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Sorry for rambling, guys. Hope this makes enough sense.
If you tasted sarcasm in that header, then your wits are fine tuned. Its only one loss of a game the Spurs were supposed to lose anyway. Nevertheless, as the rage of fandom simmers, the race continues.
When Manu's shot rimmed out and the game was all but over, I told myself to take it in stride; the Spurs have won four championships and I've seen many thrills during this ever so glorious Tim Duncan Era. Who will ever forget the angst-ridden Game 5 of the Finals in Detroit, when the Spurs rebounded from a 31 point dressdown and finally kept it close and gave themselves a chance to win that game. Then to see Tim miss a most simplistic freebie at the rim which led to overtime, only to witness Robert Horry's long ball tickle the twine...I felt privileged.
That is but one snapshot among many clutch playoff performances by the Spurs over the past nine or so years. The Memorial Day Miracle, Steve Kerr and Stephen Jackson bombing Dallas, the 4-1 slamdowns of Denver and Phoenix...ahh, to wax nostalgia.
So as the game officially ended, I killed the Justin TV connection, closed my laptop, took a deep breath, and concluded another anxiously late evening with one final swig of ever-reliable Argentinian Norton 2004 Malbec.
Instead of cursing our beloved Spurs, I thought of lazy airline officials and late-arriving mechanics, and I tried to justify, as an experienced business class traveler, the fact that seats do recline enough to catch some shuteye. I also thought of a grueling playoff series in which the clincher was all but assured to be a New Orleans mini Mardi Gras fest with Chris Paul on David West's shoulders.
Strangely, however, even with the aid of a prior eight mile pre-game training run I could not readily fall asleep. I was too…too…irked…I suppose.
I think I was more irritated at the inevitable rebirth of the Old Spurs talk throughout the national media wires, the dire conclusion that the Spurs are indeed aged has beens. The problem is that I know better. I know that if there is any American sports franchise which is bulletproof to adversity, it’s the Spurs. If there’s any team that would act more casual after beating down a Finals opponent by two dozen, I beg to know which. If there is any franchise over the past nine years which has been there, both suffering and delivering on the grand stage, more than the San Antonio Spurs, I challenge all comers to start listing names.
So I came to the conclusion that I was irritated at the raw act of losing. As a marathoner, I often fall into the common trap of setting time goals, thereby overlooking the most basic truth of marathon survival – either you finish or you don’t. After completing an early morning long distance training run in Sao Paulo this past Sunday, I spoke with an elite runner with years of elite experience championship experience spanning the continents. Feeling post-run, endorphin-fueled invincibility, I told him I intended to complete the Rio de Janeiro Marathon in under 3:25, assuming he would counter with a sub 3:00 goal at worst. Instead, he told me that he's hoping to run around 3:30. Unlike me, he’d run the Rio Marathon several times and that his experience proved that the tropical humidity inevitably play a huge role in altering time goals, and that his goal was simply to finish. I metaphorically scratched my head and reminded him that he had done the Boston Marathon in 2:45 and Sao Paulo in 2:50, but he told me that every race, every challenge is a different cir stance and that you need to be prepared to squelch your original goals at a dehydrating quad’s notice. In actuality, he'll probably break 3:00, but his goal is to become a champion in his heart, not boast about individual accomplisments to others.
The bottom line is that every race or event is a unique cir stance and one must be prepared for the worst of outcomes at all times. You may finish slower, you may feel more pain, or you may feel like you are floating on air, but the bottom line is you are prepared for the infinite devils and angels which carry you or kill you to the finish line.
The Spurs are in a marathon of sorts. The goal is not to win each game by 20 or clinch in a certain number of games, rather to cross the finish line tape. Just as I may discover that I need to decelerate halfway through due to a break in the clouds and pounding sunshine, the Spurs found on Wednesday that to complete their goal they need to recharge their collective effort and fine tune various aspects of the game to reach their goal.
