Analysis, news and commentary about the four-time NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs
posted by Michael at 4:15 AM
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Who guessed that they would pick Tiago Splitter?! Talk about a smart pick, and a steal at the 28th spot. No one scouts international talent like the Spurs.DraftExpress: "Most NBA fans are probably tired of seeing Tiago Splitter declaring and withdrawing from the draft every year seemingly. ... A favorable buyout had actually been negotiated for the 2003 draft, and Splitter came over for a workout, but no team in the top 20 was wise enough to see his potential and take advantage of the situation."So what if he has contract issues? He's 22 years old and Tau Ceramica can't hold on to him forever. And even if he is, say, 24 when he can play for the Spurs, he is still younger than every current Spur, except Jackie Butler. Patience is a virtue, and I vaguely recall previous draft picks whom the Spurs waited on with positive results ... the Admiral ... Manu Ginobili. Still waiting on Scola, though.
"Splitter is an outstanding defender with an NBA-ready body. His size and strength allow him to be an outstanding on-the-ball defender, yet he still does an excellent job rotating. Splitter is an excellent shot blocker for a European player and is a proven winner. He finishes well inside, often obtaining the vast majority of his points off of drop offs and offensive rebounds."
MSNBC: "Tiago Splitter has been rated high in the draft before and dropped out because of the buyout provisions. He is a 6-foot-11 power forward and because it is the Spurs, Splitter figures to be a factor in the NBA. The club doesn’t miss much."
posted by D Strickland at 11:10 PM
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At least Timmy got the last laugh...
God, it seems so long ago that Dallas was the most evil, unfair place on Earth. Those arrogant, inbred jackass fans of theirs got smote but good just two weeks later.
But yeah, what was my point? Right. The Spurs aren't easy to write about. Losses give you material. You can bitch about all the bad calls, the bad coaching decisions, the bad plays, etc. When you win, it's pretty hard to complain about anything. Either it falls on deaf ears or people think you have some kind of mental imbalance like Skip Bayless. But this team, like clockwork, pretty much stops losing once the All-Star break hits.
It's cool though. I accept that my team kicks ass. In fact, I'm thrilled that they do. But can they kick ass with some intrigue?
The two easiest basketball teams to cover were Jordan's Bulls after his first retirement and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers. You may notice that squads had Phil Jackson, (I'll forever be grateful to Jeff Van Gundy for dubbing him "Big Chief Triangle") perhaps the only coach in NBA history whose ego could challenge his stars'.
The Bulls were must-see TV because Jordan's sociopathic level of competitiveness meant that any night had the potential to be the one where he finally snapped and slugged an opponent, a teammate, even a ref. People remember the dunks and the highlights and all that, but real basketball fans know Jordan was good for one hissy fit with the refs per night, and they were always too chicken to ring him up with a T. Combine that with the Rodman sideshow, (you think 'Sheed gets targeted by the zebras) Pippen's constant neurosis, Kukoc's almost daily trips in and out of the doghouse and all the Jackson/Jerry Krause drama, and the Bulls always kept your attention.
The Lakers meanwhile were fascinating in their own way. For one, no team in history could so effortlessly flip the switch "on" after months of listless, apathetic play. It's like they were hustling the whole league before May. Secondly, by halfway through their second championship season (their only legitimate one, btw) it was pretty obvious that Shaq and Kobe despised each other. Their on-screen frigidness was similar to Ron Burgandy and Veronica Corningstone's during the second act of "Anchorman." If you close your eyes real hard you can almost picture Kobe telling Shaq that he has man boobs and The Diesel replying, "Why don't you go back to your home on whore island?"
For the last goddamn time Shaq, no I don't want to come to your pants party.
Now, it's hardly unusual for the best two players on a club to not get along. Barry Bonds-Jeff Kent and Larry Bird-Kevin McHale are two of the most recent examples that quickly come to mind. But when the teammates are two of the top five players in the sport? We might have to go all the way back to Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig for a parallel. The Lakers always gave you something to talk about, plus they were totally contemptible. The team oozed arrogance. Their coach didn't respect any of his peers, their superstars didn't respect any of their peers, (let alone each other) even their role players were jackasses. Fisher was a whiny punk, Horry was in love with his clutch reputation and George had that perpetual grimace that was so off-putting.
Let's face it, at least 80% of our hatred for the Mavs have to do with their owner and fans. We're certainly not jealous of their players (only one All-Star, and he's soft) and not resentful of their on court success (they haven't had any). But LA invited malice the old fashioned way, they earned it.
The Spurs? What's there for people to hate about the Spurs? Duncan's bug eyes, Bowen's undercutting and Gino's flopping. Oooooh. Yeah that's gonna generate copy for seven months. Media and blogger criticisms of the Spurs go nowhere because the guys refuse to take the bait and get into a cat and mouse game with their accusers. Tim didn't stop whining until Pop told him to, not the media. Bruce won't change the way he plays defense because he knows Pop will bench him if he did. And Manu could give a shit what Americans think of him. He just wants to win. Plus I guarantee you that the refs have less of a problem with him than fans do because Manu always treats those guys politely and with respect, even when he disagrees with them.
And forget the team disharmony angle. These guys get along so well that you couldn't even make a sports movie about them, no one would think it was realistic. This is a team that had two different starting centers and three different starting shooting guards last year, and nobody made a fuss. Their second best player got sent to the bench without a peep. The rotation was constantly in flux as far down to the 11th and 12th men on the roster without a hint of controversy. Minutes and shots were all over the map for everyone except Duncan and Parker. But nobody cares and nobody points fingers.
"You like my Finals MVP trophy Manu?" "Whatever will get your fiancée to quit flirting with me, Tony." (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
I mean, think about Manu's season for a second. Not only did he get demoted to the bench, but he had to put up with his own coach routinely blaming the team's second round exit from the playoffs last season on him. What other star player in the NBA could have handled being disrespected like that so well? Name me one. This is a league where Latrell Sprewell choked P.J. for telling him "to put more mustard on those passes" during practice. This is a league where Jason Kidd of all people led a mutiny to get the coach who led his team to back-to-back Finals appearances fired.
Now skip ahead to next season. Would a Parker-Ginobili feud or Tim Duncan going off about how the team is negatively portrayed in the media make the team more interesting on a national level? Absolutely. Would it hurt the team's chances of repeating? Uh...duh?
The media doesn't care who wins and loses because they've got a fan-like rooting interest. They just care about the best story. What's there to say about the Spurs besides they're really good and great role models. Nobody wants to read that stuff about a bunch of foreigners and old geezers. A role model is a guy with a 50 inch vertical who can score 40 on his ex-team after telling the media he would do so before the game and who is there for his new teammates because a jury couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he didn't murder those three underage prostitutes. That my friends, is what character is all about; walking the walk and being accountable.
As for the fans, why do they tune out the Spurs, besides the latent xenophobia? Jealousy and predictability I would guess. They're jealous our guys win and are good people and they're bored by the inevitability of our success in the Finals. Even though MJ went 6-0 in the Finals with the Bulls, occasionally he faced stiff competition with Drexler's Blazers, Barkley's Suns, and the Malone/Stockton Jazz. When Duncan and Co. make the Finals though, basketball fans know it's a wrap. Our championship was virtually assured after the second round. The Eastern Conference offers no competition. I think we could have beaten the Cavs even if Tony or Manu was injured (but not Timmy).
