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Great, we'll never hear the end of that now from dsf. I thought Bill Russell was all about defense and half-court execution.
Not that thats a big suprise to anyone but... did anyone see the part where him and Smith where saying what they where thankfull for as far as NBA?
Bill Russell says something like:
"Im thankfull for the suns because they saved basketball"
Steve Smith says something stupid and loud like always.
then, not 30 seconds later Bill comes back with...
"Im Thankfull for the Spurs because they play basketball how its meant to be played"
umm. WTF? make up your ing mind re !
.....it made me laugh at least.
Great, we'll never hear the end of that now from dsf. I thought Bill Russell was all about defense and half-court execution.
dammit, didnt edit my post fast enough!!
I had to look at what I typed and was like "what the is thanking fur????"
SAS Im ok with it, but the great Russell?
One, he's old. That must have to do something with it, old players are never really that good to listen for great NBA discussion. Just look at Vitale.
The problem here is that, depending on what he meant, both of those statements are true.
The Suns have saved the NBA...'s ratings. Admittedly they are fun to watch. They won't win with that approach, but at least they'll have ratings.
The Spurs are playing basketball the way its meant to be played. Team first, defensively oriented basketball is the key to success.
SO Russell could be on to something... I doubt it... be he could
As much as we like to rag on d_s_f for that mantra, it is true that the Suns have generated a lot of buzz and hype with their style of play. Casual fans are more likely to be drawn to them, and Nash is a likeable personality. But there's more than one flavor of ice cream, and there's more than one style of play to enjoy.
I think the Spurs get a bad rap as far as being "boring" goes because of the 2005 Finals. Their series against Dallas was great, those playoff battles against the Lakers were exciting, as was the series last year against Phoenix.
maybe I will e-mail him and ask for clarification because to me that just doesnt make sense unless what ManuManiac says is true. I will even give him the benefit of the doubt and not be condiscending in the e-mail.
I think his statement was more true around 2004-05, which may be the time period he's thinking of. I don't judge teams by ratings, but if I earned my money from the game, I certainly would. After all, sports have no inherent value other than as entertainment. From the fan's perspective, the point of the game is to win. But from the league's perspective, the point of the game is to convince people to pay money to watch it. If it's true that the Suns saved the NBA's ratings (I don't know) then Walton's statement isn't crazy.
Nah man, Russell's Celtics were all about running the break. They were the original great running team before Magic's Lakers.
You can't call out Bill Russell as an idiot(Unless he's describing one of his delusions about how he would defend Shaq).
#1. He's always had nothing but praise for the Spurs....in particular Tim Duncan. He compares Tim Duncan...to himself.
#2. It's possible for him to mean both...it may not be so much about the Suns as it is the style of ball they play....
But can anyone prove to me the Suns are a ratings draw? Phoenix is one of the crappiest sportstowns ever...they don't even root for their own football team...and it's not like anyone else gives a crap about Phoenix. They aren't LA or NY themselves...they aren't even Dallas or Houston.
I don't get what's so exciting about
Rebound...run...shoot.
Manu and Parker are 10 times more fun to watch than Steve Nash...
NBA players like to watch Manu play...
While it may be true the Spurs don't draw...it's most definitely not true that they are boring.
They lead the league in blowout wins every year...and also usually play in the most close gams every year.
Anyone that thinks the Spurs are boring...is just stupid.
Rebound, run, shoot...is boring.
Its boring once you get to the part where neither team really tries on defense. Maybe its just me being a Spurs fan. Perfect execution on both ends is better.
For me it's about close games...close games are never boring. I don't care if the score is 2-1 in the fourth...it's not boring. It's as intense as basketball gets...and the harder it is to score, the more every shot means...the more intense it is.
Now the Spurs annually lead the league in blowout wins...but they also usually lead the league in games decided by 3 points or less as well, and that's freaking exciting...whereas Phoenix just blows people out or wins comfortably...I guess they are exciting when they trail, because they can get back into a game quickly...but that doesn't happen to them often.
I don't know if they are or not, but the media pimps them about how "revolutionary" they are that the idiots who allow the media to think for them start to believe that they are the greatest thing since sliced bread even though they aren't much different than many other teams who have played the same style and certainly not any more successful.
Obsession noted.
*
You Mean BILL WALTON not Bill Russell... YOU see How eroneous information get started.. I saw the segment!!
Oh dear lord...
It was Bill WALTON, not Bill Russell....I saw that segment. And there was nothing wrong with it except for the fact that he put the current Celtics team in the same class as the Spurs regarding their championship ability. Steven A responded by saying the Celtics haven't won anything yet...
SAS and Walton.
Was it special Olympics week in the studio?
What's the problem? I don't see the contradiction. The two statements aren't really mutually exclusive or anything. Besides, he gave the Spurs their props, right?
And really, if you think about it, the intense rivalry that has developed between the two teams
is the gem of the league right now. It's such a good rivalry precisely because the style and public perception of these two teams is so opposite.
Last year's playoffs series confrontation was the showpiece of the post-season; and you'll remember that most (not some) in the national media anointed the series as "the real championship series."
I guess my point is that if not for the Suns, the Spurs would probably be running down everyone else in the league like the Patriots are doing in the NFL right now. Therefore it's not insane for Russell to say that the emergence of the Suns as a contender, and the torrid style of basketball that they have popularized, have revitalized and saved the league from the disparity we see in the NFL.
Err, ok. So it was Bill Walton.
I certainly agree with you that the two statements are not mutually exclusive of each other.
BTW, the AZ Cardinals have sold out every game this season. Just FYI.
i see nothing wrong with either statement.
without its fans, the NBA would be dead. and like it or not, the suns did save basketball by attracting the average basketball fans (whom you guys would refer to as idiot fans who dont know ). the average basketball fan hates the spurs style of play because it is boring. they dont care about good basketball. they dont care about good defense. they just wanna see run and guy style offense, slam dunks, ally oops, and ankle breakers. thus suns' uptempto style appeals to the average joe. like it or not, if not for the suns and their style of play, the average basketball fans would not be watching basketball at all today.
and his second statement is right on the dot too. the spurs do play basketball the way it is meant. defense wins championships. the extra pass. sharing the ball. and since its a spurs board, i wont bother expanding on that because you guys already know.
TP and Manu are two of the most exciting players on the planet. That boring label is complete bull .
Last edited by BeerIsGood!; 11-22-2007 at 04:13 PM.
Diamondbacks couldn't sell out their playoffs...
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