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)
This trade has been analyzed up and down for a few days now. We have debated pros and cons for both teams, and many good points have been made by journalists and random bloggers. But what this trade boils down to is this:
It was a bad trade because Miami was readily willing to give up Shaquille O'Neal.
Everyone is debating...
"Is he done?" "Does he still have gas in the tank?" "Can he play when it matters?" "Can he stay healthy?" "Maybe he just needs to be motivated?"
The answers to these questions are not obvious at this moment, but they are also unimportant. The only important question is, why would Miami trade away Shaquille O'Neal? Why would they get rid o####uy who, only a year and a half ago, helped bring a title to Miami? The answer is simple. Pat Riley and the rest of Heat management and staff (the guys who know Shaq better than anyone at this point in time) are convinced that the Diesel is done.
Miami does not make this trade unless they know, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Shaq will not be able to help them win ever again. Dwyane Wade and Shaq won a title together in '06. They did it with mediocre (or less in many cases) NBA talent surrounding them. Last year, Wade had injuries, but Shaq was already on the decline and their playoff hopes were low. This year, Wade is back and has only missed 8 games. Even when both stars are healthy and on the court, this Heat team is awful. What has changed? These two stars are still surrounded by mediocre talent but they can't get it done. Shaq can no longer dominate as he used to, and Dwyane Wade has looked far less MVP-like because of it. Let's do a quick Miami Heat checklist:
Hall of Fame coach? Check.
All-star Dwyane Wade? Check.
Mediocre supporting cast? Check.
The Diesel? Nope. At least not the Diesel we know and love.
The bottom line is that if Shaq could still play, then the Heat would still be contending for titles over the next couple of years. Diesel is locked up for 2 more seasons after this one, as is Wade. Miami could have chalked this season up to injury, grabbed a lottery pick like Michael Beasley, and made great runs in 2009 and 2010. If Miami had any faith that Shaq could still play, they WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THIS TRADE.
The following is an online petition, obviously started by some Suns fan who is angry about the suspensions of Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudewhiner:
To Whom it May Concern:
We are collectively shocked and appalled regarding the recent suspensions of Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. There is a striking double standard apparent when situations like the hard hit Baron Davis put on Derek Fisher and Bruce Bowen's antics in games two and three go without repercussion. There is something inherently wrong when two players are penalized in such a harsh manner for doing nothing more than looking out for the best interests of a teammate. The physicality of the series has been a problem from the start and should have been addressed by the NBA before everything that transpired in game 5. The point of this is not to overturn the suspensions of the Suns players. It is obviously too late for that. What we would like, however, is an explanation from the league office regarding the rationale behind the decision that 72% of the 22,154 fans voting on ESPN deemed unfair. It would also be interesting to hear why Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen were not fined or suspended for doing seemingly the exact same thing during the second quarter of game 4. Instead of hiding away in your offices and canceling trips to Phoenix to visit Cleveland, I think an explanation is not too much to ask when a series of this caliber is potentially ruined. Thank you for your time. Hopefully something can be learned from this and it will not be an issue in the future.
And now, let me respond as if I were the League Office.
Dear petitioners,
I understand that you are shocked and appalled at these suspensions. It is regrettable that you are going to be without two key players for game 5, but Boris and Amare were well aware of the rule that they were breaking. It's unclear to me why you compare the Baron Davis elbow and the Bruce Bowen "antics" with these suspensions. The Bruce Bowen incidents have been reviewed and dealt with accordingly. Both involved typical basketball moves, one of which was deemed to be a flagrant 1. The Davis elbow...I don't have a good reason why he didn't get a game for that. In hindsight we probably dropped the ball on that one. My bad.
I understand that you feel these penalties were harsh, but we need to remain consistent when this rule is addressed. If we let Diaw and Stoudewhiner off the hook, my office would be stormed by rabid Knicks fans.
I regret the fact that you feel this series has been too physical for your team. The last time I checked, this was playoff basketball. So stop Stoudewhining. Even Tim Duncan felt the Denver series was WAY more physical than the Suns series. So much more physical, that he laughed when asked if this was a physical series.
You mention a poll that shows a majority to believe that the suspensions are unfair. While these statistics may be true, they do not change the rulebook. 72% of Americans may feel that George W Bush is semi-retarded, but that statistic doesn't make it true. And it doesn't mean we can "un-elect" him, as much as we might want to. About the same percentage feel it's unfair that Barry Bonds will become the home run king. Guess what? There's nothing that 72% of you can do about it.
Your question about the possibility of Duncan and Bowen being suspended for coming out on the court in the 2nd quarter is an easy one to answer. There was no altercation, so the rule does not apply. Throw me some more softballs.
I'm sorry that you feel our decisions may have ruined the series. Your claim that we are "hiding away in our offices" like a bunch of cowards isn't helping your cause. Although, I must admit there is some truth to it. We knew this decision would anger either Suns fans, or Knicks fans. We took the safe route and angered Suns fans so that we could go on living our lives. We assumed that Suns fans, like their team, are soft. Knicks fans? We might as well off ourselves now and avoid the severe beating that would certainly come.
If you are reading this, then you have probably seen the video posted to YouTube where it appears that Bruce Bowen attempts to trip or kick Amare Stoudemire as he goes up for a dunk. This video shows the incident from one angle, multiple times, in multiple speeds and zooms. Many people felt this looked like a very dirty play on Bowen's part. Before anyone passes judgement on the play, I feel they need to take two other things into account.
1. You need to see another angle of the play. ESPN has shown an angle from the baseline that gave me a different take on this incident. This side angle makes it seem like Bowen is trying to get to Amare fast to foul and prevent the easy bucket. He then realizes he can't make it in time and puts on the brakes to avoid a weak foul and an and1 situation. At no point is he looking down at Amare's foot to aim for contact. There is incidental contact. No tripping motion, however.
2. After watching the clip many times, I caught something else. The contact was apparently weak enough that it didn't affect Amare's jumping motion at all. He jumped STRAIGHT UP. At the height of his jump, as he's dunking, he realized that he had felt some contact from behind and kicks his right leg way out in an effort to get the whistle blown. This causes him to come down hard on the left foot. Luckily he wasn't injured. But if he had been, I believe that he would bear some of the responsibility himself for trying to embellish the foul. The fact that he didn't give Bowen or an official a look or a shrug after the play supports the idea that he thought the contact was insignificant at the time.
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...