For crying out loud, we beat Detroit two years ago with maybe a seven man rotation, a gimpy Tim Duncan, a butterfingered turnover machine at center, and a petrified Tony Parker down the stretch (he's better now). Yeah, maybe Ginobili was at the height of his powers in '05, but really we didn't have much else going for us that postseason.
The more I think about it, the more I'm ticked off at the Mavs for choking so badly against the Warriors. They ruined the 3rd round of the playoffs for everyone and robbed us of our rightful revenge. We knew the Finals were going to be a dog (although both the Bulls and the Pistons would have taken a game or two against us) but at least beating Dallas would've given us some closure and vindication. It's natural for people to blame us for ruining the playoffs, but we weren't the ones that played like a bunch of frightened prep-schoolers against an eight seed and we weren't the ones who left the bench during an altercation. It seems even in the postseason of a championship year, the Spurs are only a part of the story by association than anything else.
Maybe next year James White will save us all and we can have our dunking sizzle to go along with the winning steak. Yeah, we'll still be despised for all the other reasons, but for 15 minutes a game, people will resist calling us boring or unathletic. Plus maybe if White is playing it'll mean Bowen's on the bench, so the dirty label will be put on the backburner too. National media vindication means everything to me. I repeat, EVERYTHING.
But yeah, recapping 2006-07...
I don't have a whole lot to say about the boat parade or the celebration at the arena. You all probably noticed the same things that I did. Horry looked sullen and sad (was it personal problems, bitterness that Findog has replaced him as the team's unofficial fifth banana, or maybe an in-house chat with Pop where he was told that his place on the roster next season isn't a given?). Barry definitely should have taken the microphone from Bruce - I can't decide what he's better at MCing or the dribble drive. And Tony appeared less than amused with Brent's comments about Eva and ze French on that boat. I thought most guys handled themselves pretty well, especially considering how shitfaced they were, and it was probably for the best that most of them elected not to speak.
There were no real highlights this time around, nobody got too crazy. Manu and Tim said some nice things, Finley was classy as expected. Tony, unfortunately, didn't rap. Fab did a neat little chicken dance and Pop said "We kicked ass" but outside of that, eh. I think even the guys were a little underwhelmed by their competition. A sweep might make one feel dominant, but it can't be as exhilarating and gratifying as winning a Game 7 against the defending champion with an undermanned team, right?
As for Game 4, what can I say? It was kind of like the microcosm of our whole identity. Tony was the offensive star most of the way, making all manner of acrobatic drives to the basket and a few jumpers as well. Bruce had completely broken LeBron's spirit by the end and reduced him to a fadeaway jumpshooter (nice 10 of 30 game there, slick). I wonder how much guys like Kobe, T-Mac, Wade, even Carmelo resent the LeBron hype machine. The guy might be a good passer and rebounder, but as a scorer his game needs work. There's no way Bowen at this stage of his career, with all the perimeter defensive rules stacked against him, should be able to so thoroughly dominate a talent like James. Look at how easily he got scored on in the first three rounds. We all know that the Western Conference has exclusive rights to all the good NBA teams, but who knew that applied to superstars as well? Could it be that if James were in the Western Conference he'd only be merely good right now?
Peter Holt, Tony and other Spurs point to LeBron James flying out of Gund Arena, since he is, after all, Superman. ESPN and Nike told me so. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Where was I? Oh, right, the game. Tony and Bruce were doing their thing, Tim was the anchor at both ends as always. He didn't have a great night by any means - 4 of 15 from the field, 4 of 10 from the line - but he did score two of our biggest baskets there in the fourth. When we were down 63-60, having not scored for damn near the first half of the period, (another habit of ours, unfortunately) he hit a running half hook over Varejao to bring us within one, and then shortly after he tipped home an errant Ginobili free throw. Our offense started to string together points again and we soon had a lead we wouldn't relinquish.
Of course, we don't win that game without a big fourth quarter from Manu. He was having a decent enough night with 14 through three quarters, (it felt like he had a 40 point night going compared to his gruesome Game 3) but he once again stepped up when his seemingly bored, frustrated, and lifeless team needed it most. He split a Damon Jones-Varejao double team and made a lay-up while being fouled by Donyell Marshall, then hit a big three from the wing to give us the lead for good, and finally hit a running banker going right to left to ice the game. Also, after a shaky start from the line, he clutched up and hit his final six, and it turned out we needed every one of them as James and Jones hit a couple bombs at the end there. Our other resident Argentine Fab chipped in with five points of his own during the run and the only other point of our last quarter of the season was a Finley free throw.
Well, there was one neat little media story at least, for like five seconds. You think Fin made the right decision to sign here? (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
The Sickness though, tragic hero that he is, came full circle with his Buckneresque foul on Dirk in last year's Game 7 vs. the Mavericks. It wasn't quite so bad this time, but with a 79-73 lead and only seven seconds left he got whistled for a foul attempting to block a Jones three. It looked like a clean play, but the fact that that he even attempted it, the audaciousness of it, blew my mind. Would he have made the same decision if it was a Game 7 and only a three point game? I don't think decision making has anything to do with it. The guy will always play on pure instinct and if he thinks he can make a play, he'll try to make it, regardless of situation. Critics might look at the behind the back dribbles or odd angles he contorts his body when going for lay-ups and say Manu is unorthodox, but really I think his offensive game is pretty disciplined and reined in from where it was as a rookie. It's in his own end, where he's usually at a physical disadvantage, that he is what I'd call a risk taker.
Guess who led the Spurs in +/- for the third straight postseason? Bring up this point in Spurstalk.com and three most common explanations you'll receive are A) "It's a coincedence" B) "It's a meaningless stat" C) "Fuck off." (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The bottom line is the foul call didn't prove to be tragic, mainly because Gino was able to knock down the freebies to make it a footnote. It was a wild ending - surely 13 combined points in the last eight seconds of an NBA Final has to be some kind of record - but his last foul shot gave us a four point lead with less than two seconds to go, and even a Jones three at the buzzer wouldn't be enough. We swept these bastards. Really, I feel kinda stupid thinking it could go any other way.
Fans and analysts were left cold with this series, with the low scores in three of the four games and all that, and rightly pointed out that neither team played well. Not so, I dare say. Cleveland didn't play well, but they played like Cleveland. That is their level. The one game we played well, we were up 25 at half. The two squads were so imbalanced, it could not be any other way. By definition, us playing well meant a blowout. There are really just a handful of teams we can throw our A game against for two or three quarters and not run away from, and the Cavs ain't one of them folks. If anything, the Spurs did Cleveland a favor, playing uninspired and sloppy for great stretches of three games, but the Cavs were just that poor. C'est la vie.
