out Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginobili as the culprits behind San Antonio’s supposed crooked style of play.
And when Robert Horry hip-checked Steve Nash and sent him flying into the scorer’s table at the end of a game 4 slug festival, the flagrant two foul by the 15-year-veteran seemed to confirm Stoudemire’s suspicions. And now some Spurs fans have told reporters they are convinced the Phoenix organization is right on the money in handing their team a nasty label. So much so that they even said they would root for the Suns in game 5.
There’s a reason why this basketball aficionado is yawning at Stoudemire’s comments and why he’s steamed at how this series is playing out.
You see, somebody is always complaining about the San Antonio Spurs and if there’s nothing obvious to scathe about, they’ll find something. Whether it’s Tim Duncan “whining” to the officials, Bruce Bowen’s “dirty” defensive play, the team’s combined old age or their “slow-poke” half court defense style, this ball club has taken more cheap shots than Kenny in a South Park episode. Or Naomi Campbell’s maid, take your pick. I’ve seen pictures of Tim Duncan with the word “crybaby” scrawled across his face, photo shopped images of the star power forward with a pacifier in his mouth and T-shirts that read “if you play any slower, turtles will be offended.” Are these chronic complainers any better than the team or player(s) they’re chastising?
If you whine constantly about how you think Tim Duncan is a whiner, are you really above that which you complain about? No, so shut up and read on
What we have here in Stoudemire is an athlete who can’t see the forest in the trees. To take the cliché a bit farther, he can’t even see the leaves turning brown.
I have consistently harped on those who have called Phoenix a great defensive team because for most of the season their defense has been outscoring opponents. I believe the two should always be mutually exclusive and if one leads to the other, it should be defense leading to offense, not the other way around. The Spurs agree with my philosophy because that’s their style.
They’ve played half court basketball nearly as long as I’ve been alive and they did it proud in 2005 when these same two teams met in the Western Conference Finals. There are legitimate arguments that these teams are deeper and have more scoring weapons and defenders, but at the very core, they still play the same two polar opposite styles of basketball.
Stoudemire’s had plenty of chances to get to know the physical grit this Spurs team possesses over the years, so now is no excuse to cry foul. It only proves he is not the brightest of basketball minds, nor is he the cleanest.
The Suns do like defense, so long as it doesn’t interfere with their ability to turn the game into a track meet and run up the score. Run and gun type games are all about fluidity of play and keeping a repetitive rhythm. Fouling, low-post physicality and methodical man-to-man defense are three tactics that upset a team’s ability to run such an offense. That’s why the Suns are so offended, even after they’ve had three years to become acquainted with this disciplined, complete Spurs team.
What Stoudemire won’t say publicly, either because he doesn’t know it or because he doesn’t want to admit it, is that the Spurs are majorly interrupting the style his team so adores and that when Gregg Popovich says defense wins championships, he’s right. That’s the real reason for the “dirty” label, even if no one has the testicles to say it.
This high-scoring Phoenix team deserves much credit for playing some inspired defense of late, the best of which led to the game two blowout. But getting Tim Duncan to miss a few shots and Tony Parker to jack up a few jumshots instead of driving the lane doesn’t change the way Steve Nash and company want to play. They know losing this series to the three-time champion Spurs will cause many teams to question whether running and gunning is really the way to go. They know the winner of this series will dictate the tempo most teams play at next year. All of this because analysts including Bill Walton have said “this series will most assuredly produce this year’s NBA champion.” Utah and any of the four Eastern Conference teams left standing are no pushovers, but it’s a smart assessment.
Steve Nash is entering his mid-30s and the Phoenix front office knows the window for the point guard to lead the desert city to a world title is closing rapidly. As rapidly as he throws those ridiculously wonderful passes to teammates or circus lay-ups right in the net. The Spurs aren’t “dirty” because they’re any more physical or brute than any other team; they receive this unwanted label because they represent that which league officials believe hampers TV ratings—defense, getting the job done and limiting the other team’s superstar(s) from scoring highlight reel points.
Asked if he thought this semifinal series was physical, Duncan replied, “did you watch the last series?”
So, did you?Those of you terribly naïve Spurs fans, who are ready to shut your door of support after the Horry foul, obviously didn’t watch Duncan get ABUSED in the Denver series. Cheap shot after cheap shot, Duncan struggled to get foul calls in two of the series’ games. Phoenix players have initiated similar but less brutal contact in this best-of-7 series against Duncan.
