This has got to hurt David Stern.

[lonestr]

This, to me, has been the biggest hype job in NBA history. How do you go from naming three All-Stars, MVP, COY, and a couple of first teamers to the biggest brick in one playoff series. The players themselves were convinced they would be Champions, so were their fan base, and the NBA sportswriting world to boot. Stern was sporting a chubby the size of France with this new style run-and-gun chipsters. Now, it's the "Club Interrupted" and the world is just stunned. How demoralizing it must be for Nash, Stoudamire, and Marion after all the brash talk of the past with the "Roadkill" references during the regular season.

[Teardropsfallin]

Actually I think the Spurs were always the favorites heading into this anyway

[ElNonoMasa]

I don't think the commish picks the players for the All-Stars game or the awards.
I see it more like wishfull thinking from the media. If they get to pick, they would love a Miami-Suns final for obvious reasons.

[Spurd_On]

Those were all regular season awards. The Suns came up outta nowhere.
Making it to the WCF is decent considering where they were this time last year.

[austin_spurs_fan]

the series isn't over yet, one 4th quarter of poor shooting and we would tied

[knownalien]

yeah, i want two more wins under our belts here with the suns then we can talk about the hype.

[VALLEY GIRL]

Yeah, a Game 3 win is crucial. It will still be too early to celebrate, but there will be blood in the water (Nike piranha reference).

[lonestr]

It's obvious that Stern nor the media makes the picks, however, with the fact that the league shivers when a small market team like the Spurs become the pink elephant in the room and allude to showcasing the Shaqs and the Kobe's of the NBA. They all built the beast that lay squirming on the middle of the court slain by our Spurs. They watered it, fed it, and delicately loved it in hopes that it would change the face of basketball... Beast, I name thee Pheonix Suns.

[bnwhuxley]

I think the Suns' success took everyone by surprise, Stern included, and the publicity just went from there. The team he has wanted to pimp all along is the Miami Heat, which was more of a sure thing with Shaq being there.

[JWest]

We've done nothing but win two games. The same as LA last year.
Thank goodness the team is aware of this more than the fans at times.
Remember if the LOB ain't floating on the river in June, this will be another disappointing season.

[jmbarton]

Originally Posted by austin_spurs_fan

the series isn't over yet, one 4th quarter of poor shooting and we would tied

Agreed.

Originally Posted by knownalien

yeah, i want two more wins under our belts here with the suns then we can talk about the hype.

Agreed.

The Spurs are doing great, but let's get two more W's (or atleast one) before we start to talk about the Sun's summer.

[lonestr]

Okay... Beast, I name thee Miami Heat!!(two weeks from now).

[Spurd_On]

Originally Posted by bnwhuxley

I think the Suns' success took everyone by surprise, Stern included, and the publicity just went from there. The team he has wanted to pimp all along is the Miami Heat, which was more of a sure thing with Shaq being there.

Right. If you remember back to the beginning of the season, everything NBA was
Shaq vs. Yao on the adds. The Suns were a freight train on a straightaway during
the regular season and deserve attention. Freight trains hit curves when they reach
the playoffs and the Spurs are that curve as is Detroit in the East.

[colemin]

It's obvious that Stern nor the media makes the picks, however, with the fact that the league shivers when a small market team like the Spurs become the pink elephant in the room and allude to showcasing the Shaqs and the Kobe's of the NBA. They all built the beast that lay squirming on the middle of the court slain by our Spurs. They watered it, fed it, and delicately loved it in hopes that it would change the face of basketball... Beast, I name thee Pheonix Suns.[

Stern is just a businessman, for himself and themselves!

[twentyone]

Originally Posted by colemin

Stern is just a businessman, for himself and themselves!

He's a poor marketer. He fails on capatilizing on all facets of the game because he relies on flash to sell. "If flash was cash I'd be a millionaire"

[ProjectGSX]

Originally Posted by austin_spurs_fan

the series isn't over yet, one 4th quarter of poor shooting and we would tied

One well placed twisted ankle and we lose the series 2-4.

[Jason R]

Suns are the third biggest turnaround in NBA history. It made a great story and you got to feel proud about what they've accomplished. Getting to the WCF is no easy feat and when they lose they have nothing to be ashamed about.

[samurai32]

Originally Posted by ProjectGSX

One well placed twisted ankle and we lose the series 2-4.

