Spurs Win Title - Nation Rolls Over And Goes Back To Bed

[THUNDER HANDS]

ho-hum.

Congrats to all you Spurs fans, it was a great series...

...for 3 games.

But please, no more. You guys aren't doing anything to help the NBA. The League needs a New York, LA, Chicago, ect. in the finals.

Or at least a star worth watching.

Bring on the NBA Draft!

[evlbstrd]

1. City-ist.

Good for the Spurs!
And I don't watch basketball.

[marmar]

2. When those cities get decent teams...

I'm sure they'll be gladly welcomed into the finals. Until then....
:nopity:

[catzies]

3. Bitter much?

I can relate.

I'm still not over June 14, 1998 and I have to relive it in endless Gatorade commercials.

[Sandpiper]

4. Yeah, I sure do miss the Lakers sweeping the Nets

And beating Philly 4-1.

Now those were some riveting Finals. :sarcasm:

[jobycom]

5. Would you like some cheese

with your whine of sour grapes?

:cry:

[HuckleB]

6. Yeah, the last thing the NBA needed was a couple of actual teams...

in the finals.

:eyes:

What a sad state of affairs for fandom in the US. Off-court drama and hype are more important than the game, I guess. Sheesh. This was the first 7th game in the NBA finals in 11 years. Tim Duncan won his 3rd Finals MVP, tying Magic, Jordan and Shaq for the record, and, yet, he's not a superstar?

Very interesting.

[GOPisEvil]

7. Then New York, LA and Chicago should build themselves better teams.

Let's face it, if a city the size of SAN ANTONIO can build a winning team, then why can't the other teams? Hmmmmm? Maybe because they are poorly managed?

It's not the Spurs' job to appeal to a certain aesthetic. It's their job to win games. Appealing to aesthetic is what gets teams in trouble.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Um! Little Problem With That!

Chicago and LA have won 9 of the last 15 titles, no?

Now, i'll give you that Krause screwed up the Bulls with hubris after the 6th championship. But, the ship appears to be righted, now. They aren't champsionship caliber yet, but a couple of pieces will make them contenders. (They need a 2, unless Deng can do that. Or a 2 and a 4)
The Professor

[GOPisEvil]

14. Yeah, that was poorly worded on my part.

I supose I should have singled out the Knicks.

My overall point was that the Spurs and Pistons should not be blamed for their success, and they should not be blamed for not being sexy. Rather, they should be celebrated for their success. Ask the people in Phoenix what they'd rather have. Sure their team is fun to watch, but they didn't win the championship.

[ProfessorGAC]

21. Completely Concur

I like the way the Spurs play. Same for the Pistons. Hard but not dirty. Team oriented, but not stodgy and slow.

And yeah, the Suns fans would probably rather have a championship. Who wouldn't?

The only teams in recent memory that could win a championship and still be high flyin' & excitin' were the Showtime Lakers, the first 3-peat Bulls, and the Sixers of the mid-80's. Even the Celtics weren't exciting. They were just really good. Same for the Rockets and the last 3peat Lakers.
The Professor

[THUNDER HANDS]

10. you didn't build a team

A team fell into your lap after Robinson got hurt and you guys tanked your season, got lucky, got the first pick in the draft and selected Tim Duncan.

That was a miracle, not some stroke of genius from a GM.

I'll give you credit for Parker and Ginobli, those were good draft choices, especially since they were so low in the draft - but without the gift that was Duncan, you guys would be just another team.

And my Nets would have won the finals. Damn you. :)

[HuckleB]

11. So...

I guess that goes for the Bulls, too. I mean, everyone knows you don't pick Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, right?

[THUNDER HANDS]

16. well, Jordan was picked 3rd

and the circumstances were different. The Spurs were already a solid team before Duncan came to them, by adding Duncan they assured themselves that they would be a Finals contender for the next decade.

Its not often that a good team has a few bad breaks, misses the playoffs, THEN gets the first pick, WHO JUST HAPPENS TO BE the best player of any draft five years before or since.

It was what I said it was, a miracle.

