Spurs Means Playoffs #1

Pragmatism? Eat it!

Tomorrow we're going to play our first game of the 2009 NBA playoffs. How nervous I am? Like this guy at his best friend's wedding, that's how nervous I am. I wasn't feeling like this not two days ago: the exciting finish versus New Orleans had left me in high spirits, knowing we'd ended up with the best possible outcome to this playoff debacle. Yup, I was feeling pu-reety good about myself.

Then I started Firefox, and checked the Interwebs. Oh boy.

Hollinger had us losing in six, contradicting his own beloved number-crunching. You know how terrifying that is? Hollinger, picking against the odds. Yahoo, ESPN, SI - just about every sports writer I respected had the Mavs winning in fewer than 7 games. So I checked SpursTalk - lo and behold, the main writer and owner, Mr. timvp, had us losing in 6, too. And he even had what seemed like facts and thoughtful analysis to back up his prediction. Instantly I distrusted his logic - I don't do rational.

I quickly escaped to my sanctuary in this World Wide Net, Pounding the Rock. Sweet PTR, my version of Cheers in the Spurs fandom microcosm. Where everybody mocks my name. Aaah, the home of the good guys, the merry, the bad, the ugly, the ridiculous. I clicked on the hammer icon - and entered the Land of Shadows. The realistic unwashes masses had taken to the streets, and dozens of posts proclaiming our doom met me - first and foremost, of course, our very own Stampler's post, who in 700 words managed to depress me and anger the entire German nation. Or maybe just a few idiots, whatever.

I decided right then and there to create my very own bubble of illogical, irrational, unreasonable, incoherent, visceral non-reality, my little hideaway beneath the waves. Because this team doesn't exist in a vacuum, and when people talk about their age I can help but think of the flip side of that doubloon: we've been places, done things, got the T-shirts. This team, those folks in black and white, have history backing them up. Even if, FSM forbid, they're swept by the Mavericks, that momentum will still carry them to instant relevance next season, and we'll jump right back into the fray fighting with the best teams of this league tooth and nail. That's the Spurs.

In that spirits I plan to write a FanPost every couple of days featuring one of those playoffs moments in Spurs history that will forever bring a smile to our lips, those memories we'll cherish forever. The first one that popped into my mind when I decided to write this post was -to the surprise of no one, I imagine- "Big Shot" Rob (the original, accept no imitations until said imitation wins a ring for us) and his performance for the ages at Detroit in game 5 of the NBA Finals.

'Sheed, a true Spurs hero

What didn't Rob do for us that night? He came from nowhere and simply took over a game. It's probably the most unexpected and clutch performance from a Spurs player in the Big Three era in the playoffs, and that's saying a lot (the only one that comes close, I think, is Duncan's near quadruple double). Do you all remember that it was a double OT win? And that we were tied 2-2, after two horrible loses at Detroit? Do you recall that Horry scored 21 points in the 4th quarter and OT, including the game-winning 3 with 6 seconds on the clock? What about the Piston's 63-19 record at home in the last two regular seasons?

Any numbers I can copy here won't do it justice. You have the memory in your minds, and that's more than any stat I could mention. It happened, folks. These Spurs did that.

Now I was trying to find a way to end this on a high note. Now, if this were my blog I'd be pasting a picture of a dunking cheerleader, just because - or maybe the classic picture of the cheerleader hanging upside down through the hoop. You all know which one. Unfortunately, the guidelines won't let me, so I was forced to look for an alternative. This is what I found:

"Gimme a 'go' for lunch!"

Remember, friends: at least we're not the Suns.