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Postseason potpourri
Thoughts before the 76ers or Bucks get a Finals whuppin'
Posted: Wednesday May 30, 2001 2:57 PM
Updated: Wednesday May 30, 2001 6:32 PM
In just two games, the Friday and Sunday blowouts in Los Angeles,
the Spurs undid all the good they had done for themselves in their '99
championship run. San Antonio once again looked like a soft team that wilts
under playoff heat, which was the rap the Spurs lived with for years before they
finally won the NBA title. We've seen David Robinson crumble before,
especially against elite big men (remember the Hakeem Olajuwon
humiliation in 1994?), but watching Tim Duncan wander around outclassed
and uninterested for most of the series was really troubling. It seemed as if
the rest of the Spurs had rubbed off on him, rather than the other way
around.
Most athletes who complain about officiating are just trying to cover
up their own inadequacies, but I don't blame Bucks forward Glenn Robinson
for losing his cool and getting ejected near the end of Game 4 against the
Sixers. Not only had he clearly been fouled on a key possession and not gotten
the call, but he also hadn't gone to the line at all in the first four games of
the series. With Game 1 on the line he got absolutely raked by Eric Snow
on another uncalled foul, which caused Robinson to lose the ball, and helped
cost the Bucks the game. If anyone ever had reason to bark about the refs, it's
Big Dog in this
series.
If I were commissioner David Stern, I'd be worried about
those great Nike commercials, the ones with the sensational dribbling. They're
more entertaining than 90 percent of NBA
games.
Bob Costas asked Chris Webber the obvious question in
an interview that aired during NBC's halftime show Monday: Chris, if you really
just want to play for a team that gives you the best chance of winning a
championship, why not sign with the Lakers for the $4.5 million exception, even
though it's less than half of what you could earn from a team with more salary
cap room? C-Webb gave a long answer, but nowhere in it were the words that would
have summed it up in a nutshell: "Because, Bob, it's about the money."
In this case, thank goodness it's about the money, because if Webber goes to
L.A. we might as well shut off the lights in every other arena for the next five
years.
I love Allen Iverson's fearlessness as much as anyone, but
you have to wonder how long he can play at such a high level with the punishment
he takes. Watching him stagger around like a punch-drunk fighter after taking an
elbow from Milwaukee's Ray Allen in Game 4, swallowing blood and limping
because of his hip and buttocks injury, The Answer looked much older than his 25
years. Unless he changes his game (by not taking the ball to the hole as often)
or changes his body (by hitting the weights harder) I doubt he'll be the same
player by the time he's
30.
Lakers problem child J.R. Rider hopes the team will bring him
back next season, which is why he's trying to be on his best behavior -- even
though it sets his teeth on edge to see Tyronn Lue on the playoff roster
when he himself isn't. But J.R., showing up 10 minutes before tipoff, as you
have several times this postseason, isn't the best way to convince the club that
you'll be Mr. Responsibility next
year.
The Bucks play an entertaining style, they win games and they have a
telegenic star in Allen. So why do they get overlooked by the public and the
national media? It may sound silly, but I think one of the reasons is their
uniform. The Bucks have perhaps the most generic-looking unis in the league. Can
you even name their colors? They need a new logo and jersey before training camp
opens next year. And please, no black or
teal.
Derek Fisher is one of my favorite players, both because of
the way he goes all out all the time and because he looks you in the eye and
gives you an honest answer, no matter the question. But he's also one of the
leading practitioners of playing defense by drawing the charge, a trend which is
hurting the game. It used to be that a defender had to clearly establish
position to draw an offensive foul. He had to be as still as a statue. But now
guys like Fisher slide over as the offensive player starts his drive, and even
though both players are still moving, the referee often calls it a charging
foul. You want more movement and less contact in the NBA? Stop letting defenders
get away with that
tactic.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor covers the NBA beat for the
magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send a
question to his NBA
mailbag.
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