How does one explain the inexplicable nature of those who see reality before their eyes but continue to maintain a defiant doubter? Is it just human nature to believe what we want to believe despite the facts? We certainly see it in every spectrum in our lives.
Many continue to doubt that man ever set foot on the moon despite the photographic evidence proving the actuality of this event. Others continue to insist the current president of the United States is not an American citizen despite the evidence of his birth certificate.
In the world of sports, many continue to believe that the San Antonio Spurs are too old, boring and simply not capable of winning a fifth NBA title despite earning the best record in the Western Conference for the last two years, winning 50-plus games for the last 15 seasons and a current 19-game win streak.
Some refuse to believe what is before their eyes despite the fact that the San Antonio core of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have ‘been there and done that’ more than any other active trio in the NBA today.
During San Antonio’s current winning streak, the Spurs destroyed the Lakers in two consecutive games, including a 112-91 drubbing in the Staples Center. They swept the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers, and they spotted the second-hottest team in the NBA, the Oklahoma Thunder, a nine-point lead at the end of the third quarter before roaring back with 39 fourth-quarter points to take Game 1.
Somehow, some still have their doubts. In my day-to-day conversation with friends and acquaintances, I come across a common theme: No one believes in the San Antonio Spurs.
Maybe it’s because many don’t truly know the Spurs. Many know how dominant the Celtics and Lakers have been for decadesâ€"collectively they’ve won 33 NBA titlesâ€"but how many NBA fans are aware that the San Antonio Spurs trail only the Los Angeles Lakers with the second-highest winning percentage in NBA history?
Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan have appeared in over 184 playoff games, more than any other duo in league history
Can you really blame the casual fan? When we turn on the TV, we are not inundated with ads or images of Manu Ginobili jumping over Kia automobiles or of Tim Duncan or Tony Parker sitting in the rafters of the AT&T arena talking about this being their time.Â
Instead, the public is subjected to constant replays of players who are marketing darlings, such as Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
The NBA and media giants like ABC and ESPN have in essence created an individualism imagery of the NBA that transcends what is a team sport and makes it appear that you can’t win without a superstar with name recognition.
Tim Duncan is a superstar by all accounts and undoubtedly one of the best players to play the game, but he does not fit the definition of the “superstar†promoted by the league.
Put it this way: A co-worker who is a casual basketball fan had no idea who Tim Duncan was, yet she knew LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Of those three players, who has won multiple championships and multiple Finals MVP honors?
Isn’t greatness measured by your ability to lead your team to victory on the biggest stage? Yet name recognition continues to elude one of the game’s great, Tim Duncan, and with it the belief that his San Antonio Spurs are on course to hoist another championship trophy.
When will the fans become true believers not just in the Spurs' ability to win it all but in the fundamental truth that a great team will beat a great singular superstar time and time again?
When the average fan is able to see beyond the hype and hysteria of thunderous dunks and dazzling fast-break plays, they will believe. When the average fan is able to absorb and understand the nuances of precision pick-and-roll plays run to perfection or the flawless execution of a defensive rotation that results in a charge leveled against the opposing player, they will believe.
When the average fan understands the significance of a timeout taken to stem the momentum of the opponent or the seemingly insignificant timeout taken that moves the basketball to the other end of the court, thus taking away a potential advantage of the opposing team, they will believe.
These are the small things that the San Antonio Spurs do effortlessly, better than any other team in the game today. It takes time and practice to develop this type of cohesion and continuity. It is the hours of practice and preparation, the hours of hard work for which there are no eye-popping ads or promotional clips created that makes the Spurs so successful.
You’ve heard pundits say with regards to the Spurs, "They play the game the right way." Perhaps more will believe in the San Antonio Spurs when they stop viewing the game the wrong way.
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