Overshadowed Spurs Are Rarely Overmatched

[ducks]

June 1, 2007
Overshadowed Spurs Are Rarely Overmatched
By HOWARD BECK
SAN ANTONIO, May 31 — In a mildly crowded, modestly happy locker room Wednesday night, R. C. Buford traded smiles and handshakes, soaking in the San Antonio Spurs’ fourth Western Conference le in nine years. Then Buford, the low-profile general manager of the N.B.A.’s low-key dynasty, spotted a reporter for a certain 24-hour sports network.

“Hey, did we even make ‘SportsCenter?’ ” Buford asked with a chuckle.

It was a fair question. Kobe Bryant had commandeered every channel on the ESPN spectrum with his request to be traded from the Los Angeles Lakers. It was all Kobe, all the time, all day. Even at the AT&T Center, where the Spurs closed out the Utah Jazz, the biggest buzz was about the Lakers’ melodrama.

The Spurs are plodding, methodically as ever, toward a fourth championship — an achievement that would place them among the greatest franchises in league history. Only the Boston Celtics (16 les), the Lakers (14) and the Chicago Bulls (6) own more banners.

Yet it seems that only San Antonians, and the geekiest of basketball geeks, truly appreciate the Spurs’ greatness. They draw dismal ratings in the N.B.A. finals. Their stars are plain-spoken and plain-looking. They rarely preen, glower or pose.

In truth, they are not nearly as boring as their reputation. But their understated elegance — all crisp passes, high-percentage shots and rugged defense — is decidedly analog next to the high-def, high-flying Phoenix Suns or the sheer giddiness of the Golden State Warriors.

“We’re like the bass players in the band,” the veteran sharpshooter Brent Barry said. “Nobody knows the bass player. You know the lead singer, you know the guy that’s playing the lead guitar, and we’re back there in the back, strumming the bass and not hitting any chords.”

The Suns again captivated the nation until the Spurs vanquished them in a controversial, suspension-marred second-round series. The Dallas Mavericks dominated the regular season, winning 67 games, only to wither before the Warriors in the first round.

Most of the guys who sell jerseys and put es in the Nielsen charts are on vacation. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets fell to the Spurs in the first round. Bryant’s Lakers were taken out by the Suns. The Miami Heat’s defense of its le died in the first round, ending the season for Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade.

The Spurs spent another regular season under the radar. They were 33-18 on Feb. 11 — solid, but still in the background. They closed the season by winning 25 of 31 games and then dismissed the Western Conference with a 12-4 run through the playoffs.

“That’s just the personality of this team; there’s been nothing spectacular this year,” said David Robinson, the former Spurs star. “They just kept plodding through. Their motto was always, We’re going to beat on the rock until it cracks.”

The Spurs as quarry workers seems fitting enough. With an offense built around Tim Duncan, its virtuoso power forward, San Antonio grinds down opponents. Duncan is averaging 23.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.3 blocked shots in the playoffs.

Even with Duncan coping with plantar fasciitis last season, the Spurs battled Dallas to a seventh game in the conference semifinals.

The Spurs are healthier now, with Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili playing at an elite level. They are perhaps deeper than they were in 2004, when they defeated Detroit for their third le. Michael Finley, the steady, sweet-shooting Mavericks castoff, now helps anchor the backcourt. Fabricio Oberto, a co-star of the Argentinian national team, has been a perfect fit in the frontcourt rotation with his timely offensive rebounding and opportunistic scoring.

“I think we’re more poised, we’re smarter and we know what to do,” Robert Horry said.

Horry, the ultimate role player, who won two championships with the Houston Rockets, three with the Lakers and one with the Spurs, is going for his seventh ring — a prospect even he calls stunning.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” he said. “It’s hard to explain.”

At the other end of the spectrum is Finley, a two-time All-Star who was once among the best scoring guards in the league. At 34, he is making his first trip to the finals. He joined the Spurs for this opportunity two years ago, then had his first chance ended by the Mavericks, the team that waived him in a cost-saving move.

“It was difficult,” Finley said of last year’s loss to the Mavericks.

Parker recalled that Finley was among those who took that defeat the hardest and said that getting him to the finals served as added motivation.

Finley said, “I’m blessed to be part of a great group of guys, guys who truly know the meaning of being a team.”

Contrary to perception, the Spurs are a team with ample personality, if not necessarily showmanship. They do not expect the world to agree, or even to tune in. They may bristle at the word “boring,” but they do not altogether seem to mind their low-bandwidth existence.

“I like watching Phoenix and Dallas more than I like watching us, too,” Barry said, deadpan.

A scout who watched the Spurs crush the Jazz on Wednesday said that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons were playing for second place. A fourth Spurs championship seems inevitable, and maybe that will finally cement them in the public consciousness.

“Maybe,” Barry said. “I doubt it. But maybe.”

[Samr]

The Spurs get the most attention for not getting attention of any team in professional sports.

Bad teams (more losses than wins, financial failure, poor management, Randy Moss, etc) don't get press due to the fact that they are bad. Flashy teams get on SportsCenter because "highlights" are by definition flashy plays.

