This is where we immortalize the phrases that deserve to be forever remembered by Spurs fans around the world. Some feature quotes from Spurs players and coaches, many are from PoundingtheRock's own users -- both the shenanigans and the sublime - but hopefully they will all be worth reading and rereading.
The newest ones are at the very bottom of the page, so if you're in a thread and you see my standard "randomspursfan2010, please check out the Quotes page which has been updated to reflect your recent awesomeness." then you'll know where to look.
This page is updated regularly. If you have any suggestions, send them my way.
- J.R. Wilco
(Hat tip to ShamSports for some of these. Check out his NBA quotes page.)
SPURS QUOTES
"This is not the real NBA. Trust me, I've been around a few places, know a lot of guys, and this is not the real NBA. The Spurs do a great job, probably as well as any team in the league, at bringing in the right type of people because not everybody can mentally handle it, not everybody can put enough of themselves down to say, ‘Hey, it's what's best for the team."
Richard Jefferson, about the Spurs culture in this excellent profile on Kawhi Leonard.
"The least profitable death pool in history might be the one that aims to predict the demise of the San Antonio Spurs."
Kevin Arnovitz, about the Spurs' 10 game winning streak in the middle of the compressed season of 2011-2012
"It's funny, isn't it?" Ginobili said with a grin. "All those years when I was younger, they were so worried about controlling my minutes. When I was 27, I was only playing 27 minutes. Now that I'm over 30, my minutes are over, too. What is Pop saying to me?
Manu Ginobili, about the changes during the 2010-11 regular season
"Can the Frenchman come in?"
Gregg Popovich, to President George W. Bush, regarding Tony Parker, when the Spurs visited the White House.
"Now, if a player does not have an altercation on or off the court once each month, we fine him. I've tried to get this into the press, but people won't pay attention. And, the guys who are our top four scorers, each of them will be required once every two months to appear on MTV. And the guys who shoot the worst free throws over a one-month period, the next time we have a TV game, they are required to look into the camera and beat their chests after they make a good play. I think then we will have a little bit different reputation."
Gregg Popovich.
"I don't bet. How about a hamburger?"
Dick Bavetta, in response to Tim Duncan after Duncan offered to bet him money that he missed a call.
"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best."
Tim Duncan
"The time when there is no one there to feel sorry for you or to cheer for you is when a player is made."
Tim Duncan
"It was my feeble attempt to steal the spotlight from Sean Elliott. Everybody was saying, 'Sean's retiring, his jersey is in the rafters, he's a great guy...' I honestly felt left out. So I felt at some point, I should do something to refocus...on me."
Tim Duncan, on injuring his ankle during Sean Elliott night in San Antonio
"If you think Tony Parker is better than Manu Ginobili, you need to stop drinking before you come in here."
Charles Barkley, to Kenny Smith.
"Nothing. I was confused for two years. I didn't understand anything and I'm still confused."
Gregg Popovich, on what he learned in his two years as an assistant to Don Nelson.
"When Boston and Orlando told me they were going to pick me at 21 and 22, I figured I don't need to do a workout for a second -round team. Boston and Orlando never drafted me because they said I was too skinny and no European point guard will make it in the League."
Tony Parker.
Reporter: "After his slow first half, what made you think that he could spur you starting in the third quarter?"
Gregg Popovich: "He's Manu Ginobili."
[LINK]
"Yeah, that's a no-brainer. If someone is your favorite player, you ought to extend him, whether he can play or not."
Gregg Popovich, after Hill was extended.
"When you can't dunk anymore, you have to find a way to make it into the news. So that's what I did. I grabbed a bat. I didn’t think it was a big deal."
Manu Ginobili, after swatting a bat in Halloween.
"Sandwiches are my bread and butter."
Matt Bonner
"I know. I hate 'em all."
Gregg Popovich, when it was pointed out that the Spurs have some tweeters in their locker room.
"It makes a lot of sense. I think that any team that can get in night before a back-to-back, go to bed at 4 or 4:30 in the morning, then play at 6 the next day, I think that’s a good thing. I think more of us should do that. Really puts a good product out on the floor."
Gregg Popovich, when asked for his take on a schedule that had the Spurs tipping off in New York less than 24 hours after the start of their game in Milwaukee.
"These are the only two times I've been in the women's locker room. As far as I know.""
Matt Bonner, while changing in a stall belonging to a senior outfielder named Jennifer Glueckert after playing a pre-season game in Indiana's legendary Assembly Hall.
"...nothing gives a better first impression then clean sneakers."
Roger Mason's ffashion tip of the day, 11/23/2009. Via Twitter
"I’ve been willing to play point guard for about 12 years now. I might finally get my chance."
Tim Duncan after George Hill went down with a sprained ankle leading up to the 2010 playoffs.
""Keep speaking of my age, insects. I am the mountain. I am the tides.""
Garbagetime AllStars, putting words to Tim Duncan's play, with one of their classic game recaps.
