About the '06 Spurs

Being a resident of San Antonio and a fan of sorts of our most famous professional sports team, the NBA Spurs, I suppose that I cannot let another day slip by without SOME comment on their recent elimiation from the playoffs by our rivals, the Dallas Mavericks. Certainly I overheard numerous comments from my S.A. neighbors on Tuesday morning.

In brief, I was very disappointed. I had considered how nicely geometical (symmetrical? whatever?) it would be if, having earned their FIRST NBA title in 1999 and again in '03 and again in '05, the progression of 4-2-1 had been played out with another crown in '06! And THEN we also could honestly begin boasting of a "dynasty"!

All that, of course, is ashes now, thanks to the Mavs. And I join thousands of other San Antonians in being blue. So, what happened? After all, the '06 season was the best (in wins) of all seasons in Spurs history!

Well, I don't want to make lame excuses or sound like "we were robbed". Honestly, the best team AT THE TIME OF PLAYOFFS probably won. The the day of Game 2, the Mavs being in S.A., the local daily (the Express-News) printed a front-page article comparing S.A. and that city up north that "tries to out-New-York New York". The paper didn't use THAT particular line; I'd ehard it years ago while living in Fort Worth. I think the article as a whole was meant in good-natured, Texas-neighborly, humor. However, I could see how some Dallasites just might take offense at a few of its observations. E.G., that Dallas sprawls - as tho' S.A. doesn't? So, the article MAY have pumped up the Mavs to play harder.

I saw the game on TV. It was five individuals in silver and black (Spurs colors) playing on a court against a team of eight, three of whom were striped. And our team did look more like five individuals rather than a team. No wonder the home team imploded! And never really recovered.

Finally, the classy coach of the Mavs is a Christian gentleman (unlike his boorish owner-boss, Mr. Cuban) who used to play on our classy home team. Yup, Avery Johnson used to play in a silver & black uniform. No wonder he knew our Coach Pop's strategies; he used to have to follow them on the floor! Coach Pop is the local affectionate diminutive for the Spurs' head Coach Gregg Popovich.

To Coach Pop & the players, I say, "Guys, chins up! Just plan on being better, and truly championship material, next year! And let's hope we get impartial refs next time around!"