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- JFav

Monday, January 5, 2009

2009 - Return of the Spurs?

Another year has passed. The calendar has to be changed once again. It's 2009 and you know what that means. The San Antonio Spurs are going to win it all again.

The good people in San Antone can thank their lucky calendars that it's 2009. Titles in '03, '05 and '07? See a pattern there? Somehow, someway, I believe the Spurs will make it back to the finals. Hold on, you say? What about the rest of the best of the West, you ask? Let's take a look at them shall we.

The Rockets, sad to say, will choke, somehow, someway. Either Ronnie implodes, Yao gets injured, Adelman forgets who just went in for who and/or T-Mac scores 50 but his teammates score zilch. I'm a Rockets fan, but the team is too cursed. The Hornets don't seem to have the killer instinct people thought they'd have this year. Portland won't win it their first time. Dallas and Phoenix? So long, farewell, ye olde powers of the West. Denver will make a nice run but ultimately fall in the Western Semis. Deron Williams will put up a Mike Bibby circa 2002 (only better) but Boozer will be too much like C-Webb (injured and afraid; and this is coming from a Duke fan -- step it up fellas!). What about the Lakers? No way Kobe's gonna let them lose right? He's beaten the Spurs before and as recently as last year right? Mamba will do his thing, no doubt. But would you really want to bet against the Spurs in their voodoo year?

Touchdown is still doing the 20-10 thing. He carried the team by himself when Tony and Manu were out. The greatest power forward ever is still the greatest power forward ever. Parker is averaging career-highs in points (21.8) and assists (6.7). He's also shooting 80% from the freethrow line, a career-high and 9 percentage points better than last year. Manu's numbers have dipped but that's because he started out injured. You know he's due to breakout soon. Roger Mason is playing the most minutes of his career and he's making the most out of it. George Hill and Mike Finley are contributing enough too. The rest of the Spurs will just need to step it up come playoff time and with Pop coaching them, you know he can bring out the best of them. Oh and you know Pop will have them motivated. A chance for a fourth title this decade, a fifth overall on the 10th anniversary of their first title? Team-of-the-decade status on the line? Do you really think they're not going to be hungry?

At 22-11, the Spurs are a quiet 3rd in the Western Conference. No one's talking about them. Which is par for the course if you remember their championship years. Come April, May and June though? When that defense is kicking on all cylinders, Tim Duncan quietly submits another HoF type season and Pop's yelling and hollerin' to get them to focus? You're going to hear all about them. Again. Like clockwork. And just like in '99, '03, '05 and '07, there'll be another parade on the Riverwalk.



Of course, LeBron James might have something to say about that. But that's a story for a different time.

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