Still Boring and Dependable: The San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs won their January 9 home game versus the Los Angeles Lakers. San Antonio is 15-2 at home as of that victory. The Lakers are big news during this 2012-13 season, because they are struggling.

There is an angst that falls over the NBA when one of the league pillars is weak. We claim to love parity. But the dynastic franchises and universities in every sport have the most fans. So many of us must secretly, and actually, love rooting for Goliath (and, finally, for his failure).

The Greg Popovich-Tim Duncan era has been amazingly consistent. But since they aren't flashy, they get short shrift from fans and media.

In late 2012, David Stern passed down a fine because Pop didn't play his three best stars--Duncan, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan. Since then, the Spurs have been wrecking the league.

In 2007, I was a guest caller for a late-night sports show. Long story short, I got the equivalent of an eye-roll from the show hosts.

The San Antonio Spurs had just clinched the title for the third time in five years. One host was moaning about how boring the Spurs were. 

My rebuttal was, to paraphrase, People keep claiming the pros don't play team ball, yet the most machine-like team in the game gets labeled 'boring'. Those talking heads tore me to shreds for an entire segment. "This caller probably likes watching women's basketball, too!" Was great.

The Spurs are again a contender. They seem to peak in odd-numbered years. I still can't find anyone to agree with me, but watching a team where everyone seems to be absorbed and knows their role... it's nice to watch. Like the New England Patriots, everyone knows the game plan but can't do much about it.

Still Miles To Go

It's going to be hard for the typical LeBron-hater to keep that lump out of his throat. That's if the Miami Heat continue in the playoffs as they are.

Philadelphia put up as much fight as they could, but the Heat waxed them in the first round, four games to one. Fans and analysts tried to poke at LeBron and Dwyane Wade that week. It wasn't easy to criticize.

The NBA Playoffs are strange, as are all postseasons in all sports. Usually it's because of TV contracts. Games get spaced out by three, four, or even five days. Athletes lose something when their season-long routine is disrupted. In baseball it's very evident, because up until the playoffs, the players are working nearly every day. Even the viewer can see that the alignment is off, so obviously the athletes feel it.

Other than the surging Memphis Grizzlies, the Heat are the only team who seem unaffected by the schedule shifts. They have taken a 2-0 lead on the Celtics as the second round series goes back to Boston. All of them are in tune on the court and in the press room.

James and Wade stood together for a press conference before that Game 2 win, saying that being on the dais together saved time. But it was an unspoken message about their current solidarity. "Our job is to bring out the best in each other," Wade said.

That is bad news for those who hated this so-called super team from day one. The guard is changing.

Play Play, J.J.

JJ Redick is in the Finals. His Orlando Magic trail the series 3-1 after losing their second overtime game to the Lakers. The score was 99-91 this time. Derek Fisher saved LA's asses in Game 4 and everyone is "this thing is a wrap." Redick has scored in three of the four games (though his field goal % is down by his ankles). Hey, that's pretty good. That's three more than anyone reading these words... Redick has to feel the pressure. Not just because of the obvious--that his team is a few plays away from winning instead of losing. He's also repping Duke University.

People already think Blue Devils are cotton-soft when they go pro. Duke players never reach that next level. Or in common terms, they suck in the pros. Do they?

The school that Duke gets stacked against the most, when discussing the NCAA's best pro factories, is their long-time rival, UNC. The Tarheels have sent enough players to the NBA to make several excellent teams. The list starts with MJ and runs through Billy Cunningham, James Worthy, Bob McAdoo, Mitch Kupchak, Sam Perkins... well this is going to get boring.
But maybe things are shifting, if not completely changed. Who does Carolina have in the league today? Not just existing. Playing at All Star level.

Rasheed Wallace. Vince Carter. Jerry Stackhouse. Antwan Jamison. Except... the first three are old in NBA years. All Star-quality players, for sure, but not anymore. And as good as Jamison is, he's peaked, and no one but very knowledgable fans ever knew his best play is near-elite.
Duke had three of those in the 2008-09 season. Shane Battier. Luol Deng. Elton Brand. As these words are written, summer 09, I'd take any of them over any of the four Carolina players. Any of the Duke players is capable of making the All Star team without too many dissenters.

UNC has multiple Hall of Famers--men who moved to the pros and still excelled. Duke has zero. Its alumni are totally overmatched by Carolina's.

But in recent years, Duke has better pros. That's a first. And it probably won't change when Lawson and Hansbrough lace it up in five months.

And before Dookies think about gloating, keep in mind that Redick can't get a shot off when Kobe's guarding him. It's apparent by body language that Redick is shook by that fact. He's a very recent NCAA player of the year, and what used to be a wide-open trey for him is now a big armbanded elbow in his face. That's how big the gap is between All American and All Star. Excuse me: All World.

Apropos of nothing, if Orlando wins the series--they won't, but if they pulled a hat trick--Hedo should be Finals MVP. Like Jamison, some fans don't realize how good Turkoglu is. His ballhandling, passing, and fifteen-foot fade are sick, and opponents respect all of that. Plus he's blocked Kobe's shit at least twice in big moments so far this series.

So he fools people (especially Lamar "Now N Later" Odom) with that foul-baiting fake jumper so often, he shouldn't just get the trophy for best player in that instance. He should get a Golden Globe, too.