Monday, September 28th, 2009...6:42 am
The Return of Spurs Basketball
I can’t pin the quote down, but G.K. Chesterton once chased after the meaning of our “propensity to indulge in the monotonous.” This is how he explained it: If a father throws a child into the air, the child returns to his father’s arms all wide-eyed and full of wonder with a simple request, “Do it again, Daddy. Do it again.” And so the father throws his child back into the air, and the child returns with the same impassioned plea. “Do it again.”
It’s that same sense of wonder that causes us to marvel at the sun each morning, that same old sun we’ve watched every morning before. The earth’s daily turn is nothing if not common. But, nevertheless, it’s still remarkable to see each new day rushing over the horizon.
At the risk of trivializing Chesterton, here we go again. Another training camp. Another season. Another impassioned plea to “Do it again.” It’s just basketball, but I love it. I could watch Manu Ginobili start right and come back left a hundred times over without the briefest moment of boredom.
But, of course, the difference between what Chesterton was after and what we’re up against is pronounced. The San Antonio Spurs are not racing forward along a countless sequence of sunrises and sunsets. This season’s most intriguing storyline is the fact that for the Spurs, these Spurs, time is measured. Everyone knows it. And most notably, the Spurs themselves.
The Spurs spent the offseason getting younger, except for the fact that Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Antonio McDyess have reached the point of only getting older. Gregg Popovich used to scoff at media reports suggesting the team was too old. “Yes, I know,” he’d mock, “we’re older than dirt.” This summer the Spurs stopped dismissing the obvious. They owned up to age and injected new life into the roster. This offseason was as much the herald of something new as a stark notice of finality.
Lap it up, Spurs fans. It’s down to this. The final few seasons of the Tim Duncan era. It’s weird because we’re actually talking about seasons to go, and not a sudden disappearance from view. But whatever it is that happened this offseason, we know this much is true: the Spurs are unmistakably determined to finish well.
So we’ll be watching Manu Ginobili’s ankles and Tim Duncan’s legs, and we’ll wonder how Popovich will manage their minutes. We’ll hope that one of the newer acquisitions plays beyond expectation. We’ll watch because what we want more than anything is to see the Spurs do it again.
35 Comments
September 28th, 2009 at 7:19 am
“Duncan has also lost pain in his knees.”
Taken from the Harvey column, that sentence made my day. I really hope and KG for that matter can overcome their respective knee problems.
I’m gunning for a Celtics-Spurs final. Go Spurs!
September 28th, 2009 at 8:38 am
2009-2010 SPURS vs LAKERS
Reality check guys.
1. Parker/Hill vs. Fischer/Brown/Farmar
2. Ginobili/Mason vs. Bryant/Vujacic
3. Jefferson/Finley/Bogans vs. Artest/Walton/Odom
4. Duncan/Bonner/Blair/Haislip vs. Gasol/Odom/Powell
5. McDyess/Ratliff/Mahinmi vs. Bynum/Mbenga
I LOVE my Spurs. I truly do. But we really need our centers to step it up big time or we’re not getting past the Western Conference Finals. Let’s not overestimate ourselves. PLEASE.
The only matchup that we clearly win is at PG.
We definitely don’t win at SG. It’s close at SF if you factor in Artest’s sanity. We’ll call PF a wash since I’d still take Duncan over Gasol but LA’s backups are better. Which leads us to the Center position where we give up 2 inches and 50 lbs to Andrew Bynum (not to mention a solid offensive low-post game).
Lakers have the most stacked team in recent NBA history.
C’mon Mr. Holt, Mr. Buford and Coach P. Take take that last step and get that last piece.
Why pay the luxury tax for a team that can’t get to the Finals because of LA?
September 28th, 2009 at 9:14 am
not just the pg that we have won we have also won @ PF because timmy is the greatest PF of all time.
September 28th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Yeah! LET’S GET IT ON!
Seriously, I cannot remember the last time I was this excited about a season!
