San Antonio Spurs

[Ninja]

How convenient for you.

My definition of a dynasty is one that wins four championships in eight years.

In basketball.

In Texas.

Well, fair enough.

But, for the record recall that I never defined a dynasty until you wrote this:

by your criteria

Remember?

There was more to that post BTW. Or can I assume you agree?

 

[Gunny]

Until the Spurs can win back-to-back championships their fans simply have no business talking about a dynasty. Sorry to be an asshole, but that's what I think and that's the main criterion that sports writers will use to judge this team's place in history when all is said and done.

My comment regarding "dynasty" is only in regard to how quick sports commentators are to pull the trigger for other teams. The term itself is subjective depending on what criteria you wish to use.

I think when you can pull down 4 wins in 9 tries it puts you in some elite company -- LA, Boston and Chi -- and there is most certainly room for argument. They're the only former ABA team I am aware of to win 4 titles.

So it's a conspiracy? It's rigged? Are you saying that the NBA is fixed like pro wrestling, and if so why do you watch?

And how do you account for the previous three titles as well as 1999*?



That's soooooooooooooooooooooo 2005

Conspiracy? I don't know about all that. I don't know about being rigged either. I DO know bad/one-sided officiating shouldn't be allowed to dictate the outcomes of games and it all too often does.

I attribute 4 championships to playing not only above their opponents, but playing above the officiating as well.

I can most certainly see the league's POV from a financial perspective and I don't think there is some active conspiracy to keep this team down or push another. I think individually, the prejudices of league officials and the referees and the knowledge in the backs of their heads of what makes the most money DOES screw teams.

Oh, and I don't watch it unless it happens to be on where I am because I DO get seriously pissed at bad/one-sided officiating. It started with the NFL. I can't even watch a football game. They've become the NFL Referee Show and they DO decide the outcomes of games. At least in basketball you have 24 seconds to make up for a bad call. In football, it means the end of a drive and change of possession and those don't turn over every 24 seconds.

 

[Ninja]

Anyone watching the game right now? The refs are really coming through in the clutch for the Spurms

 

[Ninja]

8 on 5 and the Lakers still pull out the win.

I was listening to AM 570 after the game and a college official called in to give his opinion on the last play.

And he said FANTASTIC no call by the Refs.

He said the play was a wash because Barry didn't allow Fisher to come down, and by moving to the right before he shot the ball, it became a no call. If he shot the ball as Fisher was coming straight down and Barry went up, then it would have been a foul called. Personally I thought that it should have been an offensive foul on Brent Barry if anything because of the way that he hooked Fisher with his left arm, but compared to some of the more egregious calls (or lack thereof) that have favored the Spurs that one was pretty trivial.

Not to mention that the Spurs shouldn't have even had possession, because Fishers's shot hit the rim on the previous play but was instead called an airball but the refs didn't signal for a new shotclock.

 

[Ninja]

Wow, refs really have it out for the Lakers, a TRAVEL and and offensive foul by Barry... On the same play!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDc31xBkBg0[/ame]

Okay. I'm done being a jerk. Good game, GunnyL, I'm sure the Spurs will show up next game now that their backs are against the wall.

 

[manifold]

I missed most of the game but thanks for the video.

Oh, and you're 100% wrong. No travel and definitely a foul on Fischer.

 

[Ninja]

I missed most of the game but thanks for the video.

Oh, and you're 100% wrong. No travel and definitely a foul on Fischer.

(1) Not sure how much basketball you watch, but it was a travel.

(2) As soon as Barry went right, it became a no-call

(3) Barry got away with a hook so if anything it was an offensive foul

(4) Spurs had the ball because refs didn't signal for the shot clock to reset on the prior Laker's possession... Should have been Lakers with a new 24 instead of Barry getting the inbounds and traveling/hooking

Buck Harvey thinks it was a foul (no one in SA doesn't), but he agrees with my assessment of the previous play:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...YSA052808.1C.COL.BKNharvey.spurs.412d3d9.html

Oh, and with Kobe has SIX freethrows after four games while getting hammered by Bowen every time he touches the ball, Spurs and fans don't have much of a place to complain about missed fouls. Kobe had 29 shots last night and as the Zen Master pointed out, it's basically impossible to take that many shots against a physical team like SA and not get fouled once... Hmmmm..... Stern really needs the Spurs to win to improve the NBA's image and to prove that his salary cap works....

 

[manifold]

(1) Not sure how much basketball you watch, but it was a travel.

(2) As soon as Barry went right, it became a no-call

(3) Barry got away with a hook so if anything it was an offensive foul

(4) Spurs had the ball because refs didn't signal for the shot clock to reset on the prior Laker's possession... Should have been Lakers with a new 24 instead of Barry getting the inbounds and traveling/hooking

Buck Harvey thinks it was a foul (no one in SA doesn't), but he agrees with my assessment of the previous play:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...YSA052808.1C.COL.BKNharvey.spurs.412d3d9.html

I didn't see the shot clock thing so I cannot comment.

