Should NBA commissioner David Stern have kept his mouth shut instead of popping off pregame against “Pop”?
Or were the “substantial sanctions” he alluded to nothing more than a precursor to a public re-assessment of the relative strength of the Miami Heat?
Where does this thing go next?
Gregg Popovich basically threw an egg at Stern’s face Thursday night, sitting his best three players (four, if you think Danny Green qualifies) in a nationally televised showcase against the Miami Heat. Stern went ballistic, and then a strange thing happened. The Spurs nearly won the game, reminding everyone in the process why you need good players late in fourth quarters as Miami closed the game with a 16-6 run in the final 3 1/2 minutes for a 105-100 victory.
Unwittingly, Stern provided some of the best must-see TV – and must-participate debate – of the month-old NBA season.
The clash of ideals:
- Stern wants his fans to see Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Green in a matchup of two of the NBA’s top-tier teams.
- Popovich could give a flip what Stern thinks. He has 15 players on his roster, and they are all NBA players. It is his right to coach his team however he wants, regardless of which network is televising the game.
But what we also have here is a clash of egos.