Back in October on these pages the San Antonio Spurs were the pick to win the Western Conference. It wasn't the boldest pick, after all the Spurs have been the filet of the NBA for some time, but still it feels good to be right. It would feel better if they were easier to like, though. Tim Duncan, for all his talent, looks like he'd rather be anywhere than on a basketball court most of the time. Manu Ginobili's flopping, Gregg Popovich's eternal whininess, Tony Parker's Gallic heritage...they all add up to a stew that's less engaging than it should be. Last night's game was a microcosm of the way they've taken care of business through the years, methodical and effective demolition of the opposition done without many smiles and without any outward expression of effort. It makes sense, teams tend to take on the characteristics of their best players and Duncan has been that for the entire Spurs run. It just would be a lot more fun if they seemed to care about things other than calls that go against them and showed a bit more of the enthusiasm that lesser teams like the Warriors seem to find in the game. Congratulations to them, though, because they've earned their place in the finals and two months from now when the Finals wind down they'll likely have earned another title.
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