Let me preface my blog with this statement. I am a fan of the San Antonio Spurs. A big fan. I pay for NBA League Pass so that I can watch every game up in NY. When I'm out of town visiting the in-laws, I take the laptop so I can still watch the games over broadband. I know this team inside and out and am on the edge of my seat hanging on every shot, even during the regular season. But, I am secretly hoping that they do not win the title this year.
Why, you ask? Why would a hardcore fan wish for their favorite team to fail? I'll tell you.
The Spurs dominance over the past decade has been great. It really has. But as much as I love my team, we don't have a great future unless we have a great league. And we won't have a great league unless we share the wealth. And by that, I mean that other cities need to win the title in order to promote this game that I love. I'm not saying they should lose on purpose or anything. They are a great team, but they are certainly beatable this year.
Ratings have been on the decline. I don't blame the Spurs style of play, or fan disenchantment for the low Nielsens. Even when San Antonio doesn't make the Finals, the ratings have been poor. I blame the fact that there are a billion other channels to choose from nowadays, and way more things to spend your time on than TV. Back when we were watching Magic vs. Bird, many people still only had 4 channels. Ratings are never gonna go crazy again. Even the promise of LeBron "Witness" James couldn't bring in viewers last year. You may see a ratings spike here and there in the future, but they will never be where they once were ever again. David Stern has recognized this and is now marketing the game outside of the United States. It's a savvy business move.
But to keep the NBA popular here at home, the Spurs have to lose now and then. And they've done that with their "every other year" pattern. If they obtain the elusive back-to-back titles that they've been looking for, it will not be good for the league. Sure, it will certainly be good for me and my fellow Spurs fans. I'll be as happy as the next guy. But people are growing tired of seeing us win. The average NBA fan wants new blood. And NBA fans in cities across the country are crying out for a title for their particular team. No offense to fans of other teams out there, but some of you are total pricks. And I think that if your team had just one title, you could revert to being good, friendly people. That's my hope anyway. Would Utah fans throw things at the players on the court (like last year) if they had won a title with Stockton and Malone? Would Phoenix fans still cry about the refs after every single loss if Barkley had brought them a title years ago? Would Dallas fans still have a full head of hair if they had finished off that series with Miami?
The bottom line is that the NBA needs diverse success. People are tired of seeing the Spurs win, just like everyone that wasn't a Patriots fan was begging for a Giants victory in the Super Bowl. And we Spurs fans have experienced enough joy from the success that we've been fortunate enough to have. I'd love another title to cement this dynasty, but I would also love to see the joy in another fan's face when they experience their team's first NBA championship*. I love this team, but I love the game more.
It's time to spread the wealth.
* Disclaimer: I will take no joy in a Suns championship. Fans of that team have squandered all of my good will with their pathetic behavior over the past few years. (Although it would be nice to see Steve Nash finally get over that hump)
Hello friend,
I see what you're trying to say about spreading the wealth and I am also a San Antonio Spurs fan. However I want to see the best team win every year no matter what and if it's the team you root for even better. All I want is fair competition which baseball doesn't have without a salary cap. Anyway nice post but are you sure Spurs fan that you don't want to see your team go back to back! Best wishes friend and nice post. fenfan
This does sound a bit like a concession speech for the Spurs tho.
The basic problem with ratings is that the League markets flare and sensationalism, rather than basketball fundamentals. These basics are what win Championships, but unfortunately for the League, ratings suffer when fundamentally sound teams like the Spurs reach the Finals, even with the flash of a player like LeBron in the mix.
The tight race in the West, coupled with the resurgence of the Celts will bring this years ratings back up, but not to a point that the NBA once enjoyed. I'll be watching all the way into June to see who captures this year's big prize. I wanted to enter a disclaimer stating that I would not watch a Finals which included the Lakers, but alas... I would, rooting for them to get beat!
Wow. Are you writing this with the assumption that SA could lose this year and be back in the race for the next 2 or 3 years?
Because I'm not so sure that's the case. Horry, Finley, and Brent Barry are all but finished after this season. Parker, Ginobili, Duncan, and Bowen probably have another 2-3 years left but the rest of the roster is in for a total overhaul.
Theres no secret about it..I'm always hoping for the Spurs to lose. I'm bored of the Spurs. I never liked the Spurs, so its disheartening to watch them do good year after year. But all dynastys fall and this one is no different. Expiring contracts, aging players, low end draft picks, and younger teams will reak havoc on the spurs in time..and i cant wait!
Hoffman, I will grant you Bowen doesn't have too many years left. He is 36, the other three? Tim is only 31, Manu 30, and Parker is only 25. Tim is the same age as Garnett, only 2 years older than Kobe. There are a lot of players in the league that play well beyond 30 these days. Why would you say they only have 2 or 3 years?
Oh, and I am not hoping for the Spurs to lose. On the contrary, I hope they win as many as they can, while they can. I agree that it won't last forever. Savor it while you have it.
The other players you mentioned, while great players can be replaced. Pop has replaced players like that all along. Tim is the only player left from the first championship.
And they have some good players coming up, already under contract. When they lose Tim, things will change, that is for sure, but that is awhile off yet. I actually worry more about losing Pop.
I don't think Duncan will play much longer. He's never struck me as someone who would stay past his prime. I think you've got MAYBE 3 seasons left with TD. People forget that this is a guy who played 4 years in college too.
And when Duncan retires, Pop is gone too.
I caught an interview with Duncan recently where he said the Spurs were going for "one more title." His words, not mine but they were very telling to me.
