Spurs Basketball

Today [the past couple days] in Sports Nonsense

WHOOOO HOOOO!! I can not believe it is going to be Spurs-Cavs in the NBA Finals. This is not what anyone expected, being that everyone thought it was for sure Spurs-Pistons. I do have to thank Lebron James for getting more people excited about the NBA, although I think that these fans are not the NBA purists who would have loved the great fundamentally sound teams of the Spurs-Pistons (some say dynasties... Spurs are one of the all-time greats)... [Five Quick Thoughts On Cavs-Pistons, Chauncey Billups Is Losing Money, And Nine Other Cavs-Pistons Points.... and from Need4Sheed: It's Over....Again, The Perplexing, yet Provocative, Playoff Potpourri: Cleveland does, indeed, rock]

OHHHH Stray-Rod [THE OBLIGATORY A-ROD/STRIPPER POST, A-ROD'S STRIPPER COULD USE SOME CLOTHES]

UFL and the fact that Mark Cuban is completely worthless [Pipe Dream, Cuban's Blog, Welcome, UFL. May We Suggest Some Franchise Names? (VERY FUNNY)]

Soccer Fix [And You Wonder Why No One Watches MLS..., Posh Spice, David Beckham Won't Be Reality TV Stars,]

Steve Kerr to the dark side [Report: Steve Kerr to Run Suns]

2007 National Spelling Bee [Samir Is Down!]

Today in Sports Nonsense

Why do crazy things happen in the hotels the Spurs have been staying in at road playoff games??? [THE SPURS KILLED A MAN (PROBABLY)]

Story in Game four [Frustrated Jazz Fan Throws Spare Wife Onto Court & Suckling at the Power Teat: Spurs Ready for Finals] a lot different than game three [Well, that was predictable]of the NBA Western Conference Finals... Greg Popovich is a mastermind genius, by the way. And a loser Utah Jazz fan's take on the whole deal (stop throwing crap on the court) [http://www.basketballjohn.com/2007/05/29/recap-san-antonio-spurs-utah-jazz-game-4-utah-fans-turn-into-soccer-hooligans/] and the [Salt Lake City news take] and finally a note to the FTT crew... I think you are right " if these guys weren't wearing your laundry, [I'd] pretty much hate them too, right?"... you might have somthing there [30 to 14, Or How The NBA Can't Take Off The Tin Foil Hats]

Come on Mark Jackson... Don't fall in love with Deron Williams yet [Entry Link]

Hancock family is being ridiculous [Hancock Family Sues the Entire City of St. Louis]... check this out really funny Simpson's clip... great

[Lakers' Owner Jerry Buss Goes Paris Hilton, Gets Arrested for DUI]

OVER-RATED [Andy Roddick Bounced Early From French Open Again]

(NOT ABOUT SPORTS)... Jon (from the Daily Show) on Russia's return to form:
"Over the last few months, as we've seen Russia commit political assassinations, suppress its media and rig elections, I can't help but think: they're back, baby! Do you think they'd want to get in the Cold War again with us -- because that war was awesome!"... nice

Today in Sports Nonsense

On San Antonio Spurs game three loss [Pounding The Rock :: A San Antonio Spurs Blog, "Pop is screwing with us again]

Now two, not just one NBA series are alive (both Spurs-Jazz & Cavs-Pistons 2-1, which road team will actually win) [As Deron Williams Becomes A Superstar..., & One Series Is Alive ... Can We Make It Two?]

High named boxers tend to get a better pay day than MMA/UFC stars [On Payday, Boxers Pummel UFC Fighters]

Painful soccer moments [95 SECONDS OF SOCCER NUTSHOTS]

Kobe wants to bring back Jerry West and be in charge or he's out [Bring back Jerry West, or trade me.]

Owns non-clutch athletes [The Sports Bar: Big-time athlete who is essentially Anna Kournikova? ]

Another NBA Lottery conspiracy [10:25 AM - What Were The Odds?]

