A few of the many reasons I love the Spurs

Why do I love the Spurs, you ask? Well, I'll jump right into it. Here goes nothing.

     For one, I spent most of the first five years of my life in San Antonio, save for a couple months in Galveston where I was born. I've been to multiple Spurs games and I've loved every one of them (except the one when I was little and we had to leave early because of the pre-game intros, when the arena went dark and spotlights came on). Even when I wasn't at the games, I was watching them on TV with my parents. In fact, in 2007, I think it was (which happens to be one of the four years the Spurs have won the title) I went back to San Antonio and saw a Spurs-Timberwolves game with my dad. My loyalty will always lie in San Anton' no matter how good the Spurs' record is or who's on the roster. That will never change.

     My second reason is a big one. Class and humbleness. The Spurs are such a class act. Where you see Russell Westbrook wearing what appears to be scavenged strips from lampshades and his grandmother's prom dress at press conferences, you see Tim Duncan wearing a plain brown, button-up shirt. That's it. While I know press conferences are a far cry from humbleness on the court, it plays a part in how much importance you place on looking flashy for the reporters. The Spurs place none to almost none. 

    Another thing to consider about the Spurs' humbleness is this: how many pairs of socks, pairs of slides, pairs of shoes, shorts, shirts, jackets even, do you own that market an individual Spurs player? How many national (some Spurs players star in local H-E-B grocery store spots) commercials have you seen that a Spurs player appears in, attempting to bring another company money? None. That's because Spurs players just don't care. They realize that yes, advertising would bring them a lot more money, but they choose to stay humble and do their job, which isn't to brag about or bring attention to themselves. 

     One more thing about the Spurs' humbleness and class: They have NO EGOS. If you've been around basketball or watched games on TV, you might've heard this. This doesn't make it any less true. One might think that since the Spurs are so seasoned and have been through clutch situations, that they tend to always scream and be "expressive" on the court. The opposite is true. The only time I've seen Spurs players (there are likely more, but I'm only 15, so I haven't seen everything) express emotion are in these situations: In 2008, Tim Duncan made a three pointer versus the Phoenix Suns to tie the game in overtime in the playoffs. Another was Manu Ginobili's three pointer versus the Mavericks (I forget the year; this was also in the playoffs) that gave San Antonio the lead. The Spurs had not led at all the entire game until that shot. Ginobili also had a three pointer this year versus the Warriors; you might have seen it. In both of these circumstances Ginobili did his classic fist pump and scream towards the ground. The final one that I can remember was earlier this season in November when Tony Parker hit a buzzer beater to defeat the Thunder to whom the Spurs had lost the previous season. Parker, following the shot, was excited and appeared to be screaming when surrounded by his teammates.

     That's it. Four situations. Now, I'm sure that there have been multiple other occasions on which the Spurs have showed emotion; it's part of the game. However, these situations are the only ones that I can recall. Also, if you look at how often teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Miami Heat or the Los Angeles Clippers scream and shout (and let it all out...), this post would be even longer. Those teams' flash and appeal are about polar opposites of the Spurs. The Spurs don't beg for attention and try to finish off fast breaks in the most crowd-pleasing way. Instead, they do what it takes to get the job done, keep their heads down, and go about their business. They have no one superstar that they run isolation plays and try to get a "dunk face" with. They play TEAM BASKETBALL (hence the team's 23.6 assists per game this season, good for tops in the NBA) and work together to be successful year in and year out.
     A final reason why I love the San Antonio Spurs is this: Gregg Popovich and his squad of managerial employees do a great job of finding undervalued talent and making the best of it. Before last season, had you heard of a Danny Green? How about a Kawhi Leonard? Tiago Splitter? Probably not. These are just three of Gregg Popovich's gems that he's unearthed. Add to the fact that Green is averaging 10.5 points per game this season, Leonard is averaging about twelve points and six rebounds, and Splitter is going for 10.3 and 6.4, you've got three solid players who other teams might not have given a second glance on draft day or in a trade. People can call the Spurs old, but these three players have added a spark of youth to the team that was just what the Spurs needed.
      So, yes, call them old. Call them boring. Say "only four championships". Hate on them. Let them be the butt of jokes. But I'll always love my Spurs, no matter where I am, what I'm doing, who's on the roster, how the team is doing in a given year or who the coach is. The Spurs will always be my favorite NBA team, and there's no changing that. Go ahead. Try to change my mind. I might write another post like this.
                             --Greg

P.S.: #GoSpursGo!

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NBA - Revamped?

