Kleeman's Last Word

A Dynasty for the Ages...Two Teams in Different Directions

It began in October and November, with my two teams in the hunt for a championship: The Houston Rockets for the franchise's third and the San Antonio Spurs for the team's fourth.
With Shane Battier adding his defensive hustle and three point shooting to the double threat of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, it was reasonable to expect the Rockets to triumph at least the first round. When Yao injured his right tibia in a Dec. 23 game against the Los Angeles Clippers, and was forced to miss more than the next six weeks, the Rockets managed a respectable 20-12 record.
I was never convinced they could beat the Phoenix Suns or the Dallas Mavericks in a 7-game series, as scoring and running the fastbreak were never strengths of the team to say the least.
Rafer Alston on a breakaway layup is like a Dennis Franz nude scene - no thank you, I'll pass.
There were flashes of a championship caliber squad, including a 124-74 dismantling of the confused Philedelphia 76ers. Indeed, on nights when the Rockets scored efficiently and defended like bloodhounds, they appeared unstoppable.
But as Mavs coach Avery Johnson can now tell you, you don't win a championship with one mighty regular season win, or even 67.

As the hype of the All-Star break faded, its ashes created a fork in the road to the Larry O' Brien trophy. The Spurs and the Rockets took the opposite paths.

Although they managed impressive wins and looked the part of fierce competitors with Yao back in the lineup, it was clear the Rockets were following the sign that said "pretenders."

They wrestled home court advantage in the first round from the Utah Jazz in perhaps the ugliest loss competition in recent memory. The Rockets played despicably for a period of two weeks, but luckily, the Jazz felt like playing even worse.
Their uninspired run was rewarded with an undeserved extra home game.
Turns out, having that game 7 at the Toyota Center wouldn't mean a thing.
And sure, beating Phoenix and New Orleans in high scoring games at season's end was a thrill, but it advertised nothing about the real Rockets.
The real Rockets would score only 67 points on the road, when they held the home team, fired up by a raucous crowd, to 81 points on 39 percent shooting.
Equipped with Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, plus a bench to speak of (sorry Luther and Juwan, but clanks don't count as production), the Jazz toppled the thirsty Rockets in game 7 more handily than the final score might indicate.
Tracy McGrady will return next season hoping to avoid his seventh first round ouster.

The Spurs on the other hand did what they always do when crunch time calls.
From Jacque Vaughn to Manu Ginobili, the entire roster figured it had better start winning and winning convincingly if it wanted to avoid a first round sweep.

And when their regular season efforts culminated, they would end up taking the same path as 2005, beating the Denver Nuggets in five games, winning the second round in six and winning the Western Conference Finals in six. You can thank the inexperienced Cavaliers for not allowing 2005 to completely rehash itself.
Sorry, LeBroom.

Though both emphasize a similar, gritty halfcourt style of play, the Rockets would likely have only managed one win against this spectacular Spurs squad in a playoff series (even though the season series tied).

As Tim Duncan said, "it's about the journey." No one part of that journey gets a basketball team to dance in June. It's a lesson this decade's Rockets and Mavericks have yet to learn.
The Spurs, meanwhile, understand that a championship means 16 wins, even if two of those have final scores uglier than the movie Ishtar.
The Spurs won in whatever way they were called to do so, whether it was scoring 116 points in a high speed game, or grinding out a 75 point win amid a plethora of bricks.
It takes a special team to make winning such an everyday standard and now that hallmark franchise has validated its dynasty with a fourth trophy.

I remember cussing wildly after a 114-107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks (the most points the Spurs allowed in the last two regular seasons) and wondering if Gregg Popovich's declarations were true. Maybe this team was too "soft" to compete with the surefire contenders. Perhaps this was the worst of all the defensive Spur teams, with the stomach and will to win lost somewhere along the Riverwalk.

