duncan228
04-15-2010, 02:06 AM
From the SI Vault. :)
High And Mighty (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1029020/index.htm?eref=sisf)
Spurs send off The Admiral in style
The exceptional play of Tim Duncan and excellent coaching of Gregg Popovich enabled the SPURS to win an otherwise inartistic championship series
Jack McCallum
Sports Illustrated
June 23, 2003
Gregg Popovich chose his celebration wine awhile ago: a 1982 Petrus, which, in his opinion and that of many fellow oenophiles, has reached a loftier status than any of the five legendary French first growths. Such expertise means little to the five uninitiates who constitute the San Antonio Spurs' starting lineup, or to the other seven on the bench, but Coach Pop may tell them about the Petrus anyway. "From time to time," says Spurs star Tim Duncan, "Pop likes to lay some random knowledge on us."
Decisions more critical than which Merlot to uncork confront Popovich and the San Antonio brain trust in the coming days. But for now let us raise a goblet to a wine guy who looks like a longneck drinker, who acts like a longneck drinker, who coaches like a longneck drinker and who guided his team to victory in an NBA Finals that only a longneck drinker could appreciate—and then only after several longnecks.
The Spurs' 88-77 Game 6 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Sunday night at the SBC Center in San Antonio earned Popovich and the franchise their second title in five years. It also wrapped up an offensively challenged Headbangers' Ball of a Finals. There was no marquee team (such as the Los Angeles Lakers), no love-him-or-hate-him protagonist (such as the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal) and no distinguishing story line (such as the Lakers going for a four-peat)—nor, for the Nielsens' sake, were there any corpulent crooners, teenage strippers or cameos from cast members of Friends. Even true hoopheads were turned off by what some generously called the "defensive orientation" of the series, which resulted in a combined 169.8 points per game (third lowest in Finals history) and field goal shooting of 43.2% (Spurs) and 370% (Nets).
At least there was suspense, unlike in last season's Finals, in which the Lakers rampaged through the Nets like Donald Rumsfeld through a staff meeting. This time three games were decided by single-digit margins, and even Sunday's finale required a 31-14 fourth-period turnaround by San Antonio that included a 19-0 run. "This series represented the best of basketball, not the worst," said ABC analyst Bill Walton, the eternal contrarian. "Here were two teams extending absolute maximum effort in every game. What's not to like?" Hmmm. The 3-for-23 shooting of New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin in Game 6, following his eight turnovers in a 93-83 Game 5 loss, would be a decent place to start.
Keep Reading... (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1029020/index.htm?eref=sisf)
http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/2003/0623_large.jpg
High And Mighty (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1029020/index.htm?eref=sisf)
Spurs send off The Admiral in style
The exceptional play of Tim Duncan and excellent coaching of Gregg Popovich enabled the SPURS to win an otherwise inartistic championship series
Jack McCallum
Sports Illustrated
June 23, 2003
Gregg Popovich chose his celebration wine awhile ago: a 1982 Petrus, which, in his opinion and that of many fellow oenophiles, has reached a loftier status than any of the five legendary French first growths. Such expertise means little to the five uninitiates who constitute the San Antonio Spurs' starting lineup, or to the other seven on the bench, but Coach Pop may tell them about the Petrus anyway. "From time to time," says Spurs star Tim Duncan, "Pop likes to lay some random knowledge on us."
Decisions more critical than which Merlot to uncork confront Popovich and the San Antonio brain trust in the coming days. But for now let us raise a goblet to a wine guy who looks like a longneck drinker, who acts like a longneck drinker, who coaches like a longneck drinker and who guided his team to victory in an NBA Finals that only a longneck drinker could appreciate—and then only after several longnecks.
The Spurs' 88-77 Game 6 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Sunday night at the SBC Center in San Antonio earned Popovich and the franchise their second title in five years. It also wrapped up an offensively challenged Headbangers' Ball of a Finals. There was no marquee team (such as the Los Angeles Lakers), no love-him-or-hate-him protagonist (such as the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal) and no distinguishing story line (such as the Lakers going for a four-peat)—nor, for the Nielsens' sake, were there any corpulent crooners, teenage strippers or cameos from cast members of Friends. Even true hoopheads were turned off by what some generously called the "defensive orientation" of the series, which resulted in a combined 169.8 points per game (third lowest in Finals history) and field goal shooting of 43.2% (Spurs) and 370% (Nets).
At least there was suspense, unlike in last season's Finals, in which the Lakers rampaged through the Nets like Donald Rumsfeld through a staff meeting. This time three games were decided by single-digit margins, and even Sunday's finale required a 31-14 fourth-period turnaround by San Antonio that included a 19-0 run. "This series represented the best of basketball, not the worst," said ABC analyst Bill Walton, the eternal contrarian. "Here were two teams extending absolute maximum effort in every game. What's not to like?" Hmmm. The 3-for-23 shooting of New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin in Game 6, following his eight turnovers in a 93-83 Game 5 loss, would be a decent place to start.
Keep Reading... (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1029020/index.htm?eref=sisf)
http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/2003/0623_large.jpg