Kori Ellis
10-30-2005, 03:47 AM
Talk about Spurs is getting repetitious
By Peter May | October 30, 2005
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2005/10/30/talk_about_spurs_is_getting_repetitious?mode=PF
Everyone loves the Spurs. Except, perhaps, new Spur Nick Van Exel.
''I went up to him a few days ago and asked him if he'd ever been on a worse team," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. ''And he looked at me and said, 'Nope. Never have.' "
It was, of course, a situation in which Popovich and Van Exel had tongues firmly planted in their cheeks. San Antonio sleepwalked through a 1-7 exhibition season, even as everyone and anyone who is charged with making predictions has the Spurs penciled in as the putative 2005-06 NBA champions.
Hey, it's not just us ignorant writers who like Pop's gang. Seventy-seven percent of the league's general managers -- 23 of 30 -- picked the Spurs to repeat, which sort of makes you wonder what the other seven were thinking. It's the largest percentage in the four-year history of the survey, which is conducted by NBA.com.
Popovich has been in this position before. The 1999 Spurs won the NBA title and failed to repeat. The 2003 Spurs won the NBA title and failed to repeat. Is the third time going to be the difference?
''If it isn't, they'll know who to blame," Popovich cracked. ''But in all seriousness, the first time around, Timmy [Duncan] got hurt, so there was no way we were going to repeat. The second time, we did well during the regular season, but there was the Derek Fisher shot and we couldn't make any outside shots [in losing to the Lakers in the conference semifinals]. But that, too, was a different team than the one that won it the year before, because [Steve] Kerr retired and [Danny] Ferry retired and we didn't bring back Stephen Jackson [who was a big part of their 2003 title team]."
This time around, everyone is back -- and then some. The starting five are back. Two of the key subs, Beno Udrih and Robert Horry are back. And to pile on, the Spurs brought in Van Exel, Michael Finley, and Argentine Fabricio Oberto to make them ridiculously deep.
Popovich said the players have fallen in love with Oberto, one of the key guys on the Argentina national team, a unit Popovich said ''plays the game the way it's supposed to be played and is the one team I enjoy watching as much as any." Oberto was a scramble replacement for his Argentine teammate Luis Scola -- yes, the Spurs own his rights, too -- when Scola couldn't extricate himself from his European deal.
''Oberto is the ugliest-looking good player I have ever seen," Popovich said. ''On one hand, he's stiff, he has no moves, he can't shoot -- and our guys love him because he sets good picks and rolls to the basket and makes excellent passes out of the post."
Oberto will be a regular part of the rotation, one that is in a bit of flux because Nazr Mohammad has been away tending to family issues. Ideally, Popovich would start Mohammad and then bring in Oberto, leaving Rasho Nesterovic as the No. 3 center (an expensive and available one, at that). But Mohammad is not expected to be in game shape for the season opener, which likely means that Nesterovic will start and Oberto will come off the pine.
It's an impressive lineup that, unfortunately, the fans of Boston see only once a year. The Spurs come through early, Nov. 11, and we all know how long it's been since the Celtics have beaten the Spurs. It almost seems that a Celtics victory will happen only when Duncan decides he'd rather nurse a pina colada under a mango tree in St. Croix than play another season.
Unfortunately for Boston, and everyone else, Duncan is on the books for five more years. That doesn't automatically translate to five more titles, but, for now, the Spurs are clearly the team to beat.
By Peter May | October 30, 2005
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2005/10/30/talk_about_spurs_is_getting_repetitious?mode=PF
Everyone loves the Spurs. Except, perhaps, new Spur Nick Van Exel.
''I went up to him a few days ago and asked him if he'd ever been on a worse team," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. ''And he looked at me and said, 'Nope. Never have.' "
It was, of course, a situation in which Popovich and Van Exel had tongues firmly planted in their cheeks. San Antonio sleepwalked through a 1-7 exhibition season, even as everyone and anyone who is charged with making predictions has the Spurs penciled in as the putative 2005-06 NBA champions.
Hey, it's not just us ignorant writers who like Pop's gang. Seventy-seven percent of the league's general managers -- 23 of 30 -- picked the Spurs to repeat, which sort of makes you wonder what the other seven were thinking. It's the largest percentage in the four-year history of the survey, which is conducted by NBA.com.
Popovich has been in this position before. The 1999 Spurs won the NBA title and failed to repeat. The 2003 Spurs won the NBA title and failed to repeat. Is the third time going to be the difference?
''If it isn't, they'll know who to blame," Popovich cracked. ''But in all seriousness, the first time around, Timmy [Duncan] got hurt, so there was no way we were going to repeat. The second time, we did well during the regular season, but there was the Derek Fisher shot and we couldn't make any outside shots [in losing to the Lakers in the conference semifinals]. But that, too, was a different team than the one that won it the year before, because [Steve] Kerr retired and [Danny] Ferry retired and we didn't bring back Stephen Jackson [who was a big part of their 2003 title team]."
This time around, everyone is back -- and then some. The starting five are back. Two of the key subs, Beno Udrih and Robert Horry are back. And to pile on, the Spurs brought in Van Exel, Michael Finley, and Argentine Fabricio Oberto to make them ridiculously deep.
Popovich said the players have fallen in love with Oberto, one of the key guys on the Argentina national team, a unit Popovich said ''plays the game the way it's supposed to be played and is the one team I enjoy watching as much as any." Oberto was a scramble replacement for his Argentine teammate Luis Scola -- yes, the Spurs own his rights, too -- when Scola couldn't extricate himself from his European deal.
''Oberto is the ugliest-looking good player I have ever seen," Popovich said. ''On one hand, he's stiff, he has no moves, he can't shoot -- and our guys love him because he sets good picks and rolls to the basket and makes excellent passes out of the post."
Oberto will be a regular part of the rotation, one that is in a bit of flux because Nazr Mohammad has been away tending to family issues. Ideally, Popovich would start Mohammad and then bring in Oberto, leaving Rasho Nesterovic as the No. 3 center (an expensive and available one, at that). But Mohammad is not expected to be in game shape for the season opener, which likely means that Nesterovic will start and Oberto will come off the pine.
It's an impressive lineup that, unfortunately, the fans of Boston see only once a year. The Spurs come through early, Nov. 11, and we all know how long it's been since the Celtics have beaten the Spurs. It almost seems that a Celtics victory will happen only when Duncan decides he'd rather nurse a pina colada under a mango tree in St. Croix than play another season.
Unfortunately for Boston, and everyone else, Duncan is on the books for five more years. That doesn't automatically translate to five more titles, but, for now, the Spurs are clearly the team to beat.