"I just wanted him to know that you might be an NBA All-Star and the MVP, but I won’t back down from anybody."
-George Hill about this.
"The under-sized but powerful DeJuan Blair (17 points, 15 rebounds) attacked the basket as though he was eight-feet tall and Gasol and Odom were made of straw."
Charley Rosen,about the 12/28/10 game against LA.
"You know something coach? The NBA can do a lot for me. It really can. But there's one thing it can't do. The NBA can never make me 20 years old again."
Tim Duncan, to his coach at Wake Forest, Dave Odom, in this awesome Joe Posnanski story.
MANU QUOTES
"Ginobili obviously killed us. We put three different guys on him and no one could stop him."
— Magic coach Stan Van Gundy
"It was unbelievable, there's nothing you can do when a guy gets hot like that. He shot step-back 3s. He shot pull-up 3s. It was a great performance by Manu."
— LeBron James
"That's a bad man."
— Kobe Bryant in Doin' Work
"Don't you just love this guy?!?"
— Jeff Van Gundy
"Manu Ginobili's a bad boy!"
— Mike Brown, Cavs coach.
"I would pay to watch Ginobili play."
— Jeff Van Gundy
"He plays every possession like it's the last play in the Game 7 of the NBA Finals"
— Mike Breen on ESPN
"Ginobili was the NBA’s most accurate shooter in the final five minutes of undecided games last year. Funny we don’t see or hear much about buzzer-beaters from the Argentinian. I think that says a lot about how he and the Spurs can close out games."
— Forbes Magazine
"He single-handedly was the will of the game."
— Doc Rivers
"The data essentially broke down the floor into many discrete zones and calculated the odds of Kobe Bryant making shots from different places on the court, under different degrees of defensive pressure, in different relationships to other players — how well he scored off screens, off pick-and-rolls, off catch-and-shoots and so on. Shane Battier learns a lot from studying the data on the superstars he is usually assigned to guard . . . The San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginóbili is a statistical freak: he has no imbalance whatsoever in his game: there is no one way to play him that is better than another. He is equally efficient both off the dribble and off the pass, going left and right and from any spot on the floor"
— Michael Lewis in New York Times
"Ginobili is a different species. He’s the first international player who brings athletic explosiveness to the equation. He can attack the rim, but what strikes me is that he’s such a great defensive player." —Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle
"You can hit him in the first quarter or the fourth quarter. It don’t matter. Not him. That kid ain’t stopping." — Kenyon Martin
"What he does, when someone bodies him or puts an arm on his head, his head always flops. So then his hair goes wild, and it looks like someone just murdered him."
— Ray Allen
"He's one of those guys, who, at age 50, won't be able to walk."
— Nate McMillan
"He’s a very confident player, such a great shooter from outside. He’s so quick with this first step in getting past you. He takes charges and gets his hands on a lot of basketballs. He has led his team to the gold medal, so you don’t have any higher standards than he has had"
— Jim O’Brien, Former NBA head coach
"I love Manu. He makes the game difficult to play. He makes the game difficult to defend. He makes it difficult to referee. You want him on your side."
— George Karl, Nuggets head coach
"That's superhero. It's amazing." -
— Scott Brooks, Thunder head coach, on Manu's block of Kevin Durant
"All clean, I can't take credit away from him, he made a great block. When I was at the rim, he just met me there, his hand was inside the rim and he got it."
— Kevin Durant
"Manu is Manu."
— Tim Duncan
"He can hit leaning, running, one-handed, fading mid-court shots as the clock expires. And he could do it for the win, he could do it in a preseason game. He could do it in summer league. Manu’s a machine, and I’m glad I get to watch the end of his career with an appreciation for a guy that is as singularly unique in style, performance, and ability as anyone in league history."
— Matt Moore: Hardwood Paroxysm
"He's El Contusion." — Gregg Popovich
— Brent Barry
"Whose step-backs are more impulsive and venomous? Whose change-of-direction dribbles and dives through the defense are more fearless and fruitful? Who knows how to get to the line more frequently and is less thrown off by atmospheric pressure? Whose willingness to take charges results in sacrificing especially vital parts? Aside from Kobe, who has swished more critical shots? Other than Wade, there's not another guard I'd rather ogle on both sides of the ball, or crave more."
— Peter Vecsey: NY Post
"He's Manu Ginobili."
— Gregg Popovich
"I'm almost sure, in another life, Manu and D-Wade, they could have been football players. They could have been defensive backs. Because of their speed and their quickness and they're not afraid of contact, so they attack the rim."
— Alonzo Mourning
"G I N O B I L I !!!!"
— Charles Barkley
"For all of Manu Ginobili's strengths, perhaps no attribute is more significant than his indelible sense of the moment and ability to take full control of it."
— 48MoH
"He does the same things Michael did, he does the same things Kobe does."
— Gregg Popovich
"Manu's, he's just such a competitor. If you told him you were going to sign him to a gazillion bucks or if you had no interest in him coming back again, he'd play the same way. It really wouldn't affect him a bit."