Also, I think the match-up with the Lakers is in “wait-and-see” mode since they have some injury issues of their own each season (primarily to their bigs). AND I’ll believe it when I see it with Artest settling down.
September 28th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Damn good writing, Tim. I have never been so excited about a training camp before. I think the consensus among the fans is that we’re watching the passing of something momentous, a team for the ages.
We’re probably all chasing that story-book ending, and who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky.
September 28th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Yeah, that Bynum guy has been unstoppable.
September 28th, 2009 at 9:51 am
we have the best 1-4 in the league when its crunch time 1.parker 2.ginobili 3.jefferson 4.duncan and the lakers have the best 2-5 when its crunch time 2.kobe 3.artest 4.odom 5.gasol.
it is all about the bench but i can see us taking them in 7 but we should trade for raja bell since charlotte is shopping him.
September 28th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Honestly guys, I am a HUGE Spurs fan since the early Robinson years. I own a Robinson jersey and 2 Duncan jerseys. I’m in the middle of rewatching all of the Spurs championship wins on DVD as we speak. I LOVE these guys.
But, you’ve got to be kidding if you think that Ginobili is better than Kobe (as errin suggests).
You’ve got to be kidding me if you’d take Richard Jefferson over Ron Artest just based on pure skill. I’ll give Jefferson the nod on athleticism and attacking the hoop, but Artest has got him beat as a post up player and big time on defense. Not to mention that Artest is possibly the only LeBron stopper in the league. The guy has been one of the elite wing defenders in the league for years now, that’s not news. And let’s remember that they will be platooning Artest with Lamar Odom the most versatile 6th man in the league (at 6’10″ with guard skills…jeez).
As for Timmy vs. Pau, well, don’t get me wrong, I’ve written elsewhere on 48 Minutes of Hell about how Pau’s defense is still not as good as Timmy’s at the current moment, and I still don’t think that Pau’s low post game is quite as effective as Timmy’s, but Pau is definitely money from 18 feet out all last year and remember, Pau is in his prime. The Lakers get 40+ minutes from him in the playoffs. Not only are we expecting a full 8 minutes less from Tim, but lets face it, how many 7 footers can run up and down the court with Gasol for that long? I can’t think of any.
The difference between what these two players bring to their team at this point in their careers is closer than most people think.
Then there’s the fact that for the 8 (or less) minutes Gasol is resting, Odom is in his place. Take all this and me saying the PF matchup is probably a wash is probably a slightly biased view coming from a Spurs fan when you consider Duncan’s knees and that Josh Powell is supremely underrated.
Which brings us to Bynum. It’s very true that Bynum has been a huge c*** tease for the Lakers these last couple of years (thank God). But when healthy, he is a very solid player. He’s bigger than Dwight Howard (height and weight) and with a larger array of low post offensive moves. Granted, his performance in last year’s playoffs was uninspiring (to say the least), but he was coming off an injury that had him out for half of a season.
The biggest thing with Bynum is that when he’s in the line-up, the Laker’s have the new Twin Towers in the NBA. With Bynum in the line-up Gasol gets to move over to PF (which he is much better at than C) and then they get to platoon Odom at SF and PF.
And lastly, this comparison is ignoring injuries. The only player on the Lakers that has been injury prone is Bynum. The Spurs have both Ginobili and Duncan who have clearly shown their age in the last year or two. So even on the injury matchup, it seems that we fall short.
The Spurs, Celtics, Cavs, Magic, and Blazers do have a prayer of beating the Lakers in a seven game series, but, EVERYTHING will have to break JUST RIGHT.
The odds are NOT in our favor.
God I hate the Lakers…
STOP drinking the Kool Aid folks and let’s think of solutions!
September 28th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Beat Counselor: try looking at the glass as half full instead of half empty.
Assuming absolutely nothing goes wrong with any team, Spurs and Lakers go to an epic 7 games. I pick Spurs to win because it would be ludicrous to pick against your own team, especially when there is no gaping talent chasm between the 2 teams.
