Express-News: Buck Harvey Harvey: Best bracket? Worst case San Antonio Express-News HOUSTON — One thing is clear. The best bracket in basketball would never include the Big 12. But the best also wouldn't include Duke. Furthermore, the best bracket in basketball would have no use for Billy Packer, or even a creaking Jordan and creamy Barkley. The best bracket? It would list Portland, Utah, San Antonio, L.A., Dallas and, maybe, Houston, along with the best players and the best show. And in this bracket, with Tim Duncan spinning on one end and Stevie Franchise on the other, life at the top looks a lot like life on the bottom. Coming into Houston with a handful of streaks — with Rudy Tomjanovich saying THEY were the Dookies and everyone else Monmouth — the Spurs found out how scary the best bracket can be. If the treys fall the wrong way, even a top-seeded San Antonio could go down in the first round. Or, as Tomjanovich said afterward, "I don't think anybody is going to want to play anybody." Rick Barnes knows the feeling. But the NBA rarely has. Tomjanovich says that. He's been around a few decades and he says he's never seen anything like this. "It's so close," he said, "if you get the flu, you could drop five spots." The Spurs have sneezed enough lately to know. First came Minnesota in the dome last week, then the eighth seed, with the Spurs scratching to get into OT. Then came Houston on Saturday, a nine trying to pass Minnesota to become an eight, leaving the Spurs scratching their heads. Even the details were similar. Minnesota got four treys from Anthony Peeler in the fourth quarter, while the Rockets got six from Houston's taller version of Steve Kerr. Matt Bullard? In a pinch, the guy makes for a good announcer. In the post, the guy still makes for a good announcer. He can shoot, though. And when left open with bad rotations, Bullard became the human flu. When the Spurs look back at their season, will he be the reason they lost a homecourt advantage? But that's these bracket-best Spurs. They've been on such a streak that every loss is notable and worthy of a Popovich pout. The Spurs can look back at their past 28 games and count how close they were to a perfect run: If they don't lose at the buzzer at New Jersey, if they don't go flat to a Kobe-less L.A., if they don't blow halftime leads to both Portland and Houston? Yet for all the ifs, the biggest comes in April. What IF the Spurs draw either the Mavericks or Timberwolves or, gasp, Rockets? Cuttino Mobley knows. He threw in a tough one-on-one drive with 40 seconds left, and he can't wait to do it again. Asked if he would like to see the Spurs in the playoffs, he said: "It doesn't matter. If it's the Lakers or the Spurs, I'm going to kill them. Whoever we play, it's going to be a nice series." He put an extended accent on the word "nice." As in niiiice. An upset would be more than niiiice for Houston. A banner in the arena Saturday night read, "Rings: Rockets 2, Spurs 1." It's accurate, and the bragging rights extend further than that. The Rockets' upset of the No. 1-seeded Spurs in 1995 might still be their chest-thumping glory in the I-10 rivalry. So imagine the possibilities. Imagine the Rockets squeezing past Minnesota for the final seed, then drawing the Spurs. Imagine a Bullard-like moment, complete with the craziness that somehow saw the Rockets score on 19 of 20 possessions. Imagine Francis dribbling through the Spurs, stealing a game in the dome, completing the improbable upset at home, then jumping into teammates' arms in the tunnel here, as he did Saturday. Imagine? Be prepared. The Spurs can sweep their way to the NBA Finals, or they can end a season as they ended a night in Houston. Either can happen in this, the best bracket in basketball. http://www.hearstnp.com/san_antonio/bea/news/stories/san/storypage.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=1010&xlc=205154&xld=120 ------------------ "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."- (Aldous Huxley) [This message has been edited by BobFinn* (edited March 18, 2001).]
What a great article, a truly enjoyable read. That is one of the most unbiased portrayals of this years playoff experience that I have read so far. It's true, anything can happen this year, and I am loving it, because that usually means the Rockets have the advantage. I Believe. ------------------ "all your base are belong to us!" "you have no chance to survive make your time!"
niiiiice. ------------------ Note: It was my cowhead. I started the cowhead craze, and my cowhead inspired Mooch to step up and bring us a victory. Thank you for your time.
Man you gotta love his confidence ------------------ "Repression never did me any harm (I finally ceased to include "stop masturbating" as one of my guilt ridden New Year's resolutions, but that's a different topic)." Achebe - programmer by day, Mrs Palmers Husband by night
Like those classy San Antonio announcers? ------------------ Forget LHutz, Bob Rainey is by far the coolest poster in cc.net history!
i remember one time Kevin O'keefe, an SA writer,wrote about the Rocket's chances of a 3 peat : "Who here thought the Rockets had no chance to win their first title ? Who here said the Rockets had no chance to repeat ? Care to be wrong 3 times ?" It was much wittier then that, but you guys get the drift. ------------------ "norm, would you like to buy an indian scalp ? This deal isn't gonna make or break me Norm, so don't jerk me around." Harry Carey "Norm, if I had a mohawk scalp, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."
That's awesome! Too bad Gordon Monson can't write that well... then again, everyone from UT has an inferiority complex, eh slcrocket? ------------------ (===)