— Gregg Popovich
"I knew he was great, but you don’t fully understand how amazing he is day in and day out until you really play with him...He's one of the greatest players I've ever played with."
— Richard Jefferson
"I think people tend to forget how good he really is."
— Antonio McDyess
"He carried them tonight. It didn't matter who was on him."
— Matt Barnes
The thing is that the more you examine Manu’s career, the better he becomes. In fact, Manu may be the most underrated, there’s that word again, player of our generation."
— Adam Sweeney Slam Magazine
"Manu Ginobili is just a baller dude."
— Lisa Leslie
"That was amazing, the legend continues with Manu. Unbelievable. ... He's always doing crazy stuff."
— Tony Parker on Manu swatting a bat out of mid-air
"Never bet against Manu: he’s 90% dark energy, 5% dark matter and 5% human.
Damn, they proved it in some obscure NASA lab!"
Nick (Italy) on Hardwood Paroxysm, discussing his running 30ft bank shot to end the 3rd against the Celts in 2010.
[LINK]
POUNDING THE ROCK QUOTES
"Jeff McDonald confusing Blair for a mere mortal after Blair bruised his tailbone in a play. Of course, Jeff doesn't yet realize that Blair's body has already absorbed the tailbone and it no longer exists."
the little o
[LINK]
"ACLs are like crutches. They’re only for the weaklings who can’t get along without them."
jollyrogerwilco
[LINK]
"Pop’s beard is out somewhere coaching a mid-major college basketball team."
Hirschof, after Popovich shaved his beard.
[LINK]
"Congratulations Mavericks, your 2009 First Round Champions. Hang that banner with pride."
SinCitySpur, after Dallas beat the Spurs in the first round of the 2009 playoffs
[LINK]
"Did the Mavs unroll their "2009 First Round Champions" banner?"
SinCitySpur, 2009-2010 Season Opening Night Loser Thread
[LINK]
"...the Spurs are like Goldilocks, not too hot, not too cold, need it just right."
Artis Gilmore, About the Spurs' tendency to lose with no rest while also struggling after too many days off.
[LINK]
"Rorschach’s Journal Before Game 3, Finals, 2007: Cavalier carcass at shoot-around this morning, sneaker tread on the back of a bald head. This league is afraid of me. I have seen its true face. The courts are extended gutters and the gutters are full of Gatorage and when the drains finally crust over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their hacking and flagrant fouls will foam up about their waists and all the cheerleaders and refs will look up and shout "Pass the ball!"… and I’ll whisper "no.""
jollyrogerwilco, in Rand's epic WatchSpurs fanpost
[LINK]
"Pop should slap RJ and force him to write checks to Blair."
Hirschof, after others compared Richard Jefferson's salary to his production.
[LINK]
"Jason Terry’s as classy as a road side bomb."
Cedarpark, after Terry tripped Hill in the Jan 8, 2010 game.
[LINK]
"And I hate the Lakers. And I hate Kobe. But disks bulge and that’s what brings us together as humans."
Cedarpark, after Kobe left the Jan 12, 2010 game after the 3rd quarter.
[LINK]
Wayne: Hey, Pop. I’m Wayne Vore, formerly AusTecSpur, from the internet’s "Pounding the Rock." I have a couple deep philosophical questions for you.
Pop: Do what?
Wayne: You know, ‘pounding the rock,’ like the famous quote you use to motivate your players.
Pop: (silence)
Wayne: Tell me and my readers about defense.
Pop: (to the masses gathered) This is why I hate the internet and its ability to elevate absolutely anyone.
(Pop closes out the interview by staring at the crowd, then calmly lurching and ripping Buck Harvey’s spine out and beating him with it, before slowly walking away.)
SiMA, imagining a conversation between WVATS and The Extraneous G during a pre-game press conference.
[LINK]
"Poison! An unusual choice, sir! And I applaud your resistance to gun violence!"
Lauri, replying to Hipuks' response to JRW's impromptu Aquaman fan-fic featuring FishBoy.
[LINK] (for the beginning of the thread, go here)
"No, I can not drain the three. No, I won't get tough on D."
Hirschof, giving a Dr. Seuss-type synopsis for thumbring's ARGENTINE-style rant about RJ.
[LINK]
"He outplayed, outhustled and outshot the Nuggs. They responded with some cheap fouls. Manu responded by further breaking their basketball spirit. He’s the kind of player that would’ve gotten those Denver teams out of the first round and they envy him. Their booing is the music of admiration."
SpurredOn, using the events of the '05 and '07 playoffs to explain why Denver's fans hate Manu.
[LINK]
"DeJuan Blair on 3 hours of sleep is still better than 99.9% of the world. He probably woke up with 5 rebounds, 2 of them offensive."
Dime Mag, after DeBeast's 23 and 20 performance in the Rookie-Sophomore game.
