Write On Sports LLC - "NBA Finals -- All Spurs" by Tyler Clifton

NBA Finals -- All Spurs

2007-06-15 18:47:47 | By: Tyler Clifton

Mark Cuban might have saved some money releasing Michael Finley, but the former Wisconsin star is all smiles after recently winning an NBA championship -- something Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash don't have. The old saying "he who laughs last, laughs best" couldn't be more true in this situation.

King Duncan and Prince Parker proved beyond a shadow of a doubt which team reigned supreme in this year's finals, and LeBron James is currently serving the role of also-ran.

James is a great player, but putting him on such a high pedestal wasn't fair to him or the Cleveland Cavaliers association. One man can't do it alone (ask Shaquille O'Neal after his Orlando Magic was swept by the Houston Rockets).

His inexperience showed in the last four minutes of the game, as he let a rebound go off his fingers to continue a possession and couldn't handle an outlet pass with 1:32 left all but ending any chances of a comeback. Duncan and Fabricio Oberto (yes, Fabricio Oberto) played a game of keep away with the Cavaliers and made the one-and-a-half minute stretch resemble a playground affair.

San Antonio proved it was championship worthy despite having eight players older than 30. Experience does win out most of the time, and the Spurs are now a perfect 4-for-4 in championship series.

There are great story lines such as former University of Alabama star Robert Horry becoming the first non-Celtic to win seven rings. Manu Ginobili is an All-Star as a sixth man or a starter, and Cleveland was simply out-hustled and out-performed the entire series.

Bruce Bowen is arguably the greatest defender in the game today after having to guard the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Nash and James. Although Detroit might have given the Spurs more of a run for their money, the Pistons blew a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. They might not have shown it, but the Cavaliers did deserve to be in the championship round.

Parker was being shopped around a few years ago, as the Spurs were looking to bring Jason Kidd to town. The organization must be thanking its lucky stars for hanging on to the 2007 Finals Most Valuable Player. He took his game to a new level and wowed many who watched him drive the lane and sometimes score with ease against guys twice his size. He might have been the smallest man on the court, but he had the biggest heart.

As far as things not to be missed in this series are the constant shots of Eva Longoria (enough). Watching the smile of Admiral David Robinson witnessing a team he once helped build win the ultimate reward again was much more worthy of the people's time.

On the television front, the new McDonald's Filet O Fish commercial is the perfect time to go to the refrigerator and select your beverage of choice. Any sane person struggled watching it all the way through. Move over Yankees, Patriots and Red Wings, there's a new dynasty - one making those in Dallas and Houston cringe when they think about it. San Antonio isn't the flashiest team to watch, but the Spurs play the game the way it is supposed to be played.

The Mavericks and Suns must learn it's not how well you do in the regular season. Gregg Popovich got what he needed from his players when he needed it in crunch time and brought another title to the Alamo City. He's now in the list of the all-time coaching greats whether he'll ever admit it or not. Yes, the series was a snoozer from time to time (Sunday's ESPN baseball game with the Cubs and Braves and The Sopranos were much better options prompting me to miss all of Game 2), but it takes nothing away from the luster of what San Antonio has accomplished.

LeBron will get his turn, but for now the championship picture is crystal clear. It's all in black and white.

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