When teams like the Spurs enforce a physical game, little is made of the almost-punches they get in return. So everybody that’s ready to put the Phoenix Suns in the same pristine company of Jesus Christ, doesn’t want to admit the Suns are proving up to the challenge in this battle of physical wills. Because that means when Nash tosses Bowen to the floor or Leandro Barbosa nearly gives Tony Parker a reason for reconstructive face surgery (both happened in game 4), they know they can’t legitimately attack the Spurs. And not being able to curse or complain about the Spurs is really painful, isn’t it?
Quit complaining, Stoudemire, D’Antoni, Everybody ElseDoes it rub anyone else the wrong way that the only time Phoenix has aired major gripes in this series is after they WIN? Last time I checked, when you tally a victory, you celebrate the accomplishment instead of defaming the integrity of your opponent. That is truly “dirty.”
Horry is a seasoned champion and his flagrant foul on Nash was a bonehead play. Nash knew when he drove the sideline that a hard foul was coming, but Horry also knew he was initiating fierce contact right next to the scorer’s table. Add in some well-timed acting from Nash and Horry earned himself a well-deserved two-game suspension. Officials suspended “Big Shot Bob” a second game for elbowing Raja Bell during the altercation.
There’s no defense for such a classy veteran making such a rookie mistake. Nash did exactly what any intelligent leader should do in a hard foul situation; he used the scorer’s table to make it look as belligerent and gruesome as he possibly could. He obviously wasn’t any worse for the ware, as he got up cleanly after some skilled acting when he was hip-checked. Had the “Horry” foul happened at center court, his name would not be attached to the incident, no one would be up in arms and Stoudemire and Boris Diaw would likely have sat their derrières on the bench instead of running in the direction of the mini-brawl. Baron Davis or Jason Terry foul, anyone?
I understand that rules are rules, but I would much rather have Stoudemire and Diaw play tonight. They didn’t escalate the situation and were merely airing a natural reaction to the possible peril of one of their teammates. The league got this one wrong, but it’s high time for Suns fans to realize that the ruling came from Stu Jackson’s office, not Popovich or any other Spur.
Keep in mind Suns fans, the Spurs’ coach pleaded with officials to let Nash play in the final minute of game 1 even though a written rule forbids players who are bleeding profusely from being on the court.
There’s also a rule, like it or not, that forbids players from leaving the bench area during a situation that is defined an altercation. The Horry-Nash scuffle was an altercation, the incident involving Duncan was not.
Not letting either power forward play tonight works against the Spurs in every way imaginable. Remember Jason Terry last season? So, Stoudemire and Diaw return with a new sense of urgency and fire and torch the Spurs with a combined 60 points in game 6 and the Suns threaten a blowout. How does that help the Spurs, again?
What I’ve seen so far says Stoudemire doesn’t need any more excuses to get riled up.
And if any fans should complain to the league office about an unfair handshake, it’s Spurs, not Suns fans. Foul shot disparities have not decided games (they never should). In the Spurs’ two victories, they were the “more aggressive (better)” team. The Suns admitted that much.
The Spurs did all that was necessary to blow an 11-point lead in a crucial game 4. In the most defining quarter of the series, they shot a dismal 28 percent from the field, made only five baskets, committed six turnovers and allowed the league’s best offense to hammer in 32 points to even things up at two a piece. The Suns deserve all the credit for taking full advantage of this embarrassing meltdown and for their decisive win in game two.
How are league officials clipping the Suns’ chances of winning the second round, when let’s be honest, they’ve been (not-so) secretly rooting for Phoenix all year. David Stern did everything but put on a Nash jersey this season. The commissioner clearly thinks high-octane offense will dramatically increase NBA Finals viewer ship and has taken every opportunity to bask in how great the Suns are.
Never mind that they don’t have a championship or that they ended up only winning ONE more game than they did in 2005 or that Dallas was almost as good of a running team but didn’t get half the credit this bunch does.
Maybe it’s the prominence of a wonderfully talented white guy or the overall marketability of what the Suns do, but there’s no way in hell bias in national coverage is non-existent. Even when Dallas had a better record and was playing more complete basketball, or when the Spurs weren’t playing that much worse than they did in 2005, announcers and league officials alike were happy to hum the Phoenix song.
