Bingo, on all accounts. Don't get me wrong, Grantland does very good basketball work, and I've long been a Bob Voulgaris fan. It's just funny and mock-worthy how thoroughly your opinions lockstep with theirs.
Well I do have my own observations about the game, I just think they put the ideas out there better. I've lost all writing skills as my job is just humping numbers/excel sheets all day. I like it because there are things I'm already thinking they pick-up on, but somethings they catch that I don't. I read a bunch of other basketball sites as well, I have a lot of down time at work. Anyway, how do you get to jump on the Gasol wagon with no problem?
I'm not really on the Gasol wagon. I think he's an excellent defender and a good passer, but I tend to not be enthusiastic about good defensive teams, so he's not one of my favorite players or anything. I'm especially not enthusiastic about the sort of good defense that comes from expert positioning and team play; that's like saying your favorite food is white rice. Sure it's a nutritious and good for you, but where's the sizzle? If Golden State plays Memphis, I will definitely be rooting for Golden State. If San Antonio plays Memphis, I will root against San Antonio, but not really for Memphis. San Antonio is a close second on my "least favorite teams" list, behind only the Celtics.
I dunno. I read Grantland too and nod my head at their writers' observations because I just don't know enough about the sublties of basketball to think otherwise. That and their writing seems pretty well-researched and in-depth. This is what I'm talking about. I don't know how to even tell if someone's a good defender or not unless he fucks up so badly it's obvious he made a mistake.
Well at least we can all agree on hating San Antonio. And you know what? I'm perfectly fine with that. I'd love to jump on the Curry Carousel, but there is just no fucking way they can stop the Heat. I'm Anti-Heat more than anything right now, and only Memphis and Indiana have a chance.
I'm life-long Spurs fan, and this just seems so completely foreign to me. I get that you may find them boring -- defense-first philosophy, no flashy superstars, no headline-grabbing drama, tenured head coach and many of their players, they don't make or court headlines -- but hate them? That's just so... greek to me. They're a small-market team, the ultimate underdogs, that have won at a higher percentage than any other professional team in any sport over the course of the past decade because they "moneyballed" foreign leagues and the dredges of free agency with smart scouting and an even better front office. How on earth can you not root for that? In short, I get why the Spurs might not be your favorite team, but I don't understand how they can be anywhere even near your least-favorite team. I ask that here because from what I've read of the responses so far, everyone is at the least very intelligent in their opinions. And I'm legitimately curious to read a response that doesn't involve "because Ginobili is a flopping foreign bitch"
Yeah if he's done stuff like this to your team, I understand the sentiment. Spoiler Other than that, he hasn't been fined once for flopping this year. Though I'll be the first to admit that early in his career he did have an annoying habit of flopping like a bitch (thank god he turned bald; that long hair falling down soccer shit was getting annoying).
There's been less than twenty total fines and warnings for flopping all year across te whole league, so lets not pretend that is watched closely enough to mean much.
I hate the Spurs because they are boring. I hate the Spurs because of Tim Duncan's subtle pretentiousness. I hate the Spurs because they never fucking go away unless they're lit on fire. I hate the Spurs because Tony Parker is French. I hate the Spurt because Tony Parker was married to Eva Longoria. I hate the Spurs because Tony Parker fucked his teammates wife WHILE MARRIED TO EVA LONGORIA. I hate Tony Parker...
Well this comes from his time around Pop of course. I'm not saying its unearned, but Tim Duncan in interviews and interactions with the refs. He talks to the refs and/or gives them looks that are very condescending. Almost like Tywin from Game of Thrones but without the sharpness. A haughty "I cannot possibly understand how you would call that." His interviews have abandoned most cliche, but he is just as annoyed as Pop is by the questions even when they are legitimate questions. Its not an in your face, "I'm better than you" that Kobe or Jordan displayed. It's a subtle disregard of their presence. He also rarely compliments other players performances specifically. You can argue him complimenting the team as a whole is more sportsmanlike because its a team game but when you have one dude basically out hustling you and busting you for 30 minutes, you can give him a shoutout? Now before any of you try to tear apart the above, I will say I haven't hawked the Spurs every single year, but since I really started watching basketball again in 2004 (no Cable:TNT, ESPN etc, til I got to college), I've seen this as a constant trend from the national games I've seen and playoffs, its been there throughout the years.
Tim Duncan just read your post and is looking around his office in bewilderment with this look on his face right now: How dare you.
I can see where Parker is headed with Duncan. To me, Duncan has always been about the winning. Not the money, not SportsCenter's top 10, not trash talking. Its like he doesnt have the time or patience to deal with the nonsense. Most of the Spurs dont. Whether its because they're from another country, or because it reflects the nature of their coach, they are just all about the winning. I can respect that.
Don't get me wrong. I fully respect Tim Duncan and Pop. I just hate them as they aren't my coach and player. Because as most of you know I'm a Patriots fan, and they are the mirror image of the Patriots NBA to NFL. I hate everything about Tony Parker and don't respect him. This is from purely an emotional standpoint.
Steve Kerr retweeted this earlier. It's somewhat relevant to this discussion. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.theonion.com/articles/bitter-feud-developing-between-joakim-noah-rest-of,32444" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.theonion.com/articles/bitter ... t-of,32444</a> Speaking of Twitter and hated basketball players, does anyone follow Ron Artest? Holy schizophrenia, Batman! One minute he says something smart about basketball, and the next makes you wonder if he just got hit in the head by a bunch of beer bottles.
And see that's actually why I because a Patriots fan -- because they are basically the mirror image of the Spurs. Regarding Tony and Eva, the whole thing with his ex-teammate's wife (Brent Barry's wife, Erin, who is somewhat of a celebrity here in SA) was completely wrong. And there's no excuse for cheating. But there are mitigating circumstances. For example, that Eva Longoria being a raging lunatic bitch. This thread reminds me of her. I live in an area just outside of san antonio that also happens to be (or rather, was) where they lived, and back when my wife was waiting tables she served Eva on multiple occasions. She said Eva was one of the worst customers ever, complete entitled asshole to all of the management, treated everyone like they were beneath her, etc. I've heard similar stories from friends that work in other local businesses. It's a really close-nit community in this area, and word gets around quick... Suffice to say, no one was happy to hear that or with whom Parker cheated, but everyone was happy Eva is no longer around. If I was Parker, I would have left her crazy ass in the dump too, just not in that manner (she looks horrendous btw, completely un-fuckable in person without makeup; I wouldn't have recognized her if she wasn't next to Parker).
I can see the comparison between the Spurs and the Patriots. Biggest difference is Pop is not a cheating douchebag. Well, hes not a cheater anyways.