Monday, June 16, 2014

Congrats (and thanks) to the Spurs


2014 NBA Champs: San Antonio Spurs
Congrats to the San Antonio Spurs, the New England Patriots of the NBA, but more successful. Thank you, as a Heat Hater and a Celtic, I am very thankful for you guys making this season worthwhile. Five titles over fifteen seasons…. Insane and amazing. They were out for revenge after letting last season’s title slip away in the infamous Game 6. They successfully got their revenge by absolutely crushing the Heat in all aspects of the game. This series could have easily been a sweep as well if it wasn’t for the missed free throws by Duncan and Parker in Game 2. But that doesn’t even matter at this point, because the Spurs demolished Miami with some of the best team play in recent NBA years. The ball work, the unselfishness and the timely crucial plays made this team great. To me, there’s an obvious reason that guys like Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Boris Diaw and Patty Mills thrived. It’s because of the leadership. Pop (or Bill Belichick of the NBA as I like to call him), Duncan, Parker and Manu all made these guys around them better. This Spurs team belongs in the ‘80s; that’s the type of basketball they play. It is really beautiful to watch and I respect their style. They made every single clutch shot. They made every single big stop. They got guys who aren’t necessarily great to play great and make championship plays. It’s hard not to respect the hell out of that type of play.

Now I’m a huge LeBron critic and cannot stand the guy, but if any one tries to place blame on him for this series is stupid. LeBron was the only one that consistently showed up. Chalmers has seen his final days in Miami. Ray Allen, thankfully, was a no show. Dwayne Wade looked like he was 40 out there and seemed very limited. Chris Bosh didn’t even touch the ball much. The Heat didn’t give any resistance to San Antonio’s offense. They were constantly chasing the ball around scrambling to get back into their rotations, because of the amazing Spurs passing. The Heat just got trampled this series and it was great to watch. LeBron was the only one who brought energy out there and made things happen. It’s amazing to think that this team around him wasn’t talented enough to win it. The big question is, how much help does this guy need?  Who knows? He needs a younger 2-guard and a better 4-man obviously. Their Big 3 may see a big shake up or it may not. It will be an interesting summer for them.

Other random thoughts hanging in my head:

·         Tim Duncan: beyond underrated. 5 Rings over 15 seasons. The man does not get enough respect as an All-Time Great. He’s easily a Top 10 and debatable Top 5 All-Time Player in my book. If only the Celtics won that lottery, if only….

·         Kawhi Leonard is already star. I think we all know this by now. He outplayed LeBron this series. That solves that.

·         The Spurs post-Pop and the Big 3 will continue to be a successful franchise. Why? Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and consistent drafting.

·         This is a crazy scenario I thought of for Miami… They convince Wade to retire. Trade Bosh, Chalmers and picks to Minnesota for Love, then use Wade’s money for Melo and the new Big 3 is LBJ, Melo and Love. I wouldn’t watch the NBA if it happened, because it’d be unfair.

Again, thank you San Antonio for beating this Miami team and making this season worthwhile.

                                    Sincerely, Celtics Fans.
 

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