Sports Commentary June 13, 2005
B & G Imagination Junction
The Two Best T E A M S In The NBA ………………
When a sports season reaches its final stage people tend to say, “It’s about time.” The National Basketball Association has begun its championship series and there is the urge to think that it is a long time between November and June.
The defending champion Detroit Pistons are facing the champion of 2003, the San Antonio Spurs.
November does seem a long while ago. As the 2004-2005 season got underway this column gave its prediction—though not right on I did play horseshoes.
My finalists were forecast to be the Spurs and Miami Heat. Miami darned near made me look good as they fell to the Pistons in a seven game Eastern Conference Final. I, as most, correctly thought that would be the Eastern match up
The joker in the final four was the Phoenix Suns. Until the Spurs ended the Suns rags to riches campaign, in the Western Final in five games, the Suns amassed the best record in the NBA and played the most exciting and entertaining basketball seen in the league in recent years.
Yet, the Spurs caused the Suns to set for the same reason that the Heat was chilled by Detroit. Miami has Shaq and Dwayne Wade while the Suns have Steve Nash, Amari Stoudemeir and score one-hundred fifteen a night but, simply put, total basketball still wins and our finalists are the two best true teams in the current NBA.
The Pistons were a surprise winner, last year, but showed that substance and unity will beat flash and acrimony nearly every time.
In his first year, as Pistons coach, Larry Brown preached the team concept and found answers to piece the puzzle together. General Manager, Joe Dumars, has made all the right personnel moves.
Maybe the current Pistons have one legitimate future hall of fame player in forward Ben Wallace but even he is not mentioned in the same breath as the other marquee names around the league—Ben Wallace is a great player among a bunch of very good players that all play the roles that Brown casts them in to play.
It is old-fashioned and at times boring to watch but is highly effective.
If it seems a long way from last November it can never be long enough for the Pistons. Injuries and illness caused the defenders to begin the season as a battered victor—even Brown missed a few games because of surgery and might need more that could force retirement after this series concludes.
Late in this season’s first month Detroit was under .500 when the vanquished Eastern finalist, from a year ago, came to town. The Indiana Pacers won that night but no one will ever recall that.
What will, forever, be recalled was The Brawl. The brawl will live in infamy but, for the near future, nearly ruined the Pistons season.
Somehow, though, Detroit pulled itself back together and got back to being the team that they were the season before.
At season’s end they were playing as well as anyone in the NBA. The Pistons won its division and finished with the second best conference record behind only the Heat.
The Spurs dipped some, last year, being eliminated in the Western Final by the Los Angeles Lakers.
San Antonio was still a good team but in transition after the retirement of David Robinson and the further development of Tony Parker as its playmaker.
The Spurs had the incomparable Tim Duncan and the emerging superstar Manu Ginobili so the falloff was not that severe.
This season did not begin as planned, for the Spurs, as it did not in Motown. The Spurs struggled early but, by season’s end, had all the pieces back together.
Duncan was still a few games returned from a foot injury, when the playoffs began, but he showed that he was fit and the Spurs showed why they are so very good.
Parker grew up in France. His father was a professional basketball player who played, for many years, in Europe and married a French woman--Parker was drafted by the Spurs after a brief but spectacular run on the French national team. He returned to play for France in last year’s Summer Olympics.
During the Spurs championship run, two years ago, the club nearly grew impatient with the young Parker as there was a poorly kept secret of a flirtation with free agent Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets, the team that the Spurs swept in the 2003 Final.
Kidd spurned the Spurs staying with the Nets, Parker kept his job and now it looks like the best deal that the Spurs ever failed to close as Parker is-perhaps-the most important player on the floor for San Antonio.
Soccer/football is, unquestionably, the biggest sport in Argentina yet Manu Ginobili is-currently-the South American nations biggest sports star. Last summer, in Athens, he led Argentina to the basketball gold medal and now in his third year, with the Spurs, already wears an NBA championship ring.
Apologies to that group of thrill-seekers in Phoenix, Allan Iverson, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony or even Kobe Bryant but Ginobili might be the most exciting complete player in the league right now.
Ginobili brought to the Spurs seasoned international experience and has adapted quite well to the grind of the NBA. In the Spurs run, two years ago and though a guard, he picked up much of the lost scoring of Robinson who-in his last active season-came off the bench.
Now Ginobili is one of the stars.Yet, he is not the man because only Duncan can hold that title. Yet, only on the Spurs, could a player as Duncan be just one of the boys.
The Spurs are the best organization, from top to bottom, in the NBA. Players are treated with class and dignity, of course paid very well and toil in a less pressurized player-friendly city.
