---

SAN ANTONIO MELTDOWN

The San Antonio Spurs lost their second-round playoff series more than the Los Angeles Lakers won it, and here's why:

1. Tony Parker disappeared. The Spurs point guard was phenomenal in the first two games, running the offense to near-perfection and totaling 50 points. But as reader Scott Stinder (Toronto) pointed out, He also combined for just 50 points in the four losses. In other words, Parker went from hot to naught in the blink of an eye, as he suddenly started throwing the ball away and missing wide-open jumpers. In his defense, Parker is still only 21 years old. But his inconsistency has to be maddening for Spurs fans.

2. Rasho Nesterovic was never there. I never really understood why the Spurs made such a big deal about signing Nesterovic last summer, especially when he proved to be nothing much more than a soft, ineffective center in Minnesota. My college basketball coach once told me, You dont make mistakes, but you dont create enough good things either. Thats Nesterovic. Hes just kind of there. Thats not to say hes totally useless. He just isnt gonna win you any games, or mainly, be the type of player whom you want in the middle at the most important time of the season. Basically, Nesterovic would make a fine backup whos good for 24 minutes a night, but I think hes the perfect example of NBA types getting excited about a player not because hes a great player, but because hes from Europe. And Ill forever be convinced that 41-year-old backup Kevin Willis didnt get to play nearly enough. Willis is very strong and loves to throw his muscle around in the low post. Mostly, hes not intimidated by Shaquille ONeal, nor does he want to be Shaqs friend -- and its lots of fun watching Willis go out of his way to prove it.

3. Manu Ginobili went awry. While Parker always seemed to be making the wrong pass after Game 2, Ginobili was so out-of-control he couldnt hold onto the ball long enough to make ANY pass. Ginobili is extremely aggressive on offense, and thats a good thing. But he is a coachs nightmare in that hes constantly leaving his feet with nowhere to throw the ball. He also struggles with the concept of pulling the ball back out, slowing things down, and setting up the offense. He forced way too much in this series, and if he ever hopes to be an All-Star, he needs to improve his lack of discipline with the basketball.

4. Bruce Bowen and Hedo Turkoglu were too often just in the way. Bowen still does a great job defending Kobe Bryant -- although, for whatever reason, Bowens teammates didnt seem to help much by refusing to step around the Lakers picks. Anyway, when Bowens not making his 3-pointers, its tough to keep him on the floor. He simply does not contribute on offense, and its like playing four against five. Turkoglu is the same way -- and whose idea was it to make this 6-foot-10 power forward a shooting guard? He should be underneath the basket banging for rebounds, not hanging out on the perimeter lofting up 3s. Turkoglus biggest problem, though, is defense. He cant guard wing players and he certainly wont stop anyone in the low post.

Even after reading all of that, Spurs fans should hold the hate mail.

When it comes to being a winner, I still dont think theres a better player in the world than San Antonio forward Tim Duncan. And he has a lot of winning left to do. In fact, I am guaranteeing that as long as Duncan stays healthy, he will avenge this defeat and win at least one more championship, probably two or three. All of this is especially true when you consider the Lakers will be splitting this summer.

In summary, the Spurs have to be considered favorites for the NBA title heading into next season. But they sure dropped the ball on this one.

MORE LAKERS-SPURS STUFF

-- How can you not love San Antonio backup guard Devin Brown, clearly the Spurs second-best performer in the second round? What a great story, as Brown was a high school standout in San Antonio, played college ball at little Texas-San Antonio, and then almost single-handedly lifted his hometown NBA team to wins over a Lakers squad that boasts four future Hall-of-Famers. Mostly, I love watching this kid because he is a fantastic mid-range shooter and gutsy defender. The Spurs were lucky to find Brown, and the NBA can only hope for more like him.

-- The best way to defend Lakers guard Derek Fisher is to not defend him at all. Fisher is a lethal shooter when an opponent is running at him or has a hand in his face, but is terribly inconsistent when hes left open. Some guys are just like that. They are more focused on the basket and put more arc on their shot when theyre under pressure. So Minnesota would be wise to pack in the defense and just let Fisher fire away.

-- Thats not intended to rip Fisher, clearly one of the leagues most underrated all-around players and classy people. There will be a lot of teams throwing big bucks at this guy if he ever becomes a free agent, and rightfully so, as I cant think of a point guard who is a better defender.

