The Mortal Championship Coil
Nearly every move the Spurs have made since tracks against their pursuit of the champs.
They traded for Jefferson, in hopes of adding offensive punch. They signed McDyess and Ratliff, in hopes of giving themselves a fighting chance against the Lakers’ supersized frontline. They acquired Bogans, in hopes of making him the Kobe stopper — or, at least, the Kobe slower-downer — Bruce Bowen once was.
“You always look at the best in your league and say, ‘If we’re playing them in the playoffs, how do we match up?” Popovich said. “That’s where you start.”
via Spurs ready for Lakers litmus test.
Two years ago, you never would have heard about the Spurs caring about a game in January. Ever. And this really feels like a big deal to them, as if a victory tonight means anything. Facing a slumping Lakers team without Gasol, who can just turn around and say the same thing San Antonio said for years. “We play for June, not January.”
That’s why I think the Gasol trade still floors Popovich so much. It changed the rules of the game. You can actually bring it back to the Boston trade, but that didn’t affect them as directly, and Boston was a makeover, not putting King Kong on steroids. Those two trades made it so that the new rules are that in order to win in this league, you have to be a big market who gets a small market team to send you their best player for scraps. No wonder he’s still bitter about it.
Putting that much into this game is a bad move all around. Win, and it proves nothing. Lose?
You’ve just taken a good long look into the reflecting pool of your own mortality.
Oster-Tags: Greg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs
