The High Court

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Patriot-ic Excellence

The NBA’s answer to Bill Belichick?  Grabbing a third ring this June would suggest that he is.

Popovich started his NBA coaching career under another genius, Larry Brown. (nba.com)

It seems unlikely, perhaps even impossible, that in an era of wall to wall sports coverage and analysis (guess we just threw another log on that fire…) a professional sports franchise could be heading toward a third championship in seven seasons and still fly completely under the radar.  Yet that is the plight, or maybe more accurately, the blessing, suffered by the San Antonio Spurs.  This franchise has gradually evolved into the epitome of professionalism and class in the National Basketball Association, and nobody in the business seems terribly interested in using them as the poster kids for the league.  They lack the big market appeal of franchises in Los Angeles (who seemingly saw professionalism exit the building with Jerry West) and New York (suppress laughter).  They have a star who is so consistent and so reliable that he is about as exciting as watching grass grow.  They have a management system that allows the basketball people make basketball decisions.  The coach and the general manager seem to have a wonderful working relationship.  And they have a coach who may well be as sharp as anybody in basketball, a man smart enough to aid his cause by surrounding himself with extremely able assistants.  All of these ingredients made this club seem so familiar to me.  Then I realized it:  The San Antonio Spurs are the NBA’s version of the New England Patriots.

 

You may not remember this now, but the Patriots’ first Super Bowl victory was looked on as a bit of a fluke.  Many people felt that they were only in the position to win the championship because of an obscure rule that helped them to victory against the Oakland Raiders (surely you haven’t forgotten the “tuck” rule), and that their upset of the St. Louis Rams was the work of a one hit wonder.  And sure enough, they flamed out the next season, finishing 9-7 and missing the playoffs.  As it turns out, that was the fluke, as the genius of Bill Belichick, the greatness of Tom Brady, and the unselfish dedication of a group of professionals (headed by Tedy Bruschi and Troy Brown) have since taken the Patriots to two more Super Bowl victories, all but spitting in the face of the NFL’s alleged parity.

 

As we look at the parallels, I will grant you that the movie star looks and personality of Brady make him more charismatic than Duncan.  But as a player, remember that Brady has had to win three Super Bowls to be considered an elite quarterback, and that his success owes largely to his efficiency and leadership skills, rather than just flat out awe-inspiring ability (although he is a much better physical quarterback than he has been given credit for).  Furthering my point, keep in mind when people talk about quarterbacks as individuals, you will almost always hear these names before Brady’s:  Peyton Manning…Michael Vick…Brett Favre…Donovan McNabb…Daunte Culpepper.  Duncan gets the same treatment.  Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, Kevin Garnett, and now Dwyane Wade are all guys that get marquee treatment before Duncan.  Most commonly heard compliment about Duncan:  He is so fundamentally sound (and this blind date I am setting you up with has a great personality).  Duncan is much more than fundamentally sound.  He is truly great.  And the man is so consistent in his performance and in his demeanor that he get pigeonholed as bland  His disdain for self-promotion is admirable, and I would compliment him on it, but he would probably just deflect the praise like a Shawn Marion dunk attempt.

 

The manner in which this basketball team has been constructed is brilliant as well.  And that owes a lot to the coach/general manager tandem.  But let’s look at how they put this club together, and the pieces that make it so great.  Remember a season ago, when Dr. Jerry Buss decided to have his organization sign every aging former superstar to go with Shaq and Kobe?  When the Lakers brought in Karl Malone and Gary Payton, they did so by turning a blind eye to the fact they were building a team whose parts were much greater than the whole.  The Lakers were just as dysfunctional on the floor as in the locker room.  They lacked versatility on both ends of the floor, and they suffered from a complete lack of quality depth.  The Spurs, on the other hand, have built a team that is great defensively, getting better offensively, and most importantly is both deep and versatile.  Again, who does this versatility remind me of?  The Patriots, of course.  A team so versatile that they were able to beat the high end passing game of the Colts, the smashmouth ground attack of the Steelers, and the balanced West Coast offense of the Eagles in the same postseason.

 

Tony Parker, the French roadrunner of a point guard (Parlezvous beep-beep?), and Manu Ginobili, the Argentine whirling dervish, are as dangerous a backcourt tandem as there is in the NBA.  They supplement those two with Brent Barry and Beno Udrih, a pair of long guards who can shoot the three (out of the Duncan double teams) and handle the basketball.  Bruce Bowen (a first team All-Defense selection) provides outstanding perimeter defense and another three point weapon.  That versatility we talked about?  Bowen has slowed down offensive stars Carmelo Anthony (a small forward), Ray Allen (a shooting guard), and Shawn Marion (an undersized power forward) through the first three rounds of the playoffs.  Joining the incomparable Duncan on the baseline is Nazr Mohammed (more on the brilliance of that pickup shortly) and “Big Shot Rob”, Robert Horry.  Horry, who already owns five championship rings, was up to his old tricks in the Western Conference Finals against Phoenix, hitting one huge three after another.

