Ours is a country of showmanship, slam dunks and RBI. A torrid place that scoffs at the base on balls and the assist. We desire not only Kobe's on-court prowess but also his off-court exploits. This is where the Spurs fail miserably. Not only do they come from southern Texas - an ironic locale for such a multi-cultural team - but they fly so low under the radar, we lose sight of Coach Pop's global domination strategy. To create a franchise built on the fundamentals of basketball, those past and those future. If the Dream Teams of the present have taught us anything is that our isolationist imperialism is having a much more worrisome effect on our lives than high oil cost. It has seeped into the one aspect of culture we as Americans can all agree on: Sports kick ass.
Why the Spurs are sucessful is the same reason Europe will never shed blood on the battlefield again, though their hatred and mistrust of the Germans looms greater than our fear of Islam. They - like the Spurs - see a world in flux, constantly reinventing itself. A troop surge is no different than the Yankees payroll and Steinbrenner is no different than Cheney. They both are out-dated and will remain on the losing side of their respective battles until they begin to adopt a more bi-partisan or maybe tri-partisan strategy. The Spurs don't throw money at the problem, they take pay-cuts. Instead of whining about their teammates and each one's lack of respect, the Spurs dish off to the guy with the open shot. Each one of those players serves a specific purpose in a master plan. Similar to the days of MJ and Scottie but without the greatest basketball player of all-time, happily trading that for the most dominant TEAM of the 21st century.
Horry will come through right when they need him most...
-Austin Gangel
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