LA's le makes me appreciate being a Spurs fan..

[underdawg]

it's kind of like when the yankees win - wow after so many breaks and so much money spent on a championship you won? Great - let's move on to the next team that deserves it.

[Mike Smrek]

Like Clint Eastwood said in Unforgiven, deserve's got nothing to do with it. You're either good enough to win it or you aren't, and the Lakers were for the fourth time this decade and 15th overall.

And I love all this pontification about Spurs class. Isn't this the same organization that employs George Gervin, one of the poster boys for the NBA's rampant drug abuse during the 70s and 80s, as a community ambassador?

Which is fine; he seems like a good guy who turned his life around. Good for him. But how is that any different than ragging on Magic, one of the most beloved players in league history, and Bryant, whose case didn't even make it to trial?

I mean, let's throw Peter Holt under the bus too. Never mind that he got his disease in check. He used to be a drunk, so by the aforementioned standards we should have just burned him at the stake.

[underdawg]

Like Clint Eastwood said in Unforgiven, deserve's got nothing to do with it. You're either good enough to win it or you aren't, and the Lakers were for the fourth time this decade and 15th overall.

And I love all this pontification about Spurs class. Isn't this the same organization that employs George Gervin, one of the poster boys for the NBA's rampant drug abuse during the 70s and 80s, as a community ambassador?

Which is fine; he seems like a good guy who turned his life around. Good for him. But how is that any different than ragging on Magic, one of the most beloved players in league history, and Bryant, whose case didn't even make it to trial?

I mean, let's throw Peter Holt under the bus too. Never mind that he got his disease in check. He used to be a drunk, so by the aforementioned standards we should have just burned him at the stake.

Is Gervin still doing drugs? Is Holt still liquoring it up? I don't know honestly, but I do know that the Spurs are a class organization and they've succeeded in an atmostphere where the "big boys" usually have the upper hand. Don't get me wrong - the Lakers were obviously the better team and they won the championship, but it's not that big of a surprise. If I'm a Lakers fan, I expect a championship every year given their situation. The Spurs (or any other small market team) are very fortunate to win a ring any year given their situation. Point being - y'all won but it's a lot more expected than our insignificant team.

[playaslk]

Is Gervin still doing drugs? Is Holt still liquoring it up? I don't know honestly, but I do know that the Spurs are a class organization and they've succeeded in an atmostphere where the "big boys" usually have the upper hand. Don't get me wrong - the Lakers were obviously the better team and they won the championship, but it's not that big of a surprise. If I'm a Lakers fan, I expect a championship every year given their situation. The Spurs (or any other small market team) are very fortunate to win a ring any year given their situation. Point being - y'all won but it's a lot more expected than our insignificant team.

Stop the bull

The "small market team" only goes far in baseball. We are under this thing called the SALARY CAP. If you want to spend over it, its gonna cost you double.

If the owner doesnt spend to the cap, who's fault is that? Did you guys really stoop to the level of saying "LA is a more fun city, so they have a huge advantage"? We arent talking about the Yanks and the Pirates here. Next thing, you are going to say that LA has more young girls, thats why Kobe is still playing there. Give it up. The advantage of playing in LA is very small compared to the advantage of WINNING. Yes the spurs won, and props to your team, but Garnett and Allen went to Boston, a city with for weather and pretty racist fans... your agrument holds no water.

Provided the city your team is in is not a fluid factor, NBA, NFL and now hockey have it pretty close to =. Baseball is still dumb w/ their 200m payrolls v 40.

Get over your salty nuts and enjoy your decade of success.

By the way, remind me what advantage do the clippers enjoy? except for being in the lottery year after year.

[underdawg]

Stop the bull

The "small market team" only goes far in baseball. We are under this thing called the SALARY CAP. If you want to spend over it, its gonna cost you double.

If the owner doesnt spend to the cap, who's fault is that? Did you guys really stoop to the level of saying "LA is a more fun city, so they have a huge advantage"? We arent talking about the Yanks and the Pirates here. Next thing, you are going to say that LA has more young girls, thats why Kobe is still playing there. Give it up. The advantage of playing in LA is very small compared to the advantage of WINNING. Yes the spurs won, and props to your team, but Garnett and Allen went to Boston, a city with for weather and pretty racist fans... your agrument holds no water.