Couldn't have done this without you Mike. Well, we could've, but it'd have been harder. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
That reminds me. I know this will shock everybody, but I don't agree with the decision to award Tony the Finals MVP. Duncan was robbed. Why not just change the award to "Highest Scorer on Winning Finals Team" and get it over with? Tim had more rebounds, more assists, more blocks, more steals and less turnovers than Tony. He was, as stated a million times by Pop, our foundation offensively and defensively. He got doubled practically every time he touched the ball in the post and this freed Tony and everyone else to get open looks.
Plus, in a series where we outscored Cleveland by precisely 24 points, Tim was a +24, Tony was a +16. Tony was so valuable for us against Cleveland that we outscored them by 8 with him on the bench. We were even with Timmy on the bench and outscored by 22 with Manu riding the pine. Doesn't it mean anything that both Manu and Tim had a better +/- in all four of the games?
Or to argue it another way, how can you give a guy a Finals MVP when he wasn't our best player in any of the four games? In game one Tim was clearly the guy, no contest. In game two it was Tim, then Horry, then Manu. I defy anyone to tell me otherwise. In game three we were rescued by big efforts from Bowen and Barry. Finally in Game 4, while Tony was very good, it was Manu and Tim who rescued the game.
Parker won the award simply by scoring. His defense was only so-so (he let Boobie get a few good looks from three) and his floor game was pretty abysmal, with a 13-12 assist/turnover count for the series. Duncan led the team in assists with a perfectly ordinary total of 15 in four games. Tony was pretty spectacular against Phoenix and Utah, probably our two toughest opponents, and nobody can convince me he didn't play much better all around against them than he did Cleveland. The Cavs are so bad that Tony was able to capture an MVP, even playing one dimensionally.
Man, Tony sure is good at scoring. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Honestly, in a weird way I feel kinda bad for Tony. For some people, the Finals are the only exposure they get to the NBA, and if the impression that these people get is that Tony is just a scorer and nothing else, they'd be grossly mistaken. We wouldn't have gotten to the Finals in the first place if he played against the Suns how he played vs. Cleveland.
Duncan lost out on the award simply because he totaled only 26 points in the last two games. If he averaged 20 or so, he'd probably have won his fourth MVP. Really, he was much better (and healthier) in this series than he was against Detroit, but the layman just doesn't realize it, looking at the scoring numbers. People don't realize he compiled a lot of empty numbers two years ago scoring a lot of points in lost causes in Detroit. Even in Game 7, when he paced the team with 25 points, it took him 27 shots to get there. Only in the NBA can you get more credit for scoring in blowout losses than playing an all around game in wins. Tony was very, very good against Cleveland and he shot a high percentage, but he was not the series' MVP, sorry.
Don't worry Tim, no matter who got the award, I know whassup. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
So what's next for the Spurs? The draft obviously, and I don't know how much assistance I'll be able to provide for that. I really don't follow college ball and I probably won't be familiar with anyone drafted low enough to where we're picking. I'll probably write something though. The offseason will be a bit busier than the team is leading on, I suspect, and I think we'll have a few new faces in the silver and black next season. I'm pretty sure Ely and Beno are gone, and I would think that Barry and Butler will be moved as well. If it were up to me Horry and Vaughn would be history (but Brent wouldn't be, I'm funny that way) but I think they might stick around another year. I'd put the over/under at 10.5 Spurs retained. Feel free to make it a poll, Matthew.
Is a repeat in the cards? It's hard to say at this point. Motivation shouldn't be a problem because I'm sure the guys still feel they owe Dallas one, plus all that bitching from the Suns organization had to have left a bad taste in their mouths as well. But the team will be a year older, and it's very doubtful that the big three will be as injury free as they were this season. Also, I'm already dubious of how we'll be officiated next season, considering how piss poor the Finals ratings were this go around. I mean, I think the fact that such a thing could be a factor is disgusting, but we can't just ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist - America doesn't want to see us win.
What the team needs desperately is some youthful rejuvenation to get them through the interminable slog of the regular season. White is definately a candidate there, and maybe a guy we wind up drafting to play back up point would be as well. Luis Scola could make an impact if we ever brought him over and Matt Bonner should be a rotation guy if we re-sign him. Who knows what we can get from the Cavs if they're actually interested in Beno, as rumored? Like I said, I'm sure stuff will happen, it always does, and I'll jot down my thoughts when it does.
As for me, I really enjoyed this year, I enjoyed this experience, and I can't believe I don't have another game recap to worry about for a long time. I'm not sure yet in what capacity I'll write for Spursdynasty or PtR in the future, but it's not like I'm quitting either, that's for sure. But I don't have the security of being a college student anymore, so I really do have to get a job, and once I do I'll have a better idea of how much free time, if any, I'll have to devote to writing about a boring basketball team from some hick town in Texas.
My sincere thanks to all the fellas from Spursdyansty for always going above and beyond making me feel like one of the family and to Matthew at PtR for kind of getting this writing thing started for me and always being there as a sounding board. I just wanted a forum to write, and as cheesy as it sounds, I never thought I'd actually make friends out of the deal.
Now pay me.
Seriously, I want money.
Eh, we'll talk about it.
Finally, I just want to say thanks to everyone who took to time to read my inane, crazy long rambling posts. You put up with my irrational Tony Parker bashing, my even more irrational Manu Ginobili man love, and my way frequent bitchfests about my personal life which always involve way too much information. I can't promise to not talk about the Eagles next fall, but at least the San Francisco Giants suck way too much for me to even think about mentioning them at all this summer.
Like money is the only thing that separates an eccentric person from a nutcase, readers are what separate a blog from being a lonely, delusional, narcissistic cry for help. I appreciate everyone who reads and especially those who give feedback every once in a while. It makes me feel like I'm doing this for a reason instead of just wasting my time. I'm really happy with how everything has worked out this year and can only hope it will continue in '07-08 and beyond.
Your Final 3 Stars of the '06-07 Season
3. Tony Parker - All jokes aside, there's no young point guard I'd rather have on this team. I was thinking Deron Williams for a while, but he's kind of a dick. While I'm glad that Tony no longer locks up during big moments, it's a brave new world for yours truly. If I can't make fun of Tony Parker anymore, what possibly can I write about? James White better start playing next year.
2. Manu Ginobili - Basketball's answer to Mariano Rivera, except he doesn't play on the team that everyone hat- aw shit, never mind. Anyway, that's how you end a season, my friends. I fucking love the guy.
1. Tim Duncan - Underappericated as always. Can you imagine the shitfit Shaq would've thrown if Kobe won a Finals MVP? Now I hear rumblings of how KG going to Phoenix would be a boon for the Suns "because he plays Duncan better." Ha! Go ahead. Seriously go fucking ahead. Throw Amare and KG on him. I dare you.
A somewhat more satisfying conclusion than last year. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
posted by Michael at 9:17 PM
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AUSTIN, Texas -- Police urged witnesses to come forward and help them find the mob that beat a man to death after the car he was riding in apparently struck and injured a child.
Investigators were struggling to piece together what happened Tuesday when David Rivas Morales died defending the driver from members of a crowd. There could have been anywhere from two to 20 attackers, Austin Police Commander Harold Piatt said.
