LeBron calls Spurs a dynasty, Popovich says no
San Antonio clinches fourth title in nine years by winning Thursday night
 Eric Gay / AP | Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says talk about a dynasty is “psycho babble.” |
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CLEVELAND - As far as Spurs forward Michael Finley is concerned, the last great dynasty had its run on TV.
Before San Antonio won Thursday night for it's fourth NBA title since 1999 and its third championship in five years, Finley was asked what he thought of when he heard the word “dynasty.”
“Blake Carrington,” Finley quipped.
Finley was referring to the central character on “Dynasty,” the popular 1980s drama series — one that drew sky-high ratings ABC can only wish it get with this year’s mostly unwatchable NBA finals.
Not only has San Antonio become the eighth team to sweep a finals, but the Spurs have now joined the Boston Celtics (16), Los Angeles Lakers (14) and Chicago Bulls (6) as the only franchises to win four.
Their remarkable consistency in this age of free agency had talk of a dynasty being kicked around the court inside Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday as the Spurs practiced for the final time this season.
“They have a dynasty already at work,” said LeBron James, whose second son, Bryce Maximus James, was born early Thursday morning. “They don’t have the greatest athletes in the world, they don’t have the greatest shooters in the world, but they probably have the greatest team in the world.
“And that’s what this sport is all about. It’s not about an individual. It’s not like tennis. It’s not like golf. You have to have one unit.”
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“That’s all psycho babble,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, using one of his favorite expressions to downplay the notion. “When I think of dynasties, two come to my mind real quick — UCLA and Bill Russell. Everything else is just talk.”
Let’s talk about the Spurs’ run for a second.
Beginning with their 1999 title, they’ve qualified for the playoffs every season — no given out West — made it to the semifinals eight times and advanced to the conference finals on five occasions. They are 4-0 in the NBA Finals.
Los Angeles’ three straight championships from 2000-02 are sandwiched by the Spurs, who also won it all in 2005.
“They’ve become the class of this league, there’s no question about it,” said Utah guard Derek Fisher, whose Jazz team lost to the Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
Fisher was a key member on those Lakers teams led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and although it’s tough for him to admit it, Fisher feels what the Spurs have accomplished has eclipsed what he and his teammates did.
“I hate to say it,” Fisher began, “but they’re probably surpassing us, to be honest. We had that great four-to-five-year period, but you have to kind of look at the Bulls and the Celtics and the Lakers teams of the 80s that dominated an entire period.
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Tracing the Spurs’ path to prominence leads to one point: the 1997 NBA draft lottery, when the club won the rights to draft center Tim Duncan, their unappreciated star and perhaps the greatest power forward ever.
Duncan has been the foundation around which the Spurs have built their empire, one that has been raised through savvy business decisions, adept international scouting and a family oriented philosophy laid out by owner Peter Holt and implemented by general manager R.C. Buford.
The Spurs went overseas to find All-Star Tony Parker, their Road Runner of a point guard, as well as super sub Manu Ginobili and starting center Fabricio Oberto, who are both from Argentina.
San Antonio has also been able to lure free agents such as Brent Barry, Michael Finley and Robert Horry, valuable role players who joined the club with hopes of winning an NBA ring, or in Horry’s case, a seventh one.
“The Spurs are, a lot of times, not really appreciated because I don’t think people really fully realize how difficult this is to do,” Fisher said. “So you have to give them and their owner and coach Popovich and their players all the credit in the world.”
Finley spent eight seasons with Dallas, but it took him heading south in Texas to land in his first finals. The 12-year veteran remembers marveling at the Spurs’ consistency while he was with the Mavericks.
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NBA teams are no different than those in the NFL, where the best ideas and brightest talents elsewhere are either borrowed or stolen.
Thus, the Cleveantonio Spurvaliers.
The Cavaliers’ first visit to the finals in 37 years has been orchestrated by former Spurs. GM Danny Ferry played four seasons in San Antonio and spent two others as their director of basketball operations. Assistant GM Lance Blanks won two titles in San Antonio’s front office and coach Mike Brown was an assistant under Popovich for three years.
Both were hired by Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert, a Detroit native and longtime Pistons fan, who began remaking the Cavs in San Antonio’s likeness after the Spurs beat his former favorite team in the 2005 finals.
“When you want to be the best, you want to try to mirror image the best,” James said, “and they’re definitely the best team in our league at this point in time. You want to try to do exactly what they do.”
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