Los Spurs y Los Mavs

[FromWayDowntown]

Don't really have anything to offer about the game other than having seen that tomorrow night's game is part of Noche Latina and that the teams will wear jerseys sporting the names in the title of this thread. Los Spurs was bad, but Los Mavs? Really?

[Blake]

cuatro>cero

[Brutalis]

Los = The?

We are not "The Spurs" though. We did this last year, and I'm down with the reason for the special event but that makes little sense to me.

[ElNono]

Don't really have anything to offer about the game other than having seen that tomorrow night's game is part of Noche Latina and that the teams will wear jerseys sporting the names in the title of this thread. Los Spurs was bad, but Los Mavs? Really?

Should have been Los Espurs vs Las Vaginas...

[gwidlon]

why 'Los Spurs'?? it should be 'Las Espuelas', right?
Vamos Las Espuelas de San Antonio!!!!

[Red Hawk #21]

Empezar la accion...

[monosylab1k]

Isn't it a little insulting that the NBA thinks it can pander to the Hispanic audience by slapping a "Los" on the front of a bunch of jerseys?

Why not just rename this game "Beaners vs. Wetbacks"

[FromWayDowntown]

"We choose to call it Noche Latina while faithfully butchering the spanish language into some bastardized form of spanglish that might be recognizable by most gringos."

or something like that.

[sa_butta]

"We choose to call it Noche Latina while faithfully butchering the spanish language into some bastardized form of spanglish that might be recognizable by most gringos."

or something like that.
Pinche NBA.

[2Cleva]

Noche Latina, first launched during the 2006-07 season, will feature celebratory uniforms, which display the team name as spoken by the Latino population. Rather than translating the team names literally, market research concluded that Spanish-speakers in the U.S. refer to them differently. The Miami Heat, for example, is called “El Heat”; the San Antonio Spurs are “Los Spurs” and the Lakers as “Los Lakers.” Noche Latina uniforms were selected based on the teams that were most popular within the Hispanic population.

http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2009/03/03/a-team-by-any-other-name-is-still-the-lakers/12989/

[koriwhat]

Los Espurs vs Las Fresas!

[gwidlon]

Los Spurs vs Los Ponys ?

[timvp]

Hopefully the name change disrupts the karma and Los Mavericos don't shot 60 percentavos against Los Spurs in the El AAC as usual.

[MoSpur]

Isn't it a little insulting that the NBA thinks it can pander to the Hispanic audience by slapping a "Los" on the front of a bunch of jerseys?

Why not just rename this game "Beaners vs. Wetbacks"

It is a little insulting. I am all for recognizing the Hispanic or Latin culture. The NBA should do a better job though. Putting "Los" on a jersey is not really recognizing anything. If anything, its not even correct as mentioned before.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

They should make the teams play in sombreros like James Blanco wore at the championship parade.

[MoSpur]

"We choose to call it Noche Latina while faithfully butchering the spanish language into some bastardized form of spanglish that might be recognizable by most gringos."

or something like that.


:lol

[baseline bum]

Los Espurs vs. Las Hijas de las Chingadas

[THE SIXTH MAN]

cuatro>cero


Should have been Los Espurs vs Las Vaginas...

:lmao

[Bender]

we should just go ahead and rename the country Estados Unidos

[Fernando TD21]

El grande fundamental vs el grande maricon.

[Libri]

Los Spurs vs Los Ponys ?

Las Espuelas vs Las Yeguas

[tp2021]

ST has an excellent command of the Spanish language...

at least for comedic purposes! :lmao

[Borosai]

This is always good at least once a year:

http://www.imagehut.net/images/0vb8otsqnyl6f2lc5qn4.jpg

[spurs girl21]

what!

[dirk4mvp]

Because it's mostly fat messicans.

[easy7]

Los Spurs y Los Fags

[PDXSpursFan]

The Mavs = Los Maricas ???

Did I get it right???

[Spurs Brazil]

El grande fundamental vs el grande maricon.

:rollin:rollin

[Das Texan]

just fucking put San Antonio on the front of our jerseys.

[Spursmania]

El grande fundamental vs el grande maricon.


