The Spurs

I had forgotten how much I despise the silver and black.

The only Spurs game I have seen this year was the tail end of the Spurs-Heat game that was right before the Mavs-Nuggs game. I was rooting for the Heat, for the only time ever, but I wasn't too involved in the game.

I didn't watch the first Mavs-Spurs game, I was still getting my League Pass sorted out, and without Ginobili and Parker, I wasn't too worried about it.

Last night I renewed my hatred for the Spurs.

It's weird how it works. When I'm following Red Sox baseball throughout the heat of July and August, the pinstripes fill me with hate, but the silver and black of the Spurs or the silver and blue of the Dallas Cowboys are far away.

If you are a sports team, almost as important as your favorite team is your archenemy. The team that, for brief moments, you swear to the sports gods that you will trade away your own team's success just to make sure that the hated enemy will never win.

In basketball, that is the Spurs.

What pisses me off even more is that they are the class of the NBA in every sense of the word. They are well run, well coached, they make all the right personnel decisions. Their superstars are among the classiest in any sport, especially Tim Duncan.

I want the team I hate to be a dirty team (which the Spurs kind of are (Bowen, Oberto)). I want people that otherwise don't care about my enemy to hate them, just because of the disgrace they've brought upon the sport.

And I hate the Spurs.

I hate the wide-eyed look Tim Duncan gets after he's called for a foul, and the similiar look Bruce Bowen gives after doing things that are illegal in ten states.

I hate the way Tony Parker can't seem to find a razor that works, or the way he licks his gigantic lips while dribbling the ball up the court.

I hate that stupid "Heeyyyyyyyyyyyyyy-oh!" song that plays in the AT&T Center.

I hate that they can afford to drop players as good as Luis Scola, and don't suffer at all.

I hate the Spurs.

But I do enjoy watching the Spurs-Mavs game. I'm trying to plan a vacation around going to the AAC during a Mavs' homestand, and the Spurs game must be included.

The rest of the sports nation has since lost its' fascination with those games, but they are riveting.

Especially last night.

Well, I should qualify that. Last night would have been great if my internet didn't cost me the chance to miss the last minute of regulation, and the entire first overtime.

But we'll let that pass.

What to take away from last night's loss? A few things:

• The Mavs' ball movement was phenomenal. They completely neutralized the double team. It didn't matter if it was Dirk or Terry that was double teamed, Barea, Bass, or Kidd were there to make the Spurs pay.
  
• J-Kidd needs some help on the defensive end. Parker fried him, and Paul, Williams, and co. will continue to fry him until he gets some help.
  
• Dirk is a fade-away machine. Until the fourth quarter anyway. He needs to start taking over close games. When the Mavs played the Lakers, as the game was winding down, Kobe would get the ball and wind down the shot clock, and every single human being watching was thinking, "Kobe is going to drain this shot." And he did. Dirk needs to enter that zone.
  

At the end of the day, it's really just another example of the Mavs' inabiity to close out a game against a good team.

All is not lost however. When Jo-Ho gets back, they should be able to hang. And, they're getting reps in, which helps.

Its a long season, and the mavs are bound to get better at pulling these games out.

But still, fuck the Spurs.