alamo50
06-08-2005, 02:17 AM
Evenly matched NBA finals only took 20 years
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050515/050515_spurs_hmed_9p.hmedium.jpg
Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images
From left, San Antonio's Tony Parker, Nazr Mohammed, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili talk after a time out. The Spurs are evenly matched with the Detroit Pistons, writes NBCSports.com's Michael Ventre.
COMMENTARY
By Michael Ventre
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 9:13 p.m. ET June 7, 2005
This year, the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated the 20th anniversary of their 1985 championship team that boasted Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and coach Pat Riley, one of the finest assemblages to ever grace the hardwood.
But the entire NBA is quietly observing a 20th anniversary of a different sort: The Finals of 1985 marked the last time two evenly matched teams met to decide the championship.
Until now.
Yes, they may not have the same pizzazz. They may not produce the same drama, or possess the same historical significance. They may not have a juicy individual duel of former college rivals-turned-NBA superstars like Magic versus Bird. And they certainly won’t spike television ratings.
But strictly in terms of staging a fair fight, the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs are the closest pro basketball has come since that titanic clash during the heart of the league’s renaissance.
Certainly the Pistons and Spurs are different teams, though not nearly as different as Magic’s Showtime Lakers and Larry Bird’s hard-hat Celtics. The most notable distinction is in the backcourts, where the Pistons present bulldoggish Chauncey Billups at point guard while the Spurs counter with hummingbird-quick Tony Parker.
But both thrive on the mantra of defense, and have enough offensive prowess to put together runs when needed, or manufacture a clutch bucket with the clock winding down and the pressure mounting. The Pistons and Spurs have solid and reliable reserves. And while San Antonio has the lone superstar of this series in Tim Duncan, the Pistons collectively can match anything the Spurs put forward.
Ignore the Vegas odds. This is a pick ’em.
But is it really the first even battle since 1985?
That year, the Lakers and Celtics fought each other at full strength, and it was a memorable tussle over six games. The following Finals, in ’86, the Celtics added Bill Walton and outwitted an athletic but overmatched Houston Rockets club. In ’87, the Lakers and Celtics met again, but by that time the Celtics were on the downslide. Kevin McHale played that series with a broken foot. And their bench was thin. Even though it went six games, the outcome was never really in doubt.
The ’88 Finals probably came the closest to an even match over the past 20 years. The Detroit Pistons were on the rise, and the Lakers were starting to feel the effects of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s advanced age and the pressure of trying to become the first team to repeat as champs since the ’69 Celtics. Isiah Thomas was brilliant, the Pistons were young and hungry, and they made it a seven-game affair. But the Lakers were the superior team, smarter and more experienced, and if they hadn’t been mentally taxed by Riley’s guarantee the summer before that they would win back-to-back titles, the series probably would have been L.A.’s in five.
In ’89, Magic and Byron Scott went down with injuries, and the Pistons had an easy time in a sweep. In ’90, Detroit rolled past Portland in five for a repeat.
Over the next eight years, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won six championships. Five of those series went to six games, but the Bulls were never in danger of losing because they never faced anyone close to being their equal. Utah came close twice, but not really.
In the two years Jordan played baseball — ’94 and ’95 — the Houston Rockets reigned as champs. In ’94, they beat the Knicks in seven games, but neither of those clubs would make anyone’s “greatest ever” list, and despite the Eastern hype, Houston was the better team on paper coming in. They were two clubs with legendary centers in Hakeem Olajuwon for Houston and Patrick Ewing for New York who had ugly squads around them that specialized in playing ugly ball. Houston just turned out to be less ugly.
In ’99, San Antonio clobbered a lame Knicks team. In 2000, ’01 and ’02, the Lakers prevailed against lesser opponents named Indiana, Philadelphia and New Jersey. In ’03, the Spurs outclassed the Nets.
And then there was last year. Those Lakers were illustrious names that comprised a dysfunctional team. If you looked past the hype, the Pistons were the better team by far, because of the two Finals participants they’re the only ones who played like a team.
These Spurs and Pistons are the closest thing we’ve seen to a perfect pairing, but that doesn’t mean it will go down in history as one of the most memorable Finals ever. There are Finals whose outcomes weren’t so uncertain — like any involving Jordan, for instance — that are etched into the brain far more deeply than this one will be.
An even match can sometimes be a boring match. The undisputed star of these 2005 Finals is Duncan, and while he’s a good and decent fellow with a magnificent all-around game, he’s about as exciting to watch as an accountant at tax time. It is unlikely he will provide any Jordanesque moments — he just doesn’t have that kind of game — although he will lead his team like Jordan led his.
But these Finals will stand out because neither team stands above the other. It’s a scenario that only took 20 years to achieve.
