Budkin
06-20-2013, 05:41 PM
This was buried in another thread about the Game 6 loss being like what happened to the 2011 Texas Rangers, The 1986 Red Sox, etc. Thought it was really good and didn't know how many saw it.
And the Bartman game and 18-1.
Us Spurs fans can't get too dejected, though. If you offered me in '95 after Hakeem brutalized the Admiral that the Spurs would win 4 titles on the condition that I'd have to experience an all-time heartbreaking Finals loss, I'd take that deal in an instant.
You started the thread about this series defining the Spurs historical legacy, but now I think that narrative has shifted to defining us as fans. Spurs are a relatively young franchise who've won more titles than franchises that have been around since the inception of the NBA. We've been fortunate to win two lottery picks that led to the drafting of two great big man, one which became the backbone of a quasi-dynasty. We've been fortunate to root for a team that perennially makes the playoffs. We've been fortunate that the injury bug hasn't changed the destiny of the franchise, like the Trailblazers. And we've been fortunate to never really experience a heartbreaking loss of this magnitude. .4 and the Manu foul are pretty much blips on the radar as far as all-time crushing losses go.
Maybe the Duncan-era Spurs won't enter the annals of the historically great alongside Magic's Lakers, Russell's Celtics, and Jordan's Bulls, but also maybe we as fans haven't yet paid the price to deserve the team we root for to stand alongside the fans of those teams who had some truly heartbreaking stuff to deal with (Lakers fans during the 60's; the '84 Finals; Game 4 of the '08 Finals; Celtics fans with the Len Bias and Reggie Lewis deaths; and Bulls fans might finally pay the basketball gods for the Jordan-era with the Derrick Rose injury).
The basketball gods came to collect payment last night for the 4 titles they gave us, but we can take solace that they didn't forever forsake us like they seem to be doing to the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and the Sacramento Kings.
And the Bartman game and 18-1.
Us Spurs fans can't get too dejected, though. If you offered me in '95 after Hakeem brutalized the Admiral that the Spurs would win 4 titles on the condition that I'd have to experience an all-time heartbreaking Finals loss, I'd take that deal in an instant.
You started the thread about this series defining the Spurs historical legacy, but now I think that narrative has shifted to defining us as fans. Spurs are a relatively young franchise who've won more titles than franchises that have been around since the inception of the NBA. We've been fortunate to win two lottery picks that led to the drafting of two great big man, one which became the backbone of a quasi-dynasty. We've been fortunate to root for a team that perennially makes the playoffs. We've been fortunate that the injury bug hasn't changed the destiny of the franchise, like the Trailblazers. And we've been fortunate to never really experience a heartbreaking loss of this magnitude. .4 and the Manu foul are pretty much blips on the radar as far as all-time crushing losses go.
Maybe the Duncan-era Spurs won't enter the annals of the historically great alongside Magic's Lakers, Russell's Celtics, and Jordan's Bulls, but also maybe we as fans haven't yet paid the price to deserve the team we root for to stand alongside the fans of those teams who had some truly heartbreaking stuff to deal with (Lakers fans during the 60's; the '84 Finals; Game 4 of the '08 Finals; Celtics fans with the Len Bias and Reggie Lewis deaths; and Bulls fans might finally pay the basketball gods for the Jordan-era with the Derrick Rose injury).
The basketball gods came to collect payment last night for the 4 titles they gave us, but we can take solace that they didn't forever forsake us like they seem to be doing to the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and the Sacramento Kings.