NBA bubble asterisk? The champion '99 Spurs say it shouldn't exist

[elbamba1]

I thought this was a nice write up by Jackie MacMullan of the 99 Championship. I also didn't see it posted so sorry for the repost if it was.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29518852/nba-bubble-asterisk-champion-99-spurs-say-exist

MILWAUKEE BUCKS COACH Mike Budenholzer would like to know what cons utes the antonym of asterisk. If such a word exists, he says, that's what should be attached to whichever team wins the 2020 NBA championship under such unusual cir stances.
It's also, he argues, what should be affixed to the 1999 San Antonio Spurs, who endured a season shortened by a lockout, then culminated in the franchise's first le. Some critics tried to undermine the team winning it all by saying doing so in a partially compromised season should necessitate an asterisk in the history books. Budenholzer, then an assistant coach on that San Antonio team, sees it the opposite way.
"We were on the precipice of going off a cliff," he says, "but then we won a championship. You couldn't make up the things that happened. It was a crazy year."

[elbamba1]

99 will always be special to me. I remember the pain of the 90s Spurs which were solid teams but just not good enough to beat the elite. In many instances, they under performed and lost to teams like the Warriors in 91. I was in South America during the 99 finals with people who had no clue about basketball. I was watching a late taping and this was before the internet was so common so I had no clue they had won. I still remember running out into the street yelling and giving high fives to people who thought i was crazy. Good time.

[Dex]

If '99 had been the Spurs only championship, I could see it being called an "asterisk"

The four following championships and ~20 years of dominance should have put that to rest by now.

[Chucho]

90 days off, not a full field of teams. It's an asterisk. It's a completely different season and premise.

This is stupid, to be honest. The season should have been cancelled and we should have already done the draft and be getting ready for next season.

What's the plan for next season? Start late? Start on time and have these muffs complain about playing with no time off? Injuries and load management will be the word of the day next season.

[Play Boban]

99 is a huge asterisk, I’ve said it for years. Spurs have four le snot five.

[140]

Spurs have four les not five.

[ECOV]

nuff said/

[KDKSpurs24]

90 days off, not a full field of teams. It's an asterisk. It's a completely different season and premise.

This is stupid, to be honest. The season should have been cancelled and we should have already done the draft and be getting ready for next season.

What's the plan for next season? Start late? Start on time and have these muffs complain about playing with no time off? Injuries and load management will be the word of the day next season.

Not a full field of teams? I know you’re not seriously using the argument that consists of the worse teams in the league not being there? If the Spurs somehow pulled it off and won the le you would be saying the opposite So don’t block it for the other fans who will be happy the same way you’d be happy if your team won. This doesn’t bother me like it seems to bother a lot of people. People are hating this for no reason. Just sick back and enjoy what you can or don’t watch. Simple. That goes for everyone. Including myself.

[Chucho]

Not a full field of teams? I know you’re not seriously using the argument that consists of the worse teams in the league not being there? If the Spurs somehow pulled it off and won the le you would be saying the opposite So don’t block it for the other fans who will be happy the same way you’d be happy if your team won. This doesn’t bother me like it seems to bother a lot of people. People are hating this for no reason. Just sick back and enjoy what you can or don’t watch. Simple. That goes for everyone. Including myself.

It's an asterisk le for a shortened season after a 90 day break. It's an asterisk le if ever there was one. If the Spurs won it, I'd stick by it.

If you like it, you like it. I feel how I do and I think it's silly and unnecessary. Should have wrapped it up and called it a season instead of potentially risking another full season to be ruined.

I'm not up here running the same schtick, 24-7 like the Eff Pop and "Today's NBA" and so on. Settle down.

[Brazil]

5 rings

[SpurSpike]

I wouldn't say 99 deserves an astriks because it was just a shorter season right? All teams knew the # of games and could compete knowing it was going to be short from the beginning.

This year is different, teams planned for a full season that was abruptly ended without warning and shortened with a play in tournament noone knew would happen or could plan for. On top of that you also have players electing not to participate and no fans so homecourt means nothing.

[NickiRasgo]

2012 too then.