[LINK]
§[Note from the editor. This next quote from the spring of 2009 requires some backstory.
SiMA had been notably absent (in the stretch run between the Rodeo Road Trip and the playoffs, no less) and made his return by replying to a stoked-for-the-playoffs fanpost by CMoney (who had previously suggested that it was time to trade Manu).
To begin at the beginning of the thread that sets up this quote, start at a quip by SiMA here, which spawns virtually all of this post's 148 comments. Those who always skip prefaces and introductions should begin here. For those who prefer to fast forward to the part where stuff starts blowing up, begin at CMoney's comment mocking SiMA turning his fiancee into a Spurs fan here. For those who want to cut to the chase, start at CMoney posting an email supposedly from SiMA here. For those who don't follow links, the following quote is SiMA's reply.]
Presented from CMoney’s email to me on 04/17/09:
"I can’t even describe how much I’ve missed you on PtR. Your wit and brilliance is a constant reminder of what an individual can accomplish when not so addicted to black tar heroin and Asian hookers. You’re an inspiration to me, and my meager existence has held little joy without your daily updates and comments about all things. I miss your smell. I miss your musk. I think when this is over, we should get an apartment together. Why just yesterday, after an afternoon of hanging from a helicopter and filming the dynamic photosynthesis of deciduous trees, I returned home eager to partake of your basketball IQ shared with the worldwide masses; and was crest-fallen upon realizing that you’ve been gone. And so you’re aware, it really hurt my feelings when you so abjectly scorned my email, when I only sent it because I’m lost…..confused……. and really needing the affirmation of a trusted male authority figure. Maybe upon knowing about my hurt feelings you can empathize with them.
Regarding the Manu trade talk, I don’t know what to say. I still cannot believe that I ever wrote that ridiculously stupid and short-sided piece. I can only apologize profusely, and attribute my poor fanship to my vices (see: black tar heroin above). I was only trying to stir up debate and get under others’ skins, a la JRW. But my skills are weak, and I’m slowly realizing this. In fact, they’re weak sauce. Please forgive me, and come back to comment and write for PtR."
SiMA, posting "CMoney's email".
[LINK]
"...the whole "Duncan is boring" argument is so effing tautological. No, he’s not boring. He’s unknown. Because you never feature him. Can he be charming and funny? Of course he can. Is he a fighter and a champion? You best believe it, and if you don’t, look up. See those banners? And the emotion he shows on the court is that much more powerful for being rare. You can promote that, you capitalist a-holes, if the money that promotion brings is really all that matters to you about this game. You can promote anything if you come at it from the right angle. But you’re lazy, NBA suits, and you like to keep the public lazy, and you take the path of least resistance — entertainment over enlightenment."
Lauri, about THE MAN's inability to appreciate Timmeh.
[LINK]
"The thing about Pop’s madcap rotations is you don’t [know] if a player is held out because of a possible trade or just because there’s a crescent moon."
doggydogworld, about GOML's confusing substitution patterns.
[LINK]
"We were meant for each other, Capizzle. Only your impending death due to old age stands between us."
Hipuks, to CapHill about witty banter, Cap's genius, and their star-crossed births.
[LINK]
"It’s Theo Ratliff, everyone. THEO RATLIFF!! T-H-E-O R-A-T-L-I-F-F. Am I missing something? Was this the second coming of Russell, a shot-blocking dynamo, an offensive OR defensive threat in any way? I realize that he was really good at being tall and we needed someone with those skills, but every time I log on it seems like somebody I’ve never heard of is treating the trade as though we swapped Mikan for a humidifier."
SiMA, about the Theo Ratliff trade/salary dump
[LINK]
"No MA-nu? No RE-nu"
janieannie's message to The Spurs organization as a season ticket holder
[LINK]
"El Ghostown?"
SiMA, to Las Espuelas about the best term to use for someone who engages in abusive speech.
[LINK]
I am not saying you are not a good fan, will say in MY OPINION a true fan wouldn’t be ready to pull the plug. What purpose does it serve to expect everyone else on this site to deal with someone only spewing negativity then daring anyone else to respond. Maybe it lets you release all of that angst so you don’t fight with your wife ?
Who knows, but on the off chance you do happen to be a troll, then grow your hair out, dye it bright green or pink, tease it so it stands straight up, take a picture and use it for your pic. That way we’ll know."
Mrs Smith, bringing clarity in the aftermath of GhosTown
[LINK]
"I can’t recommend the flying monkeys highly enough."
Lauri
[LINK]
"I’m just basking in the glow of his Manu-ness."
WillyD, about the OKC game with the Durant block.
[LINK]
"I didn’t think it was important for the whole blog to know you are related to the Dumas family."
bellasa, retaliating for WVATS's threat to post the texts she had sent him.
[LINK]
"manu’s friends are championships."
the little o, arguing about what's dearest to The Chemist's heart: teammates or rings.
