FanPost

That 2014 Championship DVD...

Sucks.... as much as a Spurs championship DVD can, I guess. I knew it could never live up to the sweet, sweet memories of the last half year of my life but I expected more.

Allow me to explain.

I've been a fan of the Spurs for the last two decades of my life. This was the first time I had enough money floating around and connections to the wonderful city of San Antonio to be able to visit the AT&T Center. I live in Korea, originally from New Zealand. Knowing this was probably my last chance to see Tim and Manu, I packed my bags, kissed my fiancé on the cheek and flew halfway around the world for three games in March. I witnessed James getting punked, Orlando being slowly choked out and Portland learning a valuable lesson that they somehow forgot come playoff time. I spent ten days with incredible people who took this wandering stranger in without hesitation. A friend of a friend you say? Sure. We'll put him up. Does he like good food, great beer and small dogs? You bet! I like to think that my Spurs fandom rubbed off on my hosts a little because once we lost game 2 of the finals, they immediately bought ludicrously expensive tickets for game 5 and said one was mine! They even used their air miles to fly me back over for the championship game! Hart, Emily, Kelly and Tucker. I will forever hold you close to my heart! Sure enough my grandmother or grandfather, I can't remember which, became very ill and I had to take some time off from work. My fiancé whose birthday I would miss, gave me a kiss on the cheek this time and said she'd be watching. The next three days were the most stressful, exciting, blissful days of my life. I smelt like a badgers arse, crying like a Fisher and promising everyone in section 222 the first round was on me. I crumbled on the seats. I kissed the ground outside the stadium. I was an emotional wreck.

I know it sounds like I'm bragging, which I partly am, but I'm also trying to set the scene. For the next month and a half, I had watched every video I could find on youtube, every highlight, every moment I could whilst reliving the best time of my life. All the while waiting for my championship DVD to arrive in the mail. And its the biggest let down I've ever experienced.* It's basically a worse version of The beautiful game 1 & 2. Imitation editing, worse camera angles and an abysmal soundtrack. Or maybe it's just my imagination. Maybe it's exactly the same. The only difference being the emphatically dry Ahmad Rashad commentating throughout. It lacks any originality, any sense of conviction, any heart. The DVD feels like it was mailed in by the production crew. And the Extras!!!!! Two interviews with Duncan and Parker and two extremely short videos failing to completely encapsulate the Spurs Way and Spurs Teamwork. The championship DVDs between 2002-2007 had a bucket load of extras. From top ten plays, full fourth quarter replays, highlight packages of every player including special role players. Even a friggin' TMZ interview about Tony and Eva's relationship. Yeah, they were scraping the bottom of the barrel for that 2007 DVD but that's because it was the third DVD in five years! It's been SEVEN years since the last one. They should have loads of hidden gems in the vault. Hell, I wouldn't mind a video showing what went wrong each and every time over those failed seasons. Why didn't they include those mini finals game movies? You know the ones. The lazy copycat versions of the videos TRUEHOOP Tv had made up until game 4. Then the NBA forced them to cease and desist so they could steal their idea and make lesser quality carbon copies. Maybe it's a conspiracy. Are the NBA trying to tell us that we're boring again by giving us these DVD duds? Am I just over-reacting? Do I need to punch somebody? I'm definitely going to have to put away this unused Kleenex and Lotion before my missus gets back from work. Stuff it. I'm getting back on YouTube.

*not including the 2013 finals

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