Except for the Rockets because they're my team, I'd rather watch the Spurs than any other team. Thunder is next.
Not sure how anybody who likes the sport of basketball can say that the Spurs aren't a watchable team. They're the definition of how basketball should be played.
While talking to a fellow buddy of mine, I do think that in a 7 game Finals series, the Spurs if matched up heads up with Miami, Spurs would win in 6...
As far as I'm concerned, having Bruce Bowen on your team earns you some karma points for a rough patch.
DROB at that time was a complete stat freak; Hakeem won MVP in '93 - '94, but if you look at DROB's number; it could have gone either way (Robinson led the team in Pts (29.8), Boards (10.7), Blocks (3.3), Assists (4.8) and Steals (1.7) - a PER of 30.7), THEN in '94 - '95, during the regular season, again both guys put up tremendous numbers, but the Spurs finished with the #1 record, and (if memory serves) beat the Rockets 5/6 times. Rockets finished 6th in the West, and if not for the trade that brought in Drexler; wouldn't have challenged for anything, much less won a title. Hakeem simply had one of the best playoff runs ever for any player. Both players are defined by that series. Because of that series, people remember Robinson as not being as incredibly dominant as he actually was. Robinson's biggest fault, IMO, was not leaving SA for a team with some measure of stability in both players AND coaches. During his first five seasons he went through 4 coaches - and during that series was coached by Bob Hill, in his one and only stint coaching at that level. Hell, Vinnie Del Negro was a starter on that team! Rodman was present, but only played defense within 10' of the basket - so he could keep his rebounding numbers up... Robinson was SO important to what the Spurs did at the time, that when teams caught the Spurs in the playoffs, they would simply scheme to take him out, and make someone else beat them....Spurs NEVER had a #2 that was up to the challenge (until that #2 was Robinson himself). I remember my fellow Spurs fans watching the Houston/Phoenix series that year HOPING the Rockets would upset the Suns....I told them then they were nuts. I was right. I am not taking anything away from Hakeem here; he was unbelievable in that series, and if I had to choose one of the two to build around in their prime; I'd take Hakeem - because he did turn it up in the playoffs - but in the list of greatest centers of all time, Robinson is higher, IMO, than most people give him credit for. As for why the Spurs don't get credit/coverage for what they do? Ratings - people tune in to watch athletic wings dunk and do amazing things - ISO ball plays into that; so teams that run ISO with players that can dominate get good ratings I used to think it was market size, but OKC is bucking that trend.
By the ways to answer the question (never got around to it) - Robinson was a much more athletic player that Duncan ever was; ran faster, jumped higher, dunked all the time - could get alley-oops from the top of the back-board. He also didn't have the fundamentals of Duncan; so he had to use his athleticism to dominate - which is what sells, IMO). Also leads to a bunch of free throws, which is boring (which is why I can't understand why people like watching teams like the Thunder) - I guess just waiting for one of the athletic oh-wow moments. BTW, Spurs might get more of those viewers going forward; find K. Leonard's break-away dunk from last night...
None of their young guys have superstar potential. When Duncan retires, they'll be fighting for a playoff spot instead of contending for a title. When Parker retires or is traded, they'll have to start over from scratch. So yes, they will go through a rough patch eventually.
I don't like the Spurs, but I respect the hell out of them. That being said, there was one game last playoffs against the Clippers I believe where it was just a beatiful thing to watch. The best team basketball I have ever seen played. The ball movement was just mesmerizing.
People think the Spurs still play the same boring style of basketball that they did back when they were winning championships.
He'll just be replaced by Manu <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WzGY9aAdgmQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It should be 16 season because 1999 was a lockout year, but if they had played a full season they would have won 60 games. Pretty much every year duncan has been there they have won 50 games.
They swept Parker sleeping with his best friend and colleague Brent Barry's wife under the rug and left him to retire with the Rockets. Wonder how Pops and Duncan really felt about that situation.