[LINK]
"Nicknames like "Answer", "Agent 0", "Franchise" or "Starbury" seem to correlate with low general IQ, while any nickname with the word "Admiral" or "Fundamental" in it predicts a Hall of Fame career."
Kondor's take on the relationship of nicknames to intelligence.
[LINK]
"For God so loved the Spurs that he gave his one and only Manu, that whoever believes in him shall not be a lottery team but have championship rings."
Manu ex Machina, being thankful for what we've been given.
[LINK]
"Oh, like I haven’t heard that before. "You’re being paranoid, Q;" "they aren’t talking about you, Q;" "put the bat away, Q;" "take a deep breath and relax—stop looking at me like that, Q, I’m just trying to help;" "c’mon, you probably just imagined that—really, I don’t think that person dislikes you at all;" "please, Q, just—just have a drink, okay?"
Whatever."
Queness, giving us a glimpse into a mind that defies explanation.
[LINK]
"Can Pop create a rock so big He cannot lift it? Not sure, but Mason can surely throw it at the rim."
Hipuks, answering unanswerable questions
"I’m no basketball expert. Just a fan who doesn’t have 20-20 vision but refuses to wear his eyeglasses because he’s still in denial that his eyesight has gotten blurry."
silverandblack_davis, admitting that he's vain.
[LINK]
"Vanity, thy nickname is Davis."
LatinD, about the above quote.
[LINK]
"It’s like premature championship ejaculation."
0signal, about the Mavericks fans celebrating a game in which the Spurs starters did not play.
[LINK]
"Whoops, I typed "gist" instead of "gift." Must have been a Freudian Splitter."
Manu ex Machina, being clever about a typo.
[LINK]
"But there are those games—and this was one of them—when you can feel the arena contracting around him, when everyone on the team coalesces around him, and he becomes the great, calm, implacable, unstoppable neutron bomb of roundball."
Lauri, about Duncan's performance in the 4th quarter of Game 2 against Dallas in 2010.
[LINK]
"Pop and RC are all poker faces and smoke and mirrors."
BlaseE, in reference to the Spurs' pursuit of Tiago Splitter.
[LINK]
"The bangin’, nobody can test, since the league issued a Don’t-Touch-Dirk policy."
TD21, in about the comparison of Ryan Richards to Dirk.
[LINK]
"This group might be getting too young. Wait, too old. Wait, I dont even know anymore. It seems like we have two groups and we have achieved the impossible: we are too young and too old at the same time."
LasEspuelas,about Duncan, Manu, and McDyess being combined with Hill, Blair, and Anderson
[LINK]
"My Bowen jersey is in the closet.. preventing dust from reaching the floor."
Hirschof, about how even a shirt bearing Bruce's name possesses otherworldly defensive capabilities
[LINK]
"Not really. I remember him being our mascot, our point backward, minus-point guard and being one of the cheerleaders. The time he became a point forward escapes me."
day_late_friend, in response to tp_09 inexplicably referring to Bonner as a point forward
[LINK]
"unconventionally grotesque yet somehow accurate"
Fred_Silva, about the correct way to describe Bonner's shot, in an argument beginning here.
[LINK]
"thabeet described blair to a police sketch artist?"
BlaseE, in response to completely deck posting this image.
[LINK]
"So, if you don’t want to lose your job as a mob hitman, at least step up to using Quikcrete. Plus, it sets in about 20 minutes, so you don’t waste your whole afternoon waiting to toss someone in the river."
CapHill, in response someone using cement when they should have used concrete.
[LINK]
"Lebron: 'I bet they didn’t teach you this in Europe!' ::::throws powder at Tiago::: 'D-Wade take a fake picture of this shit!' ::::pose:::"
Manuwar, about a fictitious encounter between Tiago Splitter and James.
[LINK]
"Keepin’ the mystery alive through inadequate lighting."
Queness, about the pic she posted in the second Illusion Crushing Thread.
[LINK]
Wayne: I always liked the 50’s.
LatinD: Everybody remembers their college days fondly.
[LINK]
"Ha, ‘selling Blair short.’ It’s like ‘selling Artest crazy,’ or ‘selling Tim reliable,’
Fred Silva, about Spurfansteve’s the unfortunate and unintentional wording that created an unnecessary repetition in his defense of DeJuan Blair’s offensive upside.
[LINK]
"Ah crap. Look at me people, I am feeding a troll."
swgeek, about realizing that he’d continued to argue with a Laker fan without seeing that it was destined to go nowhere.
[LINK]
"Next season, our only FIGASENI is @ NJ on the RRT. It is also a THIGAFONI, but not part of a BABA."
Blase, about the Spurs' 2010-11 schedule, using as many acronyms as linguistically possible.
[LINK]
"I think LeBron’s just a moron who wants to play 21 with some pals."
SiMA, about why Mr. James would choose Miami Southbeach over New Jersey Brooklyn.
[LINK]
"I’m trying to rediscover verbosity."
LatinD, about the fallout of the MEH discussion.