Whoever wins this NBA Bubble, is more on asterisk. Assuming this is the final venue, there's no bearing with the standing since there's no HCA so no pressure/intensity coming from the crowd. It's like watching an amateur league.
I won't even be surprised if there are players who would play better than the usual as there's less pressure from them.

[BackHome]

Everyone knows this is only playing out to get Lebron another ring at any cost.

[Obi Juan Kenobi]

As Booker T would say, the Spurs are the Five Time, Five Time, Five Time NBA champions!!!

[daslicer]

It was only called an asterisk because of Phil Jackson,Shaq and the Lakers were a bunch of haters. Today it's viewed as legit by pretty much everybody besides Laker fans. I have been on reddit and realgm and there is no that believes it's an asterisk and that's due to the spurs winning multiple les after it. It sucks for some of those guys on the '99 le that the asterisk crap didn't get cleared until years later when the spurs won multiple les.

[daslicer]

2012 too then.

Whoever wins this NBA Bubble, is more on asterisk. Assuming this is the final venue, there's no bearing with the standing since there's no HCA so no pressure/intensity coming from the crowd. It's like watching an amateur league.
I won't even be surprised if there are players who would play better than the usual as there's less pressure from them.

That to me is the biggest thing which is there are guys who normally welt under the pressure during the playoffs and disappear because they can't handle it. It's definitely going to make it easier for the role players to show up since they tend to not play well on the road. With HCA now being gone they are going to play at a higher level. Also you will see young guys who are inexperienced play better due to not feeling the pressure of the crowd. Just watching these scrimmage highlights it feels like a glorified game at the community center.

[daslicer]

Not a full field of teams? I know you’re not seriously using the argument that consists of the worse teams in the league not being there? If the Spurs somehow pulled it off and won the le you would be saying the opposite So don’t block it for the other fans who will be happy the same way you’d be happy if your team won. This doesn’t bother me like it seems to bother a lot of people. People are hating this for no reason. Just sick back and enjoy what you can or don’t watch. Simple. That goes for everyone. Including myself.

Honestly if the Spurs won it all I would say it would be the most fluky championship since the Heat's '06 le. I wouldn't even be mad if people dismissed it.

[ismael-robert]

The asterisk here is fact key players stayed home...weakened teams without full rosters

[Gibbz]

Not an asterisk at all. Whoever wins in this cir stance shows a lot of resilience and solidarity.

[Fireball]

not comparable at all

[ambchang]

Waiting on ESPN to even put the heat and the asterisk in the same article.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

1) Comparing lockout shortened season of 1999 to this abortion of an NBA season is like comparing trump steaks to the trump pandemic response

2) LehhBrunnnn's first le was a lockout shortened season and every writer that fails to mention that in these conversations should be donkey punched

[Monostradamus]

1) Comparing lockout shortened season of 1999 to this abortion of an NBA season is like comparing trump steaks to the trump pandemic response

2) LehhBrunnnn's first le was a lockout shortened season and every writer that fails to mention that in these conversations should be donkey punched

That’s the part I don’t get. People will asterisk the 99 season but not the Heatles first ring. I know it’s because the Phil slurpers in 99 morphed into LeBron slurpers in 2012, but the fact that they can’t see their own terrible logic is hilarious.

And this season is for sure an asterisk season, the first legitimate “they need to asterisk this in the record books” le. Playing in a bubble, never traveling, no hostile crowds, this might be fun but it’s not legitimate. Unless dem Mavs win

[LaMarcus Bryant]

That’s the part I don’t get. People will asterisk the 99 season but not the Heatles first ring. I know it’s because the Phil slurpers in 99 morphed into LeBron slurpers in 2012, but the fact that they can’t see their own terrible logic is hilarious.

And this season is for sure an asterisk season, the first legitimate “they need to asterisk this in the record books” le. Playing in a bubble, never traveling, no hostile crowds, this might be fun but it’s not legitimate. Unless dem Mavs win

100%.
They can't mention the heat in this article because then the article boils down to "LeBron needs to win this super fraudulent le to validate his rarely talked about 2012 fraudulent le"