Buck Harvey: Asterisk II: Why Spurs cannot win
Web Posted: 05/15/2007 11:05 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
The Spurs are no longer the team that America hates to watch. Now they are the team America just hates.
They are the team that bloodied little Steve Nash, kneed little Steve Nash and eventually slammed little Steve Nash to the floor. Somehow, they've hoodwinked the league at the same time and have benefited by their dastardly deeds.
Their black road uniforms finally fit their persona. And if the Spurs beat the Suns tonight, most will stick an asterisk on Game 5 bigger than 1999.
And if they lose?
Given the sentiment in the air, that's a real possibility.
Two men are responsible for this. Robert Horry and David Stern. Horry could have grabbed Nash and avoided everything, and Stern could have grabbed some common sense.
Stern stayed true to his rules, when there was enough gray area to house Charles Barkley. Did Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw really do enough to warrant suspension?
The league's stance is also not completely illogical, and the Suns' reaction Monday night said that. Why do you think the Phoenix coaches and players were so determined to stop Stoudemire and Diaw from entering the fray? Because they knew what the NBA would do.
This is the kind of hard line that players respect and remember.
That said, Stern also allowed the best playoff series of his postseason to be damaged, and he didn't do much for what has been one of his finest, most respected franchises. The Spurs, given this series of events, have never looked worse. At least no one is calling them boring anymore.
They are still the same guys who have been praised the past decade. They've won by being professionals and by avoiding off-court messes, and the current catcalls come from those who, well, don't like watching them.
Few in and around the league — from coaches to media — see the Spurs as anything but a league standard.
But they sure look dirty today. They are being rewarded because of a mess they caused, and, at first glance, it's as if the Spurs are getting a pass to the conference finals.
In exchange for their second man off the bench (Horry), they will get Phoenix without its leading scorer (Stoudemire) and the one who would normally replace Stoudemire (Diaw). Who wouldn't take that?
Gregg Popovich might even be forced to try a rotation that works out for him. He tends to lean on his veterans. Now, without Horry the next two games, does he get something out of Matt Bonner?
Still, anyone who follows the NBA knows a basic phenomenon. When teams lose a player, they seem to gain a temporary edge.
The ones with the advantage often relax, and the ones without their star get tougher. The Spurs went through this several times in the regular season, losing to Houston without Yao, Denver without Carmelo Anthony, Houston without Tracy McGrady and Chicago without Ben Wallace.
The psyche of the Spurs plays into that. After melting down so badly in the fourth quarter Monday, do they feel good about themselves right now?
Then there are the Suns, mixing the giddiness of a Game 4 breakthrough with the anger of losing two players because of what Horry created. Rarely are these two emotions in play for the same team at the same time.
The Suns still have Kurt Thomas to lean on Tim Duncan, and Shawn Marion can always hop for 48 minutes. They will lose two big men tonight, all right, but they are also at their frenzied best when they go small.
Nash, the soul of the franchise, will be ready to lead just that. He might score 40 points tonight.
"We'll close ranks," Mike D'Antoni said Tuesday evening. "We are very confident we can get it done anyway. With the guys we have, we'll be totally ready to roll."
It's a message he will repeat in his locker room, and it's one that can win a game. The Suns will be free with the feeling that no one expects them to win, and the crowd will plug into that.
And if the Spurs somehow win?
Then Stoudemire and Diaw come back for Game 6, along with the same emotions.
Web Posted: 05/15/2007 11:05 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
The Spurs are no longer the team that America hates to watch. Now they are the team America just hates.
They are the team that bloodied little Steve Nash, kneed little Steve Nash and eventually slammed little Steve Nash to the floor. Somehow, they've hoodwinked the league at the same time and have benefited by their dastardly deeds.
Their black road uniforms finally fit their persona. And if the Spurs beat the Suns tonight, most will stick an asterisk on Game 5 bigger than 1999.
And if they lose?
Given the sentiment in the air, that's a real possibility.
Two men are responsible for this. Robert Horry and David Stern. Horry could have grabbed Nash and avoided everything, and Stern could have grabbed some common sense.
Stern stayed true to his rules, when there was enough gray area to house Charles Barkley. Did Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw really do enough to warrant suspension?
The league's stance is also not completely illogical, and the Suns' reaction Monday night said that. Why do you think the Phoenix coaches and players were so determined to stop Stoudemire and Diaw from entering the fray? Because they knew what the NBA would do.
This is the kind of hard line that players respect and remember.
That said, Stern also allowed the best playoff series of his postseason to be damaged, and he didn't do much for what has been one of his finest, most respected franchises. The Spurs, given this series of events, have never looked worse. At least no one is calling them boring anymore.
They are still the same guys who have been praised the past decade. They've won by being professionals and by avoiding off-court messes, and the current catcalls come from those who, well, don't like watching them.
Few in and around the league — from coaches to media — see the Spurs as anything but a league standard.
But they sure look dirty today. They are being rewarded because of a mess they caused, and, at first glance, it's as if the Spurs are getting a pass to the conference finals.
In exchange for their second man off the bench (Horry), they will get Phoenix without its leading scorer (Stoudemire) and the one who would normally replace Stoudemire (Diaw). Who wouldn't take that?
Gregg Popovich might even be forced to try a rotation that works out for him. He tends to lean on his veterans. Now, without Horry the next two games, does he get something out of Matt Bonner?
Still, anyone who follows the NBA knows a basic phenomenon. When teams lose a player, they seem to gain a temporary edge.
The ones with the advantage often relax, and the ones without their star get tougher. The Spurs went through this several times in the regular season, losing to Houston without Yao, Denver without Carmelo Anthony, Houston without Tracy McGrady and Chicago without Ben Wallace.
The psyche of the Spurs plays into that. After melting down so badly in the fourth quarter Monday, do they feel good about themselves right now?
Then there are the Suns, mixing the giddiness of a Game 4 breakthrough with the anger of losing two players because of what Horry created. Rarely are these two emotions in play for the same team at the same time.
The Suns still have Kurt Thomas to lean on Tim Duncan, and Shawn Marion can always hop for 48 minutes. They will lose two big men tonight, all right, but they are also at their frenzied best when they go small.
Nash, the soul of the franchise, will be ready to lead just that. He might score 40 points tonight.
"We'll close ranks," Mike D'Antoni said Tuesday evening. "We are very confident we can get it done anyway. With the guys we have, we'll be totally ready to roll."
It's a message he will repeat in his locker room, and it's one that can win a game. The Suns will be free with the feeling that no one expects them to win, and the crowd will plug into that.
And if the Spurs somehow win?
Then Stoudemire and Diaw come back for Game 6, along with the same emotions.