I'm going to cut to the chase -- the NBA needs to be revamped. Most ho-hum games like a Pacers-Bucks game on a Tuesday night include crowds that are more interested in what Charlie Sheen is tweeting than the game they paid $100 to attend. I'd venture to say that a K-State game (its stadium holds 12,500) gets louder on a Tuesday afternoon than an NBA arena does on a Friday night. It's that bad.
     So, what's the reason for this? Do the crowds just not care? Do the players not play with enough passion (sometimes this is the case)? I like to believe it's a little of both. Not very often do you see players pumped up, save for the end of the game when the score is close. Most NBA crowds include fans that come to just have a good time, especially at big city teams' games, like the Lakers or the Knicks. This explains why the Oklahoma City Thunder's games' crowds are passionate about their team -- it's not an extremely large city and its fans go because enjoy the Thunder and basketball.
     Let's just imagine, though, for a minute, that NBA arenas were reduced in crowd capacity and its fans loved their team just as much as college students do. A routine 15-foot jumper with 8:30 in the second quarter would attract reactions as if it just won the game. The player would become energized and play with aggression and excitement. Wouldn't that be great? For the crowd not to mutter a word of satisfaction when their teams makes a basket, instead, yell and cheer with ecstasy?
     Unfortunately, I seriously doubt this will ever happen. I don't know what it is, but fans just love going to games to just "hang out". For real. These are players that spent their life trying to make it to the pros, and you're going just to "have a good time" or to "see old friends"? Think about it!
     The encouraging thing is that not all fans are like this. There's always the group of ten or so people that go to cheer on the home team without caring what people think of them. Even if their team is trailing by 17 with 2:05 left to go in the fourth, they are as energized as ever. The ironic thing is that when the game is close and time is winding down, all the fans seem to put away their phones and actually pay attention! Isn't that great! Especially in the playoffs. Last year when the Thunder was in the postseason, all the fans wore a common blue shirt that resembled a college game's crowd. It was really fantastic. The fans cared enough to wear the shirts, the producer of the shirts realized that they would make a difference in the atmosphere, and, as a result, the players responded with energy and played their hearts out.
     What I find confusing, though, is why the players don't play with energy the entire game. You've spent high school and college trying to get to where you are now, and you can't play with even a little passion? Especially the non-starters. Don't you want to be a starter? Do you really think the coach will put you in that position while you continue to be lackadaisical on defense? I'm baffled by it. Just look at college players -- those guys don't get paid; on top of that they have to worry about their schoolwork -- yet they consistently play with ten times more dedication than you NBA players.
     Not to bash, but one would think that a NBA player one-three years removed from college would play with energy; they just played in an environment in which you were expected to play with passion. But, no. Players like John Wall who was a phenom in his years at the University of Kentucky would be expected to play like he meant it -- he came from a basketball powerhouse. It seems to me like he is more interested in making sensational plays than playing his heart out.
     In my mind, it should be every player's goal to be known for being the guy who hustles on every play, stays after practice, never gives up on a play, and becoming the hardest worker they know. Instead, players' priority lists seemed to be dominated by wowing the crowd and making the last shot, not the last pass.
     Not to show favoritism or to appear a bandwagon-er, but look at Tim Tebow. I'm going to concentrate on his outstanding work ethic, not his being known for his faith. He obviously doesn't care about being the hero everyone knows or making the thread-the-needle pass to look good. However, his hard work and dedication to his sport allow him to be that player. He didn't start playing football with the mindset that he's going to be notorious for making the amazing play or being Mr. Clutch. However, he has proved that working hard and always being passionate will allow you to be great.
     So, how about some consideration, guys? I'm talking to you, the guy messaging the girl you met last night, sitting at the game. I'm talking to you, post man too "tired" to get back on defense. Why can't we all be examples of hard work and passion? The next time you're at a game or you think you're tired in a game, don't give in. Show us some passion and energy and make a collective effort to make the NBA a better and more energized environment.
   

Opening Day - Already?

     Wait, what? It's April, you say? It's Opening Day? Didn't Stan Verrett just make an admiring comment on David Freese's heroism in the World Series? This means only one thing -- Sports Illustrated is making yet another half-serious projection of the Royals' finishing third in the AL Central. Great.
     When was the last time that happened? That would be 2003, in case you're wondering, and we didn't even make the postseason. You would have to go back to 1985 if you want to see the Royals in playoff action -- the year we won our lone World Series title.
     And if you think that's bad (and it is), our previous playoff appearance occurred in 1998 when Kansas City finished third, and its winning percentage wasn't even over .500. To add to that, the last time the Royals finished above .500 was in 1994, without a postseason. The only times KC's finished above third place and made the playoffs were in 1985, 1984, '81, '80, '78, '77, and '76. Now, that may seem like a good amount of playoff appearances, but the only team lacking a postseason longer than Kansas City is the Washington Nationals when they were the Montreal Expos.
     But, hey, maybe 2012 could be the year. Everybody's been talking about how good a minor league system the Royals have, but I want to it put to action. The Royals have already called up stud Eric Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas who struggled towards the end of the 2011 season. Probably the Royals' number one prospect for 2012 is outfielder Will Myers who has a good chance of being called up this year, barring injuries' interference.
     Well, seems like this is all I have for my first post. If I don't forget about/don't have time for/give up on this, I might write something again.