The car in which Morales, 40, was a passenger had entered an apartment complex's parking lot when it struck a 2-year-old boy, Piatt said. The boy was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver got out of the car to check on the child and was confronted by several people, Piatt said. When they attacked the driver, Morales got out of the car to protect the driver and was attacked as well. Police said no guns or knives were used.
Margaret Morales said a young boy came to her door to tell her that her brother was lying on the ground outside. She found David Morales, sprawled on the pavement 100 feet from her townhouse, battered and choking on blood.
She said her mother came running after hearing her screams, but police wouldn't let either of them get close to him.
Police arrived one minute after receiving a 911 call, by which time the beating had stopped, Chovanetz said. But the Morales family complained that medical help was slow in coming.
Chovanetz said witnesses told police that three or four men attacked Morales, knocking him to the ground. A man got out of another vehicle and hit Morales again, Chovanetz said.
David Morales arrived at the hospital about 35 minutes after the 911 call was received, said Warren Hassinger, Austin-Travis County Emergency Services spokesman. Emergency officials said police ordered them to wait until the area was secure.
The Morales family remembered David as a caring brother who loved the San Antonio Spurs and was thrilled when they won the NBA title last week. Earl White, Katherine's brother, said David Morales enjoyed sitting on the porch, watching the neighborhood children play in the parking lot.
"I just want the people caught and brought to justice," another sister, Elizabeth Morales, said. "I want them to feel the same pain that they caused my brother."
posted by D Strickland at 8:35 AM
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CLEVELAND—Frustrated by the results of the first three NBA Finals games, Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown told reporters at a Tuesday press conference that his team has been losing simply because they're being "outvictoried." "Just look at the numbers—they're outwinning us, they're outdefeating us, they're outbettering us in every category," Brown said. "There's not much I can tell my team at this point, except that we can't be satisfied to outturnover and outfoul them because then we're going to outlose them as well." When asked how he felt about the Cavs being outscored in all three games, Brown claimed that he didn't understand the question.
posted by The Funk at 9:14 AM
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PARADISE—God, the omnipotent and omniscient Creator of the Universe who recently saw fit to allow the Cleveland Cavaliers to advance to the NBA Finals, expressed concern Tuesday that He might be causing the earthly city of Cleveland undue emotional anguish by doing so. "I can't help feeling that they who dwell in Cleveland and root for the Cavaliers have done nothing to warrant the dashing of their hopes after having them raised to such lofty heights," said God, who acknowledged that day-to-day life was bitter enough for city residents. "Although I move in mysterious ways, and in doing so often allow bad things to happen to good people, My grand design is usually glorious to behold. But the Cavs in the Finals…I don't know, maybe that's just plain mean." God is said to be particularly sensitive to looming tragedies in Cleveland recently, as the Indians have been playing better than expected, earthquake-level tension began building in a previously undetected geological slip-fault in the bedrock along the shores of Lake Erie, and the Browns drafted quarterback Brady Quinn.
posted by The Funk at 9:05 AM
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posted by Michael at 3:17 AM
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PtR boss Matthew Powell, takes a minute off from another award-winning timely masterpiece blog entry to smile for the camera. Yes ladies, he's single...
Would it be any more competitive if Larry Hughes was healthy? Sure, whatever lets those Cleveland fans sleep at night. Hughes is only killing them because Mike Brown is letting him. I’m a bit conflicted when it comes to Mr. Brown. By all accounts he’s a very nice, pleasant man. He hasn’t said anything in the pressers that I’ve found offensive or off-putting, and I’m like Michael Jordan out there, dogged in my pursuit of slights, real or imagined. But the guy is getting worked over by Pop and it’s getting kind of awkward and creepy to watch. Like, not as awkward and creepy as that ill-fated Michael Richards set at the Comedy Store was to watch, but close. I am now officially uncomfortable with it.
Pointing out a coach's incompetence shouldn't make one feel like such a jerk. I feel like I'm cheering for a sprinter in the special Olympics to trip and fall. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
After LeBron stupidly wasted his second foul hacking Timmy three minutes into the game, Brown chained him to the bench for the rest of the quarter. Four or five minutes of jail time would’ve been fine, but the whole quarter? That’s paint-by-numbers coaching and flat out stupid. The rules aren’t the same for every player, Mike, and without this guy on the floor you have no chance. James’ banishment helped contribute to the Cavs 11 point hole and Cleveland never recovered. Brown accidentally stumbled into a winning line-up in the 4th quarter, playing Varejao as his sole big and using James as a facilitator for three guys spotting up at the three point line, and this forced one of our two bigs (usually Elson) to have scramble out to a shooter. While that strategy could be effective offensively, it would be death if the big three were on the floor at the same time on defense. Tony and Manu could go to the rim at will, with no shot blocker to worry about.
Hey, here’s a thought – is there any way we can trade coaches for the rest of the series? Is that too unreasonable? I just want to make it a bit more balanced. When our 3rd best player is significantly outplaying their best player, we’ve got a bit of a problem with the competitiveness of the series. Seriously, how much damage could Brown do on our bench? At worst, he’d just call for a pick and roll with Tony and Tim every play for 48 minutes, right? Maybe post up Horry? It’s not like he’d start Beno at small forward, right? I’d like to try this experiment for a couple of games; I think it’d be fun. Or terrifying.
Can Pop outcoach Brown if he sits on his can and doesn't watch the game? (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The first three quarters were clinical. I honestly don’t know how we could play any better offensively. We didn’t even have to rely on anyone outside of the big three to score because the Cavs couldn’t shut down even one of our three stars. As Chazz Michael Michaels would say, “That’s mind bottling.”
When the Cavs doubled Tim, he simply kicked it out to Tim or Manu. When they played him one-on-one with Ilgouskas… well I get a little emotional just thinking about the poor Latvian slug. I want to give him a hug or something. Gino meanwhile was having a night eerily similar to Game 2 of the Finals two years ago, where he had 29 on 8 shots, just living on three pointers and free throws. At his peak here he had 21 on 7 shots, before falling off that pace with a couple of bricks at the end of the 3rd quarter. Also, Manu set a new personal record, launching a shot approximately .328 seconds after checking into the game midway through the 1st quarter. I guess the transformation is fully complete now, he’s officially thinking like a bench scrub. I think that sequence was his “point of no return” moment.
Seriously, Tim needs some counseling. When he's home does he spend the whole day touching his wife's head? His daughter's? His dog's? He's not boring, he's just a freakin' weirdo. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
And Tony… what can I possibly say about Tony? He’s reached that McGrady/Wade/Bryant/James zone where when his jumper’s falling, it’s good night Aunt Sally. After a shaky Game 1 in that regard (by my unofficial count he was 2 of 10 with the jumper) he made 7 of 12 jumpers, including a three, (again, unofficial) on Sunday. It’d be one thing if the Cavs followed their game plan to a T and those jump shots were all that Tony got, but he still scored on a half dozen forays into the lane as well and finished with another 15 points in the paint, when you account for the free throws and everything.
