Spurs Must Be Awarded Western Crown

[Nate Peele]

I am going to take a break from my usual political conversation to talk about the 5th game of the NBA’s Western Conference finals which are happenning tonight. The Lakers lead the Spurs 3 games to 1, but regardless of who wins tonight in LA the Spurs should be the Western Conference Champions because they have the best chance of beating the Eastern Conference Champs. Furthermore, if David Stern and the NBA do not let the Spurs represent the West I will not watch the finals.

1. The Spurs have more experience in the finals - The Spurs have been in the finals in 3 of the last 5 years. They know what it takes to win. The Lakers will have to learn how to win.

2. The Lakers rely on a running game - The running game is a fickle style which is usually not successful in the playoffs. The Spurs have a better half court game. ESPN acknowledged this in picking the Spurs to beat the Lakers 4 games to 2 http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?page=ScoutingSpursLakers

2. All fouls should count - At the end of Game 4, Brett Barry of the Spurs was bumped by the Lakers Derrek Fisher and no foul was called. After the game the NBA apologized for the non-foul. The Spurs lost the game 93-91, but if the foul had been called Barry is an 82% free throw shooter. He would have made the shots and the Spurs would have won. This game must be awarded to the Spurs.

3. Spur fans will not support the Lakers - Los Angeles is a team with fans all over the country. These fans love basketball and will watch the finals no matter who is in it. The Spurs are from a smaller city in Texas, if the Spurs are eliminated their fans will not watch the finals.

In the interest of fairness, the Spurs must be crowned Western Champs. I hope David Stern will act before things get ugly. Anyway, that’s my sport rant. Now I can get back to discussing politics.

 

[Ninja]

All fouls should count

All shots that hit the rim should reset the clock.

All clean blocks shouldn't be goaltends.

All travels by Brent Barry should be called as such.

The idea that the refs gave the game to the Lakers is preposterous. Maybe if the Spurs had nutted up and actually managed to get the lead AT HOME for at least a nanosecond I'd have some sympathy. Best of luck tonight

 

[Nate Peele]

The thing is the Lakers will get killed by the Eastern Conference champ. The only chance for a Western Conference crown is with the Spurs. If Stern won't give them the title myself and a lot of Spurs fans won't watch the finals.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The thing is the Lakers will get killed by the Eastern Conference champ. The only chance for a Western Conference crown is with the Spurs. If Stern won't give them the title myself and a lot of Spurs fans won't watch the finals.

I think your parody is lost on those that do not read the sports section.

 

[Gunny]

All shots that hit the rim should reset the clock.

All clean blocks shouldn't be goaltends.

All travels by Brent Barry should be called as such.

The idea that the refs gave the game to the Lakers is preposterous. Maybe if the Spurs had nutted up and actually managed to get the lead AT HOME for at least a nanosecond I'd have some sympathy. Best of luck tonight

Actually, it is not preposterous. The fact is, and the NBA called it the next day, Fisher fouled Barry. Period. Two free throws tie the game and more than likely send it into overtime. The rest of the game is irrelvant to those 3 seconds and THAT play.

And WHO is the official with the no-call? Crawford. The same Joey Crawford suspended from the playoffs last year for tossing Duncan out of a game for sitting on the bench laughing. Imagine THAT. And yeah, one official CAN decide the outcome of a game.

THIS would be the very reason I posted in the other thread I don't watch the games anymore.

 

[Ninja]

Should the Spurs have even had possession, GunnyL? No. We can agree to disagree as I said before, but I still think that even if it's a foul the refs fucked up and the Spurs didn't rightfully earn the chance to go for the win. It should have been Lakers' ball with a new 24.

And for the record, it was not Crawford. It was Joe Forte.

Finally, sorry for busting your chops over the Spurs. It's all in jest, I have tremendous respect for them, as do the majority of my fellow Laker fans, and if they can get a younger group of role players they'll contend for at least another 5 years.

 

[Ninja]

I think your parody is lost on those that do not read the sports section.

I get it now. Too many bottles of Fat Tire

 

[Gunny]

Should the Spurs have even had possession, GunnyL? No. We can agree to disagree as I said before, but I still think that even if it's a foul the refs fucked up and the Spurs didn't rightfully earn the chance to go for the win. It should have been Lakers' ball with a new 24.

And for the record, it was not Crawford. It was Joe Forte.

Finally, sorry for busting your chops over the Spurs. It's all in jest, I have tremendous respect for them, as do the majority of my fellow Laker fans, and if they can get a younger group of role players they'll contend for at least another 5 years.

That's okay. As long as Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant are in LA I'm a "Whoever's Playing Against LA " fan. Since Reggie Miller retired, two bigger crybabies don't exist in the NBA.

I didn't bother to watch the game. One can only imagine "how" the Lakers overcame a 17 point lead to win. Guess THEY got that foul called, huh?

 

[Ninja]

LOL. They came back by getting stops and Kobe took over in the 4th.

18 free throws to 18 free throws. Amazing, the charity stripe really favored the Spurs in the first 4 games. Nice to see it called fair.

And come on Gunny, even Spurs fans largely admit that Timmy is known for complaining to get calls a lot.