Yes, Manu has questionable feet and Duncan has questionable knees, but Bynum has questionable knees and Artest has a questionable brain chemistry.
Besides, Timmy and Manu’s limited minutes will bring 2 positives: rested superstars for the playoffs and a season’s growth for Hill and Blair.
Yup, we’re going to be good, very good.
September 28th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
…
September 28th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
those knees may be bad but they still went for 30 points 8 reb and 2 blocks in his last game.
September 28th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-09-28-979427813_x.htm
everyone’s healthy!!!
September 28th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I agree with much of what B.C. said in his two posts. I think the Lakers are the most stacked team in recent NBA history, and their rotation of big men are clearly a cut above our rotation of big men.
We have to expect to go through the Lakers and beat them if we want a championship, we can’t merely be satisfied in being better than we were last year.
Perhaps Ratliff can bring something to the table in the big man department, or Haislip, but if not, perhaps a deadline deal for Marcus Camby could swing things our way.
I’d love to see a post by Tim or Graydon about how we match up with the Lakers. Right now, the edge has to go to them, doesn’t it?
September 28th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Looking at position vs position to analyze a series is inherently flawed. There are so many intangibles that are left un-accounted for.
September 28th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
“That is one bad boy.”
September 28th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Correction, I’ve got 3 Duncan jerseys, I forgot about the Wake Forest one.
ThatBigGuy-
Normally, in every day life, I am totally a glass half-full type. But we need a wake up call here because we might have become complacent after an admittedly stellar off-season. Just one more move for the checkmate is all I’m suggesting.
According any betting site I’ve seen on the internet (although I never do more than friendly wagers on sports-and I don’t bet on my own team cuz of the jinx), Lakers are CLEAR favorites to win it all.
On Bodog, they have these odds:
Lakers 2/1
Cavaliers 3.3/1
Celtics 4.5/1
Spurs 7.5/1
Orlando 8/1
On the Vegas-SportsBetting website they have these odds:
Lakers +180
Cavaliers +300
Celtics +500
Spurs +800
Orlando +1200
So it looks like anybody convinced that the Spurs can beat the Lakers this year stands to win a lot of money if they have the guts to put their money where their mouths (hearts?) are.
Chris K. -
Love the Camby idea. We could move Timmy to the 5 and we would be a threat at every position and we’d have shot blocking and rebounding. With Blake Griffin and in the mix for the Clips, and Camby in the later stages of his career and still without a ring, maybe we could pull something like this off?
Another reason Camby would make sense is because the Spurs seem to love getting players that have played well against them in the Finals. Kurt Thomas, Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess…it’s a trend
Any other possibilities?
P.S. No disrespect to Tim Varner or this article. I love his writing and this article is no exception.
September 28th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
In my opinion, the current Spurs lineup is good enough to compete for the title…
PG: Parker/Hill/possibly Williams
SG: Manu/Mason/Bogans
SF: RJ/Finley/maybe Hairston
PF: Duncan/Blair/Haislip
C: McDyess/Ratliff/Mahinmi
don’t forget we have Gregg Popovich as coach….
September 28th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Robby,
Matt Bonner hates you right about now.
September 28th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Think I’m gonna have to agree with Beat Counselor in the sense that the Lakers are clearly more talented than us. But I can’t remember a year the Spurs won it all(except for in 99 maybe) that they were the most talented. We could’ve said the same thing about the Spurs in 03 and compared their players to ours and agreed, the three-peat Laker dynasty was more talented. But with good coaching, dedicated players, and sound defensive schemes, we beat them and took the title that year.