All told the big three combined for 78 points, a total that’s impossible for Cleveland’s modest offense to keep up with. The Cavs “held” everyone else to 25, a winning amount for them ordinarily, but moot in this case. Similarly, the Spurs allowed 67 to the non-LeBrons, five more than the 62 they gave up in Game 1, (and I thought that was too many) yet they still won handily because of how unstoppable their stars were. Dee Brown just suggested that the Cavs should double Duncan, double Parker, and put LeBron on Manu. Brilliant! God, I love ESPN. They will hire literally anyone. I think the more realistic strategy is to keep doing what they did in Game 2, and hope Tony and Manu start missing. Double teaming multiple people against the best passing team in basketball is probably not going to work.
On defense, we had a few problems. James was a bit more aggressive this game and he got a few lay-ins on us, and eleven freebies as well (though he air-balled one). Still, 25 points is about his level, and that’s not too concerning. What I did find troubling was Cleveland’s 13 offensive rebounds, and their multiple fast break gimmes. Fin pretty much got benched for his weak box out efforts. I guess his back isn’t right, because Bones got a lot of run at his expense. We gave them a lot of easy points, and they’ve been just as effective as we are of capitalizing off turnovers. Also, we had a few mental lapses and a few examples of outright laziness in closing out on three pointers. Gibson got Tony a couple times, Pavlovic got Manu once, and both Vaughn and Elson were victimized multiple times in Cleveland’s big 4th quarter run. The Cavs hitting seven bombs was a bit surprising, especially since LeBron didn’t have any.
Anywho, the scene shifts to Cleveland now. I'm afraid Ichiro Suzuki, of the Seattle Mariners, has the right idea. His team had to make a pit stop in the Mistake by the Lake last night to make up for a game that was snowed out in April, and he said, of the trip, "To tell the truth, I'm not excited to go to Cleveland, but we have to. If I ever saw myself saying I'm excited going to Cleveland, I'd punch myself in the face, because I'm lying." Either his interpreter is having some fun with him, or Ichiro is now my favorite ballplayer.
Ichiro, this man would like to have a word with you...
I don't expect our guys to be a whole lot more enthusiastic about the trip either. I think our defense will clean up a few things in Game 3, but in truth the offense played a bit over their heads in Game 2. The big three cannot keep up this torrid pace and one or two of them will probably struggle tonight. If a couple of our role guys, Fin, Horry, Fab, etc. doesn’t step up in a big way, I think points might be a bit hard to come by tonight. The Cavs will bring the energy, they’ll be physical, the refs will be compromised, and more likely than not, this will be our one loss of the series.
And no, the Cavs big run had no influence on my opinion. The run happened because 1) Pop put Manu on the floor with four non-scorers, but didn’t run any plays for Manu anyway and 2) in the second part of the run, Tim, Tony, and Brent all decided to go cold simultaneously, despite getting great looks and 3) Elson and Vaughn were atrocious in their own end. These fluky things happen in blowouts and I don’t put much stock in them.
What I do put stock in is our history and our nature. I’d love to be wrong, but no matter how much better than these guys we are, I’m just not convinced the Spurs are ruthless enough to sweep anybody. I don’t even think that’s a bad thing really. I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t want to root for a bunch of pricks. I will say that an “L” tonight is less of a sure thing in my mind than Game 3 in Utah was, but I still give us only about a 35% chance of pulling it out. It’s not about the Cavs, it’s about us, and we are still captives to the “one pussy game per series” rule until we decide to change.
Is this team mentally strong enough to quit fooling around? Stay tuned.
No, seriously, stay tuned, especially if you have a Nielsen’s box, because no one is watching.
3 Stars…
3. Manu Ginobili – with apologies to Tony, 25 points on 11 shots is pretty sick, and Gonzo also chipped in with the rebounds and the steals. He was also + 17 to Tony’s + 10, and a bit better defensively (though not great, by any stretch.)
2. Robert Horry – A bit of everything. 5 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks, and a game best +27. Most importantly, he treated Drew Gooden like how you’re supposed to treat someone with that haircut.
1. Tim Duncan – 23-9-8. Good golly, dem’s LeBron like numbers.
posted by Michael at 2:33 PM
3 comments
The files are IN the com-pu-tor?
posted by Michael at 4:09 AM
0 comments
Sam Presti was hired as general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics, and one of his first jobs will be to replace fired coach Bob Hill.
The 30-year-old San Antonio assistant general manager replaces Rick Sund, who was demoted to consultant after Seattle's 31-51 season. Presti also will prepare for the upcoming NBA draft on June 28, when the Sonics have the No. 2 pick.
Those believed to be on Seattle's short list to replace Hill include San Antonio assistant P.J. Carlesimo, former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey and former Indiana coach Rick Carlisle.
Presti and Carlesimo have worked together for the past five seasons in San Antonio.
"I am confident Sam Presti and the Sonics will prove to be a great match," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said in the Sonics' release. "He has been a key component of the success of the Spurs organization and, although we hate to lose him, we knew it was a matter of time before a team came calling."
posted by D Strickland at 1:45 PM
0 comments
So is God really a Spurs fan?
"Yeah!" (Sister Angelina) Gomez said, laughing and clutching her hands in the dining room where a giant Spurs blanket hangs like a banner.
posted by The Funk at 8:52 PM
2 comments
James may be the N.B.A.’s brightest star and its greatest hope, but three of the four best players in this series are wearing silver and black: Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginóbili.San Antonio’s Mr Boring aims for title (Times UK)
The Spurs have all of the experience, the three crisp championship banners and a cast of role players who have been there and done that, then done it again. The Cavaliers have James. And James has Boobie.
The Cavaliers are possibly the least talented team the Spurs have faced in the postseason. San Antonio beat Denver (featuring Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby) in the first round, then eliminated multifaceted Phoenix (with Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion) in the conference semifinals. The Spurs advanced to the finals by beating Utah’s brilliant inside-out tandem of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.
Tim Duncan remains largely underappreciated and anonymous to all but the most ardent basketball aficionados, but as he starts the quest for his and the San Antonio Spurs’ fourth NBA title in nine years tonight, he may be the most admirable modern sports star in the United States.Finally for Finley: Spurs' swingman reaches NBA finals at last (Sporting News)
"When I was growing up in Chicago, I thought this was something that everybody experienced, playing in the finals or just being part of the finals," Finley said. "Watching MJ and Scottie lead those teams to those trophies was very exciting for me at the time and it was something that made me want to get to this point to get the opportunity to feel what they felt then in the NBA finals. And after 12 years I'm finally here."San Antonio nuns send up prayers for Spurs (Houston Chronicle)
"We pray for them to win, but we also pray for them to continue their sportsmanship," said Sister Sandra Neaves, head of the order in the Western U.S.Friendly bet: Cleveland, San Antonio mayors wager on NBA finals (Sports Illustrated)
San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger will send a case each of tamales, fresh salsa and Alamo Golden Ale to Cleveland if the Cavaliers win.What do you think they'll be saying after game one?
"In the unlikely event the Spurs win the championship," Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said in a news release Tuesday, he'll give Hardberger a case of Ohio City Pasta, a case of Hot Sauce Williams ribs, a bottle of Williams' special sauce and a case of Great Lakes Brewing Co.'s Burning River Pale Ale.
posted by D Strickland at 6:06 PM
0 comments
ANNOUNCER: Cavaliers.So this is the storyline, "present meets future?"
