No, the Yao pick was flat out luck. And don't forget that in the year prior to taking Hakeem, they also had the no. 1 pick and took Ralph Sampson (our luck runneth over...). But as far as the Spurs are concerned, no matter how they got the pick, the fact is that they have been able to build championship teams first around both Duncan & Robinson and then around Duncan. That's what smart, sound organizations do something for which the Rockets organization will never be mistaken. Meanwhile over here in Margaritaville, Yao is going on year no. 6 while he waits for the Rockets to build their championship team around him. He'd have better luck searching for that lost jigger of salt...
I hate the Celtics. Always have, always will. No need to hate the Mavs as they are their own worse enemy and in my book you don't hate on the opponent who takes himself out.
No, it does matter how you got the pick. You did not really have a bad team to earn it. You had a single injury to a single player the year after going to the WCF then you got Duncan and that player back. The Spurs never hat to be a bottom dweller and scrape their way back to the top. Call it good management, I call it a lucky fluke injury. Still, the best Rockets teams would destroy the best Spurs teams, so whatever.
You see an "inherent contradiction" because you are reforming two different situations to appear the same. As I said, maybe you posted that before I made the other one, I don't think their championship is tainted (as this year's would be), because every team played the same amount of games (there was nothing "unfair"). But there should be a note (*) that the league played only 60 % of its regular season in 1999, and the least amount of games since the league was renamed, because of the strike.
We're jumping the gun here so to speak by assuming that the Spurs are going to win it all but to take the position that were they to to do so that somehow this championship would be "tainted" rests on the assumption that Phoenix would have won that series but for the suspensions. That is making a HUGE leap in my book. If anything, these playoffs have shown that it's the team capable of playing lock-down defense that has been the victor. While the Suns were a very good defensive team, it's the Spurs (and to a lesser extent the Cavs) who fit that description. That is at the core of their team identity. Thus is was no sure thing that the Suns would have prevailed in that series. The Spurs were tougher more battle tested and it showed in that series as well as the Utah series.
Ah, but that's just it: in the NBA the top pick doesn't necessarily go to a really bad team. Just look at what happened this year with Memphis & Boston. With the way the NBA runs the lottery, it really doesn't matter how you got there only that you are there.
Admit what? That's always been the way in the NBA. Look, if you believe that the Spurs 3 championships aren't legit because of how they wound up with Duncan, then fine, I respect your opinion. But the same thing can be said ( and has been said) about our 2 titles as well. At any rate, this does not mean that the Spurs haven't been a top notch organization over the past 9 years while the Rockets have done their best to impersonate the Keystone Cops. I like your posts a lot MEOWGI. I like the fact that you get angry because you should be angry. I am beyond angry. I watched how the Spurs executed the Jazz last night and I had to admire their grit, determination and focus. The last time I saw a team play like that was in 1995 when I saw the 6th seed team in the West go out and take the title. That's the type of team I have been waiting to see here for 12 years now. And I'm still waiting. Instead, all I/we get is more Rockets BS like we got last week and in 3 years or so, there will be another TC press conference to feed us the same old serving of Rockets BS.
Uh your saying that 1 hall of famer and a body is better than 2 hall of famers? doesn't make much sense. So since you are using these player comparisons to justify the best Rocket teams were better then the Spurs team what about the rest of each team? This year's Spurs team has 3 all stars and 6 guys with 2+ rings..I am not going to try and predict what would happen but to make a silly statement about who is better is just plain....well silly.
I used to hate the Sperms, I still don't like them very much because they were rivals in the 90s, but it's hard to hate teams, because they have passed us up, and have had okay free agents. They also drafted well, and we haven't. I wish people hated us, that would mean we were consistently winning.
Nope! I actually like them...they are about to be the next "Lakers" where everybody hated them becausethey kept winning!
Ralph (pre-knee injury) was a perenial All Star, his offensive skills were spectacular. He was KG at 7'3'. That team BEAT THE LAKERS DYNASTY TEAM. No way in hell or bizzaro world the Spurs COULD EVER BEAT the LAKERS DYNASTY TEAM. You know Magic Johnson, Kareem, Worthy..
I don't hate them, but I won't root for them either... I only cheer for the Rockets...well, unless cheering for another team gets me laid...
I noticed you left out winning the NBA championship..so now your telling me that a team which lost a championship was better than a 3 time NBA champ? Nice logic
I don't really like or hate the Spurs. They're really good team and deserved to win. 1. I'll be glad when the day people shut up about Phoenix, because they lost the series...they are not entitled to anything....if they were such great team then they could've easily won the series, but they didn't. Who cares who gets suspended or injured (likes that's never happened before in playoffs) on your team, like they say it's part of the game. If you can succeded with then oh well...besides the Suns did not get it done, as I remember correctly didn't they lose game 1 (most teams who lose game 1 usually lose the series 78% of time), game 3 and got out played in game 4, but managed to win, lost the last two games. That's why they have really good players not great ones (TD, Shaq, Kobe). If they were such great team they could've overcame adversity like all of the true great teams and won game 6 in S.A. and win the series in 7 at home, but they didn't and that's why they are not in playoffs right now. Pippen was hurt for Chicago against the Pistons (90) and Jazz (98), but Chicago did not complain. The Lakers had Kareem injured for finals in the last game agaisnt 76ers. A bunch of players were suspended in the Heat and Knicks series, but it still went on and nobody complained when it was over with. And to be honest Phoenix, is and was flawed team when you don't play consistent defense or give up 100 in almost every game, that is not a winning formula for success, especially with quality of defenses the team left in the playoffs play. 2. The * thing is stupid, why would anybody put an * next to a record for the purpose of full season not being played or a player not being the league. Spurs were the best team 98-99, best regular season record defeated T-Wolves, Lakers, and Trailblazers in playoff with 11-1 record. With the whole M.J. and not being with Bulls, the Bulls were still an good team without him and probably would've been the NBA finals if they defeated the Knicks, and would've had a top 3 seed if M.J. had played all of 95, but it wasn't meant to be the Bulls were not the best team those 3 years. M.J. was not an active player on the rosters so that defeats the whole purpose of the *, while 95 the Bulls simply lost to a better team in the Magic. 3. I'm surprised people are so upset about the Spurs winning when the same people on this board and in the media say you can win without offense and defense. And how sports has no great teams anymore, and is watered in mediocre...which believe is kinda b.s. they has always been great teams in basketball and especially from 90s and a few years 00s. People go on and on about how great the teams where in the 80s, but reality that was only two or three teams that were truly great (Celtics, Lakers, 76ers, and Pistons later on), most of other teams were either very good or alright, but nothing special. While if you see that most of teams in 7-8 spots in both West and East where at times 5 - 20 games under .500 and people complain about the teams now.