:lmao:lmao:lmao

[G-Nob]

Hopefully the name change disrupts the karma and Los Mavericos don't shot 60 percentavos against Los Spurs in the El AAC as usual.

There's no freaking doubt about that sh*t. Those bastards shoot lights out every time we go there and I'm tired of it. I'll be there tomorrow night. Creamin' my jeans like duncan228!

[ElNono]

Passion of players and fans earns monthlong celebration
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Manu Ginobili starts left, contorts his body and somehow finishes strong before crashing gracefully under the basket. The frenetic ballet of Argentina's favorite basketball son has been replayed nightly across NBA floors for most of this decade.

There's flair in his game, a style reminiscent of a matador's. A natural assumption might be that's Ginobili's sense of the dramatic is a product of his culture, and a common thread among players with Latin blood pumping through their veins.

Don't others such as Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez and Leandro Barbosa share a similar panache?

"I really don't notice it," Ginobili said. "We're very passionate. That's the only thing I can tell. That's probably because of how difficult it is for us to become successful basketball players.

"When we have the option, we really try to squeeze it. Besides that, it's different players, different countries and different leagues where we come from, so it's hard to find a common denominator."

While the Spurs' sixth man isn't going to cast his countrymen or Latino allies under one convenient label, singling out their shared passion cuts across country and language. As does their common experience of reaching the most competitive basketball league on the planet.

Seventeen players of Latin descent grace NBA rosters this season, with Argentina and Spain leading the charge with five each. Brazil boasts three, two hail from the Dominican Republic, and Mexico and Puerto Rico each have one. The league is recognizing their contributions to the game with a series of games this month dubbed, "Noche Latina."

These Latin Nights began in 2007 and are also aimed at honoring the league's Latino fans. Eight teams were selected this season, up from four last year, to wear special uniforms recognizing Latin American and Hispanic communities. The program also includes partnerships with top Hispanic agencies and Spanish-language radio stations, and it includes local grassroots events in each market and in-arena activities.

While it may seem a marketing gimmick, an excuse to sell jerseys with Nueva York, Los Lakers and El Heat across the front, the players are quick to point out the program's significance.

"It's a wonderful thing, of course," said Gasol, the Lakers' forward from Spain. "I appreciate it. It's good to get a Latino and Spanish flavor to one of the games. I think it's a beautiful thing. I had a couple of them back in Memphis and I enjoyed it. It's a nice initiative and it's a tribute to my country and to the Latino community."

Added Mavericks guard J.J. Barea of Puerto Rico: "I appreciate it. We appreciate. We have a lot of Hispanic fans that love basketball."

The numbers back that up. The league has 20 million Hispanic fans ages 12 and up, according to a survey provided by the NBA. The league also owns one of the fastest growing Hispanic fan bases in sports, with 33 percent growth since 2005.

Hispanics make up 57 percent of the adult fans at games in San Antonio. It's 44 percent in Miami and 36 percent in Los Angeles. Other markets with high Hispanic concentration include Phoenix (28 percent), New York (24 percent) and Dallas (20 percent).

"What I can see is that they're at every single game I've been to," Ginobili said of Hispanic fans. "I can always hear somebody tell me something. You can tell they are Latin. It's good to recognize them and make them feel important, because they are."

Basketball is also becoming the top team sport played by Hispanic teens in the U.S. According to the Simmons teen/adult combined study conducted in 2007, some 2.2 million Hispanic teens play basketball, followed by soccer at 1.9 million. The trend isn't just in the United States.

"Every time I go to my hometown in Brazil, I'm surprised by more and more kids playing basketball," Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao said. "Brazil has always been a soccer country and volleyball is going really good, so it's good to see that."

Don't forget the current crop of Latino players were once kids, too. Fernandez began picking up dunk tips while most of his friends were still fast asleep in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. "When I was younger, I'd wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning and watch the NBA," the Blazers' rookie said. "I remember it was difficult to watch Spanish players or Sudamerican players, and right now it's a big opportunity for us."

