GEEZ... when will kerr STOP!!!!!

[RaY Z]

this guy is pissin me off.... how much more bias can he GET?

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBqam1ocWIyBF9TAzk1ODYxOTQ4BHNlYwNlY2w-?slug=sk-teamtobeat120904&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

The NBA's team to beat

by Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
December 9, 2004

HOUSTON – On Wednesday in San Antonio, the Seattle SuperSonics ran and shot their way past the San Antonio Spurs for the second time this season. On Thursday in Houston, Tracy McGrady put on an incredible show, scoring 13 points in the final 35 seconds to lead the Houston Rockets to an amazing comeback victory over the Spurs.


Two nights, two bad losses. Gregg Popovich is furious, Tim Duncan is embarrassed and the Spurs fans can't believe it.

Well, they all can relax. Despite the bad spell, San Antonio once again has a great team, and at the one-quarter mark of the season, the Spurs are the favorites to win the NBA championship.

With apologies to Seattle and the Phoenix Suns, who have a better record than San Antonio thus far, the Spurs have the best chance to win the title this season because they're battle-tested, they're deep, they defend, they've won before and they have Duncan.
San Antonio has two titles in the past six seasons, but this probably is the best team Popovich has had. Duncan is his usual self, controlling games with his low-post offense, passing and shot blocking. It's his supporting cast, however, that makes this team so strong

Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker form a speedy, attacking backcourt that has energized the Spurs' offense. Several years ago, San Antonio walked the ball up the floor, but with these two guys leading the break, the Spurs entered Thursday's game seventh in the league in fast-break points. They also were sixth in field-goal percentage and fifth in points in the paint. The Spurs are attacking the rim and taking advantage of their guards' speed and Duncan's ability to get great position around the basket.



Their depth is a luxury and somewhat unexpected, too. Rookie Beno Udrih has been so good manning the backup point guard spot that Popovich calls him a "poor man's John Stockton." Third-year guard Devin Brown has been terrific, shooting and defending with confidence, and he has replaced the struggling Brent Barry in the rotation. Malik Rose, who spent much of last season in Popovich's dog house, is back in the lineup and the team's best big perimeter defender, often drawing assignments like Dirk Nowitzki and Lamar Odom.

The Spurs, according to Popovich, are fine as long as they remember "who they are."

"As long as we remember that we win games with defense, we're fine," he said. "We're not Dallas or Phoenix. We don't shoot it real well. But if we defend we're pretty good." Come playoff time, teams will have to score enough to win four games and knock out the Spurs. Defense wins championships, as Detroit proved once again last season. With the Lakers broken up and Shaq in Miami, this looks like it could be another championship season for San Antonio.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Once a Spur alwasy a Spur. Infact he should just change his name to Keive Spur!

 

[SacTownKid]

His lips are firmly planted in the asscheeks of the spurs.

 

[Gargamel]

Sorry, kids. He's right.

 

[sloter]

Well, if it takes that type of effort to beat them, I really think that the Spurs are in good shape.

 

[SacTownKid]

Sorry, kids. He's right.

I for one am not disagreeing, its just the way he comes across. Like a little brown noser.

 

[KA_2]

Kerr is a brown noser, sure. But the Spurs are the best team in the NBA. Though damn, was I wrong about Seattle. They just execute so well, it's great fun to watch.

 

[Gargamel]

I for one am not disagreeing, its just the way he comes across. Like a little brown noser.

OK, just Celt and RayZ then...

 

[HndsmCelt]

If recent games have showen nothing else, they have shown that NONE of the top teams are head and shoulders above therest. The Spurs are good, veryu good, maybe the best team in the leage right now, but hardly deserving of Keive Spurs pathetic fawning. Give credit whre credit is due, but do it all arround.

 

[VF21]

I didn't see anything wrong with the article...

they're battle-tested, they're deep, they defend, they've won before and they have Duncan.

Those are his reasons for saying the Spurs are still the team to beat and I can't disagree with any of them...

 

[4cwebb]

Here's the problem: Kerr is not a journalist, he's a former basketball player whose main connections remaining in the league are to the teams for which he played. The Bulls team that he played on is basically non-existent -- Phil isn't in the league, and neither are many of the other players from those teams. But the Spurs team hasn't changed too much since his days there, Popovich is still around, so he has easy access to those guys. So I don't hold too much against him in this regard (his written work).

However, I will bring into question his commentary on TNT. I didn't get to see all of that last 35 seconds for the Spurs/Rockets game, but the highlights on NBA.com didn't have much of Kerr talking about how great a performance TMac was putting on. Maybe I missed it during timeouts or during other plays that weren't show on NBA.com, but if Kerr can't get excited about what TMac did the other night, then he shouldn't be broadcasting Spurs games. Seriously.

 

[Gargamel]

Maybe I missed it during timeouts or during other plays that weren't show on NBA.com, but if Kerr can't get excited about what TMac did the other night, then he shouldn't be broadcasting Spurs games. Seriously.

That's true. Reminds me of HdsmCelt's reaction to TMac's threes.

 

[VF21]

Here's the problem: Kerr is not a journalist, he's a former basketball player whose main connections remaining in the league are to the teams for which he played.