I still believe the we can do more than compete with the Lakers. We can beat them with what we have. A move like trading for Marcus Camby would be great, and honestly I thought we might go after him in the offseason because of his defensive presence and rebounding. But the Lakers aren’t the Greek Gods of basketball, they can be taken down, and honestly we don’t even know if the whole Artest thing is gonna even work out yet. That’s what 82 games is for. So I’m gonna sit back, enjoy the season and believe that the boys in silver and black can get it done
September 28th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Tim C,
I forgot about Bonner, maybe Hairston or Williams will be assigned to Austin… thanks! hope he doesn’t hate me. I just posted an article about the Spurs He’s included…
September 28th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
When have the Spurs ever been odds on favorites to win the title? I’d be interested to see if Vegas oddmakers have got it right in any of the past 5 seasons.
September 28th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Beat Counselor,
Solutions? How do you even know what the problems are yet? The lack of a true center who can play significant minutes appears to be the most glaring hole, but the reality is the Spurs aren’t any smaller now than they were in ’07. I know the league has changed drastically since then, but let’s give this group some time before jumping to conclusions.
If at the deadline it’s clear there’s one remaining need, then I suspect (so long as the player doesn’t have a long term contract, a la Camby) that the Spurs will ship some of their expiring contracts out, along with possibly Mahinmi or a draft pick and get that piece. But right now it’s too early to be predicting doom.
I’m not downplaying the sizable obstacle that are the Lakers, but I am so sick of people anointing them and pretending as if they’ve accomplished more than they actually have. They had an easy path last year and were still mostly unimpressive and inconsistent (until game 5 of the Nuggets series). They can be beat and not in a if everything breaks right kind of way, but legitimately beat, as evidenced by the Celtics beating them handily the previous year. They’re also got virtually no depth past their top 6 and are due for a major injury.
September 28th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Beat Counselor
errin’s comment said that the spurs have the best 1-4 positions combined, and the lakers have the best 2-5 combined. he said nothing about the individual matchups. Basically his argument was that both the Lakers and Spurs have a hole in a very important spot, yet at every other position are extremely stacked.
but when comparing ginobili and bryant, sometimes I wonder if injuries have made the biggest difference. a couple of years ago, i remember reading a hollinger article (translation: take it with a grain of salt) about how comparable ginobili and kobe’s talents are.
September 28th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Good point about the Laker’s depth. Vujacic, Walton and Farmar didn’t do crap last season. Unless Sasha and Jordan return to their 08 form, we have the edge there for sure.
As for the Lakers being annointed, let’s talk about that for a minute. True, they had no answer for Aaron Brooks in the Houston series and they struggled more than they should have against Chuck Hayes. Their vulnerability against speedy point guards is their most glaring weakness (good thing we got Parker).
But let’s not forget that during the regular season, the Lakers absolutely dismantled a healthy Celtics team (ruining my Christmas and Boston’s winning streak-and yes the Celtics have an ultra-quick PG) and Cavaliers (LeBron shut down, Odom dominating). And don’t tell me those game’s didn’t matter because they were during the regular season. All three of those teams tried their hardest. There was definitely something on the line, if only pride and a possible homecourt tie-breaker.
Now, take the fact that the Lakers now have Artest who is every bit the defender that Ariza was and more (although maybe not quite as good in the passing lanes), is a better ball handler, can create his own shot and a better basketball player in general and the team has definitely upgraded (don’t get me wrong, Ariza was the only Laker I really liked. I would have loved if we got him).
The only question is if Artest can fit into the system (he can, he’s always reportedly been a good teammate) and if can stay sane. Granted that’s a decently significant if. But he did more than fine with Houston last year and I don’t recall him causing a stir in Sacramento before that. People often say he takes ill-advised shots but that was a product of him being the main scoring option during long stretches of the game. This won’t be a problem in LA.
Add the fact that Bynum will probably not have 3 freak knee accidents in a row (tempered with the possibility that the first 2 don’t have lingering effects), this year’s Lakers are better at SF and C than they were last year.
If Shannon Brown gets truly acclimated or if Jordan Farmar returns to form, these Lakers are beyond comprehension. If we can hope that Mahinmi and Haislip and Hairston can develop, isn’t there an equal chance that the Lakers bench will too?
As for the 08 Lakers being beat by the Celtics, well, that team was still gelling with Gasol, they didn’t have Bynum or Ariza and they had little focus on defense.