U best go knock on wood. (where does that silly superstition stem from anyway?)

We still have to win 2 more games. This is not over. We have had 1 let down game in the previous 2 series. Besides, I don't think Stern cares anymore about who wins the Championship. If anything, you would think he'd be rooting for us since we have so many international players. More world recognition is best. Wouldn't you agree?

[SAScrub]

Originally Posted by Jason R

Suns are the third biggest turnaround in NBA history. It made a great story and you got to feel proud about what they've accomplished. Getting to the WCF is no easy feat and when they lose they have nothing to be ashamed about.

That's what the losers say.

[Blizz™]

Originally Posted by austin_spurs_fan

the series isn't over yet, one 4th quarter of poor shooting and we would tied

Since when does one bad fourth quarter equal 2 losses?

[Jason R]

Originally Posted by SAScrub

That's what the losers say.

We were losers for years that didn't make the team any less proud of what it accomplished and what it brought to the city.

[Alka-Seltzer]

Or perhaps all the hype was justified and then the Suns just happened to play against a very special team called the San Antonio Spurs.

Phoenix could very well win this series - it ain't over by a long shot as the cliche goes.
Amare is an incredible force for what, only 22 years old? That's scary.
Nash is putting on a performance that will not be unnoticed by NBA historians no matter what the outcome of this series.
The Suns have been an amazing story all year, it's not hype.
All of this makes our 0-2 lead all the more impressive.

[PHANTOM21]

The Suns can have all the media glory for all I care and Nash's performance is great but it's still a stat that doesnt measure up to the ultimate stat in the NBA.

[Brooklyn Dave]

I suspect that Stern is quite happy with how things are turning out.

This is the first season since the 1999 Spurs that there is some mystery about who will be the next NBA Champion. For the past 5 years, the consensus pick was the Lakers and there was really no drama or reason for fans in most cities to get excited.

This year, there were 4 teams going into the conference finals who all had a fair chance of emerging as the Champs. That's more drama then we have had in a bunch of years. Further, there's great geographic diversity between Phoenix, San Antonio, Detroit and Miami. Granted, Stern would love to have an LA or NY in the mix but this group ain't half bad.

Finally, the Spurs are NOT a small market team by todays definition. Sure, from a Peter Holt perspective, SA is small and can not measure up to NY or LA in media reach. From a David Stern perspective, SA draws huge numbers of fans from Mexico, South America and Europe. This is the future of NBA Global marketing and the Spurs are probably number 2 in the NBA by this measure, with Yao and the Houston Rockets leading the way.

[DizzG]

Phoenix could very well win this series

very well? you make it sound like there is a good chance it could actually happen

maybe on another planet in another world

SA needs two wins..but Im sorry...the Suns will not beat SA 4 times in 5 games including 3 games IN the SBC Center where they have lost only 4 times the entire year. Thats just not close to having any realistic chance of happening

[Spurs Crusader]

^^^ and not beating a Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili starting lineup all season long.

[Not-so-Smart]

Are you saying the Suns didn't deserve any of the superlatives they got? I think they deserved them all (well, I might have gone with Rick Carlisle as COY, but that's just me, and I think the coach with three first names, Mike Dan Tony, was a worthy pic) and that might take a little thunder from your theory.
I think David Stern is OK with the Spurs getting this far. They have a great player (Tim Duncan) and two international stars (Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili). I think the public will soon forget all about the boring Spurs and soon realzie that they are not really boring. Manu going around-the-world in crunch time of Game 2 of the WCF might start killing the "boring" label.

[pjjrfan]

Ka Ching, Ka Ching, Ka Ching or the lack of is the only thing that will make Stern unhappy, and just the other night on ESPN he was gloating on how well the league was doing and how it had come back to it's glory days and how awful it would be if the Player's Union couldn't bend in the negotiations forcing a lock out. He also said that if the players thought the old offer would still be on the table come the start of the season, they were in for a rude surprise.

Even if the Suns fall, which should happen this weekend, they have generated a lot of interest and excitement and will just build on it for next year, that is if there is a season.

[austin_spurs_fan]

Originally Posted by Blizz™

Since when does one bad fourth quarter equal 2 losses?

ever since first grade math...2 - 1 = 1
the series is 2-0, one loss = 1 win to 1 win