:previous: "N", does stand for National, but these are the best teams in the world. Some of the best players are from other countries (Dirk, Parker, Yao, Ginobli, just to name a few in Texas).

Your right about the defense. For those who truely understand basketball strategy, the Spurs are a wonderful team to watch. It's much more exciting to watch a great team than a great player.

Double, if the Spurs are so boring what is the excuse for the Heat-Mavs series last season doing only .3 better than the years before matchup of Spurs-Pistons? Explain that one. There are many reasons this series is low rated. From ABC's shameful coverage of the NBA and even worse attempt at broadcasting NBA games to the series from the very beginning being one sided, there's no reason for most people to watch when they knew the Spurs would win. The Cavs are are one if not the worst finals teams in NBA history. Lebron isn't even good enough or popular enough to the casual fan to spike the ratings, however the NBA will continue to hype the kid.

You know that the Suns and Mavericks have no rings right?

Haha, yeah he is. LeBron is pretty damn popular, but this is against the Spurs, which are miles better than the Cavs. If this was say the Rockets (with national players like T-Mac, and a world player like Yao), or the Suns (with Steve Nash), the ratings would have been better.

I don't think the Spurs or boring though. It is exciting watching a young player like Tony Parker (I call him Black Frenchie) play.

O.K., fair enough.

But I don't think that ALL of the problems with the ratings rest with the Spurs. Sure, many casual bball fans would like to see LeBron vs. Kobe in a 7 game series, the marketing plan used by the NBA is clearly not working well. As you can see by the Mavs-Heat ratings last year, they weren't so great either.

I think that is okay (better than this years). If SA wasn't such a small market (JT the Brick on Fox Sports Radio said it is ranked 37th), then the ratings would probably be better.

It's kinda sad that we can't gain greater viewership. The Spurs are beloved in SA and South Texas, but compared to other markets it's just not enough. Last year I was in Corpus and Laredo on business. Both times I went to a local bar to watch a playoff game and it was packed with Spurs fans. I'm actually intrested to know if Austonians adore the Spurs????? It's obivous thar outside of Texas, we have virtually no following. That's too bad, because this team is starting to be compared to some of the great dynasties in years past.

Bottom line.....spurs win championships, albeit every odd numbered year, but they win....four titles in 8 years. I'm not a spurs fan but I respect their following and you certainly have to say that they are a dynasty. Maybe not like those Bulls of the 90's or the lakers of the 80's. But still four titles is four titles.

Comparing game-specific ratings is meaningless when referring to the entire series and the Spurs season-long national ratings. That's just another aspect of who The Spurs are, most of their popularity is centered locally in comparison to previous national championship teams. I don't buy "people aren't watching because the spurs are going to win", either.

I'm not a Spurs fan, they rely on simple plays that do indeed invoke strong defense including good picking and motion offense, but I think that's too simple and I like to see players play off of each other on the court.

Can you give an example of something you that is complex enough to be exciting to you? The Spurs DO play off each other though. Anyone who watched the dismantling of all three Western Conference teams they played on the way to the Finals can see that. As much as Gregg Popovich likes his halfcourt offense, there are plenty of times where Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are aloud to run wild and let the "players feed, not play, off each other."

It's Austinites, not Austonians. Ugh, why in the heck did they name that building "The Austonian"?

Anyway, I wouldn't say Austinites "adore" the Spurs. I actually see and hear very little about the Spurs here. I did see a commercial tonight talking about the game with the Cavs, but of course that was on ABC, and it was just an ad for the televised game. The Longhorns seem to be the biggest sports team here regardless of the sport. They are without a doubt, the biggest sports draw here, even beating out the minor league teams we have here of baseball, basketball, football and hockey.

I will say one thing. In middle school when I fell to peer pressure and got a Starter jacket, the team I picked was the Spurs. Of course, I guess I have some bias, having been born in San Antonio. Unfortunately after an encounter with a stray bottle rocket that burned my jacket, I got a Dallas Cowboys one afterward. Still, if I was going to root for a basketball team, the Spurs would be it.

