The Footnote Title The Sports Guy ranks the 20 most fortunate breaks

[bull62400]

To commemorate the asterick that this year's championship will have considering the Derrick Rose Injury, this "footnote guy" decided to rank the top 20 asterick/footnote championships in NBA History. And guess what... all 4 of our championships are on the list. #14 2003 spurs, #13 2007 spurs, #10 2005 spurs, and #2 1999 spurs.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7883334/the-footnote-title

Discuss...
My opinion... The best team in basketball has the talent, dedication, and discipline to become great and healthy.

[timvp]

:lol I'd rather the Spurs won titles that left everyone else butthurt than win forgettable championships, tbh.

[tesseractive]

Time to go out there and try to win an asterisk for the thumb.

[Venti Quattro]

:lol :lol :lol

[bull62400]

:lol :lol :lol

1987 Lakers Honorable mention

#18 2010 Lakers

#16 2009 Lakers

#12 2002 Lakers

#5 1988 Lakers

[cantthinkofanything]

Simmons be trollin'

[Venti Quattro]

1987 Lakers Honorable mention

#18 2010 Lakers

#16 2009 Lakers

#12 2002 Lakers

#5 1988 Lakers

All of the Spurs' rings are in the list. What are you talking about? :lmao

:lmao asterisk franchise

[flipspursfan]

Lebron would stop wearing his headband if it would mean a ring, asterisk or not.

[flipspursfan]

All of the Spurs' rings are in the list. What are you talking about? :lmao

Son, just some fan being butthurt really. You got solid takes, been seeing you around the forums for a long time tbh. :toast

[Horse]

This guy is a fucking idiot, how bout 2008 when as defending champs Manu got hurt and we got stuck sleeping on a fucking airplane.

[Mel_13]

:lol @ people getting all mad about a Simmons column.

[Sean Cagney]

Blahhhhhh, he said our 07 team was our best team, I laughed there. 05 Pistons added Dyess, I can argue they were bigger and after a year together were tougher than 04 team. 03 Webber did get hurt, but he fails to mention the Spurs knocked out (He says Sac their biggest threat) the Lakers who were a three peat champ! Fails to mention that. Dirk got hurt as well, the Spurs were never really threatened that series though sides Dallas stealing game one (Spurs controlled that game) then they won the next three games (Two with Dirk in there and he leaves in the later part of game 4).

I could go on and on about his column, he fails to mention a few things there.

BTW Simmons is cool and respects the Spurs alot but dude is a flat out clown I disagree with at times.

[manufan10]

As Culburn would say, "Only pussies & assholes make excuses."

[Mugen]

Simmons will never let go of Boston not getting Timmy :lol

Funny article tho.

[Budkin]

They mad?

[Mel_13]

According to this list there were only 4 "legit" champs since 1991 that didn't have Michael Jordan on the team:

2000 Lakers
2001 Lakers
2004 Pistons
2011 Mavs

I wouldn't get too worked up about a list that found something wrong with every other champ of the last two decades.

[Venti Quattro]

Simmons will never let go of Boston not getting Timmy :lol

That, and Lenny Bias.

[sharkenleo]

And no mention of Duncan's injury in 01 or Ginobili's injury last year. Ridiculous.

[Venti Quattro]

And no mention of Duncan's injury in 01 or Ginobili's injury last year. Ridiculous.

That would have merited a discussion, but...

a. 2001: You got absolutely fucking destroyed
b. 2011: You didn't even get to advance in the second round

[Obstructed_View]

The Lakers owe two of their titles to Juwan Howard and Scot Pollard. Every Laker fan knows that.

[FromWayDowntown]

a. 2001: You got absolutely fucking destroyed


Pretty sure he meant 2000, when Duncan missed the playoffs.

I'm not convinced that the 2000 Spurs were going to beat either the 2000 Lakers or the 2000 Blazers, but it's much more plausible to me that the Duncan injury in 2000 cost the Spurs a chance to play for the title than it is that the Anderson injury in 2001 did.

[CitizenDwayne]

This guy is a comedian, not an analyst.

Anyone expecting serious sports commentary out of him is nuts

[Venti Quattro]

This guy is a comedian, not an analyst.

Anyone expecting serious sports commentary out of him is nuts
You're just saying that because the Spurs are on the end of a Bill Simmons beatdown. He hates the Lakers more than any team and I respect his writing. You should, too.

[Venti Quattro]

The Lakers owe two of their titles to Juwan Howard and Scot Pollard. Every Laker fan knows that.

The Spurs owe at least one ring each to Tommy Nuñez and Tim Donaghy.

[CitizenDwayne]

You're just saying that because the Spurs are on the end of a Bill Simmons beatdown. He hates the Lakers more than any team and I respect his writing. You should, too.
In terms of entertainment value, he's probably the best sports writer out there. It's just hard to accept anything he says due to his obvious biases.

[TD 21]

This column lost all credibility when he didn't mention that Duncan, one of the two best players in the world at the time and the best player on the defending champions, missed the '00 playoffs with a knee injury. An inexplicable, massive oversight, particularly when you consider that en route to the '99 title, they swept the Lakers.

[FromWayDowntown]

Simmons has had a couple of recent "oversights," including forgetting that he had made a wager on the MVP race before he decided to cast a vote for the MVP award.

http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-writer-bill-simmons-withdraws-nba-mvp-ballot-2012-5

Oops.

[Sean Cagney]

You're just saying that because the Spurs are on the end of a Bill Simmons beatdown. He hates the Lakers more than any team and I respect his writing. You should, too.

He says the Spurs 07 team is a top three title team in the last however many years or so but they are on the list too! That makes perfect sense I tell you :lol:lmao:lmao.

