SuperMan
06-09-2006, 07:56 AM
Feel free to send this 1d10+ an email or two, i know i will,....here's the article
The following article is from: http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/SPORTS/606080339/1006
You can have the Spurs and Pistons - bring on the exciting Mavs, Heat
Finally, an NBA Finals to get excited about. After three years of boring championship teams with boring players, the NBA is back in show business with the Mavs and Heat.
The 2003-2005 seasons saw the Spurs and Pistons in control. Both were, no doubt, great teams that deserved to be victorious thanks to their tough defense and team play. However, teams running balanced offenses and defenses shutting down scorers are reasons to watch college and high school ball.
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The Spurs and Pistons both had (and have) great players, but they didn't have stars. Tim Duncan is a fantastic player who shows great intellect and temperament. Ben Wallace is a great example of somebody who does the dirty work and sacrifices for the betterment of his team. We should all hope that our children grow up to have Tim and Ben's guts and character, but neither one of them is going to get the casual fan to switch over from "Seinfeld" re-runs.
The NBA isn't for hoops purists; it's about letting stars be stars and scores soar. People don't turn on an NBA game hoping to see a well-balanced team win 75-73. Leave the defensive struggles to the World Cup. What makes the NBA fun is letting the big names put up big numbers.
NBA Finals memories are about the great ones doing dramatic things that will live on in the collective memory of the fans. Willis Reed limping out of the tunnel at the Garden. The rookie Magic jumping center in place of an injured Kareem. Jordan's flu game.(Sorry Jazz fans.)
This year we again have the types of stars playing the type of game that will allow the NBA to stop worrying about basketball and get back to doing what it does best - putting on a show.
The Heat have a center so famous that he can be identified by just one name, "Shaq", both in and out of basketball circles. True, he isn't the Shaq he was four years ago, but his outsized personality to go along with his outsized body still make him the closest thing our generation has to Babe Ruth.
This is a guy who once gave Donald Trump a Rolls Royce as a wedding gift, played a genie in a movie, made a rap record called "Shaq Diesel," created a martial art called "Shaq Fu," referred to himself as "The Big Aristotle," tried to squeeze into a pair of John Stockton's shorts, and, oh yeah, carried three different franchises to the Finals.
On the other side is a guy who is quickly coming to be recognized by only a four-letter name - "Dirk." Dirk Nowitzki has already produced a legendary playoff game by scoring 50 points against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals. The 7-foot German with a mop of blond hair has the speed and shooting ability to be able to score from anywhere on the floor, and better yet, he plays in an offense that will let him.
A lot will be made about the Mavs getting to the Finals by improving their defense, and that is true, but this is still a team that has averaged 102.5 points per game throughout 17 post-season games. Defense is no longer a glaring weakness for the Mavs, but they can still outscore the other team if that's what's needed.
Shaq and Dirk alone are enough to make this a fun Finals, but there's a whole cast of characters on either side to keep things interesting. Will it be a coming out party for Dwyane Wade or Jason Terry? Will old hands like Alonzo Mourning and Jerry Stackhouse finally get their ring? Who will complain louder about the officiating - Miami coach Pat Riley or Dallas owner Mark Cuban?
Whoever emerges as the man of the hour, it should be an [begin ital] entertaining [end ital] series - and that's what makes for a great NBA Finals.
[begin ital] Geoff Griffin's e-mail address is [email protected]://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/SPORTS/606080339/1006 The Spectrum (http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/SPORTS/606080339/1006)
The following article is from: http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/SPORTS/606080339/1006
You can have the Spurs and Pistons - bring on the exciting Mavs, Heat
Finally, an NBA Finals to get excited about. After three years of boring championship teams with boring players, the NBA is back in show business with the Mavs and Heat.
The 2003-2005 seasons saw the Spurs and Pistons in control. Both were, no doubt, great teams that deserved to be victorious thanks to their tough defense and team play. However, teams running balanced offenses and defenses shutting down scorers are reasons to watch college and high school ball.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Spurs and Pistons both had (and have) great players, but they didn't have stars. Tim Duncan is a fantastic player who shows great intellect and temperament. Ben Wallace is a great example of somebody who does the dirty work and sacrifices for the betterment of his team. We should all hope that our children grow up to have Tim and Ben's guts and character, but neither one of them is going to get the casual fan to switch over from "Seinfeld" re-runs.
The NBA isn't for hoops purists; it's about letting stars be stars and scores soar. People don't turn on an NBA game hoping to see a well-balanced team win 75-73. Leave the defensive struggles to the World Cup. What makes the NBA fun is letting the big names put up big numbers.
NBA Finals memories are about the great ones doing dramatic things that will live on in the collective memory of the fans. Willis Reed limping out of the tunnel at the Garden. The rookie Magic jumping center in place of an injured Kareem. Jordan's flu game.(Sorry Jazz fans.)
This year we again have the types of stars playing the type of game that will allow the NBA to stop worrying about basketball and get back to doing what it does best - putting on a show.
The Heat have a center so famous that he can be identified by just one name, "Shaq", both in and out of basketball circles. True, he isn't the Shaq he was four years ago, but his outsized personality to go along with his outsized body still make him the closest thing our generation has to Babe Ruth.
This is a guy who once gave Donald Trump a Rolls Royce as a wedding gift, played a genie in a movie, made a rap record called "Shaq Diesel," created a martial art called "Shaq Fu," referred to himself as "The Big Aristotle," tried to squeeze into a pair of John Stockton's shorts, and, oh yeah, carried three different franchises to the Finals.
On the other side is a guy who is quickly coming to be recognized by only a four-letter name - "Dirk." Dirk Nowitzki has already produced a legendary playoff game by scoring 50 points against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals. The 7-foot German with a mop of blond hair has the speed and shooting ability to be able to score from anywhere on the floor, and better yet, he plays in an offense that will let him.
A lot will be made about the Mavs getting to the Finals by improving their defense, and that is true, but this is still a team that has averaged 102.5 points per game throughout 17 post-season games. Defense is no longer a glaring weakness for the Mavs, but they can still outscore the other team if that's what's needed.
Shaq and Dirk alone are enough to make this a fun Finals, but there's a whole cast of characters on either side to keep things interesting. Will it be a coming out party for Dwyane Wade or Jason Terry? Will old hands like Alonzo Mourning and Jerry Stackhouse finally get their ring? Who will complain louder about the officiating - Miami coach Pat Riley or Dallas owner Mark Cuban?
Whoever emerges as the man of the hour, it should be an [begin ital] entertaining [end ital] series - and that's what makes for a great NBA Finals.
[begin ital] Geoff Griffin's e-mail address is [email protected]://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/SPORTS/606080339/1006 The Spectrum (http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/SPORTS/606080339/1006)