Friday, 24th June 2005
Spurs dethrone the Pistons
Yesterday i got to watch the wonderful final game (game 7) in the NBA finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons. The game was very entertaining. Prior to the start of the series, i had expected a very evenly contested set of games. Contrary to my expectations, the first 4 games were totally lop-sided with the spurs winning the first couple and then playing the worst basketball ever seen in an NBA final series to loose the next two. The sequence of results would lead a suspicious viewer (especially one who has been subjected to his/her share of match fixing in sub continent cricket) to seriously doubt if there weren't some external hands playing a role in shaping match results. "Ignorance is bliss" is probably the best approach here.
Game 5 was undoubtedly the most entertaining one. One of the most unbelievable moments was during the final couple of seconds of normal time when the ever cool dependable former finals MVP Tim Duncan missed a bucket from point blank range. When the ball fell in duncan's hands with barely a couple of seconds left in the game, it was a forgone conclusion who would be the winner. But horror or horrors, Duncan missed to follo up his poor shooting during the recent couple of quarters and the game went into overtime. It was here that we saw what a great clutch time player Robert Horry is. His performance for the lakers during playoffs are well known, but here he certainly laid to rest all doubts about the credibility of those performance, by coming up with a performance that was MVP worthy.
Game 6 saw the pistons battle hard, especially considering that they were playing at the spurs den. And also the fact that "Lose and go home" would have been playing big on their minds, it is indeed commendable, the performance they came up with. Chauncey billups was rock solid and put in great numbers. The pistons team is the strongest team on paper. But the guy who really makes a difference to the team fortunes is 'Big Ben' (Ben Wallace). It is hard to find a player who deserves the best defender award more than him. His rock solid defence is not the one trick up his sleeve, as his thundering dunks would indicate.
With everything even at 3 games apiece and everything to play for in game 7, the excitement and tension of a game 7 were tangible. Ala cricket events back home, pre game shows start hours before the actual start of the game and i couldnt get enough of it. In a pressure cooker situation of game 7 of NBA finals, it comes down more to nerve than individual efforts on the court and this was visible in the team defense and overall approach to the game. A low scoring game was certainly not to be discounted.
With the spurs trailing at the end of halftime, it was time for the man 'Tim Duncan' to step up and spur ed on by the fans, step up he did in the third quarter. Helping along the way was my MVP for the series, the guy who can easily pass for a prince, whose adulation in his native country of Argentina is matched only by the football demi-god Maradonna. Yes i'm referring to Manu Ginobili, whose efforts throughout the season were rewarded with a maiden NBA trophy and he deserved all the accolades he got. The spurs managed to pull ahead mid way through the last quarter and held their nerve to keep the pistons at bay. Bruce bowen's rock solid defence came to the fore much to the chargin of rip (richard hamilton) and billups and he also hit a key jumper late in the final quarter. Reaffirming his status as the best player on the planet, Duncan came up big in the biggest game of his career as the Spurs found the resolve to dethrone the Detroit Pistons, 81-74, and win the championship.
From a personal perspective, this season was the first i was able to follow religiously. Back home in india, we were restricted to what ESPN-Star offered, mostly playoff games at inconvenient times (4:30 in the morning). But now, games start at 8-9PM, perfect time to relax after a long day. Being a close follower of 'King James' and his Cleveland Cavaliers, it was indeed very dissapointing to see their season end so disastrously. After being second in the conference midway through the league, their preformance dipped, heads rolled, shoulders sagged and they inconceivably found a way to not make the playoffs after tying with New Jersey Nets for the last playoff spot, but losing out to the nets on account of their higher head-head win ratio. Next season seems promising with wholesale changes at the top. The NBA draft to be held in a couple of days, will be very interesting for CAVS fans, who are waiting to see with bated breath, who will be Lebron's partner in crime in the Cavalier's attempt to finally make the playoffs. As always, all we can do is hope .. and pray.
Posted by Nikhil on Friday, 24th June 2005 in Sport | Fun | Events