Reply With Quote
*must fight urges*
Also, he's ready to go out there and dominate those two "defensive" centers
Spurs' Finley quietly rises above fray
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...y.2edf93b.html
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
DALLAS — The defining moment of the first two games of the Western Conference semifinal series between the Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks occurred with 7:34 remaining in Tuesday's Game2 at the AT&T Center.
The Spurs' Michael Finley drove to the basket for what appeared to be a dunk, only to be met in the air by the Mavs' Jerry Stackhouse. Stackhouse got his hand on the ball and blocked the attempt so forcefully that Finley, 33, and a veteran of 11 seasons, ended up flat on his back under the basket.
Stackhouse, his team leading by 18, stood over Finley and glared at him, earning a technical foul.
Finley endured the taunt with typical stoicism.
When a team has unceremoniously waived you after giving it nine great seasons, what's one more insult?
Finley returns today to the city where he starred for its NBA team. He was a two-time All-Star and scored 12,389 points for the Mavericks, which makes him the No.4 scorer in franchise history.
He is ready for a playoff game he knows could be critical to a personal quest he insists has no added motivation other than that which drives every player — an NBA le.
"There's no personal vendetta to beat Dallas," Finley said. "I just want to be the last team standing at the end."
The Mavericks also insist there was nothing personal about their decision to waive Finley last summer as part of the league's one-time amnesty clause.
It was strictly business for a team that was paying the NBA's luxury tax, a dollar-for-dollar penalty applied to payroll amounts that exceeded a tax threshold of roughly $61million last season.
Even Finley knew the move made business sense for the Mavericks.
It was still emotionally difficult for both sides, and Finley believes the Mavericks did not behave entirely honorably.
"Before the amnesty thing came up ... I was planning to end my career (in Dallas)," Finley said. "But when my name came up and I started hearing things from the front office I thought were unfair for me, then it would have been tough for me to come back, even if I hadn't been waived."
Asked to elaborate on what had angered him to the point he wanted out of Dallas, Finley refused. Perceived insult, he admitted, came only via hearsay from other NBA teams.
"This is not the time to talk about (what I heard)," Finley said. "Just some things I felt were not fair toward me."
Stackhouse's emergence as a reliable scorer for the Mavericks made the club's decision to dump Finley easier for the basketball staff to accept, which only served to make Stackhouse's taunt in Tuesday's game doubly insulting.
Once one of the Mavericks' team captains, Finley got the backing of his new team captain when it came to dealing with Stackhouse's Game2 taunt.
"We're going to do our best to get up and win these games and get the series," said Tim Duncan, who called Stackhouse's actions Tuesday "fake hype."
"We'll see who's glaring at the end."
*must fight urges*
Also, he's ready to go out there and dominate those two "defensive" centers
That's the closest thing to a guarentee you'll get from TD. Bring it. Game on. Game 3.
You tell 'em TD
"We're going to do our best to get up and win these games and get the series," said Tim Duncan, who called Stackhouse's actions Tuesday "fake hype."
"We'll see who's glaring at the end."
It's On Now
TD angry? This could be interesting..."We'll see who's glaring at the end."
He's not angree, he's "ready to play"
Now He's Talking..! Be Afraid.. Be Very Afraid!!
This one's over.
Duncan is basically saying:
" all y'all"
So does this mean you concede the bet? I'll be thinking about your new le
Ah, where is that pic!?
I just got it
Wow. Duncan just stepped up to the next level.
OMG! does this mean duncan actually has a pulse?
I like Finley, I'll always like Finley no matter what, but I really think the whole Stackhouse standing over Finley is overblown hype. This is not the same situation as when Kwame stood over Diaw. Anyway, I could be wrong but to me, after replaying it several times, it just looked like Stack couldn't get out of the way right away when Finley went down. He barely even stood over him before he moved. Like I said, I could be wrong but this was nothing like the way Kwame stood over Diaw. Did Finley say anything about this incident himself?
You dun f'ed up now Mav fan.
To whom are you referring? Chill out.
IMO I think it was past due to change your avatar
Wow, Timmy D trash talk. I like it
Oh, it's on now.
Ohhhh, ! As if Timmy wasn't already playing like a beast!
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