Today in Sports Nonsense

Good ol' Utah Jazz Fans [Hopefully, Tim Duncan Suffers From Cyanophobia]

Chuck Liddell (disappointingly) loses to Quiton "Rampage" Jackson [Chuck Liddell Loses to Rampage Jackson at UFC 71]

[Mixed Martial Arts Is Safer Than Boxing]

Upcoming movie with Reno 911 cast and Christopher Walken [BALLS OF FURY Trailer and Images ]

Funny [Every Headline Involving Chien-Ming Wang Is Hilarious]

Beckham is back on England [BECKHAM WILL PLAY BALTIC SUPERPOWER]

Come on... you can't not laugh at this one

It is actually better than it looks here because it is animated, but can't get it to work for blogger.

I'M SORRY!

IN YOUR FACE

Very True (Steve Kerr is The Man)

San Antonio's star power
By Steve Kerr
Saturday, May 19, 2007 3:43 am EDT
Courtesy Yahoo Sports

When we look at NBA history, a common theme among NBA champions is the presence of star tandems. Cousy and Russell. Magic and Kareem. Bird and McHale. Jordan and Pippen.
The idea is that if you can put two superstars together, you've got a chance to win it all, at least in theory. When the San Antonio Spurs won their first NBA title, most of the credit -- rightfully so -- went to a pair of Hall of Fame big men, David Robinson and Tim Duncan. But since Robinson's retirement in 2003, it has been a different, very unlikely tandem that has made the Spurs the most consistent team in the NBA: Duncan and ... Bruce Bowen?

Yes, I know it doesn't have much of a ring to it (so to speak), and the names don't exactly conjure up images of West and Chamberlain. But watching San Antonio beat the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 on Friday to win the series, it was clear that Duncan and Bowen have become the most important tandem in the NBA.

I know Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are great players and are the keys to the team's success, but Duncan and Bowen define the Spurs. They're incredible defensive players -- one inside and one outside -- and their relentlessness on every possession gives opponents fits trying to score the ball.

Ultimately, the combination of Bowen's perimeter defense and Duncan's rim protection is the reason San Antonio is who it is. No matter the opponent, all Gregg Popovich has to do is put Bowen on the best perimeter player and Duncan on the best inside man, and the Spurs have an advantage.

Dirk, Carmelo, Cassell, Nash -- Bowen will take them all. Duncan will cover Shaq, Stoudemire, Garnett, etc. Bowen will harass, bother, intimidate and chop away at his opponent for every second he's on the floor, never once taking a rest. And on the rare occasion that he gets beaten to the hole, Duncan is there waiting to help.

San Antonio's defense on Steve Nash in this series was a clinic. Bowen picked him up past half court, worked him side to side, stayed with him everywhere and had help coming from Duncan constantly. The other Spurs stayed at home on three-point shooters, so in many ways the game evolved into Nash and Amare Stoudemire against Bowen and Duncan.

Nash didn't get his customary three or four layups per game because of Duncan's positioning and long arms. And with Bowen harassing him, Nash hardly had any room for perimeter shots. As for Stoudemire, he scored well, but he had to work for his points. And most importantly, no one else had any room.

San Antonio basically said, "We're relying on Bowen and Duncan. Let's see if you can beat us." And the Suns couldn't. They were close, and if the Game 5 suspensions didn't occur, they might have pulled it off. But ultimately, they couldn't play the way they're used to playing, which is to run and make threes.

Even though Phoenix scored 100 or more points in five of the series' six games, it didn't do it the way it normally does. After averaging 10 made three-pointers per game in the regular season, Phoenix made a total of 37 in this series. Normally when a team takes away the Suns' shooting, there's no one to contain Nash on the inside, but Bowen bothered him from end line to end line, wearing him down just to the point where, even though Nash was great, he wasn't spectacular.
There's been a lot of talk this week about how boring the Spurs are, and how fans across the country don't really want to see them advance in the playoffs. Perhaps that's because their style isn't the most entertaining, or because they don't have any major personalities on the team. Or maybe it's because they're being led by the tandem of Duncan and Bowen. There have been plenty of championship teammates who brought more flash and glamour than those two. But there may never have been a pair who could defend like the Spurs' duo. And that's why San Antonio is moving on.

