Spurs spurn elite talk, brace for sweep
(AP)Updated: 2007-06-14 09:06
The Spurs went overseas to find All-Star Tony Parker, their Road Runner of a point guard, as well as super sub Manu Ginobili and starting center Fabricio Oberto, who are both from Argentina.
San Antonio has also been able to lure free agents such as Brent Barry, Michael Finley and Robert Horry, valuable role players who joined the club with hopes of winning an NBA championship, or in Horry's case, a seventh one.
Finley spent eight seasons with Dallas, but it took him heading south in Texas to land in his first finals. The 12-year veteran remembers marveling at the Spurs' consistency while he was with the Mavericks.
"From the outside looking in, we thought they were a perfect team, a team that didn't make mistakes, a team that went out and played perfect ball," he said. "But once I got here, it was those imperfections that made them a good team. It's not a perfect team, it makes mistakes but the way it comes back from those mistakes and doesn't crumble to adverse situations is what makes it a great team."
NBA teams are no different than those in the NFL, where the best ideas and brightest talents elsewhere are either borrowed or stolen.
Thus, the Cleveantonio Spurvaliers.
The Cavaliers' first visit to the finals in 37 years has been orchestrated by former Spurs. GM Danny Ferry played four seasons in San Antonio and spent two others as their director of basketball operations. Assistant GM Lance Blanks won two titles in San Antonio's front office and coach Mike Brown was an assistant under Popovich for three years.
Both were hired by Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert, a Detroit native and longtime Pistons fan, who began remaking the Cavs in San Antonio's likeness after the Spurs beat his former favorite team in the 2005 finals.
Like the Spurs, the Cavs have a superstar in LeBron James, who needs to be surrounded by better talent for the team to win its first title.
"When you want to be the best, you want to try to mirror image the best," James said, "and they're definitely the best team in our league at this point in time. You want to try to do exactly what they do."
On what could have been their final day of practice this season, none of the Spurs would bite on talk of them being a dynasty.
"Maybe 10 years from now, I'll be able to discuss that," Barry said. "But right now the focus is trying to win a championship."
James, though, has seen enough of them in three games to offer his opinion on the Spurs, who rarely get their due.
"They have a dynasty already at work," he said. "They don't have the greatest athletes in the world, they don't have the greatest shooters in the world, but they probably have the greatest team in the world.
"And that's what this sport is all about. It's not about an individual."
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