[KaiRMD1]

Just one fellers opinion but a good read nonetheless

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

His biases are transparent and open. That's all you can ask for. At least he doesn't hide behind..."statistics".

[Sean Cagney]

His biases are transparent and open. That's all you can ask for. At least he doesn't hide behind..."statistics".

It is clear he hates LA LOL.......... He doesn't like the Spurs either in the finals it seems! To each his own (He did give the 07 a ton of credit, but they should not be on there all in all if he thinks they are that great).

BTW 07 Spurs are not our best team, I know that (05 was better).

[T Park]

lol @ Derek Anderson being thought of as a catastrophic loss. You guys think Bonner is a choker, Anderson was worse, except he was leaned on as a big scorer. Was a absolute joke vs Minnesota in that first round.

That said, give me all the lame, boring, asterisked championships you want.

Ill take another tainted on this year.

[T Park]

It is clear he hates LA LOL.......... He doesn't like the Spurs either in the finals it seems! To each his own (He did give the 07 a ton of credit, but they should not be on there all in all if he thinks they are that great).

BTW 07 Spurs are not our best team, I know that (05 was better).

I agree, 2005 was a much more well rounded, deeper, more athletic team.

Plus in 05 Duncan did all he did on two bad feet. Battled sore ankles the entire last part of the year and playoffs.

[TwelveGs210]

Lmao at this nobody from some no name site rambling about crap.

This idiot says Parker was in his prime in 07'? Can he even name five Spurs not named Tony, Tim, or Manu from this years squad?

[TwelveGs210]

lol @ Derek Anderson being thought of as a catastrophic loss. You guys think Bonner is a choker, Anderson was worse, except he was leaned on as a big scorer. Was a absolute joke vs Minnesota in that first round.

That said, give me all the lame, boring, asterisked championships you want.

Ill take another tainted on this year.

Say what you wish about Derek Anderson. The schmuck actually discussed contract demands the following day after getting raped by LA in the playoffs with the media..

..but, the guy had two of the NASTIEST dunks on someone that I've ever seen from a Spur. (Sean Bradley and Vin Baker)

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

Love reading Simmons articles and listening to his podcasts... Injuries happen every year, so every champion has to have a combination of luck and skill.

[Sean Cagney]

Say what you wish about Derek Anderson. The schmuck actually discussed contract demands the following day after getting raped by LA in the playoffs with the media..

..but, the guy had two of the NASTIEST dunks on someone that I've ever seen from a Spur. (Sean Bradley and Vin Baker)

Too bad he went to Portland the first round exit team for years and never could stay healthy nor regained his form he had in SA that year in 01!!! I was never missing him once Gino got here, what a tradeoff that was from Derek to Gino! If we had Derek we are not the same team at all! I liked him that year but on his best year he was not near Ginobiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! PERIOD.


I agree on that contract thing though, he had the nerve to mention Loyalty too a few times during that! LOL he cared about the money. To be honest, he was NEVER MISSED.

[TwelveGs210]

Too bad he went to Portland the first round exit team for years and never could stay healthy nor regained his form he had in SA that year in 01!!! I was never missing him once Gino got here, what a tradeoff that was from Derek to Gino! If we had Derek we are not the same team at all! I liked him that year but on his best year he was not near Ginobiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! PERIOD.


I agree on that contract thing though, he had the nerve to mention Loyalty too a few times during that! LOL he cared about the money. To be honest, he was NEVER MISSED.

Yeah, him getting asshurt and signing elsewhere was a blessing in disguise. I don't see Portland games, but I do keep up with the season and I don't remember him ever being a sliver of an impact player with the Blazers. Injuries and braids IIRC that year..

I liked the above the rim mentality, (especially at a time where an exciting Spurs play was Jim's Spokesman Antonio Daniels and another one of his lame ass "Statue of Liberty" dunks), and the fact that he was a Spur endorsed by Jordan, (white and black 11's are STILL my favorite) but other than that, I forgot the guy existed once Manu joined, just like you and I'm sure 99.9% of us as well..

[T Park]

Say what you wish about Derek Anderson. The schmuck actually discussed contract demands the following day after getting raped by LA in the playoffs with the media..

..but, the guy had two of the NASTIEST dunks on someone that I've ever seen from a Spur. (Sean Bradley and Vin Baker)

Pfft dunks..

[TampaDude]

Well, you know, that's just like, your opinion, man...

[Dingle Barry]

It's pretty sad how many people are unable to spell "asterisk".

[100%duncan]

:lmao

[diego]

IIRC, Simmons predicted the jazz and Knicks would give us and the heat all we could handle, even hinting at the Knicks winning. Dude's a good writer, but tends to make his analysis on paper. There's not a spurs fan out there who would take 07 team over 05, even with an injured Duncan.

Also, same as others have said, there are a bunch of other injuries / fishy calls that aren't mentioned in the article. But a lot of this is small market reality- if you win its because a big market team was 'unlucky', if you lose no one notices/remembers the same things happening to you (for ex., how is the havlicek injury he goes on about different from Manu's injury in 08?)

[ambchang]

Unbelievable how the 06 and 02 *titles didn't even crack the top 5.

This column deserves an asterisk.

[Knoxxx]

In many sports you have to be lucky and good to win a championship college football comes to mind also.

[Obstructed_View]

lol @ Derek Anderson being thought of as a catastrophic loss. You guys think Bonner is a choker, Anderson was worse, except he was leaned on as a big scorer. Was a absolute joke vs Minnesota in that first round.

Matt Bonner's career playof high games are 14, 12 and 11. Anderson's first three games against Minnesota were 12, 12 and 16. He led the team in assists in game 4. You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, as usual.

[Obstructed_View]

The Spurs owe at least one ring each to Tommy Nuñez and Tim Donaghy.

:lmao yeah the officials wanted the Spurs to win.