On the eve of potentially the last game of the 2012-13′ NBA season, it’s important that we reflect on what this night really means. Who better to sum it up than the man who has ended more of these seasons dancing, jumping, hugging and drinking in confetti than anybody else:
“In the NBA, rings symbolize status and power. No matter how gaudy or cumbersome a championship ring may be, the dream of winning one is what motivates players to put themselves through the trials of a long NBA season.” — Phil Jackson
These two powerful, exact sentences sum up everything there is to know about this season, and the two teams playing tonight to decide who will own it forever.
Duncan, LeBron, Wade, Popovich, Riley, Allen, Ginobili… which one of these guys hasn’t made a career-altering decision based on that elusive ring?
We all know about LeBron’s decision and how it altered the modern landscape of the NBA, but what about Tim Duncan and the often overlooked Spurs?
Duncan has gutted it out with the Spurs for the last 16 years. You’re talking Kobe, Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki as the only other guys of this generation to pull that off. But back in 2000 Duncan was flirting with the idea of teamming up with Grant Hill in Orlando.
Gregg Popovich has been right there with him, as Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN notes, and one of the major influences in his decision to stay in San Antonio. If winning rings is the ultimate goal as Jackson says it is, Popovich realized a long time ago that San Antonio was the place to be. He’s the longest tenured coach in the NBA for a reason.
Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich have been together for 16 years, and it’s the greatest love story in sports. They collaborate and lean on each other, win championships together, then comfortably fade into the anonymity of the NBA’s third-smallest TV market.
Duncan and Popovich have won four titles together in 16 years and are in a tug-of-war with the Miami Heat for No. 5. They are so bonded that Popovich said earlier this spring that he’ll retire when Duncan does.
And then there is LeBron, Wade, Riley, Bosh, Allen Spoelstra, who have their reputations and futures hanging in the balance, and everything else that comes with the conclusion of this series to reflect on. These two teams have defined the NBA for over a decade.
So what’s on the line tonight? NBA scribe Bill Simmons lays it out, player-by-player, in his rare appearance on the Grantland front page these days. To paraphrase:
Tony Parker: “A second Finals MVP (maybe), a guaranteed Hall of Fame spot, and the Best Point Guard Alive championship belt.”
Erik Spoelstra: “Again, we just spent a season watching Miami master small ball. I thought what San Antonio did to them was stunning. Can you ride a gimmick all the way to a title? Nash’s Suns certainly couldn’t do it. Neither could any of Don Nelson’s or Doug Moe’s teams. Do you need to be more malleable in the Finals? We’re about to find out.”
Pat Riley: “Potentially a shitty summer. Because if the Heat blow the Finals for the second time in three years, they can’t just run it back again. If they win these last two? That’s Ring No. 8. Either way, don’t sleep on Riley retiring to Malibu after the season to avoid another year of “What’s happening with LeBron?” drama. This might be his last hurrah.”
Ray Allen: “Ray fled the Celtics Titanic one year before Doc and KG tried to hop in their Clippers rowboat; at the time, Boston fans (and even Ray’s teammates) resented him for it, even if it was a savvy career move from a guy who didn’t feel much loyalty to a team that had tried to deal him twice. Ray Allen looked out for himself, just like Doc Rivers did last weekend. That’s life. But he picked Miami because he wanted to play in the Finals, put more distance between him and Miller, and maybe even have a vintage moment on the biggest stage possible.”
Gregg Popovich: “Now he’s one victory away from ascending to the NBA Coaching Mount Rushmore. Right now it’s Auerbach, Jackson and Riley. That’s it. We’ve been waiting for the fourth and final guy for years. Pretty big stakes, I’d say.”
Dwyane Wade: “I’m totally and completely confused by everything we’ve seen from Dwyane Wade. Regardless, you know the stakes: He is always going to have that first decade, the 2006 Finals MVP and those two rings. He could go 2-for-20 tonight in a 20-point loss and he’d still be the fourth-best shooting guard ever. But if Miami pulls off these last two victories with Wade playing well? We’d have to rewrite the legend of Wade yet again.”
Manu Ginobili: “One last title, obviously. You know what’s weird, though? I feel like he already played his Super Bowl. Manu looked somewhere between “old” and “washed-up” for the entire season (especially in the playoffs), and with his 36th birthday looming, the thought of him becoming “GINOBILI!!!!!!!!!!!!” again just seemed impossible. He wasn’t even one of the six best players on his own team. Or so we thought.”
Chris Bosh: “Ladies and gentlemen, here’s the odds-on favorite for Miami’s fall guy if they don’t win the title! ESPN.com might have to spin off the Trade Machine and make a Chris Bosh Special Edition Trade Machine. My biggest fear if I’m a Miami fan tonight: Tim Duncan reaching back into the wayback machine and kicking Chris Bosh’s ass. That reminds me …”
Pacers don’t have enough cap to re-sign David West right now (about 6 Million). Unless West gives Pacers a significant discount, they may have no choice but to move Granger and take back less $. Alternatively they could try to give away Gerald Green without taking back salary.
Regarding Doc Rivers, Clippers will continue to call Boston’s bluff. They should go ahead with their coaching search. I don’t think Doc is much better for Clippers than Lionel Hollins and he would save Sterling a lot of $. It was written that Celtics want to get rid of Rivers because he wouldn’t get along with Rajon Rondo with KG not around.
I still expect KG to be traded to Clippers for Jordan. Unless Celts plan to bring back both Pierce and KG, LAC has all the leverage. Celts will not make playoffs for many years to come.