[LINK]
"Lebron has a List, remember? He’s gonna stick it to all the haters who said he couldn’t win when it didn’t matter."
DrumsInTheDeep, about the Spurs' approaching pre-season game against the Miami Heat.
[LINK]
"...until we either receive additional information or players start getting cut/waived/traded/coerced into buying Pop wine."
CapHill, about which new addition to write a GTKYNS profile on.
[LINK]
"You should see their little faces at cookie time when I tell the children, "I was a Girl Scout when I was a kid!" -- Never have you seen young girls so seriously question their futures."
Queness, about what she says to Girl Scouts when they try to sell her cookies.
[LINK]
"It remains to be seen whether his skills are a good fit to occupy Bruce’s old corner office."
freshtunarightofftheboat, about Gary Neal's prospects.
[LINK]
"We might as well be hunting for Commentor Vangelis posts."
Hirschof, about the uselessness of running down every summer NBA trade rumor. [For the backstory on Commentor Vangelis, begin here.]
[LINK]
"I think I saw his baby with hands near Bruce's face trying to defend his dad."
SaSleepless, about Bruce Bowen carrying his toddler at the AT&T Center during a preseason game.
[LINK] (in the body of the story under the first photo)
"So ... the Spurs need to ride their jet skis past these Clippers, while playing first fiddle and beating them like a rented mule. Whew!"
Big50, previewing the keys to the game of an early season 2010 matchup with the Clippers.
[LINK]
"I’m not sure if I could handle that tsunami of instant inebriation."
Hirschof, about being inside the mind of CIA Pop - after Bobby Simmons was waived.
[LINK]
"These 3 point rookie archers are working out better than we could have dreamed ... helping make the Spurs the 2nd most accurate 3 point shooting team in the league."
alamobro, about the way that Anderson and Neal shot from distance at the beginning of the 2010-11 season.
[LINK]
"I can see that they were all thinking to themselves "Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward ever. Who is their center?"
Alamo, about these nincompoops on Jeopardy.
[LINK]
"the Spurs went from 17 down to 17 up in a half of basketball on the road against a team that was 12-3 coming in. I don't know what that means, but it sounds pretty good."
Aaronstampler, about the 2nd half of Spurs@Hornets on 11/29/10.
[LINK]
"Pop: On this play, Richard, I want you to ride David Lee's head as if it were a petting zoo pony."
Hisrchof, about Richard Jefferson landing on David Lee after dunking.
[LINK]
"Manu outsmarted Melo. In parallel news, water is wet"
SpurredOn, about the charge Manu took from Mela to seal a Dec 2010 game.
[LINK]
"Manu does not miss, he simply grants the basketball free will to disobey."
AirForceAggie2010, about the correct way to describe Manu's non-makes.
[LINK]
Yeah. I’ve always thought of PtR as a resume builder.
"It says here you’ve posted over a thousand comments on PtR as Manuwar? What the hell does that mean or have to do with this job?"
"Well that’s not even including all my Speedostuffer comments"
Manuwar about how important it is to do what we do, when we do on PtR.
[LINK]
"I just want to hug this game and pet it and squeeze it and never let it go and I will name it George m11g Hill."
Lauri, about 2010's first game against the Lakers -- a 15 point victory.
[LINK]
"We are not going to know what [Duncan] really has in his tank until the playoffs get here. Then we’ll see. Maybe Duncan will be like Muhammed Ali in his last fights. Man, Ali looked great. But all the strength was gone. Or, maybe he will finish things up like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, simplifying his game to a few efficient things that his old body could execute, and aging like a fine wine. Or maybe he will go out like David Robinson, cementing the Spurs defense and getting leftovers on the offensive end. I can see all three of these scenarios as plausible. To me, Duncan is the real story of this season. How his story plays out. Even more than I want the Spurs to win a title, I want Duncan to leave the game on his own terms; there, I’m done. It seems to me that Robinson got that chance, and I hope this team is able to give Duncan something similar to cap his career."
quincyscott, about Duncan's reduced role and at the beginning of the '10-11 season.
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"Also, I noticed that when Bonner scores, it often demoralizes an opponent. They are like "Oh, no! Now Bonner is killing us. I want this game to be over."
Kondor, about the NBA's Fear of Bonner.
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"Now shut up and hydrate, Tiago."
janieannie, inferred dialogue on this photo.
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"Trying to tell a Mavs fan the Spurs are better is like trying to convince an 8 year old there is no Santa."
Web P, about his frustrations concerning cognitive dissonance amongst Dallas fans.
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"Pull the trigger! Get rid of Bynum, and let the chucking commence – I hear Blair’s board-hungry belly growling at the prospect!"
Rand, about the proposed trade of Carmelo Anthony to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum.
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"[There are] well-documented facts about Gaius Julius Caesar’s prowess on the basketball court. Dude had a sweet jumper and a crossover that was straight out of the Stone Age.
