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Now that the Spurs have won the Western Conference Championships I have no doubt that they will go all the way, win another four games and be crowned the 1999 NBA Champions.
Call it arrogance, call it cockiness, call it what you want, but I just have that feeling that this will be our year. From the start of the season I always told anyone that would listen that whatever team wins the West will win the title. When the Spurs were starting their second round series against LA I thought that the winner of that series should win the title. Now that the Spurs have swept past LA and went on to embarass a good team in Portland I have total faith in San Antonio.
Sure, the Spurs could've dropped both of their first two games in San Antonio. We relied on a Rasheed Wallace miss in the first game and needed a Sean Elliott 'Memorial Day Miracle' in the second. But even if we did drop game one and two I had no doubt that the Spurs would've grinded out the series and came out victors.
Here's some of the reasons why I feel that this shall be the 'Year of the Spur':
1- The Twin Towers-
I'm yet to see a team that can cope with the Spurs 'double headed monster'. During round two Shaquille O'Neal did a fair job of containing David Robinson but Tim Duncan dominated JR Reid and carried the Spurs through the series. In the Western Conference Finals it was David's turn to do some carrying of his own as Rasheed Wallace and Brain Grant did a good job on Tim Duncan.
Indiana and New York don't have the personnel to throw at the Spurs. Kurt Thomas isn't skilled enough, Marcus Camby isn't strong enough, Chris Dudley is foul prone, Rik Smits is too slow, The Davis boys could do well but not over 48 minutes a game in a possible seven game series.
2- Team Chemistry-
The Spurs team chemistry was never more evident as they played two selfish teams in Los Angeles and Portland. In the Lakers series Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Glen Rice took turns trying to make the highlight reels. In Portland it was Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire and Isiah Rider trying to make SportsCenter.
Meanwhile the Spurs play solid, unselfish team basketball. They don't argue amongst themselves and have faith in each others abilities.
3- Experience-
San Antonio is a veteran team with hundreds of games worth of playoff experience between them. Players such as Will Perdue, Steve Kerr and Mario Elie have already won NBA Championships and they wont allow the Spurs to falter at the final hurdle.
4- We have the best player in the league on our roster-
Karl Malone might have the trophy but Tim Duncan is still the best all round big man in the league. Rasheed Wallace and Brian Grant did a commendable job on Duncan during the last series. I can't see anyone from New York or Indiana doing the same.
If you are a betting man lay up on the short priced Tim Duncan to win Finals MVP.
5- Defense-
A smart man once said that defence wins championships. If you look at any of the teams that have won during the last decade then you know that's correct.
There has been no better defensive team than the Spurs during the last two years. Many times this season the Spurs team defense has kept them in games when their offense has gone wayward.
6- The West is best-
Now that MJ has left Chicago I believe that the best teams in the league come from the West. Any of the top four teams in the West could of won the Eastern Conference Finals I.M.H.O.
It will also suit the Spurs that they play a Eastern Conference style of basketball come Finals time.
7- Our 3rd and 4th options are stepping up-
When David Robinson and Tim Duncan are having trouble finding the basket players such as Sean Elliott and Avery Johnson are stepping up and contributing.
During last years playoffs the Spurs were without Sean Elliott, now that we have him back it makes me wonder how we ever won games without him. His outside shooting and slashes to the basket have been invaluable to the Spurs. And don't get me started on his miracle shot in the second game!
8- We have the Admiral of old-
David Robinson played superbly during the last series. After a disappointing season he stepped up his game and took it upon his shoulders to guide the franchise to it's first ever NBA Finals appearance.
David seems to be playing with emotion and a fire that I've never seen in him before. I think he realises that after a decade of under achieving his time has finally come.
9- The Bum Rush-
Every NBA Championship team has a solid bench, and the Spurs are no different. All of our reserves (or the Bum Rush as Malik Rose has named them) give their all and realize their roles in the system.
Steve Kerr seems to have found his range again, Malik Rose brings a hustle and desperation to the court, Will Perdue plays solid defense when called to and Jaren Jackson is playing as good as he ever has.
10- Home court advantage-
It always helps when you get to play more home games than away. The Spurs will have home court advantage during the Finals and our opposition will have to contend with 35,000 screaming, rabid San Antonio Spur fans.
11- We don't rely on any one player-
When Tim Duncan was held to five points during game 3 in Portland David Robinson, Jaren Jackson and Avery Johnson stepped up and carried us to our biggest victory of the series.
This seasons Spurs don't rely on any one player to carry them over the line and this helps a great deal when any of our stars has an off game.
12- We have players that know how to perform in the clutch-
Sean Elliott hit the 'Memorial Day Miracle' as well as hitting an 18 foot jumpshot to ice Phoenix earlier during the season, Avery Johnson has been hitting clutch jumpshots late in the game all playoffs, Mario Elie smoked Houston with a big three in April, Tim Duncan hit a clutch hookshot over LA in the second round, Steve Kerr hit a long jumpshot to win the Championship for the Bulls in 1997 and David Robinson is the man that the Spurs have looked to down the stretch all his career.
There will never be a lack of Spurs players on hand who are able to take, and make, the big shot if the time comes.
13- The Spurs are Road Warriors-
The Spurs are yet to drop a game on the road during this playoff series.
It seems that whenever the Spurs play on the road they take a 'us against the whole world' attitude, block out the home teams crowd and get the job done. This quality would be invaluable if the Spurs did drop a game at home and were forced to steal one away at either Market Square Arena or Madison Square Garden.
14- We've got nothing to lose-
No matter whether the Spurs win the Finals or get swept away they have made a great achievement this season. They have advanced further in the playoffs than they ever have before and were never expected to get this deep by most NBA 'experts'.
If the Spurs were to win they'd be hailed as one of the great teams of the decade. If they were to lose then they'd be hailed as a great team that got within 1, 2, 3 or 4 games of being the 1999 Champions.
15- We're a better team than Indiana or New York-
Enough said.
Gene Hoffmann is the webmaster of Spurs Central.