Inside NBA circles sure but outside the NBA he isn't and that's because he plays in Cleveland, the east is so aweful and the Cavs have had little success besides this year.


Maybe but only slightly (like 7.2 instead of 6.5) because then there actually might be a series in it if those teams played Cleveland as opposed to it being one sided.

In seasons past the Spurs have had some of the highest ratings during the playoffs esp. on TNT (which provides fantastic NBA coverage). Also, it really bothers me when SA gets all the blame when ratings are low as if the Spurs are playing the Spurs and no other team is involved. But again I ask, how is it that the 2005 Finals (SA-Det) overall rating was a 8.2 and the 2006 Finals (Mia-Dal) was an overall 8.5 rating. I asked this simply for your simplistic reasoning that the ratings have been low because the Spurs are boring.

Detroit is the same way, their popularity is standard regional. LA and Chicago are the only two that really had that national popularity. Though never a NBA championship winner the Cleveland Cavs are as well only popular regionally.

That is one of the reasons not the only.

I don't understand this sentence, are you saying picking and motion offense are defenses?

That is exactly what both motion offense and pick and rolls do. They demand the players play off each other.

:lmao:

Ah dude that suxs. It's okay, my cousin did the same to me when i was little, except he put a stupid jumping jack on top of the hood of my jacket, while i was wearing it. How sad, he didnt like me, its okay, cause i am better then him now, he he. Anyhow here is to a good game, bring it home Spurs...


:boogy:

Yea which is part of the joke. people talking..but no hardware showin

Regardless, he is pretty popular. He has the second highest selling jersey in China. He is known all over.

With as many championships the Cowboys have one, I just can't be a Cowboys fan. I'm a Houston homer. Any Houston sports team, I'm a fan of it. Cowboy fans just drive me wild.

Who is going to watch this game knowing the outcome already?

Um all of Texas increasing south of Roundrock, All of Argentina, All of Paris and the arrondisments, pockets of the Balkans and Italy.......oh yeah and diminished interest in Ohio.

I doubt it.

Where is the broom?

That's because we Cowboy fans own the state. America's Team:yes:

Congratulations San Antonio.

I hate the Cowboys (with a passion), but I wouldn't mind an all Texas Super Bowl.

Congratulations San Antonio.

I hate the Cowboys (with a passion), but I wouldn't mind an all Texas Super Bowl.

The cavs fans booed!

Ahahaha

DYNASTY!

I can't believe they were booing. LeBron pretty much cost them the game at the end. Terrible mistakes on his part. I was listening to the radio this morning, and there are still people trying to say the Spurs aren't a dynasty because they haven't won titles back to back. I don't agree with that. Four titles out of nine years is good!

Yes, 4 championships in 9 years is a good run, but Spurs basketball will always be bland to me.

It's like tank destruction-- none of the flash and bang of an infantry invasion, but impressive and effective.

Eva Longoria is so fine:

http://www.adelaider.com/?thread=7297

Yeah, I went to school with her back in the day. She briefly dated one of my fraternity brothers at the time. She's had a lot of work done since then. But still nasty without the hair and makeup team behind her.

DAMN straight!!! Good for Tony Parker. Finals MVP (he earned that shyt) and now hubby to Eva Longoria (Tapping that shyt). Seriously though, congrats to Spurs and their fans. I was stationed at Lackland AFB in San Antonio for 5 years and I must say you people in SanAntonio have plenty to be happy about. I'm sure you'll win couple more titles in the tim duncan era and I would seriously consider hiring him as an assistant coach whenever he retires. Imagine him and popps in suits coaching this team. I don't know how well their chances will be next year (somehow they can't win in even numbered years) but I expect them to be right in the mix alongside DAL and PHX. Congrats again spurs.

Man I'm loving it! Barely got any sleep last night.

One item of note, the Spurs finals coverage in the local Austin media has been totally lacking and woeful. The front page of the Statesman barely makes reference to the Spurs this morning, and local newscasts didnt even mention the clincher until the sports segments, in some cases. I understand that Austin is a college-dominated sports town, and NBA allegiances are likely split alongside the Mavs and Rockets, but c'mon, we're only 70 miles up the road!

