Game 12 Vs. Miami: Spurs 106, Heat 86
TiVo isn’t nearly the modern miracle people make it out to be. At least it’s not at my mother’s house anyway. After an uneventful, on-time flight home Wednesday night on Alaska Airlines, (I totally recommend them by the way, it was a welcome change of pace from my usual airline that always hassles me at the security checkpoint and always has its flights delayed – I won’t be so crass as to out them here, but let’s just say that they share a name with the Spurs’ division) I plopped down on the sofa with my takeout order from my favorite restaurant, California Pizza Kitchen that moms was kind enough to pick up for me and was all set to watch my beloved basketball team whoop on the hapless Miami Meat… err Heat.
So I selected the game from the TiVo menu (I’d instructed her to record it for me) and guess what happens?
It turns out that her TiVo is slightly busted, so occasionally the stuff it records plays back with this severe blue tint. It was like watching the game on a Viagra overdose, minus the raging boner.
And I’m way ahead of you on the obvious, “Not even when Manu dunked?” jokes, so can it, smartasses.
Where was I? Oh right, the blueness. The Spurs parquet court looked like Boise State’s football field. I wasn’t sure if I was watching a basketball game or water polo. To say it was a bit distracting would’ve been an understatement.
Here’s kinda what it looked like…
I SWEAR I’M NOT ON DRUGS.
Anyway, despite that small inconvenience, I was able to enjoy the proceedings for the most part. The Heat are my 2nd least favorite team, so watching them get pounded was thoroughly enjoyable, and I didn’t feel the least bit sorry for that them that their second, (The Diesel) fifth, (White Chocolate) and seventh (James Posey) players were all out of action. This sorry bunch fluked their way into a title last season because of a remarkable convergence of a handful of unlikely scenarios and they were about as worthy champions as the 83-win St. Louis Cardinals this year in baseball.
Consider that in order for Miami to win that
A) A superior Pistons team pretty much had a team wide mutiny on Flip Saunders, led by the shameless and gutless Wallace boys.
B) The refs completely screwed over the Spurs in Games 3 and 4 at Dallas. If we won either game we’d have beaten the Mavs and likely advanced to the Finals.
C) The Mavs had to totally (and enjoyably) choke away a 2-0 lead to a squad that was far inferior to them in every way imaginable except for coaching and the owner’s haircut.
We would have soooo swept these guys if we played them. I mean, come on, Shaq was so useless by June that ‘Zo Mourning was their best center in the Finals. They’re the luckiest organization in all of sports. I’m still recovering from the affects of having to endure watching the two teams I despite the most having to play in the Finals last year. I swear to God I would have preferred the Lakers vs. the Bobcats.
On offense our team executed about as well as it can in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, outscoring Miami 66-44, and it was only that close because a couple of Heat youngsters Earl Barron and Robert Hite were hot from the field. The second quarter surge was led by The Wee Rapping Frenchman (TWaRF) and Bones who had 11 points apiece in the period while the third quarter finishing blow was authored mainly by Timmeh and The Hustlemaker who scored eight each.
Really everyone contributed and did their part. Robert Horry and Francisco Elson both had sneaky good games for glue guys, combining for 5 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 blocks, and 2 steals in 39 minutes. Beno helped save Tony’s legs for tonight’s clash with the Mavs by playing 23 minutes and scoring 13 points. He finally shook off his long 3-pointer drought and also managed 3 dimes (and 4 turnovers).
And finally, we got our long awaited look at Jackie Butler. And… I wish we had waited some more. If this is the “in-shape” version, I can’t imagine what he looked like when we signed him in the summer. Obviously 12 minutes isn’t nearly enough to evaluate a player, and we shouldn’t be too hard on him for his rocky debut made in a garbage-time 4th quarter, but I guess I’m guilty of expecting a bit more, especially against the Heat scrubs he was facing. About the only positive signs I saw out of Butler were that he had a nice free throw stroke and that he didn’t keel over and collapse during the game.
Anywho, the game was a rout. No starter outside of Bruce played over 23 minutes and we could not be in better shape physically or mentally to face off against the Mavs and Emperor Commodus
I wonder if Cuban wrote any love letters to his sister on his blog.
Your 3 Stars:
3) Brent Barry – Bones continues to rain down bombs on teams too foolish to keep someone home on him at all times. His three 3s in the 2nd helped turn a one point game after the 1st quarter into a laugher by half time. It’s pretty much a given at this point that he’ll be in Vegas at the All-Star break for the 3-Point Shootout. He’s absolutely insane right now.
2) Manu Ginobili – Don’t want to jinx it, but bit by bit Manu is starting to look like his old self. He scored 17 points on only nine field goal attempts, drilled two of three from deep, (his one miss was a desperation heave late in the shot clock) and he put on a sick stutter move on Udonis Haslem to leave him nailed to the floor before dunking it for the first time this season. He’s starting to take it to the hole with much more frequency of late and doesn’t seem to be worried about getting hurt. Either that or he was so frustrated by all the missed jumpers that he just decided he doesn’t give a shit anymore.
1) Tony Parker – Abused “The Glove” almost to the point of tears in the second quarter, going around the one time Defensive Player of the Year repeatedly to amass 17 points and 4 dimes by halftime as the Spurs trotted out to a 19 point lead. He did play like complete ass for six minutes in the 3rd quarter before Pop pulled him for good though.
Record: 10-2 Streak: W-4
Up Next: Vs. Dallas Mavericks
Now comes Round Two against Fortworth’s foulest, this one at home. Since opening 0-4 the Mavs have righted their ship and have won seven straight, their most recent triumph being a 107-80 drubbi
ng of the Wiz. There’s a chance Josh Howard aka The Big Bug returns from his sprained ankle for this one, but I’m not sure. Either way I expect us to win handily as long as Pop doesn’t use that smallball crap for prolonged stretches and take all our defense and rebounding off the floor. If Howard plays have Manu go right at him offensively and stick Bruce on him defensively. If he doesn’t, then put Bruce on Jet or Stack or whoever you feel their 2nd best scorer is. Just don’t waste him on Dirk. Let Nowitzki get his and shut down everyone else.