09 Lakers were a different bird all together (albeit an occasionally complacent bird).
I can hear it now: “Beyond comprehension?”
Yes, let’s not forget Kobe is the most complete player in the game today. He is a significantly better shooter than LeBron or Wade and an equally good defender. Not even Jordan had his range. Oh and did you hear he’s training with Olajuwan to improve his post moves?
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/sports/090926_olajuwon_works_with_grizzlies_thabeet
Or how about Phil Jackson talking about playing Bryant at PG?
http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2009/09/28/jackson-has-a-big-idea-for-line-up/22569/
Ridiculous.
September 28th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Drew-
I see your point, my mistake, apologies to errin.
As for Ginobili vs Kobe, I’ll admit there Ginobili has flashes of brilliance that even Kobe would have a hard time matching (see 2005 NBA Finals vs. Detroit Game 1, 4th qtr). And of course, Ginobili was mentioned in that New York Time’s Shane Battier article as well.
But Kobe’s critics could only hang their hat on his shooting percentage and ability to share the ball during his years without Shaq(personality aside). No one’s talking about those things anymore now that his team is stacked…
September 28th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Worry worts. The season has not started and you are worried about the Lakers? Yes I will admitt that they have one of the best rotations in the league. The only thing I would be worried about is who is going to step up this season and keep the pressure off of Timmy. I know McD. is going to make things a bit easier but I want to know what Blair is going to do. I really like his game and I know that under Pop he will become a great player. So lets not get our panties in a wad about the Lakers. Worry about them when the Spurs meet them in the playoffs.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Apology accepted beat counselor thatnks for clearing that up for me Drew.
but i feel we match up perfect with any team in the league we are the only team in the league with 2 top 10 players and not to me the best coach in sports we will pop bottles in late June not cocky just confident in my team.
September 29th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Beat Counselor,
Not to take away from what they did during the regular season against the Celtics, but it’s just that: the regular season. Besides, after being beaten handily by the Celtics in the Finals, who do you think was more motivated for those two games?
Rondo is lightning quick, but he’s not even close to Parker when it comes to scoring. Parker is the best finisher in the paint in the league, bare none, amongst small guards, if not all guards. He’s also a much more reliable mid-range shooter.
Ariza is a long-armed, quick, spidery-type defender. Artest is a pure brute. He bodies players relentlessly and get’s right up into their chest, but he’s lost a step laterally from where he once was. Because of this, he can no longer contain jet footed perimeter players off the dribble. Artest is a better individual player than Ariza, but he’s far more volatile, less reliable and even if he’s on his best behavior, can he really play Ariza’s role better than Ariza did in the playoffs?
He didn’t “do fine” in Houston last year, didn’t you hear the bizarre stories about missing team buses and walking around in underwear? Credit the Rockets for keeping things under wraps, but word got out that he was in fact very much on his own program last season, not surprisingly. He loves the limelight and should be even worse in Los Angeles.
I disagree about Bynum. I see this Lakers team as a lack of chemistry waiting to happen. Because of Artest’s addition and his penchant for over handling and taking foolish shots, Bynum will see even less ball time, something both he and Gasol griped about last season. Also, he again won’t finish games. Odom is a headcase as well and with five years of security I can’t see him being as reliable as he was last season. Artest: the name alone says it all.
All of a sudden Brown is a star? What form, with regards to Farmar? He’s been up and down his entire career so far. Hairston will probably be on the Toros and Mahinmi and Haislip probably de-activated. Blair has more upside than any young player (save for Bynum) on the Lakers and Hill has at least as much upside as Brown and Farmar. The difference is Blair and Hill are expected to contribute, but Brown, Farmar and Vujacic? Who knows?
Beyond comprehension? Sounds to me like you’re a closet Lakers fan. All you’re doing is eating up all of their press clippings, slobbering over unproven and/or marginal talent and acting as if the Spurs have no chance.
