Bill Simmons take on Spurs vs Lakers

[SScarrJ]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...simmons/080617

I would post it all but its a long column, so here is the part about the Spurs

THE ELIJAH DUKES AWARD FOR "ANGRIEST NBA EMPLOYEE DURING THE FINALS"

To Gregg Popovich, who has to be watching this choppy Finals thinking, "My God, we were better than both of those teams." Remember, Manu Ginobili was one of the best 12-15 players in the NBA this season, as well as the league's premier crunch-time scorer in the regular season ... before a bum ankle rendered him useless on both ends in the Lakers series. Let's say he was healthy. They definitely don't blow an exceedingly winnable Game 4 at home, and I don't see them blowing two huge leads in Games 1 and 5. In my opinion, they would have won two of those three games with a healthy Manu and had a chance to close out the series at home in Game 6. Instead, they went down meekly in five.

(The 10 biggest playoff injuries of the past 25 years, in no particular order: Manu in '08; Isiah in '88; McHale and Walton in '87; D-Wade in '05; Duncan in '00; Malone in '04; Worthy in '83; Pippen in '98; Magic in '91; Doc Rivers in '94. All of those injuries potentially swung the Finals except for Pippen's back injury in '98 -- that was the year when Pippen played at 50 percent and MJ said, "Screw it, we're winning anyway.")

Nice to see someone in the media acknowledging Manu being hurt rather than sucking off the Lakers.

[The Franchise]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...simmons/080617

I would post it all but its a long column, so here is the part about the Spurs

THE ELIJAH DUKES AWARD FOR "ANGRIEST NBA EMPLOYEE DURING THE FINALS"

To Gregg Popovich, who has to be watching this choppy Finals thinking, "My God, we were better than both of those teams." Remember, Manu Ginobili was one of the best 12-15 players in the NBA this season, as well as the league's premier crunch-time scorer in the regular season ... before a bum ankle rendered him useless on both ends in the Lakers series. Let's say he was healthy. They definitely don't blow an exceedingly winnable Game 4 at home, and I don't see them blowing two huge leads in Games 1 and 5. In my opinion, they would have won two of those three games with a healthy Manu and had a chance to close out the series at home in Game 6. Instead, they went down meekly in five.

(The 10 biggest playoff injuries of the past 25 years, in no particular order: Manu in '08; Isiah in '88; McHale and Walton in '87; D-Wade in '05; Duncan in '00; Malone in '04; Worthy in '83; Pippen in '98; Magic in '91; Doc Rivers in '94. All of those injuries potentially swung the Finals except for Pippen's back injury in '98 -- that was the year when Pippen played at 50 percent and MJ said, "Screw it, we're winning anyway.")

Nice to see someone in the media acknowledging Manu being hurt rather than sucking off the Lakers.

[Cry Havoc]

A healthy Manu OR a rested Spurs team (meaning not playing a near b2b after spending a night in a freakin' plane) might have put us in the Finals this year.

Sad.

[xtremesteven33]

Luck was definetly with the Lakers this year...hopefully only up until tonight

[JamStone]

B.S. commentary. Injuries affect playoff teams all the time. Part of the game.

[The Franchise]

B.S. commentary. Injuries affect playoff teams all the time. Part of the game.

Tell me about it.

[midgetonadonkey]

B.S. commentary. Injuries affect playoff teams all the time. Part of the game.

Exactly.

Simmons is a .

[Spuradicator]

B.S. commentary. Injuries affect playoff teams all the time. Part of the game.

You missed the point

[angelbelow]

normally dont agree with simmons but agreeed here.

[xtremesteven33]

we know injuries is part of the game. whats ur point? it also costs championships.

Manu was at times considered the Spurs best player. he made 2nd All NBA team.

it sucks when a big time player on a team is injured. i felt really bad for the rockets when Yao went down. ur right its part of life, it just sucks cause i know this Lakers team sucks.

we couldve beat them in 6 games MAX

[DarkReign]

B.S. commentary. Injuries affect playoff teams all the time. Part of the game.

Bam. Whine all you want. Injuries are apart of the game. Every team has them it just depends "who" is injured.

Unfortunately for SA, it was Manu. If it were TD, youd a been swept.

[DazedAndConfused]

Nobody has sympathy for you Spur fan, nor does anyone care. Every team gets injuries.

Look at the ing Rockets, flying high and then BAM Yao goes out for the season. At least you had Manu playing.

[~~~~~~]

the same writer who has Garnott as one of the 50 greatest NBA players and yet writes that Garnott doesn't have "it".

[Borosai]

Even-numbered year.

[Cry Havoc]

Nobody has sympathy for you Spur fan, nor does anyone care. Every team gets injuries.

Look at the ing Rockets, flying high and then BAM Yao goes out for the season. At least you had Manu playing.

Where are we asking for sympathy? Surely if Kobe would have had an injury that limited him to 20 mpg in the playoffs Lakers fans would be wondering "what if"?

[Spuradicator]

Where are we asking for sympathy? Surely if Kobe would have had an injury that limited him to 20 mpg in the playoffs Lakers fans would be wondering "what if"?

Laker fan would be playing the biggest what if card there ever was....

[JamStone]

Except an injury to Manu is more like an injury to Lamar Odom on the Lakers, not an injury to Kobe.