*Used with recognition to google images*
“Spurs
taking the road less traveled”
By
Rey Andrade-Garza
May 30, 2013
San
Antonio, TX
First, I promise I won’t gloat or say
I told you so to the hordes and masses of Spurs haters on this planet that
picked the Grizzlies to win. Yes, I laid out every reason in my preview blog to
this series as to why the Spurs were more than ready for the challenge from a mediocre
team, yeah I said it. Yes, a mediocre team that jumped on a dead horse OKC team
hobbled and were one three pointer away from not even being in the WCF’s.
OKC had no way of putting up a fight much less a series worth watching. As the
Spurs swept the Lakers, defeated the media darlings from Golden State and
quickly dispatched the Grizzlies so unceremoniously and so matter of fact. The
NBA analysts and critics scrambled for reasons why this team was still relevant
and how on earth did they make it to NBA Finals six years removed from their
last trip. The answers they gave were more predictable than the Spurs. For all the accolades and the playoff runs the
answers were on short supply and the responses were all too easy to say but
they weren’t. I will address the well
documented “haterization” of the Spurs but also the irony of the praises the
media has of this team. This won’t be
some metaphorical trip or some lame attempt at poetically pinning this team’s
journey to this year’s NBA Finals as some line off a Robert Frost poem. What I will do instead is I will finally put some
perspective to this run, give reasons why the Spurs are still capable of winning
this title and possibly next year’s and how they beat the Pacers or the
Heat without any real effort.
Facing
Indiana
The
hardest part of this year’s playoff run for the Spurs is done. Bold, but
true. The Spurs are so focused that I
don’t see any scenario where this team squanders this opportunity. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have all said as
much. It has not been lost on them nor
has anyone forgotten to remind them it’s been 6 long years since they were in
the Finals. This team has been in the hunt
for many more titles and probably would have been on their 7th title
run this year if not for that unbelievable Derek Fisher 3 pointer, here in SA
in ‘04 or the debacle against the Mavs in ’06.
That Fisher 3 is humanly impossible to do. After the series, I remember my brother tried
to duplicate it. First by trying to make the three and next by passing and
tipping it in as bank shot or layup and I’m no pro but we timed it and never
got faster than 0.7. I liken that three like the JFK conspiracy for Spurs fans,
who know we got robbed from being back to back champions that year. Last year, the Spurs ran out of gas and peaked
at the wrong time against OKC. The Spurs
are healthier and peaking at the right time and as a fan I know the Big Three
will have this chance and only this last chance together. It’s hard to say as a
fan but with Ginobili being a free agent this summer who knows what will
happen. In fact, with Ginobili there are
7 Spurs as free agents this summer. 17
million in cap room will only go so far so the Spurs will have to prioritize
and this is my first reason why the Spurs, with this group wins the title
against the Pacers or Heat. The Pacers
haven’t been to the Finals to the Finals since 2000 and while this team should
been called the "Indiana Trees" with Hibbert, West, Paul George & ½ of the
Hansbrough they lack the discipline, experience and coaching necessary to beat
the Spurs. They are one dimensional team
that plays pick and rolls to get points with George Hill and Paul George but
outside of that the points are few and far between. Roy Hibbert is no push-over
but if he has to battle Duncan and Tiago Splitter on both sides of the court he
will be ineffective. He can’t pass like
Duncan or Tiago and he will have to step outside the paint to cover Duncan’s
jumpers and with a wide open lane Tony Parker will own. Frank Vogel is a fine coach but anything you
want to know about his expertise he showed by not having Hibbert on the last
two plays Lebron drove to the basket in game 2 of the ECF and that demoralized the Pacers I don’t care what
anyone says they have had to play catch
up ever since. I agree with Skip Bayless that the Lebron handshake might as well
been the kiss of death.
Facing
Miami
Miami is the reigning champ and no
disrespect but I don’t think they are as hungry for the title this year. They are perfectly content living the glory
and praises they got every game they won in the regular season and
playoffs. They are crowned every win
they get and that makes their Final run if they get there which I suspect will
happen for ratings and ratings only, less meaningful for them. The Spurs are considered a very poor
ratings draw being ranked 37th, which I know for fact is not true at
all. I teach a class on Communication
Technology and Nielsen ratings are based on a statistical formula of only 4,000
homes nationwide, which in no way documents people viewing habits in bars,
homes, viewing parties, etc. that have no set top boxes. It’s a farce but even
with San Antonio being the 7th largest city we are lumped with the
Charlotte Bobcats of the world with almost 2million people living here in the
metro area. Who cares, this is all a tangent to prove that whatever the truth
is the truth that matters is that watching game 5 of the Pacers vs. Heat point
to the Heat being the draw that David Stern wants. They showed the replay of Nazr Mohammed
pushing LeBron James and getting ejected but Birdman shoves poor who cares its
Tyler Hansbrough, who by the way didn’t even retaliate and receives no ejection?