Everything possible has been done to make this year look like it should belong to the Suns. Stern would like you to consider it a travesty if Phoenix doesn’t win this series. God forbid the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs should meet up again in the Finals and actually play on both ends of the floor. But emphasizing defense, instead of high-scoring, is a no-no, according to Mr. Stern. He’d rather you watch the Golden State Warriors turn a sacred sport into a fucking marathon at the Olympics. There’s a place for Kobe Bryant and a place for Carl Lewis. They don’t belong in the same sport, at least not in every single possession.
That’s what the majority of the NBA will become if the Suns are crowned champions in June. And don’t think the Spurs don’t know it all too well.
That’s why this series has become such a heated, physical battle. It’s why “dirty” suddenly has assumed its own awkwardly righteous groove in the playoff conversation.
Funny Thing About Matchups...
Perhaps the single greatest difference between the collegiate game and the pros is that pesky little matchup problem that's so prevalent in the NBA.
And I'm talking matchups on both a player and team level. This is why Dallas Mavericks fans are clutching their pillows tightly and sobbing obnoxiously loud at a portrait of their deflated hero Dirk Nowitzki, as he led his team to the worst performance by a number one seed in first round playoff history. The Mavericks became the first top seeded team to lose to an eight seed in the first round, a bonehead feat, as the Golden State Warriors slammed them out of championship contention by a 25 point margin.
Part of this humiliating (and for me, satisfying) loss is owed to the awful performances of Dallas's big three, Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Josh Howard, but another is owed to the matchup problems the Mavs can't seem to overcome against Don Nelson's young and athletic run-and-gun squad.
But don't hang your head too low Mavs fans becuase several of teams have problem foes that might have you scratching your head.
1) You know how the San Antonio Spurs and Mavericks brutalized the New Orleans Hornets in 6 out of their 8 meetings, all 8 of which were wins? The same cannot be said for the Houston Rockets, who barely won the last meeting after a barrage of 3's saved them for dropping home court advantage to the Utah Jazz once and for all. The Rockets are 1-7 against the Hornets in the last two seasons and have no answer for Chris Paul.
The Spurs have blown out this squad by more than 20 points in four of their last six meetings. The Mavs handlded them pretty handily just one night after a tough win in San Antonio.
So why the hell can the Rockets not beat this team? I'm scratching my head.
2) The Spurs are thrilled they won't have to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs--yes, the God-awful, 3rd worst in the league Bucks. They dropped both meetings, and the second loss, accrued special meaning as it ended the Spurs' 13-game winning streak Why can does this meow-ish run-and-gun club give a three time champion so much trouble?
I'm scratching my head.
3) And how about this list of teams that beat Phoenix's razor-sharp offense: Seattle Supersonics, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves. There's no point in elaborating. I'm scratching my head.
PLAYOFF EXITS: MAYBE IT'S KARMA?
For the first time in so long you'd have to pull out a heavy textbook of NBA history, the teams from last year's Finals did not advance past the first round.
It's highly common for one or both teams to fail defending a conference title, but usually, those teams are ousted in the second or third rounds, not the first.
The Bulls swept the defending champions, who were wraught by indifference toward their awful season and injury. Golden State just hammered the Mavs worse than Hurricane Katrina, stole away the home court advantage and made NBA history.
It's hard to explain how both of these deep squads fell so badly in round one, but I wonder if maybe it's karma?
Perhaps that idea that you get what you deserve really isn't that ludicrous after all.
The Heat spent the entire regular season treating the defense of their championship like a joke. I'll give them some sympathy for the colossal injuries they had to overcome, including severe ones to coach Pat RIley, Shaquille O' Neal and Finals MVP Dwyane Wade. Even point guard Jason Williams and three point assassin Jason Kapono missed substantial time. But a sweep in the first round seems to be indicative of a season that will be remebered as highly unacceptable.
Miami barely managed a .500 record for most of the season and struggled to compete in important games.
To quote former All-Star Gary Payton, "we can turn it on in the playoffs. We'll finish strong in the regular season." Apparently not.
The arrogant champs finished their tumultuos season by losing to the Bobcats twice and failing to win at least one game against a Bulls team that was a bit more consistent, more athletic and a lot hungrier.
For the Mavs, things are a little different. The Mavericks had the 6th best regular season in NBA history.
However, they frustrated me all season long.
They crushed me in that thrilling game 7 last year. I couldn't handle them beating the Spurs on our home floor, so maybe now, justice is served. Or is it?