I also would like to see the Spurs organization embrace the Austin market a little more, perhaps with increased promotions and advertising campaigns. They should take advantage of an adjacent 1.5 million metro!...and perhaps local media would pay closer attention to their successes. Not that it really matters in the end, but it would be nice to see, as I'm a huge a Spurs fan.

I hope the Rockets win one next year (it will be tough). The last time I felt good about Houston sports was when the Astros were going to the World Series.

The Rockets should have a pretty exciting team next year, with Adleman pushing his uptempo game. The setup is in place for Tracy McG to have a career year, if all goes as planned. The western conference is still going to be a beast to get out of, with SA, PHX, Utah and Dallas as your primary competition. Nevertheless, it'll be fun to watch.

Speaking of Rockets coaches, I have to say that I love Jeff Van Gundy's role as color analyst for ABC (not taking anything away from his coaching skills). There's no coincidence they had him broadcasting games before he was officially fired! He makes some hysterical observations during games.

Robert Horry just said he was coming back for one more year. He believes the spurs can repeat. (Source: Dan Patrick Show ESPN RADIO)

^^^
Ughh! I hate Van Gundy, he wouldn't stop swinging on LeBron's nuts the whole series. Regardless of what was happening or how badly the Cavs were losing, especially during their 29 point deficit in game 2, he was constantly kissing James' ass.......I swear his lips were chapped by the end of the night. :yuck:

LOL.. Ok i'll give you that one. I just find that he makes funny observations, sometimes totally unrelated to the game at hand. You might recall during the Utah series, they flashed a mid-90s elementary school yearbook photo and profile of Deron Williams. Under his picture read... Future: Professional Basketball player. Then JVG points out some kid, Steven Wright, pictured below Deron in the yearbook. Under Future... it is left blank. JVG went on.. "LOOK at Steven Wright, he has NO future!" He just went on an on about it for several minutes. .. Alright, well I can't do it justice but it was funny at the time...

But i degress... back to spurs talk.

Thanks for the response. I was having too much fun last night, I didn't get a chance to respond till now.

That's really pathetic that Austin barely mentions the San Antonio Spurs. Longhorns got the front page treatment for every Bowl Game/ Final Four so what gives? I'm happy that you're a Spurs fan, but I wish the Austin media would help us recognize the quality of basketball being played 70 miles down the road. We have 4 rings to prove it. It's just tough to swallow.

Phoenix fans can only dream
 

Congratulations to the:

2007
NBA Champion
San Antonio Spurs!!!


http://www.dropshots.com/photos/2372...616/230044.jpg



Phoenix Suns RIP.

Here here... it pisses me off to no end that the Spurs lack so much media attention in Austin. We're only 70 miles up the road!

Again, I understand this is a Longhorn-domainated sports town, and NBA alleigances are somewhat split between the Mavs and Rockets (seem to be more Mavs fans here than any other), but the Spurs are almost an afterthought it seems. When the Astros made the '05 world series, the local media attention was much greater than with any of the recent spurs championship runs. Ugh. Is it any wonder why the rest of the country knows very little about this team? One of the many theories I have comes from the origins of our population. So many have relocated here from outside the region... which also includes move-ins from Dallas and Houston.

This makes me wish I lived closer to SA where I could pick up your local TV stations. I watched the KENS-5 live coverage on the internet the other night.

Anyway, GO SPURS! The Drive for 5 begins in November!

:previous: Thats a great slogan for the next one... Drive for 5!

Enough is enough. Congratulations to the Spurs, but, this dynasty is killing the NBA and the NBA is disgusted with all of the Spurs winning ways. Television ratings (which equals income), was at the lowest level in NBA playoff history. San Antonio winning all of these years is good for one place...San Antonio. It has brought the NBA to a new low, though, for the rest of the country. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for San Antonio, but, in the end, it is time for the dynasty to end. It is costing the NBA multi-millions in lost television revenue. Nobody cares about the Spurs but Spurs fans in Texas. It is simply not considered an elite team by many and they aren't anything like watching the Lakers and that is why it is costing the NBA so much money.