Michael Ventre writes regularly for NBCSports.com and is a freelance writer in Los Angeles.
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050515/050515_spurs_hmed_9p.hmedium.jpg
Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images
From left, San Antonio's Tony Parker, Nazr Mohammed, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili talk after a time out. The Spurs are evenly matched with the Detroit Pistons, writes NBCSports.com's Michael Ventre.
COMMENTARY
By Michael Ventre
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 9:13 p.m. ET June 7, 2005
This year, the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated the 20th anniversary of their 1985 championship team that boasted Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and coach Pat Riley, one of the finest assemblages to ever grace the hardwood.
But the entire NBA is quietly observing a 20th anniversary of a different sort: The Finals of 1985 marked the last time two evenly matched teams met to decide the championship.
Until now.
Yes, they may not have the same pizzazz. They may not produce the same drama, or possess the same historical significance. They may not have a juicy individual duel of former college rivals-turned-NBA superstars like Magic versus Bird. And they certainly won’t spike television ratings.
But strictly in terms of staging a fair fight, the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs are the closest pro basketball has come since that titanic clash during the heart of the league’s renaissance.
Certainly the Pistons and Spurs are different teams, though not nearly as different as Magic’s Showtime Lakers and Larry Bird’s hard-hat Celtics. The most notable distinction is in the backcourts, where the Pistons present bulldoggish Chauncey Billups at point guard while the Spurs counter with hummingbird-quick Tony Parker.
But both thrive on the mantra of defense, and have enough offensive prowess to put together runs when needed, or manufacture a clutch bucket with the clock winding down and the pressure mounting. The Pistons and Spurs have solid and reliable reserves. And while San Antonio has the lone superstar of this series in Tim Duncan, the Pistons collectively can match anything the Spurs put forward.
Ignore the Vegas odds. This is a pick ’em.
But is it really the first even battle since 1985?
That year, the Lakers and Celtics fought each other at full strength, and it was a memorable tussle over six games. The following Finals, in ’86, the Celtics added Bill Walton and outwitted an athletic but overmatched Houston Rockets club. In ’87, the Lakers and Celtics met again, but by that time the Celtics were on the downslide. Kevin McHale played that series with a broken foot. And their bench was thin. Even though it went six games, the outcome was never really in doubt.
The ’88 Finals probably came the closest to an even match over the past 20 years. The Detroit Pistons were on the rise, and the Lakers were starting to feel the effects of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s advanced age and the pressure of trying to become the first team to repeat as champs since the ’69 Celtics. Isiah Thomas was brilliant, the Pistons were young and hungry, and they made it a seven-game affair. But the Lakers were the superior team, smarter and more experienced, and if they hadn’t been mentally taxed by Riley’s guarantee the summer before that they would win back-to-back titles, the series probably would have been L.A.’s in five.
In ’89, Magic and Byron Scott went down with injuries, and the Pistons had an easy time in a sweep. In ’90, Detroit rolled past Portland in five for a repeat.
Over the next eight years, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won six championships. Five of those series went to six games, but the Bulls were never in danger of losing because they never faced anyone close to being their equal. Utah came close twice, but not really.
In the two years Jordan played baseball — ’94 and ’95 — the Houston Rockets reigned as champs. In ’94, they beat the Knicks in seven games, but neither of those clubs would make anyone’s “greatest ever” list, and despite the Eastern hype, Houston was the better team on paper coming in. They were two clubs with legendary centers in Hakeem Olajuwon for Houston and Patrick Ewing for New York who had ugly squads around them that specialized in playing ugly ball. Houston just turned out to be less ugly.
In ’99, San Antonio clobbered a lame Knicks team. In 2000, ’01 and ’02, the Lakers prevailed against lesser opponents named Indiana, Philadelphia and New Jersey. In ’03, the Spurs outclassed the Nets.
And then there was last year. Those Lakers were illustrious names that comprised a dysfunctional team. If you looked past the hype, the Pistons were the better team by far, because of the two Finals participants they’re the only ones who played like a team.
These Spurs and Pistons are the closest thing we’ve seen to a perfect pairing, but that doesn’t mean it will go down in history as one of the most memorable Finals ever. There are Finals whose outcomes weren’t so uncertain — like any involving Jordan, for instance — that are etched into the brain far more deeply than this one will be.
An even match can sometimes be a boring match. The undisputed star of these 2005 Finals is Duncan, and while he’s a good and decent fellow with a magnificent all-around game, he’s about as exciting to watch as an accountant at tax time. It is unlikely he will provide any Jordanesque moments — he just doesn’t have that kind of game — although he will lead his team like Jordan led his.
But these Finals will stand out because neither team stands above the other. It’s a scenario that only took 20 years to achieve.
Michael Ventre writes regularly for NBCSports.com and is a freelance writer in Los Angeles.