[LeBron James heads out onto the court in warm-ups.]
ANNOUNCER: Spurs.
[Tim Duncan removes his pullover.]
ANNOUNCER: Game one.
[Pyrotechnics.]
ANNOUNCER: Four titles in nine years would cement Tim Duncan’s Spurs as a basketball dynasty.
[Tim Duncan holds up the O'Brien trophy; Duncan embraces a teammate; Duncan and David Robinson stand side-by-side, each holding trophies and smiling.]
ANNOUNCER: Standing in their path is the face of the new generation. King James silenced his critics in leading the Cavs back from 0-2 in the Conference Finals.
[LeBron James shoots a three pointer; James stares at the camera; James dunks.]
ANNOUNCER: Now, present meets future, as the best in the game vie for supremacy.
[Manu Ginobili drives on Carlos Boozer; James points a finger off court; Duncan dunks; James smiles.]
ANNOUNCER: The NBA Finals.
ANNOUNCER: Game one.
ANNOUNCER: Coverage begins Thursday at 8:30 Eastern on ABC.
posted by D Strickland at 9:42 PM
1 comments
| YEARS | DYNASTIC TEAM | ANALYSIS |
| '49-`54 | Minneapolis Lakers | 5 Championships in 6 years |
| '57-'69 | Boston Celtics I | 11 Championships in 13 years |
| '80-'90 | Los Angeles Lakers | 5 Championships in 11 years |
| '80-'90 | Boston Celtics II | 3 Championships in 11 years |
| '91-'98 | Chicago Bulls | 6 Championships in 8 years |
posted by Rene Hinojosa at 8:33 PM
1 comments
At long last, the guys get to their long deserved moment in the sun, basking in the glow of being crowned champions of the ungodly stacked Western Conference in front of their appreciative fans. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
So of course the trophy was presented to us by this guy. Yeah, that makes perfect sense.
Can you feel my excitement? Can you sense my enthusiasm? Can you visualize my rock hard erection?
No?
Um, me neither. Although Manolis did send me this DVD the other day of this girl named Cytherea and I don’t want to get too graphic on here or anything (y’all can Google her if you want) but rest assured that my life will never be the same again. It is impossible to observe Cytherea in action without it changing you – physically, mentally and emotionally – forever. Nike totally picked the wrong person for that “I’m a Witness” T-shirt campaign I’m telling you.
There are exactly two groups of people in the world, those who have undergone The Cytherea Experience, and those who have not.
Where was I again? Oh, right, Spurs Basketball. Let’s be honest, the Jazz series was a huge comedown after the heavyweight showdown with the Suns. Really, even the Nuggets might have been a more difficult match-up for us. The Jazz were the epitome of the “Happy to be Here” team. We were overdue for a playoff blowout and winning Game 5 was about as much of a lock as there is in life, on par with regretting a trip to the ATM at four in the morning or experiencing intestinal difficulties upon consuming the wings with 9-1-1 sauce at “Hooters.”
Really, the game was over after a 34-15 blitz in the first quarter. Tony was playing like a man possessed, repeatedly slicing through the Jazz defense to tally 11 early points. I can only assume he was lectured to by the missus before the game, “You better take care of business tonight because I am NOT going back to Utah, you hear me? I WILL NOT.”
The good news: No more trips to Utah. The bad news: Get ready for the bastion of cultural diversity that is downtown Cleveland. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Actually, pretty much everyone was hitting their shots. We made 65% from the field, had only three turnovers, got a few second chance opportunities thanks to Fab, and knocked down six of eight freebies. Heck, Bruce even hit a couple of corner threes. I don’t know why everyone started off so hot (could have been those magnets David Blaine was going on and on about) and I don’t care. What I do know is that the final three quarters were played with Boston-Celtics-tanking-for-Oden level intensity.
Or, as Jerry Sloan put it, “They destroyed our will to want to play.”
That’s the Spurs: Will-sucking vampires. If you think about it, you can see where the Jazz players were coming from. For all intensive purposes they should have just called the series off after Game 4 and saved everyone the extra travel. Utah was not going to beat us three straight, with two of the three on the road. We knew it, they knew it, heck even the fans knew it. They hadn’t beaten us on the road in eight years, and all of a sudden they’re supposed to do it twice in a row? Nuh-uh.
And to get back to the vampire motif, it’s one thing to be down 3-1 to the Suns or the Warriors. They’re fun to play against. Run up and down the court, launch shots from everywhere; no banging, no bruises. Against us though, every game is such a grind. We make teams work so hard to run their offenses, to string a few passes together, to fight like hell and communicate perfectly on defense, that even a win against us feels like a loss physically. By game five, facing a 19 point deficit on the road after one quarter, you could just tell in their body language that the whole Jazz team collectively was thinking, “What the hell is the point of even trying anymore?”
Coach Sloan dutifully examines Kirilenko's neck for bite marks. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
However, this didn’t stop Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer from refusing to end the season on a good note and pissing on their teammates’ soup. Both stars, Williams especially, were emphatic with the press, before and after Game 5, letting everyone know that they were displeased with the effort and focus of some of their teammates. I was extremely disappointed with their decision to do this. It showed a decided lack of leadership and maturity on their part – you keep that shit in house – and it doesn’t reflect well on their intelligence either.
If you were paying attention, it was pretty obvious that the Spurs’ game plan was to let Boozer and Williams get theirs for most of the game and bottle up everyone else. They don’t let people get fast break points and they don’t leave shooters for wide open threes. What most experts don’t realize about the Spurs is that defensively, it’s not just about Bowen and Duncan. The team pretty much has a good to very good defender at every position – especially if Manu and Horry are in for Finley and Oberto. And on top of the talent, the scheme is sound and they play for possibly the finest defensive coach in the world.
Maybe if it’s a tight game they’ll do something exotic late like trap Williams or double Boozer down low, but for most of the game they weren’t getting an appreciably more amount of attention from our defense than their teammates. Not only that, but we’ve played and scouted these guys enough to know what the role players' tendencies are, their hot spots from the floor, etc. Our defense is set up in such a way that we’ll keep the assists down and pretty much the baskets we’ll give up will be to guys who can create their own shots.
It’s as if Boozer and Williams were too dim to realize that they’re more talented than their teammates. Hey fellas, if everyone on the team were as good as you guys, than you wouldn’t have been a fifth seed! When you combine the trashing of his own teammates with Williams’ decision to call Gonzo a flopper after game 4, well let’s just say I’m not exactly enamored with the guy right now and I think he’s got some growing up to do.
In the end, kind of a dick. And what's up with those nails? Who are you, Freddy Krueger? (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Anyway, enough about Utah, we don’t have to think about them until next November at the earliest. Our Finals opponent has been determined, so now we must look forward to the Cleveland Cavaliers. As you’re no doubt aware, this organization has a couple of tie-ins with ours in head coach Mike Brown (an assistant to Pop in ’02-03, I’m sure coach misses him just terribly… ::giggles::) and GM Danny Ferry, who was our Matt Bonner back in the day, although less liked by fellow players. Also, it should be noted, they have one LeBron James, meaning that for the first time in our franchise’s history, we will be going into the Finals as the decided villains.
