1: True or False - After the buzzer sounded on Game 7, LeBron James was physically lifted into Heaven by a host of angels with fiery swords and Miami Heat "White Hot" branded merchandise?
2: The Spurs lost because:
Showing posts with label San Antonio Spurs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Antonio Spurs. Show all posts
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
The Points, They Are Tipping
Until recently, the definition of "oversteering" was "what Rich does when playing a racing game on his 360", which is why my nephew loves firing up Driver: San Francisco (Ubisoft Reflections, represent!) every time he visits - he's got a better chance of staying on the road than I do. I'll skid a little to the right, go hard left, slide out of control, try to go right, and end up with a perfectly harmless Alfa Romeo that never did no harm to nobody wrapped around the Coit Tower.
Twice.
Twice.
Sunday, June 02, 2013
Why I Am Rooting For The Heat
I am rooting for the Miami Heat out of sheer, enlightened self-interest.
It is not because I am a fan of LeBron James, though I remain puzzled as to why an athlete who took less money in exchange for a better chance of winning remains vilified by the press. It's not because I have any love for The House That Pat Riley Built, or for the colorful bro-hood of burgeoning psychopath Chris Andersen, or the South Beach Home For Wayward Duke Alumni (c/o Shane Battier).
It is not because I am a fan of LeBron James, though I remain puzzled as to why an athlete who took less money in exchange for a better chance of winning remains vilified by the press. It's not because I have any love for The House That Pat Riley Built, or for the colorful bro-hood of burgeoning psychopath Chris Andersen, or the South Beach Home For Wayward Duke Alumni (c/o Shane Battier).
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Great Moments In Realizing San Antonio Is Really Good (Again)
It has become increasingly clear that the dominant narrative of the upcoming NBA Finals is going to be "why don't we like San Antonio more?"
It's an old song, one we've heard before, and it's one reporters and pundits rediscover every time the Spurs make some noise in the playoffs. Basically, it goes like this: Gosh, we keep on talking about how we want teams that play fundamental ball and don't have any divas or criminals, and yet when one comes along like San Antonio, nobody wants to talk about them!"
It's an old song, one we've heard before, and it's one reporters and pundits rediscover every time the Spurs make some noise in the playoffs. Basically, it goes like this: Gosh, we keep on talking about how we want teams that play fundamental ball and don't have any divas or criminals, and yet when one comes along like San Antonio, nobody wants to talk about them!"
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Bear Season
Did anyone really doubt?
I mean, the Memphis Grizzlies were a great story, and it was fashionable to talk about them as a dark horse coming out of the Western Conference for a while, in the same way it was fashionable to talk about how you couldn't wait to go see Oz The Great And Powerful until it actually showed up in theaters and you suddenly realized you had much better things to do with your life. Yes, they beat a Clippers team that was hobbled by injuries and crippled by internal dissension over the fate of its underskilled coach. Yes, they also beat a Thunder team that was - stop me if you've heard this - crippled by injuries. And they had some nifty inside-outside play, and Kid Gasol has finally grown up, and any Sixers fan who roots against a team coached by Lionel Hollins should have their fan card revoked.
But.
The fact is, they don't get past a Thunder team at full strength. They probably don't get past an all-cylinders Clippers team. I mean, kudos to Griz GM Chris Wallace for putting together a very good team, but the fact of the matter is that the NBA playoffs are an endless deathmarch where there are too many opportunities for one injury to wreck a team's entire season. (See also: Westbrook, Russell; If you ever wondered why any given series can last longer than the siege of Stalingrad, it's so the inevitable casualties of the four-round grind have the month or so before the playoffs end to get themselves back into playing shape.) Both of Memphis' prior opponents fell victim to attrition as much as they did Zach Randolph and Mike Conley.
But.
The Spurs don't lose series to teams like the Griz. They lose series when they're outmanned and outgunned, when the talent difference is just too much for execution and coaching to overcome. When the playing field is reasonably level, they're a machine. Duncan and Parker and Ginobili have been through the grind too many times together under coach Greg Popovich, are just too automatic and practiced to beat themselves. And so as much fun as the Grizzlies were, deep down, we all knew this was the end of the line for them.
But, hey. It was fun while it lasted.
I mean, the Memphis Grizzlies were a great story, and it was fashionable to talk about them as a dark horse coming out of the Western Conference for a while, in the same way it was fashionable to talk about how you couldn't wait to go see Oz The Great And Powerful until it actually showed up in theaters and you suddenly realized you had much better things to do with your life. Yes, they beat a Clippers team that was hobbled by injuries and crippled by internal dissension over the fate of its underskilled coach. Yes, they also beat a Thunder team that was - stop me if you've heard this - crippled by injuries. And they had some nifty inside-outside play, and Kid Gasol has finally grown up, and any Sixers fan who roots against a team coached by Lionel Hollins should have their fan card revoked.
But.
The fact is, they don't get past a Thunder team at full strength. They probably don't get past an all-cylinders Clippers team. I mean, kudos to Griz GM Chris Wallace for putting together a very good team, but the fact of the matter is that the NBA playoffs are an endless deathmarch where there are too many opportunities for one injury to wreck a team's entire season. (See also: Westbrook, Russell; If you ever wondered why any given series can last longer than the siege of Stalingrad, it's so the inevitable casualties of the four-round grind have the month or so before the playoffs end to get themselves back into playing shape.) Both of Memphis' prior opponents fell victim to attrition as much as they did Zach Randolph and Mike Conley.
But.
The Spurs don't lose series to teams like the Griz. They lose series when they're outmanned and outgunned, when the talent difference is just too much for execution and coaching to overcome. When the playing field is reasonably level, they're a machine. Duncan and Parker and Ginobili have been through the grind too many times together under coach Greg Popovich, are just too automatic and practiced to beat themselves. And so as much fun as the Grizzlies were, deep down, we all knew this was the end of the line for them.
But, hey. It was fun while it lasted.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Dear NBA
Please, for the love that is all that is good in this world, stop trying to make a story out of Spurs-Lakers. The Spurs were one of the best teams in the NBA this year, not that anyone noticed. The Lakers fired their coach, scuffled, and led the league only in "number of appearances as lead story on SportsCenter". The Spurs are largely healthy. The Lakers, missing Kobe Bryant and generally running a roster out there more suited to a Flomax commercial than running the floor, aren't. The Spurs have their best player on the floor. The Lakers don't.
And while I realize it is your job to drum up interest in what is honestly a not-terribly-interesting matchup, and while I realize that "the Lakers were hot, even without Kobe!" and "the Spurs slumped going into the playoffs!" can be seen, if you squint hard enough, to look vaguely like a chance for an L.A. upset, we all know better.
Kobe's done for the year, maybe forever. The Lakers are done, too. And if you spent a little time getting the casual fan base interested in any team other than L.A. or Miami, maybe you could feel comfortable talking to us about one of the actually interesting series going on instead.
And while I realize it is your job to drum up interest in what is honestly a not-terribly-interesting matchup, and while I realize that "the Lakers were hot, even without Kobe!" and "the Spurs slumped going into the playoffs!" can be seen, if you squint hard enough, to look vaguely like a chance for an L.A. upset, we all know better.
Kobe's done for the year, maybe forever. The Lakers are done, too. And if you spent a little time getting the casual fan base interested in any team other than L.A. or Miami, maybe you could feel comfortable talking to us about one of the actually interesting series going on instead.
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