September 29th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
the spurs look good on paper, but we have to factor in the championship caliber of the spurs system notwithstanding the new team members. i think during crunch time, the spurs will always find a way to win.
REMEMBER THE SPURS ARE THE MASTERS IN CLOSE GAMES, THEY HAVE THE BETTER PERCENTAGE OF WINS WITH SMALL MARGINS OF SCORE.
definitely kobe will be a factor and gasol. but the support crew is quite marginal if you consider odom who is inconsistent, artest who is temperamental. this is where the lakers will test their composure and focus. can they win close games or come from behind and win by 1 or 2 points. bynum is a good player but he is a positional player, beyond 7-10 feet from the basket he will probably struggle and also he is prone to commmit useless fouls.
brown, farmar and vujacic might contribute but i dont think would be instrumental in swaying the results in their favor - if you remember there are 3 spurs that can win ball games with clutch shooting
1. manu
2. finley
3. mason
lastly, during the spurs and lakers series, the lakers won by and average of 10-12 points. if you factor in manu’s production - the spurs win.
spurs win western conference title in 6 games
September 29th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Great writing. I think that is a quote from Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy”. I find joy in watching Pop repeat the same sort of game plans & plays every season too. I almost feel out of sorts when watching other teams play…
The Spurs definitely have the intangibles to make them more dangerous that a player to player comparison would suggest. I think the deciding factor of Spurs vs. Lakers is going to be chemistry of the new additions for each time. Will Jefferson mesh so well we call them the big 4? Will Artest be able to get past all his craziness and be a team player that fits within the Lakers’ system. Which ever player fits better with the stars already in place gives their team the edge.
Go Spurs Go
“But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
September 29th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Rye-
True, the Lakers had more to prove for playing the Celtics on Christmas, but their 19 game winning streak and a rematch of the finals should count for some sort of motivator, no?
As for Rondo, he is by no means the PG that Parker is; your analysis is spot on. I was actually comparing Rondo to Aaron Brooks who gave the Lakers so much trouble in the Houston series. Of course Rondo averaged close to a triple double in the playoffs this last year so he’s definitely nothing to scoff at (although he improved greatly this last season as opposed to his 08 finals performance).
Again, I agree with your analysis of the Ariza (‘spidery,’ perfect!) and Artest situation. I’ll even add that with the line-up that the Lakers have, Ariza might be a better fit as he can accept his role as a 4th or 5th scoring option. He also came through repeatedly hitting the open corner 3 during the playoffs, but it was only a month before that people were just daring him to take that shot.
And no, I didn’t hear much about Artest’s craziness in Houston, but I don’t doubt it happened. I do remember Houston taking the Lakers to 7 games with only himself as a proven star player.
And I hope you’re right about him creating chemistry issues. I hate him and the Lakers and to me, that’s like if Terrell Owens went to the Raiders. They’re perfect for each other. A match made in hell.
As for Gasol griping about not getting the ball, that’s a legitimate gripe, he needs the ball more, he should be their second option, or arguably even their first option (if they were to work the ball inside out). As for Bynum griping about not getting enough touches and playing time, hopefully that does lead to some chemistry problems. If he just concentrated on defense and just got garbage points (like what Shaq should have done in Phoenix), they’d probably be better off.
No, Brown is not a star. But he seemed to play better than Fisher or Farmar in this last playoffs (except for Fish’s strong finals). As for Farmar he and the whole Lakers bench was great in ’08. I remember seeing them take or extend the lead many times that year.
The reason why I brought up Farmar and Brown at all is because PG is the Lakers main weakness. All they really need is someone who can play solid defense and hit the outside shot. Fortunately for us, neither of those guys can do both.
You also bring up a valid point about Odom’s lack of consistency. I can’t believe he actually chose to stay rather than get more playing time somewhere else. Hopefully that plays out to our favor as well.
I’ll tell ya, I hate the Lakers more than anything, but I’m a realist and I can admit when another team has more talent. That’s the thing about the NBA, compared to other sports, it is WAY easier to tell which team is more talented.