The coach and general manager is Greg Popovich who has emerged as the best active coach, in the league, this side of Larry Brown—that is not coincidental.
Brown and Popovich are long-standing friends. In the 1980s Popovich was a college coach in California. He took a one-year leave of absence just to study the coaching of the University of North Carolina’s Dean Smith and Brown who was then at the University of Kansas.
Brown later coached the Spurs and hired Popovich as an assistant. For the past two summers Brown and Popovich have been together with the US national team including the Olympics.
A few years ago Brown remarried—Popovich was his best man and during the NBA season they talk, on the phone, nearly each day.
As with Dumars in Detroit, Popovich has crafted a marvelous aggregation—coaching-wise he is Larry Brown West.
Brown has plenty of bullets to fire at his friend. Along with Ben Wallace is Dumar’s key acquisition, from last year, Rasheed Wallace. There is last season’s Finals most valuable player, Chauncey Billips. Toss in Richard Hamilton and Keyshown Prince and this is a worthy defender.
Game one of the best of seven series was played on Thursday with the Spurs holding serve at home—game two will be played, back in San Antonio, tomorrow night before three games in Michigan this coming week.
Way back in November I predicted that the Spurs would win it all and will remain firm in my conviction.
This is a clash of two clubs that truly play as teams. Coaches like to say that there is no I in the word team. Brown and Popovich get that message across and they do have some fair talent.
San Antonio is more athletic but I think that the difference, in these two clubs, is the bench. One of the reasons that the Spurs slipped last year was a weaker bench—led by free agent Brent Barry that is no longer the case.
Detroit will not relinquish its crown easily as they showed in rallying from 3-2 to win the Miami series and from fighting back after that horrible night in November.
Yet, relinquish they will and I believe it will be in six games.
The run and gun style, of the Suns, was a breath of fresh air for the league but the Spurs reminded the Suns and us all that scoring more points is great entertainment but one still must play the total gamed to win.
So, now we get to watch the two best butt heads and remind us that basketball still is a team sport with no need to dot the I.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you would like the commentary to arrive in your email inbox every week, please email to subscribe@bgimagination.com
Remember that no purchase from B&G is necessary to receive these inspired thoughts of mine.
Still, though, do tell all that have eyes about our website.
These thoughts are B’s and are not necessarily shared by G
The Two Best T E A M S In The NBA ………………
When a sports season reaches its final stage people tend to say, “It’s about time.” The National Basketball Association has begun its championship series and there is the urge to think that it is a long time between November and June.
The defending champion Detroit Pistons are facing the champion of 2003, the San Antonio Spurs.
November does seem a long while ago. As the 2004-2005 season got underway this column gave its prediction—though not right on I did play horseshoes.
My finalists were forecast to be the Spurs and Miami Heat. Miami darned near made me look good as they fell to the Pistons in a seven game Eastern Conference Final. I, as most, correctly thought that would be the Eastern match up
The joker in the final four was the Phoenix Suns. Until the Spurs ended the Suns rags to riches campaign, in the Western Final in five games, the Suns amassed the best record in the NBA and played the most exciting and entertaining basketball seen in the league in recent years.
Yet, the Spurs caused the Suns to set for the same reason that the Heat was chilled by Detroit. Miami has Shaq and Dwayne Wade while the Suns have Steve Nash, Amari Stoudemeir and score one-hundred fifteen a night but, simply put, total basketball still wins and our finalists are the two best true teams in the current NBA.
The Pistons were a surprise winner, last year, but showed that substance and unity will beat flash and acrimony nearly every time.
In his first year, as Pistons coach, Larry Brown preached the team concept and found answers to piece the puzzle together. General Manager, Joe Dumars, has made all the right personnel moves.
Maybe the current Pistons have one legitimate future hall of fame player in forward Ben Wallace but even he is not mentioned in the same breath as the other marquee names around the league—Ben Wallace is a great player among a bunch of very good players that all play the roles that Brown casts them in to play.
It is old-fashioned and at times boring to watch but is highly effective.
If it seems a long way from last November it can never be long enough for the Pistons. Injuries and illness caused the defenders to begin the season as a battered victor—even Brown missed a few games because of surgery and might need more that could force retirement after this series concludes.
Late in this season’s first month Detroit was under .500 when the vanquished Eastern finalist, from a year ago, came to town. The Indiana Pacers won that night but no one will ever recall that.
What will, forever, be recalled was The Brawl. The brawl will live in infamy but, for the near future, nearly ruined the Pistons season.
Somehow, though, Detroit pulled itself back together and got back to being the team that they were the season before.
At season’s end they were playing as well as anyone in the NBA. The Pistons won its division and finished with the second best conference record behind only the Heat.
