they are who we thought they were

My first 2ndsport contribution - expect a frustrated, incomprehensible rant. Maybe even made-up words, definetily some stream of consciousness. Most of the vitriol and sarcasm is directed at ATG....My hatred of the Spurs grows with each flop and incredulous face I see.

Well, Austin, ole' BoB Horry certainly came through when they needed him most. As Horry leaned both elbows into David West's back in what was ALREADY a foregone conclusion (Spurs up 21), game 7 may have been swung toward The Cobra-Kai Spurs. Cheap Shot Bob had struck again, and an integral part of the Hornets was leaving in a body bag.

Granted, the Spurs are the epitome of a team, superb passing, excellent fundamentals, not complaining about teammates as you mentioned, but this is because the Spurs spend most of their time whining about officiating and how they've been slighted. Perhaps your comments on the multi-cultural Spurs do shed light on the flopping and complaining phenomenon. With each European or Latin American that passes through the clutches of Popovich, new levels of 'bitchness' are achieved. Maybe it's the soccer backgrounds of many of these players that limits their tenacity or true toughness. They grew up learning the art of the flop, the art of the "What, you called that foul on me?" face.... However, that background in no way excuses such play. If being a bitch is the product of 'our isolationist imperialism,' then count me as an isolationist until the end.

Am i not progressive enough, am I too American because my desire is to see an NBA that reflects the freedom of expression, the artistry in motion that a certain gold and purple clad MVP can generate each time he touches the ball? I prefer wins and losses to be generated via the actual play on the court, not via dirty play and bending the rules. There is something to be said for admiring the spectacular, and disdaining the lack of truth emanating from the Spurs. You will have to excuse me if I have fallen out of step with the times.As for reinvention, that very MVP took it upon himself to make certain changes to his game, when to pick his spots, when to pick up his teammates, and when to defer. These changes led to the best record in the West, and no one saw that coming.

"To create a franchise built on the fundamentals of basketball, those past and those future." Certainly, the Spurs are the standard by which the rest of the NBA must be measured. The Suns and Mavs, for example, have not been able to pass the litmus test that is the Spurs. However, if the questionable tactics that denigrate the success of the old-school fundamentals so extraordinarily displayed by the Spurs is the future of basketball, I don't believe I'm alone in being turned off by such a product. For all of their superbness, I can not get past their, and again, for lack of a better word, bitchness. Each and every Spur drinks the kool-aid that is their bitchiness. True champions just win. True champions are not bitches.

"they are who we thought they were"

-ADS- hopefully my next contribution will expound on the NBA theme in a more cohesive manner. Something like an SAT analogy - NBA : jazz