And if you want to talk about the original Big Three, well you just HAVE to go back to the First Triumvirate. There’s simply no one before them. Just the thought of Marcus Licinius Crassus leading the fast break with Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Gaius filling the wings — whew!
Also, GJC had a crazy vertical. He could jump out of the Coliseum. Literally."
jollyrogerwilco [by the request of The Augustus], about what a baller Julius Caesar was (or wasn't).
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"Breaking: In a shocking new development, a rumored blockbuster deal would send SiMA, Hipuks, and SCS to Bright Side of the Sun in a three-way (TWSS) deal that would also involve olf and Argentinosaurus landing at PtR. Somehow I would end up at Loud City in exchange for a $35 Groupon to the OKC Steak Corral and a car wash. I am advised by my agent to say nothing further, but needless to say we are mounting a vigorous Twitter campaign against the deal."
Lauri, responds to the craziness of the 2011 trade deadline deals, with a rumor of her own.
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"How can I live while I know I may have annoyed a handful of faceless sports fans on the internet?"
DrumsInTheDeep, about the FwtE with MavsMoneyBall.
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"He's a someday that people want to pummel into a now."
LatinD, about Tiago Splitter's rookie year.
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"How many times has Manu gotten the Spurs through a playoff series without Tony? Zero. Because the little bastard is always healthy."
Wayne Vore (ATS), about Tony's "bad" game against the Grizzlies in the first round of the 2011 playoffs. (Epic rant)
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"There is a folk idiom which goes, "still waters run deep" - if there is but a grain of truth to it, then somewhere inside the blank façade Timmy puts up to the world at large lives a seething cauldron of silent rage."
Renn, in his very first post on the site.
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Panda Footprints
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with a Red Panda.
Many scenes from the playoffs flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
Other times there was one only.
This pissed me off because I noticed that during our eliminations,
When we most needed Mojo,
I could only see one set of footprints.
So I said to the Red Panda, "Why you gotta be like that, Red Panda?
You promised me that if I posted your pictures, you would always walk by our side.
Why then did you allow the Spurs to fall into a 3-1 hole before Neal had to save our ass?"
The Red Panda replied, "The times when you only saw one set of footprints, my child,
Is when I carried you on my back.
Also, check the picture of Neal shooting a three again."
Hipuks, no explanation needed.
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It sucks when you have to say the same things about your favorite athletes that you normally say about bands.
"I liked their old stuff better."
scrappy-doo, about the Big Three aging.
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"We all have a mavsfan within us. He rears his ugly head when our team loses."
LatinD, about original sin mavsfan.
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This has been a test of the Emergency Sarcasmometer System. This is only a test. The irony broadcasters of your area in voluntary cooperation with the FCC and other authorities have developed this system to keep you informed in the event of a serious post.
If this had been a non-sarcastic statement, you would have been instructed to tune to one of the broadcast stations in your area for news and an official explanation of why sarcasm was not used.
This blog serves San Antonio Spurs fans across the globe. This concludes this test of the Emergency Sarcasmometer System.
J.R. Wilco, parodying the old tests of the Emergency Broadcast System.
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"But that would just be logical. And during the last 6 months, it’s become painfully obvious that the NBA is severely lacking in the logic department."
Tim C., about the 66 game schedule, after the 2011 lockout.
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"I think a lot of people’s animosity towards Parker boils down to his Frenchosity. Maybe instead of the little French point guard we should think of him as the little Freedom point guard."
quincyscott, about the fans' attitude toward Tony, and fries.
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"It’s not good taste, but it’s DEFINITELY taste. And you gotta respect that.
Well, that’s not quite accurate. YOU don’t have to respect that, and I don’t even have to respect that, but it does demand to be noticed.
In fact, it’s best to be clear on this point: it doesn’t just demand to be noticed. It stands up in a crowded train station with explosives strapped to its midsection while yelling into a bullhorn, "I’m here and I will NOT be ignored." And that’s quite a feat for anyone to pull off, much less a hairstyle."
J.R. Wilco, about Ric Renner's hair.
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"Every time Blair LOL’s with his tongue out after making a mistake, an innocent fairy dies, and the only way to bring that fairy back to life is for a humble, hard-working man to play gritty defense. If it weren't for Tiago Splitter, there would be so many dead fairies."
Manuwar, about Blair's tendency to appear less than completely engaged in the outcome of the contest he's in.
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"If I had to pick a particular game where we turned a corner, it would likely be the infamous game in Dallas where the Mavericks nearly got bench-slapped."
SpursfanSteve, about the loss that preceded the Spurs middle-of-the-compressed-schedule winning streak, when Pop, down big in Dallas, pulled the starters at the end of the 3rd quarter and the bench played the rest of the game only to lose by 1 in overtime.
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"Gregg Popovich is the Kazsparov of Koaching."
Mike Payne, of PtR's sister blog Detroit Bad Boys, gifting us with yet another nickname for our dear GOML.