Provided the city your team is in is not a fluid factor, NBA, NFL and now hockey have it pretty close to =. Baseball is still dumb w/ their 200m payrolls v 40.

Get over your salty nuts and enjoy your decade of success.

By the way, remind me what advantage do the clippers enjoy? except for being in the lottery year after year.

Good points, but a player's "marketability" is hindered by being in a small market - hence the idea that playing in a big market leads to more cash. Add to that there's no revenue sharing in the NBA and the larger markets have access to more lucrative local TV deals - how does this affect a player? A big market team is more likely to go over the cap to appease their fanbase. To suggest that a small market team has the same opportunities as a big market team in the NBA is a pretty much ignorant. Why is there ever talk about Lebron going to New York if all things are equal?

[playaslk]

Good points, but a player's "marketability" is hindered by being in a small market - hence the idea that playing in a big market leads to more cash. Add to that there's no revenue sharing in the NBA and the larger markets have access to more lucrative local TV deals - how does this affect a player? A big market team is more likely to go over the cap to appease their fanbase. To suggest that a small market team has the same opportunities as a big market team in the NBA is a pretty much ignorant. Why is there ever talk about Lebron going to New York if all things are equal?

Lebron to New York talk is there because a. new york is obviously a place where he would get marketed much more (and its much better for the league) BUT the reason why that talk is going on is....

BECAUSE HE HAS NO WINS IN CLEVELAND. All of the new york talks are predicated on cleveland not building a good team around him.

If a big city is so good, where has chicago been before/after MJ. How about Miami *yes they won it but that was a fluke w/ Shaq and most importantly refs but now they suck...? New York? Clippers?

WINNING is most important to players, not the city you are in.

[Lakers999]

you know the sad part is that some of you guys are actually are childish and bitter. and i have come to the conclusion that HarlemHeat37... much like many posters here from both sides are nothing more than mere Bandwagoners.

A few months ago i had a freindly banter with some "REAL" spurs fans that have enlightened me for talking the 99 season. did they stop talking the lakers? no... did they kept talking trash on the lakers? yes... did they give me any respect on the board? no... do they get my respect? yes... why? becuase they know spurs team from the inside out dating back to the ABA days AND they know everything about their hated rival...The Lakers.

Harlem37Heat? if you are looking for attention then you have succeded. if you are looking for respect then try harder..... you can start by reading up on your history and find out who really drafted kobe bryant in 96

[TDMVPDPOY]

i think i prefer the 4 rings, then be reminded of the ball hogging choke job in 03/04 against the pistons or the 40pt blowout in 08 finals against the celtics....

[Horry For 3!]

Lakers and Laker fans are pieces of . California in a whole is a piece of .

[Lakers999]

i think i prefer the 4 rings, then be reminded of the ball hogging choke job in 03/04 against the pistons or the 40pt blowout in 08 finals against the celtics....

well... considering detroit made ECF 5 times after.... that "choke" wasnt too hard to forget..

and

considering boston was missing its most defensive player.... just like the lakers were last year... that wasnt too hard to swallow either....


btw... Boston will back in the finals next year

[Lakers999]

Lakers and Laker fans are pieces of . California in a whole is a piece of .

really? have you even been here? have met anyone from los angeles or cali? I dont think so....

BTW

i think texas is awesome... great weather, hot women, DT austin, the longhorns, and whataburger make texas a great place....

i feel really bad for true texans that they are represented by dumb s like yourself...

you actually belong in oklahoma.... GO Thunder

[21_Blessings]

The big market advantage has certainly worked for the Knicks.

And the Clippers.

The Lakers benefit more from their rich history and stellar ownership than they do by being located in a big market. If push came to shove, most superstars would rather live in Florida than LA anyways. No state tax compared to one of the most heavily taxed regions in the world (southern cali).

[draft87]

la is the best city in the world. san antonio is not.
go lakers go

[TJastal]

I do get the point of this thread. The Lakers used to be much more classy a few decades ago when it was Pat Riley, Magic, Kareem and Worthy running the showtime. Must have been so easy to cheer and be a fan for those laker teams.

Nowadays with the lakers, you have immorality (Kobe), favoritism from the refs on a regular basis (since Stern took over), the king of flopping (Derek Fisher), dirty players like Kobe/Ariza who took cheap shots on other players all year long, iness and arrogance in abundance, questionable dealings w/ free agent pickups (see: Gasol and Fisher), whiny soft players (Gasol), Phil Jackson and his penchant for crying to the media every time calls don't go his way, re ed celebrities at Staples that know nothing about the game of basketball (well i guess they've always been there haha), Sasha Vuja (no explanation needed), and... well you get the point.