 

This Spurs team reminds me so much of the New England bunch that always seems willing to sacrifice playing time, numbers, and even money to win the ultimate prize.  Troy Brown’s willingness to give up himself and move from wide receiver to a spot as a nickel cornerback epitomizes what the Patriots have been all about.  Both Brady and Bruschi have left money on the table at contract time to see that the club does not paint themselves into a financial corner.  It is truly a remarkable organization, and management sets the tone.

 

Peter Holt is the chairman and CEO of Spurs Sports and Entertainment.  I had to look that one up.  So that means Mr. Holt does a good job of keeping a low profile.  He and his ownership group give the franchise the resources it needs to succeed, and then they get out of the way and let the basketball men do their jobs.  Bob Kraft is quite a bit more high profile with his Patriots, but he has learned how to let his football people take care of their business.  Kraft loves for you to know that he is the Big Patriot, but after an acrimonious parting of ways with Bill Parcells, Kraft has seemingly learned how to be a very good owner. 

 

Both men are blessed with incredibly talented personnel teams.  For Kraft, he has the young genius of Scott Pioli (who just happens to be Bill Parcells’ son-in-law).  Pioli seems to be among the elite in evaluating talent in the NFL, especially in the area of value talent.  The Patriots get as much bang for their buck as any team in the National Football League. It does not hurt that Pioli’s coach, Bill Belichick, has handled personnel duties in the past, and their harmonious working relationship has built New England into a modern day dynasty.  The Patriots were very fortunate to have Pioli rebuff the advances of several NFL clubs in the off-season who came calling for his services (some even offering titles of team president).

 

R.C. Buford is the Spurs’ personnel guru.  And he just happened to inherit the job from…ta-da…Gregg Popovich.  Buford has done an outstanding job since he took over in the summer of 2002.  He has succeeded in bringing in terrific foreign talent like Ginobili and Udrih (Popovich is responsible for Parker), as well as signing key free agents like Barry and Horry.  Buford, much like Pioli, has a keen eye for getting pieces that fit perfectly without having to spend too much money.  His only free agent blunder to date, Rasho Nesterovic, is riveted to the Spurs bench these days (Nesterovic was supposed to help replace David Robinson…instead he plays like Mrs. Robinson).  But Buford has been able to cover that mistake as well, pirating Mohammed away from the Knicks for a mannequin, a subway token, and a ball of yarn.

 

With all due credit to everybody in these organizations, it all starts with these coaches.  Bill Belichick, for my money, may have stamped himself as the greatest coach in NFL history.  Heady praise, I know, and I apologize to the likes of Brown, Gibbs, Lombardi, Landry, Noll, Parcells, and Walsh…but given the salary cap issues and the rampant parity in the league in recent years, I just think what Belichick has accomplished, both as a coordinator and as a head coach, makes him the very best.  And it only took winning back-to-back Super Bowls (and the three overall) to have people get past his lack of public charisma.  Matter of fact, he reminds me a lot of….

 

Gregg Popovich.  Other than amongst basketball people, Pop isn’t even on the radar.  It is Phil Jackson, or Larry Brown, even Jeff Van Gundy, before anyone mentions Popovich as one of the league’s very finest coaches.  And he is.  He has two rings to prove it.  An Air Force Academy graduate (where he led the team in scoring as a senior), Popovich drives his club just as you might expect a man with a military background would.  The Spurs have always been a defense-first club, a team that always made the tough play and never beat themselves.  Popovich has even fought his own nature, allowing his talented guard tandem, Ginobili and Parker, to play more of the free-wheeling style that allows them to fully explore their talents.  That freedom has made the Spurs into a much more explosive offensive team, and coupled with their defensive excellence makes them at least a slight favorite in the Finals against the East representative.  Giving his players that extra freedom is proof positive of how good a coach he is.  Popovich is also a guy, like Belichick (see Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis) smart enough to surround himself with great assistants.  His top lieutenant, P.J. Carlesimo, is the favorite to be the new boss in Minnesota next season (and good for PJ for outlasting the Sprewell/choking debacle).

 

Funny thing is, I have never really embraced the Spurs.  And not many folks outside San Antonio have either (we know that network executives certainly haven’t).  But I hope these guys get their due if they win a third championship.  Gregg Popovich has given his time the last three summers to help coach Team USA.  So we know that basketball people know what a great job he does.  Like Belichick, and his own star, Duncan, Popovich is not one for self-promotion.  He would rather just do his job, and do it well.  As you watch the Finals this year, just remember what an excellent organization the Spurs have become.  Then take time to give some love to the Patriots of the NBA.