You are not kidding yourself into thinking that even IF Dallas wins this series, they will go on to win the title are you??
I said may. But I sadly do think it's a realistic possibility, especially with how Devin Harris is playing. I think both San Antonio and Dallas are better teams than most people are giving them credit for... I think either one will be in for a long series with Detroit that will come down to who can execute late in games. I despise Dallas, but it's very possible.
I think Dirk growing up in Germany and following soccer has a lot to do with the flopping, same thing with Ginobli. Soccer players get really good at flopping, or they used to, now if the referee thinks the guy is flopping in soccer, he calls a foul on the flopper.....if the NBA wanted to clean it up, that would be the way to go. DD
soccer players flop a lot, but i dont think they're necessarily good at it...the key is that the refs in soccer are used to seeing that kind of stuff, while flopping has been going on in the nba for a while, manu and dirk take it to another level, and i just dont think nba refs are used to seeing this type of flopping. also, i think manu and dirk arent very good floppers and anybody who watches the nba for a prolonged period of time will see that...their acting is horrible, but so are nba referees
I get annoyed with Duncan jumping up in the refs face after every call.I hate both of them but I think I might hate the spers a little more because they are the older franchise.Whomever wins I would like to see the Clippers win the other series and then smack them.If its the spers how bad would that be to be the defending champs and get spanked by the Clippers.
hi no offense but why do you hate him so much ? because he's a foreigner or what ? if a gets all those calls, it's only because he is a matchup nightmare and his opponents are forced to foul him to avoid easy buckets. most a 7 footers are too slow to guard him and are reluctant to follow him at the 3pt line. most of the PF are not big enough to handle him. his shot is one of the best in the league. his back to basket game is awesome. he can rebound, block shots etc etc ... be honest, this player would already have been MVP if he was US. look at his stats and at his team record.
Facts : Duncan gets a lot of calls his way, so he has no reason to complain, and neither do Spurs fans. He whines... A LOT. Nowitski, maybe tied with Manu Ginobili, is the biggest flopper in the NBA. He whines... A LOT. Both the Mavericks and Spurs, in general, get a lot of favorable calls because NBA referees are subjective pricks ( not all, but most). ....................................................................... The best thing that could happen is the Spurs and Mavs go into a 7 game series and the Mavericks win. Then they go on to lose, agan, to the Phoenix Suns, and Mark Cuban will be put through all of those stories of how he let Steve Nash go. Then after that the Suns go on to win the title over the Pistons, letting Amare Stoudamire know that maybe he isnt as good as he thinks, considering his team can win a championship without him. Spurs once again miss the oppurtunity to defend their title ( and defending your title is truly the mark of a champion). The Mavericks go home without a title, and the window closes a little more. The Pistons, who have been friggin' arrogant all season long, get considered choke artists for coughing it up to a team they should have pounded. Amare Stoudamire gets a ring, knowing he did nothing to contribute to it. Steve Nash, who genuinely seems like a nice guy with a lot of humility, gets a ring that players like him deserve. Yes, GO SUNS!!!!!
Except it's not. Every season is independent from the one before it. Some players improve. Some players age. Some players are healthy one year and not the next. For some, it's the reverse. I hope the Spurs repeat, but if they don't, it's no reflection on their 2005 team or any other championship team they've had. Each year is seperate from the rest, and when most objective people rank all-time title teams, what a team did the year before or the year after has no relevance to their performance in a given year. Also, let's try and deal with specifics. Instead of making blanket statements like "Duncan gets a lot of calls so he and Spurs fans have no reason to complain", let's see some actual evidence of that. We're talking specifics in this game. If you want to refute that, come with some specifics of your own instead of generalities.
Whenever they show Popovich's face on my HDTV I'm reminded of those deformed tumors that have hair and teeth grown on them. Then I vomit all the beer I just drank.