The Bulls sucked a lot when they drafted Jordan, which is why they had the 3rd pick in the draft. They earned that spot. They were fortunate Portland went for size in that draft, but getting Jordan was much less a mircale than the Spurs getting Duncan.

[HuckleB]

19. I'd say...

getting Jordan at any period of time is a big time miracle. Further, the Spurs were clearly a very thin team at the time, with one or two guys who could bring them up to speed. You don't miss the playoffs in the NBA if you don't have problems, regardless of an individual injury or two.

[GOPisEvil]

12. You don't build a team?

Are you high?

Parker and Ginobli were drafted at the tail end of the 1st round. 20-something teams could have drafted them and passed. How about key free agent signings? Horry? Glenn Robinson? Bruce Bowen? Mid-seaons trades? Nazr Mohammed?

Drafting high is no guarantee of success. Look at the Clippers. They draft high all the damned time and never win jack. Sure Duncan falling into our laps was fortunate, but you still have to surround him with talent.

Another case in point: Only 3 players are left from the 2003 Championship team. Only Duncan remains from 1999. That's effective front office management.

[THUNDER HANDS]

13. I gave you credit for the other moves

But you would not have even reached the finals without Duncan. And Duncan was a miracle.

[GOPisEvil]

15. Even miracles are no guarantee.

Ask the Knicks and Patrick Ewing. :)

And hey, unless it's agains the Spurs, I pull for the Nets. Us former ABA teams need to stick together. :P

[THUNDER HANDS]

17. thanks

but Ewing is no Duncan, I think any honest Knicks fan would tell you they'd take Duncan in a heartbeat over Ewing - who was a 7-1 small forward.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Congrats! Happy Happy To The Spurs' Fans

Good team. Solid players. Hey, they actually play defense! I guess Detroit isn't the only team that has more than one guy who GUARDS PEOPLE!
The Professor

[OKNancy]

18. Oh good grief

It's not like San Antonio is some backwater berg. It's the 8th largest city in the US.

[HuckleB]

20. LOL!

God forbid that the Bucks ever win the title again. Apparently the big city folk would riot or something.

[jakefrep]

22. The title of the thread says it all...

...since that's what literally happened. For all the bitching some folks like to do about the late start of World Series and baseball playoff games, I'm surprised we haven't heard any complaints about the fact that none of the Finals games started befor 9pm in the East.

[Captain Hilts]

23. I even had a hard time staying up for the Mets-Yanks series

and that was a dream come true.

Late starts also make it diffucult to watch the games with friends. Who wants to be driviing home during the eighth inning when things are heating up?

The NBA was foolish to have the games on this late.

[HuckleB]

25. I suppose it could be because few in the East were watching?

:shrug:

[jakefrep]

27. You could be right...

...although Detroit is in the Eastern time zone.

[greenbriar]

24. Spurs are a classy team

no showboaters

no thugs

team players all of em

[LisaM]

26. Except I could do without Duncan pointing at God

and saying he won (this was Game 5) because of prayer. Sorry, that bugs me.

[GOPisEvil]

28. Duncan said that?

Or was it Horry? Horry hit the GW shot in game 5.

Duncan doesn't normally do the point to God thing. If so, that's new. No matter who did it, players invoking God for their victories somehow don't blame God when they lose. Seems disingenuous.

[LisaM]

29. I saw it on the Detroit news after Game 5

Mind you, Duncan is not alone in this. I don't like it, though.

[GOPisEvil]

30. I don't care for it myself.

Hmmm.

[LisaM]

31. Oh, P.S. what about Bowen tearing off Rip's mask?

That little incident went unnoticed....

[GOPisEvil]

32. When was this?

All I saw was Bowen postponing his celebrating to speak with Larry Brown after the game.

[LisaM]

33. It was during one of the games

one of the first five - I think it was game 4, but not sure.

[LisaM]

34. It was in Game 3. n/t

[lazarus]

35. The mask

is held on with velcro. Gets knocked off on occasion. It wasn't "torn off". And it was replayed over and over and over and over, but somehow escaped notice?