I think when Duncan decides to hang em' up, it will come as a surprise to everyone.
are you kidding me? if you give the SPURS big three less TIME to play (2-3 years), then drag along the CELTICS big three (too bad they are just starting), the Mavs too (Dirk was drafted 98, TD 97), the SUNS (nash, o'neal... parker and amare are about the same age) and the PISTONS...
that's why POP plays them "CONTROLLED" minutes!!!! so they won't wear out in the regular season.. look at Iverson and other teams that play their starters longer (SUNS, etc).. i bet MANU will score more if he was on another team and plays 40+ REGULARLY, he is scoring 20+ a game in 30+ minutes, one of the best in EFFICIENT SCORING PER 48MIN. that's why the SPURS are different in the playoffs, coz POP will play them more...and the rest in between games helps them a lot.
Last edited by molojomo on March 25th at 12:58 PM.
about TD going? well, it will HAPPEN but SPURCSE said it right, worrying more about losing POP.. coz this coach knows his thing. after TD goes (and that will be serveral years away, and NOT 2 or 3), i am sure, along THAT LONG JOURNEY, he would have FOUND a decent replacement to FIT HIS SYSTEM, (TD will never be replaced as a player)...he already made one replacement project, UDOKA is looking a bit like BOWEN.. and i don't know what's the deal with drafting a 20+ year old PF/C from Europe, maybe, just maybe, a future post-player that POP thinks (not yet sure) could fit into his system of inside and out presence.
SPURS fans and haters all have one thing in common but different cause, and that is HOPE. we hope we'd win while others hope we'd lose. BUT, no matter what we say for the future, NOTHING IS SET IN STONE. maybe you're right, maybe im wrong. but it sure does feel good to have 4 chips secured, and that's HISTORY!
It's too unpredictable... the Series' in the west are guna be longer than the east's... Boston probably will be the eastern conference champions. The West is just way too unpredictable...
You want the Spurs to lose? Hey, as long as it ain't old, don't fix it.
The Spurs aren't your father's Oldsmobile yet.
The media jumps on the 'boring' bandwagon too much.
Hoffman, I think Tim will play as long as he is healthy and contributing. And by contributing, in Pop's system, he does not have to be "the man." Like David Robinson, he will be willing to defer to the new guys. He is already doing it, and I heard him say as much in an interview recently.
He spoke very eloquantly about what the game meant to him. People think he is emotionaless, but that is only on the court. That is why they called him Spock in college. He has emotions, he just controls them.
I have just never understood why people have this perception of him as being older than his peers. And yes, he played four years of college. But Garnett played those same years in the NBA. Which one do you think has taken the most punishment. And Garnett has obviously had to play more minutes per game over the years than Tim.
I don't really think it is a matter of having anything to prove for Tim. I think he just enjoys the game. He would not be the kind who wants to set some kind of record or win one more for himself. He is the kind that would want to win it for those teammates who have not yet won a ring. He seemed more happy for Finley last year than for himself. But of course that was true of most of the Spurs. They really like Fin.
jaysisko,
I have to respectfully disagree with your statement about Stern's business savvy.
Right now things have gotten so bad for the NBA's bottom eight market teams (Utah, Charlotte, Minnesota,Indiana,Milwaukee,New Orleans, Memphis and Portland), they have actually signed a letter about going into a profit sharing agreement to try to get a little revenue, yet Stern can shell out the cash for European NBA teams.
It seems to me that all Stern cares about is money.
It is not a bad idea although somewhat misguided. Grant you that the Spurs are a force in the West, but so are at least seven other teams. It is a good tactic to have that approach. Let me remind you that if it was not for a flagrant foul and a horrifice head butt, the Spurs would not have made it to the finals last year. You know what I am talking about and yes it is still a tough pill to take. Let's hope that a very good well played and well coach series will take place this year. By the way, it would not be a bad idea if the league implements the use of instant replay to clean up some of their obvious bias mistakes.
Sunsfan, I can only suppose you are talking about Nash's nose. Have you forgotten that it was Nash who collided with Parker, not the other way around.
And the flagrant foul would not have mattered much if the Suns players had just followed the rules. In fact it would have worked to the Suns' advantage.
David Stern you are the worst. I hope you choke on your breakfast, lunch and dinner tonight you ####. How much did you pay the referees to s c r e w our SPURS during that 5 game losing streak you S O B.
Come on speak up for yourself you S O B. You can't stand the SPURS. If you would pull your head out of your #### H O L E, you could market to the entire world since the SPURS are an international team.
Grow up you cluster #### David Stern. You are a P R I C K.
Tim has 2 good more years and Tony a good 7 more. Manu has about 4 good ones left. Notice I said "good".
Can anyone guess the highest paid player in the NBA for this year? Finley.
After this year Finley and Horry are gone. Brent will be here one more.
We will see the Spurs as a strong playoff contender for the next two more years, and maybe 4 more if Pops does his magic and pulls in the talent he does. Look at both Parker and Manu, they were easy pickups for the Spurs and I would bet we will continue to see more of that.
One last thing, Great vets flock to the Spurs for they know they can win a ring and not get killed doing it with playing time. Many clubs now see that genius too, and this year we see like never before other teams pulling great older players to fill a roll of efficient play for low mins.
Finally,
How can anyone call the Spurs boring now? Seeing Manu go off for 16 point in a qtr or Parker cut to the basket or the raining of 3s is not boring in the least. As many of you might have notice Tim has not been the big focus for the last two seasons with endless posts ups down low. So maybe if you all actually watched a few of their games this season and not just think about what they were like a few years ago you just might start to see the a different ball club.
This blogger is a New Yorker, born and raised. I'm a huge sports fan, following pretty much every major sport out there. Sadly, this does not include hockey, NASCAR, or boxing. Hockey lost my affection during the lockout, NASCAR is not a sport, and boxing has become incredibly boring since the dawn of MMA. If you want to talk football, baseball, basketball, or MMA, then I'm your man. I could also debate NASCAR with anyone, but we would probably end up just going around in circles...