The Spurs’ goal simply cannot be to sweep or pound an adversary into submission or hold every lead in every game. Their goal is to advance and there is a lot of distance to go in this race. The Spurs are are like the Kenyan world distance record holder Paul Tergat of the NBA.They have won many races under many challenging cir stances, having weathered every type of storm. Sometimes they charge out of the gate and open big leads and cruise to victory. Sometimes they encounter a surprise challenger. Sometimes they simply feel like dog mess and have to find a way to grind it out later in the race. But regardless of the many battles in the war, they strategize and persist, they bleed and heal, they weather then ultimately shine. They are experienced champions.
Ask Tergat if he intends to run the upcoming New York Marathon in 2:05 and he may just laugh out of kindness, for only the true champion knows that the bottom line is winning the race.
The Spurs lost Game 1. Game 2 is Friday. If they lose Game 2, then Game 3 is Sunday and they enter familiar terrain. But like the seasoned elite marathoner, the Spurs know they will have many times to draw blood and come out on top.
Spurs in six or sev.....I mean, Spurs in a series win.
Sorry for rambling, guys. Hope this makes enough sense.
Great read. You are correct in you assessment the Spurs know what it takes to win and though the loss hurts a bit the Spurs will indeed make their fifth finals appearance
Spurs got Game 2...
Great post.
indeed.
Spurs got Game 2...
Bookmarked.
if we don't win tonight we will win game 5. no worries.
Very encouraging.
Thanks very much.
Like we couldn't bookmark the hundreds of crap claims you and your ilk have posted here.
Thank you! And thanks to you guys for not ripping me for rambling.
And while its arguably cliche to draw the marathon comparison to playoff series nowadays, I found it so appropriate because I'm intensively training for one right now.
If the Spews take game 2 you guys will have a split and home court advantage and will be walking on air this weekend.
If you lose you're in an 0-2 hole and in danger of getting your neck snapped with a game 3 loss.
Marathon or not, each game is brutally important to the series mentality.
You are right. And there aren't 26.2 games in a playoff series, either, so the Spurs cannot squander away too many chances. The point is that they have more opportunities to correct whatever problems need correcting. But if its health which is causing problems, then too bad for the Spurs. With the every other day format, they won't be getting much rest!
Bottom line is the better team always wins a seven game series, to paraphrase Jack Nicholson after the Spurs eliminated LA in six in 2003.
Best post I have ever read.
Darrin, if you are not being sarcastic, then I am extremely flattered because you always have strong opinions and intelligent takes.Best post I have ever read.
This is exactly what I was trying to explain to a Laker’s fan, friend of mine here in LA.
Now I just have to print it and handle it to him, so we quit talking and I can go back to work.
Excellent post
Not sarcasm. You are a very good writer. Do you really live in Brazil?
Great post and put into perspective very well.
It wasn't rambling. It's one of the best pieces I've ever read about the Spurs' for ude and I thank you for it.
I didn't know that.
Post of the year candidate here for sure... i really liked your words and i trust them... i almost couldn't sleep and the following day at the office had to receive all kind of brags from people i play basketball with... coming here to vent... and thinking of some previous obstacles and hard times we had gone through... somehow... made me feel more quiet and confident.. and strangely enough... it's like i got contagious of what they may have felt too... i even dreamed about TD being a Jazz double Bass player that night... and i think i interpreted it like i needed to chill.... thanks for this thread... for real...
0-2 = Holding serve
8 miles = too much for me to run right now
game one is second most important game of a seven game series, the Spurs ruined their chance and wont see another one. They showed no heart
lmao wat do u mean a loss that u guys were supposed to win, ur SUPPOSE TRY TO WIN EVERY GAMEE, lmao u fuked up fans are wierd but its all good, when lakers win series u guys will be talkin about game 1 for the rest of ur life, it will be added to the list just like the 0.4 shot
laugh while you can... this is the year of 1... of the first time for everything.... enjoy the ride...game one is second most important game of a seven game series, the Spurs ruined their chance and wont see another one. They showed no heart
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