Then, the guys in silver and black performed their usual post All-Star break routine and shut me up. Elated, I watched every one of the 13 consecutive wins the Spurs posted in March. After slashing the Detroit Pistons to pieces at the Palace with a tough win, I knew this team had finally completed the actions two words required of them:

"Keep improving."

Well this Spurs team just improved itself to a fourth title in nine years and deservedly nudges itself into discussions of the all time greats - The Auerbach Celtics, the Showtime Lakers and Air Jordan's Bulls.
For every year they didn't win since Tim Duncan arrived, they came awful close.

A TRUE FAN IS REWARDED.

It's difficult to support two basketball teams as adamatly as I do. Tell a guy to watch 82 games times two and he'll tell you where the nearest mental health clinic is.
I, on the otherhand, took the challenge with open arms this year.

To say, I didn't take last year's second round loss to the Mavericks well, would be an understatement worth framing.
Until these playoffs, I still felt like a part of me had been raped. Like Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jet Terry would continue reappearing in my dreams, waving happily as they left the defending champions in the dust.

The Mavericks, of course, still own no trophies, but at least they have now earned my full respect.

Ask me about a game that transpired this year and I can likely regurgitate the final score. I watched these Spurs that closely.

I drove two roundtrips to see them play the Mavericks in San Antonio, only to be bitter when they lost both contests.

I cheered valiantly while in attendance at game 4 of the Phoenix Series, game 2 against the Jazz and in game 1 of the NBA Finals.

I have been a true fan of this team, not just a lazy schmo who decided turning on the Spurs in mid-April is slightly more enjoyable than watching the Astros discover new ways to lose.
While Wandy Rodriguez sweats out the bases loaded situation he just created for himself and the offensively challenged Astros, you decide to flip over to ABC because you just heard the Spurs might win another championship.

I was there all year long, with the Rockets and with the Spurs. I enjoyed the fruits of every victory, but loathed the pain of every loss. I overpaid Pluckers Wing Factory and Time Warner Cable so I could see my teams compete in games not locally televised.

I did it all in the name of love, because that's all I have for my teams.

And for all my cheerleading? I get another Spurs championship to celebrate. And believe me, I will party like it's 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Only true dynasties give loyal fans such an opportunity.

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 10:15 PM 0 Comments

Spurs' Fourth Title Would Be Most Meaningful

Should the San Antonio Spurs sweep the Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers tonight and win their fourth NBA championship, this four round playoff run will be remembered as the toughest and graveliest road they've traveled yet.
It will also be their most meaningful - not just for the players who listened to the entire NBA community question their ability to win another title all throughout the regular season - but also for the stoic fans who nearly fell for the hype.
If matters had gone as most predicted, maybe the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns would have slugged it out offensively, trading three pointers in a heated, 7-game Western Conference Finals series.
One that surely would have drawn much better television ratings than the 5-game series the Spurs ended against the Utah Jazz on May 30 with a 26-point domination.
Nene's athleticism would have overwhelmed future Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan and the Denver Nuggets would have ridden their game one grind out win over the Spurs to a four game sweep, as already Hall of Famer Magic Johnson predicted on national television at the apex of that series.
Then, Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson could have avoided an unwanted summer vacation until losing a second round battle with the Suns.
The NBA would have blessed and dry-humped this scoring fest to death. It would have been a six-game series with the Suns cementing their ability to win on the road and the franchise's first championship would have been all but locked. Steve Nash would have bested his friend and former teammate Dirk Nowitzki to sprint and lob his way to his Finals debut.
The Nash led Suns would have kicked Tony Soprano in the gludius maximus in Sunday's ratings battle and sportswriters would have written about a new golden age for professional basketball.
Amare Stoudemire wouldn't have needed to question which team will pay his hefty meal ticket next season and Bruce Bowen would be sitting pleasently on a beach towel with his newborn son Ozmel battling incoming waves instead of allegations he is the NBA's premier cheap shot artist.
Last season's respective conference champions would most certainly not have been eliminated in the first round. Instead of a dumbfounded and disinterested Detroit Pistons, LeBron James would have dueled with last year's Final's MVP Dwyane Wade for superstar supremacy.

