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Yes, this season is all about the legacy. If the Spurs win this, they'll enter into the discussion as being one of the best teams ever. If not, they'll be a team who won championships when other teams faultered (Bulls, Lakers and then Pistons).
This season more is at stake than a championship. It's the one thing more important in sports: that is, the tag of "dynasty" from know-it-all sportswriters and pundits.
Should the Spurs win their 4th championship this June, that will make for 3 championships in the past 4 seasons, with the lone playoff exit without a ring due in no small part to 0.4*. Arguably the Spurs could've won 4 in a row.
But the Spurs are not the only franchise with the prize in its sights. The Pistons, should they win their 4th championship, will have won 2 of the last 3 championships, with the lone playoff exit sans rings due to an otherworldly performance by Robert Horry in Game 5 of the '05 Finals.
Just thought I would forewarn the forum, since so many care about what the talking heads have to say. If the Spurs don't bring home the prize this year, expect them to be dumped on like there's no tomorrow...
Yes, this season is all about the legacy. If the Spurs win this, they'll enter into the discussion as being one of the best teams ever. If not, they'll be a team who won championships when other teams faultered (Bulls, Lakers and then Pistons).
This is true. Most pundits will call them lucky, call for more asterisks, etc. Spurs will not be 'legit' until they repeat, instead of winning in odd years only.
Yes, the press will have a field day predicting the fall of a potential dynasty. They will announce the decline of Tim Duncan. According to the analysts, the sky will be falling for the Spurs.
Now ask me if I give a .
God the pistons are so lame
They ing played the most overrated Laker team of all time (that only made it to the finals cuz Minny was severely injured in their previous round victory)
It's ing pathetic
Spurs were about to own that Lakers team and they took away the single greatest MOST CLUTCH shot in NBA history from Tim Duncan that night (palmed one handed NO LOOK 22 foot swish with Big Shaq's Big Hand gripping Duncan's shooting forearm)
No other player in nba history could have made that shot
Shaq's arm grabbing your forearm? Lets see the strong palmer Billups make that
ing posers
Sadly, I don't give the historians that much credit. I think there's truth in the predictions of what will happen if the Spurs don't make it happen. People will point at Horry in game 5 and say they got lucky (while forgetting the insanity of .4). But should they win I'm still not convinced that it's going to get the Spurs the respect they deserve. If one of the more media friendly clubs had done what the Spurs have done so far ESPN classic would be running round the clock specials about all they've done and where it ranks in history.
And I'm cool with that. I've always liked that the rest of the world doesn't seem to realize what a great group this is. Makes me feel a little smarter than the rest of the world.
and the spurs would never be a dynasty without tim duncan. you forgot to state the obvious while stating the obvious.
Whoever wins this one will have their past revised.
The upside is that if the Spurs win, 0.4* will turn into one of the greatest sports frauds of all time.
Whoever wins this one will have their past revised.
The upside is that if the Spurs win, 0.4* will turn into one of the greatest sports tragedies of all time.
To us it already is the greatest sports tragedy, but I think you're a little too overoptimistic if you think a mere repeat will get the Spurs due props in the public spotlight
I wouldnt want them to get that credit anyways
Screw the public
It's pretty hard to argue with 3 les in 4 seasons. The media was all over the Pats' jock after that.
Nobody can recall who won SB XXXVII.
football fans remember the tampa bay defense.
Yeah but I am just way too skeptical to imagine the media doing that with the San Antonio Spurs (even if it means 3 outta 4 with the 0.4)
They already had an espn special about how Derek Fisher's shot was like the 5th most clutch basketball basket of all time..
Yeah but the Pats were in a large market and had a lot of East Coast writers all over them. The Spurs will never get that love.
They need to stop calling it 0.4 and start calling it 1.2 because that's how much time he got to shoot it.
Still pisses me off.
Not only that but the Spurs are the only game in town. With the Patriots people were able to play up the idea of them completing some kind of Holy Trinity of the Red Sox, the Celtics, and the Patriots.
The media will be forced to give some love to the Spurs is they win this season. They will have no choice, 3 in 4 years can't be ignored unless they want to make total asses out of themselves and lose all credibility as analysts.
Oh wait...
Pistons > Spurs
Again, it's hard to argue with 3 out of the past 4. That means you've won a back to back plus 1 at least. It automatically places the team who won the other in a different light. Two wins against the Pistons in the Finals plus 0.4* will cast su ion upon the Pistons' le in '04.
Instead of the Spurs merely bookending NBA dynasties (or lucking out), they will be one.
The Spurs have yet to defend a le. Don't forget that. The pundits haven't.
You know, it use to bother me when the Spurs weren't given any type of credit, but now I prefer it that way.
This is a great discussion. How many times in NBA history has there been a two-way race to decide a dynasty? Not to mention that it's two teams that except for a few stretches (like the pre-All Star break stretch of the Pistons with the 37-5 start and all) that nobody in the media likes to talk about. I'm not sure who made the point, but if it was Chicago, New York, or LA who was in the running for the le of "current dynasty", the media would be all over it. But since it's Detroit and San Antonio, why give a ? And I love it.
Another item which should give the Spurs some place in the history books is that they were the first champion on which international players had such a large role. Coincidental with the USA's loss of the gold in Athens in '04, the Spurs will epitomize this stage in the globalization of the game for future generations.
Man I wish the Spurs had bulked up up front this season.
Before I forget, 3 les in 4 seasons would cement Duncan's name in the upper reaches of the all-time NBA greats, among those of Bird, Magic, MJ, Shaq, and Russell.
I agree with Pete.
Spurs need to. . .umm. . .re-Pete, in order to solidify themselves as a dynasty. Teams that can't go back-to-back don't seem to qualify in the "dynasty" category.
Yeah, if the Spurs win the media will talk about the dynasty....for about 34 hours, when it is learned that KG is being traded to partner with Kobe.
Then ALL of the talk will be about THAT dynasty.
Perhaps, but this is a 'what have you done for me lately?' press culture. It'll have been 4 years since Kolby's won anything on the court (not in court, that's for another thread).
The media could very well jump on the Spurs' wagon with a repeat this season. They are a team which epitomizes team play, they have a modest superstar and a significant foreign element. It would give the pundits plenty of material to use to announce the death of the individualistic, hip-hop enfused American style. The US sports media likes to prop up individual players to great heights or to dump on something.
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