Congratulations to Danny Ferry and the Spurs for
winning the NBA title and actually playing some compelling ball at the
end.
Truth be told, of course, Ferry had no bearing on the outcome of the game but
it was still nice to see him get a ring.
When the game was over, Bill Walton started to say something about how lucky
they were to be there and we thought, well, here we go, but then he went on to
say how lucky the announcers were to be there to see substance triumph over
hype, and that was just right-on. No knock on the Nets; they should be
included as well. But with David Robinson bowing out in the best
possible way, and Tim Duncan having a brilliant game (and series), it's nice to
see them come through.
On one side note, it was nice to see Tim Duncan really smile. He has
become an amazing player, and is probably what Walton was referring to when he
mentioned substance vs. hype. Duncan would be the substance; Shaquille O'
Neal would be the hype. Where Duncan just goes out and works his ass off
to get better, when they asked O' Neal to lose weight, he complained that he was
in good enough shape, and the Lakers should find someone to get him the damned
ball. Since saying that, we should mention that O' Neal has hired a
trainer. We've made the argument for some time that we'd take Duncan over O'
Neal, and the reason is simple: O' Neal is a more talented player, but Duncan
never gives less than his all.
And on another note ,
what a pleasure David Robinson has been throughout his career. Always
decent, intelligent and humble, he's a guy who has never been shy about being a
"role model." Charles Barkley was right, of course - parents
should be the role models, not a talented stranger - but still, Robinson reveled
in the role. We don't know where he goes from here, but we hope he stays
in the public eye. He's a prince of a guy, and we couldn't be happier to
see him go out on top.