Ames Progressive

Before we anoint Kobe as the next supreme-being, allow me to chomp on my tongue. As despite ripping on the Spurs with patented New York bitterness and predicting them to lose to a quicker Suns team in the first round and then a younger Hornets team in the second, I internally could not envision them resting until the last gasp moments of yesterday’s Lakers’ victory.

With every playoff defeat arrives possible future adjustments as well as lingering questions. The Spurs might contemplate splicing in some youth into a geriatric bench for next season as the Lakers’ virile second unit of Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar were instrumental in keeping their team in the game with San Antonio up 17 in the second quarter last night. The puzzling footnote that I continue to magnify into a lead concerns the befuddling fact that the Spurs have won four titles all in odd years as they have failed to earn dynasty status with consecutive championships.

But enough sidetracking, the title of my always tasteful and riveting blog refers to an athlete demonstrating pantheon status in humble defeat. As the media beast morphs into an uncontrollable blob of sensationalism and hysteria, few masterful athletes go unappreciated. Looking back on the post-Jordan era, the memories will most likely not illicit such immediate fondness for the Big Fundamental. The name says it all, as consistent production without much flair stuffs Duncan under the big men of our time – Shaq and KG to name a sample. Yet admirable sportsmanship and measuring a man during duress shows to me the caliber of stardom associated with a man still very much in his prime despite the incessant hawking of talking heads who fail to appreciate what make sports so awe-inspiring.

I mentioned in a previous blog how Duncan’s fall-away-to-the-side-and-shoot-across-his-body shot against the Lakers in ’04 before Derek Fisher’s .4 second miracle game-winner dropped in to crush the Spurs represents the greatest clutch shot in a loss that have I ever saw. Duncan also put up a staggering 41, 15, 6 and 3 in a Game Seven loss to Dallas in ’06 despite playing noticeably injured. In last night’s playoff departure, Duncan built up a sizeable first-half lead by schooling Pau Gasol with an array of moves set up by the fact that Duncan, like Shaq but unlike KG, knows a post player needs to establish his presence down low for easy baskets before spreading the floor with jumpers. The Lakers won last night’s game by doubling Duncan early and forcing the Spurs to make that extra pass and win on the perimeter. Still, Duncan left his mark on the series by exiting with 19, 15 and 10. Fantasy basketball did not extend into the postseason but I’m positive I will recall that stat line for a long time. Got a lot of empty space to rent in my head.

Duncan also stepped up with Kobe entering another dimension last night by challenging No. 24 and not shying away from self-effacement. Kobe’s signature shot came with Duncan draped all over him before hanging in the air and waiting to the last possible second before lining in a j.

The Spurs incidentally exemplified class throughout their abbreviated series with the Lakers as they did not hand the series to L.A. after losing a 20-point lead in the third quarter of Game One. Recall that they spent the night on a grounded plane in New Orleans after winning Game Seven of that series only two nights prior. And furthermore Susan, remember that these are large men with gargantuan limbs that need amenities to accommodate their freakish frames. Conversely, I heard the Suns’ Steve Nash lament that his team lost their first round series after Game One because of the let down associated with a double-overtime defeat. Forget your tattered psyche and get down to brass – it’s only one loss!

San Antonio then avoided the served-on-a-platter criticism of the NBA for 1. Assigning referee Joey Crawford to a Spurs’ postseason game after he ejected Duncan in a regular season game last year for laughing from the bench, which incidentally earned Crawford a suspension for the duration of the subsequent postseason, and 2. Admitting they goofed by not calling an obvious foul on Fisher at the end of Game Four after he bumped Brent Barry in the last second. The foul call would have almost certainly tied the game as the Spurs trailed by two and Barry is one of the best free-throw shooters in the game.

The Lakers-Celts possible Finals matchup could destroy the hype machine but the Spurs’ run deserves plenty of accolades. To go back to the man of the blog, Duncan’s three-pointer against the Suns in that classic Game One will almost certainly be the shot of the postseason. That series lasted only five games but served plenty of ammunition for highlight reels as the Spurs erased another Suns lead in Game Two before Tony Parker put San Antonio up 3-0 with a 40+ performance in Phoenix.

The Spurs fumbled twice in third quarters to open their series in New Orleans before quickly tying it up with two home-court bashings. But after witnessing David West’s Duncan-worthy Game Five breakout, I presumed that the Hornets would win all four games at home and kick the Spurs out of the mix. Game Seven road victories occur about as often as TBS releasing a funny sitcom but the Spurs cruised to a relatively easy one in New Orleans with Duncan once again showing no one on this planet can guard him mano-a-mano.

Yucky! I just filled a page with superlatives for a team I despise like a petulant friend who asks me to pick up an extra Yankee ticket and then cancels. To rinse out this vile aftertaste, let me list my first and second postseason teams.

First Team

Point Guard: Chris Paul

Tough decision with Parker playing well and CP3’s absence from a Game Seven loss to San Antonio but after barely failing to win the regular season MVP, the third-year point embarrassed a future Hall-of-Famer, Jason Kidd, in the first round. The Hornets’ breadwinner then put on a show throughout a epic series by downgrading Bruce Bowen’s defensive abilities and punctuating a tremendous postseason debut by driving right at Duncan before turning his back and flipping the ball into the hoop for a speechless move.

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant

The Black Mamba demonstrated to all that his biggest weakness from the past two years might not have been a weakness. Kobe’s prima donna certification could be attributed to his lack of trust in his surrounding teammates during the past couple of years. But with an emerging bench and arrival of Gasol, Kobe’s passing proficiency meets the requirements for all-around talent reached by such greats as Bird and Magic.

Small Forward: Paul Pierce

The Truth at times goes quiet and occasionally wigs out by scoring 41 against a king of a man in LeBron. But either way, Pierce plays everywhere on the court and imposes his will when necessary. KG remains the star but Pierce has this indefinable control over this team that has them a win away from the Finals.

Power Forward: Tim Duncan

See above graphs and know he has at least three years of steady play left in him.

Center: Kevin Garnett

The dearth of credible centers in the league coupled with KG’s penchant for playing big, forces me to put him at the five. We all want to harp on his offensive game but he continues to accredit the voters who chose him for Defensive Player of the Year by contesting everything in the paint. No need for exaggeration, the guy swarms after anyone nearing the basket as though the idea of driving to the hoop is an affront to his manhood.

Second Team

Point Guard: Tony Parker

Everyone knows you need to back off last year’s Finals MVP and give him the j but besides struggling beyond the arc I rarely see the guy missing open perimeter shots. But I guess when you’re defending a guy known as the One Man Fast Break you have to do something to save face.

Shooting Guard: Richard Hamilton

If Rip plays at anything less than 100% for Game Six and a possible Game Seven against Boston, the Pistons are D-U-N! If healthy, someone needs to tell Chauncey to give the rock to his backcourt mate on every single possession as he continues to refine his already assassin-like game.

Small Forward: LeBron James

Yes, he struggled at Boston before his 47-point Game Seven outburst but the Cavs’ second-round loss almost ensures the King will say peace to Cleveland after his contract runs out in two years.

Power Forward: David West

Just like Manu Ginobli with his ailing ankle, many believe West struggled in Game Seven against San Antonio due to a throbbing back but that was not enough to keep him for landing on my second squad.

Center: Pau Gasol

Phil Jackson ages one day every time the Spaniard throws up a prissy shot but his almost preternatural understanding of the Triangle Offense and his keen passing skills compensate for his overly gentile touch.