So? If you know his bias, then you can't complain about seeing it. He hasn't claimed to be a "journalist," whatever you're assigning that title to... He is Steve Kerr. Someone is paying him to write HIS impressions and he is. We don't have to buy into them if we don't choose to, any more than we have to agree with any other former professional who has entered the ranks of the media in any way, shape or form...

 

[HndsmCelt]

That's true. Reminds me of HdsmCelt's reaction to TMac's threes.

Oh give it a rest. I got excited, I jusmped out of my chair, I said, "did you see that" I watched the highlites, then like a rational mature adult I moved on to the rest of the seasson... why don't you.

 

[Gargamel]

Oh give it a rest. I got excited, I jusmped out of my chair, I said, "did you see that" I watched the highlites, then like a rational mature adult I moved on to the rest of the seasson... why don't you.

Give TMac his props.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Give TMac his props.

Did once already, read the thread.... I only pay my debts one time.

 

[4cwebb]

So? If you know his bias, then you can't complain about seeing it. He hasn't claimed to be a "journalist," whatever you're assigning that title to... He is Steve Kerr. Someone is paying him to write HIS impressions and he is. We don't have to buy into them if we don't choose to, any more than we have to agree with any other former professional who has entered the ranks of the media in any way, shape or form...

That was my point in excusing his written product. I assign a different standard to his play-by-play commentary, however. It's one thing not to give complete credit to a team that is pasting the Spurs, yet another, imho, to purposefully not gush (and this is an assumption since I didn't see/hear the game broadcast) about what TMac did, which was nothing short of remarkable/incredible/once-in-a-lifetime type occurrence. That is where I take issue with Steve being associated with national broadcasts of Spurs games. If he wants to work color commentary for the home-town broadcast, that's one thing. Quite another to do so for TNT.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I guess I can understand where you're coming from; I mean, all or most of these guys are or have been regional broadcasters as well (Kevin Harlan - Minnesota, Marv Albert - New York), but they're generally able to keep their bias out of their commentary when they're working for TNT. Kerr tends to fail in this regard.

 

[4cwebb]

Maybe it's just a problem with former Spurs...I have found Sean Elliott terribly lacking in his color commentary during nationally broadcast Spurs games in the past.

 

[vladetomiller]

I dont see anything wrong in what he has said. They defend very well, they have been there before and done that before, they are athletic and fast with their guards, they have a coach who knows how to win and beyond all that they have Duncan one of the premier post players in the game and a perenial mvp candidate.

So this early in the season when no other team can really show that they are better you have to go with the spurs. Maybe if seattle can do this all year long or if the suns can prove that they can take the #1 seed in the west its going to be the spurs by default. Maybe down the stretch the wolves or the kings can show that they can beat the spurs but as of now i think that the spurs are playing great and given that they always start slow this start is great for them and are the favourites to win it all

 

[Evenstar]

kerr would stop if TD got hurt

 

[Purple Reign]

I dont see anything wrong in what he has said. They defend very well, they have been there before and done that before, they are athletic and fast with their guards, they have a coach who knows how to win and beyond all that they have Duncan one of the premier post players in the game and a perenial mvp candidate.

So this early in the season when no other team can really show that they are better you have to go with the spurs. Maybe if seattle can do this all year long or if the suns can prove that they can take the #1 seed in the west its going to be the spurs by default. Maybe down the stretch the wolves or the kings can show that they can beat the spurs but as of now i think that the spurs are playing great and given that they always start slow this start is great for them and are the favourites to win it all

I'm sorry, but I still see Minnesota as the favorites. The Wolves bench is deep and they all can score and defend. And if I had my choice between KG and TD I am taking KG, 7 days a week!!!! To me he is clearly better than Duncan at this point in his career. And though I do not think that neither the Wolves or the Spurs are head and shoulders above the Kings and everybody else, I do think that Garnett is. And the team that has Garnett is the team that will win.

 

[Geoff]

I'll wait to see where Phoenix and Seattle are at the all-star break before solidfying Minnesota as the favs...

Also, being that TD has two rings and Garnett has zero, I think the team with TD would be the one to put money on. My view is not as clear as yours but I would give the edge to TD at the moment. KG deserved his MVP last year but TD is the better player until KG either wins a championship or beats the spurs in the playoffs.

 

[Bricklayer]

Also, being that TD has two rings and Garnett has zero, I think the team with TD would be the one to put money on. My view is not as clear as yours but I would give the edge to TD at the moment. KG deserved his MVP last year but TD is the better player until KG either wins a championship or beats the spurs in the playoffs.

Well, I don't think THAT is really true -- you can't judge the individual talent of a player by the superior talent of his team. And the Spurs ALWAYS had the superior overall talent in earlier years than the Wolves.

You could say that it makes the Spurs as a team the safer bet in the playoffs because they've done it before. But even there, youo're talking about a situation where the Wolves made it every bit as far the Spurs last year. Farther actually, although they lost to the same opponent. Not sure how relevant results from the Robinson-era Spurs and pre-Cassel/Spree era Wolves are to what would happen if they met now.

At this point KG is clearly the more versatile player. He is falt out more talented in more areas. But Duncan remains strongest at the meat and potatoes post play and interior defense stuff that often leads to titles.