-- For the Lakers, none other than Shaquille ONeal played a monstrous role in disrupting the Spurs offensive flow. Bottom line: You could remove any one of the other Lakers from the team and theyd still win the title. Take Shaq off, though, and theyre done. Its amazing to me how many people cant see that, or simply refuse to admit it. Without Shaq, Kobe wouldnt even be in position to hit all those big shots.

-- Marty Cogan (San Diego) wrote: I know youve always said Kobe is no Michael Jordan, but is there a player from the past whom you think Kobe plays like?

-- Dear Marty, just so you know, saying Kobe is no Jordan is not meant as an insult. Not by any means. But to me, Kobe is Julius Erving all over again. Just like Doctor J, Kobe can glide to the basket, dunk with the greatest of ease, knock down perimeter shots, and play stifling defense. Really, theyre pretty much the same player. The only differences being that Dr. J was a little less selfish and made better decisions with the ball. Of course, Doc was also a lot older than Kobe when I saw him play.

PISTONS QUICKIES

-- Detroit shooting guard Richard Hamilton is right up there when the idea is most underrated guys in the NBA. Hamilton isnt much of a defender, but it sure is fun watching him slice and dice his way through opposing defenses on his way to those nifty pull-up jumpers in the key.

-- Meanwhile, the best thing about Pistons center Ben Wallace is hes a one-of-a-kind player. By that, I mean theres really no one else in basketball history to compare him to. Never before has a player been so outstanding on defense and at rebounding without contributing on offense. Actually, Wallace can score a little bit, and grabbing offensive rebounds certainly counts as contributing its just that Wallace is so much different than anyone whos ever played the game, theres no easy way to explain his value. I guess you could just say that Wallace is a very special player, period.

RANDOM STUFF

-- The Minnesota-Sacramento series was the best one since the Lakers-Sacramento series two years ago. How often does a series go the full seven games and come down to a 3-pointer that rattles out at the final buzzer (in this case, the one taken by Sacramentos Chris Webber)? The Kings may have lost, but if anything, they deserve tons of applause for providing us with ultra-enjoyable basketball. That, more than winning championships, is why we watch.

-- So, do the Timberwolves have a chance against the Lakers? Well, considering I said the Lakers would lose to the Spurs and Indiana would sweep Miami, does it really matter what I think? Definitely not, but Ill give my opinion anyway: Timberwolves in six.

-- OK, OK. I dont really believe the T-Wolves will win, but since everyone else is picking the Lakers, I thought Id try to be different. In my heart of hearts, I know the Lakers will win. But wheres the fun in stating the obvious?

-- Chris Mullin may be my all-time favorite college player. I loved watching him as a pro, particularly during Golden States Run TMC years of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Mullin. I was thrilled when Mullin was hired to run the Warriors after the regular season, as I think his famous basketball face is exactly what the franchise needs.

-- Having written all of that, I dont understand how Mullin can justify firing Eric Musselman as coach. Does he really think someone else is gonna get any more out of these guys? The truth is, the Warriors overachieved this past season. They played hard and remained in the playoff chase until the final weeks, despite trading leading scorer Antawn Jamison to Dallas and letting Earl Boykins sign with Denver. They also played much of the year without rugged rebounder Troy Murphy and veteran point guard Nick Van Exel, both of whom suffered a variety of injuries. The Warriors had some bad breaks this season, and there was some friction between Musselman and the players from time to time. But there is no way you can justify firing a guy who deserves nothing but praise for his two seasons of turning a less-than-stellar lineup into a very competitive team. I love ya, Chris, but this was a bad move.

-- Trade rumors involving the Cavaliers and Mavericks are coming to the surface again. The latest reports have Dallas shipping Antawn Jamison to Cleveland for DeSagana Diop, Tony Battie, and Dajuan Wagner. The only problem with that is Jamisons contract (hes still owed $58 million). According to the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, the Cavaliers arent too high on paying that kind of money over the long term.

-- The Blazers will be pursuing free agents such as Stephen Jackson, Brent Barry, Jon Barry, and Gordon Giricek, according to the Portland Oregonian. Also, the Blazers will probably use Shareef Abdur-Rahim as trade bait. Abdur-Rahim is in the final year of his contract, and GM John Nash has even suggested trying to trade Abdur-Rahim to Seattle for Ray Allen. "But the reality is, I'm not sure what Seattle's plans are," Nash said. "And we are a long way from knowing what direction we will take. But I suspect there will be a lot of speculation over the summer with Shareef, much like there was with Rasheed (Wallace), because Shareef is an attractive player with an attractive contract."