Spurs don't make it on highlight shows because they take high-percentage (also known as "open") shots, which are inherently lacking in difficulty and, thus, boring. The idea of "risk," eg dunks in traffic, difficult passes, off-balance shots, is what makes teams like the Suns so fun to watch because it implies a greater skill and mastery of the game. In truth, the greatest skill comes from understanding how to create openings and high-percentage opportunities. The greatest skill is shown in being the exact opposite of "risky" (and by association, "flashy"): smart.

But no one puts smart people on highlight reels. High-percentage shots just don't have the same risk factor as an in-traffic dunk or alley-oop. Dirk was flashy, and so was Ben Gordon, Dwyane Wade, Richard Jefferson, Carlos Boozer, Baron Davis, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.

Oops.

[milkyway21]

when i read this article earler today I was LOL

Their stars are plain-spoken and plain-looking. They rarely preen, glower or pose.

you blind? Parker, Duncan & Co-plain-looking?

[ducks]

tp makes magazines because of his looks
wow some people are idiots

[MaNuMaNiAc]

yeah, I always found it funny that most writers talk about how everyone doesn't pay attention to the Spurs as if they had been doing it all year. The media sounding surprised that it never pays attention to the Spurs... pfff you want to make amends START PAYING ATTENTION THEN!!

[MaNuMaNiAc]

tp makes magazines because of his looks
wow some people are idiots

you tell them ducks! tell them how good looking TP is!

[bonesinaz]

I loved Charles Barkley's impersonation of Kobe to Reggie Miller. He kept saying, "I hate you Reggie, I love you Reggie, I hate you, I love you." Then he said that Kobe had too much time on his hands if he could go on all of those talk radio stations.

[GrandeDavid]

June 1, 2007
Overshadowed Spurs Are Rarely Overmatched
By HOWARD BECK
”

Who does this guy write for? Link?

[ducks]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/sp...in&oref=slogin

[ducks]

you can email that idiot

[milkyway21]

tp makes magazines because of his looks
wow some people are idiots

right! made it to the People Magazine's Most Beautiful People.

i don't really undertand..

then there's Horry, certainly not plain-looking to me.
and never called boring when he played with the Lakers yrs ago.

You sign Horry here, Iverson, or LeBron, they WILL still call the Spurs boring. And Plain.

[CubanMustGo]

Bull . Overall it's a great article in the leading newspaper in the country. The NYT has been giving SA good press throughout the playoffs which is more than you can say for a lot of the other media outlets. You expect a male sportswriter to know a good looking guy? This ain't the SF Chronicle you're reading.

[milkyway21]

yeah you are right! it's a great article. But a lot of Bu*$ in between, IMO.

[CubanMustGo]

Sorry, actually the "bull " remark was directed at ducks, not you milkyway.

[ducks]

Bull . Overall it's a great article in the leading newspaper in the country. The NYT has been giving SA good press throughout the playoffs which is more than you can say for a lot of the other media outlets. You expect a male sportswriter to know a good looking guy? This ain't the SF Chronicle you're reading.

dude if you follow the spurs you know that tp was in the magizine
spur players gave tp a hard time
talked in press about it

[milkyway21]

Sorry, actually the "bull " remark was directed at ducks, not you milkyway.

hey! there's no need to apologize.

I'm actually LOL about it. Plain Looking? he needs a microscope.

[CubanMustGo]

dude if you follow the spurs you know that tp was in the magizine
spur players gave tp a hard time
talked in press about it

On the list of things I care about when it comes to media coverage of the Spurs, discussion of the attractiveness of Spur players is not on the list.

[duncan228]

Posted this morning. A couple of pages of comments if you're interested.

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69584

[TwoHandJam]

Decent article, except the fact-checkers missed the part about winning the le against Detroit in '04.

[Nathan Explosion]

I missed the part about beating Detroit in 04. I went back and thought, they put that in there. Then I snapped about a minute later because it was 05. But then again, it's not even 7, and I've been up half the night feeling sick, so yeah.

I think the plain looking comment was just another example of the media perception of the Spurs. They're game is plain looking and it makes the players plain looking. Parker made that people list, but everyone would think he's the ugly one in his relationship. Horry gets more press for looking like Will Smith than he does for being good looking.

Speaking of which, we should start a thread of NBA players who look like musicians.

[WalterBenitez]

How could I expect to watch the finals in ARG if Spurs couldn't get any attention in States .... we are boring ... No TV's cahnnel will put money to show a boring team ...damn it!

[Melmart1]

How could I expect to watch the finals in ARG if Spurs couldn't get any attention in States .... we are boring ... No TV's cahnnel will put money to show a boring team ...damn it!

All you foreigners really need to learn about sopcast. You can watch every single playoff game that way. It may not be the largest or best quality picture, but its free and you can watch. No more ing!

[WalterBenitez]

All you foreigners really need to learn about sopcast. You can watch every single playoff game that way. It may not be the largest or best quality picture, but its free and you can watch. No more ing!

and ... you will give some directions, any hep is always welcomed

Pssst... for me YOU are a foreigner

[bdictjames]

Who says bass players are underrated? Anybody heard of Flea?

[Manudona]

Who says bass players are underrated? Anybody heard of Flea?

No. And that is the point