 

[Gunny]

LOL. They came back by getting stops and Kobe took over in the 4th.

18 free throws to 18 free throws. Amazing, the charity stripe really favored the Spurs in the first 4 games. Nice to see it called fair.

And come on Gunny, even Spurs fans largely admit that Timmy is known for complaining to get calls a lot.

I don't know any Spurs fans that admit that. I don't know any fans period that don't wonder what it takes for a Spur to get a foul called. Usually looking like Manu did in Game 4 -- like he went 3 rounds with Mike Tyson and was flat-out high-lowed under the rim.

Equal amounts of trips to the free throw line doesn't indicate fairness by any means. It indicates and equal amount of trips to the free throw line.

I'd prefer Boston in the Finals, but in a way, I'd be more than happy to see Detroit. I want to see your darling boy trying to take that weak shit up on Detroit.

Duncan usually bitches when he's half decapitated and nothing is called afte he got some ticky-tack bullshit on the other end of the court. NOBODY can out-whine Phil Jackson. Period. I heard the ref's and ball handlers asked special permission to wear raincoats whenever they have to do Laker games so they don't drown in his tears.

 

[ReillyT]

I am going to take a break from my usual political conversation to talk about the 5th game of the NBA’s Western Conference finals which are happenning tonight. The Lakers lead the Spurs 3 games to 1, but regardless of who wins tonight in LA the Spurs should be the Western Conference Champions because they have the best chance of beating the Eastern Conference Champs. Furthermore, if David Stern and the NBA do not let the Spurs represent the West I will not watch the finals.

1. The Spurs have more experience in the finals - The Spurs have been in the finals in 3 of the last 5 years. They know what it takes to win. The Lakers will have to learn how to win.

2. The Lakers rely on a running game - The running game is a fickle style which is usually not successful in the playoffs. The Spurs have a better half court game. ESPN acknowledged this in picking the Spurs to beat the Lakers 4 games to 2 http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?page=ScoutingSpursLakers

2. All fouls should count - At the end of Game 4, Brett Barry of the Spurs was bumped by the Lakers Derrek Fisher and no foul was called. After the game the NBA apologized for the non-foul. The Spurs lost the game 93-91, but if the foul had been called Barry is an 82% free throw shooter. He would have made the shots and the Spurs would have won. This game must be awarded to the Spurs.

3. Spur fans will not support the Lakers - Los Angeles is a team with fans all over the country. These fans love basketball and will watch the finals no matter who is in it. The Spurs are from a smaller city in Texas, if the Spurs are eliminated their fans will not watch the finals.

In the interest of fairness, the Spurs must be crowned Western Champs. I hope David Stern will act before things get ugly. Anyway, that’s my sport rant. Now I can get back to discussing politics.

This is fucking funny. Well done.

 

[Dirt McGirt]

It was a ticky-tack foul, but a foul none-the-less. However, the Lakers still should have won even with the call. If you're going to go back and call a foul while citing the rules, then you have to go back and reset the shot clock, Fisher's shot hit the rim. The Spurs would have had no choice but to foul the Lakers or else the clock runs out and that results in a Lakers win. If the Spurs foul and the Lakers hit both free throws then it's over, Lakers win. If the Lakers make 1 of 2 from the charity stripe, then the Lakers go up by 3. If the Lakers go up by 3, then Phil Jackson calls an on-the-floor foul to prevent a three pointer and the Spurs are at the line for 2 free throws with less than 2 seconds left on the clock. Even if they hit them both, game over and the Lakers win. Therefore, the foul is moot if we're calling everything down the line and karma is a bitch.

 

[Gunny]

It was a ticky-tack foul, but a foul none-the-less. However, the Lakers still should have won even with the call. If you're going to go back and call a foul while citing the rules, then you have to go back and reset the shot clock, Fisher's shot hit the rim. The Spurs would have had no choice but to foul the Lakers or else the clock runs out and that results in a Lakers win. If the Spurs foul and the Lakers hit both free throws then it's over, Lakers win. If the Lakers make 1 of 2 from the charity stripe, then the Lakers go up by 3. If the Lakers go up by 3, then Phil Jackson calls an on-the-floor foul to prevent a three pointer and the Spurs are at the line for 2 free throws with less than 2 seconds left on the clock. Even if they hit them both, game over and the Lakers win. Therefore, the foul is moot if we're calling everything down the line and karma is a bitch.

I'm not calling foul. I'm pointing out the facts as the NBA presented them. A foul called would have put Barry on the line.

No matter. It wouldn't be any fun if my team won every single year. What's the point of playing the games? The Spurs didn't play well enough to win. It shouldn't come down to a last second call. Especially against the least talented Western Conf team in the playoffs.

They just didn't have it this year and we knew it before the playoffs. I don't need any excuses. The Spurs have always been a successful franchise -- unless you want to count their Dallas Chaparral days in the ABA. Only 3 other teams have done better in the NBA and the Spurs have half the time in the NBA as those other teams.

I can live with THAT.

Now if I can just find my Kevin McHale jersey .....

 

[Nate Peele]

Well as I thought the Lakers advance. Stern still refuses to make a comment, but if the Spurs do not get awarded the Western Conference Championship I'm not watching. They are the only chance the West has to beat the East.