The San Antonio Spurs completed their mission of redemption by smashing the Miami Heat in five games to win their fifth National Basketball Association world championship.
It was not only a victory for the storied Spurs franchise and the city of San Antonio. It was also a victory for the sport of basketball and those fans who believe in team play and selflessness. It was a victory for the sport of basketball when it is played the way it is supposed to be played.
The manner in which the Spurs dismantled the two-time defending champions was simply beautiful to watch. The Spurs played a five-man game in which the ball was moving and players were moving at a wicked pace. The ball movement was crisp and flawless, as each player dedicated himself to making sure his teammate had the best shot possible.
To see as many as six or seven passes in one 24-second possession is unheard of in the NBA. That’s what you saw in nearly every Spurs’ offensive possession.
When you have future Hall of Famers such as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili buying into the team game, it is breathtaking to watch. Duncan is one of the best players in the history of the league, but he has subscribed to the “team-first” mantra from his first days in the league.
To watch the legendary “Big Three” celebrate the joy of watching their 22-year-old teammate Kawhi Leonard get the Finals MVP trophy was truly an awesome sight. Leonard is an emerging star in this league, but he remains as humble and dedicated to the grind of improving and doing whatever it takes to help his team win.
The results of the Spurs’ selfless play were staggering, especially in the final three games of the series, when they outscored the Heat by a total of 57 points. It was ridiculous. I couldn’t get enough of it. I am almost sad to see it end, because watching the game the way it is supposed to be played is a rare commodity in today’s basketball culture.
We currently live in an era when the basketball culture breeds individualism and selfishness is celebrated and rewarded. It’s all about “getting mine,” and the hell with the team. The players play for themselves, and that behavior is consistently fostered by the players’ parents and handlers to the point where it almost makes you nauseous.
It is less common to see young players give of themselves for the greater good because they always have somebody in their ear telling them that “It’s all about you and you have to shoot, shoot, shoot.” People are more concerned about getting that Ballislife Mixtape video or making that ESPN Sportscenter highlight play than playing the game the right way. It’s all about getting those numbers and improving your ranking. It filters all the way down to the youth levels, and it is really sad to see.
That is why it was so important on so many levels to see the San Antonio Spurs dominate on the sport’s biggest stage. Young people needed to see that this is how the game of basketball should be played.
This is how basketball was played during the 1960s by the Boston Celtics’ dynasty when the Celtics’ fast break was legendary. This was how basketball was played during the age of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, when Magic’s “Showtime” Lakers and Bird’s Celtics jousted for the title throughout the 1980s. They brought the league back from the dead while showing everyone it was cool to pass the basketball.
More young people need to realize when you share the basketball and move, everyone shares in the glory. When everyone gets to eat at the trough, there is a greater sense of satisfaction when everyone has a full belly.
I know I may sound a little old-school in these beliefs in today’s basketball culture, but I do not mind being a dinosaur when it comes to how to play the sport I really love. It is how I learned how to play, and it is the way I have taught both of my young nephews how to play. They even call me “Uncle Earl Popovich” because of my unwavering emphasis on fundamentals, team basketball and the old-school approach. I know there are a lot of “Old-School Geezers” out there who feel the same way that I do.
So, here is a big salute to the once-again World Champion San Antonio Spurs. I hope everyone had as much fun watching them play as I did. If not, then you really missed out.
