San Antonio Spurs

It's been too long, I know.  Time to get back in the saddle.

I think everyone in the world - yes, the world (the Spurs are about as international of a team as you can get) - is happy that the Spurs closed out the NBA championship tonight.  Okay, everyone with the exception of dedicated Miami Heat fans.  I was happy to see them win, since I'm not a Heat fan.  I don't hate the Heat like I hated Boston's "Big 3", but it's very hard to root against the Spurs.

I'm no expert on excellence - Brad, you can fill us in on those books - but who can argue with the success of the Spurs organization?  I'll just plagiarize from Wikipedia:

"In their 38 NBA seasons since 1976–1977, the Spurs have captured 20 division titles. They have made the playoffs in 24 of the last 25 seasons (since 1989–1990) and have not missed the playoffs in the 17 seasons since Tim Duncan was drafted by the Spurs in 1997. With their 50th win in the 2013–2014 season, the Spurs extended their record for most consecutive 50+ win seasons to 15 (the 1998/1999 season was shortened to 50 games because of a lockout and based on their win percentage of .740, would have easily surpassed 50 wins in an 82-game season, and thus extend the record by 2 more seasons)."

That's just ridiculous.  They've only missed the playoffs FOUR times since becoming an NBA team, and in their 38 NBA seasons, they've won the division title 20 times.  Ridiculous.

I like them because of their style, or should I say, lack of style.  That's unusual because for a long time I've been a person who has said that I like watching the NBA because of the crazy offenses, dunks, 3-pointers, etc.  I don't watch the NBA for defense.  But I appreciate a team that can just play, and I mean the entire team.  I recently read an article in Sports Illustrated about the Spurs, and it addressed the fact that the Spurs offensive set doesn't change when the stars sit down.  They run the same offenses, regardless of who is on the floor.  They run the pick and roll the same whether it's Duncan and Parker or Splitter and Mills.  If you step on the floor, whether you're a starter or the seventh guy off the bench, the expectation is the same. 

I like that the Spurs have done things differently.  They don't make splashy trades.  They BUILD - not buy - but build.  They rest their starters.  They don't care about whether or not they are playing the Thunder on prime time television on a Friday night, or the Bobcats on a Wednesday night on ESPN the Ocho.  If the starters need rest, Pop gives them a rest.  When everyone else is trying to figure out a rotation in November, Pop is thinking about May and June.  

I watched the end of the game tonight to see how the Spurs team would react, and I wasn't disappointed.  They are a class act.  They didn't go crazy in the middle of the floor.  They hugged and congratulated the Heat.  I like watching Tim Duncan, because he SPEAKS to almost every opposing player.  I don't know what he's saying, but I'm pretty sure that it's not as simple as, "Nice game."  Then he bear hugged David Robinson and found his kids to hold.  Manu Ginobili hugged his wife.  Tony Parker hugged Avery Johnson.  Pop sat on the bench and tried to compose himself, then spent some time talking with Pat Riley.  During the trophy presentation, I wondered if Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan were even there.  They were in the back, letting the younger guys revel in the moment.  The Spurs owner sounded like a normal guy, was gracious, thanked the players, the coach, and his wife.  Man, that team is like a big family!

So yeah, it's good to see the Spurs win.  You hardly see them in the headlines, because usually headlines don't talk about good things, only the bad.  They were so close last year, and that kind of loss would have devastated most teams.  But it motivated the Spurs.  Is that a good sign of excellence Brad?  If you're betting on the Raiders this year, I'll take your money!