I sat in my living room watching the final seconds of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The
San Antonio Spurs were up five, and the
Phoenix Suns were on the brink of elimination. Manu Ginobili stood at the free throw line
looking to put the game away and secure his teams place in the NBA finals.
Six point lead. Seven point lead.
Meanwhile, the Suns bench stood in unison urging their teammates on the court for one last attempt to save their season. The fans?
Many of them were filing out looking to beat the mad rush of traffic in the parking lot. Others stayed in their seats with their fingers
crossed. After a missed 17 footer and foul by Phoenix, the Spurs shot two more free throws.
Eight point lead. Nine point lead.
Suddenly the glimmer of hope began to fade. Reality had set it in, and the Suns were headed for vacation. As the final buzzer
sounded and the two teams embraced, Suns fans stood in applause to give ovation to a team that won the most games in team history. They
stood to give thanks for a wonderful and exciting season.
The Suns were a great (I repeat great) offensive basketball team this season. They scored upwards of 110 points on a nightly basis,
out scoring their opponents into submission. If you blinked an eye, the Suns would take advantage. They shot more threes this season than
any other team. Their floor general Steve Nash was named league MVP. Amare Stoudamire averaged over 30 points and had a breakout series
against one of the best defenders on the planet. Needless to say, the Suns had a storied season.
But none of that matters now.
What matters is that the Spurs were that much better. The Spurs matched the Suns' up and down running game. They attacked the
basket just as much as the Suns. Their big time players stepped it up when it mattered. Tim Duncan was just as good if not better than
Stoudamire. Tony Parker was just as good if not better than Nash. So what was the difference in the series?
In a word, defense.
I'll say it again.
Defense.
In all caps now...
DEFENSE!
The Suns were able to rekindle a fire in Phoenix this season that never seemed to go out. The Suns have always remained a
respectable franchise, but after a dismal season two years ago with prima donna players like Stephon Marbury and
Penny Hardaway as the focal point of the team, Suns fans were happy for a
change. And what a change it was.
It started with the signing of Nash and three point shooter Quentin Richardson. Combine them with Stoudamire, Shawn Marion,
Joe Johnson, and a head coach with a European attitude, and the Suns were primed for a great season. They started out of the gates this
season running. And then they ran some more. And just when you thought they would settle down, they would run again. By the time you had a
chance to catch your breath, the Suns were up 20 points and on their way to another victory. Scoring 115 points on a nightly basis was
nothing new to this new Suns squad. If you didn't bring your "A" game, the Suns would run you out of the gym. The Suns won a franchise high
62 wins in the regular season.
And the fans couldn't have been happier. They were atop of the NBA and looked like a juggernaut that couldn't be stopped. Fans sold
out the American West Arena every night looking to get a glimpse of the Suns and their entertaining display of basketball. Bandwagon fans
from all over the country began sporting Stoudamire jerseys. The media picked up on Nash's leadership on the floor and the Suns quick
turnaround, and he became the humble favorite for league MVP. They were the most talked about basketball team of the season.
And with good reason. They were fun to watch and a nightmare to play against. When the playoffs rolled around and they swept an up
and coming
Memphis Grizzles team, fans began to wonder if any team could stop the Suns. Dallas was next to
fall prey to the run and gun offense as the Suns took a deeper Mavericks team and ran them back to Texas. Eight more wins and the Suns
would finally have that coveted title. Only one problem.
They had to play the Spurs.
The Spurs are everything that's right with the NBA, and the game of basketball as a whole. They are disciplined and hard nosed,
never giving an inch on the court. Going into the series, many wondered if the Spurs would keep up with the Suns. They'd run every other
opponent off the court. Would the Spurs suffer the same fate?
With young players like Ginobili and Parker, however, the Spurs were able to keep up with the Suns pace. They matched the Suns
shot for shot. Only they didn't rely solely on their offense. The Spurs made sure that they played two way basketball. They made sure that
not only were they solid offensively, but that they got the necessary stops defensively. No lay-ups. No dunks. No uncontested shots. That
has always been the Spurs philosophy under head coach Gregg Popovich, and they never wavered.
As the Suns struggled to find the same rhythm that carried them in the regular season and through the first two rounds of the
playoffs, the Spurs were busy making plays and getting stops, forcing the Suns out of their element. The Suns no longer had the open looks
from three point land. They no longer had the ability to get out on the break. They could no longer rely on their offensive game to run a
team off the court.
Meanwhile, the Spurs were in rare form. Timely pick and rolls. Open three pointers. Clear drives through the lane without
resistance. The Suns weren't playing defense and the Spurs were taking advantage. This time, the Suns needed to catch their breath. And by
the time they did, the Spurs were up 3-0 in the series.
To the Suns credit, they didn't lie down. They went into a hostile Spurs arena for game 4, and played like they've never played
before. Suddenly the Suns were picking up on the notion of defense and began using their quickness to stop the Spurs. Suddenly the Suns
were trying to play two way basketball. They won game 4 off of a great defensive play by Stoudamire, and believed the momentum had shifted.
But it was too little too late.
The Spurs had already beaten and battered the Suns. Only their heart remained, and in game 5, the Spurs again put the defensive
clamps on the Suns shooters and ripped out their heart. Nash and Stoudamire tried to stop the bleeding, but by the final buzzer, the Suns
were defeated both physically and emotionally. But the fans remained. And they applauded. They enjoyed their entertaining basketball. They
loved their run and gun style of basketball.
The Spurs? They were on their way to the NBA finals for the second time in three years.
And that's the point. It doesn't matter how many points you score. It doesn't matter how fun and entertaining you play. It doesn't
even matter if the fans like you. The only thing that matters is winning.
Fans around the league loved to watch the Suns because they were fun to watch. They viewed the Spurs as boring and uneventful. But
the Spurs could care less. They know that true basketball fans see the passion and poetry in their play. They know that it doesn't matter
how you play, but that you get the victory. And maybe that's why we don't see too many Spurs jersey's floating around through the crowd.
Maybe that why the Spurs never get the respect that they rightfully deserve. Fans love offense, not defense. But at the end of the day,
it's about winning.