Block Party

(getty images)

THE BEST POWER FORWARD OF ALL TIME, WITHOUT A DOUBT.

Funny and True: An Inevitable Spurs-Pistons NBA Finals

FTT’s crack team of crack smokers has cranked up the list for all of us who are holding out hope for an NBA playoff final that keeps us from working on the drywall. You know, for the comparative visual excitement.

10. It is inevitable. Might as well, as Bobby Knight says, lie back and enjoy it.

9. By Game Four, after every other possible story of remote human interest is covered, we’ll learn what Nazr Muhammad is up to.

8. There’s always the chance that Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry will embrace their new status as the Worst Basketball Bad Guys Since Hitler, and show up for press conferences in wrestling tights with bad French accents they learned from Tony Parker. Come on, Bruce and Bob. Do it for the kids.

7. The finals could, especially in the wake of the Stoudamire-Diaw-Horry suspension fiasco, put the rare species NBA Apologistia on the endangered list. Since we are frequently in that species, we will then be able to get a big fat check from the government to get free access to NBA League Pass, and maybe some full-time conservation staff to protect us from our natural predator (drywall).And if you doubt it will happen, consider this chilling fact – Democrats control Congress. With the extra money they are going to pay me, I’m going to buy flags to burn at gay weddings. It’s always so festive.

6. Spurs-Pistons could get Mike Brown fired.Unfair for a team that has made the third round? No. If the Cavs stagger past the Nets, they will just continue the least convincing playoff “run” in NBA history. Beating the Washington Wiz without Agent Zero is only marginally more difficult than beating the Washington Generals. The Nets’ best big man is, seriously, Mikki Moore. The judges are not giving them much for the degree of difficulty here.A Pistons-Cavs series could be nearly as unwatchable as Cavs-Nets, leading to an intervention moment for LeBron James and his cohorts. For anyone that misses Young LeBron, the one that passed the ball and gave a crap, this is six months too late, but better late than never.

5. Spurs-Jazz could make Carlos Boozer lovable.Well, no, of course not, but the Spurs have that whole Hitler thing going for them. So does that make the man who destroyed Cleveland more Stalin or Mussolini?(Camera switch, zoom close up, arched eyebrow) Only time will tell.

4. More national media coverage to piss off Detroit.You might remember that in previous years where the Pistons have made the Finals, ABC windbag Jimmy Kimmel was able to get people to write about his show by pointing out that the city might burn to the ground in the event of a Pistons win. Kimmel remains employed, so clearly the gambit worked for him.We’re ready for the onslaught of ratings-starved talk show hosts – ok, not Oprah, but maybe The View, especially if they’re hurting for bombast in a post O-Donnell era – to weigh in with their views on whether Sheed or Duncan is better at making an incredulous face following a foul call, or what game Bowen removes Prince’s gall bladder by accident. Note to media types: Someone, really, needs to play the other side and Mess With Texas. Yes, we have all heard the warnings, but there is free press to be had. Richard Oliver is just itching to take this bait.Plus, they’re all worse than Hitler. Don’t forget that.

3. Tony Parker, in a rap battle on Eight Mile, against Detroit’s finest. This alone could revitalize Eminem’s career, but only if he leaves the D12 guys in the limo.

2. Jerome Bettis needs the TV time. Did you know he is from Detroit?

1. The Pistons in the Finals keeps attention away from the Lions and Matt Millen, who only needs five more years to complete his impossible dream of a team that is entirely composed of wide receivers. From a purely mad scientist perspective, Millen’s research MUST CONTINUE. Stopping it now would BE DISASTROUS!

Originally from http://fivetooltool.blogspot.com/2007/05/wallow-in-this-top-10-spurs-pistons.html