Your whole first paragraph wasn’t necessary (I mean relatively necessary, because what paragraph concerning basketball is every necessary). Anyways, teams that defend their titles in back to back years are never open to the argument that the season before was a “fluke.” That’s just a fact. Maybe I should have said “truly the mark of a GREAT champion.” The Rockets, Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Knicks, and Pistons are on another level because they were able to defend their titles. You mention “health,” well, my god, look at the Rockets in 1995. Great teams can overcome injuries (unless I suppose there is a damn hex and everyone and their mother gets injured like the Rockets this season). What kind of “specifics” do you want? You want me to detail every foul Duncan should have gotten? I’m not going to do that because that’s just…dumb, but I will say that if what Yao Ming did in last year’s playoffs was considered a “moving screen” then Tim Duncan should be fouled out after the first quarter in EVERY game. Look, I’m never going to say “you’re wrong,” because for one thing it’s not that important and being an absolutist* in anything is dumb. However, if you don’t think that the Spurs and Mavericks, Duncan and Dirk, get treated differently than other teams and players (include Kobe Bryant with both of them as well) then you are blinded by your love for the team. Spurs or Mavericks fans EVER complaining about preferential treatment is absurd. You can complain about bad calls (I mean you CAN complain about whatever you want), but, my god, both teams have been given so many breaks everyone needs to just put it in perspective.
The Rockets are a GREAT champion and standout from the Spurs (if the Spurs were to lose this series) because they defended their title? Can somebody say homer? I love the Rockets, but they effectively won titles with very different teams. The '94 Rockets were more of a mid-pace, traditional team that had the potential to be physical down on the block and overwhelm teams inside when Thorpe was on his game. The '95 Rockets, on the other hand, traded for Drexler and were a perimeter-oriented team (except for Hakeem, of course). Teams routinely beat them to the glass, and the power forward (Horry) was effectively another 3-point shooter. They also created off the dribble from the outside with Drexler, which the '94 squad didn't do nearly as much of. I don't see the Rockets '94 title as being any more legit or impressive because they defended it. They defended it with a very different team. Championships aren't flukes. They're products of grueling 82 game seasons and best-of-7 playoff series. You don't luck your way into one. If you win, you're the best team, and where you rank historically (in terms of being GREAT) is based on the dominance you display during that particular season. What you do in the following season, which invariably has entirely different circumstances, is irrelevant.
* I am a homer. I do like the Rockets more than any other team. You should admit you are a homer for the Spurs, however. It's really hard to be objective ever ( because everyone has different perceptions obviously), but do you really think everytime you defend the Spurs you are ? Come on... Great teams are determined by their dominance in one season ? Do you really believe that ? (So the Spurs are as good as the Chicago Bulls?) By the way, I dont need you to give me a history lesson on the Rockets...please. The Rockets didnt have very different teams. They adapted... yes, but give me a break, Olajuwon was the focal point of the offense, you can't really alter that very much. I will never denigrate a team that wins a championship (Really, denigrating any player that was good enough to play in the NBA is dumb). I actually like Tim Duncan and Greg Popovich. They seem like self effacing guys, and that is not typical in the NBA. But their team is not on the same level as teams that won in consecutive years...they're just not.
The '05 Spurs might be as good as some of the Bulls' teams. It's just... I don't know, I guess I'm different. But I don't look at teams in combination of all their championship years. I don't ever compare the Bulls, to say, the Rockets, because it all depends on which version of the Bulls and Rockets you're talking about. A better example to make my point, I think, is the Bears with football. Sure, the Niners, Cowboys and Patriots have had their dynasties... but I'd say the '85 Bears are the best football team to ever play the game. Many analysts agree with that assessment. Even though they didn't defend their title or even win another one, I'd still say they're a better team than most others. I know it's a different sport, but it's the same principle, I think. And yeah, dc, I knew I should've bolded the best-of-7 playoff series part... I set myself up for the *. Well played man.
That was about Stackhouse missing the rim towards the end of the game. I can't believe how he chews out his team mates in public. If he thinks that what it takes to be a leader, he as no clue. http://blogs.foxsports.com/dimemagazine?All=1
