duncan228
02-27-2008, 11:19 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA022708_MikeFinger.en.31116b3f.html
Mike Finger: Beefed-up West not invincible
MIke Finger
Express-News Staff Writer
Yao's foot gave way first, but it's not the NBA's only suspect body part. In other Western Conference cities today, Kobe's pinkie, Shaq's hip and Dirk's heart all remain sources of concern.
So even though the championship race thinned Tuesday, none of the contenders celebrated, because they're all smart enough to realize sudden disaster can happen to them, too. The Spurs are among them, because as everyone knows, they are the league's oldest, creakiest-boned, sorest-muscled team.
But the most fragile?
Not by a long shot.
There are those who are quick to argue the Spurs have caught a few breaks on their way to four NBA titles, and Yao's season-ending stress fracture might be another. It isn't quite as fortuitous as winning the Tim Duncan lottery in 1997 or watching Dallas draw a first-round matchup with Golden State 10 years later, but this has the potential to benefit the Spurs more than anyone else.
During the past two regular seasons, only the Mavericks have beaten the Spurs as many times as Houston has. And if the jumbled-as-a-Jose-Canseco-pool-party-story Western Conference standings heading into Tuesday had held form until the end of the season, the Spurs would've had to tangle with Yao and Tracy McGrady to open the playoffs.2
Now, the reward for finishing the regular season strong is greater than it was before. Yao's absence leaves only six serious contenders for the Western Conference crown, which means the top two seeds will be able to avoid the other four during the first round. In what figures to be a contest of attrition, that advantage could be invaluable.
But there was more to Tuesday's news than MRI results, Olympic ramifications and playoff positioning. Yao's devastating medical news was a reminder that as deep and as star-%laden as the Western Conference has become, it's also prone to severe volatility. And the safest bet usually involves taking the team best suited to weather it.
It's not as though the Spurs are immune to these kinds of traumas. Every member of their Big Three has dealt with injuries in the recent past, and Gregg Popovich needs all of them to have a chance to repeat.2
But which nightmare scenario is more unlikely — Duncan redeveloping plantar fasciitis out of nowhere, or Kobe Bryant doing further damage to a finger ligament that's already torn and in need of surgery? What's more inevitable — Manu Ginobili suddenly letting his age catch up to him, or Shaquille O'Neal's body wearing down again? What's more implausible — Tony Parker getting distracted by the red carpet, or Dirk Nowitzki withering in the glare of the postseason flashbulbs?
Granted, Parker has other concerns, and one is closely related to Yao's. Just as the Rockets worry how the pressures of playing for his home country will affect their international star's recovery process, the Spurs are still dealing with the lingering effects of the pressure Parker felt in a similar situation.
Last week, Parker admitted he didn't give his injured ankle enough time to heal before returning to the French national team last summer. As a result, he had to miss nine games over the past month to let the ankle heal.
He says the ankle is fine now, and he's still young enough to make a person think this really was an isolated incident and not a more disturbing sign of wear and tear. If a more aged Western Conference point guard — say, Steve Nash or Jason Kidd — came down with a similar ailment, their teams might not be so optimistic.
As for those breaks people talk about the Spurs getting? Timing is another. If Parker had hurt the ankle at the same time Yao hurt his foot instead of seven months ago, the Spurs would have had trouble getting into the second round regardless of their seed.
But now, with the cast on the other foot? Call the Spurs old, and if you must, call them lucky. But until all of the body parts sort themselves out, you can also still call them the favorites.
Mike Finger: Beefed-up West not invincible
MIke Finger
Express-News Staff Writer
Yao's foot gave way first, but it's not the NBA's only suspect body part. In other Western Conference cities today, Kobe's pinkie, Shaq's hip and Dirk's heart all remain sources of concern.
So even though the championship race thinned Tuesday, none of the contenders celebrated, because they're all smart enough to realize sudden disaster can happen to them, too. The Spurs are among them, because as everyone knows, they are the league's oldest, creakiest-boned, sorest-muscled team.
But the most fragile?
Not by a long shot.
There are those who are quick to argue the Spurs have caught a few breaks on their way to four NBA titles, and Yao's season-ending stress fracture might be another. It isn't quite as fortuitous as winning the Tim Duncan lottery in 1997 or watching Dallas draw a first-round matchup with Golden State 10 years later, but this has the potential to benefit the Spurs more than anyone else.
During the past two regular seasons, only the Mavericks have beaten the Spurs as many times as Houston has. And if the jumbled-as-a-Jose-Canseco-pool-party-story Western Conference standings heading into Tuesday had held form until the end of the season, the Spurs would've had to tangle with Yao and Tracy McGrady to open the playoffs.2
Now, the reward for finishing the regular season strong is greater than it was before. Yao's absence leaves only six serious contenders for the Western Conference crown, which means the top two seeds will be able to avoid the other four during the first round. In what figures to be a contest of attrition, that advantage could be invaluable.
But there was more to Tuesday's news than MRI results, Olympic ramifications and playoff positioning. Yao's devastating medical news was a reminder that as deep and as star-%laden as the Western Conference has become, it's also prone to severe volatility. And the safest bet usually involves taking the team best suited to weather it.
It's not as though the Spurs are immune to these kinds of traumas. Every member of their Big Three has dealt with injuries in the recent past, and Gregg Popovich needs all of them to have a chance to repeat.2
But which nightmare scenario is more unlikely — Duncan redeveloping plantar fasciitis out of nowhere, or Kobe Bryant doing further damage to a finger ligament that's already torn and in need of surgery? What's more inevitable — Manu Ginobili suddenly letting his age catch up to him, or Shaquille O'Neal's body wearing down again? What's more implausible — Tony Parker getting distracted by the red carpet, or Dirk Nowitzki withering in the glare of the postseason flashbulbs?
Granted, Parker has other concerns, and one is closely related to Yao's. Just as the Rockets worry how the pressures of playing for his home country will affect their international star's recovery process, the Spurs are still dealing with the lingering effects of the pressure Parker felt in a similar situation.
Last week, Parker admitted he didn't give his injured ankle enough time to heal before returning to the French national team last summer. As a result, he had to miss nine games over the past month to let the ankle heal.
He says the ankle is fine now, and he's still young enough to make a person think this really was an isolated incident and not a more disturbing sign of wear and tear. If a more aged Western Conference point guard — say, Steve Nash or Jason Kidd — came down with a similar ailment, their teams might not be so optimistic.
As for those breaks people talk about the Spurs getting? Timing is another. If Parker had hurt the ankle at the same time Yao hurt his foot instead of seven months ago, the Spurs would have had trouble getting into the second round regardless of their seed.
But now, with the cast on the other foot? Call the Spurs old, and if you must, call them lucky. But until all of the body parts sort themselves out, you can also still call them the favorites.