They’re baaaaaaaack.
And as obvious as it seems now, none of us saw it coming.
We were wrong.
All of us.
We can blame matchups, timing, whatever—but the bottom line is that the San Antonio Spurs are back in the NBA Finals for the third time since 2003, and none of us saw it coming. Look back in SLAM 108. Eight of us predicted the eventual champs, eight of us picked teams from the Western Conference. Six went with Dallas, two with Phoenix. No one picked the Spurs. Yet here they are. Once again.
Word was they were old. Really? Robert Horry is, of course (one of the few, the proud, the NBA players older than me), as are Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley and Brent Barry. But Tim Duncan is only 31, and both Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are on the safe side of 30. Bowen, who’s played in all 82 games over the past five seasons, isn’t exactly your average 35-year old. And Finley fills that Webber/McDyess role, a veteran looking for that elusive ring to cap off a stellar career. Old? Hardly.
Had anyone from the Spurs organization seen our predictions (which I’m sure they did), they probably would have laughed. No offense taken. Because, if you’ve been watching the playoffs you realize this is the way they like it. Let other teams get the attention. Meanwhile, they just execute and execute and execute. In every sense of the word. Ask the Denver Nuggets. Ask the Phoenix Suns. Ask the Utah Jazz.
New teams come, new teams go, but the San Antonio Spurs—like The Dude—abide. Tony Parker streaks to the rim for layups, Michael Finley buries open three pointers, Tim Duncan goes glass, Bruce Bowen finds your sore spot and prods and pokes it until you snap. They execute. And move on.
Some of you may have actually carried through with your threats—stopped watching the playoffs after the refs allegedly stole the series from Phoenix (I won’t rehash—my opinions on that matter are already on record). That’s a shame. Because if you did, you missed the finest quarter of basketball played this year. That happened last night, the first quarter of Game Five. The Spurs did EVERYTHING right. Everything. Jerry Sloan called an early time out to regroup, then could only sit back and watch as the Spurs ran off a 10, 12, 14-0 run. He could have called time again, but I think even he knew that there was no stopping what can’t be stopped. When Tony Parker flicked a perfect alley-oop to a cutting Tim Duncan (the best player in the game, by the way), it was obvious. This game, this series, was over. And the Spurs have to be considered the overwhelming favorites to win the 2007 NBA title.
No matter what we told you.
28 Responses to “They’re baaaaaaaack.”
May.31 at 9:14 am
Billy Blanks says:
Hi Russ
May.31 at 9:20 am
Billy Blanks says:
I know this may sound unbelievable, but I never really thought the Mavs or the Suns would win it all this year. The Mavs just didn’t seem to have that championship vibe to me, and the Suns were picked by Sports Illustrated to win it, so that right there was a red flag. Ever since I read that backboard piece on Manu Ginobili, the Spurs just seemed more and more destined to come out of the West. What’s equally unbelievable or more is that I actually thought an Eastern Conference team would win the title this year again, but the Spurs are just too good right now.
May.31 at 9:24 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I didn’t think the Mavs had a chance, but figured the full-strength Suns were more than capable. Little did I know. The Spurs are like cockroaches.
May.31 at 9:25 am
FLUD says:
The dude abides. Leave your laugh out louds at home, I smoked one out loud for that!!
May.31 at 9:28 am
Steve O says:
I was one of those people making threats but I couldn’t follow through on them. Last night the Spurs put on a clinic (especially in the 1st) but really for an entire game. I think Matt Bonner checked in with 8 minutes to go in the game. (in a Conf. Final!!!) They are the most efficient team in the NBA hands down and on the way to getting their 4th title in 8 years. Dynasty?
May.31 at 9:31 am
Billy Blanks says:
Oh yeah tell me why Jon Barry said that the Spurs were on the level of the 90’s Bulls! Jon Barry really needs to find a new career endeavor
May.31 at 9:34 am
Ron Hitley says:
That’s just, like, your opinion, man.
May.31 at 10:00 am
dez says:
We were all fooled.
May.31 at 10:02 am
Sherri says:
after that first quarter, the series was basically in the word of Steph. Smith O-V-A-H,i cant belive jon barry has spelled it out too, wht a loser.
May.31 at 10:07 am
Sesa says:
@Sherri.
I think Jon Barry spelled that O-V-U-H if I’m not mistaken. LOL
May.31 at 10:09 am
Sherri says:
@Sesa he prolly did, i pay less & less attention to that guy as days pass by lol.
May.31 at 10:51 am
K22C says:
What is everyone’s thoughts on the top 5 players in the NBA right now?
May.31 at 10:58 am
Cub Buenning says:
That quarter was perfect. Watching the Jazz miss jumper after jumper and then run back knowing the Spurs would score was classically frustrating. I remember playing in some of those games.
My thoughts on the game/Spurs should be up any minute.