To add insult to injury it wasn’t even a flagrant two call. It should have been
by every definition of that rule. I can’t
argue with Skip Bayless on the notion that he made two valid points why the
Spurs will win against Miami. The Heat is
the 2nd oldest team and the Spurs are the 7th oldest team
in the NBA. Stephen A. Smith alleges
that’s deceptive because the starting Five for the Spurs are older than the
Heat starting five and that is true but the Spurs bench is loaded with young
talent that overmatch the old Heat bench at every position. Plus, as Skip put it, Wade maybe 31 but his
knee is 44. It’s funny to say but for once the Spurs are faster, younger and
deeper than the Heat. They also are on a
roll and the Heat well, not so much. The
Spurs have been resting and the Heat has been gathering more miles and more
bruises. Let’s not even compare coaches
because Eric Spoelstra can coach 10 more years and never be Coach
Popovich. Sorry to be so blunt and mean
but it’s true. He isn’t in the same league even though they will share the same
court. The Heat are a feisty group and I
can see them getting rattled by calls not going their way and even in fighting,
panicking and resorting to scrappy dirty plays that will not rattle the Spurs
in any way, shape or form. Last and not
least, Tony Parker is the MVP of the playoffs and right now; no one can stand in
front of him so they might as well enjoy the show.
“Haterization”
vs. “History”
Haterization
is the sincerest form of jealousy. I hear it here in San Antonio and it makes
me sick because I feel that if this team was in LA, Miami, Boston or Chicago
they would be household names, women would be calling their kids Tiago, Kwahi,
Dajuan in tribute to lesser known hometown heroes and sneaker commercials would
be the norm and statutes erected in their honor. As stereotypical as these
words sound it’s true. They would be legendary and history would forever mark
their accolades with those of the great.
Small problem, they are in San Antonio so it should matter less? Well,
history has proven that even with 16 playoff runs, 37 playoff experiences, 4
titles and countless seasons of 50 wins or more the Spurs are the New York
Yankees of the NBA. People expect them
to win and compete every year and they are hated for it but one small
difference they aren’t in New York. Can you imagine anyone talking crap about
this team in a high profile market like those teams I just mentioned? There
would be haters but they would be drowned by far more love than hate for sure. As a sports fan, or even a true basketball
fan what more could you want from a franchise? All they do is win and even as
the cliché goes everyone loves a winner, why in this case is it not true? You
can point to all the stupid reasons the analysts give but even the flipside of
this equation is not true either. You
can say well, the Spurs are an “under –the-radar” or underdog team but every
year fans in droves flock in support of them, which ironically enough the Spurs
faced such a team in Golden State this year.
Well, they aren’t sexy enough, they don’t pound their chest or celebrate
the moment with handshakes to opponents or maybe, they are arrogant and
unapproachable and like some have said they don’t welcome the limelight. Who cares? Rush was a band that never cared
for the limelight but their millions of rabid fans got them into the
rock-n-roll hall of fame this year.
Barry Sanders was a quiet warrior in the Detroit Lions backfield but
when he played on Sundays his phenomenal runs were unforgettable that even to
this day fans pay tribute to him as they did by putting him on the cover of
Madden 25th Anniversary Edition game. So why aren’t the San Antonio Spurs hailed in
like manner at the very least? LeBron James is as loved as he is hated yet the
love is there for him and even though I don’t sing his praises enough people do
for good reason, he is a champion and whether his team was bought instead of
built as the Pacer signs say in this series so too are the Spurs. They scout their talent, draft it and people
say the Spurs were lucky but they wouldn’t have to be if they were
respected like the Lakers or Celtics and if players were smart they would
choose the title runs instead of the paycheck runs but the allure is in getting the
fame on a daily basis the likes that the Heat enjoy but that the Spurs deserve and
never get. As unfair as it is and while
I relish the idea of the Spurs getting their due, somehow, I think the would
mean little to me if everyone loved them because than I feel it would feel less
special and as I fight to say how good they are there is satisfaction that they
do there really great work fighting year after year on the court for all the
blind bats to see.
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