Why are all of the low ratings attributed to the Spurs? This series had LEBRON JAMES!!! Why not blame him for the low ratings? The fact that this series featured arguably the bigest star in the NBA (James), and that the ratings were this low, indicates that there are much bigger problems then the Spurs. Oh, and I do care about the Spurs (I live in Florida).

..........although, I do like how you refer to them as a "dynasty" ;)

I agree, it's not fair to blame it all on the Spurs. The ratings were low for the Spurs/Pistons too, but did people blame Detroit, nobody blames them. Who really is going to watch San Antonio and Cleveland other than SA and Cleveland? I mean sure you have fans like BigBird9 above me, but there is only so far. If the NBA had its way it would be the Lakers and the Knicks every year.

I'm not blaming it on the Spurs, necessarily...it's the 4 and out that really ruined the ratings. Actually, people expected the Spurs to win so they simply didn't watch. I'll say this...I DID watch every game, but, alot of other people didn't apparently. But, I'm a diehard NBA fan and a big supporter of the Hornets.

Congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs! They have proven once again how great an organization they have in the Alamo City. I can't believe any true basketball fan can find a team with Tony Parker, Ginobili, and Tim Duncan boring. On the contrary, for me it was a joy to watch them go about their business like the true professionals they are. (Well, except for Bowen.)

If there is a ultimate culprit for the low ratings, it's the imbalance between the Eastern and Western conferences. Many believed the outcome of the series was never in doubt, so they opted to watch other things. The NBA needs to come up with a system that will get the BEST two teams into the finals, regardless of which conference they play in.

I know YOUR not blaming the Spurs, but a lot of people are. And I think it's pretty obvious that your a Hornets fan :D .

I think TexasStar nailed it. The imbalance is huge. It doesn't help that Oden and Durrant will be headed west as well :rolleyes:

TexasStar you nailed it! I listen to Sportstalk radio often and an overwhelming amount of listeners agreed that the there was little doubt on who would win the NBA Finals. Most national media gave the Cavaliers a snowball's chance in hell, so it's no wonder fans turned to other entertainment. But they did mention other ways to improve the Finals....like seeding teams based on conference/overall record much like they do in college. Thus, it would be possible for a Spurs/Suns Finals. The only downfall to this is that it would continue to let the East be the JV of the NBA with few exceptions.

Alon....you might as well get used to the Spurs being a dominant force for at least the next 5 years. They are the most consistent pro sports team in the US and have a winning reciepe any other team in the league would die for. They are the most winningest franchise of ANY pro sports team in the last decade and have more championships than any team in the last decade. That includes the Lakers, Patriots and Yankees. With the way free agency is in pro sports, this a very impressive. David Stern doesn't have a problem with it. He's making millions now on overseas television revenues. You think Argentina, France and Brazil arn't watching the NBA finals? They wern't 10 years ago, but that was before national heros such as Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Anderson Varejo and Fabricio Oberto.

The real NBA finals were played when SA and PHX met in the second round. I heard an idea on the radio, that they should seed all 16 playoff teams by record, regardless of conference, that way the 2 best teams will be sure to meet at the end. If it is SA and PHX or Dallas, then so be it. Oh, and if people think Manu, Tony, and Tim Duncan are boring, then they know absolutely nothing about basketball. Tony, is arguably the most exciting point guard in the league right now. I'm sure others will argue that point, but it could be true.

Definately, it was so nerve wrecking playing the Suns. If they would have beaten us, I would have gone for them, they are one hell of a team.

It's actually refreshing to see the Suns and Jazz struggle against the San Antonio Spurs. It's even better to see them eliminated during the playoffs. Going back to the days at hemisphere and the Alamodome, it was painful watching the Spurs lose to Malone/Stockton and Charles Barkley/Kevin Johnson year after year. They have nothing to show for it other than Western Conference Championship banners.....but that was maniely due to MJ's dominance.

Spurs 4....Jazz/Suns 0. Enough said.