I give mad props to all you current laker fans (the ones who aren't on the bandwagon) you all must be some great fans to be able to cheer this current laker regime on. I know I could not do it.

[spurspokesman]

I never said the Lakers weren't the best, they clearly were..

They obviously have the advantage over other teams due to the location of their city though..their management really doesn't have to do all that much to succeed, and it's been like that throughout history..

There's nothing that anybody can do about that, I would just find it boring, maybe that's just me though..I find the Spurs success to be much more rewarding, considering the cir stances..the Spurs have a family feel, and more of an "against all odds" feel..

it feels a lot better to cheer for class acts, at least IMO..

Say no more heat.I agree. I'm not from san antonio and I always liked drob and the way the spurs ran things. When tim came it was the icing on the cake and I enjoyed nothing more than having the chance to see them wipe the floor with la(after getting whooped by them and losing lumps of cash)and win les. Its easier to be an la or boston fan. Real fans like the underdogs that do it all through blood sweat and tear. Not hollywood laker lights.

[Bukefal]

Amen to that!! You are exactly right! Ooooohhhh it''s so good to be a spurs fan. Fan of a real team, with spirit, glory and pride, based on hard working and motivation. Not an artificial faker team. :

[Mike Smrek]

I do get the point of this thread. The Lakers used to be much more classy a few decades ago when it was Pat Riley, Magic, Kareem and Worthy running the showtime. Must have been so easy to cheer and be a fan for those laker teams.

Nowadays with the lakers, you have immorality (Kobe), favoritism from the refs on a regular basis (since Stern took over), the king of flopping (Derek Fisher), dirty players like Kobe/Ariza who took cheap shots on other players all year long, iness and arrogance in abundance, questionable dealings w/ free agent pickups (see: Gasol and Fisher), whiny soft players (Gasol), Phil Jackson and his penchant for crying to the media every time calls don't go his way, re ed celebrities at Staples that know nothing about the game of basketball (well i guess they've always been there haha), Sasha Vuja (no explanation needed), and... well you get the point.

I give mad props to all you current laker fans (the ones who aren't on the bandwagon) you all must be some great fans to be able to cheer this current laker regime on. I know I could not do it.

Sure you could. It wasn't so long ago that San Antonio's franchise players were the Snowman, er, Iceman, and Alvin Robertson, who's been arrested however many times for domestic violence. Those guys drew their fair share of cheers and adulation.

So many self-righteous Spurs fans love to think their franchise is special and unique -- and in so many respects it is. Easily one of the most successful and well-run franchises in all of American professional sports. They deserve every ounce of credit they get.

But from the standpoint of "class" -- please. Do you think the Spurs drafted David Robinson because he was classy and religious, or because he was a freakish 7-footer and easily the best player in his draft class? Do you think the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan because he was a good citizen, or because he was a ready-made All-Star and one of the best big men to come out of college in the past 30 or 40 years?

The fact that they happened to be just as good off the court as they were on was a mere fringe benefit. The Spurs still would have taken both, and lavished 10s of millions of dollars on them, if they'd had red flags and arrest warrants shooting out of their ass. Why? Because they were ridiculously good players.

So you can keep fooling yourselves all you want about the Spurs having some mandate to emphasize character over talent, because it's complete bull .

Think about it another way -- let's say the Spurs had had an opportunity to pick up Kobe a few years back without gutting the team when he was demanding a trade. Do any of you honestly think they would have turned that down? If you do, you've got a brain the size of a pea.

[Mike Smrek]

Say no more heat.I agree. I'm not from san antonio and I always liked drob and the way the spurs ran things. When tim came it was the icing on the cake and I enjoyed nothing more than having the chance to see them wipe the floor with la(after getting whooped by them and losing lumps of cash)and win les. Its easier to be an la or boston fan. Real fans like the underdogs that do it all through blood sweat and tear. Not hollywood laker lights.

Does cheating to sign recruits count as blood, sweat and tears? Just checking...

