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Dick Weiss

Spurs’ NBA title has strong international flavor

      Center Tim Duncan forward Manu Ginobli of Argentia and point guard Tony Paker — the international nucleus of the San Antonio Spurs– are a constant reminder that the San Antiono Spurs has taken a global approach in their quest to win an NBA title. With that in mind, it seemed only fitting players wrapped themselves in flags from around world after they finished off a dominant run to their fifth NBA championship Sunday night in San Antonio, ending the MIami Heat’s two-year title reign with a 104-87 victory that wrapped up the series in five games.

     The Spurs have now won five championships in the last 16 years– 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and now this year.  The 38-year old Duncan, who has won a ring in three different decades, and coach Greg Popovich have been here for all of them, and it was the fourth for Parker and Ginobili.   

     This Spurs’ team are the closest thing the NBA has to an international franchise. Greg Popovich’s eight man rotation featured six players with international roots– the 6-10 Duncan is from the Virgin Islands, Gnobli is from Argentina, guards Paker and guard Boris Diaw are from France, 6-10 center Tiago Splitter is from Brazil and guard Patty Mills is from New Zeland. And they combined with forward Kwahi Leonard and guard Danny Green and run a clinic on both ends of the floor throughout this series and played beautiful, fundamental sound, innovative basketball.
    Leonard, who scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, was selected MVP of the series. Ginobli had 19. Mills came off the bench to make 5 threes and core 17 and Parker contributed 16. 
    The last time a team looked this impressive in the finals was back in the mid-80’s when the Celtics and the Lakers participated in those classic showdowns with a combined seven Hall of Famers on the court. “They played exquisite basketball this series and in particular these last three games and they are the better team. There’s no other way to say it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.  
     San Antonio weathered a 31- point performance by LeBron James erased an early 16-point deficit and routed Miami for the fourth time in the series. A year after the Spurs suffered their only loss in six Finals appearances — a heartbreaking seven-game defeat — they turned the rematch into a rout. 
    “We wanted to redeem ourselves. I’m just glad we were able to do that,” Parker said.
     San Antonio will face questions — as it has for years — about the age of its core, and whether Duncan, Ginobili and Popovich want to stick around. The Heat will brace for the potential free agency of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and will need younger, fresher pieces around the three All-Stars if they all stay.
     The Spurs have been written off as too old and over the hill when this series began.
      But they proved to be the perfect team to run Popovich’s wide open offense that thrived on ball movement and 3-point shooting. Popavich, he best coach in professional sports, deserves credit for getting his players to play unselfish basketball and stifling half court defense in an era that has relied on isolation plays for its biggest stars.
      In a me-first era, Popovich limited his starters’ minutes, even sitting them out of games during the regular season, without so much as a single word of complaint from anyone on the roster.  He has also taken cast offs such as Green,  Mills, and Diaw and turned them into bona fide defenders and scorers that complement the  Big Three and the found a way to showcase an incredible young talent like Leonard.
     There is no reason to believe the Spurs, whose average age is a surprising 29.5– almost a full year younger than the Heat– , won’t be back in the hunt again next year.
     Popavich says he wants to come back. Duncan is less certain. “I don’t have any plans on doing anything,” he told reporters afterwards. “I’m going to figure it out when it comes. I’m not saying I;’m retiring. I’m not saying I’m not retiring. I’m not saying anything. I’m going to figure it out as it goes. I’ve always said if I feel like I’m effective, I can contribute. I;; continue to play. Right now, I feel that way, so we’ll see what happens.”

 

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Dick Weiss is a sportswriter and columnist who has covered college football and college and professional basketball for the Philadelphia Daily News and the New York Daily News. He has received the Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and is a member of the national Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He has also co-written several books with Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Dick Vitale and authored a tribute book on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

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