Vince Garcia-
As for Pop? There’s no coach I’d rather have. But the managerial match-up between him and Phil Jackson (with his contradictory evil Zen ways)is too close to call .
As for the Spurs/Lakers series, I’m assuming you’re talking about the 08 series, and yeah, if Manu was healthy (he looked winded the whole time), it would have been a totally different series.
You also make a great point about the Spurs having 3 clutch players to finish a tight game. Lakers only have Kobe and Fisher, and I still can’t believe Fisher had the finals he did after the horrible opening rounds of the playoffs. So we win that match-up and that’s gotta count for something. The Spurs are indeed a 4th quarter team.
———————————————-
I also work at a sportsbar and I live in the SF Bay Area, so I have to deal with Laker fans all the time (since no one in their right minds is a Warriors fan). There are rare, cool Laker fans (like the ones on this site), but most of the ones I meet are just about as cocky and douche-baggy as that Japanese steak b*stard they root for. But all said and done, all that back and forth does allow me to have a begrudging respect for their talent.
Me, a closet Lakers fan? Man, that actually hurts my soul to hear that. I suppose this is where I just shut up…I just wanted to open up a dialogue to get my team where I think they need to be
September 29th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Kyle,
That must be it. And it shows that my memory is good, but not great.
Thanks for reproducing the quote here. It helps to see it again.
“…the eternal appetite of infancy…” Only Chesterton.
September 30th, 2009 at 6:51 am
Kyle,
Thanks for finding that quote. GK is the best. I just started “The Man who was Thursday” and can’t wait to get through it. I haven’t finished “Orthodoxy” yet, but am nibbling my way through it like a big chunk of rich chocolate — unable to be enjoyed and digested (comfortably) in one sitting.
jrw
September 30th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Beat Counselor,
I never said, nor do I disagree with the notion that the Celtics didn’t have motivation, but I doubt they had as much as the Lakers and even if they did, who cares? When you think of great times, you don’t bring up impressive regular season victories.
The reality is the Lakers had an easy path last year (virtually every other contender had a major injury, or two and they got a young team no one expected to be there). If they go through a healthy Spurs, Celtics or Cavaliers or even Magic this year, THEN I could see anointing them.
I know why you brought up Rondo, but my point was Parker has the capability to burn the Lakers far more than Rondo can.
I understand that Ariza is a mediocre shooter, but that doesn’t change the fact that he got hot at the right time. He shot the ball at a blistering pace in the playoffs. Artest will mostly get the same shots. Can he make them at or close to that rate?
The Rockets depth, determination and defensive savvy kept them in it. Relative to their skills, I’d say: Scola, Battier, Brooks, Landry and maybe even Hayes, were all better than Artest in that series.
It is legit, but the point is Gasol and Bynum are both likely to see less ball time than they already have, which wasn’t sufficient for either’s liking in the first place.
Brown will probably emerge as the Lakers 7th most reliable player this season. But to this point, he’s done very little. Look at the careers of the majority of the ’08 Lakers bench. The majority of them simultaneously had career years that year and have done next to nothing outside of that year in their careers.
O-Dumb is a headcase. If you’ve heard any of his recent comments, he already seems like he’s completely unfocused on the task at hand. Obviously this is just a hunch, but I see him, Artest and possibly Bynum under-performing and costing the Lakers in the playoffs.
Do they have the most talent though? People say that like it’s not even debatable. Just look at the 10 who will likely close for both teams…
PF- McDyess Gasol
SG- Ginobili Fisher
Final score: 2-2-1, but the biggest advantage on either team will be Parker vs Fisher. You can throw in Bynum, but then I could easily counter with the Spurs superior depth.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Those lineups didn’t turn out for some reason … What I meant was Odom is greater than McDyess at PF, Jefferson and Artest are equal at SF, Duncan is greater than Gasol at C, Bryant is greater than Ginobili at SG and Parker is greater than Fisher at PG.
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