Friday, June 17, 2005
NBA Playoffs: Balancing the Wide Difference
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When the NBA finals started last week, I envisioned writing an article about disappointing intrigue. Sure, Miami and Phoenix had the best records in their conferences this season. However, many people would have told you from the get-go that the Pistons and Spurs were two of the favorites for the title.
Since the lockout in 1999, San Antonio has been one of the steadiest franchises in the Association. Their defensive prowess and teamwork gave them two titles going into the regular session.
Then, over the last couple of years, the 2.0 version of San Antone developed in Detroit. With stopping teams at the core of their existence, the Pistons took tutelage from their "Bad Boys" predecessors and gave it an athletic tweaking. This new model made the world take notice last season, when they destroyed the Lakers in five games to get their rings (or belts, as they prefer).
In a world filled with superstar greatness, this seemed like the ultimate throwback matchup. Defense vs. defense. Team vs. team. Champion vs. champion. Basketball purists were drooling uncontrollably for this "epic" showdown.
I thought that the series would be both a blessing and a bad taste. I prepared to write a column that would express my joy for a finals that was so balanced. The games had to be nail-biters due to the mirror image of the opposing teams. At the same time, I figured I would lament the lack of offense in the upcoming series, as I did for the playoffs as a whole a couple of years ago.
I was so far off on this one, I can hear relatives of Manu Ginobli tell me "Hola" as I wake up and look out over the Pampas from Washington State. This was a total miss.
Basically, it's time to be blunt. This series has more stink on it than the cow pastures of the rural Midwest —combined. Through four games of the best-of-seven, the tallies may be counted as 2-2, but that's the only thing that has been tight.
Each contest has been an uninteresting, stupefying blowout by the end of the fourth quarter, if not sooner. Sure, a couple of games held the teams together through three periods, but efforts in crunch time are seemingly turning soggy for the visiting team, no matter who it has been.
The coincidence in all of this is that the trend in Games 1 and 2 are basically the same as in Games 3 and 4. Here's where the priest from Spaceballs says: "Okay, here we go. The short, short version."
The visiting team runs out to a big lead in the first game, and they're up at halftime. The home team fights back valiantly and forges ahead to put away an easy victory. Then in the second game, there is no contest. The home squad is dominant, and victory is quick, yet painful. Now I would like to present more specific, and shameful, evidence.
Game 1: Detroit starts off with a 17-4 run, leaving the Spurs in a bit of trouble in their own SBC Center. The home squad closes to within three by the end of the first and it stay tight until the fourth. That's when San Antonio uses a 19-4 run of their own to break out in front for good. Spurs by 15.
Game 2: The Alamo is partying hard as the Spurs run on all cylinders. Detroit never leads, and actually never gets a tie, either. Ginobli goes bananas with 27 points (on 11-13 from the field) and 7 dimes. San Antonio by 23.
Game 3: The scene shifts to the Motor City. Momentum seems to slide with it. The Argentine X-factor hurts his leg in the first minute of the game. Despite their opponent being down a man, Detroit only led by five heading into the fourth. It took an 11-0 run to push the Spurs back into their first corner of the series. The Pistons pull away to win by 17.
Game 4: A whuppin' of pretty epic proportions. San Antonio did have a 4-0 and a 7-6 lead, but that was it. Another 11-0 spurt at the beginning of the second quarter kick-started the Detroit rout. Seven Pistons scored in double figures, while the team had four (!) turnovers. Let me put it this way, you know it's bad when Darko Milicic scores the basket to get you to 100 points. Motown rolls by 31.
With the championship series cut down to the winner in two out of three, the basketball world (or what's left of it) is probably happy to see life in both teams and a long series in store. That's not enough for me. It's not even about scoring points anymore. This is a level matchup. I want to see it played out that way.
Before the series got started, my Monopoly money was on the Spurs in seven. Beyond that, if there was an over/under of four games decided by single digits, I would have gladly played the over. But now, it looks like I may have to sell off some of my properties. Anyone interested in taking Marvin Gardens? I'll give ya a good deal.
I am glad that someone else smells the big stink. I have my doubts about the legitimacy of the games.