If you thought the slings and arrows taken at us by the national media in the Suns series was uncalled for, then you might want to avoid newspapers, magazines, television and the internet for the next two weeks. Just watch the games on mute in your insulated basement and pretend a nuclear war is in progress outside your door. Basically, we’re going to need to develop a thick skin and a bunker mentality, because absolutely no one from the outside will have anything kind to say about us. We’re going to be likened to a bunch of Darth Vaders, only with charming accents and a penchant for flopping.
No, young Skywalker, the Spurs aren't your father. But they will be yo' daddy. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Speaking of Mr. James, I’m sure you’re also quite aware of his Game 5 exploits at Detroit. To refresh your memory, the young lad finished with 48 points, including his team’s final 25, and 29 of their final 30. Afterward, our protagonist sounded quite pleased with himself, telling the assembled media, “I willed my team to victory” and “Detroit was playing great defense, but I was making great moves to score.”
Uh-huh.
Naturally, our A.D.D.-addled media scooped up this tripe like so much droppings of a diamond shitting golden bunny rabbit. It’s one thing for the know-nothing talking heads to ejaculate hyperbole, but even veteran basketball watchers like Simmons and Bob Ryan – people who definitely should know better – were transfixed by the hype, favorably comparing the game to Magic’s Game 6 Finals effort in 1980 at Philadelphia (42 points, 15 rebs, 7 assists in the championship clincher while Kareem was injured) and Jordan’s 63 point night in Boston Garden.
Oh. My. God. Can everyone please just calm the fuck down?
What is wrong with everybody? The level of sensationalism of our media has gone beyond the pale. What is the issue here? Why is everyone so god damn insecure that they feel every single thing they’re witnessing has to be the greatest/worst thing that ever happened? Is it the chemicals in our food? Is that what’s causing this mind-numbing lack of perspective? Can’t anyone remember anything that happened more than two weeks ago?
Yes, James did indeed score 29 of his team’s final 30 points. But if he was really the man on a “one man team” then how do you account for his teammates scoring 60 of the first 79? Do you have any idea how many playoff games Michael Jordan labored through where he outscored the rest of his teammates? Hell, even Iverson must have turned the trick a half dozen times. That guy’s puny, he had teammates every bit as offensively-challenged if not more so, and he’s put up numerous 40+ point games in the playoffs, including one in Game 1 of the Finals at LA against the Shaq/Kobe Lakers. In fact, for a three game stretch encompassing games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and the first game of the Finals, AI averaged 46 ppg. In the second round, he had 54 of his team’s 97 in Game 2 vs. the Raptors. No one remembers any of this? It happened just six years ago.
Tyronne Lue: Iverson Stopper. (Um, not really).
In fact, in the same playoffs, Kobe had 48 and 16 in Game 4 of the second round at Sacramento and followed it up with 45 and 10 in Game 1 of the WCF against our Spurs. That doesn’t ring a bell? How about Shaq’s three different 40/20 games those playoffs? Those weren’t dominant enough for you?
Speaking of the Lakers, you want something more recent? How about our very own Timmeh in ’03? In case you forgot, dude ended the Lakers dynasty with a 37-16 afternoon. Four days later in Game 1 of the WCF vs. the Mavericks he put up a 40-15-7. And who can forget his Finals clincher vs. the Nets where he finished a couple of swats shy of a quadruple double with 21-20-10-8? Everyone, apparently.
Maybe Timmeh's brilliance was tainted a bit by the baffoonery of K-Mart.
You want to talk about heroic efforts? How about Duncan’s 41-15-6 in Game 7 against the Mavericks last year while inflicted with plantar fasciitis? I would call that answering the bell, wouldn’t you? Nowitzki had 37-15 in that same game – including an amazing three point play to send the game to OT – and rung up 50 vs. the Suns a few nights later. His little buddy, Steve Nash, had a nice three game stretch vs. Dirk’s Mavs in ’05. He had 48 points in a loss in Game 4, 34-13-12 in a Game 5 win, and 39-9-12 in the clincher @ Dallas. Totally drawing a blank there, right?
Or how about we go back a littler further, with MJ? You wanna see domination? The dude averaged 43-8-6 in the six game Finals vs. the Suns in ’93. In one of the games he had 55 over Dan Majerle, who was regarded as a fairly good defender back in the day. He also had a 54 point game vs. the Knicks in the ECF that year. In fact, he’s had eight playoff games of 50 points or more, including that historic night in 1986 at Boston.
There was a reason the Cavs never won anything before LeBron James.
That same year Sir Charles had 44-24 in Game 7 vs. the Sonics to send the Suns to the Finals. And he had a 56 point night in the first round at Oakland a year later. Guess those games weren’t impressive enough. Neither was Olajuwon’s 41-16 in Game 2 of the 1995 WCF either, I suppose; the night where he made The Admiral his personal plaything.
And on and on it goes. I haven’t even mentioned Bird or Miller or Isiah or ‘Nique or Kareem. There were guys before my time like Wilt, Bill Walton, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Heck, everyone knows that Willis Reed came out of the tunnel with a bum leg in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals to hit those two early jumpers, but how many people remember that it was Walt Frazier who captured that championship with a 36 point, 19 assist night against the Lakers?
Did LeBron have an outstanding night? Absolutely. Not only did he hit some mind-bogglingly difficult fadeaways, but he probably played as well in his own end as I’ve ever seen him. But let’s be real for a second. Five of his final nine buckets were lay-ups and dunks, and they were going to his strong side against a single defender. Not once did the Pistons’ big man rotate over to cut off penetration or knock James on his butt. Not once did the primary defender do his job and force James to his weaker side. The Detroit defense was so out of whack, that on one crucial late drive, James was being guarded at the top of the key by Jason Maxiell, a back-up power forward. To quote Mugatu from Zoolander, “Doesn’t anybody notice this? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!” Forgive me for not being overwhelmed when Mr. Superduperstar drove right by him.
"Young LeBron? Wise LeBron? Smooth LeBron? THEY'RE ALL THE SAME PERSON!!!"
Barkley and Kenny Smith both practically went hoarse screaming into the microphone in the TNT post game show, incredulous that the once-mighty Pistons’ defense could fall to such depths. How can any NBA star be allowed to get to the cup repeatedly without being doubled, trapped, or even met at the rim? What do y’all think “The Jordan Rules” were about? Knocking MJ on his keister if he got close to the basket, that’s what.
There are like 40-50 guys in the NBA that can get to the hole and finish against a single defender and no big man helping; three of them on our team. Doesn’t anyone find it a bit weird that LeBron James, surely one of the three or four best slashers on the planet, was being given less attention in the 4th quarter of a critical playoff game than say Manu Ginobili? We all saw Manu dismantle Tayshaun Prince two years ago in the finals, so what kind of prayer does “the Tay-tay” have against a speeding locomotive like LeBron? How often do you ever see Manu drive without a big (or two) waiting for him? Larry Brown must have spinning in his grave, watching such an abysmal performance.
I can't imagine why Prince had difficulty staying in front of LeBron.