[Mike Smrek]

Is Gervin still doing drugs? Is Holt still liquoring it up? I don't know honestly, but I do know that the Spurs are a class organization and they've succeeded in an atmostphere where the "big boys" usually have the upper hand. Don't get me wrong - the Lakers were obviously the better team and they won the championship, but it's not that big of a surprise. If I'm a Lakers fan, I expect a championship every year given their situation. The Spurs (or any other small market team) are very fortunate to win a ring any year given their situation. Point being - y'all won but it's a lot more expected than our insignificant team.

Nobody could ever argue that the Spurs aren't a tremendously well-run franchise, and that they don't have built-in disadvantages inherent with being located in a small market. Those are certainly major obstacles to surmount.

But should the Lakers apologize for running things well themselves? For being located in a large, warm-weather city? For providing one of the brightest stages to play in all of sports? For having arguably the largest fan base of any NBA franchise? For having the ability to bring in more cash than the majority of their opponents? For having a rich tradition and history of success?

In two words: no. I love the fact my favorite team has those kind of advantages, and it would be the epitome of idiocy if they didn't use them to the absolute maximum.

Just be thankful your team plays in a league that at least tries to level the playing field with a salary cap. Without that, the Spurs wouldn't be nearly as good as they are and they'd have left town a long, long time ago.

[rayray2k8]

Wow, did you actually bet on Orlando to make you sound so bitter?
There's still 2010. Which ever 2 of the teams wins it, assuming it's either the spurs or lakers, they'll be the team of the decade.
If it's the spurs, then you can be proud.

[DrHouse]

Nobody could ever argue that the Spurs aren't a tremendously well-run franchise, and that they don't have built-in disadvantages inherent with being located in a small market. Those are certainly major obstacles to surmount.

But should the Lakers apologize for running things well themselves? For being located in a large, warm-weather city? For providing one of the brightest stages to play in all of sports? For having arguably the largest fan base of any NBA franchise? For having the ability to bring in more cash than the majority of their opponents? For having a rich tradition and history of success?

In two words: no. I love the fact my favorite team has those kind of advantages, and it would be the epitome of idiocy if they didn't use them to the absolute maximum.

Just be thankful your team plays in a league that at least tries to level the playing field with a salary cap. Without that, the Spurs wouldn't be nearly as good as they are and they'd have left town a long, long time ago.

/thread

Spur fan SHUT YOUR MOUTH and accept the fact that the Lakers won the le fair and square and were the best team in the NBA this season. You ers talk about class but none of you can even be gracious in defeat and just give deserved props like everyone else.

[HORNSWOGGLE]

/thread

Spur fan SHUT YOUR MOUTH and accept the fact that the Lakers won the le fair and square and were the best team in the NBA this season. You ers talk about class but none of you can even be gracious in defeat and just give deserved props like everyone else.

you dont want to hear it, then get the out

[SteelerNation]

Now this cracks me up. The Spurs have had Dennis Rodman, Rod Strickland, George Gervin, Alvin Robertson and a slew of other characters that have questionable pasts. But what about their head coach? Old Popovich stuck a knife in Bob Hills back and fired him right when Robinson was coming back off injury. Talk about a snake in the grass. And to all those who talk about Phil having the best talent, blah, blah, blah...and saying they could have coached those teams to championships...what about the Spurs. Everyone says Tim Duncan is the best power forward to ever play. I could have coached that guy to 6 les by now. Whats Pop's excuse?

[HORNSWOGGLE]

I could have coached that guy to 6 les by now. Whats Pop's excuse?

why dont you then?

[Stringer_Bell]

I've also come to appreciate Pop's coaching style (not decisions, but style) more than Jackson's.

I get the impression Jackson views the opposing team as dogs biting at the heels of Lakers greatness, and that those teams don't have enough to stop the Lakers from doing whatever they want...sort of like the Lakers are merely fulfilling a prophecy with every win. In contrast, Pop always seems to coach his players with the mindset that the other team is good and the Spurs have to find a way to be better. It doesn't matter the record, location of game, which stars are playing...every team is dangerous and the Spurs have to find a way to adapt. I don't mean to take anything away from the Lakers players...many great players that would be good anywhere, but without the Gasol trade it wouldn't be possible. Lakers organization caught a huge break with that, and without it everyone would still be talking about how the owners couldn't make Kobe happy.

Doesn't always work out for the Spurs, but I'd rather see my team fight to survive than take it for granted that they are the pre-ordained Champions.