FanPost

An Appreciation for the San Antonio Spurs

I love the San Antonio Spurs. Oddly enough, I'm not really a fan of the NBA (iso-ball and vanilla offenses, meh), but the Spurs take front and center of my sports life. Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker are my favorite players, and have been since I started watching the NBA playoffs in 2003, despite some railing against Tony some years, an attribute I may share with you Pounders. By the way, I take it back Tony! Please don't steal my girlfriend with your fancy leather veste.

My appreciation began in the 2003 playoffs, like I said, with dominating defense and smooth, sexy footwork. Tim Duncan absolutely mesmerized me with the meticulous offense, cool-as-hell demeanor, and utterly brilliant defense. I pride myself in watching a lot of basketball, but I have never seen anyone dictate as many possessions as he does. I still sit in awe in how he changes so many shots and puts himself in the right position almost every play as easy as he breathes. Angles, close-outs, and positioning are something that few talk about, but Timmy's mastery of seemingly simple yet deceptively difficult concepts that are the reason he is the epitome of a fundamental player to me, not his bank shots and entertaining (yes it's entertaining, dammit!) chess moves as a post-up player. He is the standard of which every player should be and to kids growing up everywhere not only for his ability as a basketball player, but as a role model for how to be a teammate and a great human being.

Manu Ginobili. As a left handed slasher/shooter in high school, I can honestly attribute every bit of my game to this man. I realize that high school isn't a huge barometer of skill or pride, but I was a two time All-State player in Texas due to examining this man's game. Fascinating in how he can effect the game with pure, chaotic basketball. Words have been spilt in the thousands over examining SuperManus's game, so I'll keep it short and sweet. I feel like the greatest compliment to a player is to model everything, from the herky-jerky movements to the Euro-step (which, I gotta say is the greatest thing I've ever learned) . Without a doubt my favorite player ever to play, except for a few days after he fouled Dirk. Damn you, Dirk. Damn. You.

Tony Parker. Well, he's obviously the least loved of the Big Three, but we can all agree that he's a huge reason why we're the best team in the league right now. His array of spin moves, silky crossovers and impressive court vision are the reason why he's the best poing guard in the league right now. I'm not going to rant about the lack of coverage and biased media, but I was thinking that the total destruction of the Clippers by the Spurs last year changed the awareness of country about how close he and Paul were. I actually believe it's not even that close. Parker's ability to run an offense and close out ability should be absolutely terrifying to any team that the Spurs play in the playoffs. As we drive for five, trust me, the country will be buzzing about him. He's a true superstar now, and my third spot on the MVP race, which ain't over!

I just wanted to write a bit and introduce myself to you guys. My name is Noah Jackson and I currently attend Texas A&M University. I've sparingly blogged a bit on some game threads but I've wanted to mix with you guys and be more active, considering that I've been reading the blog since 2010. I know the Lexicon by heart, I'm not as funny as you guys (but I'll try my damndest), and I love the Spurs unconditionally. I apologize if I've bored you by writing exactly what you guys have probably said thousands of times, but consider this my full introduction, and I'll be much more active with some of my FanPosts that I have planned.


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