I just hope our season doesn't turn into a reiteration of the 2012-2013 Nets

[Spurtacular]

That's all true and it was the biggest upset of all-time by Vegas' measure, it merits some ridicule, but that team was extremely dependent on the top 4 guys, they had virtually nothing else..their 5th best player was Derek Fisher who had a terrible year IIRC..

They were one of the worst shooting teams in the league, had no depth whatsoever, and didn't have any notable defensive players, yet still made the Finals based on talent alone, which is why I find negative comparisons to them to be inaccurate..they are actually a pretty great example of where top-tier talent can take you in the NBA..

Take away the 3rd best of those 4 guys + the 2 primary superstars on the team accepting the end of their relationship, escalating in Kobe putting on one of the most selfish displays of basketball you'll ever see, and that's the finished product..still, though, they made it to the Finals, and they went through the Spurs and a good Wolves team, it's not like they were the 2013 Lakers, etc..

True. Though those Wolves really exposed the Lakers. And imo, the Lakers beat the odds by eliminating the Spurs. I don't think the 04 Lakers were defying the rules though. "It's a star driven league" was the mantra. The Pistons/Spurs ushered in team basketball (and terrible ratings).

[DenialTwist]

I've never understood why people consider the 2004 Lakers to be an insulting comparison to their team, tbh..

I realize they had massive hype and did not reach their ultimate goal, but did everybody forget that they were in the NBA Finals? They didn't lose because they had big names that didn't fit, they lost because Kobe and Shaq finally imploded and Karl Malone got injured, tbh..

Their actual team wasn't that special in hindsight(product of a poor era), but they were clearly special in relation to their compe ion in that particular season ..

Yeah Malone and Payton were interviewed years later and talked about the volatile relationship Kobe and Shaq had on and off the court. Too bad because Malone really wanted to win and took a big discount to join them. At least Payton got one on his way out with the Heat.

[Spurtacular]

Yeah Malone and Payton were interviewed years later and talked about the volatile relationship Kobe and Shaq had on and off the court. Too bad because Malone really wanted to win and took a big discount to join them. At least Payton got one on his way out with the Heat.

Malone gave the Jazz the finger; and he choked against the Bulls. F him. He got what he deserved. Payton and the Sonics also choked. I'll remember that more than that he was a role player on a Heat team that had no business winning a championship. But I'm cynical. Most sports fans have softer hearts.

[DenialTwist]

Malone gave the Jazz the finger; and he choked against the Bulls. F him. He got what he deserved. Payton and the Sonics also choked. I'll remember that more than that he was a role player on a Heat team that had no business winning a championship. But I'm cynical. Most sports fans have softer hearts.

True. Kenny smith made fun of Payton when they were on Inside the NBA before about stealing a ring on his way out. Remember this: https://youtu.be/LVmhl_DdvAA?t=1m32s Payton said Duncan didn't deserve to be on the All-Star team. Then he got into making fun of Kenny Smith, saying that Smith was just riding on Hakeem's back during those b2b championships.

Also, you should have heard what those "sports fans" were saying about David West after he took a 10-11M discount to join the spurs. Blazers, Pacers, Warriors, Heat, Clippers and Lakers fans etc...were saying that the spurs aren't built but rebuilt and "bought" this offseason.

Kevin Arnovitz said it best imo, he said that after almost 2 decades of continued excellence, consecutive 50+ win seasons and championship banners the spurs finally get a big name in Free Agency (not that they would beg for players anyway) but it's nice to see players saying that they appreciate the spurs for their winning culture, like West and LMA said.

True. Though those Wolves really exposed the Lakers. And imo, the Lakers beat the odds by eliminating the Spurs. I don't think the 04 Lakers were defying the rules though. "It's a star driven league" was the mantra. The Pistons/Spurs ushered in team basketball (and terrible ratings).

You are right about the ratings. That's why David Stern hated the spurs during those years until he retired. If he had his choice he would pick only the lakers, knicks, Bulls or Celtics to be in the Finals. It was even reported that he even prevented some teams from poaching/hiring spurs front office managers because he didn't want anyone that shared Pop's ideas and wisdom to spread to other teams. lol. The 2014 NBA finals win was a nice F-U to Stern too. I remember when Mark Cuban backed Stern when he fined Pop over resting players during that nationally televised game in Miami. He never liked it when they won a championship. Glad Stern's gone and Silver took over.

[Spurtacular]

You are right about the ratings. That's why David Stern hated the spurs during those years until he retired. If he had his choice he would pick only the lakers, knicks, Bulls or Celtics to be in the Finals. It was even reported that he even prevented some teams from poaching/hiring spurs front office managers because he didn't want anyone that shared Pop's ideas and wisdom to spread to other teams. lol. The 2014 NBA finals win was a nice F-U to Stern too. I remember when Mark Cuban backed Stern when he fined Pop over resting players during that nationally televised game in Miami. He never liked it when they won a championship. Glad Stern's gone and Silver took over.

I'd like to say that David Stern is evil personified. But more accurately, he's a reflection of the world we live in. When you're catering to a dumb (young) fan base in a liquified media world, then he gets away with all his nonsense by default. And even the Celtics will get jolted for the bigger NY, LA, or Chicago markets. I've seen it happen plenty.

Personally, I think Silver has much of the same motives as Stern. He just has to do damage control though. Stern took the NBA to some ugly places. When you have a significant number of fans saying that the Kings were the rightful champs 13 years later....