Never forget the words of David Robinson, a man not given to boasting. When asked in an interview (I think it was for SI) once who the toughest guy for him to score against was, he simply replied that one-on-one it wasn’t hard to score against anyone. And this was coming from a guy who didn’t have anywhere near the post moves of contemporaries like Duncan or Olajuwon. If you don’t think a superstar is a mortal lock to turn even the highest regarded of defenders into a whimpering puddle one-on-one, then he’s not a superstar.
And let there be no doubt, James is a superstar. I don’t really understand what Detroit was doing on defense, and I’m positive I wasn’t alone. They only trapped LeBron like maybe 20% of the time, and every single time they did, Cleveland didn’t score. In contrast, on almost every occasion that they played him straight up, they got toasted. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to notice the pattern. Also, a major reason that James was able to account for all of his team’s points at the end is because he didn’t really give anyone else much of a chance to score. On the few occasions that Detroit did trap, even though it was obvious that James would have to give the ball up, he held on to it… and held on to it… and held on to it some more, until only three or four seconds remained on the shot clock. It didn’t really give the pass’ recipient much of a chance to get off a quality shot, especially if the pass wasn’t exactly on target, as was almost always the case. It seems Mr. James isn’t interested in making the pass that leads to the pass for the score. That kind of thing doesn’t show up in the box score y’know.
Still, it seems that no one employed by the worldwide leader can be bothered with actual analysis, the “hows” and “whys” of the game. One would think that such a thing is precisely the job description of a professional basketball analyst, but apparently all ESPN wants from their ex-jocks is to scream, “THIS GUY PLAYED WELL. I MEAN, HE REALLY, REALLY PLAYED VERY WELL.”
I, Joe Fan, had an inkling that James played well, but wasn't certain until Greg Anthony confirmed it for me. He played in the league, so now I know for sure.
(sigh).
What’s even more depressing is that sports aren’t even the only field our culture has lost its sense of perspective on. Google “Bush worst president ever” and see how many links you get. I mean, yeah, I dislike him as much as the next guy, but worst ever? Really? Nobody remembers Andrew Johnson or James Buchanan or Franklin Pierce or Woodrow Wilson? His administration is more corrupt than Warren Harding’s or Richard Nixon’s? Dammit people, go read a history book. Dubya might be the worst commander-in-chief of the past sixty years, but the 19th century was littered with awful, awful presidents; scummy, hateful men who were shit politicians to boot. There are many amazing aspects of the time we live in, but unfortunately our legacy as a people might be our total ignorance of all that came before us, which is even more depressing and ironic given how invaluable the internet can be as a research tool. It’s never been easier to learn, yet most of us just refuse to put forth the effort.
James Buchanan: Total douche bag.
And yes, I’m very aware that my unemployment probably gives me more time than most to come up with these dramatic, thoughtful conclusions.
Anyway, the Pistons’ defense finally wised up in Game 6, but by then it was too late. LeBron’s teammates are much more comfortable shooting at home and they combined for 78 points in Game 6 while James only tallied 20, on 3-11 shooting. The Pistons doubled and trapped LeBron all night and he did a credible job of finding his shooters, particularly a fellow named Daniel “Boobie” Gibson, who went off for 31. Hey, what do you know, some of these guys can play. Does this mean that the media has to offer the rest of the Cavs some kind of apology?
I know I’m just pissing into the wind here, but I happen to think the Cavs have a pretty good roster, particularly for an East team. Ilgauskas is a consistent scorer and a determined offensive rebounder. Sideshow Bob brings you a lot of energy and effort on both ends of the floor and gave ‘Sheed fits all series. Larry Hughes might not be much of a shooter, but he’s a holy terror on defense and stalks those passing lanes better than anyone since Pippen. It’s not a great team, but they have pieces there.
In my opinion, the single biggest reason that James’ teammates have gone unappreciated is Mike Brown. They can be a lot more consistent and efficient on offense, but Brown is too reliant on James to create all the buckets and too incompetent to actually run an offense. James all but admitted to the media recently that if the team plays good defense Brown “let’s us do whatever we want on offense.” Egad. And even worse, Brown fuels the media hype by slurping James at every opportunity. One would think a veteran coach would take it upon himself to inflate the contributions of his role players and take the superstar off his pedestal.
Instead, Brown seems to be from the Doug Collins school of coaching, stroking his guy and heaping the blame on everyone else when things go wrong. Pop says plenty of flattering things about Timmy, but he won’t hesitate to admit Duncan sucked when he sucks, as was the case in Utah for Games 3 and 4. I guess Brown’s just looking out for his own skin. James already had one coach shitcanned for not kissing his ass (Paul Silas anyone?), so it’s been established that everyone in the organization has to answer to him. Still, would it have been so goddamn hard for Brown to remove his nose from LBJ’s buttcrack long enough to make a passing mention of the job his guys did defensively in the 4th and in those overtimes to give James the chance to do his thing on offense? For such a defensive guru, it’s weird he seemed so reluctant to mention it. Hell, the guy started his 12 minute press conference with an unprompted four minute soliloquy on the awesomeness of James and only mentioned defense in the context of (you’ll never believe this) how well LBJ played it.
"Um... this might not be the time or place... but... I love you. You hear me LeBron? I love you. I. Love. You."
It is one thing to be self-deprecating, but Brown is setting himself up to look like a total stooge with all of his LBJ worship. If you repeatedly tell the media that the team begins and ends with your star and that you’re just a passenger along for the ride, then nobody in your locker room will take you seriously when real adversity hits. Brown is setting himself to be exposed in these Finals when the inevitable happens because Bobo the Clown isn’t facing him on the opposite bench as was the case against Detroit. The single biggest mismatch of these Finals might be the head coaches, no matter much the media wants to marginalize the LeBronaries, and the fingers will have to point to somebody when Stern hands Peter Holt another big ass golden ball.
They won’t be pointing at James anymore, not for a long while.
Your 3 Stars (remember the Spurs-Jazz part of this post?)
3. Tony Parker – 21 points, 5 assists, 0 turnovers. He attacked the gimpy Williams without a shred of mercy. Really, it was a brilliant closeout game from him.
2. Fabricio Oberto – Our biggest pleasant surprise all playoffs, Fab consistently outplayed his counterpart Okur and repeatedly gave us second chances on offense with his rebounding savvy. He heads to his first Finals as a significant contributor, a shocking upset given his struggles in the second half of the regular season.
1. Michael Finley – The old man gets his redemption in the end, a well deserved trip to the Big One after the bitter way last season ended. Now we’ve got to finish it off so it can be stated, once and for all, that he made the right decision to sign here.
Four wins away from a happy ending. Thanks, Nick Van Exel!
posted by Michael at 11:49 AM
11 comments
Before LeBron's epic performance on Thursday night, I thought a Spurs-Pistons Final was inevitable. Now even diehard Pistons fans, like my friend Joe who I just spoke to, have all but given up hope of a comeback. The Spurs will go seven days without playing before the finals begin in San Antonio on Thursday. It's the same amount of time off the Spurs had when they entered the '05 finals against Detroit. That series started in San Antonio as well, and the Spurs took a 2-0 lead before winning in seven.
posted by D Strickland at 3:05 PM
0 comments
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