As one of the few NBA fans left, I have to just share in my excitement for this upcoming series.
So I've devised some storylines with some added Star Wars quotes to get the juices flowing:
1. “When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master.”
Popovich was Larry Brown’s top assistant for 4 seasons in San Antonio. Popovich knows Brown’s thought processes, formations, and plays. Brown probably never cared to learn what Popovich was doing, because he was busy searching for another job at the time.
Advantage: Spurs
2. “Only a fully-trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Emperor.”
Duncan has to be completely on top of things to conquer the defending champs. The last time 2 teams could go 9-deep was probably Lakers-Celtics in the ‘80s. No one is sure who is matching up where, and it should be really interesting.
PF Duncan vs. Rasheed / Ben Wallace / McDyess – The Pistons have enough bodies to wear down Duncan. Granted, Duncan doesn’t ever seem to fatigue. Nonetheless, this will be much more of a challenge than the Nets (K-Martin) and the Spurs (Camby) ever were in the NBA Finals.
Advantage: Even
3. “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.”
The Pistons use defense to propel fast breaks and their offense. There are definitely some superb matchups though…
PG Tony Parker vs. Billups & Arroyo --- Larry Brown is stubborn and won’t play Arroyo, who is an excellent point guard (he was starting on Utah, argued with the coach, and probably will be starting somewhere next season). If the Pistons keep Billups rested enough by mixing in Arroyo, the Pistons could end up with a huge advantage. Plus Parker tends to get distracted by his mega-hot girlfriend (Eva Longoria) who attends each game. Oh wait, that’s actually me who gets distracted.
Advantage: Pistons
Bowen vs. Rip Hamilton --- Honestly, Rip Hamilton is what keeps the Pistons going offensively. He’s probably more fit than any other guy in this series, and Bowen will have his hands full. If the Spurs win, Bowen will be lauded as the greatest defender since Gary “The Glove” Payton.
Advantage: Pistons
Ginobili vs. Tayshaun Prince --- Ginobili, who is definitely the spark for the Spurs. This is the matchup I expect to tilt the series. When Ginobili gets going, the Spurs are hard to beat.
Advantage: Even
4. “That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that.”
This goes out to each team’s resident enforcer: Ben Wallace of the Pistons and Nazr Mohammed of the Spurs. I wouldn’t want to meet either of these guys on the street, that’s for sure. But we must give credit where credit is due, and Ben Wallace did instigate the largest melee in NBA history.
Advantage: Pistons
5. “Your powers are weak, old man.”
The Spurs have Glenn Robinson who hasn’t played in a while due to “family business”, or at least that’s what the box scores say. The Pistons have Elden Campbell, who I swear was on the Lakers back when they had Magic Johnson.
Advantage: Pistons (unless Glenn Robinson decides to actually attend some games)
6. “I see you have constructed a new lightsaber. Your skills are complete, indeed you are powerful as the emperor has foreseen.”
The Spurs have two bench guys who just seem to have the complete package of skills. Robert “I look like Will Smith” Horry, and Brent “I can shoot 3s all day” Barry, are fantastic at coming in, knocking down a 3, snagging a steal, grabbing a crucial rebound.
The Pistons sport Lindsey Hunter, who uses the majority of his energy as a defender, and does a great job at it.
Advantage: Spurs (Barry & Horry are deadly 3-point shooters).
7. “You refer to the prophecy of The One, who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it's this boy?”
Will DARKO ever turn that corner? I really like his critically-acclaimed nickname: “the Human Victory Cigar.” I have this sneaking suspicion he will always be just a garbage-time guy. I just hope he gets into the game at some point so we can point and laugh.
Pick: Spurs
8. “Search your feelings you know it to be true.”
Final Prediction: Spurs in 7. This could go either way, but they have a coaching edge and an edge on the bench since Barry & Horry can knock down 3s at will, and that can be the whole difference in such an evenly contested series.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Like I said, the basketball will be great in this series since its the 2 best (and most fundamentally sound) teams in the game. No matter how much you dress it up, though, there's no real drama here outside of the game. I guess the game itself should be enough to compel me to watch but I guess I just don't care about the NBA anymore. I won't watch unless there's a chance for a fight or unless there's some real drama. If I want to watch good team basketball, I'll pop in a tape of Lakers-Celtics 1986 or any of the Knicks-Bulls games from 1992-1994.
Also, Elden Campbell WAS Magic's teammate, back in 1991. That was Elden's rookie year and Magic's last year before getting sick. They went to the NBA Finals and lost to MJ.
Well done. Spurs bench gives them the advantages. Key to the series is if Duncan can beat Wallace on the low post.
Spurs in 7
Spurs in 6. Pistons are good, Spurs are better. They have Duncan and Manu who are both better than anyone on the Pistons roster and they can match any team's style. They'll lose game 2 and game 5 and will win games 3 and 4 in big blowouts.
MJ - Well, I dressed it up as best as I could. Good call on your old tapes, though if you want some more fast-paced action, you can also pop in Suns-Rockets 1995, with the Rockets mounting furious comebacks in multiple games.
That's pretty weird about Elden Campbell. I really was just trying to exaggerate!
Post a Comment