td4mvp3
05-18-2006, 01:47 PM
we appear to be dead:
1:26 AM ET, 5/18/06
For one night, it was great seeing the old Spurs
Posted by Kelly Dwyer
It was Abbie Hoffman who told us that "nostalgia is a mild form of depression," but I don't know how anyone could watch the rebirth of the 2003-05 era San Antonio Spurs tonight and not feel a little jump in their step. I know it's only been 11 months since we last encountered that championship gang, but I missed those guys. Those were monsters worth remembering, full of long arms and sticky claws, and a beast in the middle who seemed capable of getting the ball to dance around the rim softly each and every time down court.
And just when a weary nation started getting wistful thinking of times gone by, the old Spurs came back. In Wednesday night's Game 5 win over the Mavericks, Tim Duncan was dominant, giving his team 36 points (on 13-of-19 shooting), 12 rebounds, three blocks and four assists in 44 minutes. On the series, he's averaging 31.6 points and shooting 60 percent from the floor, alongside averages of 12 boards, four assists and three blocks. It's obvious that the Spurs have been partial to his abracadabra all series long, but he was the lone holdout, the only guy trying to crank up the wayback machine. Until Wednesday.
Manu Ginobili came back. He started roaming, overplaying, diving on the floor and lunging for basketballs that weren't rightfully his. He caused havoc, he hit shots, he made the difference in a one-point game. Bruce Bowen? He played 33 minutes, didn't score and pulled in one rebound. Classic Bowen! Real greatest hits stuff there, up to and including the encore that saw him stuff Dirk Nowitzki's potential game-winning shot in the waning seconds and attempt to steal a last-second jump ball from Dallas' MVP. Tony Parker spent the bulk of his 36 minutes trying to tick off coach Gregg Popovich, in spite of 27 points. The bench produced next to nothing (five points in 40 minutes), and I could have sworn the ghost of Malik Rose's goatee was hovering over the proceedings.
Nothing depressing about it. Abbie don't surf, but I do think he should try a flex-cut once in a while.
For one night, it was back. The cheesy pedal steel lick played over the PA after a made free throw. Mike Budenholzer, a San Antonio assistant, running down the sidelines to whisper a suggestion or new information into Popovich's ear, only to be ignored. Coach Pop's obsession with khaki. Duncan sounding like a Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast in the postgame interview. All our old heroes, back for one last swing.
This is probably the end of the run. Dallas is clearly the better team in this series; it dominates the glass, covers all corners on defense and only lost by one on San Antonio's home court. The Mavericks have two games to win one in order to move on to the Western Conference finals, and something tells us it's time for a little new blood in the NBA's final four. Especially if that new blood plays so bloody well on both sides of the court.
And yet, as much as we love watching Dallas ply its trade, it was still fun to see the Spurs dig deep and stay alive in Game 5. They're overmatched, pretty banged up and still stuck in a 3-2 hole, but we appreciate the effort, the execution and the reminder of what this team's prime can accomplish.
The Spurs are dead. Long live the Spurs.
1:26 AM ET, 5/18/06
For one night, it was great seeing the old Spurs
Posted by Kelly Dwyer
It was Abbie Hoffman who told us that "nostalgia is a mild form of depression," but I don't know how anyone could watch the rebirth of the 2003-05 era San Antonio Spurs tonight and not feel a little jump in their step. I know it's only been 11 months since we last encountered that championship gang, but I missed those guys. Those were monsters worth remembering, full of long arms and sticky claws, and a beast in the middle who seemed capable of getting the ball to dance around the rim softly each and every time down court.
And just when a weary nation started getting wistful thinking of times gone by, the old Spurs came back. In Wednesday night's Game 5 win over the Mavericks, Tim Duncan was dominant, giving his team 36 points (on 13-of-19 shooting), 12 rebounds, three blocks and four assists in 44 minutes. On the series, he's averaging 31.6 points and shooting 60 percent from the floor, alongside averages of 12 boards, four assists and three blocks. It's obvious that the Spurs have been partial to his abracadabra all series long, but he was the lone holdout, the only guy trying to crank up the wayback machine. Until Wednesday.
Manu Ginobili came back. He started roaming, overplaying, diving on the floor and lunging for basketballs that weren't rightfully his. He caused havoc, he hit shots, he made the difference in a one-point game. Bruce Bowen? He played 33 minutes, didn't score and pulled in one rebound. Classic Bowen! Real greatest hits stuff there, up to and including the encore that saw him stuff Dirk Nowitzki's potential game-winning shot in the waning seconds and attempt to steal a last-second jump ball from Dallas' MVP. Tony Parker spent the bulk of his 36 minutes trying to tick off coach Gregg Popovich, in spite of 27 points. The bench produced next to nothing (five points in 40 minutes), and I could have sworn the ghost of Malik Rose's goatee was hovering over the proceedings.
Nothing depressing about it. Abbie don't surf, but I do think he should try a flex-cut once in a while.
For one night, it was back. The cheesy pedal steel lick played over the PA after a made free throw. Mike Budenholzer, a San Antonio assistant, running down the sidelines to whisper a suggestion or new information into Popovich's ear, only to be ignored. Coach Pop's obsession with khaki. Duncan sounding like a Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast in the postgame interview. All our old heroes, back for one last swing.
This is probably the end of the run. Dallas is clearly the better team in this series; it dominates the glass, covers all corners on defense and only lost by one on San Antonio's home court. The Mavericks have two games to win one in order to move on to the Western Conference finals, and something tells us it's time for a little new blood in the NBA's final four. Especially if that new blood plays so bloody well on both sides of the court.
And yet, as much as we love watching Dallas ply its trade, it was still fun to see the Spurs dig deep and stay alive in Game 5. They're overmatched, pretty banged up and still stuck in a 3-2 hole, but we appreciate the effort, the execution and the reminder of what this team's prime can accomplish.
The Spurs are dead. Long live the Spurs.