Portland teammate and fellow Spaniard Sergio Rodriguez said: "The NBA is the best league in the world and everybody wants to play here. We want to play against the best players, and the international players are good now and we're improving."

Latino players take their responsibility to fans in their NBA cities and back home seriously. Ginobili enjoys a rock star following in his hometown of Bahia Blanca and throughout the country. Argentina's vast international success includes Olympic gold in 2004.

Basketball won't ever be as big soccer there -- "Not even close," Ginobili said -- but its popularity continues to grow with every breathtaking drive from the Spurs' guard nicknamed, "El Contusion."

"It's something new," Ginobili said. "Before in Argentina I never would have dreamt of the possibility, so they cherish it. It's hard for them for them to identify with a team, but they have great respect for us and they want us to do good. In Spain or Puerto Rico or Brazil, they do the same."

In some ways, the respect fans have for the players gets back to the way many Latino players play the game. It's got nothing to do with style points. Andres Nocioni, Nene, Luis Scola and Eduardo Najera are just as comfortable mucking it up in the trenches as Barbosa is gliding through the lane.

"I don't want to compare the way we play with the way they play here, but the only thing I have to say about us is we play with heart," Varejao said. "In my case, I give everything. I don't care how many points or how many rebounds I get. I'm just going to play hard and try to help my team get a win."

While it's probably just a coincidence, 12 of the 17 Latino players are on teams in the thick of the playoff race, with most manning significant roles. Their impact is being felt. And just as many European or African players have enjoyed a natural friendship over the years regardless of their nationality, Latino players also feel a kinship.

"There's a bond, for sure," said Barea, in the midst of a breakout season as Jason Kidd's backup. "When we see each other or play each other, we make sure we say hi and talk to each other. It's somebody to talk Spanish with. The language is a big thing. You just want to talk Spanish with somebody."

And not just Spanish. "It's nice to joke in Portuguese with Barbosa," Varejao said of Brazil's official language. "And it's nice to practice my Spanish sometimes. Whenever we play against each other, we always talk. 'How is everything? How is life here? How is the team?' I believe that's really good. It's always good when you're in a different country and you're not the only one.

"You can talk a little bit about what's going on and take some good tips from them, learn from them, too."

In a small way, Noche Latina helps acknowledge those ties. Though not every Latino player is wearing a special jersey this month, they all realize they're part of something bigger.

"I don't think it's only about recognizing us, but Latin fans," Ginobili said. "It's a huge fan base for the NBA and they're very important for the league. We know that, so it's a way to thank them."

Noche Latina 2009 schedule
NBA Latin Nights Date Day Broadcast Opponent
Lakers (Los Lakers) March 3 Tuesday N/A Grizzlies
Mavericks (Los Mavs) March 4 Wednesday ESPN Spurs
Knicks (Nueva York) March 4 Wednesday N/A Hawks
Heat (El Heat) March 9 Monday N/A Bulls
Heat (El Heat) March 14 Saturday N/A Jazz
Suns (Los Suns) March 14 Saturday N/A Thunder
Spurs (Los Spurs) March 20 Friday NBATV Celtics
Mavericks (Los Mavs) March 25 Wednesday N/A Warriors
Bulls (Los Bulls) March 26 Thursday TNT Heat
Rockets (Los Rockets) March 28 Saturday N/A Clippers

LINK (http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/art_garcia/03/03/garcia.noche.20090303/index.html)

[Hemotivo]

Está bien que digan "LOS"

LOS ROCKETS
LOS SPURS
LOS MAVS
LOS HEAT
LOS LAKERS

Así los llamamos en sudamérica.

[crc21209]

Stupidest thing the NBA has ever come up with. The jersey's are so ugly with the "Los" in front of the name.

[Ditty]

i dont even know if dirk even knows that spanish is a language

[Josepatches_]

Está bien que digan "LOS"

LOS ROCKETS
LOS SPURS
LOS MAVS
LOS HEAT
LOS LAKERS

Así los llamamos en sudamérica.

In South america and in Spain too.

But San Antonio or Los Angeles are a spanish name so why don't put only San Antonio

[katuso]

i know whats the meaning!!:king

[katuso]

EI heat