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The naysayers have been proven wrong. I guess the Spurs aren’t too old to win another NBA Championship. They proved it by ending the Cavs’ first trip to the NBA Finals with an 83-82 game four win, sweeping away the Cavs’ hopes and dreams of bringing an NBA Championship to Cleveland.
What impressed me most about the Spurs in last night’s win was their poise. They didn’t get rattled when the Cavs went on a run. They weathered the storm and went on their own run, started by a three-pointer from Manu Ginobili, who ended the night with 27 points and his third NBA championship to go along with the many championships and MVP’s he’s picked up in Europe.
Tony Parker played brilliantly once again. I predicted he would win Finals MVP after game two. He took his game to another level. When Cleveland tried to stop his penetration, he knocked down the midrange jumper as well as a few key threes. There is no doubt now that he’s a superstar and one of the premier point guards in this league.
While Parker was the Finals MVP, if there was a playoffs MVP, I’d have to give it to Bruce Bowen, who had the task of guarding Carmelo and AI in the first round followed by Steve Nash in the second, Deron Williams in the Western Conference Finals and probably the toughest assignment of them all, LeBron James in the Finals. He also hit key shots when the Spurs needed them and worked the boards for nine rebounds in game three.
I’m glad Michael Finley got his first ring and that it was with the Spurs. Robert Horry got his seventh, but wants to come back for an eighth.
While not may people outside of Texas may be as happy as I am for the Spurs fourth championship because the Spurs are a “boring” team. I saw a team go out and play the game with passion and heart. Former players like Bill Russell and even John Wooden are probably smiling somewhere because a fundamental basketball team like the Spurs won a fourth title playing the game the way it was intended to be played.
Other NBA fans can have LeBron and his high-flying dunks, Phoenix and their run and gun offense. I’ll take the Spurs with their four titles.