-- Ever wonder if Abdur-Rahim read Nashs comments and asked, So, you find me attractive?

-- Utah is looking to trade one of its three first-round draft picks, perhaps packaging them to move up in the draft. "We probably have more flexibility to do things than any team in the league, Jazz player personnel director Walter Perrin told the Deseret News. "That's why Kevin (O'Connor, the Jazz's senior vice president of basketball operations) and I are in an ongoing process of talking to teams to see if there is a possibility of moving up."

-- Miami is reportedly seeking lots of help in the Rugged Big Man Department, and is expected to make an off-season pitch to sign one of the following free-agent centers: Mark Blount of Boston; Erik Dampier of Golden State; or Etan Thomas of Washington.

-- The agent for Dallas point guard Steve Nash told the East Valley (Ariz.) Tribune that Nash would consider signing with Phoenix. Nash will be among the most highly coveted free agents this off-season, but loves Dallas and unless something really strange happens, hell be back. In fact, its hard to picture the Mavs big three of Nash, Michael Finley, or Dirk Nowitzki ever playing anywhere else.

-- A poll on hawks.com asked readers, What type of head coach should the Hawks hire? Seventy percent said a former NBA head coach, while 13 percent voted for a current NBA assistant. Despite the failure of Lon Kruger, 10 percent voted for the Hawks to hire a prominent college coach.

-- Initially, I liked the idea of the best-of-seven format for the first round of the playoffs. I figured more basketball could only be a good thing. But since the NBA implemented it last season, its easy to see that the players are just playing too many games, and starting to break down when their teams need them most. Go back to best-of-five. Actually, I wouldnt mind seeing it best-of-three, like it was in the early 1980s.

READER FEEDBACK

From Andrew Myers (Pittsburgh, Pa.): Since 1987, either Los Angeles, New York or Chicago has failed to reach the NBA Finals only three times. Dont you think theres even a hint of conspiracy to make sure at least one of the three biggest markets has a really good team?

A: Dear Andrew, no, I dont agree. If there were a conspiracy, the Los Angeles Clippers would at least challenge for the playoffs once in a while. Or what about Washington? Thats a pretty big city, a city that gets plenty of coverage from the media, and the Wizards havent been good in years. The truth is, most of the best players flock to the larger markets so they can try to become famous via acting or making albums (almost always to no avail), which makes the large-market teams prevail. And besides, there are enough NBA games on television that people in every city are familiar with the teams. Anymore, it doesnt matter who makes it to the Finals. As long as the series is well-played, fans will watch. As for the lottery, its rigged and youll never convince me otherwise.

From Sean Saris (Richmond, Ind.): Sam, I know you are from Akron, Ohio, and as you like to say, born in the same hospital as LeBron James. Besides James, are there any other current NBA players from that area?

A: Dear Sean, you betcha. I was born in Akron, but actually grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, about 10 minutes outside the city. Current NBA players from nearby: Memphis forward James Posey (Twinsburg Chamberlain H.S.); Denver point guard Earl Boykins (Cleveland Central Catholic); Philadelphia point guard Eric Snow (Canton McKinley); and of course, LeBron James. Charles Oakley and J.R. Bremer, each of whom played in the NBA last season, are also Cleveland natives. Meanwhile, two of my idols while growing up were Gary Grant (Canton McKinley; Clippers), and Alvin Robertson (Akron Barberton; Spurs, Bucks). Others from northeast Ohio who played in the NBA: Nate Thurmond (Akron), Gus Johnson (Akron), Dave Jamerson (Stow), and Jerome Lane (Akron). I know Im missing a couple let me know who they are here: amicoreport@hotmail.com.

READ ME IN BT

Just a reminder that I will be writing a regular column for Basketball Times beginning with the next issue. Real experts like Dick Vitale, Dick Weiss, and Bob Ryan also write for the publication. You can subscribe to Basketball Times by calling 910-295-5559 or sending an e-mail to hoopgroup@aol.com.

CONTACT ME

You can e-mail your thoughts to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. You must include your full name to be considered for publication. Also, please include your hometown, as I love to see where the e-mails are coming from.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!