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" ... Gary Neal stepped back and made a three with one smooth, confident movement to tie the game at 95. Defenders could only helplessly watch as the ball penetrated through the air touching nothing but net. The Staple Center crowd collectively exhaled ... I yawned and switched off the TV. Last year Neal's game winners were at least something new to watch. This year they were just as expected and predictable as this whole boring collection of overachievers, the most consistent, winning and predictable team in all professional sports. If this team won't trade Tim Duncan for Gilbert Arenas and Greg Popovich for Mike D'Antoni in the next five days, it would become absolutely unwatchable and all nine of its remaining fans will prematurely expire from their collective boredom before the all-star break ... "
Kondor, about Gary Neal's shot against the Clippers, satirically using Carles' voice in response to the Grantland Mortality post, which attempted to recycle the worn-out Boring Spurs meme.
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"Alternate scenario: the Spurs win the 2011-2012 championship, and stand pat next year (Lorbek - Diaw switcheroo!) to look for that elusive repeat. Duncan comes back for the love of the game, and offers to play for the veteran minimum in order to let the Spurs achieve the last accomplishment missing in his illustrious career. Tiago and Blair unfortunately take part in a major head-on collision against a mighty oak while riding on Blair's vintage Vespa scooter, and as a result merge into the basketball entity known as Tiaglair. Kawhi decides to visit Russia, and inadvertently drives into the outskirts of Prypiat, where he's bitten by a radioactive caterpillar. Months later, he shows up to the training camp with two new arms, one growing from his chest and another from the back of his head, turning a good defender into the best ever. Tony Parker knocks over his Margarita while clubbing one night, immediately grows disillusioned with the prospects of Nueve, and locks himself inside the Spurs training facility. The end of the 2012-2013 season finds him shooting the corner three at a 52% clip. Manu grows his hair back."
LatinD, during the 2011-12 season about what would happen with Duncan after his contract expires.
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"It's been such a joy watching our guys this year - which I guess makes me a pretty sick human being.
Humanity: "Hey Pop, whatcha doing?"
Pop: "Buildin' a doomsday machine."
Humanity: "How about the Bulls, huh? Think they can give Miami a run for their money?"
Pop: "It runs on the tears of angels. This bit on top makes the sun explode."
Humanity: "Either way, the Thunder are gonna be a tough match-up in the Finals."
Pop: "RC summoned the ancient spirit of Nemesis and harnessed her to his will. I think they're dating now."
Humanity: "People are saying that you'll retire when Duncan does, which is weird because I thought you both left the league years ago."
Pop: "I have dissolved the walls that separate our universe from a Hell-dimension of eternal torment. You shall perish in flames."
Humanity: "Jeremy Lin!"
Anyhow, I don't get to write for pleasure much these days, but rest assured: I always find time to read PtR - both the articles and the comment threads. The Spurs are, bar none, the classiest and most effortlessly excellent club in professional sports, and PtR is the Spurs-iest blog on the net. Much love to y'all. Go Spurs Go!"
Rand, in the comments of his epic "Villains of the NBA" piece.
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"Insanity is going with Matt Bonner over and over again and expecting a different result.."
FoldCatOne, channeling his inner-Einstein
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"I see how you are - start out with softball articles that lure me in with real life stories, then ease me into the hardwood stories, and before you know it I am hooked yet again, waiting for my basketball fix and staying glued to PtR to keep the high going between games."
swgeek, coming back to basketball for the 2012-13 season
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I have to agree that Pop blew the end of game 6. I think Pop knows that he blew the end of game 6. However, let’s be fair. If we assign him the blame for the last 30 seconds, we also have to assign him the credit for the other 47:30, where the Spurs kicked Miami’s butts, in Miami no less. We have to give him the credit for the other 15 playoff victories, as well as the 58 regular season wins, all the while delivering his aging team healthy and peaking into the playoffs. So did he screw up? Sure, but I daresay few other coaches would have even been in the position to lose that game – they’d already have seen their team shown the door. There’s two sides to every coin, and Pop gets it right much more than he gets it wrong. He plays the odds – sometimes the dice just come up snake eyes.
toppusdoggus, wrapping up an entire summer's worth of arguing about whether Pop's end-game decisions in Game 6 lost the Spurs the 2012-13 NBA Championship.
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Yes, Manu is washed up because he had 8 turnovers in one Finals game and worse than usual shooting. Clearly. When Chris Paul had 8 turnovers in a playoff game against the Spurs and averaged 12 points on 36% shooting in the series that resulted in a sweep, did he retire? Nooo, he was voted an All-Star, ranked as the best PG in the league, and recently was re-signed to what, like a 100M contract or something? SMH
BrooklynGirl21, with a compare/contrast on the way Manu and CP3 ended their 2012-13 seasons, and the conventional wisdom about each at the beginning of the 2013-14 season.
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He just didn't have the eye of the tiger, he had the dull stare of a dairy cow."
TrooperJoe73, summing up Richard Jefferson's tenure with San Antonio
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