I'm merely commenting on the short clip you've posted. I watch a lot of basketball and 9 times out of 10, the defender gets called for a foul in that situation. And roughly zero times out of a thousand does the offensive player get called for travelling in this situation. Regardless of what the "rule book" might say, from a consistency perspective, I stand by my post.

 

[Gunny]

Wow, refs really have it out for the Lakers, a TRAVEL and and offensive foul by Barry... On the same play!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDc31xBkBg0

Okay. I'm done being a jerk. Good game, GunnyL, I'm sure the Spurs will show up next game now that their backs are against the wall.

Dude, you are SO full of shit.

The Spurs didn't play worth a shit. When that's the case, it really doesn't matter what the ref's do.

Although we KNOW that had that been Brent Barry hitting Kobe on a three attempt with 2 seconds left, Kobe would have been on the line for 3 foul shots.

Just the way it works.

Either way, beats the Hell out of me how the Spurs can take out to teams noticeably better than LA and then play this lame-ass shit. If they don't play, they don't deserve to win, IMO.

 

[Gunny]

I didn't see the shot clock thing so I cannot comment.

I'm merely commenting on the short clip you've posted. I watch a lot of basketball and 9 times out of 10, the defender gets called for a foul in that situation. And roughly zero times out of a thousand does the offensive player get called for travelling in this situation. Regardless of what the "rule book" might say, from a consistency perspective, I stand by my post.

Not if it's THAT clip with a Laker on it and your name is Snowman. Obviously, he is one of "those" type of fans.

 

[Ninja]

Easy guys, it's a tough task trying to emulate my impartiality

Honestly though, Gunny...

(1) The Parker goaltend that was called against Odom was a clean block. I can provide picture evidence. He swatted the ball on the way up, before it hit the backboard.

(2) The aforementioned shotclock fiasco - did you check out the Buck Harvey article I linked to?

(3) I still contend that Barry did a little Fred Astaire impression on that last play, but I'll willing to agree to disagree.

There were some iffy calls that went both ways. Duncan going the Euro Shuffle from the charity stripe, etc.

Spurs shot more freethrows. Kobe shot 0 while taking 29 shots and being guarded by the best (and most physical) perimeter defender in the league. He only has 6 all series long.

I just don't see where the NBA is screwing the Spurs. And if it's any consolation, I think we'e going to see the mean, cornered, wounded jaguar version of the Spurs for the remainder of the series.

 

[Gunny]

Easy guys, it's a tough task trying to emulate my impartiality

Honestly though, Gunny...

(1) The Parker goaltend that was called against Odom was a clean block. I can provide picture evidence. He swatted the ball on the way up, before it hit the backboard.

(2) The aforementioned shotclock fiasco - did you check out the Buck Harvey article I linked to?

(3) I still contend that Barry did a little Fred Astaire impression on that last play, but I'll willing to agree to disagree.

There were some iffy calls that went both ways. Duncan going the Euro Shuffle from the charity stripe, etc.

Spurs shot more freethrows. Kobe shot 0 while taking 29 shots and being guarded by the best (and most physical) perimeter defender in the league. He only has 6 all series long.

I just don't see where the NBA is screwing the Spurs. And if it's any consolation, I think we'e going to see the mean, cornered, wounded jaguar version of the Spurs for the remainder of the series.

Fact is the game came down to that one shot, and the NBA issued a statement today that a foul should have been called.

Try and keep this in context. I didn't say the NBA was trying to specifically screw the Spurs against the Lakers, and that's how you are reacting. I merely commented for what the Spurs have done ... only three other teams in the NBA's history has done as good or better ... they don't get the same respect those other three teams get, and that the NBA wants big market teams in the finals just like they want the games to go to 7. Big market teams and 7 game finals equal more $.

The mean, cornered, wounded jaguar version of the Spurs?" Where can I hire THEM? I wish they WOULD get mean and play just as physical as some of these other teams they're playing. The only players they have that "get mean" came from other teams. Horry and Bowen. Horry just can't help acting like a Laker.

Not going to happen dude. There is no such team as the "mean, wounded jaguar version of the Spurs."

 

[Ninja]

So I called R.J. Bell of Pregame.com who is really good at number crunching, to ask him how much Vujacic cost those that took the Spurs. Bell said that, from looking at betting data he had access to, that 66 percent of people took the Spurs and the 7.5 points or 8 points.

Bell estimates that the game did about $3 million in bets in Las Vegas, but he estimates that worldwide, the game did about $300 million in action. Bell said that, when considering the line move, that shot swung at least $100 million in bets.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/24892642

Thought our resident bovine economist might get a little kick out of the financial effects of Sasha's unclassy shot.

I was a little bit annoyed Sasha took the shot (I actually yelled "WHY SASHA WHY?!?!?!?!"), but he is The Machine. No feelings, no emotion, no regard for human life. The Machine does not feel, The Machine does as it has been programmed.

function the_machine()
{
  while (1 == 1)
  {
    shoot();
  }
}

Scroll down for the video:

http://awfulannouncing.com/

 

[Swamp Fox]

Guess the Lakers showed the Spurs this time.......