The Spurs dipped some, last year, being eliminated in the Western Final by the Los Angeles Lakers.
San Antonio was still a good team but in transition after the retirement of David Robinson and the further development of Tony Parker as its playmaker.
The Spurs had the incomparable Tim Duncan and the emerging superstar Manu Ginobili so the falloff was not that severe.
This season did not begin as planned, for the Spurs, as it did not in Motown. The Spurs struggled early but, by season’s end, had all the pieces back together.
Duncan was still a few games returned from a foot injury, when the playoffs began, but he showed that he was fit and the Spurs showed why they are so very good.
Parker grew up in France. His father was a professional basketball player who played, for many years, in Europe and married a French woman--Parker was drafted by the Spurs after a brief but spectacular run on the French national team. He returned to play for France in last year’s Summer Olympics.
During the Spurs championship run, two years ago, the club nearly grew impatient with the young Parker as there was a poorly kept secret of a flirtation with free agent Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets, the team that the Spurs swept in the 2003 Final.
Kidd spurned the Spurs staying with the Nets, Parker kept his job and now it looks like the best deal that the Spurs ever failed to close as Parker is-perhaps-the most important player on the floor for San Antonio.
Soccer/football is, unquestionably, the biggest sport in Argentina yet Manu Ginobili is-currently-the South American nations biggest sports star. Last summer, in Athens, he led Argentina to the basketball gold medal and now in his third year, with the Spurs, already wears an NBA championship ring.
Apologies to that group of thrill-seekers in Phoenix, Allan Iverson, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony or even Kobe Bryant but Ginobili might be the most exciting complete player in the league right now.
Ginobili brought to the Spurs seasoned international experience and has adapted quite well to the grind of the NBA. In the Spurs run, two years ago and though a guard, he picked up much of the lost scoring of Robinson who-in his last active season-came off the bench.
Now Ginobili is one of the stars.Yet, he is not the man because only Duncan can hold that title. Yet, only on the Spurs, could a player as Duncan be just one of the boys.
The Spurs are the best organization, from top to bottom, in the NBA. Players are treated with class and dignity, of course paid very well and toil in a less pressurized player-friendly city.
The coach and general manager is Greg Popovich who has emerged as the best active coach, in the league, this side of Larry Brown—that is not coincidental.
Brown and Popovich are long-standing friends. In the 1980s Popovich was a college coach in California. He took a one-year leave of absence just to study the coaching of the University of North Carolina’s Dean Smith and Brown who was then at the University of Kansas.
Brown later coached the Spurs and hired Popovich as an assistant. For the past two summers Brown and Popovich have been together with the US national team including the Olympics.
A few years ago Brown remarried—Popovich was his best man and during the NBA season they talk, on the phone, nearly each day.
As with Dumars in Detroit, Popovich has crafted a marvelous aggregation—coaching-wise he is Larry Brown West.
Brown has plenty of bullets to fire at his friend. Along with Ben Wallace is Dumar’s key acquisition, from last year, Rasheed Wallace. There is last season’s Finals most valuable player, Chauncey Billips. Toss in Richard Hamilton and Keyshown Prince and this is a worthy defender.
Game one of the best of seven series was played on Thursday with the Spurs holding serve at home—game two will be played, back in San Antonio, tomorrow night before three games in Michigan this coming week.
Way back in November I predicted that the Spurs would win it all and will remain firm in my conviction.
This is a clash of two clubs that truly play as teams. Coaches like to say that there is no I in the word team. Brown and Popovich get that message across and they do have some fair talent.
San Antonio is more athletic but I think that the difference, in these two clubs, is the bench. One of the reasons that the Spurs slipped last year was a weaker bench—led by free agent Brent Barry that is no longer the case.
Detroit will not relinquish its crown easily as they showed in rallying from 3-2 to win the Miami series and from fighting back after that horrible night in November.
Yet, relinquish they will and I believe it will be in six games.
The run and gun style, of the Suns, was a breath of fresh air for the league but the Spurs reminded the Suns and us all that scoring more points is great entertainment but one still must play the total gamed to win.
So, now we get to watch the two best butt heads and remind us that basketball still is a team sport with no need to dot the I.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you would like the commentary to arrive in your email inbox every week, please email to subscribe@bgimagination.com
Remember that no purchase from B&G is necessary to receive these inspired thoughts of mine.
Still, though, do tell all that have eyes about our website.
These thoughts are B’s and are not necessarily shared by G
posted by bgi at
7:37 AM
1 Comments:
Hey, Great Stuff. I'll be back to read often.
Jon
http://www.pistonsnews.com
By
Jonathon Combs, at 6:47 PM
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