Will Spurs ever repeat as NBA champions?
By Kerry Barboza -
Boerne Star Sports Editor
I don’t know if the San Antonio Spurs will ever win back-to-back NBA championships.
They obviously won’t do it this year, but I was hoping they could in order to quiet their critics who say they aren’t a true dynasty because they haven’t won consecutive les.
The ironic thing is that even though the Spurs seemed to be more inconsistent during the regular season than they have in recent memory, they went further this year in their attempt to win back-to-back championships than they have in the past.
After winning the le in 1999, they were knocked out in the first round in 2000. After claiming les in 2003 and 2005, S.A. was knocked out in the second round or conference semifinals the following seasons.
This year, after winning it all in 2007, the Spurs made it to the third round or conference finals before getting beat by a solid Lakers team who wasn’t that much better than them even though they won the series 4-1.
It’s true that the Lakers went up 3-1 before closing them out, but the Spurs could have just as easily been up 3-1. S.A. dropped Games 1 and 4, but had shots to win those games at the buzzer and let’s not forget about the no-call on Derek Fisher in Game 4.
I think the fact that the Spurs went further this year than in any other in their attempt to repeat shows they aren’t in as bad of shape as a lot in the media are making them out to be.
Sure, they need to add a player or two who can create his own shot off the dribble, but as long as they have the Big 3 in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, they just have to tinker and not overhaul the team.
Of course, the Big 3 have to stay healthy, something that didn’t happen this year. I think Ginobili’s ankle was bothering him more than anybody knows in the playoffs.
He’s usually the closer for the Spurs in the fourth quarter, something he excelled at last year, but he was only a shadow of himself in the fourth with his injuries this season.
Would the Spurs have blown a 20-point lead in Game 1 and a 17-point lead in Game 4 if Ginobili was healthy?
We’re only left to ponder the question, but one thing we know for sure is that San Antonio needs to surround the Big 3 with younger players.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich got it right when he said that if the Spurs win it’s because they're experienced and if they lose then it’s because they’re too old.
There’s a fine line between the two and trying to find that balance is tricky. San Antonio basically brought back everybody from last year’s team to give them a chance to repeat even those most of those players were in their mid-30s.
That was their strategy and it didn’t work for them this year, but it’s hard to fault a front office that has won four championships in nine seasons, regardless if they haven’t been able to repeat.
So who will win this year's le?
From what I've heard and read, most NBA experts seem to be going with the Lakers to win this year's NBA le.
That makes sense because they have the league MVP in Kobe Bryant, but I think I'll go with the Celtics who have the league's Defensive MVP in Kevin Garnett, also a former league MVP.
Bryant is a great player, but it's still a big man's game, that's why either Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal has made it to the finals since 1999 prior to this season.
Duncan has gone to the finals in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007, while O'Neal went in 1995 with Orlando, from 2000-2002 with the Lakers, again in 2004 with Los Angeles and then in 2006 with Miami.
Michael Jordan didn't need a dominant big man to win his les and maybe Bryant is that good, but if he is, then why is this Bryant's first year to get past the first round since he and O'Neal parted ways?
Honestly, I don't really care who wins, I just want to see a good series.
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