*For the next few weeks, I’m going to be writing shorter columns, but more times a week. Look for as many as five posts a week, but no more 1,000 word or more pieces for a while.*
There are so many reasons why people love sports. The competitiveness, energy, passion, loyalty, fun and excitement are all great aspects. But one that is often overlooked is the fact that at any time, no matter what the situation is, something spectacular can happen. Not necessarily something that has never been seen before (though that is often the case), but a moment that makes the viewer just sit back and say, “Wow.”
Monday night’s Suns-Spurs Western Conference Semifinal game four was one of those situations. It had every aspect of a great playoff basketball game, from dramatic performances to controversial calls to amazing plays. It involved two of the best teams in the sport, and in many people’s opinion, this is the de facto NBA Title series, because none of the other six remaining playoff teams can beat Phoenix or San Antonio. In the last two minutes of play, the ten key players on the court included three members of the All-NBA first team (Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, and Amare Stodumire), the winner and the runner up for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award (Leandro Barbosa and Manu Ginobeli), and two members of the NBA All-Defensive first team (Bruce Bowen and Shawn Marrion). The other three players on the court were maybe the greatest clutch shooter of all time (Robert Horry), one of the leagues five best point guards (Tony Parker) and an elite defensive stopper (Raja Bell). On the benches were two of the NBA’s best coaches, and on the sidelines was the NBA’s best announcing duo (Marv Albert and Steve Kerr). Yes, it was a star-studded affair.
But that’s not what made the game a ‘wow-moment’. It was the amazing comeback by Phoenix in the fourth quarter, led by Nash. He completely took over. I think he made about four behind the back or no-look passes for easy buckets in the last four minutes, and also made a key jumper, willing the Suns to the victory. People who wonder how this 6”3’ Canadian point guard won back-to-back MVP’s need to watch the last four minutes of this game to understand. He also played through an ugly body check from Horry, leading to part two of why this game was one to remember.
With less than a minute left in the game and Phoenix up, Horry decked Nash into the scorer’s table, a few feet away from the Suns bench. It was a shocking blow, especially because Big Shot Rob is considered to be one of the nice guys in the sport. Unfortunately, the blow has changed the entire series, because after the Suns point guard was driven to the ground by Horry’s fore-arm, Suns forward Boris Diaw as well as Stodumire got up off the bench to protect their teammate. No big deal you say? Wrong. The NBA rule says that if you leave the bench, it’s an automatic suspension. I find this rule to be ridiculous, but since it is a rule, and since Diaw and Stodumire did leave the bench, they have to sit out for tonight’s game five. I can’t think of another game since the Bulls-Knicks early 1990’s rivalry the combined clutch physical play quite like this one. It will definitely be interesting to see how the rest of this series plays out. Hopefully some more games make the viewer just say, "Wow."
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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