Unfortunately, the NBA fan longing for such a series of outcomes is now disillusioned, eating his/her consolation prize of sour grapes and molded wheat bread. Things don't always unfold as planned, and though most basketball fans from Arizona would probably rather watch weirdos impersonate pretentious celebrities than their greatest enemy hoist the trophy their Suns so thirsted for, that's just fine with these Spurs.
Tim Duncan isn't a guy who likes to make radical predictions, grand entrances or arrogant fist pumps. That's why he'll likely hug a fourth trophy more snugly than the previous three.
I expect every Spur will follow the lead of their franchise player and grasp the this particular Larry O' Brien prize like a rag used to clean the blood and sweat from the eyes of a boxer after winning a grueling fight.
Because even three months ago a title for this old and supposedly decrepit Spurs team seemed as laughable as it was improbable. The Spurs began their usual post-All Star break winning rampage, but the analysts and executives who had hyped change all season long had no reason to believe it would be enough to topple the Western Conference giants: Dallas and Phoenix.
Baron Davis and the Golden State Warriors took care of the Mavericks in a shocking first round ouster. And Steve Nash would probably kick you in the groin in his mind if you asked him what happened to his 61-win Suns in the second round.
With April and May in the books, it seems nothing went as planned, and such misfortune has everybody who drew up a lavish scenario of new direction frowning. Except the Spurs.
With the 2006-2007 NBA season one Spurs win away from closing, the glorious song remains the same.
Defense still wins championships, and teams who can't win or appreciate games that score in the 70s best steer clear of the playoffs and enjoy All-Star weekend while it lasts.
Despite a week of sportswriters jumping on Amare Stoudemire's "Spurs are dirty" bandwagon, you'd still be hardpressed to find more vanilla at a Dairy Queen.
Tim Duncan has not aged to the point of retirement and remains the greatest power forward in the game.
Finding a clean restroom at Fiesta Texas is still much easier than keeping Tony Parker out of the paint.
The Spurs are the antithesis of boring. They played Phoenix's run-and-gun game and won three contests and have topped the century mark eight times this postseason.
So, if my predicition stands, Spurs haters who still have the stomach to watch these "terrorists" compete for a fourth championship, should keep some pain medication and a barf bag handy tonight.

And if the Spurs heard that a Phoenix or Denver fan scarfed up their broccoli salad as they stood on the stage they are so accustomed to standing on - to accept another trophy - they'd smile wryly on the outside, but inside it would affirm that this one is special.
The Cavaliers' and LeBron James dissapointing finals performance thus far was to be expected.
After all, the Spurs clawed and ached their way through a talent-packed Western Conference, one that draws Kuwait comparisons. They stand in position to complete only the ninth sweep in finals history because of their hard work.
They faced three tremendous teams, none of which were eager to accept an end to their postseason runs.

The young Cavaliers merely slipped and slided through the Jungle Gym that can be found at your local McDonald's.
The Washington Wizards lacked star players Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas, the triple-star driven New Jersey Nets were building on a regular season uglier than a hermaphrodite covered in sewer and swamp gas and the veteran Pistons didn't take the Cavaliers seriously until the pivotal game five. And we all know what "King James" had in store for those apathetic, shot-clangers.

Cleveland should celebrate its title run and treasure reaching this all important stage. They did win their conference fair and square, no matter how overmatched or unbalanced it may be.
As for the gold-plated treasure, the one that adorns the deserving champion each year, the Spurs will gladly take it from David Stern's hands.
And even if 90 percent of Americans are more interested in this summer's dreary television offerings than the confirmation of a dynasty, that's fine with these Spurs, too.
They don't need the blessing of millions of lost sports fans to make this one special. Winning a fourth championship under these conditions, with a team nobody thought had the guts or the athleticism to pull it off, would be more than enough solace.

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 8:41 PM 0 Comments