May.31 at 11:12 am
Jake Appleman says:
Actually, Russ, I picked them in my Haiku preview way back when and wasn’t polled in SLAM 108, so I am right and everyone else is wrong. And if the Cavs beat the Pistons, then I was completely right. That even might make me a qualified soothsayer of sorts. Or something.
May.31 at 11:31 am
Cheryl says:
Last night, to no one in particular, I said about 6 minutes into the first quarter, “Damn, the Spurs are kicking their a$$’. It was the best basketball I’d seen all post season. I won’t say the whole season cuz that Mavs/Suns game was awesome throughout. But the Spurs laid it down last night. I feel sorry for whoever meets them in the Finals. They will be destroyed. Boring? I think not.
May.31 at 1:15 pm
DP says:
I hate the Spurs. Tim Duncan the best player in the game, please. I have never seen someone so boring be so effective. He cannot be stopped and I don’t understand why. He is not all that great to me but he always finds a way to get his. I guess that is how Greg Oden is going to be when he gets into the L. B&E- boring and effective. play wit it.
May.31 at 1:53 pm
Cheryl says:
Tim’s footwork is nice, DP, and he could teach a course on using the backboard to deliver weird-angled shots. The guy is just unemotional and un-emphatic on the court, and that’s why he gets the tag “boring”. But dude can ball!
May.31 at 3:00 pm
Garrett says:
Not my favorite team but they deserve it. C’mon LeBron…take care of Detroit and then the Spurs!
May.31 at 4:07 pm
MALONE_FT_CLOCK says:
i was looking forward to garbage time. i was excited that bonner and others would play. but where is jackie butler??? probably not on the playoff roster
May.31 at 4:37 pm
Allenp says:
DP is a bit of an idiot.
Like Cheryl said, impeccable footwork, great timing, great touch and complete confidence is why Duncan kills everyone. He has every post move any post player has every been thought, and he can go glass from 18 feet away. He has no hops, but blocks tons of shots, he isn’t diesel, but rarely get’s bodied out of the lane. Dude is the truth. If you hate him, you hate real ball.
May.31 at 4:46 pm
Mike C. says:
Here’s hoping the Pistons win the East. They can at least take a game or two from the Spurs. If the Cavs come out, it’ll be a very easy Spurs sweep. The Pistons can at least match up with the Spurs with all their bigs and versatile bench.
May.31 at 5:59 pm
ikemob22 says:
BORING… watching the fans behavore poorly is more intresting!… Spurs have no flavor!
May.31 at 7:09 pm
whooo! says:
i fail to understand how watching the 1st quarter, they can be considered boring? the game became boring because they completely dominated and it wasn’t close, and the 4th quarters tarted w/ the garbage guys! but boring after that typa explosion w/ 3’s, slicing drives, and even an alley-oop thrown in? what game are you watching!? i now russ said “hater” should be a banned word, but that’s the most appropriate word for this scenario.
May.31 at 8:03 pm
David says:
The Spurs abide. Sometimes a team comes along that just… and for that time they’re just, just… ah forget it.
May.31 at 8:22 pm
dave says:
why didn’t flight white get any garbage time? he could’ve got some garbage time highlights!!
May.31 at 9:28 pm
whooo! says:
white, ely, and butler don’t dress for the games. damn i hope flight actually gets burn next year and is invited to the dunk contest, which he’ll OWN. how odd will that be to see a spur win it? i’m sure ppl will still call em boring though.
May.31 at 10:07 pm
FatKatt says:
Man… A lot of people say the Spurs are boring just cause they (Timmy) shows no emotion… but they’re effective and efficient. If you were an owner / player, would you rather be on a team that plays good ball and wins games and rings. Or be on a team that plays “exciting” ball but always bombs out in the first/second round. Exciting bball is just that exciting and awesome to watch, but I think it gets to a point where you just want to win… just ask AI, KG, Kobe (now), and all those other “better, non-boring” super stars. Maybe it’s just cause I’m a Spurs fan and a big fan of Duncan cause he’s like a silent assasin (don’t see him in a game but look at the box score at the end, guaranteed 20/10/3/2), but I reckon that if you love watching good bball (how it’s supposed to be played, then watch the Spurs and learn how a TEAM plays and WINS!!! Sorry… just felt like putting my 2cents in haha…
Jun.1 at 12:26 am
RedRum says:
people also forget that the Spurs should have made a run on 2 more rings. One last year, if it was not for the stupid Ginobili foul, and the phantom .5 sec Fisher shot (after TD made one of the best clutch shots ever). I was never a Spurs fan. I supported Celtics during the 80s, and any team that was opposite to the Bulls (They are the best ever, but it is kinda my thing not to go with the obvious choice…) But I will say it again… From the bball I have seen the last 25 years, TD is only bettered by MJ and (possibly) Magic