team-work
04-25-2005, 09:39 AM
As a fan of the Spurs, something kept coming to my mind. I chose to express it even though I run the risk of not being allowed in this forum anymore. I witnessed the very successful first half of the Spurs season, everything going smoothly until around the All-Star break.
Nothing seemed to go wrong after the Malik trade. Of course, this has nothing to do with Duncan's 3 ankle sprains, Devin's back and Rasho's injury. From strategy to market value the trade absolutely makes sense. However, a trademark and warm heart of the team is gone.
Maybe coincidentally, I found this team's tolerance to losing game continuously increasing. Earlier, one day after the embarassing loss to T-Mac's Rockets, this team could brutally took revenge, though on the Cavalier, by shooting a record-high percentage. As the season goes, I saw fewer and fewer of this example. Instead, the team chose to rest Duncan and Manu and lost to the Phoenix deliberately in the 3rd encounter, claiming the mental war is won because we fought closely till the end so the Suns will wonder whether they can beat the full-team Spurs in the playoffs. Then the 1st seed was conceded to Phoenix, and it was claimed the 2nd seed was better because who and who can be avoided in the 2nd round, while the Suns have tougher opponents. With such mindset, how can the Spurs advance past the red-hot Nuggets?
I'm not trying to hurt this team's self-confidence. This team certainly has every element to make a champion, from talent of players, from coach to management. What's needed now is simply to love winning and hate losing.
Nothing seemed to go wrong after the Malik trade. Of course, this has nothing to do with Duncan's 3 ankle sprains, Devin's back and Rasho's injury. From strategy to market value the trade absolutely makes sense. However, a trademark and warm heart of the team is gone.
Maybe coincidentally, I found this team's tolerance to losing game continuously increasing. Earlier, one day after the embarassing loss to T-Mac's Rockets, this team could brutally took revenge, though on the Cavalier, by shooting a record-high percentage. As the season goes, I saw fewer and fewer of this example. Instead, the team chose to rest Duncan and Manu and lost to the Phoenix deliberately in the 3rd encounter, claiming the mental war is won because we fought closely till the end so the Suns will wonder whether they can beat the full-team Spurs in the playoffs. Then the 1st seed was conceded to Phoenix, and it was claimed the 2nd seed was better because who and who can be avoided in the 2nd round, while the Suns have tougher opponents. With such mindset, how can the Spurs advance past the red-hot Nuggets?
I'm not trying to hurt this team's self-confidence. This team certainly has every element to make a champion, from talent of players, from coach to management. What's needed now is simply to love winning and hate losing.